OathBlade (Wattys2015)

38. Reacquainted*

Brown-furred chultz scuttled around the candlelit dining lodge. They dashed under the two dozen long tables on their six stout legs to eat scraps of meat and bread that dropped around their masters' feet. A particularly lean chultz stretched against the wall and dug the thick, curved nails of its four front feet into the wall and scratched. It left deep furrows in the wood, continuing until one of the knights threw a crusty roll at it.

"Enough, ye mongrel!" a gruff knight barked. "Quit ye clawin' 'er I'll have ye on me plate next!"

The chultz snatched up the roll and ran off, snarling at several others as they came to steal its prize. A fight broke out among them, resulting in the roll being shredded to bits on the filthy stone floor.

One brushed against Elery's leg and she nudged it away as she finished the last of her meal. One of the creatures poked its head up over the table, standing as tall as the chairs, and its glimmering green eyes widened pleadingly. She stripped a few pieces of delk from the slab on her plate and tossed it to the floor, laughing as the fat beast leaped on it and gobbled it noisily.

Dakkan tossed a handful of bones on the floor and the chultz' scrambled over each other to reach the scattered treats. They huffed and barked, opening their short muzzles to snap up as many as they could. "Haha! These little beasts remind me of a pack of lycar pups!"

"That doesn't speak very highly of your kin," Elery chuckled. "Chultz are about the most dim-witted pets one could tame. Their ferocity and protectiveness toward their masters are their only redeeming qualities."

"You've spent little time around a pack of pups if you think they aren't dim-witted," he said with a chuckle. He tossed his head back and drank his mug of ale dry, then slammed it on the table. "Now then, our leader has arrived so let us speak of battle!"

"A fine idea," Elery said. "We've some time before Gaidel's army arrives. I intend to fortify the grounds. That includes the passage into Ortuna."

"M'lady, that passage is sealed," the general said. "We invite danger by opening it."

"There's little choice," Cylphi said. "The passage is the straightest path back to Andethayn and Lyewryn."

"We've no idea if those we left behind are safe," Zethir said. "What if—"

Elery shook her head. "We've no time for doubts. Might I have access to a map?"

One of the knights stood and hurried out.

"Erwell has a great number of men left," Elery said. "At least, I have faith that he does. He should have no problem evacuating his people to reach Ortuna. My people are at the greatest risk. I would have us concentrate there. We will stay behind until Gaidel's troops arrive while half of the Ildaugh forces make their way through the tunnel." She turned her head toward Cylphi. "Where is Ishthemir?"

"Kept in the knights' stables," she replied. "At the north face of the fort. He is well."

Elery breathed a relieved sigh and nodded. "It does my heart and mind well to hear that. Though, I fear carrying him along will become all the more difficult. I would leave him in Ortuna if he can safely make the trip."

The knight who left the room reentered with a rolled sheet of paper. A stiff breeze swept in through the open door and snuffed most of the wall-mounted candles and a few on the table. Zethir raised a hand and, after a brief moment of focus, the candles re-lit. Several knights helped clear the table to allow the map to be unfurled.

Elery leaned over and examined the delicate and precisely-inked lines. She placed her finger on the map near their location. "The tunnels that lead to Ortuna span from all major--and several minor--areas. They all lead under the sea." She swept her finger across the paper, then stopped near Lyewryn. "Roughly here."