He reached out through the link toward Messah. The hawk was out hunting. He pushed a mental image of him flying alongside her, and he immediately felt the excitement through the bond. She was flying toward him. Once he and Evelyn were at the edge of the camp, they both stripped out of their clothing. They each folded their clothing around their weapons and wrapped them in their belts.
They both began to change, their heads drawing out and their faces elongating into huge beaks. Their shoulders rounded out, and their arms flattened into wings. Their bodies began to bend forward as their legs came up beneath them and their feet shifted into talons. They had both done this enough times that the entire process took only seconds now. Other forms would take them more time, because they were less familiar.
He reached through the link to his pony Bumbo. He sent a mental image of Frau and another of him leaving. The pony had been through this enough times now to understand. He could feel the disappointment through the bond. He was saddened to have to keep leaving the pony behind, but it was heartwarming to feel the pony’s loyalty and love through that bond. He released the link so that the bond was just a gentle tug in the back of his mind. He could sense the direction of the pony and that it was close, but he could no longer feel the emotions of the animal. The only emotions he would feel were extreme emotions of pain or fear. Something that completely overwhelmed the animal would come through the link and alert him that the animal was in danger or hurt. He looked back one last time. He had talked to Frau the night before, and she had promised to take care of Bumbo while he was away. He couldn’t help but think, not for the first time, that he might not return from this journey. He said a quick prayer to Kalise and then he flapped his huge wings, lifting himself into the air. Within a few minutes, they were hundreds of feet in the air soaring north over the earth toward Patria.
It was early morning when Rundo and Evelyn landed at the edge of a tree line a few miles from the city’s southern gate. The sun had not yet crested the horizon but it was beginning to gently illuminate the sky with a gentle bluish gray light. They had stopped twice to eat and rest, but they had still made good time. Rundo had chosen not to fly directly to the city. They most likely could have landed on the palace in the dark of the night. They would have been unnoticed and able to enter the palace more quickly, but it could cause some problems. First, the palace guards would be upset that they had been able to enter unnoticed. The second issue would be if they were not unnoticed. Many of the guards were familiar with Rundo changing into a large hawk and flying off, but many were not, and even the ones who were may not process that information before they let an arrow fly at the giant bird coming toward the palace.
With these things in mind, he landed. He set his bundle on the ground, letting the belt he was holding in his beak fall to the ground before beginning the transformation back to his original form. He was good enough now that he could make himself taller or arrange his muscles in a way that they would be more definitive, but any adjustment he made he would notice. He would feel out of place in his own body, and so he always kept his form the way it had always been. Once he and Evelyn had dressed and settled their weapons, they began walking toward the city.
***
Patria was just coming out of the bath when Master Brennin rapped on his door. He waited for a moment for a response and when he did not receive one he entered. The old man averted his eyes when he saw that his king was not clothed, but wiping himself dry with a towel. “Your Highness, Master Rundo and his companion have arrived. They claim to be carrying word from King Stoneheart. They are being led to their rooms just now.”
“That is good news. Please have them brought to breakfast. Their timing couldn’t have been better. Now we can all pass what information we have at one place and get it all out at once. Would you have the cook prepare those biscuits with the sausage gravy? That spicy sausage he makes is quite good. Tell him I spent whole mornings dreaming about that gravy when we were on the road.”
Master Brennin inclined his head in a bow. “He will be most delighted to hear such a compliment, Your Highness,” he said with a bow.
Patria could see the hint of a smile on the man’s face as he left. He knew that the sausage gravy had been a favorite of Master Brennin’s as well. He realized he was still staring at the closed door. He shook his head and began to dress. He had been anxious to hear what was going on in his city before, but now he would be receiving a report from Tiefes Loch as well. He could only pray that they had been able to destroy the phantom.
When King Patria stepped into the king’s hall just outside his chamber there was a long table set out. Anna, Jacob, Rundo, and Evelyn, were already seated. They all stood as he approached the table. They all waited for him to sit before they sat, shoveling spoonfuls of the biscuits and thick gravy into their mouths. As much as he loved this meal, he couldn’t calm his mind enough to enjoy it. He waited for the others to finish. They all seemed equally anxious and soon they had all pushed their plates away from them on the table.
“If everyone is finished, I think we are all anxious to find out what has been going on,” King Patria said.
“I will go first,” Anna said. “Patria is doing well, but the Black Dragons are working their way back into the city. There have been a couple of attacks on caravans coming into the city the last couple of days. It seems that everyone of them were carrying weapons or herbs that can be used in healing or poisons. They are planning something big, but we haven’t been able to figure out what it is. We have started placing people throughout the city in order to try to see what they might overhear, but we haven’t been able to find out much as of yet.”
Patria nodded. “I can speak to some of what they are doing with the weapons. We were attacked by the Black Dragons twice on the road and once in Portwein. Most of the assassins were less than skilled. It was obvious they had some training, but not what you would expect from the Black Dragons. It seems they are training new members very rapidly. They don’t have the strength they once did. The Black Dragons are still using poison on their weapons. I took a poisoned bolt in the arm. From what we were able to gather, they plan to retake control of Patria and Portwein by eliminating everyone who has opposed them in both cities.”
“They must be getting help from someone in the city. Who would want to see you hurt and be powerful enough help you?” Rundo asked.
“There are a number of families who have the power to hide the Black Dragons and would rise with the fall of the Patria family. The first place we should look is the caravans that were sacked. There has to be some connection there. That is a problem for later. The Black Dragons are still weak. We will continue to press them, but for now there are larger issues. Rundo, were the dwarves able to vanquish the phantom of King Bergmann?” King Patria asked.
Rundo looked down at the table for a moment. He steadied himself and looked up at Anna. This news was for everyone, but she was the wife of the dwarf king. In time, this news affected everyone, but it would directly affect her now. It would be her husband, her son, and her subjects trekking off into the desert to search for a lost dwarf kingdom. “The necromancer died trying to capture the phantom. A healer named Crissy came with us to Tiefes Loch. She sabotaged the ritual. Now the phantom is free and stronger than before. Tiefes Loch has been abandoned. King Grizzle and the others on their way here. There is a forgotten kingdom of dwarves in the Einode desert. They plan to call on the kingdom of dwarf spirits there to help vanquish the phantom. When they get here, they will need supplies. There is a man in Patria who came out of the Einode. We need to find that man for them. Queen Stoneheart, King Grizzle will need you to return to Evermount while he is away.”
“I know the man you are talking about. I will find him. We will not be able to get him to agree to take them though. I know that he will not agree to take them until he has spoken with those who will be going. I have never heard of him taking anyone into the desert before. It will be a tough sell for King Stoneheart,” Jaco
b said in a rough voice. He had nearly drowned as a child and now when he spoke it sounded as if he was forcing the words out.
King Patria nodded. “Thank you, Jacob, and Anna. I wish you didn’t have to leave. I don’t know how we would have gotten through all of this without you. I never would have thought it was possible, but the people of Patria are even more in love with you than they were when you were a curly-haired princess on the back of your father’s horse. Thank you again for taking care of Patria while I was gone.”
Anna shook her head. “I should be thanking you for coming to the aide of my husband when the dwarves of Tiefes Loch attacked.”
King Patria nodded. “I would have done that even if we weren’t family. It was what was best for Patria as well. Patria and the dwarves will continue to work in alliance. Not only to strengthen our kingdoms, but to protect Gegend as well. Let’s start by preparing for King Stoneheart’s arrival.”
“I will make sure that there are plenty of supplies and camels for their trip. Horses will not last in the desert, and there is not enough water to sustain them,” Master Brennin said, standing at the end of the table.
Chapter Twenty-nine
A Phantom’s Patience
Bergmann walked along behind Stoneheart and his followers. He was determined to take them down, and he had found the perfect body to inhabit, a dwarf with the king’s personal guard. He was able to stay close enough to Stoneheart and the others to overhear many of their plans without seeming suspicious. He knew that if he would have taken the body of any of those closer to Stoneheart, he would have been discovered. No matter how well he searched their minds, if he took the body of someone close to Stoneheart, they would eventually notice that something was off.
They had been on the road for three days when he decided to act. He waited until everyone was asleep. He decided to start slowly. The guards were patrolling around the perimeter, but there were no dwarves awake inside the camp. He made his way toward the edge of the camp. He knelt down beside one of the dwarves and grabbed hold of his head. Before the dwarf could wake enough to determine what was going on, Bergmann drove the knife he had stolen off of another dwarf early that day through the ear of the waking dwarf with a crunching sound. The dwarf fell back where he had been lying, and Bergmann let go of the blade, leaving it protruding from the dwarf’s skull. He stood and made his way back toward the center of the camp. He lay down and closed the eyes of the dwarf he had inhabited. The dwarf’s mind had been mostly dormant for days, but he had fought fiercely to take control when he had killed. Now he fell back, defeated. Bergmann did not need sleep, but the body he resided in did, and he knew that if he did not let the body sleep it would begin to weaken as well. He could continue to be alert of what was happening around him while the body slept.
The moon was nearly down when the cry went out. Dwarves called to arms. Everyone in the camp began jumping to their feet, shouting alarms and readying their weapons against an unseen foe. He leapt to his feet. He drew his weapon and made his way toward Stoneheart. He followed the king to the now cold body of the dead dwarf.
“That’s Debile’s blade. He’s the only dwarf I know who has a cave crawler’s horn as a hilt,” one of the dwarves said.
“Cave crawler’s horns aren’t big enough to be the hilt of a blade,” another dwarf argued.
“Debile killed that one deep in the tunnels below Evermount. It was the largest worm I have ever seen. I’ve never seen any other cave crawler horn larger than a finger, but this one fits inside the palm.”
Grizzle knelt down and examined the weapon. “This is a cave crawler’s horn. It has to be the blade he is describing. There can’t be another knife like this.” He stood and looked at the dwarf who had identified the weapon. “Grundel, take him to find this dwarf Debile. We need to get to the bottom of this. We need to know if this was treachery or if Bergmann is with us.”
Grundel and the dwarf disappeared and, after a few minutes, they returned with a very short old dwarf. The dwarf was only to the shoulders of the dwarves around him. The hair in his braid was more gray then brown, but his beard was still a fiery red. He stopped and saluted when he came upon Kings Stoneheart and Kraft. “King Stoneheart, what can I do for you?”
Grizzle looked down at the bloody knife protruding from the dead dwarf’s neck. “Debile, does this knife belong to you?”
Debile looked down at the dead dwarf. The look of surprise was so real that Grizzle had to believe he was seeing this scene for the first time or he was the greatest deceiver alive. “King Stoneheart, that knife is mine, but I did not kill this dwarf. The knife was on my pack this morning before we left. That is the last time I saw it. I have searched my gear half a dozen times today. I thought that it was lost. I am not a kin slayer.”
Grizzle stared at the dwarf for a minute. “I believe you, but for now you must stay near the center of the camp. You will have a guard watching you until we can figure out what has happened here.”
“I will do as my king commands,” the dwarf said abruptly.
The dwarf turned and handed Bergmann his sword. Bergmann looked down at the sword. He had to make an effort to keep from smiling. It was more than ironic that he had stolen this dwarf’s knife and used it to kill another dwarf. Now this dwarf was handing over his sword.
He guided the dwarf he had incriminated back toward the center of the camp. He realized now that he had acted too rashly before. He had tried to take his vengeance quickly, using the bodies of the dwarves and not caring if they were caught. If he took his time and stayed close to Stoneheart, he could take his vengeance. He could watch as Stoneheart lost control. He didn’t have to run around attacking those who had cost him his life and his kingdom. He could quietly dispose of those around them. He could affect the things around them, so that they would fail. He would bring them down slowly and one at a time. He would watch them struggle and claw, trying to hold on as everything slipped through their fingers before they fell.
He stood just outside of King Stoneheart’s group as they talked about him.
“It has to be Bergmann,” Kraft said.
“Bergmann is most likely responsible, but he is not running around attacking this time. We have to come up with a plan. We will need to post more watches at night. Pass the word that everyone will travel in threes. If Bergmann takes the body of anyone, there will be two dwarfs there to stop them,” Grizzle ordered.
“What about Patria? If Bergmann has taken the body of someone here, we can’t let him inside the palace. We should leave the army outside of the city. We can’t risk him killing someone in the palace,” Kraft explained.
Grizzle nodded. “I agree. Kraft, you and I will go with Grundel, Rundo, and Evelyn. We will leave the rest of the dwarves outside of Patria.”
Bergmann nearly moved toward the group and protested that the king should take a contingent of dwarves, an honor guard at least. He stopped himself. He may be able to convince them to take dwarves with them, but that did not mean they would take him. Even if they did, if he did anything it would raise suspicions about the dwarf he was inhabiting, and he wanted to stay in this body for as long as possible. The longer he stayed in this body, the weaker his connection to Tiefes Loch became, and the further from the mountain he could go. He would bide his time. After all, he had eternity.
Chapter Thirty
Ambush
The dwarves were a day out of Patria when they came to a point where a steep rock face raised up on each side of the road. They had nearly passed through the area when the first arrow slammed into the ground.
“Shields up,” the cry went out.
Almost every dwarf carried a shield, and those who didn’t were trained in their use. A shield wall is a staple of the dwarf fighting techniques. It is what makes the dwarves so effective fighting in groups. Now it was what kept them alive. The dwarves who carried shields raised them and moved together. making a wall of shields over their heads. The dwarves who did not carry shields moved under the cov
er of the others. Arrows and bolts ricocheted off of the steel shields with a barrage of ringing sounds.
“Forward!” King Grizzle called.
The other dwarves repeated the command, and the wall of shields over their heads began to move toward the end of the gorge.
“Split ranks!” Grizzle called, and the dwarves began to split up. The dwarves in the front lowered their shields as they made their way up the hill toward their attackers. Grizzle and Kraft had gone with the same group. Grizzle raised his enchanted hammer and threw it at the men firing arrows at them. Two of them went down before the hammer came flying back to Grizzle’s hand.
“Big finish!” Kraft shouted before raising his crossbow over the shoulders of the dwarves in front of him and firing into the crowd. The bolt exploded. The bodies of a half dozen men were torn to pieces. The blast pressure threw a couple more men over the edge, falling to their deaths in the gorge. Those who weren’t killed by the explosion or thrown off of the cliff were thrown to the ground, disoriented. The dwarves quickly overtook them. Those who tried to fight were killed. Some were still too discombobulated to try to fight, and they were captured.
Grundel led the charge up the other hill. Bergmann followed him in the stolen body of the dwarf soldier. The shield wall was up in front of them, deflecting arrows as they made their way toward the bowmen. Grundel had one of his axes in each hand. He threw the first up into the crowd of men atop the hill. The axe slammed into one man, throwing him back into another. He called the axe back. The bowmen who stepped forward to take the fallen bowmen’s place took Grizzle’s returning axe in the back of his skull.
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