Markus Heitz - The Fate of the Dwarves

“You sound very confident.” Rodario held a cup and a piece of cake in his hands. “Like your mother said: Don’t you think they expect to find you?”

Coira laughed. “What can they do, faced with a ball of pure magic?”

“Dodge?” he suggested, earning himself Mallenia’s laughter. He was reveling in the proximity of these two young women. Such a shame he would have to split himself in two in order to continue enjoying the company of both. “Alfar are as quick as a bolt of lightning and agile as a cat. Had you thought of that?”

The princess made a sound to indicate her displeasure. “Stop complaining. It’s a simple plan and therefore an excellent one.”

Rodario bit into his cake and made a great show of chewing. “And what’s plan B?” he mumbled through the crumbs. “What if brother and sister alf get past you? Who’s going to save you?” He pointed to Coira with the pastry. “Who’ll save you when it all goes wrong?”

“You will,” teased Mallenia. “At least, it sounds like you’re volunteering.”

“If my kisses have as paralyzing an effect on the alfar as they do on you, why not?” he countered. “But I’d only be dealing with the female alf. You’ll have to tackle the brother.” He slurped his tea noisily.

Coira stared first at him and then at Mallenia, whose blushes showed that Rodario had not been lying. “You can have a try when the time comes,” she said, without asking for further details.

“I would prefer it if we did not kill the alfar outright,” hissed the Ido heroine venomously. “At least one of them should be alive for me to interrogate.”

“That should be possible,” Coira allowed. “May I ask why?”

“I overheard them talking when they thought I was unconscious. I don’t know if I understood aright. It is important for Girdlegard.” Mallenia saw the keen curiosity in the others’ faces. “I don’t want to talk about it until I’m sure,” she said firmly. “I don’t want to make the horses shy unnecessarily, as they say.”

“Well, that’s an incentive to catch them alive!” exclaimed Rodario, stuffing the rest of the cake into his mouth. It was too late to apologize to Mallenia, anyway.

The full moon stood high over Girdlegard and thus over Lakepride.

It was a cloudless night; the lake glinted silver, leaving the few fishing boats out seeking eels and shrimps silhouetted like black shadows.

The boats headed for the island and sailed near the shaft. One of them approached dangerously close to the stone pillar on which the island was based-so close it nearly collided.

The helmsman wrenched the wheel round and skimmed past by a hair’s-breadth.

At first sight there was nothing suspicious in this. The currents by the island could be tricky and even an experienced sailor could get into difficulties. For Rodario, watching from his hiding place, it was proof enough that the alfar siblings, Sisaroth and Firusha, had just set foot on land. He could not make them out yet, but that was hardly surprising.

“This is it,” he murmured, climbing out of the wire observation basket and hurrying up the narrow steps to the top. He raced along the coastal path and ran to the palace entrance.

If Coira and Mallenia had not thought out an emergency fall-back plan, but were relying totally on magic, then Rodario felt it his duty to have an alternative stratagem. His ideal scenario was for him to save both girls’ lives. Heroic deeds always went down well when hearts were to be won. Or when hearts needed calming down.

Rodario was admitted by the sentries and raced through the dark palace as quickly as he could.

No one knew about his function as a secret reserve. Mallenia and Coira were sitting in one room, Queen Wey was in the chamber opposite, ready to spring to her daughter’s aid.

Rodario had to admit that it was impossible to subdue both magae. Even Sisaroth and Firusha-the gods of Dson, whatever that meant-would be overcome. If Mallenia had managed to kill the third sibling with one shot from her little crossbow, what would the combined magic powers of two magae be able to achieve?

But perhaps Tion might be on his creatures’ side that night… and then Rodario really would be needed.

Rodario had reached the curtained wall-niche where he had hidden his homemade contraptions. He quickly fastened the miniature bellows filled with flash powder to his forearms. There was a flint he could activate, causing a spark to ignite the flying lycopodium seeds.

A magic fireball without using magic-or, at least, it would be a fireball good enough to impress theatergoers.

He had purchased the plan for the device for a considerable sum of money in Mifurdania’s marketplace; it was said originally to have been invented by the legendary magister technicus, but Rodario did not believe that. He did not mind who had invented it though, as long as it worked. He had made two dry runs and they had both been successful.

“Let’s see if I need you today.” He pulled his sleeves down to hide the equipment, and then turned round.

Right in front of him Sisaroth appeared, smiling coldly at him.

Rodario had neither heard him approach nor felt any hint of a draft. “Ye gods!” the actor breathed. The alf executed a sudden movement. Something hard hit the actor on the head and a hot flash of lightning shot through his neck.

He collapsed onto the stone floor, while the alf stepped over his heavily bleeding body, making for Mallenia’s chamber.

Mallenia was in full armor as she lay under the blanket, her face turned away from the door; the small mirror on her bedside table showed her what was happening at the entrance.

Pressed up close to the wardrobe, and invisible from the doorway, Coira was waiting, her thoughts focused on her magic spells. She had to be in a position to cast one at a split second’s notice if she was going to prevent the alfar killing Mallenia. The two women were quiet, listening for any sounds coming from the hallway or outside the chamber windows.

They held their breath every time a footstep passed their door. So far there had been no sign of the siblings.

“Just so you understand: I didn’t allow the actor to kiss me,” Mallenia suddenly whispered. “He stole the kiss.”

Coira had to smile. “Of course. Typical,” she replied quietly.

“He took me by surprise,” she went on. “Next time I’ll knock him down.”

Coira’s curiosity about affairs of the heart was awoken. In spite of the circumstances. “I’m amazed he managed to do it. What happened? Were you distracted?”

“He tricked me,” admitted Mallenia. “The weakling made a fool of me.”

A faint squeak interrupted them: The catch on the door was moving slowly. They had put sand and salt in the mechanism.

Mallenia stared at the entrance. She could see no light under the door, so it could not be one of the servants checking that everything was all right. They had strict instructions to carry lamps when they came.

The catch stopped moving, then went slowly back into its original position.

“What shall we do?” asked Coira in a muffled voice.

“We wait,” Mallenia hissed. She thought it could well be Rodario on the other side. Did he want to apologize? Did he want something more of her? She sighed softly. The man was driving her crazy. As if he knew she had a thing about helpless types.

The time passed painfully slowly. Everything was quiet. Whoever had been trying to enter the room must have changed their mind.

Then there was a scream!

“That was in Mother’s room!” Coira peeled herself out of the niche, ran to the door and pulled it open.

Sisaroth stood before her, waiting with two-handed sword raised ready to strike.

The maga did not think twice, but sent a destructive ball of pure energy at the alf-but he dodged the sphere that was shooting toward him, just as Rodario had joked he might.