Bladeborn

by Clayton Schonberger

  The Dwarf King reappeared, facing Bladeborn, cautiously peeking out from behind the back of his throne. Dwarven Guards formed up in front of him pointing their spears at Bladeborn, King Rosen, and the dragon.

  Vimtan said, “Wait, now! We don’t have to be enemies! This can all be settled in a civil way… Right? I respect your dream, General Bladeborn—and King Rosen, I think it would please me if there was a safe homeland for you and your people. Yes…err…you have gained a bit of my faith. You held up to each part of the bargain. I will support you,” the King said, and his voiced rose again. “Now, give me the maps!”

  “Come and get them!” Bladeborn said in defiance. The Dwarves looked to their King. Vimtan knew he was beaten, and that not one of his subjects dared to lift a finger in aggression against the two humans and the dragon for fear of their lives. Vimtan’s shoulders slumped as he moved around to sit in his throne. He looked about and it was silent in his court. “All right! I will give you the arms, armor, whatever you need…and clerics and warriors too… you will need us! You don’t know what’s down there and you don’t know how complicated those maps are! Please…just one page!”

  King Rosen leaned over and whispered to Bladeborn, “How many pages are there?”

  “Four, my King,” Bladeborn whispered back.

  “We cannot delay, Bladeborn,” King Rosen said wisely. “Promise him one page, to be delivered when we set off for the Fourth Valley.”

  Bladeborn told King Vimtan, “ONE page, then. In exchange for all that you have listed! And if you try to go back on your word, NO invisibility will hide you from my wrath!”

  King Vimtan stood up and declared his victory, but his voice sounded empty to those who heard him speak. “Thus I, King Vimtan, have restored to my people the ancient maps which are our birthright and our heritage! This is a day of rejoicing! Telunk, holy of Aden, come forth.”

  The Dwarf priest by the name of Telunk walked up to Vimtan, answering the summons, “Yes, my King?”

  King Vimtan said, “If anyone can guide them through the passages of the Underworld, it is you, Telunk. I will grant you all the priests you want, including Spike and his brothers, who bear the sundering magic pick. You are, uhm, are blessed to the Great Tunnel-Dweller Aden, Finder of the Ways. Also, any blacksmiths who wish to go may, err… go. Bladeborn, your weapons will be sharp and your armor in good repair while you are travelling.”

  “As for my people,” the King announced to all, “the return of the maps is a glorious day! Our god Aden, Finder of the Ways, has finally smiled upon us! I hereby forgive the debts those of my people who owe money to bankers or lenders accrued… Provided they leave the halls of the Dwarves to follow Bladeborn and his people. Those who are debtors will be free of obligations to the throne!”

  There was a gasp among the assembled Dwarves and sudden whispers and nervous glances. King Rosen opened his mouth to speak but the Dwarf King held out his hand and went on. “I have made my decree. The extra help from the Dwarves I free now from responsibility can help to carry the, err… gifts of armor and weapons and—”

  “Let me tell you what I want, King Vimtan,” Bladeborn said. “Shields, axes, spears, and swords! A thousand of each! Or NO deal.”

  “Acchhh!” King Vimtan said, grabbing his chest. “We don’t have that many!”

  “Oh yes we do, King Vimtan,” the cleric Telunk said. “A simple survey of the Armory will bear the truth of it!” Then the Dwarven cleric added “I’ve been waiting a long time for such a day as this…my King.”

  King Vimtan gave Telunk a long, angry look. Finally, he said, “All right! Take them, General Bladeborn!”

  Telunk folded his arms on his chest and smiled, perhaps showing disrespect toward Vimtan and satisfaction at the small justice served—at last.

  King Vimtan looked crestfallen, but not defeated.

  Telunk spoke next, “Bladeborn… If we are lucky, I can lead us though the underworld to at least the Sixth Realm. Ever since I became a priest I have wished to see the sacred maps, our heritage, returned to Dwarven hands. My followers and I will gladly work with you so that eventually all four of the maps are returned to us. As King Vimtan said, we will bring certain skills you will need on the long journey.”

  “What about the debtors who are coming with us, Telunk?” Bladeborn asked. “Will they be a burden?”

  King Vimtan looked angrily at Telunk. Bladeborn could tell that Vimtan wasn’t sure what the Dwarven Cleric would say.

  “Although they represent many more mouths to feed, you will need them to be your bearers,” Telunk said simply. “You can’t carry all the food and armaments by yourselves.”

  “I want our first destination to be the Sixth Realm,” Bladeborn stated. “Can we make it there?”

  Telunk scratched his beard in thought. He replied, “Going to the Sixth Realm is possible, although after the earthquake a year ago I do not know what we will find there. However, if the maps work like the original gift from Aden, God of the Dwarves, we will find a way.”

  King Rosen said, “Did I hear this correctly? There is an underground route from here to the Sixth Realm? Why did I not know this?”

  “Yes, good King Rosen, there is,” answered Telunk, who apparently understood Rosen’s question, despite it being in another language. “One of your Lords, a man who became friends with King Vimtan, traversed it twice during the years before the earthquake—He ordered twenty suits of silver-shod armor for his men and sixty of the same type of breastplates, paid in gold, and we never heard from him again. He went by the name of Kaken.”

  They left the chamber of Vimtan, and King Rosen started walking quickly toward the deeper recesses of the halls, with Bladeborn and Spe following.

  King Rosen declared, “We must make haste to the Rollbards. I must pack!”

  At the first chance, Bladeborn asked King Rosen, “What were you going to say when the Dwarf King made his decree?”

  “There are hundreds, perhaps thousands, of Dwarves who owe money here,” King Rosen said. “It sounded like King Vimtan has ordered them all come with us! I do not know if this bodes well for us… Many are swindlers and cut-throats. In some way, it could be another double-cross by the King. But we must take these lesser Dwarves. They will carry the goods from King Vimtan’s Royal armory to our soldiers in the Second Realm.”

  Rosen and Bladeborn split up, with Bladeborn going to the Dwarven Prison to oversee the release of the human prisoners from the Fifth Realm.

  As the locks on the cell holding the ten men from the Fifth Realm were opened, Bladeborn asked, “Did Vimtan’s soldiers mistreat you in any way?”

  “Well,” one man volunteered, “Its filthy in here. I don’t know how these supposedly civilized Dwarves can live in such squalor. But no, General Bladeborn. Taking us in when we were starving in the Spiral Mountains as they did was actually an act of mercy on their part.”

  Another man said, “They were very nervous about us being followed, and more so that one of us might be a spy! They questioned us… over and over… But they didn’t hurt us. Can you believe it? We were lucky to have escaped from the Rhinolon with our lives!”

  “What happened in the Fifth Realm?” Bladeborn asked.

  “Not long after the men of the Silver Legion arrived, Rhinolon attacked. It all happened so quickly…I don’t think too many people survived. The Rhinolon were in the tunnels, right away! I lost my family… My home and friends…”

  The man shivered to his core.

  “We hope to escape all this, but our plan will be difficult for you all to swallow. I need you men to be strong.”

  Bladeborn was about to ask about the status of the Army of the Sun, Moon, and Dawn, when there was a loud clanking of metal on metal. The long lengths of chains binding the Dwarven debtors were unlatched from wall-bolts, and the Dwarves held captive at work stations for so long were released.

  A herald, sent possibly by King Vimtan read aloud a statement about the General Amnesty:

 
; “KING VIMTAN, THROUGH HIS SHREWD WISDOM HAS NEGOTIATED THE RETURN OF THE MAPS OF SACRED ADEN, FINDER OF THE WAYS! ALL DEBTS WITHIN THE DWARVEN HALLS ARE FORGIVEN, AND ALL PRISONERS ARE TO BE RELEASED INTO THE CUSTODY OF GENERAL BLADEBORN OF THE SIX REALMS! THUS, SAYS WISE KING VIMTAN!”

  A small, yet spontaneous cheering arose from the Dwarves.

  “We’re free!” the Dwarves said, incredulously.

  “Can it be true?” others asked in wonderment.

  “That human!” an elderly Dwarven man cried out, “He is the REASON for our deliverance!”

  “All praise ADEN the Finder of the Ways, and the human GENERAL BLADEBORN, who has set us FREE!” another Dwarf said, falling to his knees.

  Many Dwarves followed the example, taking a knee before Bladeborn right where they had been chained.

  “Arise, all of you!” Bladeborn called out to them. “Those of you who can walk…carry those who can’t! Leave NO ONE behind! Get ready to TRAVEL! We must leave for the Six Realms via the underground in SIX HOURS! We go before Vimtan changes his mind!”

  To the ten human survivors of the attack on the Fifth Realm, Bladeborn said, “Help these Dwarves get ready, men! Get moving! Or we’ll likely be overwhelmed with these poor folk, who after many years of servitude, are simply glade to be free!”

  With great regret, Bladeborn and Spe found themselves before Vimtan again that day.

  “I am not trading two maps to you, King Vimtan just one! You have gone back on your words and slipped out of your own bargains so many times I simply refuse! I will give you gold, jewels, even adamantium, but not another map, and that is FINAL!”

  “I won’t supply your expedition without another one of the maps, General Bladeborn! I have made my ruling AND IT SHALL STAND!”

  Suddenly a guard captain stepped up to Vimtan, “Maybe you should reconsider that, King Vimtan!”

  “WHAT?” King Vimtan bellowed at the Guard. “How dare cross words with me, Captain Voran! I will have your head for this outrage!”

  Deadly serious, Captain Voran said, “What you don’t understand…my King… is that my sister and her entire family are among those you released and essentially banished today! If you don’t allow them any food you are condemning them to death!”

  “ARREST THIS GUARD, NOW!” King Vimtan screamed.

  “They won’t…! All of them have family or friends that are affected by this.”

  The Dwarven Priest Telunk, who was standing nearby, spoke up, “We have plenty to share…don’t we, King Vimtan?”

  “Uhhnnn…errr, yes,” King Vimtan said, once again backing down.

  Telunk commanded, “Have the palace guardsmen take half our food stores to the lower doors of the kingdom and give it to the former debtors for the expedition…”

  “Telunk,” Bladeborn said, “I can pay for the food.”

  “No need,” Telunk said simply.

  Captain Voran said, “Right, you heard it, then! To the Royal larder!”

  In only six hours they were ready to move, having packed food and water for a long journey. The word ‘amnesty’ had spread throughout the halls of the Dwarves, and an enormous number of Dwarves took advantage of it.

  At the lowest gate in the Dwarven Halls they assembled, hundreds of those who wanted a better life, had a grudge against King Vimtan, or had been held in debtor’s prison. Telunk and some of the other Dwarven clerics made sure that each able-bodied Dwarf carry extra weight—a breastplate, a couple of shields, food, or whatever they could handle.

  The Rollbards elected to stay at the Dwarven hall. That final hour, when Bladeborn, King Rosen and the rest were about to leave, the entire Rollbard family came to see them off. The elder Rollbards told Bladeborn that they would see him again.

  “What makes you think this?” Bladeborn asked the eldest Rollbard.

  “It’s simply in the stone…” Grandfather Rollbard claimed.

  “What more do you foresee?” King Rosen asked.

  “I see a return to this hall a state of its former glory. And further, I foresee the return to this very hall a Dwarf of legend… A King of old…Remember that Aden, the Finder of the Ways, guides you, not mere mortal eyes. Thank you, General Bladeborn, and you too, King Rosen. You both will always be friends of the Dwarves.”

  Just before they left the Dwarven Hall, Bladeborn turned over one of the four pages of the Dwarven maps to captain Voran, who wordlessly accepted it. Voran and the other Royal Guardsmen then passed back to the upper reaches of the Dwarven Hall without incident.

  “It looks like Vimtan will live up to his bargain, Bladeborn,” King Rosen said. “Let’s go before he again changes his mind.”

  On that, Bladeborn, King Rosen, and Spe made their way to the front of those assembled at the lower doors of the Dwarven Kingdom and proceeded through…

  Bladeborn was amazed by the length of the column that was traveling through the tunnels. He wondered how long the train of souls would be once the people of the remaining Valleys and his Army joined them.

  Bladeborn and his compatriots soon found themselves in the seldom-explored underground passages and caverns deep below the Spiral Mountains. In this area of the underworld, the heat was almost unbearable due to the proximity of volcanic activity. Live lava flows often seemed to block the way.

  However, with the vital magical map-pages they found ways through the obstacles. The pages continued revealing the path that led them forward in the right direction. Telunk the Cleric of Aden seemed to have a natural connection to the maps.

  Bladeborn asked, “Can you teach me to read the maps like you do, Telunk?”

  “Dwarven is not that complicated when written,” Telunk said. “I will show you.”

  ~~I will show you as well, Bladeborn~~ Nightslayer said. Over the next weeks, the Sword of the Ancients taught Bladeborn the rudiments of the written Dwarven Language as he walked beneath the surface of the world.

  Weeks went by. They read the maps by the bright blue light of staves carried by the Dwarven clerics. Additional light, provided by Dwarves carrying glow-globes, helped them traverse the dark of the under land.

  They traveled out of the area of the lave rivers, finally settling into dry, ancient tubes. In time, they passed beneath what was once the Sixth Kingdom, resting an extra day so Dwarven clerics could examine the stone. Telunk said there was evidence of a recent earthquake, but as deep as they were the area was safe to pass through.

  “Could there have been survivors in the layers above us, Telunk?” Bladeborn asked.

  “Doubtful. It was not a natural occurrence, General,” Telunk said. “As you told me yourself, a divine power stressed only the Sixth Valley and mountains surrounding it. The rock did not move this deep.”

  Bladeborn reported this to King Rosen, who said, “The Sixth Realm was lost over a year ago, General. I have given up hope of finding anyone I knew from then alive. I truly believe we alone escaped. Let’s get the column going; there are only lost memories here.”

  They passed beneath the Sixth Realm and were nearing the Fifth.

  King Rosen turned and said to Bladeborn, “Soon we will reach the Fourth Realm and find out what has happened to our people. I will need your strength, Bladeborn, if the worst has taken place. If the gods have been merciful, and they yet live, it will be a cause to rejoice.”

  “I am ready to face the future as it has been given us, one way or another, my King,” Bladeborn stated. By the light of a small glow-globe, he braced his back against the wheel of a small Dwarven cart, and shut his eyes to rest.

  That night, Bladeborn had a terrible dream. In the misty nightmare, he could see a man slap a woman down roughly with the back of his hand. The man stormed off, and the woman laid on the floor of the chamber, surrounded by injured soldiers, sobbing. He tried to understand who the woman was…then, a terrible thought crept into his mind. What if it was Deocarla...?

  Bladeborn awoke with the certainty that something was wrong. He had been asleep, dreaming about Deocarla. Then
he noticed the Heartring he had worn for five years had gone dark.

  In a panic, Bladeborn shouted aloud, “IT CAN’T BE!”

  ~~Swordsman… You are too late~~

  Stricken to the core, Bladeborn exclaimed, “YOU ARE WRONG, NIGHTSLAYER!”

  The Sword remained silent.

  Nearby, King Rosen had been sleeping. He was awakened by Bladeborn’s outcry. Groggily, Rosen asked, “What is it, Bladeborn?”

  “King Rosen, look at the Heartring—look!” Bladeborn held his hand up to show King Rosen that the ring no longer had any kind of radiance.

  “I was just dreaming of her,” King Rosen said, stunned. “I could see her so clearly… when we were young, in the tunnels of the Sixth Realm…”

  “Could this ring be reading incorrectly? Maybe she is still alive!” Bladeborn asked.

  King Rosen said, “There is a chance that it is wrong, Bladeborn. There is always a chance.”

  “What is it?” Spe said, returning from the outskirts of the camp to them. “I heard voices here! Bladeborn… Is there trouble?”

  “Spe, I was dreaming of Queen Deocarla…” Bladeborn said.

  Spe interjected, “...the Queen of the First Realm, whose favor you wear.”

  Still shaken to his core, Bladeborn said, “When I awoke from my dream, the Heartring was dark. King Rosen had a dream of her, too.”

  Spe looked at King Rosen, who had gotten to his feet.

  Rosen put on his helm and strapped on his weapon. “I am going for a walk around the camp, Bladeborn, just to think. There are times when a man must be alone with his thoughts… Maybe you should walk for a bit, too.”

  After Rosen left, the dragon looked at Bladeborn and said, “Although you are different from me, I understand some of the emotions humans have. You will get over this, human warrior. The life of one woman should not cause you to turn away from your happiness.”