Markus Heitz - The Fate of the Dwarves

“The ones you killed and one thousand in Weyurn. That’s all,” the man howled. “The dwarves have blocked the western approaches and aren’t letting any more orcs through.”

Ireheart stood up tall and proud. “Balyndis will be pleased to hear that. Her tribe has done good work there. Vraccas has blessed them with an iron will.” He turned to the human and asked, “What happened to the treasure?”

Wielgar sniffed. Saliva and mucus ran down his face. “We spent it all ages ago. There’s nothing left. That’s why we raised the tribute rate, so we could start getting some more money in.”

Coira spat at him. “You are worse than the orcs, worse than the lowest scum,” she hissed. “To oppress and deceive your own people out of pure greed!”

Wielgar let his head sink down and whimpered to himself. Tungdil came over to the queen. “Majesty, your realm has achieved freedom quicker than we thought possible. The squadron’s messengers can spread the news throughout the land and we’ll send them out with parts of the Dragon’s head as evidence.” He looked at her sharply. “You will still accompany me to the south to fight Lot-Ionan.”

“I…” She was struggling to reply.

“Your help is more sorely needed than ever. If Lohasbrand no longer exists as an adversary to keep Lot-Ionan in check, we will need your magic powers or Girdlegard cannot survive.” The brown in his single eye seemed to grow darker. “If we don’t succeed in defeating the magus, evil will pour out of the Black Abyss unchecked. Not even the eoil and avatars were as bad or as powerful a scourge as what will befall us all if that happens.”

Coira gulped and looked at Mallenia. “Yes. Of course I shall follow you, high king,” she replied meekly. “Without you and your bold plan I would never have come to the Red Mountains and my people would not be free. I am in your debt. My whole land is in your debt.”

He nodded to her and smiled. Like the old Tungdil, thought Ireheart. “Thank you. We shall rest for the length of one orbit and then we shall set out for the Blue Mountains. We’ll leave messages here for the firstlings. They will find them sooner or later. We don’t have time to send an expedition out west to look for them.” He left the barracks to inform Hargorin and Barskalin.

Now Rodario and Mallenia could release the maga.

“Go outside,” said Coira quietly. “I want to be alone with this scum.” Her eyes were brimming with tears of rage. They left the room, and as Ireheart pulled the door to behind him they heard Wielgar’s first scream.

“I wouldn’t have thought her capable of that,” commented Rodario. “She looked so gentle. So kind.”

“Just think what the Lohasbranders have done to her.” Mallenia could certainly understand the queen’s attitude. She wanted to get all the alfar in her clutches one by one to pay them back for the terror they had inflicted for so very many cycles on her land.

Wielgar cried out again, loud and shrill. Full of the fear of death.

“Will you be dealing in similar vein with the vassal-rulers?” The actor studied her face intently.

“They will be tried in the courts. We’ll take them prisoner, subject them to judgment and punish them according to the verdicts.” The Ido girl looked at Hargorin. “He is the best example of how easily one can be deceived.”

“I could employ him in my theater troupe.” Rodario nodded. “He tricked the alfar for such a long time in order to be ready when the opportunity arose. If he had courted their enmity it would have served him and the thirdlings ill indeed.”

They went into the neighboring building, where they found the orcs’ quarters. It was surprisingly clean and did not even smell strongly.

“What about the thirdlings in alfar service who oppressed the population in whole swathes of the land?” Rodario and Mallenia sat down on a bench by the window, from where they could keep an eye on events in the cave.

“It will be difficult to get Urgon, Idoslane and Gauragar to understand that the thirdlings were only acting a role. I’ll ask the high king how we should proceed. If the thirdlings were to withdraw into the mountains, no one will pursue them.” Mallenia tried to work out how much truth she could confide in Rodario as to the present state of Coira’s magic powers.

She looked him in the eyes and her heart started to race. Even now, when he had shrugged off the mantle of helplessness, she could not take her eyes off him. Where will it all end? “The journey in the next few orbits will take us right across Ran Ribastur and Sangpur,” she said, to take her mind off things. And she wanted to hear his point of view. “What do you know about the queendoms?”

He held her eyes, searching to read her expression until she dropped her gaze. “Well, Ran Ribastur is covered in trees and Sangpur is covered in sand,” he said, amused by her reaction.

“That’s not what I meant.” Mallenia was furious with herself for blushing, and for feeling light-headed, too. Next time she would show him that she could not be unsettled so easily. “It’s all under Lot-Ionan now.”

“Aha! You wanted to know what to expect when we get there?” He leaned back and thought she looked rather lovely when she blushed. She was obviously pretty inexperienced with men and affairs of the heart. “Rumor has it that he has shared out the land to his famuli, who are doing their magic experiments there and generally bothering the residents. He guards his magic source jealously and only lets his famuli have access one by one and at set times, so that he can keep an eye on them. He seems to have developed a kind of persecution mania. If we are to believe the stories, he has six or seven separate phobias. He must be making a collection.”

“Don’t the rumors say how many famuli there are? I ask because of Queen Coira. She’ll have to put them all out of action.” Mallenia tapped her sword hilt. “You can’t always use one of these to deal with a magician.”

“I see things just the same as you.” He pulled a face. “People come up with different versions. Some say he only has two famuli and that they hate each other. Others claim he has ten, each one more powerful than the last.” His expression now became conspiratorial. “But they are said to be at war with each other as well. They all want Lot-Ionan’s good opinion, hoping to inherit from him. If one of them wins access to the magic source they’ll have control over all the other famuli. They have created magic creatures and use them to get at each other. Particularly in Ran Ribastur I expect we’ll be under constant attack from these strange figures who derive their being from magic. But we’ll be fine. We have our maga with us.”

Mallenia swore under her breath. She was wondering how much energy Coira still had; she would have to preserve it in order to be able to face down the magus. There was simply no time to travel to the land of the alfar to let Coira bathe in that magic source. Tungdil Goldhand must be told the truth, or, in spite of having the Zhadar with them, their whole company might be wiped out fast.

Rodario was sitting with his chin supported on his hands, staring at Mallenia’s face, trying to read her thoughts. “I have heard of one beast more terrible than all others. Do you want to know its name?”

Mallenia was not really listening, but she lifted her hand to indicate that she did want to know the name.

“Xolototh,” he said in a dread and somber tone. “It hunts down humans, especially pretty blonde females.”

“What does it do with them? Take them prisoner?”

“Oh no, nothing like that. It does this.” He leaned forward quick as a flash and gave her a swift kiss.

Or rather, he had intended to give her a quick kiss.