“Deyanira, you are most welcome to spend time with your grandson whenever you can. I will keep Lizzy on though, in case you are called to a duty. He can be really needy.” Milan hoped to avert a confrontation on this, but Deyanira was really pushing.
After a pause, she gave in. “All right. Whatever you wish, but plan on my spending some time with him every afternoon. Now that you are the queen, you will be the busy one, not me. I will see you at dinner.” Deyanira checked herself in the mirror to make sure she was all together. Another unpleasant visit had passed for Milan.
One by one, the escorts that had ventured out with the four tribes began to return without incident, save the group that was sent with King Marku to the Dragon Glade. There was no word from them until late evening. Shortly after dinner, while all of Tegan’s family discussed the recent events, one of his soldiers hurried through to dinner tables to speak with Tegan.
“Sir, an urgent message from the escort of King Marku,” he said as he handed the message to Tegan. He read it quickly, and after looking down for a moment he gathered himself and stood, “Marku’s escort has been attacked on their way to the Dragon Glade. We need to go quickly.”
“Who should we take?” asked Telon, ready to gather the needed troops.
“Gather the First brigade, they will be enough. We go within the hour,” Tegan announced. At once Telon went to gather the men.
“Are you sure you should leave tonight?” asked Deyanira. “You will have to march through the darkness, it may be better to leave at dawn.”
“Better for us perhaps, but not for our men. We need to be there at dawn, or they may all be lost,” Tegan replied.
“Who will be in charge in your absence?” Deyanira asked. “You take Telon, and Jaric also.”
“You, mother,” replied Tegan. “You are in charge in my absence, as Milan is not ready, and she has her hands full with Jedrek.”
“I will do as you would,” Deyanira replied.
Tegan paused from his task, and smiled at his stepmother and said, “No you won’t, that’s for certain.”
Tegan and his men readied to depart. Milan left with Tegan to help him pack.
As they walked into their room, Milan asked, “Something big is happening, isn’t it? The attacks are getting stronger all the time.”
“Yes,” he answered somberly. “But we will save our soldiers and you will stay safe here. I have to go after our men.”
“Shouldn’t you leave one of your best men back, can Deyanira do what must be done?” Milan did not like Deyanira, and certainly not the idea of being alone with her.
“She has done this for many years. The king’s wife has always handled the affairs while the king was gone. Everything that really needs to be done I ordered a week ago, just after your attack. Deyanira will be fine, so will you and Jedrek.”
“Be careful, I love you!” Milan said as she let her husband go, as she had many times before.
Tegan ordered the men of the First Brigade, three hundred in all, to the lower hall. They made ready to set out for the old east road, which lead toward the Dragon Glades. The plan was to march all night to arrive by sunrise, hoping it would be in time.
They left by a secret passage on the eastern most part of the mountain so they could depart without fanfare, and hopefully unmarked by their enemy. The only non-dwarf to travel with them was Erol. Tegan granted him permission to leave Milan unguarded, as he felt she was safe in Tunder Bin. Tegan and Telon road Elard and Bramble, leading the way for the small army. The cats were terrific night hunters, as the lack of light did not hinder their sight.
The brigade traveled several hours through the dark forest, thanks to their four-legged guides. It was a cloudy, cold night, and the moon and stars could not be seen, only the dim glow from the sky provided any help with sight. They finally came to an opening in the woods and took a break from their march. It would be the last one they would have before the impending fight in the morning. No fires were allowed and there was little talk among the nervous troops, who had many friends being held captive by the goblins.
As they sat there nibbling on some jerky, Erol kept glancing at the cats as they uneasily paced back and forth. Tegan also noticed the cats, “They are excited for the battle tomorrow.”
“No, they are nervous. Something is there, flying over us. I think it is the same thing that was at Milan’s attack,” Erol explained, trying to see what passed over them in the dark.
“I feel it too,” Telon said. “It is very high, but it is marking us. They will know we are coming.”
“Then the sooner we get there the better. All up! We march!” Tegan threw his pack on and climbed onto Elard as the cat knelt, eager to lead them south again. This time they would not bother to be quiet, nor would they hide. Torches were lit and songs of battle were sung, bringing joy and courage to the hearts of the dwarves. If their enemy knew they were coming, then there was no need for silence. They marched through the rest of the night. The songs hardened their heart and caused many beasts to steer clear of the marching army.
As dawn came, they rounded a hill, and arrived at the field of battle. Before them was what was left of Marku’s troops and escort, in the trenches of a hill. It gave them little cover against the unrelenting attackers. They were surrounded by over four hundred goblins and a small dragon, a fire breather. The goblins were sending in groups of around fifteen at a time to attack, every time receiving heavy losses but also picking off several dwarves. It was a numbers game and the goblins had the numbers, and a dragon.
Tegan wasted no time ordering his army into the fray. He had fifty archers and two hundred fifty men on foot, and of course one angry ogre and a couple of very hungry cats.
“The dragon is mine,” Erol growled with a clenched fist. He hadn’t been this angry in a long time, and it felt pretty good to him. It would be his first attempt at fighting a dragon, and no one argued with him. The dragon would be his alone to handle.
Tegan started with a barrage of arrows, which rained down on the unsuspecting goblins. After announcing his arrival, he and his army advanced on the enemy from behind. The goblins had no notice reinforcements were coming, so they had no rear guard. The arrows softened the goblins and they began to scatter in confusion. Seeing help arrived, Marku’s escort started pouring out of the cracks in the rocks where they took cover during the goblins attacked.
Erol went straight for the dragon with a boulder in his hand. As soon as it reared back to spew forth his fire Erol unleashed a wicked toss which caught the back of the dragon’s throat. It started choking on the rock and its own flame, losing concentration on his target. Before it could recover Erol was on it, delivering blow after blow to the neck and ribs from the back of the beast. Each punch thundered through its thick body, sounding like the boom of a drum. The dragon wailed in pain and shot fire where it could, but kept missing its hidden target.
Choby, the goblin general, refocused and arranged his troops, and they were ready to fight the newcomers to the battle. Tegan and Telon led the charge on their cats, quickly crossing the field toward the awaiting goblins. Tegan’s foot soldiers were close behind.
Elard and Bramble launched themselves, and their eager riders, over the first row of goblins and into the fight. The cats mangled the enemy with every swipe of their claws as the two brothers dismounted, axes in hand. The four quickly created an ever-widening zone in the middle of the goblin ranks. As the rest of the dwarves arrived a vicious sword and axe fight ensued. It was close to an even battle until the archers finally reached the fight. Then the dwarves had the numbers and the tide of the battle changed.
They continued slicing through the goblins, freeing the captive dwarves. Outnumbered, dejected, and depleted, the goblins began running wildly in all directions. The dwarves were excellent with their cross-bows and the cats hunted the goblins as they fled. By the time the dwarves took care of the remaining goblins, Erol had brought the dragon to its knees. It succumbed to the ogre as Erol broke its spirit. Erol
grabbed the horn of the dragon and prepared to deliver what would be a deathly blow, which would be finished off with a snap of the neck of the defeated beast. He peered into the dragon’s eye and saw the fear of its impending death. Having faced death in his battle with the bears, Erol felt pity for the large beast, as it was still very young.
One of Tegan’s men ran up with an axe to kill the dragon, but Erol would not allow it. “No kill.”
“Wrong,” the dwarf said defiantly, “this thing just killed thirty of our friends. It will die now!” The dwarf lifted his axe and began to swing, but Erol picked up the dwarf in his free hand. The dwarf squirmed in disbelief and anger as it hung precariously above the ground. The other dwarves began to focus on Erol, trying to help their friend.
Tegan surveyed the situation and quickly stepped in to cool things off. “Whoa!” he commanded. “Everyone calm down! Erol! Set him down!”
“He will not harm the dragon. I took it down. I broke it. It is mine to kill or set free.” Erol warned Tegan.
“Erol,” Tegan quickly asked in reply, “how do we know that if we let it go that we won’t have to fight it again?”
“It will promise me, and I you.” Erol said. He then turned his attention to the dangling dwarf in his hand, and eyed it all the way to the ground. Erol, feeling he had scared the dwarf enough, looked to the beaten dragon he still held tightly in his right arm. In the beast, he saw a beaten soul. Though it was twice the size of Erol, it was still very young.
Erol addressed the dragon sternly, “You owe me your life. Do you promise me you won’t harm me or the dwarves again?”
The dragon nodded, dearly hoping to survive the encounter.
“Do you promise to help me at need, and not aid the goblins?”
The dragon again nodded yes, starting to believe he would survive. Then the dragon heard the words he begged for.
“Then you are free to go, but know I am never far away, and your promise I hold you to for life.”
The dragon’s painful, gurgling breath, caused from the repeated blows to the ribs, was impossible to ignore. It was limping greatly, but it made its way out of the attack area and off into the woods before any of the dwarves could grow the courage to defy the ogre.
“Tegan, hurry!” a voice yelled. It was Marku, huffing tiredly from the battle.
Tegan hurried over to him, and saw three of his sons surrounding a goblin that was lying on the ground, it was riddled with arrows but still alive. The goblin, General Choby, was laughing slightly, especially when he saw Tegan standing before him.
“So, this is the mighty King Tegan!” Choby said sarcastically, between labored breaths. “He has no idea what he does!”
“What do you mean goblin, tell me, and I will end your life sooner than later.”
“You flee to save your own, but leave no one to protect your precious city!”
“The city is fine, I assure you of that. There are not enough goblins in all Lemuria to take our city, not even if they attacked at once. There is plenty of our soldiers still there to guard it,” Tegan challenged, hoping to reassure his men.
“Your city is lost, the Master wins!” Choby smirked with his last breath, and then he passed on. Telon brought his axe down angrily on Choby’s neck, making certain he would never have to hear him cackle again.
“Do you think he’s right?” asked Telon. “Surely not!”
“I hope not, but we must get back. We may have been tricked to come here,” Tegan spoke quickly with Marku and his sons, making sure they would be able to get the rest of the way home. Then he and Telon mounted their rides and were off as fast as the cats could carry them.
The march they had just completed took seven hours, but the ride back took less than three as the cats and ogre raced across the land back to their home. The worst thoughts that held their minds hostage were like salt in wounds, and would not allow them to relent in their flight back to Tunder Bin. The dwarves followed as quickly as they could, but would easily take several hours longer than their king to arrive back. All were driven by the fear of what they would see when they arrived. The actual sight that awaited them of was horrific beyond all their imaginations.
Δ
The 1st Brigade, led by King Tegan, could still be seen departing in the distance as Deyanira took control of the city. Milan watched with admiration at how quickly and smoothly she went about her business, ordering those that reported to here without doubt. If ever there was a woman with the ability to take on the duties of a king in his absence, it was Deyanira. She relished moments like these.
“General Coric, I want to relocate most of your guard to the lower levels. That is where they will be needed,” Deyanira commanded.
“The only place we can take more dwarves from is the many halls that lead to the old city, which as you know, have been vigilantly guarded by us. We have watched them for over forty years, are you certain you want to leave them unguarded now?” Coric asked, trying not to upbraid Deyanira, but still get his point across.
“Forty years without so much as a peep from one of those holes, I think we will take our chances! We have to put our forces where they will be needed.”
“Yes, it will be done.” The general took his orders and went to work, knowing better to question the King, or his replacement, at such a time.
“Deyanira, I marvel at your ability to manage the city. You seem so comfortable and calm,” Milan complimented Deyanira, doubting she could ever do as good a job.
“Soon you too will have your chance to hone your skills, for you are the queen now. You will be expected to take lead when your husband in gone. You will learn it, just like I learned it, out of necessity. When our men are gone defending our region we are left to make sure there is a city and families for them to come back too,” Deyanira explained.
Then Deyanira took Milan aside to her room, closing the door behind them. “Should we be attacked, you must stay here with Jedrek and lock yourself in. Worry not about what is going on out here, which is for me to address. I promised Tegan I would protect his family, nothing must happen to you. Goblins will never breech this room, never!”
“I will, we will be safe here, I know that. I have already brought food in case we are to be here a while. Thank you for helping, for I am not ready to do things like this. Your wisdom is far ahead of mine.” Milan was being overcome by the situation, and became very vulnerable.
“I must go now. Milan, you will be safe here, worry not,” Deyanira reassured Milan, before closing the door as she left the room. Milan continued to prepare, just in case. She had Lizzy help her, and much of the city was doing the same. The battle was coming, and there was no doubt about it.
In less than an hour after the army’s departure, several dwarves hastily returned from the north where they were placed on watch. “Lady Deyanira,” the first one reported frantically, “an army of goblins marches on us from the north. There are over one thousand, and they have enlisted trolls! They will be here in less than two hours.”
Deyanira expected nothing less, “Then the time is here, prepare for battle! Deploy our army at the lower gates!” Deyanira was getting nervous as the sounds of the horns thundered throughout the mountain, warning all within that the attack was coming.
This was not the first time she had to order the city, but it was very much the first time she had to order it while it was being attacked.
Milan rushed to her quarters, where she found Lizzy watching over Jedrek.
“What is happening? Are we really under attack?” Lizzy asked, her voice trembling.
“Yes,” Milan replied. “Prepare for our plan. I will be right back,” she ordered. Milan ran to the pigeon cage, and frantically wrote a note for her father. She wrapped it tight and tied it quickly to the leg of the bird. Milan then picked it up and slowly rolled back a window. “Go to my father, and do not hesitate!” she whispered in its ear, and let it go. The pigeon darted off on its mission, and did not fail.
Milan, with Liz
zy and the other royal families, was ordered to be locked in their quarters. Seldom were the doors to the quarters closed, only in times of great duress. They would be nearly impossible to open.
About half of the remaining army was posted outside, numbering one thousand and five hundred. The rest were guarding the entrances, which were many. No army had ever breeched to the second level of the mountain, and Deyanira was determined it would not happen on this day. She knew enough to let her general, Deron, lead the army outside. She took care of getting the women and children to safe areas of the mountain, and guard the other entrances in case of a surprise attack.
Deyanira took a walk to the lower entrance to check their deployment positions, and was taken aback by what was before her. To the north was a massive army of goblins, numbers of which she had never seen before. They looked like an army of ants scurrying over the ground, and were marching hard to the mountain. They were getting closer every second, and showing no signs of fear. The noise of their booming drums rattled off the mountain walls. There were also many trolls stomping amongst the ants, recruited into service for the war. They pushed catapults that soon would be in range, launching an arsenal of boulders off the mountain. For the first time, Deyanira became very nervous, beginning to wish she was not in her position.
Dwarves, by nature do not like to wait. General Deron was anxious for the battle, so he ordered three hundred dwarves forth to test the enemy. They began by their mini-assault by launching a volley of arrows into the sky. Immediately, the volley was returned and doubled from the goblins. The dwarves also conducted a barrage from the sky as a battalion of flyers, numbering one hundred, flew from high above using the gliders. Encircling the goblins, they dropped heavy rocks on them, which served to slow them and draw their cursed attention. After dropping their missiles, the flyer dwarves pulled out their crossbows and began picking off the goblins with amazing accuracy. Though the attack was somewhat successful, it did not deter the massive assault.
The goblins countered by launching explosives with their catapults. The bombs rocketed through the air, several striking the Dwarves still in the sky. The ones that found their mark exploded against the mountain with great fury, but little damage was done. The mountain was a tremendous shield, and withstood many attacks over the years. Several of the bombs did hit the entrances, with those partially collapsing some halls.
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