One of them stifled a yawn, and I seriously almost lost it. My cough turned into a full-blown choking fit. The dwarf was sleepy.
Ha!
After thumping me on the back a couple of times, Daniel got out of the truck, walked around, and opened my door. Without a word, he took my hand and we walked until we stood in front of the seven dwarves. “We’re here to see the King of the Mountain. We’re expected.” When they didn’t move, he added. “This is Karma.”
Sleepy squinted at me, and on my life, he looked like he was daydreaming about a nap.
If one of these dudes sneezed, I was getting in the truck and going the heck home.
One of them rushed off, and a few minutes later he returned, trailing another dwarf. He was the tallest of the men and also the broadest, but he had gray woven into his auburn hair beneath the miner’s helmet on his head. His long beard nearly dragged the ground and was braided. He wore leather clothes that looked handmade. Around his neck, glinting beneath his beard, was a jeweled necklace, and all his fingers sported massive gems.
“Karma,” he greeted, his voice deep with an accent I’d never heard before. Somewhere between Irish and the accents found in the American southern states. Reaching forward, he took my hand and then placed a kiss on my knuckles. “We’re honored to meet you.”
I bobbed my head, unsure of what else to do. “I’m happy to help.”
“Help with what?” One of the dwarves asked suspiciously.
“It’s none of your concern,” the king snapped, then turned back to me. “I'm Regmun Bheldrus, and if you’ll follow me, I’ll show you where we’re going.”
The grumpy one sidled up next to me, on the opposite side of Daniel. "Karma? How does that work?"
I smiled, trying my best to appear friendly and ignored Daniel, who was peering around me and glowering at the shorter man.
Man? Sure. He was definitely masculine, if not human. Were inhuman beings still men and women?
I didn't have it in me to figure that one out at the moment.
"It's a long story, but I'm able to make sure that what you do comes back to you."
He raised an eyebrow, and his eyes lingered on me. "Interesting. I'm sure you have plenty of stories to share."
I smiled and shrugged. "As I said, it's a long story."
He stared at me for a moment as we walked, his gaze intense. He grinned, revealing a set of pearly white teeth. "I'd love to hear it sometime."
Then,then. He winked.
Okay. This was weird. When I cast Daniel a worried glance, he nodded, giving me a reassuring smile before cutting his gaze a little sharply at the Flirty. As weird as this all was, I followed after this king, knowing that Daniel would never put me in harm’s way.
We walked toward the mountain. The bright sun shone down on us, warming my skin. There was a sense of anticipation in the air, and I had no idea what to expect.
At the base, we paused in front of a large entrance into what had to be the mine. Regmun led us into it, and darkness swallowed us. It took a minute of blinking before my eyes adjusted to the lanterns lining the walls and a tunnel that appeared to disappear into the earth. My stomach flipped a little, but he didn’t lead us into the pitch-black passageway. Instead, he led us into a small off-shoot from the main tunnel, one I hadn’t even noticed. Two dwarves stood guard outside of a metal door.
The guards glanced at us with a mixture of hostility and curiosity which only grew when King Regmun told them to open the door. They hesitated, but then did as asked, and we stepped into another room. The door slammed behind us. Only one lone lantern turned on, but Regmun lit a few others until we saw what appeared to be a hoard of gems.
My jaw dropped. Daniel gasped behind me. I’d never seen anything like it. Everywhere I looked, jewels and stones in all shapes, sizes, and colors sparkled in the light. Rubies, emeralds, sapphires, aquamarine. It was unreal.
Finally, Regmun cleared his throat. “This isn’t all our wealth, but it’s a taste of what we have. The wealth we mine from the earth. That we sell, then divide among the families.” He hesitated. “This is also the first time in all my years, and my father’s years, and his father before him, that we're missing a significant amount of our wealth from one counting day to the next.” He shook his head, looking upset and confused. “I could never imagine one of my men stealing from me, but it’s the only reasonable explanation I can come up with. No one else could have gotten in here without being seen. If the families learn that the dwarves are thieves, there could be an all-out war between them. It would be the end of our deals and our way of life as we know it. I hope you will handle this matter delicately.”
I nodded. “Of course.”
He drew himself up taller. “Can you tell me which of my men is the thief?”
“I’ll do what I can.” I hoped my powers would be able to figure this one out.
Taking a deep breath, I called on my powers. I reached out, feeling the current of energy around us. I felt for any disturbances that would indicate a thief in our midst, but nothing stood out. A moment later, I moved to the gems, but I didn’t feel anything wrong there, either. Turning back to Regmun, I asked, “Can I see your men?”
“Anything you need to discover the thief,” he said, his voice almost a growl.
