The Revenge of the Dwarves

by Markus Heitz

  Then a dwarf stepped forward, head to foot in dark armor made of tionium; glimmering inlay patterns glowed in turn. The creatures all drew back in respect.

  In his right hand he held a weapon that was a legend in Girdlegard and in the Outer Lands alike: black as the blackest shadow and longer than a human arm. On one side the blade was thicker and had long thin teeth like a comb, and on the other side it thinned out like a sword.

  “Bloodthirster,” breathed Goda and stopped in her tracks.

  Ireheart was brought to a halt. He turned—and froze. Words failed him.

  The dwarf in the night-colored armor raised his left hand to lift his visor. A familiar face with a golden eye patch could be seen, but the features were hard and marked with bitterness. His cold, cruel smile promised death. Then he held his weapon aloft and looked to the right and to the left. The creatures responded with shouts.

  “Vraccas defend us: he has returned!” whispered Goda in horror. “Returned as the Commander of Evil!”

  At that moment discordant trumpets blared out from the abyss, echoing off the bare rock. The Kordrion opened its muzzle to utter a furious roar.

  Contents

  Front Cover Image

  Welcome

  Dedication

  Map

  Epigraph

  Prologue

  Chapter I

  Chapter II

  Chapter III

  Chapter IV

  Chapter V

  Chapter VI

  Chapter VII

  Chapter VIII

  Chapter IX

  Chapter X

  Chapter XI

  Chapter XII

  Chapter XIII

  Chapter XIV

  Chapter XV

  Chapter XVI

  Chapter XVII

  Chapter XVIII

  Chapter XIX

  Chapter XX

  Chapter XXI

  Dramatis Personae

  Acknowledgments

  Extras

  Meet the Author

  A Preview of THE FATE OF THE DWARVES

  By Markus Heitz

  Copyright

  BY MARKUS HEITZ

  The Dwarves

  The War of the Dwarves

  The Revenge of the Dwarves

  Copyright

  Copyright © 2005 by Piper Verlag GmbH, Munich

  English translation copyright © 2011 by Sheelagh Alabaster

  Excerpt from The Fate of the Dwarves English translation copyright © 2011 by Sheelagh Alabaster

  All rights reserved. Except as permitted under the U.S. Copyright Act of 1976, no part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, or stored in a database or retrieval system, without the prior written permission of the publisher.

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  First eBook Edition: November 2011

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  The characters and events in this book are fictitious. Any similarity to real persons, living or dead, is coincidental and not intended by the author.

  ISBN: 978-0-316-19335-1