Skyler took the lead as they left the cave and walked through the snowy forest, which didn’t seem as interested in fighting them on their way. It was actually very peaceful and far easier. The morning sun lit their way and they went faster without having to cover their tracks. After a bit they forgot the peril, of which the elves seemed so concerned. A haunting scream in the midday forest immediately ended their happy mood.
The rattling shriek took Skyler to his highest alert. It echoed through the forest and stopped all the animals from moving, each hiding in the most secret of their hidden haunts.
“What was that?” stammered Shalkar’s quivering voice, as all the boys looked around the trees. There was no sign of anything but trees and snow.
“I am not sure, but I don’t think it wants us here. We need to move,” Skyler urgently ordered as he led the crew, traveling ever faster down the hill to the lowlands that led to the frozen Ice Berg Sea.
A second scream answered the first, but this time in the opposite direction. The boys increased their hurried pace, their heads jerking toward the direction of every little sound. Soon a third shriek, in yet another direction, joined the others. The beasts were coming closer with each scream. The boys frantically fought through the snow, getting closer to the roaring river ahead, which they were eager to reach. They left several tents and more food hidden there from when they first arrived several days earlier.
“The sound is like that of the Tolltier,” Taylor risked saying between gasps of air. Each of them thought it but each also prayed he were wrong.
Shalkar looked behind them and shouted, “It is like the snow is chasing us!”
The others would not look but dashed to reach the tents that lay just ahead. The sight before them ousted their excitement, as at reaching the bank pieces of the ripped-up tents littered the snowy ground and half covered in snow.
“No!” Skyler yelled. The sight of their ruined tents and food was a dagger to his heart. The five turned, drawing their weapons as the beasts stopped at the rim of the bank above them. The white Tolltier rumbled in anger at the intruders below. The raging river, rushing far too fast to freeze, lay behind them. The beasts stood on both sides of the river, ready to slaughter their prey.
“Stand strong, fight hard!” Skyler ordered his soldiers. All had their weapons drawn as the first, and largest, Tolltier attacked hard down the bank. The sheer size of the beast intimidated Skyler’s crew of young warriors. Each of them carried distinct recollections of the maimed bodies left by the Tolltier following the attack at the Demon’s Chamber. Those images, along with the dread of having to fight one, made them shake with terror.
The snow Tolltier’s fangs and claws led the way as it roared, lunging at its prey as its massive feet landed hard at the bottom of the bank. It attacked the middle of their defense, separating the boys into two groups. Skyler and Taylor each stepped aside and landed skillful thrusts with their blades in the side of the Tolltier. The others did the same, save Balthar, who could not step away quick enough. The beast grabbed ahold of the boy even as the other four blades bit hard into it.
The Tolltier dug deep into Balthar, who screamed in agony as the claws went deeper into his back. The beast pulled him toward its vicious fangs as the dying Tolltier’s body fell toward the frozen ice. The rest of the Tolltier pursued, joining their fallen friend. The ice at the edge of the river where they stood cracked as the added weight of the massive Tolltier landed on the icy floor. Skyler quickly drove a second blade through the neck of the Tolltier that held Balthar, just to make certain it was dead. The thrust ending deep in the ice, with Skyler unable to retrieve his long knife. Two more Tolltier pounced the dwarf boys, their attention still on the horribly injured Balthar.
The ice sheet broke from the added weight of the attacking beasts and it crashed clumsily down into the rushing water below. The dwarves barely hung on the tilting sheet of ice, which teetered back and forth due to the weight of the heavy creatures.
The Tolltier slashed cuts into each of the boys before they could recover their swords, its claws like menacing blades that scratched and stabbed each of their sides. The boy’s wails of pain carried deep into the forest. Skyler finally grabbed his sword, which slid back to him as the weight on the ice shifted, and he took a stand atop the dead Tolltier. He fended off the two remaining animals as the river quickly swept them away from the rest. The Tolltier on shore gave chase but could not keep up with the ice raft as the fast-moving current whisked it away.
The four remaining dwarves fought hard against the two Tolltier. Balthar lay still at the edge of the ice raft, badly injured by the claws. His blood stained the ice where he lay, which still oozed from his severe wounds.
Taylor vengefully thrust his sword into the gut of the Tolltier before him, who countered with a desperate swing, despite the gash to his guts.
“Duck!” Shalkar yelled at Taylor as he rammed his own blade into the Tolltier before him. The small ice sheet left no room for retreat.
Taylor ducked the swing, as Meril was finally able to knock the off balance Tolltier from the raft with a leg kick. The wounded Tolltier splashed back into the river, sinking quickly into the raging current. It swam toward the side, crawling onto the icy bank.
The other Tolltier turned his attention and wrath toward Meril, ready to bring both of his huge fists down on the dwarf. Shalkar grabbed Meril and pulled him out of the way just as the hammering fists struck the ice. The ice raft splintered upon impact, sending the riders scrambling for a piece of the shattered raft.
The freezing water bit hard many times over as their clothes became soaked and their arms and legs began to cease moving. Skyler dove hard toward Balthar, hoping to save the injured dwarf before he drowned. The freezing water was as a thousand pin pricks every moment, the shock unbearable.
The Tolltier sought to drag a dwarf or two down with him but Meril and Shalkar found its back and struck quickly with their blades. Taylor lassoed a rope around the Tolltier’s neck, halting its breath as the beast panicked. He then threw the other end of his rope and caught a branch. The Tolltier’s weight pulled hard against the rope as the current tried to pull it away, choking the Tolltier to death. The branch barely had the strength to stop from snapping.
“Help, I am losing him!” Skyler beckoned, gaining the attention of his friends. He desperately held onto Balthar with one hand and the dead Tolltier in the other. The Tolltier carcass floated and Skyler hoped to use it as a raft. The three swam hard toward Skyler as the current threatened to sweep them away. They finally reached the Tolltier corpse, beating the cold that sought to numb their limbs and drown them. They were just able to help lift Balthar from the water and then Skyler. It was crowded on the Tolltier raft, but they all fit, barely. They huddled tight as the breeze only further sucked the last heat they had between them.
Each boy drove his blade into the Tolltier and held on as the river roughly rushed them farther away from the pursuing enemy and ever closer to the frozen ocean separating them from Lemuria. The cold air swirling past them froze their clothes and hair. Though they were on their way home, they were still far from safe.
“W-w-we need to get off this s-s-soon. I’m f-f-freezing, B-b-balthar is b-b-barely hanging on,” Taylor muttered to Skyler, his teeth chattering in the hostile weather. Each of the boys shivered uncontrollably, their efforts to stay warm in vain.
“L-l-look, up ahead, t-t-the river flattens. W-w-we are getting closer to the ocean. L-l-let’s get off just before the end of the t-t-trees,” Skyler stuttered choppily between his uncontrollable shivers. As the water slowed, they were quickly nearing the end of the open water and their spot to get off.
Taylor reluctantly slid off the Tolltier and back into the subzero water. He pulled on the hair of the beast they used for a raft, dragging his freezing friends to shore. Meril and Shalkar carried Balthar off the raft and out of the wind as quickly as they could. Several outlying trees provided the only cover they would get as the wild wi
nd of the north whipped, seeking to freeze them solid.
Taylor and Skyler struggled to start a fire. Their hands could barely move, close to numb from the freezing temperatures.
“N-n-not a-a-as e-e-easy as it l-l-l-ooks, i-i-is i-i-i-t?” Meril chittered, unable to pass up the jab.
In frustration, Skyler threw his tools down his flint and the knife. “That’s it, I …,” Skyler pouted. The flint landed with the knife edge slamming hard against it. The spark flew into the dead branches and needles, and the spark ignited the kindling. I small flame grew from it. “I did it!” Skyler finished, shooting Meril a quick look. Taylor quickly added other small pieces and a good fire was going just a few moments later.
After their fingers regained some feeling, they placed several stones alongside the fire to heat them up. To save Balthar, they rotated the hot rocks alongside Balthar’s sides to keep him warm. He was in very poor condition, but still breathing. They had no food and very little cover from the resentful wind that seemed to howl angrier at their every success.
“I’m h-h-h-hungry!” Shalkar whined, knowing it was useless.
“Talking about it isn’t going to make this any easier. If we find anything it needs to go to Balthar, or he will die,” Skyler shot back, his chattering teeth finally warmed. He feared starvation and the cold would eventually take them, one by one.
“What are we talking about? We have plenty to eat and keep us warm!” Taylor announced as the idea rose in his head just like the fire before him. He quickly left the bleak shelter provided by the lonely trees, venturing the short distance to the frozen Tolltier. The others saw his plan and helped him drag the beast closer to the fire. They each drew their hunting knives and quickly dressed it. Soon the fire and the boys were out of the wind. They wrapped the large skin of the Tolltier around the trees, protecting three sides of them. There was plenty of meat on the Tolltier for many days and they were able to make a nice stew-like mixture for Balthar to eat.
Skyler mended Balthar’s wounds the best he could. He did well, given the dire situation they were in and the limited supplies. The boys took turns, two at a time, sleeping next to Balthar to keep him warm.
The next morning, they were happily surprised to see him awake. “What happened?” Balthar whispered to Skyler, who had just woken next to his good friend.
“You were attacked by the Tolltier. It gave you some pretty deep wounds to your sides,” Skyler explained, concerned for his injured friend.
Balthar looked around and saw Meril sleeping next to him. “And my reward for getting hurt is you two sleeping next to me? I wish I had died,” Balthar muttered his joke. He tried to move but the pain in each of his sides would be long in healing.
Skyler and the rest made a sled out of the few branches from the trees that were nearby. They were able to take some wood with them to help get them across the massive sheet of ice covering the ocean. Though they feared the ice sheets, they also hoped the ice would still stretch across the entire ocean to the shores of Lemuria.
Thanks to the Tolltier, they had plenty of food to get across. With any luck, they would soon be home. Every evening, or if a storm picked up, they used the Tolltier skin to make a shelter. The trek across the sheet of ice took them several days. Pulling Balthar delayed them, but it honored each of the dwarves to take turns pulling the sled of their injured comrade. Balthar improved a little more every day. As dawn’s light flooded the bitter night sky on the third morning, they were finally able to make out the mountains of northern Lemuria just ahead. They made it across the frozen ocean.
At midday, as the rocks of the shore protruded from the last of the ice before them, Balthar sat up. To their astonishment, he stepped off the sled and began to walk.
“You are walking pretty well,” Meril said, happy for his friend.
“Yes, I have actually been able to walk for a while now,” Balthar replied as he strolled by the astounded Meril, who did most of the pulling for his good friend.
“For a while now? Why didn’t you say something? That sled was pretty heavy!” the increasingly perturbed Meril responded.
Balthar sauntered by Meril, “The ride was pleasant, thank you for it!”
The boys laughed for the first time in many days and continued their long journey back home.
Chapter 4: Broken Council
The boys found the path leading to the road south. They left the bitter winds of the north behind, reaching the rising temperatures in the desert, which was a welcome feel compared to the freezing numbness of Calonia.
On the way, they found the troop sent from Tunder Bin to find them. Several men of Arlow’s band made the trek with the dwarves. The men were eager for news of their homeland and disappointed in what Skyler had to tell them. The land only knew winter since their departure, thanks to the wizard and his vile magic. Spring failed to come for over five years.
The wagons provided by the men quickened their travels, and in a few days, they saw the mountain ranges of the Ring Mountains.
“Tis a shame we weren’t able to stop and see the harpies, they would have terrific medicine for me,” Balthar wistfully spoke.
“Just because we couldn’t stop doesn’t mean we shouldn’t travel there when you are fully healed. Now that we are Tolltier fighters, perhaps a mission there from the King is in order. We could mark the land formerly occupied by the guarders of the mountain, if no other reasons to check the borders of the harpy land. I will be talking with Tegan about this soon,” Skyler added. The boys were gone for over three months on this latest mission. In total, they spent less than two months of the last year with their parents in the Ring Mountains.
They arrived back to Tunder Bin as a quiet evening set in around the mountain and before the evening meal. Knowing the feast that awaited them, they hurried home and passed on their lunch that day. Their hunger easily carried them up the many steps to the upper chamber. Passing many a dwarf as they worked their way through the city, the news of their return traveled quickly among the people. It reached the highest chamber long before they did. Many were waiting for them when they arrived for dinner and the boys received a standing ovation as they entered. Everyone in the hall knew the importance of the boy’s missions, not only for Tegan, but also for the entire city. They carried hope to find Milan soon and have their queen returned.
Tegan appeared as they emerged from the crowd of well-wishers. Balthar was the last to break through, as he had to take time to show a group of younger dwarf maidens his wounds.
“It appears you have some admirers,” Tegan said, happy for any attention they received. He was pleased they made it back and hugged each of them. Balthar winced at the embrace. “You have some serious injuries,” Tegan stated as Balthar showed him the bandages. “What gave these to you?” He already recognized the pattern of claw marks but hoped he was wrong.
“What happened?” Telon asked, arriving late to the chamber.
“We were attacked by snow Tolltier,” Skyler explained, “They came on us from behind, fighting us as we were departing the land. They ripped up our tents and stored food, so we ended up riding the dead body of one down some rapids to safety.”
Tegan looked to Telon. The news of more Tolltier did not sit well. The story impressed the veteran warriors, which was not easy.
“At least we learned a few things,” Shalkar interjected, reaching into his pack. He pulled out his portion of the Tolltier hide, “Their hides are very warm!”
The story awed the crowd, as each of the boys handed their part of the hide around for the others to see.
“They are pretty good eating too,” Taylor added and then he sat down at a table and began fixing a plate for himself, “but not quite as tasty as this.”
“Everyone, I am sure the boys will be here for a long while tonight. Please, let them eat now and they will stay after to tell some tales of their adventures,” Tegan asked of the people, needing some time alone with them to get his own questions answered.
The
crowd dissipated, letting the boys eat. Shalkar had other ideas, as he made two plates. One was for him and the other for Balthar. He then haled over three fetching young ladies, “Excuse me beautiful maidens, but would you be so kind as to help two veteran warriors? One of us in quite injured and the other terribly exhausted from saving him, time and time again. We need to get some rest, and perhaps a massage of our tired muscles would raise our depleted spirits.”
The three were excited beyond account. They giggly rushed over to help them. Two of the girls held Balthar’s hands and helped him with his bag. The other picked up Shalkar’s bag and held his hand, as they led the soldiers away to eat and heal.
Shalkar gave the others a quick wink as they hobbled off, answering the fetching young dwarf maiden, “Why yes, we were scared. You can’t stare death in the eye and not blink! But of course, it wasn’t the only time we have danced with death.” Skyler marveled at Shalkar, but more pressing matters drew his attention.
Skyler filled his plate but then saw Tegan and Telon eyeing him. He understood Tegan’s call for others to leave them alone did not mean he would get to eat. He sat down and began to tell their tale. By this time, Arlow also joined them and was very interested in any news from his land of Calonia.
Skyler told them about the adventure. He spoke of the cave sloth and the elves. He finished with their discussions with Argus. When he was done, he added, “We were very close this time. We know the general area where the wizard is, Milan must be with him.”
Tegan felt himself grow a little faint at the words he had waited so long to hear. “Has anyone seen her? Can you lead us there?” he asked quickly, his voice almost cracked.
“No, no one saw her, and we can’t lead you all the way there. I am sorry.” Skyler knew those questions were coming and knew also the disappointment that would come from his answers. “But I assure you the elves who live in the woods said we were close to the fortress.”
The Three Charms Page 5
