Tom Liberman - The Hammer of Fire

“How is it treason to simply invite a man to visit Craggen Steep?” said the First Edos wringing his hands together. “This has happened many times in the history of Craggen Steep.”

“The council has spoken,” said the High Councilor and again banged his gavel on the stone counter. “One more word and I’ll arrest not only Councilor Five, but you as well First Edos. Do I make myself clear?”

“You have already sent the arrest orders,” said one of the pikemen with golden armor at the side of the great table.

“What is this!?” shrieked the High Councilor. “Treason among the pikemen? How deeply does this disease run? To the roots of the mountain? Into the Darkling land? Arrest that man!” he shouted and pointed to the pikeman.

Two of his fellows immediately pointed their weapons at him but another quickly jumped to his defense, and Borrombus stood up and pulled out a long knife, “When the council abandons the laws of Craggen Steep we must strike for the freedom of all!”

An absolute cacophony of sound erupted as two councilors kicked back from the table and attacked Borrombus, but the first went down in a spray of blood as the dagger went into his throat.

“Stop this violence,” shouted First Edos Fierfelm from the floor, but he was quickly overwhelmed in the general shouting and screaming. “This is madness! Madness!”

Golden-armed pikemen intermingled with one another and a door burst open to reveal a mass of seething dwarves who ran into the room tripping and trampling one another as they came. “Freedom! Freedom!”

From another corner came a group of well-armed dwarf soldiers and while they did not shout for freedom, they moved with precision and their shields came up as a group. A shouted order and they pulled short axes out and marched into the melee in single-step unison.

Tom Liberman

The Hammer of Fire

Petra sat at a small round table with her arm over the shoulder of Milli who was sobbing into her own hands. “It’s a hard world, Milli. That’s the truth of it. I’m not going to tell you everything is going to be all right.”

“When I left Craggen Steep I left a prison behind,” said Milli raising her tear-stained face up towards Petra. “But it was a safe prison.”

“That’s true. A lot of people live in prisons their entire lives. They live in fear of the world and what can happen to those who go out into it.”

Milli sniffled, “It’s a real fear though, isn’t it? People get killed. Your friends die, people change, and you get hurt.”

“That’s all true,” said Petra again, gently patting Milli on the hand. “All very true.”

“Brogus is dead,” said Milli and sniffled again and blew into a rag with a heavy snort. “He’s not coming back and neither is Dol.”

Petra continued to pat the girl on the hand and rub her back gently, “Maybe it’s better that Dol went off on his own. He’s on a suicide mission.”

Milli looked up at Petra and frowned, “He needs me and I’ve abandoned him,” she said with her mouth turned down in a frown and she sniffled again. “If he just waited a day while we buried Brogus and Uldex then I would have gone with him.”

“You can still catch him if you want,” said Petra. “Your horse is in the stables and he only has a day head start on you.”

“Do you think I should?” asked Milli.

“That’s not my decision,” said Petra. “Your life is your own to lead.”

“We started this together,” said Milli and sniffled again. “I’d like to see it through, one way or the other.”

Petra patted her on the back and smiled, “It’s a good idea, I think, to see things through and to finish what you start. Would you be better off if you were still back in Craggen Steep, still a prisoner, still safe?”

Milli paused for a long time and thought about it, “Brogus would be alive but he’d be stuck in one of those cubbies they have for the apprentices, working twelve hours a day down in the mines, his teeth rotting out, he’d probably only live to be thirty-five or so, most of the dwarves in the lower tunnels die so young. There are always collapses they don’t tell people about.”

“It doesn’t sound like much of a life,” said Petra.

“He would have never seen Das’von, traveled through the portal, the desert, that was so beautiful, and never ridden a horse,” said Milli.

“He’d be alive,” said Petra.

“Which side are you arguing?” said Milli with a suddenly playful smile and a light in her eyes.

“I’m an old woman,” said Petra. “I’ve seen a lot of the world traveling around as a witchy woman. I’ve met a lot of people. I’ve been in love or lust more than my share as well. It’s the only life I’ve known; traveling from here to there and selling potions to town-dwellers. I’ve seen a lot of them over the years also. People who grow up in one place, marry their neighbor, have kids, farm the land, and then die. It’s not all bad. Maybe a little dull but there is happiness as well. I’m not sure what the answers are.”

“Why aren’t there easy answer?” asked Milli.

“There are easy answers… to easy question,” replied Petra with a smile, and suddenly she had a far-off look in her eyes. “When you’re a young girl in love sometimes the answers are easy even if usually wrong.”

“I won’t go back to Craggen Steep,” said Milli. “No matter what. I don’t want a gilded prison. I’ve seen the world. I’ve met so many people, done so many things; I can’t go back, not now. I’d be miserable.”

“You don’t have to go back to Craggen Steep,” said Petra. “You don’t have to follow after Dol. You can stay here or travel back to the desert. They are a handsome people and that Black Horseman had some worthwhile ideas I think. You could go north to Das’von and join up with Corancil and his armies or stay here and wait to see if he conquers the world. You have many options in this life although you may think there are only a few choices. I think too many people settle on the obvious choices that life gives us. Look around and see all the possibilities.”

“I don’t want to leave Dol. He’s not a bad person. It’s the influence of the hammer. He’s changed. I want to be there when this finishes one way or the other.”

“Then you have to get on your horse and go,” said Petra, “instead of sitting around here talking with an old lady.”

“You won’t come with me?” asked Milli and took hold of Petra’s wrinkled hands with her own smooth, soft ones. “At least as far as the Five Sisters. You don’t have to come in with me and Dol to face Gazadum but you could at least travel with us. They say the Southern Sea is beautiful and you can have all of Brogus’ gold. That would buy you a house and keep you safe for the rest of your life.”

“Hmm,” said Petra. “All of Brogus’ gold you say?”

Milli laughed out loud, “That was your plan all along wasn’t it. To play on my sympathy to get you to come along?”

“Of course not,” said Petra and began to laugh as well, although tears came from her eyes to intermingle with the joy. “I would never do such a thing!”

Dol stood outside the little farmhouse and pounded on the heavy wood door with his blackened right hand, “Let me in!”

Judging by the smoke pouring from the chimney there were occupants in the house, but long seconds went by before Dol again beat at the door, “I just want directions. Don’t make me kick down the door! I’ll do it.”

Again there was silence; Dol scratched his head and one of the bright red apples in his hair suddenly burst with a loud pop and threw seeds in all directions. “Damn!” said Dol and snatched his hand away. “I’ll steal your horses if you don’t come out and sell me one. I have gold!”