The man ran over to the guards, relaying his message. One of the guards took the beggar by the arm and led him over, while to other guards followed behind.
Brennin sat up with his back resting against the outside of the palace wall. He recognized the beggar. He couldn’t quite place it, but the man was familiar. It was an old familiarity. Part of his mind tried to tell him that the beggar had begged outside the palace for years, but another part argued that now that there was something more familiar. He couldn’t place how he knew him though, and it wasn’t important now. “You saved my life,” he said to the man.
“Dad,” the man responded.
“Did you see where they took her?” he asked.
The man turned around, looking toward the gate then back at him. “Dad.”
He wasn’t sure how, but he realized that the way he had said it was a yes. He knew where they took her, or at least what direction.
“Where they took who?” one of the guards asked.
“We can’t talk about it out here. Send for Captain Thompson and bring this man inside,” Brennin said, raising one arm for someone to help him to his feet.
Captain Thompson rushed to the palace when he received the summons. All the messenger would tell him was that it had something to do with the Queen Stoneheart, and it was urgent. He stopped running when he entered the palace, and he walked calmly into the assembly hall. Master Brennin was sitting on a chair in front of the empty throne while another man wrapped a bandage around his shoulder. “Master Brennin, what happened?”
“The Queen was taken,” Brennin said.
“Taken? By who?” Captain Thompson asked.
“Black Dragons took her. There are two dead in her room. I followed three others out of the palace. When I got to the gate, this man yelled to stop me just as one of the assassins fired a crossbow at me. He saved my life. He also knows where they took Queen Stoneheart,” Brennin said, motioning to the beggar.
He watched as Captain Thompson looked to the man, and he saw a look of recognition on his face as well. He would have to talk to him about that later. While the beggar and Captain Thompson stared at each other, one of the other guards spoke up.
“Master Brennin, how can you be sure this man knows anything? When you asked if he knew where they took her, all he said was dad.”
“He knows,” Captain Thompson said, without taking his eyes off of the man. “He will take us there, and we will hide guards in the area to watch it. I want a message sent immediately to Shinestone. The King and Prince Grundel should be notified. They will tell us what to do. If we take an army in to fight a bunch of assassins and wizards, we could lose a lot of men. They could also just magic her out of there before we ever got close. We need people who have experience with wizards.”
Brennin looked at the captain and then at the other guards. “He’s right. Send two birds and two riders, who will take separate routes. Give them extra horses. We need this to get to them as fast as possible. We won’t move on them unless we have reason to believe she is being harmed, or they bring her back out in the open.”
“Now,” Captain Thompson said, turning to the beggar. “You will show us where they took Queen Stoneheart.”
“Dad,” the man said, nodding his head.
“Ok. We follow dad,” Captain Thompson said to the rest. “When we get close, you stop and point it out. We don’t want to get close enough for anyone to see us.”
Captain Thompson had changed into clothes of a poorer citizen. He wore worn leather pants with a dirt and sweat-stained cotton shirt. He had other guards moving around the streets in similar clothing. If whoever was holding Queen Stoneheart saw members of the palace guard around where they were keeping her, they might move her. The beggar stopped about three blocks from the palace and turned to face Captain Thompson. “Dad.”
“They took her down that street?” Captain Thompson asked in disbelief. This was the richest neighborhood in Patria.
“Dad,” the man said, nodding his head.
Captain Thompson stared at the man for a minute. “Ok, walk down the street to the building that they went into, then turn around and walk away.”
“Dad,” the man said, nodding his head and turning down the street.
Captain Thompson gave the man a minute before turning down the street himself. He walked down the opposite side of the street of the beggar. The beggar had barely stopped in front of the building before guards came out and grabbed him, dragging him back down the street. Captain Thompson couldn’t believe where they had taken the Queen. He instantly understood what had happened.
Chapter Seven
From Bad to Worse
Anna felt the steel shackles around her wrists before she opened her eyes. She was lying on a hard cold floor, with her hands behind her back. Her right arm was asleep and a sharp pain shooting through her right shoulder from laying on that side. She ignored the pain for a moment, listening to her surroundings. When she heard no movement around her, she opened her eyes.
She was in a cellar somewhere. There were no windows, but a gentle glow of light shown through the crack under the door at the top of the stairs. It was daytime. The small amount of light was too far and too small, but it was a small comfort. She set her hands on the ground behind her and brought her knees in close. With one side of her body asleep and her hands behind her back, getting to a seated position was awkward, but she managed. The numbness faded and then the tingling sensation turned to searing pain as her arm began to regain its feeling. She laid back against the wall and tried to remember everything that had happened.
She remembered the Black Dragons had come to the palace. They had attacked her and killed the guard. She had killed a couple of them. The last thing she remembered was a hazy trip out of the palace as she drifted in and out of consciousness. The Black Dragons had kidnapped her, but they wouldn’t have been able to escape and get rid of the bodies and all of the evidence that showed they had been the ones to take her. The fight she had given them might be the only thing that could lead anyone to her.
She heard footsteps coming toward the door upstairs. She turned her head away from the door, knowing that if she looked up there as the door opened her eyes would have to readjust to the dark. She kept her head turned and her eyes down as someone came down the stairs toward her. When the person stopped in front of her, she finally turned and looked up. The face she saw in the glow of that candle was not one she would have expected, and she could almost feel all of her hopes of being found crumble in her chest.
General Moglin walked through the halls of Tiefes Loch to the King’s Hall. “King Bergmann, there is a human at the gate who I think you will want to see,” General Moglin said.
“Why would I want to talk with a human?” the king responded angrily.
“He is a member of the Black Dragon guild and he says that King Grizzle’s Queen has been captured.”
“I am the only King of Dwarves. Any dwarf who speaks of any other dwarf as king will be put to death as a traitor. Make sure that everyone knows.”
“Yes, King Bergmann. What about the human?” Moglin asked.
“Bring him to me. Let us hear what he has to say. If I am not pleased with him, we will kill him. The Black Dragons have already failed us once.”
General Moglin brought his fist to his chest in salute before turning and leaving the hall. He sent one of the guards to pass the word that no other dwarf would be called king, before making his way to the entrance of Tiefes Loch.
King Bergmann waited impatiently for the human to be brought to him. He would not rely as heavily on the Black Dragons as his father had. His father had put so much steel in the human wizards just because they followed the same god. They had not saved his father, and he would not expect them to save him. He would make them pay for their failure, but he would use them if he could. His revenge could wait; he had enough to deal with for now.
Two Chaos Dwarves walked into the assembly hall ahead of the human and then stoppe
d him a dozen paces away. They settled halfway between the between him and the human on either side.
“Your life is mine, human. Give me a reason not to end it.” Bergmann watched as the corner of the man’s lip actually turned up into a smirk.
“King Bergmann, I came here to inform you that three days ago we took Queen Stoneheart. She is being held in Patria. The Stonehearts have taken too much from both of us. We thought we would come to you and broker an alliance. We both want to see them fall. The Black Dragons must move carefully in Patria. The city is after us, and we cannot risk exposing ourselves. We expect that King Grizzle will send his best warriors, if he doesn’t come himself. We can set a trap and deal them a great blow.”
“Of course you came to us. You are scared of the dwarves who have already beaten your most powerful. What you have done spares your life, but it does not excuse your previous failure. We will discuss how that can be repaid later. For now, you will tell my dwarves where you are holding Grizzle’s bride. My Chaos Dwarves will arrive in two or three days. They will assist you in setting the trap, and then the queen will be brought to me.”
The Black Dragon looked up, and for the first time he didn’t seem so sure of himself. “With respect, King Bergmann, the queen has already been promised to another. The people who have helped us hide and gave us an opportunity to move around in Patria. They are the ones who have the queen now, and we have promised that once we are finished, they could have the queen to do with as they please.”
King Bergmann stared the man down for a moment before responding. The man didn’t get fidgety like most humans would, but his air of arrogance and confidence had dissipated. “Do you believe that I would allow your human companions to keep and torture the wife and mother of a dwarven king and prince? Human or not, she will suffer her judgments and punishment at the hands of dwarves. Your companions will be persuaded when my Chaos Dwarves arrive.”
“I will wait for their arrival in Patria,” the man said.
“General Moglin will take the information you have and assign the dwarves that you will be assisting. Now go. I am tired of looking at you.”
The man saluted in dwarven fashion before turning and leaving. To his credit, he understood dwarven protocol.
General Moglin walked in the room a short time later. “King Bergmann, I have assigned three dwarves to meet with the human wizard outside of the city of Patria. They should arrive in just under three days. They will go in and take Queen Stoneheart. We should have her in our possession in under a week. I believe we should send them immediately. Shinestone in closer to Patria; if the dwarves there do not know of this yet, they will soon. The longer we wait, the more we risk someone finding her.”
“Good. Send them. I will expect to have Grizzle’s queen here in Tiefes Loch within the week,” King Bergmann said.
Moglin saluted and left.
Chapter Eight
Making the Trip to Patria
“Send me, King Stoneheart. I can get there faster than the others. I don’t need sleep or food. I can be there and back with your queen before the others could even make it to the city,” Flucht said.
Grizzle looked around the room. It was taking everything in him not to let his emotion take over. He wanted to take off running for Patria and smash everything in his path, but he knew that was not the way to handle this.
He looked to his son. “We can move quickly. We won’t be able to move as quickly as Flucht, but Rundo and Evelyn already said that they could carry Jerrie and me. We can make it there in three days at most. We have the connections there and if Black Dragons have her we can’t leave it to just Flucht. I think he would be very useful, but he can’t do it alone. We don’t even know exactly where she is, and people aren’t going to talk to him. They will be scared of him. You have to stay here and coordinate this war. We cannot risk the entire kingdom while trying to save her. I will go get her back while you continue to prepare for Tiefes Loch.”
Rundo nodded. He then looked to Jabaal, who nodded his head as well. “OK. Get what you need and leave as soon as possible. The Black Dragons were working with Tiefes Loch when they attacked us. We don’t know if they are now, but we cannot let her fall into Bergmann’s hands. There is no telling what he is capable of.”
Grundel nodded, put his fist to his chest and sprinted from the room. Jerrie sprinted after him and Rundo tried to keep up. They made it to Grundel’s room, where one leather bag was packed with one spare set of clothing for each of them and one for his mother. They strapped on their weapons and headed out.
When they walked out of the mountain onto the landing, they each raised their hands to block the sun as their eyes adjusted to the light. Frau and Evelyn stood on the landing next to Grizzle, Jabaal, and Flucht.
Flucht stepped forward and took the bag from Grundel. “I will carry this,” he said, turning to Rundo. “If you or your woman get tired, set them down. I can carry one of them while you two trade off the other.” He turned back to Grundel. “I will follow under you,” he said and then saluted King Stoneheart and took off down the steps leading down the mountain.
Frau stepped forward to Grundel. “Bring her back. Be safe. We need you.”
Grundel raised his fist to salute her, but Rundo interrupted him. “Ah just kiss her already,” he said.
Grundel shook his head then leaned forward and kissed the Queen of Shinestone. When he turned around, Evelyn Rundo’s druid companion was already in the form of a huge hawk. Rundo stripped down and wrapped up his clothes. They had offered to add those to the pack when they were coming up with the plan, but Rundo had argued that he wanted to have them with him just in case. When his clothes and weapons were folded and wrapped in his vest and belt he began to alter. His feet turned into long taloned bird feet and his arms transformed into long wings covered in feathers.
In less than a minute, a huge hawk stood in the middle of them with a long curved beak. He bent forward, scooping his bundle up in his beak. The huge bird looked at Grundel who nodded. Rundo carefully wrapped his long talons around Grundel’s shoulders and lifted him off of the ground with two heavy flaps of his wings. Evelyn flew along next to him with Jerrie on her back. Rundo realized that was a better idea. It would be easier to carry Grundel that way, and Grundel wouldn’t have the constant pressure of hanging under his arms. He flew toward the ground, setting Grundel down gently.
Flucht came running over. “If you can’t carry him, I will. I don’t get tired. If we keep stopping, we will never make it,” Flucht said in annoyance.
Grundel looked over at the bird form of Rundo. Rundo was taking the time to adjust his body so that he could speak. “I can carry him. I put him down when I saw how Evelyn was carrying Jerrie,” he said in a weird bird voice. “I realized how sore Grundel would be if I carried him by his arms all the way to Patria.”
Grundel nodded his agreement and climbed up onto Rundo’s back. He laid flat along his back between his wings, holding on to his neck. A couple strong flaps of the wings, and they were in the air again. Grundel watched for a moment as the ground went by below him. It made him dizzy and uncomfortable though, so he watched the horizon instead. They flew through the day and a little while into the night before they finally landed in a small opening in some woods. Now Evelyn and Rundo transformed back to their normal bodies and put their clothes back on.
“We got farther than I thought we would,” Flucht said as he walked into the clearing. I didn’t think you would be able to carry them so long. Will you be able to fly another whole day like that?” he asked, looking over to the two druids.
Rundo looked to Evelyn, who nodded, and then turned back to the others. “If we get up early and fly into the night for a while, we can land outside Patria late tomorrow night. It will be well past dark, so we shouldn’t attract much attention. We can get up the following morning and walk into Patria.”
Grundel looked around. “It sounds like we have a plan. If we are going to be getting up early then we should eat s
omething quick and get some sleep.”
Flucht looked at Rundo and then back to Grundel. “I do not need sleep. Take the time to make something warm to eat for your friends. They will need the energy to keep traveling the way they are. Dried meat and bread is not enough. I will take all the watches, so you will all be able to get some extra sleep.”
Grundel looked at Flucht for a minute. He still had trouble trusting the Tiefes Loch dwarf. Every time he started to forget that he didn’t trust him, he would notice the black marks of chaos that covered his steel skin and his mistrust would return. Even if they set a watch, Flucht could probably surprise the watch and kill the rest of them before they even realized what was going on if he wanted to. It was best to trust him. “Ok. Jerrie, get a fire going. Rundo, do you have any ideas for something to make?”
Even with only the light of the moon, the smile that crossed Rundo’s face was easy to see. “Have you ever known me to not have an idea about something to eat? The will of a halfling’s stomach is nearly as strong of that of his heart,” he said, turning to Evelyn. “Almost,” he repeated a bit more sincerely. “Get the fire going. I will be back in a minute,” he said, walking out into the woods.
Rundo walked through the woods, opening himself up to everything around him. An unfamiliar aura lurked nearby. Whatever it was, was scared. He went running over and found three wood gnomes on a large branch about six feet in the air. Below them was a single gray wolf. The wolf immediately brought back memories of Navaeh and Asser. Navaeh was the first druid he had met, and Asser was her wolf.
The scream of the gnomes brought him back from his reminiscing. He reached out to the wolf. When the connection was established, he calmed the wolf and walked toward it. The wolf began to walk back. Through the connection, Rundo could feel the wolf’s anger, and knew it was in pain. He went to the wolf and noticed a small crossbow bolt buried in his front shoulder. The bone had stopped it, and Rundo determined the crossbow the bolt was shot from was made for hunting small game like rabbits and squirrels. He turned toward the tree.
The Half Dwarf Prince Trilogy Page 44