Markus Heitz - The Dwarves

Hand in hand they made their way down from the Blacksaddle, whose looming presence had lost its terror for the dwarven folks.

They were halfway down the steps that led into the stronghold when a second streak of light flashed above them.

Unseen and unnoticed, the comet sped toward the west. Still shining brightly, it dipped toward the earth, sailing through the clouds and leaving a deep red trail in the sky. At last it disappeared on the horizon beyond the firstling kingdom. It hit the ground with a muffled thud, sending a shudder through Girdlegard. Even the Blacksaddle trembled.

Then everything was quiet…

Dramatis Personae

Firstling Kingdom Xamtys Stubbornstreak II of the clan of the Stubborn Streaks, queen of Borengar's folk. Balyndis Steelfinger of the clan of the Steel Fingers, blacksmith and custodian of the gates. Secondling Kingdom Gundrabur Whitecrown of the clan of the Hard Rocks, high king and leader of Beroпn's folk. Balendilнn Onearm of the clan of the Firm Fingers, counselor to the high king. Bavragor Hammerfist of the clan of the Hammer Fists, mason. Boлndal Hookhand and Boпndil Doubleblade, known also as Ireheart, of the clan of the Swinging Axes, warriors and twins. Thirdling Kingdom – Fourthling Kingdom Gandogar Silverbeard of the clan of the Silver Beards, king of Goпmdil's folk. Bislipur Surestroke of the clan of the Brawny Fists, adviser to the fourthling king. Tungdil Bolofar, later Goldhand, foundling and Lot-Ionan's ward. Goпmgar Shimmerbeard of the clan of the Shimmer Beards, gem cutter. Fifthling Kingdom Giselbert Ironeye, father of the fifthlings, king of Giselbert's folk. Glandallin Hammerstrike of the clan of the Striking Hammers, warrior.

Andфkai the Tempestuous, maga and ruler of the enchanted realm of Brandфkai. Djerun, bodyguard in the service of Andфkai. Lot-Ionan the Forbearing, magus and ruler of the enchanted realm of Ionandar. Maira the Life-Preserver, maga and ruler of the enchanted realm of Oremaira. Nudin the Knowledge-Lusty, magus and ruler of the enchanted realm of Lios Nudin. Sabora the Softly-Spoken, maga and ruler of the enchanted realm of Saborien. Turgur the Fair-Faced, magus and ruler of the enchanted realm of Turguria. Gorйn, wizard formerly apprenticed to Lot-Ionan. Frala, maid in the service of Lot-Ionan, mother of Sunja and Ikana. Jolosin, famulus apprenticed to Lot-Ionan. Eiden, groom in the service of Lot-Ionan. Rantja, famula apprenticed to Nudin. The fabulous Rodario, actor and impresario. Furgas, theater technician and prop master. Narmora, actress and companion to Furgas. Hоl and Kerolus, peddlers. Vrabor and Friedegard, envoys to the council of the magi. Prince Mallen of Ido, exiled heir to the throne of Idoslane. King Lothaire, sovereign of Urgon. King Tilogorn, sovereign of Idoslane. King Nate, sovereign of Tabaоn. King Bruron, sovereign of Gauragar. Queen Umilante, sovereign of Sangpыr. Queen Wey IV, sovereign of Weyurn. Queen Isika, sovereign of Ran Ribastur.

Sinthoras and Caphalor, дlfar from the kingdom of Dsфn Balsur. Liъtasil, lord of Вlandur, kingdom of the elves. Bashkugg, Kragnarr, and Ushnotz, orcish princes of Toboribor. Sverd, gnome enslaved by Bislipur.

Acknowledgments When I finished the final volume of my Ulldart series, I decided to tackle a new project: dwarves. It was a nerve-racking prospect. Most readers have fixed ideas about how they like their dwarves to look and act; I didn't want to disappoint their expectations, but at the same time I needed to do something new.

And so I went ahead and created my dwarves. I invented clans and folks for them to belong to, and I gave them particular talents and traits. I was careful not to stray too far from the traditional dwarf, but I added bits here and there, and I gave my dwarves a chance to prove their mettle. I didn't want them to be extras or sidekicks, so I made them into proper protagonists who outshine the humans and elves. My dwarves are the valiant defenders of Girdlegard, true heroes who fight-and sometimes die-in the line of duty.

I sent Tungdil and his companions on a perilous mission, and it had me on the edge of my seat. These pages are chock-full of dwarven dedication, passion, determination, exuberance, war, and death. Writing them was great fun, and with any luck, reading them will be entertaining as well.

My particular thanks go to those who made this a better and more interesting book. Among the first to see the manuscript were Nicole Schuhmacher, Sonja Rьther, Meike Sewering, and Dr. Patrick Mьller. Their thoughtful comments and suggestions were immensely helpful, as always.

Many thanks to translator Sally-Ann Spencer, who taught the dwarves a new language.

I would also like to thank those who allowed me to send the dwarves on their very own adventure. It was time the little fellows had their big chance. extras meet the author MARKUS HEITZ was born in 1971 in Germany. He studied history, German language, and literature and won the German Fantasy Award in 2003 for his debut novel, Shadows Over Ulldart. His Dwarves series is a bestseller in Europe. Markus Heitz lives in Zweibrьcken. introducing If you enjoyed

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by Markus Heitz The tail of the comet blazed red in the sky, showering debris large enough to crush a human house. The dwarves heard a drawn-out whistle, then an ear-splitting bang. The ground shook and trembled like a frightened beast. Plumes of snow shot upward, looming like luminous towers in the dark night sky. The air hissed and angry clouds of moisture rose from the vaporizing snow. Thick white fog wrapped itself around Boлndal like a blindfold.

"To the stronghold!" he commanded, realizing that watch-towers and battlements were no match for celestial might. "We'll be safer inside!" Bracing himself against the brazier, he tried to get to his feet; a moment later, one of the sentries was beside him, pulling him up.

Boлndal lost his bearings in the strange-smelling fog, but his companion knew the way without seeing. They ran, skidding and sliding every few paces until they resigned themselves to crawling and pulling themselves forward on their axes. "Quick, we need to…"

Boлndal's command was cut off by a droning from above. He knew exactly what it meant: the battlements were about to be hit by a volley of burning rock.

There was no time to shout a warning. The fog had already turned a muddy orange, darkening to black-streaked red as an unbearable screeching filled the air.

Vraccas protect us! Boлndal closed his eyes as a gigantic slab of burning ice hurtled toward him. A moment later, it slammed into the solid stone walkway. Boлndal heard faint shrieks as dwarves in front of him tumbled to their deaths. He couldn't see where the rock had landed because of the fog.

"Turn back!" shouted Boлndal, crawling away from the shattered stone. Hampered by his injured back, he longed for his old agility. "To the northern walkway!"

Flagstones quaked beneath their feet as the colossal towers swayed like reeds in the breeze. Cracks opened in the groaning masonry and sections of battlement plummeted to the ground.

The bombardment continued as they hurried along the northern walkway to the highest tower. They came to a halt at the bridge. The single-span arch construction was the only way into the kingdom and the safety of the firstling halls. Beneath the bridge was a yawning chasm, two hundred paces deep.

A gusty wind swept the watchtowers, chasing away the mist. At last they could see the gates leading into the mountain and safety.

"Vraccas forfend!" cried one of the sentries, who had turned and was pointing back at the lifting mist.