The Gemcutter's Daughter

1 - Quake

The most beautiful gems came from the deepest mines. It was an ironic twist of Fate that those most capable of making them shine were those who could not see the glittering colors. Instead, the dwarves relied upon artifice to determine the nature of their gems, upon their dim vision in black and white to craft shapes. Tali Khondurahl had spent many a day with her face pressed almost against the stones, squinting in concentration as she worked. She was only an apprentice, of course. Her father made it look ridiculously easy.

    Metal was easier to work, at least for Tali. Heating it until it melted and then pouring it into molds for jewelry was simple enough. The fine detail work of shaping it while it was still hot was a joy. The geometric or fractal patterns were the closest she had ever come to seeing flowers or lightning. Truth be told, however, she barely thought of a world beyond her home. Even Bar Tarum seemed distant and foreign.

    Much of Dhuldarim was mine, almost endless warrens of cramped passageways and vents, cooled only by the flow of the Khuldar River as it snaked its way farther beneath the ground. The tunnels stretched for miles in every direction. There was even a passage that went towards the surface, but no one used it. The dwarves of Dhuldarim had no need and no trust in the surface world.

    There was hardly desire either. The gods had placed all things where they were best, and Tek had given the place beneath the earth to the dwarves. That was something they understood.

    "Done!" Tali grinned, swiping at the sweat all over her dark forehead. She had her bushy hair pulled back into a simple braid that kept it out of her face while she was working. Skyborn said when they visited Dhir Daral that dwarves had skin like bronze and hair like iron wire, but Tali couldn't tell. She rinsed the stone to remove any remnants of the final polish, fingers turning it with expert care.

    Her father took the sapphire when she finished and brought it near his face, turning it over in his rough hands to check the alignment of the cuts. "Better than any skyborn could do." Her father's voice was like his hands: rasping and steady. "It came out well. Geim was right."

    Tali cocked her head at the mention of Geim. "What did he say?" The Master of Gems seldom spoke with her. He just had too much to do. Trade with the other cities—and with the surface, through Dhir Daral—was absolutely vital, which meant cut stones and jewelry went along with the ore, every single shipment. Skyborn had yet to master the art of gemcutting, perhaps because no dwarf would part with such precious secrets, which meant the surface prized the crafts of Dhuldarim's dwarves.

    "He said you're just about ready to become a full gemcutter." Her father gave her a stern look when she beamed. "You still haven't made your master craft, remember? You need to give that a lot of thought. It took me five years."

    Tali still bounced slightly on her heels with excitement. "I have some thoughts on that point. How about—" A sudden, explosive shudder silenced her as it resonated through the ground. Tools and toolboxes hit the floor with clinks and crashes. Fortunately, there wasn't any molten metal around to be sloshed. Tali grabbed onto the workbench to keep her feet, and her father did the same. She counted under her breath, timing the seconds with dwarven precision.

    Twenty seconds.

    Her father's pearl eyes were only wide for a moment. Once the most powerful of the aftershocks had faded to smaller ones, he grabbed her arm. "Tali, we need to get down there! The mines!"

    He didn't have to say twice. Tali led the way, almost bolting out of the workshop. She hit the walkway at a dead run, grabbing at the work-lines with a vice-like grip. Swinging with her long arms took her further, faster than just walking, so she used her proportions to the best advantage. Her father followed with the same speed.