Tom Liberman - The Hammer of Fire

A half-a-dozen of the men immediately grabbed nearby little wooden buckets and dashed off into the darkness, presumably towards a creek or well, while others found a big cooking cauldron from somewhere and began to muscle it over to the large fire. It only took a couple of minutes of work and the cauldron, filled with water, was in place on the fire, and the men gathered around it and watched as Petra muttered strange words and gesticulated with sharp, jabbing motions towards the sky, earth, and fire.

Petra was careful to slip off the little translator amulet before she began her witchcraft although she still used the same words as if the audience could understand her, “By the night that gleams and the moon that shines, by bats wings and cats eyes, I call forth the goddess of the moon to shine her beams upon eve.” The gibberish went on for another few lines and Petra went through the motions with all the practice of an old cobbler setting away his tools. The ritual took about two or three minutes and then she dumped the contents of her work into the cauldron, immediately eliciting a cloud of purple and gold vapor and a shower of hisses that crackled for a few moments before subsiding.

“Is it ok to have a drink,” said one man holding up his flask, “before we take the potion?”

Petra suddenly realized that she had forgotten to slip on the amulet and had no idea what the man asked so she nodded her head judicially and reached in to grasp the little translating device.

The man, for his part, took the nod to mean yes and immediately lifted the flask to his lips and swallowed several mouthfuls in quick succession. The other men around the fire made agreeing sorts of sounds and quickly unstoppered what remained of their own supplies and downed them with haste. Petra took the moment of distraction to slip the amulet around her neck. “Stand back while the magic does it work,” she shouted and raised her eyes towards not only the sky but to the little hills about a mile away where Dol and Milli awaited her.

She bent over the cauldron, dipped her finger into the still only lukewarm liquid, brought it to her mouth, and tasted the concoction delicately. She pursed her lips and nodded her head slowly. “I think it is ready.”

“Should we drink it now?” said one of the men who shifted his eyes back and forth between Petra and the cauldron. “What if this dwarf doesn’t come tonight?”

“If he doesn’t come tonight I’ll mix up another one for you tomorrow… at only half the cost,” said Petra and smiled. “Besides, shouldn’t the baron’s soldiers be here by tomorrow or at least reinforcements from the other villages?”

“She’s right,” said a man from near the back and rushed forward to dip a small tin cup into the liquid. He paused for a second and then gulped down its contents in one massive swig. The other men looked at him expectantly and he licked his lips, “It’s not bad,” he finally concluded. “Not good, but not bad.”

With that the other men rushed forward and began to fill their own cups with the liquid and drink it down. There was a little scuffle when the smallest of the men couldn’t get to the front but clearer heads eventually prevailed and each of the guards managed to fill their cups at least twice.

“I feel stronger already,” said one man and curled his arm to make a muscle. “Feel my muscle.”

“That’s just your imagination,” said Petra with a knowing smile and a shake of her head. “You won’t start to feel the effects for an hour or so.”

“What if the demon dwarf comes before then,” said one man and grabbed the dirk at his side. “We’ll never be able to fight him off without the magic of the potion.”

“We didn’t have the potion when we got here,” said the toughest of the group. “If we have to fight off this dwarf then we’ll do it. I’ll bet once we feel fear the potion will start affecting us anyway. Brace up, my lads. We’ll slay this demon dwarf and the Fire God will sing our praises for the rest of our lives. It’ll be a story to tell the grandbabies, it will indeed.”

“Well,” said Petra with a smile as she began to pack up her gear. “I’ll be in the village for the day but if this dwarf doesn’t come by tomorrow night I’ll come back and mix you up another batch.”

One of the tallest of the villagers came up to her and suddenly gave her a deep hug, “Thank you, witch woman. You may well have saved my life and I’ll not forget it.”

“Nor I,” said a nearby by man and soon the entire crowd gathered around her offering their thanks, handshakes, hugs, and information about where there farmsteads were located for future business.

It took Petra another half-an-hour to shake off all the well-wishers, pack up the donkey, and head back up towards where Dol and Milli were waiting.

“They should be dead to the world within a couple of hours,” said Petra as she unpacked the little donkey. “If you take one of the good horses you can be there in plenty of time to sneak past them and into the mountain.”

Dol nodded his head and smiled, “You’ve done a good job, Petra. I’m glad I listened to you rather than just wading in. How many of them were there? Soldiers?”

“Just farmers mainly,” said Petra. “The soldiers are off with the baron somewhere so it probably wouldn’t have been that hard to get past them. They’re a little skeptical anyone would attack their god to begin with.”

“Let them be skeptical,” said Dol and tapped the end of the great hammer, which never seemed out of his hand lately, against his palm. “I’ll destoy Gazadum and that will be that.”

“Yes,” said Petra. “That will be that.”

“You meant to say both of the good horses,” said Milli with her hands on her hips and glaring at Petra. “I’m going with Dol until the end. I made that clear.”

“It’s your decision,” said Petra, “but what possible help can you be to Dol once he’s inside the volcano? The heat in there will prevent you from going against Gazadum. You might as well just wait it out with me.”

“I’m not leaving Dol’s side until I absolutely have to,” said Milli and stomped her foot. Her long hair was tied back in a heavy braid and she wore a thick leather jerkin that made her look more like a young boy than a pretty halfling girl. “I’m with him until the end.”

Dol looked at her for a moment and his eyes seemed to lose their reddish glow for a moment, “Maybe…,”

“Don’t you start,” said Milli with a steady look in return. “You’ve been nothing but glory, death, and fire for the last few weeks and you’re not going to go soft on me now. I’m coming with you to face Gazadum and afterwards, whatever happens is what happens.”

Dol’s eyes seemed to ignite with fire again and he smiled broadly, “It is good that you want to be along for the glory. Nothing will happen to her,” he said turning to Petra. “I promise you I’ll keep her safe.”

Petra pursed her lips and said nothing.

“Come along then,” said Dol and walked over to the horse that stood at the ready. Milli followed him and within a few seconds the sounds of hoof beats was all that remained of the two as Petra stood and watched them go.

The woman looked around the little camp and began to gather her things, although a little tear appeared in the corner of her eye.

Milli hacked up a lungful of yellowish phlegm again as they made their way through yet another of the strange little circular tunnels that made it feel like they were walking through the inside of a tree. The temperature continued to rise and Milli was stripped down to a light jerkin and her braided hair lay plastered to her sweaty back as they continued onwards in the dim environment. The odors were intense like rotten eggs and the air was so heavy that it hurt just to take it into her lungs. Dol seemed oblivious not only to the oppressive heat but also to the noxious fumes, and there wasn’t even a bead of sweat on his brow.