calculations more than a dozen times, and their confidence had been high.
Had been.
In looking around at all the curious dwarves, Nanfoodle realized just how much was at stake, and the thought had his little knees clicking together.
"It'll work," Ivan promised him, the dwarf bending in low and whispering in his ear. He gently took Nanfoodle's shoulder and ushered the gnome back, then motioned to the helpers who had come in behind the pair, gently pushing a wide cart full of ceramic balls.
The dwarves began placing the delicate orbs inside the bowl of the contraption, along set ridges, all of which ended with a curled lip of varying angles.
When that work was done, the dwarves up above shoved a long handle into the crank in the secret cubby and began lifting the contraption from the floor, drawing the rope slowly and evenly. Other dwarves climbed ladders beside the bowl as it rose, slowly rotating it through its climb.
"Get a ladder and smooth the edges," Ivan ordered as the whole disk was locked into place up near the ceiling, for though the bottom of the bowl had been painted to make it look like the stone of the ceiling, once it was in place, he could see where improvements might be made.
"It'll work," the yellow-bearded Bouldershoulder said again to Nanfoodle, who was staring up nervously.
The gnome looked to Ivan and managed a meager smile.
* * * * *
Up on the ledge, Bruenor, Regis, Catti-brie, and Wulfgar watched the work with a mixture of hope and sheer terror. The two humans had already witnessed one of Nanfoodle's surprises, and both figured that one incident had made enough of an impression to foster grandiose stories for a lifetime.
"I'm not for liking yer choice," Bruenor said to Regis. "But I'm respecting yer decision, and respecting yerself more and more, little one."
"I'm not for liking my choice, either," Regis admitted. "But I'm no warrior, and this is my way of helping."
"And how are you to get out of there if we don't retake the hall?" Catti-brie asked.
"Would that question be any different if a dwarf was accepting the duty?" the halfling shot right back.
Catti-brie thought on that for a moment, then just said, "Maybe we can catch an orc and trick it into pulling the pin."
"Yeah, that'd work," Bruenor said. Beneath his sarcastic quip, the other three caught the slightest of quivering in his voice, a clear sign that he, like the others, realized that this might be the last time they saw their halfling friend.
But then, if they failed in this, they would all likely die.
"I'm wanting you two up on the other ledge," Bruenor said to his two human children. "Right near the escape corridor."
"I was thinking to fight on the floor," Wulfgar argued.
"The walls're too short for ye, and what a fine target ye'll be making for our enemies, standing twice a dwarf's height down there," Bruenor answered. "No, ye fight on the ledge, the two o' ye together, for that's when ye're at yer best. Hold all yer shots, bow and hammer, for any giants, should they come in, and keep yerselves at the escape tunnel."
"So that we might be the first to leave?" Catti-brie asked.
"Aye," the dwarf admitted. "First out and not bottlenecking the low crawl for me kin."
"If that's the reasoning, then shouldn't we be last?" Wulfgar asked, tossing a wink at Catti-brie as he did.
"No, ye go first and ye go early, and that's the end of it," said Bruenor. "Ye got to be near the tunnel, as ye'll both be needing that tunnel to fall back from sight, for ye can't get as low as me boys that'll be up there with ye. Now stop yer arguing with me and start sorting out yer tactics."
The dwarf turned to Regis and asked, "Ye got enough food and water?"
"Does he ever?" Catti-brie asked.
Regis grinned widely, his dimpled cheeks climbing high. He patted his bulging backpack.
"Should be today," Bruenor told him. "But ye might have a bit of a wait."
"I will be fine, and I will be ready."
"Ye know the signal?"
The halfling nodded.
Bruenor patted him on the shoulder and moved away, and with a grin and helpless shrug to his friend, Regis moved inside the secret cubby, pulled the stone-shaped door closed and bolted it on the inside. A pair of dwarves moved right up to the closed portal and began working its edges with mud and small stones, sealing the portal and also blending it in to the surrounding wall