“I’m willing to pay for my passage with money or as a guard,” the dwarf grunted. Finn studied the dwarf; he was heavily scarred and well-muscled—a formidable warrior. Apart from his massive axe, he also had several knives and a hatchet tucked into his belt, as well as a knife in a boot.
“Why should we trust you?” said Kliem. “You look like a vagabond sellsword to me. You’re likely to stab us in the back and steal my goods.”
Finn noticed Kliem smirk, which thankfully the dwarf couldn’t. He was baiting the dwarf, which even Finn knew was dangerous.
The dwarf solemnly released the reins, “On the honour of my clan, the Forge of Apgrim, I swear that no harm will befall you by my hand or anyone else’s if I can prevent it.” The dwarf’s steely gaze seemed to weigh them both up. It was hard to doubt his sincerity.
“Well, since you put it like that…I guess we will take you as far as Parma,” said the gnome. “But you ride in the back with the cheese—and don’t eat anything. My cheese is too good for a blood axe of Apgrim. Yes, I know your clan.” The dwarf shot the gnome a dark look before he acknowledged him silently with a nod. He didn’t appear to like the term blood axe.
“Honourable dwarf, what’s your name?” asked Finn, breaking the tension.
“I am called Karok Ironheart.”
“Well met, Karok. I am Finn and this Kliem. We have some distance to travel today so please climb aboard.”
Without a word, the dwarf climbed into the back of the wagon. It rocked under his formidable weight which made Finn think that maybe dwarves were made of iron. Kliem moved the wagon onto the road and headed east, down the mountain.
After travelling along the top of the mountain range for some time, Kliem asked Finn what he was thinking about.
“I was thinking about Anna. The last time I saw her, I made her angry.”
“Don’t worry, she’ll forgive you.”
To change the subject, Finn leaned closer to the gnome and softly whispered, “What’s the Forge of Apgrim? And blood axes?”
Equally as quiet, the gnome replied, “The Forge of Apgrim was a clan from the dwarven city of Apgrim. The clan’s duty was to protect their king, Kongen Jernstein…they failed. Ten years ago, whilst travelling through their mountain realm, the king was ambushed by a horde of orcs. The king and most of the Forge clan were killed. It was a dark day for dwarves everywhere as King Kongen Jernstein was well-respected amongst his kind.”
“Why did you call him a blood axe?”
“The survivors of that day are called blood axes by their own people because survivors vowed to kill every last orc in the world as retribution. They have made it their personal duty and honour. They are often seen in small groups searching mountainous areas for orcs. Our stout friend must be one of them—”
“It is unwise to speak of the Forge clan…” came a gruff voice from the back of the wagon.
“My pardons, honourable dwarf.” Kliem fell silent and put a finger to his lips and Finn nodded in agreement.
Chapter 13
By the morning of the third day, Anna was over travelling in a coach. The coach was well appointed with fine quality cushions, comfortable seats and there was plenty of food and drink, and dark red curtains that could be drawn if she required a sleep or rest—but it was boring.
The handmaid, Eula, was several years younger than Anna and seemed like a nice girl—although she was a little too quiet which made for a poor travelling companion. The young maid treated Anna like a noble lady and was hesitant to enter into small talk, speaking only when asked a question and always answered “Yes, milady” or “No, milady”. Anna didn’t want any special treatment and preferred Eula to talk to her as an equal. But by the end of the first day, it was obvious that Eula was not going to change–a lady? Anna didn’t feel like a lady, she was a country girl.
Anna watched the scenery go by but even that was now boring. They were now in Krystoria and all morning they had been travelling through an endless sea of trees. Eula informed her that most of northern Krystoria was covered in forests.
Five knights rode in front of the coach and five behind. Renato was always the lead horseman and the only knight that had actually spoken to her. The other men would just nod or bow as she passed–they did their duty well but she felt invisible in their presence.
What have these people been told? I’m not a queen…or a princess…The more I think about why Prince Anthon invited me, the stranger it seems…
“Milady, we’re stopping,” said Eula, interrupting her thoughts. The body of the coach rocked back and forth a few times before it came to complete stop.
Looking out the window, Anna could see that the coach had stopped in the middle of the road. There was a commotion ahead. From her position, Anna couldn’t see what was happening except that the front five knights were lined up across the road.
“I’m going for a look.”
“No, milady!” Eula’s eyes were wide, she looked scared. “Please stay, milady.”
“Come on, Eula, there is nothing to worry about. We are protected by ten of Krystoria’s bravest knights.” Anna opened the coach’s door just before a small hand pulled her back inside. Two knights thundered past toward the front, narrowly missing her.
“Milady, it’s dangerous. Please, stay inside,” pleaded Eula. The girl was concerned.
Bandits? They wouldn’t be that stupid, would they? “You can stay here but I am going to see what’s happening.” Anna climbed down from the coach, closely followed by Eula. The young girl gripped Anna’s arm tightly. Anna felt her shaking. “Don’t worry, Eula.”
The two young women walked forward toward the line of knights. As they approached, they could hear an argument in progress—between Renato and a yet unseen person. Renato and his knights were being blocked by a large number of horsemen. The newcomers wore similar uniforms to Renato’s men except they had long white feathers protruding from the tops of their helmets.
Renato spoke, his voice restrained. “…I will not ask you again, sir, move aside—”
“And I will not tell you again. I have been sent here by the king’s representative. You, sir, will stand down!” The air was tense and it seemed like it would come to blows. Both men were not willing to back down.
“Gentlemen, what’s the problem?” Anna surprised herself. Her voice was loud and clean but internally she was scared.
Renato spoke, “Milady, please go back to the coach. This is just a small misunderstanding. This knight thinks he has authority over me—”
“Milady,” said one of the newcomers. “I am Sir Joseph of Prato, a humble servant of King Ferdinand III. I have been ordered to escort you to Parma—”
“—And I have informed Sir Joseph that Prince Anthon has given me the same task,” stated Renato, raising his voice.
“Your noble prince is my king’s nephew and his sworn servant,” said Sir Joseph. “Stand aside in the king’s name.”
Renato turned in the saddle and nodded his head to Anna. “Milady, I must comply with the king’s orders. Please forgive me.”
“There is nothing to forgive. We’re all headed to the same place after all,” said Anna.
“No, milady. We’ve been ordered to patrol the north and eastern highways and arrest any non-Krystorian.”
“Why?” asked Anna. “What about Finn? He is following us.”
“If we see your friend,” said Renato, “he will be arrested.”
“Arrested?! Does Prince Anthon know about this?”
“It’s the king’s command, milady. It cannot be questioned,” said Sir Joseph. “There are rumours of a war in the south. It is dangerous times. Now, please get back in the coach. We must be in Parma before nightfall.”
Anna was stunned by this news. Finn arrested. Why? He is a warden and a representative of our king…I will speak to Prince Anthon. Eula pulled her back to the coach and helped her inside.
Brief words passed between Renato and Sir Joseph before Renato and his fellow
knights turned their horses and rode by the coach back toward the north. He nodded to Anna as he passed and she could see his displeasure.
Sir Joseph’s knights took up their positions around the coach and the coachman whipped the reins and they moved off again. And not for the first time did Anna regret leaving Freewater.
After a short distance, a knight rode up beside the coach and looked in at its two occupants. The attention from this knight made Anna feel uncomfortable and she shuddered. After a few moments, Eula closed the curtains.
Something was odd about that knight. He seemed familiar. The only time I have been to Krystoria was a few weeks ago... Then a strange realisation came to her—the knight’s eye…could it be Wolfgang?
Anna pondered the recent developments but had no answers. Something that confused her—was she a prisoner or a guest?
Chapter 14
Early morning and their vantage high on the mountain road gave Finn and Kliem a panoramic view of Krystoria. Trees stretched out as far as the eye could see. Sunlight reflected off a large river system that twisted down from the distant mountains far in the north. It snaked down through the never-ending forests to disappear amongst its greenery, far in the south. It was the second time Finn had seen Krystoria from this height and he found it breathtaking again.
Their wagon reached the eastern side of the Krystorian foothills by midday, where they stopped briefly at a crossroad surrounded by tall pine trees. Finn glanced at the road that led north, it was really little more than a track. An uncomfortable feeling of dread slowly crept over him. North contained nothing but bad memories. It was where the master’s castle was. Thankfully, they headed south.
“You look troubled,” said Kliem.
“I have bad memories of these forests.”
“We’ll be out of the trees soon and in Parma.”
They ate in silence and then headed south along the well-maintained road. Karok, too, was quiet in the back of the wagon and hadn’t said much since they left the inn early that morning.
Finn’s gaze roamed the tall trees searching for any unseen trouble. The gnome couldn’t help but notice his young companion’s anxiety and the hand that rested on the black sword hilt. He said nothing.
The sound of a distant battle woke Finn from his daydream. He looked ahead but the road was empty. Did he dream it?
“There’s trouble ahead!” said Kliem. The gnome whipped the reins and the horse quickened its pace. As they rounded a bend in the road, they were witness to a scene of mayhem. A short distance ahead, four knights stood back to back in the middle of the road—facing off against a pack of giant snow wolves. The wolves were as large as small horses and their powerful jaws snapped at the men with teeth as long as knives. Their thick white fur was splattered with the blood of their victims that lay scattered across the road. The bodies of many knights and horses littered the ground, each with limbs or large chunks of ragged flesh missing. It didn’t look good for the men left standing.
Finn hesitated. These knights were heavily outnumbered and it would be suicide to go to their aid. He wanted to help…but how?
“For Apgrim!”
Karok ran down the road toward the knights. The broad dwarf carried his large battle axe in one hand and a hatchet in the other. The sight of the dwarf stirred Finn into action and he threw off his cloak. Leaping off the wagon, he followed swiftly. As he ran, he drew the black sword. Its hilt was warm.
Regardless of his short legs, Karok reached the wolves before Finn and his large axe arced through the air and severed a large beast in two even before it knew he was there. Two wolves noticed the newcomer and ran at him with teeth bared. The dwarf swung his axe in a horizontal arc and decapitated one of the massive creatures, trailing a bloody trail through the air. He threw his hatchet at the other wolf as it snapped at him. The hatchet imbedded into the wolf’s forehead but savagely it kept coming. Karok sidestepped and brought his axe down hard on the wolf’s back, cutting it in two. Blood and guts splashed onto the ground and against the dwarf’s armoured legs.
Finn and Karok joined the four knights and faced the circling wolves. There was a dozen of the monstrous beasts who seemed to pause and weigh up their prey. Their growls were as loud as thunder.
“If we slay enough of them,” voiced the dwarf, “they will flee!”
“Impossible!” said one of the knights, blood covering half his face.
A sideward glance revealed the speaker as Renato. “Where’s Anna?” asked Finn.
“Don’t worry, Finn,” replied the knight without taking his eyes off the wolves. “She’s safe in Parma by now.”
“Enough talk!” said Karok gruffly. He leapt forward, bringing his axe down in a two-handed strike on the nearest wolf’s head. The blade sliced into the wolf’s thick skull and with a loud bone-crunching sound, the wolf dropped.
The dwarf grimaced as a wolf lunged forward and gripped his armoured chest in its powerful jaw. It shook him like a rag doll before releasing him. He flew through the air and landed heavily on the road. Leaping to the dwarf’s aid, Finn slashed his black blade at the wolf’s head and shoulders, drawing blood. The white beast leapt back, deciding that the fallen dwarf was not worth the trouble.
Finn helped Karok to his feet, blood streamed down the dwarf’s arm. “Your wounds?” asked Finn.
“A scratch,” grunted the dwarf. It was a miracle that he still breathed after the fall he had taken. “Attack!” he shouted.
The four knights, Karok and Finn pushed forward together. Their weapons struck out at white fur in all directions. The wolves fought ferociously and lunged forward—hungry for fresh meat.
The largest beast bit off a knight’s head standing beside Finn. In a blink of an eye, another knight was gripped by two snow wolves and pulled in opposite directions, tearing him apart. His blood sprayed in all directions.
With a savage battle cry, Karok moved forward, swinging his axe in a deadly arc. It sliced through fur and bone as he made his way toward the largest wolf.
A heavily-muscled wolf leapt over Karok and Finn and landed on Renato. The knight fell to the ground hard, dropping his weapon in the process. Coming to the fallen knight’s defence, Finn drove his sword deep into the wolf’s side, splitting bones and cutting through organs. The wolf turned and snapped at the eldon’s face but after a few heartbeats, it dropped to the ground—dead.
These snow wolves weren’t used to their food putting up a fight and with more than half their number dead, they turned tail and retreated into the trees.
Finn blew out a long breath and surveyed the area. The coppery smell of blood filled the air and there were dead everywhere. Six snow wolves lay dead, as did eight knights and several of their horses. Renato lay amongst the dead…no, he stirred! He lived! A knight moved to his commander and tried to stop blood flowing from a deep wound on his shoulder.
Finn’s gaze dropped to his sword. Any hint of blood had already been absorbed by the black steel—it was as clean as if it had just been polished. He was becoming accustomed to the blade’s unearthly ability to remain clean.
Karok had retrieved his hatchet and wiped the blood from his axes on white fur. A grim smile touched his lips. He appeared oblivious to the blood trickling down his arm.
“Your arm?”
“It’s nothing,” he grunted without stopping his cleaning.
Finn moved to the knight and asked about Renato’s condition.
“A few ribs are broken,” said Renato in pain, “but I’ll live.”
“What happened?”
“We were patrolling when this pack of snow wolves attacked from the trees,” replied the knight, a man not much older than Finn. “Many of our number went down fast, while our horses were spooked and ran off.”
“I’ve never heard of snow wolves leaving their mountain homes before. Especially a pack of this number. Something has driven them off the mountains.”
“What would scare a pack of snow wolves?” asked the knight.
“They are one of the largest creatures on the mountains.”
“An Apgrim dwarf,” said Karok, his voice stern. He did not look up from his task. “A dwarf with good steel could scare a dragon off its treasure.” And with what Finn had witnessed, he didn’t doubt it.
Kliem pulled up in the wagon not far away. His horse was terrified. Its eyes were wide and its nostrils flared, spooked by the smell of blood. The gnome quickly moved to Renato’s side and ripping a piece of cloth for a bandage, he went to work on the fallen man. The knight sucked in his breath as Kliem secured the bandage around his ribs but made no sound.
Using one of the knights’ horses, Kliem, Karok and the knight dragged the dead beasts from the road and buried the fallen knights in shallow graves among the trees. Someone would be sent back to collect the bodies once they were safe in Parma.
Finn looked down at Renato. “What happened to Anna? Where is she?”
“Two day ago we were stopped by the royal guard…” Renato paused to catch his breath. “They took over the escort duty...I was ordered to patrol in the north…”
“Do you trust these soldiers?”
“They’re trusted by royal family…honourable and capable soldiers. Don’t worry, Finn, your Anna is in good hands…nothing will to happen to her in their care.”
Renato’s reassurance didn’t calm Finn’s feeling of dread. Something felt wrong but he couldn’t put a finger on it.
“The strangest thing…I was also ordered to stop you…”
The survivors travelled a few miles south before deciding to rest for the night. Renato travelled in the back of the wagon without complaint but Finn noticed him wincing with each bump in the road. They made camp in a clearing beside the road and lit a small fire. Kliem cooked a simple meal and they ate in silent reflection before retiring for the night. Nothing stirred in the early evening and the road was empty. They were all nervous at what else patrolled the forest at night so Finn, Karok and the young knight, Louie, took watches.
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