Into the Forge

Chapter 23

"Chakka shok! Chdkka cor!" thundered the dark figure as it sprang forward from the concealing moonshadows and on past the wall where Tipperton hid. Startled, Tip nearly loosed the arrow he had aimed square at the being's heart, but even by then it was too late "Chdkka shok! Chdkka cor!" bellowed the other four figures rushing at the shocked maggot-folk gathered 'round the fire.

– and Tip pushed through the thorns to the wide gap in the tumbled-down stone in time to see Bloody axes driven by broad-shouldered, bearded folk nearly the size of men riving through shrieking Rucks trying to flee and Hloks scrambling up with tulwars in hand to fight desperately.

– Dwarves! They 're Dwarves! Although Tip had never before seen a Dwarf, there was no doubt whatsoever in his mind.

But they 're outnumbered nineteen to five! Even as the thought crossed his awareness, a Hlok sprang at the back of one of the savagely cleaving Dwarves. Without conscious thought Tip loosed his first arrow, the shaft sissing past the riving Dwarf to slam into the left eye of the Hlok, the Spawn pitching backward and falling dead ere he could deliver the blow.

"Blut vor blut!" shrilled Tipperton in ancient Twyll as he nocked another arrow and loosed, this time felling a backstabbing Ruck.

But the Dwarves were ferocious in their devastation, axes shearing through muscle and gut and sinew and bone alike, tissue and blood and viscera flying wide, limbs and necks and even torsos hacked entirely through with but a single blow. Fully more than half the foe had been felled by these cleaving blades.

Squealing in fear, the surviving Spawn turned to flee, running in panic toward the woods just as a tiny figure bearing a sling burst forth from the trees.

"For Tipperton!" he shrieked, and whipped his arm about, a leaden bullet flying through the moonlight to strike the foremost foe in the head, and the Spawn crashed to the ground, tumbling down as if he'd been hit by a sledge.

And as the slingster reloaded, two sword-bearing Elves lunged out from the shadowy forest, dire steel glinting with the promise of death.

Even as the Elves leapt forward, Aiee! screamed the Rupt and turned aside, but then-Chakka shok! Chdkka cor!-the Dwarves were among them again, severing, riving, slaughtering.

In blood and gore the battle ended, and nineteen scattered Spawn lay dead: three by arrow, two by sling, two by Elven blade, and twelve by Dwarven axe.

"Nevertheless," said Phais, " 'twas a foolish thing to do."

"But I thought they'd got Tip," replied Beau, applying salve to the cut on a black-haired Dwarf's upper arm.

"Even so," countered Phais, "to cast thine own life heedlessly to the winds without knowing the number and makeup of the foe is to court disaster. Had Tipperton merely been captive, then thine action could have led to his demise rather than to his rescue."

"She's right, bucco, and you know it," said Tip. "Were I dead or captive or completely free-as was the case-you could have been killed running out of the woods like that and challenging the whole lot of them." ' The Dwarf cleared his throat, then grated, "Had they slain you, healer, still your honor would have been intact. Like you, I find skulking about in the shadows untasty. Even so, there are times when it is necessary."

Beau ripped a strip of linen from the bandage roll. "Oh, Raggi, I don't mind skulking about. I mean, who better than a Warrow at skulking, eh? But in this case, if I had a thought at all, it was that Tip needed help." Beau turned to Tipperton. "Look, I know the point you're making, and you and Phais and everyone else who's likely to talk to me about this, well, you all are right… yet let me ask you: can you honestly say you'd have done any differently?"

Tip's sapphirine eyes flew wide, and he looked at his friend. Finally he said, "I don't know, Beau, since it didn't happen that way. Perhaps the only difference would have been that I would have come charging out with bow and arrow rather than with bullet and sling."

"Well, then, shut your gob," said Beau, turning again toward the Dwarf, who rocked back and roared in laughter, then glanced over to a companion and said, "De tak au cho va Waeran at cha te og hauk va lok mak au va Grg, ut ven tak dek ba luk der gur."

Now the other Dwarf roared in laughter.

"What did you say?" asked Beau, wrapping muslin about the arm.

"I simply told Bolki what your comrades had said to you, and then I told him your reply."

Only two of the Dwarves had taken cuts in battle- Raggi and Bolki-and finding that Beau was a healer, the captain of the Dwarves, Ralk, had ordered them to follow Beau back to where the horses were tethered. And so Tip and Phais and Beau set out with the wounded, while Loric went with Ralk and Vekk and Born to fetch their ponies.

Upon reaching the encampment, at Beau's direction Phais had built a small sheltered fire and placed a kettle above, and Beau had fetched his medical bag and set about patching up the Dwarves. With tepid water from the kettle, he had thoroughly cleansed their wounds, then stitched the cuts closed: a leg wound on Bolki-who didn't speak Common, but only Chakur, the Dwarven tongue-and a slash high on the arm of Raggi. Then he had applied a salve to each and bandaged them in linen, Bolki first, Raggi now.

Even as he wound the cloth 'round Raggi's arm, Loric stepped from among the enshadowed trees and into the camp, Dwarves leading ponies coming after.

Beau looked up at the Elf and said, "I know, I know, it was stupid, but we've already covered that ground."

As Loric frowned and canted his head in puzzlement, Raggi burst out in laughter again, turning to Bolki and rattling off a string of Chakur, Bolki to laugh as well.

Through the silvery moonlight streaming down among the trees, Tip looked closely at the five Dwarves. But for their heights-ranging from four foot seven to five foot two-and their clothing and hair color, they all seemed much the same to Tip. Come on, now, bucco, that's like Big Folk saying all Warrows look alike just because we're small.

Even so, to Tipperton's eye all the Dwarves were broad-shouldered, half again as wide as Loric, and they all bore double-bitted war axes, the oaken hafts with soft brass strips embedded along their lengths to catch at any foe's blade so it could be twisted aside, and at the axe head the helve was tipped with a cruel iron beak made for stabbing through armor. Each of the Dwarves wore a dark cloak, earthen-colored-brown, deep russet, dark grey-yet under their cloaks they all wore black-iron chainmail shirts, matching the black-iron of their plain helms. They were dressed in leather breeks and boots, and under their armor they wore quilted shirts made of a silken cloth.

As to their features, they all seemed fierce of face, hair down to their shoulders, some braided, others loose. Their beards whether braided or not were forked and reached down to the mid of their chests. As Tip had noted, each had hair of a different color: Raggi's black to go with his black eyes; Bolki's a honey brown, and he had hazel eyes; Vekk had brown hair, too, but darker than Bolki's; Born's hair looked to be ginger; and Ralk's hair was a dark auburn shot through with grey. As to the eye colors of these latter three, Tip did not know, for after the Elves and Warrows had made themselves known to the Dwarves back at the ruins of Annory, Loric had gone off with that trio, and Tip was just now seeing them in a placid setting, where the dregs of battle and dead maggot-folk did not catch at the heart and the eye.

Ralk looked at the fire and said, "It would not do for us to be caught as were the Grg. Even so"-he reached into a saddlebag and withdrew a packet-"ere you quench the flames, we could all use a good mug of tea."

Loric grinned and reached for the packet, and Ralk said, "Vekk and Born and I will stand ward." He turned to the other two Dwarves and hefted his axe and grunted, "Trekant."

They set off in three different directions.

Tip stood and stepped to the ponies and began unloading them. Phais joined him, and soon they were rubbing down the animals with twisted sheaves of grass.

"A mission to Aven."

"Aye," replied Loric, nodding to Ralk.

"Ooo," said Beau, "that reminds me…" Fishing under his collar, Beau removed the thong with its pewter token from 'round his neck and gave it over to Tip. Tip took the disk and sighed, then slipped the leather cord over his head and tucked the coin 'neath his jerkin.

Over the rim of his cup, Ralk's gaze followed this exchange. He set his cup to the ground. "Your mission you may keep to yourselves, but as to what you have seen and heard, bear you any news?"

Loric glanced at Phais, and she said, "Modru of Gron has begun a war to conquer all of Mithgar."

"Modru," growled Ralk. "Aye, that we knew." He gestured for Phais to continue.

"Challerain Keep has fallen and High King Blaine calls for all Free Folk to join together to overthrow the Rupt."

As Ralk nodded, "He left out the Warrows," muttered Beau.

Phais glanced at the buccan, and then looked back at Ralk. "Borne by Eloran, news has come from the High Plane: the way from Neddra to Mithgar has been sundered."

Ralk's eyes flew wide.

Loric said, "Adon did so to stop the invasion of the Rupt, or so the herald said."

Ralk clenched a fist. "Good," he gritted, then added, "though it has come late."

Beau looked at him. "Not too late, I hope."

Ralk frowned. "That I cannot say." He turned his gaze once again to Phais.

"Crestan Pass is held by one of Modru's Hordes, and the way is barred."

"Ah, then that is why you have come this way to reach Aven. Yet there is the pass over the Quadran-"

"Quadran Pass is blocked, for Drimmen-deeve is under attack by the Foul Folk," said Phais, "and it seems that Modru has made an ally of at least one Dragon, for Skail of the Barrens did come and war with fire against the Drimma."

Ralk gasped in dismay. "Kraggen-cor under attack, and by Drakes?"

"By a Horde and a Drake," confirmed Loric.

"Kruk!" exploded Raggi, sitting nearby. The Dwarf leapt to his feet and began stalking back and forth, rage on his face.

"Ka ta det?" asked Bolki, looking in surprise at Raggi, and Raggi stopped pacing long enough to step to Bolki and speak in a low voice… and Bolki gasped in dismay.

"Gflnar Slot is occupied by a small force of Rflpt, though we did slay a few as we broke through the ring of their guard.

"At this end of the slot the village of Stede has been destroyed… much the same as Annory."

"I say," said Beau, "could it be that the same maggot-folk who destroyed Stede also destroyed Annory? If so, well then, we've avenged those we saw lying dead in that ravine."

"That I do not know, wee one," said Phais, then she looked at Ralk.

Ralk shrugged.

Phais took a sip of her tea, then said, "But for the detail, that is the news we hold. Hast thou any question, then ask it, for on the morrow we leave for Gfinarring Gap and beyond."

Ralk held up a hand, palm out. "No you will not, Lady Phais."

As Tip took in a deep breath, fearing what was to come, Phais raised an eyebrow. "Why so?" asked the Dara.

"Because, Lady, that way, too, is held by the foe."