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“It’s too late for that, I’m afraid,” a woman calls out.
Fort rips me behind him, positioning himself in front of both me and Shadow as a line of men and women step from the trees. Wearing little more than leather on their groins, the men all carry spears with sharp tips.
The women are dressed nearly the same, though their breasts are covered as well, and they carry bows with arrows already nocked.
“We mean you no harm,” I tell them as I hold up both hands.
“We will be the judge of that,” the woman says. Then she looks over her head and speaks in a language I do not understand. Men rush from the trees, carrying a large, leather sling.
I throw myself over Shadow. “You won’t hurt him,” I growl.
“It is your hide I’d be concerned with,” the woman snarls then nods at the men. Fort pulls me back with his good arm as they lay the leather sling down beside my Pegasus. It takes five of them to lift him enough to move him onto the sling, and then another five come forward to help carry it.
Ten men leave with him. “I won’t let them hurt you!” I call out, even though I know I can do nothing to stop them if they plan to.
We’ve no weapons, and right now, Fort can’t even use his arm.
They slip back into the trees, and Shadow disappears from sight. “Where are you taking him?” I demand.
“Not your concern at the moment. Now, you can come with us willingly, or I can make you,” she says, stepping closer. From here, I can only make out sharp features, dark hair, and a lean build. Her stance speaks of a leader, though, and the tone she uses supports that fact.
“Why would we go with you?” Fort asks.
She turns her attention to him. “Because if you have any hope of surviving, we’re your best option. But time is running out. Come nightfall, this place will be swarming with creatures who won’t think twice about ripping you and your pretty little companion apart.”
“Pretty little—” I start but stop when I see the smirk on her face.
She’s goading me. And I won’t fall for it any more than I already have.
“Your choice,” she replies. “But if you do survive the night, I will force you to come with us, and I won’t be so nice about it.”
Fort looks back at me. “It’s as much your choice as mine.”
My thoughts travel back to Nemoregno. To being separated from Fort. Then they shift to my time with the elves and not knowing if he was alive or dead. Then, he’d been at full strength, though, and I note the pain in his eyes. The harshness of his expression.
And I know we have no choice. “Fine. We’ll go with you. But I want to speak to your leader the moment we get there.”
“You already are,” she replies then turns and begins to walk into the trees. Fort and I follow, him falling into step behind. My heart hammers as we pass by the line of warriors waiting to close behind us. I knew this was a fool’s mission. That coming here could very well mean we never get out.
But I thought we’d at least make it to the dwarves first.
We walk for a short time in silence until we pass through the trees and into a huge clearing. Settled in the center is a wall made entirely of huge trunks that have been cut to a point. They jut up in the air, far too high for anything to climb—human or otherwise. As we approach, a gate swings open, and we get our first look at our captor’s home.
Inside, rows and rows of food grow with pillars jutting out of the ground and connecting an entire village of homes built from wood and grass. They are so high that I cannot make out the features of anyone walking along the suspended bridges, though I do note that they all stop to look down at us.
Others tend to the food growing in neat rows, and they, too, stop what they are doing to look up at us. They’re pale due to the lack of sunshine, and every one of them is dressed like the warriors, though it’s clear they have their own duties to perform.
No guards patrol the clearing though some stand on towers built in all four corners of the wall. They do not look our way, their gazes trained solely on the forest beyond. The farther into this fortress we go, the more uneasy I get.
It’s clear these people are not the dwarves I seek, and if they are out here in the open rather than secluded away with the dwarves in their caves, does that mean what I am looking for no longer exists? Or are they merely sealed away, leaving these people to whatever fate may find them?
Fort walks directly behind me, completely silent, but I know he’s taking all of it in just as I am. Likely seeking weak points and contemplating our escape without the strength granted to him by his giant blood.
Blood that is failing him now just as Shadow’s wings failed him.
We continue walking until we reach a platform built beneath the heart of the city. Pillows in bright colors are arranged all along the wooden surface, bright golds and yellows that remind me of the library in the Elven Kingdom.
By the time the leader takes her seat on a plush pillow in the center, the warriors have already formed a circle around the platform, sealing us inside. “Sit,” she orders.
