Siege of Draestl

by Randall Seeley

  “The bridge?”

  Gauden nodded. “I didn’t finish telling you about it. It’s only a foot wide, barely wide enough to fit my little girth, and it disappears after about a hundred feet into fog so thick, you can’t even see the other side. I had tried to navigate it before, but it’s nearly impossible, Wayd. There is nothing to tie you in to because the cliffs are sheer and the land barren. It’s a bridge in the middle of nowhere, and one you have to walk. But I figured it would be better to risk crossing that bridge and hoping that I somehow survived, than leading them anywhere else. Plus I had told them before we left how long it would take to get there, so if it took us longer, they would know. I was stuck.

  “So I led them to the Knife’s Edge. It took longer than normal because I led them around any other Draebek dwellings, and we managed to make it there without any more killing. But now it was my moment of truth. I had to brave the Knife’s Edge.

  “I was hoping that the sight of it would be enough to discourage them from crossing, but it did little to dissuade them. Their love of riches overwhelmed their common sense. I knew in that moment that these men would never cease returning until they had all the riches of Grindhold. I realized I made a grave mistake. That even if I somehow escaped, these men would be back at any cost, and next time they would murder any in their path.

  “They started sending men across the Knife’s Edge while they made plans to bring wagons to return their spoils. But they didn’t know the way back to Draestl. I at first refused to cooperate, but they began to torture me until I gave them maps. I tried to resist, but I was too weak, and now these men had a way back. The Draebek would never be safe again.

  “The only hope I had was that they wouldn’t succeed because the men they sent out on the Knife’s Edge kept falling to their death. You see, the Knife’s Edge is fierce. Not only is it narrow, but the wind in that pass is treacherous. It’s enough to pick up someone in an instant—even someone of my size—and there is absolutely nothing you can grab a hold of once you lose your balance. That’s why a dozen or more men fell to their deaths. My captors were angry, and they had no idea how to successfully cross the Knife’s Edge.

  “I saw it as an opportunity. You see, I knew I was as good as dead, for I no longer had any value. They knew how to return, and if anything, I was now a liability because I could show a conflicting party the way to Grindhold. I told them such, and they were about to kill me when I said the greatest lie I have ever told.”

  “What?” Wayd asked, enthralled with the story.

  “That I had crossed the Knife’s Edge before, and that I could show them how.”

  “But you said—”

  “I told you it was a lie,” Gauden continued. “I had attempted before, but had never successfully crossed. But I saw this as the only chance I had at survival. And it would be better falling to my death than being killed at these men’s hand. However, I knew that dying would betray the Draebek I had selfishly put in these people’s path. I knew I had to fix that before dying, so I made a promise that if I could somehow survive the Knife’s Edge, and if it truly did lead to Grindhold, that I wouldn’t use Grindhold for the treasure it contained, but to find the armies it held, and to use those armies against these evil men I had led here. That was my only true desire, and I set out on the path to accomplish it.”

  “So you attempted to cross it?” Wayd asked.

  Gauden nodded before taking a deep breath. “Wayd, I have never been more terrified in my life. The first time I took a step onto the path, I immediately knew that my stature—despite my profound skills—would make this impossible for me. Only an acrobat, someone with years of practice, could survive. But I had no other choice. And though I was terrified of my own impending death, I was somehow at peace overall. So I stepped out onto the ledge.

  “The wind was immediate, and powerful. I remember feeling as if a giant had materialized out of nothing with the sole purpose of pushing me off balance so I would plummet to my death. I tried to fight against it, but as soon as I shifted my weight, the wind ceased—as if the giant stopped pushing—and I nearly toppled to my death. I realized that walking would lead to certain death. So I decided to sit down, straddle the ledge, and scoot across.”

  Wayd raised an eyebrow. “You sat down? Like on a horse?”

  Gauden laughed. “You should have heard the sneers thrown my way. But you know what? I was able to keep myself close to the ground, and the wind wasn’t nearly as effective. So I scooted along despite the scorning I received. And it began to work. I made it several feet, then dozens of feet.

  “It was exhausting work, and there were several moments I desired to turn back, but each time I thought about turning back, I heard a spiteful scorn and remembered who waited for me. Evil men. An evil that had to be eradicated. So I kept going, hoping that somehow there was a way to stop them on the other side.

  “But little did I know, that my method—which they thought ridiculous at first—made others bold enough to try. Soon there were a dozen men trying to follow me. And these men were much more agile than I and they were gaining on me. I realized my usefulness was at an end, so if they overtook me, they would silence me immediately. So I went faster. I had to get to the other side.

  “I reached the dense fog that was waiting for me and it completely blocked my view. I had hoped the fog started at the end of the bridge, but as I pushed through, I realized the path continued. The fog was thick and cool. It surrounded me. Comforted me. My visibility was eliminated both before me and behind me, so I kept going. But then I heard screaming. The scream of the dying.”

  “Screaming? From who?” Wayd asked.

  “Wayd, it was one of the most mesmerizing and troubling things I had ever seen or heard. I heard screaming behind me and could tell from the sounds that whoever was screaming was being torn apart. I looked behind me, and saw that it was the fog. It had come to life, swirling like deadly knives that cut into and silenced whoever came into its path. As those on the Knife’s Edge entered the fog, it ripped them to pieces. One after another.”

  “But you were safe!”

  “I was,” Gauden continued. “And now I was terrified. I could tell it was the fog killing these men, and I couldn’t help but wonder why it wasn’t hurting me! I didn’t want to give it a chance to hurt me, so I pushed forward as fast a I could. It felt like for hours. Soon the screaming stopped and my fear increased. I was apparently the only thing left for the fog to kill. I started to imagine it beginning to swirl around me. I prepared to die.

  “But then my hands hit rock in front of me. And sure enough, I had reached the opposite side. I climbed ahead, excited to behold Grindhold in all its beauty. I was convinced that it must lay on the other side of the Knife’s Edge.

  “But the fog only revealed more mountains. There was no trace of a city.

  “I wondered in that moment if Grindhold even existed. And I suddenly found myself fearing for my life more than any other moment. When those men tricked the fog as I had and came across, they would torture and execute me for leading them astray.”

  “Grindhold exists,” a voice said from ahead.

  Wayd and Gauden both gave a start and they looked at Korin Blackthorn, who was smiling fondly at them. The temporary anger Korin had shown with their last exchange was gone, and Korin walked back toward them. “I’ve told you that a dozen times or more, Gauden,” the dwarf said. “Why won’t you believe me?”

  “I was retelling my story of when I first met you. Wayd was curious,” Gauden explained.

  “Ahh,” Korin said with understanding. The Draebek shifted his gaze from Gauden to Wayd and settled on him. Wayd felt like he was being inspected as the Draebek studied him. Though the Draebek was hardened with years of difficult living and war, he saw no malice. “What part were you at?”

  “I had just crossed the Knife’s Edge,” Gauden said.

  “I see,” Korin said. His eyes grew distant, and Wayd realized that they were about to be discussing shar
ed memories. “Continue, I always enjoy this story.”

  Enjoy it? Wayd was confused. Why would a Draebek enjoy this story? He couldn’t help himself and blurted out, “Why, uh-Your Majesty, no, M-M-Master Blackthorn? Why would you enjoy it?”

  Korin and Gauden both burst into laughter.

  “Master?” Gauden asked sarcastically. “Why would you call him master? And majesty?”

  “Majesty?” Korin repeated as they laughed again—as if what he had said was the funniest thing they had ever heard. “No need to call me anything other than Korin, Prince Scot.”

  Wayd felt himself blush. I was just trying to give some respect…

  He cleared his throat and then repeated his question. “Why do you enjoy this story?”

  “Because,” Korin said before slightly pausing. He shifted his attention to Gauden, and Wayd saw the deep affection the Draebek had for his friend. What happened between these two?

  “Because…?” Wayd urged.

  Korin smiled. “Because Gauden was the spark that united the Red Claws,” he stated. “The spark that ignited the unification of the Draebek.”

  11

  The Spark Of Unity

  Do you believe in prophecies? Or is a prophecy simply someone’s attempt at creating a centralized cause for people to hope in as a means to unify them? I never believed in prophecies, until I started to see them fulfilled. Then my entire perspective changed. Prophecies are real. And because they are real, you better pray you are on the side that the prophecy favors.

  Wayd felt like someone had just slapped him across the face. He looked at Gauden and saw how embarrassed he was. And suddenly it all started to make sense—how Gauden knew so much about the Draebek, how he knew so much about Thraegar Thornclaw, and why he had been given Grindhold law. He had been the spark to start the uniting!

  “He doesn’t believe me,” Korin said as he turned to Gauden. “Tell him what happened next.”

  Gauden sighed. “After I crossed, I ran into Korin and Thraegar. They were a ragtag group of Draebek, and I convinced them to unite,” he said quickly.

  “Really?” Korin interrupted. “You do know I was listening long before I interrupted. And I remember how gifted a storyteller you are, Gauden. Don’t be ashamed for what you started.”

  Gauden grunted, then whispered “sorry” before looking away in shame.

  “Then I will tell the tale,” Korin said. “Come, we are almost to our new camp. We can probably unpack and be washed before nightfall if we pick up the pace. So stay with me and I will retell the events that started us on this epic fulfillment of destiny.”

  Korin began marching ahead and Wayd had to nearly jog to keep up with the dwarf. Though he was a good foot shorter than Wayd, the Draebek walked fast.

  Then Korin began retelling the story. “While Gauden was navigating the Knife’s Edge—it has a name in Draebek, but I can use Gauden’s rudimentary description—we were just returning from fulfilling prophecy. You see, young prince, Grindhold was a legend to the Draebek as well. When we first broke free of the treacherous Bloodheim, we succeeded because we were united. It was the only time in our history that we lived and fought together. And while we were united, we created the greatest city to ever be built. Or at least that’s what the stories told.

  “But generations after Grindhold was built, the clans splintered into different families and they scattered along the northern reaches. Instead of being a place of unity for us to gather, it became a mark of our greatest failure, and eventually we abandoned it.

  “Over time, the belief that Grindhold existed as a real city shifted more to the belief that there could be a time and place when we could be united again. It became nothing more than a legend to help give our children hope that one day we would no longer be a disparate people. Grindhold was forgotten. Turned into a fairy tale and nothing more.”

  “What caused the Draebek to disband into families?” Wayd asked.

  He heard a hiss from Gauden and saw that the big man looked frightened. Suddenly Wayd thought of the gravity of what he asked. That’s like asking someone what is wrong with them to their face!

  Korin smiled a sad smile. “It’s all right, Gauden. It’s an innocent question, and a good one at that. What caused the splintering? Well…it was the Thornclaws.”

  Wayd couldn’t help himself from gasping. The Thornclaws? “But Thraegar is the one trying to unify the Draebek?” he asked.

  Korin nodded. “The Thornclaws have a special place in our history. It was a Thornclaw who unified us when we broke free from the Bloodheim, and it was a Thornclaw that caused our disbanding. It’s part of the reason we are such a complicated people.”

  “You said it,” Gauden said with a booming laugh.

  Korin smiled softly. “We admit our shortcomings, Gauden. None of us are perfect. But in the admission of our shortcomings, we are able to become stronger. Does your kind willingly talk about and attempt to correct their errors?”

  The words felt like a slap in the face. Gauden shifted uncomfortably.

  “But that is not what we are discussing,” Korin continued. “Young Wayd, it is important to understand the complicated nature of our people in order to understand our people. And there is nothing more complicated than the Thornclaws. The first Thornclaw was Grind Thornclaw. Has Gauden told you about Grind Thornclaw?”

  Wayd shook his head. Never heard of him.

  “Gauden,” Korin said with distaste. “You tell the prince of our history—but you leave out Grind? Grind Thornclaw was the first. He is a legend among our people, some even claim he is a god. When the humans led a revolt against the Bloodheim, it was Grind who saw the opportunity to unite us as the only way to survive. The stories are some of the most significant in our history. Not only did he unite the Draebek, but he gave them hope, and they used that hope to secure our freedom. He led us north, founded Grindhold as a mark of our unity and freedom, and set us on a path that we had prayed we’d never veer from.

  “The histories claim that we lived as a unified group for several generations. While Grind led, it was easy to remember our history, but over time, those who remembered our enslavement died from old age and the younger generations didn’t believe that we had ever been imprisoned. They had nothing to fear. And their focus shifted from remembering and learning from the past to focusing more on the present. And the only thing they desired in the present was riches and power.

  “At the time, the Draebek were led by Grinthar Thornclaw. He was doing his best to try to maintain the sanctity of what Grindhold meant, but his oldest son, Graethar Thornclaw, had a different agenda. Graethar wanted power, and he wanted it now. He hated that the Thornclaws called for unity. Hated that the Thornclaws stood for equality. Graethar had a different philosophy. He thought that whoever worked the hardest, or had the most power, deserved whatever they wanted. And he wanted the most power.

  “The histories state that Graethar ended up convincing the generals of Grindhold to unite behind him, to kill his father, and to give Graethar the kingdom. In return, Graethar would bestow them as leaders of all of the clans. The generals agreed—they were just as greedy as Graethar—and they enacted their plan. Graethar murdered his father, mother, and all of his siblings, and any loyal to Grinthar were forever silenced.”

  Wayd swallowed hard.

  “But it didn’t end there. Graethar was greedy, and paranoid, and being in power wasn’t enough. He wanted to ensure that he was the only one in power. Now that his family was out of the way, he needed to take out the generals. And so he called them together for a celebration, and massacred them when they arrived.

  “The Draebek would not stand for this treason, and so a massive war began. At first it was all against the Thornclaws, but it soon fractured into families fighting against families. The Draebek nearly drove themselves to extinction, and so eventually the weakened families began to gather together into clans simply to survive. That was when the Red Claws formed.”

  “By Graethar?�
� Wayd asked.

  Korin shook his head. “No, by his son, Thraegar.”

  “Thraegar?!” Wayd asked in shock.

  “Not the Thraegar you know, but it is who Thraegar is named after. This Thraegar was special. He saw the error of his father’s way, and spent his days repairing the damage his father had done. But the Thornclaws and any who were loyal to them were shunned by the other Draebek. Thraegar saw this, and did his best to provide a sanctuary of protection for any who were cut off from the rest of the Draebek. And he did. The Red Claws formed, and eventually grew into power once more.

  “Over time, the clans each lived separate lives, and the Draebek repopulated their numbers and became somewhat amicable to one another. But just as Grind led well but his descendants fell, so too did Thraegar. Eventually, the Red Claws came under the leadership of Shraegar Thornclaw, and Shraegar wanted more than the Red Claws currently had. He felt it was his destiny to unite all of the Draebek under one banner. And he convinced the Red Claws that it was their right. After all, they had Shraegar, a Thornclaw, and the Red Claws were the loyal Draebek to the heirs of their kingdom. He fought, and he united.”

  Wayd couldn’t help but recognize the affection Korin was showing. “You knew Shraegar?” he finally asked.

  Korin nodded sadly. “That I did. I was his general and he was my best friend. And I believed him. He was charismatic and visionary. When he spoke, you would follow him, because he would fill you with immense hope of better days ahead. It made following him easy, because no matter what he asked you to do, it would lead to a better tomorrow.”