The Wrathful Mountains Read Online Free PDF Page B

breakfast. No
wonder she had considered an elf for a partner before any dwarf. “You have no
idea what he wanted?”
    “All I know was he
was looking for a sorceress, and that could only mean you,” Galen replied,
reaching for a smooth black stone. He placed it on the counter with a loud
thud, earning him a cutting glance from Trin. “I’ll help you find him if you
like,” he offered.
    “You have work to
do,” Kaiya replied. “We’ll talk later.” She was interested in getting Galen’s
take on her vision and the tremors, but it was more urgent to speak to the
visitor. It was no coincidence he had shown up this morning.
    Hurrying along the
dirt roads, Kaiya ignored everyone in her path. The merchants hawked their
wares as she strode past, but she wasn’t listening. Her sights set on the
tavern, she pressed on to the farthest edge of town near the mines.
    Despite the early
hour, the tavern buzzed with activity. A miner grinned drunkenly at the
sorceress as he exited, holding the door open for the lady. Bobbing her head in
thanks, she stepped inside, her nose tingling from the strong scent of hops and
pipe smoke.
    Several men sat
inside, and one large woman stood behind the bar, casually conversing with a
customer. Only one man was unfamiliar, so he had to be the one looking for her.
Visitors were few in this town. Kaiya went straight to his table and pulled up
a chair. The man eyed her a moment, wiping the foam away from his curly, brown
beard.
    “You the sorceress?”
he asked.
    Kaiya gave a single
nod. “I am, and I heard you were looking for me.”
    The dwarf took a
long sip from his frothy mug before banging it on the table. He let out a long
belch before speaking. “Name’s Raad,” he began. “There’s trouble up north, and
the foreman decided you were the woman to deal with it.”
    “What kind of
trouble?” she asked impatiently.
    “It started as
tremors,” Raad explained. “Just enough to unnerve us at first, but then it got
worse. Soon the ground was shaking us so bad, you’d think we were all
staggering drunk.” He tapped his empty mug on the table, signaling the
bartender for a refill. Once he had it in hand, he continued. “Damn avalanche caused
a cave-in and injured thirteen workers. It took days to dig them out.”
    Kaiya sighed. “If
the tremors kept happening, why would you go inside the mine?” She asked
despite knowing the answer. Dwarves could be quite greedy, and iron ore wasn’t
the only mineral found in the northernmost mines. The rarest of all gemstones,
painite—better known as Dwarf’s Heart—was also found in small quantities. Kings
of all lands craved these gems, which could be refined only by the finest elven
craftsmen.
    “There’s work to be
done, miss,” Raad replied. “We don’t travel that far north to sit around,
tremors or not.”
    “Surely you’ve
experienced avalanches before,” Kaiya said. “What brought you to find me?”
    “It wasn’t just one
avalanche; it was three,” Raad said, wiping his mouth with his sleeve. “We’ve
got miners out with injuries, and it’s slowing down production. Foreman thought
you might be able to put a stop to it.”
    “It sounds like you
need an earth mage, not me,” she replied.
    “You know as well
as I do that there aren’t any around these parts,” Raad said. “I’d never heard
of a wizard that wasn’t an elf, and they don’t come here. We take the gems to
them, but they’re not interested in visiting us.”
    Kaiya knew well
that the elves of the isles weren’t readily available to lend their assistance
to the dwarves. The two races barely tolerated each other, the dwarves despising
the elves for their arrogance, and the elves despising the dwarves for their
boorish nature. It was a rare thing to see the two getting along.
    “You’re the only
wizard around here who might be of use to us,” Raad said. “We could sure use
your help.”
    Contemplating a
moment, Kaiya felt uneasy. Suspicions of a