by Thomas Rath
* * *
Two goblins stood trembling before Lord Bedler in the dining hall; his eyes alight with wicked fire. One of them spoke. “He no in Lord’s room.”
Resdin sat by, a slight grin breaking across his face. “Maybe he’s lost in the castle. It can be confusing for one not used to all the turns and twists.”
Bedler silenced him with a glance. “How could I have been so foolish to think I had trapped him? He’s been playing me for the fool from the start. I knew it had been too easy.” Bedler slammed his fist on the table making the goblins jump. “Where is that cursed dragon of mine, anyway. I was with him just moments ago.”
“You called master?” Craklor stood in the doorway, his features and expression covered by his cowl. At the sound of his voice, the two goblins broke in hysteria, trampling over one another to escape through the far door. “How may I serve?” he asked, falling into a deep and mocking bow.
“How about throwing yourself off the top of the castle,” Resdin sneered.
“Ah, breakfast speaks.”
“Enough!” Bedler screeched. “I want that boy in my possession before the sun drops or you both may find that my amusement of you has ended.
“Father...” Resdin started turning to the old man but was cut off.
“Just find him. I don’t care what you have to do, just find that boy and bring him to me!”
Craklor simply bowed and left the room without another word. Resdin rose to his feet and also bowed before slipping out in the opposite direction. Bedler rose to his feet, his white beard shining next to the red hue, which now lighted his face. “I will have you yet Gelfin,” he screeched, spittle flying from his lips. “You will be mine!”
* * *
Satisfied that no one followed, Thane eased himself slowly down the stairs, feeling his way against the walls as he went. The stairway was completely void of light rendering his night vision useless. His heart still pounded from the closeness of his escape. Had he not found the passage when he had, it was almost certain he would now be in chains, held as a prisoner, or worse.
He descend the stairs for what seemed like an hour. At one point, the walls changed from mortared stone to smooth, hard rock and he knew he was no longer in the castle proper but descending deep within the mountain rock that stood as an ominous fortress high above the valley floor. Around and around the stairs continued deeper and deeper into the heart of the mountain as they reached for the ground.
* * *
Lord Bedler stared through the east window high in his small tower room out across the valley and the gathering trolls and goblins. After dismissing Craklor and Resdin he retired here to try and gain some semblance of comfort at the sight of his approaching army. Moving to the south side he could just see the orcs beginning to breach the valley through Gullets Pass on their way to join ranks at the base of Raven’s Eye Peak. A slight smile cracked his pierced lips but his rage still smoldered at Thane’s loss. He knew his plan would go well without the Chufa boy, after all he had originally thought them extinct. It just would have been so much sweeter the other way. He sighed. “Well, his torture and death will have to ease the ache of what could have been. Another TanIs for my collection.”
Thinking of his prize, Bedler went back to the table where he had left it. He liked the feel of it against his skin. “What is this?” he screamed. “It’s gone!” Falling to his knees, he checked the floor frantically moving his hands along the carpet in search of his Chufa prize. He reached under the table and then under the bed but found nothing but dust. His hands shook with rage and anxiety. Moving about the room, he checked every inch, every nook. It was not there. “Aaaaaaaaaahhhh! He was here! He took it!”
Bedler threw open his bedroom door and rushed down the spiral stairs. “Bring me those two idiots!” he raged, sending servants scrambling for cover. “Where are those two sniveling goblins I sent to check my room? Bring them to me now!”
In no time, a large group of goblins, including the two who originally checked his quarters, crammed their way into their master’s high tower room. Calling the two trembling goblins to him, Bedler smiled wickedly. “Now, I ask you two, was the Chufa brat in here?” Both looked at each another before shaking their heads no. “You’re certain?” Both nodded quickly. Bedler turned toward the window behind him. “You know, the view is quite extraordinary up here. You can see your home, the Mogolths, right from this window. Why don’t you come and take a look?”
The goblins looked at one another again and then shrugged their shoulders. They approached the window together and looked out through the glass. Suddenly, as if by unseen hands, the two were lifted from the ground and slammed together with such force that their bodies seemed to merge into one with a sickening crunch of deformed flesh and blood. The hideous mass was then turned about in a spray of gore and shot through the window, falling to the depths below.
The large group of goblins watched without the slightest hint of concern at the gruesome demise of their two brothers. Jumping to the chest at the foot of his bed, Bedler pushed it back, revealing the stairs beyond. “Now get done there and see if you can’t find that Chufa dog. The one that brings him back will wear his skin as a robe!” Without another word of encouragement, the small army surged through the cramped hole, sparking torches as they did to light their way.
When all were through, Bedler let the chest move back into place and then returned to the east window by his bed. Looking out through the broken glass, he smiled wickedly. “You will be mine again boy, but this time you may find your brief stay a little less comfortable.”
* * *
Thane was beginning to doubt the stairs would ever end when he abruptly reached a landing making him stumble forward on all fours. Righting himself quickly, he made a quick survey of the area with his hands. It seemed the stairs led into a damp hallway just as narrow as his descent had been. In fact, he found he could reach both arms out and touch the walls on either side. Using this method he continued on, comfortable in the knowledge that he would not miss any side passages should any present themselves.
The hallway stretched on and on without the slightest change save for the walls, which eventually turned from damp, slimy rock to packed dirt. He walked slowly comforted in the thought that no one knew he had escaped. He smiled, thinking how much time they would waste searching the entire castle giving him more than enough time to get away and go after Tam.
As if in answer, he suddenly felt and heard rumbling vibrations carry down the hall from behind him. His eyes widened in disbelief. “It can’t be!” Chancing a quick glance back, Thane quickened his pace, feeling foolish for his cockiness. The noise quickly increased revealing his pursuers as a pack of the goblin slaves Bedler had at his disposal. He tried to move faster, but was inhibited by the need to touch both walls. To remove a hand from one risked missing a side passage, which could be his way to safety and escape.
Suddenly, his eyes started registering the shadowy form that was the hallway around him as the noise of pursuit continued to increase. Taking advantage of the approaching light, he was able to release his hold on the walls and hurry his pace enough to match that of his pursuers keeping him in range of their illuminating torches but far enough ahead to go unseen.
Minutes passed and the chase continued without change. Thane laughed to himself. As it was going, they would never catch him, only light his way to freedom. But as he savored the thought, the hall made a sudden change that brought him up instantly. The side passages he was so worried about missing finally presented themselves at a time he would have preferred they hadn’t. One on the right and one on the left duplicated the hall he had been following ever since the stairs ended. Now, he was faced with a choice that could mean his demise should he choose the wrong course. The light and noise increased steadily forcing him to choose quickly.
Trying to discover bearing from the stairs was useless since he had no idea which direction they had twisted him into when he finally reached the bottom.
He tried to guess where someone escaping the tower might want to go. To his way of thinking, they would naturally pick south. It just made the most sense. “Then it has to be to the left; east and Tam.”
He knew it was only a guess but he didn’t have the time and luxury to weigh out the pros and cons while inspecting the area for better clues. Ducking into the left pass, he used what little light was available to distance himself from the sounds that suddenly seemed right on top of him.
Soon his sight was once again lost and his hands were forced out to feel the walls. He figured he must be past the mountain by now. Letting out a sigh of relief as the corridor remained dark, he couldn’t help but applaud the genius of the escape tunnel and its diverging pathways. With such a fortress as Raven’s Eye Peak, one would think it impregnable. Such conceit, he was now discovering, often proved ones failing.
His celebration was quickly ended though as the familiar sound of pursuit was joined with clearer vision as the hallway once again had sufficient light for him to see by. “Well, they either discovered which way I went or they split up.” From the noise level, he believed it must have been the latter. Using the same strategy as before, he paced himself with the light keeping well beyond their sight.
Minutes passed into what felt like hours. The sounds of chasing feet remained as steady as the brightness. Thane was beginning to think the tunnel was going to take him all the way back to Haykon, when he suddenly met a wall. Turning frantically to either side, he looked for the hallway that should be there to take him in another direction but was greeted by nothing but dirt. Trapped! Reaching up, he clawed at the soil in an effort to dig his way out. Small amounts of earth fell down around him but the ceiling was packed so hard as to make any amount of progress difficult. The goblins steadily got closer, their voices growing louder and their light more intense. Thane turned toward them, his back against the wall. His only chance was surprise.
Without another thought, he shot down the passageway back the way he had come, gaining speed as he went. If he was lucky, he could take out the first one or two in front and gain a weapon before they knew they were under attack. He got his answer almost immediately. He surged into the torch’s light and dipped his shoulder square into the belly of the first goblin knocking him into the one directly behind. The torch went flying in a shower of flame and sparks into the faces of the others throwing them into a mass of confusion and chaos. Thane had just enough time to grab the leader’s dagger and impale it into his swollen abdomen then retreat back into the darkness before the others had a chance to react. One down, he thought to himself as he prepared for another attack.
Racing forward, he easily deflected the new leader’s sloppy attempt to impale him and then cut back with his own blade slicing the goblin’s jugular. As the new leader fell, trying to hold in the spurting blood, Thane found himself suddenly pressed by the onslaught of the next in line. Retreating slightly, he gained his balance just barely ducking under a dagger slice that would have opened his own neck to plain view. Luckily, they were in cramped quarters, which did not allow those behind to get past and surround him, although they tried.
As another goblin attempted to enter the fight, it inadvertently caught its companion’s dagger arm under its shoulder throwing it high into the air and opening up its wielder to a quick slice to the belly; Thane’s dagger dropped its intestines to the passage floor. He continued his motion thrusting his dagger forward and embedding it under the ribs of the other goblin catching it in the heart. It too dropped. But, this time Thane was too slow in pulling free his weapon and was forced to allow it to drop with the goblin.
Four, he thought, racing back into the blanketing darkness. He didn’t have much time to gloat as a scream echoed after him followed by the rumble of charging feet. He raced back to the dead end dirt wall just moments before the goblins charged headlong in after him. They were going to try and overpower him with numbers and force. Dropping to his stomach, he rolled toward the mass of charging bodies and caught the leader’s feet sending him flying headfirst into the dirt barrier where, with a sickening crack, he broke his neck on impact. The next goblin was better prepared this time slicing a large gash into Thane’s left arm just as the Chufa boy dodged to the side to miss being impaled.
Again the goblin dove in leading with his blade trying to skewer Thane on the point. Thane slid to the side, this time unharmed, and grabbed his enemy’s large arm and carried it forward using the momentum of its off balanced thrust while Thane brought his leg up and connected with his attacker’s groin. The goblin squeaked in pain and dropped to his knees effectively blocking those behind him and giving Thane time to retrieve his dagger.
With a quick plunge to the back of the neck, he ended the kneeling goblin’s soprano whining and prepared for the next attack. Six down. His breath was coming in deep gasps now. How many more can there be?
Staring down the torch holding goblin in front, he almost beckoned it to come at him. His veins still blazed with the heat of battle and were not yet satiated by the blood that had splattered him or the amount of gore that pooled on the dirt floor. The goblin held its torch high giving Thane a clear view behind it.
“So, you’re the last one then,” he hissed, his green eyes flashing. “Are you ready to die like the others?”
Although it didn’t understand a word Thane had said, it glanced quickly down at its companions on the floor and then suddenly turned tail and fled, screaming as it did so. Thane didn’t waste a second. He quickly stayed the flow of blood dripping down his left arm with a rag retrieved from one of the fallen goblins and then climbed up its back to work on the ceiling above. It wouldn’t be long, he knew, before the screaming goblin brought back more friends and he would be forced to fight again. The thought of more goblin blood filling the hall made him almost stop and wait but the fatigue he felt warned him that it might not be all goblin blood that was spilled the next time.
Jabbing up with the dagger blade, he was able to loosen some of the dirt, which began to drop more easily and more plentifully. His pace was steady and tenacious so it was not long before he could no longer reach the top of the hole. Jumping down he lugged one of the huge goblin bodies over and dragged it up on top of its fallen comrade. Climbing back up, Thane continued his work reaching up farther and farther to the ground above. The dirt itself was beginning to pile up below, covering the dead like an earthen grave. When his reach was limited again, he cut in toeholds so he could climb up and keep digging.
“How far down am I?” he whispered as he looked down at the mostly buried goblin corpses that were now at least ten feet below him. Just then, something caught his ear. Pausing for a moment, he strained to listen. Was it coming from above or below? The sudden image of digging his way right into the middle of the troll camp gave him an awful shudder. The noise came again and he was somewhat relieved to recognize it as the screams and curses of goblins returning through the passage. Thane paused in mid thought. “Returning? Already?”
Striking again with his dagger, he dug frantically. He didn’t think he had to worry about them climbing up after him but an arrow or spear would bring him down just as easily. He noticed the dirt becoming softer and damp. Light from the approaching goblin torches reached up with their shouts to push him on harder and faster. Soon he was burying his dagger into mud. Placing the blade in his sash, he reached up with his hands and began pulling out large globs of sludge covering his body in muck. Thoughts of burrowing up into a lake or the ocean were quickly discarded by his memory of the land. He knew he hadn’t traveled so far as the ocean, and there were no lakes around. How then, was he mired in mud?
His answer came just as the goblin reinforcements arrived beneath him. Pushing his hand into the mire he broke through into air above. A splash of water cascaded through the small outlet partially washing his face clean as it sputtered out the torch that, at the same moment, was being raised up into the shaft. He pushed up again freeing more mud and letting in the torrents of rai
n that were pelting the arid valley floor.
The goblins bellowed their rage and frustration at losing their quarry as none were thin enough to follow him to the surface. Neither did any of them carry a bow that they might have used to shoot him. Thane pulled down another chunk of mud dumping it on top of his pursuers and then shimmied his way out of the hole and into the world above.
Making a quick survey of his surroundings and finding himself alone, he laid back in the mud to catch his breath. He wasn’t in the troll camp. He was out in the middle of nowhere. Above him, the sky was black and ominous spewing its rain upon the land as if attempting to wash away the evil that had gathered there. The sky was so thick with clouds that they turned what should have been midday into a minion of night. A streak of lightning touched down in the far distance followed by chasing thunder.
Thane laughed at the wind and rain that blew about, enjoying for a hasty moment the beauty of the natural world. If not for his plight, he could have remained throughout the storm lying where he was in perfect contentment. Another lightning flash brought him to his feet in an attempt to determine his location and the path he would have to take to find Tam. Turning around, he could see the ominous fortress of Raven’s Eye Peak looming in the darkened sky about three miles to the north. “So, it would appear the passage took me south instead of east. No matter.” Searching the eastern horizon, he could easily see the multiple fires that burned in defiance of the angry storm. That was his destination.
He moved forward, anxious to get to Tam and happy to be leaving the angry screams still coming from the trapped goblins, when something in the northern sky caught his attention. Standing fast, he watched a small splotch of inky blackness suddenly grow against the dark clouds. Wind and rain whipped against his face making him lose sight of it for long moments as he tried to clear his vision, squinting against nature’s force. Another bolt of lightning lit up the sky and he knew what it was.
