Kandral tossed and turned. Buhni had not spoken about what plagued her. He knew something was afoot.
He felt as if he was kept in the dark... and this time he really was. The bed-chamber was dark with a thin slice of light coming from the reflection mirror. "Trapped, like a circus bear", Kandral paced up and down the small bed-chamber mumbling to himself. "Oh, so they hide things from me do they?" Kandral's voice grew hotter. "Well, we'll see about that! There were days when being the Uzbad meant something in these halls. Now I'm just an old fool they lock up in a dark room and give food, drink and empty his chamber pot!" This time he had been so loud he heard Buhni's footsteps. "Oh great, there is the circus manager now.... ", he sighed and sat back on his bed holding his head in both hands.
"What's all this shouting?" Buhni protested as she opened the door. Kandral didn't speak. Like a little child he sat there, now arms crossed, giving her a very cross look. Buhni knew her husband like no other. He felt wronged. And if ever he felt wronged in such a manner the dwarf became a stripling again in many of his manners. "Not talking today?" She said with a smile as she set down a tea cup on a table in the corner of his room.
"Bah!", said Kandral waving his hand before his nose, "the whole room reeks of that dratted tea... smell my beard... smell it! It stinks of the stuff!"
"Oh, so you do talk then?", spoke Buhni softly as she filled his cup of tea. "Drink up now, healers’ orders." She grinned.
"I'll pour it in the dratted chamber pot I will..." Kandral spoke defiantly as Buhni raised an eyebrow. "Don't you raise that eyebrow at me", he continued, "and another thing... what is going on? What are you not telling me? I demand an answer!", Kandral bellowed and crossed his arms again.
"Demand? I see... ", spoke Buhni softly. "Well, my uncle Bumir has taken a turn for the worst... and well... I was worried", said Buhni somewhat hesitantly.
"Uncle Bumir? The half Blacklock married to your aunt Kvintrid, who lives in the Stiffbeard hall of Gabilzahar?? We haven't seen him in seventy years! I thought the old beard had died long ago!", said Kandral in some disbelief at Buhni's explanation.
"Kandral! How dare you! He is very old, yes... passed 290 last year... and yes, we haven't seen him in ages... but, but... that doesn't mean I don't love him," she retorted, acting hurt. As she said it she felt a knot in her stomach. She had never lied before to her husband, but it was for his own good she thought. She was convinced Kandral had a bad memory and wouldn't recall Bumir had died twelve years ago. He was a distant family member who they hardly ever saw. The travel was too far to Gabilzahar so they never went there.
Buhni suddenly noticed that Kandral was staring at her, a look he reserved for shady merchants and those asking money. "Rest now my dear... ", she spoke quickly and rushed out of the room, forgetting her tray. As she closed the door behind her she let out a deep breath. "Mahal forgive me", she spoke looking west.
"Bumir, eh?" Kandral whispered to himself... "the one we could not go to his FUNERAL because of the snow on the trade routes!" Kandral looked furious, he clenched his fist in utter anger. That was it. They had gone too far. His commands had been ignored, his wishes had been openly defied; his wife was now lying to his face.
"No more!", he said to himself and took some fresh clothes from his cupboard and dressed himself. His chest was still a bit sore, but he could handle the pain, he was a dwarf after all. He opened the door, ready to go out.
"What do you think you are doing?", said Buhni in shock, sitting on a chair next to the sitting room fire. Kandral did not answer, he did not even look at her, he just went straight for the door.
"Wait, you can't! The healer said...", Buhni shouted at him, sprinting for the door trying to stop him.
Kandral got to the door first, opened it, then said in a bitter tone: "I need answers... not lies".
The door closed in a loud bang and Buhni stood there unable to move.
===============
"I don't know how he knew, but he knew", sighed Midarin as he talked to his new wife Kazzilli. She growled and started to breathe heavily. Midarin rushed for the jar of pickled frogs. "Here my dear, quickly have another!"
Sweat was on his brow. As his wife sucked down some of the pickled frogs feverishly and slowly returned to normality, he noticed the little basket on the floor. His wife had gone shopping. "My wife", he said to himself and felt some form of pride and love come over him as a warm blanket.
Suddenly that turned to anger, rage even. "No one treats my wife in this matter! I don't care if you are.... well.... what you are! You are my wife by Mahal and well,... I love you and MUST defend you! Now let me get our gold coin back and shove this geode up Durtin's kakhf-hole!", Midarin spoke enraged while thundering for the door.
As the door closed Kazzilli let out the tiniest of sighs: "He loves me".
Midarin marched down the street like an auroch that had just been branded with a hot steel rod, the sack containing the geode in one hand, the other a balled fist ready to strike. Anything that would come in his way now would have to face the consequences. Yet after several hours of searching for Durtin he came no closer to finding him than when he first marched out his door. With a grunt he sat down on one of Runulf's low bar-chairs and ordered an ale. As he put the sack containing the geode on the bar he suddenly noticed a poster... "Missing Geode" "REWARD". Midarin read on, finished his drink in one go and rushed toward the Brokenspear house, then half way he thought to himself: "What am I going to say? Surely they will think badly of me and my wife. Oh no, they will find out our secret too! But I must return it. But what about the 250 gold I spent? Durtin is likely long gone." What started out as a determined dash now had changed to a wavering walk.
Midarin arrived at the Brokenspear home and dropped the bag in front of the door, knocking on the door, then ducked behind one of the large pillars further down the street. This way they would find the geode, he would be able to keep an eye on it, in case anyone would try to steal it and he wouldn't have to say anything to anyone, saving his honour and that of his wife. He would deal with Durtin later.
He eyed the door of the Brokenspear home, hoping it would open soon and they would quickly take in the bag on their doormat.
===============
Byli cast around the house looking for any spore.
Nothing at the front but at the back a handcart was missing. The old one with the wobbly wheel Byli thought.
The trail was easy to spot the two narrow wheels sunk into any mud on the road and every now and then he saw a tiny puddle of blood. His heart sank as he saw the drips. They must have wounded her terribly.
Crossing a river bridge they came to an area of metalled road and the wheel tracks stopped. The tiny specks of blood were diminishing too and Byli feared he would soon have no trail to follow.
Turning a corner he came to a run down area with a few scattered houses with unkempt gardens and an unloved appearance. The roads were not so well swept here and he spotted a faint mark of the cart's passing.
"Dad... It leads behind that house... Be prepared!"
Byli lay down and squirmed up to the corner and peeped behind the house... Nothing!
He stood up and inspected the area thoroughly... Under a tree to their left sat the handcart, blood covering the bottom where Thrandi had lain.
Byli scouted around... A bigger wagon with two goats judging by the droppings had stood here for an hour or so and then headed for Durin's threshold.
With no more bloodstains and better roads the trail was very faint but luckily one of the goats had left him a trail of goat poop... The poor thing must have a stomach upset, he thought.
Yet another corner and yet another goat pancake leading him onward. He glanced up at the sign... Low street, another dodgy side of the homesteads he rarely visited.
Once more the trail disappeared behind a mean looking house this one with shutters tight closed and locked and a door more solid than it had any right to be.
Byli circled the house, noting the blocked up or shuttered windows and the well used path to the back door.
"She's here dad... I'm certain of it! But it's a fortress!"
"No time for a siege lad... This is how a Brokenspear clears a fortress... Give me your axe, the surprise is with us!"
Byl grabbed the axe and ran straight at the door, a single swing and the door was split from top to bottom and straight after came Byl's shield with all his weight behind it.
The door disintegrated with a mighty crash and Byl marched in...No need for crazy heroics here. His steady step led him into the back room and a disgusting vision greeted him.
The place was filthy and the Dwarf sitting at the table was worse. "Whadya want coming in here, wrecking my door?"
Byl ignored him... With no upstairs the house was tiny but too tiny perhaps?
"Byli there must be a secret room lad; find it quickly!"
The dwarf sidled towards a window. Byl grabbed him by the scruff of his neck and tapped him on the head with the side of the axe "You, my lad, are going nowhere!"
"DAD HERE."
A large dresser stood against the back wall and on the floor there were scratch marks indicating it had been moved recently. The two dwarves pulled and pushed against the dresser until, with a groan it shifted away from the wall. "There's a door... Rats! it's locked."
"No it's not lad!" Byl grinned and swung the axe again. This time no follow up blow was needed. The hinge gave way and the door landed on Thrandili knocking her to the floor.
"BYLI!" Thrandili scrambled up and reached for her dwarf. She sobbed with relief "Oh Byli however did you find me?"
"Take her home this instant Byli. I am taking this piece of slime to the guard captain."
Byli swept the lass off her feet and carried her into the fresh air.
"But we're still in the homesteads? I was sure we went outside."
Byli said nothing, content to have his love safe in his arms.
He hummed a tune to himself as he walked towards the Strongbeard residence.
