Chapter One

ON A GLOOMY DAY IN THE FURIN MOUNTAINS, the sun fades, and as its power dwindles, so does its warmth. This mountain is the largest range in Luminess, stretching from the mighty Byramar River’s starting point all the way to Mountain Pass Stream. Its peak is also the highest in Luminess, seemingly reaching halfway to the heavens.

The Furin Mountains have been home to dwarves for centuries. Though it holds no valuable minerals, this mountain holds the richest deposits of precious gems in Luminess. Dwarves have mined this mountain since they settled here and have only begun to tap into the depth of its riches. The mines run deep into the mountain with many tunnels.

As the first light of the dwindling sun touches the surface, smoke rises from the top of each little hut. The burrow’s hereditary leader lives in the center of the mining town of East Furin. Meerkesh’s family led the dwarves to this mountain centuries ago, and since they settled, his family’s eldest male accepts the role as burrow Spokesman. The dwarves’ well-being has always been his family’s primary concern. A mining burrow is simple to govern. With few rules and long workdays, there is little time for issues that would require a ruler. All who reach the age of sixteen are required to work the mine.

A family of three sits in Meerkesh’s hut, with Meerkesh sitting at the head of the table. Large for a dwarf in both height and build, he is, in fact, the tallest and largest dwarf in the Furin Mountains. His black hair with streaks of gray is semi-neatly braided halfway down his back. His beard, also in a single braid, hangs down his stomach, rubbing against his belt. Sitting to Meerkesh’s right is his eighteen-year-old son, Killmesh, Meerkesh’s only child and a spitting image of him. Killmesh’s mother does not sit at the table, as she died from sickness when he was five. The other dweller, Tallian, is not a dwarf. Just shy of eighteen-years-old, he is much taller than Meerkesh and Killmesh. Sitting, they only come to his shoulders. Much longer in frame, he is slender, though muscular from living the life of a dwarf. He was brought to Meerkesh as a baby. He knows nothing of his parents, but not for lack of asking.

They eat to prepare for a hard day’s work. “Killmesh, you remember everything I told you to do today?” Meerkesh asks.

“Yes father.”

Tallian speaks up: “I can help you, Killmesh, if you wish it.”

“I do not need your help! I am perfectly capable of handling my own job alone as intended.”

Meerkesh interjects as he can see an argument arising. “Tallian is attempting to be nice by offering to help. Show a little appreciation when someone offers you aid.”

“No one thinks I can handle things on my own! I am an adult and in line to take over for you some day. Why do you think I would not take my responsibilities seriously?”

“When you start proving that everything gets done as expected, I will let you be.”

Killmesh slams his fists on the table. He stands without finishing his food and storms toward the door. He slaps the door out of his way as he passes through it.

“Don’t let him bother you, Tallian. He is only angry because I am tough on him, whereas I am not as strict with you.”

“Why is that so Meerkesh? I feel like I am your son as well, but Killmesh only makes me feel as though I do not belong here.”

“I am tough on him because he must take my place someday. You do not have to carry the weight of this burrow and the mountain, so I spare you the strict discipline I try to instill in him.”

Meerkesh and Tallian finish their breakfast in silence. Tallian sits in confusion, while Meerkesh dons a look of disappointment. Tallian finishes first, so he clears the table of his wooden plate and cup. After he washes them and places them on the rack near the wall, he heads for the door. “I’m going to the mines.” Meerkesh nods as he finishes eating in silence.

Tallian walks up the hill passing huts. Each hut looks similar to the next. Because the dwarves work most of the time, it’s pointless to make fancy living quarters; therefore, they create simple huts with easy accessible materials.

As usual, the day begins with dwarves entering the mountain. Dwarves travel deep into the mountain looking for undiscovered jewels, while females run carts from the depths to the surface. There are many different jobs in the tunnels. Because rocks shroud the ground carts are transported on tracks elevated above the rocks. Some jobs require laying and forging the tracks. Most jobs, however, include stripping jewels and cleaning them.

Tallian enters the tunnel and passes working dwarves. Nodding as he passes, he makes his way down the tunnel. Tallian reaches his workstation but remembers he finished ahead of pace the previous day.

Tallian turns and sees Martush. He is an average sized dwarf with a ratty red beard and a bald head. His wife died giving birth to their son seven years ago. His fortunes became worse when his son did not survive the week. His grief continues. Unlike most dwarves who have their beard in a single braid, he has no braid.

Tallian walks up to him. “Can I do anything to help you?” Martush turns and stares at Tallian, expressionless. He says nothing but turns his head and looks down at the rocks lying beside him. Tallian shakes his head and picks them up.

After picking up a few rocks, Tallian realizes he needs a cart. Each tunnel only has one cart in order to prevent congestion. He runs through the tunnel looking for the cart. He finds Veraskin using it. He quickly approaches her. “Can I use this for a few minutes? I will return it soon.”

“Sure, as long as it doesn’t take too long. I must get back to work.”

“It will be returned as quickly as I can see my task finished.”

She waits while he pushes the cart down the tunnel. He stops the cart where he had been digging the tunnel. He clears his work area, and then he moves up the tunnel near Martush. Quickly picking up rocks, he clears the area. At first, Martush does not notice his presence, but then a small rock gets away from Tallian and lands on Martush’s foot. Snapping out of his normal drunken haze into an uncommon state of sobriety since the passing of his family, Martush turns and stares at him once again as if he is confused at his hurry.

When Tallian finally makes his way back to Veraskin to return the cart, he says, “I am finished with your cart, but I am afraid I have filled it. I can go dump it for you.”

She shakes her head. “You have been working since you started sneaking in here at age twelve. How about you just help me dump it? I saw you working back there, and your pace can afford to slow a bit.” She smiles as they push the cart slowly toward the exit. As they walk, Tallian is quiet as usual, but Veraskin continues. “How have you been? Aside from seeing you in the tunnels, I have not seen you much of late.”

“I have been trying to stay busy. I often walk through the woods to clear my head.”

“I have been wondering where you disappear to. Where all do you go?”

“Different places. Sometimes I just walk in any direction and see where I end up.”

“How do you not get lost? We do not finish until near dark, and if you walk as much as you say you do, how do you navigate after the sun goes down?”

“It is hard to explain, but I have always been good at knowing where I am. I feel at home in the woods. It feels like the trees are my guide. When I wish to return home, I just start walking the direction I came from, and I always find my way back.”

Once they get the cart outside of the tunnel, they push it up to a wagon. The tracks stop just before they reach a drop-off. The driver of the wagon backs it to the drop-off. Tallian pulls a lever on one side, and Veraskin pulls a lever on her side. Then they push the cart, dumping it, without removing it from the tracks.

“How are your husband and your son?” Tallian asks. “I am going to have to make a point to stop and play with Vertush the next time I see him.”

Her face lights up with a smile as she answers. “He is as playful as ever. I am sure Afkan would love the relief. Vertush constantly wants his father to play with him, but Afkan is usually exhausted from the mines.”

“Well, the next time I see him, I will play with him. He is a good kid. I enjoy myself every time I am around him.”

“I will tell him that when I see him tonight. He will be all smiles, I am sure. You being so tall makes him feel as if he is friends with a giant.” She smiles as they come to the end of their walk.

At the end of the day, Tallian exits the tunnel and walks down the hill toward his hut. He stops and turns to look at the tunnels, as he always has been amazed by the workers as they leave the mines. They remind him of a colony of ants as they flee a burning bed.

The dwarves retreat from the mountain by hundreds. Dwarves of all descriptions scurry from several mining tunnels, but all have so much in common. Dwarves are short in stature standing not much farther from the ground than a newborn pony. Their vertical challenges may be grounds for joking, but their hearts could power a giant, along with their amazing strength. A life of mining makes a body strong.

While dwarves have many traditions, they have one that sets them apart—more than their lack of height. After they turn eighteen, the males never cut their beard again. While they are allowed to style it any way they wish, cutting it is forbidden. Most dwarves wear their hair and beard in a single...