Free The Dwarf Kingdoms (Book 5) by A. Giannetti Page B

the line, the whole company immediately cast itself onto the stone floor of the tunnel to eat and rest. Elerian sat with Ascilius a little apart from the nearest Dwarves, both of them resting their backs against the blank wall which ended the passageway.
    “What is your plan once we enter the stables?” asked Elerian softly.
    “If the chamber is guarded, we will first have to overcome the sentries,” replied Ascilius quietly. “Not a single one must be allowed to escape, for if the castella is roused against us, our task will become almost impossible. If we succeed in taking the stables, I will see if I can open the entryway that leads into the city. If luck favors us and I succeed, we may be able to enter Galenus without any more fighting if we can get all of the wagons into the city before the Goblins are aware of us.”
    “What happens if the doors are sealed as they were in Ennodius?” asked Elerian, for it seemed to him that that was the more likely possibility.
    “Things become much more difficult then,” replied Ascilius grimly. “We will have to clear the entire castella of Goblins before we can signal the Dwarves inside the city to open either the stable doors or the upper gate leading from the city to the castella. If we are forced to use the upper gate, many Dwarves are certain to die, for the road that leads from the fortress to Galenus runs across an open ridge where the wagons will be exposed to the crossbows and engines of war of the Goblins.”
    Listening to Ascilius, Elerian was troubled by the tentative, uncertain nature of the Dwarf’s plan, but he kept his misgivings to himself. Instead, he sought to reassure his companion, for he understood better now the worry and uncertainty that weighed down Ascilius’s spirits.
    “Take heart,” Elerian said quietly. “No matter what obstacles we face after the door behind us opens, we have the courage and strength of arms to overcome them and make a good ending to this adventure.”
    “We will see,” said Ascilius soberly as he wrapped himself in his cloak and lay down on the hard stone floor of the tunnel. Like the rest of the company, he was soon fast asleep, the dim mage light hovering above his head revealing his craggy face but casting his closed, deep-set eyes into shadow, lending a grim look to his features, as if in sleep his innermost worries were revealed. Left alone with his thoughts, Elerian took to the dream paths in his mind which soon took him away from the dark passageway in which he now found himself, carrying him far to the east where his heart was.
    When Ascilius roused himself hours later, he looked first at Elerian on his left. His companion was sitting with his eyes open, but there was a distant look on his face as if his mind was somewhere else. Ascilius had seen that look before, and it always caused him concern.
    “One day, he may sink too deeply into that state and never awaken, for the gift of the Elves can be a danger as well as a blessing,” thought Ascilius worriedly to himself. Sitting up with a muffled groan, he stretched his aching muscles.
    “Feeling your age ancient one,” asked Elerian who had come instantly awake at the sound of Ascilius’s voice. He regarded the Dwarf with steady gray eyes that seemed to shine with their own light.
    “I’ll not deny it,” said Ascilius ruefully. “I am too old to be sleeping on stone floors.”
    “Perhaps tomorrow we will sleep in a real bed again,” said Elerian lightly.
    “A thought worth fighting for,” replied Ascilius with a smile. He took a deep pull from his wine skin and then rose to his feet, appearing much refreshed.
    “Are you ready for what comes?” he asked Elerian, the doubts gone from his face and an eager light burning in his dark eyes.
    Elerian rose in a single lithe move. “I am more than ready to pay my respects to the Goblins,” he replied cheerfully. There was a light rasp of steel on leather as he drew Acris out of its sheath. The lines of