The Three Charms

by Brian Spielbauer

  They stopped at the entrance to the tunnel and looked back again. Not more than a few moments later, with the shadows on the castle not nearly as thick, the battle began as Sandor and Coral descended upon the upper ramparts of Herrog’s fortress. The high-pitched squeal of the harpy women pierced the air, announcing the excited state with which they arrived. The warriors, both harpy and gargoyle, bombarded the castle walls and forces on the ground with arrow and spear. They darted this way and that like a colony of bats at night, gaining the edge on the enemy. It was then they heard a horn, one the centaurs blew, announcing their arrival to the battlefield. Tegan did not see them but he first felt and then heard the tremble of hundreds of horse hooves pelting the ground.

  Dwarves loved battle above all else. They were not proud of their love of war and its questionable need, but they did not run from it either. A gleam overtook Tegan’s and Telon’s eyes as the battle began, for their insatiable desire was not for gold, for family, or even peace and prosperity for their people. Their love of war was not even for the thirst of a kill, but truly, it was for their desire to measure themselves against another and see who was best. What better way than battle? In this manner, a dwarf could die a worthy death, falling to a superior foe during marvelous fight. Any other death, especially at a ripe age, was considered unworthy.

  “It’s time,” Tegan seethed to Telon, as the two raced back. They quickly mounted their cats without pause. Tegan whirled around the troops of dwarves. His fellow kings stood before him, ready to follow his lead, as did Erol, Belgin and Gile.

  Tegan bellowed to his army, “The battle has begun! Your friends are fighting the enemy on the other side and we will join them! Herrog’s forces are many and the battle will be fierce. Many of us will find a worthy death today, but we will find victory!” The dwarves became frenzied beyond control, needing held back.

  Telon rode to Erol, “Gile will not fit. He will need to wait here.” Erol looked to his dragon friend and saw the gleam in his eye. The small space would not deny Gile. The dragon ran hard toward the mountain, leapt onto the steep side and began scaling it, bounding recklessly from one rock to another. He left a path of waste and destruction of rock and mangled tree in his wake. It would take him some time to come to the battle on the other side, but he would arrive.

  Tegan rode to the front, joined by Telon. “The time is now, march to victory!” He burst through the tunnel on Elard, Telon just behind on Bramble. The cats roared as they left the tunnel and exploded over the bank onto the battle field.

  As they hoped, the evil enemy split to focus on the two attacks. Tegan’s men poured over the rim of the stream, howling like rabid animals as they sprinted toward the front gate. They were completely through the mountain and swarming the field, the first of their ranks pounding hard into the enemy that was slow to respond to the third assault.

  Tegan and Telon drove deep into the crease, at first catching the enemy Tolltier by surprise. The gargoyles and harpies were encountering mostly goblins on the castle walls and on their side of the field. The centaurs and men on horse fought with their foe, most of which were trolls. The Tolltier guarded the main gate and the middle, the forces of evil well informed by Herrog of what was to come.

  Then they arrived, with a typhoon of wind announcing their dreadful presence. The massive wings buffeted all to the sides in the air, both good and evil. The tornadic winds rolled many who stood on the ground. The drakes, vile and vengeful for their lost brother, concentrated their wrath on the gargoyles and harpies. The fighting was furious, with gargoyles and harpies falling with every chomp of the large dragon’s dagger-like teeth.

  Tegan made a deep charge toward the drawbridge, leading the deadly thrust of those who dared to stay with him. He was amazed at the ferocity of his own forces, even though they were far outnumbered. Tegan’s group pushed hard and slayed many of the enemy, causing Herrog’s forces to fall back in disarray. Erol and Belgin brought a different flavor to the fight, with nothing able to stand before their brute strength on the field. Their efforts stopped the trolls from surrounding the dwarves, leaving open a path of retreat, if necessary.

  The fight waged on three sides of the castle, with Herrog watching gleefully from one of the higher windows. He could not have been more pleased, knowing the revolting kings and leaders of Lemuria were in the battle below. A battle that he would soon bring to victory for him and utter destruction for the rest.

  Sandor and Coral were losing their numbers rapidly, the Tolltier and drakes too vicious for them to hold out against much longer. “Fly to the centaurs and horsemen, together we can last longer!” Coral compelled Sandor.

  “To the centaurs! Aid their attack!” Sandor answered, ordering for his men to follow him. He flew quick, dodging the swinging snake-like tale of the drake. The gargoyle behind him did not see it, and the tail crushed it against the castle wall, tearing it in two. The flyers did their best to miss the barrage of goblin arrows that threatened to skewer them, each one dipped in poison. The monstrous drakes continued their feeding frenzy, still far from full after sitting silently for years on the top of the mountain. They slashed through the air, seeing nothing that could stand before them.

  Chapter 29: The Demon Revealed

  Skyler and his band pushed too far, getting ahead of the rest of their soldiers. They were slicing through all they came upon, but their foe surrounded them, cutting off their escape. Skyler looked back and saw they were woefully alone. A band of trolls readied for the fight.

  “He’z da one, da traitor! Git ‘im!” the lead troll yelled as he saw Kylee. The rumor of the one-armed troll who was helping the dwarves spread fast through their kind. Traitorous trolls did not last long.

  “Help!” Kylee squeaked, wielding his sword in his one tiring arm. He grew smaller in the battle, feeling as though the world was falling in on him. But his friends would not abandon him.

  “Not a sword nicks him!” Skyler commanded to his friends as they surrounded Kylee, their backs to him, their swords and axes facing out. The trolls regrouped to battle the small dwarves. They did not realize it would be a far taller task than it seemed.

  They lifted their swords high, ready to bring them down on their tiny enemy. Each of the dwarves, in unison, went even lower. They struck their foes below the knees, hard and fast. More than one lost a leg in the ground based attack, and soon the trolls were all fighting from the same level as the dwarves. The fight was fierce, as the smaller fighters whirled and kept moving, making hard targets for the clumsy trolls to hit.

  As Skyler said, not a blade, not even a nick of a blade, touched their friend. The dwarves killed the veteran trolls, proving their worth yet again. But, without delay, a new combatant joined the fray. A monstrous Tolltier, fresh off a victory over several of Bryon’s best men, landed hard on two of the troll’s carcasses. His massive clawed feet squishing deep into the blubbery bodies of the slain.

  Skyler and the rest were huffing hard from the testy fight with the trolls. Despite their weariness, they formed a line to protect Kylee. The massive Tolltier, larger than any they had seen thus far, drew a deep breath to let loose his battle howl. From over Taylor’s head and barely missing it, a dwarf blade whizzed through the air. So vicious was the throw and so true was the aim, that the Tolltier had no time to react before the sword plunged deep within its gullet. Kylee burst between the stunned Shalkar and Balthar and jumped hard into the maimed Tolltier who still had not realized he was stuck. Kylee ripped the blade out of the amazed Tolltier’s fattened belly as the creature timbered back onto the ground. It was still reaching for Kylee as he rode the filthy beast to the ground, making another wicked slash that ended with the blade stabbing through the mouth and out the back of the bastard’s boulder sized skull.

  Kylee leaned down to taunt the dead, “Not a blade, not even the smallest prick of your wickedness will touch my friends!” Kylee proudly barked, stealing Skyler’s line as best he could remember. He reached gallantly down to retrieve hi
s sword. He grabbed the hilt with a victorious look to his friends. He tried to retrieve it, but was unable to pull it out of the skull. He then placed his foot indignantly on the skull and tried again to no avail. He regrouped and pulled yet again with all his might but could not get it out. The others looked on, still amazed at how quickly he slaughtered the Tolltier, the toughest of the creatures they would fight that day. They were waiting for him to gain his sword back to congratulate him on his bravery and kill, but the moment awkwardly passed.

  “I am sorry, but could someone please get my sword out,” Kylee asked, knowing his recently earned admiration had washed away.

  Though the battle raged throughout the valley, hundreds of small skirmishes occurred over and over again. The day wore on and the reward for surviving a fight was another fight, which was followed by yet another one. Many great soldiers on both sides fell that day as the fate of misfortune descended on thousands in a very disorganized and unfair manner.

  “Push for the ravine!” Skyler ordered, but turned to see an especially large one-eyed troll blocking him from the ground he desired. His goal was to find a spot to rest for a moment and make his next plan. If they didn’t move quickly, they would find their next battle.

  The troll carried a club and swung large swooping gashes, the wild arcs knocking trees with every swipe. The thuds shuddered the ground, making it difficult to stand. While Skyler and Taylor were able to keep him occupied, Kylee finally ripped his sword from its spot and then frantically dashed under the troll’s legs. After sliding out the other side, he quickly jumped on a log and turned to stab the beast from behind.

  Shalkar and Balthar dropped their axes for the moment in favor of their crossbows. They saw another troll behind the first who was measuring a swat for the unsuspecting Kylee. They aimed quickly, “Duck!” Shalkar yelled to Kylee as they pulled the triggers. Their short arrows hurled toward the troll. “AHH…” the terrified Kylee screamed as he dove to the ground. The missiles whizzed through the air, a littered space with arrows and spears from both sides of the fight passing through it. They ferociously slammed into the fattened neck of the slug. Blood popped from the bursting neck, exploding onto Kylee, who grew nauseous from the disgusting gore. The troll’s body fell limp and he collapsed forward onto the other end of the ancient log, sending Kylee sailing helplessly through the air like a small troll bomb.

  The swooping drake decided not to eat him, as trolls were far less tasty than dwarves were. Kylee landed hard on a large rock quite sooner than he expected. He sat up, dizzy from his flight and looked dazedly around. He quickly noticed he was far above the ground, with a lurking uneasiness flooding him.

  As his senses rushed back, Kylee became aware that his friends were screaming to gain his attention. All was quiet, as the blow knocked out his hearing. He saw his friend’s mouths moving as they tried to get his attention. He waved back to them with a slight grin, unsure of what was their fuss.

  His awareness rushed back and he realized he was definitely not on the ground, and not even on a high rock. His gut wrenched as he looked down to see the one-eyed troll staring up at him as he sat precariously on the monster’s bald head.

  “Oh my,” Kylee gasped. He was certain his life would end.

  Before the larger troll could react, Kylee pulled his sword as he fell from his perch and began sliding down the putrid face of the giant troll. Kylee wildly stabbed into the troll to slow his fall. Much to his horror, the sharp blade easily sunk into the ripe flesh of the troll’s one good eye, which immediately popped out of the socket as his weight pulled down on the pricking blade. He fell to the ground with a hard hit that knocked the wind from him. Then he noticed with delight the eye of the troll remained on his sword. He looked up to see the wailing demon, his bellowing, booming scream shattering all other sound on the field. The blind beast wildly trampled off through the battle field, stomping combatants from both sides of the fight as he recklessly romped off without direction. Belgin mercifully halted the visionless rampage toward the front gate with deathly blow as he could listen no more to the whining beast.

  The void of silence left by the troll’s end was short lived, as a high-pitched cry immediately replaced it. The sound erupted from a previously unnoticed refuge. So terrifying was the sound that Tegan’s forces were reluctant to look for the source out of fear. They would not have to wait for long as the beasts were clambering from centaur to centaur as the Tolltier, in numbers unimaginable, emptied the courtyard from the still open front gate. The Tolltier were ferocious, punching, clawing, slicing and dismembering many of their foes.

  “Reform the lines!” the brave Cergon ordered, his formerly beautiful and sleek hide full of the rewards of battle. There was little time for it though as many more Tolltier poured in, attacking the lines before they could regroup. The gargoyles and harpies arrived to aid their friends, with the battle rising from the ground to the air. The reprieve allowed Cergon the time he needed to organize his centaurs for a useful assault. The fight spilled from in front of the gate out into the vast open ground lying before the castle drawbridge.

  Herrog was ready, as nothing occurred during the battle that brought him surprise. He suddenly appeared at the cleared drawbridge, on the edge of the sea of battle. The destruction before him and to all sides fed his energy and power. He delighted in the deathly pleasure of his rewarding plans come true.

  Tegan saw him standing on the drawbridge, reveling in the carnage. He made no attempt to contain his anger. His frustration and rage boiled over as he drove hard, unleashing the power of Elard as they charged the wizard. Tegan hoped to take his shot that very moment, unwilling to wait any longer. “Revenge!” Tegan bellowed, ready for his charge.

  Just as Elard got up to speed, with Tegan raising his axe for a dreadful swing to end the sorcerer’s life, he noticed the wizard waving his arms toward the mountains rising up over the battle. Tegan abated the charge, pulling up short on Elard as he turned to look up to the mountain side behind them. High up on the ridge, hidden from their view upon entering, were three large holes that were bore deep into the mountain.

  Tegan saw a single goblin who was waiting for the signal just given. The fat toad turned, waving a flag to forces lying in wait within. Tegan squinted, as the sun was straight above the field of battle, leaving no shadow. Out of the holes burst three chimeras. Even for their kind, they were humongous, with each monster ridden by five goblins. One saddled on each of the three heads, with two riding on the massive trunk of the bodies before the snake tail at the end.

  The wretched beasts slithered down the sheer mountainside, hungrily searching for the battle. Tegan would need to wait for his revenge, whistling loudly for Telon and Erol to come to his aid. “To the hills!” he bellowed, as his friends noticed the chimeras for the first time.

  The balance of the battle was tenuous, with the chimeras threatening to tip the scales. Tegan left Herrog for later and charged toward the chimeras with Telon and Erol hurrying to join him. The battle threatened to halt their advance as the chimeras began dismantling his troops at the back.

  Tegan was the first to arrive, meeting the last one just as it bounded off the side of the hill and covered the rim of the stream. It was well over twice his and Elard’s size together and hungry for the fight. It attacked without relent, the lion and dragon heads snapping wild chomps at him. The two other chimeras already reached the battle, but commanded by Herrog, they turned on the dwarf king with the intent to end his reign.

  “Hold on Tegan!” Telon compelled. He and Bramble fought courageously through the enemy but the Tolltier were fierce in their attack, trying to stop them from helping Tegan. A winged beast stood tall before Telon, denying him his path. It reared back its massive arm, ready to swipe him from Bramble.

  Erol lunged and dove into the unsuspecting Tolltier, crushing its ribs with his tackle. Both Erol and the Tolltier let loose a hearty growl from losing their breath. As the Tolltier stood again, Telon ran it through from behind
as Bramble sunk his vicious jaws into the hide. Telon continued to his brother’s aid.

  The ogre hastily recovered and trudged to Tegan, stomping many swarming goblins with each step. Together the three took on the angry chimeras. The titans brutally squared off in battle but could gain no ground on the chimeras and the pests riding them. Tegan concentrated on the chimera he faced, still having not landed a single strike. The fight he was in did not stop him from noticing a huge number of goblins oozing from the three holes above. The numbers were beyond count, far exceeding what his imagination previously considered. He feared his goal would allude them, his hope to save Milan dwindling fast.

  The ground began to shake, the warriors on the battle field desperately searched for solid footing. Crashing down the mountain came the forgotten warrior of Lemuria, the dragon Gile. His long haul over the mountains did little to diminish his anger or appetite for destruction. He leapt from above the holes that held the chimeras and the still emerging goblins, catching one of the drakes in his strong jaw and sword-like claws. He dug each in deeply, unwilling to relent his hold that skewered the inside of the beast many times.

  Unlike the drake, Gile could not fly. He feared not his own death though and bravely rode the half flying, half falling dragon into the ground far below. The two crashed hard onto the chimera Erol faced, smashing it to death. Gile crushed the drake as he landed solidly on top, the dragon flying just enough to save Gile from crashing into the ground himself. Gile stepped triumphantly off with a smile of satisfaction toward Erol. The two quickly turned their attention to the other chimeras, allowing Tegan and Telon to turn their attention back to Herrog, who for the first time knew surprise on this day. The arrival of Gile was not one he anticipated. So strong was the might of his evil forces that the unplanned arrival was but a pin prick to his colossal plan of destruction.