Tegan looked to Erol and Telon, “Thank you,” was all he could muster. He was angry at himself, and wondering how ashamed Milan would have been at his actions.
Telon took off Deyanira’s necklace, and placed it back on Tegan. “Take this. May it bring you as much good luck as it has given me. Now let’s get out of here.” Tegan held the necklace in his hand as it hung from his neck, hoping it would mask his dark thoughts.
Telon led the escape as he finally reached the entrance to the mountain. The harpies took over the escape and evacuation form there. Telon found the gargoyle carrying Gulac, and took him back. The harpies picked up the gargoyles who couldn’t fly themselves out, along with the dwarves and men. They carried them to safety at the camp below the mountain. Several harpies went for Tegan and Erol. Two took Tegan from and lifted him away, but it took six of them to get Erol off the ground and lift him to safety. Telon allowed a harpy to take Gulac, and two took him, leaving only Timo behind with Kyrie and Quelna.
“Take him away, I will take care of things here,” Timo told his masters. Kyrie took hold of Quelna and carried him off.
Timo turned to the entrance, working a spell of his own. His hands were outstretched as he stood still, he spoke no words as the wind whirled around him. Slowly a tremor built and soon the whole entrance began to shake. The ground began to shudder and then seemed to move. Trees tumbled and large boulders put in place, long before time began, started rolling downhill. In a show of his magical powers, Timo brought down the entire entrance and what seemed like half of the mountain above it. He had indeed become a mighty sorcerer of his own.
Then Timo turned to run as the ground around him began to shake and shift. A crack opened before him, and he was unable to stop, sliding into the opening earth. His arms searched frantically for anything to grab, but there was nothing to hold. No one was left to save him, and Timo disappeared into the opening and fell away.
Angelica saw Timo fall and took to flight as fast as she could. Seeing the opening gap in the ground, she darted down into the opening crevice and grabbed his arms even as he fell farther into the abyss below.
“Hold on!” Angelica gasped to Telon as he clung to her. With all her might she jolted him quickly into the sky as rocks on both sides began to crumble down. All the ground around the mountain began to disappear in the tumult that followed, the landscape forever changed by lava and explosion.
Δ
Tegan was frightened and awestruck by the tumult Timo’s spell caused. The terrain surrounding the mountain was overturned, leaving no reminders of what had stood before. The harpies tried to set him on his feet, but the events of the day stole his last resolve, and he could not stand. Tegan fell to his knees in sorrow just outside the camp, he knelt on the ground with his face in his hands as Dorir approached, holding something in his arms.
“Tegan,” Dorir began, as he knelt in front of one he considered his son, “all is not lost!”
Dorir’s voice, with the sound of hope in it, lifted Tegan’s head. Dorir stood before Tegan, holding his son.
Tegan took Jedrek from Dorir, cradling his son for the first time since the earliest days after he was born. It seemed like eons ago. He then noticed the boys of the Ring Mountains standing behind Dorir. He held his son tight, realizing Dorir was correct, all was not lost. His son was safe, thanks to the dwarf boys who completed their mission.
Tegan looked again to Skyler, who was their leader, “Thank you.” His voice was weak and shaky, his eyes watered. He wiped the tears away, smudging his well-earned soiled face. Then he began again, “Thank you for saving my son, I will forever be in your debt.”
“It was our honor,” a solemn Skyler said, as the boys knelt before Tegan.
Tegan then noticed there were only five, “Where is the other, the small one?”
Skyler looked up and said in the best voice he could muster, though only a whisper, “He has passed, at the hands of a gargoyle arrow.”
Tegan could say nothing, and only leaned forward to wrap his arm around the boys that had saved his baby’s life.
The harpies came through by lifting all the remaining army away from the mountain. Seconds after Timo was lifted out, the mountain gave way with a full eruption, blasting rock, smoke, and lava high into the sky. Telon ordered all at the camp to march farther away. The dwarves and harpies that were watching the exits evacuated long before Timo collapsed the entrance, but not before they caught or killed many of those trying to flee. It would have been near impossible for those escaping later to survive the destruction wrought by Timo.
Skyler and his friends were fortunate in their timing, for just as they reached the bottom of the steps Gile stepped into the entrance. He blasted forth his liquid fire onto the enemy, searing them immediately. Dorir saw the boys and got them out safely as Gile fried anything else trying to escape. Quigle made it out of the mountain, but little farther. The arrow was poisoned, and it acted quickly. Despite the best medicine and spells Quelna could conjure, Quigle’s fate was sealed. He died soon after reaching his tent, surrounded by his friends.
In all there were less than a hundred gargoyles that were freed from the dungeons who survived to begin again. That would be plenty, as they knew where the gargoyles hid their eggs. In a few short years there would be many gargoyles again to start a new tradition.
Sain was destroyed by Kyrie, with help from Tegan and Telon. His army of goblins, gargoyles, and traitor dwarves (as they were referred to going forward) were utterly defeated. As Tegan promised, none of the traitor dwarves survived. They had been given their only opportunity to surrender before the battle, but chose otherwise.
Tegan and Telon often discussed the look Herrog burned into them, and the pull he commanded on the necklace and axe. Bryon also told them of the bloody hands of Herrog, and the obvious rage brought to him at the sight of the two dwarves. Quelna, too, had heard the story, though he never questioned them further.
The only dwarves of Kilgore’s tribe to live were those few that escaped from being enslaved in the mountain. They were eventually found in hiding, some of them weeks and months later. Less than twenty remained of what was once more than three thousand dwarves. Telon called upon Leevite to lead the dwarves of Kilgore’s tribe, and he took his appointment very seriously.
Skyler, Taylor, Meril, Balthar, and Shalkar lifted their departed friend and carried Quigle in honor. They knew death was always a possibility, but not until this moment did they think this would ever happen. It would be a long time before they ever laughed quite as long, or enjoyed anything quite as deeply. They only ever considered the glory of war, but now they also knew the pain and loss.
Gulac would take many days and months to heal. He was eventually taken back to Tunder Bin, where only the oldest of dwarves remembered who he was. They only remembered his departure on a mission to the north and that he never returned. Gulac spoke little, and of what he did say none could make sense. His body did heal, but his heart and spirit were far more damaged.
Chapter 30: A Glimmer of Hope
In the days following the battle, Tegan was often seen searching around the mountain for any signs of Milan, hoping against all hope she somehow had found a way to survive the turmoil. There was no longer a glow from his axe, which he stared at for hours at a time.
Telon would not discuss his battle with Mylar, and did not want Lizzy to know what was said. Telon was amazed at how resilient Lizzy was, what she had been through, and how easily she bounced back. The two took care of Jedrek while Tegan was out and began thinking of starting their own family.
As for Herrog, none knew for sure. Quelna doubted any would be able to survive the events in the mountain, but he dared not say that to Tegan. The fate of Milan would be the same as Herrog’s, as they entered the pool together, from which none saw them emerge.
“What will we do now?” one of gargoyles who survived the dungeons asked Kyrie.
“We will rebuild, we will start over and do things better than we have
ever done them before. We have no rules to hold us, we can be exactly what and how we want. We will learn to trust our friends and earn theirs,” Kyrie said without hesitation. He had been training and waiting for this moment for many years, and he was ready to lead.
“In time, things will calm down, and we will be able to start mining in the mountain again. We will be able to find what gems were left by this round of eruptions,” Telon said with a smile, for dwarves loved to mine. “My dwarves will help you, and when King Tegan is ready, we will send many to help you rebuild your city.”
The landscape around the mountain had changed drastically. The eruption leveled the entire forest that was previously occupied by the Tolltier, who were no more. The forest where the harpies lived was damaged, but still intact. The gargoyles that survived were allowed to live in the forest surrounding Tunder Bin until the time they could move back to their mountain home.
Timo was looked at in a different light after the battle. The survival of his time with Herrog left him with much more knowledge about wizardry than he had ever known. His feat of bringing down the mountain even impressed Quelna.
One day, Timo approached Telon and Tegan to make a request of sorts. “I will be going back with Angelica for a while, they will need help to secure their borders again.”
“Of course,” Tegan said, “Come back to us when you can, you will be needed in our city too.”
“I am so sorry for your loss, Tegan. I wish I could have helped save Milan. I have let you down,” Timo said with a saddened heart.
“It is not your fault, Herrog caused this and the blame lies with him. You may not have been able to stop what happened, but you will definitely be able to help save her when the time comes.” Tegan would not accept Milan was gone forever. When he had a lead to go on, he would start the search for her again.
“When you are ready, I will be there,” Timo answered, prepared to do whatever was needed to help get her back, if she survived.
“Thank you, King Tegan, for allowing us some time. Timo will be a big help to me,” Angelica said as she walked up, reaching for Timo’s hand, leading him away. She then looked back to Tegan and continued, “and my harpies.”
“Timo is yours for as long as you need him,” Tegan replied as the two walked away, “just send him back when you are finished.”
“Of course! Thank you again,” Angelica turned with Timo and they walked off, as the rest of the harpies took to the air. The dwarves and men waved as the harpies left, very appreciative of the role they played in the battle for the Demon’s Chamber. Many of them yearned also to visit the land of the harpies, for all had been invited. The harpies were always on the search for mates and for quite a while would not have to search far.
The armies of dwarves and men were ready to march, the long trek back to their lands awaiting them. The gargoyles marched with Kyrie in the middle of the pack, with the men taking up the rear and the dwarves marching up front. Those that passed during the battle were buried in large mounds, placed as close to the battle field as the lava would allow. The mounds had dwarves, men, and harpies in them for that was how they fell, together. The enemy was burned on large piers, but many had been taken already by the mountain.
The eruption left a large number that lived around it without house and home, and they were put afoot looking for shelter. Tegan, again assuming the role of king, offered help and aid to all they came across. Often those they encountered were eager for the help. Several though cared not about what happened or why, they only knew they now had no place to live. As far as they could tell the dwarves were to blame for their current predicament. More than once those they encountered cursed them and spat at them, despising their unwanted presence in these foreign lands.
“Die dwarves! Many curses on you! Meddling in affairs that affect you not far from your home! Go back to your grand halls and stay there!” was what they heard most often.
One traveler stood by and watched as the dwarves passed, acknowledging no one that offered him help. When Tegan road by on Elard, the traveler yelled, “Your battle is not over! You have won nothing!” It caught Tegan’s ear and caused him pause, so he stopped to approach the Faun, which was half man and half deer.
“Why do you say that? What have you heard?” Tegan asked.
The traveler stared at him before approaching Elard in a threatening manner, paying the mountain cat no heed, “You have freed evil from the mountain, and it will haunt you ‘til the end of your days! You will not sleep and you will not know content until you kill it, or it kills you. So says the evil itself!”
Tegan had enough, as he looked down on the traveler he answered, “You know only what you have heard. From where or whom did you hear this, that I might address this evil sooner than later!”
“I last saw it this morning as it went across the road as a maimed creature, severely burned. It was followed by some equally ill creatures that pulled a wreck of a wagon. You should be able to catch it as it goes into the mountains, for it moves slowly. To be honest, I know not who I wish to win the encounter.” The traveler was beginning to sense his own peril, his short-lived bravery spent. He stepped back for the first time and noticed Elard.
Tegan quickly road off into the mountains, hoping to find the traveler. He and Telon both looked for many days, having sent their army along the road to home ahead of them. They searched far and questioned many, but could not find any further word or sign of the mysterious traveler. The faun’s prophecy held true, for it would indeed be a long time before his dreams were not haunted. He found no contentment in any of his deeds.
In the days that followed, all returned home. The tired rested, and the weak grew strong again. The men of Calonia returned to live in and around Tunder Bin and the Flats as a deep friendship had been developed. The five tribes of the dwarves returned to their lands. Only a handful of the former tribe of Kilgore, now called Leevite’s Dwarves, returning to their land. Several of each of the other tribes went to the Hills to help re-establish that race of dwarves, and they again grew prosperous.
Telon and Lizzy decided to marry, with Tegan’s blessing of course. Lizzy soon was with child of which Telon was not sure if it was his. Lizzy was so happy Telon had not the courage nor desire to ask his wife if it was his. She could not know, and he hoped his love for her would make him never care. For the time being, the fact that Telon and many he held dear were safe was enough for him. He rested fully, and slept often.
There was peace for several years, as all dominant races of the land had a renewed commitment to each other. They knew none could survive on their own. Tegan delivered on his promise to increase communication between the tribes. He also communicated with the harpies, who oversaw monitoring the mountain of the gargoyles until Kyrie could return. Erol and Gile were essential in this endeavor, as they were official ambassadors for Tunder Bin. They traveled often throughout the lands on the King’s business. They took care of small issues, and let Tegan and Telon know of larger ones. Bonds were strengthened as travel and commerce flourished in the safe environment provided by the dwarves and their friends.
Life was good for all except Tegan. He was ever restless and with haunted dreams. Despite all his great works, he could never do enough. He kept himself busy, always onto the next project, often spreading his dwarves thin. Many great things were done in this time, but none brought Tegan the satisfaction or comfort he desired. He dreamt of snow, of wild beasts, of dragons, and of Herrog. He knew not content. Tegan sent many to look for signs of Milan. Often it was Skyler and his friends. Always they came back with little or nothing. In time, Tegan sent them out less often as he began to lose faith himself that he would ever hold his dear wife again.
On a cold fall evening, with a full moon over the City of Tunder Bin, King Tegan laid down for a night of rest after a long day of directing the city’s efforts to get ready for another winter. The city was almost prepared, and he was sure they would have enough food for his people and the many others tha
t relied on their stores. Tegan washed his hands and face before he lay down to try to sleep for an equally busy day in the morning. He was beginning to drift off when it came into his mind that he hadn’t checked his axe in several days for signs of his wife. He strongly doubted he would ever see her again, and looking at the axe was a constant reminder of all he had lost.
He rolled over and took his axe out of it holder, and held it in both hands above his face. There was no glow, only the feel of cold steel as he lowered the blunt side of the axe against his brow. Then, slowly, he began to feel the steel warming. At first Tegan did not notice and then thought he was imagining it. Eventually the warmth became hot and obvious, and he noticed a glow through his closed eyes. The tears began to build as his excitement grew. He was too scared to open his eyes, fearing he was wrong. Tegan mustered the courage and slowly opened them, allowing his tears to run free. The axe that his beloved wife, the queen of Tunder Bin, gave him was glowing as if it were on fire! It could only mean one thing: Milan lived.
About The Author
Brian Spielbauer is a fantasy author, a weaver of tales, and a wizard of words. But, however, as a young boy, he was severely stricken by the most lethal of diseases known as reality. Only through the magical potion that was J.R.R. Tolkien’s The Hobbit, with a Lord of the Rings chaser, was his imagination miraculously freed of their excruciatingly restrictive shackles.
Following a full recovery, he went on to become a veteran of many battles with the most vile and despicable creatures ever to prowl the darkest recesses of the mind.
Dragons, goblins, gargoyles, and Tolltier have all fallen before his mighty sword while saving many maidens from distress and almost certain death. He is a purveyor of many weaponries, but his mightiest of all is a mere pen. Brian lives in Fayette, Missouri with his wife and two daughters.
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