Finding Tessa by Jaime Hendricks (good story books to read TXT) 📕

he has returned, and his numbers are only growing each day. It is only a matter of time before they march on Ravenfell, and even your own lands.”

Tybrin Hammerclaw sat for a moment processing the information Tyrius provided, running his thick sausage-like fingers through his great beard as he thought.

“Very well. This is a simple thing ye ask, and one we can easily prove in a matter o’ a day or two. I will send some scouts to the surface at Draco’s Pass and have them take a look. If it is as ye say, we are in some troubling times indeed. If it isn’t…well, it is a serious crime lying to the King. You’ll be punished according to our laws and customs. What say ye?” he asked.

Tyrius looked around at the others who were all in agreement before he said that they agreed to his terms.

“Good. In the meantime, I’m sure ye are all starving! I will treat ye as our guests o’ honor until we have more information. Ye can stay here in me palace in the guest’s chambers – they haven’t been used in ages. We will have a feast to celebrate yer arrival, but I warn ye, no talk of the Defiant One outside o’ these chambers – I will not risk a panic rising in me halls!” said Tybrin sternly.

They all agreed and immediately were taken to their new temporary quarters, which were far more lavish and welcoming than the cells they had stayed in the night before.

Seamstresses had come and measured each of them quickly and efficiently before speeding off to their workshops and returning surprisingly quickly with brand new outfits for each of them to wear for their time in the city. They were bright and festive and went well with the attire that most of the Dwarves in the city seemed to be wearing.

They were instructed to get washed up and changed into the clothes that were provided, then were told they could roam around the city and explore as they wished until the feast was prepared.

Once they had each washed and changed, they met in front of the palace and made their way to the carts that would take them down to the main parts of the city.

“Well, where would ye like to go?” asked the Dwarf in the car who was instructed to take them around the city and keep an eye on them.

His name was Darryn Faircloth, and he was a very nice Dwarf, well-mannered and down to earth like the majority of them were. He wore a bright blue outfit with brown boots and trousers that went up to his round belly and were held in place by bright red suspenders. His face was plump with rosy cheeks and his beard was brown and well groomed, only hanging just below his neckline with little braids on the ends.

After little debate, the group decided they wanted to see the business district of the city so they could tour the shops and businesses and get a better idea of what life was like in the great Dwarven city of Emerald Keep.

This seemed to really excite Darryn – he really enjoyed shopping and mentioned his cousin Gerryn owned and operated the most popular fine metal and gemstones shop in all the kingdom dubbed “The Sparkling Hammer”. Darryn explained his cousin came up with the name because of how at the end of the day, his tools would all be covered in a fine, sparkling dust from all of the hammering and chiseling he did throughout the day with the precious metals and gemstones.

Darryn took them down the spiraling tracks and into the bustling business district then led them the rest of the way on foot.

The walkways were sprawling with Dwarves of all shapes, sizes, and ages. David realized his initial impression of Dwarves was completely wrong – they were just as diverse as humans were in all of the same ways: fashion, height, weight, skin complexion, hair color, and even accents.

David noticed as they walked that some of the Dwarves had thicker accents, sounding like the king missing some of the ending sounds to words, while others spoke more clearly, pronouncing all of the syllables with crystal clarity. Darryn explained it was mostly due to their profession and lineage – those who were what he called “traditionalists” tended to stick to the traditional professions of the Dwarves – mining, smithing, crafting, and building had maintained the traditional accent, mostly staying underground, while the less traditional folk tended to the more “civilized” professions that sprouted up after their time spent among the humans and Elves – those tended to work in banking and currency exchange, and trading on the surface world where they had adopted more of the common tongue so they could better communicate with the other races.

David was amazed at everything he was experiencing, and he was thrilled to see that Erin and the others were just as stunned, which was a first. He always seemed to be the one gawking at everything, being from another world, but this time, they were all equally entranced with the Emerald city and its rich culture.

It wasn’t long before they reached “The Sparkling Hammer”. It was a relatively small building within the business district and sat between what they were told was a large bank to the right – an enormous sprawling structure that seemed to have several floors and took up the majority of the block – and a jewelry store to the left – a more modest building with great big windows in the front filled with displays of dazzling jewelry of all sorts and sizes.

As they were heading into the stop, they were stopped by a highly dressed Dwarf wearing a gold-embroidered scarf and a gold-plated walking stick. He wore a top hat and a solid black jacket over his shirt with a jeweled pocket watch hanging by a thin gold chain from his chest pocket.

Although he was short in