Chapter 31: A Cold Reception
Sorry this took us so long
********************************
I was aroused by a knock on my chamber door. I heard Austin’s cracking voice on the other side of the door.
“Breakfast is served, Father Faro.” I heard through the cobwebs of my fatigue. “Your companions await you.”
Though the rounded window above my bed nearly took up the whole of the wall, barely any light survived the battle with the warring storm clouds that had all but engulfed it. It may have just as well had been dusk. In the deep gray, I prayed to Canaan for his grace and then washed up and dressed.
The rain had continued the entire night. The entire tower held a stench of mildew brought on by the ceaseless downpour. Over hot porridge and savory sausages, Allustan told us that we had arrived at Diamond Lake in the middle of its rainy season. For some reason, the season marked the time in which the mining Dwarves substantially increased the intensity of their work.
“It has something to do with a long held Dwarven belief that the heavy rain softens the earth even at great depths.” Allustan was telling us. “Of course, any dwarf worth his pick axe will tell you that is pure nonsense, but as with most traditions, it is not questioned, only followed.”
After breakfast, Lilian, myself, Shallahai, Hu Li and Talon thanked the kindly wizard for his counsel and hospitality and as the rains began to let up just a hair, we left for the town of Diamond Lake to investigate the Dwarven mines in an attempt to ascertain the whereabouts of the Axis of Annihilation and put an end to their diablerie.
We stepped out from under Allustan’s protection and into the icy, stinging pummeling of the rains that continued to assault Diamond Lake and its surroundings. My toes and ankles froze as the inch deep water that had pooled over the stone path from the tower soaked through the cloth of my shoes. The numbness that instantly followed ironically jolted me to full alertness. We trudged over the drowned path barely speaking. Hu Li spat and cursed to himself letting out several incoherent, spite-ridden diatribes that I endeavored to ignore.
After some time the smooth stone path gave way to a muddy one. My feet sank in the cold muck, swallowed up to just above my ankles. Weighed down by her armor, Lilian’s progress was even slower. I maneuvered over to her, took her by the arm, and draped it over my shoulder in an effort to ease her burden. I fear it only succeeded in slowly both of us down even further. I am neither athlete nor warrior and have precious little physical strength to spare. Even so, and may Canaan forgive me for my weakness, I admit to savoring aiding the Champion, if only to steal a few moments of closeness.
Shallahai and Talon ignored us, the downpour and the muddy terrain. They seemed to glide over the ground, moving as swiftly as if the ground were dry as desert sands.
Hu Li had stopped and was bent over a few paces in front of us. His back was to me and he looked as if he was in the midst of a retch, but as I approached I could hear him muttering merrily.
“Oh, yes spawns of the Eyeless Hollow Ones.” He clapped and chirped. The joy in his voice unsettled me. “Slither forth into the gray and breathe in the bitterness I feel. Your presence here is most soothing. I thank thee for this gift.”
He was gesturing over a small clump of earthworms that had slid out of the softened dirt.
“What are you doing?” I asked, more curtly than I had anticipated.
Hu Li instantly stood up and shot me a wicked glare that portrayed both embarrassment and indignation.
“As if you had any chance whatsoever of grasping anything of worth, Priest!” He shouted and clumsily stomped off, digging shallow wells in the mud with each labored step.
Lilian and I exchanged glances and she shrugged her shoulder.
We trudged on for what felt like days, though in truth it was not much more than a few hours. The sky clung to its somber mood, refusing to break from its onslaught. The only saving grace was that there was little to no wind. I thanked Canaan for that, and no sooner had I done so, a solitary cone of golden light broke through the dreary cloud cover. Lilian and I gasped at the beauty of it. Within a few short minutes, the rain ceased and more tunnels of light bore through the wall of gray above us.
Hu Li, Shallahai and Talon had all stopped several yards in front of us. When we finally caught up with them I spotted a line of squat buildings huddling the shores of a vast, soot polluted but tranquil lake, beyond which loomed jagged mountains. Diamond Lake awaited us.
Soon after, we found ourselves near the outer perimeter of the dreary town. My legs were exhausted from the added burden of the pounds of mud that had accumulated around my feet and shins, but as we passed a warped wooden town marker, Canaan be praised, the muddy path morphed once again into rough stone.
“I should be fine from here on, Evora.” Lilian said with an effort to hide her own exhaustion. “Thank you.”
I let her go and we heavily walked down the wet stones toward the first of a line of small, straw thatched huts that flanked the road. As we approached, Talon suddenly stopped and held up a hand.
“Do you hear that?” He muttered. A moment later a chill wind carried what sounded like lashing.
“A public punishment?” Hu Li asked with child-like anticipation. “Perhaps an execution!”
It was then that I spotted a man emerge from the shadow of one of the huts. He was dressed in gray tatters stained with splotches of blood. He was barefoot and most of his exposed flesh was covered in horrid boils. He held in one white knuckled hand a cat-of-nine-tails with which he repeatedly flogged himself. Misty clouds of blood and sweat puffed with the violence of each blow.
“Woe onto thee heathens!” He growled. “Woe onto all of Turgos who turn from Canaan’s light to take refuge in the Adversary’s lies!”
“Oh, this is good.” Hu Li grinned. “One of yours, Priest.” He added, turning to me with a dismissive, condescending scowl.
“And mine.” Lilian aptly corrected, burrowing a scowl of her own into the wizard. Hu Li’s pompous posturing evaporated at her gaze. His eyes and shoulders slumped.
The old hermit continued his wailing.
“I have seen the truth and it is bleak! Canaan cries for His flock, so lost and deceived they be!”
Lilian and I rushed up to the man. I prayed to Canaan for His healing grace, but when the man heard me and saw my hand reaching out for him, he recoiled.
“No!” He shouted. “No! Do not take from me this yoke I bear! It is sin! It is blasphemy!”
“I am a Priest of Canaan.” I said. “You need not do this.”
“I too am a Priest of Canaan!” The man howled in reply. “And you are wrong! You need to take up the scourge. You, so blinded, so clouded, so arrogant. You all need to take up the scourge to drive out the demons that have buried themselves into your souls!”
Anger and pity welled up inside me. What evils had befallen this man that he ended up in such a state?
“ Calm youself!” I commanded. Lilian stayed a step behind watching the scene in silence. “This, this… self pitying, self destruction is not His way.”
“I too am a Priest of Canaan!” The man howled. “And I say this is His will. His punishment for my sins and the sins of the world! Oh, the horrors I have seen. The mountain devils, these dwarves… They will rot Canaan’s creation from within. Oh! Woe! Woe unto me and all of Turgos!”
He was beyond consoling. I let him pass me and carry on down the street away from the city. I longed to follow him and calm his troubled mind and heal his ravaged body. Lilian, sensing my desire, placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Let him go, Evora.” He said. “Whatever demons he is wrestling with are his alone. We have more urgent matters to attend to.”
She was right, of course. I acquiesced and rejoined our group. It was not long before we came upon the first sounds of civilization we had encountered since entering Diamond Lake. The noise led us to a dimly lit tavern. The door creaked loudly as Talon, the first to enter, pushed it open.
The air was warmed by a roaring fire from a square pit in its center, but a chill ran down my back as I caught the first harsh glares of the patrons. Covered in the soot of their labors, dark, yellowed eyes stared into us with the sharpness of stilettos. I wanted to turn about and seek aid in more hospitable environs, but Lilian’s voice stirred me from my moment of cowardice as she broke from our pack and strolled commandingly to the fire pit.
“Good day, noble serfs!” She called out. Eyes narrowed. One of the men sitting at the bar straightened as if being slapped about the cheek. “I am Lilian Evenshire, Champion of Canaan. We have traveled…”
“Canaan!” A particularly unpleasant looking miner shouted from one of the tables. He spit on the floorboards, a sooty phlegmy mass. I could see Hu Li, Shallahai and Talon turn their eyes to me. I swallowed my growing irritation. Hu Li undoubtedly sensed my inner turmoil, for I heard him stifle a chortle.
“What use do we have with him!” The man continued. “Friend to the daft, we say around here. God of Failures. Lord of Trash.” Others nodded their heads, grunting something that was akin to agreement. “Canaan gave up on this mudhole centuries ago.” Another man added. “So we did the neighborly thing and gave up on him.” Tired, cough laden laughter spread through the room.
“What do you find sacred then?” Lilian said in a raised voice that towered above their dismissive laughing. The tavern went silent. “If anything?” Lilian added with a stab in her tone.
The man who first spoke got up out of his chair at the bar and moved closer to Lilian. I took hold of my mace’s pommel and matched his gait, reaching Lilian just as he did. The man turned to me and looked down at the Canaan Cross I bore. His lips curled upward like a hounds, revealing blackened, cavity ravaged teeth.
“Soliel swine.” He growled. “We’ll have none of your preaching here.”
“We did not come to preach.” Lilian replied calmly. “We came to request entrance to the mine closest to the town. Who is its proprietor? We wish to speak with him.”
“For what reason?” The man boldly asked.
“That…” Lilian immediately answered with authority. “… is between us and the proprietor.”
A door squeaked open. All heads turned as a squat, but solid form appeared under the door frame. He was not much taller than Balian’s Gnome house servant, Orolde, but his build was far more imposing. His arms and legs were like stumps of oak trees. They were hidden under layers of richly decorated clothing that also masked a chain shirt that clinked as he strode forward to meet us. A long beard that covered up most of his stony face, grew to the floor. There was no doubt this was one of the fabled dwarves.
“Then you wish to speak with me.” He said in a gravelly voice, staring up at Lilian with impassive brown eyes. “I am Ragnolin Dourstone. What is it that you want?”
“May we speak in private?” Lilian calmly inquired.
Ragnolin’s cheeks pushed the upper edges of his beard upward in what I concluded was a smile.
“Of course, my lady.” He said almost warmly. “But my time is short. And as you know… time is silver.”
He lead up to a smaller room in the tavern. He sat behind a table in a chair custom built for one of his stature. The table was covered in piles of meticulously cleaned and collected raw silver nuggets. Copper scales and a large ledger awaited use.
“So, Champion of Canaan.” Ragnolin said. “What is it that you want?”
Lilian spoke in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.
“There is a great evil that was taken up refuge in your mine, and we mean to eradicate it from Diamond Lake.”
A long silence ensued as Ragnolin took each of us in. His demeanor did not even flinch as he locked eyes with the strange, plant-like appearance of Shallahai. This was clearly a creature that had seen much and was not easily shook. His eyes returned to Lilian’s.
“Get out of my tavern.” He finally said, ice and malice dripping over his beard. “Get out of Diamond Lake. Go back to your accursed Turgos and leave us be while you still can. If you stay…” He finished his thought with a curt grunt and took up his ledger and a quill pen. He began taking notes.
Shallahai stepped forward.
“You are a fool.” He said with malice that equaled the dwarf’s. “You are blinded by the glint of gold and silver. It shall be your undoing.”
Ragnolin responded by dropping a few small silver nuggets on the copper scale and jotting the results down in his ledger.
Outside the tavern, a much flummoxed Hu Li ranted.
“May the Eyeless Hollow Ones devour their whole race!” He bellowed. “They are not worth the excrement of a Dretch!”
We followed Lilian as she walked with determination down the narrow streets of Diamond Lake. After a few more incoherent curses, Hu Li at last fell silent.
“Lady Lilian.” Talon finally spoke. “Where are we headed?”
“To Ragnolin’s mine, of course.” She said.
“We mean to trespass, then?” I asked. “Simply burglar our way in?”
Lilian nodded. “I sense great evil in that dwarf. I am convinced he is in league with the Axis and we can waste no time trying to parlay with him. We must act before we let another opportunity slip through our fingers.”
No one objected. We followed Lilian out to the edge of the town and up a stony path that snaked into the formidable mountains. Artifacts of earlier mining expeditions littered the way. Broken picks, warped, wheel-less carts, shattered bowls and twisted sieves served as improvised markers dictating we were headed in the right direction.
What I was expecting to meet in the sunless caverns of the dwarven mines was far tamer and less horrific than what truly awaiting us in the deep shadows. As I write this I am overwhelmed with the memory of what we endured under the mountain and I am still grateful to Canaan that more of us did not perish.
Sorry this took us so long
********************************
I was aroused by a knock on my chamber door. I heard Austin’s cracking voice on the other side of the door.
“Breakfast is served, Father Faro.” I heard through the cobwebs of my fatigue. “Your companions await you.”
Though the rounded window above my bed nearly took up the whole of the wall, barely any light survived the battle with the warring storm clouds that had all but engulfed it. It may have just as well had been dusk. In the deep gray, I prayed to Canaan for his grace and then washed up and dressed.
The rain had continued the entire night. The entire tower held a stench of mildew brought on by the ceaseless downpour. Over hot porridge and savory sausages, Allustan told us that we had arrived at Diamond Lake in the middle of its rainy season. For some reason, the season marked the time in which the mining Dwarves substantially increased the intensity of their work.
“It has something to do with a long held Dwarven belief that the heavy rain softens the earth even at great depths.” Allustan was telling us. “Of course, any dwarf worth his pick axe will tell you that is pure nonsense, but as with most traditions, it is not questioned, only followed.”
After breakfast, Lilian, myself, Shallahai, Hu Li and Talon thanked the kindly wizard for his counsel and hospitality and as the rains began to let up just a hair, we left for the town of Diamond Lake to investigate the Dwarven mines in an attempt to ascertain the whereabouts of the Axis of Annihilation and put an end to their diablerie.
We stepped out from under Allustan’s protection and into the icy, stinging pummeling of the rains that continued to assault Diamond Lake and its surroundings. My toes and ankles froze as the inch deep water that had pooled over the stone path from the tower soaked through the cloth of my shoes. The numbness that instantly followed ironically jolted me to full alertness. We trudged over the drowned path barely speaking. Hu Li spat and cursed to himself letting out several incoherent, spite-ridden diatribes that I endeavored to ignore.
After some time the smooth stone path gave way to a muddy one. My feet sank in the cold muck, swallowed up to just above my ankles. Weighed down by her armor, Lilian’s progress was even slower. I maneuvered over to her, took her by the arm, and draped it over my shoulder in an effort to ease her burden. I fear it only succeeded in slowly both of us down even further. I am neither athlete nor warrior and have precious little physical strength to spare. Even so, and may Canaan forgive me for my weakness, I admit to savoring aiding the Champion, if only to steal a few moments of closeness.
Shallahai and Talon ignored us, the downpour and the muddy terrain. They seemed to glide over the ground, moving as swiftly as if the ground were dry as desert sands.
Hu Li had stopped and was bent over a few paces in front of us. His back was to me and he looked as if he was in the midst of a retch, but as I approached I could hear him muttering merrily.
“Oh, yes spawns of the Eyeless Hollow Ones.” He clapped and chirped. The joy in his voice unsettled me. “Slither forth into the gray and breathe in the bitterness I feel. Your presence here is most soothing. I thank thee for this gift.”
He was gesturing over a small clump of earthworms that had slid out of the softened dirt.
“What are you doing?” I asked, more curtly than I had anticipated.
Hu Li instantly stood up and shot me a wicked glare that portrayed both embarrassment and indignation.
“As if you had any chance whatsoever of grasping anything of worth, Priest!” He shouted and clumsily stomped off, digging shallow wells in the mud with each labored step.
Lilian and I exchanged glances and she shrugged her shoulder.
We trudged on for what felt like days, though in truth it was not much more than a few hours. The sky clung to its somber mood, refusing to break from its onslaught. The only saving grace was that there was little to no wind. I thanked Canaan for that, and no sooner had I done so, a solitary cone of golden light broke through the dreary cloud cover. Lilian and I gasped at the beauty of it. Within a few short minutes, the rain ceased and more tunnels of light bore through the wall of gray above us.
Hu Li, Shallahai and Talon had all stopped several yards in front of us. When we finally caught up with them I spotted a line of squat buildings huddling the shores of a vast, soot polluted but tranquil lake, beyond which loomed jagged mountains. Diamond Lake awaited us.
Soon after, we found ourselves near the outer perimeter of the dreary town. My legs were exhausted from the added burden of the pounds of mud that had accumulated around my feet and shins, but as we passed a warped wooden town marker, Canaan be praised, the muddy path morphed once again into rough stone.
“I should be fine from here on, Evora.” Lilian said with an effort to hide her own exhaustion. “Thank you.”
I let her go and we heavily walked down the wet stones toward the first of a line of small, straw thatched huts that flanked the road. As we approached, Talon suddenly stopped and held up a hand.
“Do you hear that?” He muttered. A moment later a chill wind carried what sounded like lashing.
“A public punishment?” Hu Li asked with child-like anticipation. “Perhaps an execution!”
It was then that I spotted a man emerge from the shadow of one of the huts. He was dressed in gray tatters stained with splotches of blood. He was barefoot and most of his exposed flesh was covered in horrid boils. He held in one white knuckled hand a cat-of-nine-tails with which he repeatedly flogged himself. Misty clouds of blood and sweat puffed with the violence of each blow.
“Woe onto thee heathens!” He growled. “Woe onto all of Turgos who turn from Canaan’s light to take refuge in the Adversary’s lies!”
“Oh, this is good.” Hu Li grinned. “One of yours, Priest.” He added, turning to me with a dismissive, condescending scowl.
“And mine.” Lilian aptly corrected, burrowing a scowl of her own into the wizard. Hu Li’s pompous posturing evaporated at her gaze. His eyes and shoulders slumped.
The old hermit continued his wailing.
“I have seen the truth and it is bleak! Canaan cries for His flock, so lost and deceived they be!”
Lilian and I rushed up to the man. I prayed to Canaan for His healing grace, but when the man heard me and saw my hand reaching out for him, he recoiled.
“No!” He shouted. “No! Do not take from me this yoke I bear! It is sin! It is blasphemy!”
“I am a Priest of Canaan.” I said. “You need not do this.”
“I too am a Priest of Canaan!” The man howled in reply. “And you are wrong! You need to take up the scourge. You, so blinded, so clouded, so arrogant. You all need to take up the scourge to drive out the demons that have buried themselves into your souls!”
Anger and pity welled up inside me. What evils had befallen this man that he ended up in such a state?
“ Calm youself!” I commanded. Lilian stayed a step behind watching the scene in silence. “This, this… self pitying, self destruction is not His way.”
“I too am a Priest of Canaan!” The man howled. “And I say this is His will. His punishment for my sins and the sins of the world! Oh, the horrors I have seen. The mountain devils, these dwarves… They will rot Canaan’s creation from within. Oh! Woe! Woe unto me and all of Turgos!”
He was beyond consoling. I let him pass me and carry on down the street away from the city. I longed to follow him and calm his troubled mind and heal his ravaged body. Lilian, sensing my desire, placed a hand on my shoulder.
“Let him go, Evora.” He said. “Whatever demons he is wrestling with are his alone. We have more urgent matters to attend to.”
She was right, of course. I acquiesced and rejoined our group. It was not long before we came upon the first sounds of civilization we had encountered since entering Diamond Lake. The noise led us to a dimly lit tavern. The door creaked loudly as Talon, the first to enter, pushed it open.
The air was warmed by a roaring fire from a square pit in its center, but a chill ran down my back as I caught the first harsh glares of the patrons. Covered in the soot of their labors, dark, yellowed eyes stared into us with the sharpness of stilettos. I wanted to turn about and seek aid in more hospitable environs, but Lilian’s voice stirred me from my moment of cowardice as she broke from our pack and strolled commandingly to the fire pit.
“Good day, noble serfs!” She called out. Eyes narrowed. One of the men sitting at the bar straightened as if being slapped about the cheek. “I am Lilian Evenshire, Champion of Canaan. We have traveled…”
“Canaan!” A particularly unpleasant looking miner shouted from one of the tables. He spit on the floorboards, a sooty phlegmy mass. I could see Hu Li, Shallahai and Talon turn their eyes to me. I swallowed my growing irritation. Hu Li undoubtedly sensed my inner turmoil, for I heard him stifle a chortle.
“What use do we have with him!” The man continued. “Friend to the daft, we say around here. God of Failures. Lord of Trash.” Others nodded their heads, grunting something that was akin to agreement. “Canaan gave up on this mudhole centuries ago.” Another man added. “So we did the neighborly thing and gave up on him.” Tired, cough laden laughter spread through the room.
“What do you find sacred then?” Lilian said in a raised voice that towered above their dismissive laughing. The tavern went silent. “If anything?” Lilian added with a stab in her tone.
The man who first spoke got up out of his chair at the bar and moved closer to Lilian. I took hold of my mace’s pommel and matched his gait, reaching Lilian just as he did. The man turned to me and looked down at the Canaan Cross I bore. His lips curled upward like a hounds, revealing blackened, cavity ravaged teeth.
“Soliel swine.” He growled. “We’ll have none of your preaching here.”
“We did not come to preach.” Lilian replied calmly. “We came to request entrance to the mine closest to the town. Who is its proprietor? We wish to speak with him.”
“For what reason?” The man boldly asked.
“That…” Lilian immediately answered with authority. “… is between us and the proprietor.”
A door squeaked open. All heads turned as a squat, but solid form appeared under the door frame. He was not much taller than Balian’s Gnome house servant, Orolde, but his build was far more imposing. His arms and legs were like stumps of oak trees. They were hidden under layers of richly decorated clothing that also masked a chain shirt that clinked as he strode forward to meet us. A long beard that covered up most of his stony face, grew to the floor. There was no doubt this was one of the fabled dwarves.
“Then you wish to speak with me.” He said in a gravelly voice, staring up at Lilian with impassive brown eyes. “I am Ragnolin Dourstone. What is it that you want?”
“May we speak in private?” Lilian calmly inquired.
Ragnolin’s cheeks pushed the upper edges of his beard upward in what I concluded was a smile.
“Of course, my lady.” He said almost warmly. “But my time is short. And as you know… time is silver.”
He lead up to a smaller room in the tavern. He sat behind a table in a chair custom built for one of his stature. The table was covered in piles of meticulously cleaned and collected raw silver nuggets. Copper scales and a large ledger awaited use.
“So, Champion of Canaan.” Ragnolin said. “What is it that you want?”
Lilian spoke in a hushed, conspiratorial tone.
“There is a great evil that was taken up refuge in your mine, and we mean to eradicate it from Diamond Lake.”
A long silence ensued as Ragnolin took each of us in. His demeanor did not even flinch as he locked eyes with the strange, plant-like appearance of Shallahai. This was clearly a creature that had seen much and was not easily shook. His eyes returned to Lilian’s.
“Get out of my tavern.” He finally said, ice and malice dripping over his beard. “Get out of Diamond Lake. Go back to your accursed Turgos and leave us be while you still can. If you stay…” He finished his thought with a curt grunt and took up his ledger and a quill pen. He began taking notes.
Shallahai stepped forward.
“You are a fool.” He said with malice that equaled the dwarf’s. “You are blinded by the glint of gold and silver. It shall be your undoing.”
Ragnolin responded by dropping a few small silver nuggets on the copper scale and jotting the results down in his ledger.
Outside the tavern, a much flummoxed Hu Li ranted.
“May the Eyeless Hollow Ones devour their whole race!” He bellowed. “They are not worth the excrement of a Dretch!”
We followed Lilian as she walked with determination down the narrow streets of Diamond Lake. After a few more incoherent curses, Hu Li at last fell silent.
“Lady Lilian.” Talon finally spoke. “Where are we headed?”
“To Ragnolin’s mine, of course.” She said.
“We mean to trespass, then?” I asked. “Simply burglar our way in?”
Lilian nodded. “I sense great evil in that dwarf. I am convinced he is in league with the Axis and we can waste no time trying to parlay with him. We must act before we let another opportunity slip through our fingers.”
No one objected. We followed Lilian out to the edge of the town and up a stony path that snaked into the formidable mountains. Artifacts of earlier mining expeditions littered the way. Broken picks, warped, wheel-less carts, shattered bowls and twisted sieves served as improvised markers dictating we were headed in the right direction.
What I was expecting to meet in the sunless caverns of the dwarven mines was far tamer and less horrific than what truly awaiting us in the deep shadows. As I write this I am overwhelmed with the memory of what we endured under the mountain and I am still grateful to Canaan that more of us did not perish.
