By the light of the dancing flames he could see how the Wall of Skulls got its name. The hall was hundreds of strides long. Skulls were piled on top of skulls all the way to the ceiling on every wall. There were thousands of them. He could tell by the position of the scaffolding that behind the first layer of skulls were others. It seemed as if a new wall was being built in front of the old one. He could imagine dozens of layers of skulls running back all the way to the stone walls. Even as he watched, a dwarf on the scaffolding was mortaring more goblin skulls into place.
“The skulls belong to our enemies,” said Verlek. Kormak was going to say that he had guessed that but he kept his mouth shut. The young dwarf was the closest thing they had to an ally here and he did not want to alienate him.
“There must be thousands of them,” said Karnea.
“Tens of thousands,” said Verlek proudly, “dating all the way back to Time of Dying. We have killed many foes. Graghur claims to be the Taker of Skulls but we have done far better. We have beaten his people at their own game.” To Kormak it seemed like the dwarves had simply turned themselves into mirrors of their enemy. They had lost themselves in the war and that was a form of defeat.
Around a hundred dwarves were gathered around the fire. All heads turned as the group entered. Beards on the males and hair on the females writhed furiously at the sight of the newcomers. Ferik stood on a stepped dais beside the flame. Above him on an even higher step, stood two more dwarves, one male, one female whom Kormak assumed were the clan leaders.
“All the clan has assembled,” said Verlek. Kormak felt a shock. The Hold they had marched through looked as if it had been built for thousands. All those present looked as if they could fit into one or two of its smaller rooms. It came to him then that if this was every member of the clan, then the dwarves of Khazduroth truly were a dying people.
“And now your fate will be sealed,” said Utti. There was malice in his voice.
The clan parted to allow the prisoners to be brought before the flame. Kormak found himself looking up at the dwarves on the steps. He noticed that Ferik had a silver chain around his neck marked with ancient dwarf runes. The two he thought of as chieftains wore gold torcs and necklaces marked with runes of mastery. He recognised those. The heat from the flames was making him sweat but the dwarves gave no sign of discomfort.
Ferik raised one massive hand. “Strangers, you have been brought before the assembled people of the Hold to be judged according to the ancient laws of our people. You are interlopers here. You have trespassed on sacred ground. The penalty for your transgressions is death.”
Chapter Twenty
“ARE THERE ANY here who would speak for these strangers,” Ferik asked.
Verlek stepped forward. “I would.”
“Then stand before the flame and speak.” Verlek strode up to the steps and took a position just below Ferik on the lowest step. He turned to face the clan, touched his beard, placed a hand over his heart and bowed.
“I owe these strangers blood-debt,” Verlek said. He sounded apologetic about that. “They saved me from the Slitherer and Yellow Eye, leaving both for dead.”
That was a nice, hair-splitting touch, Kormak thought. Anyone who had not been there might have taken that as meaning that Kormak and his companions had killed both monsters. “They warded me through the Underhalls, protecting me to the very gates of the Hold even though the goblins were at their heels. It would be a betrayal of their trust to put them to the stranger-death. They have done nothing but good for me, and our people.”
Utti made a hissing sound. Verlek continued, his voice gathering strength as he spoke. “They stood with us when the goblins were at our gate. The one known as Kormak gave us more than twenty skulls for the Wall.”
Ferik placed a hand upon his shoulder. “The skulls have not been placed there. They may never be.”
Verlek turned and looked up at him. His beard twisted agitatedly. His pointed ears stood erect. Kormak was reminded of an angry cat. “Are the goblins no longer our enemies?”
“If a goblin kills a goblin do we place the dead one’s skull in the Wall?” This came from the female dwarf on the highest stone ring. “Only one of the People may place a skull in the wall, for the glory of his ancestors.”
“Branhilde the Beautiful speaks truth,” said the older male. He glared down at them. His face was stern and looked as if it had been carved from rock. His beard was very white and still. It was quite the longest in the room, reaching all the way to the floor. “Anything else would be in violation of our ancient customs.”