The Greystone Chronicles: Book One: Io Online Page 44

  Alexander opened the portal. On the other side stood King Thalgrin, with War Master Stonehand, Master Ironhammer, and several of the King’s Guard. Behind them was a line of wagons. “I formally welcome King Thalgrin and his entourage as guests,” he said for the benefit of the wards. Just in case. He really needed to talk to Fitz about that.

  The king and his group stepped through the portal, and everyone took a knee, except Fitz, who bowed respectfully. “Bah! Please, get up off yer knees!” Thalgrin said. “Brick! I brought yer next payment of drink, and promised weapons!”

  The king motioned the wagons forward. The first through the gate was filled with barrels of ale and spirits. With a huge smile on his face, Brick directed the driver toward the ramp leading to the cellar. Half a dozen dwarves followed the wagon to help unload.

  The next wagon through contained crates. The king motioned the wagon to one side to clear the portal exit, and then had the driver open one of the crates. Inside were ten swords in leather scabbards. The king withdrew one and unsheathed it, handing it to Brick.

  Dwarven Steel Sword

  Item Level: Uncommon

  Stats: +5 Strength, +5 Stamina,

  Enchanted: Sharpness

  “There be ten crates of these,” King Thalgrin said, “as agreed. Enchanted to never lose their edge, even when ye be knock’n horns off o’ demon heads!”

  Brick handed the sword to the captain for him to examine, and bowed his head to the dwarven king. “Thank ye, me king. These be exactly what the human army needs! This be Captain Redmond of the King’s Guard, and his wife, Lady Lydia, sister to King Charles.”

  Lydia and the captain both bowed their heads. Lydia spoke first, “Welcome, King Thalgrin, to Stormforge. We are very happy to have you here. I know my brother is anxious to meet with you.”

  The captain stepped back several paces and took a few practice swings. “Perfect balance, solid grip.” He bowed to the king as well. “My compliments, Majesty. Your smiths truly live up to the legends!”

  “Bah!” the king smiled. “These be the work of apprentices. But if ye appreciate a good weapon, come visit Broken Mountain. Master Ironhammer here will see ye fitted with a REAL sword!”

  “Thank you Majesty, I certainly will!” The captain smiled. “In the meantime, I’m sure the king will wish to discuss with you terms to purchase these fine weapons for our army.”

  The king looked confused, then turned to Brick. “Did ya no’ tell ‘em?”

  Brick coughed, and blushed furiously. “Ah, no, me king. We meant for it to be a surprise.”

  The king looked expectantly at Brick, who turned to the captain.

  “Ahem. Well, ya see, these swords be already paid for. We traded some obsidian to me king in return for… well, things. Including these enchanted weapons for yer men.”

  Lydia raised an eyebrow. “Those ‘things’ you traded for, wouldn’t happen to include that large wagonload of ale over there, would it, master dwarf?”

  Brick blushed an even deeper red.

  “BWAHAHAHA!” the king bellowed. “Lady Redmond, thank ye for the gracious welcome. I’d be honored to have ye and yer husband at me table anytime!” Lydia smiled and curtsied.

  The last of the wagons had come through, so Alexander closed the portal. Besides the wagon full of swords, there were five others. Those all appeared to be filled with supplies of one kind or another, presumably for the dwarves of Whitehall.

  “Now!” King Thalgrin looked at Thea and the three young crafters that had been sent to build Brick’s smithy. “Did ye do the job I sent ye here for? Have ye built a smithy worthy of Brick, here?”

  Thea looked at her feet. “No, me king. Er, what I mean is, yes. The smithy be completed. But we had little to do with it.” Her voice was just above a whisper.

  “WHAT!!” Thalgrin looked angry. “I sent ye here to pay a debt in me own name!” he began to berate his niece.

  “Me king!” Brick interrupted. Thalgrin looked at him, breathing deeply and red in the face. “Me king, please. Thea be understating the help yer folks gave me. They advised me from the start. And it be because of them that me smithy turned out so well. Please, take a look, and ye’ll understand.”

  Brick led a confused and slightly less angry dwarven king around the corner of the residence toward the smithy. The king was followed closely by the two Masters and Thea. His guards and the rest of the gathering followed behind.

  As soon as the king looked up and saw the obsidian structure, he stopped in his tracks so quickly that Master Ironhammer bumped into him.

  “Bah! Nephew, did ye forget how to...” Ironhammer never finished the sentence, standing with mouth agape, much like the monarch he’d nearly stepped on. He too had caught sight of the smithy.

  Completely forgetting themselves, the king and his advisors rushed the fifty yards or so to the structure. They immediately laid hands on the black stone, eyes shut. After just a moment, Master Ironhammer exclaimed, “It canna’ be!” and rushed inside. The king was just a step behind.

  The two men faced the forge with the obsidian dragon’s head above it. As they stood there, Brick, Thea, and the others crowded in behind them. Even the king’s guards, normally on constant alert for threats, had lowered their weapons and were reverently touching walls, and benches.

  “Ye built… a Dragon Forge?” Thalgrin whispered.

  “Aye, me king. I asked yer young ones for advice, as I never built a smithy. They helped me plan the dimensions, and the layout. We got to talkin’, and I asked young Harin what be the best possible forge to make. He said a dragon forge. So we made one.”

  “Just like that!?” Master Ironhammer was yelling. “‘So we made one.’ he says.” The Master Smith began to stomp around, mumbling to himself.

  “Me king,” Thea said softly to her uncle. “Alexander here raised the stone from the ground. Then Brick, he be a shaper. He just… stepped into the stone, pushin’ it this way’n that. We helped where we could, but…” she hung her head in shame again.

  “What? No, no.” The king came to his senses. “Ye did fine, lass. I be sorry I yelled at ye.” He gathered his niece in a bear hug. Then he nodded at each of the young crafters.

  Alexander spoke up. “Majesty, you should know that Thea, Harin, Garen, and Dvorn were a great help in the rebuilding and securing of Whitehall. We could not have accomplished what we did there without them.”

  “Aye, thank ye, lad. I’ll make sure they be properly punished,” the king winked at him. He instructed the three young dwarves to escort the supply caravan to Whitehall.

  Then he looked at Brick. “Ye built a damned DRAGON FORGE!! D’ya know what tha’ means?”

  Brick looked confused. There was really no way to answer that question. “Me king?”

  “BWAHAHA! It means me uncle here, the old grump,” they all looked toward Ironhammer, who was still stomping and mumbling, “he’ll be at me day ’n night wantin’ one o’ his own!”

  The dwarven master didn’t hear a word his nephew said. But he noticed the prolonged silence that came after. He looked up from his pacing to see everyone smiling at him. “Me king!” he cried, “ye must let me contract with these imps ta build us a forge in the mountain!” He looked confused when everyone laughed.

  Brick stuck out a hand to the old dwarf. “Master Ironhammer, it’d be me honor if ye’d come and make use of me forge. I ask only two favors in return.”

  Ironhammer instantly looked suspicious. “And what’d those be?”

  “First, some training. I be a journeyman smith. I’d like to learn enough to be worthy of this forge.”

  Ironhammer nodded his head. “Easily done. What else?”

  Brick smiled at the old man. “I need ye to help me light the damned thing!” As they shook hands, everyone, including the old smith, had a good laugh.

  Alexander cleared his throat. “King Thalgrin, I believe that King Charles is awaiting your arrival at the palace?”

  “Aye! Good point lad!” t
he king looked regretfully at the forge. “Let us go!”

  The Redmonds led King Thalgrin and his entourage toward the gate of the compound. Just as they were nearing the inner bailey gate, there was a loud bang as one of the front doors of the residence was thrown open, and a naked and panicked Fibble streaked toward the wizard’s tower yelling, “Nooooooooo bath! Crazy humans!” followed by a frustrated and madly blushing Lainey.

  As one, the king’s guards drew their weapons and began to advance after the goblin. Fitz jumped in front of them, hands held up to hold them back. “No! He’s with me. He’s our new… well, just don’t kill him.” Fitz stuck out a finger and a bolt of lightning hit the fast-moving goblin in the ass, stunning him and causing him to fall into the garden fountain.

  King Thalgrin looked from the wizard to Brick, who was flat on his back laughing. He then looked to Lydia who was doing her best to contain her own laughter. Shaking his head, the king motioned for his guards to stand down, and for Lydia to lead the way again.

  Upon reaching the street, they found an honor guard of 200 of the king’s finest lining both sides of the street, extending the full distance to the palace gate. There were citizens gathered behind the lines of guards, who began clapping and cheering upon seeing the dwarven king.

  As they walked along the short distance to the gates, folks tossed flowers and waved ribbons. At first, the dwarven guards were jumpy at all the activity, attempting to surround their king. At a word from him, they fell back and relaxed a bit. Seeing this, Fitz nudged Alexander and shot him a wicked grin. With a wave of his hand a quick phrase, he conjured up a burst of fireworks in the sky above them, which delighted the crowd, and caused a short panic within the dwarven guard.

  They made it to the great hall of the palace without further incident. King Charles formally greeted King Thalgrin. Gifts were exchanged, and a brunch was served. The two kings chatted about the dragon forge, possible trade opportunities, and the potential for a political alliance. The captain presented his king with the sample sword the dwarves had brought, and Charles praised the dwarven smiths. Which brought them around to a discussion of Broken Mountain smiths traveling to Stormforge in order to work at the dragon forge, and the need to bring a dragon to light the forge. King Charles granted formal permission without hesitation, requesting only that the dwarves craft a sword he could gift to his son the prince upon his fifteenth birthday.

  As the meal was cleared away, Thalgrin mentioned that he’d brought more supplies for his people at Whitehall, and was hoping to visit the village.

  “Excellent idea!” Charles thumped his mug, now empty of dwarven ale, on the table with gusto. “Let’s all go!” He waved at the captain, who quickly assembled a small honor guard. The two kings moved to a clear space in the center of the room. Surrounding them were twenty dwarven and human guards, five Greystones, two Redmonds, two dwarven Masters, one dwarven princess, and a wizard.

  Looking at the crowd, King Charles chuckled. “They’re going to think they’ve been invaded! Fitz! If you would?”

  The royal invasion force arrived just off the road outside the gates of Whitehall. The captain sent a runner to notify the mayor of their arrival while the two kings and the rest of the group admired the new walls, towers, and the ring of light posts. Just as they entered through the gates, the mayor came rushing up. He and the villagers behind him all dropped to one knee and bowed their heads before the two kings. After being told to stand, he welcomed them most sincerely to the village. Thalgrin asked for a tour, and the mayor was happy to oblige.

  The supply wagons had arrived ahead of them, and were parked with the others behind the inn., the ponies happily grazing away. Supplies had been unloaded, some to the warehouse, some at the inn. The mayor thanked King Thalgrin for the support, and assured him the dwarves were a welcome addition to the village. With the additional men for the quarry, and their families, the dwarven population of Whitehall was nearly equal to the human.

  Indeed, as they walked along the main road, the group was mobbed by a small crowd of human and dwarven children who’d been playing “defend the castle” with wooden sticks as swords. They were all outfitted in tiny leather armor sets that Lainey had crafted for them while practicing her leatherworking skills.

  One of them had decided the kings were an invading force, and the whole group had charged from behind one of the buildings, shouting battle cries and waving their weapons. Both kings pretended to be terrified and immediately surrendered, much to the amusement of the gathered adults.

  King Charles, spotting a face he recognized, said “Danny, come here.” The boy approached the king, looking up with a smile. The king returned his smile with a grave demeanor. “Kneel before your king!”

  The suddenly frightened boy dropped his ‘sword’ and fell to both knees. Bending to pick up the stick, the king tapped the boy on each shoulder. “I name thee Danny the Ferocious! Defender of Whitehall and scourge of kings!” The king then lifted the now confused boy and tossed him in the air as the laughing crowd applauded the new title. Seeing that the king wasn’t angry with him, the boy became all smiles.

  Danny took the king’s hand and began to tug him toward Millicent's. “Mum’s got a treat for you, you have to come!”

  Both Kings obediently followed the young boy, as the other children ran ahead. By the time the group reached Millicent's, she, her daughters, and Theresa had all emerged from the bakery with trays of cupcakes and pastries which they set out on the tables outside.

  Everyone helped themselves to a treat or two, while King Thalgrin and Fitz seemed to be in a contest to see who could put down the most. Millicent finally swatted at Fitz with a towel and told him there would be more available at dinner. King Charles formally introduced Millicent to Thalgrin, who bowed deeply and thanked her for the delicious treats.

  They moved on to the new chapel, and both men were amazed at the altered stone and glass ceiling. Brick told them the story of the consecration, and introduced them to Father Ignatius, who led them downstairs to see the clear obsidian altar. They spent a good bit of time there, as both kings, and thus everyone in the room, knelt to offer a prayer to the twin deities who had blessed the chapel. Both men were nearly as impressed with the chapel as they had been with the dragon forge.

  Moving on from the chapel, they toured the rest of the village, stopping to inspect the warehouse, the mayor’s residence, and several of the homes created for the dwarven farmers and stone masons. Thalgrin wanted to inspect the quarry as well, so the group strolled the mile down the new roadway to the quarry.

  Upon seeing the workshop with the glass roof, Thalgrin laughed. “Let me guess. Alexander, be this yer doing?”

  Alexander looked embarrassed. “I’m afraid so, Majesty. I completely forgot that dwarves can see in the dark, and nobody stopped me.” He half mumbled. Thalgrin just laughed even harder and slapped him on the back.

  Seeing he had visitors, Master Stonebreaker emerged from the shop and bowed to both kings. He immediately launched into praises for Alexander and Fitz and the work they’d done. Then he reported on the findings in their quarry investigation so far. The different types of stone, quality, and likely quantity. He relayed the invitation that Fitz had extended for the masons’ families, and added that the human mages had already constructed new housing for them.

  Then the group walked inside both buildings, admiring the construction and the details like plumbing, heating, and the loading dock. Thalgrin hooked himself to a rope and rappelled down into the quarry to have a look for himself. When he climbed back up, he praised Thea for her find, and for having the presence of mind to negotiate the trade agreements. The entire group, accompanied by the group of masons, then headed back to toward the village. Sunset was approaching, and there would be a feast in honor of the royals visiting.

  Walking back to the village, the two kings discussed other potential areas of trade. Thalgrin was excited to have access to a port city and the potential to trade with other nati
ons. He was especially fascinated when Charles told him about something from an island nation across the sea called a coconut.

  As they moved through the last of the trees close to the village, there was a flash of light ahead, followed by a thunderous boom. The entire group dashed forward, emerging from the tree line to discover a group of adventurers attacking the village gates. There were close to thirty of them spread out across the road near the gates. A group of six mages were hurling fireballs at the gate, while a similar number of archers were firing arrows at the guards on the wall. In front of the ranged attackers were a line of warriors forming a shield wall, protecting the casters and healers from the few arrows the village guards managed to fire. Dashing back from the walls were four rogues who had apparently tried to sneak into the village who had their stealth cancelled by the divine protections inside the ring of light posts. The guards were doing their best to shoot the fleeing rogues, while dodging incoming arrows.