Chapter 10: The Fallen Trainee

  Training was cancelled, and the four would be allowed to go back to the lodging at where they were staying. Each had been staying at a different place, so there would not be a chance meeting.

  Zilphnod brought Kaz back to the Black Gold, and was told to get rest while it was available. She sat on her bed, and thought about how young Dartkin was. He must have been no older than thirty or forty. Other than his introduction, she knew very little about him.

  If it were not for all the walking that she did, she would have fought off the sleep, but her body was too exhausted. She tried to stay up. Kaz fell quickly asleep, still wearing her padded armor and skull cap. Her practice poleaxe felt out of her hands onto the floor..

  A couple hours later there was a knock on the door. Kaz got up and opened the door. It was Floddia, the tailor. She was holding a long charcoal grey dress and formal black boots. On the left sleeve was a small black stripe.

  “Here is your formal bereavement uniform Sergeant,” said Floddia.

  “The small black stripe is for Boot Dartkin. Whenever another passes away, another stripe will be added,” explained the tailor.

  She also clarified, “Since you are in training, your rank will not be on it.”

  There was another knock on the door, and Floddia said, “That must be Herndill.”

  She yelled, “Come in, Herndill.”

  A beautiful female dwarf wearing a red wide brimmed hat came in. She did not look like the dwarves that lived in the mountains. She almost did not look like a dwarf at all.

  She looked at Kaz, and said, “I just love your facial bone structure. I am Herndill of the Duendes Dwarves.”

  Kaz had heard of Duendes Dwarves, but she did not believe that they existed. Her skin was lighter and fairer than most dwarves. Her hair was blonde, but still worn in traditional style. Herndill’s eyes were light grey with yellow specks.

  In less than a minute, she turned back towards the door. After opening it, she said, “I will be back tomorrow, just before the funeral,” and continued to walk out.

  Kaz put on the dress, and Floddia looked at her, and said, “There are just a few more modifications needed.”

  The tailor took back the dress and told Kaz that she would return the next day with the alterations. About thirty minutes later Zilphnod came. She looked like she had something very important to tell Kaz.

  Not using her rank, her escort told her, “Kaz, there are military traditions that you have not learned yet. One of them is that a soldier’s commander, someone of at least Junior Captain rank sings ‘The Mourning Anthem,’ Your group is a newly formed organization. It is not part of any platoon, company, or army. Your rank is not official during the training, but we must follow another tradition. You are the oldest.”

  Kaz looked at Zilphnod, knowing what her escort would say next, “You are the oldest. You will be singing our song of mourning.”

  “Get into one of your casual outfits. We are going outside for a few minutes,” said Zilphnod more suggestingly than commanding.

  The two entered the galleria. Before going outside, Zilphnod took Kaz on a walk around the circumference of the chambered mall. Kaz had never realized that there were more entrances and exits than she had realized.

  The escort stopped at one, and educated Kaz, “The Dreasai Clan live beyond this entrance. They are some of the best under mountain ranchers around. This is where you will stop on ‘The Last Walk’ of Dartkin. Here is where you will sing his last song.”

  Thinking of the large numbers that might be present, Kaz said, “I hope I do not mess it up.”

  “My dear you will not because you cannot,”, comforted her attendant.

  The two walked a little more in the grand commercial area, and then went outside for a few minutes. It was cloudy, so Kaz’s eyes did not water too much. It was meant to be only a short visit, so they went back in, and went to the Black Gold.

  “See you tomorrow morning. Get some rest,” uttered Zilphnod.

  Zak went inside her room and got ready for bed, She put on her pajamas. Before going to bed, she took a long look at her poleaxe. It was so different from the pickaxes that she knew how to carry and use. She then fell asleep and slept for over eight hours, which she had rarely done.

  Early the next morning, Herndill woke her up and brought her to the inn’s private tub. While Kaz was in it, she gave her her first bath. There was some oily liquid that Herndill rubbed on her, that made her smell floral. She rubbed some of it also in Kaz’s hair. She undid the braids, and let her hair be loose. She rubbed even more of the oily liquid in it. It made bubbles, which mystified Kaz.

  You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

  “It is a day of mourning. You will wear your hair down, and not braided,” explained Herndill.

  When they got back to her room, Floddia was waiting outside with the mourning dress. The three entered Kaz’s room. While Floddia helped put on the mourning dress and boots, Herndill combed Kaz;s hair, making sure it was straight and not wavy.

  Herndill then pulled out a jar of black clay. She put a small dab on her right fore finger and put two thin lines under each eye. She then made small similar lines on the back of Kaz’s hands.

  Without knocking, Zilphnod entered , and said, “It is time to go to Mount Diamond.”

  She too was wearing a dress similar to what Kaz was wearing. It had no mourning marks on it, but it did have the royal crest on the back. Zilphod wore boots that were similar to Kaz’s too.

  Floddia and Herndill did not follow them. They were not family of the deceased, in the military, or part of the royal family. When others saw Zilphnod and Kaz coming, they got out of the way out of respect. Some even bowed their heads and closed their eyes, as the two passed.

  When they got to the field in Mount Diamond, there was an area prepared for the occasion. Dartkins closest friends and family were standing on the left. Military and royal house members were standing on the right.

  Dartkin was laying on a large rectangular stone table top, supported by four large square blocks serving as temporary legs. He was dressed in well oiled chainmail armor. An axe and a shield were on top of his belly. A small Rouge Empire banner was at his feet.

  General Zia wore a black morning dress similar to Kaz’s. She had one set of the black clay markings under her left eye. There were three square, four triangle, one larger circle, two small circle, and four stripe patches on her arm. The bottommost patch was brighter than the others. It was Dartkin;s patch. She wore a royal surcoat that had the kingdom’s crest on it.

  Kez was there in his normal armor. He did not have his grand two-handed sword with him. He was wearing a black surcoat. It had a lonely mountain on it.

  Zilphod whispered in her ear, “When I nod my head, slowly walk towards the exit and head towards the entrance of the Dreasai Clan. Do not look back. Just look forward. Do not speak or look at anyone. Just keep walking slowly towards his home.”

  A mountain goat’s horn was blown four times. Gamasht, Dane, Jessotup, and another dwarf, all dressed in black shirts with black leggings, each approached a corner of the stone table top. The three that Kaz knew had the same single black stripe patch on their sleeves.

  Zilphnod gave the nod to Kaz. The four picked up the stone table top, with Dartkin on it. Kaz started her slow methodical walk. She listened to what Zilphnod told her, and did her best.

  The path she was told to take was not the shortest. It involved passing through almost all of the different marketing districts. Out of respect, the cooked food vendors stopped cooking and serving an hour before funeral walks would happen.

  It took almost an hour and a half to make it to the entrance of Dartkin’s family. She turned around. Four dwarves, probably his relatives, put four stone squares down, and the four bearing Dartkin’s stone table put it down upon it.

  Kaz waited for the mourners and official personnel to all show up. The horn was blown four more times. She heard crying. Dwarves were an emotional people. It was sometimes just heard for them to express.

  In a deep rich voice, Kaz sang,

  “Take me to the deepest of deeps.

  Take me to the veins of your precious ores.

  Take me ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take me so deep.

  Take me to the deepest of deeps.

  Take me to your mountain lake shores.

  Take me ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take me so deep.

  Take Dartkin to the deepest of deeps.

  Take Dartkin to the veins of your precious ores.

  Take Dartkin ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take Dartkin so deep.”

  The rest joined in with her singing,

  “Take me to the deepest of deeps.

  Take me to the veins of your precious ores.

  Take me ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take me so deep.

  Take me to the deepest of deeps.

  Take me to your mountain lake shores.

  Take me ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take me so deep.

  Take Dartkin to the deepest of deeps.

  Take Dartkin to the veins of your precious ores.

  Take Dartkin ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take Dartkin so deep.

  Take Dartkin to the deepest of deeps.

  Take Dartkin to the veins of your precious ores.

  Take Dartkin ever deep Oh Lord.

  Take Dartkin so deep.”

  A middle-aged lady dwarf, wearing an all red dress, came up to Kaz and hugged her, saying between tears, “Thank you lovely.”