“He rescued me from a great and dangerous wizard,” Jastillian said.
“Your point?” the red haired dwarf asked.
“He’s a wizard. There hasn’t been one in Erlam for centuries. The least we could do is show our hospitality to him.”
“Enough of this!” Lenora said, eyeing Jastillian and the red-haired one. “We will discuss this after we've had something to eat, as is our custom.”
They bowed their heads.
Lenora raised her ale-filled mug. Everyone did the same, and so did I. They slammed them hard down on the table. Nobody had warned me to turn my head away. I wiped some ale from my eye. The red-haired dwarf smirked.
There was plenty of food on the table, but an overabundance of meat. Everything from boar and deer, to chicken, rabbit, and pig filled the platters. The aroma of roasted pork and grilled rabbit upset my stomach.
I avoided all the meat, eating mostly potatoes, bread, and beans. The dwarves made a little small talk, but most were too busy tearing their food apart. Having traveled with Jastillian for the past few days, I had learned that dwarves ate this way to show appreciation for the food—not with words but with actions.
I didn't get into conversation with any of the dwarves. Most glanced at me often, peering over their food. That was unnerving enough, but the red-haired dwarf, the one who had argued against my presence, never took his eyes off me. I tried to be polite and not stare back, but it was hard. He was one of the bigger and younger dwarves in the room. His clothes strained to contain his muscles. His red beard and hair added to the fierceness of his gaze. The more he stared, the angrier I grew. My fire started to build.
I did my best to endure it, pretending I didn’t notice. I was an outsider, and I needed their help. I couldn’t afford to get into an argument. Luckily for me, dwarves also show appreciation for good food by eating quickly, and the food was good enough that the meal was not a long one.
“Mother, if we may?” Jastillian asked.
Lenora looked around the table and saw that everyone was finished. She ate the last piece off a pork shank and put the bone down on her plate. Then she nodded yes.
Jastillian said, “All of Northern Shala is in grave danger.”
Time seemed to stop as the whole room became quiet.
Jastillian then told all the dwarves of his journey into the Wastelands, his capture, our escape, and of Premier’s plans to take over Alexandria. All eyes were locked on Jastillian. He had a teacher's voice, deep and thoughtful. It fluctuated with his emotions, and was never boring. In fact, he made the whole tale sound even more exciting than it actually was.
After Jastillian was finished, one of the slightly older dwarves said, “I feared something was wrong in Alexandria.” She glanced to the dwarf who had stared at me through dinner. “We should have sent a party there as I suggested. The elves had the right idea, for once.”
“Whatever you want to say, Artesia, you can say in front of Hellsfire,” Jastillian said.
Artesia looked at Lenora. She nodded. “We've had problems with the Wasteland creatures, Jastillian. Extra patrols have had to be sent out to deal with them. They haven't been enough of a threat for us to worry that Alexandria has been overrun, but there've been enough to be an annoyance. Now you say they're just a symptom of a much more worrisome problem.” Artesia scanned the table and said in a loud, forceful voice, “We must mobilize our army to go to Alexandria and help them.”
For a moment I was relieved. They wanted to send the army. This had been much easier than Jastillian had said it would be, and I hadn’t had to say anything. But my relief was short-lived. The dwarves started talking among themselves, until it all blended into a low rumble. I tried to get a read on them, but it was hard. All their voices and questions overlapped, and their expressions differed. A few seemed eager for battle and wanted to help. Others appeared worried, nervous, and a few were angry and hostile.
“Quiet!” Lenora said, slamming down her mug. Silence fell. “I'm not opposed to helping Alexandria, but what if Premier has already taken the city? What shall we do then? We can’t possibly enter Alexandria with our force alone. It’s…tactically unsound.”
“Mother, you sound afraid,” Jastillian said.
Lenora narrowed her eyes. Anger passed over her face. If you wanted to provoke a dwarf, the best way was to call him or her a coward. Then Lenora laughed and slapped her son hard on the shoulder. “You’re lucky you’re my son. Otherwise I’d have to drub you with my sword hilt. Sieging a castle takes resources and time. Time we may not have.”
“You're not actually considering this,” another dwarf said in a calm voice. “It's none of our business. We should fortify our defenses here.”