The next day, Castan Juyille came to the bars backed by his squad and said, “Up ya get ‘erdboy. The Lord wants to see you an yer pet. So get out ‘ere.”

They walked out of the room and waited.

“Yeah only you and that one, he don’t want to see the filth. Lanmasser shove it back in the cell would ya.”

Pif squealed and threw himself at Raelea wrapping his arms around her waist. The Dwaris ripped a short cudgel from his belt and swung it at the back of Pif’s head.

Raelea caught the club and twisting it out of the Dwaris’ hand said, “I wouldn’t if I were you, you really don’t want the sort of violence that will bring in your city. Just let him come with us, peacefully.”

She injected her words with power, trying to sway the listener, warping their view to better suit her aims as she held the club out to him. Shocked, she felt no connection at all as the Dwaris snatched the club from her hand.

Swinging it back he aimed at her this time instead but his arm fell when the Chanter’s voice cracked out, “Halt, Lanmasser! Don’t damage her. I felt some magic as she spoke and I think Spaendt will want to see her, unharmed.”

Chanter Pairk pulled a scroll from his belt and read from it, the words being mumbled but Raelea heard them, they were harsh, spiked sounding things. The scroll disappeared in a flash and a large manlike form of roughly chiselled stone appeared. Pointing at Raelea Pairk said, By the bargains made, intercept any magic this being attempts.”

With the sound of grinding stone the shape of it’s head bobbed in a nod and turned deepset crystalline eyes of amber upon her.

Looking at Raelea, Pairk said, “Fair warning, intercept means the elemental will try to tear your head off to stop the magic at it’s source, you. They also aren’t particularly bright so I wouldn’t try anything magical because that’ll trigger it.”

Impatiently Castan Juyille said, “Enough wasting time, let the filth come. Not like it’s a danger and I want this over with.”

They were marched through the city again. Once again most of the hurrying Dwaris paid them no attention, too caught up in their own worries to care. This time though Raelea was less distracted and paid attention herself, noting the lack of maintenance and the abundant wear everywhere. People weren’t happy, people were grindingly poor and the whole city stank of quiet desperation and sullen anger, it as a powderkeg.

Raelea smiled, perfect.

Most of the squad escorting them tramped off into a different hallway as they were ushered into a large high-ceilinged room where dozens of Dwaris sat at desks, writing in ledgers and peering at columns and columns of tiny writing.

Escorted by only the Castan, the Chanter and his elemental they were brought to a small unassuming door at the end of the large room, it had a simple bronze coloured nameplate on it which said ‘Your God’.

Raelea rolled her eyes as Castan Juyille rapped on it and a rough voice from inside said, “Yeah, what’d ya want?”

Opening the door he stuck his head inside and said, “Lord, got that ‘erdboy an’ ‘is pets ‘ere for ya to see.”

From inside that same voice said, “Well, stop pullin’ on yer cock an’ get ‘em in ‘ere. I ain’t got all day.”

Opening the door wider the Castan motioned for them to enter, following closely behind as they did. The High Fae Chanar who was seated at the huge leather topped stone desk inside was an incredibly squat example of the normally tall willowy race. The skin over the sharp edged planes of his features was a dark grey and his long hair a slightly lighter grey, the stone elemental behind them looked less like a poorly animated statue of rough-hewn rock than he did.

“Oy, what shit is this Castan? What’d ya bring tha fuckin’ filth for? Told ya I didn’t want that piece of crap in ‘ere, stinkin’ up me office.”

Swallowing the Castan said, “He was difficult and instead of makin’ you wait I brought ‘im along Lord.”

“Hmmph, fair enough I spose.” Turning to Krarrnic he said, “Alright ‘erdboy, explain why you was nosing around my mountian.”

Krarrnic, slightly hunched because the roof was just a little too low for him said, “What’s to explain? I was performing my duties as a Shaman, calming violent spirits and easing their exit from this world. The last group were the lingering shades of Dwaris Fae which is why we were close to the ranges, otherwise we would have never approached where we are unwanted.”

“Duties as a Shaman? Pfft, your duties as a ‘erdboy is to listen to your betters and look after our beasts. Dunno why Merganet lets you Oruc Fae even practice Shamanism. You certainly wouldn’t be allowed to if I were in charge, all the rebellions we’ve had to put down among you creatures have been led by you Shaman. It also don’t explain the tribes woman, where is she from and why is she here? Speak up, not you Shaman she can talk for herself.”

Raelea said, “I came here through a fiery circle. I met the Shaman after some time wandering with my Goblin. Since I’ve come here I’ve been terrified, hiding in fear because of a spirit who was chasing me, the Shaman helped me to stop him chasing me so I'm travelling with him. I fully intend to go back where I came from as soon as I can, I’m so very sorry I trespassed and wouldn’t have if I’d known.”

The Chanter said, “What about the magic you tried?”

Spaendt looked at Raelea sharply then his gaze drifted to Castan Juyille, “Really you dipshit? You brought a fucking witch in here?”

Raelea said in a terrified voice, “N-no-no, I have no familiar and everyone knows witches are known by their familiars all I have is some tricks the witches of the tribe taught me because I do have magic that is true but I never performed the ritual to bind a familiar. I was not allowed to.”

“Hrrmph, good enough I spose. Everyone knows witches are useless without their familiar and the low power tricks possible without don’t mean shit.”

Voice trembling and almost on the verge of tears Raelea said, “We’ll leave and we won’t come back. It’s such a waste of your Lordship's time to talk to us, we’re not important.”

“Yer right, but ya ain’t leavin’. We never let your sort go, no matter what Merganet says, any o’ the ‘erdboys who comes in ‘ere goes down the pit. We’ll get good work outa ya before ya drop dead, might even get some work outa you and the Goblin.”

Falling to her knees and pleading she said, “We’re not worth using in that way, the Goblin is lazy and does no work ever. I know nothing about working in a mine and he’s a Shaman, you’ll have to guard him constantly or he’ll be a problem easiest, safest and least disruptive for you is to just let us go. Please, just let us go.”

“Hrrm, that’s true enough, you lot’d be way more hassle than you’d be worth. Castan get ‘em out of ‘ere.”

“Really Lord?”

“Yeah out the west exit.”

“Oh, I’ll see to it.”

Raelea felt the lie and knew they were not going to be released.

They were led out of the office and back out into the main passageway as they set off in the opposite direction from the one they’d come from Raelea said, “Errm, Castan we are heading away from the cell we were in aren't we?”

“Yeah what of it? Yer goin’ out the far west gate, ta stop any allies ya might have havin’ any thoughts of ambushin’ us.”

His words were false so whatever was going to happen was going to happen inside the mountain still, Raelea said, “What about my horse and our gear?”

The Castan scowled and said, “Ah crap forgot about the nag. Fine we’ll go get it.”

As they walked she held Pif’s hand and put her hand on Krarrnic’s arm, the contact allowed her to send to both. Hopefully without the elemental noticing. It was a stupid thing though, once warned she’d been able to manipulate the odious Fae Chanar in charge of these mines freely.

“Don’t react or respond, they’re not letting us go. As soon as we get a chance we’ll have to free ourselves.”

Pif shot a look at her then smiled and nodded, Krarrnic didn’t react at all. He was being closely watched so didn’t dare.

They were hurried back through the city yet again this time leading Horse who was ambling along completely unconcerned.

They bided their time waiting for an opportunity which came when they were about to turn off the main hallways and head into older and smaller tunnels, the elemental would not fit. While the Castan and the Chanter were arguing about the problem Raelea prepared to strike trusting that Pif and Krarrnic would follow her lead.

But before she could do more than turn to face the Dwaris Fae and ready her magic a pair of crossbow bolts hissed out of another smaller side tunnel.

The blood slicked, blunted, and bent head of one punched out through the rear of the Castan’s shining silver breastplate as he stiffened and gurgled deep in his chest. The other shattered on the suddenly stony skin of the Chanter’s chest.

Harsh words tore the air in another tunnel.

The elemental turned and slammed a huge rocky fist into the Chanter’s face hurling him into the wall. A blinding bolt of lightning cracked through the air and sizzled as it hammered him into the wall again, he jerked, going rigid. Then he slid to the floor as his last breath hissed from his throat and faint smoke drifted up from his corpse.

As the elemental collapsed into a pile of stone, gravel and sand that slowly faded from view, half a dozen Dwaris stepped out from deep dark shadows that had nothing to do with the light level in the tunnels.

A female Dwaris sheathed surrounded by a crackling shield of lightning and darkness stepped forward and said, “Greetings, I’m Hilde Graemont. This tunnel leads to the carrion pits and I’m certain you were intended to never return, if you wish to remain free and safe, you’ll come with us.”