Fate of Thorik

by Anthony G. Wedgeworth

Ambrosius could not move his now wooden legs nor remove his attached right hand, as he continued the nearly impossible task of keeping the water at bay. The water pounded against his invisible shield as it raced around him on both sides and across the top. He leaned his torso forward and pressed his E’rudite ability to its limits, causing the shielded area to grow slightly.

  “Thorik!” Ambrosius yelled over the sound of the rushing water.

  Thorik climbed onto the upper level tier and worked his way to Ambrosius.

  “Cut me loose,” Ambrosius ordered.

  “What do you mean?”

  “Take your battle-axe and cut me free of my legs and hand.”

  Thorik was horrified at the thought. “I can’t cut off parts of your body.”

  “They no longer are my body. Now cut me free of these wooden confines before it’s too late.”

  He reached for the axe, strapped to his back. It was the same weapon he had used to bust the lock on the wagon while freeing Brimmelle and Gluic. Raising it over his head, he realized that this would be the only way to free Ambrosius and save the E’rudite’s life. He took a moment to steady himself, mentally and emotionally, for what he was about to do.

  Standing motionless, he looked at the legs he was about to sever.

  “Hurry! Cut me free,” Ambrosius demanded.

  The wet double bladed battle-axe swung through the air at an angle, slicing off the lower part of Ambrosius’ wooden hand, his upper right leg, and his lower left leg.

  The wood splintered and sent Ambrosius falling to the ground. His shield faulted for a moment, crashing large waves into the room. Quickly recovering, he pushed back with his one remaining hand.

  Ambrosius coiled his body from the pain. “Now close those doors and reset the locks.”

  Looking at the doors, Thorik was bewildered at how a Num could do such a task. “They are too large. Too thick. Too massive.”

  “Notarians designed them to move easily, as long as I can hold back the pressure from the water.” Ambrosius’ words were starting to break up from his strain. “Hard at first, but you can do it.”

  “But the water extends past the doorway.”

  “I’m going to push the waters back into the bottom of the reservoir. You will have to close the doors behind me before I can’t hold it any longer,” Ambrosius instructed.

  Thorik didn’t believe his own ears. “No, you’ll be crushed. You’ll be killed!”

  “I’m already dead!”

  “No! We can work together and rebuild Australis, don’t give up now,” Thorik shouted over the water.

  “You don’t understand. If I let go, we all die, you, your friends, and the hundred thousand that live within the Dovenar Walls.”

  Thorik pleaded with him. “There has to be a way.”

  “There is. Close the door behind me. Make my life worth something again.” Ambrosius pushed with all his strength and slowly began driving the water back into the giant reservoir.

  Tears ran down Thorik’s face, mixing in with the water dripping from his hair. The thought of imprisoning his friend in a tomb of water was overwhelming. Thorik’s questions of Ambrosius’ true character were now clear, too late to act on, too late to acknowledge.

  It was now Thorik’s own character that he questioned. “I should have prevented this. Somehow this could have been stopped. If only I had been more supportive to him, and not slowed his journey with my doubt.”

  His mind raced as he chose a path to take. “Now is not the time to dwell on what I should have said or done. Now is the time to act on what I know is right, regardless of how much I hate it.”

  “It’s smaller than I remember,” Gluic said as she stepped out of the corridor and into the larger room.

  Thorik turned around as the other Nums entered the spillway. “Come up on the ledge to help close these doors!” He helped Avanda, Brimmelle, and Gluic to the upper level before giving them additional orders. “Brimmelle, take Gluic and Avanda to the far door and start pushing it shut.” Seeing their expressions, he realized what he was asking seemed impossible. “Trust me, they will move if you push.” At least he hoped that it would be that easy.

  Brimmelle was upset and not in the mood for Thorik’s disobedience. “Thorik, you don’t know what we’ve been through out there. Where were you when we needed you?”

  Thorik wasn’t backing down. “You can tell me about it later. Right now, you need run over and push that door closed,” he demanded.

  “Are you insane?” Brimmelle was still shaking off the creature’s electrical shock that had knocked him out earlier. “We need to get out of here before it’s too late!” He grabbed Thorik by the back of his arm to escort him to the side tunnel.

  Thorik had been overruled. His mentor had given him a direct order, and rightfully so. The chamber was quickly filling up with water and the chances of them being able to close the enormous metal doors were slim to none. What had Thorik been thinking? Their only options were to run for safety or die trying to close these doors.

  “No!” Thorik shouted. “Stop trying to run my life!”

  “I’m not trying to run it, you fool. I’m trying to save it.” He then added, “Once again!”

  “I don’t want you to save me. I don’t want to feel in debt to you for saving my life when I was younger. Quit telling me how to run my life. That’s not what I want from you.”

  Brimmelle stepped forward as he held back his anger at his ungrateful student. “And what is it that you do want from me?”

  Thorik stood firm and strong, looking Brimmelle square in the eyes. It was so simple of a statement, and yet so hard to say. “I want you to believe in my judgment. Support me.”

  Brimmelle looked up at the dome of water being held back from Ambrosius’ powers. Water gushed out of the sides, splashing at the Num’s feet. It took all of his willpower not to run for his life.

  “Uncle, you once asked me when I would start seeing the greater view of life instead of just my insignificant piece of it. Well, I’m now doing this and I need you to trust me and do the same.”

  “You sure picked a bad time to start asking me to trust you.”

  Thorik replied, “You won’t regret it.”

  “That’s because I won’t be alive to do anything.” He was obviously upset with his decision to support Thorik. “You better be right,” Brimmelle continued as he began to run to the far door.

  Grewen had finally crawled his way out of the corridor. He stood up to see a giant wave of water aching over Ambrosius as he laid on the ground holding it back with an invisible force. In front of the impending wave, Thorik looked over at him as he ran to one of the open metal doors.

  “Grewen, stand between those large valve levers and get ready to start turning them,” Thorik ordered. “You need to lock these doors the moment we get them shut.”

  Grewen looked over at Ambrosius and then back to Thorik. “We can’t trap him in there.”

  “Grewen, I don’t have time to debate this. Get between those levers right now.” Thorik’s voice had a strong sense of authority.

  Ambrosius continued to drag his body deeper into the reservoir using the splintered stub at the end of his right arm, pushing forward as the water randomly sprayed out around the sides. He utilized the wooden appendages remaining on his legs the best he could for gripping the wet floor.

  The crippled E’rudite had succeeded in moving one more foot into the reservoir and yelled back to Thorik, “Close the doors.” His body was trembling from the intensity of the water around and above him. With his staff overhead in his left hand, the vitality in his face was starting to weaken as he looked up into the darkness. “There is no turning back for me this time. I can only hope that others will carry on in my place.”

  Thorik gave the signal. The little Num had already begun to close the huge left door as Brimmelle, Gluic and Avanda started to do the same on their side. Barely inching forward at first, Thorik fought with everything that he had to get the doo
r moving. Perfectly balanced doors and hinges allowed for friction free movement, it was the sheer weight of the door that was causing all the issues. Once in motion, the doors moved slowly and smoothly around to their closed positions.

  As the doors started to come together, Thorik positioned himself in the center with one hand on each door looking in at Ambrosius who has laying on his back under the tremendous pressure of the water above. The staff that Thorik had made for him was still in Ambrosius’ grasp but no longer was it over his head. Instead it was at his chest, still pressing up against the inevitable winner of this final contest.

  Ambrosius peered over his shoulder at Thorik. His pale expression showed exhaustion and submission to his demise. “Find my son. Keep him safe.” he struggled to get out each word from his collapsing lungs. “Tell him I love him.” He finished as the doors closed in front of Thorik.

  Thorik closed his eyes, holding firmly to his last memory of Ambrosius. A sight he knew would haunt him to the end of his days. The once so powerful man, who had lost his wife, fatherhood, and his Kingdom, was now being crushed to death trying to save those who would wish to see him die. They would never know his sacrifice for them as they continued to live another day and enjoy another meal in their illusion of safety.

  He turned and yelled at Grewen, “Set the locking pins.”

  Grewen’s hands were already on both valves as he sat in his rowing position between them. He began turning both at the same time as one pin shot down from the top and the other up from the floor, locking the doors shut.

  Gluic had lowered herself onto her hands and knees. “Stones are rich with life.” Her fingers fanned out over the granite floor as she closed her eyes.

  Brimmelle fell next to her, out of exhaustion. “Not now, mother.”

  A crash of water hit the doors and began spilling through the seams. The added pressure of the sudden implosion around Ambrosius caused damage to the doors preventing them from holding all of the water at bay. Moaning of the metal quaked in the long tube-shaped room, while new leaks began to spring forth.

  Thorik moved everyone from the metal doors and ordered them to evacuate through the side caves before the doors gave way. But it was too late; the water’s current was already grabbing the Nums and pushing them toward the lake. Gluic was washed away first, over the edge into the main level near Grewen who reached out and grabbed her as she passed.

  Brimmelle followed quickly after her and was whisked past Grewen on his other side, only to grab onto one of the turning rods on the second set of valves.

  Thorik held onto the metal door by way of a few decorative insets. Clinging onto the door’s artwork, Avanda worked her way over to Thorik. Grasped onto him with both legs and both arms, she held on for dear life.

  “Grewen,” Thorik yelled over the noise of raging water. “Grab Brimmelle and get them into the corridor. I’ll hang on until you come back for us.”

  The water was not affecting Grewen. His weight was too much for it at this stage, but even he would quickly be swept away if the doors were to break. Hanging onto Gluic, he waded through the knee-high water away from the reservoirs to the second set of valves to collect the other Num.

  “No!” shouted Gluic. “Grewen, drop me and allow us to be washed away.”

  “Not on your life,” he replied as he made his way over.

  “It’s your only chance to save the kingdom from destruction. Those doors won’t hold much longer,” Gluic said as Brimmelle’s fingers began to lose grip.

  “Hang on. I’m almost there.” Grewen rounded the large valve and extending rods.

  “Turn those back two valves like the ones you did before and it will drop a stone wall in front of the doors to seal it tight,” Gluic added.

  “How would you know this?” Grewen asked.

  “The stones tell us what we need to know,” she said. “One must only listen.”

  Brimmelle looked over at his mother. “I trust her. Do as she says.”

  It was the last words Grewen’s little ears heard from Brimmelle as the Mognin watched the Num let go and get washed away. It was too late; Grewen could never run as fast as Brimmelle was floating away, even on flat ground. He looked back at Thorik who was still hanging onto the door with both hands as jets of water from underneath it kept knocking him off his feet.

  Grewen held tightly onto Gluic as he changed course to head toward Thorik.

  “No! You heard me,” Gluic said. “Turn the other valves, close the door.”

  Grewen looked up to see the bottom of the stone wall extending slightly from the ceiling, perhaps a foot above the metal doors. There were slots along the sides for the massive wall to be lowered into for a snug fit. The floor had a shallow dip in it where the wall would rest in, once dropped. Attempting to stand in the shallow area was Thorik as he struggled to hang on with his eyes closed to protect them from the spouting water.

  The Mognin reached down with one of his gigantic hands to crank one of the levers only to find it stuck in place. He reached over to the other one with the same results, however they did move when he turned them both in tandem. To do this he would have to drop Gluic. He looked around for another alternative.

  “It’s okay, son. You need to do this.”

  “I cannot let you go and send you to your death,” he insisted as the water continued to rise around him.

  “I know dear, that’s why I will have to help.” She used both of her hands to stab his hand with the sharp end of a crystal, driving it in far enough to draw blood.

  Crying out in pain and surprise he instinctively released her, only to attempt to grab her back once he realized what she had done. Again, it was too late as she washed away.

  The only ones left with Grewen were Thorik and Avanda. His only plan at this point was to drop the wall onto their location. He yelled out, “Thorik, let go, I’m dropping the wall. Get out of the way.”

  Extreme noise was pounding Thorik’s head while he continued to be splashed from the various spouts. Eyes closed tight and rushing water covering his ears, Thorik heard nothing of the new plan and would continue holding onto the metal door until he felt Grewen come back to save them.

  Water raged at Grewen’s hips as he bent over and reached under the water to turn the large levers. In concert, they spun much easier than when trying to only turn one at a time. He could see the wall slowly start to lower.

  Grewen had to sit down in a rowing position to speed up the process. In doing so, the waves lapped at his face while he pulled rod after rod on both sides, spinning them around in circles. Between splashes in his face he could still see Thorik hanging onto the giant doors as the stone wall quickly moved downward.

  The metal doors continued to bulge to their limits. Flooding from every direction increased as hinges began to snap apart. Grewen knew he only had seconds left and grabbed his last breath as he leaned under the water to pull with all his might. Faster and faster he pulled until he heard the slam of the stone slab door hitting so hard that it vibrated the floor where he sat.

  The valves were tight and would not move anymore. He raised his head out of the water, searching the wall that was now completely lowered. The water was no longer pouring into the room. It was over.

  He also noticed that Thorik and Avanda were gone, swept downstream or trapped between the rock wall and the metal doors. He looked behind him, down the long spillway outlet toward the lake for signs of them. As the waters receded, he spotted Gluic and Brimmelle. Both survived the flood by grasping onto a raised ledge many lengths down the tube. The others were nowhere to be seen.

  Grewen lowered his head. He had lost three great friends on this day.

  Looking back at the lowered wall he heard coughing, or perhaps choking. Off to the side, Thorik was wedged into a part of the wall from where they had originally arrived. A spout had kicked him from the metal doors and sent him flying over to the side. Clinging to him was Avanda, with her eyes shut.

  Grewen stood up and
ran over to them, plucking the Nums from their cramped positions before holding them in his arms.

  Thorik was not choking on water, nor crying in pain, but instead was bursting with the agony of losing his friend Ambrosius. He was devastated with a hurt worse than all of his other physical pains before. A piece of him had just died, as though it was cut out with a knife.

  Avanda burst into tears, partly because Thorik was crying and partly out of shock in what just occurred.

  It was clear in Grewen’s eyes that he also was exhibiting the same pain.

  “I’ve killed Ambrosius.” Thorik’s trembled as he spoke.

  “You’ve saved Terra Australis,” Grewen replied.

  Chapter 36

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