The Demon's Chamber

by Brian Spielbauer

  Telon returned with two skins full of water, one to drink and the other to clean wounds. He sat opposite Tegan and the two tried to mend the ogre’s injuries.

  “Drink,” Telon said to the young giant. The ogre was massive, and no doubt was caught unaware by the bears. Ogres, even young ones, were usually left alone by even the toughest of creatures.

  Despite the constant care of the two knowledgeable dwarves, it would still be several days before the ogre was healed enough to make the journey to the city. Tegan took charge of the health of the ogre. He gathered healing plants from the forest, making rubs for the wounds and sewing together some of the larger gashes. The ogre’s arms, bitten by the bear, needed a lot of attention. The right would take time to heal, but he didn’t know whether the other would need to be taken off. Tegan hoped he could heal it, but only time would tell.

  Telon took the duties of tending the fire, making food, and taking patrols to make sure they were safe. Elard and Bramble were helpful in that their presence was a threat to most anything that would have bothered them.

  Telon returned from a short patrol and brought back a freshly-taken rabbit and a fat squirrel. They would make a nice meal. “We are going to eat well tonight!” he announced proudly. He was hungry, and he enjoyed camping with Tegan. They had no intentions of being gone overnight, and as such, they had brought little food with them.

  “Cook ‘em up!” Tegan joined in celebration of the meal to come. “But save some pieces for a little soup for our friend here. It will do him well.” As Telon prepared the meal, Tegan stared into the fire, lost in his thoughts.

  “Are you ever scared?” Telon asked, interrupting the silence.

  Tegan looked at Telon, not sure of where his question was leading. “Of course I get scared!” he said. “What are you talking about? Everybody gets scared.”

  “You don’t,” Telon replied. “You see a battle and enter it even though you are outnumbered. You could have been killed, and probably would have if I hadn’t shown up. I could have been anywhere. If I had been late, even by a few minutes, I might have been too late.”

  “The ogre would have been killed without my help,” Tegan replied. “For me, there was no choice. You would have done the same.” Tegan could not understand his brother’s obsession with worrying.

  “No, I think I wouldn’t have. I would have waited for you,” Telon replied, avoiding eye contact with his brother. Telon did not want to reveal how scared he really was of losing Tegan. “Ever since we were little, you jumped in first and asked questions later, and it always worked out. I hesitate unless you are there. I wish I had your confidence. Since father died, I worry even more.”

  Tegan was beginning to realize it was even worse that he thought, “Telon, you are strong and just as brave as I am. You have done and will do great deeds! You fought bravely today, and are marked as one the greatest warriors in all the dwarf lands. Thinking before you rush into a battle is not a bad thing.”

  “You have always been there to save my skin. What if you are not around when things go badly?” Telon asked, looking to Tegan.

  “You can’t still be thinking of that fight when we were little? You have to let that go,” Tegan quipped at his brother, frustrated he had not gotten over the subject.

  “I saw the disappointment in father’s face. I let him down.” Telon’s thoughts returned once again to that day. The anguish rushed over him as if it were happening for the very first time.

  “Nobody could fault you! Mylar was beaten and hit you with a rock after the fight. You defeated him, and everyone knew that,” Tegan hurt for his brother and knew of the divide that always existed between Moro and Telon.

  “I saw it in his eyes, and have felt it ever since. I doubt I will ever be able to completely leave it behind,” Telon said, spilling his feelings to Tegan. “Everyone thinks I’m fearless and brave like you. I want to be, but it just isn’t in me.” Telon wanted more than anything to be just like Tegan.

  “One success at a time Telon, which can only follow one risk at a time. Nobody is born with it, confidence is earned. You should start with Lizzy, I know you have feelings for her.”

  Telon felt embarrassed, and was mad at himself for feeling so, “A mighty Prince of Tunder Bin, too afraid to seek time with a dwarf maiden from the fields. What will it look like if she eventually leaves me for another? What will others say and think?”

  Tegan laughed a little, “You have more fear of women than of the great bears of the mountains! You can’t plan what you’re going to do if you lose before you even try to win.”

  “We were together for the bears. I fear nothing when we are together,” Telon came back at him.

  Tegan laughed to himself, “Well, we aren’t going to be together when I am with Milan. As far as that goes, I hope you don’t plan on me being with you when you are with Lizzy, or whatever girl finally gets you in her trap!” Tegan chided his brother, trying to lighten the mood.

  The thought made Telon laugh, “You are right! I guess there are things we won’t be sharing!” He always felt better after his talks with Tegan. “I am going to seek Lizzy out as soon as we get back. It could be rough going though, as mother detests her. I don’t know what her reasoning is.”

  “Mother will be happy with whoever makes you happy. Besides, trying to make her happy is an impossible task. I would not wish it on my worst enemy, that pursuit could drive anyone to madness! My advice for you, Telon, is this; do not waste your time trying.”

  Telon looked to the sky, realizing how late it was, “If we don’t get back tomorrow, the whole city will be out looking for us. We haven’t been gone this long in quite a while.”

  “We will be back soon enough, then you can seek out your Lizzy. At least if mother doesn’t find out,” Tegan said, the ribbing to Telon bringing him to laughter again.

  The two brothers talked deep into the night, just as they had a thousand times before. Their whole lives had been one adventure after another, one brother always there to protect the other. They hoped it would always be so.

  Δ

  The ogre achingly began to waken from his healing slumber. Tegan touched his head to calm him, and the giant man opened his eyes to see the two dwarves looking at him. They both smiled, knowing there was nothing to fear from each other. Despite his youth, the ogre still looked very old, which was a common with ogres. He had very little hair on his head, which was made up for by the hair covering his arms and chest like a thick wool sweater.

  “I get up,” the ogre announced. Tegan was surprised, but did not, and could not, help him. He slowly propped his weight up with his still feeble arms and legs. Shortly after reaching a standing position, everything around the ogre began to spin. His balance quickly dissipated, sickness took him back to his hands and knees, and quickly on his back on the ground.

  “I get down,” the ogre conceded after he assumed his starting position. The pain from wounds he could remember, and ones he couldn’t, began to crash back in. He was unable to do anything with his right arm without a sharp pain shooting through his shoulder. Fortunately, nothing was broken. He sat there with his eyes closed until the world stopped spinning. Then he opened them to see Tegan and Telon, standing in front of him with a cool drink.

  “I see two,” Erol said, thinking his vision was still messed up.

  “No, my friend, we are brothers. I am Tegan, this is Telon. What is your name?”

  “I am Erol, I feel dizzy,” Erol turned to the side to avoid getting sick on his new friends.

  After a drink of water from Tegan and then some food from Telon, Erol slowly grew his strength again. Erol made another effort to stand, and rise he did. The ogre towered over the dwarves. It would be several years before he reached full height, but Erol still stood over fifteen feet tall with very broad shoulders and fists like hammers. His arms looked like they had been cut from tree trunks, with legs twice as thick as his arms. Most ogres were high on brute strength, but quite short on brains. Erol was
evidently one of these.

  “Can you walk?” asked Tegan.

  Erol began to hobble, taking small steps. The ill effects from the battle were evident. “I can,” Erol said, wanting to walk unaided. The pain was obvious in every limping step, so the dwarves made a sled out of some branches and tied them to Elard and Bramble. The tigers were, with great effort, able to pull Erol back to the city. It would be some time before Erol was back at full strength, but his grudge against bears would never dim.

  The journey back to the city was uneventful, except that as the trip wore on, Erol worsened and his energy faltered. He was barely conscious when they finally arrived at the city. It took a small troop of dwarves to carry him in the mountain, where he mended for several more days. While there were many who disagreed with allowing Erol in their city, one voice lead the charge, much to Tegan’s dismay.

  Chapter 5: Ogre in the Mountain

  “I’m hungry,” Erol grumbled as he woke, his stomach announcing to him it was overdue for a meal. The comfortable room he was in was dimly lit by a fireplace and several candles. He was lying in three dwarf beds side by side, laying across all three. It was so nice he did not want to get up, but his hunger commanded him to do so. He was unaware he wasn’t alone until a voice drew his attention. It was the prettiest sound he ever heard.

  “What would you like to eat?” said a soft angelic voice from beside his bed. Erol turned to see a dwarf woman with long dark curly hair, unbraided, with a bow holding it back from her face. In the partially lit room he could only make out her silhouette, but to him she looked like a beautiful fairy of the woods. “You must be hungry, you have slept for well over a day straight.”

  “I will eat anything,” Erol was getting excited, his mouth watered at just the thought of eating. He was only just beginning to fully realize the depths of his hunger. Ogres were known to eat six regular meals a day, and he could not remember that last time he had even one.

  Erol found he could stand, but his entire body shook with weakness. The ceiling was so low he had to bend over, which suited him fine for now. If he stood erect, he was sure he would get dizzy and sick again. Erol’s legs were shaky at best, but he tried to put on a strong face for his escort, whom he was trying to impress.

  “Then come with me and we shall find you all the food you can eat,” the lady said with a smile as warm as the fire. As she stood Erol could see that she was pregnant, and from her size she was probably due very soon. The dwarf maiden reached up and put her little hand around the gentle giant’s forearm and led him out of the room, and into the brightly lit hallway. Erol shielded his eyes and paused as his sight adjusted. When he was ready, the lady led him down a long hall that was full of steps. The hall seemed to change direction often, with doors and steps on either side. He hoped he wouldn’t have to find his own way back to the room.

  Erol realized he was underground as all the floor, wall, and ceiling was cut from rock. He was not aware how he got there, and only slightly remembered the fight with the bears and seeing Tegan and Telon.

  “I am Milan, Tegan’s wife. I have watched over you since Tegan and Telon brought you in. You were barely able to walk and it took over ten of our strongest soldiers to get you to your room. Tegan told us of your encounter with the bears. You are so lucky to be alive, you must be extremely brave and a great warrior,” Milan admiringly said to Erol.

  Milan stared into Erol’s eyes, he had never witnessed such beauty, and had to look away for he feared her. She didn’t look at him, but in him, and he feared that she would see who he really was and be disappointed. Erol was mesmerized by her beauty as they steadily rose through the mountain, and saw from all they encountered that many felt the same way. Erol’s legs were beginning to tire and several times he needed to pause and rest a bit. Milan, despite her condition and the extra weight she carried, kept chugging along.

  “Where are you from?” Milan asked as she stopped for Erol to catch his breath.

  “Far away, past the Ring Mountains, my father sent me this way. I was to come and help. I laid down to rest, but it ended up that I was the one who needed help,” Erol sputtered, embarrassed by both is choppy speech and his story. He drew deep breaths in between words, thinking to himself of the events that took place to bring him to Tunder Bin. He knew his father would be disappointed in what happened with the bears. Despite Erol’s size and strength, and even though he looked quite old, he was only in the middle of his teenage years. He had a lot to learn about the world.

  He stared at the ground for a long time before Milan was finally able to get him to move on. She had many more questions to ask, but seeking answers from an ogre can be very frustrating. They are of few words and far more complicated than their language allows. She wondered who his father was and why he would send his son out on such a quest, but that would wait for another time.

  Milan led Erol through the halls and living quarters. Throughout the city, they were met with fear from the onlookers at the sight of the ogre, quickly followed by amazement and wonder at the Lady Milan leading him. It was very uncommon for non-dwarves to be allowed in the mountain, especially in recent times. Erol ignored the looks, concentrating on making sure he didn’t hit his head. He had to bend low in many places while they walked, and his shoulders often rubbed on the walls of the hallways.

  There were several reasons the dwarves distrusted others. None of the five tribes were as powerful as they used to be, and their fears of growing evil were increasing with every goblin, troll, and bear encounter. There were even rumors of other creatures, which caused the dwarves to fear traveling. Long trips were only allowed when they were in large groups and well armored, and only on a needed basis. With all of this going on and their distrust of anything outside of their city, seeing Erol barely fitting down the halls of the city caused quite a stir. Word traveled quickly throughout the mountain of the large visitor, and many came out to see him.

  While there were incredibly tight places on their walk through the city, there were also places that were so large a dragon could live in it. The city was built, mined, and cut into the mountain over centuries of work. It was a remarkable sight, and often Erol would emerge from a closed in and dark hallway with no one in sight into a marvelously ornate and well-lit hall bustling with dwarves busy at their work.

  “How many dwarves live here?” Erol asked as they walked through one of the many mines, with hundreds of dwarves busy with axes and picks.

  “Currently there are over five thousand living in and around the city, and there is soon to be one more,” Milan answered as she patted her tummy. She could not hold back her excitement for her first born, which would arrive within the month. “At our highest, we had just under ten thousand.”

  “Was there a war, where did they go?” Erol asked.

  “No, there was no war, and not a large group moving on. I guess it just happened for different reasons,” Milan replied. She then got a little jumpy and excited, “I think dwarves are just not having as many babies. Not me though, I am going to have as many babies as I can! Tegan and I are going to have a great big family and we will lead our people back to greatness!” Her excitement made Erol believe her dreams would come true, and he became excited for her.

  “Erol,” Milan said as she pulled him to a stop at the bottom of large and long stretch of stairs, “Stay here and help us, I feel like you were meant to be here. Tegan and Telon may have saved you, but we are the ones who need help. We will mend you and get you back to your usual self, but I hope you will consider staying.” Milan then pulled him down onto one knee to get him closer, but he still towered over her. Milan reached up, and as best she could, wrapped her arms halfway around his neck. Then she whispered, “Please stay.”

  Erol knew he would not leave. While everything appeared good in Tunder Bin, it was obvious from Milan’s words and actions that things weren’t as good as they seemed. Milan was so sincere, Erol would have done anything she asked in that moment.

  “I will
consider it,” Erol answered, bringing an appreciative smile to Milan.

  “That is good enough for now. You may think differently when you meet Deyanira!” Erol did not understand, but he soon would find out.

  She then turned and led Erol up the long stairs. The fresh air ahead compelled Erol to march on, and so did the smell of food. Again, he needed to rest. Milan pretended to. Eventually they reached the top, and the sight would never be wiped from Erol’s memory.

  The Great Hall was beyond his imagination. It was so bright as stepped onto the main floor he had to shield his, as the sun illuminated the room. He was so happy to feel the warmth. The cool dampness of the lower halls did little for his worn body. The sun was setting behind the snow-topped mountains, the view captured him for several moments. It took all the strength in to pull him away from its entrapment.

  The room was bursting with dwarves busy trying to sell or barter the goods from their day’s work. The tables of food were beyond his count, with several large fireplaces around the room with large pots of stew or racks for the cooking of bread and meat. It was the end of a long day for some dwarves, while for others it was just the beginning. For those allowed in the Great Hall, it was always a special time to catch up on what happened in the last day and share a feast with your friends and family.

  Tunder Bin was completely self-sufficient, with every dwarf doing his or her job for the good of the people. Everything they needed, from food to clothing, was produced within the city. Some mined in the mountains, some worked in the smithies making any number of weapons and tools, and many others worked outside in the fields and farms of the mountain that provided the food to sustain the very large city through long cold winters. All the dwarves worked hard toward the success of the entire community, and there was no freeloading. All did their part, or they were invited to leave.

  Many dwarves stopped cold at the sight of Erol. The news of his entering the mountain spread quickly, but hearing of the ogre and then seeing him in their very own Great Hall were two different matters! Milan ignored the looks, and led Erol to a very large table that was full of pork, vegetables, breads, and of course beer. Beer was the choice of drink for dwarves. Many of them enjoyed brewing their own beer, and stills were in almost every home.