Page 94 of Oath of Rebellion

Copper rubbed his eyes and yawned as he walked over. "What's wrong with your head?"

The twins, Stone and Slate followed him, tucking in their shirts. Krys looked at them and frowned. "No time for questions. Fetch the bone stick, just to be certain."

The twins turned and went down the third hall toward their workshop just as Jasper came back with the red medical bag.

Ashur sank onto a chair around the fire. "What happened?"

Knox filled them in as they assessed Eirwyn's injuries. Krys waved a wand over her body, lights dancing along the gems on one side. He was thawing out from the fire, but inside, he was still cold with worry. His voice was monotonous as he told them of Hartsgrove.

Krys finally said, "Her arm's broken, but it's not a terrible break. I'm more concerned about the bump on the head combined with her entering the Beyond from overusing her magic."

Knox' blood ran cold at the mention of the Beyond. He looked at Eirwyn, swallowing hard past the knot in his throat as he realized he could lose her. The chances of coming out of the Beyond decreased with every passing hour.

Krys pulled a potion out of his toolkit and opened her mouth. Knox recognized the smell, but it usually only worked on someone who was entering the Edge, not the Beyond. Some dribbled down her cheek, and Knox gently wiped it away.

Krys put his tools back into his bag and sighed. "Let's put her in the stasis chamber."

The other dwarves looked at Krys in concern, then began to talk over each other.

"Are you certain?"

"Sh, that's a trade secret. What about the Robin?"

"He's kept his head a secret for years, and now we're sharing our secrets with him?"

"Why can't we just let her wake up on her own?"

"No, he's right. It will give her the best chance at survival."

Knox looked around as they argued, his eyes fighting against exhaustion, burning and tearing up.

"Please," he croaked, swallowing and trying to get convince them.

None of them even looked at him though, as Krys stood and made a chopping motion with his hand. "Enough. I've decided, and that's that. Are we clear?"

"Yes, Captain," the rest mumbled in unison.

Krys frowned at Knox. "Think you can carry her again?"

Knox nodded, scooping her gently into his arms. He pushed to his feet with a grunt and followed them down the third hallway into the workshop. She looked so delicate and fragile in his arms.

He winced at the dirty, disheveled state of her clothes and hair. She would not be happy about that when she woke.

If she woke.

No, when.

He argued with himself, fear and hope two sides of a coin that kept flipping back and forth. They entered the back of the workshop. Set into the side of the mountain, it opened into a mining shaft. To the right was the stable with several mounts of reindeer inside.

Krys went to the fireplace on the left and pulled on a candelabra. The wall behind the fireplace shifted, and he waved to Knox. "Watch your head. This is meant for only dwarves."

Knox cradled Eirwyn closer and turned sideways to squeeze into the narrow passageway. His heart was heavy and tight with emotion. They walked, the floor sloping downward, until Knox' legs began to cramp from the half-squatting position.

His legs burned and shook, and finally they came to a door. Krys pushed a series of runes on the door, and it slid open as if by magic to disappear into the wall. He stepped inside a cave with metal walls. Eight coffins were laid in a circle, connected by metal tubes to a giant, glowing crystal.

Krys walked to the nearest one and pushed several gems on the side. The glass top flipped up, and he stepped back with a wave. "Set her inside."

Knox held her closer, loathe to let her go. But the dwarves had never treated him wrong. He trusted them, but theirs had always been a business arrangement. He didn't know what this was going to cost him, but he didn't really care.