Part Seventy-four
Dior rushed into the Headquarters of Stone Keep, his longer legs giving him a lead over his Squad Leader, who came through the doors just behind him. Leo had escorted Cal to the Healer, to see if there was anything more that could be done for his arrow wound, which Dior had tended. Barad and Duinhir were within Headquarters. The Rangers understood that Duinhir was yet the commander of their fort of River Forge, but had placed a Captain there as acting commander until his return. Stone Keep was lightly defended and the most experienced Rangers were away with Thorn battling Orcs and had not returned to their forts. Since Duinhir and Barad believed they could trust each other among the compromised brotherhood of Rangers, it seemed sensible that Duinhir remain with Barad until they resolved the present issues of false orders, infiltration, Orc attacks and rogue Wizards.
"We have brought copied illustrations from the Wizard's tower in the ruined capitol," Brandy announced to the commanders.
"Come. Sit and tell me what you have learned. What of Leofheru and Cal?"
"At the Hall of Healing," Brandy reported calmly, "Ranger Potter took an arrow wound from Orcs we encountered and we thought it wise a more experienced Healer look at him, though we gave him what field dressings we could, as we were trained."
"Good. I hope they will soon be able to join us and that Cal will be well. We are short of staff, so I do not have a runner, but I will go now and…"
"I will go," Duinhir broke in. "Hear the report from your Rangers. I will go and tell the kitchen to prepare a meal for them and return."
Duinhir went from the meeting room and passed by Leo as he was coming into the building. He told Leo to go join the others and then continued to the kitchen.
Brandy lay out the pieces of paper on which Leo had drawn copies of the maps and sketches they had found within the Sky's study. "This is all that we could find. The Brown said not to attempt to read or copy the words, as they may be coded or dangerous spells."
"We believe he is now the Grey."
"He has been wearing Tsuki's cloak, but…"
"And he put on that new grey hat when we set out," Dior said, understanding.
"Tell me everything that happened," Barad requested.
Brandy gave the account of all they had done and seen since leaving the fort. As he spoke, Cal joined them and Duinhir returned, followed shortly after by some Rangers from the kitchen, bringing food.
When the story was told, they ate and viewed the copies Leo had made. Some were sketches of unknown Wizard devices and others were maps.
"This is the sea far to the north," Brandy said, "We studied many maps in our training and I remember this coastline. The ice bay, they call it, for it is cold there year round and it is said much of the year a layer of ice lies over the water."
"We did not know why the ice bay might interest them," Dior admitted.
"No boats or sleds?" Duinhir asked.
"Some devices that might be vessels," Brandy said. "This one is the flying machine the Wizard escaped the tower in. We saw it from far below, and it seemed as in this drawing, a large bag filled with air, though I do not understand how it remains in the sky."
"I think this one is a device that goes beneath water. It is not very apparent in this copy," Leo said, "I had a limited amount of paper to use and did what I could to fit the main of each device into my drawings. On the original, I recall some lines would have been here, off the paper, as if suggesting the surface of water."
"I do not think we can say with certainty the lines resembled water," Brandy said.
"It is certainly a vessel of some kind," said Leo, "here, you see I have copied the mannish figure drawn against it."
"It could just be to show scale," Brandy said.
"I think perhaps a person entered the interior of this device and was submerged and surrounded by trapped air so as not to drown."
"Yes, we who lived near the lake understood that if a boat capsized one could find air directly beneath the overturned hull," Cal said.
"I do find it suspicious that we find sketches of this submerging device and maps of the northern sea," Duinhir said quietly from Barad's side.
Barad put his chin in his hands. "It is only suspicion."
"Why might the sea be significant? My Lord?"
"Some ancient Elven artifacts were lost there," Duinhir said, "All we who are charged with commanding the Rangers of a fort know of them, so as to be aware of the danger should they be recovered."
"But the waters there are frigid and covered in ice," Barad said, "We thought it safe to leave them. We thought the ice would guard them better than any vault. No Man, or perhaps even Elf could survive those waters long."
"Might a Wizard?" Brandy asked, "Or an Orc?"
"I do not know," said Barad, "but I suppose we must act as if they have been recovered. If they lie still at the bottom of the sea, we lose little, but if they be recovered and we do not act, we may surely lose much, if they have fallen into corrupt hands."
"Gods save us from rogue Wizards," Duinhir breathed in Elven. Some of the others had only learned Elven recently and were not fluent, but they understood it was a prayer in earnest.
"We do not know what to make of these devices," Leo said and drew several pages from the pile and lay them atop the rest so they could be seen clearly.
"We all have little practice with understanding Wizard drawings, but Cal has said he recalls the manner in which Tsuki drew plans, with 'cut away' and 'scale' and some of this seems to have been used in drawing the proposed water submerging device…so we think this is a plan for some sort of hollow container…"
"We see no doors," Cal said, interrupting Brandy.
"Yes, as I was saying, it is hollow and in this one drawing there is one chamber within, and in this other sketch, two chambers, and they are both roughly barrel-shaped, but if they are merely storage containers, we do not understand the reason for these protrusions on the outside or why there seem to be no doors or lids."
"And in this drawing Leo copied there seems to be light inside the object," Dior said.
"And we do not understand the meaning of these circles within circles…"
Within the Silver wood, Tsuki completed drawing out the series of concentric circles upon the large piece of slate the Elves had found for him with a bit of chalk. He turned from the drawing board and Marduk and his advisers had joined them in the Lord's house. He could begin.
"We have not deciphered the message completely, but I think I have guessed the Wizards' plans, at least in part. There is a weapon…" The Orcs spoke to say they had always suspected but Tsuki made his voice boom over theirs. "Silence." He looked over the gathered Orcs, Elves, Dwarves and Man and then began again. "We may all of us be in great danger. It is important you all understand the kind of danger that threatens us. Listen."
They were all listening.
"The previous White was once my Master. I lived with him and learned from him, and though I was gone from his service before the first of the Westerners were spawned, many of you Orcs know the Wizard I speak of and you know of his great knowledge and his manner. He made the black powder for you to use against Men. He designed machines for you. He refined the Westerner breed. So, now, I tell you, when I was with him, I also learned much, some of which could be applied to making weapons, some of which was very dangerous. Yet, there was much he would not allow me to do or learn, because he judged it too dangerous. With some knowledge, perhaps he feared only I might use it to turn on him, but with other knowledge and experimentation, it was the learning itself that was dangerous. One of these areas of knowledge was that of radioactive elements."
The crowd murmured loudly in objection to the Wizard speech.
"Rocks that radiate, that give off…heat. You Orcs and Elves and Dwarves know that a very thick wall of rock shields from many things. A cave, like a house made of stone walls, does not burn as a wooden house. The thick walls keep out extremes of heat and cold in summer and winter. When these rocks that radiate are bound in the earth, undisturbed, they are little danger, because the nature of their ore and the layers of rock shield them away from us and from plants and animals. If these rocks should be mined and made pure through mechanical and chemical processes, they become poisons. These few Orcs who have knowledge of the events in the north, they tell me that the sickness the Orcs suffered was caused because they mined and handled these elements. Only handling of the ore can be very dangerous, and so this is why my former Master forbid me to experiment with them. Because I did not experiments, and my Master also refused such experiments I cannot say precisely how dangerous these elements are or what may happen if they undergo certain reactions or mechanical manipulations, but, it stands to reason that the pure form may be more lethal."
Tsuki turned to the side and drew upon the slate with his chalk. "The weapon, it is a 'bomb'. You may have seen Men or Orcs use primitive versions, containers filled with blasting powder or flammable liquid and set with some detonator or fuse to cause an explosion. It may take various shapes." Tsuki drew the shapes as he mentioned them, "a metal chest, a sphere, something more egg-shaped…" He drew further shapes with in the oblong, "I theorize that the hollow within is set with some of this radiating element and perhaps also some explosive substance. As I said, I do not know the full nature of these elements…it may be that the device relies on some explosion only to rupture the case and spread the poison over a distance, but it may also be that the radioactive element makes the explosion greater. Perhaps there is some small explosive charge that drives some projectile into the element to break It apart…my knowledge is lacking, and I am sorry for it. Perhaps the explosives are packed around the element, or the element packed around the explosives…"
"How does the attack come Where is the attack?" Marduk asked.
"Yes, yes, I am getting to it," Tsuki said quietly. He looked at the drawings he had made upon the board. "I do not know for certain, but my suspicion is that the attack is targeted upon the mines, where many Orcs still shelter. I suspect the device will be dropped or placed from the air. Some beast or Wizard vehicle will travel through the air, bypassing any ground patrols of Orcs or the neighboring Elves and perhaps exploit dome high window or air passage to reach the heart of the mountain."
The Orcs whispered to tell each other there was such a passage, but Orcs seldom used that long stair.
"I can imagine the device might be set to explode upon impact, or upon reaching a certain orientation, or perhaps by some other means beyond my knowledge. When it explodes…"
Tsuki tapped his chalk to the drawing of concentric circles, "The most central area will burn as result of the explosive charge and will be the most greatly contaminated with poison. These outlying areas will suffer in different ways. Death may still come, but slowly with injuries and sickness, rather than quickly in a blast. The poison will spread…" Tsuki shook his head. There was so much he did not know. "It might be much much worse than I can say. It is my suspicion that these radiating elements by their nature effect the explosion in some way, but it is nothing I can prove without doing dangerous experiments and perhaps there is some knowledge that is not worth gaining, if it can only come by doing harm. It would sadden the Elves and…"
Tsuki shifted position in front of the board to reveal a map he had drawn. If the attack comes to the Mines, not only Orcs may suffer. The poisons, no longer bound in the earth and released in a pure form, may enter the waters, here west of the mountains, waters flowing from the mountains run into New Haven, and in the east, the rivers flow into the Golden Wood, where Elves live. If the poison is spread enough to enter the waters, Men and Elves will become sickened and perhaps die."
"Even Elves?" Gwindor asked.
"I suspect so," Tsuki said sadly. "Also, depending on the power and location of the initial explosion, some parts of the mountain may collapse or rain down upon nearby settlements."
"The black powder we used made a large hole, but killed few compared to swords and arrows," Marduk said.
"Based on the information the Orcs here have given, I believe the Wizard designed some more powerful explosive. I do not know much about these radiating rocks, but I do know of many chemical combinations and reactions and also of explosives."
"So powerful the mountain would break?" Marduk asked.
"We must allow for it to be potentially so."
"He means it may be that bad if we do not do something to stop this plot!" Dale yelled.
"Can we stop this from happening?" Lenaduiniel asked.
"I hope we can. We must find the Wizard where he shelters and reach that place in time to stop the weapon from reaching its target."
"We should send out scouts now," Marduk said.
"Small parties would be targeted by our enemies within the wood," Denelas said.
"We know what to look for now. We will hunt them!"
"There may be another way," Tsuki said loudly. They were all listening again. "There is something you do not all know, because it was not the secret of informed Orcs or Elves to tell, but our secret, Dale's Clan's secret, because we found them. We have recovered some ancient seeing stones. There is a chance we could employ them to find the Wizards."
"Use them now!"
"I am willing, but you should all understand, we have reason to believe out Rogue Wizard enemies have also recovered similar enchanted devices, our best hope is to work three stones against their two, and we only have two now. There is a chance another known to us, an ally, will gain possession, even temporarily, of another stone, but even then, we will have had little practice working them, and there is danger of the Wizards turning the power against us to learn all we know. They may spy on us even know, but they will lack direct contact from mind to mind unless we attempt to use the stones."
"Even if it is not a certain advantage, if it is our best hope to seek the Wizards in time to have a chance to stop them, I advise you to use the stones," Lenaduiniel said.
"Tsuki and I should ride to the north and south and during the time we are away, not be privilege to any more of your plans for defense. We will remain in meditation and hope that Laurel is able to aid us."
"The Witch?" Marduk asked.
"I think they do speak of Laurel, the Red Witch," Alqua said.
"Yes, that is true. She is gone to the Men's Capitol and hopes to gain access to a stone kept there, one that previously was wielded by the Stewards. With three, we have hope of gaining advantage over the Wizards."
"Why only you? Why not some Orc or one of these old Elves?" Marduk asked.
"Both came to me, one through a girl who lost the stone to a stream and to Duma, unaware of what she had, and the other through a Halfling's trading post, where the merchants were also unaware of the nature of the stone. I cannot wield more than one, and so I entrusted one to Dale for keeping. I trust him also to use it. The Elves have not objected, though their ancestors crafted the devices. Beryl did not wish to keep one for his use."
"They are dangerous," said Beryl, who was also present, "If those who would wield them become overwhelmed by the Wizards holding the other stones…they might even become controlled by them." He looked at Tsuki in such a way that his worries were clearly communicated. Tsuki had been under a Wizard's spell of compulsion before, and Dale had been broken by Orcs. Beryl had undergone no such defeat, that they knew of and he refused the stones. But then, Tsuki understood that Beryl was so ancient, he had more knowledge to risk being lost to the Wizards.
"Dale and I do know some secrets, but if an Elven elder or one of you Orcs were to use the stone and be overwhelmed, all your knowledge and your position could be used by the Wizards against your allies. Neither Dale not I are in a position to control many others, and we do not have large families or Clans to risk. It is best we make the attempt to wield the stones. I am stronger than I used to be, and so is Dale."
"Go then, ride to the north and south, away from us, and attempt to find the position of the Wizard's stronghold," Lenaduiniel said firmly, "We must hope that Laurel is able to give you aid."
It had been no problem gaining entrance to the great walled city itself. Laurel was a woman and came escorted with male Rangers to speak for her. She understood that it was the custom of the Men of this city that females would rely on the Men to speak for them and to give orders.
There had been no need to present letters or tokens at the gate. They had been admitted, even the Southmen, and with few words from the Rangers, given directions to the best House of Healing.
It was some time after Kato had been given over to the care of the healers that questions had come. It would seem there had been some time for the Rangers to report to their superiors and for the armed Southmen to draw notice and for the local powers to hear word of an injured Halfling. These people seemed to find it a particularly foul omen to hear news of a severely injured nine-fingered Halfling.
Various guards in livery of the High King, like those Laurel had seen at the Wizard's Vale and other important looking, richly clothed people had gone through the curtains to look on Kato, and then guards had come to question Laurel.
"I will answer to your Queen or to your King. Here is a letter of introduction and a token from Elves known to your Queen who vouch for me and for the Halfling. I will not be kept suspect or prisoner."
"Are they not your King and Queen, woman?"
Laurel frowned at her own mistake. "Of course. I am of the Lowlands and my people are your fellow subjects to the King and his Queen." She saw that one of the guards moved his fingers to open the leaf seal on Dale's letter. "Good Sir, I must ask you do not open the letter. The seal will be known to the Queen. I claim no special knowledge or tie to Her Majesty, but the Elf who sent that letter is known to her."
"You will stay here until you are sent for," the one who was in charge said.
Laurel could only agree. She had not wished to leave without some assurance that Kato would be well, but she saw the guards left a one behind, outside the doors, as they left.
She had found little sleep on the road and Laurel fell into a fitful slumber, sitting in a chair within the house of healing. She was woken later by a guard. "What of Kato?" she asked. Sleepily.
"There is no word yet on your Halfling. The Queen has sent for you. You will come."
Again, Laurel could only agree. She was a stranger to this city and needed any ally she could find.
Laurel was taken through city streets of small stones lined with both stone and timber and daub buildings, including shops and houses. Everyone here seemed wealthy, unlike her people who lived in tents or those of Newhaven. There were some who asked for alms, but even they seemed clean.
She was delivered to some ladies, and she wondered if one of these was the Queen, for she had no idea how the Queen looked, but all seemed of her race and no Elven. They spoke to her in the Common Speech, with accents that seemed at once southern and proper and invited her to enter certain chambers where she might wash and also offered clothes.
Laurel bathed and washed and combed her hair. The clothing they offered was unlike that of her people or of the Eastwomen, it was snugly fit and the colors seemed chosen not to show station but only to compliment coloring of skin, hair and eyes. Her layered gowns were all green or blue. Laurel shook out her cloak and brushed it clean as best she could and then fastened it about her shoulders. She lay her pendant over her dress, but tucked her cord and knife into her cloak rather than belt it about her waist. She then went from the room, leaning on her staff.
She was admitted thus to the Queen's audience chamber. It was warmed by a fire at one end and beautiful hanging tapestries and floor coverings and had several windows skillfully set with glass. There was a table set with some food and beverages at the side of the room away from the hearth and several chairs. At first glance Laurel saw a Man and woman there, but she realized shortly she was looking upon Elves.
The male was not the King, for he was a Man, and she had seen his likeness in tapestries and engravings several times since entering his city. He was perhaps some close kin to the Queen, for he was not only Elven, but closely resembled the female. She was beautiful, slender and tall, with dark hair that was thought common yet attractive in Elves. She looked up from a large embroidery hoop upon a stand as the door closed behind Laurel. Her clothes seemed those an Elven noble would consider appropriate for granting audiences to those of other races, as they were fine, but covered throat, wrists and ankles. They were not so Mannish in style as Lenaduiniel's traveling gowns, but served the same sense of modesty. The Queen's hair was also carefully braided and bound, and since loose, long hair was considered erotic to Elves, this also seemed modesty.
"Please, come closer." The Queen spoke in a light pleasant voice, using the Common Speech well and having an accent that seemed to Laurel most alike to Galadhiel.
Laurel approached. She could see the Queen had been at work embroidering some Elven heraldic devices upon the fabric of a fine tunic. Being closer, Laurel sensed something else, something that seemed different from other Elves she had met, though she could not place it. It was the same with the male who stood behind the Queen's chair.
The Queen rose and gave her full name and titles and introduced the other only as one of her brothers. Laurel was not certain if she meant close blood kin, or simply a male Elf of the same line, as Common Speech did not well define such terms. "He serves willingly as chaperone or guard when my King or Ladies cannot be with me. Speak freely in front of him. You are called Laurel Poe, a woman of the Western Lowlands and Witch, though not to be confused with a servant of any Dark Lord." That seemed something Dale might have written.
"I am," Laurel agreed, "Your Majesty." She curtseyed then.
"Please sit, you must be hungry."
Laurel sat at the small table but did not immediately take food or beverage. "My business is more important."
"Please."
The Queen seemed so very proper and domesticated, Laurel wondered if she was so simple a female as that, but decided it wise to delay judgment. Lenaduiniel was a female Elf and Noble and also rather shrewd, and she often pretended to be subservient and domestic when it might serve her purposes in learning something or escaping suspicion.
"Perhaps some clean water."
The Queen made a gesture and her brother poured for Laurel. Laurel nodded thanks and then sipped as the Queen spoke. "Tell me first, Miss Poe, of the child who sent this letter and how you came to know him."
Laurel kept the goblet at her lips, hesitant for a moment. She did recall that Dale was very young, but it had surprised her to her this Elf refer to him so easily as a child.
Laurel sipped once more, swallowed water and then set her goblet upon the table. "I met him in the barrows of Ancient Mannish Kings along the trade road," she began, and then told the Queen honestly all she knew of Dale and how she had met him and the experiences they had shared since then.
And somewhere in the middle of the tale, Laurel understood that the other Elf was not there only as guard, but because he knew Dale much better than his sister and had the greater interest and ability in confirming the story. Laurel tried to phrase things carefully, but she imagined it would be clear from what she did not say that Dale had strong associations with the Orcs and that he had a child among them and also that he was the lover of a Man and Wizard.
When Laurel had finished, the Queen said, "I believe that you speak the truth as you know it, but understand, this 'Dale' as he is now known was not always honest with us."
"He does not believe in lying."
"Now, perhaps, it may be as you say. Tell me how you came by this jewel." She had the brooch Beryl had sent as token.
"It belongs to one I know as 'Beryl'. He is one of the Green Elves. I mentioned him in my account."
"He visited our father's house sometimes, and our grandmother's home as well. Lately he resided in the city Men call Newhaven." The Queen looked at her brother as if to confirm this. Laurel thought this male Elf might have been among the Rangers there, but she was not certain, as she had seen most of their number only briefly.
Laurel's suspicion was accurate and the Elf had spoken with Beryl and Dale both when in New Haven and heard their accounts of the Battle of the Hill and adventures in barrows and had perceived that Dale shared himself with a Man, though it had remained unspoken. He had encouraged his sister to give aid to any friend of theirs.
"The Rangers who accompanied you brought word to our King regarding the dangers of failure in communications among the Rangers and of Rogue Wizards and Masterless Orcs and possible weapons and even rumors of Dark Elves…surely we shall do something about it. Your Halfling friend will continue to receive the best care we may offer. One of our most skilled healers, a former Ranger of the North has gone to join his caretakers. You are free to roam our city or to leave it. If you stay, you shall have a room and meals at the inn closest to the House of Healing at our expense. It is true Dale and Beryl are known to us. They have cause mischief at times, but we have such regard for them that we will give aid to friends of theirs."
"I thank you…of course…but may I be allowed to look upon the seeing stone that is safeguarded in your city?"
"This I cannot allow," the Queen said coldly, "It is not in my possession that I can grant such a thing, and I will not ask it of the one who keeps it." It was always risky to ask a wife to sway her husband. She likely could succeed, but the marriage could suffer later for it.
"I understand."
"Please, Laurel, be at ease. Something will be done. Have some water and some cakes and speak to me of more pleasant things. I understand you have been with Lenaduiniel. How does she fair. Any prospects for marriage? Her brother was with us recently, he was well."
Laurel forced a smile. Somehow, she knew it would not be wise to say
that Lenaduiniel had been molested by a female Orc because Laurel had
not been a strong enough leader and had refused to give the Orcs any information
they demanded. "Perhaps she will find someone in her brother's realm,
now she is there."