councilors ain't dwarfs," Torgar remarked, and Agrathan fixed him with a cold stare.
"The dwarves are spoken for, and their thoughts are heard at council."
Torgar knew from the dwarf's look and icy tone that he had hit a nerve with Agrathan, a proud and long-serving councilor. He thought for a moment to take back his bold and callous statement, or at least to exclude his present company, but he didn't. He felt as if he was being carried away by an inner voice that was growing independent of his common sense.
"When ye joined the Axe of Mirabar, you took an oath," Agrathan said. "Are ye remembering that oath, Torgar Hammerstriker?"
Now it was Torgar's turn to issue a cold stare.
"The oath was to serve the Marchion of Mirabar, not the King of Mithral Hall. Ye might be wise to think on that a bit."
The councilor patted Torgar on the shoulder-many seemed to be doing that lately-and took his leave.
Torgar remembered his oath and weighed that oath against the realities of present day Mirabar.
Chapter 14 THEY THOUGHT THEY
HAD SEEN IT ALL
"Well, ain't this a keg o' beer in a commode," Ivan grumbled.
He was moving around the small lea that the elves were using as a temporary prison for the two intruders. Using some magic that Ivan did not understand, the moon elves had coaxed the trees around the lea in close together, blocking all exits with a nearly solid wall of trunks.
Ivan, of course, was none too happy with that. Pikel reclined in the middle of the field, hands tucked comfortably behind his head as he lay on his back, staring up at the stars. His sandals were off and the contented dwarf waggled his stubby toes happily.
"If they hadn't taked me axe, I'd be making a trail or ten!" Ivan blustered.
Pikel giggled and waggled his toes.
"Shut yer mouth," Ivan fumed, standing with hands on hips and staring defiantly at the tree wall.
He blinked a moment later and rubbed his eyes in disbelief as one of the trees drifted aside, leaving a clear path beyond. Ivan paused, expecting the elves to enter through the breach, but the moments slipped past with no sign the their captors. The dwarf hopped about, started for the break, then skidded to a stop and swung around when he heard his brother giggling.
"Ye did that," Ivan accused.
"Hee hee hee."
"Well if ye could do that, then why've we been sitting here for two days?"
Pikel propped himself on his elbows and shrugged.
"Let's go!"
"Uh uh," said Pikel.
Ivan stared at him incredulously. "Why not?"
Pikel hopped to his feet and jumped all around, putting a finger to pursed lips and saying "Shhhhhhr
"Who ye shushing?" Ivan asked, his expression going from angry to confused. "Ye're talking to the damned trees," he realized.
Pikel looked at him and shrugged.
"Ye're meaning that the damned trees'll tell the damned elfs if we walk outta here?"
Pikel nodded enthusiastically.
"Well, shut 'em up!"
Pikel shrugged helplessly.
"Ye can move 'em, and ye can walk through 'em, but ye can't shut 'em up?"
Pikel shrugged again.
Ivan stomped a boot hard on the ground. "Well, let 'em tell the elfs! And let them elfs try to catch me!"
Pikel put his hands on his hips and cocked his head to the side, his expression doubtful.
"Yeah, yeah," Ivan called to him, waving his hand and not wanting to hear any of it.
Of course he had no weapon. Of course he had no armor. Of course he had no idea of where he was or of how to get out of there. Of course he wouldn't likely get fifty feet into the forest before being recaptured, probably painfully.
But none of that really mattered to the outraged dwarf. He just wanted to do something, do anything, to stick his finger in the eyes of his captors. That was the way of dwarves, after all, and of Ivan beyond the norm for his taciturn race. It was better to head-butt your enemy, even if he was wearing a full-faced plated helmet, even if it was spiked, than to stand helplessly before him.
Determined, Ivan strode through the Pikel-made gap and down the forest trail.
Pikel sighed and moved to retrieve his sandals. Hearing a commotion beyond the lea, he merely shrugged yet again and fell back to the grass and stared up at the stars. Perfectly content.
"Never would I have believed that a dwarf could move a tree without using an axe," Innovindil remarked.
She stood at Tarathiel's side, on a low branch overlooking the lea, observing the brothers.