The secret agent assigned to monitor Thar could only watch as his target entered the cave. His pursuit ended there.
He could not risk sending his animal companion through that doorway.
No matter how carefully it moved, an ill-timed sound inside a man-made cave could easily arouse the target's suspicions.
Besides, caves were practically the Dwarves' home ground. They could see well in the dark, and their hearing was sharp enough to detect anything amiss around them.
"Stay hidden. His Majesty has further plans, so whatever you do, don't alert the target. That would cause a great deal of trouble."
Before the mission began, Minister of Finance Marnid had solemnly warned all his subordinates, his expression grave. Those words helped the young agent suppress his impatience and continue waiting.
Time trickled past until the bright moonlight gradually faded westward, and white light pierced the darkness in the east.
At last, the door concealed in the rock face opened again. Thar, who had disappeared for the entire night, was the first to emerge from the cave. Though a trace of fatigue showed on the Dwarf's face, his expression was one of intense excitement.
He had clearly obtained what he wanted.
Sure enough, the two ponies that followed Thar out of the cave now carried cargo on their backs. Their steps were still fairly brisk as they followed their master onto the road home.
Before long, a bird with brilliantly colored feathers rose from Mirkwood and flew swiftly toward Fisslet.
Meanwhile, a little squirrel clutching a nut bounded up to the hidden door. Its alert eyes scanned the surroundings, and once it was satisfied that nothing was wrong, it unceremoniously sprayed a stream of clear urine onto the wall.
Then the squirrel became a gray blur and vanished into the woods. When