The First Compact: The Karus Saga (The Karus Saga: Book Book 3)

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  “Do you think you can get me inside the town?” Dennig asked the dragons. “Let me die with my boys?”

  That would be unwise, Kordem said. There is no love lost between our peoples. Were we to attempt to land inside the town, it is quite possible your warriors might think we were of the enemy and attack. It would be very hazardous for us.

  We could fly up high, Cyln’Phax suggested, where there is no risk and simply drop you into the town.

  Dennig turned a hard look upon the dragon. His hand tightened on the shaft of his beautiful axe, and for a moment Karus thought the dwarf might attack the dragon. “I’d be dead.”

  You wish to die a useless death, Cyln’Phax said. Why does it matter how you achieve that end?

  “That’s not helpful,” Karus said, before Dennig could respond. “We don’t need to be fighting amongst ourselves.”

  Dennig shifted his gaze back to the fight. Karus could only imagine what was going through his friend’s mind. If it was his men down there, Karus knew he would feel the same, would want to be with them in their final hours.

  But what could they do? Even if the dragons took him back to Carthum, it would be days before he could return with sufficient reinforcement to help break the siege. Dennig’s warband would not last that long, and if it could manage the impossible, the larger enemy army would soon arrive. There seemed nothing to be done. The dwarven defenders were surely doomed.

  Or were they?

  He scanned the enemy army, then the encampment, and finally the fields around the town, looking carefully. Karus turned slowly back to the dragons. “Is there anything you can do to help?”

  Us? Kordem asked, sounding surprised. The dragon cocked his head at Karus, like a dog might. What are you thinking?

  “I don’t see any wyrms. Could you scatter that army down there?” Karus asked, gesturing toward the town. “Give the defenders a chance to break out?”

  You want us to save them? Cyln’Phax asked, clearly incredulous. Karus could sense the dragon’s disbelief in his mind. You want us to save dwarves? You know there is bad blood between our peoples.

  “Aye,” Karus said. “I know there is not much love there. But still … the Horde is coming for us all. Whether we like it or not, we are on the same side. If we don’t begin working to help each other, I can see no end other than the Horde crushing us all, one after another.”

  Dennig turned around, his eyes suddenly hopeful. The heat had left his gaze. He looked between the two dragons and his mouth worked as if he was having difficulty speaking. The dwarf took a deep breath and then swallowed. “I would be in your debt were you to help us.”

  Kordem’s eyes narrowed as he studied the dwarf for several long heartbeats. Then both dragons turned and swung their heads around to face one another. Karus suspected they were in silent communication, discussing the matter.

  “They surely spotted us landing,” Karus added. “With all this rain, I am thinking they believe you both to be wyrms, their allies. It would come as a rude shock to find out otherwise. Don’t you agree?”

  Kordem swung his large head to look out at the fight raging less than a mile away. The dragon was silent for some time. Karus noticed that Cyln’Phax had become agitated, claws digging into the stone of the hillcrest.

  Kordem flicked his tail hard, smacking it against the stone of the hilltop several times, and turned his gaze back to his mate. Karus felt the impact of the repeated blows through his sandals like tremors from an earthquake. It almost seemed as if the hill itself shook.

  Cyln’Phax issued a low, almost dog-like growl.

  “They will help,” Amarra said.

  We have not even come to an agreement yet on whether or not we will help, Cyln’Phax said, turning his head to her. We are still talking the matter through.

  “Yes,” Amarra said, tone becoming firm, “you will … You must. It is as Karus said. You don’t need to like it, but we are in this together.”

  She tapped the butt of her staff on the stone. The crystal flashed briefly with light and there was an audible snap as the rock underneath cracked and splintered.

  Are you certain? Kordem asked. This is not without risk for my mate and me. Though there are no wyrms in sight, they may have priests with will or perhaps even a wizard.

  Karus turned his gaze to the town and then back to the dragons. “I see no other way we can help. Do you?”

  Cyln’Phax let out a small gout of flame from her nose. Kordem stood and unfurled his massive wings, shaking the rain off.

  We will help, Kordem said, sounding resigned, head swinging to look at his mate. Perhaps it is time we begin putting our differences aside.

  “Thank you,” Dennig said.

  We do this not for you, Cyln’Phax said, standing as well, but for Amarra, our mistress. We do not want your thanks, dwarf.

  “Regardless,” Dennig said, “you have it.”

  Remain here, Kordem said. When we are finished, we will come back for you. If there are wyrms nearby … we may need to leave in a hurry. Be ready.

  With that, the green dragon leapt into the air and gave a mighty flap of his wings. Karus was forced to brace himself against the sudden gust of wind the dragon generated. Kordem gave another great flap and the wind was almost enough to push Karus over the cliff. He reached out a hand to Amarra, helping to steady her.

  Karus, Cyln’Phax said as she too leapt into the air, you are becoming overly fond of these dwarves and … elves. One day it may cost you more than you know … as it has us.

  Wings beating at the air, both dragons began climbing, circling higher and higher, until they disappeared into the clouds.

  Karus heard the scuff of a boot on the stone behind him. He turned to find Kol’Cara had joined them. The elf had the hood of his cloak thrown back. His hair had been tied into a single braid that ran down his back.

  “Why did they leave?” the elf asked, glancing skyward. “Where are they going?”

  “To try and save my warband,” Dennig said. “I pray to Thulla they are able to do it.”

  The elf turned his gaze to the town and the assault that had continued unabated. He seemed about to say something, but a shattering cry rent the air. It was primal, bestial, the sound of it battering the ears painfully.

  A powerful stab of fear struck Karus through the heart. He’d never felt anything like it and it unmanned him. All he wanted to do was find someplace to hide, but he seemed frozen in place, rooted like a tree. The others seemed similarly affected. Even Kol’Cara, who, with a stricken expression, stumbled and almost fell.

  Karus’s hand brushed against the hilt of his sword and instantly the fear retreated. He gripped the hilt like a drowning man might latch onto a floating log. The fear was still there, but not as bad as it had been. He could move again, breathe even.

  There was another roar from above. Then Kordem emerged from the clouds, wings tucked close to his sides. Like a bird of prey, the dragon dove down on the town. Cyln’Phax followed close on her mate’s tail. Both dragons were moving at incredible speed, hurtling precariously toward the earth. The sight transfixed Karus in its fearsome beauty.

  There was another shattering cry as one of the two dragons roared. It seemed as if the fighting in the town instantly ceased. Karus could well imagine every single eye, attackers and defenders alike, looking skyward in sudden fear and terror as the two dragons bore down upon them with frightening speed.

  Kordem’s wings flared out as he leveled out, skimming over the tops of the buildings with what looked like just inches to spare until he was over the enemy. Cyln’Phax banked in the opposite direction, to the right, following the wall around the other side of town.

  Both dragons spewed a rain of fire down upon the enemy. The fire was brilliantly orange, an incredible contrast against the drabness of the day. Then they were beyond the town and the enemy. Both creatures were beating at the air again, gaining altitude and curving away, leaving utter destruction where they had struck.

  Ev
en under the downpour of rain, the dragon fire continued to burn brilliantly. It seemed as if the rain had little effect upon it and perhaps even made it worse, spreading the flames outward. The fire burned everything it touched. The terrible, agonized screams of the dying and injured could be plainly heard. Then came a hearty cheer from the town’s defenders. It sounded as if they were cheering themselves hoarse at their sudden deliverance.

  “Great gods,” Dennig breathed. “Great bloody gods.”

  The dragons continued to climb up into the sky, almost to the clouds, before banking back around and diving once more toward the ground. As they did, the terrible fear returned. Karus placed his hand upon Rarokan’s hilt, and once again, the fear retreated.

  The dragons swept over the enemy, raining fire and burning great swaths through the ranks of the enemy’s reserve formations.

  Karus was utterly shocked by the violence of the attack. He could not see how any army could stand in the face of such power. It was an awesome and frightening display. He was grateful the dragons were on his side.

  Of the enemy formations that had not yet been attacked by the dragons, a handful broke ranks and fled out into the trampled farm fields. They sought to escape the wrath of the two massive beasts as the dragons climbed once again, preparing to make another run.

  Almost touching the clouds, both dragons swung back around, seeming to hang motionless in the air. The fear returned, even more powerful than before. Karus felt it pulse strongly against the sword’s power. He wondered on the magic the dragons were using, for that must be what it was. Then, there seemed to come a mass groan from the enemy army as a whole.

  Like a dark tide flowing back out to sea, the enemy began to draw back from the walls. All organization had disintegrated in a flash, the terrible fear overcoming their discipline. Throwing away their weapons and shields, orcs were running in all directions, fleeing for their lives, just as fast as their legs could carry them.

  Cyln’Phax extended her talons and landed amongst a group of fleeing orcs, slamming violently into them. Roaring with a terrible rage, she blasted fire all around her, in a near circle, burning hundreds. Those trapped inside the ring of fire faced the dragon herself. They stood not a chance. Claws lashed out, ripping and tearing, as did her massive tail, which swung about, smashing and tossing orcs bodily into the air. Karus stood there taking in the scene with wide, stunned eyes. He was no stranger to the bloodshed of battle, yet even he had never seen anything that could rival the carnage being wreaked upon the enemy before him.

  Above her mate, Kordem continued to circle, shooting balls of fire downward onto the fleeing enemy, harrying them onward and away from the town. Each fireball exploded upon impact with the ground, not only burning the enemy but knocking those nearest off their feet.

  “See?” Amarra said, pointing at the town and looking over at Karus first and then the dwarf. “We have helped. We stand stronger together than apart. You must see that now, Dennig. We must all work together if there is to be a chance.”

  Dennig, for his part, seemed unable to tear his gaze from the destruction the two dragons continued to wantonly wreak upon the enemy. He just stood there and shook his head.

  “Well,” Karus said, glancing over at the dwarf, “I think it’s safe to say you’re in their debt now.”

  Dennig slowly turned his gaze to look over on Karus. Eyes wide, he could only nod.

  Chapter Two

  Karus stopped twenty yards before the main gate of the town. The roadbed was raised and paved with stones. On either side were drainage ditches that ran with streams of muddy water.

  Amarra stopped too. Dennig had halted a couple of steps before them and was looking around at the devastation while stroking the braids of his beard somewhat thoughtfully.

  Karus glanced up at the rapidly darkening sky. It was still raining, though not as heavily as before. They were all miserably wet and would likely be for some time to come.

  The elves of the Anagradoom spread out, creating a protective bubble about them. They moved with bows and arrows held at the ready. Si’Cara and Tal’Thor had remained close at hand. Both elves seemed tense, ready.

  Ahead, the town’s defenders had opened the gate. The wood had been blackened by fire. It had also been badly pitted and holed from the repeated hammer blows of the ram. It was a wonder the gate still stood. Karus wanted to meet the builder and congratulate him, only he was likely long gone, like everyone else in this land who had fled westward, away from the Horde.

  The battering ram lay discarded in the drainage ditch on the left side of the roadbed. It had likely rolled partially into the ditch after the attackers had dropped it and run. The ram was no more than the trunk of a sturdy tree that had been crudely shorn of its branches. The water in the channel rushed over and around it.

  There were bodies nearly everywhere the eye traveled, lying in the mud or grass where they had fallen. Most were orcs, but mixed amongst them was the occasional dwarf who had somehow died outside the confines of the walls. Karus supposed they had died before the siege had even begun. But there was no way to be certain.

  Along the walls of the town, wherever the scaling ladders had gone up, were piles of bodies. Corpses spread outward from walls, back to and over the enemy’s siege works. Thousands had died during the fighting, and even more when the dragons had struck.

  Spears and spent shot from slings littered the ground and roadbed. Arrows by the thousands peppered the muddy ground to either side of the road. Discarded weapons and various types of equipment and shields lay amongst the bodies.

  More than a few of the enemy lived. Karus even supposed some were playing dead, waiting for nightfall. Most were wounded. Several orcs were attempting to crawl or drag themselves over the siege wall and away. An orc carrying a bow picked himself up and, holding his injured side with his free hand, began staggering toward the wall.

  Without hesitation, Kol’Cara raised his bow, calmly nocked an arrow, and loosed. The missile punched through the orc’s back armor with a solid-sounding crack. The orc was driven forward by the strike and went down hard. He did not rise again.

  Another elf moved to a badly injured orc who was dragging himself toward a sword just off the roadway. An arrow protruded from the orc’s left knee and another from his side.

  The elf drew a curved, elegant dagger that was more short sword than anything else. He grabbed the orc by the hair, pulling his head back, and then quite casually slit the creature’s throat. The orc kicked violently and then fell still, green blood flowing out onto the ground in a gush.

  Karus glanced back at the dragons, who were waiting out in a wheat field. The dragons had landed them two hundred yards from the walls, well outside missile range. Both were looking his way, watching warily.

  He turned his gaze back to the aftermath of the battle that surrounded them. Karus was sickened by the sight of so many dead and wounded, even if the majority were the enemy. The stench of charred and burned flesh was overpowering. He found it almost an effort not to gag.

  “Holy High Father,” Amarra breathed, her hand to her mouth. “So much slaughter … so much suffering …”

  “Such is the way with war,” Karus said. “It is never a pretty thing. War’s best face is always an ugly one.”

  “No matter how ugly and awful,” Dennig said, with a pleased air, “this is victory and I will take it. We got here in time to save my warband. That is all that matters, isn’t it?”

  “True,” Karus said.

  “Had we been delayed or arrived in a few hours,” Dennig said, “we would have been too late. The gods were surely on our side.”

  “Don’t forget the dragons,” Karus said.

  “Aye,” Dennig said.

  Karus’s eyes swept the walls of the town. Hundreds of dwarves lined them. They gazed down silently at their warchief, the humans, and the elves. The dwarves who had manhandled open the damaged gate stood and, like those on the wall, simply stared at them.

  “I th
ink they are waiting for you to do something,” Karus said.

  “I believe they are,” Dennig said.

  The dwarf took two confident steps forward and raised the magnificent axe he had taken from the Fortress of Radiance. He shouted a few words in his language. He finished by pumping the magnificent axe in the air above his head.

  The dwarves along the walls gave a hearty cheer in reply. It quickly morphed into a chant.

  “Shoega … Shoega … Shoega.”

  The dwarves were quite enthusiastic and Karus thought they should be. Their leader had not only returned, but he’d come with dragons and had rescued them from certain death and destruction. Only they didn’t know that rescue had been grudging on the dragon’s part.

  The cheering died off as two dwarven officers walked through the gateway and out of the town. Both stopped, turning to speak to one another. Then, they moved forward. Their armor was spattered with orc blood. They were fairly covered with it, a testament to how involved in the fighting they’d been. Their expressions seemed as hard as granite.

  “Martuke, my second in command,” Dennig said sourly as both approached, “and his aide, Thaldus. I give you fair warning, they are not the most pleasant of my people.”

  Karus glanced over at Dennig and saw him once again run his hand though the braids of his beard. Karus’s friend was annoyed, perhaps even troubled.

  Martuke and Thaldus stopped before their warchief and saluted, a touch to the right side of their helmet. Dennig hesitated a long moment, then returned their salute. The three dwarves spoke in their own language, which sounded harsh and guttural to Karus’s ears. Or perhaps the harshness arose simply from mutual dislike?

  Martuke’s eyes went to Karus, then flicked to Amarra. He eyed the crystal staff, then turned his attention to the elves, before finally moving to the dragons out in the field. Martuke’s expression was a schooled mask as he said something to Dennig, who stiffened, clearly not liking what he’d heard.

  “What did he just say?” Karus asked in Common.