Tom Liberman - The Hammer of Fire

Petra looked at Milli who stared at Dol with her mouth wide open and her eyes wide, “Dol, you don’t mean that. That’s… that’s… insane.”

“Is it,” said Dol with a cackling laugh as he stared at the horizon. “Then you just watch it happen and then you’ll see. You don’t understand, Milli. This hammer is power, unlimited power. No one can stand against me, and there are many who would follow. Corancil will be in the south in a few years with his armies and they’ll need a leader to unite the defense against him.”

“I sort of liked the messenger and what he said about Corancil,” said Milli and stared at Dol defiantly with her yellow eyes ablaze. “I’m not sure I like what you’re saying at all. I came after you. You abandoned Brogus and me.”

“Brogus is dead, what was the point in delaying my mission,” said Dol with a shrug. “There are always going to be casualties along the way.”

Milli turned away from Dol and went back to her horse. “I’ve already said my peace,” she said without turning around. She reached up, grabbed the saddle-horn, and pulled herself up onto the horse. “I’ll travel with you all the way until we kill Gazadum because that was what we set out to do together,” she said after she mounted and turned back to him. “But, after that, you’re on your own. I’ll head back to the north to join Corancil maybe; or make my own way, but I don’t like you anymore.”

Dol shook his head and laughed, “Do you think whether or not you like me makes any difference? When I slay Gazadum the people will flock to me. I’ll be a champion and when I tell them Corancil is coming the rest will fall into place. I don’t need you, I don’t need Petra, and I certainly don’t need anyone’s help.”

Mill stared down at him, “Do you need help climbing up on my horse so I can give you a ride or would you prefer to walk?”

Dol looked at her and sneered, “I’ll take that mule after all,” he said to the woman who still stood in the doorway, her mouth hanging open.

“He’s in the barn, over there,” she said, pointing to a small frame structure fifty or so paces away along a dirt track with a number of wagon ruts.

Dol immediately put the hammer in the loop at his side and strode over to the barn without looking back.

Petra turned to Milli with no expression at all on her face, “Are you still going with him?”

Milli nodded, her face a blank mask, “I’m in this until the end,” she said with a flat voice. “Once he finishes maybe he’ll change back into the Dol I know.”

Petra shrugged her shoulders, “Maybe.”

“Are you going to stay with us or not?” asked Milli of the older woman and looked over her shoulder towards the barn from which Dol had yet to emerge.

“I’ll stay with you until we get to the volcanoes. I didn’t realize people knew there was an ancient elemental living inside. They worship it around here, probably like a God. They’re not going to take kindly to Dol showing up with the intention of killing their lord.”

“Dol won’t listen to anything we tell him anymore,” said Milli, her gaze still on the barn. “He’s mad with the power of the hammer.”

“We can still tell him what we think,” said Petra. “And it’s up to him if he wants to listen to us or not. We can’t just march up to the volcanoes claiming we’re going to kill Gazadum anymore. It might be too late anyway. That woman,” with this Petra nodded her head towards the woman at the house, “heard everything Dol said and word spreads quickly.”

“What can we do?” said Milli with a shrug of her shoulders. “He won’t listen to reason. He’ll just want to ride straight there and kill anyone that stands in his way.”

“He might listen to reason,” said Petra and her first two fingers went to her chin.

Milli snorted, “You heard him, Petra. He’s beyond reason.”

“No,” said Petra with a smile. “You just have to reason with him for who he is now not who he was before.”

Milli blinked rapidly a few times and squinted, “I think… you mean talk to him like he’s a power crazed maniac and he’ll listen to us?”

“Exactly!” said Petra and her smile broadened. “I’ve found those with large egos are actually far easier to manipulate than people who have a more realistic view of themselves.”

Milli turned her head slightly to the left and bobbed it up and down with her lips pursed and a far off look in her eyes, “You have a point there. You do indeed. Are all witches so smart?”

“Smart and ugly,” said Petra with a shrug of her shoulders. “The two don’t exactly go sheath and sword just like pretty and dumb aren’t always paired but there does seem to be correlation.”

“You’re not ugly,” said Milli.

“And you’re not dumb,” replied the witch with a smile and then pointed to the barn door. “There, he’s coming out now with a pony. What’s the plan?”

Milli put bit her lower lip with her upper teeth and moved her jaw from side to side for a moment and then spoke, “Ok, I’ve got it. Just go with whatever I start, right?”

Petra nodded but remained silent.

Dol led the little mule over to Milli and Petra and smiled broadly, “Now, to kill Gazadum. Nothing stands in our way.”

“The townsfolk worship him as a god,” said Milli. “They might not want us to go and kill him, and news spreads quickly.”

“Who is going to stand in my way?” asked Dol with a grin and put his hand on the hilt of the great hammer at his side. “I cannot be stopped.”

“Yes,” said Milli, “that’s true. However, do you want to kill all those townspeople? If you are going to raise an army it will have to start with the people around here. Killing them all can’t be a good first step.”

Dol stopped and looked at Milli with his brown eyes and finally nodded his head, “That does make sense. Those who witness my great triumph will want to join me, but if I’ve killed most of them first that is a problem.”

“Not to mention their wives and sons,” said Petra as she moved over to him. “You’ll want as many allies as you can get as quickly as possible. There will be those currently in power who will move against you. While you are nigh on invincible with the hammer in your hands a few hundred soldiers and crossbowmen might prove troublesome, no?”

Dol nodded again and took his hand off the hammer hilt. “There is some truth there,” he said with a shrug of his shoulders. “I’m sure I could handle it in the end but all those dead people doesn’t make a lot of sense. So what should we do?”

“It won’t be easy,” said Petra with her hand on her chin. “Milli is pretty distinctive and so are you, Dol. I’m the only one who people might not recognize right away. Witchy women are everywhere.”

“So, we send you in first?” said Milli. “I don’t like that idea.”

“What else do you suggest?” said Petra with a tilt of her head and a twinkle in her eyes.

Milli shrugged and looked at Dol with wide eyes and a blank expression as her tone became more girlish, “I don’t know. What do you think?”

Dol shrugged his shoulders. “Sure, send in Petra to see what’s going on.” Then he turned to the older woman and put his hand on her shoulder. “Just go into town and figure out the way to Gazadum. After that I’ll take care of the rest.”

Petra nodded her head, “That sounds reasonable, Dol. But there might be more trouble if they know you are coming. They’ll set up guards around the entrance. We might need to make a distraction or something.”

“It’s possible,” said Dol with a shrug and he rolled his eyes. “It doesn’t really matter in the end but we’ll deal with that problem if it happens. For now, get on your horses and let’s ride to glory!”