Chapter Twenty-Four
Devil’s Pact
Hilgur stepped around a boulder that blocked his path. The familiar brown rock of the Jagged Mountains lay beneath his sturdy boots. The sky above him was red-streaked violet as the sun set in the west. A bracing wind carried the scent of sun-warmed rock, stirring his dark beard. A lone hawk flew overhead. It uttered a distant shriek.
Hilgur gripped the worn wood of his walking stick. It had become a familiar companion over the past several months as he found himself spending more and more time away from the dwarves’ underground city.
He had hoped after the death of Malgkir, Paloda would return to Dwarvenhome for good, and things might even go back to the way they had once been. Instead, her obsession had transferred to Malgkir’s three sons. If anything
