Chapter 18: Ch. 018 – (Then) The Descent

His whole life had been reduced to two small trunks Jonathan realized, as stood on that station platform. There was nothing he could do about it though. All he could do was watch one of Boriv’s fellow dwarves load them onto a freight car bound for the deeps. Unfortunately he’d have to accompany them. The meager possessions would be all he had in the world down there. A few weeks ago he had a manor, friends, and a family that loved him to go with the clothing and small possessions he was bringing with him. A few days ago he still had the manor at least - with room to stretch out and servants that would do whatever he asked. Tomorrow he wouldn’t even have sunlight though. Tomorrow all he would have would be those two cases, a murderer for a brother that was bound in chains hand and foot, a few freight cars back, and a seat that was much too small for him for however long it took to get where they were going. If things kept going like this for another week or two he wouldn’t have anything at all, he thought, smiling to himself at the dark thought. Smiles didn’t come often to him anymore, but if it weren’t for gallows humor he’d have no humor at all. 

The funeral was only two days ago, but they had been busy enough for Jonathan. He’d met with the headman as soon as he’d left the graveyard to make sure nothing was going to be missed in his absence, though he needn’t have bothered. Earl knew more about the working of the village than Jonathan ever would, and had it all well in hand. After that he’d met with Mr. Tormon at the general store to see if there were any pressing concerns through the grapevine, but he said nothing Jonathan hadn’t already expected to hear. Except for all the fresh graves and missing people the village and the outlying communities in the valley were doing great. It was shaping up to be a bountiful spring, but when thoughts turned to harvest there were fears about manpower that didn’t exist a week ago. 

Jonathan mulled over those concerns, but there was little he could do until he got back. Yesterday focused on the business of house Shaw. First he packed the things he would need for an extended trip, and then he had a meeting with the manor household. It too went entirely as he’d expected. Other than discussing house finances with Harven there’d be very little to do there either. They’d have no trouble keeping everything ticking along like clockwork until Jonathan got back - even if it turned out he had to stay away a whole season. The coffers were flush, and the stores were well supplied. It was almost enough to make Jonathan feel redundant. Truth be told the station would probably fare the worst without him compared to any other aspect of the town life. That was where he actually mattered, but he couldn’t make himself care about it even a little bit. If he ever had to spend another day working in Boriv’s office it would be one day too many as far as he was concerned.  

Once everything was loaded and the freight car doors were shut, Jonathan managed to force himself through the small door and then squeeze himself into a booth that was meant for a pair of dwarves more than a foot shorter than him. It was hardly an easy task and he didn’t relish having to repeat it. Jonathan had seen a passenger car or two on the dwarf trains before, but they were usually empty, and he’d never had a chance to take a good look at one. He earnestly wished he didn’t have the chance now either, but there was no escaping it. The carriage was filled with eight sets of cushioned benches that dominated the car while a narrow aisle ran down the right hand side. It was well appointed, and looked comfortable enough for children or dwarves - spacious even - just not spacious for anyone that actually took up space. Boriv seemed to settle in fine on a seat not so far from Jonathan that left them facing each other. 

Once he was as comfortable as he was likely to get, Jonathan studied the details of the car to pass the time as much as to blot out his own nervousness until the train got started. Like every other thing the dwarves built, the car turned out to be quite ornate, and the longer he looked at it the more hidden details he found. From the piping and the delicate herringbone patterns of the wool cushions to the scrollwork that decorated the backs of the benches and the wall paneling, he admired every detail he could find, but really he was just trying to keep his mind busy so he didn’t think about all the awful things that had happened so recently. Instead ran his fingers along the delicate lines, appreciating how every spare inch was used to show off the skills of the masters that had built it. Dwarven arms and armor were just as ostentatious so he shouldn’t have expected anything different, but on something so large it was both surprising and wasteful. How many dwarves labored for extra weeks on the wood carving when they could have been working on something that was actually productive, he wondered. 

Sometimes all that work was even counterproductive. The door to the next car blended in so thoroughly with the wall paneling that Jonathan didn’t know it was there until a member of the train’s crew opened it, and the molding on the ceiling almost completely hid the four glow stones that had been mounted there. He didn’t understand why the dwarves would try to hide such vital features, but that was just the way they were. There were also details that Jonathan wouldn’t have thought to include in the car either. Light was an obvious consideration, but he’d have thought a lantern or two would have been enough. Likewise the wooden shutters that could slide down to shut the windows weren’t something that he would have thought of, but Jonathan was sure as soon as the train picked up speed he would be glad for a way to stop the breeze blowing through these unglazed windows. Only the locomotive had glass afterall. The rest of the cars would have to do without. 

“Kind of a tight fit,” Jonathan said, to no one in particular even though he and Boriv were the only ones in here when he’d finally run out of details to explore. It also let him downplay his nervousness. There had been times in his life where he’d had that feeling where the walls were closing in on him. They were usually sparked by anxiety or stress, but now the walls really were closing in on him. Even slouched onto the bench as he was with his feet braced up on the bench opposite him, he still couldn’t quite sit upright. 

“Aye. Ye’ll make do though. It’s not a long trip exactly.” Boriv answered. “A day from now we’ll be at the Maloran cross.” 

“A whole day until we get where we’re going,” Jonathan said skeptically. “That seems pretty long to me.” 

“Does it seem shorter to ye if I tell you that that’s not our destination then? The cross is just short for crossroads. All it is, is a switchin station between several important routes.” the old dwarf laughed. “We’re goin’ much deeper. All the way to the edge of the deep at Khagrumer.”

“Khagrumer,” Jonathan pronounced slowly, tasting the unfamiliar word, “and how far away is that?”

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“We’ll spend a day or two at the cross until we find a train headed our way, and then from there it will be another two days or so.” Boriv said, stroking his beard. “ So all together… call it five days.”

“Doesn’t sound like quick trip to me,” Jonathan complained, trying not to sulk at the idea of having to spend the better part of a week bent into a pretzel in this carriage. 

“No? It’s days faster than gettin to the capital by horse, and if ye had to walk to either Lloren or Khagrumer you’d be on your feet for weeks.” Boriv admonished him. “Five days is plenty quick for our needs. Take naps. It will help pass the time.” 

“Yeah, but what if I need to, you know…” Jonathan asked, causing his mentor to laugh uproariously at the idea. 

“There’s a privy in the next car, or you can lean out the door if you want to feel the wind on your ass - the choice is entirely yours lad.” the dwarf said, full of mirth. He was as happy as Jonathan had ever seen him, Jonathan thought. Probably because he was going home for the first time in who knows how long. 

That’s when the carriage finally lurched into motion as the engine built up a head of steam and the wheels started turning on the rail. It was something that Jonathan had seen a thousand times from the window in Boriv’s office, but somehow being on the train when it started moving was an entirely different experience, and he looked up at Boriv in alarm as the whole thing juddered and creaked into a shaky mechanical life. 

“Easy lad,” the dwarf said, not even bothering to do anything more than briefly open his eyes as everything began to move. “All this is normal. Just sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride.” 

Jonathan didn’t answer, but was more reassured by gripping the bench tighter than he was by Boriv’s words. This might be normal for a two hundred year old dwarf who’d lost count of the number of times he’d been on such a ride, but it would never be normal for him. As the speed increased, everything started to vibrate. First it was just the walls, but it quickly spread to the benches, and then finally to Jonathan’s bones. It was the inescapable heartbeat of this steel beast, and the cushions did little to shield him from it. To distract himself, Jonathan turned his gaze out of the cramped confines to the window, and as the station slowly moved out of the way he gave Dalmarin one last look as they slowly got up to speed. For the first minute they barely moved, but by the third minute they were past the village edge and gliding through the surrounding fields, headed up the slope towards the tunnel that he’d often seen but never thought about descending into. 

After five minutes they were covering as much distance with every passing minute as they had in the previous four. It was faster than Jonathan had ever ridden on a horse or a wagon, and it would have been thrilling if it hadn’t been terrifying. Still - he forced himself to watch as his home retreated into the distance at ever increasing speeds until suddenly they were at the mouth of the tunnel. Then everything went black as they fled from sunlight as fast as the engine would take them. For a few seconds Jonathan could still make out the tunnel wall in the reflected light of the entrance, but soon even that faded into invisibility, and even though he knew there was a wall close enough that he could almost reach out and touch it, there was no way he was about to try that experiment. 

Instead he closed the sliding shutter, then leaned his head against the wall and tried not to think about it. Without daylight to drown them out he could see the soft yellow white glow of the stones providing just enough light that he could make out the shapes of the furniture and other passengers. It was probably enough light for Boriv to make out details, but for Jonathan’s eyes, it was just a dim reprieve from total darkness. They were comforting though, now that the train was going faster, the vibrations were less concerning, and he could almost ignore them as he tried to drift off to sleep.

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