Remli raised his hands commanding a stop to their bickering, “We’ll resolve this matter as soon as Baylynn returns with the registry of coin. The records account for what’s been mined and the prices the ores are set at.”
Anders watched the disgruntled faces of the dwarfs as they awaited Baylynn’s return. He settled his gaze on Korvir Richvien, the dwarf responsible for dealings in trade with the elves. Anders fixed his eyes on the dwarf, wondering why he hadn’t contributed to the conversation. The topic was, after all, his job. As he examined the dwarf, he saw the glistening of sweat beginning to form on his brow. His eyes darted between the corner of the room where Baylynn had left and the king, then back to the corner of the room again.
Zahara, Anders said to her, do you find anything odd about Korvir?
Which one is he again? she asked.
He’s the one sitting across from me. I think he might be hiding something, Anders said.
With no subtlety or nuance whatsoever, Zahara turned her head to look at the dwarf sitting across from Anders. Anders could tell she was trying to read the dwarf’s thoughts. Keeping her gaze on him, she said, His mind is sealed off from me. He’s had training in how to keep magical beings from reading his mind.
Anders leaned back in his chair, turned toward Ivan and coughed, covering his mouth with a closed fist. As he did, Ivan gave him a disapproving look, but Anders widened his eyes and moved them to his right several times. Ivan furrowed his brow and said with his mind, Just use your thoughts if you need to tell me something.
I think Korvir is hiding something from us. Don’t you think it’s odd he hasn’t said anything and he’s the one in charge of negotiations with the elves?
Of course, he’s hiding something. He’s the one sabotaging Remli’s relationship with the elves. We just need Remli to discover it on his own, which he’s about to do once Baylynn returns. Just keep an eye on that sweaty dwarf and don’t let him slip away from us when he tries to run.
Anders felt a little foolish in receiving Ivan’s scorn. Brushing it off, he focused his gaze back on Korvir. The dwarf had one hand under the table when just a moment before both hands had been folded on top in the same way Joslina’s were. Anders didn’t like not being able to see what his hand was doing, especially now that he knew Remli was about to learn the truth of his ambassador’s dealings.
Baylynn returned with a large book bound in thick leather. As she walked across the hall, Anders said to Zahara, Korvir’s going to try to run. Make sure he doesn’t escape.
Zahara shifted her weight, her thick corded muscles tensing under her scales.
Baylynn placed the registry of coin in front of Remli. She returned to her seat alongside Korvir and Joslina. Remli flipped through the large pages of the book. Landing on the page he’d been searching for, he ran his finger across the width of the page at several different elevations.
With deeply furrowed brow, Remli said in a low tone, “The prices of our goods have not changed over the last year. I delegate the management of such agreements with the elves to a trusted member of the court. That means the fault lies with Korvir.” Remli stood from his chair, balled his fists and leaned on his knuckles as he gave Korvir a look of disdain. “Korvir, why do the elves believe we need five times more money than our records show?”
Korvir shifted uncomfortably in his seat. Anders kept his gaze fixed on his arm, still under the table.
The ambassador dwarf stuttered for a moment before saying, “P-p-pardon me, your majesty. The prices I wrote were what I’d been told to.”
“Lies!” Remli shouted, slamming his fist on the table, his cheeks returning to deep red in anger. “Tell me the truth, or so help me, I’ll beat seven shades of beard out of you.”
Korvir’s eyes darted from the king to Ivan, to Zahara, and back to the king again. “I… I… I.”
“Out with it you, half-wit!” Remli bellowed in a furious rage.
“Ahh!” Korvir shouted as he leapt up from his chair and released something shiny from under the table in a flash, throwing it directly at Remli’s head.
Anders had been ready for this and simultaneously released a burst of energy from his palm, deflecting the projectile and sending it flying over Remli’s head, lodging itself deep into the top of Remli’s chair nearly two feet over his head where he stood leaning over the table.
Remli looked up as the handle of the dagger Korvir had thrown at him wobbled, sticking out from the top of his backrest. “Catch him!” the dwarf king shouted, but both Anders and Zahara were already after the dwarf at the other end of the table.
Korvir tried to run to the left, but Zahara blocked him with her large body. He tried to hurry right, but Anders stood with his arms spread wide making his escape on their side of the table nearly impossible. Korvir turned around, but the four dwarfs had already trapped him. Accepting that he had no escape, Korvir reached into his pocket. Anders flung up his hands ready to deflect any object he might release. Instead of drawing a weapon, the dwarf pulled out something small. Anders couldn’t even see what he was holding. Korvir quickly put it into his mouth and bit down, falling instantly to the floor.
“No!” Remli shouted, rushing to his side. Kneeling over him, Remli slapped the dwarf in the face and shook him violently, shouting, “Who are you working for! Who put you up to this?!”
Anders saw the dwarf king’s efforts were useless. Korvir’s eyes had already rolled to the back of his head and a fizzing foam poured from his mouth, seeping out through his clenched teeth. The dwarf had poisoned himself.
Remli rose to his feet still hunched over the dead dwarf’s body. Turning to his wife, he commanded, “Korvir’s quarters are to be sealed off from anyone or anything until we’ve completed a thorough investigation of his personal items.”
Joslina ran from the room and began shouting orders to the guards standing near the doors. Metlarm followed her. It was his duty as head of Remli’s guard to see that no one disturbed the dwarf’s chambers until they’d searched them.
“It would seem our negotiations were compromised,” Remli said to Ivan. “Rest assured, we’ll get to the bottom of this. Do you have any more of the letters Korvir sent to Asmond on my behalf?” he asked.
Natalia handed him the bag of scrolls she’d placed on the table, “All of the transcriptions since the tension between our people began are in this bag. If you don’t mind, we’d like to observe the letters sent from our ambassador as well. If what Metlarm told us was true, more than one person is tampering with the negotiations between our people.”
Remli nodded, “Of course. We shall go to Korvir’s chambers at once and search for the letters.” He turned to Anders, “Thank you for deflecting the dagger meant for my head. The kingdom of the dwarfs is in your debt.” He turned back to Ivan and waved him along as he led them out of the throne room.
A dozen dwarf guards awaited them in the corridor outside the hall, armed and ready to escort the king. Anders recognized two of them as members of the royal protectorate; he’d met them at the dinner party the night before but couldn’t recall their names.
Remli and the guards stormed through the castle and into a separate tower. Winding their way up a long flight of stairs, they came to a small round door. Metlarm was standing guard with his battle axe in hand. Putting his arm before they crowded his space, Metlarm said, “The door is locked. I’ve made sure no one has entered or exited. Please stand back.” He wielded his axe and hacked several times at the round door. After the third swing of his mighty weapon, the door flung open. The guards marched in and cleared the room to make sure there wasn’t any danger.
Remli and the other dwarfs tore through Korvir’s personal items. They dumped out the contents of his desk and dressers. Several chests were in his closet but revealed nothing they were searching for. Finally, Metlarm called Remli over to a corner of the room, pointing to a space in the floor where he’d pulled up two loose bricks. Hidden within the space in the floor were dozens of scrolls, stuffed tightly into the hole.
Remli plucked one from the top and opened it, his eyes widening as he read. After several long moments of silence, he handed the scroll to Ivan, “You’ll want to read this.”
Ivan read the scroll and turned to face Anders, Natalia and Maija, “We need to inform Asmond right away.”
“Of what? What does it say?” Anders asked.
Ivan’s lips pursed, then he said, “Merglan’s spy. It’s the queen.”
Chapter 33
Merglan’s Mole Revealed
Ivan clutched the parchment in his hand. His face grim, he stared past his companions into the wall.
