Forging the Half-Goblin Sorcerer

by J. Craig Argyle

  His rising iron works quickly becomes a sprawling town. Workers want to build homes for their families and merchants want set up businesses. Trak lays out a grid for a small city. He leaves it to Lord Ran to sell licenses and permits to construct homes and businesses. Trak’s new broch is one of two that are quickly constructed. Lord Ran wants a broch, identical to Trak’s, for his personal use.

  As soon as the first kiln is constructed, Trak begins testing ore samples until he is satisfied he can reproduce the same quality steel he made in Neu Ardonbrae and on the Isle of Uisgebeatha. Trak hires and personally trains ten smiths, eight men and two cross-breeds. They are not master smiths, trained in all aspects of metal work, but they quickly learn the business of iron making. By the following summer, all key components of the operation are in place and large-scale production begins. Baron Teiber sends him a weapons designer named Joclin, who is unequaled in his knowledge of combat weapons and aids Trak in designing battle armor and weapons for the baron’s military.

  Baron Teiber gives the foundry its first commission. Trak sets up an assembly line to manufacture five hundred lances and shields for his horsemen and five hundred helms for their warhorses. Trak and Joclin combine their skills to design the smithy’s first Dragon Fire weapon, a two-handed broadsword to be wielded by a man in a heavy suit of armor. The swords are not necessarily stronger than the iron weapons the men already have, but their sheer beauty makes them highly prized. To possess a Dragon Fire sword, nobles are willing to pay an amount that would buy a warhorse.

  Business is good, but Trak frets the customer base is too small and in a few years, when everyone has a new weapon, the supply of buyers will dwindle to a trickle. Lord Ran is already thinking ahead. The baron’s son has a small dock built in the cove next to the foundry and begins selling weapons to trading ships anchored in the cove. The ships visit the ports of neighboring kingdoms. The exporters enthusiastically spread the tale that Dragon Fire weapons have been manufactured in a volcano using a sorcerer’s magic. Even those that scoff at the tale admit the swords are both beautiful and wickedly effective.

  He reserves his special mark for his one-off creations. The mark has evolved from a simple zigzag superimposed on a cross into a serpent-like dragon entwining a flaming sword. Trak takes great pains polishing his creations to insure they sparkle of magic.

  Chapter 20

  Isle of Uisgebeatha: The Healer

  Except for daily walks in the forest, Myrel stays near her grandmother’s cave. She doesn’t want her presence on the island to be noticed by outsiders. She wishes the old goblin owned more books. Reading is a diversion Myrel immensely enjoys. She does find an old book of ballads among her grandmother’s library on plant lore. When she stumbles on the Song of Ethor, she thinks of Trak. She wishes she could see him again. She knows it is silly, but she suspects she was falling in love with the strange cross-breed when events in her life separated them. Romance is a feast she hungers for but one she has little chance of tasting.

  Myrel tries to absorb the medical wisdom that pours out of the old Spore without ceasing. Myrel is frustrated she remembers only a fraction of what her grandmother teaches. The grandmother also sees the problem. One morning the castle’s smith, a goblin named Baelock, appears at the cave. He stares at Myrel so intently she feels uncomfortable. She assumes he is gawking over her cross-breed features. That very afternoon, he returns with a half dozen medical tomes and a thick stack of parchment he borrowed on the old goblin’s behalf from the Duke of Uisgebeatha.

  Her grandmother insists that Myrel copy the illustrations of human anatomy until she is able to label the components. The Meg then explains the role of each organ and how various poisons and diseases affect normal function. Myrel asks, “How can I learn medicine without attending to patients?”

  “That will come later, but first ye have to learn basics.” Meg brings home snared rabbits, and has Myrel perform vivisections on their corpses before depositing the best parts in the stew pot.

  For Myrel, the most interesting part of her dissections is seeing how the same organ in two different animals changes in size and shape to meet each animal’s particular needs. Earthworms have a big intestine but no identifiable brain. The scapula of a burrowing mole is huge in comparison to the rest of its skeleton. Its skeleton is altered to make the forelimbs into powerful shovels. Many of Myrel’s observation would seem commonplace to a child raised by a farmer or a butcher, but for a child raised in Holy Mountain, the study of anatomy is an exotic pursuit. Myrel and Meg build a collection of skeletons from the animals they trap or find dead in the forest. They boiled the carcasses to remove the flesh. Both agree the boiling is best done out of doors where the stench of flesh doesn’t invade the cave. From the old goblin, Myrel learns to suture using strips of rabbit gut. With a sharp needle, she practices sewing together sliced tissues.

  “To know plants is to know medicine,” Meg reminds Myrel time and again. By the end of the following summer Myrel has mastered the basic medicinal plants. She learns to operate the copper worm distillery and can independently collect and prepare the powders, tinctures and extracts needed to treat the sick. When she is ready, her grandmother sends her out to collect the nine sacred herbs. Like Trak she fails to find Atterlothe. It puzzles Meg that so many fail to find the illusive cure for the venom of the rock viper.

  Myrel asks her grandmother how she came to live on the island. The old goblin explains she came eighteen years ago at the request of Krage. She found the forest fascinating she has no desire to leave. The old goblin never mentions Trak, and Myrel has yet to realize she has a twin brother.

  Learning to project her spirit is difficult for Myrel. It is not that she lacks ability, but the island is far from an active volcanic flow, the source of the power that feeds her gift. Meg and her granddaughter sit together on the floor of the cave. When Myrel is able to generate a faint glow and see the young spirit of her grandmother sitting beside her, Meg grasps her hands and together they soar over the countryside like a high flying hawk, only faster. Soon they are over the capital city, and her grandmother directs her toward the temple; they alight on the balcony where Myrel spent so much of her childhood. Her former home is empty.

  Myrel wishes her mother had been there. Her grandmother sees her sadness and together they return to the cave. When they emerge from their trances, Myrel asks Meg if it is possible to visit her mother to see if she is all right. The old goblin explains that since her mother lacks the gift, it will be difficult to find her. Perhaps if they learn exactly where she is, it will be possible.

  ***

  Once the royal family is safely out of the capital, Krage does not hesitate to undermine Melkerei’s credibility. He uses his contacts to circulate rumors that the royal family is very much alive and has taken refuge on the Isle of Uisgebeatha. Melkerei’s spies confirm the presence of the royal family in Duke Amin’s castle. The news of the royal family’s exile brings the kingdom to the verge of civil war. Melkerei considers mounting an invasion of the Isle, but is uncertain if he still has the support of the military commanders. Lord Lizardthroat is forced to postpone his coronation. He doesn’t dare crown himself king while King Giforing and his son are very much alive and supported by many of the nobles who have grown tired of the Melkerei’s dictatorial rule and clumsy handling of state affairs. Melkerei finds his supporters drifting away from him. One military commander even stags a blundering attempt to have Melkerei assassinated. The attempt fails miserably, but it makes Melkerei more cautious; he no longer is seen in public.

  ***

  On the Isle of Uisgebeatha, Dorla, the duke’s niece, suddenly finds herself in daily contact with the king’s son, the pimple-faced boy to whom she is betrothed since birth. In all fairness, she admits he has lost most of his pimples, but he still seems immature when compared to Trak, the youth who risked his life to save her from captivity. She tries to slow the inevitable by avoiding her cousin’s company, which is hard because every night the
king’s family joins the duke’s for the evening meal. She spends her days in her room. She is living her captivity all over again. When she can’t remain in her room a day longer, she wanders the forest. She goes searching for the cave where Trak unceremoniously deposited her on the night of her rescue. When she finds the cave, Dorla calls out to Meg and is surprised when the door opens and she is looking up at a tall, cross-breed girl. “I am Dorla, the duke’s niece. Is the old goblin at home?”

  Myrel returns her greeting, “Welcome. I’m Myrel.” She invites Dorla into the cave. The old goblin sits at her table examining a small flower under her magnifying glass. Meg welcomes the duke’s niece but keeps on sketching her flower while Myrel pours tea.

  Dorla notes that while the old goblin may have forgotten her social graces, Myrel’s manners are regal. She surpasses Krage’s ability to speak using the gestures and embellishments of the court language. The cross-breed’s plain robe can’t conceal her high-born status. Where has such an odd but elegant creature come from? Why is she here? Is she hiding? Dorla knows it is impolite to be too direct with her questions, and Myrel reveals only that she came to the island to study the art of healing.

  Dorla has spent her entire life in a male dominated world. Her uncle and cousins talk only of military readiness and battles. She never had a female companion to share her secrets. Dorla believes at once that she and the mysterious cross-breed will be close friends. Perhaps the strange girl will reveal more of her secrets when she is ready. As for Myrel, she was only a few months ago ripped from her circle of childhood friends; she welcomes the friendship that Dorla offers.

  The daily routine for both girls changes as their friendship blossoms. Dorla abandons the seclusion of her room. Each afternoon she joins Myrel in the forest. Myrel relates to her what she studied that morning. The summations help Myrel retain what she is learning. Dorla pays attention. She wants to be like Myrel and acquire skills of her own. The thought of wedding the king’s son keeps her seeking an alternative.

  Dorla is repelled by the vivisections Myrel finds so fascinating, but she enjoys plant lore and studies it voraciously. The old goblin recognizes the duke’s niece has a keen intellect and retains information more readily than Myrel. When her uncle asks her where she goes when she disappears each afternoon, Dorla informs him that she is studying to be an herbalist. The duke can’t see what good will come of it, but she is the happiest he has ever seen her. He does nothing to discourage her. She and Myrel forage for plants. They select those with medicinal properties as well as collect edible varieties. Dorla is determined to improve the dining fare in the duke’s banquet hall. Even the king complains the duke’s table reminds him of an army field kitchen.

  Although the king’s son, whose name is Lorring, sees little of Dorla, he begins to enjoy his life on the island. Farg’s brothers introduce the prince to their rigorous routine of daily military training. Lorring shows promise. His skill with arms improves and his physical strength develops. In time he takes on the look of a fighter. Dorla begins to take notice of Lorring at the same time the lad begins to think of nothing else but attacking the mainland and restoring his father to the throne.

  ***

  Dorla dithers about whether the prince loves her. The old goblin suggests she consult a daisy-oracle. Dorla laughs. She doesn’t think plucking petals from a flower can reveal if someone loves you. But the old Spore stands firm. She waxes poetically about the prescience of plants. “The flowers speak a language all their own. They have many things to teach us. Vervain will make people fall in love with one another if it is harvested at the summer solstice. A jilted lover may wear a garland made of Willows to sooth his pain. The gift of the herb Paris declares one’s love for another. Columbine speaks of sadness and Ivy that clings to a wall teaches us of fidelity. Woodbane twists around a tree like lovers wind themselves in each other’s arms.”

  Baelock maintains a single kiln for forging iron. With the war over, the demand for swords dropped to a trickle. He is satisfied creating iron equivalents for useful copper tools. Iron cooking pots are an improvement over copper because they hold heat better and are more durable. He even sends a peace gesture in Wreen Wormclaw’s direction. He teaches the metal smith from across the island the secrets of iron making. Together, they make iron blades for plows that cut deeply into the rocky soils of the island. Two years have passed since Trak left the island and Baelock is getting restless; he is ready to return to the capital.

  Lord Lizardthroat remains Neu Ardonbrae’s dominant politician, but he relinquishes, for the moment, his dream of being crowned king. The other nobles don’t want one of their class to be elevated above them. They enjoy their freedom from new taxes and royal demands the king’s absence affords them. The fear of a white goblin invasion that swept the capital two-years before has dissipated. Life in the city has returned to normal. Only the empty palace reminds the citizens of past political intrigues.

  Gradually the nobles grow dissatisfied. They miss the gala festivities the king staged and the pomp and ceremony that placed them at the center of attention. In comparison to the king, Lord Lizardthroat is a dull bureaucrat who squanders the kingdom’s treasury on the huge Secret Police force and standing army. They have forgotten the excitement that came with the discovery of iron and the massive military buildup that followed. True, Melkerei has eased the tensions between the goblin realm and King Red’s kingdom, but a large military is no longer needed. The nobles label the commander of the Secret Police an uninspiring, ineffective and overly despotic bureaucrat. They talk of inviting the king back to the palace. The business with King Red’s queen is over. Queen Meriem has gone home, and King Red displays no more interest in attacking the goblin kingdom. Shouldn’t the monarchy be restored?

  No one had any idea what has happened to the Thaumaturgist. Some believe Melkerei’s story that he was killed by white goblins, but others remembered how he disappeared once before only to turn up seventeen years later.

  Chapter 21

  Dragonton, Bretwalda: Trak Speaks to His Mother

  A year after the iron works began operation, Dragonton, as the community became known, had a royal visit. King Red came to see for himself if all he heard was true. His men erected his pavilion on the ridge overlooking the iron works. The tents housing the king’s servants and guards covered the ridge and surrounded the brochs where Trak and Lord Ran lived. The two partners welcomed the king and provided him with a tour of the facility. The king complements the partners, “I am impressed by the size of the operation and its output. It is clearly more efficient than my royal iron works. “I want you both to accompany me back to my fortress, study the royal operation and make suggestions for its improvement.” Trak and Ran could only comply. They had hoped to become the king’s source of iron goods, but it seemed the king had other ideas.

  When Trak and Ran arrive at King Red’s fortress, the king’s new military commander greets them. Trak is pleased to notice that the commander carries a sword with his Dragon Fire mark stamped on its blade. The new commander, the Baron of Northvale, replaced Ran’s father a few months back when the king decided that fresh blood was needed to deal with a threat on his eastern border. His eastern neighbor, the kingdom of Queen Fae, was becoming increasingly militant, and border incidents were now common. Also, the king, in all fairness to Ran’s father, recognized that the invasion of the Isle of Uisgebeatha consumed much of the baron’s personal wealth, and he wanted to allow his liegeman the chance to financially recover. Being the commander of the king’s army was an honor that came at a high price.

  The two business partners are given separate quarters in the fortress. Trak hopes his visit will offer the opportunity to see his mother, but he would have to be careful. He still publically professes that his mother is Queen Meriem’s lady in waiting. Trak asks for a tutor to instruct him in the writing of the human script that fills the books in the royal library. Since the oral language is similar to goblin speech, Trak, within a few days, b
egins to work out what is written in the books. The librarian does not give Trak free access; he has not forgotten the infamous theft in which Krage stole the secret of iron. The librarian only loans him books he considers non-sensitive. A library assistant, Thane, is assigned to watch his every move.

  Trak and Ran inspect the royal smithy and find the forging techniques used by the royal smiths unsophisticated. They rely on small kilns powered by hand bellows. Their process is laborious and only produces small quantities of wrought iron. They have not discovered how to scale up their operation and streamline their division of labor. Lord Ran finds limitations in the marketing and distribution of their finished goods. Royal proclamations make it impossible to procure a sword directly from the foundry. If a noble wants a sword, he has to beseech the king and pay an exorbitant tax to the royal treasury. The business partners compile their recommendations for improving the royal operation in a document that Lord Ran delivers to the military commander. Trak expects the king to thank them for their help and to send them on their way.

  While they wait, Trak stays occupied reading books on the religious beliefs and history of men. He discusses with Thane similarities between the creation myths of men and goblins, “According to both versions, a legendary hero led a rebellion that resulted in a mass exodus of creatures to the surface of the earth. Both the human and goblin creation myths maintain an evil ruler lingers in the Underworld, preparing for the day when he will invade the surface and gain dominion over all life. Each day his magic grows more powerful. Both myths foretell a descendent of the first hero will lead the inhabitants of the earth in a final battle. The outcome is not foretold in either story; it depends on the willingness of the surface inhabitants to work together.” Trak thanks Thane for his help and invites the young scholar to Dragonton.