The young Trall knelt behind a stalagmite, his broad head lowered and his luminous eyes closed in prayer. There was a chill to the air around him. His already-massive hands clenched around the haft of a warhammer etched with the sigils of his clan as his gravelly voice uttered the words.
"Lo, there do I see my father and my father's father and the line of my clan. Lo, do I see them hail me and lo, do I hear their call. Lo, do I go to stand with them in the halls of Arukh, where the brave live forever...."
"Karshek, if he does not stop that damnable praying..."
Karshek looked over to Haget, and then to where young Agar knelt and frowned. Too young. They should never have brought the youngling along on this patrol. Nine days through the deep ways from Dharfang. Two days up to the High Door in Gortraz-Gahn to investigate more disappearances. More slaughter.
Even now, Karshek was bewildered. He had scoffed with the others as the reports trickled in. Dead Trall in the Outer Ways. Small clans disappearing entirely. Dead Trall! What could kill a Trall save an army of thin-skins using cowardly magic? Karshak had laughed along with all the rest in his squad.
Surely that had been years ago. Surely it couldn't have been mere months ago?
But it had been. They had been fifty strong when their patrol had left Dharfang under orders straight from Grandthanc II, the High Chieftain: Patrol the High Ways near Gortraz-Gahn. Find what had become of Clan Horbak. Karshek's patrol had discovered the latter easily enough on the morning when they had reached the clan's cavernstead a day from Gortraz-Gahn. Dead Trall had littered the ground; broken and tossed about like children's playthings. After a count and search, it was discovered that many of Clan Horbak's strongest warriors were missing.
Strangely, patches of melting snow and ice were also found scattered about the cavernstead. The High Door that opened out onto the topmost peak of the Dragonspines was a day away; where had the snow and ice come from? Still, the spirits of Karshek's squad had been high that morning despite the horror of their findings. After all, what foe in the tunnels could withstand a full, fifty-strong squad of armed Trall?
After that first night, Karshek learned the answer to the question and their squad was reduced to ten. Only a hasty retreat - a retreat! - had saved them from further casualties. But now their foe had their scent, Karshek feared, and he could feel in his bones that they were coming.
Karshek stood and approached young Agar and put a massive hand on the youth's broad shoulder. Agar looked up to Karshek, his luminous green eyes filled with an incredulous fear. Karshek squeezed his shoulder.
"Come, lad" he said "Save your prayers for when you're on your back. We've our brothers to avenge and Dharfang to protect, ya?"
Young Agar blinked and nodded stiffly, his hands clenching his warhammer. Karshek nodded in approval.
"Come with me," he said then "I want to show you something."
Agar followed as Karshek led him to the arched entrance to the tunnels that led back to Dharfang. The elder Trall squinted his glowing yellow eyes at a particular spot on the arch at just about knee-height and then pointed it out to the youngling.
"That, Agar of Clan Gobru, is what makes these tunnels defensible, though barely anyone remembers it anymore. You see that spot there? If you take that hammer of yours and knock out that stone, it will bring the whole arch down and block the entrance to the tunnels."
Agar blinked at Karshek in confusion. Karshek sighed. Too young.
"When they come for us, and my bones tell me they are, I want you to hang back here, ya? If the battle goes poorly - listen to me! If the battle goes poorly, I want you to hit this spot and make sure you're on the other side, understand? You get word back to Dharfang and tell them everything you've seen here. You get word back to Dharfang no matter what, ya?"
Agar nodded slowly in understanding and Karshek smiled.
"Brighten up, lad" he said, clapping the youngling on the shoulder "With any luck, we'll have some trophies to bring back to -"
A blood-chilling, many-voiced howl echoed down and into the small cavern. With it, came a chill wind filled with snow and ice that quickly obscured all but the most prominent details of the cavern. Karshek roared and raised his mighty battleaxe as the other eight members of the squad rallied to him. Then as one they drove into the swirling snowstorm that billowed about them.
Agar trembled as his eyes caught movement within the storm. There were figures in the snow; tall, indistict figures that howled with bestial fury. He saw Haget swing his hammer at one - a solid hit. But then Haget was lifted - lifted! - lifted up into the air and sent flying backward onto a stalagmite, the needle-sharp stone impaling Agar's brother through his mighty broad chest. Agar could hear the roars of his brethren above the sound of the wind and the horrible, terrifying howling.
Suddenly, Karshek staggered two steps out of the storm, his broad face bleeding from a dozen cuts and the blade of his battleaxe was broken off at the end. His eyes locked upon Agar.
"Do it, lad! Do it now before they -"
A white taloned hand shot out of the snowstorm and settled on Karshek's head. With a heave, Karshek was pulled off his feet and into the storm. The cavern resonated with bestial howls and screams.
Agar, his face a mask of purest terror, roared in defiance and brought his hammer down once, twice, three times upon the focal point of the archway. With a deep rumble, the archway began to collapse in upon itself as Agar dove out of the way and back into the tunnel. Turning to look over his shoulder, his luminous green eyes locked upon a visage that emerged from the storm like some hellish fiend.
Two blood-red eyes, seething with malice glared out at the youngling as the howls and screams were deafened by the sound of falling stone as the arch collapsed, sealing the cavern. Agar breathed hard in the eerie silence that followed for long moments. Then, gripping his warhammer, the youngling ran down the tunnel toward Dharfang.
Behind him, the stones grew colder by the minute.
"Lo, there do I see my father and my father's father and the line of my clan. Lo, do I see them hail me and lo, do I hear their call. Lo, do I go to stand with them in the halls of Arukh, where the brave live forever...."
"Karshek, if he does not stop that damnable praying..."
Karshek looked over to Haget, and then to where young Agar knelt and frowned. Too young. They should never have brought the youngling along on this patrol. Nine days through the deep ways from Dharfang. Two days up to the High Door in Gortraz-Gahn to investigate more disappearances. More slaughter.
Even now, Karshek was bewildered. He had scoffed with the others as the reports trickled in. Dead Trall in the Outer Ways. Small clans disappearing entirely. Dead Trall! What could kill a Trall save an army of thin-skins using cowardly magic? Karshak had laughed along with all the rest in his squad.
Surely that had been years ago. Surely it couldn't have been mere months ago?
But it had been. They had been fifty strong when their patrol had left Dharfang under orders straight from Grandthanc II, the High Chieftain: Patrol the High Ways near Gortraz-Gahn. Find what had become of Clan Horbak. Karshek's patrol had discovered the latter easily enough on the morning when they had reached the clan's cavernstead a day from Gortraz-Gahn. Dead Trall had littered the ground; broken and tossed about like children's playthings. After a count and search, it was discovered that many of Clan Horbak's strongest warriors were missing.
Strangely, patches of melting snow and ice were also found scattered about the cavernstead. The High Door that opened out onto the topmost peak of the Dragonspines was a day away; where had the snow and ice come from? Still, the spirits of Karshek's squad had been high that morning despite the horror of their findings. After all, what foe in the tunnels could withstand a full, fifty-strong squad of armed Trall?
After that first night, Karshek learned the answer to the question and their squad was reduced to ten. Only a hasty retreat - a retreat! - had saved them from further casualties. But now their foe had their scent, Karshek feared, and he could feel in his bones that they were coming.
Karshek stood and approached young Agar and put a massive hand on the youth's broad shoulder. Agar looked up to Karshek, his luminous green eyes filled with an incredulous fear. Karshek squeezed his shoulder.
"Come, lad" he said "Save your prayers for when you're on your back. We've our brothers to avenge and Dharfang to protect, ya?"
Young Agar blinked and nodded stiffly, his hands clenching his warhammer. Karshek nodded in approval.
"Come with me," he said then "I want to show you something."
Agar followed as Karshek led him to the arched entrance to the tunnels that led back to Dharfang. The elder Trall squinted his glowing yellow eyes at a particular spot on the arch at just about knee-height and then pointed it out to the youngling.
"That, Agar of Clan Gobru, is what makes these tunnels defensible, though barely anyone remembers it anymore. You see that spot there? If you take that hammer of yours and knock out that stone, it will bring the whole arch down and block the entrance to the tunnels."
Agar blinked at Karshek in confusion. Karshek sighed. Too young.
"When they come for us, and my bones tell me they are, I want you to hang back here, ya? If the battle goes poorly - listen to me! If the battle goes poorly, I want you to hit this spot and make sure you're on the other side, understand? You get word back to Dharfang and tell them everything you've seen here. You get word back to Dharfang no matter what, ya?"
Agar nodded slowly in understanding and Karshek smiled.
"Brighten up, lad" he said, clapping the youngling on the shoulder "With any luck, we'll have some trophies to bring back to -"
A blood-chilling, many-voiced howl echoed down and into the small cavern. With it, came a chill wind filled with snow and ice that quickly obscured all but the most prominent details of the cavern. Karshek roared and raised his mighty battleaxe as the other eight members of the squad rallied to him. Then as one they drove into the swirling snowstorm that billowed about them.
Agar trembled as his eyes caught movement within the storm. There were figures in the snow; tall, indistict figures that howled with bestial fury. He saw Haget swing his hammer at one - a solid hit. But then Haget was lifted - lifted! - lifted up into the air and sent flying backward onto a stalagmite, the needle-sharp stone impaling Agar's brother through his mighty broad chest. Agar could hear the roars of his brethren above the sound of the wind and the horrible, terrifying howling.
Suddenly, Karshek staggered two steps out of the storm, his broad face bleeding from a dozen cuts and the blade of his battleaxe was broken off at the end. His eyes locked upon Agar.
"Do it, lad! Do it now before they -"
A white taloned hand shot out of the snowstorm and settled on Karshek's head. With a heave, Karshek was pulled off his feet and into the storm. The cavern resonated with bestial howls and screams.
Agar, his face a mask of purest terror, roared in defiance and brought his hammer down once, twice, three times upon the focal point of the archway. With a deep rumble, the archway began to collapse in upon itself as Agar dove out of the way and back into the tunnel. Turning to look over his shoulder, his luminous green eyes locked upon a visage that emerged from the storm like some hellish fiend.
Two blood-red eyes, seething with malice glared out at the youngling as the howls and screams were deafened by the sound of falling stone as the arch collapsed, sealing the cavern. Agar breathed hard in the eerie silence that followed for long moments. Then, gripping his warhammer, the youngling ran down the tunnel toward Dharfang.
Behind him, the stones grew colder by the minute.
