Alfred 2: And The Underworld (Alfred the Boy King)

by Ron Smorynski

  As he yelled, another thunderclap echoed across the land. An iron ball screamed overhead and down upon Hedor. He looked up toward the hailing projectile in the dark night and could see a path of stars darkened by a small black shadow swiftly making its way toward him. He blinked. The iron ball was coming down on him. He stood in complete surrender. He had no strength to move in those split moments of time dilation. The cannonball landed short then flew just over him. Exploding dirt immediately followed, blasting directly at him, showering him with painful ripping debris. The explosion finally threw him back. The iron ball crashed above the mine entrance, causing more stone to fall.

  Murith could hear the thunderous cannon fire, far away. He knew where it came from. He raced to the top of a hillside to look at that darkened slope, many hills away. He could just see the great torches of the ogre wagons and the intense flash of cannon fire. Were they safe in the mines? Was all lost? He knew not. He turned away with tears rolling down his checks. He had a few more farms to check, to see if there were any more farmers… and more beasts to kill, even if it didn't matter now.

  Hedor stood up and grabbed children, anybody near him. He toppled forward, dragging crying and screaming children. There were scrapes of blood and rivulets of tears on all their dust ridden faces. He hit the large boulder covering the mine's opening. There was room to get through. He pushed the children over and past the fallen rock.

  “Hurry, my men are inside! RUIG!!! Come forth! Hurry!” he yelled hoarsely.

  Within, it was evident that even Ruig and the others were greatly affected by the explosive attacks. Ruig stumbled forward, coughing and hacking. He carried a torch to light their way inside. His men caught the children, climbing and scraping over the rock to fall within.

  Hedor turned quickly to gather up more children. Another cannon fired. He could tell they were getting closer. The children fell to the ground again as the cannonball went astray, tearing into the adjacent camping area, ripping up the small wooden structures of tables, chairs and cooking gear. It landed with a loud thunk in soft earth.

  That gave him and the farmers time to lift the children and get them inside. Hedor felt a sense of sheer dread overcome him as he saw Setheyna being picked up by a farmer. Her face was covered with dirt, tears and abrasions. He felt an overwhelming sense of loss. She leapt from the farmer's arms, crying fearfully, to retrieve her bow and arrows. She then returned to the farmer's arms to finish her escape. Suddenly, Hedor felt a strange surge of idiotic courage.

  Chapter Thirty-Eight: The Way Is Sealed

  The ogres bounded up the path to the mines. One stopped and impatiently grunted for the goblins to load black powder. The ogre pulled out an iron ball from its thick dragon-skin sack. Another ferociously growled a command to a scurrying goblin to place the wick and light it. Then the ogre, with an evil snarl, braced the cannon with powerful limbs. It fired with explosive force in his taught arms. The recoil caused the ogre to stumble back in gleeful monstrous joy.

  The goblins on the wagons whipped and scourged the oxen beast and three-horned dragon forward, screaming in their whiny desperate voices. Scourging is like whipping, only the whip has metal spikes tied to it. The spikes and nails stick into the hide of the beasts and when pulled, rip out. For these giant beasts, it was an irritant that got them going. The beasts burst into action, racing up the hill, yanking the battle wagons. Ogres stepped adroitly aside as the beasts plowed forward. Then they took hold of wagon horns or chains and leapt atop it. The stomping of the beasts and banging of the wagons were almost as loud as the cannon fire.

  As they crashed into the mining campsite, the ogres leapt off their battle wagons and began swinging and pounding anything in sight. They destroyed the various smelters and campsite structures and tossed aside carts and piles of wood, hooting and hollering in furious mayhem. Eventually, they realized that no one was there. While standing with their heavy breathing and snorting and looking around, they noticed the entrance to the mines. It was a dark hole, covered with several boulders and debris from their cannon fire.

  The bombardment was supposed to thwart the escape of those they saw, but it had failed. They stood outside the mine and grunted in a strange apoplectic manner. They turned and looked past the grunting beasts of burdens to the goblins gathered on top of the wagons. The goblins avoiding any disdainful looks toward the ogres, began chattering amongst themselves and gathered up whatever measly weapons they had. They rushed forward, twenty or so, past the ogres.

  “Lukz seeee gobbies! Bringz'em outta dere!” an ogre grunted.

  The goblins hurried along to the entrance. Suddenly, a dozen arrows shot out. Several goblins fell as the others dropped behind boulders for cover. More arrows shot out, and more goblins, hiding or not, were impaled. One limped back to the ogres with an arrow in its leg. An ogre used its hammer to cure the goblin of wailing. Squash!

  Dog, the slightly ganglier ogre, stomped forward past the hiding goblins and reached the boulder covering the mineshaft. He rolled it aside with a furious tug of his large hand. A dozen arrows shot into his chest and belly. He grunted and looked down, slapping away the arrows. He could see small dust covered children hurrying away with men holding torches. He grunted with satisfaction that he would get the first kill. He bent slightly to fit in the tunnel and charged after them.

  Hedor, hiding behind an outcropping of stone, immediately jumped out, stabbing a spear into the side of the ogre. It went in with difficulty, but went in, it did.

  The ogre and Hedor both yelled. Dog immediately swung out, smacking Hedor against the wall. He fell forward, dodging the second ferocious swing of Dog's warhammer. The powerful pinging impact of the warhammer banging against the rocks shook the mine shaft. Hedor knew he had to crawl away for his life. He began moving. Whereto, he did not know.

  Dog slammed the clanging warhammer furiously against the rock walls in the confined space, haphazardly seeking the scurrying puny man. At the moment when he finally spotted the little critter, a flurry of arrows hit his head, neck and shoulders. Arrows pierced like pins and quivered his muscles. He dropped the warhammer as Hedor made it past him and sprinted away.

  Dog screeched gutturally as he grabbed and scratched the arrows out of his neck and shoulders. He could see the very tiny humans down the tunnel in their groups. Spears were aimed out as a defensive wall. Bows were firing arrows. The one who stabbed him ran through the fighters to escape.

  With raw emotion, Dog picked up his warhammer. Roaring with fury, he banged the weapon up and down along the mine's walls. This ferocious animalistic display did its job. Humans cowered and fled. The banging also opened deep cracks in the walls. The clanking of heavy iron against solid rock felt like a mini-earthquake. It brought down the tunnel's hardened rock walls, crushing Dog quite dead and sealing the tunnel.

  Chapter Thirty-Nine: The First Encounter

  Alfred and Loranna sat resting next to the dark slow-moving underground river. Alfred held a torch as Loranna pulled out some dried jerky. Here the river was like a large lake, spread out across the wide expanse of a cave, whispering along quietly. Alfred sensed the quiver of the water. A distant boom echoed, and he wondered if he had imagined it. “The mines? Is it?”

  “It feels like the cannons of those horrible ogres!” said Loranna, unable to control a shudder.

  “They're at the mines?” Alfred leapt up with renewed energy from the stress.

  Alfred and Loranna hurried along the ratkin road to the mines, keeping the torch well aloft. They crossed the uneven terrain, having to crawl over, crawl under, leap over, climb atop and descend below, to keep along the ratkin road. Even in their hurry, Alfred noticed something as he passed. He stopped and turned, nearly knocking Loranna down.

  “Alfred?!”

  Alfred stared at the wall next to her. He was frantic to get to the mines, yet curiosity had compelled him to stop. “I saw something! Two eyes! Right there!”

  Loranna notched an arrow. She peered about for a cave ho
le, a tunnel or opening.

  “No!” Alfred tapped her and pointed at the bare rock. “There!” He moved the torch closer to the wall.

  Loranna peered at his direction, at the rock, then at Alfred. She saw his seriousness and took it, well, seriously. Both breathed hard and looked. The only sounds were the subtle flicker of the torch flame and the slow drawl of the underground river. There on the rock, they realized was a shape. Was it a carved goblin or ratkin? A small statue half their size? Carved into the stone? Alfred moved his torch closer to reveal the fine lines and shapes of a small stout figure, carved into the stone. Or was it?

  “Its eyes were... alive?” said Alfred, still breathing hard from the rush to get back.

  Loranna stared closely at the realistic carving. The visage was well formed and the shape so detailed.

  “BRRRRAAGGHHH!!”

  Water splashed on them.

  Loranna and Alfred lay on the shore as swirls in the water subsided.

  What just happened? Both suddenly gasped at and held their hearts. Finally, they moved and looked at each other and at their limbs and hands. Were they wounded? Coming out of shock, their breathing calmed.

  “It came alive, right?”

  “I fired at it with my arrow?”

  “I knocked your arrow away.”

  “Why?”

  “I dunno... it didn't seem like a goblin or ratkin.”

  Alfred stood up and peered into the dark water. The swirls had calmed. “Whatever leapt into the water, it's gone.”

  “Listen!” Loranna quietly got up from the grimy wet stone. She notched another arrow. Both heard subtle drips of water beyond their light, across the river. Loranna aimed her bow.

  “Wait!” Alfred quickly undid a torch's head, wrapped it onto the arrow and then lit it with his torch.

  Loranna aimed at the sound.

  “Don't hit it. Just light the area,” Alfred whispered.

  Loranna adjusted her aim above and fired. The arrow zipped across the river to the other side and hit the stone, bouncing off. It fell to the feet of a small wet human. Or was it a human? It was as pale as a ghost, with long wet hair and a beard. Though it was stout, it had gangly features. It looked back at them with hateful black eyes. “BBBBRRAAGGGHHH!!”

  It had a perfect little tool belt and many pouches and tools. It quickly pulled out a pickaxe and climbed adroitly up the sheer wall, disappearing into a tunnel.

  “Whoah!”Alfred slapped his cheeks. “Was that a pict?!”

  “I believe so.” Loranna notched another arrow but wasn't overly apprehensive.

  “It was... right there!” Alfred pointed at the wall. “Hidden right in front of us?! It was covered in mud and dust! Camouflage.”

  “What's camouflage?”

  “It's, you know, you cover yourself to hide, like your elven cloak! His skin is like ours! But they hide with camouflage!”

  Loranna looked at the wall. She then began to look around, pointing her arrow at everything.

  “They could be anywhere, spying on us right now?” Alfred looked about.

  “They're evil, these picts,” said Loranna. “They live in the deep, shunning the light... and they know we are here!”

  “Yes, but they hate the goblins and ratkins as we do. And he was human like. Well... teeny tiny human... but he's like us.”

  “No Alfred, it's an evil thing... see the pale skin and horrid eyes? And that growl? Awful!”

  “Don't tell the others we saw it!”

  “What? Why?”

  “I don't want a panic. I don't want them hunting these things or in constant fear.”

  “We must warn them, Alfred!”

  “No... not yet... If these things wanted to harm us, they could.”

  “So you are going to let them watch us? Steal from us? Take the children?!”

  “No one's been taken, not by these. We'll make some rules about sticking together for sure. Let me figure this out. If they have been warring with the goblins and ratkins, then we should find a way to work with them!”

  “I dunno, Alfred. But okay, we'll try it your way.”

  “Oh… thank you, subservient peasant girl of the King! For giving me, the high lord and savior of this kingdom, the King, err… uhh... Alfred, permission to do as I ordered!”

  Loranna rolled her eyes.

  Alfred sheepishly smiled.

  “Don't you, big hero king, have to rescue our people from ogres right now?”

  “Oh yeah! Let's go!” Once again they hurried through the cavernous terrain along the ratkin road to the mines.

  “Oh yes milord, my king, as you command,” Loranna whimpered.

  “Shuddup!”

  Beyond, from a dark hole, two small white eyes with very big black pupils watched with malice.

  Eventually, Alfred and Loranna found the women who had fled from the Keep. They had followed the path along the river and had hidden within a deserted ratkin lair. Lady Nihan and the women were huddled together in despair. When Alfred and Loranna came, they cried in joy. They quickly asked about the rest, of their husbands and brothers. Alfred did his best to calm them down, to assure them that they were alive. They were not well, but alive.

  Then he got them to focus on the task at hand, getting back to the others in the caves and planning a rescue. All hands were needed. They stood in a group, all dirty and grimy, and bowed their heads and prayed for strength. Alfred joined in but felt very odd. He looked wide-eyed as they all closed their eyes and Lady Nihan led the prayer. He was not sure who they were praying to or why as he was unfamiliar with such things.

  Their words were of hope and strength, of an outside force, personified as a father, helping them in these times of need. He resisted that feeling, believing they needed to act for themselves. Yet he couldn't help see a change in them. Something unusual overcame them and gave them an inner peace and resolve. It was perhaps psychological, as he recalled a teacher telling him about those who pray. He didn't understand it. He shook it off as they began the journey back to their new Underworld home.

  Chapter Forty: Refuge

  Suzie Pee was being carefully lowered with the pulley system into the mushroom cave. While some strained at the rope leverage as they pulled, old farmer Gooth held tight, lowering his prize pig and mount.

  “Eazy... eazy...” He said. The pig snorted and kicked about the narrow confined space. Gooth whistled. The pig calmed down, allowing herself to be lowered.

  Suzie Pee certainly got scraped and stuck a time or two, but eventually, with kicking and prodding by Gooth, she squeezed through. Relieving a large smelly fart helped her through a tight spot, causing all who watched and helped to nearly faint – except for Gooth. He smelled the effervescence and nodded, “Yep, she's fed well! It'sa guhd... guhd dygesting.”

  Snort!

  Just as Suzie Pee dropped to the bottom and Gooth quickly untied the many ropes, the children and the farmers arrived at the top. They were in a frightful mess, having just escaped the ogre attack at the entrance to the mines. Gooth quickly shooed his pig along the beach, and all helped the tired, worn and wounded children down the tunnel. Many collapsed on the sandy beach in front of the calm lake.

  The families hurried with hugs and healing care as the girls and boys slowly traversed the clear water, making it to the Sanctuary. The children began dipping themselves in the pure water, coming forth free of dirt and filth. The mothers came from the other side and brought them ashore. It seemed that cleansing and healing occurred merely by passing through the water. The children rested in their mothers’ arms, bathed in the blue hue of the mushroom forest. It was a nice soothing place.

  Already, the Refuge looked well stocked and settled. They had brought many tools, loads of lumber for work and fuel, and crates and clay jars of food items. Though tents were not necessary, many erected them for shade in the blue aura and for privacy. Pots and pans and small fires dotted the landscape.

  Just then an echoing boom reverberated. Slight vibrations
and cracking of the walls caused the families to feel trepidation again. The calm waters around the island of giant blue mushrooms had subtle ripples. The mushrooms shook ever so slightly, the vibrations causing their glowing liquids to twinkle.

  The children held their ears, though no real sound came. Some cried in fear, remembering the great thunderous noises above. What was happening way up through the tunnels and mine shaft to the entrance? Were the ogres coming in? Were they blasting them in to be forever imprisoned?

  The children fell asleep that night, into a nightmare world where giant monsters were pursuing them. It was an uneasy sleep, considering that the nightmare was true.

  Hedor and his men finally returned from the rear, letting the concerned parents know that the ogres were not coming. After the children retreated, Hedor stayed back to listen to see if the ogres were trying to dig in. Instead, all he could hear the ogres roar out of frustration and impatience. They bombarded the walls and sealed the way in, or out, even further.

  The parents worried. What were they to do in this dark cave? How would they survive? Hedor tried to calm them but became angry by the constant banter of panic by the people.

  “We're here!” Alfred finally yelled, leaping in from the rear, from the ratkin causeway.

  Hedor pushed through the farmers to Alfred. “Blazes be the devil! What have you brought upon us?!”

  Alfred wasn't sure if Hedor was mad, crazy, bantering or insane. Hedor hugged him violently and gave a strange, strenuous evil grin. Alfred and Loranna stared wide-eyed at each other. Hedor looked between the two of them. “I nearly got blown up by an ogre cannonball. Twice!” He then fainted.

  Amidst the stalagmites and stalactites, Broggia and Boggin hobbled through with some frustration. Boggin would try to take his old father's hand to steady him, but Broggia waved it away and grabbed the solid stalagmites for support. It was treacherous terrain with many smaller stalagmites shaped like stone spikes and many stalactites hanging down to poke and bang one's head. Up and down they went, trying to keep up with the children. They used the ropes, tied together by several small boys and girls, to lead them. Boggin waved his torch carefully so they could see where they were walking. The flames flickered, struggling for life in the misty air. They were amidst the roar and splash of the great water fall.