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and his magical skills were even fewer, he could offer something far
more valuable. His friendship would be a bit of light in a dark place. The wind
rustled his hair, the ends tickling against Kaiya’s cheek. In that touch, she
felt a sense of family. Here was a man willing to walk to the ends of the earth
with her, wanting nothing but her friendship in return. “I’d be grateful for
your company,” she heard herself say.
     
    * * * * *
     
    Half an hour passed and
then an hour, Galen all the while leaning against the edge of a stone well.
Kaiya clenched her teeth and stared down the dirt road, impatiently awaiting
the appearance of Raad.
    “Relax,” Galen said. “He’ll be along soon.”
    Kaiya was anxious to get going. “He said one more drink,” she grunted, still staring at the path. After two more minutes,
Kaiya threw her hands in the air. “That’s it. I’m going to fetch him.” She
started off but stopped, seeing the brown-bearded dwarf staggering toward her.
    Galen chuckled. “Looks like he had one more
dozen.”
    Kaiya fumed but managed to hold her tongue. Her
only regret was not leaving without him. She could use magic to find the mine’s
location. Raad’s company was not needed.
    He hiccupped and nodded as he presented himself
before his traveling companions. His eyes stopped on Galen, the dwarf tilting
his head sideways for a better look at the elf who stood three feet taller than
himself. “You a real elf?” he asked.
    Galen didn’t bother to contain his laughter.
“Something like that,” he replied.
    “Well, I’ll be the son of a stone eater,” Raad
said, still staring at Galen. The elf wore dwarven-style clothes, crafted from
wool and accented with dwarven runic symbols. “You could pass for an extra-tall
dwarf. I’ve never seen one of your kind not wearing those fancy robes that hide
all your magic spells underneath.”
    “Galen isn’t one of the Enlightened Elves you’ve
dealt with,” Kaiya explained, her tone annoyed. “He’s a Westerling Elf, and he
lives here in this village.” She glanced over at the elf. “He might as well be
one of us, so if you’ve got a problem with him you can just sit on it.”
    This time Raad and Galen both laughed.
    “I meant no offense, sorceress,” Raad said, his
cheeks rosy from too much drink. “He’s a rare sight is all I meant.”
    Galen shook his head, clearly amused by Kaiya’s response
to the miner.
    Sighing, Kaiya said, “You can call me Kaiya, not
sorceress. Do you think you’re drunk enough to find your way back to the mine?”
Many dwarf men insisted they could navigate better after they’d had a few.
    “I could use a few more to tell you the truth,”
Raad said with a grin. “But it’s time to go, so we go. Too bad there isn’t fine
ale up at the mining camp like you have here.”
    “There’s no ale?” Galen asked, wrinkling his brow.
“I’d think the miners would go on strike.”
    “Oh there’s ale, all right,” Raad said. “But it
doesn’t ferment properly in the cold up there.”
    “Why not just import it?” the elf asked.
    “Too expensive,” Raad replied.
    “You’re mining the rarest mineral in all
Nōl’Deron,” Galen said. “Cost shouldn’t be an issue.”
    Raad shrugged. “It’s not like we miners get much
benefit from that. Those stones are rare finds among the iron.”
    Kaiya swiveled her head to look at the miner.
“They don’t share the profits with the workers?”
    “We get a small bonus,” Raad replied. “But the
mineral isn’t worth nearly as much in its raw form. It’s the shapers and
polishers who make out like bandits.”
    “That doesn’t seem fair,” Kaiya replied. “The
miners do the dangerous part. You should charge the elves more.”
    Raad laughed. “You want us to argue with wizards?”
He slapped his hand against his leg. “Maybe you can negotiate that for us.”
    “Maybe I will,” she replied. With determination in
her step, she strode on, leading the way along