A Quick Sun Rises

by Thomas Rath

  “And so,” Zadok’s grating voice hissed as he swirled the wine in his glass. “You are telling me that on the eve of my greatest victory, the hidden entrances that I mapped out so carefully for you to use have all been sealed off!” His voice grew in crescendo to the near scream of a madman, as he brought his glass down hard, its contents washing over the side. “My army,” he continued, his ranting voice maintaining its volume as spittle escaped his lips, “will not remain interested for long if they are forced to mill about on the valley floor with nothing but each other to fill their time!”

  Resdin smiled, as he leaned back in his chair, his hands clasped behind his head. He enjoyed seeing Zadok’s pets being brought to task. But the four hooded figures seemed unmoved by their master’s ranting while the on looking slaves could not seem to calm shaking bodies. “Let us be about it then, milord,” one of the hooded figures hissed. “They are no match for our power. Even locked away in their mighty fortress,” he sneered.

  “NO!” Zadok shouted, his hand banging the table, disrupting his wine glass completely. One of the slaves vomited from fear while another simply crumpled to the carpeted floor. Zadok visibly forced the calm back into his face and his voice. Finally, he spoke, a shallow, rasping whisper of a voice. “Wargon,” he called and one of the hooded figures bowed slightly, his arms stretching out to his sides in obeisance. “I presume that the men of the keep have not let themselves be completely holed up in their rock cell. There is certainly another way in and I assume that you will not disappoint me in finding out where it lay.”

  “My only purpose is to serve you, milord,” Wargon answered, the contempt in his voice not quite completely masked.

  “Never fear, my pets,” Zadok continued, his voice turned to honey. “You will have your play when the victory is assured and my army is reading to be dispersed.”

  * * *

  Jack looked out over the vast army below that was a mass of bodies seeming without any order or discipline. Cook fires were beginning to pop up all over the field and soon the fetid scent of burned flesh would rise on the wind to torment the men in the keep with the knowledge that their fallen comrades made up a good portion of the enemy’s meal. Jne approached him waiting for the answer to her question as they both turned their eyes to the distant Underwoods forest. Erl slept comfortably curled up on the floor.

  The balcony could hardly be called such as its great size and expanse was really just a huge gap in the keep’s outer wall. With a rock railing to keep the careless from teetering off the edge, the opening permitted an unobstructed view from the north to the south allowing those in the room a bird’s eye image of the battlefield. The room itself was yawning with thick columns rising up to the distant ceiling its walls curving in a circular pattern with doors cut in at disparate locations that lead to varying wings of the keep. Few candles were lit giving it a dark and foreboding feel.

  “He will come,” Jack insisted. “And you know as well as I that there is no point in you getting lost in the wood trying to chase him down.”

  Soyak’s voice drifted out from the near darkness behind them. “He is right, young one. In such a place you could cross mere feet from each other and be none the wiser.”

  Jne sighed, knowing all along they were both right. She didn’t actually plan to leave and go after Thane, but she needed them to tell her what she already knew. Her blades were already wet with blood and she knew they would taste more before it was all over, she just wished to have him with her so they could fight together like the great romantic stories of her youth.

  One of the doors burst open and all turned to the gruff sounds of Helgar’s voice as he and Bardolf, followed closely by Rangor, entered the grand room. “Me axe be not sated with the blood o’ the enemy as of yet, Master Jack,” he bellowed as the three of them came out of the shadows to join them on the balcony. “And though we be folk o’ the mountain, I tend to be findin’ the sweet savor o’ revenge upon those responsible for killin’ me da.”

  “My lord, Helgar,” Jack said, using the dwarf king’s title as appropriate with a soothing voice to make an attempt at calming his rage. “We all have lost in this war and desire nothing more than to sooth our grief with the blood of the enemy, but, as you can well see,” he motioned his hand toward the vast numbers below, “we can’t afford to throw ourselves at our adversary head on.”

  “That might be so,” Helgar conceded, “but me people already be gettin’ itchy fingers and scratchy feet for the work o’ the battlefield.”

  “We quite agree with you, master dwarf,” Soyak broke in. “As our swords still hunger to sup from the corpses of the enemy. Not to mention, unlike our friends of the mountain, our people cannot abide the close walls of a keep such as this one, preferring the open air of the plains as our bed and the stars in the heavens our blanket.”

  “And that is all well and good,” Jack huffed, a slight edge to his voice. “But none of us will be served by throwing our lives away for not in one glorious frontal attack. We are far out numbered and, against Zadok’s dragons, have less than inferior weapons to do more than lay down and die at this point.”

  “And how will that be ever changin’?” Helgar demanded. “It be far better to be dyin’ in a fight with the enemy than to be starved out behind a rock wall.”

  “I don’t think that will be an option for us,” Jack soothed. “The enemy is even more impatient than any of us for the battle to commence. They will manage a siege much worse than we.”

  Erl suddenly growled low in his throat. “He’s right,” Ranse’s voice spoke from the dark as he and Jace materialized from behind a distant pillar, followed by Tryg who remained aloof and well distant from the others, especially Erl who seemed to focus his distaste on the young Waseeni boy. “Our enemy’s army,” Ranse continued, “will turn on itself in quick measure while we stand aside and watch.”

  “Aye,” Helgar breathed disappointedly, “that be the truth of it for certain. But I fear that you have forgotten the true threat that be those flying rats.”

  “He hasn’t used them so far except in the end as if trying to drive us into the keep,” Ranse offered.

  Jack’s face turned dark. “But why would he do that?”

  Tryg’s voice suddenly broke from the shadows. “Like sheep in a pen,” he said and then brought a hand to his mouth as if he’d meant the comment only for himself. The others stared at him for a moment before Jack finally broke the hush that had fallen.

  “He’s right! We’ve been corralled like sheep with nowhere to go.”

  “But why do that?” Jne asked. “Why, when he has the strength in numbers and the ability to destroy us all with his dragons alone?”

  “Revenge,” Tryg whispered as if the answer were obvious, again his voice carrying more than he’d hoped.

  Jack eyed the young Waseeni boy, the hackles on his back rising with Erl’s as a strange feeling came over him as it seemed to always do when he dealt with Tryg.

  “The whys be unimportant,” Helgar barked, “when the whats and the hows still be unanswered. We can be thinkin’ o’ that when the war be done and we be left with the cleanin’ of blood from our axes while drinkin’ a pint of ale. For now, all I wants to be knowin’ is which way to be goin’ to get me some more orc guts to be splattered on me axe.”

  All eyes turned when a door shut along the west wall. Wess sauntered through the columns and into the light, his face grim though his demeanor was relaxed. “Now, that won’t be as easy as you might like, master dwarf,” he spoke, bowing slightly to Helgar and then coming to rest next to Jack. “Have you all forgotten that the stairs have been torched, affectively barring our enemies from entrance, while at the same moment, keeping us safely locked away in the keep?”

  “And what of that?” Soyak demanded, her hands twitching some as if the walls themselves were suddenly closing in around them.

  Jack held up and hand, flashing Wess a withering look. “What my friend has so conveniently forgotten in his mome
nt of tongue wagging is the fact that the stairs are not the only entrance to the keep. That is to say, there are other ways out. Other, undisclosed ways to exit the keep.”

  Tryg suddenly stepped forward but then stopped as if he’d moved without wanting to.

  “And where might those exits be?” Helgar asked.

  “I know of them,” Jack said, hesitant to reveal too many of the keep’s secrets.

  “And what if you should fall?” Soyak stated the obvious concern that was passing through everyone else’s mind at that moment.

  As if to confirm Soyak’s concern, a loud screamed echoed through the chamber as a large figure dropped down from the sky above and landed on the balcony’s edge just to Jack’s right. The clattering of swords pulled from scabbards reverberated off the walls like an echo of the screech that had preceded the great bird’s arrival. Tryg quickly slipped back into the shadows, his eyes burning with hatred, all other eyes focusing on their perceived attacker as Teek slipped easily from Tchee’s back. A collective sigh seemed to breathe life back into the group as the quick shot of adrenalin dissipated through their blood and was brushed away with pounding hearts.

  Teek hesitated at the sudden show of arms before turning slightly red with embarrassment. “I’m sorry,” he offered shyly. “I did not mean to cause such a scene but we didn’t want to be made an easy target for the enemy by making a long, deliberate approach.”

  Jack cleared his throat. “And where exactly have you been playing at these pass few days,” he grumbled at the boy as Tchee hopped into the grand room away from a possible arrow shot from below. Strutting along the north wall, she peered into the darkness in its deep recesses, a slight rumble building in her throat before she settled herself to wait.

  “I am truly sorry, your highness,” Teek bowed in humble obeisance, “but the mind of a roc does not always match that of its rider. The good news though, it would seem, is that I think she has convinced others of her kind to help us.”

  “And what good are a flock of oversized birds?” Soyak complained.

  “They keep the dragons at bay,” Jne said, flashing one of her rare smiles on the Waseeni boy who blushed an even deeper red. “They will be most welcome,” she added.

  Jack’s faced brightened at the prospect. Though they could only stall the inevitable, it might be just long enough to give Thane time to return and cause Zadok’s army to lose interest. But how to deal with dwarfs, humans, and worse, Tjal-Dihn all boxed up in such close quarters? He couldn’t be sure which side would break first. It very well could be those in the keep that lost interest—unless they were given something to do. Idle hands feed wrath’s fires while those engaged direct its heat.

  “And what of our way out?” Tryg’s voice broke from the shadows though he kept himself hidden still.

  Jack regarded those before him. “You are correct, as we have just witnessed, that I cannot keep such secrets to my grave. But, you must all give solemn witness to keep this one to yourselves until a strategy is agreed upon for engaging the enemy. We cannot afford groups sneaking out to fight and risk the hidden entrance be compromised over to the enemy.”

  All heads nodded in agreement as Jack turned his eyes on each in turn. “Very well,” he continued, “just off of this hall, through the northwestern door is a room that in all appearances is nothing more than an antechamber filled with books. But by twisting the sconce to the left of the door, a hatch is revealed in the floor that leads down to a hidden opening out the northern end of the keep. At every level a similar room is come upon with the same hidden hatch until the bottom floor where the sconce opens a concealed wall out to the valley floor. It can be accessed from any level so it is of the utmost importance that it not be discovered since all can imagine the damage it would bring should the enemy discover it.”

  No one heard the very northwestern door Jack had spoken of open slowly and then close as an unkempt man with only one arm, passed through and was already turning the sconce that revealed the hatch. He suppressed a wheezing cackle as he took to the descending stairs, his mind having finalized the plan that would bring him his victory. He’d almost left his hiding place with his dagger bared when the boy and the bird suddenly appeared out of the sky. He might have gotten close enough, but with all the other weapons in the room, he’d let patience overrule his need for killing and now nothing could keep him from fulfilling his destiny. “Don’t worry none, Zel,” he crowed under his breath as he descended the second stair. “We’ll be cuttin’ ‘im good and soon.”

  “Is that it?” Tryg demanded, drawing all eyes to the shadows where he stood, his voice suddenly changing in power and tone. Erl growled, abruptly standing while Tchee gurgled in her throat.

  “What be ye playin’ at boy?” Helgar demanded. “Come out from the shadows where we can all be seein’ ya.”

  “Gladly,” he hissed as a massive form suddenly rushed forward, the last appendages of what once was the Waseeni boy’s body transforming into an enormous red dragon. The hall erupted in surprise and fire as he belched out a wave of flame scattering the hall in all directions as people abandoned weapons and scurried for cover. Completing his transformation, Tryg’s great serpentine body rushed for the balcony edge, no thoughts on the easy kills that had flung themselves behind pillars or pressed in desperate retreat through the few closest doorways. He had the secret that would gain him favor in Zadok’s eyes and place him above his brothers and sister and an easy escape had been afforded him to the open sky. No longer would he grovel in the form of the worthless Waseeni. No longer would he be forced to suffer the human’s wolg or the strange stares he got from Domis or Teek. Should he ever meet either one again, he would take joy in devouring their flesh as he had the whole Waseeni people. He cried out in triumph as he cast himself out of the keep and into the air.

  Teek was stunned by what he’d just witnessed as he peered out from behind a pillar as the last vestiges of Tryg’s body were finally swallowed up in the form that was the dragon. The blast of fire seared into his mind as he remembered the charred remains of what had once been his home and family. With it came a primal rage that suddenly flared, equaling the heat of the flames with a vengeful desire to cut down the thing that had taken all that was dear from him. With a cry of his own, he leaped from his hiding place just as Tryg’s dragon body cleared the balcony and dropped from site. As if reading his thoughts, Tchee moved with him, just a step ahead, jumping from the balcony right before Teek shot up onto the railing and flung himself into the air.

  Opening her wings, Tchee caught an upward draft that lifted her slightly, catching the small boy as he landed softly onto her back and then she tucked them in and shot forward, giving chase to their foe. Jack’s and Jne’s faces peered over the railing and watched as they disappeared into the darkening sky.

  * * *

  The days seemed to all blur into one as they raced through the woods taking only the shortest breaks as needed for food and the least amount of rest. They were continually passed from one Kybara to another as fresh “mounts” were provided to allow them the greatest amount of speed in reaching their destination. The pack grew at an almost constant rate as others joined the race, the word spreading quickly that the Chufa had returned and war was at the forest’s edge. Aisig had joined the group once again after having left for an extended period and was carrying Thane through the Underwoods’ mist that seemed to hang on to the undergrowth.

  The splendor and joyous feelings that had accompanied their reunion with the YeiyeiloBaneesh trees had still not diminished making the exhausting ride bearable as each reminisced in their minds and hearts the experience that had been a personal communion with their Tane. Each understood now the entity that was their birthright. The actual living influence that surrounded them on all sides was no longer a mere gift to be used but a living and breathing part of them that had substance and mass. Even Domis seemed to sense the sacred union that had been between the Chufa and their Tane. So much so, in fact, that he felt
somewhat ashamed for having witnessed it.

  Sadly, the promise of war and bloodshed was a dark specter that seemed to nag at their minds as well, picking away at the light and peace that each one so desperately fought to hold onto.

  “We are here,” Aisig’s voice broke into their minds, disrupting their silent contemplations.

  Thane dropped from his back working life back into his legs as the others did the same. Walking stiffly, the four companions broke away from their Kybara friends toward the last remaining trees that marked the outer edges of the Underwoods forest. “It’s almost night,” Dor spoke as they all peered across the countryside.

  Tam’s eyes went slack as she cast herself, without hesitation, into the wind that brushed lightly across her face sending her spirit with it to scout the area. Though Thane could have followed, he didn’t feel the need to baby her any longer, instead turning his attention to a piece of bread Dor pushed at him.

  “How far away are we?” Domis asked between bites into an apple he’d gotten from his pack.

  “It’s hard to say,” Thane answered, “since I’m not quite certain where we are. Tam will let us know shortly.”

  “You are about a half a day’s journey from the great HuMan mountain home,” Aisig’s voiced answered in their minds. “I will take you there if you still wish it, though we generally do not leave the boarders of the woods.”

  “We may need all of you, I’m afraid,” Dor sighed, knowing all too well the force that threatened them.

  “It’s begun!” Tam’s voice suddenly announced, startling them as she returned to her body. “The keep is under siege.”

  “We’re late,” Dor spat.

  “Maybe,” Tam countered, “but we may not have missed our role in this fight. A dragon approaches.”

  Thane looked at his friend, a strange light glowing in his eyes. “Are you certain?”