The last of the walls was about halfway through the narrow mountain pass, meaning the enemy would still be forced into smaller numbers as they faced off against the two armies, giving the defenders of Ravenfell a better chance at holding the enemy horde than they would have had in a more open setting.
“Orin how are we looking with the magical preparations?” asked Rex, looking over at the old mage.
“The barriers are in place along the outskirts of the valley and before each wall, as well as around the castle should we need to fall back. It won’t hold the ground forces forever, but it will hold them long enough to keep the flying ones at bay and from flying over our defenses. They won’t be able to attack from above, at least. The barrier won’t let them pass and from my experience with the flying demons, they aren’t very powerful – at least not powerful enough to break through my barriers.” said Orin confidently.
“The spell will help strengthen the physical defenses significantly, allowing them to withstand far more of a beating before giving way than they would have otherwise, however, the ground demons are strong, and they are relentless. I am sure they will have made siege equipment that will help them get through any obstacles we present them. It is only a matter of time before they are able to scale the walls or batter their way through. We will just have to focus on defeating as many enemies as we can while they concentrate on the walls. That will at least help even the odds once they eventually do get through.” finished the mage.
“Very good, Orin, thank you.” said Rex.
“Sir, we have our most skilled archers in place along the battlements and a sizeable number ready on top of the castle walls should we need to retreat to the castle for a final stand. We also have our most experienced fighters towards the front of the defenses, manning the tops of the walls as well as the head of our forces behind the walls. They will know what to do when the forces break through and will have the courage to face the enemy.” said General Ryan, finishing his report.
“Very well, thank you General” said King Eldergate, dismissing the General to get back to checking on his men and the defenses.
The three continued to watch as the enemy forces slowly made their way across the Great Plains. By this time, the mist had started to clear, and the true size of the enemy forces was even more visible.
They could now see the great flying beasts slowly circling the main army high above, keeping pace with them as they marched. Their sheer numbers seemed to block out the grey Autumn sky wherever they flew. They could also make out a group of larger demons that towered above the rest. They were large and bulky, several times taller than the main forces, and appeared to be carrying large timbers the size of trees as clubs.
These would certainly pose more of a threat to the barriers and walls and would need to be taken down quickly to prevent them from breaking through. Orin said these forces had been a major problem back in the Mystic War, but their hides, though strong, had a weak spot at the neck and armpits that could be exploited by skilled archers and warriors. He made sure to pass the information on to the officers to relay to their men. They would know what to do when the time came.
They knew it would only be a matter of a day or two before the first of the enemy lines reached their doorstep. They were prepared and ready. It would be a battle that would go down in history as did the last Great War between the forces of good and evil. That is if they survived to tell the story.
They were determined to make sure that they did, knowing the fate of the world rested squarely on their shoulders.
Chapter XVII
Darryn had been frantically searching the city for any clues as to who the scouts were and why they had given the King a false report, but he was unsuccessful no matter where he searched and who he asked for information.
No one seemed to know anything about this mission, not even the guards in the patrol office.
Knowing his time was running short, he decided to make a bold move – he quickly gathered what supplies he could, including a medium sized battle hammer that his great grandfather had passed down for generations from his time in the Mystic War, and began his long journey through the dark tunnels leading to the surface near Draco’s Pass.
The rails would take him to the beginning of the tunnel that would lead to the surface. Once there, he would be able to see for himself if his friends had been telling the truth or not. He suspected that they were, why else would they have fabricated such a story in light of the punishments? They had nothing to gain in lying, and his time spent with the humans, no matter how short it had been, led him to believe they were an honest bunch and had good intentions.
As he made his way through the dark tunnels, the wind rushing past him as he urged the cart onward beyond its normal safe speeds, he noticed the air began to cool and the dark seemed to be less intense between the areas lit by torchlight.
In just a couple of hours he reached his destination, and he quickly hurled himself out of the cart and began racing as fast as his legs would carry him to the end of the tunnel. The light began to change from the artificial glow of fire, flickering on and off as he rushed past the torches, to the brighter natural light of the surface world that Darryn’s eyes were not accustomed to seeing.
As he neared the exit, his eyes burned with the intensity of the light and his legs felt like giving up, but he pressed onward, knowing what was at stake if he should fail. The fate of the world depended on David’s mission. Should he fail in his, the world would be doomed.
When he finally breached the tunnel and entered for the first time in his life into the wide-open air of the surface world, he had to cover his eyes to slowly let them adjust a little at a time.
He could feel the cool mountain air rushing past him through the narrow mountain pass. Little speckles of cold gently brushed his skin. It was snowing!
When his eyes finally adjusted, he looked around and dropped his hammer to the ground in complete awe. The surface world was more beautiful than he had ever imagined!
The snow had covered the rocky landscape in a light blanket of white. It was cold and wet at the same time, and its fluffy texture left him delighted every time he brushed his hand through its powdery surface.
Suddenly remembering why he had come here in the first place, he shook off his amazement and quickly ran to the edge of the cliff that faced West towards the Great Plains and Eldergate. When he crested the ridge and looked out beyond the mountains to the great expanse Westward, his stomach dropped, and he nearly lost his breath.
The entire plains were filled with a vast army stretching as far as the eye could see – a large faction of it was heading to the West towards where he knew Ravenfell was located, the other half was heading directly towards his position – towards Draco’s Pass. There was a giant rocky outcrop rising from the Outer Woods where Eldergate was supposed to be according to the maps he had brought with him. Instead, what he saw was the great palace of Eldergate lifted high above the canopy of the forest, just as his friends had said.
They hadn’t been lying – it was true, the Defiant One had indeed returned, and war was coming to their doorstep.
***
The cart had finally reached the stop before the King’s palace and David and the others were instructed to exit the cart. They were led to the large, vaulted antechamber of the palace then up the stairs and into the large throne room.
King Tybrin Hammerclaw was seated atop his throne, but now before the steps leading to his throne stood a large wooden counter with several official looking Dwarves seated behind it. The Dwarf in the middle was the same elderly Dwarf they had encountered on their first day in Emerald Keep – the one who had sent them off to their cells the first time.
“Hello again.” he said to them with a slight smile.
Something told David he didn’t really like humans, a feeling that didn’t make him feel any better given the circumstances they found themselves in. He assumed these other Dwarves were part of a council that would b
e trying them for their crime of lying to the King.
Once all of them had been brought before the counter, they were all chained together by a great chain that was latched to each of their handcuffs. The other end was securely fastened to a great eye hook on the far end of the room. When they were securely fastened in place, one of the Dwarves at the counter stood up and began the proceedings.
“Today we have brought before us a group of humans who have come to our lands unannounced and with the malintent of inciting a riot through their lies and propaganda.” said the Dwarf, reading from a scroll set on the counter before him.
“Their crimes – lying to the King. How do you plead?” he asked, looking at David and the others.
Each of them vehemently pleaded not guilty, to which the council members all shook their head silently in disgust.
“So be it. And where is your council?” asked the lead Dwarf behind the counter, looking around the chambers. “Where is Darryn?” he asked them with raised eyebrows.
“Sir, we do not know where Darryn is. We spoke with him last night but have not seen him since” replied Tyrius solemnly. “It appears he may have abandoned us.”
“Master Dwarf, can we represent ourselves?” asked Erin quickly, hoping to be able to stall long enough to give their friend a chance to show up.
She knew he said he was going to search for the answers needed to prove their innocence. Maybe he was still out there, working his way through the city, trying to get to them with the evidence needed to set them free.
The council members quietly murmured among each other for a moment before the head council member stood again and spoke.
“It is not the traditional way of Dwarves to represent themselves, however, we will give you the exception considering the unusual circumstance you find yourselves in while lacking your own representative. We will have to address a grievance against Darryn Faircloth for abandoning his responsibilities to the accused.” said the Dwarf writing down the record as the others nodded in agreement.
“I am sure he has his reasons for not being here today” said Erin, speaking loudly for all to hear. “Before he left us, Darryn told us he would be seeking the truth. He left to find out who the scouts were that were sent by the King to gather evidence to our claims of the Defiant One returning. We have no direct evidence ourselves, but we know the integrity of our claims, as we witnessed his return first-hand. What we don’t know is what incentive these Dwarves would have to lie to their King and give a false report!”
With this, the council erupted in outrage over Erin’s accusations.
“You stand before us, accused of lying to the King, and choose to use your time to make even more baseless accusations?” asked the lead Dwarf. “Have you no honor?” he asked.
“I might ask the council the same question!” shouted Erin, “Do we not have the right to stand before our accusers, to question the ones who claim they went to the surface and saw evidence contradicting our claims?” she asked defiantly.
Tyrius couldn’t help but smile beside Erin, despite the dire circumstances they were in. He had trained Erin well for her eventual responsibilities, he thought, and he took great pride in watching her grow into such a strong and remarkable young woman.
The council members quietly spoke amongst themselves again, determining whether or not she could request such a thing under the circumstances. After some time, they conceded and granted her request, having the guards bring forth the two scouts who had been sent to the surface to see first-hand if their reports were in fact true.
The two Dwarves walked up to the front of the group of prisoners while looking around the room nervously. They stopped just before the council members, awaiting their questions.
“So, you are the Dwarves responsible for our sudden imprisonment?” asked Erin, eyeing the two young Dwarves up and down with a scolding look.
They shuffled uncomfortably beneath her gaze. Erin knew they had lied, but she didn’t yet know why, and that was what she needed to prove in order to get her and her friends off the hook.
“Tell me, how did you two get chosen for such a task?” she asked.
The Dwarf on the left spoke first. He was the shorter of the two, and stockier, leaving him with the appearance of what David compared to a garden gnome back home. His attire was that customary of the Guard, but not the ornate armor that the King’s Guard wore, instead it was a more bland, reflective armor with chainmail underneath, adorned over a basic leather brown tunic and trousers that were held up by a wide black belt with a gold-plated buckle.
“We were chosen for the task by our commander.” he replied in a gruff voice that was customary to the Dwarves.
“And did he say what you were supposed to find?” she asked.
“Yes. He said we were to go to the surface and look to the West towards Eldergate to verify if the palace were in fact raised into the air by a giant black rock.” he replied smugly.
“And did you actually go to the surface?” asked Erin, incredulously.
“Of course, we did!” replied the Dwarf defensively.
“Then you would have seen that we were telling the truth!” shouted Erin suddenly, making the two Dwarves jump in surprise. “Isn’t that so?” she asked, “When you reached Draco’s Pass and you peered across the Great Plains, did you not see the palace of Eldergate on the same rock you just described? Did you not see a great army of demons amassing at its feet, preparing for war?” asked Erin, gazing intently at the Dwarf, gauging his reaction.
The Dwarf started to show signs of perspiration beading up on his forehead. He was nervous, she could tell. Either this Dwarf was lying about what he saw, or he never even made his way to the surface to begin with.
“No! No, we didn’t!” shouted the Dwarf. “It is as we reported. No such things were seen by our eyes!” shouted the Dwarf.
“Liar!” shouted Erin, trying to lunge at the Dwarves but falling to the ground as the chains pulled her hands down, preventing her from reaching her intended victims.
“Enough!” shouted the head council Dwarf. “Without evidence of your claims, we will not allow you to stand here and accuse our honorable guard members of dishonesty!” he said. “Now, if you have no further words, I suggest you –”
Suddenly, his words were cut off by the sound of the great throne room doors bursting open and quick, heavy footsteps slapping the stone floor.
David and the others quickly turned to see the source of the commotion and saw that it was Darryn! He had come back for them!
He was filthy from head to toe and covered in sweat. Barely able to breath, he quickly made his way across the great room, stopping just shy of the stairs to the King.
He stood for a moment, trying to catch his breath, bracing his hands on his knees.
Finally, after a few moments, the head council Dwarf spoke up.
“Darryn, so nice of you to finally join us.” he said in mocking pleasantries. “But unless you have evidence of your friend’s innocence, they will be sentenced to six months in a cell.” he said matter-of-factly, having felt the conviction was all but certain at this point.
“No! They are innocent!” said Darryn between great, heaving breaths. “I saw it with me own eyes!” he said.
“What do you mean?” asked the council member. He knew Darryn hadn’t been to the surface world, he had always been afraid of the surface. What could have possibly convinced him to say such absurd things, then?
“I went to the surface, and I saw the truth, just as they said! Eldergate is in ruins, its palace perched atop a high rocky cliff. And the demon army. It’s real too. Splitting its forces between Ravenfell, while the other half is heading our way! We must prepare for war!” shouted Darryn, panic rising in his voice.
With his last words, the council erupted, each member seemed to be conflicted internally between the reports from the patrol and the report from Darryn. Some seemed to believe the patrol, while others believed Darryn because of his convincing look of pa
nic and his good standing within the city. Both sides were arguing loudly, pointing fingers and shouting, until finally the King had had enough.
“SILENCE!” he shouted at the top of his lungs, his booming voice echoing off the marble walls and throughout the chamber.
David and Erin exchanged a look of relief, feeling like their luck had finally changed for the better.
“Darryn, if what ye say is true, why is it these two have reported otherwise?” asked Tybrin, looking down at the two Dwarves still standing before the council.
They both exchanged quick looks before bolting towards the exit. The guards by the door quickly barred their escape and retained them, bringing them reluctantly back to stand before the council, this time in chains of their own.
“What is the meaning of this?” demanded King Tybrin, outraged at the events that were transpiring before him. “You two dare betray your King?” he asked, anger rising in his voice.
“Yer Majesty, please forgive us! It wasn’t our idea. It was Glenn and Glynn! They paid us a large bag of coin to lie about our reports. Please, yer highness, have mercy. We have families to feed!” said the taller Dwarf, speaking for the first time.
The shorter Dwarf to his left elbowed him harshly before the guard brought him back under control.
“I see…” said Tybrin thoughtfully, “Guards. I think ye know what to do. Release the humans. It appears we were mistaken, after all.” he said.
“As for those two, I want them out of my sight. And someone bring me Glenn and Glynn immediately! And while yer at it, bring me their good fer nothin’ boss, Manny!” shouted Tybrin.
With their chains removed and their charges dropped, David and the others walked up to Darryn and each thanked him immensely for his loyalty.
The Dwarf’s cheeks went rosy red when Erin kissed him on his cheek, and everyone burst into laughter, relieved to finally be free from this fiasco and happy to have won the trust of the King once again.
David Bishop and the Mystic of Creation Page 12