Ahte-ukum stumbled forward, his mother too shocked to stop him. The crowd was silent, too awestruck to process what had just happened.

“D-d-daddy?” A tiny voice filled the oppressive silence, and all heads turned to watch Ahte-ukum. Tears filled the child’s eyes as he tottered forward, hands outstretched. “Daddy, get up. Get up, daddy.” He started crying softly, tears flowing down his small, scaled face. “Daddy, please get up.” He took two more steps, and fell to his hands and knees. He continued to crawl to the smoldering ashes that were once his father. “Daddy, no.” He broke down, sobs racking his tiny body.

I shuffled over on my knees towards him, and picked him up, holding him close as he bawled as only a child could. I cradled him to my neck as he wailed in loss and sorrow, tears filling my own eyes.

“I’m so sorry, son. I tried to keep this from happening. I tried so hard.” I wept with the small boy in my arms, as his mother and brothers came over, and gently pried him from me. I kneeled there in the hard-packed dirt, silently weeping over what I had done.

Elizabet came to my side, and knelt in front of me. She took my face in her hands, and lifted it up. Her own eyes were red from crying, and she kissed me softly with trembling lips. “I thought I’d lost you.” She wrapped me in a tight hug, and held me while I wept for lost fathers.

The Great Mother walked over to us, and simply laid a hand on my shoulder. “Stand up, my child.”

Elizabet stood, holding my hands. I pulled myself up with her assistance, and looked up at the Goddess, my face covered with tear-streaked dirt. “Yes, My Lady?”

She pulled both Elizabet and myself into a tight hug, and held us for a moment. “You held back, Ivor. You still tried to save him. This is why I chose you. Your compassion, even in the face of your fury, is part of your shine. Elizabet sees it. The Haarthuu see it. They see you, Ivor Freyrsson. We all do. You have done well, even though it hurts.” She kissed my brow and released us.

“I must go. My purpose here is complete. I will continue to watch you, though I may be far away.” She stepped away, and slowly faded away.

Elizabet wrapped an arm around me, and led me to the rest of our companions and the Elder. “It’s okay, sweetheart. We are all here.”

The Elder stepped in front of us, halting our advancement. “Ivor. I saw what you did. What you tried to do. You have shown honor and compassion to one who deserved neither. The Haarthuu will remember.”

“Elder.” I sniffled, my breath hitching momentarily. “What will happen to the boys and their mother?”

“They are free to choose their own path in the world, as can any of the Haarthuu. If they stay here, Talah-ma’at may choose another mate. He may adopt the children as his own, he may force them out. Who can say?” He gave a small shrug. “What I didn’t expect was Talah-ahte being able to make the fire. The red-eyes are capable, but if they fail, the results can be… well…” He gestured to the smoking ash pile. “You can see.”

I looked back at the greasy pile, already being covered by some of the people. “Yeah. About that…” I turned to face the smaller man. “Are the Haarthuu descended from dragons?”

He smiled. “There is much about my people the Humans have never asked. Come,” He turned and strode off, “You will be the first. We will feast, and celebrate the Great Mother’s coming and leaving. We will speak of your plans and desires to free the peoples of Chaia. Come, Friend of The Haarthuu. Be welcome.”

We all followed the Elder into the cavern. Looking around, we saw simple, yet beautiful, architecture. It appeared the Haarthuu were accomplished stoneworkers. Looking closer, I spied intricate designs in the stonework that caught my eye and attention. “Elder?” The man stopped and turned to me, with a questioning look. “Your people are magnificent stoneworkers. Why has nobody ever taken note of this? I see some absolutely beautiful work, even from this distance. Your people are the first I’ve seen with true artistry in their work.”

He swelled with pride. “Thank you, Ivor. Thank you for the kindness. Yes. The Haarthuu are stoneworkers. As are the Deep Folk. They, however, are concerned with function. We want to display our art to each other, and the world. Not to disparage the Deep Folk, now. They are true artisans in every sense of the word. I have seen their beauty in stone, as well. Come, I shall show you to your dwellings.”

He led us down corridors hewn into the bones of the mountain. It was a maze that I was certain I would never memorize. Every few yards, there were small glass globes filled with a glowing substance that I could not identify, but supposed to be some sort of bioluminescent moss, mushroom, or creature. All around us were the sounds of hundreds of people laughing, chattering, and arguing. The sounds of hammer and chisel were ubiquitous, as was the sound of hammer on anvil. Enticing scents wafted through the air, reminding me of how hungry I was. It was nothing short of amazing, and I immediately felt safe as we passed by men, women and children, all focused on their tasks.

Presently, we came to a row of stone doors deep in the mountain. “And here are your rooms, my friends. The doors will bolt shut from the inside. You are free to wander to your heart’s content, but I am thinking you need rest, first. Worry not, as the feast will go on for several days. The meat you have brought us, along with the catch from our hunters and fishers, will feed us all for quite some time. This is a time to celebrate, even if there is sadness attached. Look ahead to our future, Ivor.” He awkwardly patted me on my hip, and turned away, heading back to the town center.

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Blainaut took a moment, and gave me a hug. “I understand, my friend. You are weary, need food, and in dire need of comfort. Take as much time as you need to recover yourself. We will wait. Besides, the Haarthuu are exactly what I need to make my mark in the Guild. I may not be able to go to the Northlands, but nobody, and I mean nobody, has ever been able to mingle with the Lizardfolk. I mean Haarthuu. We never even knew what they called themselves. So much to learn. Thaddeus?” The young man looked over at Blainaut. “How would you like to apprentice into the Explorer’s Guild?” He wrapped an arm around the young man’s shoulder, and they went into a room, presumably to talk about the prospects for young Thaddeus.

I sighed and opened the door to my room, and walked in, Elizabet following me. The room was dimly lit with the glow-globes, and I looked over at Elizabet. “Would you please get some stones out of the Bag? I need more light than this. I’ll wind up hurting myself.”

“Um…how?”

“Huh? Oh, yeah. Just reach into the bag, and think of what you want to remove.” At her incredulous look, I said “Seriously. That’s it.”

“Okay…” She closed her eyes, and reached in. Her eyes opened in shock as she pulled out a handful of the large, smooth stones I’d been collecting whenever I found them. “How? How does this work?”

“I’m not one hundred percent sure, to tell you the truth. I just know it does, and that’s good enough. Do you know the word for light?” I wearily looked up at her, hoping she did.

“No. Nobody does. Nobody knows any words for illuminations.”

I sighed. Of course not. “The word is light.” I worked with her until she had it right, and nodded. “Now. I want you to hold that stone, and hold the image of, let’s say a lit candle, in your mind, and cast the spell.”

Elizabet held the stone, eyes closed, and said “Light.” And the stone glowed with a feeble light, similar to a standard candle. “I did it!” She smiled and got a little wobbly.

“Woah, now. Let’s sit you down.” I led her to the bed, and gently sat her down. “It seems unfamiliar words are harder to cast at first, huh?” She nodded.

“Let me see what I can do. Don’t worry. For me, this is inconsequential.” I took a stone in my hand, and concentrated on the image of a standard light bulb from Earth. “Light.” The room was bathed in bright light, and I had to look away. “Well, there we go. It needs a shade of some sorts.” I walked to a far corner, and muttered “Stone shape.” and pulled a small lump of stone from the wall, and crafted a rough lamp shape out of it, complete with a paper-thin shade and an airtight cover for the stone to effectively turn it “off”. My vision swam momentarily, and I braced myself against the wall to catch my breath. “I’m fine. Watch this.” I placed the stone lamp on the only table in the room, and placed the light stone in the holder inside. The room was lit with a bright, diffuse light, and I could finally see clearly what the room looked like.

The bed was a wooden framed affair with a down-filled mattress. It had carvings on every surface, obviously done by different hands through its life. They wove a complex story in the designs, some simple, some complex and intricate, all lending beauty to the bed. The walls were similarly decorated. It seemed stone carving was something of a pastime for these people. Everywhere I looked, I saw a new masterpiece, each blending with the next to form a complex design with no beginning and no end.

There was a series of cleverly crafted ventilation shafts all throughout the room. I felt a comfortable, cool draft from each. Even though the door was shut tight and there were no windows, there was no worry of asphyxiation.

I sat on the bed next to Elizabet and yawned as my stomach growled. “I need something to eat. Could you get me some of the dried meat?”

She reached into the bag, and withdrew a ten pound bundle of the meat, setting it on the lone table. “That will never cease to amaze me.”

I smiled and looked around, spying a recess on the opposite wall. Picking up her candle stone, I went over to investigate, and found a bathroom with a similar concept to the ones on Earth, minus the shower, containing only a large tub with a drain . I opened the lid and heard rushing water. It seemed they used a method similar to the ancient Romans. Turning to the basin, I saw a wooden tap above a stone basin. Turning the tap, I was rewarded with fresh, clean, cool water. I took a sip, and smiled. It was delicious. I stood there and drank my fill, closed the spigot and walked out.

“You’ll never believe what I just saw…” I trailed off when I saw Elizabet standing there, nude, her hands behind her back. I gazed longingly at her.

She motioned to the meat on the table. “Eat, love. You need to replenish your strength. I will wait for you.” She took a seat on the bed. “What did you find?”

“I, uh, um…” I blinked, trying to focus. Taking a deep breath, “I found the bathroom. It has running water and an efficient toilet system. I’m so grateful I brought compostable toilet paper.” I started shoving the dried meat in my mouth, eating until I felt normal.

I sighed, remembering what I’d done. I’d killed the boys’ father, and done so in front of them, in a most gruesome way. I wouldn’t be surprised if they wanted nothing to do with me, now. At least they had their mother, still.

“Ivor. Come to bed, love.” Elizabet slid back, opening the covers.

I nodded. She was right. Taking joy -and comfort- where I found it would probably be the best thing I could do. I stripped completely, and crawled into the bed. I looked at Elizabet, and brushed my hand across her cheek, tucking a stray lock of hair behind her ear. “I meant what I said earlier.” At her quizzical look, I explained. “About you being my Lady.” She smiled and a brush crept up her chest and neck. “I love you, Elizabet.” Her eyes snapped to mine, and her jaw dropped.

“You…I…what?”

“I love you.”

She lay there, mouth opening and closing, her eyes watering. She whispered “I love you too.”

“I’m sorry, what? I didn’t hear that.” I gently poked her in the ribs, causing her to squeak, and giggle.

“I said I love you too, you big jerk.” She smiled, tears falling from her eyes.

“Good.” I kissed her softly, and scooted down, burying my face in her breasts.

She sighed contentedly, and held me there, wrapping her long legs over mine. I was asleep in moments.