Eberon's Sword

by Rick Brown

  Ryan walked forward to join us. “Have you looked at these walls? They are smooth as glass, yet they are carved right into the mountain. There are no seams or anything!”

  “Ha! The boy notices everything,” Orlik laughed. “We dwarves ain’t as backwards as you all think. Olingard is a beautiful city. These be just the back-access hallways. Me uncle seems to be taking this route to hide us. Even at this hour the main halls would be filled with dwarves.”

  Henlark stopped ahead of us and opened a door. “Everyone in here,” he ordered as he waved into the room. Once inside, he closed the door behind us. The room we entered appeared to be a common suite, I assumed part of his uncle’s residence. The furnishings were made of stout wood. More practical than refined.

  He turned toward Orlik, walking forward he grasped him in a bearhug. “Aye, if it ain’t me nephew come home. We’ve missed ya boy.”

  Orlik paused for a moment before hugging his uncle back. “I missed you too. You and pa.”

  “So, ya heard about your da’ then. That’s why ya be coming home?” his uncle asked.

  Orlik looked concerned. Pulling away from his uncle’s embrace to look him in the face. “What’s wrong with the King?”

  The glow of happiness on Henlark’s face fell. “Ahh, so ya haven’t heard. The King be ill, deathly so. His age has finally caught up with him.”

  “Oh…” Orlik said as he looked away. “No, I didn’t hear about that. Just came to guide King Eberon to me da’ for the sword. So, you’ll be king then.”

  Henlark shook his head. “The Council is trying to take over. Says with the heir being exiled, the line to the throne is too muddy.”

  “Too muddy?! What the hells does that mean? It’s clear you should be king,” Orlik shouted angrily.

  “There are those on the council using your father’s weakened state to forward their own ambitions. They would be king. Not just one of them. I imagine two or three will vie to usurp the thrown.”

  “We can’t let that happen,” Orlik growled.

  “No, we can’t. There’s one dwarf that should be king, you Orlik,” Henlark pronounced.

  Orlik shook his head. “Me? Nah. Maybe once, but I’ve been living in a gutter for centuries now. Besides, me father had me exiled.”

  “And what he’s done can be undone. Must be undone. Your father has walked a tightrope since you left. Seeming to accept Dommeran, while protecting the independence of the dwarves. He did what he had to do when you left, but I know your absence has left him with a heavy heart,” Henlark explained. “I’ll take you to your father in a moment, but first, I must greet your friends,” Henlark said as he turned to me.

  “Oh, of course,” Orlik said with a smile. “This be King Eberon of Alsselya. And yes, he be a true Eberon.”

  “Your Majesty,” Prince Henlark stated with a bow. He seemed much more the statesmen than his nephew. “It is my pleasure to make your acquaintance. And an elven ambassador, too.”

  I stepped forward to shake Henlark’s hand. “Prince Henlark, allow me to introduce Ambassador Farloc, of the Elves,” I said, gesturing to my friend.

  “Also, these are the Priests of Alynon. Father Yagen and Father Pild. The head of my personal guard, Captain Whilhoit, and my companions. Abigail, Barad, Brianna, and Lenux.”

  “A pleasure to meet you all. So, Your Highness, the time has come to remove the stink of Dommeran for Alsselyian lands!” He stated with a smile.

  “Indeed, it has. We already have a commitment from Vaelin and Illiner to do battle with us. I hope to gain such a commitment from the dwarves as well. That, and my sword.”

  Henlark nodded. “Aye, well that be determined by the King, and our current King be in such a state, he won’t be able to do the battling needed on your side. There are those on the council doing deals with Dommeran. They’ll have the money to make themselves be heard. We have a battle before us, for sure.”

  “Why can’t things ever be easy?” Barad asked with a sigh.

  “Ha!” Henlark laughed, staggering Barad forward with a hard slap on the back. “Where be the fun in easy!”

  “I’ve done run out of air trying to explain that to these humans,” Orlik said with a shake of his head.

  “All you do is spout hot air,” Brianna fired back.

  “Ahh... These be good people ya got here, Orlik. They know how to fight!” Henlark said with a smile.

  “Aye, and they may need to by the sounds of it,” Orlik agreed.

  Chapter 16

  (Orlik)

  I followed my uncle down the familiar halls of our family quarters. Being home again gave me a feeling of comfort that I had not expected. I still felt concern about the council and how they would react to my return from exile, but now I was more concerned about my father’s health. Not just because I still loved him, but how it would destabilize the dwarven kingdom. I carried too much love for my people not to be worried.

  “Ah Lad, times have been tough for us dwarves,” my uncle started. “While Dommeran is only to our north, they keep the people of Spellion from trading with us from the south by threat of force, leaving Dommeran our only access to the outside world.”

  “And what do we need with the outside world?” I asked in a huff. The idea that dwarves would be dependent on anyone was grating.

  “Ya never understood economics, did ya, Lad?” he replied, shaking his head. “The world above moves forward while we stagnate under this mountain. We can supply ores that are the best in the world, but I can’t feed my people fruit and meat from the surface without trade. We be feeding people brown fungus that we grow near surface caves. Drink beer made from the same. Did ya not drink ale while you lived up there? Mead? Not enjoy a juicy steak? The lives of dwarves can be good when we can trade with those above, but now we just be surviving.”

  “No ale? I asked in shock. “It be that bad?”

  “I think you are missing the point, Lad,” my uncle said as he shook his head. “We kingdoms need each other. They need us for our mining, and we need them for their goods. Right now, Dommeran has our market cornered so we can only trade with them. They pay us only a fraction of the value for our ores and charge an exorbitant rate for food.

  “Your friend, King Eberon. Do ya think that he’s got what it takes to beat Grenlow?” He asked seriously.

  “At first, I’d have said no,” I said with a smile. “I’ve seen too much to believe in anyone, or so I thought. That boy’s got strength, he does. He’s doing things I ain’t never seen. And he ain’t even got the sword yet!”

  “What about the stone. Did the elves give him the stone?” My uncle’s expression was one of desperation.

  “Aye, there was some trouble, but he’s got the stone,” I answered.

  My uncle exhaled. “Then we’ve got a chance. That’s all we can ask for.” With that he knocked on my da’s suite.

  A young nurse opened the door, smiling at my uncle. “Prince Henlark, and who do ya bring with ya?”

  My uncle gave me a serious look. “Just a young dwarf I’d like to meet the King. Is he awake?” I took the hint and kept quiet.

  “Aye, My Prince. You be in luck. The King do be awake. Shall I announce you?” She asked.

  “Nay. This be informal, but I would like a word in private. Would ya mind staying out here while we talk to me brother?” My uncle asked in a way that didn’t leave room for her to disagree.

  The nurse glanced briefly at me and then stepped back to let us in. “Of course, My Prince.”

  I followed my uncle across the suite, glancing again at the nurse. She seemed familiar to me, but she appeared too young to have been alive when I left. Without knocking, my uncle opened the King’s Suite door and stepped inside. I quickly followed, closing the door behind me.

  “Fenlek! It be your brother. I brought you a surprise,” My uncle stated as we walked up to the bed.

  The sick dwarf before me reminded me nothing of the powerful ruler I remembered as my father. He had wasted away to a mer
e shadow of that dwarf. His hair was now completely white, and his blue eyes had lost their sharpness.

  “Orlik,” he stated as he raised his frail hand. “Me boy has come home.” He gave a weak smile as I gently grasped the hand. “Ahh… I must truly look bad for ya to be so careful with me.”

  “Da. I’m sorry I was gone for so long,” I stated with a tear in my eye.

  “It is I that be sorry. Maybe you were right. I kept Dommeran at bay the best I could, but they’ve weaseled their way into most of my kingdom. I know me council do be bought. Maybe your way would have been best. For the dwarves to go out with dignity.”

  “We ain’t a lost cause yet,” My uncle said with a grin. “Orlik brought with him the rightful King of Alsselya. There be an alliance forming to push Dommeran back to the east.”

  A glimmer of interest returned to the King’s eyes. “Do he be a true Eberon.”

  “Aye, Da. Guided by Alynon himself,” I said with a smile, “and he carries the Tear.”

  “Then the god still lives. I had wondered if Gorath had killed his brother,” the King stated as he tried to sit up in his bed. I reached behind him to adjust his pillow so he could lean against it. “And he carries the Tear? Does it respond to him?”

  “Aye, it does. Saved his life even,” I answered.

  “Before anything else, let’s hear you say the exile on Orlik be lifted,” my uncle interrupted.

  The King nodded. “Aye, that be wise. I do no have much left in me. Call me nurse in as a witness. We can trust her.”

  My uncle went to the door and waved the nurse to come in. She carefully peered in before entering the room. “You want me, Your Highness?”

  “Aye, Miellin. I’d like you to be witness to this.” My father ordered. The nurse nodded in acceptance. My father tilted his head to look at me. “I King Fenlek, do declare my son, Orlik, no longer be exiled from Olingard, and instead that he be reinstated as my rightful heir.”

  The nurse looked pale as she turned to stare at me. “You be Prince Orlik?” she asked.

  I smiled at the girl. “I do be that. Son of King Fenlek and a Prince of the Dwarves.”

  The Girl dropped in a quick curtsy. “It be an honor, My Prince.”

  “Henlark, how many know of Orlik’s presence here?” The King asked.

  “Only a handful, Sire. Your son took a very obscure route in entering Olingard.” My uncle stated while smiling at me.

  “Good. Miellin, don’t go telling anyone that Orlik be back just yet. I need to decide how to present him.”

  “Of course, Sire,” Miellin stated. With a bow to my father’s bed, she left the room and closed the door behind her.

  “Are you sure we can trust her?” I asked.

  “Sure. She’s Lillia’s sister. Weren’t even born when ya left. Do ya think we can trust her now?” My father said with a smile

  “Lillia’s sister?” I asked as I stared in awe at the door. No wonder she seemed so familiar. “How be Lillia,” I asked, turning back to my father.

  “Angry. Leave it to a woman to be angry for three hundred years. With you gone she had no one else to blame but me. Now that you’re back maybe she can turn her vengeance back on you,” he answered with a snort.

  “You two can talk women later, what we need now is a strategy. As careful as we have been, someone will talk, and word will get out that Orlik has returned. We need to strike while the council is unprepared.”

  “Bah! That rotten council. Traitors the lot of them,” the King grumbled. “They all want me crown.”

  “Aye, and they’ll have it too, if we can’t focus,” my uncle stated in frustration.

  “Well, I’ve been gone too long to guess the machinations of the council,” I admitted. “What do ya think we should do.”

  “Let’s march him out this morning!” my father answered. “I’ll announce the lifting of the exile then. Declare that my son also be my heir.”

  “Is it that simple?” I asked.

  My father smiled. “You’ve been in the world of men too long. We dwarves don’t like to over-complicate something. I declared you exiled, I can declare you un-exiled.”

  “Are you up to a visit at the council?” my uncle asked concerned. “You’ve not been out of this bed in some time.”

  “I must. We don’t have any other option. As ya said, given time, the council could work out some way to block us,” my father replied. His rubbing of his tired face just emphasized his weakened state. This was no longer the powerful dwarf I feared and respected as a child. I just hoped he had enough left in him for the upcoming fight.

  “Well, that’s it then. We have a plan. Orlik and I will leave you be till the morning. Get some rest, brother,” my uncle said as he pulled me away from the bed.

  I was lost in contemplation as we walked back to my uncle’s suite. I had no idea in my years away how my father’s health had deteriorated. Somehow, I just thought such a strong dwarf would live forever.

  “Not what you expected, eh Lad?” My uncle spoke, breaking my reverie. “It happens to us all, eventually.”

  “Guess I never imagined it happening to him. He was so powerful,” I admitted.

  “Don’t let that diminish what the dwarf was. We all grow old. He led us well through some difficult times. He will be remembered well,” he replied with a smile. “And his biggest battle may yet be still before him.”

  “You think this may go badly?” I asked.

  My uncle looked me in the eye. “I think it will lead to civil war, Lad.”

  Chapter 17

  (Lee)

  “Well, we’re in it again,” Barad complained. “It couldn’t be that we just show up and have the sword handed to us?”

  “Cornelius Seins once wrote that ‘It’s the challenge that makes one strong. A sword must go through fire to be hardened to steel’,” Father Pild quoted.

  “Well, a sword that’s had too much fire becomes brittle and breaks. That’s how I’m starting to feel,” Barad said as he continued his rant. “We’ve been on the run since we left Vaelin. Worse yet, we haven’t really been fighting anyone. Just running. I hate running.”

  “Careful what you wish for,” Father Yagen warned, “for you just may get it granted.”

  “Never argue with priests,” Whilhoit laughed. “They know too many parables.”

  “Lenux, can you hear anything from Orlik?” I asked.

  Lenux took a moment, looking slightly up, as one does when listening to something in the distance. Finally, he shook his head. "I can tell he's down the hall, talking to his uncle and another man, but I cannot make out what they're saying."

  “Still, that’s a handy talent to have,” Barad admired.

  “And it may come in very handy while dealing with the council,” I agreed.

  Father Yagen looked aghast. “You wouldn’t use subterfuge with the council?”

  “Oh! course not, that would be most unseemly for a king,” I agreed. “That’s why I’m going to have Lenux do it.”

  Lenux smiled. “Of course, My Liege. Decorum must be kept, after all.”

  Father Yagen rolled his eyes. “Alynon, forgive them.”

  "I've met Alynon," I reminded. "Trust me. He would not be offended."

  “You do truly live a unique life,” Father Pild said in awe. “It will make a marvelous book.”

  “Only if it has a happy ending,” I quipped with a smile.

  Brianna and Abigail had found some water and settled into Henlark’s leather seats. “What time is it?” Abigail asked with a yawn.

  Barad shrugged. “It must be late, maybe even morning by now.”

  “It is early morning,” Farloc stated with certainty. We all turned to look at him. He just shrugged. “We elves are very attuned to the world.”

  “Early morning?” Abigail moaned. “We’ve missed the whole night?”

  “I admit, the adrenaline of the werewolves is wearing off,” Ryan agreed. “I can almost sleep standing up.”

  “Everyone
find a nook to sleep in,” I called out. “There may not be beds, but we’ve slept in worse.”

  It was maybe an hour later that Orlik blew into the room in his usual bravado style. “What? Everybody sleeping?” He yelled out. “On the day we go head to head with the council? How can ya sleep?”

  “Will somebody stab that dwarf!” Barad yelled out angrily.

  “Hah! Careful Lad, we’ve got ya outnumbered here in Olingard. Ya should be on ya best manners.”

  “Did you say we are addressing the council today?” I interrupted. That seemed like a rather important statement Orlik just threw out.

  “Indeed. Me father will declare my exile over and name me his heir,” Orlik announced proudly.

  "And how do we expect the council to take this declaration?" Father Yagen asked.

  “Poorly. Very poorly, indeed,” Orlik answered with a broad grin.

  “I blame him,” Whilhoit said as he pointed at Barad. “He said he wanted a fight, and by the look on Orlik’s face, we are going to get one.”

  “Just fight quietly,” Abigail requested.

  Prince Henlark walked into the room. “Ah, I see I’ve been a poor host. Me guest be sleeping on the stone. Orlik help me show these folks to their rooms so they can get some sleep.”

  "Except Lenux, Whilhoit, and myself," I corrected. "I just need a room to freshen up. Then, I would like to request the three of us to be allowed to attend the council meeting."

  Henlark nodded. “I was going to request the same thing me self. Them council folks won’t know who to stare at. Prince Orlik or the King of Alsselya.”

  “Me, of course,” Orlik said with a smile. “I’m the prettier one, after all.”

  “Not to interrupt, but did someone mention rooms?” Abigail asked as she picked herself off the floor.

  “Of course, me lady,” Prince Henlark said with a slight bow. “I apologize that I cannot have baths prepared right away, but until we meet with the council, I’d like to keep your presence hidden from the servants as well.”

  “A bath would be wonderful,” Bri stated longingly. “But we understand.”

  I was impressed by my guest room. There was dwarven art and rugs that seemed out of place in an underground city. I would need to revisit my preconceived opinions of the dwarves.