Dawn of Dusk
Chapter 35: Stronghold

After three weeks the Cryarlac Expedition, as it became known, arrived in Cryarlac and occupied the residences prepared for them by the Duke. Upon arrival, Rocbrakre requested audience with Duke Vistyral. He was notified that Vistyral, having just married, was not available, and met with his Regent, Chertal.

It was obvious to Rokbrakre that recent changes had been made to stronghold. Not only had stronghold been fortified but an annex outside of the stronghold had been built, fortified, and strengthened which was equally secure for the Dwarves. A tunnel had also been dug from the Annex to the main stronghold.

The workmanship of both the Annex and the tunnel were as good work as any Dwarf could do, he wondered to himself, if the men can do this work before we get here, why are we here?

It didn’t take him long, to ask Chertal that question. Chertal smiled, and said that will be a good question for the Duke. “Please convey to Iroc Dimindcatre our invitation for her to join you and me for dinner this evening.

“I anticipate Prince Vistyral and his wife Mirtar will be with us at that time. I’m sure they will have questions for both of you, and that you will have questions for them as well. Dinner will begin at sundown. All Dwarves are invited of course, but you and Iroc Dimindcatre are invited to sit at the head table.”

Rocbrakre bowed and said, “We would be most grateful for the meal after the long trip.”

After returning to the Annex, he noted an office for Iroc Dimindcatre next to her room, a security office next to his room, along with space for an armory, workshops for stonemasons, forges, and all manner of tools necessary for the artisans to work with.

After settling in and washing the dust off of them from the trip, he met with Iroc Dimindcatre, and told her of his concerns. She agreed that they were not being told everything they needed to know.

She looked up and said, “This is going to be an interesting dinner.”

He chuckled, nodded, and headed off to make sure everyone was getting settled in.

Vistyral had Vermountel summoned to his work room in Artermador. When he arrived, they sat down together and Vistyral poured him some wine and offered him some fruit and cheese.

“I keep telling you I am no longer a leader of the Dwarves; I am simply a metal worker here in Artermador.” Vermountel said.

“You are my friend, and a valuable source of information in dealing with the Dwarves who have within the last hour arrived in Stronghold.”

Vermountel perked up at that information. “How many came? Who is leading them? Where will they be living while they are there?”

Vistyral smiled, “There are a group of stonemasons, painters, metalworkers, blacksmiths, their families, and several other Dwarves numbering 573. The group consisted of 270 married couples, 35 unmarried men, 42 unmarried women, and 226 children.”

“Five hundred seventy three? How did you get Tunelmakre to send that many?”

“Economics; I expected that the fewer people he had to leave supplies for to feed and house in Vermath the better he would like it. I exaggerated the amount of work that we actually have to do here, so I will need your help in coming up with things for them to do.”

“How much did all of this cost you? I didn’t expect you to bankrupt your Duchy in order to save the Dwarves.”

“My friend your race is a good and noble one. If what you fear comes to pass, and those in Cryarlac are all that are left, then we needed to save as many as possible.

“Besides, trade with you for the last several years has left me with a fairly fat treasury. Cryarlac has always been a fairly poor duchy. I have not spent much on opulence until now.

“I want to build a new escape tunnel that no one in Karrondor knows about except those in Cryarlac. If I ever have to use it, I don’t want armed soldiers waiting at the end of it for me to come out.”

“Decorative work could be done on the stone walls of Stronghold itself, especially in your audience room and the great hall. I noticed that your kitchens could use enlarging and better venting. Living underground, we developed a nose for noxious fumes and the need for proper venting. You probably don’t even notice it but smoke builds up in the cooking area, especially when you are cooking for a large group.

“The Dwarves will likely want separate living quarters eventually, for privacy and to keep to their own ways. They might even want to go underground to feel more at home. After they are Gone, you could use this as additional storage and armory.”

“Iroc Dimindcatre is in charge of the group and Rocbrakre is head of security”

“So the fool left the best military mind the Dwarves had behind when he went to war.”

“Any doubt in your mind now that they will be destroyed?”

“If you were to meet with me and Dimindcatre privately how will she take it?”

“She will play along that I am Vermountel, a midget in private but unless she has autonomy here she will still have to denounce me in public.”

Vistyral stood, “come with me.” He walked down to the transport room and there waiting for him was Marshak.

Marshak said, “Mirtar and Toverak have already gone up to Stronghold. Mirtar wanted to make sure that all the details for the dinner were completed correctly.”

“Good, it will be the three of us then. Vermountel, you know the way to my private meeting room don’t you?” Sᴇaʀ*ᴄh the ꜰindNʘvel.ɴet website on Gøøglᴇ to access chapters of novels early and in the highest quality.

“Yes, I can get there on my own.”

“Good, you go ahead; Marshak and I will get Chertal, the Iroc and possibly Rocbrakre. We will meet you there.”

The next instant they were in the transport room in Stronghold. Chertal was waiting for them. He greeted the new arrivals and he, Vistyral, and Marshak, headed for the annex to meet with the Dwarf leaders. Vermountel headed up to Vistyral’s private meeting room.

When he arrived he knocked on the door. Mirtar answered; she was setting out refreshments for the meeting. “Cadot, nice to see you again.”

“Vermountel, please your highness.”

“Yes, of course, I am sorry. Please have a seat; I am sure the others will be here in short order.”

“Thank you, Highness.”

Vistyral knocked on the gate to the annex and an armed Dwarf looked over the edge. Almost instantly the door opened; he was greeted by the captain in charge and taken immediately to Dimindcatre’s office.

“Welcome to Cryarlac, Iroc Dimindcatre, Rocbrakre. I hope you find your accommodations acceptable.”

Dimindcatre answered, “more than acceptable, your highness, in fact we were wondering why you needed our workers if your own workers can do as good a job in as short a time as they did unless of course the annex was designed for another purpose.”

“A little of both Iroc; you see, we have increased the size of our professional military and had begun the annex as an additional stable and housing for our troops. Once we decided that we were going to need Dwarven workers, we made some changes that would accommodate families.

“Allow me to introduce Marshak, my sorcerer, and I believe you already know Chertal.”

Both Dimindcatre and Rocbrakre greeted the others in the party.

“I would like to meet with both of you in my private meeting room, my wife and a few others are awaiting us there if that is okay.”

Dimindcatre nodded,”of course, Majesty, lead on.”

When they arrived in the room, neither Dimindcatre, nor Rokbrakre gave any indication that they knew the short man standing in the room.

Vistyral said, “allow me to introduce everyone, Iroc Dimindcatre, Rocbrakre, this is my wife, Mirtar, Princess of Artermador, and this gentleman is Vermountel, a midget that works a forge down in Artermador. Mirtar, Vermountel, meet Iroc Dimindcatre and her head of security, Rocbrakre.”

Everyone shook hands, Mirtar offered refreshments, and they all sat down.

“Now that the introductions are out of the way, I would like to dispense with formalities and speak frankly. Is that acceptable to everyone?”

All nodded and Chertal said,”Rocbrakre has already asked why the Dwarves are here.”

“Yes, I did. Your workers seem to be at almost the same level of competency as those you have paid dearly to bring here.”

“Vermountel, would you like to explain the need for so many Dwarven workers?”

“I would be happy to, my Prince.” Turning to the Dwarves he said, “It is my belief, shared by some others that the current leader of the Dwarves is leading the entire Dwarven Army to its destruction.”

“Rocbrakre nodded and said, a few may escape but I agree with Vermountel’s assessment.”

Dimindcatre nodded, and Vermountel continued, “Once the army is gone, the Trolls, Gnomes and Goblins will invade Vermath; the remaining Dwarves will either be enslaved or destroyed.” Dimindcatre and Rocbrakre both glumly nodded and hung their heads.

Vistyral continued, “Vermountel here, came to me and asked me to send for some Dwarves to do work here in Stronghold to protect a remnant of the Dwarven race. I asked for as large a group as I thought could be sent without raising the new Cadot’s suspicions as to my motive.”

Dimindcatre turned to Vermountel and said, “it is nice to see that the Dwarves have someone to watch over them when they seem to have lost that ability to do so themselves.

I would think that if we could find the former Cadot recently declared Umbligath, that, maybe he could be added to our numbers.”

“I would think that until we receive word of its revocation the declaration of the High Council would still stand,” Vermountel said. “That or word that Dimindcatre here is the Cadot with the mandate to rebuild the High Council. She could then rescind the declaration herself.”

“I hold complete autonomy of the Dwarves here in Cryarlac. We have discussed at great length the possibility that we may be the last of the Dwarves. It may be weeks or months before we know the fate of the army, or those in Vermath itself.”

Rocbrakre turned to Vermountel and said, “Three of my security had been assigned to begin to hunt for you, they were scheduled to leave tomorrow.

“It will be nice to know I can keep them here rather than running all over the world looking for you.”

“We have already chosen eleven members for the high Council, I will be the twelfth and senior member you of course will be Cadot. I will introduce you to the Dwarves and to the Men here tonight at dinner. In the meanwhile here is the document rescinding you as Umbligath. Let us hope that this will be valid only here while we are here because it will mean that Dwarves will not all be gone; but for now, you are a Dwarf once again. I voted against you being punished by the way it was eleven to one.”

“I do not need to be Cadot, I do not need to be on the High Council, but I do want to be a Dwarf again.”

“I have no ego to protect, you are a gifted leader; maybe not as good a politician as Tunelmakre but you were a better leader. For the good of all, lead us, please.”

Vermountel, now Stonpiker once again, looked over at Vistyral.

Vistyral said, “She is right you know; you put the Dwarves as a group before anything else. Surely you can see that leading them is the best thing to do for the Dwarves.”

Stonpiker nodded and arose, “I will need Dwarf clothes, is there someone I can get to make some for me.”

“That will not be necessary, Cadot, all of your clothes from Vermath are here, we brought them hoping you would be here to fill them.” Dimindcatre smiled and Stonpiker thought he had never seen a prettier smile in his life.

*****

The dinner had begun, Marshak had introduced all of the dignitaries of the men and Toverak introduced all of the Dwarves. Iroc Dimindcatre stood and asked Vistyral if she could speak. He assented and she turned to where the Dwarves were sitting.

“We have had several meetings while traveling to Cryarlac. I hereby gladly inform you that Cadot Stonpiker declared Umbiglath, has returned to us. He has agreed to serve as Cadot while we are here in Cryarlac. Cadot, would you like to join us and take the seat here next to mine?”

Stonpiker entered from the direction of the kitchens. As he entered all of the Dwarves stood and began to cheer for him. The men joined them, as he reached the high table Vistyral put his arms around him and the cheering became a roar.

He walked over to Dimindcatre she put her arms around him; he held her gently at first, then he pulled her closer to him, “I love you,” he whispered.

“It’s about time you figured that out. I have been in love with you for years you old fool.”

Dinner was served; it was the best meal he had eaten in a long time.

After dinner he met for the first time with the High Council.

“Prince Vistyral has brought all of us here because the future of the Dwarven Race is as important to him as it is to us. He is a true friend of the Dwarves. He is feeding us and paying us to do work that his own people can do almost as well.

“I would like for us to do the work that he wants done with as little profit in it for us as possible. If what we fear will happen actually does happen, he will be responsible for our survival. I do not desire that our survival be the result of bankrupting Cryarlac.

“Therefore it is my recommendation that we accept payment as agreed from Cryarlac, but look to do additional work at no cost to him. If it indeed turns out that we cannot immediately return to Vermath, then we will use the earned funds to pay for our lodging while we remain here.”

“I agree,” Dimindcatre added, “It is evident that the reason we are here, the only reason we are here is to protect the Dwarven race of humans. As a race we have lost our way; we allowed ourselves to be led down the path of destruction and went so far as to cast out our only voice of sanity. Cadot, I wish to apologize for our actions, and I want to say how glad I am that you survived the trip with as little in resources as we were allowed to give you.”

Stonpiker looked at Rokbrakre and reached into his pocket. “I was not sent away as destitute as it may have seemed at the time, here is an addition to our treasury.”

The stones that Rocbrakre had put into his drinking water clattered onto the table. Stonpiker noticed that Rocbrakre was counting and smiled and said, “They are all there, I kept them to pay Vistyral to hire some of us; but he wouldn’t have any of it.”

“Another idea, can we send for additional Dwarves to come here?” Iroc Steelsmeltre asked.

“Marshak seems to be able to move long distances in a very short time. Could we pay to have him move more of us here?”

“Good question, Iroc, another thing we should ask is if using his magic, if he can see what is happening in Drathmire. I will ask Prince Vistyral if that is something he can assist us with.”

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