“Some Winterborn princess you are.” A laugh rumbled out of me as she muttered something that sounded a lot like ‘I’ll show you Winterborn’. If only we had time to linger, to indulge in one another. That appealed far more than going on a tour. “You get used to streams when they are the only option.”
“Well, I suppose I’ll have more opportunities to practice when we leave.” Neve drew back and gently placed her fingers on my chin and directed me where she wanted me. My lips on hers. The kiss proved decadent, but far too short for my liking.
“Wemust go,” Neve said as a horn sounded outside, blaring the hours much in the same way the bells of Avaldenn told them. “That’s the top of the hour. The prince is waiting.”
A sigh parted my lips. “Fine, but after this, no more appointments. We deserve time together.”
“We’re having dinner with the royal family tonight.”
“After that, then,” I grumbled, knowing full well that there would be no getting out of it.
Dinners were a means of forging bonds, and it was clear as glass that the King of Dergia wished to get to know Neve better. I could not stand in the way of a potential alliance that could help keep my wife alive.
She smiled. “It’s a deal.”
A servant stood outside our chambers to show us where the prince would be waiting. I appreciated our hosts’ foresight. As we’d only been in Fellstone Castle for a few hours, most of them spent in one room speaking with the king, his queen, and his heir, we did not know our way around.
Walking through the castle with Neve’s hand tucked into mine, I could finally take in the fortress carved into the interior of the mountain. Sculptures and tapestries were plentiful here, much like at Frostveil and in the castles of the other great houses. Other art, however, was rare. I spied only a handful of paintings depicting the royal family.
“Vale,” Neve whispered. I caught her eye, and from beneath her cloak she lifted a single finger, guiding me to look beyond our escort.
Down the corridor, two human women laughed at something a highly decorated dwarf soldier said. One woman carried a basket filled with linens while the other’s dress indicated that she was of a higher class. She bent and the soldier kissed her.
The woman appeared to be highborn—or to have married into the highborn class. A human noble in the fae’s land. That was something I’d never thought I’d see.
We continued through the corridors, spotting a fewother races of fae as well as more humans. Others met our curiosity with their own. While we’d passed a faerie or two, it was clear to all that we did not belong here.
The Prince of Dergia waited at the door that we’d entered the castle through. Caelo and Anna stood with him, both looking excited to see the city beneath the mountain.
We joined the trio, and bowed at Prince Thordur, who responded in kind, bowing to me and my wife. He’d changed since meeting us. He now wore armbands made of pure gold around his forearms. On the bands, runes were etched. I knew enough runes to recognize they marked him as part of the royal house.
“I hope you’ve been able to rest?” the dwarf asked as the doors to the castle opened for us.
“As much as one can, having learned such earth-shattering information,” I admitted.
Prince Thordur nodded as if he expected nothing less. “Well, then, let us chip down your preconceived notions further, shall we?”
Green spanned as far as the eye could see. Vegetation crawled down the long cavern, up the walls, and hung from the ceiling.
I inhaled the fresh air, impressed by the sunshafts and mirrors bringing in natural light from high above. The sunlight combined with the efforts of earth and light fae allowed the dwarfs to grow crops deep within the earth. To hear Prince Thordur tell it, dwarves once mined this verycavern for minerals and gems. Once it ran dry, they reused the space to grow food. No space went wasted beneath the mountain.
“So your water fae bring water in from the mountain streams? And is there ever an issue with the food going bad before it can get to market?” Neve gestured to a rail line with many carts waiting on it. “Or do the mine carts transport food back into the city? That would be far easier than carrying the vegetation. Faster too. It’s damp down here, so I expect timing is of the essence.”
Throughout the tour, she’d exhibited a thirst for knowledge regarding Dergia that charmed Prince Thordur.
He smiled approvingly down at my wife, the light from a nearby sunshaft caught the gold dust in the prince’s hair and sent it shimmering. Clearly, the kingdom was rich with the precious metal, if the royals, and a few of the other wealthy dwarves we’d met, could wear gold so flagrantly.
“Mostly, you have the right of it,” the dwarf said, “As for the issue of keeping food fresh, there is none. The dead gods blessed my people with strong earth magic and that helps preserve food.”
“I’d always thought that dwarven earth magic was of the metal variety,” Caelo admitted as he ran a hand over a bunch of green onions. “But this proves otherwise. This cavern alone is as large as one of the major greenhouses that feeds large numbers in Avaldenn.”
“Many of my kind do work with metal,” the prince agreed, “but plant magic isn’t rare. Thank the dead gods.”
“Speaking of metals,” I spoke up. “I’d appreciate a view of your forges. I assume they’re a wonder.”
In Avaldenn, dwarves ran the best forges and my own favored smith, Master Urgi, was a dwarf at Frostveil. He was also my close friend Duran’s father.
“Was wondering when you’d ask, Prince Vale.” Thordur turned and waved a hand for us to follow. “The forges are in the city.”
