by P. G. Thomas
When all of the gold coins were safe in midlander pockets, they started to re-form the line, and some tried to take advantage of the chaos, bettering their positions, which caused fights to break out. Now out of control, midlanders rushed the clinic, demanding the cure.
Korg had been inside the clinic when he heard the chaos erupting outside, and exiting the building to the street, he was utterly surprised at the scene. His angry voice rolled down the street, “The clinic is closed! Go home,” and he slammed the door shut.
Chapter 15
When Panry rose the next day, he rode over to check on the Earth Mothers, and Gingaar reported that there was no change. He was beginning to agree with John, fearing that some other magic or element was at play. When he arrived back at the house, Eric and Zack had also returned. Both reported that no Royal House forces were present, anymore. Taking a break from sitting with his sister, Logan’s face showed the fatigue and concern that was gnawing away at him. When Gayne arrived, he reported the bracelets were rejecting the training, advising it could just be a matter of time.
Hearing the alarm whistles, Panry ran out to the front door. Standing in front of a carriage, Erust looked at the two south port Earth Mothers with Korg and his last two guards, who all wore masks that covered their nose and mouth.
However, this was a different person from the first town hall meeting. Instead of the polite man who asked everybody to call him Korg, he introduced himself with his title: the Sub Commander Haile of the Royal House. “We need to take the Earth Mother to the south port town to heal her. If you don’t, you put the entire west at risk of plague.”
Panry said a silent prayer to Mother, “She is fine but finds your company distasteful.”
Korg gritted his teeth, “If I have to, I will take her by force.”
Looking around, Panry pointed to the two Royal House guards. After he had held up two fingers, he raised them to his lips to whistle. As he did, stepping away from the door, two Earth Guards, bows nocked, leaned over the roof. Two more rushed out the door, followed by five angry dwarves, but in the backyard, Ryan was holding Eric in place. After counting the ten that now stood in front of the house, Panry held up ten fingers. “If all three wish to assault my household, please demonstrate your force if you wish.”
“I am her superior, and I need to help her,” advised Fern. “You are plague infected like my Earth Guard, and they died from it. Please do not let the same fate befall you. Come with me to the south port town where we can heal you.”
“I am sorry, but we do not require what you offer,” advised Panry.
“You stupid elf,” Korg stamped his foot on the ground
“Does not anger be a sign of plague?” asked Panry.
Korg continued, “Your actions will kill us all.”
“I am sure that my actions will cause death,” then Panry smiled, “Royal deaths they shall be. Now leave.”
Korg’s look was intense, “You cannot make me leave.”
When the door opened, Eric filled the frame. Korg had seen him in town, as he had never seen any taller than he was, but he had never seen Eric in his dwarf armor. Stepping into the street, he shrugged his shoulders and smacked the gauntlets, causing the spikes to project out. Dropping his shoulder, he caught the scabbard, and with his long reach, he drew Tranquil Fury from its dark home, pointing it to the sky. From the quiet, cloudless sky, a bolt of lightning suddenly appeared, followed instantly by a loud crack of thunder. Shortly, Korg would receive the reports of a lightning strike at the clinic.
Korg sneered, “I have been looking for you.” Having read the reports from the twelve that had sailed back after the army had disappeared, he had seen the massive graveyard on his travels north, realizing where they now staged. He, like the rest that had read the report, thought those who wrote it were mad with plague, as that made more sense than somebody being able to control lightning.
“Your search is over. My friend asked nicely. Asking, not my style.” When Eric lowered the sword so that the point touched the ground, the base of the handle was both level with the top of Korg’s head and Eric’s eyes.
“This is not finished!” In anger, Korg turned to his carriage, followed by the Earth Mothers and his two lonely guards.
Panry turned to the group, “Aaro, Bor, Hakk, and Fodu. I need dwarf, all dwarf. You will guard all Earth Mothers, front and back, night and day. Royal House threatens war—”
Bor finished his sentence, “Dwarf will answer.”
Panry turned to Fen, “My large dwarf friend, this door you will protect until your brothers return.” He then went into the backyard, “John, Korg ups his ante. Reinforcements he has not, but I do not desire to see innocent midlander killed. Eric speaks highly of John, calls you smart, so prove it to myself and heal my Earth Mothers.”
John, frustrated by the strange world, shook his head. “I don’t know how your damn world works. I don’t understand Mother. I don’t understand magic, and I don’t know how to heal. It’s not like there’s a damn …” He stopped, “Panry, do you know where the healing well is where we first met?”
“It is too far away!”
John ran to the front of the house, “Fen, that rock you carved the statue of Alron from? Have you ever seen it before?”
“No, brother.”
“Mirtza, you did find a stone unique in the Ironhouse mine. Right?”
“Yes, John.”
“Ryan, I need a handful of stone from Alron’s statue to heal Lauren. Go now.”
“What dose your plan be,” began Panry, “Tell me now.”
“Wait, wait for Ryan. I need to see if it works, or if I need a different solution, but I think that statue is a piece of the puzzle.” Wandering into the kitchen, John retrieved a bottle of honey wine, which he started to chug. Thinking too fast, he needed a way to slow down the thought process. As Panry, Mirtza, and Zack paced in the front room, John paced in the dining room. The seconds seemed like years until finally Ryan rushed back in the door. Grabbing the rock, John headed out the front door, calling for Mirtza to follow.
“Take this, see if you can open a portal to the statue.”
Mirtza tried to break off a small piece so it would fit through the bracelet, but it was too hard. When Eric grabbed the rock, he crushed it. After Mirtza had picked up a small piece, he dropped it through the bracelet, creating a portal ring, which showed an image of the statue forming inside of it.
“Here is the plan,” began John. “Mirtza is going to open a portal to the Ironhouse Mine. Get two of the fast horse amulets from Pintar, so Panry and Mirtza can ride to the healing well, taking a load of water skins. When you have them filled, Mirtza opens a portal back to Alron’s statue. You should be back before nightfall. Ryan, get all of the water skins you can. Panry, go get the fast horses. Mirtza, get the stones to Ironhouse. Fen, you’ll need to explain to Panry how to open the stables.”
Regrouping, they ran through the sequence of events, creating a dimly lit view of the Ironhouse stables, illuminated by the few vents. Panry, holding on to the horse pins in one hand so hard, his knuckles were turning white, grasped a dozen water skins with the other. Stepping through, followed by Mirtza, the image winked out. John then sent one of the servants to the other Earth Mothers’ house, asking them to send a captain of an Earth Guard to meet him. At the same time, Ryan went to inform Logan of what was happening. Zack then advised them he would keep an eye on what was happening. When the other captain arrived, John updated him about the events.
Within the hour, every dwarf bar, shop, and residence was empty. A dozen dwarves were camped on the walls that separated the backyards from the wilderness, and three dozen more arranged themselves in front of the Earth Mother houses, placing wagons for defense. They waited in full armor, getting comfortable caressing their great axes with stones, whetting their appetite for battle.
Returning to the front step, Ryan carried a cold cask of dwarven ale and two mugs. Sitting down beside John, he offered him a dr
ink. “What did you mean? It’s another piece to the puzzle?”
“I freaking wish this was a video game. One where I could buy cheat codes, lots of cheat codes. Logic dictates that… that… just give me a beer.”
Ryan smiled at John’s frustration, as it wasn’t often when he saw the smartest person he knew stumbling over words. “You do know you’re underage to drink?”
“Yeah, right. I feel like I’m 113 years old right now with all we’ve been through. By the end of this night, I’ll be 1113.” Draining his mug, he held it out for a refill.
“So seriously, a puzzle?”
“Logic dictates there’ll be a natural order of events. Eric’s sword and armor, Lauren’s staff, Logan’s tattoos, straight up, there are entities here that exist, which are conscious on some level. They may have restrictions or limitations, but they’re present and participating. So when Alron died, an event most likely unforeseen, they capitalized on it. If the dwarves just wanted to build a statue, they could have used any rock, but they chose one that was unique. Mirtza’s bracelets need unique minerals to activate them. Maybe if we made new bracelets, training them with the medallions, they might work. However, these ones are accustomed to using minerals to sense locations. So when the forces here compelled the dwarves to use that rock, there may not have been a reason to building a homing beacon to Alron, but if we needed one, they took the necessary preparations ahead of time. Does that make sense, or do I need more beer.”
“We’ve have lots of beer.” Ryan filled John’s mug, “On a different subject. When Zack was in the washroom, screaming in pain, would you’ve really gone in, doing what he asked?”
John almost spit out his mouthful of beer, “If he ever does that again, we’ll send Fen in.”
“You cruel bastard! His arms are huge.”
“Well, when he sees his brother coming to help him, I’m sure he’ll find the courage and strength to relieve himself of whatever ails him. When he told Panry to get lard, I almost passed out.”
Seeing Ramy walking towards them, Ryan opened the front door, asking the cook to bring another mug.
Ramy walked through the dwarf blockade, greeting each dwarf. Accepting the drink, he looked at both of them, “You know, a few months back this was a gravy job. Sit at my desk, feet up, nap in the afternoon. Pay wasn’t that great, but the thieves guilds helped me to make ends meet: nothing evil, just normal business between the watch and guilds. I do not want Earth Mother getting upset, chasing me out of town. One day at a town hall meeting, a little girl that I have never seen before stands up in the back row, who challenges the mayors. I say ‘self this is new.’ From that day forward, I never know what I am going to wake to. You may want to know, they put the fire out at that clinic, and nobody important was hurt. Those two junior Royal House officers, they were unimportant, right?”
Ryan nodded.
“That is what I thought you would say. They both died.”
Ryan reached over, bumping fists with John.
“Well, today, it is a whole lot different from all of the other days. I have two Earth Mother houses with dwarf blockades, so I say, ‘self, what in the name of all things that are good is happening?’ When I was unable to answer that question, I thought I would wander down here and ask.” Ramy’s voice was excited, “What in the name of all things that are good is happening?”
“Refill, Ramy?” asked Ryan.
“Well before the sun rises the Earth Mothers will be healed, and then we’ll deal with Korg,” advised John. “What do you think, Ryan?”
“Works for me.”
“Tomorrow, before the suns rise, will my town still stand?” asked Ramy.
“Most of it should,” advised Ryan.
John nodded.
“Anything I can do to stop this?” asked Ramy.
“Arrest Korg?” suggested John.
“The charges?”
“Being an arrogant ass, attempted murder of the Earth Mothers, fraud, or if you want, just make the charges up. Do what you have to.”
“What happens when the Royal House reinforcements arrive?”
“Eric, if Korg had reinforcements headed this way, don’t you think they would’ve arrived by now?” asked John.
“Yes. Unless arrival was delayed.”
Ryan smiled, “Go ahead, Ramy, ask him.”
“If their arrival was delayed, what was the source?”
Eric smiled, “Death.”
“Anything I can do?” asked Ramy.
“At one end,” began John, “you have a mob mentality fueled by hysteria, and at the other end, dwarves. If the thief’s guilds are taking bets, place a bag of gold on the dwarves for me.”
“It’s a 1:2 bet, are you sure.”
John set down his mug, “I have no idea what’s going to happen this night, and I hope we can talk about it later. Go home to your wife and kids, and let’s see what tomorrow brings.”
“Thanks, John, Ryan. Good luck,” and then Ramy wandered back to his station, knowing he had to raise the watch.
“We don’t need luck, as we have Mother on our side,” advised John.
“How long ago did they leave?” asked Ryan.
“Four hours ago, maybe a little longer.”
“How long to get there and back?”
“Let’s see. One second to get to the Ironhouse mine. If I recall right, the healing well is at least five days, maybe six, from there. They should cover that in about five or six hours, and one second to get back. They should be back within the hour, two at the most. Do you want to go down to the statue, running interference in case there are any problems?”
Ryan nodded, “I think I should. I was getting tired of talking with you anyways, buddy.”
Aaro wandered over and grabbed Ryan’s empty mug, filling it up, “Brother, what will happen this night?”
“It hasn’t been written yet.”
“Each day the play grows,” began Aaro. “Sons of bards will finish what their fathers started.”
“Sons, maybe even their great sons. I just hope there’s a point where one generation can finally pen the phrase: the end.”
Aaro offered to refill John’s mug, but he declined, “Brother, the healing well. Will it heal Earth Mother?”
“You know, Aaro, of all the strange things in this land that I came across, that is the only one that I remember, so I’m hoping it’s a sign.” John then called to Erust, “The far building beside the main street. Can you take to the roof, whistling loud enough to let us know if anything heads this way?”
“Yes, Chief Council.”
John leaned back. I like the sounds of that. I hope I hear it again one day. As John and Aaro sat on the porch, they watched the suns slowly travel across the sky for what seemed like a thousand years. The dwarves had brought field rations, being always ready for battle at the drop of an ax.
It might have been an hour later, but John had lost track of time when he heard Erust’s whistle. “Cethail, what did he say?”
“Panry and Mirtza ride this way.”
Jumping up, John opened the door so that nothing would obstruct the waters from the healing well. He saw the two fast horses skid around the corner, their strong hooves digging deep into dirt, purchasing traction when they rounded the curve on an angle that defied gravity. With one racing towards him, the other headed to the Alron Earth Mothers. With the speed of the horse being incredible, John was afraid it would not stop in time, crashing into the house. Seeing Panry pull back on the reins so hard, he thought they would break. Losing its traction, the horse collapsed onto its rear, spinning around on its haunches, sliding into the house just as John jumped out of the way. Leaping off, Panry, holding two water skins in hand, raced through the open door, taking the stairs two at a time. John grabbed the other water skins, chased after him, and by the time he arrived, Logan was gently dripping the water into Lauren’s mouth. She was pale, her breathing labored and unresponsive to Logan’s words.
As Logan tried to hol
d back the tears, anger burnt in his eyes
Ryan burst through the doorway, “Korg is coming, and he has a crowd behind him.”
“Damn it,” screamed John.
“It gets worse, Eric is marching towards them.”
John screamed again, “DAMN IT ALL!”
Panry, John, and Ryan raced down to the street, seeing Eric walking to the middle of the intersection. Facing the crowd in front of him, whose hearts were filled with hate fed by Royal House propaganda, Eric raised his sword level to the ground, firing off a bolt of lightning, but it flew over their heads. The crowd stopped, turned, and only Korg stood on the deserted street, but Eric held his ground.
When Panry, John, and Ryan finally stood beside Eric, he looked down at them, “Heal Earth Mothers. Protect I will.”
All three breathed a sigh of relief, as Tranquil Fury rejected the risk of injuring the innocent citizens of Alron.
Panry wiped the sweat from his forehead, “I shall go check on the Earth Mothers, and I will update their Earth Guards and the dwarf barricade.”
“Well, John, Ramy should be happy,” began Ryan. “The town still stands.”
“The suns haven’t dawned yet, so don’t hold your breath.”
*******
Sunlight streaming in through the open window woke Ramy. Rolling to the edge of the bed, he tried not to wake his wife, and walking over to the window, with some hesitation, he pulled the curtains back. To his surprise, there were no large columns of smoke floating up towards the clouds. One of the perks of being the captain of the watch was a tax and rent free house, which included a lookout. Walking up the two flights of stairs to it, he stopped at the door. Self is this going to be a good day or bad day. Opening the door, he took in the panoramic view of Alron, which looked the same as every other morning, Good day.
*******
John stuck his head inside of Lauren’s room, “How is she, Logan.”
