by Alan Mundle
'Gods curse whoever took him from us! I swear to you Second Father, I will have vengeance on all of those who were involved, against them and those responsible for forcing us into hiding among strangers!'
Dentin moved quicker than he had in a long time, spun Etarin round to face him and yelled. 'So you'll take on the whole of Mordabinn, will you? Pick up a weapon and slaughter everyone in the mountain? Your heart is full of grief like us all, but now more than ever you need to use the brain in your head, Etarin! Stop thinking with your sword arm! I swear to you our time will come. We will find a way to make all those who have cursed us tremble. But you must temper your blade with wisdom. To attack now would be folly! Go, spend your heat in practice, but if you do anything to endanger us further- '
'Forgive me, good Dwarves.' Dentin and Etarin spun on the spot to find Lord Castin only two steps from them. Both bowed before him. 'Forgive the intrusion during this difficult time, but we must speak.’
'Forgive us, my Lord,' pleaded Dentin. 'We did not mean to disturb the peace of your home with our troubles.'
Castin put hands on both their shoulders. 'This is a time of grief and sorrows my friends and I wish I could let you be, but you must steel yourselves, for another challenge faces you all.'
They looked to each other before they could respond. 'I fear my family cannot endure anymore torment, my Lord,' said Etarin. 'What woe falls upon us now?'
'The Empress has sent word. You and your family are to be escorted to the Imperial palace to be her guests.'
The two Dwarves were stunned. 'But what of your protection Lord Castin?' said Dentin, trembling as he spoke.
Castin lowered his head. 'Alas my friends, my protection could not endure forever against the power commanded by Darina. She gathered the political strength of the Empire against me. With Torbin’s passing, I have no legal right to keep you all here. I have been commanded to turn you, your family and myself over to the First Battalion Warriors at my door.
Etarin was stunned. Immediately his hand instinctively reached for a sword he did not have. He wanted to lash out, take down everyone between him and the black Warriors waiting for him. But his Second Father's words rang in his head. He did his best to steady himself, knowing that he would only put his family and Castin's in great danger. A poor repayment for the Dwarf that had risked so much to protect us. 'First Father is in no condition to go anywhere,' he said.
Dentin turned to him. 'Then you, your brothers and I will carry him while your sisters help their mothers.’
‘Do not fret,’ said Castin. ‘I am content that the Empress means to make amends for Regent Canara's actions by honouring you before the rest of the Nobles. It's time to go.'
*****
It took a while to rouse Rafarin form his slumber room. After their mothers had dressed, Dentin and his sons carried a completely immobile family head out of the house after they dressed and shoed him. Few things in his life hit Etarin at the core but seeing his First Father so defeated… so weak, would be forever carved into his memory. Rafarin's only response to what was going on around him was when one of Etarin’s sisters held some water to his mouth. With the greatest reluctance, he took a small sip.
Through the streets of Mordabinn they walked. Despite their situation, Etarin couldn't help but take in the sights. His training demanded that he take in every detail, that a Warrior be aware of all his surroundings, that he might use them to his advantage. On his arrival to the great city, he had been too angry at being paraded through the public, the moans of despair from his family further pulling his concentration. One of the three black Warriors who met them at Castin's door led the way while the other two covered the rear. Had the situation been different, he'd have used their preparation time in the estate to plan their escape with his brothers. But honour demanded that he comply for Castin's sake. With every step they made in the direction of the Imperial palace, Etarin was regretting that decision. Honour was important, but the need to fight for himself and all he held dear burned in him.
They all kept walking until they reached a large platform. Etarin remembered this during the journey from the great courtyard to Castin's estate. Large vehicles made of metal and stone would speed towards them on tracks, collecting Dwarves on the platforms and taking them to somewhere else in the city. Using Earth Runes, they hovered above the ground, allowing transport above the streets.
Once they were on the move this time, Etarin looked down at everything, adding to the map in his head and using every opportunity not to look at the state that was his First Father. It was indeed a place of sheer wonder. For most of his life, he had pleaded with his family to bring him here. He had grown up hearing nothing but the stories of Mordabinn and its greatness. He loved his own city and his family's home, but the stories of the training dens and the Warriors they produce were unmatched. Legends were forged here that had inspired his dreams of being stronger, better than anyone back home.
He remembered the journey to Mordabinn had also been one of the few desires Torbin and he were united upon. Though his little brother had his reasons, wanting nothing more than to jam every tome he could get his hands on into his head. Etarin had once joked to his sibling that one day, someone would strike Torbin open from head to foot, and the only thing that would come out would be parchment. But any memory of Torbin made him hurt now. He pushed it aside and fought to maintain focus.
The vehicle finally stopped at another platform. Around half an hour journey time, Etarin guessed. The thing that first struck him was the fact there was no one else there. Not at the platform and not going all the way up the grand steps that led to the palace. What little he remembered of their first journey there was that it seemed like the whole city had come to see them all in disgrace. Etarin didn't like it. He knew enough about this place to know that it was always the hub of activity for the whole city. Whatever was going to happen here, it was going to be quick and quiet. He saw his Second Father looking around more hurriedly, thinking the same, panic in every glance. His other parents and siblings were too oblivious to care. But what really stood out for Etarin was Castin. The Lord was looking straight ahead, composed with no sign of tension that Etarin could detect. He knows, he thought. The only way he could account for Castin for being so calm was if the Lord was greatly confident in his ability to protect them all… or he was complicit in handing his family over to the beast that was the Empire. As they approached, the entrance to the palace opened. A very thin Lord, who Etarin was sure had never held a sword in his life, came to meet them. Castin kept them all walking until he came to an abrupt stop in the middle of the courtyard, nearly making everyone in the group crash into each other. The First Warriors behind the group pushed forward for them to continue, but Castin held his ground and kept everyone together. Before the warrior at the front could do anything about it, the thin Lord was upon them.
'Is this all of them Castin?'
The effect was immediate. Etarin wanted nothing more at that moment than to hit the smug little Noble in the face. He was pleased when Castin rounded on him, almost eclipsing him with his superior stature. 'That's Lord Castin to you, Lord Zentin.
Etarin saw Zentin's eye twitch at Castin's defiance, but he saw the little Lord was determined to savour this moment. 'The other Nobles and I just couldn't understand why you and your family would take in such scum.'
Etarin clenched his fists, but before he could do anything, Castin raised his voice. 'I would remind you that you are addressing two Noble families Lord Zentin. The Empress revoked the stripping of Rafarin's Nobility, as you well know. We are here at Her invitation.’
Zentin's face grew even smugger. 'Yes, a Noble title only five minutes old. Our families have descended from this great mountain since before the Great Departure. Still, I suppose going from being the guests of a Lord to that of the Empress is a step up.’
Etarin found himself leaning forward, only to be restrained by Dentin and his younger brother Varin. Zentin caught sight of the struggl
e and started to move closer to Etarin. That's right, he thought. Come closer so I can tear your spine out and beat you with it!'
'Is this another one of Rafarin's spawn?’ Zentin asked, glaring at the young Dwarf.
'It is, my Lord,' said Castin. 'You would do well not to antagonise them in their time of grief.'
But Zentin merely smirked. 'Yes… what a horrible thing to have happened. I heard, of course — such a tragedy. A Scholar's talent takes him to the Void itself, he makes an epic discovery, ascending him and his family to the height of society, only to get himself killed… by incompetence.’
SMASH!!!
Zentin was knocked back out the crowd. By Rafarin. He had not eaten for a long time, but the Dwarf managed to plough through his family, Castin and land a hard blow to Zentin's head in a second, sending him to the hard ground. The three First Warriors unsheathed their weapons and brought them to bear on the family. Etarin moved to stand in front of them when Castin held his hands up in the air, calling for peace. But Rafarin wasn't listening.
'I challenge you, you piece of troll shit! I challenge you to a Combat of Honour! My son was the smartest, wisest Dwarf The Great Rock ever made, I will not have his memory disgraced by SLIME!!!'
Zentin managed to stand, holding his face where Rafarin hand struck the blow and glared. 'I should have killed your arrogant son when I had the chance. He defied me and took my own son from me. But if your family haven't suffered enough, I'll be more than glad to-'
Zentin stopped shouting when the whole ground shook. Etarin looked around in shock for anything that could explain what was happening. The First Warriors all dropped to a defensive stance, Etarin’s mothers and Second Father all lost their balance and fell to the ground. The palace doors opened with a dozen more black Warriors pouring through them, looking for an enemy. Etarin was looking for one too, but before he knew what was happening, the ground behind him crumbled. The centre of the courtyard fell away, everyone in the back of the family group plunged below. Etarin looked down and saw them all, everyone but himself and his First Father and Castin had landed in a pit, covered in debris, and surrounded by the strangest looking Dwarves he’d ever seen. At first, he thought they were all clad head-to-foot in armour, but it looked to him more like rock. Etarin managed to glance a small tunnel leading out through the bottom of the pit and wondered how in Tridas the stangers had managed all of it. He turned to his First Father just in time to see Castin pull him from behind into the pit. Etarin made ready to follow them but saw at the corner of his eye that their armed escort had recovered and was moving in. He knew they wouldn’t get away in time. He spun around and met the closest black Warrior.
In a second he disarmed him quickly by kicking the sword from his grasp, catching it in mid-air. Etarin brought the blade down and cut through its owner. A second Warrior jumped over the corpse of his fellow and brought his sword in a fast swipe from the right. Etarin easily parried the attack by coming from his left, span on the spot, brought his sword back around and decapitated his foe. As the head rolled along the courtyard, Etarin looked back to see the fate of his family. Most of them were being thrown by the mysterious Dwarves through the small tunnelt, but two were restraining a frantic Rafarin who was screaming for his son to jump down to them. But before he could, four First Warriors grabbed Etarin from behind. He heard Zentin shouting close by.
‘After them, get them all!’
At his words, the Dwarves in the rock armour took Rafarin into the tunnel, but not before one of them broke off and slammed what Etarin could only describe as some sort of crystal into the ground. Light flashed from it just before the Dwarf disappeared and the ground shook once more. The tunnel disappeared as all the debris from the pit pulled itself back together. In nearly no time at all, the large hole in the courtyard was gone, the ground reformed as if nothing had happend.
Etarin sighed with relief before his captors turned him around on the spot. Zentin ran up to him, wielding a sword from a fallen First and ran it straight through Etarin. The young Dwarf felt blood cascading from his mouth, but he wasn’t going down easily. He brought his head up, determined to look his killer in the eye. Zentin looked to where the pit had been and then to the two Warriors Etarin had slain. As strength left his knees, the last thing Etarin was aware of was Zentin's voice next to his ear.
‘You are dead, scum. But I can still use you.’
Etarin’s eyes closed as he fell into the black.
CHAPTER 25
FIRE AND ICE
Torbin marched beside Dalara, doing his best to imitate the appearance of a First Battalion Warrior once again. For the most part, he thought he was doing a pretty good job. As he walked as the Professor's personal guard, the most trouble he got was the odd look every time he had to slouch in the armour. It was a lot heavier than what he was used to. They were made for Dwarves like Forin, built like small fortresses. They left the cabin half an hour before Dalara was due to be inspected when Soraba returned. Torbin's love had been busy. She managed to travel the entire facility without being stopped. He found Tenabin and conveyed Torbin's new plan. The guard returned to the Professor's cabin soon after while the information disseminated throughout the prison. Torbin hated the idea of hiding while his lover and Tenabin undertook such dangers, but there was no choice. When the time was right, they replaced all armour Runes and readied their weapons for war.
They found their way to the chamber entrance. It was guarded by a team of four Dwarves, two from the First and those of his own team. Their plan was clear. The three Dwarves walked up to the sentinels and Soraba spoke. 'We have orders to escort the Professor inside.'
The First standing guard immediately stepped aside in the presence of Canara's Second. The prison guards looked at each other, then to Soraba before giving him a long nod. They had received his message. As Torbin's company moved past the guards, one of them gave him a long look. But Torbin played his part and kept up the illusion of a First Warrior, looking straight ahead, focused on his duty.
As they boarded the tram, Torbin thought he couldn't blame his guards. The idea of what they were about to do would shock any Dwarf loyal to the Nations and the Great Rock. But there was no turning back now. However this was going to play out, it would all be over soon.
When the tram entered the chamber, Torbin felt his fake posture drop with the sight before him. Canara and a group of her Warriors surrounded the Griftin. Armed to the teeth, they were launching a massive assault on the creature, swords, axes and projectile weapons being spent by the second. And all in vain. From what Torbin could see, every weapon came within half a meter of the creature and stopped. It would have been comical if the brutality of Canara's assault could be ignored. The Griftin was clearly using Magic to halt their attacks. It lay down, its feathered head on its powerful paws, its eyes closed. Torbin didn't think it was asleep, but it showed no signs of caring about its would-be murderers. Forin was on his knees by Canara's side. At first, he thought the boy could easily have been asleep, but as Torbin entered, his head lifted to watch them. Torbin could tell that Forin knew his friend had entered the chamber. The boy had an almost unnatural way of seeing what most could not. He could tell he wanted to say something, but Torbin made a quick movement with his hand, letting Forin know not to do anything.
Hearing their approach, Canara turned around and saw Torbin’s company approach. As planned, she turned her attention to Dalara. He and Soraba were below being noticed. 'What are you doing here? You're supposed to researching the pictorials and keeping Tenabin in check.'
'I KNOW, Regent.'
The defiance in Dalara's statement gave Canara pause. She considered her Second for a moment. Finally, she answered in a calm, collected manner. 'Yes, I sometimes forget that you are an accomplished Scholar and capable of seeing the truth behind my actions. But we will discuss this further once you have explained what you are doing here with this guard and one of my First-'
'No. I won't. You will explain now, Regent, how y
ou justify the cold murder of those who are only guilty of doing their duty to their Empress and the Gods!'
Canara once again was silent, glaring at Dalara. Torbin could see the rage building within her. The Regent looked across to Soraba, considering her for a moment before looking around the chamber. 'I see I will have to move my plans forward faster than I thought.' The Regent then turned to Torbin. 'First, restrain this guard!'
Knowing he still had to play for time, Torbin did as ordered. He grasped Soraba's arms and kicked behind her knee, forcing her to the ground. Canara approached her would-be prisoner slowly. Before she came near, an explosion sounded through the tunnel. Ice fell in places from the chamber ceiling. No Dwarves were hurt, and those pieces that fell towards the Griftin simply bounced off its invisible Magic.
'What in Sapphire's name was that?' When no one answered the Regent, she grabbed here First Major by the chest plate, bringing his helmet next to hers. 'Take three Dwarves and find out what happened! I will deal with these.'
When she released him, the Major saluted Canara and indicated to three of his Warriors to follow him. When they disappeared with the tram, Canara drew her sword. She approached Soraba, still captive in Torbin’s grasp. 'Listen, all of you! What I do now, I do for the security of our people.'
She held her sword aloft, ready to cut Soraba down. There was no choice. Torbin yelled at the top of his voice. 'NOW!'
Soraba pulled and rolled fast to her left. Canara's sword still swung down and met not the armour of her victim, but a sword held by Torbin. Canara was in shock, but she held enough focus to parry Torbin's blade and fell back into a defensive position.