The once frozen sea was a land of millions of little floating islands of ice, as the winds from the southeast brought a spring for the first time in years to the far north. The newly arrived dwarf army did not march to Calonia but rode the winds from the south in the same boats Arlow’s men had used several years earlier to escape the first purge by Herrog. They would once again provide the path to freedom for those fleeing the north.
Telon hurriedly led many onto the boats, filling them quickly. The soldiers dropped their weapons and quickly manned the oars, surprised to see the women from Arlow’s people were the ones staying with the boats. Only four of the ten boats were full and began slowly pulling away, another attempted to get moving but it was only half full.
The Ice Berg Sea hid one more secret, as out of its depths rose the mighty Hydra. Once more, their exit was blocked.
“Outrun it!” Telon ordered his boat. Dorir, Fiji and Bryon also had boats, with the gargoyles and harpies flying around the many headed hydra, trying to keep the water dragon occupied. The trailing army stopped at the sea, burned the remaining boats, and killing Telon’s troops that could not get away.
The four captains of their boats loaded their harpoons and began shooting them toward the hydra, hoping it was their last obstacle to breaking free. The currents of the seas were on their side, as were the newly changed winds that swooned from the northeast to the southwest. They only needed to break free.
Several of the harpoons found their mark but the many headed serpent was coming close to Dorir’s boat even as the others pulled away.
“We only have two harpoons left, make them count!” Dorir ordered. Erol sat exhausted on the deck and saw the two harpoons the dwarves were hurrying to load. He stood and stepped between them. He angrily grabbed the massive spears, one in each hand. “Back away!” he ordered the dwarves. “The hydra is mine!” He waited for the hydra to get close enough and then he jumped onto the beast. He and the dragon bobbed in the water, the weight of Erol not insignificant, even for such a large beast of the sea.
Erol took out his frustration, repeatedly stabbing the hydra with the spears. Over and over again, he drove them deep inside. Then, with glee, he ripped them free from the evil flesh of the water dragon. The hydra struggled hard to rid itself of Erol but it could not stay the raging Ogre. Every stab was for a fallen comrade. One for his father. One for Gile. One for Meril. One for Kyrie and another for Arlow! Stab and rip, stab and rip, the easy cadence often repeated. The water around the serpent turned red. One head after another on the mighty dragon fell limp. When it did, Erol quickly moved to the next.
The dragon slipped beneath the water, taking Erol with it. When last seen the hydra had two remaining heads and dove deep to save himself. Within moments there was no sign other than the bloody water that the hydra or Erol had been there. The hydra, fully experienced in war and injury, had never endured such a battle. The damage it sustained from Belgin and Erol paled in comparison to the destruction Erol laid upon it on this day. In desperation, it dove deep into the biting sea, taking the harbinger of pain with it. Unlike the last time, Erol held no conviction to live. His only desire was to deal pain and vengeance, and never had one succeeded more in a mission. Never had one so passionately enjoyed one either.
Dorir anxiously waited, hoping Erol would re-emerge from the depths. Ogres were not good swimmers and Erol was of immense size and exhausted. He helped win the small victory of escape, as the ships pulled away and Herrog’s forces were content to see them limp away. But the battle left Erol with little energy for himself. Reluctantly Dorir ordered, “Full speed ahead, our friend is passed.” His feeling of defeat was for not only Erol but also the daughter he left behind.
The oars churned and the boat started to move away. The many dwarves, men and centaurs on board knew what Erol had done and mourned his passing.
A massive hand lurched frantically from the sea, grasping the side of the boat. The soldier dwarves rushed to defend the boat, as the hand threatened to capsize it. “Its Erol!” Dorir informed. “Help him!” He was exasperated to see Erol clinging to the side, gasping for air. Erol was too tired to get in but the dwarves and centaurs would not let go of their friend as they clung tight to his weary arm.
“Cross to Lemuria, he can board there!” Dorir happily ordered. Though their mission failed, Dorir knew not all was lost. His daughter was still captured, maybe alive and maybe not, but the troops of Lemuria were not totaled. There would be another day.
Telon witnessed Erol’s desperate reach to the boat and also drew happiness from it. He rejoiced in his good friend’s survival. The day was almost a total loss, but the newly arrived army from Tunder Bin saved them. He took a moment to look back at Calonia and the celebrating evil army. Herrog stood among them, grinning at Telon as he departed.
Telon finally turned away from the malevolent gaze and turned to the masked captain of the new army. He asked, “Soldier, please show yourself. Then you can explain how you came to have the armor of Tunder Bin!”
The soldier set down his sword and lifted his helmet off, setting it on the deck. Telon could not believe his eyes.
Chapter 32: Warriors
Seran did as asked by her King before his departure. It was her deep desire to earn recognition for not only herself, but for all the women of Tunder Bin who desired more in life than to cook and do laundry. She would not let this opportunity slide by, even if it took the gravest of situations to present it. With the King and all but the frailest men gone, she directed every necessity of the city. She left nothing unattended.
Seran called on Natalia, the head of the centaur women, to help her. Seran quickly learned of Natalia’s attention to detail and she delegated much to the highly organized centaur woman. At first, many were reluctant to follow the orders given, as the two women were new to their roles. Never in the history of Tunder Bin had a man taken orders from a woman. For several of the oldest and staunchest men, this did not sit well. However, it did not take long for the two to grow confident in their decisions. When the people saw this and the wisdom of their moves, they too fell in line. A few hardheaded old dwarves were stubborn, and one in particular was trouble.
“I marched for the King and slayed dragons! I didn’t do either to take orders from a woman before I die!” the rickety old dwarf sneered to Seran. She told him to help organize the women working in the fields, which he felt far above doing. His back creaked in the worst way, as he rose with his shaky cane, standing taller than he had in years. His legs wobbled at the feat and they would not hold out long. His arm leaned heavy on the cane, which was as rickety as the man was. He used it for as long as Seran could remember and she was quite old herself.
“Elwood,” Seran scorned back, taking notice of the growing throng around the small revolt. Many of them were silently cheering for the old dwarf, for his victory would embolden them to revolt also. To allow the single hole in the dam would be to invite the flood, so she needed to handle this quickly. Thinking better of her plan, she put a warm arm around the old man’s thin shoulders and allowed him to take a deep drink of the fortitude in her eyes as she spoke softly too him, ensuring no other could hear their private discussion.
All craned to listen, but Seran denied them the pleasure. “Now listen close,” she started with a smile on her face for all to see, wanting them to believe it a pleasant exchange, “I will speak slowly and deliberately so that your pig headed, dirt-filled ears can clearly hear me. You will do as I say, without delay and to the best of your abilities. You will do so because our city needs us now, in any role we can fill. King Tegan didn’t ask your old bones to go to war, so he relegated you to stay. The king you marched for is dead and his son is now king. That man left me in charge of you and everyone else. You will do as I say to honor the memory of the king’s father. Do you understand?”
The old man looked at her confused, for a woman had never spoken to him in such an irreverent manner. Seran gave Elwood a squeeze with her arm. It was n
ot so much to show comradery as it was to let him feel her strength. Even as he looked to the others around him for support, his body winced from the ‘hug’ that threatened to crush his shoulders. Several others in the group, old men that death seemed to have forgotten, put him up to the challenge. Seran too read their rebellious eyes and knew Elwood’s own indecision about his current path. She hoped to persuade him before he went too far down the trail to come back.
“Oh and one last thing. If you defy me again, I am going rip that termite filled stick you call a cane out of your boney little hands and beat you senseless with it until either it or your head breaks into a thousand pieces. I honestly do not care which gives way first.”
All this she discretely delivered with a sticky sweet smile. It was not her intention to dishonor the old man in front of the group. No dwarf man living to half that age had done so without surviving many battles for the people of Tunder Bin.
Elwood quickly embraced his new role, “My Lady, I believe I must have misheard you. I thought you had asked me to work in the mines, which of course make me cough something fierce. To work in the fields and serve my city would be a welcomed change, of course I accept.” Then he turned to the others who looked on in astonishment, “Men, we have a job to do and we are going to carry it out for King and City!” Slowly, at the speed a slug would appreciate, the wobbly old men stumbled their way to the fields. Several bickered at him as he passed, risking sharp looks toward Seran. She waved back pleasantly as they left, emerging from the encounter victorious.
Natalia was impressed, “That was a quick conversion. How did you get him to change his mind?”
“I told him I was going to beat him silly if he didn’t do exactly as I said,” Seran proudly said as she marched off onto the next task.
Between the two, they were able to secure the mountain. The dwarf women, with the help of several of the oldest dwarf men, made many thick iron clad doors to seal every opening to the mountain. Even windows that never needed closed before Seran ordered fit for the metal doors. She knew the damage dragons could do and had once seen these types of coverings on the windows of Drachen Castle.
When Seran believed all was completed that could be, she said to Natalia, “Thank you for your help. It was too much for any one person to do alone.”
“How does Tegan do it?” Natalia wondered.
“Alone?” Seran scoffed, “He is hardly alone. He has a council of men, with each of them in charge of certain areas. We have been doing the work eight or more of his men have been doing.”
Natalia laughed at the thought, only then realizing how much work they had done. She then went on, “Well, it is our honor to help you as the start of repayment for the hospitality you have provided our people. With the city secured, what is our next move?” Natalia and her centaurs had indeed worked hard to prepare and were ready for the next task.
Seran thought for a bit and decided it was time to reveal her hand, “I am not sure what is best for our people. The mountain is ready in case of the worst, but I wonder if we can be of more help, elsewhere.” Seran emphasized the last word, wondering if Natalia guessed her intentions.
Natalia took the bait, just as eager as Seran for battle, “Our women are trained to fight, just as our men are. Our men say for us to stay back, safe at home to raise our young. I am glad to do so, but I also know I can be of help in battle too.”
“I was thinking the same,” Seran replied, a smile growing again across her face. “The women of Tunder Bin are well trained, as are the women of the Flau Strand. There may come a time when we are the only ones left to carry on. We need to be ready.”
So it was that the women dwarves and centaurs raided the armory of Tunder Bin. Hundreds of years of weapons and armor were stored there, begging for the warriors to use them for their intended purpose. The women went for the most ornate of the storage, looking to make the strongest of impressions when they met their battle. The helmets and masks embroidered with the most jewels and the most gold were the weapons and armor of choice. The worth of the storage the women wore to battle doubled that of the gold stored in the rest of Lemuria.
The armor also allowed them to hide their identity. Seran wanted to make the enemy believe there were still many men left in the city. She was not ashamed to let people know they were women, but was also not enthusiastic to invite battles with those who would have otherwise strayed from an equal sized army of hardened dwarf men.
In all, between the centaurs and dwarves, there was an army of over one thousand marching to and fro, parading around the mountain. The children delighted in the spectacle, mimicking the marching. Jedrek began to organize a large group of his friends, leading them in the training drills he had watched hundreds of times over the past years.
Seran sent a small band, led by Natalia, on a march to the Flau Strand. They talked the women dwarves who resided there, along with the females of Arlow’s people. It was an easy talk and soon the women by the sea took the offer to join their all woman army. The remaining people of the seaside village abandoned the dwelling, seeking the protection Tunder Bin would offer.
The women of Calonia, like the men, were excellent sailors. They were able to teach the rest how to handle the boats. If they went, Seran knew they would not be able to march to the farthest corner of Lemuria and still arrive in time.
Seran called for a meeting, which included Lizzy, Natalia, Tanya (Fiji’s wife) and Marilyn (Arlow’s wife). All were both nervous and excited, each taking roles within their people women never held before.
“Thank you for coming and for the leadership each of you have taken for the sake of your people,” Seran began, setting the table for the discussion.
“What are we to do when our men have left us? We need to step up and make sure our futures are secure,” Natalia said, reassuring the women present that they were doing just as they should. “I have heard the murmurs also, that we are overstepping our bounds. Even when there are no men here, some would rather wait for the men to take charge. I will not.”
“I fear some of our women will not follow us. If that is so, what shall we do?” Tanya asked, not feeling at all comfortable in this position. She desired for her husband and sons to return home so that she could return to her regular duties.
“There will be plenty to do here for those who choose to remain,” Seran explained, guessing Tanya knew her intentions. Tanya did not.
“For those who choose to remain? What are you suggesting?” Tanya asked. Her voice concerned for where her friend’s aggressive nature could take them. Very few of the women ever traveled anywhere, save an infrequent trip to another dwarf land.
It was time for Seran to lay out her strategy and there would be no going back. “I plan to go north to aid our men. Skyler spoke of the need and our friends in the Dragon Glades and the Hills did not answer the call. When no one else can go, we need to go ourselves.” Natalia knew Seran’s mind and agreed completely. She also had traveled more than the rest. The idea was not foreign to her people. The others, however, were quite surprised to hear the words and even less enthused about the proposed adventure.
“I will not go,” Marilyn replied indignantly to the notion. “It is not for me. But, I will not stop any of the women of my land from going with you, if they choose. ‘Each to their own heart’ is a favorite saying of my people. We must decide for ourselves.”
“I will go, but many of my women will need to stay. I will not leave our children here alone. We must ensure their needs are met,” Tanya volunteered. Duty made her decision, for she had no desire for adventure, only to take care of her family.
“I am glad you accepted our offer to reside here until this gloom has passed. There are plenty of stores to last many years if needed. The more people that are here the safer it will be,” Seran said to Tanya and Marilyn. Then she said directly to Marilyn, “I would ask Lizzy to take control of the city and that you pledge to aid her. I am going north.”
“I will do my best, I pro
mise,” Marilyn agreed, reluctantly assisting with the lead of Tunder Bin. Lizzy would lead even as she continued to raise Hamar and Sydandra. Less than fifty women, counting the human women, dwarf and centaurs, remained to take care of Tunder Bin. They were to watch the thousand plus children who remained and keep the city going until the warrior’s hopeful return. Lizzy took control, a job she never intended to have. The irony that the power Deyanira so coveted for her son should fall to one she detested so much was not lost on Lizzy. Despite the twist of fate, she was not happy for it.
The morning the army was to depart Seran marched to the front of the ranks of dwarf women. Upon reaching it, she discovered Jedrek and his friends standing at attention. Each decorated with gear two sizes too big. Jedrek stood before them, as if they were standing before their own leader and ready for inspection.
“What are you doing?” Seran asked but she knew full well the answer that was about to come.
“We are going with you. Our training is complete! We are ready to kill us some goblins!” Jedrek yelled, as if he was barking orders to a soldier.
Seran again looked at the ranks. She understood their excitement to go but could not allow it. Seran took Jedrek away from the others.
“Jedrek, these are your men. Yes?” Seran asked.
“Yes and we are ready!” Jedrek barked again.
“I know you are ready, but they are not. They need more training and you need to lead them through it.” Seran’s heart ripped as the tears slowly built in Jedrek’s innocent eyes.
“Everyone has left me. My mother, my father and now you. Please!” Jedrek pleaded. He looked down, again left behind.
Seran could not allow it. She reached out and lifted his head, ensuring his eyes would meet hers. Her voice became stern, “Jedrek, you are a future king of Tunder Bin. Your troops need you to remain. I cannot promise any that have left will return and we must prepare for that to be the case. The city needs a king and you will be it. Do you understand?”
The Three Charms Page 38
