Dwarven Ruby (48 page)

Alex grabbed onto the small ledge, his fingers aching from the tenuous grasp. He felt around with his foot and finally succeeded in finding a small purchase. His fingers tingled with the momentary release from supporting his weight. He cautiously raised his eyes and looked at the sheer rock wall above him. He scanned the rock face carefully, seeking his next handhold. He spied a crevice above him and stretched to reach it. As pulled himself higher, he heard a softly spoken profanity come from Corporal Sydar as a small stream of debris bounced its way down the mountainside.

“Sydar?” Alex said softly.

“I’m alright,” Sydar replied. “Just a little out of practice.”

Alex shifted his weight as his foot found an acceptable hold. His free hand explored the inside of the crevice as he reached ever higher. When he felt the proper handhold, he pulled himself up and moved his foot to the small ledge that his fingers had used not long ago. Beads of perspiration gathered on his eyebrows and threatened to drip into his eyes. He slowly moved his head and wiped his eyebrows on his sleeve.

After a few agonizing minutes, Alex managed to get his feet into the crevice. He looked up and smiled as he saw the top of the cliff. After a moment’s rest, Alex began climbing up the ever-widening crevice. He pulled himself onto the rocky plateau and silently scanned the area for the enemy. Satisfied that the area was fairly secure, Alex rose and walked towards the trees. He sat down with his back to a tree and let his muscles relax. Corporal Sydar joined him a few minutes later.

“I need to get more practice,” Sydar said softly as he flexed his fingers. “There are not rugged mountains such as these near Tagaret.”

“Practicing on stone walls helps,” nodded Alex, “although the stones are too regularly placed. Still, it keeps the muscles in shape.”

“It is sort of like climbing a castle,” Sydar chuckled softly as he gazed across the canyon at the Castle of Man. “Imagine climbing that monstrosity.”

“It is an amazing structure,” agreed Alex. “The Tor people are not bad once you get to know them. It is a shame that they chose to isolate themselves. I hope I have managed to change Kind Devon’s attitude on the matter.”

“If he is sincere about allowing us to leave,” responded Sydar, “then you already have changed him. You do seem to have a way with people. You certainly saved me from my self pity.”

“Why did you decide to join me on this mission?” asked Alex. “It is bound to be dangerous.”

“I am sure that it will be,” frowned Sydar. “I am under no illusions about what we are trying to accomplish. I guess I just have a soft spot for children like you do.”

“Children?” questioned Alex. “Are you planning on continuing your journey to Tice from the cavern, rather than returning to the Castle of Man?”

“No,” Sydar shook his head. “I was talking about Tanya.”

“What about Tanya?” Alex asked quizzically. “You don’t think she could accomplish this mission?”

“No,” chuckled Sydar. “I am sure that she would do fine. You forget that she bested me in each of the spars we had on the way to Tor. I have the utmost respect for her abilities. I was referring to her being your daughter. I figured that you would prefer that she remain at the castle instead of coming on this mission.”

“How did you know?” questioned Alex.

“I didn’t at first,” smiled Sydar, “although I wondered what the young lass was doing with your group. Her slip today at the Castle of Man merely confirmed my suspicions. She almost called you Dad. You must be very proud of her.”

“Exceedingly proud,” grinned Alex. “I am indebted to you for volunteering in her place. She thinks that I doubt her abilities when I try to exclude her, but she cannot understand a father’s instinct to protect his children. It is something that I have a hard time dealing with.”

“I have never been a father,” frowned Sydar. “Never will be, I suppose. I just can’t imagine myself settling down with a family. Still, I know the feeling that you speak of. It is how I feel about Darin and Daevo. I do not know what I am going to do with them.”

“You will raise them as your own,” encouraged Alex. “I am sure that you will do just fine.”

“That is where we disagree,” Sydar shook his head. “As much as I love those boys, they are better off being raised by a loving family. I plan to search for such a family when I get to Tice.”

“Are you sure that is the best thing for the boys?” asked Alex. “You may have regrets later for your choice.”

“I doubt there will be a later for me,” frowned Sydar. “I know my skills as a soldier are better than average, but I lack certain skills. That is why I was turned down by the Rangers when I applied.”

“Are you bitter about that?” inquired Alex.

“I was at first,” admitted Sydar, “but not anymore. I now realize that they were correct to reject me. I am sometimes not as observant as I should be. That failing has ruined my life. It almost endangered the queen. It killed Emil, and it has orphaned Darin and Daevo. I am better suited to being on the battlefield than raising two boys. I suspect the coming war will eventually kill me, as well as thousands of others.”

“Thousands will die,” Alex nodded sadly. “Still, I think you are too hard on yourself. Nobody is perfect. We all make mistakes from time to time. We just have to learn from our mistakes and continue on with life. Hopefully we will be wiser from making those mistakes.”

“I have learned much from my mistakes,” Sydar smiled sadly. “I think I have come to grips with who I am and what I can do. I am a good soldier, and I will do my best to make sure that Arik becomes King of Alcea. I will try hard not to make the same mistakes that I have made before.”

“That is the best that any of us can do,” nodded Alex. “Are you rested enough to continue on?”

“I am,” nodded Sydar as he rose. “Promise me one thing, Alex.”

“What is that?” questioned Alex.

“If I die during this coming war,” the corporal said seriously, “promise me that you will find a good home for Darin and Daevo. If I haven’t already, that is.”

“You would be wise not to dwell upon death,” warned Alex. “It can dull your senses and make you give up hope.”

“I do not dwell upon it,” assured Sydar. “It is just that you are the one person that I can trust to keep your word. It would allow me to push my worries for the boys out of my head.”

“Then rid yourself of those worries,” smiled Alex. “Darin and Daevo will be taken care of, whether you fall in the coming war or not. They are bright lads and will go far in this world. I will speak with friends in Tagaret and arrange a home for them. That way they will be close to you when you rejoin the Red Swords. I think you should maintain your relationship with them.”

“Of course,” grinned Sydar. “I will always be their uncle. They will get tired of seeing me before long.”

“I doubt that,” chuckled Alex as he rose.

* * *

“This is the trophy room,” announced King Devon as he led the way into a spacious hall.

The walls of the huge room were lined with armor and weapons. Long rows of freestanding racks ran the length of the room.

“What does this shield of kings look like?” asked King Devon.

“I don’t really know,” frowned Arik. “All we know is that it is a dwarven shield.”

“And that it is very old,” added Wylan.

“Most things in here are fairly ancient,” sighed the king. “Look around and see if you can find it.”

Tanya and Jenneva took one side of the room while Arik and Wylan took the other. Prince Midge darted in and out of the racks on the floor. The king walked through a door at the rear of the room and stepped into a small library. He ran his finger along one of the shelves, as he slowly made his way to the far end. His eyes scanned the scrolls as he walked. When he had almost reached the end of the shelf, he stopped and pulled out a scroll. His eyes perused the scroll and he shook his head. He replaced the scroll and chose another one.

King Devon was not sure how long he had searched the scrolls, but he finally came to one that spoke about the dwarves. He sat in a chair and started reading. Prince Midge darted into the room and hovered as his tiny eyes took in the contents of the room. Seeing no shields in the small library, the tiny fairy darted back into the trophy room. He flew around the walls of the hall checking each shield.

Several hours later, Arik exclaimed, “I found it! We have the shield of Oykara.”

“How do you know?” asked Tanya.

Arik ran to Tanya carrying the small shield. He grinned as he held it out for her to inspect. He pointed to the small lettering across the top.

“Shield of Kings,” read Tanya. “Made by Oykara.”

“So Oykara was the dwarf who made the shield,” mused Jenneva as she stood next to Tanya and studied the writing. “We must tell King Devon.”

“He is in the next room,” offered Prince Midge. “He is reading.”

“Do you think he will let us take it?” asked Wylan.

Arik ignored the question and strode into the next room. The rest of the group followed. Arik halted when he saw the king. King Devon was sitting in a chair reading a scroll. A pile of scrolls cluttered the floor near his feet. A single tear glistened in the king’s eye. Arik approached the king quietly.

“We have found the Shield of Oykara,” Arik said softly. “May we take it with us?”

The king sniffed and shook his head before turning to look at Arik. He stared at the small dwarven shield and nodded.

“Take whatever you want from the trophy room,” the king said dismissingly. “The people of Tor have no need of it.”

Wylan let out an exclamation of joy, but Arik frowned.

“What is wrong, King Devon?” questioned Arik. “You seem sad.”

King Devon coughed and tried to look sternly royal, but he soon reverted to a frown.

“I am sad,” the king said softly. “While you searched the trophy room, I read the ancient histories of my people. I have read them several times before, but after talking with Alex, I read them in a different frame of mind this time. I cannot believe that my people were so barbarous. It is harder yet to imagine how easily I accepted only the Tor view of our history. I saw things only through the eyes of a conqueror. It is no wonder that our people were so despised throughout history.”

“I am sure that your ancestors needed to be firm to protect your homeland,” Arik said calmingly.

“Oh yes,” nodded King Devon. “That part of history is glorious, but I just read the histories concerning the years of the dwarves. Their only crime was a desire to use the pass. In fact, they sought to war against the goblins, which have never been our friends. From what Alex told me, the dwarves would have made good neighbors. Instead we eradicated them. There can be no excuse for that.”

“No there can be no excuse,” interjected Jenneva, “but there can be amends.”

“What do you mean?” inquired King Devon.

“The histories that you speak of are ancient,” explained Jenneva. “Every race has a portion of history that they wish had not happened. We are meant to learn from our mistakes. You have acknowledged one. Learn from it.”

“How does that make amends?” asked the king.

“For one,” smiled Jenneva, “it means that you will not be desirous of repeating the mistake. Should dwarves come into your life again, show them a helping hand instead of a blade.”

“You have already started making amends,” smiled Arik. “The return of their Shield of Oykara will mean much to the dwarves. Why not pen them a letter to be delivered with it?”

“A letter?” questioned King Devon. “Do you mean an apology? I should think after what we did to their ancestors, an apology would be looked upon with suspicion.”

“What your ancestors did to their ancestors,” corrected Arik. “I think it would be taken as a gesture of peace and understanding.”

“There you are,” interrupted Lieutenant Montbalm as he raced into the room. “You should come to the roof. The attack is getting dangerous.”

The king bolted from his chair and raced out of the room. The Rangers ran after him, and they all gathered on the roof just as the first horn went off.

“How can this be?” inquired the king as he gazed down into the pass. “Surely they have not breeched the drawbridge?”

Columns of ogres marched through the pass. Some of them carried long logs to use as rams or bridge poles. Others pulled siege engines. Yaki-riding goblins darted in and out of the columns as they raced for the Castle of Man.

“They are catapulting ogres onto our lower battlements,” reported Montbalm. “The ogres, once on the battlement, are destroying our catapults.”

“And our higher level battlements cannot strike at such a short range,” nodded King Devon.

“We are willing to go down and help,” offered Arik. “We will make good account of ourselves.”

King Devon turned and stared off at the mountainside where Alex and Sydar should be. Jenneva understood what was going through the king’s mind. She stepped forward and placed the scope in his hand.

“Alex left it with me in case we wanted to know what he was up to,” Jenneva said.

The king nodded and brought the scope to his eye. He focused on the covered mouth of the cavern and frowned when he did not see anyone. Slowly he panned back towards the Castle of Man and stopped when he saw Alex and Sydar. He handed the scope back to Jenneva.

“They are just getting there,” stated the king. “If they work quickly, it will be done in time to save us. Prince Arik, I think my men can delay the ogres with the defense mechanisms we have in place. If not, you and your group will have your chance to join in the battle soon enough.”

Jenneva peered through the scope and finally found Alex. He was handing his bow and arrows to Sydar.

* * *

“Are you sure you don’t want me to go down there with you?” asked Sydar.

“Positive,” nodded Alex. “In fact, I am not going to climb down there myself. See how the cliff protrudes out over the cavern entrance? I am going to secure a rope on top of that protrusion and then go down the rope. That way I can release the oil without getting stuck down on the level with the goblins. I want you to stay up here and provide cover for me. If any goblin archers see me, eliminate them.”