Dragon Stones (Book One in the Dragon Stone Saga) (15 page)

“I came to see you. Do you still manage the
Shadow Grid?”

Falenrith grimaced. “Abby and Braden, please
go to your rooms. We must speak in private.” Then his voice dropped
to a whisper. “Thorin, how can you come out and just ask me about
this? Who is this boy? I don’t know him, and I’m not sure if I
trust you!”

“I’m sorry to be so frank with you. But
we’ve got a necromancer chasin’ us, and we really don’t have time
to be delicate.”

“A necromancer?” Falenrith sucked in a quick
breath. “Are you sure?”

“I peered into its black eyes myself. It was
in Jutland, searching for Elias. This boy is Carina’s
grandson.”

“Carina’s grandson?” Falenrith groaned.
“Then it’s begun. I knew that it would happen sometime, but I just
didn’t know when.”

“What are you both talking about?” asked
Elias. He was getting tired of everyone talking about him like he
wasn’t present.

“Elias, Falenrith used to be a leader in the
Shadow Grid. The Shadow Grid was a network of thieves and spies
that worked for the resistance,” explained Thorin. “The thieves in
the Grid are unique because they all mageborn, and none of them
work for the empire.”

Elias’ eyes widened. “A whole network of
free mages? Why, that’s great!”

“Sorry to be the bearer of bad news, son,
but the Grid is not a network of free mages… as much as a network
of starving ones.” Falenrith turned to Thorin. “Things have changed
since we spoke last. The Grid has disbanded. The emperor captured
or killed most of us. I estimate that less than a dozen remain. I
don’t really know for sure. I’ve been in hiding in Faerroe for over
five years, and I haven’t cast a single spell in that time. I still
do some smuggling. Textiles, mostly. I try to avoid calling any
attention to my family. After Muriel was killed…” Falenrith’s voice
broke “… I just lost the will to fight. I’ve been raising Abby and
Braden on my own here. It’s been difficult, but at least I feel
safe.”

“You feel safe in Faerroe?” asked Elias
incredulously.

“Yes. The city itself is awful, but I’ve
never seen an empire soldier in all the years I’ve lived here. This
management of the city is such a catastrophe that we hide in plain
sight.”

“Oh, that makes sense,” Elias responded.

Thorin leaned forward, patting Falenrith’s
knee. “I’m sorry for your loss, old friend. Muriel was a good mage
and a fine woman. But you can’t stay here. You can’t. The empire is
coming. Soldiers will come here, probably within the next few days.
You’ll do best to leave the city by tomorrow.”

“I don’t need your advice, old man,”
Falenrith snapped. “In fact, I’m tired of bad news. That’s all I
hear.”

“My advice was well-meant, old friend. You
would do well to listen,” said Thorin.

“Is that why you came here? To give me a
warning?” asked Falenrith.

“No. I came because we need information. We
need to know if travel on the river is safe.”

“How would I know that?”

“Well, I knew that you handled the smuggling
routes. At least you did years ago. But if you know nothing, then
we’d best be on our way,” said Thorin, rising from his chair. This
conversation was going nowhere.

“Okay, okay… Wait. Just wait.” Falenrith
raised his hand and sighed. “I’m sorry. It’s just been so hard
these last few years. I shouldn’t have snapped at you. As for the
river—you can still travel down the Orvasse River. I also know
something else. At the time, the information … it seemed
impossible. I thought it was a mistake.”

“What is it?” asked Thorin.

“A few weeks ago, I got a cryptic message
from Norgul. He’s living up north, studying with the free mages in
Miklagard. They use bird messengers to monitor the travel routes up
there. He said that there has been a lot of military activity near
Mount Heldeofol.

“Isn’t that the orc kingdom?” Elias asked.
Thorin’s expression remained calm as always, but Elias saw Thorin’s
lips twitch.

“Yes, it is,” replied Falenrith. “Norgul
intercepted a message from one of Vosper’s couriers, but they could
not decipher it. The only thing they knew for certain was that the
message was from the emperor. It could not have been a forgery. The
emperor’s seal was unbroken.”

“The dwarves also heard rumors, but did not
believe it, either,” said Thorin. “Then there is no doubt. The
emperor is communicating with King Nar.”

“Who is King Nar?” asked Elias.

“The orc king. He’s been wanting to get his
revenge on the dwarf clans for a long time,” said Thorin. “If
Vosper forms an alliance with the greenskins, then the entire
continent is at risk. Orcs have no sense of morality or decency.
They will kill everything in their path. I would not have imagined
it, but if this is true, then the emperor has truly gone mad.
Elias, we must return to Mount Velik at once. Our lives are in more
danger than I originally predicted. I’m sorry, but we will not be
going to the Elder Willow.”

“Where will we go next?” asked Elias.

“Take the Orvasse River. It’s safe,” said
Falenrith. “I have a friend who charters boats at Hwīt Rock. If you
make it to the outpost, then he will transport you to Mount Velik.
The captain’s name is Gremley and his boat is the Chipperwick. He’s
smart and fair, and he doesn’t ask too many questions. Just tell
him that I sent you, and that you wish to go to Ironport. That’s
only a few leagues from Mount Velik, and it won’t arouse any
suspicion.”

“I believe I’ve met Gremley. I purchased a
passage from him over a dozen years ago—he might remember me still.
That’s it, then. We’ll head towards the Orvasse River tonight. Once
we get to Hwīt Rock, we will charter a boat and travel to Mount
Velik,” said Thorin. “It’s the fastest way.”

Falenrith stood up, and shook both their
hands. “Good luck to you both. I’m sorry I couldn’t be of more
help.”

“What will you do?” Elias asked
Falenrith.

He shrugged. “I’m not sure. We’ve moved
before, and under greater duress than this. We can’t go east—the
emperor will kill us. If we’re lucky, we might make it to Miklagard
alive. We’ll have to travel over the mountains and through Lockdell
Barrens, so we’ll have to wait until the weather improves. If we
leave Faerroe, we might be able to stay further south. I have an
aunt in Starryford.” Falenrith paused and ran his hand through his
hair. “I must go tell my children. You can let yourselves out.” he
turned and walked out of the room.

“He’s upset, Thorin,” said Elias.

“I expected him to be. No one likes to hear
bad news. It’s better that he finds out now. At least he can make
an educated decision. The emperor has been searching for him for
years, and there is still an active bounty for his head.”

Elias peeked around the corner, and saw
Falenrith talking quietly to his children. They looked so thin and
fragile.

“Let’s go, boy. We’ve worn out our welcome
here,” said Thorin quietly. “We’ve got to leave. There’s some hard
day’s riding ahead for us.”

“It seems like hard days
are ahead for all of us,”
thought
Elias.

***

Chapter 14:
The Night Visitor

Elias and Thorin rode hard for the next
three days. They ate in their saddles and only paused to relieve
themselves and to allow the horses to drink. They kept off the
regular road, and Elias used a concealment spell whenever they saw
other travelers. They slept very little, stopping only a few hours.
They rose before the sunrise to continue on again.

On the third day, Thorin paused and pointed
into the distance. “See that outcropping of rock? That’s Hwīt Rock.
There’s a trading post there, and boats for hire. We’ve got at
least another full day of hard riding before we reach it. We’ll
keep going until the light fades, and then we’ll make camp. The
horses must rest.”

Elias nodded. His mare had flecks of white
spittle around her mouth. He patted her neck soothingly and
whispered in her ear, “I know you’re tired, old girl, but we’re
almost there.” They were all exhausted.

They rode on until nightfall and then Thorin
stopped and dismounted. There was a spring nearby and the horses
drank water and started to graze. “Here’s a good a place as any. We
can’t risk lightin’ a fire, so why don’t you just lie down and
rest? I’ll take the first watch.”

Elias nodded and pulled out one of the
hides. It was stiff, but he was grateful for it, because the ground
was still pretty wet and cold. He propped himself up against a tree
and started eating a piece of flatbread. This was the last of their
rations, but both of them were too tired to hunt. “Thorin, how long
will it take for us to get to Mount Velik once we reach the
river?”

“About three days, if we get a speedy
vessel. Perhaps four. We don’t want to be sailin’ past the capital
city during the day. The emperor has defensive posts on both sides
of the river. We shouldn’t compromise safety for speed, but I won’t
know for sure until we reach the river.”

As the last of the light faded, Elias pulled
out a white crystal from his pocket. “Liuhath!” he whispered, and
the crystal glowed with warm blue light.

Thorin smiled. “That’s a neat little trick,
boy.”

“It will stay lit all night. It’s one of the
first spells I learned. The crystal holds the energy of the spell,
so it lasts a long time without draining my energy. My grandmother
used crystals to store magical energy, but I never really learned
how to do it. This is only crystal spell I know.”

“Crystal magic is a disappearing art, boy.
There aren’t many that are proficient at it, anymore, because it
takes so long to learn.”

“Do any of the dwarf mages practice crystal
magic?”

“Only a few in our history, and only one
that I know of who is still alive. He is old, much older than I.
There are only a half dozen dwarf mages at Mount Velik. It’s not a
common gift for our people. Usually, the mageborn trait is passed
down from a human ancestor, or, more rarely, from one who has elven
blood.”

“There are dwarves with elven blood?” asked
Elias incredulously. “I’ve never even seen an elf.”

Thorin nodded, “I’ve known at least a few in
my time. It’s not something that dwarves like to reveal. Half-lings
are discriminated against at Mount Velik, although mageborn dwarves
are highly esteemed.”

“That doesn’t make much sense—especially if
you basically have to be a half-ling in order to be dwarf
mage.”

“I didn’t say there was any logic to it,
boy. My people are long-lived and set in their ways. That’s just
the way things are. It takes a lot to change us.” Thorin removed
his pipe from his coat pocket and started to smoke.

Elias smelled the pungent smokeleaf in the
air. His eyes started to get heavy. “Thorin, do you mind if I
ask—how old are you?”

Thorin smiled, and blew rings of smoke. “I’m
not old by the standards of my people, but I’m old by human
standards. Let’s see… When your grandmother was a little girl, I
was already a full-grown man. Does that help?”

“Really?” asked Elias, his eyes wide.

“Yes, really. Now go to sleep. We have a
long day ahead of us tomorrow.”

Elias pulled the hide
around him, and tried to get comfortable. His mind
raced
—“I’ve learned more about my family
in the last week than I have my entire life. There’s no way I’m
going to be able to sleep,”
he thought,
but just moments later he drifted off.

***

Elias had been asleep for hours when the
cold awoke him. He shivered and pulled the hide closer to his body.
His crystal lay on the ground, still glowing dimly. Elias picked it
up and saw that Thorin was asleep. That was odd. He was always good
at covering the first watch.

“I wonder how long we’ve
both been sleeping?”
he thought to
himself. It was pitch black. The sky was overcast and there were no
moon or stars visible. It was impossible to estimate the
hour.

A cold burst of wind hit
him again, and he shivered.
“I should
probably let Thorin sleep. I can take over the watch.”
Elias sat up and stretched. As he did so, he felt
a clammy finger slide across the nape of his neck.

“Aughhh!” he screamed, spinning around.

“Ssssssso boy, we meet again,” said the
necromancer. She removed her cloak. In the dim light of the
crystal, he could see the necromancer’s milky white skin. Her eyes
and hair were black, and she had no pupils.

Elias’ face drained of color, and he felt
blood pounding in his ears. “Thorin! Thorin! Wake up!” he yelled,
but Thorin did not respond.

“Your dwarf friend cannot hear you. He’s
slumbering until I say otherwise.” She floated over and patted
Thorin on the head, like a dog. “I could leave him ssssleeping for
all eternity. Or at least until he starved to death,” she hissed,
laughing.

“W-What do you want?” asked Elias.

“Isn’t it obvious, my boy? I want you.
You’re the reason I’ve come here. I’m going to take you back to the
emperor myself. Why do you think I let you escape in Jutland?”

Elias gasped, “You were following us the
whole time?”

The necromancer smiled, revealing rows of
razor-sharp red teeth. “Sssssilly boy… Do you think your little
spell was going to fool me? I smelled you in that donkey cart
before you even reached the gate.” she laughed again, a bubbling
cackle. “Your spell was like that of a first-year mage.”

“Why did you come all the way here to
capture us?”

“I followed you here to
capture YOU, boy. When I take you back to the emperor, he will
grant me my freedom, and I can leave the capital forever. We
necromancers are prisoners of the emperor; subject to all of his
brutalities and caprices.” Then she smiled, and said, “You will buy
me
liberty
,
boy!”