by Clark Graham
They only had to travel the distance between the Lost City trail and the bypass trail, so by midday, they were at the entrance of the bypass trail. The armies stopped and then the messenger took Sarchise and the commanders of the three armies to show them the trail to the entrance of the enemy camp.
"This is it, my Prince," the messenger said. The trail was thin and would only let the Dwarf army pass in single file.
"Is there another entrance, maybe a wider one?" asked Darnien.
"I have been all over looking for another entrance. There is none. The Gremlins come in and out of this one," the messenger reported.
"It's a trap," Sarchise said at length. "The only way a small army can defeat a large army is to reduce the number of those that can attack you at once. If we go at them one at a time then we lose."
"Unless you go at them very fast," Alidia said. "They do not expect to have Valkyrie warriors attacking them. We can ride and take the trail before they can react, and then your troops can rush down the trail after us."
Sarchise thought for a moment then said, "It is a good plan."
The commanders made their way back to where the armies were and formed them up for the attack. The Valkyrie in front followed by Oswin's Dwarves. Darnien’s men formed up behind them. Sarchise went and stood next to Oswin. At his signal the Valkyrie charged down the trail for full gallop.
Two Gremlins ventured their heads out from the forest wall to see what the strange rumbling noise was. They were soon decapitated as the Valkyrie thundered past. So fast was the charge of the Valkyrie, that the Gremlin camp had no time to form ranks or fight back.
Sarchise and the Dwarves were at a full run down the trail. Sarchise was faster than the Dwarves. When he first made it through the trail to the clearing around the Gremlin camp, he was alone. The Valkyrie were causing a lot of havoc in the camp, but one of the men commanding the Gremlin shot an arrow and hit Alidia. She fell, but the other Valkyrie formed a circle around her, one of them dismounted and dragged her to the edge of the woods, where they could protect her better.
By this time the Gremlins had started to react to the situation and attack, urged on by their commanders. A group of them were going after the Valkyrie. Some saw Sarchise and started in his direction, but before they got to him the Dwarves started arriving. First to come crashing into the clearing was Oswin. They had about ten more Dwarves arrive when the Gremlins attacked. It was a close thing at first, but when more and more Dwarves arrived, Sarchise and his men were able to drive the Gremlins away from the trail entrance.
With more strength arriving all the time, Sarchise took about fifty Dwarves and made his way to rescue the hard pressed Valkyrie. The Gremlins had charged the horse warriors three times. They had managed to stand their ground, but not without casualties. Two more of the Valkyrie lay wounded in their defensive circle.
The Gremlins were forming for another charge on the Valkyrie. The arrival of Sarchise's Dwarves disrupted the attack and sent the enemy fleeing. The Gremlins were now trapped. The trail was controlled by the Dwarves and with more and more Dwarves arriving all the time. The Gremlins were quickly outnumbered. Their Human commanders were ordering them to attack, but many of the Gremlins were trying to climb up the trees to escape. Dwarf arrows soon ended this attempt, and the remaining Gremlins tried to fight their way through to the trail, and freedom. This attempt was stopped by Dwarf battleaxes and swords.
Soon the rest of the Gremlins were trapped against the dense border of the forest and mowed down by the Dwarves. The Gremlin's Human commanders were the only ones left alive. Sarchise had them bound and marched out of the clearing.
When Sarchise went over to the Valkyrie, he saw that they were giving Alidia water. She still had the arrow in her and was in a lot of pain.
"It is bad luck to be the first casualty," she said as Sarchise walked up.
"It's bad luck to be a casualty, period," he responded. She tried to laugh, but just winced in pain. "I have a healer on the way over to help you."
"I do not like the mud packs of the Dwarf healers," she said defiantly.
"We have Elf medicine too, if you would rather have that?"
She looked at Sarchise, "Probably designed to turn me into a frog. You know how much the Elves love the Valkyrie. I will take the mudpack."
"As you wish," said Sarchise.
"I have one dead, and most of the rest of us are wounded. Most of them have slight wounds, cuts and bruises, but I will need help for Trina here also, she has a nasty gash on her side," Alidia reported.
"Of course, the healer will take care of all of you," Sarchise assured them. "They will sing of your bravery around the bonfires of the great halls of the Dwarves for generations to come."
Alidia smiled, "One can be given no greater honor."
When Sarchise looked at the dead Valkyrie, he noticed that she was barely a woman. She was beautiful and strong. Her long black hair was braided into a ponytail. He felt a twinge of guilt. It was his willingness to let the Valkyrie lead the charge that had been the cause of her death.
He knew he had to keep his emotions in check, so he went to check on the Dwarf wounded. Oswin was over there too. Oswin's tunic was stained with the green blood of the Gremlins.
Oswin smiled when Sarchise walked up, "A great and glorious victory! Now I will have to write yet another song about you."
"No, my friend, any songs of this battle will be about the Valkyrie," Sarchise responded.
"Of course, they will get songs too," Oswin replied.
"What are the casualties?" Sarchise asked.
"Not bad, fifteen killed, twenty two wounded. The healers have already set to work. We have hundreds of Gremlin dead in exchange."
Darnien came up, "My warriors and I only got here at the tail end of the battle, but we helped finish off the enemy. One of the Humans captured is Timmion, the one that found in the Westwood, and the same one that led us to the Gremlin camp.”
Bad Tidings from the Mountains of Iron
Sarchise had the Gremlins piled up and burned in the middle of the clearing. The Humans he had bound and brought out of the clearing, and out onto the plains. The wounded had to be carried out of the clearing to the head of the trail and put in carts, as the carts would not fit down the trail to the clearing. Alidia was laid down in the cart and smiled at Sarchise as she was wheeled away. The arrow had been pulled out and the mud pack applied.
Sarchise was just about to decide what to do with the Humans when Fawn rode up. She reported, "Ammlee is very ill, you must come with me back to the Mountains."
Without hesitation,
Sarchise climbed upon her horse and off they rode, back to the Mountains of Iron. They only stopped for quick meals and rode day and night. The plains of Zor spread out before them as they rode, and off to the east were the mountains looming majestic. They grew in size as the horses hooves brought them closer. Soon they were before the gate which swung open at their approach.
Sarchise got off the back and was about to run up to his living quarters, but King Cazz came running down when the messenger from the gates told him that Sarchise and Fawn had arrived.
"Sarchise, welcome home, your sons are doing well," The King said.
"Sons?"" Sarchise was very confused.
"Yes, twin boys."
"Where is Ammlee?" Sarchise asked.
"She's down with the healer," King Cazz told him.
Sarchise ran down to the healer's room. He rushed in but the healer stopped him. "She is sleeping. Her condition is grave. There is nothing we can do for her. She has been told, and will face the end with bravery, like the Dwarf she is."
""What is the matter with her?" Sarchise asked.
"She bleeds from the inside. We have no way of stopping it. The babies were too large, or her previous wound had not healed properly, or a combination of both, I do not know. She has only a few days left," reported the healer.
"Sarchise, Sarchise, are you here?" Ammlee's weak voice came fro
m the other room.
He rushed in and sat by her, wrapping her up in his arms.
"Sarchise, have you seen them? they are beautiful sons, there are two of them. They are strong and healthy," she said smiling up at him.
"I came straight to you, I have not seen them yet," he admitted. She looked pale and drawn. She had always been so strong; it pained him to see her this way.
She looked at the healer who had come around the corner, "Please bring my sons, their father wants to see them."
The healer nodded and then walked out of the room. Sarchise just held her without saying anything. A while later, two Dwarf maidens came in bearing the babies.
The two boys were not identical. One had the sandy brown hair of his father; it was short hair and barely there at all. The shorter one took after his mother with long dark brown, coarse hair. Sarchise sat up in the bed and held both of his sons.
Ammlee looked at her family and smiled. "My life is now complete."
Sarchise held back the tears; he thought that the Dwarves might think he was weak if he cried.
"The King gave us a nurse maid to care for the babies, but the boys eat too much, so he has given us two," she said pointing to the women the brought the babies down, "This is Lessla and Shira."
The two nurse maids bowed deep to Sarchise.
Sarchise held his little sons, one in each arm. He looked at each in turn; they were just small. He could feel their warmth. But holding them did not ease the pain in his heart.
"I have named our sons Ramus, after your grandfather and Togeri, after mine," Ammlee said.
Sarchise smiled at her. This should have been the moment of his greatest joy, but it was a moment of his deepest pain.
" I don't want to stay here anymore. I want to sleep in my own bed," Ammlee said at length.
Against the wishes of the healer he took Ammlee back to their living quarters, followed by the nursemaids and the twins. He wanted her to live out her final days in peace and comfort. He would hold her most of the day, and then he would hold the boys. She grew weaker and weaker and would sleep longer and longer. One day she just didn't wake up.
They laid her in a place of honor, among the Kings, Queens, Princes and Princesses of old. Sarchise's heart was broken; he spent his days with his sons and didn't come out of his living quarters. The servants brought in food. They and the nurse maids were the only ones he let in.
One day Hemlot came calling. Sarchise hugged him and then let him in.
"Welcome my old friend," Sarchise said.
"I would not have troubled you in your grief, but there is a large army of men outside the gate, and they are asking to talk to you," Hemlot said.
Sarchise was upset, "Who are they?"
"It is King Mortimur and about a thousand men. King Cazz does not know if they are hostile or not."
"Very well, I will come down," Sarchise said and then kissed each of his sleeping sons in turn.
Hemlot and Sarchise came down from the upper rooms and walked out the front gate. "There has never been a war between Human and Dwarf, I will not start one today," Sarchise promised Hemlot.
The Dwarves were ready for battle. The ramparts were manned with bowmen, the army was ready to respond and was standing in ranks behind the gates. In the watchtower, King Cazz nervously eyed the army before him.
Sarchise and Hemlot walked boldly across to the pavilion of King Mortimur. The King came out as they approached, "Sarchise, so we meet again."
Sarchise and Hemlot bowed, "How may we be of service?" Sarchise asked.
The King smiled, "I should not have come unannounced. I fear lest I have upset the Dwarves. I have come for the men that you hold in your dungeon. The pretend King Gregor has been overthrown, along with his friends. I now want to collect all the conspirators and march them back to the Kingdom of Ril, where they all will have a fair and just trail, and then be beheaded."
Sarchise turned to Hemlot, "The men that we captured in the Westwood, are they in our dungeon?"
"Yes, you left without telling Oswin what do to with the prisoners, so he brought them to the mountain and left them in the dungeon. They have been there ever since."
Sarchise turned back to King Mortimur, "You shall have the men as you wish."
"I have one more small request, if I may ask it?" The King said, "I have heard of the hospitality of the Dwarves and singing around the bonfire. I have always wanted to experience if for myself."
"You are your top commanders will be our guests for a wondrous feast tonight, the like of which has never been seen in the world of men. As for myself, I will not be joining you, I am still grieving the death of my wife."
"I thank you for your invitation. I will tell my commanders and then join your King in your great halls." King Mortimur said.
Sarchise and Hemlot both bowed and then made their way back to the gates, "Tell King Cazz that he has guests and not the kind that batter down the walls," Sarchise said with a smile.
"He will be greatly relieved," commented Hemlot.
The Feast for King Mortimur
Sarchise made his way back up to his quarters, but soon had another visitor. King Cazz stood in front of the doorway, "You must help me at the feast tonight, forI do not know how to talk to these Humans. It has been long enough. We need you among us. Ammlee would have wanted it this way."
Sarchise sighed, and then looked back at his sleeping sons. Lessla came around the corner and said, "Go, your sons will be fine. Shira and I will look after them."
Sarchise allowed himself to be led down to the great hall where the fires pit was lit. King Mortimur and his commanders sat at the large guest table. The servers started bringing out all sorts of different breads and cheeses and placing them baskets on the tables in front of the plates and mugs.
King Mortimur had a large smile on his face, like a child who was about to be given candy for the first time. The fire was lit, the ale poured and all sorts of different meats were place on the dishes, and then the feast began.
There were the hails and the drinking after the dinner had been eaten. At first the Humans were not sure what do to, but were soon draining their mugs like everyone else in the room. When the songs began, Sarchise was alright, until the one about Ammlee and her twins was played. It was in old Dwarfish, so Sarchise didn't get all the words, but it was sad, and made him melancholy, so he excused himself, and left the feast.
When he arrived back at his living quarters, Lessla was surprised to see him, "Is the feast over already?" she asked.
"No, they sang a song about Ammlee, so I left. It made me sad."
Lessla knew it was not her place to say anything but she did anyway, "Ammlee loved the feasts and she loved being married to you. She would be saddened to see you in this state for this long. It is time you started living again. Go back down to the feast and be the Sarchise that she married." Lessla had her hands on her hips by this time.
Sarchise just stood and stared at her. 'She has always been so pleasant.' he thought to himself. Then he realized that she was right, so he made his way back to the feast. When he entered back into the hall a call of "Hail, Sarchise," went up and everyone in the room drained their mug of ale.
It went this way for another couple of hours. When the feast was dying down, Sarchise again made his way back up to his quarters. His boys were both awake, one was getting fed, and the other was on a blanket on the floor, so he picked him up and held him.
Soon both son and father were fast asleep. Shira took the boy from Sarchise's arms and laid him back in the cradle.
In the morning, Sarchise with his pounding head, made his way back downstairs. One of the cooks had come up with a drink that made his hangover ease.
Hemlot came up to him. "The Humans are threatening to attack unless we give them their King back."
Sarchise focused on him for a minute. His senses were not altogether back yet, "Are we holding the King hostage?"
"No," Hemlot said and then led Sarchise to the great
hall. King Mortimur and his commanders were still there. The king was still sitting on the bench, but the rest of him was spread out across the table fast asleep. His ale mug was still in his hand. The others were in similar states with two spread across the table like their King, one was lying on the bench and another was lying under the bench on the floor.
"I see, this is going to be a problem," Sarchise said, then after thinking about it for a while, "Bring that messenger here."
When the Human messenger came into the great hall and saw his King and commanders he asked, "Are they dead?"
"No, but they are going to wish they were when they wake up," Sarchise answered. "Dwarf ale is stronger than any spirits known to man, and they drank a lot of it. You had better get some stretchers up here to cart them off. I will have the prisoners sent up from the dungeon for you to take also."
The messenger hurried off. Sarchise then made his way up to the old watch post to watch the on goings. The Humans carried their King and his commanders out on stretchers, followed by a group of men in shackles. Sarchise thought to himself, 'Be careful what you wish for, King Mortimur.'
From his vantage point, Sarchise could watch all the activities of the Human army. It was late afternoon before he saw the King, or any of his commanders come out of their pavilions.
The Human army seemed in no hurry to move and Sarchise supposed that they were going to stay yet another night. With the King and his commanders each supporting hangovers, there was no one giving the orders to move out. It was early the next morning before they packed up the pavilions and tents and moved on.
A few days later, Sarchise was again up in the post overlooking the plains of Zor. He was holding Ramus, his son, and enjoying the fresh air.
While watching the looking out over the plains, Sarchise heard footsteps behind him coming up the passageway to the old guard post. He expected that one of the nursemaids was bringing the other one of his sons up, but when he turned to look, he saw King Cazz and Hemlot were walking up to see him.