Dalton Reed [All Things Impossible 01] Crown of the Realm 2e (pdf)

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Kaleb landed on his feet, knife ready. But, those axes that cut the wood were angled toward
him, and the dwarves holding them were obviously not alarmed by the tiny blade.
Up, now, young ones, a gruff voice ordered. A bearded dwarven warrior stepped
forward out of the ranks.
Master Gnirun Heavyaxe? Derora hazarded. She couldn t have picked him out from
any of the others.
He squatted and touched his helmet. Aye, lass, tis.
Kaleb slowly put the knife back into his belt. Are you helping us, master dwarf?
Gnirun laughed. Of course! We saw what happened.
What happened? Kelin repeated. You mean the fight?
He nodded. Aye, aye!
Then why are you helping us, sir? Kaleb asked, hand still on his weapon.
Because you felled a priest of one of the dark ones. Tis a good deed in a naughty
world and ye don t deserve to be arrested for that.
Oh. The young man readjusted his green cap. I m sorry for being defensive.
Gnirun may have smiled beneath the bread. He waved his hand. Bah, no need. He
narrowed his eyes and leaned forward.
Kaleb backed up. Is something wrong, sir?
The dwarf grunted.
Kaleb spoke before the dwarf had a chance. My friend here is wounded, and she
needs to be seen. He turned to her. Der, I think after a few hours that I am acquiring your
personality, so please, do not argue.
She shrugged and held out her arm. The makeshift bandage had bled through.
Gnirun barked some directions and some more dwarves entered. Der couldn t tell them
apart for the life of her, but she put that down to dizziness. They had busy long beards and hair
underneath an assemblage of fiercely dented armor.
Let s get out of the weather, the master dwarf gestured toward the gaping dark
doorway.
Kaleb didn t move. Where are we going, sir?
All Things Impossible Crown of the Realm Dalton�40
Gnirun glanced over his shoulder and grunted again. He marched into the next room,
reached down and hauled on a large metal ring. Ponderously, a trap door opened to reveal a
brightly lit stairwell. He looked up at the young man. We re going to supper.
Oh.
The dwarf may have again grinned beneath the beard and started down the steps.
Bah. Come on.
Der leaned against the wall as they descended. The warm air felt steamy as it kissed
her skin, and it was spiced with salt and smoke.
Kelin looked up at the torches, and exhaled loudly. I always thought that dwarves had
magical lights or perhaps some sort of glowing animals. He shrugged uselessly.
Gnirun chuckled like gravel rolling together. Perhaps we might have our ways, but
torches work, so why not?
Kaleb frowned slightly. However, torches require much air, and then it would be almost
impossible to breathe.
Oooh, aren t you the wisearse of the company?
Well, I m just observing that it would fill with smoke. He glanced around. This does not
seem to be the apparent case.
We, for the first time the dwarf paused and narrowed his bushy eyebrows, Not quite
sure on the right words. We exchange the air from the outside.
Ventilation? Kaleb suggested.
Vent. Wind. Aye, vent.
A few feet behind them, Der stumbled into the wall. Kelin caught her shoulders. She
forced a ghost of a smile. I m alright.
Yeah, and you said that you were alright the time you broke your leg falling off the log
over the creek and tried to walk home. He pushed her good arm around his shoulder.
She blinked a couple times. Well
Do not say whatever it is you re thinking, or so help me, I will drop you.
I was just going to say
Kaleb turned around. Der, please. Save your strength. You re wounded. It was an
honorable fight.
She bit her lower lip. I guess when you put it that way&
Kelin rolled his eyes and took most of her weight.
Gnirun s expression was impossible to tell beneath the ferocious hair and the helmet.
In here. He pushed open a door that everyone else had to duck beneath into a room as bright
as a bonfire. Dozens of wall sconces were anchored to the wall, and each one had a glass
case around it. The casing had large holes in the bottom and became a bulb around the flame,
but then it slimmed down into a tube that disappeared into the ceiling. The air was surprisingly
sweet with just the merest tang of smoke.
Kaleb scraped his head on the ceiling and ducked as if someone had thrown something
at him. He readjusted the green cap he wore and swore under his breath. The dwarf walked
forward under the low height and pointed to the nearest of many tables.
The tables and benches were wooden, but were mostly barely sanded logs, hammered
together. When everyone sat down, Kelin noticed that though the wood was just there for its
purpose, every head of a nail displayed an individual stylized picture on it. He had to smile.
All Things Impossible Crown of the Realm Dalton�41
His knees came up too high for any comfort, but the table could certainly take the [ Pobierz całość w formacie PDF ]

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