Three Kings (Book 3)

by Jeremy Laszlo

  Whether it was the goblin king’s recollection or the vision itself, Gnak could not be certain, but from there it faded out and skipped to a different scene.

  Outside the stone building the wind howled as it crashed into the walls of the city erected upon the mountain. Rain whipped, driven by the wind and thunder blasted with every flash in the sky. Crossing the polished surface of the floor, he peered into a silver mirror and adjusted the golden crown that circled his head. He was an impressive visage of wealth, one that any goblin would admire. Golden chains hung about his neck with great amulets of cut and polished gems. Shiny baubles pierced through his ears and a golden hoop hung from his nose. Rings adorned every one of his fingers and great bracers of gold encrusted in gems covered both of his forearms. Smirking at himself, he crossed the room and reached up to pull upon a candelabra that clung to the wall. To his left a secret door swung wide. Moving to the hidden door, he poked his head in and peered into the room beyond. There, unconscious upon a mat in the cell, lay both the orcsie chief and the trollsie king upon little more than the floor.

  Turning away, he kicked the door closed and strode to the only seat within the room. Climbing the steps to its grand surface, the goblin king turned and sat upon his throne, a magnificent sight to behold by all, he was sure. It was time to hear the grievances of his people.

  As the recollection faded again, Gnak grinned through the goblin’s face. He had thought himself the king of all the races. He had thought himself the king with the others as his prisoners, but he had been wrong. The vision was true enough, but what the goblin had not known, was that inside his skin was the orc he had planned to imprison. Fool.

  Springing to his feet in the small goblin body, Gnak strode out of his tent recalling the names and faces of his best craftsmen. Though the festivities were still in full swing, he knew those in his employ would still be willing to work. With an idea in mind he sought out those he needed to create the design in little time, and sent them about their tasks with the promise of a great reward. The goblin’s knowledge of craftsmen would be very useful.

  Though it took him excessively long to find all the men he sought, when morning came the goblin king retired to Gnak’s tent, assured that his will would be done. Though the daylight hours were usually reserved for the king of the trolls, he knew that the orc chief would be required to make sure all went as planned.

  Shifting into the body given him at birth, Gnak stretched his muscles and twisted his joints as his body awoke to his presence. Seeking out Jen’s presence he reminded himself of his oaths, not only to the goddess he served, but also to the child who showed him a new way of life.

  Then without hesitation, he strode out from his tent as the sun broke the horizon and tents began to fall all about the camp. Guiding his captains as the tent city was deconstructed, Gnak watched as carts were loaded and arranged in organized rows. Food and provisions were all collected together in one area, and tools and building supplies in another. Throughout the day hammers continued to clang and ring, the temporary forges working until the last possible minute. Parties were sent to scout and the handlers of the giants were all strapped into their cages as the mammoth men rose to their feet controlled by the tiny goblins. Satisfied with the progress, Gnak crossed back the way he had come and thinking of returning to his tent, he changed his mind and instead entered another.

  Gathered upon the floor in the tent were seven orcs of varying size and age. Sitting in a ring, the man he sought would say words and those who accompanied him would repeat them. Not wanting to interrupt the shaman, Gnak nodded for the man to continue as he watched them for several minutes.

  The word of the shaman’s healing abilities had spread and now he was instructing the shamans of other clans into service of the humans’ healing god. Though he could tell the shaman was simplifying the verses he used, he imagined that given time the orcs would command dozens of magically equipped healers. Perhaps even hundreds. If he was to build an army for the goddess, then he would need healers to see to their wounds.

  Bowing out of the tent, Gnak watched as morning turned into day and day to evening as the camp all but disappeared around him. It was not until near dark when his captains came with troops to disassemble the innermost ring of tents in the temporary city. These were those that belonged to himself, the captains, and the shaman. Fortunately for the orc chief, he was not forced to delay them in their efforts, as no sooner than had the captains arrived, than a large cart was pulled into view, the likes of which he had never seen before, and propelled by a means he had not himself even imagined.

  It was not a magnificent item born of elegance or desire, rather a hastily constructed patchwork of makeshift parts reclaimed from other devices. It boasted four goblin cart axles and eight of the wheels the smaller men had designed to pull through sand. Chains and linkages wrapped about pulleys creating a means to steer the front axles each in conjunction with the others, and a single large chain lay shackled to the front of the massive cart. To the chain smaller linking cables had been affixed, that each ended in a clasp. To the clasps, a dozen giants were attached, operated by the goblins caged upon their backs. The goblin craftsmen had put to good use the giants their people had captured.

  The main body of the cart was formed of wooden planks held together with strips of forged iron and spikes, and from the wooden base, poles were constructed in similar fashion to an orcish tent that was covered entirely in several layers of leathers and hides. From the back of the cart an iron ladder was affixed that led to the only opening into the creation. Approaching the mechanism, Gnak looked inside and found to his surprise the space had been divided into three separate quarters, each with a seat and a bedroll. Grinning, he showed his appreciation of the device as he turned back to his captains.

  “Take down your tents, men. I will speak to the king of trolls and the goblin king for a moment. When we have collected our possessions and are out of my tent, you are free to take it down.”

  With his simple plan made and orders given, he stalked away from the large cart and the giants that pulled it and into the tent that housed the secret that gave him the army he commanded. Starting with the king of trolls he shifted into the body, bringing life back to its dormant limbs. Then rising, he rubbed his arthritic joints, massaging away the pain before collecting an armful of random items. In desperate need of a good heat source, he lumbered slowly from the tent to take his place within the huge carriage. Though it was difficult with his old joints and the small size of the ladder affixed to the wheeled machine, Gnak managed to get the old troll’s body inside before he willed his essence out of the man and shifted into the goblin king.

  Springing from his concealment in the corner of the tent, Gnak licked his razor sharp teeth to wet them before looking about for items to collect. It took seconds only for him to select a handful of smaller objects and, trotting out of the tent like he had just won a bet, the goblin king stopped, seemingly appraising the work those in his employ had performed. He looked up and down and under the contraption before nodding his approval, and striding to the rear of the cart he nimbly sprang up the steps, disappearing inside. Once out of sight he deposited the items he carried in a heap in one corner, and laying upon the furs provided him for a bed, he closed his eyes.

  Opening his eyes, the orc chief cleared his throat with a grunt, and with a crooked tusky grin he jutted out his lower jaw and strode empty-handed from the tent. Getting Pantak’s attention he gestured towards his tent, before turning to enter the cart made on his behalf. Gripping the rungs of the short ladder through his leather boots with toes of little more than bone, Gnak issued forth into the dark confines within. It was only an hour before the cart lurched forward, as he heard his captains and those kings of goblins outside begin to shout the orders needed to get the earth-shaking procession moving.

  Though it was quiet and somewhat lonely without anything to distract him within the tent, Gnak used the time to shift from the troll king to the goblin
king and back several times over. He learned from their memories, and learned what it was that their people needed in a city. As he traveled he made plans and began sketching out in his mind what would be the greatest city and fortress ever built.

  CHAPTER ELEVEN

  With such a massive procession of men, it was three days before Gnak realized what the consequences could be for leading such a thunderous horde. As their army passed the earth moved beneath them, shaking with the rhythmic pounding of their feet. Such a rumbling stirred curiosity, and curiosity stirred those who felt the trembling to come and witness at their passing.

  Gnak marched along with his men, the great cart behind him, looking out at the faces staring back at his army. Giants by the hundreds had come to stand at the fringes of their passing, watching and gauging their intentions. From three lifetimes of memories, the orkin chief knew that giants were not men who gathered under a banner, but instead lived as singular family units unless it was the season for their mating. Here and now, however, they had felt the rumblings of Gnak’s army and they had come from both the mountains and the dunes to look upon him and those he led, including the enslaved giants that pulled the cart containing his secrets.

  Though they had not yet made move to attack, he could see the rage clearly upon their faces as many took cautious steps towards his army. He did not want a confrontation. He wanted only to pass by and then go into the mountains to build a city, but he feared the giants had other intentions.

  He had the power to pull the will from the living, but had never tried more than three at once. At that time, just three had been a strain. These were hundreds.

  Scout patrols had gone out at regular intervals, but none had yet returned. They were overdue. Had been for hours. He knew they were dead. If he stopped, he risked the giants attacking. If he continued onward he risked the same. He dared not give an order that put them at further risk and as such gave no order at all but to continue on. For hours the situation grew more and more tense as the giants’ numbers grew, but still they made no move to intercede.

  Slowly and inevitably the sandy dunes turned to more solid ground as sparse grasses became the norm among now rocky soil. From the south a great cloud of dust arose and even though they were miserable and deadly, Gnak hoped it was a sandstorm. Such a thing might drive away the giants.

  Hour after heart-pounding hour the cloud of dust grew nearer and larger and he was forced to admit to himself that it was not a storm, though as of yet its cause had not been revealed. Another hour passed and the giants between his army and the dust cloud began looking out over the dunes towards the cloud as well, and then their angry gazes would return. Whatever it was in the desert that created the cloud, it too made the giants uneasy and as another hour passed, those in the path of the cloud began to disperse, heading both east and west as if to clear a path.

  Less than another hour passed and the cloud’s creators were revealed as mounted goblins cresting the dunes by the thousands. Riding the trained warthogs that were common in the desert, the small armored riders thundered over the dunes in ranks nearly half a mile wide. Gnak was relieved. Onward the mounted goblins came and he tried to estimate their numbers but was forced to guess, believing that there were between twenty and thirty thousand of them.

  Safely passing the giants, the goblins came bounding over the dunes, shouting and cheering as they rode. In their wake the giants closed the gap and continued to watch as events played out. Still the riders came nearer and his army began to cheer as well, some raising their hands in greeting, but the mounted goblins never slowed. Gnak realized their intentions too late.

  Raising his arm to halt the procession of his army, he called for them to rise to fight but it was of little use. His men were pulling carts and carrying supplies. They were not prepared for a battle. Throwing the heads of his scouting parties as they neared, the mounted goblins crashed with his army as screams and battle cries erupted across the rocky plain. Though he realized in that instant it would be a bloodbath, his nightmare was confirmed when the giants in the distance saw their own opportunity and charged as well.

  Pantak and a handful of warriors still blessed by the old gods summoned their blessings and sprang into the fight, as Gnak watched on in horror.

  Forced to the edges of the battle in order to not stomp their allies beneath their feet, those blessed warriors among the orcs fought savagely an enemy who kept in constant motion. Near impossible to kill, the armored goblins swept through his ranks again and again leaving a path of death in their wake, only to exit the other side. Back and forth they careened through Gnak’s massive army that was near helpless against them, slashing some and trampling many beneath their mounts as they charged. And then the giants arrived.

  Bashing and crushing anything that moved, the giants stomped into the fray leaving puddles of blood and gore beneath them. Snatching goblins and orcs alike from the ground, they sent them sailing through the air before reaching down to snatch up yet more victims. All was pandemonium.

  Using the only power he thought relevant, Gnak summoned those lives lost to himself and restored them to all the dead he could see, returning them to the fight. Everywhere he turned screams arose as mounted goblins hacked and slashed, darting between the legs of the giants as they passed.

  Everywhere around him he could see and feel the orbs departing those that fell, and again and again he restored life to those that were able but it made little difference. His forces were being slaughtered.

  Gnak looked on as Pantak collided with a giant head on, and put his two arms to the test against the giant’s four. Punching and bashing the two brutes fought on, pummeling one another with blows that shook the ground. Back and forth the titans surged, and Gnak realized that there was hope. Reaching out, he plucked the will from the giant.

  Freezing mid stride, the giant leaned precariously forward and, taking the moment to his advantage, Pantak leapt into the air, driving his elbow down upon the giant’s exposed neck. Even with the raging battle the snap was audible as the giant tumbled to the ground amidst a cloud of dust. Again Gnak helped Pantak lay waste to a giant and yet again, but the process was slow. They needed a faster way to fight the things, and then an idea occurred.

  “Do it!” Jen screamed inside his head, and Gnak did not delay.

  Turning, he looked back to his two nearest captains and motioned them to him. He had no time to explain in detail, and so did the best he was able with few words.

  “Gnak use magic. Make you giants. You kill giants, yes?”

  Though they obviously thought him mad, both nodded their heads as their bodies froze lifeless. Turning, Gnak summoned the wills from two of the largest mountain giants he could see and returned to their bodies the will of his captains. Both beasts went down in twitching and spasming heaps.

  Turning his attention to the mounted warriors he had yet another plan, and raising his arms he pulled the will from the mounts, not the riders, of those nearest him. As they went down in glorious fashion, Gnak watched as the riders’ mounts behind those he felled tripped on the fallen mounts and riders before them, and a domino effect of confusion and twisting, rolling mounted goblins ensued. Again and again he repeated the act as his men began slaughtering those who fell from their mounts.

  Turning, he watched as the first of his altered giants rose from the ground, swiveling its head this way and that before registering what it was that had happened to him. With a roar the giant began snatching mounted goblins and squishing them between his fingers as he flung them away. The second giant began to rise.

  Feeling the earth move beneath his feet, Gnak turned just as an immense foot settled beside him, squishing those nearest him to pus and jelly. With a luck that had just saved him from the same fate as those beneath the giant, Gnak dove aside and rolled back to his feet, turning to look up at the beast that had nearly trod upon him. What he saw put a fear into him that he had never experienced before.

  Looking up, he saw a great shadow sett
le over him as the giant hand snatched him up from the ground. Dangling from one leg, Gnak watched as the giant rose and heaved his massive arm back to send Gnak hurling through the air. In that final moment he thought to pray to the god he served.

  “Ishanya grant me the power to…” but then he stopped.

  She had granted him the power to save himself, and reaching out for it he tore the will from the immense man as its movements ceased. Gnak dangled high above the battlefield. Hanging. Stuck. Knowing injury was the likeliest option, Gnak did the unthinkable and shifted to the giant.

  With a shudder he realized his mistake as his body jerked, releasing his orc body to fall to the ground. His legs twitching beneath him as he was overcome with pain, his muscles convulsed and over he toppled in a seizure-like fit, directly towards his orc body below. He shifted again.

  In his own body he scratched and clawed at the soil with his bony fingers, ignoring the pain in his ribs as he lunged away, but not far enough. Like a boulder hurled through the sky, the giant’s head crashed down upon his legs, shattering the bones as his vision darkened around the edges and bile spewed from his mouth. Pinned to the ground, he heaved a mighty breath and pulled with his arms as fragments of his bones tore through his flesh. If he continued, he would bleed to death before help could come. He only had one option.