Tom Liberman - The Hammer of Fire

Uldex shrugged his shoulders, “What I want is not important. The hammer has to come back to Craggen Steep.”

“It’ll take years to walk all the way back up there,” said Milli as she ran over to Uldex and put her hands on his chest. “Can’t we just wait a week? We’ll take it south, kill Gazadum and then back to Craggen Steep. What’s the hurry?”

Uldex looked into her yellow eyes and his expression softened, “I’m not opposed to that, as I said earlier,” he said and lowered his axe. “Dol, after you slay the beast promise me you’ll return to Craggen Steep and I’ll molest you no further.”

“Don’t listen to him, Dol,” interjected Cleathelm taking a step forward and pulling out his own axe. “He’s a lying Blackiron. Only the Firefists can save you now.”

Dol shook his head, “The only promise I make is that whoever tries to take the hammer from me will die.”

“My wrists are bound,” said Uldex looking down into Milli’s plaintive eyes. “There is only one course of action.”

“No,” said Milli, but Uldex brushed her aside with a sweeping blow of his left arm and she stumbled and fell onto the street with a little gasp, “No!”

“Milli,” said Brogus and rushed over to her.

“Help Dol,” said Milli and pointed to Dol now being approached on two sides with Uldex coming one way and Blaggard and Cleathelm on the other.

Brogus stood and walked over next to his friend, “I’m here with you, Dol. They’ll never get the hammer.”

“I can take care of this,” said Dol and with a quick motion shoved Brogus’s shoulder.

“Now,” said Cleathelm and Blaggard hurled a dagger at the duo but it went well wide of the target and embedded into a watering trough near Milli. The girl immediately pulled it out and turned back to the fight.

Cleathelm charged forward with his axe raised high and took a swipe at Dol who moved to the side with a swift motion and let the burly dwarf rush past. Brogus, slightly off balance from the shove, attempted to chop the head of the Firefist but his axe only succeeded in nicking the heavy plate shoulder armor. “Damn,” said Brogus, just as another dagger from Blaggard sailed past Dol’s head and embedded in the horse post behind him.

“Help them,” shouted Milli to Uldex but the scarred dwarf was already circling behind Dol and Brogus to the opposite side of Blaggard and not far from where Cleathelm stopped his rush. The powerful dwarf turned to Uldex and gave him a quick grin, “Help me now and I can help you later.”

“Go burn yourself,” said Uldex. “I’ll kill you after I finish with Delius.”

“Uldex!” shrieked Milli and held up the dagger.

Cleathelm spun around and took two purposeful strides back towards Dol and swung his axe in a short arc in front of his short-haired foe while Blaggard threatened to throw more daggers and kept Brogus occupied. Dol casually flicked his hammer but Cleathelm pulled back with a quick motion and then launched an attack towards Dol’s left side. This time the axe came down towards Dol’s head. Instead of backing away from the blow, Dol moved forward and the axe handle came down on his shoulder. With no room to swing the huge hammer properly he simply shoved it into Cleathelm’s face and the burly dwarf screamed as the sound of burning meat crackled in the air followed by the terrible smell of burnt flesh.

Cleathhelm dropped his axe and fell to his knees clutching his face as Uldex used the moment to make a quick step forward and aim his axe at Dol’s exposed back. Brogus leapt between the two and tried to block the blow but overextended his arm, and Uldex’s axe bit deeply into the bone.

“Ahh,” screamed Brogus, but then an axe thrown by Carus plunged directly into the back of his head and silenced him forever.

“Damn,” said Uldex and tried to pull his axe from Brogus’s arm as the dwarf fell but he wasn’t fast enough as Dol bolted over with a single stride, raised the hammer high, and brought it down towards the scarred dwarf’s head. Uldex let go of his axe and tried to roll away but the hammer hit him with a solid blow behind the right shoulder and he spun into the ground with a loud thump.

Dol turned to Blaggard who was already on his knees cutting Cleathelm’s throat and taking his heavy purse of gold. The little goblin immediately dropped his dagger. “I only worked for Cleathelm. I have no feud with you, Delius. I threw my daggers wide on purpose. Take the hammer. Kill them all, I don’t care. Let me have Cleathelm’s purse and you’ll never see me again.”

Dol nodded his head, “I’ll kill you if I ever see you again,” and then turned to the writhing Uldex. Now this is finished.”

Across the street Carus moved back into the shadows and disappeared around the side of a building.

“No, Dol,” said Milli running forward and grabbing the fiery dwarf by the arm. “He’s hurt, he’s not a threat to you anymore.”

“Brogus is dead,” said Dol with a look at his friend on the ground, “and someone will pay.”

“It was the dwarf who did it,” said Milli pointing to where Carus stood a moment ago, but the creature was gone like a puff of wind on a hot summer day. “It wasn’t Uldex anyway.”

Dol threw off her arm and rolled Uldex onto his back but the crafty warrior slashed out with a dagger in his left hand and cut Dol across the shoulder. Dol winced, punched him hard in the face, and brought the hammer down on his opponent’s hand with a quick blow that was accompanied by the sizzling sound of burning flesh and the terrible smell that went with it.

Uldex grimaced and gritted his teeth but did not cry out. Dol raised the hammer again.

“No, Dol, don’t do it!” shouted Milli.

Down came the hammer on Uldex’s face.

The seven members of the High Council sat in their thick, high-backed seats in the magnificent chamber looking down upon the petitioner, the First Edos, who looked small and out of place on the floor of the chamber rather than in his traditional seat on the right side of the chamber. At the center seat a heavily bearded dwarf banged his golden gavel down onto the stone podium. “The petition is denied, for the last time.”

“This is a violation of our laws,” said First Edos Fierfelm and stomped his foot against the stone floor. “According to our ancient laws it is perfectly acceptable for the First Edos to make a request of this nature.”

“The law to which you refer is nearly three thousand years old and hasn’t been invoked in over a thousand years,” said the High Councilor and raised his gavel again.

Borrombus chimed in from his seat at the left edge of the podium, “This violation of our laws sets an unseemly precedent, High Councilor. If we can simply choose to ignore whichever law doesn’t suit our tastes then what is the point of having laws at all?”

“When revolutionaries sit in the dungeons and councilors are nigh on accused of treason, then the laws must be adjusted,” said the High Councilor. “The Council has spoken about this, Councilor Five. More than once. If you continue to push this matter then arrests will be made at the highest levels of government!” With this he banged his golden gavel down again. “At… the… highest… levels,” he said glaring directly at Borrombus.

“The arrest of a Council Member requires the unanimous consent…,” started Borrombus but again the High Councilor banged his gavel.

“Do not dare to quote rules to me,” he said and glared again.

“Can we not be civil in our discourse,” said the First Edos from the floor. “Has it come down to threats of imprisonment?”

“Treason!” shouted another of the councilors from his seat. “We’ve already uncovered a plot to allow invaders into Craggen Steep. Corancil has assembled a massive army not more than a month’s march from our citadel. Hundreds of young dwarves are sympathetic to his cause, particularly among the lower classes who do not have the advantage of a proper education. Those of the lesser families have always been jealous of our power, but they do not understand that we provide their security and their wealth.”