Eberon's Sword

by Rick Brown

  Orlik knocked on my door as I was straightening my dress jacket in the mirror. Other than a few small wrinkles that I was able to smooth out, the coat had survived the journey in good condition. As Orlik entered, I noticed he was dressed in formal clothes. A red tunic and a helm with wings cast into either side with a long nasal guard.

  “Ahh, ya look just like an Alsselyian King,” Orlik stated as he looked at the jacket.

  "And you, my friend. Is this the princely dress of a dwarf?" I asked.

  “Aye, this is our finest. Us dwarves make sure our dress clothes are still good for a fight,” He said as he pulled Slayer from his back.

  “Good. From what you’ve told me, we might need it.”

  “Aye, you’re right there. Well, me uncle has the boys down in the main suite. I’ve come to fetch ya,” Orlik explained.

  I gave my jacket one last tug to straighten a wrinkle. “Well, I can’t leave two dwarven princes waiting. Lead the way.”

  Prince Henlark, Whilhoit, and Lenux were waiting in the suite when Orlik and I walked in. Prince Henlark was wearing a similar red tunic as Orlik was wearing. Whilhoit was wearing his Captain's uniform and Lenux was wearing an outfit in Alsselyian Blue.

  “Hello, Your Highness,” the Prince greeted with a smile. “To look at ya, one wouldn’t know you just entered Olingard by air vent. You look the picture of royalty. The Council will be impressed for sure.”

  "Thank you, Prince Henlark. What do you anticipate happening in the Council today?"

  “Oh, likely a lot of cussin’ and fist shakin’. A number of the Council peoples’ dreams will come crumbling down when Orlik walks in there,” he answered with a smile.

  “Do we anticipate the entire Council working against us?” I asked.

  “Oh, I know we’ll have a least one in our corner. Others will just be happy to block the ambitions of their rivals. We’ll be countin’ heavily on them attacking each other so we can push through the revocation of Orlik’s exile.”

  “So, we are counting on greed?” Lenux asked. “That will probably work. You can always count on the powerful wanting more power.”

  “Aye, so kind of folks to be predictable like that,” the prince answered, slapping Lenux on the back.

  Chapter 18

  (Orlik)

  On our way to the Council Chambers, we no longer followed the back passages of Olingard. The city was now bustling with dwarves running about on their business. Many stopped and gawked at the humans walking among them. When I had left Olingard, it was not unusual to have men around. Apparently, much had changed in my absence.

  King Eberon marched along, ignoring the stares of dwarves as he past. I smiled at the human’s unflappable nature. Even when pursued by werewolves, he kept his head about him. Aye, he’ll make a fine king. Must be in the Eberon blood.

  As we approached the Council room, we met my father, who was riding in a wheelchair pushed by Miellin. The poor King looked even frailer as he sat in his now over-sized robes of state. His complexion was pallid, as if just sitting upright was a burden.

  “Father, I’d like to introduce you to King Lee Eberon of Alsselya. Lee, it is my honor to introduce you to King Fenlek of the Dwarves,” I introduced as I had been trained in my etiquette lessons as a child. Those were not my best classes.

  “Your Highness,” Lee responded with a slight nod. “It is an honor to meet you.”

  “Ha ha! To say ‘it’s an honor’ after spending time with my son for nigh on a year. You appear to be a superb diplomat, King Eberon,” my father said with a laugh.

  “Your son may be prickly as a cactus, but he has been a wonderful traveling mate,” Lee replied with his own laugh.

  “Ya both injure me to my soul,” I said, feigning a hurt expression. “Why, I’m nothin’ if not sweet by nature.”

  “Even the sweetest of berries will sour with time,” my uncle piled on.

  "So, it be ya all against me, eh? That's fine. I can take the lot of ya!"

  “Save it for the Council, my son,” the King stated, ending our game of jibes. “King Eberon, I believe it will be mainly your presence here that will distract of Orlik’s return, so I thank you for coming.”

  “Your very welcome, Your Majesty. I confess, I have an ulterior motive.” Lee answered.

  “Of course, your sword. If we can win at getting the Council to accept Orlik as my heir, then obtaining your sword shouldn’t be an issue,” my father answered with a slow nod of his head.

  “Miellin, please take me into the chamber,” the King ordered.

  The Council room was shaped as a dome, with four support arches running up the sides and meeting at the center of the ceiling with a giant chandelier hanging down from the junction. Inside was a circular table with one section missing to allow speakers to walk into the center. Around the table sat the thirty representatives of the dwarven council.

  Their expressions ranged from disbelief and shock to outright rage as they noticed me walk into the room after my father. My eyes swept across the council as I looked for friendly faces. It was my turn to stare in shock as a familiar set of eyes return my stare. Lillia was now a member of the council.

  I glanced at my father who was staring back at me in glee, obviously enjoying my shock at seeing my former fiancé on the council. I glanced towards her again to see her expression was now darker than any other Council Person’s I saw. My attention was stolen away by an outcry at the end of the table.

  “King Fenlek! What be the meaning of this? You bring a dwarf exiled from the kingdom into our Council Chambers?” Councilman Heffer exclaimed.

  The nurse turned my father's chair so he could face the Councilor. "No. I see no exiled dwarf here. Seems my son and heir be the only new dwarf present in this group. His exile has already been renounced by myself."

  “You can’t just name him un-exiled. That must go before the council!” Another dwarf called out.

  “Why? I was the one who exiled him. I am now retracting his exile. The Council need only accept my authority.” My father answered.

  “Ha!” Councilman Ganis challenged. He was the one I worried about. Even before I left, he was always a thorn in our side. “Maybe once the King had such authority. Fenlek, you hold no such power now. It be this Council that rules Olingard.”

  “How dare you speak to the King that way!” I yelled out furiously. “Has this Council fallen so far from honor?”

  "This Council has led Olingard while a weak king sat on its throne," Ganis rebutted. "The days of your family ruling here are nearing the end, Orlik. You should not have returned."

  “You go too far, Ganis,” my uncle warned. “You’ve always danced the line, but what you do now is treason. The people won’t stand for it!”

  “He’s right,” Councilman Phellyn agreed. “We just serve under the King. You carry this too far, Ganis. I demand we censure Councilman Ganis!”

  Councilman Ganis feverously scratch out a note and handed it to an aide. He quickly whispered something, and the aide ran from the room.

  Lee tugged at my sleeve. “The Councilman is sending a message to someone named Benlok,” he whispered.

  “How the hells…” I started to ask when I glanced at Lenux, who winked at me. Ahh… That boy will come in handy today, I thought to myself. I leaned forward and whispered the message to my father, who frowned in concern.

  "A Censure? Of me?" The Councilman asked. "Phellyn, you are as aware as I am that our kingdom could benefit from an alliance with Dommeran. Yet, the King has consistently dodged and avoided signing any treaties. Ever since the day his son was exiled, Dommeran has sought an agreement. It has shamed all dwarves and impoverished our people to be ignoring their offers.”

  “Here we go again,” I heard Whilhoit say with a sigh. “I hope this turns out better than the Elven Council did.”

  “No one has stabbed me so far,” Lee whispered his response with a smile.

  “Dommeran is no allay of the dwarves,” Lillia spoke out. “As much a
s it pains me to agree with Orlik, you be committing treason, Ganis.”

  “Ahh... The fair Lillia comes to the defense of her fiancé. How touching,” He said with mock sweetness, then his voice turned threatening. “You must excuse yourself from this issue, Lillia. You are biased.”

  “Sure, I am biased, but against Orlik,” she said with a glare at me, a murmur of laughter went through the council. “However, I am also biased towards our people. Dommeran looks to us as slave labor, nothing more.”

  There was an outcry all around the table as dwarves defended and cursed at Lillia. She sat calmly in the storm, waiting for it to quiet down. Even in this madness, she was beautiful. Eventually, she was able to speak again. “The policies for this Council are well documented. There be no justification for unseating the King or denying his progeny of being the heir.”

  “The rules are antiquated and irrelevant,” Ganis argued.

  “You go too far,” Phellyn denounced.

  “Who are these humans?” Councilor Heffer interrupted, finally acknowledging there were others present.

  “Them?” I asked, thumbing at them over my shoulder. “Oh, that be King Eberon of Alsselya and his men.”

  “A fraud,” Ganis dismissed with a wave. “Dommeran has a price on this man’s head.”

  “You seem well versed with what Dommerian be doing,” the King pointed out.

  “I like to stay informed,” Ganis answered with a sly smile.

  “What proof does this human have that he’s a true Eberon?” Lillia asked.

  “If you’ll allow me?” Lee asked. Then, without waiting on a response, he levitated into the air. A gasp ran through the council as they recognized the magic.

  I saw a quick smile on the Lee’s face which always meant something fun was about to happen. Hearing a shout, I turned to see Councilor Ganis and his chair lift into the air, his chair spinning in circles.

  “Let me down!” he screamed as he clutched at his seat. My father cackled from his wheelchair at the scene.

  Slowly, Lee lowered Ganis, gently setting him on the floor. Then Lee, himself, floated back down.

  “How dare you! You attacked a Councilor!” Ganis screamed.

  “And you insulted visiting royalty,” My father rebutted. “You ignore what you just saw? Human magicians cannot levitate. You know that. You must acknowledge that this be King Eberon.”

  “What? From a parlor trick. Besides, there is no Kingdom of Alsselya anymore. What must be acknowledged is the true might in the land. That be Dommeran.”

  “No one will fight against Dommeran,” Councilor Heffer added. “There not be a kingdom that can stand against them.”

  “Gorath’s power be too much to fight,” Ganis continued. “No one can defeat Dommeran. We must accept them as the victors and move on.”

  “Thank you for your acknowledgement, Ganis,” A new voice stated from the doorway. Turning I saw a human in Dommerian gray march into the room followed by Dommerian soldiers. “I can take this meeting from here.”

  “Benlok, you go too far, walking into our Council Room!” My father yelled.

  "Oh, I've taken it much further than that, Fenlek. Once Ganis sent word that Orlik was here, I had my men take the gate. Currently, the soldiers that were marshalled outside of Olingard are now marching down your corridors."

  “Wait now, Ambassador Benlok,” Ganis said as he stood. “I told you I would turn Orlik and his followers over to ya. I didn’t agree to your army coming into Olingard.”

  “It’s of little matter what you said, other than they were here. Olingard is now under Dommerian martial law. The Council People will be escorted to their chambers until I call for them.”

  “I don’t understand. We had an agreement,” Ganis said as he attempted to pull away from the Dommerian Soldier.

  “Remove them,” the Ambassador ordered.

  As everyone was escorted away, Ambassador Benlok turned to us. “King Eberon. So Nice to make your acquaintance. As you may be aware, we’ve been trying very hard to do so.”

  “What makes you think you’ll survive that meeting?” Lee asked as he signaled to Whilhoit and Lenux to stand down.

  The Ambassador smiled. "Because the first thing I ordered after capturing the gate was a raid on the royal residence. Your friends are already my prisoners. That's where they are hiding, yes? To strike at me would still leave an army for you to battle, and your friends would be dead. Olingard has already fallen to my army. They just aren't aware of it yet," he said with a smile.

  "Ya don't know the heart of the dwarves," I said between clenched teeth.

  “You’ve been away, Prince Orlik. Dommeran has slowly been crushing any resistance within the dwarves. Your people are already defeated in their hearts,” he said with a smile. “King Fenlek, you will be returned to your residence while I communicate with High Priest Grenlow. If you cooperate, I will recommend you be kept on as a figurehead for your people.”

  Benlok turned to his remaining soldiers. “Escort the King and his brother to their rooms. Take everyone but King Eberon to their cells. The Alsselyian King is to be kept in the Dommerian Embassy Suite.”

  “What of my son?” the King demanded.

  “Prince Orlik?” the Ambassador said mockingly. “He’ll go where any wanted criminal would go, into a cell.”

  “As for you, King Eberon,” Benlok said as he turned to Lee. “Don’t think of striking at us or everyone in your party shall be put to death.”

  With a nod to the soldiers by Benlok, we were shoved out of the room and down the hall, Lee being pushed the other direction. Dwarves stood in shock as they watched the Dommerian soldiers with their swords drawn shoving dwarves down the hall. Maybe Benlok was right about my people, because no one raised a hand as they watch their King being arrested by Dommerian soldiers. The dwarves were already broken.

  Chapter 19

  (Barad)

  “Stop snoring,” Brianna mumbled as she jammed her elbow into my side. I loved her, but my relationship with Brianna had left me covered with various bruises. With a groan, I rolled to my side and was quickly asleep again.

  No sooner had Prince Henlark shown us to our room than we found ourselves fast asleep in the oversized bed. Brianna complained some about not having a bath first, but that just wasn’t an option if we wished to hide our presence. By now, Orlik’s big reveal would be taking place. I briefly wished him well as I dozed off.

  It was a crash from down the hall that first alerted us to the trouble. I could hear shouting from the other rooms. The voices of my friends muffled by the shouts of strangers. Something was wrong.

  Bri was the first one up. Leaping from the bed, she quickly grabbed her daggers. I rolled out next to her, grabbing my axes as I did.

  The door burst open as a Dommerian soldier clamored into our room. He had an expression of surprise as Brianna’s dagger entered his throat.

  “What the hells are Dommerian’s doing in Olingard?” I growled as I stepped over the body and into the hall, still just wearing my small clothes. What met my eyes was chaos. Our friends were being yanked from their beds and dragged down the hall by soldiers. I hefted my axe as I prepared to step into the fray when I felt a sharp yank on my arm as Bri pulled me the other way.

  “Too many,” she whispered as she pulled me away. Brianna at least found time to grab a jacket before we fled. She pulled me into another corridor that led away from the main suite. “We can’t help them if we are dead. Time to think like a sneak.” She continued to lead me away from the Royal Suite, changing directions any time voices could be heard.

  Finally, we found a door that led us out from the Royal Suite and into one of Olingard’s giant halls. They acted as roads within the ancient dwarven city. Dwarves were racing down the hall in a panic as Dommerian soldiers could be seen approaching in the distance.

  “Olingard has fallen,” Bri stated. “We’re in trouble. Lean over! You stand out like a beacon over these dwarves.”

  Leaning over t
o the height of the dwarves scurrying past us, I grabbed Brianna’s hand and let her guide us through the crowd. “We’ll have to find a place to hide and gather information.”

  “That’s going to be tough, won’t it? I know only one dwarf, and right now, I don’t even know if he’s alive or not,” I answered sarcastically.

  “They were trying to take us prisoner, not kill us. That means they want hostages for Lee. I think they must be ok,” she answered with more hope than I felt.

  I felt a sudden grab on my shoulder. I turned to find a lady dwarf staring intently at me. “You! You are Orlik’s friends, yes?”

  "We are," answered Brianna as she turned to face the dwarf. Looking at the woman, she had blond hair and wore clothes more elegant than most the dwarves running past us.

  “We need to hide you, follow me,” she ordered.

  I glanced a Bri, who just shrugged. "It would have been easy for her to lead the Dommerian's here. What have we got to lose?" With that, she started following the dwarf through the hall.

  Soon we found ourselves in the smaller, less crowded corridors that we traveled last night. The dwarf turned to us, giving us an appraising look. “I am Lillia. I’m a member of the Dwarven Council. Benlok, the Dommerian Ambassador, with help from one of the Council, has unleashed the Dommerian army into our halls. Our King and yours have been taken prisoner.”

  “How could soldiers capture Lee?” I asked. “He’s powerful enough to put up a quite fight.”

  “That was why they raided the royal apartments. You were to be leverage against his taking action. Were you two the only ones?” she asked.

  Bri shook her head sadly. “The others have been captured. We were lucky enough to be in the last room and could react before we were pinned in.”

  Lillia nodded sadly, “Then his plan worked. We can no count on King Eberon’s power while they hold his people.”

  “They may have been taken by surprise, but they are not defenseless,” Brianna corrected. “If we can find a way to coordinate with them, we could plan an escape.”