The Half Dwarf Prince Trilogy

by J. M. Fosberg

  “How did ya do it?” one of the gnomes asked.

  “You shot this wolf?” Rundo stated more the asked.

  Another of the gnomes in the tree spoke up. “I didn’t mean to. It scared me. We was huntin’ the hares, ya know, and the thing just come outta nowhere. I shot it before I even thought about what I was doin’. It came at us. We had to climb the tree. This your wolf?”

  Rundo shook his head. It took him a few seconds to sorth through the rapid jumble of words. The gnome spoke so fast that he crammed whole sentences of words together. “No. He is not mine. You shot him. Of course he is angry. If you would have left him alone, he probably would have continued stalking the rabbit. He’s calm now. I will make sure he doesn’t hurt you. Did you catch any rabbits?”

  “We have seven. You wants um?”

  “Well, if you would like, me and my friends are camped not far from here. You could camp with us. I have a few things. I can make a stew with a few of your rabbits, and we can keep you safe for the night.”

  The three gnomes looked at each other and then at the wolf, which released a low deep growl.

  “Sounds fair,” the first gnome said and began climbing down the tree.

  Rundo led the gnomes and the wolf through the trees back towards the others.

  Jerrie leaped to his feet, facing the trees in the direction Rundo had gone. Everyone else came to their feet, grabbing their weapons too.

  “What is it?” Grundel asked.

  Jerrie pointed into the trees with one of his daggers. “Someone is coming. Rundo, but he is not alone.”

  “How do you know?” Flucht asked.

  “Too many footsteps,” Jerrie responded.

  It didn’t take long before the footsteps became louder and Rundo walked out into the clearing. When Jerrie saw who was with Rundo, he couldn’t help himself, he burst into laughter.

  “What are those?” Flucht asked, staring at the three little men who walked behind Rundo. They were half the height of the four-foot halfling. They all had bushy beards and mustaches. Their eyebrows looked like huge caterpillars crawling across their foreheads. They looked like babies with beards. They wore clothes made of small game furs patched together. It looked like a mixture of rabbit, squirrel, fox, and maybe a couple others furs all cut into squares. It was hard to tell what the colors were, because all three of them were covered in mud. It looked like they had been covered in dirt and mud for weeks at least.

  “What’s he mean, what are we? We are wood gnomes. Everyone knows about wood gnomes. Wood gnomes are the greatest inventors there is. What he means, what are we?” one of the gnomes said.

  “What did he say?” Flucht asked irritably.

  Jerrie was still on the ground, laughing. “I never thought they were real. I always thought they were a joke. I thought they were just statues people made.”

  “You think we are statues! We right here! Who do you think makes everything?”

  Rundo interrupted them. “They were being attacked by this wolf. I helped them. They have a couple of hares they said they would share with us.”

  Jerrie finally quit laughing.

  “Or maybe they are statues,” the middle gnome said, looking at Jerrie. He elongated the word statues, which really meant that he said it at normal conversation speed instead of the hurried jumble of words the gnomes typically spoke in.

  One of the gnomes pulled open a sack at his waist and retrieved three fat rabbits. The wolf let out a low growl from deep in his throat. The gnome looked from the wolf to Rundo. Rundo looked over at the wolf and it immediately stopped. Another of the gnomes reached into the sack at his waist and pulled out some sort of contraption.

  Flucht’s body tightened. “What is that?”

  “You never seen a hare skinner afore?”

  “What?” Flucht asked in exasperation.

  “It’s a hare skinner,” Rundo repeated. “It is a contraption that is very common among gnomes. It is used to quickly skin a rabbit without any real work by the one doing the skinning.”

  “No real work! This thing didn’t make itself. Lots of work early makes less work later.”

  “Right, that’s what I meant,” Rundo said. The others all laughed. Flucht just stared irritably at the gnomes.

  The gnome took one of the rabbits, setting each of the legs in little loops. The contraption just looked like a jumble of twigs with a small half-inch piece of sharp metal attached to it. The gnome twisted one of the twigs that was attached to some sort of vine or tendon. It stretched as it was twisted. When the gnome released the twig, the small blade that was now against one of the rabbit’s legs released. It slid up the and down the body. It then slid down the other leg on that side of the bodyThe blade went from the leg and wrapped around the neck. The small blade came back down the other side, cutting along the legs and down the body before it stopped moving. The rabbit skin was a cut down both sides. The gnome grabbed two of the small braches and pushed them together, which pushed two other small branches under the rabbit away from each other, and somehow pulled the skin right off of the rabbit. The whole thing happened in a matter of seconds, and they all stood watching in disbelief. None of them had any idea how they contraption worked.

  “That’s pretty impressive,” Jerrie said.

  “You sure it was real?” one of the gnomes asked, shooting Jerrie an angry look.

  Jerrie just shook his head. Apparently the gnomes took things very personally, and he wasn’t about to say anything else that may or may not offend them. It took less than a minute to skin all three rabbits. The gnomes handed them to Rundo, who stripped the meat and dropped it into the now boiling water. He pulled a couple of small pouches out of his bag. Each contained one spice or another. He dropped a couple of pinches in. He pulled a handful of wild onions out of the pouch at his waist. “Found these right before I found them,” he said, dropping them into the pot. He dropped some other leaves in that no one recognized. “I guess that should do it. Give that about fifteen minutes, and it will be ready.”

  After everyone had eaten, the gnomes stood around the fire, looking at the group. “Do you think we could stay with you all tonight?” one of them asked.

  “A lot of weird stuff been happening out here lately,” another said.

  “What kind of weird stuff?” Jerrie asked.

  The gnomes looked at him now, not with irritation, but with fear in their eyes. “There is a darkness here. The woods are different. There is something evil here,” one of the gnomes said in a slow desperate tone.

  “You can stay for the night. We will be leaving early in the morning, but you can share our camp until then,” Grundel said, casting a look at Flucht, warning him not to protest.

  No protest was coming though. Flucht came from Tiefes Loch, where orders were orders and when the leader declared something, that was it. Defiance meant death in Tiefes Loch.

  “So much thanks,” one of the gnomes said, pulling a bundle of sticks out of a small pack on his back. When he dropped the sticks on the ground, they all snapped into a small shelter frame. Each of the other gnomes pulled out lengths of furs. The furs were similar to their own clothing with patches of small animal pelts all sewn together. One of them was laid on the ground under the frame while the other was tossed over the small two-foot high canopy. All three of the gnomes then crawled into the shelter.

  “What are you going to call him?” Evelyn asked Rundo as the wolf settled in at their feet.

  “I am not going to name him. He wouldn’t be able to keep up with our pace, and I don’t know if I will ever be able to establish a connection like that with a wolf. I saw what it did to Navaeh. Their emotions are so close to our own. The connection is more intimate,” he answered, remembering how Navaeh had gone into a deep depression after the wolf she had been linked with for years was killed.

  Flucht stood silently in the center of the camp while everyone else slept. He listened to the sound of the woods for what must have been about two hours when all of a sud
den the woods went silent. He listened for a few seconds before moving over toward Grundel and lightly kicking the huge half-dwarf’s feet.

  Grundel woke up and saw Flucht standing defensively at his feet with his sword arm up at the ready. He immediately stood with his axe in his hand, and mentally called his other axe to him through the one in his hand. “What is it?” he whispered to Flucht.

  “I don’t know. Something is not right. All of a sudden, the woods all went completely silent; animals, bugs, everything.”

  Grundel didn’t know much about the wilderness, but it did seem unnaturally quiet. Even whispering, he felt like he was yelling. He moved over to Jerrie and kicked his feet, just as something came out into the open.

  “There,” Flucht yelled.

  Rundo opened his eyes at the sound of Flucht yelling. Flucht was already charging. Rundo realized what he was charging and knew immediately that he had to stop him.

  “Stop!” Grundel yelled, but it was too late. At the last second, just before Flucht crashed into the wraith, the ground in front of him rose up, the wall of earth knocking him back.

  “Don’t touch it,” Rundo shouted. “It will pull your soul straight out of your body.”

  The wraith came through the wall of earth, appearing just above Flucht. Flucht shoved his sword up into the mist of the wraith. The wraith flickered some, and became slightly less substantial. Grundel’s axe flew through the wraith, but it had no effect on the creature of spirit and air before the wall of earth behind it exploded as Grundel’s axe smashed through it.

  Before Rundo could stop it, the wolf leaped into the air, colliding with the wraith. There was a moment of pause as the wolf’s body was stuck in the mist of the wraith, before the wolf fell lifelessly to the ground, its soul ripped unceremoniously free of its body. The wraith’s form shrank to the size of Rundo’s torso.

  Jerrie loosed his throwing daggers, but they passed through the wraith harmlessly.

  “Rundo, it’s made of air,” Evelyn said.

  Rundo thought about it for a second and then opened himself up. He sensed the two separate auras of the wraith. One was that of air; the other was a spirit. The spirit was trapped and tied to the air. Rundo linked with the aura of air and began trying to control it. The spirit fought back, trying to maintain control. Rundo linked with the air around the wraith and pushed more air into it. He began spinning that air, then reversing it rapidly. He continued to do this as he added more air to the mix. After rapidly changing the direction six times, the force was too great and the spirit was no longer able to maintain control of the air it was linked with. The air ripped free, blending with the air around it. The spirit was now free and quickly vanished from the mortal plane into the void.

  Everything went quite, as they all looked around for a threat. “Is it gone?” one of the gnomes asked, peering out from under their little shelter.

  “It’s gone,” Rundo answered.

  “What was that thing?” another of them asked, all of their little heads sticking out from under the bottom of the little shelter.

  “Yeah,” Flucht said.

  Everyone looked over at Flucht, who was covered with dirt.

  “That was a wraith,” Grundel said. “It is a spirit trapped inside a prison of air. When it comes in contact with a living creature, it rips the soul free of the body,” he said, walking over to the body of the wolf. The trauma of the spirit being ripped out was too much for its body.

  “My spirit can’t be removed from my body,” Flucht responded. They all looked at him. “Why did you stop me from fighting it?” he demanded of Rundo.

  Grundel stepped up to Flucht. “Normal weapons can’t hurt a wraith, and he was worried what the wraith would do to you if you touched it. We have seen it before. What did you mean your spirit can’t be removed?”

  Flucht looked over at the lifeless body of the wolf. “My body is not alive like yours. It does not require sleep or food. My spirit is also trapped inside this body. My body is a shell enchanted by Delvidge.”

  They didn’t know if what he said was true, but they all chose to accept it. None of them really knew exactly what Delvidge had done to the Dwarves of Chaos.

  “Well, we might as well get going,” Rundo said. Jerrie and Grundel both looked at him. “I’m not going to be able to sleep here. Not now that I know the evil the Gnomes were talking about.”

  “We told you,” one said.

  “Yeah, but you think we are not real,” said another.

  “Now you believe in gnomes,” the last one finished, looking at Jerrie.

  “You were right. Thank you for warning us,” Jerrie told the gnomes.

  “That’s more like it,” one of them said. “You saved us again. If you ever need anything, you come to woods and we will help.”

  “We will do that. Thank you for the food, and for warning us about the wraith.” Grundel looked around at the others. “Well, let’s get packed up then.”

  Rundo was kneeling next to the wolf’s corpse. Evelyn stood with her hand on his shoulder. The gnomes came over and surrounded them.

  “Do not worry, friend. We will take care of him,” one of them said.

  “Would you like him burn or bury?” another asked.

  “You all do whatever you think is best. The wolf was part of your woods,” Rundo answered. He went over to where he had been laying with Evelyn. He began silently packing his things and stripping off his clothes. Evelyn followed his lead. A moment later, two huge hawks stood in the clearing with bundles hanging in their beaks.

  Grundel climbed on Rundo’s back and Jerrie climbed on Evelyn’s. Flucht stood next to the gnomes, who stared with mouths open in disbelief. Flucht waited there, watching as the two huge hawks leapt into the air and began to fly away. When they were in the air and away from the low-burning fire, he couldn’t see them anymore. He gave one last look to the gnomes. They were already attaching their little skinning contraption to the body of the wolf.

  Chapter Nine

  Black Dragons and Royal Ruffians

  Anna Patria Stoneheart knelt on raw bloody knees on the stone floor of the cellar. The floor beneath her knees was soaked in her blood and waste. Her wrists were shackled and the chains connected to those shackles had been pulled tight to the rings in the wall. She was now stretched wide and held up in a kneeling position. He legs had finally gone numb, but it was becoming hard to breathe and her neck was exhausted from holding up her head. When she tried to let it hang, she couldn’t breathe. With her arms out wide and her hands above the height of her head, her shoulders choked her when her head dropped. She knew that if she were left like this much longer, she would suffocate. She hadn’t eaten in what felt like weeks, but was likely only days. The water she had been given was dirty, but she didn’t care. She was thinking that just giving up might not be so bad when the door at the top of the stairs opened.

  Anna hung against the wall as the woman who had kidnapped her walked over to her. “Do you think I am going to let you die so easily?” the woman said. Anna looked up into the woman’s eyes. She couldn’t see the color, but she saw the menace and hatred.

  “I am sure that my pain pales in comparison to your own. I cannot imagine how you feel,” Anna said to the woman honestly.

  The woman spat in her face. “Oh, you do not need to imagine. You will know soon enough. You will know my pain before you die. I am sure you know that your son will come for you. I have already sent to Tiefes Loch for their help. I have been informed that they have already sent their best. Your son will not have a chance. I have the support of the Black Dragons, and Tiefes Loch. My revenge will be complete.”

  Anna’s heart sank in her chest. She had contemplated the possibility at least a hundred times while she was chained to this wall, but to hear her fears confirmed was like being stabbed in the stomach. “My son had nothing to do with this. He never had any intention of taking the throne.”

  The woman slapped her. “Your son is the one who ruined everything. My
daughter was the queen of Patria. You and your son were a threat. She only tried to get rid of you to protect her husband’s throne. If your son would not have stopped you from drinking the poison, the man she hired would never have been caught and then he would never have given up my daughter. My daughter only tried to protect her husband, her king. You and your son will never be in charge of Patria. I was there. I watched you staring into my daughter’s eyes as she was executed. As I promised you, you will know what it feels like to watch your child die. If you are lucky, I will allow you to die after that.”

  The woman turned back toward the stairs. Anna had an idea. “Gweneth Rache!” The wife of the richest man in Patria, and the mother of the late queen, the woman who had been executed for attempting to have her and Grundel poisoned, turned back toward her. “Once those dwarves are here, they will take me away. They will never let you have Grundel. To a dwarf, another dwarf, even his worst enemy, is better than any human. I am the wife of a dwarven king. When those dwarves get here, if I am alive, they will take me.” She hoped that the woman might kill her. She might just save her son from falling into a trap.

  Gweneth stared angrily into her eyes. “Let them try. You are mine, and they will have you over my dead body.”

  The woman walked to the top of the stairs.

  “That is one wish they will be happy to grant you,” Anna whispered.

  A moment later, one of the Black Dragon assassins came down the stairs and loosened the chains. She slumped to the ground. She sat on her butt with her back against the wall. She was still in extreme pain, but she had a moment of extreme reprieve as the tension in all of her muscles was released. Then she felt searing pain as all of the parts of her body began getting normal blood flow again. Her arms were just loose enough that they could come to her sides, so the only way they could relax was if she sat perfectly centered between the two rings in the wall with her back against the wall. With the Black Dragon assassin gone and the information about the trap being set for her son settling in, Anna began to cry for the first time since she was a child.