Taker Of Skulls (Book 5) (18 page)

The others picked themselves up. All of them looked dirty and dishevelled. It was clear they had not slept well. Utti gestured towards the door. The humans slowly made their way into the corridor. The dwarves fell into position in front and behind them and they marched back through the Hold.

This time their route took them much further and they emerged into a massive hall. A fire blazed before them, the first Kormak could recall seeing in Khazduroth. It emerged from a huge pit in the floor and it was not fuelled by coal or wood. He guessed it was volcanic in origin or perhaps fuelled by gas. Around the flame rose three stone rings, each higher than the next, they formed broad steps leading up to the flame.

By the light of the dancing flames he could see how the Wall of Skulls got its name. The hall was hundreds of strides long. Skulls were piled on top of skulls all the way to the ceiling on every wall. There were thousands of them. He could tell by the position of the scaffolding that behind the first layer of skulls were others. It seemed as if a new wall was being built in front of the old one. He could imagine dozens of layers of skulls running back all the way to the stone walls. Even as he watched, a dwarf on the scaffolding was mortaring more goblin skulls into place.

“The skulls belong to our enemies,” said Verlek. Kormak was going to say that he had guessed that but he kept his mouth shut. The young dwarf was the closest thing they had to an ally here and he did not want to alienate him.

“There must be thousands of them,” said Karnea.

“Tens of thousands,” said Verlek proudly, “dating all the way back to Time of Dying. We have killed many foes. Graghur claims to be the Taker of Skulls but we have done far better. We have beaten his people at their own game.” To Kormak it seemed like the dwarves had simply turned themselves into mirrors of their enemy. They had lost themselves in the war and that was a form of defeat.

Around a hundred dwarves were gathered around the fire. All heads turned as the group entered. Beards on the males and hair on the females writhed furiously at the sight of the newcomers. Ferik stood on a stepped dais beside the flame. Above him on an even higher step, stood two more dwarves, one male, one female whom Kormak assumed were the clan leaders.

“All the clan has assembled,” said Verlek. Kormak felt a shock. The Hold they had marched through looked as if it had been built for thousands. All those present looked as if they could fit into one or two of its smaller rooms. It came to him then that if this was every member of the clan, then the dwarves of Khazduroth truly were a dying people.

“And now your fate will be sealed,” said Utti. There was malice in his voice.

The clan parted to allow the prisoners to be brought before the flame. Kormak found himself looking up at the dwarves on the steps. He noticed that Ferik had a silver chain around his neck marked with ancient dwarf runes. The two he thought of as chieftains wore gold torcs and necklaces marked with runes of mastery. He recognised those. The heat from the flames was making him sweat but the dwarves gave no sign of discomfort.

Ferik raised one massive hand. “Strangers, you have been brought before the assembled people of the Hold to be judged according to the ancient laws of our people. You are interlopers here. You have trespassed on sacred ground. The penalty for your transgressions is death.”

“ARE THERE ANY here who would speak for these strangers,” Ferik asked.

Verlek stepped forward. “I would.”

“Then stand before the flame and speak.” Verlek strode up to the steps and took a position just below Ferik on the lowest step. He turned to face the clan, touched his beard, placed a hand over his heart and bowed.

“I owe these strangers blood-debt,” Verlek said. He sounded apologetic about that. “They saved me from the Slitherer and Yellow Eye, leaving both for dead.”

That was a nice, hair-splitting touch, Kormak thought. Anyone who had not been there might have taken that as meaning that Kormak and his companions had killed both monsters. “They warded me through the Underhalls, protecting me to the very gates of the Hold even though the goblins were at their heels. It would be a betrayal of their trust to put them to the stranger-death. They have done nothing but good for me, and our people.”

Utti made a hissing sound. Verlek continued, his voice gathering strength as he spoke. “They stood with us when the goblins were at our gate. The one known as Kormak gave us more than twenty skulls for the Wall.”

Ferik placed a hand upon his shoulder. “The skulls have not been placed there. They may never be.”

Verlek turned and looked up at him. His beard twisted agitatedly. His pointed ears stood erect. Kormak was reminded of an angry cat. “Are the goblins no longer our enemies?”

“If a goblin kills a goblin do we place the dead one’s skull in the Wall?” This came from the female dwarf on the highest stone ring. “Only one of the People may place a skull in the wall, for the glory of his ancestors.”

“Branhilde the Beautiful speaks truth,” said the older male. He glared down at them. His face was stern and looked as if it had been carved from rock. His beard was very white and still. It was quite the longest in the room, reaching all the way to the floor. “Anything else would be in violation of our ancient customs.”

“As you say, Guttri. I bow before your wisdom,” said Verlek. Suiting action to words he did so. A ripple of laughter, not mocking, quite sympathetic, passed through the assembled crowd. There was a touch of formality and respect to Verlek’s action that had pleased the crowd. Kormak sensed a slight relaxation in the tension although he could not tell whether that was caused by Verlek’s action or by Guttri putting the young dwarf in his place.

Verlek turned back to face the crowd. “These people could be our allies,” he said. “They are mighty warriors and they possess great knowledge of the outside world.”

“What need have we of such knowledge,” shouted Utti. “We dwell in the City in the Deeps. Everything beyond her gates is a waste full of demons and Shadow worshippers and enemies. So it has been since the Time of Dying when the city was sealed.”

“Utti,” said Ferik, holding his hand up in what might have been a warning gesture.

“Not so. They have spoken with our kin.”

“Lies!” shouted Utti.

“Utti, you will have your chance to speak, if you so desire,” said Ferik. “Now Verlek holds the third step. Now it is his turn to speak.”

Utti’s ears lost some of their outraged rigour, his beard drooped. “I will hold my peace.”

“Good,” said Ferik. “Now Verlek, pray continue.”

“They claim to have spoken with our kin,” said Verlek, speaking slowly and as if he wanted to state everything with complete accuracy. “At very least the truth of these claims must be weighed and tested before there can be any talk of killing these strangers. And I would say should their claims prove to be true, we would do well to listen and aid them as they might aid us against our enemies.”

With that, Verlek stepped down from the stone ring and stepped back into the crowd. Kormak saw one or two of the dwarves reach out and slap him affectionately on the back.

“Now is your chance to speak Utti,” said Ferik. “If you still desire to.”

Utti walked slowly forward, head downcast, clearly considering his words. The flames danced. Thousands of empty eye-sockets stared down menacingly. It seemed as if legions of the dead watched in judgement. Utti stood looking into the flames for a while, back towards the audience, letting curiosity and tension build. After long heartbeats, he bowed to the others on the steps, and turned to the crowd.

“These strangers came here—we do not know why. They claim to come from the surface world—we do not know where. They appear to have helped Verlek—we do not know their reasons.” He spoke slowly and in a considered manner. His voice was deep and resonant, and compared to him Verlek had sounded like a child.

“If they were spies, they could not have found a better way of infiltrating our hold, taking advantage of the naive and trusting nature of a young dwarf who does not know any better.” The crowd murmured. He raised a hand and said, “I am not saying that is what happened. Let us be fair. I am merely suggesting an explanation of events.”

Kormak wondered what trap Utti was about to spring. He felt certain he was going to. He would not have abandoned his obvious but effective line of attack otherwise.

“We live in dark times. Khazduroth is fallen almost to ruin. The old seals have been broken. Shadow worshippers have come here to plunder its treasures. Graghur and his spawn assail us. Our numbers grow too few to protect our sacred trust. Verlek holds out the possibility of alliance with these oh so convenient strangers. He forgets the long history of betrayals and treachery that our people have suffered. He is young. He is impressed by tales that these strangers have spoken with our lost kindred.

“Perhaps he forgets why those kindred were lost to us. Perhaps he forgets the ancient betrayal of our people, the bitter, fratricidal war that sprang up between our kin. Perhaps to him these are only old stories. Perhaps he no longer has faith in our chronicles.”

“That is not so!” Verlek shouted. Utti turned and looked ironically at Ferik. Ferik said, “You have had your turn to speak Verlek. Now it is Utti’s.”

Utti smiled. Now the knife was going to go in, Kormak thought. The smile widened slowly. Utti looked at the floor again, as if considering his words. All was silent except for the hissing of the dancing flames. All around, every dwarf strained to hear what Utti was going to say.

“I must apologise to Verlek. I spoke without due thought earlier. I sounded as if I was trying to cast doubt on the claims he has made on these strangers behalf. I did not mean to. I believe some of them to be true. It is certainly possible that they have spoken to our treacherous kin. Why do I say this?”

Again he paused. Kormak found that even he was leaning forward, waiting to hear what the dwarf was going to say. Utti raised his hand, palm outwards and then brought it down in a sweeping gesture. His outstretched finger pointed directly at Kormak. “I say it because they came here—here!—bearing one of the forbidden weapons. They have carried an abomination here—here!—onto our sacred ground, into the most holy place of the People of Stone.”

There was a collective hiss of indrawn breath. Utti stopped again and Kormak was aware that all eyes in the place were looking at him and every gaze expressed hostility, outrage and anger.

The dwarves turned and moved menacingly towards Kormak. He balled his fists, regretting that he had no more effective weapon and prepared to do what he could. Sasha put some distance between them. Boreas moved to assist him. Karnea looked around blinking out from behind her glasses as if not entirely sure about what was going on.

Ferik bellowed for them to halt. “No decision has been come to yet. If these strangers are to be killed, let it be done according to the Laws of our people.”

The dwarves stopped moving towards Kormak but they still eyed him menacingly. Still, Ferik’s words had given him some hope. Why would he even mention the word if there was not some chance of them being allowed to remain alive?

“I would hear what these strangers have to say for themselves,” said Branhilde the Beautiful.

“That is not usual,” said Utti.

“Nonetheless, there is precedent,” said Ferik. Branhilde nodded. “In ancient times, allies and outlanders were allowed to speak before the Moot on matters of importance.”

“Allies,” said Utti. “And that was before the Dying. Those were more trusting times.”

“Is there precedent or not?” Verlek asked. Was there a note of mockery in his tone? Utti glared at him and then looked at Branhilde. If he had been a man, Kormak would have thought he was licking his lips.

“There is precedent,” said Utti. “Let the stranger speak. I would hear from his own lips why he came here bearing such a forbidden weapon.”

“Kormak Swordbearer, you are called to speak, if you so desire.”

Kormak strode up out of the crowd and leapt onto the lowest step. He heard some gasps at his effrontery from the assembled dwarves. He felt the blazing heat of the fire behind his back. He felt sweat beading his skin.

“I came here on a mission for my order,” he said, speaking slowly and clearly so that he might be understood by all. “I came here as a guard for the scholar, Karnea. We came to the City in the Deeps seeking knowledge of the Lost Runes and the metal netherium. We had hoped to find it or trade for it.”

“Why do you seek netherium?” someone in the crowd asked. Kormak could not but suspect that he already knew the answer.

“We seek it in order that we may repair our blades and protect ourselves from the Old Ones,” he said. He saw no point in trying to deceive them and he thought he might as well get the worst of it, from the point of view of the dwarves, out into the open at once.

They were staring at him now. He could not help but notice that all of their eyes were pools of blackness. Ferik’s had not been, nor Branhilde’s nor any of the speakers from the steps. Was it something to do with staring at the flames, he wondered, then realised that was not relevant to what he had to say.

“You admit then that you use your blade to slay Eldrim,” said Utti.

“Aye, I have slain the Old Ones but only when they broke the Laws that they agreed to be bound by, just as my people did.”

“Blasphemy,” someone in the crowd shouted.

“Perhaps for you but not for me,” Kormak stated defiantly.

Guttri held up his hand. “I have never heard of such laws.”

“They were agreed in the time after the City in the Deeps was sealed.”

“So you say.”

“I am a Guardian of the Order of the Dawn and I speak the truth in this matter,” said Kormak. “And it seems to me that you know something about fighting the Old Ones yourselves. I have seen the warding runes on your gates, intended to keep Graghur out. I have been told that he is your enemy, as he is mine. His people attack you. He unleashes monsters in the corridors of the City in the Deeps. He plots to destroy you and make this whole city his. Is that not also the truth?”