173 She Gets Trapped (1/2)

Robin blinked in no hurry as she raised a quizzical eyebrow.

”You mean to say that you thought your paralysis is natural?”

A shocked silence came in between them like a thunderbolt. Finally, Thorn stroked his black beard with a shaking hand. Then he opened his mouth.

”You mean to tell me that it isn't?”

His gravely voice became lower as he now openly stared at Robin with an intense gaze. No one, neither doctors, nor magicians who specialize in curses could even discover that he could not walk. Each gave him a complete bill of health. How could this newcomer know so easily what he had spent five years trying to secretly resolve?

”I'm sure you've heard of my actions at the stone gambling market.” Robin hinted. She could see that from the knees down, a familiar clear mana had locked the legs in place.

”So, fer some fiendish reason, Ye can see et clear as day, huh...” Thorn sat back in his chair. As a strange emotion washed over him, his dwarvish accent came through that much thicker.

”There were only three people who knew of et before ya. The first was tha culprit, tha second be tha one 'as taken care of me all this time....an tha third 'un be mah father. An' now you....” A piercing gaze fell upon Robin as he fixed his pale blue eyes on her.

”An it was on account of these worthless legs o' mine that that blaggard of a half-breed was made king instead of me.”

”So to get back at your half-brother, whom you suspect of poisoning you, you sacrifice the innocents of the city for the 'noble cause of revenge' huh.” Robin rolled her eyes.

”If I wasn't certain that it wasn't poison you had that was locking down your legs, I'd have feared it had gotten to your head instead.”

”Ya don't know anythin-”

”I KNOW ENOUGH!” Robin cut him off. ”I know enough to see that you are the daftest fool of a half-wit I have ever seen. But you are too caught up in your revenge game, your racism, and your blasted self pity to even care! The burden and honor, the very glory of a king- itself- lies NOT in how many foes he defeats, but in how many of his people he protects!”

Thorn's face twisted. No one had ever scolded at him like that for a long time. Even Ayva had long given up scolding him after he had lost feeling in his legs. Of course, that was because he had stopped seeing anyone after losing feeling in his legs.

Robin narrowed her eyes at him through her mask. It had been a long time since she had been so angry. But this proud dwarf's pitiful excuse of a reason had brought out her inner fire.

Then she smiled. If Christian or Keith had seen her, they'd have recognized that smile. It was the same one she gave when she spoken with the Trader.

Then she spat out the words that she knew would silence his nonsense.

”Your father did not overlook you for the lack of feeling in your legs, but for the lack of brotherhood in your heart. A dwarf that can abandon his people in a moment, cannot become the heart of the dwarven people. For all of dwarven stubbornness, their hearts are not made of cold stone. Yet in you, it seems there is found an exception.”

Indeed, Thorn did fall silent after that. Robin stood in the doorway, while Thorn sat in his chair. A fire crackled in the hearth, despite the well-heated underground.

”...Well then. Aren't you here to arrest me?” Thorn asked.

”You can't use your legs now. where would you go?” Robin replied. ”Wouldn't you hate for your little caretaker to die when she ambushes me from above? or are you truly so cold-hearted as to care nothing about her?”

Thorn's eyebrow twitched.

”I have two eyes. Perhaps you should have thought twice before placing a mirror above the mantle. She is entirely visible from where I stand.” Robin chuckled, remaining in the doorway.

”What a pity. And I had such high hopes. But it appears our conversation is at an end.” Thorn sighed, as he pressed down upon the gem in his ring. ”I suppose I will see you later. That is, if you don't get squashed of course.”

At that, the very room itself, walls and all, vanished into a point in space and disappeared, leaving Robin in darkness. She snapped her fingers, creating a floating light to examine the area. It was as if someone had chiselled the room out of the very granite itself. All the furnishings, even the fireplace was gone.

At that point, Robin started hearing a rumbling sound down the hallway behind her. She paused and looked back, when she noticed the sound was getting louder, and closer.

Her eyes widened. And she quickly threw herself forward into the empty box as the stone passageway behind her collapsed. It seemed she was trapped.

Robin coughed, and covered her nose and mouth with her arm as a cloud of dust filled the room. She stood up, and used a spell to gather all the dust into a pile at the center of the floor.