There was a loud knock at the door.
“Ah, that would be the devil himself. Let us get moving,” Micah said, ushering Michael to the door.
Chapter Sixteen
Kale had been in a surly mood since Bran told him he was to lead the mission to Delven Vale. He knew why Bran sent him, and he did want to see Kara again; but he would have preferred to stay with the main unit. All of the dwarves under his command gave him a wide berth. The only ones that seemed unaffected by his mood were the two Avari that Commander Salic sent along on the mission. Trask and Attis were of average size for humans, and Attis’ ready wit and out-going nature made him fit in well with any company he was around. The dwarves under Kale warmed to Attis almost immediately. In fact, he had even made Kale smile more than once, since leaving The Slot.
Kale’s mood had gotten worse since entering Glimmen Watch. The expected unit of Forgers was nowhere to be found. There were no signs of recent combat and no bodies. It was as if they had retreated and abandoned the station. Kale knew that would never happen. The implications of that missing unit set the hairs on the back of Kale’s neck on end. There was no good reason for it. Something had happened and that something was chilling to contemplate.
After a thorough search of the area, Kale moved his men at an increased pace. Everyone was quiet and all eyes scanned the pass, constantly searching for signs of a trap. The two Avari seemed unaffected by the discovery, other than Attis’ uncharacteristic silence. They now were only about an hour from Middle Watch, and had been marching in darkness for the last several hours. None had complained about the pace Kale set. All were anxious to reach the safety of Middle Watch and find out why Glimmen Watch had been abandoned.
As they came around the last corner, Kale was surprised to see that no torch burned on Middle Watch Wall. Even in the dark, he could tell that the gate was open; a fact that quickly brought axes to hand. Kale called a halt and motioned a slim black haired dwarf forward. Hal was excellent at stealth, with his small stature and dark hair and complexion; he was well suited to reconnaissance. Kale quietly told him what to do and, with a curt nod, Hal disappeared, just another shadow among many.
Hal returned about thirty minutes later with a dour look on his face. “The gate wheel is broken. It sustained many blows from great hammers, ogre hammers. There are signs of a battle; blood stains all over. I found the bodies of many of our people and the mountain door is sealed,” Hal reported.
“How do you know it was ogre hammers?” Kale inquired, frowning at the news.
“I found one in the shadow of the wall. It was decorated with ogre trophies,” Hal said gritting his teeth in anger. “Some of them were fresh. The mountain door has sustained heavy damage, though it remains intact. It is obvious that the unit was forced to pull back and seal the door. The blood has dried, but where it pooled it is still wet. This battle was not more than two days past.” Hal paused. “And, Kale, the gate wheel was smashed from the inside.”
Kale frowned and glanced in the direction of the gate. “Come. We still have a mission to complete,” Kale said, gripping his axe tighter and heading toward the gate.
The dwarves and two Avari followed him through the mangled gate and over to the mountain entrance. Kale studied the door in the light from a torch lit by one of the Avari. He ran his hand over the mauled steel.
“This makes no sense. If the ogres could destroy the gate wheel, then they should have been able to obliterate this door. Yet here it stands. It is as if they made a show of trying to get in and then just left,” Kale muttered out loud to himself.
“Maybe they realized it would be pointless to breach this door,” Trask offered.
Kale was so startled by the unexpected voice that he turned to see who had spoken. Trask had said no more than a handful of words the entire march. “With the size of the ogres, just breaking this door down would not have been enough. They would have had to enlarge the entire entrance to be able to crawl inside. Not knowing what lies beyond, and knowing the stature of your people, they quite possibly would have to enlarge the tunnel every step of the way, and your people would be cutting them down the whole time.”
Kale looked at the Avari in consideration, and nodded. “Perhaps your assumption is correct. What is more important is that they made the effort at all. That tells me that some of our people fled inside. They are still alive.” Kale raised his fist and struck the door hard with two quick blows. He paused, struck the door twice more, then stepped back and waited. A few moments passed before they heard sounds coming from the other side of the door. It was the sound of heavy items being moved. Kale nodded again. “Barricaded.”
They all waited a few more minutes before the sounds of movement stopped and hammering began. Finally a loud clang of metal rang out and the door shuddered. The mangled door was pushed outward on protesting, twisted hinges. The haggard face of Axethane Ralk appeared in the doorway.
“Axethane, it is good to see you again,” Kale said with a bow of his head.
“And it lightens my heart to see there are more survivors, lad,” Axethane Ralk replied sincerely. “Come in, all of you. We hoped our runners would get through.”
“Survivors? Runners, Axethane?” Kale asked in surprise.
Axethane Ralk heaved a sigh at hearing the question. “It seems our runners didn’t get through.”
“We have seen no one since we left The Slot yesterday morning, Axethane. I am sorry.”
“You came from The Slot, lad? Then they may still be out there. We sent the runners to Delven Vale and then on to East and West Gates. That, at least, gives me some hope. Please, all of you, rest and have some food,” Axethane Ralk said, eyeing the two Avari.
“Axethane, what happened here? Glimmen Watch has been abandoned. The gate wheel was destroyed from the inside, and Hal found signs of ogres. Where is everyone?” Kale asked not moving.
“Come and sit, lad. I will answer your questions,” Ralk said walking toward the tables at the kitchen end of the dining hall. “What brings you men from The Slot and with a couple of Avari, no less?” Ralk asked after they were all seated.
Kale was dying to know what had transpired here, but protocol dictated that Ralk, as an elder, never mind that he was also an Axethane, had the right to ask his questions first. “Axethane Bran sent us to request reinforcements from Delven Vale. We joined up with Commander Salic in The Slot a while back. There was a major battle a few days ago, in which we lost many fine warriors. The human forces were decimated as well. Wizards Merric and Mathis brought in a couple hundred humans from Branna, and Lord Micah brought us fifty Avari, but we are at less than half our number. The shifters killed twenty-seven of us in that battle!” Kale struck his fist sharply on the table in anger.
Axethane Ralk furrowed his brow, as he listened without interrupting.
“We killed every one within reach, and still they kept coming. It was as if their numbers were without end. Just when it seemed we would be overrun, a wizard joined us. I don’t know what he did, but all of a sudden there was a mighty blast that nearly took my feet from under me. All of the shifters exploded in a red mist. For as far out into Glimmen Marsh as I could see there was nothing but a fine red cloud that rapidly dissipated. Every shifter was gone. The shockwave leveled trees far out into the marsh,” Kale remembered out loud, his eyes unfocused and his voice tinged with awe.
“Would that we had such aid,” Axethane Ralk sighed.
“What has happened, Axethane?” Kale asked.
“Two nights ago, Delven Vale was attacked by the forces of Mortow. Two of his wizards and several thousand ogres appeared outside the city in the middle of the night. The Watch saw them coming and was able to seal the gates; but against those wizards, our walls crumbled like sandstone under a hammer. Our people fought valiantly. Unfortunately, against both wizard and ogre, there was no chance of victory. A few of us escaped and fled here. In all, two hundred and thirteen survived. We fought until all were safely within the Hold, then we
retreated as well. We lost twelve of our unit, including my grandson, Hine,” Ralk's eyes suddenly glimmered with tears.
"I'm sorry for your loss, Axethane."
“The lad died a true Forger without ever fielding his first axe. Because of him, a woman and her two children made it to safety. If I were not so broken-hearted by the loss, I would smile with pride. I’m afraid Gant took it hard. I had to knock him on the head with the flat of my axe to keep him from charging back out and being slaughtered. He still hasn’t spoken a word to me, except to volunteer as a runner; a request I denied him. He would have sought vengeance instead of seeking survivors. I cannot blame him. If I were not Axethane, I would do the same.”
Kale and his men were stunned by the news.
“Delven Vale is destroyed?”
“Aye, lad. It is no more. We are lucky any of our people survived the attack,”
“Axethane, my wife, Kara, do you know if she…”
“I do not know, lad. She could very well be among the group that made it here. They are all within the Warrens. It was the safest place to hold up.” Ralk saw the fear in Kale’s eyes and nodded. “Go, lad and see,” Ralk said gently. “May fate favor you more than she did me,” Ralk whispered under his breath as Kale bolted from the hall. No one had seen his wife, Henna, since before the attack. She had not been with the group that came in, neither had Gant’s wife, Jame. Ralk held a secret hope that they were both safe in hiding somewhere, but he knew that, in all likelihood, they were gone.
As Ralk sat there lost in thought, Furl and his young charge came out of the kitchen with a large kettle of stew and a tray of bread. Furl placed the kettle in the center of the table and began silently ladling the stew into bowls.
A few other dwarves straggled into the dining hall. All of them looked as if their last hope had been shattered.
Ralk looked up to see the two Avari standing off by themselves. The dour faced one was watching the dwarves as they entered the dining hall and conversing with the other. Finally, they both nodded and walked over to Ralk.
Trask knelt down on one knee so he would not tower over the shorter dwarf. “Axethane, my brother and I have been discussing what has happened here. We would like to offer our assistance in finding any of your people that may have survived the attack on your city,”
“I certainly appreciate the offer from two such as you, but we have sent runners already and my people would know our lands better than you. Besides, do you not have orders to follow already?” Ralk answered.
“Only Lord Micah commands us, and his command was to do what we felt was best to aid in winning this war. Your people are our healers. Finding them is how best we may follow his orders. All Avari know your lands as they know all the lands of this world. We can travel at speed for long periods of time. My brother and I will not go against your wishes, but we would ask that you allow us to help in this way,” Trask said evenly.
Ralk smiled and nodded to Trask. “I will not refuse any aid that is freely given. I would ask that you explain your intentions to Kale before you leave though. As leader of your group, he deserves to know where you have gone and why you have chosen to go.”
“Agreed,” Trask said and rose to his feet. He and Attis moved over to an empty table and sat down.
The dwarves ate in silence, still unable to believe that their homeland was no more.
Furl carried two full bowls over to the two Avari and set them down. Attis thanked him and began to eat. Trask eyed the red headed dwarf as he stood, not moving, looking down at the ground.
“What may we do for you, dwarfkin?” Trask inquired not unkindly.
Furl looked up at hearing the sympathy in Trask’s voice. “If you are truly going in search of our people, I would like to know what became of my brother, Dass. If you could find him, it would greatly ease my heart.”
“What does he look like?” Attis asked.
Furl smiled half-heartedly. “As you look at me, so you see him. We are twins.”
“We will search for him, dwarfkin,” Trask pledged.
Furl bowed to the two Avari and hurried back to the kitchen.
Trask turned to Attis, his eyes smoldering with anger. “Mortow and his ilk have much to answer for. The slaying of women and children in their beds is an atrocity to be paid in blood.”
Attis grimly nodded. He knew his brother well and he knew Trask would make good on collecting that debt. Trask could be single minded to a fault. Attis hoped this was not one of those times. This war was going to be bad enough, without Trask taking unnecessary risks. “I know, my brother. We will see it paid together.”
About an hour later, Kale returned to the dining hall with a slim, red haired female on his arm and a smile on his face. When the other dwarves saw him enter and that he was smiling, a roar of approval rose throughout the chamber. Here, at least, was a piece of good news.
Attis smiled as well, nudged his brother, and pointed to the two.
Trask glanced at the two dwarves as they approached Ralk. “There is one that will sleep easier tonight,” Trask stated evenly. “Come, let us inform Kale of our intentions and get on our way,” Trask said to Attis as he rose from the table.
Attis nodded his assent and rose also.
All of the dwarves were on their feet, congratulating Kale and slapping him on the back. Kale held his wife close in the protective circle of his arms as if afraid she may disappear if he let go. He noticed the two Avari approaching, and smiled at them.
Attis smiled in return, but Trask’s face remained expressionless and he merely nodded to the dwarf.
As the Avari got close to the group enjoying the impromptu celebration, Trask cleared his throat loudly to get their attention. “Commander Kale, my brother and I have decided to join the search for survivors. We would take our leave immediately,” Trask stated evenly.
Kale looked to Axethane Ralk, who shook his head, telling Kale it was his place to answer. “If that is what you both wish, then I wish you a safe and fruitful journey. Shall I relay any message to Commander Salic upon my return?”
“Only that we have joined the search, and will return when we are able,” Trask explained.
“Gentlemen, one request before you leave,” Axethane Ralk said, as he rose to his feet. “Please bring any survivors you find back here. The tunnels to the Warrens are small and they will afford the best protection. I will leave as many Forgers as I can spare to guard them.”
Kale turned to him in surprise. “Axethane?”
“Aye, lad. I march with you. I will not stay shut away while the fiends that did this to our people roam free. We fight now, not for our homeland, but for our existence.” Ralk’s stance grew rigid. His voice deepened and gained an echoing effect that wasn't caused by the hall. It was almost as if another’s voice joined his. “If we are to pass from this land, then let it be with the blood of our enemies on our axes and their lifeless bodies under our boots.”
Kale felt his blood stir and his pulse race. That voice; it was the Axethane’s Call, and Kale could see, by the look on the other dwarves' faces, that they felt it, too. It called to the very soul to avenge the fallen.
Trask finally smiled. He nodded to Axethane Ralk. “It shall be as you request, Axethane.”
Trask and Attis spun and headed for the door. Ralk followed. After the Avari ducked through the door, he sealed it behind them. As he turned, Ralk saw Gant stagger into the hall and fall to his knees, clutching his head.
“Father!” Gant uttered the single word as he fell to his side on the floor.
Ralk bolted to his son and knelt down beside him. “Gant, what is wrong, my son?”
Through gritted teeth, Gant managed to whisper, “Make him stop, father. Please make him stop.”
Ralk motioned for the other dwarves to back away as they had all gathered round to see what was wrong. Ralk scooped his son up in his arms and addressed Kale. “Get the men ready to move out at dawn.” Without waiting for a reply, Ralk turned and walked out of
the hall.
Kale didn’t hesitate. He told the men to find every Forger they could and bring them to the hall. Kara, still clutched tightly in one of Kale’s arms, pushed gently away from him.
As the men left the hall, she stared up at Kale. “You have changed, my love. When you left, you were my husband. Now, I behold a warrior before me. I can see in your eyes that you have endured much since we parted. I do not want you to leave, now that I have you with me again.”
Kale opened his mouth to say something but she forestalled him with a shake of her head.
“I know that you must. With all that I have seen recently, I feel silly for my selfishness, but know that I would accompany you if I could, but I cannot,” Kara said placing a hand on her stomach. "If it were only my life I put in danger, I would readily join you on the battlefield, but we have another to think about, and I feel that the new life within me needs protecting even more now.”
Kale’s expression went from shock, to joy, to determination in an instant. He tentatively reached out and covered Kara’s hand with his own. “You give hope where none previously existed. This is great news.” Kale laughed, snatched Kara up in his arms, and spun her around. He set her back down gently and held her at arm’s length, looking her up and down. “Are you sure? I see no signs.”
“Quite sure,” Kara answered, smiling at Kale's enthusiasm.
“How long?” Kale asked in delight.
“The night before you left, so five months now. He will be a mighty Forger by the way he kicks,” Kara said as she led Kale to a nearby table so she could sit down.
Furl and his young assistant came to the table to remove the empty bowls.
“How do you know it will be a boy?” Kale asked.
Furl filled two clean bowls with stew and placed them in front of Kale and Kara. “Never doubt a woman’s intuition in these matters, lad. You will find they are right more often than not. Congratulations to the both of you,” Furl said as he ushered the young dwarf with him back to the kitchen to give the couple a little privacy.
Myrkron (Volume Two of The Chronicles of the Myrkron) Page 15
