Part Twenty-eight: Epilogue
Arka spent the next few days resting at the Tavern. She was not as young as she used to be, and the events of the last few days had taken their toll. She spent a lot of time talking with Nilrem, the elf who had saved her life. Like Sudisir, he was a Dermorian, but there, the similarity ended. He was kind and thoughtful, against violence of any kind and the best company Arka could wish for while she was recuperating.
Through Nilrem, Arka began to see a different side to elves. She realised she had been blinded by the rage over the death of her parents and the destruction of her village. Whether or not Sudisir had a hand in this, she began to realise that this was an individual act; it was time to lay old quarrels to rest. Nilrem?s gentle and peaceful approach to life affected her greatly and Arka began to see that the turmoil in her life largely stemmed from her own rash behaviour and her quick temper. Maybe it was time to seek another way.
It was several days later that Arka received a visit at the tavern. Lordbug had brought a friend to meet her.
?Arka, this is Nikoren. He is a good friend.?
?Arka Garam, D?voy,?? said Arka, bowing low.
Nikoren smiled. ?It?s true then,? he said, ?You can speak Stonebreaker.?
?A little,? replied Arka, with some satisfaction.
The three seated themselves around the small table in her room. Arka poured out three glasses of water.
?Arka, there are a few things I am not clear about,? said Lordbug, ?In the Temple you mentioned something you had that Sudisir wanted to kill you for. And you knew his name.?
Arka hesitated. She looked at the two Enkidukai and wondered if this was what Embra would have wanted. This was a matter for dwarfs, not the Rodnertth. No, that was the kind of thinking that had caused her parents? death and the destruction of her village, her culture and almost her language, her heritage. The papers were hers now. She alone had to decide. She remembered something Nilrem had said to her, ?Some things are in our power to decide; some things we think are in our power, but are not; other things are more important to be a matter for us to decide.?
She said nothing, but crossed the room to the bed. Reaching beneath her pillow, she drew out a tightly wrapped packaged and placed it in the table between them.
?What I am about to show you,? she said, ?Is strictly between us. No one, except my mother and I have seen these papers before, you understand??
Both Menkis nodded.
Arka loosened the knots and unwrapped the tefusang skin. Inside the package, there were a number of small notebooks and carefully folded parchments. They were covered in small neat writing. Lordbug?s eyes widened.
?May I?? he asked
Arka pushed the papers towards him and smiled.
?I can?t read these,? he said.
?Dwarfen runes, if I?m not mistaken,? said Nikoren, ?I can make out one or two, but the words are unfamiliar.?
?This is my mother?s life work,? said Arka, ?Here is a complete description of the Stonebreaker language, gleaned from hundreds of conversations with the last remaining speakers of our race. Here, you will also find transcriptions of the ancient sagas and epics of the Stonebreakers. It is the history of our people, passed down by spoken word and song from generation to generation, but never before committed to paper. My mother was a meticulous researcher. This will be definitive.
?You will understand now why it was so important that this did not fall into the wrong hands. If I am right, this is what Sudisir really wanted. Not to keep, but to destroy. In my heart, I know that he was somehow responsible for the death of my parents and the destruction of my village but I can never prove it. That is why it was so important for me to keep him alive. I needed proof. The only other people who really know the truth are dead and they are beyond us now.?
?Who told you his name?? asked Lordbug.
Arka smiled, ?You wouldn?t believe me if I told you,? she said.
Nikoren was clearly excited by the papers.
?Lordbug, I think we should?? he started.
?Arka, there is a proposition I should like you to consider,? said Lordbug. Our Guild is committed to spreading knowledge through this world. Ignorance is the cause of envy and hatred. Where there is knowledge is also understanding.?
Arka understood.
?If you wish, you might think about applying to join our guild. I believe our members would welcome you. Of course, you may wish to keep this knowledge within the dwarfen community. If so, I will understand. But I?d like you to consider.?
Arka smiled, ?I would be delighted to join you,? she said, ?I need to finish my mother?s work. The dictionary needs to be transcribed so that ordinary folk can understand it. I will need help with that task.?
?Whatever we can do, we shall. But you need to put your case before the rest of the guild.?
?In that case I shall,? said Arka.
And so began a new chapter in Arka?s life. Not as a weapon smith, but as a scholar. The money from her parents was never recovered; she makes a living like most others, with a little mining and hunting in the fields for furs and skins. She still carries her axes with her and can be seen busily dashing around the outskirts of Hydlaa.
If you see her in the Plaza, greet her with ?D?voy??; if you find her in the tavern, buy her a mug of ole fallin? down. She may reward you with a lesson in Stonebreaker. In her evenings, she sits in her room with a pile of parchments and a sharp quill. One by one her mother?s papers have been transcribed. Now the dictionary is beginning to take shape. One day, she knows she will fulfil her mother?s wish to restore the language and heritage to her people.
As for Sudisir, he was tried by the Vigesimi and found guilty of robbery and conspiracy to murder. There was not enough evidence to prove that he was involved in the attack on the Stonebreaker village, but his guilt was enough to have him sentenced him to death by hanging. You might think that was the end of it, but there is another story to be told, one day?
