said. “A true Dragonvein would have this knowledge. It was said that Praxis Dragonvein’s wisdom rivaled even that of our scholars.”
“I never knew my father,” said Ethan. “I…”
Jonas squeezed his arm and gave him a warning look.
Birger let out a scornful laugh. “You will need better answers than that when you meet King Halvar. He is not as good natured as I am.”
He pressed the pace and was soon several yards ahead of them. Ethan was stunned by how fast he could move on such short legs.
They continued on for two more hours, climbing up and down long stairwells and passing through vast open chambers. Eventually they reached one with three separate tunnels leading out of it. Birger stopped to retrieve a small red stone from his pocket. Closing his eyes, he held the stone tightly in his right hand for about a minute before putting it away again. This done, he moved over to the right hand passage and leaned against the wall.
“Rest here,” he said. “We still have four days of hard travel before we arrive in Elyfoss. If you hear anything approaching…arm yourselves.”
“Is there danger here?” asked Markus.
Birger made no reply. Instead, he just smiled wickedly and closed his eyes.
Using their packs as pillows, the four of them lay down together – Markus and Ethan with swords drawn and ready by their sides, Kat and Jonas between them, daggers in hand.
“Do you think there’s something down here?” whispered Kat.
“It’s possible,” Markus replied. “Only the dwarves care to dwell in the deep places of the world. Who knows what they might have found.”
She shifted close to Ethan and shut her eyes. “I’m not scared. Are you?”
He forced a quiet laugh. “Me? Never.”
Markus grunted. “Well, I certainly am.”
Kat frowned and clutched her dagger even more tightly to her chest.
Sleep came in small snatches. Unidentifiable echoes from the depths woke Ethan each time he began to drift. On one occasion, a loud thud from deep inside one of the passages had him sitting bolt upright, sword gripped in both hands. Giving up any thought of sleep for a while after this, he tried to pass the time speculating on what a dwarf city might look like.
The tunnels he had seen thus far had been well constructed, but lacked decoration or any other indication of being inhabited. Even the massive chambers they had passed through were stark and dusty – yet the ceilings were well lit by rajni stones, suggesting that they had once been used quite frequently. But for what, he could only speculate.
He was about to make one final attempt at sleep when he heard a sharp tapping sound coming from the passage on the left, as if someone was hitting the walls with a small stone. He listened anxiously to this for a moment. Then, abruptly, it ceased. He strained his ears for another minute or so, but it did not resume.
“Wake your friends,” hissed Birger. He was on his feet, the small axe in his hand.
“I’m already awake,” said Markus.
Ethan shook Kat and Jonas, who hurriedly rose.
“What is it?” asked Jonas.
“Trolls,” Birger replied.
Markus laughed. “Trolls? You must be joking.” But the tense look in the dwarf’s eyes told him that he wasn’t.
“I thought trolls were just a story,” said Kat.
“So did I,” agreed Jonas.
Birger flicked a hand. “Quiet!” Creeping over to the left passage, he peered along it for several seconds.
The tapping resumed, this time louder than before.
He pointed to the center corridor, indicating to the others that they should take it. Ethan entered first, with Jonas and Kat just behind him. Markus stayed at the rear. Birger waited until they were all well inside before following.
“If fortune holds, they’ll not be interested in a fight,” he said.
“And if it doesn’t?” asked Markus.
“Then I hope you can use those weapons you carry.”
Ethan led them down the long passageway, then up a tall flight of stairs. At the top was a small room with a door on opposite walls.
Birger turned and crouched low. “If they come, we can hold them off here.”
“I’m still finding it hard to believe that trolls are real,” said Jonas.
“Oh, they’re very real,” Birger replied. “Nasty little devils too. They’d kill you rather than look at you.”
“How is it they’ve remained hidden for so long?” Jonas asked. “As far as humans are concerned, they are only stories.”
“We’ve kept them secret from the rest of the world, that’s why. There’s no need to have you lot fumbling down here, looking for trouble. Besides, trolls never