Lost City Read online

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  One week later Venk and his son were standing patiently in the home of the clan’s healer. Lukas’ burn had refused to heal despite having numerous salves and bits of herbs applied to it. In fact, the wound had become infected in only a matter of days, thus forcing the desperate parents to seek out the services of the healer. The last thing either of the parents wanted was their son’s secret “deformity” becoming known.

  Hands jammed deep in his pockets, Venk softly scowled. If Lukas had not accompanied him that fateful day almost seven months ago, he wouldn’t be in this dilemma. Venk sighed. Lukas was a very bright child and was naturally inquisitive about a great many things. So when his son had learned Maelnar was not only offering tours of his famous workshop in Borahgg but also lessons in rudimentary metal smithing, he convinced his father to not only sign up, but to also allow him to tag along.

  The seminar had been going well. That is, until those two misbehaving kelpah knocked his son into the forge. Lukas claimed he hadn’t been burned, yet the large disfiguring mark covering most of his back said otherwise. Venk had hoped that his son’s back would heal and the mark would fade away, but alas, it had not. As a result, he had to instruct his son to keep his shirt on at all times. Not that he had too much to worry about; dwarf children, and adults for that matter, rarely took their shirts off in public.

  Now, however, his son had been burned by his carelessness. The healer was going to want to inspect the wound up close and in order to do that Lukas would have to remove his shirt. How was he going to explain the existence of the large mark covering his son’s back?

  Venk twisted his beard so much that it began to resemble a knotted rope.

  “Venk. Young master Lukas. What seems to be the problem today?”

  Venk’s head snapped up. Master Peridal had finally appeared. Tiny and withered, the gray bearded healer approached the two of them and eyed them speculatively, no doubt trying to determine why they required his services.

  “He’s got a burn on his shoulder.”

  “Does he now? Very well. Come with me.”

  Master Peridal turned to walk into his study. Father and son followed silently.

  “Sit there,” Peridal instructed Lukas. “Remove your shirt and we will have a look.”

  Lukas hopped up on the bare wood stool and pulled his tunic over his head. Peridal peeled back the bandage on the boy’s right shoulder and gently prodded the wound, noting that the burn had indeed become infected. Catching sight of what appeared to be gray blobs on the underling’s back, Peridal slowly walked around the stool. The healer’s eyes widened with surprise as he observed a large disfiguration on the boy’s skin that looked as though a mass of tiny fluffy clouds had descended from Topside and taken up residence on Lukas’ back.. The large gray mark stretched from the base of Lukas’ neck to just above his waist. Questioningly, Peridal turned to the boy’s father.

  “It’s a burn he received months ago,” Venk explained. “It never festered and from what my son tells me he was never in any pain.”

  “Yet it failed to heal properly,” Peridal observed.

  “Aye.”

  The healer poked the boy’s back in several random spots. “Do you feel any pain?”

  Lukas shook his head. “No.”

  Peridal looked at the boy’s father, surprise evident on his face. “It’s a tattoo.”

  “My son does not have a tattoo. He was pushed into a furnace and the mark appeared as a result. End of story.”

  A corner of the boy’s back caught the healer’s eye. Peridal dropped down on one knee to inspect the lower left corner of the ‘tattoo’. A section the size of a large pebble had caught his eye. It was darker than the rest of the mark and stood out like a sore thumb.

  “This looks like a hammer.”

  Venk nodded. “I’ve seen it. It’s not any style of hammer I’m familiar with. My son got the burn on Master Maelnar’s forge. I