A Dwarf in the Dark

A Dwarf in the Dark

         I turned the body over and saw that the light had gone out of his eyes. Poor Rhodo, he did not deserve this. He was only 75 years old. This was his first time in the lower mines. His first rite of passage. Now he was gone.

         "How did it happen, Tormal?" Jasper was standing a few feet away, looking at the destruction the cave-in had caused to the tunnels. It would take days to repair the mineshaft.

         "It looks like they hit a soft spot and the ceiling came apart." I searched the rubble in hopes that some clue would tell me the truth, but nothing was out of the ordinary. "We'll have to wait until an investigative team examines the area, before we'll know for sure."

         "Well, there's nothing more for us to do here." Jasper threw his thick black beard over his left shoulder and lifted Rhodo onto his right shoulder. "I'll take Rhodo back to his family. You go home and let the next shift search for the rest of the bodies. Don't you have to get ready for your date?"

         That's right, Cachi wanted to meet me after work. We had talked at the tavern after my last shift and she seemed to enjoy my company. Now she wanted to show me something. "I don't know if you can call it a date." Jasper was lucky he was a typical Dwarf. He had a wife and two children and he was younger than I was. Many of the other Dwarves looked down on me because I was single. Jasper understood that I just hadn't found the right person yet.

         "Call it what you will. I've heard that Cachi is very fussy about whom she hangs around with." Jasper turned to head back to the surface tunnels. "Are you coming?"

         I made sure my pick and axe were firmly secured to my back, in the thick leather belt I always wore, and headed home.

* * * * * * * * * * *

         I cleaned the dust and dirt out of my tangled brown beard and tied a few simple knots in it. Cachi would be here any minute. I wasn't the handsomest Dwarf, but I was passable. I put on a clean horsehair shirt and some brown leather pants. I had just put my two hand axes in my belt when there was a knock on the door. I hurried to buckle my battle-axe in place. I left the pick beside the door since I only use it for mining.

         I opened the door and in stepped Cachi. Her straw-colored beard was beautifully twisted into a pattern under her chin. She wore a white dress made of a light-weight cloth that flowed around her legs as she danced into the room.

         "I see you're ready for anything." Cachi looked me over, paying particular attention to my battle-axe. "Shall we go?"

         "Go where?" Her dress wasn't designed to survive most of the activities I enjoyed.

         "Why, to the surface of course." She smiled and winked at me. "You must pass a test if you want to date me, and I have decided that we will go to the surface."

         "What? Test . . . date . . . ?" I didn't expect this. "We only just met!"

         "Well if you're not interested, I'll leave." Cachi turned to walk out the door that I was still holding open.

         "Wait," I tried to close the door before she could escape. Cachi was a little strange but also very beautiful. Maybe I should try her ‘test.' "I would like to get to know you better."

         "Then follow me." Cachi waited until I opened the door again and then stepped outside. I followed, locking the door behind me.

         We walked through the center of town and headed toward the main tunnel that led outside. Many people stopped what they were doing and began to whisper to each other. We made a strange pair. Me, the oldest eligible bachelor, and Cachi, the girl who could have any man she wanted, if she stopped playing these games. I'm sure that the fact we were headed toward the surface was not lost to the onlookers either.

         Once we were out from under the gaze of the town folk, I felt more at ease. "We had another collapse in the lower mines today." It was the only thing I could think to say.

         "I hope no one was hurt." Cachi turned toward me and looked genuinely concerned.

         "At least five were injured and two were killed, including young Rhodo." I had to stop for a moment as I cleared a lump in my throat. "I'm glad I don't have any children, I don't know if I could survive the loss. I should check to see how his family is holding up."

         "I know Rhodo's sister. She will have a hard time dealing with his death." Cachi stared at the ground and was quiet for a long time. "Oh, we're here."

         I looked up, surprised that I had not been paying attention to where I was going. Before us were the large iron gates that led to the surface. A Dwarf stood on guard at either side of the gate, while another stood at the gatehouse. They were wearing the black and brown colors of the clan of Tallor, home of some of the strongest warriors around.

         I walked up to the gatehouse. "What's it like outside?"

         "The sun is up about 40 degrees." The guard spoke in a very serious tone. "Nothing strange to report. It's been quiet lately."

         "May we go through?" I could see Cachi walking back and forth in front of the gates. I dreaded going outside and here she was impatient to get going. I could see this relationship wasn't going to last.

         "May I have your reason for leaving?" The guard moved beside an open book, on a heavy stand, and dipped a quill in some ink.

         "We are . . . just going for a walk." I was going to say that my girlfriend wants me to do some stupid test but thought better of it. There was no point in making her mad.

         "Thank you. The gate will be lifted shortly." The guard made a quick note in the book, put the quill away and moved toward the crank that would lift the gate.

         I walked toward Cachi and waited for the gate to lift high enough for us to get out.

         As we headed outside, I could see the bright sunlight shining around the cave walls. It wasn't until we turned the corner, and saw the light directly, that I knew that this was a mistake. "I can't see with all this light. Couldn't we have come when it was dark out?"

         "You know this is the only time we are both free to meet." Cachi stopped to remove a backpack from her back. I hadn't noticed it before because it was hidden under her hair. The backpack was made of strong, black leather and stamped with Dwarfish runes and figures. It had several pockets on the sides and a large flap on top. Cachi opened the flap and removed two round pieces of cloth from inside. She handed me one and put the other on top of her head.

         "What is this for?" I asked, as I looked it over. The outer rim was made of a strong material covered in cotton, while the inner circle was made of loose-fitting cotton.

         "It's a hat." She pointed to the one she was wearing. "You put it on your head and it keeps the sun out of your eyes."

         "Like this?" I put the hat over my face so that I could just see through the cloth mesh. "Hey, this works well."

         Cachi laughed. "It would work a lot better if you put it on top of your head." She helped me place it into position so that I could look around without having the sun's glare in my eyes. "Let's go."

         We walked out of the cave and onto the forest floor. "Well, we're here." I looked around the forest. Nothing but trees and empty space everywhere. "Okay, I've seen it. Let's go back."

         "First you have to pass my test." Cachi started to head down the wide path that led to a nearby elfin village.

         Merchants would often travel back and forth, trading for food, clothing, and other things. Cachi's hats were probably made by elves; however, sometimes the elves traded with humans so they could be of human design.

         "We're not going to visit the elves, are we?" I refused to move. The village was many miles away and I had just gotten off work. I would normally be relaxing now.

         "No, we're not going very far." Cachi stopped and waited for me. "It's just behind those trees."

         The trees looked like all the rest. "What's behind the trees?"

         "You'll just have to wait and see." Cachi left the path and headed into the woods.

         I followed since I didn't seem to have much of a choice.

         After a while, we came to a clearing near a small stream. Many different kinds of flowers were growing on the bank, along with several ferns, grasses, and other unidentifiable plants. The combined scents were overpowering. I could hear things moving around in the grass and flying around in the air. It was too much for me to take in all at once.

         "Here we are." Cachi smiled as if she was up to something. "Your task is to pick me a bouquet of flowers. If I like it, we'll move on to the next step."

         I got the feeling this was not the first time she had done this. No wonder she was still single. "You want me to pick flowers?"

         "That's right." She sat down by a tree, looking away from the river. "I'll wait here. When you're done, come get me."

         "You want me to pick FLOWERS!" I stood there and stared at Cachi in disbelief.

         "You better hurry. It gets hotter near the middle of the day." Cachi pulled the hat over her eyes and got comfortable. She knew this was going to take a while.

         "Great." I gave up. She had definitely done this before. Maybe if I did a good job, she'd be so impressed that she would give up these crazy tests.

         I walked over to the flowers. Those blue ones looked nice. My mother used to love flowers. Dad would sometimes surprise her with a big bouquet on special occasions. However, he got someone else to pick and arrange the flowers. If I could just remember what one of the bouquets looked like, maybe I could recreate it.

         "Excuse me, sir." A soft voice came floating on the wind as if from a great distance. I looked around and was surprised to see a female elf standing only a few feet away. She was nearly twice my height but only half as big around. Her long white dress had yellow flowers on the trim and her matching hat had some real flowers growing out of it. "Could you help me?"

         "What? Help? Well sure, I guess I could do that." I was willing to do anything to get out of picking flowers. I looked at Cachi who was still sitting under the tree.

         "I think your friend is asleep." The elf lowered her open hand toward me. "My name's Ellesy. What is yours?"

         I held my hand over hers. One of my friends told me this is how elves greet each other. "Hello, I'm Tormal and my friend is called Cachi."

         "I don't want to bother you," said the elf, "but could you help save my children? We were out walking in the woods when a rogue bear surprised us. I grabbed my children and ran to a nearby cave I had spotted earlier. I hid them inside and turned to fight the bear. Somehow I managed to scare the bear off but the entrance to the cave collapsed in the struggle. Now my children are trapped and running out of air. Please save them."

         This elf didn't look like she could fight a badger, let alone a bear. Still, elves are known for their speed and agility as well as their ability to use magic. Her story could be true.

         "You don't mind if I wake Cachi, do you?" I didn't want her to wake up and think I had left her. That would end our relationship real quickly.

         "Go ahead, ‘the more Dwarves the faster the work gets done,' as the saying goes." The elf headed toward the tree where Cachi was sleeping and I followed.

         After I explained to Cachi what was going on, we headed to the cave where the children were trapped. The cave was in a rocky outcropping, not far from the entrance we had come out of earlier. Several tall trees grew around the area, making the cave hard to spot if you didn't already know it was there.

         I looked at the cave and noticed one large rock was keeping the whole tunnel from collapsing. Maybe if I propped the rock up, we could remove the rubble underneath and get the children out. I unstrapped the battle-axe from my back and cut down a nearby tree. I then removed the branches and cut the tree into two ten-foot poles. I returned to find Cachi and the elf talking about the struggles and joys of raising children.

         "Cachi, could you take this log and help me prop up that stone?" I tossed one of the poles to Cachi and braced the other against the rock. With some effort, we managed to lift the stone and free some of the rocks underneath. "Now if you two can clear out the rubble, I'll cut some more logs to help brace the inside."

         When I returned with two more logs, I saw Cachi trying to pull a rock, which was almost as big as she was, out of the cave. The elf was busy brushing small rocks and pebbles away using a spruce tree branch. There's nothing weaker that an elf.

         I set the logs down near the entrance and walked over to Cachi. "Do you need any help with that?"

         "No, I (grunt) almost ha ... have it." Cachi's strength finally gave out but she had managed to move the rock far enough that I could get around it.

         "I'll go in and see if I can lift the ceiling a bit more so that we can rescue the children."

         I carried the logs inside and left Cachi to rest. It was harder to work alone, but I managed to lift the ceiling a few more feet, clearing a path into the rear of the cave. This part of the cave was solid and didn't need supports. I called out, "Are you all right?"

         "My sister's hurt," a child's voice came from the back.

         I turned toward the sound and began digging a path toward the children. As I got closer, I began to hear hissing sounds. Did they have a snake with them? As I lifted a large stone out of the way, I suddenly dropped it again in horror. They didn't have a snake. They were snakes. Snake Folk to be precise.

         Snake Folk were half human, half snake hybrids created by some crazy wizard long ago. Only a mad man would mix together the two most disgusting creatures on the planet and create something even more disgusting. They looked like humans with a snake's tail instead of legs. However, they had fangs and an unhinged jaw like a snake so they could poison their victims and swallow them whole. Their hands were strong and claw-like as well, which suggested the wizard may have thrown some other creature into the mix. Snake Folk are hated and feared by all races.

         Before I could plan my next move, I heard a muffled scream coming from the entrance to the cave. Cachi!

         "Dwarf, if you value your friend's life you will come out now." The soft whispery voice of the elf was replaced by a deeper, more menacing voice.

         Of course, how could I have forgotten? The one thing that really makes Snake Folk dangerous is their ability to hypnotize their victims. That was not an elf we were helping but a snake woman in disguise.

         I quickly hurried out of the cave to find that my fears were realized. The creature was even taller than her elf disguise and much uglier. Cachi was wrapped up in the creature's tail and had two large clawed hands around her neck and mouth.

         "If you have harmed even one of my children, you will pay." The creature tightened her grip so that Cachi let out a muffled scream.

         "If you don't let go of Cachi, you will not live to see your children again." I lowered my hand toward my hand axe. All I needed was one clear shot.

         "Walk away from the cave, now!" She pulled back her upper lip so that her fangs could be seen.

         "Okay, I'm moving." I headed away from the cave and from the creature. She began to uncoil her tail from Cachi so she could move toward the cave. Now was the time to strike. I pulled the hand axe out of my belt and threw it straight at the creature's heart. With unbelievable speed, the snake-like body twisted in the air. The hand axe flew over her left shoulder and into the trees behind her. I had heard these things could move, but it's amazing to see it in person.

         My attack wasn't totally wasted. Cachi took the opportunity to free her right arm and elbowed the creature in the stomach. Still off-balance from dodging my axe, the creature had to let go of Cachi in order to keep from falling over. Rolling to the ground, Cachi ran off into the woods. The creature tried to catch her, but I threw my second hand axe and managed to cut the back of her right hand. Screaming in pain, the creature turned her attention back on me.

         "You will pay for that." The snake woman coiled her tail and prepared to strike.

         I still had my battle-axe but with the creature's speed and agility I would be long dead before I got to use it. Suddenly something flew out of the woods and the creature had to dodge to avoid it. As the object landed near my feet, I recognized it as one of my hand axes. Good thinking, Cachi, by getting on either side of the creature, it couldn't attack one of us without turning its back to the other.

         Confused, the snake woman turned toward the woods. I picked up my hand axe and threw. The creature dodged my axe only to be hit in the shoulder by another axe. Screaming in pain once more, she pulled the hand axe out of her shoulder and retrieved the one I had thrown.

         "Now you will have to fight me in close combat." The snake woman moved closer, daring me to pull out my battle-axe.

         Far be it for me to disappoint a lady. I pulled my axe out and rolled to the side as she struck the place I had been standing. I tried to chop off her tail but she managed to twist out of the way and grabbed me with one hand. Luckily, this was the wounded hand, and I was able to pull free. Swinging at her arm, I struck air once more. Would you just stand still for a second? I swung the Axe a few more times, trying to keep her at bay. As I dodged around, trying to find an opening, I stumbled on a rock. I quickly regained my footing but it was too late. With lightning speed, the creature wrapped me in her tail and started to squeeze. I dropped the battle-axe to the ground and prepared for my doom.

         "Not so tough now, are you, Dwarf?" The snake woman opened her mouth wide and a foul stench assaulted my nose. I could also smell the distinct aroma of wet fur. I think I know what happened to the bear. I would soon be joining it.

         Suddenly the creature cried out in pain and dropped me to the ground. I looked around and there was Cachi holding my battle-axe, which was covered in blood.

         The snake woman crawled a few feet away before collapsing to the ground. Blood could be seen flowing from a gash in her side. "Please . . . my children."

         Keeping the battle-axe at the ready, Cachi turned toward me. "I was trying to cut her in two but she was so fast I barely caught her on the side."

         "Yea, those things are fast all right." I held one hand toward Cachi. "Hand me my battle-axe and I'll finish her off."

         "No, she's had enough." Cachi backed away from me and faced the snake woman once more.

         "No, what do you mean no?" I looked at the wounded creature before me. "It's a snake woman. They should all be destroyed, her, her children, and any others we can find."

         "Tormal!" Cachi looked at me the same way my mother used to when she caught me swinging my axe around the house. "Go get your hand axes."

         There was no point in arguing with her. She was just too stubborn, cute, but stubborn. I retrieved my hand axes.

         Cachi moved toward the snake woman. "Go get your children and leave this place. Never forget how difficult it is to kill a Dwarf. Warn others of your kind and never come near this place again."

         "Thank you." The creature's voice was weak and tired. She slithered toward the cave and crawled inside.

         Cachi removed her backpack and this time she opened one of the side pockets. She removed a small metal box, closed the pocket, and hid the backpack under her hair, which was no longer all neatly brushed, as it was when I first saw her standing in my doorway. Had it only been a few hours ago?

         I cleaned off my three axes, put the hand axes in my belt, and strapped the battle-axe to my back once more. I wanted to say something to Cachi but I didn't know what to say. So I just sat down and waited.

         Before too long, the snake woman exited the cave. She was cradling one of her children in her good arm, while the other five were clinging to her tail.

         "Here, take this." Cachi threw the metal box in front of the woman. "There are bandages and healing salve in there. You won't get far with those wounds unless you clean them."

         "Cachi!" I pleaded.

         "Quiet." Cachi turned back to the snake woman. "The salve was made by elves so it should heal your wounds quickly. It should also help cure your daughter."

         I thought I saw a tear flow down the creature's cheek as it picked up the box. Turning away from us, the snake woman slithered out of sight.

         "Do you want to have children some day?" Cachi had come over to me and put her hand on my arm.

         "With you as their mother, my two sons would grow up big and strong," I said.

         "What, no girls?" Cachi let go of my arm and moved around in front of me.

         "I meant my two sons and my daughter," I lied.

         "You mean two daughters." Cachi turned toward the Dwarf tunnels and started to head home.

         "Right, two daughters." I followed her. One daughter might not be too bad.

         "What about three daughters?" Cachi slowed down so that we were walking side by side.

         "Now don't push it." The thought of having even two girls like Cachi running around the house was bad enough.

         "Right, two it is." Cachi held my arm and laughed.

         It was an interesting first date, one I will never forget. Now I was just glad to be headed home. There is nothing happier than a Dwarf in the dark.