**********
They emerged from the caverns several hours later to a setting sun. The huge canyon was well behind them, and the trade road leading towards Kainpre lay less than a mile away.
Snowfeather was the first to emerge from the cavern, complaining loudly that he needed to stretch his wings. The others rushed to join him, happy to finally emerge back into the open air.
Garth, on the other hand, was plainly nervous about the venturing out of the caverns that he called home. He stared uncomfortably up into the empty evening sky, then quickly lowered his eyes to the ground, seemingly unable to bear the vast emptiness above. He took several deep breaths to brace himself for what lay ahead, then emerged into the open-air trembling from head to toe.
“Should we continue down the trade road, or set up camp for the evening?” Sly asked, scratching his unkempt beard.
Damion glanced at Garth, then back to Sly. “Let’s set up camp here, and use the cavern for shelter. We can set off for Kainpre first thing in the morning.” He glanced at the trembling dwarf once more. “It will give our new friend a chance to get used to all of this open space.”
The little man glanced at the frightened dwarf, then nodded his understanding.
They made camp just inside the cavern's mouth and built a small fire to cook on. Garth seemed to calm down a bit once he reentered the safety of the cavern, although his face was pale, and his hands trembled uncontrollably.
Sly and Damion exchanged dubious glances as they observed the dwarf fighting to overcome his fear.
“Are you sure you are going to be able to handle this?” Sly asked with some concern.
Garth nodded. “I’ll be fine. It's just going to take a little getting used to on my part.” He drew a deep calming breath, then glanced outside of the cavern opening. “It's the sky. It's just so... empty!”
“Don’t worry.” Damion reassured the nervous dwarf. “There’s nothing in the sky that can hurt you.”
“Except for the dragon.” Sly chimed in with an impish grin.
Damion shot the little man a dark look.
But Garth didn't seem to be listening as he stared out at the setting sun. He gazed at the shifting colors that blazed across the darkening sky with wonder. “My Gretta has told me of this.” He murmured softly, barely above a whisper. “I never knew it was so beautiful!” He swallowed hard. “She tried so many times to get me to join her in witnessing the sun as it set, but I always made excuses not to.” He shook his head regretfully. “Now, I may never see my beloved again.”
Damion moved to the dwarf's side and placed a reassuring hand on his broad shoulder. “Try not to worry, my friend. I'm sure she is fine. She will be back in your arms soon enough.”
The stocky dwarf didn't reply, but continued to stare out at the sky in silence. “It’s all so very strange up here on the surface.” He said, finally breaking his silence. “It is so open, so... empty. How am I ever going to find my Gretta?” He fell back into a brooding silence.
Snowfeather soon returned from stretching his wings with a large rabbit clasped tightly in his razor-sharp talons. He reported finding nothing unusual, then settled on a ledge to enjoy his meal.
The next morning, they broke camp and set off down the trade road. Garth rode with Dar atop his sturdy Deolan pony, clinging to the childlike sprite's waist in a desperate attempt to avoid falling. It was clear he was not comfortable atop a horse, but he seemed to be less bothered by all the open space while he fought to avoid losing his seat on the plodding beast.
It was nearly a week later when the enormous Walled City of Kainpre finally drew into view. Damion suddenly understood where the name ‘Walled City’ originated. He stared at the mountain-like fortress in the distance in disbelief. The great wall that surrounded in the entire city stood hundreds of feet tall. The only visible entrance was a huge gated archway, outside of which were hundreds of people who seemed to be milling around. Several soldiers stood guard just outside of the gate, turning away the crowd as they pleaded to be allowed to enter.
“Why are all of those people just standing around?” Kariah asked curiously.
Sly gazed at the loitering crowd with a grave look. “They appear to be refugees, but from where, I'm not sure.”
“There are dozens of small villages nearby.” Dar informed them. “I have a feeling that Kaviel and the dragon have been in the area.”
Damion sighed sadly as he watched the refugees, then nudged Storm into a walk.
The refugees watched them with frightened eyes as they passed. Many were injured, and had constructed crude bandages for their wounds, while others lay in the mud near the side of the road dying, surrounded by weeping family.
Damion reined in his huge warhorse when they reached the gated archway and slid from its back, his eyes locked on the lead soldier. The armed man shrank from Damion's angry gaze as the huge warrior stalked towards him, and began looking back to his comrades for support.
“Why are you not allowing these people to enter?” Damion demanded of the man angrily.
The soldier gulped audibly. “W-We cannot allow them to enter.” The soldier stammered nervously as Damion towered over him. “Thousands have already come here in search of refuge! We just don't have enough space for them all!”
Damion snarled, then snatched the man by the throat and lifted him several inches off the ground. “Let me make myself perfectly clear,” He growled, his eyes flashing a menacing red. “These people need food, shelter, and medicine for their wounds. Either allow them to enter the city, or provide them with the supplies that they need. Otherwise,” He slowly tightened his grip, cutting off the man's air supply. “I'm going to hold you personally responsible.” He released his grip on the man's throat, dropping him unceremoniously to the hard cobblestones.
Several of the other soldiers rushed forward and helped the gasping man to his feet, but refrained from moving too close to the huge warrior who had just manhandled one of their own.
The gasping man massaged his bruised throat, then looked up at Damion fearfully. “I’ll see to it immediately, milord.”
“See that you do.” Damion snarled threateningly. “I will hold you personally responsible for every refugee here. If I were you, I would make sure they receive all of the help they need.”
The lead soldier nodded emphatically, then ordered the other soldiers to raise the gates and allow the refugees to pass.
One of the soldiers went to his rattled comrade’s side and asked. “Who does he think he is to be ordering us around?”
The lead soldier shook his head, still rubbing his sore throat. “I don't know, but I'm not going to argue with him, are you?”
The other soldier watched Damion as he remounted his prancing warhorse and led his companions through the huge gate, then shook his head. “I value my life too much to do that.”
The companions entered the city, then stopped in amazement. There were already thousands and thousands of people packing the streets, wandering around with hopeless expressions on their gaunt faces.
Sly let out a low whistle. “It seems that the soldier spoke the truth. The city is already packed with refugees.” He turned to Garth, who still clung to Dar's waist with a vice-like grip. “Where was your betrothed heading when she left the caverns?”
“She accompanied her father to meet with a merchant that deals with fine gems.” Garth grunted in reply. “The merchant’s shop is somewhere near the town square. His name is Sireck. He is the only merchant in the city that deals in rare gems, so he shouldn't be too difficult to find.”
They slowly pushed their way through the crowd and made their way towards the town square. They attempted to ask several passersby for directions without luck until they finally found a crotchety old man dressed in rags who pointed them on the right path. Damion thanked the old man, then pressed several coins into his hand. The old man stared at the coins with wide eyes, then bowed deeply to Damion, who watched the elderly man shuffle away with a sa
d expression.
They carefully guided their horses through the crowd and located the only merchant shop that dealt in rare gems. Garth quickly clambered down from Dar's horse and dashed inside without waiting for the others.
“Wait here and watch the horses.” Damion told the others. “I’ll go with him and see what we can find out.”
The interior of the shop was warm and inviting, with several softly glowing lanterns that hung from the rafters. The main room was filled with dozens of display cases that were filled with hundreds of beautiful gems that glittered in the dim light. A portly middle aged man stood behind the main counter examining several large diamonds with a small magnifying glass. He looked up as they entered and broke into a large friendly smile.
“Welcome, my friends!” He exclaimed, gathering the diamonds he was examining and stowing them behind the counter. “How may I be of service?”
Garth stepped forward. “I am Garth Stonecrusher. I am searching for my betrothed, Gretta. She journeyed here recently with her father to meet with you.”
“Ah yes, Gretta.” The portly man nodded. “Aye, she was here several weeks ago. She and her father brought in several dozen gems for me. They were of the most excellent quality!”
“So, she has been here.” The dwarf said excitedly. “Do you know where they may have gone from here?”
The man scratched his head thoughtfully. “I believe they mentioned meeting with another merchant just outside of the city.” He frowned. “The merchant they were meeting was the unsavory sort who only comes into the city now and then. I do not remember what his name was, but he was wearing a long dark robe. Very unpleasant man, as I recall.”
Damion and Garth exchanged worried looks.
“Where were they supposed to meet?” The dwarf asked desperately.
“I believe they were meeting him just outside of the south gate, but that was weeks ago. I'm sure that they are long gone by now.”
They thanked the man for his assistance, then rejoined the others. They told them what they had discovered, then paused to decide their next move.
“We should find somewhere to stop for the evening.” Sly stated wisely. “Then we can start fresh in the morning.”
Garth shook his head. “Gretta may be in trouble! We have to keep looking for her!”
“She is probably long gone by now.” The little man disagreed. “It has been several weeks since she was last seen. We should stop to get some rest, then we can continue our search tomorrow.”
Everyone turned to stare at Damion, who was the unspoken leader of their group, and waited for him to make the final decision. He scratched his head thoughtfully. “How much farther is it to the Misty Lake?”
“About twenty leagues.” Dar supplied. “There is only one road leading towards the lake, and it is rarely traveled.”
“Why is that?” Garth asked with a puzzled look.
“The trolls prey upon those who travel that road, and weird things always seem to happen near the lake. Reports of strange creatures have floated around the area for centuries. Many people that venture too close seem to disappear without a trace. It's also shrouded in a perpetual cloud of mist that makes it very difficult to see more than a few dozen feet. No one really knows what lives in the mist. Most folk avoid it altogether.”
“We’re going to detour around the lake, right?” Kariah asked in a fearful voice.
Sly grunted, then shook his said. “The lake stretches a hundred and fifty leagues in either direction. It would take weeks for us to detour around.”
“But how will we cross the lake if there is no one to ferry us across?” It was clear the young elf maiden wished to avoid going anywhere near the lake.
“There is an ancient dock that lies somewhere along the shore that has an old pull along raft.” Dar explained. “It should accommodate all of us the and horses quite comfortably.”
“So, do we stay or go?” Sly asked. “There’s still a couple hours or so of daylight left.”
“Let’s keep moving.” Damion decided after another moment’s thought. “We can put several more miles behind us before nightfall.” He looked at Sly. “Can we use the south gate to exit the city?”
The little man nodded. “It’s usually kept open, though it is rarely used. It is guarded by the city guard, so they should be able to tell us if anyone has passed through in the last few weeks.”
Damion climbed atop Storm's broad back. “Let’s get moving, then.”
They found the dilapidated and rusting South gate with little difficulty. A pair of bored-looking guards dressed in blue tunics and wielding long pikes lounged on either side of the gate. They watched with curious eyes as the companions approached and reined their horses.
Damion slid down from the huge warhorse with Snowfeather perched calmly on his shoulder. Their faces paled as the enormous armored-warrior approached with a menacing expression, accompanied by the fierce-looking bird with huge unblinking golden eyes. They backed away fearfully with their pikes held in trembling hands.
Damion stopped as they began to slowly back away with terrified expressions. “Calm yourselves, my friends. I mean you no harm.”
The men nearly jumped from their boots when he spoke. They stared at him suspiciously for several long moments, until the braver of the pair finally spoke. “W-What do you want?”
“Just to ask you a few questions," He answered in a friendly tone. "then we will be on our way.”
The men seemed to relax a bit, though they still kept a tight grip on their pikes. “What do you want to know?”
Garth slid from Dar's horse with a loud thud, then trudged over to the men with an almost desperate look. “We are searching for a pair of dwarven merchants who may have been through here recently. We were told they had passed this way.”
“Aye. We saw them.” The man answered immediately, glancing at his companion. “They passed through about three weeks ago. I remember because hardly anyone ever passes through this way.” The other soldier nodded his agreement, still staring at Damion fearfully.
“Did they ever return?” The dwarf asked desperately.
The soldier shook his head. “Nay. We would have seen them if they returned. This gate is always lowered at night, so they couldn't have slipped in after dark.”
Garth turned towards Damion with a worried expression. “Something must have happened when they went to meet that merchant! We have to find her!”
They thanked the soldiers for their assistance, then remounted and started out of the gate.
“Wait!” One of the men shouted. “You don't want to go that way! It's too dangerous, and we will be lowering the gates in just a few moments!”
Damion shrugged unconcernedly. “Lower them, then.” He nudged Storm into a trot, and led the companions out of the city and into the open country beyond.