Read The Sword and The Seven Stones: Diamond Page 15

  Chapter 13

  Luc walked up to the entrance where Ishma said he would be coming through. Hundreds of years have pass since that eve when Arie was lost. Now Ishma says that it will be free again. He heard the tales as years went by. He knew that they lived in a magical world. But to have this one man bring it back when so many others failed. Why him? As he rounded the corner, he noticed that their guest had already arrived. Alman looked at the strange man walking towards him. At first he thought it was a shadow and that he would eventually get bigger but he didn’t. “Who are you and where am I?” Luc looked at this young man. He shook his head then bowed to him. “I am Luc. I am the chancellor to the dwarf king. Come with me so we can get you cleaned up. Can’t have you being introduce to King Duclar like this. Alman stood up and couldn’t believe that he could do so in such a small space. “What about my men? I need them with me.” Luc was looking at Alman and knew from his clothes that this person beside him was of royalty. The way he walked also gave him an authorative air about him. “They will be brought down and kept aside for the time being. The king needs to speak to you alone.”

  Alman looked around while this strange little man took him through tunnel after tunnel. Just as he thought they were heading down yet one more tunnel, the way opened to the most beautiful place he had ever seen. The grasses were lush and the trees vibrant with color. Within the mountain side, a break in the wall poured fresh spring water, making a waterfall. He followed Luc along the path that brought them to a door. Luc turned the handle and Alman followed him through. Life was abundant all around him. A large city was within the mountain. The sun shone through from cracks in the mountain and Alman was impressed with what he had seen so far. As they walked the cobblestone path to the centre square, many of the other dwarfs said hello and Luc stopped for a minute to talk to one then the other. They looked at Alman in curiosity. They had seen the larger people before but always stayed out of sight. Luc took him to a house where Alman was supplied a bath and his clothes cleaned. As he lay in the bath, he realized that when they walked up to the house, he had to bend way down to get thought the door but when he stood up, the room got bigger. The rooms were big and the tub was normal size. It was as if the house adjusted to his size. He got out of the tub and dried off. He noticed his clothes were clean and put on the bed. He got dressed and then went in search of some food and drink. He walked into the dining area and the table was set. He didn’t know where Luc went off to and hadn’t seen anyone else since they got there. Alman noticed that there was four other place settings at the table. Who was joining him? He took a seat at the table and waited to see who was coming for supper. He poured himself some beer from the pitcher on the table and decided to sit back and wait. Gavin, Jordon, and Nelvil came into the room and took the other chairs. Alman smiled because they had also had the chance to get cleaned up. “Where is Harry and how is he doing?” Before he could get all the words out, Harry walked into the room. Alman looked at him with shock. The last he saw of his best friend was that he had been scratched and that he was going to die. Now looking at him, he looked healthier than he ever had been. “What happened after I left?” Dwarfs were coming to the table now and bring platters of food for them. As Jordon explained what happened with the water, Alman noticed that they all looked in great health. “I hope you bottled some of that. The way this trip is going, we may need to tend to more wounds.” Gavin told him that after he went through the ground at the tree base, they tried everything to move the tree but it didn’t budge. After exhausting hours trying to find a way in, they decided to wait till first light since they couldn’t see anything anyway. “Jordon and Nelvil were the first to go down as they leaned against the same tree as you. Harry and I went down as we laid in front of the fire. A dwarf almost lost his life as he walked towards us. Nelvil had his arrow set but waited. The little guy didn’t know what to do.” They all laughed as Nevil shrugged his shoulders. As they ate, more serious questions started to arise. Alman didn’t have any answers for them. He was just as lost as they were now. He was meeting with the Dwarf King as far as he knew. He hoped he would see Luc before they retired for the night. He had a lot of questions for him. The men ate their fill and then sat back while Gavin, Nelvil, and Jordon told the young men about battles that they fought together. Trying to finish the pitcher of beer that didn’t seem to end, Alman stood up and told the others he was going to turn in. They all decided it would be the best thing to do. Alman walked to his room and took off his clothes. He climbed into bed and not knowing how tired he really was, he was asleep before his head hit the pillow.

  The next morning, the others were still sleeping by the time Alman had gotten dressed and went into the kitchen. Luc was sitting at the table, eating some type of meat with potatoes and ham. “Sit down and the girl will bring you a plate.” Alman did as he was told and as he bit into the meat, he couldn’t believe the taste of it. It was woodsy as if from a deer or moose but rich like a Cornish hen. Alman dug in because he was tired of the rabbit and fish that they had been eating for the last few days. Once he was finished, he wiped his mouth with the napkin and threw it on the plate. “What time are we meeting your king?” Luc still couldn’t believe that this young man was the one they sent to do this. How he got this far was a feat in itself but to do the rest, he was a little unsure of. Well Ishma knew what he was doing so he was just going to do what he was told. “King Duclar will be in the square for the morning, then he will retire in the afternoon. No one sees him after that.” Alman got up when Luc did. He wanted to get back on his journey because he knew time was running out and he wouldn’t have much time left to get the sapling to Ishma. As they left the cottage, Alman looked around at the village that was busy with life. Sunbeams were coming through the cracks of the ground from above. Luc noticed Alman looking up. “We have teams of men who go up on the surface to make sure the cracks stay open. We get our rain barrels filled by the springs that come from the walls.” He pointed out to two huge barrels that were catching the water as it flowed out. Alman was impressed how they made a city underneath the ground. The dwarfs were really friendly towards Luc but were still weary of him.

  As they got closer to the square, Alman noticed the dark haired dwarf sitting there, holding court. Duclar looked up to see Alman walking towards him. “Ah, our guest had finally arrived.” He motioned for one of the dwarfs to bring a chair over for their guest. Alman sat down and looked over at this dwarf with questions racing though his head. Was this a part of the journey that he was supposed to go through? Did these people have something to do with where he would find the sapling? Duclar finished holding court, then waved his hand to tell the ones waiting that they would have to return later. The dwarfs walked away from their king and drinks were brought over to them. Taking a sip, he asked, “What is this that you have given me? I have never tasted anything so fine before.” The liquid swirled in the glass as if it were liquid gold. Duclar took a healthy drink, then put his glass down. “That, young man, is what everyone covets from us. It is made from the finest grape. Gold in color and when fermented properly, it has the potency of a hundred proof. You are wise to sip it. “Duclar got up and started to walk away. Alman put down his glass and started after him. He had to watch so he wouldn’t trip over the king dwarf’s robes as they trailed behind him. “Ishma told me that you would be here a couple days ago. We thought that you had gone the way as many others before you.” Duclar stopped and turned to look at him. “I was very impressed when I was told you killed the cat.” He turned and started walking again. “I lost many of my people to those blasted cats. We tried everything and then we had to move.” Alman looked around as he followed his host to where they were going. “What do you mean move? Where were you before?” he asked the dwarf King. They walked towards a door in the side of a dirt wall. Two guards stood on either side and one opened the door as their king walked through. Duclar continued to talk as Alman watched as the room grew larger. “We were in the mountains and
then the cats moved in. We were lucky to have so many who escaped with their lives. The mountains were our home for hundreds of years. We hunted and grew food. Now we are or I should say, we were stuck down here.” Smiling, he took a seat at a large table. Alman sat to his right and took another drink that the king offered. Sipping at the glass of gold liquid that he tasted in the square, he looked over at this small man to his left. He could see something was going through the dwarf king’s head. “I know there is a reason why we are down here. Is this where I get the sapling that I have to bring back?” Duclar looked over at this prince who was from above the ground. He got down off his chair and walked over to a shelf in the wall. He whispered a few things, which Alman couldn’t hear exactly, and the shelf turned and a rolled parchment lay on the other side. Duclar picked it up and brought it over to the table. Once he got back up into his chair, he untied the leather strap that held it and rolled it out. “This map is where you have to go.” Alman looked at it. Duclar showed him where he was now and the route they would have to take to get to the sapling. “The tree only gives out one sapling every hundred years. If you don’t get it, then they will have to wait another hundred years for another chance.” Duclar then realized what he said. Alman caught it also. “Who is they?” Duclar rolled up the map and tied the leather around it. “We are done. The guards will show you out.” He went to get off the chair and leave but Alman grabbed him by his robe. “Sire, I asked you a question.” Small guards came running to their king’s defence but he held up his hand to stop them. He looked Alman in the eyes. “It is not my story to tell. If you want to save the ones you love, you must accomplish this. Now before I release them upon you, take your hand off my robes.” Alman let him go and then ran his hand through his hair. “I apologize. Forgive me but to have my horses and good soldiers die, and fighting giant cats is not a normal occurrence for me. I am not used to this magic that is afoot.” He took the map off the table and turned to leave. The guards stood aside and allowed him to walk past. As he passed through the door that led out of the city, he had this feeling that something was not as it should be.