Smoke and Mirrors - 16

Daniel put one foot against the warehouse wall and leaned back as he watched the two dwarves set to work. It had taken Mor only a few hours to find them and convince them to help. A father and son, the elder one was all growls and muttered expletives while the younger one was full of piss and vinegar—exactly what Daniel had expected. They also knew precisely what they were doing and were through the concrete floor to the earth beneath it quickly and relatively quietly.

“How much further down would ye have us go?” The elder one asked as he looked up at Mor, stroking his beard, which was so long that it was tied around his waist to keep it from dragging on the ground.

Holding up a hand for silence she concentrated. “If I am correct I would say another five feet. And please be careful, I don’t know what type of box or container is holding it.”

“Lass, we are always careful, especially when it comes to unearthing magic items.”

Jared refrained from laughing when the dwarf called Mor a lass. He knew for a fact that she had been alive even longer than Daniel and that was saying something. On the other hand from a dwarf’s perspective, he supposed, she would still be considered young.

“Yes,” Mor whispered reverently some twenty minutes later when the younger dwarf clambered out of the hole and handed her a plain wooden box about as long as he was tall. She stared at it pensively before turning to Jared and Daniel. “I think it would be wise to take this back to my home before opening it. Despite the fact that whoever put it to rest here may have thought that the spells that kept it concealed were enough, and while I don’t sense any traps on it, one can never be too careful.”

Jared was about to reply when he felt an approaching presence. Grabbing Daniel’s hand he pulled him across the room to where Mor and the dwarves were standing. “We should leave immediately.”

Everyone else felt what he had seconds later. With a whispered word from Mor they vanished even as the door to the warehouse opened.

A tall, willowy male stood outlined by the blazing sun. He uttered a vivid curse when he realized he’d arrived seconds too late. With mind and magic he tried to follow their signatures to their destination and failed. Another curse left his lips, followed by a tightly spoken whisper. “I may not know who you are yet, or where you have gone, but I do know what you look like sorceress, you and your companions. Best you hide well, wherever you have gone, for if you reappear I will find you.”