Kathir's Redemption (Book 6) (21 page)

“
I don
’
t have anythin
’
to offer the High Council. And I won
’
t
put any more of my people in danger.
”

They were stuck. And the assassins would just keep coming. Kathir swallowed nervously. He was a mercenary and a warrior
—
he would stay by Skemtun
’
s side and protect him
—
but he couldn
’
t watch him all the time. How long could he keep him safe?

The two of them walked back into camp, and watched as the supper food lines started to form.

Sela and Elias were watching over everything, trying to keep order. Everyone was cold and restless, and the atmosphere was negative. It was strange to think that two of the most powerful mageborns on the continent were now charged with supervising the distribution of bread.

Suddenly, an idea popped into Kathir
’
s head.
“
Skemtun, could you call a meeting where
all
the important people are present? You, Utan, Bolrakei, the High Council, and the dragon riders? Everyone? And could you make it open to the public, so anyone else could be there and witness it?
”

“
I guess I could,
”
Skemtun said, scratching his chin.
“
But what good would it do? Bolrakei shouts everyone down. If the High Council is as corrupt as ye say, they won
’
t help us, either. Wouldn
’
t such a meeting be a complete waste of time, just like the others?
”

“
Not this time. I
’
m going to speak up,
”
Kathir said,
“
and tell them the truth. We just have to make sure that enough people are around to hear it.
”

Skemtun called the meeting. The next day, everyone came together inside Highport
’
s still-unfinished great hall. The dragon riders, the High Council, and representative members of the dwarf clans were all in attendance. Bolrakei came with her entire entourage.

Though the hall was unfinished, it was still rather and was spacious enough for a large crowd. The ceiling was filled with hanging stalactites, and the Vardmiters had carved niches into the stalactites to hold candles, so that the room shone with a soft glow. The floor was stone, which had been decorated with carved tiles. Stone chairs sat around the edges of a great table, and everyone came in and took their seats.

Kathir stood in the middle of the floor, looking around at the others. The dwarf leaders were each accompanied by a group of supporters. Kathir couldn
’
t help but notice that the little group that came with Skemtun was clearly the smallest in the room. 

Councilor Delthen stood next to Druknor, while Issani and Blias whispered occasionally to Komu, who stood quietly in a nearby corner.

Elias and Sela left their dragons outside, but even then, they still had a commanding presence. Kathir knew how powerful they were. In fact, he was relying on their support.

“
Thank you all for attending,
”
Kathir said. Being the center of attention was uncomfortable for him. Standing there, Kathir couldn
’
t help but think about what everyone looking at him was thinking
—
he was a former slave, a mercenary
—
someone with no real authority at all.

“
Ha! What
’
s this? Your bodyguard
’
s speaking for you now, Skemtun?
”
Bolrakei said.
“
Unbelievable! It
’
s bad enough that I had to come here to listen to you. Having to listen to some human scum is simply unacceptable!
”

“
Kathir has important information that he needs to share, and I
’
ve agreed to let him speak,
”
Skemtun said.
“
Ye should listen.
”

“
Fah!
”
Bolrakei snorted.
“
What could this miserable human possibly have to say that would be of interest to any of us?
”

“
She makes a good point,
”
Druknor said.
“
This is a gathering of leaders. What is your bodyguard doing? I wasn
’
t called here to listen to a commoner.
”

Kathir bit the inside of his cheek to prevent himself from responding angrily.

To his surprise, Elias spoke up to defend him.
“
Let the man speak,
”
he said,
“
let him say what he needs to say.
”

“
Thank you,
”
Kathir said.
“
I believe I have a way to end the problems here.
”

“
And how would you propose to do that, mercenary?
”
Councilor Delthen asked with a sneer.
“
The rest of us have been trying our best to come up with a solution. How have you succeeded where we have not?
”

Kathir took a deep breath. This was the moment where it could all go very wrong.
“
With all due respect, Councilor, I doubt that you have been trying very hard.
”

Delthen
’
s eyebrows knitted together, and his voice lowered to a menacing tone.
“
I don
’
t understand what you mean. If you
’
re looking to get some kind of political advantage out of this little show
…”

“
I
’
m not a politician, Councilor,
”
Kathir pointed out.
“
So I care little for political intrigue. I
’
m a mercenary, and yes, I
’
m also a former slave
—
all of you know this. As for what I have to gain from this
—
well, I have few possessions in this world, so I have nothing to lose here.
”

Kathir looked up and addressed the circle of people before him.
“
The dwarf clans can
’
t reach an agreement on a treaty for their people. That is because Bolrakei has been actively blocking all attempts to forge a peace. She wishes to secure enough power to take over all the clans and crown herself queen.
”

Bolrakei stood up, fiery and furious.
“
Liar! Liar! You have no proof!
”

Kathir continued talking.
“
It
’
s obvious to everyone that you
’
ve been trying to maintain the tensions between the clans. I
’
ve seen the evidence with my own eyes. I
’
ve seen open bribery, lying, and the list goes on.
”

“
I don
’
t have to sit here and listen to this!
”
she said, turning to go.

“
If you leave, you won
’
t hear the best part,
”
Kathir said.

She turned back for a moment.
“
And what would that be?
”
Her lip curled up in a sneer.

Delthen cleared his throat and spoke.
“
Kathir, where are you going with this? Everyone is saddened by Mount Velik
’
s fall to the orcs. It was unexpected. But we will work together to stop the spread of the greenskins
—
and that includes Lady Bolrakei. There
’
s no reason to start a war of slander.
”

Kathir continued.
“
This isn
’
t slander. It
’
s more complicated than that. Bolrakei doesn
’
t want a quick resolution. She wants to return to Mount Velik and re-take the mountain. If that means sending thousands of dwarves to their deaths, so be it. And worst of all, the High Council is complicit in this scheme. Miklagard also wants the orcs to be routed from Mount Velik, even if it means thousands of lives are lost.
”

The room fell dead silent. Bolrakei
’
s mouth twitched.

Skemtun stood up to speak.
“
I believe Kathir. Why is the High Council here, anyway? Why are they involved in our struggles all of a sudden?
”

“
Tell the truth, Bolrakei. You are more interested in securing your own power than helping your people,
”
Kathir said.
“
You want to go back to Mount Velik
—
and retake it by force, with the Vardmiters on the front lines
…
as your cannon fodder.
”

“
Yes! Is that so wrong? We must win back our home!
”
Bolrakei yelled, pounding her meaty fist on the table.
“
Mount Velik belongs to us, not those filthy greenskins! We must retake what
’
s ours! The Vardmiters owe us that much!
”

“
It
’
s a death wish,
”
said Utan quietly. 
“
I
’
ve seen the reports. Trust me, there
’
s no way to retake Mount Velik with the numbers we have now
—
the orcs outnumber the dwarves ten to one. They even brought some of their females to Mount Velik, and they
’
ve already started multiplying like flies. Just accept it
—
Mount Velik is lost to the dwarves forever.
”

“
Oh, you're wrong!
”
Bolrakei screamed wildly.
“
You
’
re wrong, wrong, wrong! My clan can
’
t live here
—
not in Highport! Look around you! Cramped quarters, dripping water, and no raw gemstones to mine! This whole place smells horrible because of all of those filthy pig farms of yours! I can
’
t live like this! It
’
s intolerable! We
must
go back to Mount Velik.
”

Druknor stepped out from the darkness, smiling. Of all the people inside the hall, he seemed to be enjoying the chaos the most. 

“
Does anyone have a solution?
”
Sela asked.
“
Even setting aside the enmity between the clans, the dwarves simply aren
’
t strong enough to mount an offensive against the greenskins
—
maybe not for several years. The clans simply don
’
t have enough men, plus, the orcs are vicious. Does anyone doubt that King Nar would sacrifice ten of his orcs in order to kill a single dwarf?
”

Kathir looked directly at Sela, imploring her with his eyes.
“
But what about the dragon riders? You have powers! With help from the dragon riders, maybe we can drive the orcs out.
”

Skemtun piped up.
“
Ye know, he
’
s got a point. There
’
s plenty of open tunnels into the mountain. What if a small group could get inside and find a way to collapse the exits
—
seal them all properly
—
that would make Mount Velik completely useless to the orcs. Collapsing the tunnels would cause so much chaos and confusion that they would be forced to abandon it as a stronghold.
”

“
Sealing the exits wouldn
’
t be enough; we would have to do more,
”
said Sela.
“
The orcs have their own mineworkers, and they can create crude tunnels, too. Sealing the exits would only cause a temporary disruption.
”

“
There are thousands of orcs occupying the mountain and thousands of tunnels inside,
”
said Bolrakei.
“
It would be impossible to collapse them all. We must gather support and attack with a proper army.
”