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Authors: Klay Testamark
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Arawn.”
CHAPTER 10: MEERWEN
To the pilot of the ice yacht, Mina and I weren’t passengers so much as temporary crewmen. The three of us put on goggles and helmets and pushed the yacht to a running start. When we were fast enough the pilot jumped into the rear cockpit. “Get aboard!” he said. We scrambled into the cockpit amidships. “Mind the boom!” We ducked and the yacht turned. The portside outrigger threatened to lift up and we shifted our weight to steady it. The steel runners rasped as we picked up speed. The steady rasp became a growl as the ice blurred and the wind rushed past. The city shrank in the distance.
Ice yachts can go many times faster than the wind. They’re surprisingly agile too, making them the obvious choice when you need swift transport in mid winter. There were worse ways to travel. Then again, there were more pleasant travelling companions. Mina sat sullenly beside me, arms crossed. She was dressed thickly enough that she couldn’t have been cold.
“You comfortable?” I had to lean over to make myself heard.
“Not really. I’m imagining what could happen if we fell into the ice, or if a runner caught on a crack. The speed we’re going, just hitting a snowbank would break our necks.”
“I wouldn’t worry. This yacht may not be dwarven-made, but it can handle a crash. Our captain is a skilled pilot and hedge wizard who can see where the ice is thickest.”
“I’m not feeling any better about this.”
“Well, maybe if you could see things the way we do.”
“D’you think I’m half-blind because I lack the elven Sight? I manage fine with my dwarven senses.”
We shifted our weight into another turn. “Why are you so hostile?”
“I’m not hostile!”
“And stop yelling.”
“I am not yelling!” She closed her mouth. “Okay, maybe I was yelling.”
“Are you mad at me personally, or is it something else?”
She stared out at the scenery for a few miles. Then she said, “It’s not you, it’s your world. Have you ever wondered about doorknobs? Of course you don’t. You’ve never had to think about them because they’re always at the usual height. Do you know, I keep a footstool in every room in Angrod’s castle? I do the same thing in our Drystone home.”
I shrugged. “So you’re short compared to elves. Why let that bother you? I’m sure I’d be as uncomfortable in a dwarven fortress.”
“But most don’t have sizeable populations of elves, do they? To say nothing of halflings and humans. Halflings are just stockier elves, but Heronimo keeps bumping his head and getting stuck in chairs.”
“You come to our cities and complain when they aren’t made for you?”
“Oh, should I be grateful for the privilege of being there? Remind me to thank you next time I trip over the stairs.”
We leaned into a turn and I looked at Mina. The goggles didn’t fit and neither did the helmet. “Heh. How do you like that bucket seat? You seem to be slopping over the sides.”
She frowned, then looked down. I continued to grin and she shook her head. “Okay, I do look funny. These chairs weren’t made for my hips.”
“Could use a little more padding, wouldn’t you say?”
“Bitch. You could use more padding.”
We laughed. “Okay, maybe I should’ve gotten a different helmet,” I said.
“I booked this yacht. There wasn’t any time… it just seems unfair. Did you know that most dwarves are left-handed? It’s true, right-handed dwarves are the minority. In the undercities the tailors use left-handed scissors, the musicians strum left-handed guitars, and everybody writes from left to right.”
“That can’t be fun for the right-handed dwarves.”
She smirked. “They use the stuff we make for export. The point is, this is a basic fact about dwarves and you’ve never heard about it until I told you. Dwarves know a lot more about elves than the
CHAPTER 10: MEERWEN
To the pilot of the ice yacht, Mina and I weren’t passengers so much as temporary crewmen. The three of us put on goggles and helmets and pushed the yacht to a running start. When we were fast enough the pilot jumped into the rear cockpit. “Get aboard!” he said. We scrambled into the cockpit amidships. “Mind the boom!” We ducked and the yacht turned. The portside outrigger threatened to lift up and we shifted our weight to steady it. The steel runners rasped as we picked up speed. The steady rasp became a growl as the ice blurred and the wind rushed past. The city shrank in the distance.
Ice yachts can go many times faster than the wind. They’re surprisingly agile too, making them the obvious choice when you need swift transport in mid winter. There were worse ways to travel. Then again, there were more pleasant travelling companions. Mina sat sullenly beside me, arms crossed. She was dressed thickly enough that she couldn’t have been cold.
“You comfortable?” I had to lean over to make myself heard.
“Not really. I’m imagining what could happen if we fell into the ice, or if a runner caught on a crack. The speed we’re going, just hitting a snowbank would break our necks.”
“I wouldn’t worry. This yacht may not be dwarven-made, but it can handle a crash. Our captain is a skilled pilot and hedge wizard who can see where the ice is thickest.”
“I’m not feeling any better about this.”
“Well, maybe if you could see things the way we do.”
“D’you think I’m half-blind because I lack the elven Sight? I manage fine with my dwarven senses.”
We shifted our weight into another turn. “Why are you so hostile?”
“I’m not hostile!”
“And stop yelling.”
“I am not yelling!” She closed her mouth. “Okay, maybe I was yelling.”
“Are you mad at me personally, or is it something else?”
She stared out at the scenery for a few miles. Then she said, “It’s not you, it’s your world. Have you ever wondered about doorknobs? Of course you don’t. You’ve never had to think about them because they’re always at the usual height. Do you know, I keep a footstool in every room in Angrod’s castle? I do the same thing in our Drystone home.”
I shrugged. “So you’re short compared to elves. Why let that bother you? I’m sure I’d be as uncomfortable in a dwarven fortress.”
“But most don’t have sizeable populations of elves, do they? To say nothing of halflings and humans. Halflings are just stockier elves, but Heronimo keeps bumping his head and getting stuck in chairs.”
“You come to our cities and complain when they aren’t made for you?”
“Oh, should I be grateful for the privilege of being there? Remind me to thank you next time I trip over the stairs.”
We leaned into a turn and I looked at Mina. The goggles didn’t fit and neither did the helmet. “Heh. How do you like that bucket seat? You seem to be slopping over the sides.”
She frowned, then looked down. I continued to grin and she shook her head. “Okay, I do look funny. These chairs weren’t made for my hips.”
“Could use a little more padding, wouldn’t you say?”
“Bitch. You could use more padding.”
We laughed. “Okay, maybe I should’ve gotten a different helmet,” I said.
“I booked this yacht. There wasn’t any time… it just seems unfair. Did you know that most dwarves are left-handed? It’s true, right-handed dwarves are the minority. In the undercities the tailors use left-handed scissors, the musicians strum left-handed guitars, and everybody writes from left to right.”
“That can’t be fun for the right-handed dwarves.”
She smirked. “They use the stuff we make for export. The point is, this is a basic fact about dwarves and you’ve never heard about it until I told you. Dwarves know a lot more about elves than the
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