Tanya left her seat and moved in front of Arik. She started to untie the strings of Arik’s tunic, but Arik stopped her.
“What are you doing?” Arik whispered.
“It is a hunch,” Tanya whispered back. “Remove your tunic and the breastplate.”
“No,” frowned Arik. “You are making a stir. Go sit down.”
“What is going on,” demanded the king. “If you are plotting on stealing the Ruby of Vasta, I assure you that you will not live to the mouth of the tunnel.”
“I believe that there is more to the prophecy,” Tanya stated as she turned to face the king and queen. “Arik bears a mark upon his chest. It is a winged serpent. Does that mean anything to you?”
“Let me see it,” demanded Queen Trana.
Arik glared at Tanya as he stripped off his tunic. The queen gasped when she saw the image on the breastplate, but Arik also stripped that off. The queen stared at Arik’s chest and walked slowly towards him. She ran her finger over the image and tears formed in the corner of her eyes as she recited another section of the Dwarven prophecy.
The Ruby holds the darkness back
And keeps the Dwarven people safe
Its power foils strong attack
The Ruby makes the Dark One chafe
Outside the mine the world is dark
The tall one finds the shield of kings
The gem to he who bears the mark
Garala tall the snake with wings
“I think you have answered my dilemma,” stated Queen Trana. “Your dilemma has just begun, however.”
“How do you mean?” asked Jenneva.
“Ages ago,” began Queen Trana, “dwarven armorers forged a special shield. Dwarven mages took the shield and wove spells into it. Spells that are no longer known to us. The result was the Shield of Oykara, the shield of kings. The mark upon your chest makes me think that you are the awaited Garala, savior of our people. However, our prophecy states that you would arrive with the Shield of Oykara. Do you have it?”
King Tring was now standing at the queen’s side examining the mark as Arik shook his head.
“Where can it be found?” asked Tanya.
“If we knew that,” sighed the queen, “we would not be looking for it.”
“Is there any history of the shield that might give a clue as to were it is?” asked Jenneva.
“It was lost during the reign of King Astel,” answered King Tring. “At that time goblins from the northlands had amassed in an attempt to destroy the dwarves. The goblins were defeated at the Battle of Lanto, but a great number of them escaped. King Astel gathered the mightiest dwarf warriors and gave chase to the retreating goblins. He carried the Shield of Oykara with him. He had hoped to put an end to the goblins once and for all, but none of the dwarves ever returned. That is all our histories show. The Shield of Oykara has not been seen since.”
“Do you have journals from that time?” asked Jenneva.
“Those journals would be in Lanto,” nodded the queen, “but they will not help you. King Astel never returned, so his journals have been lost.”
“Perhaps the journals will allow us to better understand where he might have gone,” suggested Jenneva. “If any of the journals describe where the northlands are or where the goblins came from, we can assume that is where King Astel went when he pursued them. It may not help, but it certainly cannot hurt.”
“You are welcome to try,” offered Queen Trana, “but you will need constant supervision while you reside in Dorgun or Lanto. Now that it is clear that you desire the Dwarven Ruby, we cannot risk the chance that you might decide to acquire it by nefarious means. I do not mean this as a slight to your character. It is every dwarf’s duty to protect the Ruby of Vasta.”
“I can assure you that we would not take the ruby,” nodded Jenneva, “but we can also appreciate your obligations to your people. How do we get to Lanto?”
“I will supply guides for you,” offered King Tring. “It is not a far journey, but some of it will be above ground. You must be prepared for goblin attacks.”
“We are no friends of goblins,” declared Alex. “If we encounter any, you can count on our help to rid the area of them.”
“That sounds more like dwarf talk than human,” grinned King Tring. “There may be hope for you yet.”
Chapter 11
Lost Lanto
The dwarf halted on the narrow trail and held up his hand. The party behind him immediately halted, their senses alert for danger. The dwarf’s large bulbous nose turned upward as he sniffed the air. Slowly, Darok shook his head and frowned. He could smell the goblins, and he knew that he had led the party into a trap. He turned and began making hand signals to disperse his men, but it was too late.
Dozens of dwarf-sized boulders began cascading down the mountainside. A deadly hail of arrows immediately followed. Darok shouted a warning and then brought his shield up over his head as he crouched on the trail. Even as he did so, he knew that most of his party would be killed in the initial onslaught. The trail ran along the edge of the mountain and there was no place to run to. The best that the dwarves could do was to rally after the boulders passed by. Darok hoped that enough of his small band would survive to extract revenge on the goblins.
Jenneva heard the shouted warning and looked up to see the missiles hurtling down towards her dwarven escort. Swiftly, she chanted a spell of wind and sent it upward and towards the front of the dwarven column. The arrows immediately veered from the force of the wind, but the boulders merely slowed their descent. Jenneva detected Tanya at her side as the younger mage’s hands rose skyward. Boulders began to burst into dust particles as Tanya swiftly raced to direct her spells. Jenneva redirected her wind spell upward to further slow the descent of the boulders while Tanya sped to destroy them. While the mages worked to halt the onslaught, and the dwarves huddled under their shields, Alex started scaling the side of the mountain. Arik and Wylan followed him.
“Keep the wind going upward,” ordered Tanya as she watched her fellow Rangers climbing the side of the mountain. “I want a quick ascent to that ledge up above.”
Jenneva’s face was puzzled at first, but when she saw Tanya scaling the mountain, she understood Tanya’s instructions.
“This is going to be unsettling for you,” Jenneva warned. “You don’t exactly have wings.”
“Wylan is not ready for this type of combat yet,” replied Tanya. “I must even the odds for him.”
Jenneva nodded and directed her wind stream towards Tanya. The gusts whipped the face of the mountain and tore Tanya from her precarious perch. The wind carried her swiftly upward, and Tanya struggled to keep her head up and her feet down. She went soaring past the Rangers. As her head cleared the ledge, Tanya saw dozens of goblins dragging more boulders towards the edge. She drew her sword as she felt Jenneva’s spell tapering off. A last puff of wind pushed Tanya onto the ledge. She tumbled to the ground and rolled to her feet.
Shouts rang out from the goblins as some of them abandoned their boulders and raced towards Tanya. Not wanting to make herself a target for the goblin archers, Tanya charged towards the goblins.
Darok peeked out from under his shield and wondered why the rocks had not hit yet. He looked up in amazement and saw only falling dust. He turned to look back along the trail and saw Jenneva propelling Tanya upward. He shook his head as he also saw the other Rangers climbing the side of the mountain.
“Get up you sleeping dwarves,” shouted Darok. “There are goblins to kill. Up the mountain now, all of you.”
The row of shields quickly lowered and the dwarves attacked the side of the mountain. Their strong arms and short legs pumped furiously as they raced up the side of the mountain.
Prince Midge flew out of Arik’s pocket as the Rangers gained a foothold on the ledge. He darted skyward and soared over the body of goblin attackers. As he hovered in the air, he searched the assemblage of goblins below for any that were preparing to use their bows.
> Tanya met the first of the goblin attackers and fiercely sliced through him as she continued to stride forward. The next three came in a group, and Tanya fell back a few steps into a defensive stance. As she battled the three goblins, she detected Alex coming up alongside her. A second later, Arik appeared on her other side.
“All right then,” Tanya grinned. “Shall we begin?”
Without any verbal response, Alex and Arik stepped forward and struck out at the closest goblins. Tanya struck in the center. The three goblins fell to the ground as another half dozen charged forward. More shouts rang out through the goblin ranks, and all of the boulders were abandoned. The goblins turned to rush the Rangers.
“Stars,” shouted Alex as one of Wylan’s arrows flew past him and imbedded in the chest of a charging goblin.
The three Rangers dropped their swords and filled their hands with Lanoirian Stars. The Stars started flying. The small group of goblins that had been closing on the Rangers fell to the first barrage of Stars. The Rangers continued throwing Stars as fast as they could extract them from their pouches.
“I am out of Stars,” Tanya announced as she bent and retrieved her sword.
“Me too,” echoed Arik as his last Star flew into a goblin.
“Then let us take the fight to them,” decided Alex as he grabbed his sword.
Darok gained the ledge as the three Rangers charged into the goblin horde. He shouted to his men and charged after the Rangers. Wylan’s arrows continued to fly past the Rangers, but he had to stop firing when the dwarves crowded in front of him and charged towards the goblins.
Arik, Tanya, and Alex drove a wedge into the goblin ranks, their swords striking flesh on each swing. Dwarven throwing axes began whittling down the outer edges of the goblin force. In moments it was over.
“There are half a dozen that are only sleeping,” chirped Prince Midge as he swept down onto Arik’s shoulder. “It was the best I could do.”
“Show me the way,” grinned Arik. “I wondered why their archers never joined the battle.”
Darok stood and surveyed the battlefield as Tanya and Wylan gathered up Lanoirian Stars. Jenneva walked up and stood by Alex’s side.
“Is everyone alright?” she asked.
“Yes,” nodded Alex. “The reach of our swords gave us a great advantage. “That was quick thinking down there.”
“Thinking is what I do best,” smiled Jenneva. “Tanya was worried about Wylan getting hurt.”
“Wylan is a smart lad,” Alex said as he turned and watched the new Ranger helping Tanya. “He has good skills with the sword, but he knows that he needs more instruction yet. His bow was very helpful. This battle pleases me.”
“Why?” asked Jenneva. “We have faced greater odds.”
“Yes, we have,” nodded Alex, “but only with planning before we struck. We did not have the opportunity to plan this time, yet everyone worked as a team. It was an effective approach with each player quickly choosing his role. I am proud to be a part of these Rangers.”
“Rangers, you say?” asked Darok as he stepped up beside Alex. “I have heard of the Targa Rangers before. Is that who you humans are?”
“Alcea Rangers,” corrected Alex.
“Well, whatever you call yourselves,” grinned Darok, “I will call you friends. I would gladly stroll through the goblin fields with you again. I thought we were in great trouble down there.”
“We could have been,” nodded Alex. “It is good that you halted the column when you did. Any later and we would not have had a chance.”
“Dwarves have learned the foul smell of the goblins,” chuckled Darok as he turned to face Jenneva. “You did not tell me that you were a mage.”
“And you did not tell me that you were a dwarf,” smiled Jenneva. “I guess that makes us even.”
Darok’s face puzzled in a frown for a moment and then he laughed heartily, “Aye, I guess you are right. Well, whatever you did to the boulders that were raining down on us, you have earned my respect. All of the Rangers have earned my respect,” he added as he turned to survey the battlefield again. “This could have turned out very differently. We should continue on to Lanto before another band of these foul beasts decides to visit.”
“That sounds like an excellent plan,” agreed Alex. “Lead the way.”
Darok shouted orders and reformed his column. The dwarves fell into line around the humans, and Darok proceeded along the trail. Prince Midge flew above the column and scouted the mountain for more goblins. Within half an hour, the column greeted the sentries and entered the tunnel to Lanto, the original dwarf settlement from the Vasta Universe.
Darok knew the tunnels of Lanto like only a dwarf could. He maneuvered the column through a maze of dimly lit, twisting passages. Soon the music of singing dwarves filtered through the air, as the group passed through a working area of the mine. Large carts loaded with ore were being pushed through an intersection ahead of the group, and Darok was forced to stop until the path was clear.
Darok continued onward and eventually halted the group at another intersection. Giving the signal to stay put, Darok disappeared down the connecting passage. He returned moments later and led the group into a large rectangular room. The room had benches along the wall and colorful cushions scattered across the floor. There were about a dozen dwarves at one end of the large room who were lounging on the cushions. Darok proceeded towards the small group and then turned and signaled to his men to withdraw.
Arik examined the room and then looked at the collection of dwarves on the cushions. The dwarves were old and unremarkable, and Ark figured they were past the age of mining. Figuring that this room was where the Rangers were to wait until the king was ready to see them, Arik plopped down on a cushion. His face turned red when Darok spoke.
“Queen Lywen,” bowed Darok, “these are the humans you were informed of. This one,” added Darok as he pointed to Arik, “is the one who has been identified as the Garala.”
Arik rose sheepishly and bowed to the group of dwarves. He scanned their faces looking for the queen. The group was evenly divided between males and females and Arik did not know whom he was bowing to.
“Pardon our informality,” Queen Lywen said as she rose to greet the humans. “I have long ago given up the pretense that crowns and jewels can make me any wiser. It is this Council of Lanto that adds to my wisdom. Welcome to Lanto.”
The queen was a remarkably unremarkable woman. Her white hair was thin and straight, and her nose was small by dwarf standards. She was dressed in a simple green smock.
“I apologize for my entrance,” recovered Arik. “I thought this was a room for us to rest from our journey.”
“I have heard about your battle,” smiled the queen. “I can understand your need to rest. Perhaps it is rude of me to have had you brought straight here. Let me provide some refreshments so you may rest. We can talk when you are ready.”
“No,” explained Arik. “That is not necessary. It is I who was rude. We do not require rest. It was just my misconception of why we were brought here. I am pleased that you would see us promptly.”
Queen Lywen smiled broadly, “Be at ease, Garala. You are among friends and we will not judge you on your entrance. Introduce me to your party.”
Arik performed the introduction of the Rangers, and Queen introduced her council of advisors. A dozen dwarves entered with trays of refreshments and the Rangers were invited to make their selves comfortable.
“I was heartened to hear of your battle prowess,” said the queen. “It appears that the goblins have learned a painful lesson today. Should every day be as fruitful. We have been working on an underground connection between Lanto and Dorgun since the Collapse. I fear it is still a few years off.”
“Do the goblins ever come into the tunnels?” asked Jenneva.
“They did shortly after the Collapse,” nodded Queen Lywen. “There is nothing worse than attacking dwarves in their own tunnels. We have tried many times to get them to rep
eat their mistake, but the battles are now on the surface. You are the mage of the group?”
“I am a mage,” nodded Jenneva.
“I heard that you were able to turn boulders into dust somehow,” smiled the queen. “Such a spell would enable us to greatly accelerate our connecting tunnel to Dorgun. Is it possible that you could teach it to us?”
“Are their mages among you?” asked Jenneva.
“We have mages,” answered the queen. “Their skills are in the tempering of metals mostly, but I am sure there must be some among them that would understand the principles of the spell. I am imposing upon you though.”
“You are not imposing,” smiled Jenneva. “We all must work together to defeat the Dark One. Perhaps I can learn something of your spells while I am at it.”
“So it shall be then,” smiled Queen Lywen. “I understand that the purpose of your trip is to study the scrolls of our history. What is it that you seek?”
“We need to look for any information regarding the Shield of Oykara or the homeland of the goblins that King Astel pursued,” answered Jenneva. “Any clue at all about where we should begin our search.”
“I will provide dwarves to help you in this endeavor,” offered Queen Lywen. “Whatever the people of Lanto have, will be put at your disposal.”
* * *
Rax smiled as Tedi exited the wagon.
“And here I thought that you would sleep all day,” chuckled Rax.
Tedi squinted up at the pink clouds created by the rising sun. He shook his head and sat on a log next to Rax.
“You rise early,” Tedi said groggily. “Seldom do we have the need to rise so early unless someone is chasing us.”
“We?” questioned Rax. “Whom are you referring to?”
Tedi frowned in confusion. “My friends and I,” he answered. “I can picture them, but I cannot place their names. What is wrong with me?”
“You have had a bad knock to the head,” comforted Rax. “It is good that your memory is returning. I had expected it to be completely back by now, but a day or two more will not hurt. At least you are beginning to remember. It will progress swiftly now.”
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