Once back in their everyday clothes, the elf packaged up their formal wear and asked, “How do you plan to pay for these, through a series of payments?”
Anders knew they didn’t appear to be the wealthiest people, but the way the elf assumed they weren’t of importance or means irritated him.
Natalia reached into her pocket and practically threw the coins on the counter, “No. We’ll be paying in full.”
Anders and Maija chuckled as the elf scrambled to retrieve the coins strewn about the counter.
“It was nice doing business with,” the elf cut off looking up to see them leaving the store. Natalia hadn’t given him the chance to thank them for their purchase before leaving.
“We’d better get back to Ivan,” Natalia said. “He’ll be cross if we’re late.”
They rushed down to the trail below, not stopping to look at any other shops as they descended. Anders called to Zahara as they left the shoptop area. Landing softly near the edge of the cliff, she picked them up where she’d dropped them off. They climbed onto her back and she soared across the forested valley to the training facilities.
On the short flight, Anders noticed that Zahara had grown since he had first met her more than two months earlier. She was several feet longer from head to tail and stood half a foot higher. Her muscles were developing more rapidly than he could have imagined and she was beginning to resemble a more full-grown dragon. She could easily carry three of them for a considerable distance if she desired.
Ivan was waiting for them at the training facilities. Natalia and Maija quickly loaded their things into Zahara’s saddlebags. Anders strapped Keanu’s sword to his side and nodded to Ivan that he, too, was ready to depart. Ivan climbed onto Zahara’s back, settling on a pad he’d lashed to her saddle. Anders hugged Maija as she and Natalia prepared to make the run from Cedarbridge to Hardstone.
“See you in a bit,” Anders said, running to join Ivan on Zahara’s back.
Natalia and Maija took off at a sprint, running in the direction of the trail system that would lead them to the Eastland Mountains. Zahara took several steps and leapt into the air, letting her wings extend out and cup the air beneath them, lifting them off the ground in two powerful pulls. She continued to climb until they were high above the forest. Using the air funneling upward from the cliff’s edge, Zahara rose above the clouds in a matter of minutes.
“Did you bring Merglan’s journal?” Anders asked Ivan.
“Yes, I put it in the bags,” Ivan said.
“I saw you take it last night when we were finished reading. You usually leave it for us to study.”
“I must have had my mind elsewhere and forgotten.”
Anders opened his mouth to pry more into the matter but paused, deciding it best if they didn’t argue during the long flight. Instead, he asked, “What’s the plan once we reach Hardstone?”
“The dwarfs will likely have us escorted to our accommodations. Then I assume we’ll be introduced and a feast will be held in our honor. Tomorrow morning we’ll begin our negotiations. The dwarfs will receive us well if we don’t discuss politics immediately after our arrival. They prefer to get acquainted with those they deal with before such talks can begin.”
““I’ve always wanted to see the dwarfs; it’d be nice to see their kingdom and how they live before we get thrown out for pushing the elves’ political agenda on them,” Anders said.
“They won’t throw us out; we’ll be asked to leave and if we don’t then we’ll be thrown out,” Ivan said with a chuckle. “Whatever stories you’ve heard about the dwarfs are most likely wrong,” Ivan said suddenly serious.
“What do you mean?” Anders asked.
“Only a handful of humans have ever spent a lengthy amount of time with the dwarfs. None has ever written about their experiences. The stories you grew up hearing about the dwarfs may have elements of truth to them, as in they do mine the riches of the earth and they are short in stature, but all of the stories I’ve ever read in books are no more accurate than fairytales.”
“Nadir told me some history of the dwarfs,” Anders reminded him.
“His accounts are much more accurate. You’d be wise not to bring up anything you’ve been told about them though. They’re a proud race and will easily take offense from any misinformed foreigner who rambles on about the fantasies he was told about them.”
“So, I’m not allowed to talk about dwarfs to the dwarfs; got it,” Anders said sarcastically.
“Avoid the subject unless directly asked about it,” Ivan replied sharply.
“Who rules the dwarfs? Do they have a king?” Anders asked.
“Yes,” Ivan said. “Their king’s name is Remli Madhammer.”
“That’s quite a name,” Anders interjected.
“In dwarf culture, their last names are given to them by major events in their lives.”
“So, Madhammer was given to him because he goes mad when he’s got a hammer?”
“Sort of. Remli was given the name after his father was killed in a battle with the goblins. He avenged his father’s death by slaying his foes wildly with his warhammer. Witnesses of the battle saw him become mad with rage after his father fell. After the battle was over everyone began to call him Remli Madhammer and it stuck.”
“Does he have a queen? Are there dwarf women?” Anders asked seriously. The stories he’d heard growing up only described male dwarves with full beards.
“They have to reproduce, don’t they?” Ivan said disapproving of the question. “Yes, of course, there are female dwarfs. His queen is called Joslina Rubyshield. Before you guess at her last name’s origin, she was given a warshield from her father when she became queen. It had a large ruby embedded in the center of the shield.”
“Okay,” Anders nodded.
“They have one daughter. She’s younger than you, I’m not sure how much, but her name is Maylox.”
“No last name?” Anders asked.
“Not yet,” Ivan replied. “There will be others, but Remli and Joslina are the names you need to know before we meet them.”
Anders and Ivan rode in silence the rest of the way. To keep his mind occupied, Anders played a game of sense-and-seek with Zahara. One of them would reach out and sense a creature in the forest and the other would have to guess what it was. The game helped them learn to read the feelings they shared through their bond.
The setting sun dropped beyond the western horizon as they approached the Eastland Mountains. Anders couldn’t see where Maija and Natalia were, but often reached out with his senses to make sure they were still making progress. Darkness had consumed the Eastland Mountains when they reached Mount Orena. Zahara spiraled as she circled in lower around the mountain, searching for a place to land. Locating the main entrance to the city, with help from Ivan, Zahara landed softly at the stone entryway.
