“I know we don’t have much time, but the day is getting late. Would you do me the honor of joining me for dinner? I would like to discuss things further. I asked the chefs to prepare a fine feast upon hearing of your arrival, so you can’t tell me no now.” He offered a warm smile. “And that, my friend, is a threat.” He burst out in laughter and Raythum joined him.
“I haven’t eaten anything since early this morning and would love to take you up on your offer. Is there anywhere I can send Milenthia to hunt?”
“Yes, Milenthia…I would love to meet her as well. I know a perfect area rich in bison and deer. I visit it myself when I get the urge to venture out into the wild with my bow. The area lies to the east where the plains transform into lush rolling hills. You can send her there.” Raythum nodded his head in thanks.
“Let me meet with my generals to begin the troop preparations. We can dine afterward.”
A Meeting in Drognard
Raythum circled the sky on the bronze-scaled back of Milenthia while peering down at the ground below, watching the movement of troops from three different countries converging in one large mass. It looked like three different streams—or tributaries—coming together to form one large river. The movement looked fluid and seamless as the armies merged; a vision of beauty.
The troops converged on a road to the north of the village of Carlith. Within the hour, they would come upon the trail leading to Drognard. Given that the Humans came in aid of the Dwarves, Norlun had arranged for access to a set of tunnels deep beneath the mountain-born city. This would allow them to bypass the underground cities, and march straight through, saving them valuable days as they traveled east.
Raythum watched in wonder as he adjusted his seat on Milenthia’s back—a cramp had formed in his side making his current position uncomfortable. His visit to Melina had gone even better than his visit to Shakiel. Without much persuasion, Melina’s troops were prepared and marched to meet the others. As the closest Human city to Drognard, they had the shortest distance to travel and required the least amount of time to prep.
He watched for several moments as the armies merged. Satisfied everything moved according to plan, he instructed Milenthia to contact the other Dragons. They were requested to fly ahead and meet the high council in Drognard. Milenthia angled southeast and the other Dragons filled in behind her. She had sent a message to Agripina via a passing friend, and several more of her kind had agreed to lend assistance in the fight against the Kahloom.
They neared the western edge of the Ruvenka mountain range and spotted the outer ridge foothills looming in the distance. From above, the foothills looked similar to the back, or spine, of a hog with razor sharp ridges continuing for miles in either direction. Milenthia began climbing higher to clear the peaks and the temperature dropped. Raythum took the opportunity to pull his jacket out of his leather pack. The jacket was old and worn—the cuffs separated from the sleeves—but he didn’t care; he loved it and it would warm him.
He pulled the wool coat tighter against his skin as the cold air attacked him where exposed. The craggy and rough peaks soon gave way to the smooth and pillowy tops covered in a thick blanket of snow. The snow appeared fluffy and soft, when in fact the snow covered the rocky peaks laying below. Either way, it didn’t detract from the sheer magnificence and awe the peaks inspired.
They cleared the ridge, the highest point of the mountain range, and began to fly down to a lower altitude on the eastern side. The Dwarves had opened a tunnel large enough for Dragons to fly into, and Milenthia now looked for it. Raythum lent his eyes to the search, although he couldn’t see as well as those of her kind. She had seen the entrance previously, but a fresh layer of snow had fallen the night before, which changed the landscape and made it difficult for Milenthia to recall where it lay.
Morlidon, via his own Dragon, communicated with Milenthia. He had flown into the entrance several times before and had a good idea where it was. Milenthia let them take the lead, a good thing because they were at least a mile north of the entrance and would’ve been searching for hours.
They continued flying south when Raythum heard the distinctive bellow of horns in the distance. Using the sound as a guide, Raythum spotted the opening in the side of the mountain. It sat well hidden beneath an overhanging cliff. He could see Dwarves moving in the narrow opening—presumably preparing for their arrival.
One-by-one the Dragons flew in and were smacked in the face by the level of warmth in the cave. The large opening acted like a chimney evacuating the heat from the deep caverns below. Almost immediately, Raythum felt uncomfortable and warm. He slid from Milenthia’s back, removing the wool coat before rushing to meet the Dwarves.
One of them, a female, walked forward. She wore a helm decorated with two horns, over her long brown hair, which she had separated into three braids that fell well below her waist. She wore a blue hauberk of chain mail and walked with an air of confidence. She went straight for Raythum.
“Raythum? Raythum Stormdragon, I presume.” He nodded his head. “Welcome to Drognard—although we are far above the city, but welcome anyway. My name is Alistrana and I came here to bring you before High Clan Chief Ulor Earthforger. He is expecting you.”
They all followed Alistrana as she led them deeper into the mountain. Raythum found it difficult to walk through several of the tunnels—they were designed with Dwarves in mind, not Humans and Elves—evident by the tunnel height. Alistrana didn’t speak much as she led them, and Raythum peppered her with questions, eager to learn more about chief Ulor. He hated not knowing anything about the Dwarven leader.
As they drew deeper into the mountain, the temperature increased and Raythum felt relieved he had shed his coat. They rounded several corners, and he thought they walked downward, but he couldn’t be sure. He had become turned around, and lost all sense of direction quite a bit ago.
Milenthia gathered intelligence from several of the Dwarven guards protecting the cave entrance to Drognard, and relayed what she learned to Raythum. The Dwarves’ spirits weren’t high, and it seemed as though they already expected to lose. They didn’t seem to think much of the Human soldiers marching through the mountain to assist them.
The tunnels grew larger, providing more room for them to spread out, and they could hear voices up ahead. The tight tunnels soon gave way to a large open cavern buzzing with life. Dwarves moved throughout, making last minute preparations before the looming attack.
Alistrana turned to them. “We are almost there. I appreciate your patience.”
They walked toward the center of the underground town. Raythum looked up. The cavern containing the bulk of the city stretched upward for hundreds of feet. He could see several levels carved out of the stone as the roof of the cavern curved inward—each level smaller than the one below. A wide chasm ran through the middle of the town with thick sulfurous smoke billowing out of the opening.
They crossed a bridge and Raythum peered over the railing. The chasm fell below hundreds of feet deeper into the mountain. At least he now understood the source of all of the heat. A river of lava ran through the bottom of the chasm. He expected the smoke and sulfur to overwhelm him, but it continued to rise up, disappearing into the large expanse of the cavern.
Alistrana directed them to a large building on the outskirts of the center of town. A large set of stone stairs rose up to the front of the building where enormous wooden doors stood open to the audience chamber within. She led them through the doors and toward the front of the room where a dais sat. Several chairs sat atop the dais where a carved, wooden throne dominated the middle.
Several rows of wooden benches sat in front of the dais, and Alistrana directed them to sit as she disappeared through a hidden door appearing out of nowhere in the stone wall to the side of the room.
Raythum didn’t know what to expect. Although the meeting should go well—seeing as how they had traveled a great distance to come to their aid—he still felt uncertain.
After
several long minutes of waiting, the hidden door creaked open and Alistrana walked back in. “The high clan chief will be with you momentarily.” She walked toward Raythum and bowed to all of them. “It was a pleasure to meet you. I have other matters to attend to, but I’m sure I will see you again soon.” She dismissed herself and retreated from the chamber. More waiting, he thought to himself. It seemed everywhere he went, he was forced to wait.
They continued to wait, when yet another hidden door opened at the rear of the dais. A large—by Dwarven standards—muscular, bald-headed Dwarf walked into the room, flanked by two guards. He had a large brown mustache surrounding his mouth. Both ends fell below his chin. Large creases filled his abundant forehead, sitting above his large gray eyes, with a bulbous nose and reddened cheeks. He walked with an air of authority befitting his position as ruler of the Dwarves. In his right hand, he held a large golden scepter with a Dragonhead decorating the top, and hundreds of jewels adorning the shaft.
He walked toward the chairs and sat on the large one in the middle. He stared hard at them for several moments, before adopting an appreciative look. “Arthanis, Irrian and Morlidon, it is a pleasure to see you again. I cannot thank you enough for offering your assistance. The Dwarves have long cherished our alliance, and it’s comforting to know you would come to our aid.”
Arthanis walked forward and bowed before Ulor. He rose up and said, “It’s our honor to be here for you in your time of need. In all honesty, the majority of assistance offered to you is coming from the Humans. Without them, I don’t think we would be of much value to you.”
Ulor turned and looked toward Raythum. “Yes, the Humans. I’m grateful you secured their support.” He looked Raythum up and down, intrigued by the young man. “You must be Raythum.”
He walked forward and bowed to show his respect. “Thank you, high clan chief. Yes. I am Raythum Stormdragon, heir to Havenbrook. I’ve come to offer you the support of Havenbrook, and have secured the assistance of Melina and Shakiel as well.”
“Thank you, Raythum. I know there has been nothing but mistrust for hundreds of years between our people, and I never expected you to come to our aid, especially not so quickly. I believe everything Arthanis has said about your help to be true I hope what happens here today will lead to a renewed relationship between our races.”
“That’s my hope as well. An Askabar at peace is an Askabar of growth and prosperity. I know you were deceived in the past by my kind. I’m here to tell you, it will never happen again while I’m in control. If the Elves have told you nothing else, I can assume they have told you I’m a man of my word.” Raythum hoped his bearing conveyed trust and honor.
Ulor laughed. “Believe me, they have told me much more. In fact, I never would’ve dreamed of asking for your assistance, but Arthanis explained how your singular acts had changed your relationship. It made me realize we cannot judge, or be judged in the present by the deeds committed by our forefathers.” Ulor stood and pounded his scepter on the wooden floor. He dropped to a knee and bowed. “We are grateful for all you’ve done up to this point, and for coming to our aid in our greatest time of need. The Dwarves of Drognard will be indebted to the great nation of Havenbrook.” Applause erupted from those gathered near.
“It’s my pleasure to help a neighbor in need, and to prove we can be a valuable ally going forward.” He motioned for Ulor to rise-it felt awkward since the Dwarves had invited him, but it was protocol. “Arthanis has laid out some of your plans, but I’d like to hear more from you.”
Ulor stroked his long mustache before speaking. “Drognard is a well-designed city, built to the exact specifications we intended. We can handle an attack of a couple thousand, but never did we imagine a scenario where we would face an attack of seventy thousand plus. She is a fine city; one I would risk my life defending, but the entrances would soon be overwhelmed, with no way to hold off the incoming forces. This has presented us with a unique challenge, and as I’m sure you’ve heard, we plan to take the fight to them. We’ll meet the savages on the open plains of Braknell, southeast of the mountains.”
Raythum nodded his head as he followed along. “I’ve been told, and agree with the tactic, but I wonder…will this also sacrifice an important line of defense? We won’t have a wall, or rampart, to aid in our defense.”
Ulor seemed excited at the mention of the wall. “The site we have selected is protected on both sides. On the eastern side, we have the Min’Taul river. She is a wide and deep behemoth no force can cross. If someone does get the bright idea to risk their life, and stumbles into the fast-moving currents fed by the melting snow of the Ruvenkan Mountains, they’ll soon understand the mistake of their actions.” His eyes sparkled. “The ground disappears and forces the individual to swim, only to be carried away in the swift currents—of course, there are the large boulders jutting up above the surface to avoid as well.” He offered a broad smile as he explained their well-thought-out plan. “On the western side, we will be protected by the jagged, rocky slopes of the foothills. On this particular spot, the ground is loose granite. You cannot climb it more than a couple of feet before the ground gives way and you go tumbling down.” It was clear that the clan chief was enjoying himself.
Raythum could see the chief’s vision, but didn’t understand. “This is all fine and good, but how does it help us? To me it seems as though we are funneling the enemy toward us, with our own mobility handicapped.”
“Ahh, I see you haven’t been told everything then.” A smirk appeared on the old Dwarf’s weathered face. “The second we agreed to take the battle to them, I gathered and organized the best masons the Dwarves have to offer. We began construction on a thick, stone wall spanning the distance between the river and mountain. We designed it with no door, so we won’t have a normal weakness. The top of the wall is wide—wide enough to accommodate our rather large, growing army, with several battlements for our soldiers to attack the barbarians. We’ve gathered casks of hot oil we can drop on them from above, and we have designed multiple towers from which wizards can use their spark, while still offering proper protection.”
Raythum could tell from the chief’s demeanor how much pride he felt in the design of the wall. “How close are you to completing it? We have eight to nine days before the Kahloom arrive. Will it be ready on time?” Raythum eyed the chief with hope.
“The masons are working on it around the clock. The time of year is helping us since we only have about six hours of darkness per evening, but even then, we light bonfires and torches to allow them to work through the night. As of my latest update, we’re a little more than halfway to completion. We will need at least a day to allow the mortar to cure, but even that won’t be enough. Then again, this isn’t a monument or building we want to last the ages. It has a specific purpose, and nothing more. By our calculations, we will have a little over a day and a half once it’s completed, before the Kahloom arrive.”
“I have to say, I’m impressed by your efforts, Ulor.” Raythum noticed the smile the chief tried to hide. “Who’ll lead the ground forces?”
“I planned on assigning the task to you, but considering you’re leading the Dragon riders, I have had to adjust my tactics. I’ll designate Yordrinn—one of my generals—as commander of the ground forces, but I’ll leave each nation’s troops under the control of their own commanders. Yordrinn will be responsible for coordinating the attack.”
Raythum had his own reservations. “Do you honestly think this will work?”
Ulor rose to his feet and came down off the dais. Sitting above the Human and Elves wasn’t conducive to this kind of conversation, besides he had no reason to sit on the platform at all.
“I’m afraid it has to.” He sat down next to the others. “I don’t think any of our races will trust one another yet. I think after the battle, our relationships will be much repaired, but until then this is the best I could come up with. The soldiers will still report to their existing commanders, who in return will repo
rt to Yordrinn. I think it’s the only way to quell any potential uprisings before they begin.”
Arthanis who had only listened up until this point, spoke up. “I agree. I believe the Elves would’ve followed Raythum, due to his time spent in Ferrindale for his training. Many came to know him, and even if they never met him, they know of him. I don’t think they would follow anyone else. This is something I suspected would be an issue and I feel confident in the way Ulor seems to have solved it.”
“I suppose you both are correct.” He sat in silence for several moments while he considered the situation. “I’ll do my best to offer my support from the air, as well. I’d like to take Milenthia out to scout the Kahloom and consider our strategy. I hope to get a picture of the area where the battle will be waged so I can better understand your strategy.”
Ulor stood, followed by the Elves. “Of course. You offer a unique advantage and I’ll be interested to learn more from your findings. Before you go, you must be hungry. At least join me for a meal before you depart. The chefs are already preparing several turnoks and I think you’ll be pleased.”
Raythum had heard of Turnoks before, but had never tasted one. I should join up with Milenthia so we can scout ahead, he thought.
Milenthia picked up on his thoughts and interjected. I know you’re hungry. You should stay and eat. We can ride out first thing in the morning. I wanted to set out with the others to hunt anyway, so this works in both of our favors.
Raythum looked perturbed, but his stomach growled. Very well, I guess it’d help if I gathered more information and began to build trust with Ulor. We’ll leave first thing in the morning. Be safe.
Ulor stared at Raythum. He’d asked a question of the Human, but instead of responding he looked to be deep in thought.
The Rising Past: Book 2 in The Keepers of the Orbs Series Page 24