Read Online A Threat of Shadows by JA Andrews - Free Book Online Page B
Authors: JA Andrews
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hours of walking the next morning. Alaric led Beast alongside Brandson’s cart like he had the day before. The smith called ahead, “With any luck, Douglon, by tomorrow night, I’ll have that axe head finished for you.”
The dwarf turned and waited for them to catch up.
“Brandson is pretty handy in the smithy,” Douglon said to Alaric. “He makes blades that look dwarfish, and they’re strong, but they’re also light.”
“When he says ‘light’ he doesn’t really mean light,” Brandson said. “I’d have a hard time swinging it. But it is lighter than the axe he carries now.”
Douglon rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “It’s light. And the blade holds an edge. My cousin will finally be jealous of my axe.”
“Are you usually jealous of his?” Alaric asked.
“Hardly,” Douglon said, “but he thinks everyone is. You should see him strutting around with that purple-shafted axe on his hip.”
“Purple?”
“Exactly. Patlon is a good warrior and has proved it often enough, but he drives us all crazy with his stupid axe. He insisted on wearing it in the presence of the High Dwarf so he would be able to describe it to the royal blacksmith when he wants a replica.” Douglon threw his arms into the air. “It’s purple!”
“Why?”
“Some rubbish about it being blessed by an elf maiden with purple hair. There’s no way Patlon has ever seen an elf. Even if he had, who wants the blessings of an elf for their weapon? It would probably just make the axe giggle.” He cast an annoyed look at Ayda. “Or refuse to cut down trees.”
Alaric laughed. “Is Patlon a close cousin?” Dwarf families were vast and complex, with every relative outside immediate family, no matter how distant, called cousins.
“As close as they come. He’s my uncle’s son. We’ve been like brothers since birth.” He paused. “Or we used to be.”
Alaric let a moment pass. He considered using augmenta on the dwarf, but these people were growing on him. He’d rather have Douglon actually trust him. “Did your break with him happen to involve a treasure map?”
Douglon stiffened. “How’d you know?”
Alaric shrugged. “You have a treasure map, but no cousin-like-a-brother here searching with you.”
Douglas studied Alaric for a long moment. “If you’re going to tag along with us, I suppose you should hear the story. It has some interesting parts, anyway, you might want to include it in your notes.
“Patlon and I were digging in the Scale Mountains looking for a diamond deposit that he had heard of when we found a strange piece of wall. It didn’t enclose anything, just leaned up against the base of a cliff.”
Alaric looked at the dwarf in surprise. That sounded an awful lot like the Wall at the Stronghold. But Douglon was talking about a place in the Scale Mountains, two days’ ride to the west.
“There had been a rockslide on the mountain behind the wall, and part of the slope had collapsed, exposing a tunnel. It wasn’t dwarf-made. It was too straight and smooth.” He shook his head in disapproval. “Didn’t take into account the natural flow of the mountain. Looked like something a human would dig. Anyway, the tunnel started at the wall—even though the wall had no door in it—and continued straight under the mountain.” Here Douglon paused to gauge Alaric’s response to this fact.
Douglon was describing a wall and tunnel exactly like that of the Stronghold.
“This sounds like a story worth writing down,” Alaric said. “Do you mind?” At Douglon’s nod, Alaric pulled out his book and a coal pencil. He quickly took down what the dwarf had already said.
“The tunnel led straight ahead several hundred feet under the mountain,” Douglon continued, warming up to his story and his audience, “until it came out into a valley we hadn’t seen before. It was just an oversized crack in the mountains, really, left behind when the slopes beside it were thrust up. But it was
The dwarf turned and waited for them to catch up.
“Brandson is pretty handy in the smithy,” Douglon said to Alaric. “He makes blades that look dwarfish, and they’re strong, but they’re also light.”
“When he says ‘light’ he doesn’t really mean light,” Brandson said. “I’d have a hard time swinging it. But it is lighter than the axe he carries now.”
Douglon rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “It’s light. And the blade holds an edge. My cousin will finally be jealous of my axe.”
“Are you usually jealous of his?” Alaric asked.
“Hardly,” Douglon said, “but he thinks everyone is. You should see him strutting around with that purple-shafted axe on his hip.”
“Purple?”
“Exactly. Patlon is a good warrior and has proved it often enough, but he drives us all crazy with his stupid axe. He insisted on wearing it in the presence of the High Dwarf so he would be able to describe it to the royal blacksmith when he wants a replica.” Douglon threw his arms into the air. “It’s purple!”
“Why?”
“Some rubbish about it being blessed by an elf maiden with purple hair. There’s no way Patlon has ever seen an elf. Even if he had, who wants the blessings of an elf for their weapon? It would probably just make the axe giggle.” He cast an annoyed look at Ayda. “Or refuse to cut down trees.”
Alaric laughed. “Is Patlon a close cousin?” Dwarf families were vast and complex, with every relative outside immediate family, no matter how distant, called cousins.
“As close as they come. He’s my uncle’s son. We’ve been like brothers since birth.” He paused. “Or we used to be.”
Alaric let a moment pass. He considered using augmenta on the dwarf, but these people were growing on him. He’d rather have Douglon actually trust him. “Did your break with him happen to involve a treasure map?”
Douglon stiffened. “How’d you know?”
Alaric shrugged. “You have a treasure map, but no cousin-like-a-brother here searching with you.”
Douglas studied Alaric for a long moment. “If you’re going to tag along with us, I suppose you should hear the story. It has some interesting parts, anyway, you might want to include it in your notes.
“Patlon and I were digging in the Scale Mountains looking for a diamond deposit that he had heard of when we found a strange piece of wall. It didn’t enclose anything, just leaned up against the base of a cliff.”
Alaric looked at the dwarf in surprise. That sounded an awful lot like the Wall at the Stronghold. But Douglon was talking about a place in the Scale Mountains, two days’ ride to the west.
“There had been a rockslide on the mountain behind the wall, and part of the slope had collapsed, exposing a tunnel. It wasn’t dwarf-made. It was too straight and smooth.” He shook his head in disapproval. “Didn’t take into account the natural flow of the mountain. Looked like something a human would dig. Anyway, the tunnel started at the wall—even though the wall had no door in it—and continued straight under the mountain.” Here Douglon paused to gauge Alaric’s response to this fact.
Douglon was describing a wall and tunnel exactly like that of the Stronghold.
“This sounds like a story worth writing down,” Alaric said. “Do you mind?” At Douglon’s nod, Alaric pulled out his book and a coal pencil. He quickly took down what the dwarf had already said.
“The tunnel led straight ahead several hundred feet under the mountain,” Douglon continued, warming up to his story and his audience, “until it came out into a valley we hadn’t seen before. It was just an oversized crack in the mountains, really, left behind when the slopes beside it were thrust up. But it was
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