Biff led my escort as always, and we had no troubles getting to the Duke’s Keep. It was also where the City Watch had their headquarters, and it was busy with lots more men and women in uniform than ever before.

  I had several citizens bless me or thank me as I walked the short distance from the shoppe to the Keep. I waved and wished people well. I never knew what to say. Simon and Steven were way better at that than I was. They seemed to know what to say to calm or console. But for me, I was still trying to figure out the right questions; I was a far distance from giving good answers.

  By now, all the regular guards knew who I was, and I had no difficulties passing through the gate. I walked straight up to the suite of rooms where the War Room was located, but Jon intercepted me and walked me further down the hallway to a private chamber.

  “The Duke is in his office. He had a long night but was happy to hear from you. He had me working on another letter to the dwarves when Bella’s message came to me.” He stopped at the door and knocked twice.

  “Enter.” Came the familiar voice of the Duke on the other side of the door.

  Jon opened the door and allowed me to enter. He asked me, “Private or shall I join you?”

  “Please join us,” I said, but turned to the Duke, “with my liege’s permission.”

  “It’s just us, Gwydion. Yes, Jon, please join us.” The Duke replied.

  I was offered a chair next to the fireplace and beside a table with breads, cheeses, and meats. None had been touched.

  “Help yourself.” The Duke said, “I am not hungry.”

  “I know the feeling,” I replied, although my stomach growled loudly in protest.

  The Duke chuckled. “Young people are always hungry. Eat. Look, I’ll even join you.” And he moved to sit nearby and reached over to take a small chunk of cheese.

  He took a bite and chewed slowly.

  I did the same.

  “Gwydion, I don’t know how else to get the dwarves or the elves to help us. I have offered fortunes, magic, land, and I am not getting a reply from the dwarves and only polite doubletalk from the elves.” He looked at me, his eyes were tired. He had gone days with little sleep.

  “Do you have an idea?” He asked, his voice sounded desperate.

  “Bad news?” I asked him.

  He looked at me, and then his shoulders slumped. “Yes, the goblins have broken through and are advancing. For what little good news there is, they are coming less quickly than we feared. They seem to be gathering their strength to march all at once, but they will be here in five days' time. Six at the latest if your suggestion to the Ranger Commander finds success.”

  I lowered my head. That was not good news, even if it did give us a day more than our worst fears. Still, I had hoped for a few more days than that.

  “So what is your plan?” He asked with a wane smile.

  “It’s not much of a plan,” I admitted.

  “Not much of a plan is better than no plan.” He said.

  “Wait until you hear it to judge.”

  I shared Bella’s information.

  “You’re right,” Jon said, “That isn’t much of a plan.”

  “Don’t be so quick to judge.” The Duke said.

  “You must be desperate if you think this idea is a good one,” I argued.

  “I am, and it isn’t that good of a plan. But it is something you can work with. You have a way of working through these things.”

  “Until I don’t,” I replied.

  “Don’t be negative. Your optimism and hope are two of my anchors. I need it.” He said sternly.

  Taken from Royal Road, this narrative should be reported if found on Amazon.

  I blinked. He was the Duke, heir to the realm’s kingdom and Imperial seat. Three days ago, I was an upstart apprentice.

  And now you are an upstart journeyman recommended to be a master. Bella replied.

  Not now, please, Bella.

  “I’m sorry, my lord. The pressure was starting to get to me.”

  He smiled. “At least you look good. New robes?” He asked.

  “Yes. The masters-” I tilted my head. “You knew about this?” I said, pointing at my robes.

  The Duke shrugged his shoulders. “Not specifically. I suggested that you could use a boost. I was sensing your stress and thought that you and your people could use a reward or acknowledgment. Remember that they draw their hope from you. It is like that with leadership. We cannot show weakness and doubt. We can be open to alternatives, but we must not show doubt. In a crisis, uncertainty can be as deadly as the enemy’s blades.”

  Today had been a huge morale booster. I felt good, too, until the weight came back down on me. I said as much to him.

  “Yes, it’s like that. Cherish those fleeting moments of surety and companionship. Look to them when times turn dark. Sometimes it is the only thing to keep you going.”

  He sat up straighter, taking his own advice. “Let’s talk this through, then. I’ll share what I know and what we have offered.”

  We spoke for around twenty minutes. It was not long, but it served to create a plan.

  Sort of.

  “Jon, draw up the document for me to sign and walk it over to the bank with Gwydion. This needs to be done quickly.” The Duke ordered.

  In less than five more minutes, Jon accompanied me and my escort to the bank. We were immediately ushered into the bank director’s office. He blanched when I handed him the letter.

  But he did not argue.

  In fifteen minutes, we had twenty thousand platinum pieces and fifty thousand gold pieces worth of diamonds and emeralds. None were magical, just pieces of royal jewelry and a box of the lustrous gems. Two hundred and fifty thousand gold value in my magical backpack in gem chests and 40 bags of 500 platinum pieces.

  I was paranoid that I would be attacked by pirates or something equally improbable, the entire walk back to the shoppe. It’s not like that was a crazy worry.

  And the Duke promised to double that if necessary, based on my judgment call.

  We made it back with no pirate ships swooping down St. Michael’s Way to ambush us.

  Humans have an active and illogical imagination. Bella said.

  Thank you. I replied, thinking that my fears were a bit silly.

  It was not meant as a compliment. She said and was silent once more.

  An hour and a half later, I had gathered and prepared everything that I could think of for the trip. I had worked on another round of rings to augment our numbers and brought a dozen of each of the three types with me in case something came up where they would be useful.

  Red showed me a surprise for my guards who were slated to get the next round of gifts. They were to receive bracers rather than circlets, and if the armor worked out, a set of Dwarven Copper armor that was taken from the capital museum, along with some odd weapons, all dating to the second or third ages. The prototype armor had been made with a mold, believing that since it was Dwarven Copper, it would hold up magically even though it was not made in a traditional way, with each metal sheet pounded and formed into shape. Red was working with the old jeweler, who had shown us very old techniques for ring making that revolutionized our process.

  I got the impression that making armor the same way was going far slower and was less successful. Still, he made me take the original museum pieces with me, wrapped in black cotton in case I had time to speak with a Dwarven armorer.

  I told him I’d see what I could do.

  Adriana came up and gave me a hug. She could tell I was stressed and that this could be dangerous. Biff was beside himself that I could not take anyone with me. He had asked me a dozen times to speak with Isaac, but I explained each time that Isaac had never been there and the risks of successfully teleporting somewhere he had never been were very low. He and the guards were all up to the risk, but I would not allow it. Losing half my guards, my friends, because they tried to materialize in solid stone was unconscionable. The risk was too great.

  My backpack was full of treasure, armor, and things that Biff or the journeymen insisted that I bring with me. I was just glad that the backpack was magical. I don’t think I could have carried it otherwise.

  My friends wished me luck. Biff frowned fiercely. Adriana chewed her lip. And so, with a smile and wave to set them at ease, which didn’t really work, I activated the gift that Grandmaster Doric Copperheart gave me and willed myself to the Copper Mountains Dwarven Hold’s Hall of Welcoming.

  The good news was that I arrived in the middle of the hall in what was clearly a large summoning circle. The bad news was that a dozen dwarven warriors who were startled by my sudden arrival reacted in a manner that was less than welcoming.

  In Dwarven, I stated loudly, “I am Gwydion Istari Ringweaver, Dwarfkin and Dwarf Master here to meet with our liege and King.”

  They rushed me but stopped short of impaling me on their Dwarven Copper poleaxes at the command of their officer in charge, “Hold!”

  I stood in my new robes but showed no visible weapons. Granted, my battle staff was on my left thumb and I was also wearing my gemmed circlet, nine other Dwarven Copper rings loaded with gems and stones, a new Dwarven Copper necklace with five sockets and filled with five, 14pt emeralds, a potion vest that was under my robe, my former master’s Elven Silver bracers with socketed diamonds on my arms above my dwarven master markings thanks to the robe sleeves being rolled up, the Elven Silver gemmed earrings, and I had my hands casually resting at my side beside my Holy Blade which could not be seen.

  I was a ticking bomb, but I looked like a young human mage.

  Which, based on the body language of the dwarf guards, was the same as a ticking bomb.

  In fairness, they were not wrong. I just thought they would act a little more at ease.

  “Speak your business, human, or suffer for your intrusion.” The officer commanded now that he had halted his soldiers’ immediate murderous instincts.

  I took a slow breath and repeated, “I am Gwydion Istari Ringweaver, Dwarfkin and Dwarf Master here to meet with our liege and King. Fetch Grandmaster Doric Copperheart; he will vouch for me.”

  A light of understanding glimmered in his eyes.

  “You.” He spat in Dwarven.

  I did not answer right away. I stared at him. Hard.

  You know what to do, Gwydion. Bella whispered to me.

  I dropped the tenor of my voice an octave. “Are you challenging me, brother?” I said in ancient dwarven, the language of both scholars and challenges to honor.

  His eyebrows shot high, and he looked me over more quickly and with more care. He clearly saw the Dwarven Copper rings filled with gems, my silver bracers filled with diamonds, my circlet also made of Dwarven Copper, and the Dwarven Master marks burnt into my forearms below the bracers.

  He licked his lips. “My choice of words was hasty. Please allow me to request the presence of Grandmaster Doric Copperheart, who no doubt can clarify this misunderstanding.”

  I nodded but did not respond in words. It meant I would not immediately act on the perceived challenge, but neither had I dismissed it.

  He waited for me to reply; seeing that I did not, he turned to the youngest of the soldiers, “Run to the grandmaster and bring him here, with respect, but with all due speed.”

  The young dwarf stared at him in disbelief, but jumped to attention when the officer slammed the staff of his poleaxe against the stone floor. Its sound echoed back and forth several times across the far reaches of the open cavern.

  I thought that observation could be useful later.