Dain said nothing but glared over in Kaldon's direction. He felt his blood run cold. With difficulty, Dain forced down his rage and tried to clear his head.
Yet, Kaldon's words still rang through his mind. "Most of you would not last a day on its frozen slopes." Something was not right. How could a Child of man, a lad of some twenty years, imply that a group of dwarves or even Elves could not survive in harsh conditions? If any were to collapse on the mountain's slopes, it would more likely be one of the men, a race that was known for its lack of endurance and short lives.
What lay behind those words? Dwarves could be accused of many shortcomings, but all in Middle-earth acknowledged that they were more sturdily built and could withstand harsher conditions than any other race. Kadon talked of the safety of the pass, but what safety would there be if his wife Glis and the others in the community who were not so strong-- the women, the young and the elderly--would be dishonored at the end of an Orc blade? Dain vowed to keep quiet in front of the group, but to say something privately to his nephew Bali the next time he had a chance. To put it even more bluntly, he did not trust the Man.
[ February 21, 2003: Message edited by: Child of the 7th Age ]
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02-21-2003, 08:46 AM
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