Chapter Seven: Winged Scout

After speaking with Jeffus about his ordeal in the mines, Peter, accompanied by Rawlstow, went to the dwarves' cave to see the crack for himself.

When he expressed his intentions, the dwarves looked at each other in some indecision. "The location of our mine is secret, sire," Nikoden explained, flushing red as he spoke and looking away uncomfortably.

"I think we c'n make an exception fer th' high king," Baladan said firmly. "But sire, ye must promise not to tell anyone else where th' entrance is, an' we will bring only you down."

"But I brought someone with me to investigate this crack to the enemy's mines." Lifting a fold of his cloak, he disclosed a bat clinging there, blinking in the light of the cave. "Too bright!" she squeaked, shifting her wings to cover her eyes, and Peter let his cloak fall to cover her once more. So that was who he had smelled, Rawlstow mused.

Again the dwarves looked at each other. "Ye c'n bring her, as long as she stays in yer cloak until we reach the crack," Baladan decided.

"Very well," Peter agreed. "As you saw, she is uncomfortable in daylight in any case." As he spoke, he felt her shifting to arrange herself comfortably in the folds of his cloak.

Baladan got to his feet. "Shall we go now, then?"

"By all means," Peter agreed, resting a hand on the table to pull himself up from the dwarf-sized chair he had been sitting in.

The dwarf took a torch from the basket where they lay ready and made his way to the back of the cave. At a push on the rock, a barely noticeable crack revealed itself as a door, and Baladan gestured the high king through it. "Mind your head," he warned. "Th' tunnels are meant fer dwarves, an' yer tall even for a human."

Stooping, Peter pressed a hand to the top of his head for protection and entered the mine. The dwarf carefully shut the secret door, then lit his torch from one that burned beside the entrance. "This way," he said, stepping out to lead Peter through the tunnel.

Dwarf picks echoed in the distance, but there was no one working in the shaft down which Baladan led the king. In fact, it seemed deserted until he saw the two dwarves stationed as sentries beside the crack.

Realizing at once who this visitor to their mine must be, they bowed in dwarven fashion. "My liege."

Peter nodded acknowledgement and glanced at the ceiling before cautiously straightening as he approached the crack.

Reaching inside his cloak, he brought the bat out clinging to his arm, causing the two dwarves who had not been aware of her presence to start slightly in surprise. "Skitterflit will explore the crack and the regions beyond and bring back news of what she finds," he explained quietly. "I trust you always have sentries here?"

"Aye," Baladan agreed.

"Then when she returns, I hope you will make her comfortable, and come to find me at the healer's."

"Of course, your majesty," Baladan agreed.

Peter gently placed Skitterflit on the edge of the crack. "Go on now, and be sure you are not caught."

"An' don't be leadin' anymore slaves out through our mine!" one of the guards added.

Peter chuckled. "That's right, Skitterflit," he agreed. "I will be rescuing them soon enough without bothering these good dwarves further."

"I hear and obey, majesty," she said in her high, squeaky voice. Turning sideways, she crawled out of sight into the crack.

"Are you all right, Skitterflit?" Peter called after a moment.

"Aye, sire!" her answer came back. "I'm off!" She let herself drop, and the slight sound of her flapping echoed back through the crack for a moment before it was gone.

Next chapter coming next week!

I proofread all my stories at least once before posting, but if you see any mistakes I might have missed, please let me know! (Note that this story is formatted using British spellings.)

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