The Demon's Chamber

by Brian Spielbauer

  “Can I go now? Please let me go?” Telon was ready to explode, and as such, Deyanira had to let him go.

  “Yes, but please be careful!” she called after him. Telon rushed out, hearing nothing after the word ‘yes.’ Deyanira sat in silence for minute, and then stood tall and went out to the party.

  Telon rushed down the hall, through a side door and burst in the giant room where the party was being held. It was everything he thought it would be. There were decorations, contests, and food everywhere. He quickly went to where most of the young boys gathered. They were showing off their strengths and skills through various contests. Several boys from other cities came for the occasion. One, whose name was Mylar, was a bully and not liked by many. He was mean and liked to pick on smaller, younger dwarves. His father was King Kilgore of The Hills.

  Telon, as he always did, stood by Tegan. They were watching two boys wrestle when Mylar snuck up behind Telon. He knocked Telon’s knees from behind and laughed as Telon fell to the floor. Mylar’s friends and several adults joined in the laughter too, which drew Telon’s temper.

  Tegan angered quickly as he was very protective of his younger brother. “Why did you do that!” he yelled as he stalked toward Mylar. Mylar’s friends stepped in between the two before the fight ensued. The bully’s smug look did nothing to calm Tegan, who could not get through his friends.

  Telon pulled himself from the floor and picked up a rock. Their father had taught them a trick, one they called the ‘double bomb.’ Telon stepped past Tegan and gave him a sly look as he proceeded. “May I offer you a rock as a peace offering?” Telon asked Mylar, flipping the rock high into the air. Telon waited for Mylar to look, which he quickly did. Mylar raised his hands to catch the stone, eager to see what kind of gift the child would bestow upon him. Telon shot from his position like a bolt of lightning and landed a solid punch to the much larger boy. The force of the blow knocked Mylar off his feet and to the floor. Mylar’s gang was shocked at the power stored within the small boy.

  Mylar stood to gather himself. It was his turn to get laughed at by the crowd, and he seemed to like it even less than Telon did. He looked around, embarrassed by the attention. His eyes watered. He looked to Telon, who was still standing ready to fight. “I challenge you!”

  It was poor form on Mylar’s part to challenge someone so young. He towered over Telon and had the advantage of a year of training. Telon, his anger cooled, could not back down. Given time to see Mylar completely, he wasn’t so sure he was ready for this fight. He looked to Tegan for help but his brother could not give any. It was not Tegan who was challenged.

  “He accepts!” Tegan snapped. He believed in his brother and urged him forward. The fight was set, with no way out.

  King Kilgore came to lend support to his son as the crowd circled around the two fighters. Telon looked for his father, but did not see him. He hoped somehow his father could save him from this test, his anxiety growing every second. The crowd grew around them, waiting impatiently for the fight to begin. Telon’s fear ran wild, his nervousness got the best of him and he began to shake.

  “What is wrong? You will be fine,” Tegan said, trying to encourage him. Telon felt totally and completely alone, afraid that the older boy would pummel him in front of everyone he knew. Then a hand comforted Telon’s shoulder and he turned to see his father, Moro, King of Tunder Bin. Telon turned to him and wrapped his arms around his waist. His mother appeared then as well, but Telon could tell from his father’s interest that the fight would go on.

  Moro and his mother’s presence calmed Telon. While it did bring him hope, he still desired to avoid the fight.

  Deyanira knelt in front of Telon. She reached up and undid a gold chain necklace from around his neck. She then took a gold ring with a jet-black stone from her thumb, one he often admired and never saw her without, and put the chain through it. As she put it around Telon’s neck, she said, “Do not be afraid, you will do fine. This ring has always brought me great luck, and now it will do the same for you. Be brave.” She then rose to sit by Moro.

  Telon could see the eagerness in Moro’s eyes for the fight that was to commence, Telon feared letting him down.

  “Move quick Telon, you can do it,” Moro said as he readied to watch the contest of skill and bravery. He was proud of Telon, and was eager to see him fight. Telon glanced at the ring around his neck, and then placed it in his shirt. He loved his mother so deeply, she always knew what to do to make him feel better. As he turned to face his challenger, the worry rushed back in, but he was determined to fight that off too.

  The bell rang and the match began. Telon’s determination overcame him, and he charged the larger Mylar to show his bravery. Although a young boy, this was far from Telon’s first fight. Until now though, all his battles were against kids his age. For the first time, he was not the larger combatant.

  Mylar stood his ground, he was not scared and did not budge. Telon reached too eagerly for Mylar, and he quickly grabbed the smaller Telon, tossing him to the ground like a doll. Many laughed at the toss, assuming this to be a quick fight. Some yelled for Tegan to save his younger brother, which made Telon all the angrier. He stole a quick look to his father who said and did nothing. He only stared disappointed at his son, who lay beaten on the ground.

  After Telon stood, with blood on his lip, Moro said to Mylar’s father, “A moment with my young warrior?”

  Kilgore responded arrogantly. “Of course. A few moments if the young lad needs them! Maybe he will learn to pick his fights more wisely.”

  Moro glared at Kilgore, and for a moment, considered a challenge of his own. He abandoned the thought and knelt to talk with both of his young sons. “In all Lemuria, there are five dwarf tribes, of which we take, and have always taken, the lead. You will be challenged your entire lives by those that seek to take what you have. They will say you never earned it and don’t deserve it. You have to muster the courage to earn it every day!”

  He then looked to Telon directly who sported teary eyes and his bloodied nose, and spoke sternly, “Today will be a hard day for you. It is understandable for you to lose this fight, but do not show fear. You will not leave this for someone else to finish, do you understand?”

  Telon couldn’t answer, his lip quivering, but he nodded his unsure agreement. He then brushed past his father and brother to confront his fear, hoping he could stop himself from crying in front of them.

  He stood tall, remembering what he and Tegan learned from watching the soldiers train. This time he went in under control and waited for Mylar to make the first move. As his foe reached for his arm Telon quickly grabbed it with both hands. He violently spun the very surprised Mylar toward the ground. Mylar was amazed at how fast Telon moved, and the power in the little boy.

  Telon rode the larger foe face first and very indignantly into polished rock floor as both dwarf boys heard the crowd roar. Telon pulled hard on Mylar’s arm and twisted with all his might, trying to end the fight quickly.

  The strain was too much to Mylar, “I give! I give!” he screamed. The high-pitched shriek of a young boy in pain echoed throughout the room as he prayed Telon would not snap his arm. It was embarrassing for dwarves to beg out of a match, especially against smaller and weaker foes. It was made even worse because Mylar made the challenge. It would have been better to get knocked out than give in.

  Telon stood and raised his arms triumphantly, hearing his family leading the cheers of the crowd! Telon relished the feeling of the praise, especially so soon after he was sure to lose.

  Loudest of all was Tegan, who was so proud of his brother. Tegan taunted Mylar as he lay on the ground. Telon turned from Mylar to see Tegan’s look of elation quickly changed to alarm. Telon spun back to see Mylar swinging upward with a rock in his hand. The edge of it slashed across Telon’s face, cutting him from cheek to forehead. The bite of the sharp rock dizzied Telon, the pain was immediate as he felt the numbness around the cut.

  Telon was knocked b
ack and holding his face, with blood gushing from the deep wound. He couldn’t see out of the swollen and bloodied eye as he wailed in pain. Tegan caught his brother as he fell, and seeing Telon’s wound drove him to a rage. Before any of the elders could stop it, Tegan went after Mylar like a rabid animal gone mad.

  Mylar tried to knock him down with a quick swing but Tegan was far too fast. He ducked the initial thrust, grabbing Mylar’s wrist that held the rock and twisted it around as harshly as he could. He flipped Mylar over and onto the floor with an unflattering thud. The jarring pain caused Mylar to release the rock. He gasped for breath with his wind knocked out of him. Tegan quickly overwhelmed him with a relentless hold around both arms and wrapping his neck with both hands. He did not release until well after Mylar passed out. The crowd again cheered, but this time for Tegan their favored prince.

  It was Kilgore’s turn to intercede, trying to stop the fight before the final decision. Moro would not have it, quite upset at what happened to Telon. Moro’s stare stopped him short, “Perhaps Mylar will be more careful with those who can’t defend themselves. Especially when they have big brothers that can.” Moro’s solemn tone let all know he was not happy with how this fight took place.

  Kilgore stood down, waiting for Tegan to release his son. Tegan would not let go, the sight of Mylar hitting Telon would not leave his mind. Telon broke from his mother’s attention, holding a bandage she gave him over his cut, and slowly walked over to Tegan. He placed his hand on Tegan, urging him to let Mylar go. Seeing the small smile under the bandage, Tegan let the limp body of Mylar drop to the ground. His father threw some water on Mylar to rouse him. Mylar came to fast, but was very drowsy from the encounter. They gathered their things quickly and departed for their home, the seeds of wrath firmly planted.

  Deyanira could not stand the sight of Telon and the gash to his face. She swept him away to their home to fix his cut, with Telon longing to stay. Moro went to applaud the winner. Telon took a quick glance from his father as he was carried out, a look which was branded into Telon’s unforgettable and unrelenting memory. The only thing stronger than Moro’s pride for what Tegan accomplished was his disappointment in Telon’s beating. He knew that every sign of weakness, even those that could be explained, would only bring more challengers as time went on.

  Δ

  Telon woke with a start, sweat drenching his clothes. His mind whirled from the dream of events that happened so long ago. He ran his hand along the scar on his cheek and eye, the wound of the pain and embarrassment of that day violently reopened. The many victories he achieved since could not erase the self-doubt entrenched in his heart from that day when Tegan had to finish his fight. The disappointment in his father’s look was branded into his memory and would never go away.

  Telon sat up with a start. Sweat drenched his bedding. He got out of bed to go for his dream-driven, unwanted, but now usual, early morning walk. He hoped the walk would clear his mind and allow him to fall back asleep. Sometimes it worked, but more often it didn’t. Sadly, for Telon, on this night it did not.

  Another dream infested night without sleep was upon him, and every day was becoming a little worse. Telon was quickly angered by his friends and family, he couldn’t concentrate, and was beginning to wonder if he was going crazy. As he laced his sandals to go for another walk, he was losing hope that things would ever be normal again.

  The late hour did nothing to calm the energy of the lower halls of the mountain. The commitment of the dwarfs within the mountain to do their part, no matter the circumstances or time of the day, made Telon proud. Some were cleaning up from the day before, while still others were getting ready for the day ahead. No matter what their time of day was, the dwarves drive to do their duty remained steady.

  Telon’s walks usually failed to distract his dreams, but his people’s unwavering focus gave him comfort. The city market, which was held in one of the lowest halls, was a welcome distraction. There was a large pool of clear water, filtered by the mountain itself, right in the center of the market for all to use. Tents surrounded the pool in every direction, and on the edge, there were small stores built into the rock walls marking the ends of the room. Each family needed to retrieve their own water from the pool, which meant working their way through the maze of tents. This is how the sellers could pander their goods and make their living.

  Even as a young child Telon was mesmerized by watching the people coming and going. He tried to guess what they did, and what they would do with what they bought. Since he started going for his late-night walks, he began noticing a certain girl almost every time. He set himself up on some stairs where he hoped to see her, as she came at the same time every day.

  The girl always carried a large basket full of produce from her family’s farm, which her family sold from their tent. She was a young girl, around fifteen. While she was pretty, with long blond hair that dangled down and in front of her shoulder, everything about her told of a girl from the farmlands. Her hair was not as neatly combed as the well-manicured maidens of the upper halls. Her dress was one that had been handed down and repaired, and her boots were filthy from the mud of the fields. Despite these things that might upset most young women, this girl walked with the air of a princess without a care in the world.

  While Telon enjoyed and appreciated the benefits of his life, his mind sometimes wandered to a different reality. He thought about what it would be like to be just an ordinary man of the mountain and marry a girl who cared for nothing of the upper chambers. If he had a choice, he would live deep in the mountain and mine the farthest reaches of the kingdom, far from the palace and its demands.

  His lady did not make him wait long, and she did not disappoint. This day she wore a long blue dress and the same color blue bow holding her light locks away from her face. Her grace as she seemed to flitter across the floor made him stand and crane to get a better view as she managed her way through the throng of people. Carrying more than usual, with a basket balancing on her head as well as fitted under each arm, she entered the market with an elegance well above her breeding.

  The dress covered her completely, but the hugging fabric suggested her ample figure hiding beneath. Telon had little attraction to the dainty thin maidens of the upper chambers, he wanted a woman that knew the importance of hard work and one that would earn a hearty appetite. Knowing Deyanira would not approve of a partner from the farmland for her son made her even more desirable to him.

  The market was more robust than usual today and the crowd on the floor was thick. Telon watched as several soldiers, not watching where they were going, bumped into her. The baskets she carried fell to the floor as she too landed hard on her hip, the produce rolling on the dirty stones. None of the soldiers stopped to pick up the produce, which angered Telon. He quickly went to help the girl pick her things up before they were trampled or stolen away.

  Telon scrambled to pick up several apples when the girl spotted him, “Another arrogant soldier, I suppose you think you can just take those!” She blurted, quite perturbed the other soldiers didn’t stop to help her.

  “No ma’am, I only came to help…” Telon sputtered, before being interrupted.

  “Well, I guess I am just supposed to swoon all over you now,” the girl stated sarcastically, her disdain obvious. “Oh, thank you, benevolent soldier of the Grand Dwarf Army!”

  “No,” Telon answered in defense, but had nothing else to say. He was worried that no matter what came out of his mouth, it would only make her even angrier.

  Telon helped pick up all that was dropped. The girl saw him trying so hard, and was rethinking her judging words.

  “Excuse my curtness, I am sorry for my quick words. I grow weary of some of the soldiers coming down here and bossing people around. We do so much for them, sometimes it just doesn’t feel appreciated. I’ll bet if the princes knew it was happening, they would stop it very quickly.”

  Telon realized the girl didn’t know who he was, this never happened to him
before. To her, he was nobody important. “It is fine, I will pass the information on the city guard, and they will make sure this behavior is corrected.”

  Telon was all out of sorts, but for the first time in his life he made a bold move towards the girl. “Can I help you carry this?”

  “Why, sure,” the girl replied bashfully. In truth, she was very attracted to him. “What is your name?”

  Telon was lost his words, for he didn’t want the girl to know who he was. “Quaid.” He immediately felt stupid for coming up with that name, what kind of a name was that?

  “Quaid?” the girl asked, then replied, “That is a handsome name. I am called Lizzy.”

  “Lizzy, that is a beautiful name. Where do we need to go?” Telon asked, forgetting all his troubles as he picked up the last of the vegetables that spilled. He then picked up two of the baskets, stacked them on top of each other, and lifted them to his shoulder. He would use the baskets to shield his face, hoping no one else would give away his identity. Lizzy might not know who he was, but surely there would be plenty of people down there that did.

  Lizzy led the way, to Telon’s pleasant surprise, she reached for his hand. After a pause and a shared smile, Lizzy acted as guide and helped weave Telon though the crowd. Telon never had feelings like these before. He was elated, nervous, scared, and a bit sick in his stomach at the same time. He couldn’t hear the roar of the market, smell the aroma of the usually mouthwatering food, nor did he see the brilliant colors of the clothing and art for sale by the vendors. He only felt the softness and comforting hold of Lizzy’s hand in his.

  “We should walk along the wall if we can, there are less people there,” Telon asked, coming back to his senses. He hoped to block more people from seeing him that way. He began trying to dodge the sight of many of the soldiers who would stop to salute him if he was noticed.

  Lizzy turned back and smiled at Telon, which made his knees buckle. He would never tire of seeing that smile. As they rounded a pottery stand, Telon saw his mother straight ahead and there was no way he would be able to get around her.