by Joseph Lallo
My gaze dropped to my map. I had the means to locate one! Surely I must try! Hopeful again, I returned to my spellbook and began crafting an even more complex spell, as this time I needed to narrow my focus. After a year and a half I was ready. I activated the spell. Much to my chagrin, nothing appeared. There were simply no power hammers left in existence. My hopes fell. Then the tinker in me wondered if the parts to make one still existed. I went back to my books and learned there were four parts comprising a power hammer: handle, head, counterweight, and helix.
“You’re talking about the ruby whorl, right?” Tristofer asked.
“To the Narians, it was simply a helix,” Kasnar explained.
Two years later I was ready yet again. I activated the spell and waited to see what would happen. Four dots appeared on my map. I held my breath. Since I had specified I wanted one of each component, I knew that I had found what I was looking for. My luck held!
I studied the four areas on the map where the dots were. One was in a tiny lake. Another was in a waterfall on the eastern coast. The third location was in the Selekais.
“And the fourth?” Athos prompted.
Venk regarded his brother with such an incredulous look that Athos was taken aback.
“What? What’d I miss?”
“The fourth is Dual Tree.”
“Oh, right. Forgot about that. Sorry.”
Kasnar gingerly picked the hammer up and inspected it. Turning it over and over in his hands, he looked up at his grandson.
“Which location held which component?”
Breslin tapped the hammer’s head. “This we found at the waterfall. The weight was at the bottom of the nixie lake, and the gem was in the collection of a Zweigelan. The helix was a real pleasure to obtain, let me tell you.”
Surprised, Kasnar smoothed down his long thin beard. “Really?”
“No. I was joking.”
“Ah.”
Kasnar closed his eyes and gave the appearance of having fallen asleep. Breslin eyed the others before subtly clearing his throat. Kasnar’s eyes snapped open.
“I’m still alive, lad.”
“We thought you had fallen asleep.”
“Oh. It’s a distinct possibility.” Kasnar chuckled. “Will you answer me something?”
Breslin nodded. “Of course.”
“Was there an entrance to Nar in the cave under the tree?”
Breslin nodded again. “Aye. That’s how we entered the mountain.”
The frail old dwarf clapped his hands with glee. “I knew it! If only I had time to look!”
“It’s good that you didn’t,” Breslin pointed out.
Kasnar sat up straighter. “Eh? How so?”
“Had you gone into the mountain, you would have encountered a sealed Narian door. Without a helix, you wouldn’t have made it very far.”
“And because you had the hammer, you were allowed to pass,” Kasnar thoughtfully observed.
“Exactly,” Breslin confirmed.
“I think it’s high time we got out of here,” Venk declared as he rose to his feet. He pulled Lukas up as well. “I don’t know about any of you, but I’d like to be long gone from here before our gracious host returns.”
Breslin scrambled to his feet. He gently picked up his grandfather and set him on the ground. Kasnar slapped his hands away.
“I may not be as young as you,” the wizened little dwarf snapped as he straightened as much of his three and a half foot frame as he could, “but I am no invalid. I can walk.”
“We may have to run,” Athos pointed out as he pulled his large battle axe from his back. He also pulled his smaller close-range axe and began fussing with his two baldrics crisscrossing across his back.
“What are you doing?” Venk wanted to know. He caught his brother’s large single-bladed black axe as it was thrown to him.
“Can you carry that for me?”
Comprehension dawned. Venk nodded and fastened the axe to his baldric so that it lay next to his crossbow. Having finished arranging the leather straps, Athos motioned for Breslin to pick his grandfather up and place him in the harness he had created on his pack. Nodding gratefully, Breslin moved towards his grandfather.
“Don’t even think about it,” Kasnar warned. “I’ll not be slung over anyone’s shoulder like a slab of meat, thank you very much.”
Frustration flared.
“Want to see grandmother again?” Breslin snapped.
Kasnar’s mouth closed.
“I thought so. This is not ideal, but it’ll get us out of here. Master Athos is right. I have a sneaking suspicion we’ll need to make a speedy departure. There we go.”
Breslin easily lifted his frail grandfather onto Athos’ back and strapped him into place. Once he was sure Kasnar was secure, he picked up Athos’ smaller axe and added it to his own belt.
“Everyone ready? Let’s go.”
Tristofer was flabbergasted.
“We can’t go! We’re in Nar! We have so much to do!”
“What’s more important?” Breslin countered back at him. “Stay here longer to look around and run the risk of running into this Rahygren fellow or getting out of here in one piece so you can be the one to announce the discovery of Nar?”
Tristofer hurriedly slung his pack over his shoulder.
“It can wait.”
Breslin grunted. “I thought as much. Let’s go. As soon as we make it outside Rhamalli can take us back to the valley just as quickly as he can. Rhamalli, is there any chance you can hear us?”
The dragon’s voice was silent. The dragons’ faculties were impressive, but there were limits.
“We’re too far inside the mountain. Let’s get outside. Everyone stick together.”
They followed their own tracks through the dust and emerged back into the large main hall. Every few feet they’d all hear a cry of anguish as Kasnar spotted example after example of Nar’s desecration by the Delvehearth family.
“A pox on that accursed family,” Kasnar muttered softly to himself. “No amount of punishment is fit for the crimes this city has suffered.”
“What about what they did to you?” Lukas asked, looking up at the old man riding on his uncle’s back. “They kept you here for so long. Aren’t you angry about that?”
“Aye, I am, young master,” Kasnar admitted as he smiled down at the underling. “I forgave the Delvehearths years ago.”
“Why?” the underling inquired.
“Because I was raised to see the good in everyone, no matter how foul the person. They imprisoned me, aye. They kept me away from my family, aye. I choose not to dwell on that. Instead, I look forward to seeing my beloved Neika again. I yearn to see my son again, and get to know any other family members I haven’t met. For that matter, I look forward to getting to know Breslin here. He was but a very young lad when I left.”
“You will, grandfather,” Breslin called back from the front of their group. “You will. I promise.”
Emerging into the rapidly enlightening room, Breslin came to a sudden stop. He held up his arm and signaled the others to stop as well. Standing in front of the main door, blocking any attempts of escape, were five dwarves. All were outfitted in confiscated Narian armor and all had crossbows drawn, loaded, and ready to fire. All five were aimed straight at them.
“That’s far enough,” a gruff voice barked out at them. “Lay down your arms and surrender before we turn you into a pincushion.”
Chapter 13 – Just Say No to Bullying
The first thing Venk noticed was that the owner of the voice was wearing a set of Narian armor that was encrusted with glittering diamonds and sapphires. It had to be the most exquisite suit of armor he had ever seen. To Venk, it looked as though the armor was meant to be displayed rather than worn. Also immediately apparent was that the five angry dwarves facing them hadn’t known how to properly assemble the complex suit of armor.
The cuirasses weren
’t sitting snug against their chests, the greaves hung loosely against their legs, and even the gauntlets threatened to slide off their arms as they could see several of the metal gloves constantly clanking about as if they were several sizes too large. If Venk didn’t know any better, he would have guessed that this was the first time any of them had ever worn a suit of armor other than the customary leather armor most dwarves were fond of. What had happened? Had Rahygren discovered their presence in the city and then returned to Bykram to get reinforcements?
The second thing Venk noticed was a large device set up on a tripod. It was big, bulky, and, Venk thought with mild surprise, gave the impression of a device that had been created to do dastardly deeds. It had a long, cylindrical barrel consisting of straight metal tubes that were attached to each other, forming the perimeter of the barrel. The ring of metal tubes was at least three feet long and overall, the device extended several feet above their heads.
Venk squinted as he studied the wicked looking device. One end of the barrel was pointed straight at them, while the other end of the barrel disappeared into the heart of the machine. Next to the barrel’s base was what looked like a hand crank. One of Rahygren’s henchmen had a hand on this handle. Stacked nearby were a dozen or so wooden crates. Venk nodded. He was right. This thing had been created for sinister purposes.
“I see you admiring my arrow launcher,” the lead dwarf gloated. “It has the capabilities of firing dozens of arrows a minute while you’ll be lucky to get off a few shots. Just one of the many lucrative discoveries I’ve found in here. Now, for the last time, surrender!”
The other two henchmen were each holding a dense, compact shield a quarter of the size of a normal shield. Both shields were an ugly tarnished bronze color and had seen better days as each shield had scuffs, dents, and several scratches. Each henchman held their shield as though it alone was what was keeping them alive.
“You must be Rahygren,” Breslin spat out, standing up to his full height. He pulled the power hammer from his belt and held it menacingly. “I hold you and your family responsible for desecrating the lost city of Nar. We will not be the ones surrendering. You will.”
Rahygren lost his smug smile as his eyes fell on the power hammer. He started sputtering so bad that no one could understand him.
“How did you… Where did you… I don’t know how you… New plan. You give me that hammer there and I’ll let you choose the manner in which you die. That is my one and only offer to you.”
Sensing the situation was about to get violent, the two henchmen on either side of Rahygren held up their shields. After a few seconds of silence, both shields emitted several pinging noises as they began expanding their size. Moments later each shield was easily three times the size of a normal shield and twice as massive. Unfortunately, both henchmen had their arms forcibly yanked down to the ground as both discovered that neither could carry a shield of that size and weight.
Venk eyed Breslin, who returned his puzzled expression. Hadn’t these people ever used this equipment before? If so then wouldn’t they have known how big those shields would have become and therefore would have been better prepared? Instead, both of Rahygren’s accomplices were now trying to lift the shields off the ground and wield them like they would have done a normal shield. However, as strong as most dwarves were, they were unable to lift the heavy shield more than a few inches off the ground and even then, only for a few moments.
“What’s going on here?” Athos whispered to his brother. “Were those things designed for the humans? This doesn’t make any sense.”
“It makes perfect sense,” Breslin whispered back. “I’m willing to bet they’ve never stepped foot in Nar before.”
“Nonsense,” Tristofer argued, as he and Lukas inched closer. “They obviously have.”
“Rahygren has, aye, but not them,” Breslin argued. “Look at them! They’re lost! They keep looking about the cavern as though they’ve never seen it before. And, I’m quite sure they haven’t.”
Understanding, Athos nodded. “Hired mercenaries.”
Breslin nodded. He turned back to his grandfather’s captor. He nodded his head towards the two men still grappling with the cumbersome shields.
“Having technical difficulties, are you?”
Rahygren’s annoyed face turned livid with rage. “Enough talk! Kill them! Kill them all! Leave no survivors!”
One of the two henchmen wielding one of the giant, useless shields, suddenly squatted and reached down to his belt to pull off an oblong object the size of a clenched fist. He tinkered with it for a second or two before it began ticking loudly. Quickly rising to his feet, he looked straight at Breslin and threw the object directly at him.
The ticking device began expanding in size much the same way the shields did. In just a matter of a few seconds the object had turned into a boulder large enough to be thrown from a trebuchet. It was going to hit Breslin at any moment.
Venk watched as Breslin calmly stood his ground as the artificial boulder approached. Gripping the power hammer tightly, he waited until the boulder was directly upon him, swinging just before the metal boulder could make contact. There was a loud clang and the boulder suddenly reversed directions, heading back the way it had come. The henchman who had thrown the boulder watched in utter disbelief as the huge metal object flew unerringly straight towards him. Before he could think to run away, the boulder landed on him with a great crashing of metal. Thankfully the indestructible Narian armor refused to be crushed, thus sparing the henchman’s life. Fortunately for them it meant the goon was now pinned and unable to move.
“What are you waiting for?” Rahygren demanded as he swung his gaze back to the arrow shooter. “Fire! Kill them!”
The accomplice standing next to the arrow shooter began cranking the handle. The metal tubes started to spin. Suddenly the air was filled with arrows whooshing by at an alarming rate. The thug was enjoying the power of the device had bestowed upon him as an evil smile had appeared on his face. The shooter spun to the left and sighted Lukas, standing next to Tristofer and Breslin.
Small nuggets of stone flew through the air as dozens of arrows slammed into the rock wall. Unfortunately, the arrows were getting dangerously close as the thug manning the apparatus had aimed it their way. Venk had to get to his son to protect him!
He hurried towards Lukas, intent on throwing himself into the line of fire if necessary, but it turned out he didn’t have to. Breslin stepped in front of the boy and took the full brunt of the relentless attack. Arrow after arrow struck Breslin on his chest, pummeling him hard enough that he had to take a few steps backward. However, thanks to a set of armor that had been in his family for years (and now that Venk had heard the old dwarf’s tale, knew how Breslin had acquired it) the arrows fell harmlessly to the ground. Not only was the armor not receiving the slightest blemish from the relentless assault of arrows, it also appeared to be absorbing the impacts, so there was no threat of ricocheting arrows.
Puzzled by the lack of injury his weapon should have been inflicting, the accomplice manning the arrow shooter looked to Rahygren for advice.
“Don’t stop firing, moron!” Rahygren screamed at his accomplice. “Keep going!”
“So that’s why your armor never appears dented,” Athos observed, appearing at Breslin’s side. “It’s Narian!”
Breslin shrugged. “It’s a little known secret. One that I trust you will keep to yourself?”
Athos nodded. He caught sight of the shooter being reloaded. Athos hooked an arm through Breslin’s and picked up his nephew. He looked at Tristofer and shoved him forward with his shoulder.
“Move, scholar! Find cover! Hurry before that infernal machine starts up again! Venk! Get over here, now!”
Right on cue, the arrows began appearing again, zipping by dangerously close. Athos steered them towards a group of large, crumbling slabs of stone that might have been used for tables at some point in time. Athos squat
ted and hooked his shoulder under the slab; Venk mirrored his actions a few moments later. They both heaved, fully expecting the table to tip onto its side. It didn’t budge.
“Breslin!” Venk snapped. “We need to tip this thing over! Hurry!”
Breslin whipped out the power hammer and gave the stone slab a solid thunk, thinking it’d be more than adequate to get the job done. The resulting blow didn’t knock the table over, but it did start a series of spidery cracks that crisscrossed across the surface. Moments later the table collapsed into a pile of gravel.
With a curse, Venk pulled his son close and crouched low behind a second table.
“Just knock it over,” Venk told Breslin. “You don’t need to destroy it.”
Breslin harrumphed and readied a swing. The deadly arrows were rapidly approaching as the arrow shooter was adjusted yet again. They had perhaps three seconds before they’d be in serious trouble. Breslin dropped to his knees and swung at one of the three supports holding the slab off the floor. The left support shattered instantly. The slab lurched forward, but still held under the weight of the other two stone support pillars. Breslin pummeled the right and tapped the hammer against the center. The second broke while the center pillar started cracking noisily. Moments later, off balance, the front part of the slab slid forward and smacked heavily onto the ground while the rear of the table remained upright, held in place by the last support column.
All five of them ducked behind the table as the barrage of arrows began pounding away at their makeshift cover.
“We’re not going to last long if we don’t do something!” Athos angrily told them. “Think they’re going to run out of arrows? Think again. See all those nearby boxes? I just watched them reload that device of theirs. They have hundreds and hundreds of arrows.”
Breslin tried to peek up and over the lip of their upturned table but had to dart back down again as three arrows were instantly fired his way.
“I’m open for suggestions.”
Tristofer pushed his way past Venk and Athos and grabbed Breslin’s arm. Maintaining a surprisingly strong grip on his arm, the scholar yanked him over to where he had been crouched.