A Frozen Destiny

by Alan Mundle

  'Torbin?'

  Forin's voice filled the air and Torbin didn't like the sound of it. It was clear the boy was scared.

  'Its alright Forin, it's going to be fine. You did well. You saved all of us.'

  But all Torbin could hear were sobs. 'Torbin... the blades are moving!'

  Sure enough, he felt himself slowly lowering. Torbin could hear Forin struggling. He knew the weight wasn't the problem. Forin's concentration was ebbing with fear.

  Torbin knew his time was running out and had to come up with a plan. He thought about trying to swing and reach the wall, but he dare not make Forin lose any more of his grip. He looked down again into the deep chasm. All he could see was darkness. But maybe I can find lower ground,' he thought. Torbin reached round for his belt and ripped off one of the pouches. Being careful not to drop it, he brought it up to his head, hit the pouch against his helmet and let it fall. Light filled his vision as the pouch burst into flames. It fell, shining it's light down into the darkness. Torbin fully expected to see the light fade quickly, falling forever into the dark abyss. But it didn't. The pouch flashed as it hit a surface and disappeared to the Dwarf's right. Torbin could hardly believe what he saw. There was slop down there!

  SNAP!!!

  Torbin instantly fell, his ears filled with the sound of Forin yelling. Instinctively, Torbin powered his fire jets and held his arms down. Fire issued form his arms fast. The force slowed Torbin's descent, but he still hit the icy surface of the slope with a great crack before sliding down. He raced down a dark passage faster and faster, his rods still active, fire blazing in all directions. He managed to turn off the jets and activate his blades. He struck down into the surface of the ice with all the strength he could summon. The steel penetrated the ice, but the act threatened to tear Torbin's arms off. He sped down the icy passage, but gradually, his descent started to slow. Torbin tried to look behind, desperate to see something, anything. He could see nothing. Onward he descended, his arms in blinding pain, but he knew he could not stop. He had to hang on and try harder. He put everything he had into his arms. Finally, his descent slowed, and he gradually came to a stop. The pain of stopping was as bad as the fall and Torbin knew that he didn't have long before both his arms and his blades failed.

  'Help! Forin, Borin, anyone!'

  Torbin could hear nothing but the sound of his voice echoing back through the passage. The darkness was thick and as painful to him as his arms. It was suffocating. He needed to see. If he was to die, he needed to know how. He yanked his left arm blade free of the ice. With difficulty, he retracted the blade and reactivated a fire jet and aimed it below him. Light filled the tunnel, and Torbin found himself barely a meter away from a solid wall of ice, and laying against it were the shattered remains of his equipment. He did not doubt that every bone in his stout body would have shattered if he had hit it. He slid down against the ice wall, pointing his flaming arm back up the shaft. He had fallen so far he couldn't even see the top where his journey began.

  So this is it, he thought. All his study, all his hard work, all to die thousands of miles from home in a place meant for the worst of his kind. He deactivated his jet and looked at his Runes. At best, he had half an hour before they failed him. He began thinking that it might have been kinder to hit the wall at full speed, rather than freeze to death. At least it would have been quick. His family would mourn him. Forin would have to take care of himself. The young Dwarf would most likely be joining him in death soon without someone to watch out for him. That thought brought him great sadness. In his short life, he had never accomplished his real goals and brought little honour to his family. His Nation’s God, the great Sapphire, would deem him unworthy and cast him from the Great Rock, removed from memory and song.

  As his thoughts continued to dwell on his demise, he noticed that he could see that faint outline of his boots. Looking behind them, he realised he could make out the surface of the tunnel, the ice beginning to gleam. He could see! He got up from the ground slowly and looked around. The wall he'd been resting on was glowing.

  The light washed away Torbin's misery and replaced it with confusion. He knew of no reason why the ice should be doing this, and he certainly didn't have anything on him that would be causing it. The only logical reason for this he could think of was that there must have been something behind the ice wall, it could only inches thick, allowing light to pass through it. The light kept growing, and he was able to see the remains of his fire pouch scattered against the wall. Torbin thought that if he had continued to fall, he'd have smashed right through and landed in a similar mess. But he didn't care. Where there was light, there was power, and where there was power, it could mean hope.

  Torbin stood back from the wall, moving right back to the edge of the slop and activated his fire jets again. He took aim and blasted the wall. As light filled the whole chamber, he watched his Runes and knew that whatever was behind the wall, he would have mere minutes to appreciate it if it couldn't help him. A minute passed, and he knew he couldn't waste any more power. He turned off his jets and, with all the strength he had in him, ran full speed at the wall.

  CRASH!!!!!

  The whole wall shattered on impact, and Torbin found himself falling again before landing on something hard. His whole body rang with pain. He tried to stand up but had fallen badly on his knee and had to rise on a limp. He looked around, bracing himself for something horrid.

  To his great surprise, he found himself standing on stone. He ran his gauntlet on the surface. It was certainly not of Dwarven craft and was definitely nothing he had seen or studied. The surface was too fine and it sparkled in what little light there was in the space. There was not an edge or corner of any kind but smooth stone which led up to something which neither Torbin or any other Dwarf could ever have conceived of. The stone covered what was an immense chamber with smooth features leading to a central point in the main wall set against the ice. The chamber's light glowed in the middle of a vast platform. Though his situation was still desperate, Torbin could only think one thing. 'Glory!!!'

  Sapphire herself had sent him a challenge. If he could survive and get back to his team, he'd be the envy of all his kind. All that he knew looking at it was that no other Dwarf had seen anything like it. He wasn't sure what to look at first. He could see markings on the walls that he thought they might be some form of writing. The architecture alone would be considered revolutionary. And the light, a great glowing energy that, for all Torbin knew could have been produced by anything.

  Sense finally returned to the young Dwarf. If he any chance of getting out of this place and revel in his triumph, he needed to look for a way out. He walked towards the light, trying to determine what was causing it. There were no Runes surrounding it. It was formed in an oblong shape that reminded Torbin of a TarcTarc egg, standing up on its end. Getting closer, he could see that the light was actually coming out of a large piece of ice protruding from the wall. Torbin came to the highest part of the platform and saw that there was something in the centre of the light, but he couldn't make it out. He kept stepping closer. And closer. Then his legs stopped. He looked down at his limbs that had suddenly ceased to obey him. He could not understand what had happened. He hadn't walked into anything. He tried walking backwards, to the side, but nothing worked.

  Out of nowhere, Torbin could hear a strange noise, almost like whispering. He looked around for the cause of it but couldn't see anything.

  'Hello?' he called.

  Nothing. Then something else started happening to him. The Runes on his armour began to glow a bright, very violent red. All around him the markings that covered almost every inch of the stone started to light up in bright green, the whispering growing louder as each marking became illuminated. Then, in an instant, beams of energy shot from Torbin's Runes towards the light. As he watched, the inside of his armour, legs, arms, body and head begin to get cold. Very cold. Energy stopped issuing from the Runes, leaving all of them blank. Torbin's legs fina
lly gave way, making him fall to the floor. The cold instantly took him, but he forced himself to stand. It was a sensation few Dwarves had experienced, which was undoubtedly the chill of death. His armour felt ten times heavier, his vision clouded, the cold freezing up the glass in his visor.

  But what he could see, he couldn't take his eyes from. The light in the wall grew brighter, and the whispers grew so loud Torbin could almost distinguish voices. They rose to a piercing point, and the Dwarf found his gauntlets clutching his helmet, desperate to do something to protect his ears. Just as he thought he would pass out with cold and pain, the ice in the wall exploded. Torbin felt his feet leave the ground. He hit something hard, pain flashed on and off in his mind. Torbin knew his body broke on impact. He knew he was dying. His one thought to be that of comfort, knowing that he would stand with his ancestors at Sapphire's side.'

  'Your gods will have to wait, child of the Rock.'

  Torbin heard the words not from outside, but from within. He tried to make his eyes work, but his vision was blurred, his tears of pain freezing around his eyes. What he thought he saw made his heart grow even colder. A large pair of yellow eyes looked into his. Bellow them a huge yellow beak almost made contact with his helmet. The eyes were looking him over with unnerving speed. Torbin thought he must be dead, for no creature like this could possibly exist. He was even more terrified when it held up the most massive hand the Dwarf had ever seen. But Torbin quickly realised that it wasn't a hand at all, but the biggest paw he could ever have imagined, with claws bigger and thicker than his arm blades. The creature held its claws to Torbin's head then, in a downward movement, traced a straight line down his body. The Dwarf's helmet and chest plate separated front the rest of his armour, exposing the Dwarf's thick woollen undershirt. The creature sent one of its claws down the outside of the shirt, ripping it and exposing the hairy chest beneath.

  The cold was too much for the Dwarf, who wanted nothing more than to die, to escape this creature, who seemed set on making his last moment one of horror. The creature placed its paw on top of the exposed chest lightly, sinking its claws into flesh and raised its head. Torbin's eyes were failing him, but he was sure he saw feathers all over the creature's head. It closed its eyes and began to speak, it beak issuing more of the strange whispers he had heard a moment ago. Light filled Torbin's vision, and he felt his body cracking from the inside. It was pain such as he had never known to be possible. He felt his bones contort and snap. His very soul seemed to be raked by blades until finally, he moved beyond pain and made to leave the world.

  BOOM!!!

  A deafening explosion came from somewhere else in the chamber, pushing the great paw from Torbin's chest, leaving huge scars behind it from where the claws met the skin. Torbin felt the world leave him with a voice ringing in his ears.

  'Secure the beast, get him out of there!'

  CHAPTER 2

  GLORY

  Torbin wasn't exactly sure what the afterlife would feel like, but he was sure it wasn't meant to be this painful. He tried to open his eyes, hoping he still had them. At first, he blinked before his eyes adjusted to recognise the top of a Dwarf cabin. He tried to turn his head and saw he was laying on one of several tables in the space. From the smell of antiseptic, he knew he was in the Healing Cabin. Beyond the tables was the door where two Dwarves stood one either side, both fully armoured and armed.

  Torbin tried to make his memory catch up with his body. He could remember falling, Forin's voice ringing in his ears. Then he remembered a strange light and a deep pain in his chest. It all came back. He quickly sat himself up and swung his legs over the side of the table. He looked down to discover that, not only was he naked, but he bore five great marks on his front. The memory of the creature's paw was strong, and he remembered its claws digging deep into his flesh. But now they were nothing but scars, ones that looked like they had been there a long time. He put a hand on them. Aside from some deep red grooves in his skin and some missing chest hair, he felt no pain at all. Torbin needed answers and wasn't going to find them while examining himself. He dropped to the floor and ran to the guards.

  'Hold, Sir.' The two guards brought two missive axes together in the path of the door.

  'What the meaning of this?' said Torbin.

  'We have orders. We are not to let you leave without orders from Commander Tenabin.'

  Torbin had no intention of leaping into the freezing cold, but he chose to ignore the guard's stupidity and pursue the argument. 'Why would he keep me here and what's happened to the creature, the chamber?'

  'Those are our orders, Sir, to keep you here and to let him know when you awaken.'

  'Then do so, now!'

  'Yes, Sir!'

  The two guards nodded to each other. The one on the right put on his helmet, activated his Runes, opened the door and passed through the barrier. Once the door was sealed, the remaining guard, a female, immediately took position between it and Torbin.

  Torbin put his head in his hands and ran his thick fingers through his stubble, complete disbelief running through his mind. If he didn't do something, Tenabin or some other Dwarf might try to claim his discovery, and all that he had gone through would mean nothing. He looked up again to find the other guard staring at his chest.

  'Humm... are there any coverings in here?' asked Torbin.

  The guard snapped back to attention at Torbin's words.

  'Back there, Sir.'

  The guard pointed to a small box on the other side of the room. Torbin walked over to it and found a basic patient outfit made of cloth. Before he started putting them on, he looked back at the guard who, again, snapped her head back to attention. An admirer, thought Torbin, as he started to dress. He couldn't remember the last time a female looked at him like that. If he wasn't allowed out of there soon, Torbin thought he might be tempted to use that to his advantage. Once dressed, he sat on his table again and looked at the guard, who was still watching him. He noticed something else in the Warrior's eyes. Longing, he thought, perhaps. There were no rules against members of the expedition fraternising if they were not in command. Chances of doing so were slim when you had to move from one cabin to another without anyone noticing an increased drop in Fire Runes. But while there was an attraction, it wasn't only longing Torbin saw in the Warrior's eyes. It was admiration. Another thought dawned on Torbin, that the guard who left the cabin had saluted him and called him ‘Sir’. Maybe the guards are not just here to keep me from leaving, he thought. Could they be protecting me?'

  Torbin finished dressing and sat back on the table. Just as he noticed a brief flash of disappointment in the guard's eyes, the door to the cabin opened. The second guard returned, quickly followed by Commander Tenabin, Borin immediately behind him. Before anyone could speak, another Dwarf crashed through the company.

  'Torbin!'

  Forin came stampeding through the others and slammed into Torbin so hard, he nearly knocked him off the table. Forin held him in a tight embrace, almost choking the air out of him.

  'Get off, Forin, I'm fine!' said Torbin.

  The young Dwarf released him and stood back from his friend once he realised Tenabin and Borin were frowning at him. Tenabin himself approached Torbin, a mix of shock and relief across his face.

  'Sapphire must love you deeply, my friend.'

  The anxious knot in Torbin's stomach finally exploded.

  'Sir, what happened to the chamber, the creature, how did you get to me?'

  'Peace, young Torbin, all is well! I will tell you all, but first, we must move to a more secure location.'

  Tenabin signalled to Borin, who brought a big container, opened it and extracted a set of armour.

  'Get suited up and let's go.'

  Torbin did as instructed, fighting back the powerful compulsion to punch someone for answers. With his armour on and his Runes activated, the four Dwarves made to exit the cabin. As Torbin passed his door guard, he turned his visor to face his admirer and gave her an obvious wink.
He wasn't sure, but Torbin had the impression that he saw the guard's whole face turn red before he left the cabin and through the heat field.

  The company made its way through various excavated tunnels. Many guards and expedition members were running back and forth, some shouting, something talking together as they made their way speedily past everyone. Torbin couldn't contain himself any longer.

  'What's happening Tenabin? Why is everyone in a ruckus?'

  He could hear his leader sigh through his helmet before answering.

  'The First Battalion is almost here.'

  Torbin stopped dead in his tracks. The First Battalion, the most elite group of Warriors in the Dwarven realm, sent on the deadliest, most critical of missions for the security of the Nations by the Empress herself.

  'What in Sapphire's name are they doing here?'

  Tenabin, it turned out, couldn't hold in the facts any longer than Torbin could wait for them. 'We used the Crawler to find and secure you before that creature could kill you. We thought you dead the moment Forin told us you had fallen into that chasm. Then we heard an explosion and saw a brilliant light emanating from the dark depths, and we knew that it meant you were alive. Borin took the Crawler and pushed it beyond all specs to get to you, but we broke through. Our entrance to the chamber knocked both you and your attacker unconscious. We used all the chains we had with us to bind it. We used every expedition member we could spare to guard it with fire jets, while the rest of us put you on the Crawler, get you to a Healer and for me to send an emergency message back to the mainland.

  The question that had been churning in Torbin's mind finally broke out. 'But what is it, Tenabin? What was it that I found and has called down the might of all our kind upon us.'

  'Don't you of all Dwarves know what it is YOU found? It's a Griftin, Torbin.' Torbin felt his stomach try to fall from his body. A Griftin! The most powerful, most revered of the three ancient races that disappeared over fifty thousand years ago, here-found by him! 'I knew as soon as I sent the message that the weight of it would make its way to Mordabinn and the Empress herself. Sure enough, the response was immediate, for only she can give missions to the First. They somehow got all the way from the Great Mountain and boarded the next train on the mainland side of the station. They are coming for it, and for you.'