~
“Come Minervar,” Serinae stood and invited me to walk beside her, “we have plenty of time to persuade Jondris, he will come around eventually. In the meantime, tell me about yourself and how you came to be here amongst these human peoples.”
I felt a slight annoyance at her attitude, how dare she suggest that we should even try to persuade Jon away from doing what he thought right. The arrogance, that she should think that he would ultimately bow to her persuasion and the thought that I would be on her side, party to her whims, whatever next? But this annoyance passed, after all she intrigued me also, I felt curiosity, about her, about her history and if I was honest also about what she had in mind for us to do. I also had a feeling of embarrassment at her request. How could my boring life compare with and be of interest to someone that had quite obviously lived many lifetimes of high adventure, seen many fantastic sights and experienced so much. I wondered where to begin. Serinae was smiling at me waiting for me to say something; I was struggling with my thoughts on where to start, what she would find interesting in a life that would probably bore her. After all I myself was bored with my life, how could she be possibly interested, I couldn’t think of anything I may say that could merit the interest of this T’Iea ranger.
Before I had the chance to say anything, a figure strode purposefully out of the trees towards us whistling loudly. I looked at the figure, whoever it was he was short, perhaps a third less tall than me, yet he was stocky and had a purposeful gait, he almost seemed to be marching along to the merry tune he whistled. Serinae turned to follow my gaze. The figure, unmistakably a Grûndén was coming our way stomping along in the usual fashion of his people. Serinae stood and turned slowly towards the figure.
The Grûndén was fully geared for war, fine plate armour was about his person, a sturdy looking chest plate shone in the sunlight, he wore articulated arm and leg armour, all highly polished, all moved perfectly in unison with his limbs as he marched. The whole metal plate armour sat over a shirt of bright ringed mail which in turn sat over a padded leather jerkin and leggings. The latter, where visible, had intricate carvings set into the leathers surface and some kind of dye had been carefully painted into these carved areas so that each carving could be easily seen, not just in relief but also in dull but varied colourings. The leather looked slightly worn where constant rubbing of the plate and ring could be seen. Iron shod boots were upon his feet. A selection of different sized knives and small axes slung about his belt. Across his back he carried an oval shield and a broad double headed battle axe the handle of which was slotted into a leather scabbard, the axe glinted in the light and was covered in ornate carvings and runes typical of the design of his people. Upon his head a very efficient looking helm sat squarely his ears protected by articulated leather flaps and a nose guard fashioned into the shape of an axe, this covered his whole nose and top lip, the shape designed to give free vision, yet offer good protection to his facial features. A horizontal plate protruded from of the rear of the helm obviously giving him good protection for the back of his neck.
I knew Grûndén warriors were famed throughout the lands for their skills in battle. It is said that mining to fighting is an easy transition, I guessed wielding a pick or an axe was a similar set of skills. Grûndén were strong in the arm and in the mind, they had a reputation for sound strategy, relentless strength and an unwavering bravery and skill with their weapons that was second to none. Coupled with their natural ability to have sight in all dark places except those of course that were completely devoid of all light and the fact that they had an inbuilt resilience to suffering, injury and pain the Grûndén were a foe you would not wish to face unless there was no choice, or you outnumbered them one hundred to one!
A Grûndén warrior would need to be strong, I wondered how I would fare encumbered in such armour, for T’Iea soldiers never wear any heavy armour save thick, treated leather at strategic places about their person and on some occasions light weight ring mail as Serinae wore. For our favoured way in battle was to move fast, strike fast and rely on speed to penetrate the defences of an enemy and dodge any repost rather than being able to resist hard blows and heavy strikes. But I didn’t feel any threat from this encounter, neither I thought did Serinae, for we were T’Iea, our people had long ago allied with the Grûndén both on and off the battle field, those long-standing alliances were no longer called upon very often but I could think of no reason why they shouldn’t still remain true.
This Grûndén didn’t seem to feel any weight at all the way he stomped right up to us, removed his helmet and putting one gauntleted hand through the neck strap, hung it over his arm. Crossing his arms in front of him over his long beard he looked up at Serinae. It was then that I recognised the Grûndén from the tavern last night, the one who had made the comment about dragon scales and was exchanging jokes and gossip with Serinae.
Serinae addressed the Grûndén, first bowing she then said, “hail to thee master dwarf and well met.”
I noticed she used the term dwarf, the name the humans gave the Grûndén. I also noticed she was smiling broadly. “I see the ale kept you in your bed, you missed all the fun.”
At this the Grûndén raised one eyebrow and bowed low. “aye, I ‘eard. Remind me not t’ be adrinkin; wit’ the likes o’ ye again!”
Then turning slightly and looking at me he said. “M’lady. I be Łĩnwéé Ârcønrâdénn, m’ purpose ‘ere is t’ offer ye m’ service such as it be, there be nay left to be had in Corbond, at least nat for a wee while, m’ interest has waned, an’ m’ next adventure I deem be lyin’ in the same direction as ye. I wish t’ recover the necklace that long-ear fella exhibited last night, the item looks,” here he paused for the slightest of moments and narrowing his eyes, stared into Serinae’s jade green gaze as if weighing up her reaction before saying “familiar, t’ me an’ I be awishin’ t’ study it further.”
Before I could say anything Serinae addressed him. “You are very astute master dwarf, but why, I wonder do you hold such interest in the item, the Dragon scales perhaps?”
The Grûndén looked from her to me and back again. “There be obviously little t’ be gained by dodgin’ words with ye lassie, so I be plain and straight. I have heard tales told o’ the item, I be sure they refer t’ the very same one. If I be right, the item o’ which we speak is deep rooted in the lore o’ m’ people, I had deemed it just an old lore master’s tale, that be until I viewed the item last night with these very own eyes o’ mine. I would wish t’ gaze upon it and hold it, for although it be valued treasure, it also has immense value both in history and in the lore of m’ forefathers.”
Serinae narrowed her eyes and asked him, “so what is this item to the Grûndén may I ask.”
Łĩnwéé reached around to his back and drew the battle axe from its scabbard, he was careful to do this in a non-threatening way and Serinae did not move in defence. He then carefully placed it on the ground. He then unshackled the shield and placed it by the side of the axe; he sat upon the grassy bank by the side of these items and beckoned us to sit with him. “Perhaps ye’s both abeein' curious t’ hear t’ tale eh?”
“Many a year past in the far history of m’ peoples, there be one among us famous fo’ his skills in minin’ an’ his ability to search out the deep places within the earth that held the minerals an’ gem deposits that m’ people value. His name were Déméntârĩ Øâkénfélt, a name that be famous amongst my folk.”
Serinae remarked that she knew of the name, but thought he was despised as an outlaw.
Łĩnwéé sighed and explained that in fact Déméntârĩ was wrongly thought of and in fact misplaced circumstances were to blame for this misunderstanding. “But I let ye decide that for ye selves.” He cleared his throat before continuing.
“A stranger who wished t’ remain anonymous had requested Déméntârĩ t’ find fo’ ‘im a subterranean mine that contained a rich deposit of a certain mineral for which the stranger wa
s open t’ pay any price that Déméntârĩ demanded. Déméntârĩ became slightly suspicious fo’ requests o’ this type would normally be made through one o’ the minin’ guilds and nat to a representative such as himself direct. The guilds were very jealous of their contracts. But Déméntârĩ loved his work an’ bein’ paid a princely sum for doing what ‘e enjoyed seemed an incredible piece o’ good fortune, perhaps ‘e were slightly greedy, but ‘e decided to take on the contract ‘unofficially’ so t’ speak but named an outlandishly high price fo’ the endeavour. T’ ‘is great surprise the stranger agreed without a moment’s thought and Déméntârĩ took ‘is leave an’ started to make secret preparations for the undertaking. When he started to research the probable whereabouts of the mineral that the stranger required, Déméntârĩ discovered that the richest deposits o’ the mineral found in the past by the dwarves were contained in a place that were extremely difficult to access. Déméntârĩ again approached the stranger and related this information t’ him. The stranger said that he could help gain access t’ this place, but Déméntârĩ were suspicious an’ ‘e demanded that if ‘e were t’ go into this place ‘e would take with him something of great value t’ the stranger t’ ensure that the stranger would aid ‘is return on completion of the task. They argued, but Déméntârĩ was insistent, the stranger seemed desperate t’ get this mineral so agreed t’ Déméntârĩ’s demands, when asked by the stranger what Déméntârĩ would have t’ safeguard his safe return Déméntârĩ insisted on a necklace that he noticed the stranger wore around his neck. After much debate eventually the stranger relented and wit’ the stranger’s aid Déméntârĩ was able ‘o gain access t’ the place where the mineral be found. Déméntârĩ did indeed discover many deposits and mining some samples ‘e returned t’ the stranger t’ prove that ‘e had found the required mineral. The stranger was overjoyed, and Déméntârĩ demanded that before he would set his mining team back t’ work the stranger would pay double the original price. Not only that but half of the demanded fee was t’ be paid prior to the commencement of mining and half on completion. Also Déméntârĩ would keep the necklace until the full payment had been made. The stranger became incensed and attacked Déméntârĩ, a struggle ensued and the stranger was killed whether by accident or by deliberate action no one knows.”
Łĩnwéé remained quiet for a couple of seconds after ending the tale before he then said, “ay ’tis true perhaps that Déméntârĩ acted a little badly, but not enough t’ make ‘im an outlaw, he acted in self-defence is all. But the stranger I mentioned in the tale, ‘e were an Old One ye un’erstan’ an I fear that the mining guilds abein’ so jealous that one o’ them went behind their backs, well that may have seeded doubt about poor Déméntârĩ’s motives and branded him an outlaw. Not much is recorded about Déméntârĩ from that day t’ this. But he must have returned home for I have seen illustrations of the necklace in our halls o’ lore.
I wondered at the mention of this ‘Old One’, what or who was he, I was dying to know. But before I could ask Serinae spoke. “An interesting tale Master Grûndén, but do you know what happened to this necklace after the events you describe?”
“There be some stories that the necklace were ‘anded down abein’ a’ heirloom an’ all, even that it were part of the dowry of a princess that were lost t’ thieves and brigands when abein’ transported on the road. But the actual whereabouts o’ the necklace remained unknown. That be ‘til I saw it wit’ m’ own eyes last night in the tavern.”
He then asked Serinae a question. “I would dearly like t’ hear what ye have t’ say on the matter m’ lady for ye seemed t’ be tied in with the tale o’ the item along with that high T’Iea rogue.”
Serinae looked at Łĩnwéé and said, “my part in this is simple, I do not know anything of the history of the necklace even though I am somewhat familiar with ancient Grûndén folklore. None of the many stories I have heard mention such an item and your people are fond of telling of their prowess in the art of the making of fine things. The High T’Iea Tezrin, hired me to track the creature that he suspected had the item so that he could recover it, he didn’t even tell me what it was he sought at the time, my only interest was in the fee I had charged for the contract.”
Łĩnwéé seemed about to say something further but he sat back and putting his hands behind his head lay back with a grunt and seemed to be satisfied with Serinae's response. Serinae continued to stare at him but then her eyes averted and she stood, obviously the conversation was at an end.
Just then Jondris appeared, he gave a sidelong glance at Serinae and the Grûndén lying back on the grass and then explained that he was going to return to the abbey at Corbond to see what had become of things, he said he would return on the morrow with his answer for Serinae. He smiled at me and put his hand up in front of him as if to tell me to wait for him to return. I suspected he knew I was in more than safe hands, so I was happy to stay with Serinae and chat with her some more if she was willing, for it really was good to be in the presence of one of my own again. Also I wanted to know more about the necklace and the tale the dwarf had related, it seemed to me to be the most exciting thing to have happened, apart from the battle in Corbond of course.
Before long the sun was going down and the night’s gloom gathering, I resigned myself to a night under the stars and hoped it would not rain.
As if in response to my thoughts Serinae said, “well at least there is no threat of rain this night,” and reaching over to drag her bag to her she reached in and brought out two bundles of greased paper each tied with cord made from platted and waxed flax. After undoing these she offered to me and Łĩnwéé the contents, one contained dried meat and fish the other dried fruits and nuts. I contented myself with the fruit and nuts, somehow I did not have the stomach for anything else. Łĩnwéé however turned his nose up at both and waiving the food away instead reached inside his jerkin and withdrew an ornate gold flask and after slackening the straps that held his armour tight about him he proceeded to sip the contents happily. Before taking any food for herself Serinae closed her eyes and putting her hands together said a short prayer. She then proceeded to snack on the dried fish.
After half an hour of silence I heard a deep grunting sound and became aware that Łĩnwéé was, or seemed asleep for he was snoring loudly. The flask from which he was drinking lay stoppered by the side of his head, I reached over and took the golden flask, careful not to awaken the sleeping man. I looked closely at the designs upon it and saw that it was finely made, the depictions upon its sides were of Grûndén wielding picks and shovels obviously mining was in progress, I turned the flask slowly looking at the ornate detail. On one side some kind of strange creature was carved, it didn’t look like anything I had ever seen before, fiery flames surrounded its form. I could not work out what this was so I turned my attention to the rest of the flask. I unstopped the top and was about to take a sniff of the contents when my nose was assaulted by a pungent smell that made my eyes water, quickly replacing the stopper I put the flask back down where I had found it.
Serinae was smiling at me, she whispered, “Grûndén beverages are an acquired taste,” she giggled and coming over sat by my side, then looking up she remarked on the beauty of the stars.
I agreed. But there were questions I wanted to ask. “Serinae, what is an ‘Old One’? And forgive me but you seem to know much about the Grûndén, have you dealt with them before?
Surprisingly she remained quiet as if thinking carefully about her answer, her eyes seemed to focus on distant thoughts, perhaps old memories. After a pause of a minute or so she then said, “If you agree I would like to take you to meet someone Minervar but the choice is yours to make.”
I was somewhat taken aback by her answer, it was not what I expected and for some reason I found myself remarking that I was committed to learning my skills at Dor’iesnal and I didn’t think it would be possible to leave at this crucial time.
Serinae sighed and nodding
said, “yes, Minervar I know and for that commitment I admire you, but Corbond as it was no longer exists, at least not for a while, the raid yesterday has seen to that. Yes, the abbey is still there but I think the priorities would have changed and you may find that your training may be on hold for an indefinite period of time.”
This troubled me I wondered about Jondris, he surely expected me to carry on with my studies. I wanted to get back to my earlier questions and thinking that her answer was some cryptic response I asked Serinae, “so who is it you want me to meet?”
Serinae looked at me, “I want you to meet an old friend”. She then lay back and looked up at the clear, starry sky.
Before I could enquire further she said, “You know Minervar I have travelled the world over and I have been travelling for many, many years, both for profit and for my own curiosity. I have noticed many things as I travelled. The world is changing Minervar. Many things I have taken for granted as the norm are no longer the same. The weather for instance is changing. Places in the world that had never seen snow now have snow albeit for a just a few days every winter. Dry places in the world now suffer floods, and areas that prospered with rich crops now have to contend with less successful harvests. I have passed through villages where I had previously enjoyed great hospitality in the past, but now lay deserted and abandoned because the population has been forced elsewhere through lack of water or an inability to sustain themselves with their own farming. I have noticed that certain species of animal and plants are getting less and some I can no longer find at all. The spirits of the wild are restless and all of this seems to be getting worse year on year.
I thought about what she had said and something sparked a memory and I remembered how my father complained some times of how difficult it was to find some the main ingredients for his provisioning. This made me think more of my parents and Serinae gently putting her hand upon my shoulder brought me back from my thoughts.
So I asked her what all this meant, she looked at the stars and shrugged.
“I don’t know, but my friend, the one I would like you to meet may be able to suggest some answers.”
“But surely,” I replied, “all this may just be a natural thing of little consequence.”
She shrugged again. “Maybe Minervar, but the changes have been going on now for a good many years and they are accelerating. Recently I have heard of increases in the ferocity of earthquakes and in seasonal storms, sailors have told of increasingly stronger winds out at sea, much stronger than they can remember in the past, and many coastal towns that I have passed through are complaining about the increasing ferocity and incidences of unusually high tides and waves hitting their shores with a far greater force. As a result they are having to suffer worsening occurrences of flooding. More worrying to me is that because peoples are being forced to move from their traditional homes they are encroaching on areas populated by others, most times thankfully this is not so much of a problem, but in other situations conflict has occurred and people have risen in anger. Then yesterday the attack on Corbond has really made me think that some evil has entered the world, whether or not it is linked to the changes in the climate or is completely separate I do not yet understand, but understand I must. I need to seek answers Minervar, I feel the future of all rests on it and the friend I wish us to visit may have some of those answers, or if not at least shed some light on what may need to be done.”
I tried to comprehend all she had said, put it into perspective.
“But enough of my musing let us join our friend here in slumber, tomorrow is another day and one which will bring lighter talk I hope.”
So at this I laid my head down and despite the thoughts racing around in my head I suddenly became overcome with a great fatigue and fell quickly asleep.