Her companions repeated, “All hail King Ironfaust!”
Harran looked behind him for a moment but saw no one. He looked at Olag, who returned the gaze with wide eyes.
“I think they’re hailing you,” said Olag quietly.
Harran looked down at himself as he realized too late his mistake. He had not removed Ironfaust’s chain mail and now the soldiers in front of him thought he was Ironfaust! “Oh, no!” he groaned.
As word trickled down to the forces below a chant could be heard from the assembled dwarves. “Ironfaust! Ironfaust! Ironfaust!”
“Ah - I’m not -,” began Harran too feebly to be heard.
“We could use the rings and get out of here,” suggested Olag, close to Harran’s ear.
“And how would the dwarves react when their king disappears right in front of their eyes,” said Zylor. “I’m sure history would record that event.”
Harran clenched his jaw as he spoke. “Zylor’s right. I can’t just vanish right now. If the real Ironfaust shows up, I can find an opening and try the ring, but not right now.”
“What are we going to do?” asked Olag.
As if in response, the female lieutenant approached. She had to yell to be heard above the chanting, which continued to cascade down the mountainside. “What are your orders, your majesty?”
Harran looked into the lieutenant’s eyes and had to admire her beauty, which was highlighted in her sharp looking uniform. “What is the scouting report?”
The lieutenant nodded and beckoned a young scout forward. “Report what you told me, master scout.”
The scout saluted nervously. “Your- your majesty! The northern human guard posts have been overrun and the Velden Mine is under attack. By now it may already have fallen. The ogres have amassed into one large fighting group and are in league with a number of lizardmages. They are moving south next in order to attack the human settlements. The humans have most of their forces to the west to deal with the warlock. There is no way they can hold off the ogres for long, even if they have more mages to aid them.”
“We must move at once,” urged the lieutenant. “If we wait too long, we may be too late. Right now our forces have speed on our side. If we send the cavalry in first, they might slow the advance until the bulk of our forces arrive. This will put a significant strain on our cavalry, but it is the only way to slow the ogres down.”
“Don’t forget the minotaurs,” whispered Olag to Harran.
Harran looked to the east where the sky was beginning to lighten. The mountains he was used to calling home did not exist yet, but even the low-level range he had seen the last time he was here had changed. Some parts of it had risen substantially, while others had fallen. The valleys were sure to contain large forces of minotaurs who were itching to get involved in the battle. If they got involved, even the legions of dwarves below were no match for the combined forces of ogres and minotaurs. If Harran led the charge to aid the humans, he would be leading thousands of dwarves to their doom.
This thought was not lost on Zylor. He placed a hand on Harran’s shoulder. “I have an idea.”
“Sir?” said the lieutenant. She had heard and assumed it was Harran who spoke.
“I have an idea,” said Harran, “but let me converse with my advisor first.” He pulled Olag aside where they wouldn’t be overheard.
“What’s your idea, Zylor?” asked Harran as he looked at Olag.
“I can’t stop the minotaurs from getting involved,” said Zylor, “but I can redirect their attention. I’ll have to go and have a chat with the minotaur advance guard to do that. You’ll have to go on without me. I can meet up with you later. If not, use the ring to get back to Kazin. We’re clear of the mountains now so the magic ought to work. You just do what you have to do. The minotaurs will not be attacking the dwarves here.”
Harran sighed. “Very well. Good luck, Zylor.”
A hand momentarily touched the dwarf’s shoulder and then the minotaur was gone.
Harran grasped Olag by the shoulders. “Well said.” He turned to the lieutenant and spoke loudly. “We ride at once!”
The lieutenant nodded and proceeded to give orders to get the army underway. Before she left, she pulled an object out of her pouch and handed it to Harran.
He looked down at it as it was placed into his hands. It was a dragon conch. Harran’s eyes widened at the sight of the object. A dragon conch was a seashell that had magical properties that benefitted the dwarves in a myriad of ways. When used in battle, it had the power to increase the courage of the dwarves on the battlefield and rally them to the one who blew on it. It also had the added effect of increasing the dwarves’ immunity to magical attack. It was a revered artifact and was one of their most precious relics. “How - where did you get this?” asked Harran.
The lieutenant smiled. “It has been in the army’s possession for many years. Didn’t you know about it?”
Harran nodded. “Of course,” he lied. “I just forgot. Excellent. We will make use of it soon.”
The lieutenant left to get the troops moving.
Harran looked at the forces gathered below. “How could so many dwarves have been prepared for this so soon? We only just left the castle where Ironfaust was starting his revolt. Did these dwarves know what was going to happen?”
Olag looked at Harran. “You forget, Harran, that we were delayed several times by cave-ins. We spent almost two days just trying to get back to our route. There were undoubtedly many other routes to this location that were not as affected by the earthquakes. Another thing you forget is that news travels fast. Most of the dwarves you see here were probably closer to the mountain entrance than we were. There were many tunnels branching off to different communities well before the city with the castle. I suspect there will be many dwarves coming here after we are gone, including King Ironfaust himself.”
Harran nodded. “You’re right, Olag. My sense of timing is off.” He shook his head and looked down at himself again. “I told you this chainmail was going to get me into trouble. If only I had removed it, I wouldn’t be in this mess right now.”
“I’m thinking it’s fortuitous,” argued Olag. “If Ironfaust is delayed too long, the humans will be overrun and history will be changed. Your error seems to be very timely indeed.”
Harran turned to the pleasant looking dwarf beside him. “Are you saying that we are supposed to be doing this?”
Olag smiled a wicked grin. “It feels right, doesn’t it?”
An earthquake brought them back to the matter at hand. The lieutenant came running up to them. “Your horses are ready!”
Harran checked to see that his ice axe was secure in its sheath and nodded. “Lead the way!”
* * * * *
Scaling the wall and sprinting past security was easy for the invisible minotaur. He was delayed more by the navigation down the steep mountain face. His hand and footholds were not the greatest, being wet from the rain. An earthquake made his task more difficult. It caused him to lose his grip and slide down the mountainside in a shower of pebbles and rocks. Fortunately, the recent earthquakes made this a common sight along the mountainside and no one paid any heed to it.
The tumble to the bottom was rough but quick, and Zylor immediately got to his feet and dusted himself off. Then he got his bearings and turned to go east. Being cramped and plodding along in the tunnels was not his thing. Instead he yearned to run and stretch his muscles. So, after navigating around some dwarven barricades, he broke into a run. The rain splashed against his face and the wind blew against his body and it felt good. Suppressing a howl of glee, Zylor picked up speed and ran as fast as he could. He knew he could keep this pace for a few hours. His body was well toned and a good workout was long overdue. If only he could use his fighting skills.
* * * * *
General Hyrock stood and stretched his aching
limbs as he sent off the last detail of guards to their assigned areas of the fortifications. He was a burly dwarf with dark, curly hair and a well-trimmed mustache that was the envy of those who served under him. He had come back on duty as part of his rotation just as the new king led the bulk of the army south to the aid of the humans. His lieutenant was in charge prior to that and, as expected, things had gotten out of hand with the arrival of thousands of dwarven troops. It took a full hour and a half to reorganize his guards so they would be ready should the minotaurs or ogres take it upon themselves to attack. It wouldn’t do to have disorganized dwarves defending their homes while the bulk of the army was out on a mission. His fortifications could potentially be the last stand for the entire dwarven realm. If his fortifications were breached, there was no one left to defend their realm from attack, or worse, looting.
Hyrock’s lieutenant came up to him to inform him of new arrivals at the tunnel entrance. The lieutenant was a fairly young dwarf, as dwarves go, but his wrinkled face belied his age. The stress of having a command at such a young age had taken its toll.
Hyrock looked at his lieutenant as he spoke and noticed a look of uncertainty in his eyes. “You know what to do,” said Hyrock. “Send the new arrivals south to join the army.”
“But - I think you had better come and see these dwarves for yourself,” said the lieutenant timidly. “There’s - a problem. A big problem.”
Hyrock sighed. “Alright. Lead the way, Sid.”
The lieutenant led his superior officer to the cave entrance where a number of dwarves milled about in agitation. Right away Hyrock recognized the attire of the dwarves who stood there. It was a number of the king’s personal guards.
Hyrock strode up to them and saluted. “Ah, gentlemen! I see you have found a route to the entrance! If you seek your new king, he has already left with the entire army. You will have to make haste to catch up with him.”
A fairly large dwarf spun on him. He had fire in his eyes and his visage was one of wrath. “What?! What king?! I am the new king!” he hollered, pointing to himself. “I am King Ironfaust! Don’t tell me Hammarschist was behind this!”
The hairs on the back of Hyrock’s neck stood on end. He turned to his lieutenant. “Sid! What is he talking about?!”
Sid gulped. “Um, Sir, it wasn’t Hammarschist - I’ve seen him before. It was another dwarf. He wore - he wore the same chainmail that he is wearing!” He pointed to Ironfaust.
Hyrock looked at Ironfaust, then back at Sid. “Are you sure?”
Sid nodded. “I’m sure of it. The chainmail was identical.”
“How can that be?!” demanded Ironfaust. “My chainmail was specially crafted for me and me alone!”
Hyrock scratched his head. “Are you saying that an imposter is in charge of the army?”
“It must be!” shrieked Ironfaust. “No sooner have I become king when my authority has already been usurped! How could you allow this to happen?!”
Hyrock straightened. “Neither I nor my lieutenant can be blamed for this error! Neither one of us has ever seen you before.”
“When the new king - I mean imposter - showed up,” stammered Sid, “the army’s lieutenants made the assumption that he was the new king, so I had no reason to question whether he was the one. He spoke to his advisor for a moment and then proceeded to give orders just like a king would. He had the whole army organized so efficiently that none of us questioned it.”
“He had an advisor?” asked Ironfaust. He shook his head. “No matter. We’ll get to the bottom of it. Give me your fastest horses. I will go after them.”
“Unfortunately that won’t be possible,” said Hyrock.
Ironfaust turned on him. “What do you mean?”
Hyrock pointed to the stables at the base of the mountain. “All of the horses we had have been taken for the war. Any late soldiers have been sent to help the army on foot.”
Ironfaust turned and cursed for a good thirty seconds. “I just don’t believe this!” he wailed. He held his hands up to the sky. “Why me?”
“No point complaining,” grumbled one of Ironfaust’s entourage. He was also dressed in personal guard attire. “You wanted to attack the ogres right away anyway. We’d better get going if we want to make sure the army is doing what they should be.”
Ironfaust finally calmed down. He stomped his foot in frustration. “You’re right. Standing here accomplishes nothing.” He turned to Hyrock. “We’ll talk about this later. There are going to be some changes to the way we do things around here. Hold firm until we return.”
Hyrock nodded and saluted. “That is my intention, Sir!”
Ironfaust and his group hoisted their flag and headed for the exit, joined by a small group of soldiers who had just appeared at the cave entrance.
As he left the fortified area, Hyrock spoke to his lieutenant without looking at him. “If that’s the real Ironfaust, I’m glad he has to walk. It’ll be good for him to get some exercise.”
Sid chuckled.
* * * * *
The commander lowered his looking glass. It was a similar unit to the ones the minotaur fleet used aboard their ships. “Yes,” he said slowly. “The dwarves haven’t got a very substantial force protecting their entrance.”
Another minotaur, a lieutenant, grinned. “They underestimate us. Pity. I was looking for more of a fight.”
“I’d say there’s something more to this picture,” said another lieutenant. He was the shortest of the three. He lowered his own looking glass and pointed to the southwest. “Something is happening over there.”
The commander examined the area with his looking glass. “Yes,” he said at last. “There is black smoke on the horizon. Something is afoot.”
Minotaurs milled about as they prepared to move out. One of them stepped closer to the commander and looked across the way to view the valley below. His horns were much larger than any of theirs and the commander wondered why he had never seen this particular minotaur before. He himself was a few inches shorter than the newcomer. To see someone taller than he was rare.
“I wonder what’s causing the smoke,” said the first lieutenant.
“It’s probably the ogres fighting with the humans again,” said Zylor. “They’re always fighting from what I’ve heard, lucky bastards.”
The commander and lieutenants turned to the newcomer. He was not asked the question and it wasn’t his place to answer, but his sheer size and his large horns were intimidating enough to prevent a rebuke by any of them.
“The ogres are at war with the humans,” said the commander at last. “It is their territory we will be invading in order to reach the dwarves.”
“So what?” retorted the first lieutenant. “If they object, I welcome their wrath!”
“Yes,” agreed the short lieutenant. “If the dwarven mountains are so poorly guarded, it will be a bonus to wipe out the ogres in the process. The land will be ours for the taking!”
“There is a small group leaving the dwarven mountain,” said the commander, peering intently through his looking glass again. “It appears to be a royal party, judging by the flag.”
“Strange,” said the first lieutenant. “Do they not see us? We could go down there right now and finish them off with little difficulty.”
“I don’t think they’re worried about us,” said Zylor. The others looked at him like he was crazy.
“How do you figure that?” asked the first lieutenant.
Zylor shrugged. “With all the earthquakes we’ve been experiencing, the dwarves are probably packing up and getting ready to leave their mountain. Attacking there will gain us very little. All we would succeed in doing would be to wander collapsing tunnels in search of left over treasure and gold.”
“And what do you suggest?” asked the short lieutenant.
Zylor didn’t flinch as he looked him in
the eye. “There is no honour in killing dwarves who are fleeing their homes.” He pointed to the billowing smoke in the distance. The rain had stopped and the smoke was becoming blacker and larger. “That smoke tells me a battle is raging over there. It’s much more honourable to sink my axe into the thick skull of an ogre who is armed for battle. If a few puny humans get in my way, they’ll die too. And unless I miss my guess, there will also be plenty of dwarves present to go around for all of us!” With that, he stalked off to join the other minotaurs who were getting ready to move out.
The lieutenants looked at their commander with astonished expressions. The commander laughed at them. “If only you could see yourselves! I only wish you could both display that kind of courage and ambition more often. It would make my job that much easier.” His smile vanished. “Prepare to set out for the smoke. Where there’s smoke, there’s fire, but it’s nothing compared to the fire in my veins once we go into battle!”
While the lieutenants scrambled to get things underway, the commander tried to seek out the mysterious minotaur in the crowd, but he was nowhere to be seen. He sighed. “Oh, well,” he thought, “I’ll no doubt see him in battle leading the charge.”
Chapter 28
“This looks like a suitable area to change our mode of travel,” said Kazin. They had successfully levitated over the west fence of the encampment and no one could have seen them leave since Kazin had made them invisible. He had used four spells simultaneously again - three to make each of them invisible, and one to levitate them over the fence. The fourth spell worked on all of them at once as long as they held onto Kazin. Amelia had expressed concern about being detected since there were so many mages in the encampment, but he assured her he had that possibility covered with a spell designed to prevent them from being detected. If that were true, then Kazin was casting and holding five spells at once, which was impossible. She just shook her head at this incomprehensible feat and resigned herself to holding on and enjoying the ride.
Spirit Blade: Book III of the Dragon Mage Trilogy Page 32