Princil's Magic : Ch.8: (Part 2) Dwarves

Ch.8 : (Part 2) Dwarves

    Dwarves were taking treasures out of buildings, back to their boats. Anything of gold in particular was being loaded into their boats, but valuable objects and well crafted furniture also. The boats sat heavy in the water.

     “We’ll get some prisoners to row the boats,” suggested one dwarf.

     “No they will weigh too much,” said another.

     “It is a good idea,” argued another, “it would be too much hard work for us. They can be put to useful work.” Others seemed to agree with him.

     So when the boats were thought to be full enough and unlikely to bear more weight, they set sail, oarsmen from among the prisoners, the dwarves, and the gold and furniture intact.

     The dwarves were not great boat people, although when they wanted to get something done they got it done one way or the other with a minimum of fuss. They had really got here thanks to the magic of the Grumandrian wizards, who brought the whole fleet together.

    Some of them had an understanding of sailing, but they were not natural sailors. The water lapped high at the side of all the boats. As they crawled out of the Cromilil river and into the sea, the waves became bigger. With each wave, water lapped over the side and into the boats, which were simple in design, with no cabins or holds.  Maybe one day dwarf craftsmen would build boats as well as the dwarf halls and the jewels they were famous for, but these boats were all they had for this expedition; the expedition to gain plunder in the distant western lands. They knew nothing of the people here. They had come in search of good plunder as a reward for their participation, and to return home to the mountains of Animar.

     One of the boats became heavier, flooding with more water, with each big wave. “This will not work,” shouted one dwarf. “We will not even return home like this!”

     “Turn around and back for the city…”

     “We’re going to have to divide the spoils into more boats,” said one.

     “Or do the rowing ourselves. We don’t need these prisoners weighing our boats down.”

     “Sell them to the goblins or the men,” suggested one enterprising dwarf.

     “Don’t be silly! They’ve got all the servants or slaves they want. The Grumandrians do not seem to be taking many prisoners. They’ve killed so many. They don’t seem to value them. The Pelancirians might take them I suppose, but I think they’ve got plenty.”

     “The boat’s going to sink if we are not careful! The way I see it, it is either dump our treasure or dump these oarsmen, unless any of us fancy swimming for the shore instead.”

     “We could kill them, throw ‘em over the side,” suggested a mean looking dwarf.

     “Na! Na!,” said a number of dwarves all at once. “Let ‘em swim for it and take their chances. There’s been enough killing anyway. I hope they don’t get swept into the sea. But we don’t want any more blood on our hands.”

    There was general assent. Not many of the dwarves had that much of a bloodthirst. They were here for plunder and pay, not for the pleasure of killing.

     The dwarves on the sinking boat ordered their prisoners to jump over the side quickly now as the boat started to take on water. They threatened to kill them if they stayed on the boat, revealing their knives and swords for the purpose. The dwarves’ threat, combined with the knowledge that if some people or belongings were not jettisoned from the boat it would struggle and begin to sink in the waves anyway, had the desired effect and the Shalirionite prisoners jumped over the side and took their chances in the water. Luckily the boats were well within the river Cromil and not right out in the open sea, and the two shores probably within reach. Thankfully it was not the coldest time of year. If the flow of water did not take them out too quickly they might stand a good chance. The shocked prisoners were sensible enough to try for the Pelancirian occupied south shore rather than the Grumandrian occupied north shore where they would be returned to an arbitrary slavery far worse than that of the more moderate Pelancirians or the Dwarves. The other boats were all quite heavy in the water too but none of them were taking on water in the river. Out to sea might well be a different story and the danger faced by the heaviest boat warned them all of the risks. Discussions were shouted between the boats and they decided to return to shore to unburden the other boats of more prisoners. Unfortunately for those prisoners it was the north shore where they had come from they were bound for. Some would be retained for rowing and the Dwarves themselves would take a share.

     One Dwarf had a very bright idea. He suggested to the other Dwarves on his boat, “Why should we not pay for the services of one of the Grumandrian wizards for the voyage home and leave some of the prisoners behind as part payment?” It was a great suggestion, after all Grumandrian wizards had brought them here safely. They could navigate and fill the sails with suitable winds. One wizard would be quite sufficient, as long as the dangerous King Guthelm would allow his a wizard to leave the front lines of his war. Most of the Dwarves were in favour of this plan as the suggestion was shouted between the boats, although some of the Dwarves were too jealous of the wealth and belongings they had so carefully acquired. The greedier Dwarves knew that a wizard for the journey home would probably charge a very high price for his services and were reluctant to lose profit. They were outvoted by the majority who had learned not to be rash in this incident of the sinking boat.

     They returned to shore and approached some wizards they were able to find, and one of them, not Aribor, did agree, for a large share of the wealth, to travel home with them and keep them safe from the dangers of the sea. They set off again with less prisoners, and all their treasures, for home, and did indeed all arrive safely home with the fruits of the invasion of Shalirion!