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  "You know nothing, General," Lord Ulrich spat the words and continued with conviction. "I was born within those gothican built walls, and I watched with my own two eyes as that pile of gargoyle shit ordered my family and the rest of my people killed." He pointed at the bound and gagged, shivering king, now laying wide-eyed in the snow at the foot of the wall. "He had my kinsmen, both young and old, murdered in the very cages you forced us to live. If I, or my people, have lowered ourselves as far as you say, it is only so that we can stoop to the level of man. After all, it was you and your kind who taught us such savagery in the first place. Before you came here, we were naught but peaceful hunters."

  “I see,” the general said, clearly taken aback.

  Neither spoke further, and it was clear there would be no surrender.

  King Barden didn't live past dark as a whole person, but he didn't die until nearly a day later, after watching Lord Ulrich slowly cut away bite sized pieces of him and feed them to the rock trolls.

  Chapter Twenty

  Chureal, Balo, and Trenka Shawl silently huddled and watched from a wooden bench as Davvy, Writhick, and several other humans and gothicans went through the motions of an ancient gothican swordsmanship exercise. The mid-morning air was cold. The movement of the men was slow and graceful, punctuated by loud, swift hacks, slashes, and lunges. In their somewhat organized rows, in the middle of one of Uppervale's frozen lanes, they looked as if they might have been performing this drill for years.

  Several dwarves stood off to the side, humorously mocking the poses with their axes and hammers. A few of them tried to work the exercise in earnest, but dwarves weren't built to wield swords in precarious positions, and their squat bodies, club feet, and long beards wouldn't allow the grace of movement needed to work the gothican drill with the others. They didn't seem disheartened, though. If anything, they truly enjoyed standing to the side, making each other laugh with their comic displays.

  Several weeks had passed since the battle, and they were expecting another attack at any time. In fact, Writhick was surprised that Lord Ulrich hadn't sent another force already. But if he did, they would know. They had well-placed watchers and runners observing the demon's main force in Camberly, as well as the dwarven tunnel runners, and Chureal's occasional input through her magical conversations with Lord Braxton.

  They were preparing for an all-out war, going many steps farther than they had before. Daily sword and archery drills were performed by all but the dwarves, who spent their days laboring on various creations and their nights drinking and goat jousting in the snowy streets.

  Several storms had blown through since the battle and only faint traces of blood pinkened the more traveled areas showing through the new layers of white. But the charred buildings and snow-covered piles of frozen bodies wouldn't allow them to forget, for even a moment, the small war they'd fought.

  They had timed the Vasting River's current to perfection, and each day around noon they would throw a body or two into the river, then again at dusk. Those remains would appear at the river bend near Camberly around morning and midafternoon of the next day. The idea was to remind those who saw that they'd been defeated in the valley and could be defeated again.

  Chureal returned from the tunnels to Uppervale after the battle to help with the wounded. Her healing ability helped save dozens of lives. Sadly, Captain Murdle was not one of them. Loss of blood and some sort of infection had taken him before she was able to get there.

  Dendle had fled to the forest, no doubt to mourn the loss of the only father figure he'd ever known. He had yet to return, and it was clear Balo missed him and had deep feelings for him. She was often found working her drills alone, with tears streaming down her face.

  The beautiful mercenary captain, Trenka Shawl, had taken to spending her nights with Davvy. He had to constantly fight to keep his mind on the tasks at hand and off the slightly older woman's charms, but he'd lost the battle each and every time she came to the door of the abandoned house he had taken over in town. Even with a black eye and a swollen purple cheek, her beauty was too potent for him to resist.

  The affair started when she came to check on his shoulder wound after Chureal used her magic to knit the bones back together. He was still sore and bruised, but after a long massage from the fiery-haired woman, he fell under her spell. She was easily ten years older than he, but neither seemed to notice or care about the difference. And though they spent long passionate nights together, neither appeared to be in love with the other.

  Prince Gruval, with a hairless scar running from between his brows over the center of his pate, had returned to the underground to help organize and plan in the war room with his father and the other dwarven leaders. There were massive excavations and troop movements underway for the Camberly attack plan, and for Lord Braxton's demon trap. Prince Gruval’s presence among the other dwarves, after gloriously riding Cobalt's back in the victory at Uppervale, was uplifting. The dwarves had felt many a loss, and having true heroes to look up at helped keep them from grumbling too much, and motivating them to put extra effort into their endeavors. As it was, they were way ahead of schedule. Already, the Uppervale tunnel was reinforced and a steady stream of dwarves were busy going to and from the valley, transferring weapons, supplies, and information.

  It was through this tunnel that Lord Braxton's letter to Davvy arrived with a detailed description of the plan he intended to spring on Pharark, and as the gothican sword exercise came to its conclusion, it was the part he would play in the plan that Davvy was thinking about. When he casually walked by the watching girls on the bench and gave a knowing wink to Trenka, after smiling at Balo and Chureal, he nearly tripped over one of the dwarves because Chureal had returned his wink with a dramatic, giggling grin. Balo belted out a laugh at them, and both Trenka and Davvy showed more color in their face than was caused by the cold.

  Just outside of town, in one of the pastures, the gothicans who had left Lord Ulrich's force to join the allies in Uppervale had built a camp. They'd been given tents and a fair share of food and were under the strict supervision of Writhick. It was hard to trust them, though, for any one of them could be ferreting information to Lord Ulrich or the demon. A few who Writhick trusted laid out the situation in Camberly. They showed him where the main strengths and weaknesses of the encampment were, and where the rock trolls, wood trolls, and gothican captains could be found. This information was relayed to the dwarves, and then to Lord Braxton, who was at the river bend cavern. A sound plan was made for the spring, though the part about the demon trap was kept secret to only a few. Only Braxton, Davvy, Cryelos, Prince Gruval, and some select dwarves knew the full idea. Hundreds of others carried out their parts of the preparation not knowing why they were doing what they were doing. This was to ensure that, if any of their group was captured and tortured, or a spy, none could reveal their intention. Dendle was to be told, for he and his gothicans had a part to play as well, but that would have to wait until he returned from mourning the loss of Captain Murdle.

  Davvy had a hard time conceiving the might and size of the demon Braxton described in his letter, but Chureal's story of how the mean old demon crushed Prince Darblin in his fist had been told, and retold, so he knew it wasn't an exaggeration.

  It was all amazing. Not very long ago, just the idea of dragons and dwarves seemed so unreal. That thought reminded Davvy that Cobalt had gone to hunt himself a meal and had promised, in his scary hissing voice, to look for Dendle while he was out. The wyrm would only agree to search if Davvy guaranteed Chureal's safety during his absence. Thus, Davvy had enlisted not only one, but two bodyguards for the little dragon rider. They being Balo and Trenka Shawl, two women that even the meanest of men would have a hard time besting.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  It seemed just like any other snowy afternoon, at least at first. A score of archers were in the middle of the main lane taking turns loosing their arrows in the low visibility and high winds of the coming storm. As
usual, a dozen or more dwarves drunkenly mocked their efforts from under the overhang of one of the buildings that still stood.

  No one noticed at first, but unlike other snow that had fallen, this stuff began to swirl, slowly at first, but ever quickening until nearly all of it was sucked into an icy whirlwind. As the spinning cone gained definition, it turned from white to dark gray and forced everyone who was outdoors to seek shelter. Luckily for the gothicans out in the pasture, and Writhick, who was with them, the freezing tornado stayed isolated near the middle part of the village.

  Chureal felt his evil coming. She said as much to the two women guarding her, and at first, they just looked at her blankly. Then, after recognizing true fear in her expression, they began yelling and calling out warnings.

  In a matter of moments, the force of the arctic twister overpowered any other sound that could be made.

  Instinctively, Chureal sought the void and prepared herself for what was to come. Outside, the whirlwind of ice and snow sucked any and all loose pieces of wood and timber from the scorched wreckage along with a few roofs of the remaining buildings. The door was ripped off the house Davvy was using, and most of his papers, including Braxton's letter, were sucked into the mix. Even a few dwarves who hadn't been able to get themselves out of the street fast enough got caught up and lifted off the ground only to spin violently around the figure forming within the twister.

  In an instant, the sky went from cloudy gray to black and then everything stopped still. The only sound now was the clattering and thumping of all the people and debris that had been circling through the air as it fell straight down.

  In the middle of the ring formed by all of the settling stuff, stood Pharark, his huge red eyes narrowed into a visage of rage.

  "Come out, void warrior," the demon yelled across the empty streets in an impossibly loud voice that came from four stories above the ground. "I have something to show you."

  "He wants me," Chureal said fearfully.

  "There's no way you're going out there," said Trenka Shawl.

  "The gothicans said he leveled Antole as if it were made of sand," added Balo.

  "I have to go," Chureal said flatly and darted between them before they could stop her. Neither woman hesitated to follow her out the door, and if the demon had been ten paces closer, they might have had to lay down just to look up and see him. As it was, he was maybe twenty paces away, and all three were forced to strain their necks back to see Pharark's hideous face.

  Only Chureal noticed the cage that dangled from the chain in the demon's hand, but she couldn't see what was in it. Others emerged and joined them. Davvy, and a few dwarves, stood in terrified awe of the massive, purple-scaled thing that was now stooping over to look down at the three women.

  "Hah," he bellowed so loudly it rattled the glass in the buildings that still had glass left in them. "I called for a void warrior and I get whores."

  The cage had come down far enough for Chureal to see that it was a pale, black-haired woman wearing studded leather armor. The very same armor that Nixy had worn the last time she'd seen her. Chureal's little heart fell to her feet when she understood.

  "Chureal!" The woman yelled from the cage, but before she could say more, Pharark raised back up, jerking the cage with him as he went.

  Pharark must have spotted the gothicans out in the pasture, for he turned and charged in that direction, smashing flat the building Chureal and her two guards had just come out of. He kicked debris like a child kicking his way through a puddle, for several steps, sending part of one roof into another building where several of the archers were hiding.

  A horrible, pain-filled scream erupted when the timbers caved in the walls, smashing anything in their way.

  The cage, dangling from the demon's hand, slung around as Pharark went, and Chureal gasped when she saw Nixy bashed against the bars and fall unconscious.

  The gothicans in the pasture began to scatter. Most of them had seen the demon's wrath firsthand in Antole. It was clear they were afraid for their lives. They had a good reason to be afraid, Chureal saw when the demon kicked a group of them across the snowy field as if they were nothing more than gravel on a road. The demon roared out an angry scream and stomped several of the others flat. Some of the gothicans kept running but others fell to their knees as if they were praying.

  "You are all cowards and traitors," yelled the demon. "You will pay for your betrayal." And with that, he raised his arm and pointed at a sizable group warriors moving away. A gray crackling beam of energy shot forth from his finger. As wide as a house, the blast pummeled everything in its sweeping path. The only thing left moving when he was done were the tendrils of smoke and steam rising from the freshly bared earth and ruined lumps of what was once living flesh.

  "What do we do?" Balo asked anyone that could hear her. The demon's attention was still on the gothicans, and he was killing more of them with another one of the terrible blasts of gray energy.

  "He has Nixy in that cage," Chureal sobbed. "We can't do anything or he will kill her."

  Though none of them in the valley had met Nixy, Prince Gruval and Chureal had spoken of her often. Everyone knew Braxton loved her, and Davvy, Dendle, and the women all knew she was with child.

  "What does he want with you?" Trenka Shawl asked Chureal.

  "It's really Lord Braxton he wants," she said. "I’m pretty sure he thinks Braxton is here."

  The demon let out another awful yell. This one had a strong note of triumph to it. He started stomping his way back toward the others. Beyond him, Chureal spotted a small blue dot in the sky and sensed Cobalt calling out for her frantically.

  I'm all right, Cobalt, she answered in her head. Go after the cage. Nixy is in the cage. But wait until he drops it.

  Yesss, the dragon answered into her mind.

  "You cannot hide from me, Braxton Bray," Pharark yelled. "Come kill me as you killed Krookin Bloodthorn in the street."

  "I killed Bloodthorn," Davvy yelled defiantly, then looked as if he regretted opening his mouth at all.

  "Lies!" Pharark growled as he came to a stop. He was maybe thirty paces away now, and Cobalt was closing fast from behind him.

  "It is true, demon," Trenka Shawl said. "He killed the troll king."

  Even Chureal caught the desperate sarcasm in the look Davvy gave Trenka.

  Pharark's eyes fluttered up into his head for a moment, and Chureal squeezed her eyes shut tight and watched through the dragon's eyes when Cobalt began his sweeping approach.

  Pharark's eyes reopened and flared crimson, and he leaned down to take a closer look at the little girl. When he saw the medallion around her neck, and that her eyes were clenched shut, the unexpected expression of fear passed across his face. He pointed his finger directly at them, and Chureal seeing this directly through Cobalt's eyes, knew she and her friends were about to die.

  Before Pharark was able to will the blast that would destroy the medallion he mortally feared, a tremendous pain shot through his other fist and arm. It was coming from the chain he was holding. A glance, and a sudden nauseous feeling, told him the little bitch had turned the links wrapped around his hand into crumbling shards of blood crystal, and without another thought, he let go. The cage fell toward the ground from at least thirty feet in the air, but just before it impacted, Cobalt swooped in and caught some of the links in his grasping claws. With all of his might, he tried to fly away, but it was no use. All he could do was slow the cage's fall because it was just too heavy for his young wings to keep aloft.

  Bravely, Davvy charged toward the cage, where it settled on the ground. Balo and Trenka Shawl were right behind him.

  Pharark swatted his smoldering fist at the dragon, who let the chain drop and just barely rose above the blow. As the demon's big arms swept past him, the air from the swing sent Cobalt tumbling toward the ground. Then Pharark spun back around and snatched the falling cage by the short length of chain that hadn’t been turned to blood crystal. This jerked the hum
an coop off the ground at an angle that swung it directly into Davvy and Balo.

  Trenka was only a step behind but saw it coming and was able to dive out of the way. The other two weren't as lucky, and both were smacked with a sickening crunch squarely with the heavy iron cage.

  Pharark locked his eyes on Chureal, his gaze now full of hatred and a tiny bit of respect for her cleverness. "Tell Braxton Bray that if he wants to find me, all he has to do is listen for the screams of this wretched whore, and after I’ve done with him, it will be you and your wyrm I come for."

  Chureal was about to turn the links in his hand to blood crystal again, but Pharark spun into an orange-black cloud of smoke, and with a concussive clap of thunder that shook the earth so deeply that dwarves over four leagues away and hundreds of feet underground felt it, the demon vanished from Uppervale.

  The dark sky turned instantly back into its normal blue-gray color, and the same light snow that had been falling earlier resumed as if it had never stopped.

  The only thing anyone could hear was the sound of Cobalt hissing and screeching in the distance. No one could tell if the sounds were caused by pain or anger.

  "Oh goodness no!" Trenka Shawl yelled as she knelt beside Davvy and Balo.

  Chureal saw the red stain growing beneath them in the snow and charged as fast as she could, but she wasn't fast enough.

  She dove and put a hand on each of them. Though the power of jewel easily healed Davvy, no matter how many times she tried, she couldn't give Balo back her life.

  Chapter Twenty-One

  When Braxton heard the news from Chureal, two things happened almost simultaneously. The first was a title wave of sadness and grief for the loss of lives that Pharark caused, and then helpless feeling of knowing Nixy and his unborn child were in the hands of the demon, overtook him. This toxic brew of emotions nearly led to several rash and disastrous reactions, which were stayed only by Cryelos and Big H. Not only did they comfort their friend and try to talk sense into him, but they also hid the black summoning stone the elf had been carrying so that Braxton couldn't make things worse by summoning the demon to them too soon.