A Rock and a Heart Place (gxg)

Chapter 2

The great granite hall up in the mountains known as the Stone Teeth had been abandoned for years. Once considered neutral ground, it had been used for state meetings between the kingdoms of Appalya and Winterhaven for several hundred years. However, it hadn't been used since Appalya and Winterhaven were merged decades earlier. Even were it still used, it wouldn't be during the winter when the snowfall had drifts up to the windows in some places.

So, it was odd to see the giant polished maple doors of the hall swing open in the cold of a winter night with the pale sliver of a crescent moon the only illumination. You would have to look quite closely to see a short and slim figure that blended perfectly with the shadows slip past the open doors before they were closed once more. A lone owl noticed, but he was good at keeping secrets, and didn't even hoot.

The hall had originally been the opening to a mine for what was thought to be an immense diamond find. Indeed, the number and quality of diamonds found when the prospectors first started their mine had been staggering. But once they started digging deeper, the diamonds soon disappeared. It was as though there was a fist full of them in the cliff, and then nothing else. That didn't stop the miners from trying though, and they kept digging until they realized it was futile.

But they had accidentally made the beginnings of a perfect meeting place between the two countries that seemed to be perpetually squabbling, if not outright at war. The mine had been dug at an angle and expanded with a new outer wall that was studded with tall windows, and an intricate doorway with the finest maple doors that could be barred, as necessary. Matching shutters on the windows did their best, but after so many years of being neglected, the interior was no longer pristine. A nest of rats had damaged the long council table that once held meetings that shaped the course of history between the two lands. Several chairs lay on the floor, their legs eaten away, and their fine cloth cushions completely gone.

The shadowy figure held up a hand and two small glowing balls of electricity shot upwards to hover over their head as they examined the hall. Looking up, they could see that the chandeliers were hanging in pieces, the candles having fallen and shattered long ago. The chains still held up the scraps of wood that once contained dozens of candles, but the wood had been eaten away so that what was still there was barely recognizable.

On the side of the hall that was dug into the mountain, the walls were covered with the remnants of great tapestries denoting the history of the two countries. On the cliff side, were tall windows theirs shutters all leaking snow to make tiny drifts beneath them. At the far end, atop a dais that was once used for presentations and entertainment, was a large nest of the collected materials that squeaked loudly based on the number of little rodent inhabitants suddenly spooked by the figure invading what they considered their home.

The air was chill, even out of the wind, but the figure merely slipped off their large black cloak, revealing strange black armor with a brace of daggers at the waist. Odder still, on each thigh was a bandolier of sorts, each holding five magic wands. On their back was a slim backpack, and a coil of black silk rope as well as a curved short sword with a black gem set in the hilt. Their face was hidden by a cowl that was as dark as the armor, and boots of the same material. In no hurry, they shook off the snow from the cloak, and then slipped it back on, drawing the hood back over their head. No attention was paid to the squeaks, the rats didn't matter. But the tapestries did. Moving to the wall, the dark clad figure moved carefully, studying the wall, and counting the tapestry brackets. Aft the sixth bracket, the person slowly sank to one knee, examining the wall carefully.

Opening a pouch on their belt, they took out a small hammer, and used it to tap gently on the wall. Listening closely, they hummed in approval, and then gestured with their hand to bring one of their lights down from overhead. Holding the light close to the wall, after several minutes, the light moved to the left as the examination continued. Frustrated mumbling began to be heard, as though the figure was getting upset at the lack of results.