Book 4: Chapter 43: Guide |
Every human pair of eyes turned to Michael with eyebrows raised.
“I don’t think he’s speaking of one of my gods.”
The chief chuckled. “Your gods could not cause the kind of havoc that separates one half of a mountain from another.
“I disagree,” replied Michael simply, “but you’re saying that one of your gods is preventing travel through the mountains?”
The chief nodded. “For nearly a year it has made the central pass it carved impassable. It roars and shakes the caverns, writhing and flailing. It makes the tunnels unstable, and those of us who approach too closely are driven mad by our connection to it.” The Chief paused. “It has even kept the other gods from reaching us, as it is the eldest of them within these mountains.”
“So the reason you asked about how many we needed to bring through was because small groups may be able to pass, but not large ones?”
The Chief nodded.
“What are your gods? Dragons or something?” asked Ollie.
He scoffed. “Nothing so foolish as to soar above the Earth would receive our worship. There is nothing like our gods, they are unique. They carved the first tunnels we moved through, leaving sustenance and minerals in their wake. They guided us down the darkest paths and defended us from those horrors that writhe in the deepest dark. We learned the art of mining and tunnelling from them, and even now we receive their wisdom through our whisperers, those who can hear their voices and receive their visions.”
“Before our whisperer blinded and deafened himself, he claimed that it was pain. It is the pain that is driving him to madness.”
Michael frowned. “I had a vision in my sleep last night. A deep darkness and gems that shone like stars. I heard a scream of agony that woke me up… I think I can help your god.”
Chief Mardock scoffed. “How? Our whisperers have attempted to take on their pain, to approach it, and have received only pain and madness.”
“I received that vision for a reason. Perhaps my gods helped it to reach me. I am a healer. Maybe I can help your god.”
Mardock scratched his beard. “I don’t believe you understand the scale of our gods. They can span miles. Whatever is causing it pain is beyond the scope of what your healing can do.”
Ollie shrugged. “I dunno. He’s healed armies before. If you laid down the people he’s healed in a day end to end, you’d probably reach a few miles.”
“Why not let us make the attempt?” asked Gabriel. “We help your god and in return you grant us and my army safe passage through these mountains?”
“And when you fail and die my people will end up in a war with yours?” he asked.
Gabriel smiled. “Sounds like a ‘surface’ threat. I thought you didn’t concern yourself with those?”
The Chief smiled at that. “Alright, we will sign it in stone. It will take some time to carve the agreement though.” He gestured to one of his guards who nodded and left the room. “You will also need a guide, a whisperer would be preferred. Ours has harmed himself, as I mentioned, but if your healer can restore him, he would serve well.”
Michael stood from his seat, careful to keep his head from striking the ceiling.
If you come across this story on Amazon, it's taken without permission from the author. Report it.
“Just lead me to him.”
Mardock nodded and gestured to a different guard. The man moved and gestured for Michael to follow him. They left the banquet hall, and began walking along the street. It was a leisurely pace for him, since he had about thrice the leg length of his escort, so he took in the town as they moved. While it had been impressive from a distance, it was no less so up close. The carving that had made the entire town into a mural was just as detailed when you were down among them. The texture carving that may have been used to make a beard look hairy from a distance, was actually a smaller carving of a wide plain of grass up close, or an eye at a distance was a glittering gemstone being plucked by a lucky miner. The artistry was incredible.
Aside from the buildings, he saw a number of dwarven townsfolk going about their business. The men and women seemed to be primarily concerned with gems, stones, and other bounties of the earth, but he also saw a number of them cultivating gardens of mushrooms or engaged in bartering with humans down from the surface. The dwarven women on the surface had tended to be a shade darker than the ones in the cavern and their faces clean shaven. The female dwarves down here didn’t have beards, but they did seem able to sport impressive sideburns. He also saw some dwarven children for the first time, and found himself smiling at a particularly homely one that waved at him while suckling on a smooth stone. He had arms hairier than his own, and teeth like a donkey, but Michael found that charming. He was sure dwarves had similar aesthetic problems with how human babies looked.
They reached a building that seemed to be shaped like a snake, though he couldn’t see the beginning or end of it, only the long textured body extending into and around itself. The guard pushed his way inside the door in the shape of a particularly massive scale. The light within was soft, lit only by the softly glowing stones Michael had seen throughout the underground.
There were attendants wearing stone gray robes that greeted them upon entering, and one of them led them back toward a small room in which a man with his eyes and ears wrapped in cloth was carefully eating. He was wearing the same stone gray robe, but unlike the others he seemed to be wearing heavy jewelry across his skin. As they took another step inside though, Michael realized it wasn’t jewelry, but rather it seemed as if metal was growing from within his flesh, as if he was a cave wall out of which ore could be harvested.
Michael looked to the attendant, an older female dwarf.
“If I heal him, will he just hurt himself again?” he asked.
She shook her head. “The whisperer hurt himself while attempting direct communion with our god. Had he not attempted it, he would likely have been fine. He’s made indications that he regrets what he did to himself.
“Is someone there?’ asked the dwarf in a too-soft voice.
Michael raised his hand and felt warmth blossom across it as it began to glow gold. He extended his will and began to heal the whisperer. His body felt… strange. The ores growing from him didn’t seem to be harming him in any way, and there were a number of other oddities through him as well. His eyes and ears were normal though and Michael managed to heal them without difficulty.
“Whisperer,” said the attendant quietly and the dwarf jumped a bit.
“What!?”
“It’s okay,” said Michael softly. “I’ve healed you. You should be able to see and hear now.”
The dwarf nodded calmly and carefully removed the bandages from his eyes and ears. He blinked deeply a few times, as if re-acquinting himself with the sense of sight, and then turned to look at them.
He frowned at Michael, staring at him for a long moment.
Michael could feel something in the stare. A kind of focus that came from the ground and worked its way up through his feet.
“You…You’re not quite human are you?”
The question took him aback and he blinked. “I’m human. I’m just a follower of the gods. Their champion.”
The dwarf frowned as if unconvinced.
“Michael,” he said, holding out his hand.
The dwarf took his hand in his and gave him a strong shake.
“Dundan. Whisperer of gods of my own.”
“Good to meet you,” replied Michael with a smile.
“Thank you for your healing. It is… unpleasant to exist that way. Though I was seeing it as how it would feel when I am returned to the stone. A holy experience.” He paused. “Your healing, it was out of kindness, but I feel you are waiting to ask something of me?”
Michael nodded. “Your god. I had a vision I believe came from it. I want to try to heal it from whatever is causing it pain. My companions and I need a guide.”
“The agony is unbelievable. It cannot be comprehended by a mortal mind, even one tuned to godly presence.” He paused. “But it is my duty to serve my god, and if you have even the slightest chance of providing relief.” He ran gnarled fingers laced with gold-veins through his thick beard. “Give me a day to enjoy the sensations of sight and song again, and I will prepare to lead you through the caves tomorrow.”
Michael nodded. “Thank you.”