The tunnel we walked through was perfectly carved. I highly suspected that magic was involved in its creation. The ceiling and walls had magical lights to keep it illuminated. They certainly made sure that even humans, who had trouble seeing in the dark, would be fine.

The dwarves had an entire network of roads and cities under the mountains. But we did not see an intersection yet.

“There are further defences ahead, right?” I asked.

“Why do you think that?” Lucy asked.

“This used to be a major trade route. Surely the road will split and lead to different cities. Keeping it straight this long feels like they created a deliberate choke point. It gives them time to muster troops and organise a defence, if the gate is breached.”

“Well, there is a fortress ahead. That is where I am taking you.” Frida said.

“And they heard the alarm…” I said.

“Eh. You worry too much!” She took another sip of the whisky. “It will all be fine.”

We kept walking until we saw the fortress. And it certainly deserved that name. The tunnel opened into a big dome. Inside was a castle with thick walls, towers and heavy defences. I could see ballistae pointing our way. The fortress sat in the middle of the dome, with the road leading around it. While it would not outright block an army, it would force them to march right beneath the walls.

“There seem to be a lot of people on the wall.” Lucy said.

“Yes. And those ballistae are manned.” I added.

“Huh?” Frida scratched her head. “They took that alarm seriously? Why would they do that?”

“Because that is what an alarm is for.” I pointed out.

“Eh.” Frida shrugged and took another sip. “What are the odds that something powerful really breaks through that door?”

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“That is exactly what happened!” I said.

“I suppose. But it’s not like you are evil.”

“I think the dwarves did not station their best at this gate.” Lucy whispered into my ear.

I had to agree. It was a lost cause.

“Do you think they will attack if we get closer? Or talk first?” I asked Lucy.

“Surely they will talk, right? But we should keep the wagons back, to be safe.”

“Ok, Frida, Lucy, Lily and myself will approach them.”

“And me! Please pick me!” Shani hopped around. Well, did it count as hopping, since she was kind of floating?

Also… “Why do you have those bunny ears?” I asked.

“They are cute! Ben likes them.”

“But… you have elven ears too. I mean, it’s not like you need ears as an elemental, I suppose. It just… looks weird.”

“Weird is good!” Shani said, nodding. “They would be even better made of blood! Maybe we can get some?”

“We should take Shani with us.” Lucy said with a mischievous smile.

Shani’s eyes grew comically large and she gave me her best puppy look.

I sighed. “Sure, sure. But we do not attack or hurt them. They are our allies, remember.”

The wagons stopped and we approached the fortress. The ballista seemed to track our movements.

“Hello! We are friendly!” I called out to them while waving.

“Friendly, eh?” We heard a dwarf reply from the wall. “So those wagons back there are not carrying soldiers? And our gate… it just happened to open for you?”

“Captain Ironbeard, those folks are alright!” Frida replied, waving the whisky in her hand around.

“Really? So they did not break through our gate?”

“Oh, sure they did that. Weird magic, rather creepy. But they are just passing through. Nice folks.”

There was a moment of silence as the captain digested her words. I wondered if he was trying to control his emotions.

“YOU ARE BLOODY USELESS FRIDA!” He shouted.

“Oy! That is uncalled for!” She responded.

“So, mysterious stranger. What do you have to say to this?”

Lily stepped forward. “May I present the Ladies Amaya and Lucy Delphinium and their loyal companion Shani!”

Before she could follow up with a bunch of titles I said: “We are nobles from the Dominion and escorting refugees from the Empire. Sadly, I had to disable the magic on your gate but I am willing to pay for repairs. We have Thessia with us, the high priestess of Sylphania who used to run the temple in Unitera. She is a dryad and we need to replant her tree.”

Maybe we should have taken her with us to talk with the garrison. She was a great excuse for our hurry. Then again, it’s not like she was far away.

“Amaya you say? One moment.”

There was some discussion on the wall. We waited patiently. Well… Shani was humming and twirling her scythe.

We saw a dwarf looking down at us from the wall. He was studying us while holding some piece of parchment with one hand. The other was stroking his beard. The dwarf was male, had grey hair and wore a full plate armour with an open-faced helmet.

“Hm. Archfey looking like a night elf. A foxkin with slit pupils and lightning bolt on her forehead. Crazy elemental with a large scythe. Combat maid. No mention of a dryad or a bunch of refugees.”

“They are a recent addition.” I added.

“It also says here you are a countess. And we recently formalised our alliance with the Dominion. Still, I will have to contact the palace. Could you wait here while I use the messenger stone?”

“Sure, no problem.”