The Triumph of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz

Author:Markus Heitz
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Orbit
Published: 2018-06-12T00:00:00+00:00

Girdlegard

Elf realm of Ti Lesîndur

6492nd solar cycle, winter

Fast as possible, keep going, no matter what the ground is like. Ireheart was riding next to Ataimînas’ white stallion, not letting the ghaist out of their sight. Pernicious being.

Mallenia was there with her escort and Rodario had joined the column of over a hundred warriors, moving along about twenty paces behind the leading party. The ghaist was maintaining a steady jog through the landscape, be it forest, meadow, snowfields, or streams. Nothing slowed it down.

“The horses won’t make it,” Ireheart called to the Naishïon.

“I’m more worried about the fate of the child,” said the elf in a tense voice. “The ghaist won’t stop to let her rest or drink.”

“It has no reason to want to.” It’s about the corpse, not the living child. Ireheart knew that the other leaders were already aware of the deadly message in the second capsule. “It wants to get Sha’taï over to the other side of the wall. Dead or alive is immaterial.”

“I shan’t allow that to happen,” Ataimînas shouted. “None of us will. She has to be saved, even if my own life is forfeit in the attempt.”

None of us will allow it except for me, Ireheart thought. Apart from the dwarves he led, he was alone in this. At the same time he did not assume the unknown message-writer would keep to his side of the bargain. If he’s already assembled his army, he will fall on Girdlegard. Again and again.

He and Ataimînas saw the ghaist jumping over fallen tree trunks and launching itself over obstacles, the child in its arms bouncing up and down like a rag doll, her clothing in tatters, scratches on her thigh, one shoe missing. Ireheart could not exclude the possibility that her neck had already snapped during one of the leaps followed by a hard landing. That might not be the worst idea.

The ghaist changed course and raced down a snowy slope. The cavalcade followed.

Too steep! Ireheart managed to hang on in the saddle. I really hate riding! Some of the horses lost their footing and fell and several warriors were unseated and were trampled. By this time their quarry had already reached the plain and was making its way north once more. The company in pursuit was reduced to a tangled avalanche made up of snow, rubble, dwarves, elves, humans and animals.

But still Ataimînas would not stop. He raced on in pursuit accompanied by the handful of warriors still mounted. Mallenia came up to ride at Ireheart’s side. “We have to make it stop!” she called out to him and the Naishïon. “Else Sha’taï will die.”

“I agree,” said Ataimînas, “but I can’t work out how. We must come up with a plan where she won’t be harmed.”

Ireheart had been racking his brain for miles now but had had no inspiration, either. It wasn’t that he wanted to save the child; he just did not want her falling into dubious hands. Arrows and spears were out of the question,

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