Jeff Inlo - Chain of Bargains

That was very true, but Enin saw yet another opportunity to enhance the relationship between the dwarves and the humans.

"Yes, they will expect payment, and the refugees will have to earn their keep. Dunop is always in need of timber. Have the people clear some of the encroaching trees from Dark Spruce, as well as most of the dead wood from within the forest near the town borders. It has been many seasons since the return of the magic and very few loggers have entered Dark Spruce in that time."

Enin rubbed his hands together with growing satisfaction. He saw the rewards of another human town prospering with the aid of dwarves.

"I realize Dark Spruce remains dangerous," the wizard continued, "sending humans into the forest will require even more dwarf guards and that will increase the cost. It will, however, be a mutually beneficial arrangement. The dwarves will build and guard. The humans will help and supply materials. If the refugees are truly farmers and people of small towns, they will be quite comfortable in working for their security and shelter."

The plan actually sounded as if it could work and Sy saw added benefits to Burbon. Not only would it remove the refugees from outside the wall and from the roads within, it might ultimately remove Pinesway as a trouble spot. He never liked the idea of a haven for bandits so close to his town's borders. There was just one last hurdle to clear.

"Someone is going to have to be in charge of this… manage it. I can't spare anyone and my first responsibility is to Burbon. With Ryson gone, I shouldn't even be here."

"I agree. I would not ask any more of you. I will send someone to help you. There are enough managers here. The dwarves are also very organized. I have to tell you, it's much easier to work with them than I imagined. I will deal with them directly, at first. I believe it will work."

Sy allowed a smile to soften his hardened features, but only for a moment.

"I hope so. Well, I have to get back to Burbon, but there is one more thing… it might be important."

"What's that?" Enin asked with no apparent frustration towards another possible dilemma.

"I was able to get one of the refugees to open up a bit on why he left. He didn't give a lot of detail, but he said more than they usually say. He talked about his crops dying, but not in a normal way. It scared him. You know what it reminded me of? The first time the magic returned and people had to deal with dark creatures. They knew something was wrong, but describing it made them feel… I don't know… insane maybe."

"I remember it well. It was difficult to accept what was happening. Look at me. I'm now a wizard."

"That's my point. Take yourself back to the time when we didn't know about all this magic. If I came up to you and said you were going to be a powerful wizard, what would you have said to me?"

"I would have thought you were drunk."

"Or crazy. People didn't like to talk about what was happening, even when monsters were walking through the streets."

"And you think that's why these refugees have been somewhat evasive in their answers?"

"Actually, yes, but I think it goes beyond dark creatures."

"Interesting. You think some use of magic is behind the exodus out of the valleys?"

"Maybe, you'd know better than I would about that, but I think something evil is out there, something that's hard to define. I think the farmer I spoke to could sense it. What it all has to do with magic… that I don't know."

"This is all very interesting. I have to think on this a while."

"Well, I hope it helps, but as I said, I have to get back to Burbon."

Sy turned to leaved, but then remembered a task that Ryson's wife had asked of him.

"Any word from Holli and Ryson?" the captain inquired while looking back to the wizard.

"No direct word, but I know they are reaching a critical stage. When I focus on Holli, I can usually sense what she is feeling. She believes she is nearing an answer. As to what it is, I'm not sure. Maybe it will help explain what you've told me. I think I'll have greater information in the next few days. What happens after that is anyone's guess."

"But they're alright?"

"Yes, they're fine. I would know if something happened to them."

"Linda will be happy to hear that."

Enin smiled at the thought of Ryson's wife. He understood the burden she faced, always worrying about her husband but allowing him the freedom to explore as a purebred delver.

"Tell Linda I said hello and that Ryson is in good hands. Holli won't let anything happen to him. She's an elf guard."

"I've told her that, but it'll make her feel better to hear it again. I'll let her know. Thanks. I really have to get going. I'm not looking forward to traveling at night, but I've been gone too long."

"Would you like an escort?"

"No, but can you alert the guard here that I'll be heading to Burbon. I'd hate to be stopped by a patrol near the gate."

"I'll let them know."

Enin quickly addressed a guard outside his tent and bid him to deliver the message to the patrols. He then returned to Sy, shook his hand, and nodded with another smile as he watched the captain leave.

With the thought of Ryson and Holli fresh in his memory, Enin decided to focus on the elf guard who also served as his apprentice. His perception flowed across the link between them, over great distances, and probed the most pressing concerns of the elf. He did not reach deeply into her thoughts, just glanced past her mind like a beam of sunlight that narrows through a drifting cloud and reflects off a still pond.

With that one light touch, he became grateful he made contact after Sy had left. If he made the attempt in the captain's presence, Sy would have sensed the unease that filled the wizard. Sy Fenden was no spell caster, but he had the sharp eye of a trained soldier and the intuition of a effective leader. It was best that Sy could return to Linda without carrying any additional burden of worry.

Enin knew he would get no more sleep that night. His muscles tightened. His breath shortened. It felt like he faced an impending and unavoidable physical confrontation, as if a shag stalked him in the night. His body coursed with the same degree of tension that flooded Holli's consciousness, but he lacked the conditioning of an elf guard. His ability with magic set him far above almost every other being in Uton, but his physical talents matched those of an average middle-aged man.

The elf was not in any immediate danger. Enin knew that to be true. He also knew that Holli had made significant progress in her search for answers. She was narrowing in on the cause of chaos in the valleys, but her overriding concern shifted and centered upon the well-being of the delver. Ryson had beckoned her by utilizing beacon stones. The elf guard couldn't be certain, but she was prepared to face extreme peril.

An image of goblins danced across the wizard's mind, but that was a hopeful wish. Holli didn't believe the diminutive monsters posed a true hazard-not to her and probably not to Ryson- and thus that whisper of a notion quickly faded. Instead, another creature came to the forefront of Enin's consciousness. He could almost feel his body temperature rise from both the heightening of Holli's distress and the physical properties of the dark creatures that fed Holli's concerns. A clear figure etched itself in Enin's awareness.

Inferns.

It was only mildly surprising. The wizard had plucked distant fears and anxieties from the minds of the refugees in previous hopes of uncovering the reasons for their flight from the valleys. While the apprehension over goblins remained clear-almost tangible-other anxieties proved less certain. The refugees chose to leave because they sensed a growing evil in the land itself. The farmers perceived near hostility from the very ground that held their livelihoods. Inferns could generate just such fears.