Dwarven Ruby

by Richard S. Tuttle

  King Devon was not sure how long he had searched the scrolls, but he finally came to one that spoke about the dwarves. He sat in a chair and started reading. Prince Midge darted into the room and hovered as his tiny eyes took in the contents of the room. Seeing no shields in the small library, the tiny fairy darted back into the trophy room. He flew around the walls of the hall checking each shield.

  Several hours later, Arik exclaimed, “I found it! We have the shield of Oykara.”

  “How do you know?” asked Tanya.

  Arik ran to Tanya carrying the small shield. He grinned as he held it out for her to inspect. He pointed to the small lettering across the top.

  “Shield of Kings,” read Tanya. “Made by Oykara.”

  “So Oykara was the dwarf who made the shield,” mused Jenneva as she stood next to Tanya and studied the writing. “We must tell King Devon.”

  “He is in the next room,” offered Prince Midge. “He is reading.”

  “Do you think he will let us take it?” asked Wylan.

  Arik ignored the question and strode into the next room. The rest of the group followed. Arik halted when he saw the king. King Devon was sitting in a chair reading a scroll. A pile of scrolls cluttered the floor near his feet. A single tear glistened in the king’s eye. Arik approached the king quietly.

  “We have found the Shield of Oykara,” Arik said softly. “May we take it with us?”

  The king sniffed and shook his head before turning to look at Arik. He stared at the small dwarven shield and nodded.

  “Take whatever you want from the trophy room,” the king said dismissingly. “The people of Tor have no need of it.”

  Wylan let out an exclamation of joy, but Arik frowned.

  “What is wrong, King Devon?” questioned Arik. “You seem sad.”

  King Devon coughed and tried to look sternly royal, but he soon reverted to a frown.

  “I am sad,” the king said softly. “While you searched the trophy room, I read the ancient histories of my people. I have read them several times before, but after talking with Alex, I read them in a different frame of mind this time. I cannot believe that my people were so barbarous. It is harder yet to imagine how easily I accepted only the Tor view of our history. I saw things only through the eyes of a conqueror. It is no wonder that our people were so despised throughout history.”

  “I am sure that your ancestors needed to be firm to protect your homeland,” Arik said calmingly.

  “Oh yes,” nodded King Devon. “That part of history is glorious, but I just read the histories concerning the years of the dwarves. Their only crime was a desire to use the pass. In fact, they sought to war against the goblins, which have never been our friends. From what Alex told me, the dwarves would have made good neighbors. Instead we eradicated them. There can be no excuse for that.”

  “No there can be no excuse,” interjected Jenneva, “but there can be amends.”

  “What do you mean?” inquired King Devon.

  “The histories that you speak of are ancient,” explained Jenneva. “Every race has a portion of history that they wish had not happened. We are meant to learn from our mistakes. You have acknowledged one. Learn from it.”

  “How does that make amends?” asked the king.

  “For one,” smiled Jenneva, “it means that you will not be desirous of repeating the mistake. Should dwarves come into your life again, show them a helping hand instead of a blade.”

  “You have already started making amends,” smiled Arik. “The return of their Shield of Oykara will mean much to the dwarves. Why not pen them a letter to be delivered with it?”

  “A letter?” questioned King Devon. “Do you mean an apology? I should think after what we did to their ancestors, an apology would be looked upon with suspicion.”

  “What your ancestors did to their ancestors,” corrected Arik. “I think it would be taken as a gesture of peace and understanding.”

  “There you are,” interrupted Lieutenant Montbalm as he raced into the room. “You should come to the roof. The attack is getting dangerous.”

  The king bolted from his chair and raced out of the room. The Rangers ran after him, and they all gathered on the roof just as the first horn went off.

  “How can this be?” inquired the king as he gazed down into the pass. “Surely they have not breeched the drawbridge?”

  Columns of ogres marched through the pass. Some of them carried long logs to use as rams or bridge poles. Others pulled siege engines. Yaki-riding goblins darted in and out of the columns as they raced for the Castle of Man.

  “They are catapulting ogres onto our lower battlements,” reported Montbalm. “The ogres, once on the battlement, are destroying our catapults.”

  “And our higher level battlements cannot strike at such a short range,” nodded King Devon.

  “We are willing to go down and help,” offered Arik. “We will make good account of ourselves.”

  King Devon turned and stared off at the mountainside where Alex and Sydar should be. Jenneva understood what was going through the king’s mind. She stepped forward and placed the scope in his hand.

  “Alex left it with me in case we wanted to know what he was up to,” Jenneva said.

  The king nodded and brought the scope to his eye. He focused on the covered mouth of the cavern and frowned when he did not see anyone. Slowly he panned back towards the Castle of Man and stopped when he saw Alex and Sydar. He handed the scope back to Jenneva.

  “They are just getting there,” stated the king. “If they work quickly, it will be done in time to save us. Prince Arik, I think my men can delay the ogres with the defense mechanisms we have in place. If not, you and your group will have your chance to join in the battle soon enough.”

  Jenneva peered through the scope and finally found Alex. He was handing his bow and arrows to Sydar.

  * * *

  “Are you sure you don’t want me to go down there with you?” asked Sydar.

  “Positive,” nodded Alex. “In fact, I am not going to climb down there myself. See how the cliff protrudes out over the cavern entrance? I am going to secure a rope on top of that protrusion and then go down the rope. That way I can release the oil without getting stuck down on the level with the goblins. I want you to stay up here and provide cover for me. If any goblin archers see me, eliminate them.”

  “Aye, Colonel,” nodded Sydar. “Archery is something that I have kept well versed in. I won’t let them get near you.”

  “I know,” smiled Alex as he removed his sword and placed it on the ground at Sydar’s feet. “You wouldn’t be a Red Sword without an excellent aim.”

  Alex picked up the long stick he had gathered along the way and headed out onto the tongue of the cliff. He secured one end of the long rope around a large boulder and walked to the very end of the tongue. He gazed down the mountainside and saw the bodies of the two Tor soldiers at the top of the path from the pass. No goblins were in sight. Alex lowered the free end of the rope over the edge of the tongue. When the rope fell taught, he pulled on it to ensure that the boulder would hold. Quietly he grabbed the rope and began lowering himself towards the cavern mouth below.

  Alex landed lightly on the ground under the tongue of the cliff. He held the rope as he walked under the tongue and saw the old rock wall that sealed the cavern. He also saw the small half ledge that ran above his head, just as King Devon had described. He tossed his long stick up on the small ledge and tied the free end of the rope around his waist. He jumped up and grabbed onto the small ledge and hauled himself up on to it.

  Alex took the long stick and started poking it into the old rock wall. He cringed as the noise echoed through the mouth of the cavern. He heard goblins shouting and knew he had been detected.

  “Hurry,” called Sydar. “They heard you.”

  Alex furiously jabbed the long stick into the old rock wall again and again. Dirt and mortar started falling to the ground. The goblin shouts grew louder, and an arrow flew
into the cavern from outside it fell harmlessly to the ground after striking the wall. Alex heard a goblin scream.

  Alex concentrated his strike with the long stick on one section of the wall. Every few seconds he heard the death scream of another goblin. Finally, one of the stones in the old rock wall gave way. Black oil dribbled out of the small hole as the rock fell to the ground. Alex jabbed the stick into the hole and felt more rocks behind it. He edged close to the old rock wall and began shoving the stick harder.

  A goblin archer ran into the cavern and Alex reached for his pouch. The goblin stared at the old rock wall and saw the long stick. His eyes followed the stick upward and saw Alex on the ledge. Alex threw a Lanoirian Star into the goblin’s face. As the goblin tumbled to the ground, Alex removed another Lanoirian Star and placed it on the ledge alongside him. He then continued to shove the stick into the hole. After a few more minutes of working the stick, the second stone worked loose. A steady stream of black oil surged out of the hole.

  As Alex listened to the screams of the goblins outside the cavern, the old rock wall began to bulge. Alex swiftly slid backwards away from the wall. The bulge grew to obese proportions and then exploded outward from the force of the oil behind it. A tremendous gush of oil carried the remains of the old rock wall out of the cavern. Alex backed up as far as he could on the ledge as the surging oil rose steadily towards his small ledge. The rush of the oil drowned out any sounds from outside the cavern.

  Carefully, Alex reversed positions on the small ledge so he was facing the pass and looking up at the edge of the tongue. He abandoned the long stick and grabbed the rope as high as he could reach. While holding the rope and lifting his body off of the small ledge, Alex used his feet to propel himself out of the mouth of the cavern. The rope swung violently and a pair of goblin archers fired at him. Alex pulled himself up furiously while the rope was still swinging. He heard one of the goblins die to Sydar’s arrow.

  Another goblin arrow slammed into the tongue of the cliff just as Alex reached the top. Tiny slivers of stone peppered Alex’s arm as the goblin screamed and fell. Alex pulled himself onto the top of the tongue. He glanced over at Sydar, who was still firing at the goblins below. Alex untied the rope around his waist and gathered it up. He untied it from the boulder and coiled it over his shoulder. He looked over at Sydar and waited.

  Sydar continued to kill goblins for a few minutes and then finally signaled to Alex to run. Alex ran off the tongue and raced to Sydar’s position. He slid down behind the log that Sydar was using for cover.

  “It seems there were a few goblins waiting for me,” frowned Alex.

  “A few?” chuckled Sydar. “It is a good thing that you left me your arrows. I ran through all of mine long before the oil started flowing. They knew someone was coming back to that cavern.”

  “They are not totally stupid,” nodded Alex. “Is the oil spreading as it should?”

  “It is spreading just fine,” grinned Sydar. “It went down that mountainside like a black waterfall. The Castle of Man is another story though,” he frowned. “It looks like ogres have taken over the first five levels already.”

  “How did they get in?” asked Alex as he gazed towards the Castle of Man.

  “They catapulted onto the first battlement,” replied Sydar. “How do we start the oil burning?”

  Alex removed a small container from his pouch and placed it on the ground. “Fire Glue,” indicated Alex. “We just stick an arrow in it and shoot it into the pass. It will create an inferno down there.”

  “Then we have a problem,” frowned Sydar. “We don’t have any arrows left.”

  “That is a problem,” frowned Alex, as he gazed at the Castle of Man. “They don’t have much time left either. It won’t take the ogres long to lower the drawbridge. I doubt the stones that the Tor soldiers roll down the staircases will slow the ogres down much.”

  “I messed up again, didn’t I?” frowned Corporal Sydar.

  “Not at all,” Alex shook his head. “I should have told you the plan beforehand. Your arrows saved my hide down there. Maybe I can throw the container into the pass somehow?”

  “Not from here,” Sydar shook his head. “Maybe from the end of the tongue, but you would never make it there without taking an arrow. There are still goblins down there looking for you.”

  “I have to try,” insisted Alex as he reached for the container of Fire Glue. “Everyone I care about is in that castle. I cannot let them down.”

  “Wait!” Sydar said suddenly. “I just remembered something.”

  “What is that?” asked Alex.

  “The goblins were shooting arrows at me, too,” declared Sydar. “Some of them went over my head. All you have to do is find one of those arrows. We will ignite the pass with their own arrow,” laughed Sydar.

  “Must have had a good strong arm to shoot over your head,” stated Alex as he rose and ran towards the woods behind him.

  Alex scanned the ground for the goblin arrows, but could not find any. He heard a noise and turned to see Sydar running towards the tongue. The corporal had the container of Fire Glue clutched in his hand.

  “Don’t!” yelled Alex.

  “For the Prince,” Sydar yelled back. “Make sure those boys are properly cared for.”

  Alex watched as Corporal Sydar charged out onto the tongue. A goblin arrow soared past the Red Sword. Sydar ran right up to the edge of the tongue and hurled the container of Fire Glue with all of his might. As the container soared through the air, a goblin arrow pierced Sydar’s chest. Sydar teetered on the edge of the tongue for a second, and then plunged over the cliff.

  Alex watched as a gigantic fireball rose out of the pass. The fire spread like lightening as screams filled the air. Thick black smoke billowed into the air. Alex saw the fire racing up the mountainside. He picked up his bow and sword and ran as fast as he could. He had run about three hundred paces before the ground rumbled and the cavern exploded skyward. The force of the blast threw Alex through the air. He dropped his sword and bow and curled his body into a ball. He slammed into the ground and rolled with the shockwave.

  Chapter 31

  Buying Time

  “So you are leaving us?” Captain Grecho asked Fredrik.

  “Yes, I am,” nodded Fredrik. “I am not ready for the city life just yet.”

  “I am not sure it is wise for us to return to Cidal,” frowned the mercenary captain. “I think the Lanoirians are soon to be heading north.”

  “Stay in Tagaret,” suggested Fredrik. “In fact, stay right here in my mansion. What better place to run a mercenary company than from one of the world’s greatest cities?”

  “You would not object to that?” asked Captain Grecho.

  “Treat it as your own,” smiled Fredrik. “I have grown a fond admiration for you and your men. I cannot think of anyone who deserves this estate more than you do.”

  “You are most gracious, Lord Wason,” nodded Captain Grecho. “What of the others? Are they going with you?”

  “Niki and I will be leaving with Master Khatama,” declared Fredrik. “Bin-lu is trying to meet up with the Alcea Rangers. I understand that they were in the city, but left mysteriously. Do you think he could stay with you until he finds out where they are?”

  “Bin-lu is most welcome to stay with us,” grinned the mercenary captain. “Already he joins in practice with my men. His fighting style is most interesting to observe.”

  “So I have noticed,” chuckled Fredrik. “I think he can be a most worthy opponent in a battle, especially one with no weapons.”

  “Oh he does fairly well with staffs and stars, too,” declared Captain Grecho. “It is the sword that he needs practice with. I am sure that he will master it though. When are you leaving?”

  “Right away,” answered Fredrik. “I see no reason to delay.”

  * * *

  Alex surveyed the devastation as he entered the Castle of Man. Most of the bodies on the lowest level were Tor defenders, but the rem
ains of ogres were evident as well. Lieutenant Montbalm hurried over to great Alex.

  “You mission was a great success,” grinned Montbalm. “Any later and we would have been in serious trouble. Where is Sydar?”

  “He didn’t make it,” replied Alex. “Is the castle secure now?”

  “It is,” nodded Montbalm. “The enemy catapulted ogres onto the lowest battlement. The fighting was fierce. The men down here were trapped. We fared much better on the levels above the ogres. They could not climb the stairs well at all. Come, let’s get you to the roof.”

  Alex let himself be led silently to the lift. As the lift rose, he gazed out at the destruction the battle caused. With his mind lost in thought, Alex numbly followed Montbalm until they were on the roof. Tanya ran towards him when he stepped onto the roof. She threw her arms around him and frowned when he winced from the pain.

  “You are hurt,” gasped Tanya. “What happened?”

  “Where is Sydar?” Jenneva asked calmly as the others gathered around.

  “Corporal Sydar gave his life to light the fire,” Alex reported solemnly. “He died for his prince and his country.”

  “And my country as well,” interjected King Devon. “His sacrifice will be honored here in the Castle of Man. Let me get you a healer for your wounds.”

  “Tanya and I can care for him,” declared Jenneva. “Is there a place where we might have some privacy?”

  “Of course,” nodded the king. “Use my chamber. Nobody will disturb you.”

  Jenneva nodded and led Alex down the stairs and into the king’s chamber. Tanya followed and closed the door.

  “Get his weapons off, Tanya,” ordered Jenneva.

  “I can handle it myself,” Alex shook his head.

  “I am surprised that you can walk,” retorted Tanya as she carefully removed Alex’s sheath. “You are probably in shock.”

  “It was just the force of the explosion,” explained Alex. “I was thrown through the air. It is nothing.”