Chapter 7

Anyone who knows much about hobbits knows that they are very thorough when it comes to eating. It should come as no surprise that Bilbo quickly inventoried the food stores and managed to just slightly overload his plate with various offerings and commenced to try them.

"I don't know what some of the dishes are, but most are delicious" he said as he mopped up a bit of juice with a bread roll.

Issa was no slouch in the eating department either, but her plate paled in comparison. "It is good, isn't it; I suppose it's one of the advantages of being king. We don't have nearly the selection back home."

"Tell me about your home" Bilbo asked. "I only got to see a little bit of it."

"Well, despite what it looked like we don't just live in tunnels. Besides the natural caves that we've turned into wonderful halls and even a swimming area, we dig out the space we need from the mountains themselves. I live in my little rooms that were my parents' before me."

"So do I!" Bilbo agreed.

"There are dwarfs in many places where one finds minerals under the ground, but I've only been on a short visit to other places when I was young so Blue Mountain is what I know best. We've got quite a few family lines that understandably mix and branch through the years until it seems as though you can trace yourself to almost anyone else if you take the time."

"I know the feeling; the Shire is the same way. 'Uncle' this and mostly 'cousin' that; I daresay the family tree of the area would look more like a twisted thornbush."

"We focus more on the group than the immediate family; that's why we have clans. When the first groups first settled in, they drew lots and set off to mine various areas of the mountain. They took their names from the first gem they encountered in their digging. My Great found an amethyst and that's the name we ended up with. Over time the separate areas became joined centrally underground until we got the maze that we have today. Here, let me show you one of my maps." Issa rummaged around in her pack and withdrew a few pieces of parchment and selected one.

"I like maps a great deal" Bilbo said. "I use them mostly for remembering where I've been."

"They're even better if you have them to show you where you're going" Issa grinned. "We're given one when we're young to memorize so we don't get lost. Not so much because of the danger of not being found, but the clans prefer not to have others in their private areas. See, here's where I live." She pointed to a box scribbled on one section of the map. "It's not perfect because it can't show all the directions."

"All the directions? What do you mean?"

"A normal map shows north, south, east and west. But underground you also have up and down to worry about. Especially if you're going to the lower levels."

"You mean that Bism place you mentioned?"

"That's part of it. Underland is, well, under the land of Narnia. We live on top, just under the outside. Underland goes deeper and deeper, and below that is Bism where the gnomes live."

"They called me a gnome!" Bilbo said.

"Only because they hadn't seen a hobbit before. But don't call them a gnome to their face; they prefer Earthmen although I suppose it should be Earthpeople since there are women gnomes too."

"So the gnomes come up to your area?"

"Normally no. I went down there for my initiation and saw them before I returned. It's too hot for me, and it doesn't smell right either." Issa scrunched her nose at the memory.

"Initiation? Like a test?"

"More like a ritual. When we become an adult many of us take a trip to Bism to mark the occasion. The new adult is given a small empty vial before descending into the lower regions for our initiation. The goal is to find the proper gem and squeeze out enough juice to fill the vial without being caught or overcome by the heat and fumes." She pulled on a necklace and a small vial revealed itself hanging from the front.

"Juice from a gemstone? Oh Issa, now you're having me on for sure" Bilbo laughed.

"No, it's real. Down there are gems that juice can be extracted from if you know which ones to find. It's a little bit like the small bottle Queen Lucy has that will cure almost all illness or injury with one drop; this isn't that powerful, but the entire contents are enough to bring one dwarf back from death if you don't wait too long. We call it our second chance, and the dwarfs keep the existence of the vials to themselves. You are the only non-dwarf I know of that knows the secret now."

Bilbo was taken aback. "Then...I am honored to be in your confidence" he said with all sincerity.

"Good, you seem like a good person and I'd hate to kill you" she said with a grin.

"You seem like a good person, I'd hate to die" Bilbo responded in kind. "Does everyone come back with a full vial?"

"Everyone except Old Yarna. He had one but he dropped it cliimbing back up to our levels again. We kid him sometimes, but it's a good lesson in being careful. You can spend your whole life in the mines and still...have an accident if you're careless."

"I can't imagine spending my whole life underground. I need to see the sky; I don't really have to go outside sometimes, I can just look through my windows" Bilbo reminisced.

"You can see the sky and be under the ground at the same time?" Issa asked, astonished. "I never thought about that before. Sometimes I feel like the whole weight of the mountain is on me, but I feel too vulnerable if I'm in the open too much. Your house sounds like the best of both worlds, Bilbo."

"Perhaps it is" he said. "I never really thought about it, but it is very nice. I guess I have to be away from home long enough that I start to really appreciate it. But perhaps we are kindred spirits; when I've been at home for some time I yearn to go adventure to mountains, but when I've been on and under them I start to want to be back home again. Perhaps neither of us has truly found our place yet; that's an exciting thought, isn't it?"

"Why yes" Issa agreed "I do suppose it is. Say, I think I hear footsteps; someone must be coming."

Bilbo had been oblivious to the sounds outside, being wrapped up in eating and talking with Issa. He only just noticed the steps before the flap opened and Peter returned.

"My apologies," the king offered "that took a little longer than I anticipated. Excuse me" he added as he opened a basket and pulled out a hard roll, along with an apple. He sat down in front of his guests as he began to eat from both items. "I got some more information from one of our fliers. The source of those light beams seems to be coming from the roof of one of the houses in the giants' village. The building's top it flat, and there is a arrangement of various colored stones, a platform and a few other things. Someone was working up there, and it looked like he was testing a few of the beams. It doesn't sound good; I think the giants are stalling until this new weapon is perfected and then we are in great trouble."

"I don't know anything about weapons, sire" Bilbo offered "but you have my skills at your disposal. Perhaps I can get close and learn some vital bit that can turn the tide; everyone and everything has a weakness, even something as fearsome as a dragon."

"And there is no one around with more knowledge of gems and stones than me" Issa chimed in. "If they are the key to this light weapon, I might be able to find that weakness."

"Very good, I see Aslan has chosen well. I only ask that you proceed quickly, for I fear time is of the essence. Rest tonight, and start out early tomorrow. Take comfort here, and leave when you are ready in the morning. I thank you now, and pray I shall be able to thank you again after." Peter stood and bowed to his guests and left the room for his private chamber beyond, closing the flap behind him.