“My dear,” rebuked his wife, flushing. “You’re not in the tavern.”
“Yes, yes. We understand. Go on,” persisted Dumaka impatiently. “What are you saying? The work is progressing or it isn’t?”
Yngvar was not to be hurried, despite the fact that his toes had gone numb. He rose abruptly to his feet, marched over to what appeared to be a large ceremonial drum, and plopped himself down on it with a sigh of relief. Delu looked considerably shocked; her husband silenced her words of protest with a look.
“The work,” said the dwarf slowly, glowering from beneath his bushy eyebrows, “is finished.”
“What?” Dumaka exclaimed.
“The ships were built”—Yngvar snapped his fingers—“in less time than it took me to do that.”
Haplo smiled, well pleased.
“That is not possible,” argued Delu. “You must be mistaken. Our most powerful sorcerers—”
“—are as children compared to these dragon-snakes,” stated Yngvar bluntly. “I am not mistaken. I have never seen such magic. The sun-chasers were so many splinters, floating on the water. The dragon-snakes came up to look at the ships, surrounded them. Their green eyes glowed red, brighter than the furnace in which we forge our axes. They spoke strange words. The sea boiled. The pieces of wood flew into the air and, as if one knew another, rushed together as a bride rushes to the arms of her groom. And there they stand—the sun-chasers. Exactly as we built them. Except that now”—the dwarf added, glowering—“none of my people will go near them. And that includes me.” Haplo’s satisfaction turned instantly to gloom. Damn! Another problem! He should have foreseen the mensch reaction. As it was, even Delu looked troubled.
“This truly is a wondrous feat,” she said in a low voice. “I would like to hear it described in more detail. Perhaps, if you could meet with the Coven tomorrow . . .”
Yngvar snorted. “If I never see another wizard, it will be too soon. No, I will not argue. I have said all I am going to say on the subject. The sun-chasers are there, floating in the harbor. The Coven is welcome to come look at the ships, sink them, dance in them, fly them, if you have a mind to. No dwarf will set so much as a hair of his beard on a single plank. This I swear!”
“Are the dwarves prepared to let themselves be turned into blocks of ice?” Dumaka asked, glowering.
“We have boats enough of our own—boats built with sweat, not magic—to take our people off our doomed seamoon.”
“And what about us?” Dumaka shouted.
“Humans are not the concern of the dwarves!” Yngvar shouted back. “Use the cursed boats if you want.”
“You know perfectly well we need a dwarven crew—”
“Superstitious fools!” Delu was saying.
Haplo got up, walked out. From the sounds of the argument raging behind him, no one was likely to notice his absence.
He stalked off toward his own lodge and nearly fell over Grundle and Alake, crouched in a grove of trees.
“What the—Oh, it’s you,” Haplo said irritably. “I thought you two’d had your fill of listening in on other people’s conversations?” They’d chosen a secluded spot, near the back end of the chieftain’s lodge, shadowed from the bright light of the campfires that shone full on their faces when they stood up.
Alake looked ashamed. Grundle only grinned.
“I wasn’t going to listen,” Alake protested. “I came to see if my mother needed me to fetch more wine for our guests and I found Grundle hiding here. I told her it was wrong, that we shouldn’t do this anymore, that the One had punished us—”
“The only reason you found me hiding here was that you came planning to hide here yourself!” Grundle retorted.
“I did not!” Alake whispered indignantly.
“You did so. What else were you doing traipsing around the back of the longhouse instead of the front?”
“Whatever I was doing is my business—”
“Both of you go on home,” Haplo ordered. “It’s not safe here. You’re away from the firelight, too close to the jungle. Go on, now,”
He waited until he saw them headed on their way, then started for his own lodge. Footsteps echoed his. He glanced around, saw Grundle tagging along behind.
“Well, what are you going to do about our parents?” she asked him, jerking a thumb in the direction of the longhouse.
Loud, angry voices could be heard, echoing through the night air. People passing by looked at each other worriedly.
“Shouldn’t you be somewhere else?” Haplo said irritably. “Won’t someone miss you?”
“I’m supposed to be in the cave asleep, but I stuffed a bag of potatoes in my blanket roll. Everyone’ll think it’s me. And I know the guard on duty. His name’s Hartmut. He’s in love with me,” she said matter-of-factly. “He’ll let me back in. Speaking of love, when’s the wedding?”
“What wedding?” Haplo asked, his thoughts on how to solve the current problem.
“Yours and Alake’s.”
Haplo came to a stop, glared at the dwarf.
Grundle gazed back, smiling, innocent. Numerous tribe members were eyeing them curiously. Haplo caught hold of the dwarf’s arm, hustled her into the privacy of his lodge.
“Uh-oh,” she said, shrinking away from him in mock terror. “You’re not going to try to seduce me, now, are you?”
“I didn’t seduce anybody,” Haplo said grimly. “And keep your voice down. How much do you know? What did Alake tell you?”
“Everything. Mind if I sit? Thanks.” She plopped herself on the floor, began plucking leaves out of her side whiskers. “Whew! It was really hot, squatting in that bush. I could have told those dragon-snakes they were making a mistake, showing off their power like that. Not that they would have listened to me.”
She shook her head, her expression suddenly grave, solemn. “Do you know, I think they did it on purpose. I think they knew magic like that would frighten my people. I think they meant to frighten them!”
“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would they want to frighten you when they’re trying to save you? And never mind that now anyway. What did Alake tell you? Whatever she said, I didn’t try to take advantage of her.”
“Oh, I know that.” Grundle waved a deprecating hand. “I was just teasing. I have to admit ...” she added grudgingly.
“You treated Alake better than I expected you to. I guess I misjudged you. I’m sorry.”
“What did she tell you?” Haplo asked for the third time, “That you two were going to be married. Not now. Alake’s not a fool. She knows that this crisis is no time for her to bring up matrimony. But when the sun-chasers take us all to a new realm—if that ever happens, which now I’m beginning to doubt—then she figures you’ll both be free to get married and start a new life together.” So, Haplo said to himself bitterly, here I’ve been thinking all along that she’d come to her senses. All she’s been doing, apparently, is entrenching herself deeper in her fantasies. “Do you love her?” Grundle askd. Haplo turned, frowning, thinking the dwarf was teasing him again. He saw, instead, that she was very much in earnest. “No, I don’t.”
“I didn’t think so.” Grundle gave a small sigh. “Why don’t you just tell her?”
“I don’t want to hurt her.”
“Funny,” said the dwarf, studying him shrewdly, “I’d have said you were the kind of man who didn’t much care whether he hurt other people or not. What’s your real reason?”
Haplo squatted down on his haunches, eyes level with the dwarf maid. “Let’s say that it wouldn’t be in anybody’s best interests if I did anything to upset Alake. Would it?” Grundle shook her head. “No, I guess you’re right.” He breathed a sigh, stood up. “Listen, the shouting’s stopped. I’d say the meeting’s broken up.”
Grundle clambered hastily to her feet. “That means I better get going. If I’m caught missing, Hartmut’s the one who’ll end up in trouble. I hope my parents settled everything with the humans. Deep down, you know, my father really respects Dumaka and Delu. It’s just that the snakes frightened him so badly.” She started to dart out the door. Haplo caught hold of her, pulled her back. Yngvar was stumping past, his face a sullen red in the firelight, arms swinging wildly as he muttered to himself. His wife tromped along at his side, her lips pressed together tightly, too angry to speak.