Dwarven Ruby (47 page)

“It acts more like a bird of prey chasing something,” mused Tanya.

“Prince Midge!” shouted Arik. “The dragon must be chasing Prince Midge.”

“Will the men up here be safe from the dragon?” asked Alex.

“Mostly,” frowned King Devon. “The wings on the merlons protect us from the dragons. On occasion a dragon might decide to toy with us for a while in the hope that one of the men will slip and make a mistake, but they normally do not have the patience for it. Of course they can spit fire if they get angry. We try not to antagonize them.”

“It is Prince Midge,” confirmed Jenneva, as the fairy and the dragon got closer. “And I think he has the dragon fairly angry already.”

“Oh,” frowned King Devon. “That is not good. If your fairy prince returns to you, Arik, the dragon will belch fire for sure. Can you warn Prince Midge away?”

“No,” scowled Arik as he pulled an arrow from his quiver, “but I think I can dissuade the dragon from hanging around.”

“No,” argued King Devon as he placed his hand on Arik’s arm. “We never attack the dragons.”

“Even if they grab one of your men?” asked Sydar.

“Even then,” nodded the king. “The dragons used to attack the Castle of Man and the city of Tor quite regularly. Our people then decided to make our homes dragon proof. You can see from the scorch marks that this did not persuade the dragons to leave us alone. What we did discover though, is that it frustrated them. When we stopped fighting back, they eventually ignored us and moved on to easier kills. Since that time, we never strike out at the dragons.”

The dragon belched fire at Prince Midge, and the fairy darted to one side. The dragon banked sharply, his nostrils trailing a stream of smoke. Prince Midge rose vertically and the dragon tried to follow, but it could not perform the same acrobatics as the diminutive fairy. Just as the dragon focused on the fairy again, Prince Midge threw himself into a step dive. The dragon flipped over and dove after Prince Midge.

Prince Midge became hard to see from the castle as his tiny body spiraled downward. Alex pulled his elfin scope out of his pouch and brought it to his eye. He scanned the area below where he had last seen Prince Midge. When he located the tiny fairy, Alex open his other eye so he could see the dragon chasing Midge.

“It will be close,” Alex said tensely. “Midge’s best bet is the army moving through the pass. The dragon will have a hard time keeping the fairy separated from everything else moving below.”

As if reading Alex’s mind, Prince Midge dove almost to the ground. He abruptly changed course and darted through the legs of the approaching ogres. The dragon hovered over the army as he searched for the little acrobatic fairy. An ogre growled as he passed underneath the dragon and threw a rock at it. The dragon instantly responded with a stream of fire. The ogre started burning and emitted a ghoulish howl. The advancing army stopped and turned their eyes towards the dragon. Half a dozen arrows streamed into the air from goblins and the ogres began throwing rocks.

The dragon screeched loudly and sprayed fire down on the army. The arrows bounced off the plates of the dragon, and the rocks only succeeded in angering it. Finally, the crazed dragon swooped down and seized an ogre in its claws. Its huge wings created dust swirls as the dragon labored to carry the large ogre up into the sky.

Prince Midge darted over the castle wall and landed on Arik’s shoulder. “Dragons aren’t much smarter than ogres,” chuckled the winded fairy.

“Perhaps,” laughed Arik, “but it ended up with a larger meal. I was worried about you.”

“The Bringer does not have to worry about the fairies,” grinned Prince Midge. “We would not let a dragon interrupt our mission.”

“What does it look like beyond the pass?” asked Alex.

“It does not look good,” frowned Prince Midge. “What you see in the pass is only the vanguard.”

“Only the vanguard?” echoed King Devon. “That can’t be possible.”

“There is more,” Prince Midge continued. “They are building massive siege engines.”

“With an army that size,” warned Alex, “you will not be able to keep enough rocks coming up those lifts to ward them off. Undoubtedly they will end up at the base of the Castle of Man. Only your lower catapults will be able to hit them.”

“You paint a grim picture,” frowned King Devon, “but we have more tricks than just the Castle of Man. You indicated that this Sarac is in a hurry. Would a delay of a week affect his plans?”

“Quite possibly,” nodded Alex. “I am not sure how much of a delay it would take, but eventually he would call off the attack because his window of opportunity would have passed. Do you think you could hold out that long?”

“There is a chance of that,” replied King Devon. “What is that instrument you are holding?”

“It is a gift from the elves,” stated Alex as he handed it to the king. “It magnifies things. It is called a scope.”

King Devon held the scope to his eye and peered into the pass. A smile spread across his face as he raised the scope up the side of the mountain near the center of the pass. Alex estimated where the king was looking and vowed to check it out with the scope later.

“An excellent device,” declared the king as he handed the scope back to Alex. “At what price would you consider parting with it?”

“As I said,” Alex frowned, “it was a gift. I would be insulting the givers if I were to part with it.”

“I wouldn’t part with it either,” laughed King Devon. “I knew you would refuse. You bring up an interesting problem though. We must find a way to protect the Castle of Man when the enemy gets in close.”

“Archers on the lower levels could wreak havoc on the enemy,” suggested Arik.

“That is already set up,” nodded the king.

“Destroying the permanent part of the bridge would slow them down,” offered Tanya.

“Yes,” nodded King Devon. “That is a thought, but one that I would avoid unless it is absolutely necessary.”

“Fire is your best bet,” declared Alex. “Yaki can be made into running torches.”

“I like your thinking, Alex,” grinned the king.

“Is it possible to gain the dragons as your allies?” asked Jenneva.

“I am not sure how that could be done,” the king shook his head. “It has taken us centuries just to learn how to avoid death at their claws. I am afraid that is not very practical.”

Alex brought up the scope and searched he mountainside where the king had been looking. It took him a few moments to find anything out of place, and when he did, it was only two Tor soldiers. A puzzled frown fell over Alex’s face as he tried to figure out what two men could do up there to make a difference in the attack.

“You notice everything,” commented the king as he turned to Alex. “Why am I not surprised?”

“Curiosity,” smiled Alex. “What can they do to alter the outcome of this battle?”

“In time you will see I am afraid,” frowned the king. “In time.”

Alex nodded and slipped the scope back into his pouch. He leaned out of the crenel and tried to look down. He could see several battlements below him, but not the base of the castle. What he could see was the enemy surging through the bodies of their comrades as they push forward.

“Is it permissible to send Prince Midge down to see the battle below?” Alex asked.

“I have no objection,” shrugged the king. “How will that help you?”

“Fairies have the ability to project images from their memory,” explained Alex. “Prince Midge could provide us with a view of how the battle is going.”

“Truly?” the king asked with surprise. “Send him down then, but I do not wish to view the images up here. We shall wait for him in my chamber.”

Prince Midge looked to Arik for approval. When the Bringer nodded, Prince Midge leaped into the air and darted over the side of the wall. The king led the Rangers back to his chamber. A few minutes later Prince Midge arrived. The scene the fairy projected showed a fierce battle at the lowest level. The goblin archers were firing up towards the first battlement, while the ogres were throwing large stones at the drawbridge in an attempt to destroy it.

“Very useful talent,” the king said softly. “You have captured a view that even my defenders cannot see, although I am sure that they can hear those stones hitting the drawbridge. I wonder how they plan to cross the moat?”

Prince Midge changed the image to the one he remembered north of the pass. It showed a vast army building siege engines and waiting their turn to enter the pass. Some of the ogres already entering the pass were carrying long logs.

“I think that answers your question,” frowned Alex.

“Burning Embers!” exclaimed King Devon. “You were not kidding about the size of the army gathered there. It would take a week just for all of them to fit through the pass.”

The king slumped down at his desk and fell silent. Alex saw his sword and bow in the corner of the room and retrieved them. After several silent minutes, the king rose.

“I had hoped that we would not need to use my secret weapon,” the king shook his head, “but I see there is no alternative. We must go back upstairs.”

The king stormed out of his chamber, and the Rangers followed him up to the roof. Once on the roof, the king scanned his men until he found Lieutenant Montbalm. He signaled for the officer to come to him.

“Prepare the River of Fire,” instructed the king. “Give the signal.”

“Are you sure?” questioned the officer. “There has been no report of problems yet.”

“I am sure,” nodded King Devon. “The army that comes against us is overwhelming. When they retreat, I want enough arrows and rocks brought into the castle to last for seven straight days of attack.”

“Seven days?” gasped Montbalm. “Surely their army could not be that large?”

“It may be even larger than that,” scowled the king. “I do not think that you will have time to gather anymore before they resume the attack though. Go give the signal.”

“As you command,” nodded Lieutenant Montbalm as he turned and ran towards the end trebuchet.

“What are you planning?” asked Alex.

“A devastating attack on the pass,” frowned the king. “On the side of the mountain where you saw me looking is a cave. A very large cavern actually. It has been filled with oil. The two men, who I presume you saw through your scope, will allow that oil to flood the pass. Then they will put fire to it. The pass will be a blazing inferno for days. It is not something I wish to do, but I fear there is little choice for us. Ideally, I should wait until the bulk of their army is committed in the pass, but I fear the ogres have forced me to act earlier than I would have liked. If they gain entrance to the lower levels of the Castle of Man, they could wreak great havoc on my forces.”

“By using it now,” reminded Alex, “you will not have it for later if they continue the attack.”

“Quite true,” nodded King Devon, “but I am hoping the loss of time will make them change their minds about coming through Tor. If I am wrong, the Castle of Man will fall to Sarac.”

“I am willing to stay and stand with you to the end,” offered Alex, “but I beg leave for Prince Arik. He must assume the throne if Sarac is to be defeated.”

“You have already aided my people greatly,” King Devon smiled sadly. “There is no reason for any of you to stay.”

“We might as well all stay,” suggested Arik. “Without the Shield of Oykara, there is no hope to restoring the Sword of Heavens.”

“I have plenty of shields here that you can have, young prince,” offered the king. “If there are none to your liking, describe one and I shall have a smith make it for you.”

“Thank you,” Arik shook his head, “but that will not help. Only the shield of kings will satisfy the dwarves.”

“Shield of kings?” questioned King Devon. “Was this dwarf mentioned in the scrolls a king?”

“King Astel,” nodded Arik. “He was the one carrying the Shield of Oykara.”

“Well why didn’t you say so, lad?” grinned the king. “Anything taken from royalty would not be melted down. Those things we display in the trophy room. There are thousands of pieces of armor and weapons on display.”

“I don’t think they are alive,” panted Lieutenant Montbalm as he raced to the king. “We gave the signal three times. We have seen no movement.”

“May I borrow your scope, Alex,” asked the king.

“Certainly,” nodded Alex as he removed the scope from his pouch and handed it to the king.

The king marched off to the edge of the battlement and brought the scope to his eye. He scanned the mountainside while the Rangers gathered around him. For several long minutes the king continued to play the scope over the mountainside. Eventually, he stopped moving and muttered under his breath.

“Goblin archers,” growled King Devon. “Both men are dead. And soon we shall be too.”

“Why not send more men to accomplish the task?” asked Sydar.

“How am I going to get men into the pass?” scowled King Devon. “The only path to the cavern is from the pass. Perhaps I should ask the ogres to leave while I plan for their death?”

Alex gently reached over and took the scope from the king’s hand. He brought it up to his eye and scanned the mountainside until he found the bodies of the king’s men.

“How do you release the oil?” asked Alex.

“Obviously we don’t,” scowled the king.

“I can get to the area where your men died,” volunteered Alex, “but I need to know what to do when I get there.”

“You can what?” asked the king. “Do you realize that the cliffs above the cavern are sheer vertical drops?”

“I am very skilled at mountain climbing,” explained Alex. “I don’t need a trail. Tell me what to do.”

“I am going with you D…Alex,” declared Tanya. “You can’t free the oil while goblin archers are firing at you.”

Corporal Sydar stared at Tanya and smiled broadly as if the solution to a complex puzzle had just arrived in his head.

“I will accompany Alex,” offered Sydar. “Tanya knows more about this shield than I do. She can help Arik look for it while we are gone.”

“Aye,” nodded King Devon. “It will take two of you. Come down to my chamber, and I will draw you a diagram of how the cavern works.”