"What do we do, sir?" the dwarf with a crossbow said.

  “Let them come inside. They can be useful,” the chief of the dwarves said and indicated for the door to be opened.

  Arix noticed the door rising. He slowly lowered his hands and whispered to the group, “Look–I think they're letting us in.”

  “Should we go in? They just pointed a crossbow at us.” Tarin looked up at the dwarf chief standing on the wall with his hands behind his back, staring at them.

  “What should we do?” Lyra asked.

  They all stood still when the dwarf chief spoke again, looking down at them from the wall. “You can come in. We will not harm you.”

  “Why should we trust you? You just wanted to kill us,” Tarin shouted.

  “That was because you are new to this place. We have to make sure you are not those Nyctona.” The dwarf paused for a moment, then continued, “I am Bromgar, the chief of the dwarven village. We need your help, so please come inside.”

  The group paused for a moment before Arix answered.

  "Help with what?" he called up, cupping his hands around his mouth.

  “Please come inside. We will answer all your questions in a safe place,” Bromgar shouted back.

  “What should we do, guys?” Arix turned around and asked his group.

  “Let’s head in. But be cautious,” Tarin said.

  “I think they are trustworthy. Maybe we should listen to what they want,” Lyra said, looking up at the dwarves, who had already lowered their weapons and were still watching the group.

  They were all still deciding when two dwarves appeared at the door, one on each side, and called out to them.

  “You are welcome here. We are pleased by your arrival.”

  “Let’s go inside, guys. The sun is also about to set,” Arix said and started walking toward the gate. The group followed.

  When Arix reached the gate, he saw that Bromgar was already standing inside, with both hands behind his back, ready to receive them.

  Arix stepped in and stood before Bromgar. “Hello. I am Arix, and this is Tarin, Lyra, and Meilie,” he said, pointing to each of them as he introduced the group.

  “An elf with no mouth? Interesting,” Bromgar thought. Then, turning to Arix, he said, “We are pleased by your arrival. Let’s head to the town hall to talk more.”

  “What help do you need from us?” Tarin cut in.

  “First, let’s rest a bit. You must be tired from your journey. We will talk in the town hall,” Bromgar said as he started marching ahead into the town. “You should all get in position again. Nyctona can attack at any time,” he said to the other dwarves at the gate.

  Arix and the group followed, but something about the village felt wrong. Arix looked around at the houses of the dwarves, who were trying to hide from the group.

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  One dwarf held her children close, watching the group from her window. Another closed her window as they passed.

  “Why are they afraid of us?” Arix asked Bromgar.

  “The last humans who came here attacked us. That is why they are afraid of humans.”

  “Last humans? Who were they?” Arix pressed.

  “I don’t know their names. It was years ago—maybe twenty or thirty.”

  “Must have been another group,” Lyra whispered to the others.

  Meilie kept her eyes moving around her. She walked with her staff in hand, more cautious than usual. Lyra noticed her eyes shifting from one direction to another. Lyra leaned toward her and asked, “You seem more afraid of these dwarves than other creatures. Do you know them?”

  Meilie turned to Lyra and held her gaze. She shook her head, took a long, deep breath, and let her shoulders drop.

  “Who are these Nyctona?” Tarin asked Bromgar.

  “Nyctonas raid our village all the time. They are more powerful than us, so we are unable to defend ourselves. The dwarf population has decreased significantly because of them,” Bromgar answered.

  Tarin began, “You need hel—” but Bromgar cut him off.

  “Actually… they're the ones we need your help with. Thin, tall warriors on horseback—and far more powerful than us.”

  “You want us to kill them for you?” Arix asked when Bromgar stopped in front of him.

  The group stopped and looked ahead at a large, round stone structure. There were carvings of dwarves all around it, and the gate was smaller than the surrounding houses.

  “We are at the town hall. Come on, let's head in.” Bromgar walked to the gate and pushed it open with both hands.

  Arix and the group entered.

  Inside, they found a big round table in the middle with chairs all around it. There was a fireplace in one corner. The interior walls were carved with dwarf faces as well, and there was a big chandelier at the center of the ceiling.

  “This is so big for dwarves,” Lyra whispered as she looked around the building.

  “Who are the dwarves carved on the walls?” Arix asked Bromgar.

  “They are all the previous chiefs of this village.” He went toward the table and sat on one of the chairs. “Come on. Have a seat.”

  Arix and the group sat in the chairs across from Bromgar and looked at him.

  “As you have guessed, we need your help with the Nyctona,” Bromgar said.

  “How can we help you with the Nyctona?” Lyra asked.

  “By killing them and chasing them away from our village, obviously. We are also trying to find their village so we can attack them there,” Bromgar said.

  “How are you trying to find their village?” Arix asked.

  “We sent our scouts into nearby forests and towns. We are sure they are hiding in one of them.” Bromgar looked at the sword on Arix’s back and said, “Where did you get that sword?”

  Arix glanced over his shoulder at the sword. “This? I got it on the Everfrost mountain.”

  “You must be quite powerful to get chosen by that sword.”

  “I guess I am,” Arix answered.

  “What will we get for helping you?” Tarin cut in.

  “You wanted to find the Divine Prison, right? I will tell you its location if you help us out.”

  “And how can we trust you?" Arix asked.

  “We are dwarves. We are true to our word,” Bromgar answered.

  “Give us some time to think,” Arix said.

  “Take as much as you want.”

  Arix turned to the group and lowered his voice. “What should we do?” Meilie and Lyra huddled in.

  “We should help them. We will find the prison that way,” Tarin said, bending his head closer to the group.

  “I agree,” Lyra said, and Meilie nodded.

  “Alright then, it's final,” Arix said and straightened up.

  “We'll help yo—” He was cut off by a loud bang from outside.

  A dwarf stood at the door, gasping for breath.

  “What happened, Rurik?” Bromgar got up from his chair.

  “The Nyctona are here,” Rurik said, struggling to breathe.

  “Goddammit. Not at night,” Bromgar said as he started moving toward the door.