The Dwarves d-1

by Markus Heitz

  "You're right," she said. "I'll ask Andфkai to swap kingdoms and then we'll be a little closer."

  "I'm sure her subjects would welcome the change. The calm after the storm-isn't that what they say?"

  "Still waters run deep," she informed him with a playful sparkle in her gray-brown eyes. Kingdom of Gauragar, Girdlegard, Late Spring, 6234th Solar Cycle Tungdil's sharp dwarven vision soon adapted to the darkness. The walls around him had been hewn cleanly from the dark flesh of the mountain and polished to a sheen. Smooth surfaces were the hallmark of dwarven masonry; he couldn't imagine a human laborer going to such lengths.

  The chilling legend of Cloudpiercer had sounded convincing at the time, but he no longer gave it much credence. From the evidence around him, it seemed likely that the mountain had served as a dwelling, not a mine.

  Tungdil clambered up a short flight of steps and came to an open portcullis. Beyond the raised grating, a heavy oak door reinforced with metal hasps and steel plating stood ajar. He knew there would be no way out if the door slammed behind him.

  "Hello? Is that you, Master Gorйn? Is there anyone there?"

  For a while he listened to the dull echo of his shouts; then the deathly hush returned. He went in.

  "Master Gorйn, can you hear me?" he called. "My name is Tungdil. I'm here on an errand for Lot-Ionan." The last thing he needed was to be mistaken for an intruder. Hidden behind the door was a set of levers with which the portcullis could be raised or lowered. It made a dreadful racket, as he discovered by trying it out.

  "Sorry," he shouted, hurrying on. It was time he found Gorйn.

  The tunnel delved deeper and deeper inside the mountain. After a while Tungdil could almost convince himself that he had stumbled on a dwarven stronghold. Staircases and passageways wound into the core of the enduring rock and for the first time he had a clear idea of what it would be like to live with his kinsfolk in one of Girdlegard's ranges. At length he came to the kitchen, a large chamber neatly hollowed from the rock, equipped with stoves and kitchenware that had not been used for some time.

  "Master Gorйn?" Tungdil sat down, lowered his packs, and waited awhile. A terrible thought occurred to him. Who's to say that Gorйn isn't dead? Galvanized into action, he put aside his reticence and began to search the place for anything that might lead him to the wizard.

  He flung open one of the doors and strode along a corridor. It took him to another chamber of vast dimensions, at least two hundred paces long by forty paces wide and full of plants. The allotment had been laid out in accordance with horticultural lore, but the plot had been sorely neglected and was overgrown with weeds. Despite the musty air, a system of mirrors provided the plants with adequate light, while slits in the ceiling took care of the watering, allowing rain to seep through and plop to the earth in a steady stream of drops.

  Tungdil battled his way through the rampant vegetation, rejoined the corridor, and came to a study. The chaos inside was all too familiar: Every surface, including the floor, was littered with loose sheets of parchment, closely written manuscripts, and abandoned books.

  "Surely he can't have written all this?" he marveled aloud. There was enough material to fill a good-sized library. Gingerly he riffled through the papers, looking for clues.

  Most of the dusty tomes were written in a scholarly script known only to the magi and their senior famuli. He flicked through them, but their contents remained a mystery. What was Gorйn working on? Longevity? Perpetual health? Prosperity? Reminding himself that it was none of his business, he focused on the task in hand: reuniting the artifacts with their rightful owner.

  He continued the search, reaching behind a cabinet to pull out a bundle of letters. Two scholars had been in correspondence with Gorйn about the nature, form, and guises of demonic possession, including known instances of men being inhabited by other beings and whether it was possible to be controlled by a spirit.

  It seemed likely that one of the correspondents was a scholar of some distinction since his part in the discussion was written in scholarly script. The letters of the other, whom Tungdil judged to be a high-ranking famulus, were devoted to describing how an unnamed person had changed in character and appearance. Nothing in the correspondence gave him any indication as to Gorйn's whereabouts.

  The dwarf resumed his quest, searching the adjoining rooms and venturing farther and farther from the mountain's core as he rummaged through small laboratories, libraries whose contents had been partially cleared, and storerooms of potions and ingredients.

  He turned the situation over in his mind. Although Gorйn no longer seemed to be in residence, there was still the matter of the artifacts. Tungdil had promised Lot-Ionan that he would deliver them, so deliver them he would. A dwarf's word was binding. And until I find him, Jolosin can keep peeling potatoes…

  Tungdil's eye was caught by a series of inscriptions that were unmistakably dwarven in nature. A cold shiver ran down his spine as he read. Carved into the rock were tirades of terrible loathing and murderous hatred. Whoever had wielded the chisel was bent on heaping dire accusations and dreadful curses on four of the dwarven folks and their clans.

  Tungdil knew immediately what it meant: The mountain had once been home to Lorimbur's dwarves. Here in the human kingdom of Gauragar he had stumbled upon a chapter of dwarven history that was missing from most books.

  He remembered the runes at the entrance to the tunnel. Erected against the fourthlings, it fell against the fourthlings. So Lorimbur's dwarves had built a stronghold in the heart of Girdlegard. But for what purpose? Had they intended to wage war on the other folks? Assuming he had interpreted the inscription correctly, the thirdlings had been defeated. In any event, a curse had been placed on the Blacksaddle to ensure that the stronghold was never used again: Cursed by the fourthlings, then abandoned by all five.

  He could imagine the sequel. Gorйn must have learned of the maze of tunnels in the mountain and decided to make his home there. As a wizard, he commanded the necessary expertise to lift the dwarven curse and turn the stronghold into a refuge where he could study in peace. Built with blood, it was drenched in blood. A famulus would never allow himself to be intimidated by such threats.

  A sudden whisper caused the hairs on the back of his neck to stand on end. The walls were talking to him, muttering and whispering, animated by a ghostly presence that seemed to be closing in.

  You're imagining things, he told himself.

  There was a ringing and clattering of axes, chain mail jangled, and warriors shouted and wailed. The din grew louder and louder until a battle was raging around him, the shrieks of the maimed and wounded echoing intolerably through the rock.

  "No!" bellowed Tungdil. He pressed his hands to his ears. "Get away from me!" But the clamor only intensified, becoming fiercer and more menacing. At last he could stand it no longer and took to his heels. Nothing could keep him in the mountain: His only desire was to escape from the Blacksaddle and its ghosts.

  The whispers, screams, and crashing blades faded as he raced away.

  Tungdil was not the sort to scare easily, but his courage had never been put to such a test. He would sooner endure scorching sun or pouring rain than spend a night in this place. Now that he knew the mountain's frightful secret he could already imagine the ghosts of his ancestors crowding round his bed.

  He went back to scouring the tunnels and searched for hours without finding proof of Gorйn's fate. The only clues to his whereabouts were love poems he had written to a certain elven beauty and the name of a forest that was circled on various crumbling maps. Tungdil surmised therefore that Gorйn had moved to Greenglade.

  For the dwarf to get there, his legs would have to carry him an extra three hundred and fifty miles on a northwesterly bearing. Greenglade lay at the edge of the Eternal Forest in the elven kingdom of Вlandur. According to legend, it was a uniquely tranquil place where the trees blossomed continually, irrespective of the seasons.

  Tungdil mulled the matter over and
smiled. To think a wizard would leave his home for the sake of a pointy-eared mistress! For his part, he had never been especially fond of elves, and this new development, which served to prolong his adventure, did nothing to improve his opinion of their race.

  He was so wrapped up in his thoughts that he took a wrong turn and failed to find his way back to the kitchen, where he had hoped to rejoin the passageway that led to the door. The diversion took him through yet more of the thirdlings' halls. It was obvious that the masons had intended the stronghold to make a stately impression, but the result was disappointing. Some of the galleries were lopsided, the steps were all shapes and sizes, and the intervals between them didn't match. The curse of Vraccas had robbed Lorimbur's folk of the most elementary of dwarven skills.

  At length he came to a solid stone wall, carved with an arch of voussoirs. Tungdil read out the runes on the keystone, conjuring a chink in the otherwise featureless rock. A door took shape, grinding against the floor as it opened to let him pass. No sooner had he stepped out of the tunnel than the door rolled back behind him. Try as he might he failed to discover any cracks, fissures, or other signs of a hidden opening. In this at least the thirdlings had shown some skill.

  The short walk through the dense pine forest helped his eyes to adjust to the light and by the time he was marching along the road to Greenglade the sun scarcely bothered him at all.

  For once Tungdil appreciated the buzzing insects, sweet-smelling grasses, and sunshine: Anything was better than the Blacksaddle.

  V

  Enchanted Realm of Lios Nudin, Girdlegard, Late Spring, 6234th Solar Cycle That evening the six magi assembled in the conference chamber to prepare for the ritual.

  First they took away the chairs, leaving the malachite table at the center of the room. Then they traced a large white ring on the marble floor around it and filled the circle with colored chalk marks. The symbols and runes would serve to bind the magic energy conjured by their invocation and stop it from dispersing before it could be used. From there they would channel it into the malachite table.

  It took hours to complete the preparations. Not a word was spoken, for the work demanded absolute concentration and an incorrectly drawn symbol would oblige them to begin the process all over again.

  Lot-Ionan was the first to finish. Stepping back, he gazed at the malachite table, recalling its curious past. He had happened upon it fortuitously in a shop selling odds and ends. The dark green stone had intrigued him and on further investigation he discovered that the mine from which it was quarried was located on the fringes of a force field. His experiments had confirmed the stone's special properties: Magic could be stored in the malachite and set free upon command. In the following cycles, Lot-Ionan's discovery had saved Girdlegard several times over, for without the table to help them harness and channel energy, the magi would never have been able to hold back the Perished Land. Generations of wizards had turned the power of malachite to their advantage; now the council would draw on it again.

  Turgur straightened up and looked at the circle in satisfaction. He shot a glance at Nudin. "He's up to something," he said in a low voice to Lot-Ionan. "Keep an eye on him."

  "On Nudin?" Lot-Ionan asked, astonished. "Whatever for?"

  Just then Nudin rose to his feet and glanced in their direction. A look of suspicion crossed his swollen features when he saw the whispering men.

  "I can't explain now. I'll tell you later," Turgur promised. "You'll second me, won't you?"

  "Second you?" The white-bearded magus had spent his life studying spells and conjurations and was baffled by Turgur's hush-hush tone.

  Before he could probe any further, Maira summoned them to their places. The moon and the stars were shining brightly as the six magi stepped into the circle. It was time for the ceremony to begin. The copper dome parted, sliding back to unite the wizards with the firmament above.

  Closing their eyes, they held their arms horizontally and began the incantation that would conjure the energy.

  Each spoke according to his or her nature: Maira singing, Andфkai hissing and spitting, and Sabora whispering, while Turgur enunciated his words with a pride befitting his character. Their voices combined in a complex chant beseeching and commanding the magic to come forth.

  Only Nudin and Lot-Ionan spoke as one person, reciting their formulae ceremoniously, as if respectfully addressing a king.

  Lot-Ionan had not forgotten Turgur's strange whisperings. He stole a glance at Nudin through half-closed eyes and was relieved to see that there was nothing the least bit unusual about his behavior.

  One by one the symbols surrounding Maira the Life-Preserver lit up, sheathing her in an iridescent column of light that reached high into the dark night sky. The maga of Oremaira was ready.

  The glow surged around the circle, bathing each of the wizards in light. By now the citizens of Porista would be staring at the palace, transfixed by the extraordinary sight.

  So intense was the flow of magic that the chamber crackled with energy, purple bolts of lightning scudding between the columns.

  Maira laid her hands on the malachite table and the others followed suit. Lot-Ionan noticed that Turgur, eyes fixed on Nudin, seemed incredibly tense.

  The energy coursed through the magi and flowed into the malachite, the dark green crystal pulsing with light. The six waited until the glow had intensified, then lifted their hands from the cool surface and stepped away.

  "Go forth!" commanded Maira. "Go forth and strengthen the unseen girdle protecting our lands!" She recited the formula, and the magic in the malachite did her bidding, shooting from the center of the table in a dazzling blaze of white light.

  As it streamed upward, Nudin seized his staff and thrust its tip into the flow. The onyx absorbed the light. A black bolt sped from the jewel, striking Nudin. As the energy discharged into his body, the wizard writhed and screamed in pain.

  "The blackguard has betrayed us!" Turgur raised his arm, intending to dash the onyx from Nudin's staff, but an invisible shield protected the jewel.

  As the last of the magic flowed into the onyx, the malachite grew dull and the light of the circle was extinguished. The ceremony was over: The energy had been harnessed and released. Nudin staggered back in exhaustion and leaned against a marble column for support.

  Lot-Ionan turned to Turgur for guidance. The fair-faced magus had obviously suspected that something was awry. "He betrayed us!" Turgur raged furiously. "Nudin betrayed us to the Perished Land. If only I'd seen it sooner."

  "Explain yourself, Nudin!" stormed Andфkai, striding purposefully toward him. She gripped him firmly by the shoulders and for a moment it seemed as though she might strike.

  He beat her to it.

  His fist raced toward her chin with such speed that she had no opportunity to defend herself. Andфkai the Tempestuous flew several paces through the air and slammed down on the malachite table. She lay motionless.

  "You'd better tell us what you've done," Lot-Ionan commanded sharply.

  Nudin drew himself up and smoothed his dark robes. "Be quiet, you old fool," he retorted, directing his onyx-tipped staff at Lot-Ionan's chest.

  The four magi reacted immediately, steeling themselves to deflect a magic strike. Whatever was ailing Nudin had clearly affected his brain. Madness was not uncommon among wizards.

  "Tell us what you've done," Sabora urged him. "This isn't about power, is it, Nudin? Was this meeting a ploy to increase your own strength? If Turgur's right, you're more foolish than I thought." She looked to the others for support. "Lay down your staff before it's too late."

  "It's too late already," he informed her. "You made your choice. For hundreds of cycles you've been fighting it, when all you had to do was listen. Much of what it says is true."

  "'It'?" Maira queried, horrified. "You don't mean the Perished Land? Are you saying you talked to it?"

  "I learned from it," he corrected her. "I can't protect Girdlegard without changing it first. It's up to you
whether you decide to help me."

  Lot-Ionan reached for his staff. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing to consider. "Your actions today have turned five friends against you," he said sadly. "Your thirst for knowledge and power has led you astray. You should never have listened to the voice of destruction."

  "You are wrong to call it that." Even as Nudin began to speak, his left eye and his nostrils dribbled blood, leaving thin crimson streaks on his doughy face. He faltered.

  "Can't you see what it's doing to you?" Maira said gently. "You still have the power to renounce it, Nudin."

  "N-no," he stammered, agitated. "No, never! It knows more than all my books put together, more than all the magi and scholars combined." His voice took on a hysterical edge. "It's what I dreamed of. Don't you see? There's no choice."

  "Only because you agreed to be a part of it. And what did the Perished Land demand in return for this wonderful knowledge? All Girdlegard and its inhabitants!" Turgur laughed scornfully. "You strike a poor bargain, my friend."

  "None of us can help you," Sabora whispered. She shook her silvery head. "Nudin, how could you?"

  "You've got it all wrong," he protested, disappointed. "It wants to help us; it wants to protect us from harm."

  "Protect us?" Maira signaled to the others. "No, Nudin, there is nothing more harmful than the Perished Land. We must fight it." She took a deep breath. "And we must fight you too."

  "You fools! Do you think you can hurt my friend?" Nudin dropped his voice to an unintelligible whisper and smote his staff against the floor. The marble cracked, a deep fracture ripping through the stone and channeling in the direction of the chalk circle. A heartbeat later it reached the table.

  The malachite disintegrated like rock candy in hot tea, crumbling into a thousand pieces. Andфkai, whose motionless body was lying on the tabletop, landed heavily on the flagstones. Green shards rained around her, tinkling on the floor, but still she made no sound.