Slaves to Darkness 02 (The Blades of Chaos)

by Warhammer

  As the party walked across the huge chamber, the dwarfs on the steps retreated from the king and formed two lines either side of the processional road marked with green marble flagstones set into the rock of the floor. Not a word was uttered, and the hall echoed faintly with the tramp of the humans' footfalls.

  Flanked by the king's advisors and other petitioners, Lady Halste stopped at the bottom of the steps and bowed. Ursula noticed Thane Grundab was amongst their number, having obviously taken another way to the throne room, and she smiled at him. The thane's face expression was one of impassive dignity, which was then spoilt when he gave her a crafty wink. The king nodded and waved Lady Halste forwards, and she glanced to Ursula, Ruprecht and Johannes to follow her. The dwarfs had put them in the same chambers during their period of enforced idleness, and Lady Halste had started to treat them as an ad-hoc advisory council. So the four of them paced slowly up the fifty low steps towards the king. A cough and a meaningful glance from Queen Hadri stopped the group on the second from last step and they bowed again.

  Standing up from his throne at the king's right hand, his eldest son Prince Thudrin bowed to Lady Halste.

  'Welcome to the great halls of Karak Norn!' his voice boomed out over the assembled crowd, who were all looking up at the dais. 'King Hunkrik, though learned in many things, has requested that I speak for him, as the language of the people of Sigmar has been a passion of mine and I might better understand your needs and express the king's valued judgement. He extends every hospitality under his command to the emissaries of our ancient allies, and would like to extend his condolences to you and your kin during the troubling times that currently befall you.'

  'Please extend my thanks to the noble King Hunkrik for welcoming us into his ancestral halls, and our gratitude for his understanding,' Lady Halste replied, her voice slightly stilted by the formality of her speech.

  'The news you have brought from the lands of men is grave indeed, and the king would know what aid he might give those who have dared the dangerous perils of the accursed grobi to come to our doors,' continued the prince. Ursula realised that he had not translated anything to the king, and that Hunkrik was more than capable of understanding Reikspiel. Perhaps it was against dwarfish custom for them to speak directly with the hold's ruler, she mused, her thoughts drifting as Prince Thudrin and Lady Halste continued their long-winded exchange of diplomatic pleasantries. When this was complete, Thudrin invited them up on the dais itself. The dwarfs clustered around the base of the steps began to slowly disperse, until only a few remained to listen to the proceedings, including Thane Grundab.

  A nudge in the side from Ruprecht's elbow caused Ursula to snap out of her thoughts and she listened more carefully to what was being said. '… and so when our forefathers fought shoulder-to-shoulder with your venerable kinsmen at Black Fire Pass, this heirloom was taken into custody for protection by your people,' Lady Halste was explaining. 'As true heir to Marbad who wielded Ulfshard in the protection of our people, the Count of Marienburg humbly requests that the blade be returned to him.'

  The dwarfs did not reply, but stood there waiting for further explanation. The king raised one eyebrow and shifted his ruby-studded gromril crown from his brow.

  'In exchange for suitable recompense, of course,' Lady Halste added. This brought a murmur of approval from the dwarfs, who glanced at each other, nodding and talking in khazalid.

  'Tell me more about Ulfshard,' the king said suddenly, leaning forward. Startled, Lady Halste did not reply for a moment.

  'This magnificent blade was without equal in the Empire,' she said eventually. 'Only the runefangs gifted to the counts by your people are better forged.'

  'From whence did Ulfshard come?' the king inquired, his face giving away no hint of his thoughts or mood.

  'It is said that Marbad was led to it in a dream sent to him by the gods, and he found it amongst the skeletons of an ancient battle that lay in the swamps north of his home,' Halste was speaking slowly, recalling what history of the weapon Khemen had been able to find.

  'And what appearance does it take?' the king asked, his eyes never wavering from the lady's face.

  'It is held in a single hand, its blade the length of a man's arm,' she told him, her eyes half-closed as she remembered the pieces of description that had not conflicted with each other. 'Its pommel is a blue jewel that is said to burn with magical fire, and the hilt is wrapped in soft black leather. Its crosspiece is wrought in the likeness of two eagle wings spread wide around a blade shaped like the leaf of a grass.'

  The king grunted and sat back, speaking quickly to the queen and Prince Thudrin. They conversed for several minutes, the queen nodding insistently as she spoke, Thudrin shaking his head vehemently. With a barking word, bringing his fist down on the arm of his throne, the king silenced the other two.

  'Ulfshard, we know of it,' the king confirmed, and Lady Halste smiled and nodded. 'You cannot have it,' Hunkrik added.

  Lady Halste's smile remained fixed, but the warmth disappeared from her eyes. Ursula opened her mouth to say something but she shut it sharply as Ruprecht's foot pressed forcefully down on her toes. She glanced up at him and he gave her a slight shake of the head.

  'If I might ask, why will you not hand Ulfshard back to the envoys of the Count of Marienburg?' Halste asked, her voice cold. 'Do you not recognise my lord's claim?'

  'Count's claim is true,' conceded the king. 'Our claim is greater. Ulfshard you call it, in our tongue it is gromdal zharrstok. This blade was forged by the thaga elgi!' The king's speech descended into angry muttering in dwarfish, interspersed with growls and spitting sounds. Thudrin stepped in front of his father, a scowl upon his face as he looked up at Lady Halste. The king still spluttered and ranted angrily to his wife, who was similarly animated.

  'Gromdal zharrstock is a weapon forged by the elves,' the prince told them. 'It is ours by right of recompense for the grievances done by the elgi during the War of Vengeance. Though created to fight the creatures of the dark gods, this blade sent many of our forefathers to meet their ancestors when the elgi invaded our lands. From that time on, it has been ours by right of grievance, and our claim predates your count's by many centuries. It is held for the day the elgi admit their follies of the past and put right their treachery by paying due ransom for its return.'

  'Lady Halste will pay the ransom,' Ursula blurted, earning herself a scowl from her mistress. The prince looked at her with a patronising, half-disbelieving expression, as if she had suggested that cutting off his head would cure a headache.

  'The ransom is for the elves, not for the men of Sigmar,' Thudrin said.

  'Your people fought alongside Sigmar to forge the great Empire, which has remained your steadfast ally since that time.' Ursula said, speaking quickly. 'That Empire which your forefathers helped build is on the brink of ruin. Your ancient enemies, the orcs and goblins, despoil the lands you once helped us protect. With Ulfshard, the Empire might be united again, to drive out these raiders and despoilers.'

  'Ulfshard is not to be given away,' Thudrin stated flatly. 'Our ancestors would curse us from the halls of Grungni if we were to do such a thing.'

  'Our people die, famine reaps them like the scythe at harvest, the orcs pillage and kill where they want,' Ursula's plea became more passionate, a note of desperation in her voice. 'It was the will of Sigmar, the great king, our protector, who led us here for Ulfshard. He sent me a sign that this sword would forge again his dream! Without Ulfshard, what hope do we have? The dwarfs, our greatest and oldest friends, keep to their fastnesses. The elves have never returned to these lands. We stand alone against the beasts and monsters that lurk in the wilds and the grim hordes that wait in the north. Those dire foes see our division, they sense our weakness. I fear that the time of Sigmar's people is coming to an end. Please, you must deliver Ulfshard to us, without it we will all be doomed!'

  Thudrin stood unmoving as he listened to Ursula and saw tears roll down her cheek.

&
nbsp; 'Only stone is eternal,' he said, no hint of sympathy or regret in his voice. 'The king bids you to rest here for one week more, and then wishes you safe journey back to your homes. An escort will be provided to lead you to the lands of Sigmar's people and keep you safe from the perils of the mountains. This is in recognition of our ancient friendship and the bravery of your people in confronting the grobi and urk menace, and for your slaying of the mighty gronti.'

  The four of them stood there, speechless.

  Lady Halste glared coldly at the king, who had lapsed into silence after his tirade and was contemplating the intricate ancestor god face wrought into his belt buckle. The audience was obviously at an end and the dwarfs would say no more.

  Ruprecht placed an arm across Ursula's shoulder to lead her away, but she shrugged it off angrily and stomped down the steps. Johannes reached out after her but she was too far away. The freelance glanced at Ruprecht as Lady Halste bowed to the king, more shallow than before, and then swept majestically down the steps, head held high, her long red dress trailing behind her. With a disconsolate shake of his head, Johannes hurried down the steps, calling Ursula's name, leaving Ruprecht alone on the dais with the dwarfs.

  A hand was laid on his arm and he turned to his right and looked down to see Grundab gesturing down the steps. His face, like that of all the other dwarfs, was expressionless as he escorted Ruprecht from the king's presence.

  Ursula was inconsolable for the next three days. Ruprecht knew that it was more than just their failure to reclaim Ulfshard. For Ursula, her pain was doubled. She loved the Empire as the realm of Sigmar, and she had been genuinely heartbroken to see the devastation that had been wrought by many decades of division. Though she had lived through these trying times, her life had always been one of isolation and wandering.

  In that time of loneliness Ursula believed that Sigmar had guided her to safety.

  But that had led her to Kurt Leitzig. At first she had been happy. The two of them had fallen in love with each other. However, when the debacle with Marius van Diesl had descended upon Badenhof and she had fled with the knight, it had turned her world upside down.

  Kurt had fallen under the sway of the Dark Gods of the north, and Ursula had felt betrayed. She blamed herself for Kurt's weakness, and had countenanced doubts about her own faith. This had only fuelled her depression more, and when she had been given the chance to redeem herself, as she saw it, by reclaiming Ulfshard, it had filled her life with meaning again. The devastation at Wissenburg had strengthened her resolve and her purpose had become a burning desire within her. Now those hopes had been crushed, as the ashes of that desire choked her soul.

  Worse still were the doubts that had returned to plague Ursula. Ruprecht had heard her muttering in her sleep, living nightmares in which she cursed Sigmar's name and renounced her faith. When she awoke, she would remember her dark dreams and weep with self-loathing for her lack of loyalty to the founder of the Empire.

  Her spirit was being literally torn in two.

  Lady Halste had become more irascible and ill-tempered than ever. Her mood had lightened when they had reached Karak Norn and her goal was in sight. Now she fell into brooding silences, and few were brave enough to disturb her when she was in such frightful sulking fits. Even the dwarfs who brought them food and drink, normally oblivious to the flighty and somewhat unwelcome emotions of their human guests, started giving her a wide berth.

  And then there was Johannes. The freelance was obviously quite smitten with Ursula. On occasion Ruprecht would find the knight watching her sleep through the door of her chamber, and Johannes would smile guiltily and walk away. When Ursula was awake, the cavalryman tried all that he could to console her, but she had become introverted and trusted no one. Not knowing the true source of her grief like Ruprecht, Johannes was reduced to meaningless platitudes and general reassurances that made Ursula angry. She threw his pointless words back at him, or fell into long silences. Johannes never argued and would take her scorn without flinching, but Ruprecht recognised the sadness in the knight's eyes whenever Ursula banished him from her presence.

  Two days before they were due to leave, the dwarfs returned their possessions so that they might make their preparations and get under way without delay. It was obvious that King Hunkrik's welcome was wearing thin, and the dwarfs, while initially happy about their visitors, now wanted the whole matter forgotten and to be left in peace, barring the worries of the outside world beyond the massive gates again.

  Ursula had recovered herself somewhat, though she was still prone to long lapses of depression and her sobs could be heard as Ruprecht lay awake at night. He was looking forward to leaving. Although he had been as amazed as all the others by the splendours of Karak Norn and had enjoyed the weeks of rest, he had been born in the wild fields of Talabecland and missed the sky and the sun.

  The stump of his arm ached constantly, but had healed well under the watchful eye of the dwarf apothecary who attended him every day - apparently a nephew of the king and held in high regard throughout the hold. The dwarf was as quiet and taciturn as the rest of his race, but on occasion Ruprecht had managed to engage him in short conversation. The dwarf had asked him what he planned to do, and Ruprecht had no answer. A soldier with one arm was not much of a soldier at all, he confessed. Perhaps he would go back to being a riverman, he had suggested. The dwarf had been unhappy at this. He admitted that he had heard the tale of how Ruprecht had lost his hand, fighting against the orc warlord, and that it was a shame that such a brave warrior be treated like a cripple. Ruprecht had shrugged and been fatalistic about the whole affair. It was not his character to second-guess the gods, he explained, but merely to deal with what their machinations gifted or cursed him with. The dwarf had smiled, a rare sight for Ruprecht, and approved of this steadfast attitude.

  That night in the great entrance chamber just next to the gates, as Ruprecht was checking over the baggage with the aid of a dwarf to translate his receipt, Lady Halste approached. Ursula was sitting on the board of one of the wagons, away with her own dark thoughts.

  'I have had an idea.' Lady Halste told him, her voice quiet, her eyes conspiratorial.

  'Milady?' replied Ruprecht. He had no stomach for the noblewoman's love of politics and feared he would be drawn into some petty intrigue or scheme of revenge against the dwarfs who had snubbed her. The lady led him from the wagon, hooking an arm under his.

  'We cannot take Ulfshard, the king has made that plain,' she said, and Ruprecht nodded in agreement. 'But perhaps they would part with something less... well, less controversial, I would say.'

  'I don't understand,' admitted Ruprecht.

  'Though the true heirloom of the count is now beyond our reach, perhaps we can persuade the king to give us a gift of some other artefact,' she told him. 'Did not Sigmar himself wield Ghal Maraz, given to him by King Kurgan? Perhaps our master might be suited to wield a similar gift from the dwarfs?'

  'You mean to take some other sign of his right to the Imperial throne?' said Ruprecht. 'An artefact that shows he has the allegiance of the dwarfs, perhaps?'

  'Exactly, my darling,' smiled Lady Halste. 'But I fear my earlier reaction has offended the king.'

  'So what do you want me to do?' Ruprecht asked bluntly. They had reached the door to the chamber, and Lady Halste turned them so that they were walking back to the cart, slowly pacing between the freshly laden wagons.

  'I believe that Ursula's impassioned plea was not totally fruitless,' Lady Halste told him. 'I have spoken with Thane Grundab, and he claims the king was quite moved to pity by her words, though of course dwarf custom dictates he cannot show such compassion.'

  'So you think Ursula should ask the king for this favour?' growled Ruprecht. He could think of no solid reason why, but there was something about Lady Halste's manner that set his suspicions running. 'Why are you telling me this?'

  'You are her closest friend, Ruprecht my dear,' explained Lady Halste, stopping them a short way from the
cart where Ursula was still in contemplation, head bowed against her chest, her shaking fingers twisting her long red hair into knotted ringlets. 'Only you can do this for me. She will listen to you, perhaps you can explain to her what I suggest.'

  'I would be reluctant to suggest it, milady,' said Ruprecht. 'She is already distraught. I would not give her hope again and then see it dashed. It could break her mind. I would spare her further misery and pain. She is too fragile, pick another ambassador for your scheme.'

  'If you do not ask her, then I will,' the noblewoman said. Her expression softened. 'It is better if it comes from you. You know her mind better than any of us. She is obviously a very special, gifted young woman, who dearly loves her people. Would you deny her a chance of achieving her dreams?'

  Ruprecht knew that the lady was trying to manipulate him. Her words were cunningly chosen, even if she spoke them freely. Despite being aware of this, Lady Halste's carefully woven speech was swaying his mind. Whether it was for the right reasons or not, it was true that it was not his decision to make, it was Ursula's.

  'I will talk to her, but I cannot promise she will do what you ask,' Ruprecht said finally. Lady Halste gave him a grateful, beautiful smile and slipped her arm from his. Without a further word, she turned and walked away.

  Ruprecht walked over to the cart and pulled himself up onto the seat, laying a comforting hand on Ursula's knee. She broke from her reverie and looked up, her eyes still distant for a moment, before focussing on his face.

  'There's something I want to talk to you about,' Ruprecht said.

  The clank of heavy keys rang down the corridor as the dwarf warden unlocked the armoured door to the treasury. As he swung open the thick iron door, a golden glow spilled out from the chamber beyond. Lady Halste heard Thane Grundab sigh with pleasure at the sight, accompanied by Ursula and Ruprecht's sharp intakes of breath.