The brothers were learning more about Grumpy than ever before, but it wasn't enough. No matter what they gleaned from their conversations with Bastian, they were hungry for more. For so long, he'd hidden away, but they knew why now. A thief. He had been a thief. That was why he didn't like talking about his past. He was ashamed and afraid they wouldn't want him if they knew. But they weren't angry about it. They were relieved to finally understand. Bastian seemed puzzled by this, and as they traveled, he asked many questions. A week into their travels, he asked another.
"What's it like where you live?"
The brothers were pleased to describe the cottage and their simple lives. Bastian listened attentively.
"So you're miners?"
"No," Sleepy said, offended. "We ain't miners. We're Dwarfs."
"The difference is…?"
Sleepy's whole face lit up and he began a recitation of the history of Dwarf crafting, which lasted fifteen minutes. Bastian was very interested.
"The difference," Sleepy finished. "Is that we don't just mine. That ain't our job. That's only a part of what we do."
Bastian smiled. "And Grumpy works with you?"
"Yep," Bashful said. He puffed up. "I taught him what he knows."
"So that's where he got the money from."
"Money?" Happy asked.
"The money he had in Castell. He said it was his money. As a thief in the guild, what you steal is not yours. It goes to the guild, and in exchange for your work, you get lodging and food and protection."
Bashful snapped his fingers. "That's why he looked ready to cry when you gave the money to him, Doc. He'd never had his own before."
"He don't spend much on himself though," Happy said.
"He doesn't?" Bastian asked. "What does he spend it on? You?"
"Naw, he always gives most of it away to strangers," Happy said. "He'll walk right up to somebody on the street and give 'em gold, and then turn away while they stare like they're gonna break."
"Thieves and orphans," Bastian said. He smiled again. "Of course Ivan would spend his money on them. He knows what it means to be both."
They continued to hike, and Doc adjusted his direction again, turning sharply. It was a usual occurrence as he wound them through obstacles. They had started going southwest, but they had slowly shifted to a more southerly direction. The magic confused and delighted them. Dopey was the most comfortable out of the brothers with that particular aspect of their journey, but even he enjoyed seeing it in action.
After walking awhile longer, Doc stopped. "We're camping gear, ah, here."
This was not a usual occurrence. They usually hiked until sunset.
"Why?" Sneezy asked.
"I don't know," Doc replied.
Bastian and Dopey immediately shrugged off their packs and sat down. When Bastian began to get a tent out, Doc made a negative noise, and he stopped.
"What's it saying?" Bastian asked.
"Keep as much packed as possible."
"Sleeping under the stars it is," Bastian said. He pulled out his bedroll and watched Doc carefully. Doc made no move to stop him, so the others got out theirs, too. Then they wondered what to do next.
"Gather hocks, uh, rocks to stuff your pockets with," Doc said when they asked.
Even Dopey frowned at this and asked why.
"I don't know," Doc said.
"You say that no matter what we ask!" Sneezy exclaimed irritably.
"Because the answer hasn't changed," Doc said calmly. "Go on. Rocks."
"Do I need to do that?" Bastian asked.
"No. Sharpen your life, uh, knife please."
"Sure."
Bastian retrieved his knife and a whetstone and began to do as Doc wanted. The brothers didn't.
"You don't even know why you're doin' that," Sneezy said.
"Don't need to," Bastian replied, pouring oil on the stone.
"Why not?"
Bastian began to sharpen his knife. "If Ivan told you to do it, would you listen?"
"Course we would!" Happy exclaimed.
"Why?"
The brothers didn't answer for a minute. Then Bashful spoke. "Because he just knows."
"Doc is just like him right now because of the magic."
"But it don't make no sense!" Sneezy complained.
"To you. But it makes sense to you, doesn't it, Doc?"
"Yes. And no."
Bastian nodded. "I expect the 'no' is because you don't have natural magic. I've learned a lot from Ivan about it. It might never make sense to any of you. I sure don't understand it, and that's after years of being a part of Ivan's life. I've learned to just go with it. It's never good to fight magic. It can have devastating consequences. I've seen it before." He held up his knife and tested it on a blade of grass. Satisfied with its sharpness, he wiped the oil off and set the knife aside. "Better gather those rocks, or Doc will do it himself. He won't be able to help it."
So the brothers all got up and began hunting for rocks with no idea why they'd need them. Afterwards, they talked until supper, ate, then went to sleep.
Doc knew they would be seeing Grumpy soon, and despite his anticipation, he closed his eyes to sleep. As he drifted away, he couldn't help longing to see his brother again. Because Grumpy was their brother as far as any of them were concerned, and that was one of the first things they were going to tell him.
He woke up and roused the others at daybreak. They all got up, ate, and packed everything. Then Doc had them stuff their pockets with the rocks they'd gathered and they walked over a hill and down into a wooded valley. There were rock formations to one side of the path, a natural maze, but Doc didn't go toward them. He walked over and peered around the forested area by the path, walking this way and that before he made his decision.
"There," he said, pointing at a bush. "Bashful, you sit there. And don't move until you can't sit still anymore."
Bashful did so, and Doc nodded then spread the others out behind other bushes. He hid their supplies before he told them to start throwing when he gave the signal.
"And me?" Bastian asked.
"Up in that knee, erm, tree," Doc said, pointing over to the other side of the road a few yards down the way. "You'll know putt, ah, what to do."
"If you say so," he said cheerfully and went over to climb up.
Doc made sure none of them were visible then hid himself. Then they waited for whatever was going to happen.
Bashful picked at the grass, feeling silly because what did Doc even mean, when he couldn't sit still? He wasn't a kid anymore and could sit still for hours. He pulled out one of the rocks and studied it with his senses. It was stuffed with iron crystals, and he counted them. Then he did it again. He was on his third round and had just decided this was stupid when he heard people sprinting down the path. Bashful stiffened and steadied his breathing, waiting. As the footsteps were about to pass by, there was a crash and a grunt. A familiar grunt.
"Where are you going, tunnel rat?" a man asked, his tone mocking. "And who's your friend?"
Grumpy told him what he could do to himself, his voice high and wild.
"Kasper! I'm Kasper!" a boy suddenly cried. "Let him go!"
"Kasper, eh?"
"Don't you touch him!" Grumpy shrieked.
"Oh, I won't touch him, Ivan," the man laughed.
The laugh turned to a scream, and Bashful couldn't help but peek out. Grumpy was on the ground, and it was clear he'd just kicked the man in the nose. Bashful watched as Grumpy got up and sprinted toward a boy, who must have been Kasper. But the man grabbed his ankle and tripped him before he got too far. The human stood up and wiped the blood off his nose, gazing at Grumpy with the same dead look that Grumpy had given the stranger in the city.
Grumpy scrambled up, pushing the boy back against a tree, guarding him. Bashful gripped the rock tighter as the man approached them.
"I think, Ivan, you've forgotten your place," he said silkily. "Time for the other shoulder. Then you'll mind your manners."
Grumpy grasped his left shoulder, a terrified expression on his face.
Everything fell away from Bashful as he realized that the man in front of him was the one who had branded Grumpy. He was the reason Grumpy couldn't forge, the reason he sometimes woke up screaming in the middle of the night. He had hurt Grumpy, and he was threatening to do it again.
Bashful stood up and stepped out, a hellish expression on his face as he grasped the rock in a white-knuckled grip. "YOU SON OF A BITCH!" he roared, and he hurled the rock at the man's head.
Grumpy and Kasper looked at him, and their mouths fell open while the man spun to face Bashful only to get hit in the face. He yowled and stumbled back, and then Doc stood up.
"Now, men!" he shouted.
Bashful had already thrown another, cursing the man, his kin, and everything else he could think of. Rocks began flying, and Kasper grabbed Grumpy and they sprinted for cover amidst the rock formations. Bashful turned to his brothers when he noticed they were backing off.
"Don't miss him!" he shouted. "He's the one who done it! He branded Grumpy!"
Shock crossed all the brothers' faces before their expressions twisted into masks of rage. They drove the man back, all of them cursing and threatening, until he was backed against the tree that Bastian was hiding in. Bastian dropped down to pin him, holding his knife against his throat.
"You move, Emil, and I won't hesitate," Bastian purred. "I owe you. And so do these lovely men."
"They're not Men. They're Dwarfs." Emil spat the word out as if it disgusted him.
"Yeah? And you know what Dwarfs do to troublemakers?" Sleepy asked, his eyes bright.
Emil looked at him, his eyes panicked. "You wouldn't."
"Wanna find out?" Sneezy asked, grinning.
Emil looked at Bastian to see if they were bluffing. "I'd be interested to see that. Could I join you?" Bastian asked.
"Sure, sonny," Bashful said. "Me first." He stepped forward.
Emil wrenched himself out of Bastian's grip, which Bastian allowed, and he ran back down the path toward Alirgos. Bastian wiped down his blade.
"So what do Dwarfs do to troublemakers?" he asked casually.
Sleepy looked up at him and shrugged. "I dunno. Grumpy never done told us what he'd been told about Dwarfs."
"You don't want to know," Bastian said grimly. "From the horror stories she told him growing up, I swear Calida didn't want Grumpy to even talk to another Dwarf."
"We'd better go find him," Bashful said.
After retrieving their packs, they walked into the rock formations. Doc went in front, winding this way and that, humming to himself. He didn't need directions, even if the place was a maze. Suddenly, they heard Snow shouting.
"I said stay, damn you!" she bellowed, her voice fiercer than they had ever heard.
The brothers froze, and Bastian raised his eyebrows then smiled. "Ah. Kasper. Right."
"No, that was Snow," Bashful said tightly. "And she's spittin' fire. Somethin' ain't right."
Doc broke into a run. As he came to the end of the rocks, the magic finally eased away inside of him, settling into a satisfied contentment. There was Grumpy, standing with a boy who had to be Kasper. Grumpy looked over at Doc as they came out, and the satisfaction disappeared. The brothers all froze as they realized that Grumpy was more terrified of them than ever before. They had to fix this. Today. Now. And no was no longer an option.