Chapter 1

It was finally spring, and the white marble walls of the temple of Marfa shone in the sunlight. Here and there, in the patches of brown earth no longer blanketed by snow, yellow-green blades of gra.s.s were beginning to show, and yellow wildflowers were growing next to the main road leading from the temple to the center of town.

Tarba was the northernmost village on the island of Lodoss. It was a small town, counting perhaps as many as one hundred residents, on a small plain surrounded by the White Dragon Mountains. Due to the cold created by the gathering of many ice spirits, spring came later there than elsewhere.

Aside from the dwarven community known as the Kingdom of Stone and the largest temple to Marfa, the G.o.ddess of the earth, in all of Lodoss, the foothills around this small village were completely covered by an evergreen forest. The villagers’ livelihoods came chiefly from the forest and from trading with the dwarves, but the money brought by pilgrims was also an important source of income for them.

As spring came and the snow blocking the roads melted, young people would come from all over Lodoss to seek the blessing of Marfa, who was also the G.o.ddess of marriage.

For Neese, the head priestess, that signaled the arrival of a busy season.

“You mean you’re going on a journey?”

Neese had received a visitor in her room inside the temple. She was wearing the white, flowing robe of a priestess of Marfa, with Marfa’s symbol embroidered in green on the left side of the chest. Her fifty-plus years of age showed in the deep wrinkles riven into her face. However, even sitting in her chair, her back was straight, and she didn’t seem frail in the least. She exuded so much vitality that people would turn their heads to look at her as they pa.s.sed.

“Yes, I am taking a trip.” Neese’s visitor replied brusquely. He was short, about half the height of a full-grown human. From his disproportionately large face there grew a thick gray beard. The pointed end hung down over his green-clad stomach, swaying with each word.

The visitor was a dwarf. What else could he be, with a physique like that! The light brown eyes in his snow-tanned face met Neese’s own.

“Why?” Neese stood up from her chair and knelt near the dwarf.

“Do I need a reason? I’m leaving because I want to leave. That’s all.” In his brusque manner of speaking, his stubbornness, so typical for a dwarf, shone through. The same stubborn nature gave this seemingly clumsy mountain people their masterful craftsmans.h.i.+p. They could turn raw ore and rocks into the finest of gems or handcrafted goods.

Neese knew this dwarf’s nature well. Once he got started, there was no way of changing his mind.

“If you’re worrying about Leylia, you’re wasting your energy. I’ve already given up on her.”

As she said that, a grimace flashed across her face and was gone. The only time her years seemed to weigh heavily on her was when the subject of her daughter Leylia came up.

Leylia had disappeared seven years earlier. Seven years ago, in the spring, someone had broken into the temple while Neese was at the dwarven mine, healing Ghim, who had received a life-threatening injury in a mining accident. There were signs of a struggle - it seemed Leylia had fought with the intruder, but ultimately succ.u.mbed and was kidnapped.

Neese was greatly saddened by her daughter’s disappearance, but Ghim the dwarf suffered an even greater hurt. From that time forward, he made constant trips to and from the temple, helping Neese in any way he could.

Ghim met Neese’s remark with silence. The dwarf did not lie — instead he refused to answer. Neese gave a little smile.

“Ghim, you know that getting hurt in that accident was in no way your fault. Why would someone breaking into the temple be your responsibility? Even to the G.o.ddess Marfa, it was an unforeseeable fate.”

The dwarf did not respond.

Neese gently placed her right hand on Ghim’s arm and gazed into his eyes.
“I have asked Marfa about her fate any number of times. Is she alive, is she dead? Where is she?” Saying this, Neese remembered the G.o.ddess’ words, the same response, repeated each time.

“And how did Marfa respond?” Ghim asked quietly.

“With a strange riddle. ‘She lives, but does not exist.’ Those were the G.o.ddess’ words.”

Ghim gazed at Neese’s sorrowful face. He had known her since his childhood. She was the kind of woman who had hidden depths of strength and kindness. Before Leylia’s disappearance, he had never seen her face clouded with sadness. Even knowing that he was not responsible for Leylia’s disappearance, Ghim felt obligated to look for her. He knew the pain in Neese’s heart and he shared it, so much so that he could no longer stand to live peacefully in his cave.

“I’m no good at thinking, so I can’t help you with that riddle. But I am strong. I’ve been training so that I can drag your missing daughter back.”

In spite of their brusqueness, dwarves were a kindhearted people. Loving justice more than anyone, they believed in their ability to surmount any obstacle.

Neese remained silent for a moment. Then she shook her head and opened her mouth as though to say something before closing it again. Changing her mind, she closed her eyes, nodded three times and spoke.

“Thank you, Ghim. In that case, please bring my daughter back.”

Hearing Neese’s words, Ghim narrowed his eyes.

“Leave it to me. I will bring her back without fail. Then the G.o.ddess’ mysterious riddle will be solved,” replied the dwarf, raising his voice a little.

Neese pulled the dwarf in and hugged him tightly with her thin arms.

“So, when will you leave Tarba?”

“Hm. Once I pa.s.s by my house, I plan to leave right away.”

“Traveling is dangerous. But it’s not like it was when I once went on a journey. Even so, you can never be too careful. I will pray to Marfa for your safety.”

When Neese was young, she too had traveled. But it was not for fun - no, it was a quest. It was a dark era, when many demons, once sealed in the Labyrinth of the Deep in southwestern Lodoss, had escaped and sown death and destruction across the island. In order to fight these demons, Neese had had no choice but to take sword in hand and set out across Lodoss. Having sealed away the demons after a terrible battle, she became known as one of the Six Heroes. But she did not take pride in that name.

“Thank you, ô priestess of Marfa. Please pray in my stead that I solve the riddle and bring you your daughter safe and sound, for I am not a praying man.”

“Where are you headed?”

“I’ll go to Zaxon first. There’s no other road, and in any case my acquaintance Slayn lives there. Beyond that, I have no plans. I’ll follow the road where it takes me.”

Ghim the dwarven craftsman set off on his journey to the south only a few hours later. His path was covered by strangely gloomy gray clouds.