Markus Heitz - The Dwarves

"I never thought I'd live to see the day when I'd welcome the sight of greenery," muttered Boпndil, whose spirits were suffering from the long march through the Perished Land. His eyes swept the thick line of trees that formed a natural palisade against intruders. He reached for his axes. "Looks like we'll have to chop our way through."

"And give the elves every reason to wage war on your kingdom?" said Andфkai sharply. "No, we'll have no need of weapons in the woods. Besides, they'll spot us soon enough." She stared at the forest. "What did I tell you? They've seen us already." Four tall figures detached themselves from the trees. Their longbows were raised, ready to shoot. "Who's going to talk to them?"

"I will," Tungdil said quickly. He took a step forward, laid his ax on the ground for the elves to see, and walked toward them with measured steps.

"The woods of Вlandur have seen a great deal," called the voice of one of the archers, "but never a groundling. Stay where you are and state your purpose."

Tungdil looked at the four forest-dwellers. They were clad in white leather armor, with swords hanging from their belts. Each wore a white fur cloak, and their fair hair hung loose about their shoulders. As far as Tungdil could tell, their perfectly formed faces were identical. He didn't like them.

"My name is Tungdil Goldhand of the fourthling kingdom. My companions and I left our homes to forge Keenfire and destroy Nфd'onn the Doublefold," he declared firmly. "Good friends of ours have died that we might accomplish our goal. If you will permit it, we should like to enter your kingdom."

"There's no need. You won't find Nфd'onn here."

"No, but we'd like to access a tunnel built by our ancestors. The entrance is within your borders. We intend to journey underground to the Blacksaddle," he explained briefly. "We heard the magus is there."

"You're going to kill him with this Keenfire, are you? You and a handful of warriors?" The elf stared at him incredulously. "I bet Nфd'onn sent you here!"

"More than likely," Tungdil said crossly. He felt like boxing the elf's pointy ears. "What a fabulous plan that would be! Sending a bunch of dwarves to talk their way into an elven kingdom. He must have known how pleased you'd be to see us. You'd welcome us into your forests, we'd deliver you up to the magus-and you'd never suspect a thing!"

"Nфd'onn's a traitor, not an idiot," muttered Balyndis not quite softly enough.

Tungdil couldn't help grinning, and a fleeting smile crossed the elf's slender face. It wasn't enough to change the dwarf's opinion of him. "How can we convince you that we mean no harm?"

The elves conferred in their own tongue. "You can't. Wait here," came the unfriendly reply. "Set foot on our land and we'll kill you." With that they disappeared among the mighty trees.

"Ha, we've got them worried." Boпndil grinned and crossed his arms in front of his powerful chest. "That's something."

They made a virtue of necessity and tried to get some rest. There were enough fallen branches to make a roaring fire and so the time passed. The sun was already sinking behind the forest when the sentries reappeared, this time accompanied by twenty archers and a warrior clad in shimmering palandium, which marked him out as an elf of rank.

"So these are the travelers." He was handsome, so handsome that he could never look anything but arrogant. Long red hair framed his face, setting off his dark blue eyes. "A strange group claiming an even stranger purpose. Let me find out the truth."

He raised his arms, his hands tracing symbols in the air. Andфkai responded immediately with a countercharm.

On seeing the maga, the elf broke off in surprise. "It seems you can use magic. Few among the race of men are capable of that. We heard Nфd'onn had killed them all." He studied her intently. "In appearance you resemble the woman once known as Andфkai."

"I am Andфkai the Tempestuous." She gave the most cursory of curtsies. "I am weak from our journey, Liъtasil, and my magic is no match for yours." She tapped the hilt of her sword. "But I have a certain reputation as a swordswoman and if you care to cross blades with me, I shall prove I am no impostor."

Tungdil's eyebrows rose in surprise. Liъtasil wasn't any old warrior; he was lord of Вlandur.

The elf laughed-a kind, gentle laugh, but still somehow superior. "Ah, the tempestuous maga. Very well, Andфkai, I believe you, but I need to reassure myself. The дlfar have played too many tricks on us of late."

His fingers moved gracefully through the air, conjuring a golden haze that settled over the group. In an instant the tired ness that had been eating into every fiber of Tungdil's body lifted and even his hunger disappeared. Beside him Narmora was gasping with pain and the air was rent by the same terrible noise that Djerun had made at the gates of Roodacre. The elves nocked their arrows, spanning their bows, and took aim at the pair. Liъtasil lowered his arms. "Andфkai, it can't have escaped your attention that two of your traveling companions will never be granted entry to our glades," he said carefully.

"They're with us," Tungdil said quickly. "They may be descended from Tion and Samusin, but we can't defeat Nфd'onn without them." He pointed to the half дlf. "Narmora must wield Keenfire, and Djerun is almost as accomplished a warrior as Boпndil here." He hoped the dwarf would appreciate the flattery. "Orcs and bцgnilim flee at the sight of him."

Liъtasil pondered the matter while one of the elves advised him in an urgent whisper.

"An unusual company indeed," the elven lord began. Tungdil could tell from his tone that he had conquered his doubts and decided in their favor. "Too unusual to be anything but genuine. You may enter Вlandur and proceed through your tunnel." He turned to leave.

Tungdil felt sufficiently encouraged to make his next request. "I beg your pardon, Lord Liъtasil, but there is something else we should like to ask. We know the дlfar are laying siege to Вlandur and that your kingdom is under threat. You won't be able to defend your lands alone. Join us in our fight against Nфd'onn and we will destroy the Perished Land. Afterward you can reclaim your kingdom with our assistance."

The elf gazed at him earnestly. "Your generosity does you credit, but it will take more than a few axes to reclaim our lands."

"He speaks on behalf of the dwarven assembly," explained Gandogar. "The assistance he promises would come from my folk, the dwarves of the fourthling kingdom, of which I am king. And I know the secondlings would gladly rid your forests of the дlfar."

"We've done it before, you know," Boпndil hastened to assure him. "We kicked them out of Greenglade."

Liъtasil could no longer disguise his astonishment. "A dwarven king? It gets more and more intriguing." He beckoned for them to approach. "Come, you shall explain to me why the dwarves are willing to help their oldest enemies and save Вlandur from destruction."

He led the way, and the company followed, escorted on all sides by elven archers.

"Well spoken," Tungdil said to Gandogar.

The fourthling king smiled. "It was our only hope. Personally, I set no store by my status, but perhaps it will convince the pointy-ears to give us the loan of their army."

They walked on, squeezing their way through the palisade of trees. Djerun struggled at first, encumbered by his armor, but Liъtasil gave an order and the boughs swung back, allowing him to pass.

Once they had crossed the buffer of pine trees, they entered the forest proper. Even in winter, the oaks, beeches, and maples kept their foliage, and the branches showed no signs of bowing or snapping beneath the heavy snow. The towering trees reminded Tungdil and Boпndil of the splendor of Greenglade before it had succumbed to the northern pestilence and vented its hatred on every living thing.