* * *

  Tia started to use a low high maneuver against the slave riders. Take out an arm or...foreleg, she guessed it would be safe to call it. and it would topple right over. Then she would go for the rider or at least struggle to avoid the riders spear thrust. The thought of reaching around the mount to get the rider first was absurd and she wasn’t physically able to manage it. It had become her mantra, jump and go for the goblin, jump and go for the goblin. Fifty percent of the time she would get a strike, those other times she found herself dancing away from rider and slave. At that point she pretty much required assistance which always seemed to come with the face of Leldeif, but just as often it was a dwarf or even Rowen lending aide. She realized that there was more than a simple squad down here, but now that they were engaged there was nothing left but to finish it. Three quick accurate strokes cleared out a rider and two slaves and the cavern silenced. Tia’s body shook with adrenaline and she found herself looking around for more so she could spend all of this excess energy rushing through her.

  None escaped, two dwarfs were down, but Rowen and five others stood strong and looking proud.

  “We have to go, Tic is in peril.” Leldeif said with a renewed urgency. They followed several switch-back paths at a run until he came to a very long, unsupported staircase that led almost straight up. Tia turned at a sound and saw Rowen coming with them. He shrugged when she looked at him confused but stayed with them.

  “You firs,.” he said and practically threw her at the stairs. She glared at him. “Go, go, go…Tic needs us,” he said urgently

  “Where does this come out?” Tia asked, wanting to know what was ahead of her.

  “Behind your work shop in the shed, I discovered it after I was hired by your brother, now keep moving.”

  “I don’t know why you’re being so pushy.”

  “Look, get through today and I will tell you why and possibly even who you are, but for now just keep those scrawny legs pumping,” Leldeif snapped.

  “My legs are toned, not scrawny, and what do you mean who I am?” she replied but kept pumping them until she got to a simple wooden door wondering what he meant.

  “Pull that lever and push up,” he pointed, Rowen staying silent as he followed along, too intrigued to be arguing.

  She did and stepped up into the shed, just like he had said. Leldeif was with her in seconds and they stepped out into the space between buildings to find a most curious sight.

  The princess and her horse were unconscious or dead on the ground. Frodeg was on the ground as well, but sitting and looking up at a woman’s face in a cut out of some type of stone wall. A stone wall that she knew wasn’t there before and seemed to be more akin to the bone spires than an actual wall. They seemed to be laughing, or maybe crying. His men were panting on the ground to the side looking as if they didn’t have another minute left in them.

  Tia wanted to go and help the princess or Frodeg, but Leldeif dragged her into the work shop. She saw Rain, the wood elf from Mikalene she had given passage to Skorsdale in their skiff.

  What are Rain and the other wood elves doing here?

  She looked down. On the floor was Tic, visibly drained and looking like a pile of loose clothing, for the most part dead to the world.

  Is he dead? Tic! She wailed not knowing what she would do if he were dead. A cascade of emotions rushed through her, rage, confusion but above all else pain. A sense of loss so great that it ripped at her heart, she heard Rowen gasp beside her as if all his dreams of hope and future were suddenly ripped from him. Together they fell on top of her brother’s back and embraced him.

  The reaction to their connection was instant and they were frozen in place as Tic’s vitality rushed back into him, their excess of energy flowing into him. His mind screamed and he looked up. “Nigel?” he gasped.

  62

  Recompense:

  Juin and his remaining few elves moved away from the bridge, their mounts high-stepping around bodies and debris. A thousand dwarfs returned from Pine Hold marched with him, their faces dour from the casualties they had faced and the fact that they had been tricked away from their homes. They didn’t mind strategic policies, it was the nature of the world and often used in business. However, slaughtering thousands of elves in a feint was wrong on so many levels that it sickened the robust craftsmen/warriors of Riverhouse.

  Today they would set things right.

  Molly would have had enough in her to run to the next battle, but Juin knew his men’s mounts didn’t and examining the dwarfs he doubted they had much energy available to be squandered on running. It was best to march purposefully to their quarry and save their energy for the blood that needed to be spilled.

  There were scattered individual goblins and halfmen here and there that were quickly dispatched. They knew these to be weaker soldiers who had left the lines to get an early start on the looting.

  “It doesn’t look as if they have been here long,” Bobbick said as he scanned some of the store fronts and factories along the bank. “I don’t see any broken windows or busted doors. I don’t see any victims either…this is very much unlike any foul folk attack I have ever heard of.”

  “Aye, I agree, Bob,” Lenniderrick, whom Bobbick had known his entire life, said. “You know that wizard kid, what was his name…Mattic Rowe I think. The cobbler from across the Swirl, you know, Rowen Rowe’s nephew.”

  “Yeah, I know him…he’s a nice kid, what about him?” Bobbick replied trying to speed up his friend’s revelation if that’s what it was.

  “Well, for a craftsman he was pretty smart, an’ I don’t mean that about them boots he makes. Frodeg said he was a top notch wizard of the kind we ain’t seen in hundreds of years.”

  Juin stopped and turned to face the dwarf. Somehow he knew that his sister’s sudden increase in power was connected to this…whatever he was. Juin assumed he was human because he was Rowen Rowe’s nephew. Rowen’s son he knew was a breed, but he also knew that they didn’t have many breeds on the other side of the Swirl. Before he could ask the dwarf anything Juil’s words came back to him about realizing that she never had any power before she could have power. It was very cryptic and he had brushed it off in the heat of the moment, now he wanted to know what exactly it meant?

  “Is he related to the human woman who was with my uncle? I believe her name was Tia.” Juin asked.

  “Yup, that’s his sister. Ain’t she a looker? A nice gal too although she spent a lot of time with that aerial.” Lenniderrick replied.

  “Aerial? You had an aerial in here?” Juin said almost in a panic.

  “Sure did, he arrived with your sister. Seemed like a nice enough guy at first—” Lenniderrick continued but Bobbick cut him off to finish for him.

  “Yeah, but then he’d talk and you’d see what an arrogant prick he truly was,” Bobbick finished causing Lenniderrick to laugh in spite of their current situation.

  “Karoome, there are more of those slave riders flooding in from East Entrance Three.” Delfane, whom Juin had appointed as his second, said causing Juin to snap his mount about and ready his sword.

  “We got some barbarians following the river bank down from the north as well,” Bobbick said. “How about me an’ some of my boys split off to meet them and you take those bastards at the entrance?” Bobbick said.

  “Sounds like a solid plan, Sir Dwarf, leave me a few solid axe-men for we have us some giants to fell,” Juin said as he watched two crouched figures straighten up to their full height after exiting the tunnel that a man could sit upright in the saddle to get through.

  “Aye, sounds like a plan. You piners, stay with the elves while we go an’ kill us a few barbarians,” Bobbick said right as his group split off to go and face the massive humans wearing leather and bone armor.

  “I don’t suppose we have any lances left?” Juin asked anyone.

  “I’m sorry, Karoome, the only thing left is the oddly shaped halberd in your saddle scabbard,” Delfane replied.

  “I’m hoping that I won’t have to use that, it has the blood of the Har Karoome on it and those who slew him, but I will if I have to. I guess the days of easy kills on giants are over since we have no lances left,” the prince said as he pulled the blade from his back. “Let’s get this done,” he finished, only bringing his mount up to a canter. Even the short distance between them and the slave riders was enough to blow out some of their mounts. Some of the elves even dismounted and slapped their steeds on the rear to get them out of harm’s way. After a second’s thought, Juin gave the order.

  “Dismount,” he said and also stepped down from Molly’s back. He took the halberd from his scabbard and strapped it to the back of the donkey who he knew would fight beside them. He doubted that he could keep the beast from a good brawl.

  They advanced, his shield lost, he pulled the long knife with his left hand, truth be told that was how he preferred to fight anyway. Still hundreds of feet off, he could hear their foul speech and the vivid insults and slanders they cast their way. They spotted his group and started a mad dash toward them howling as they ran swirling coarse blades and maces in the air above them as their mounts cursed and growled.

  “Ignore what they say and try to kill the rider first for that is the brain of their coupling sadly enough,” Delfane said loudly to no response as the troop spread out to accommodate the ragged charge of the slave riders.

  “Delfane, lead the troop. I am going for the giants,” Juin said knowing the reaction or at least the concern it would cause his men. Nothing was said about it as all knew there was no surviving this day. All they could do was hope to make them pay as high of a toll as possible.

  “Yes, Karoome,” Delfane said stoically and sounded as if he wanted to say more. He didn’t, it was too late.

  Juin remembered how he had used his sword against the giant up in Pine Hold and knew that beast was unarmored and bearing only a hammer, this would be much more of a challenge for the young prince.

  Juin cut off the left support arm of the slave in a back swinging motion that brought his sword up and into the armpit of the goblin rider simultaneously with the long knife sliding into the eye of the slave steed who looked somewhat elvish.

  He jumped and spun back to his left in time to plunge his long knife into the throat of another goblin rider who was in the midst of a spear thrust into Lywin’s exposed back. It happened so quickly that Lywin couldn’t even give him a nod of thanks before he used the now dead goblin’s mount to vault high above the rush as Lywin killed it. She saw his blades cross then flash as a spray of blood erupted from a third goblin as the elven prince somersaulted overhead.

  Juin landed hard on the back and neck of piner slave forcing its face into the dirt, ending the vile epitaph it spewed as his sword took the head off its master. He rolled right to avoid a spear thrust from his victim’s neighbor and managed to sweep the spear from him with his feet. He plunged the poorly made weapon into its previous owner’s chest as he regained his footing.

  He sprinted forward, ducking as spears struck at him from the sides, but they weren’t his concern. His only concern now was speed and he needed as much of it as he could gain in just a few powerful strides.

  He leaped, his feet landing on the forehead of a dwarf slave, which he used to catapult himself up and over the rider toward the chest of the giant. He flew as if for just a moment he had wings stretched wide to catch an updraft. He visualized where his blades would strike, causing irreparable damage to the vile beast.

  A hand the size of his torso slapped him out of the air as if he was less than a fly, sending him rolling across the floor. He struggled to rise, but hesitated as all light was blocked from him. He looked up to see the massive blubbery body of the giant floating in the air for just a second before it slammed down on him pushing every ounce of air from him.

  The giant was so massive that its weight seemed to increase as it lay there on top of him, slowly settling and pushing him deeper into the earth. His vision was starting to blacken around the edges and if he allowed his pressurized bowels to release he felt they would spray the entire chamber with fecal matter. He vaguely saw two dwarfs enter the corner of his vision, but they were swatted away with a casual slap from the giant that was crushing his life into the dirt.

  He reached down deep within himself to give one last push, but every time he tried he simply lost more breath, breath is strength and without it…he had nothing. He let go, his head turned to the side he stopped reacting and resigned himself to his fate, there nothing he or anybody could do.

  Then, blood was gushing over his face, the weight was lifted just a little and he turned his head to the side to gulp just a slight hint of air without blood…whose blood? The giant was being lifted off of him but why? There was no one big enough or strong enough to do that, had the piners arrived, or maybe Juil?

  He gasped for more of the precious substance called oxygen before he realized that he was free, the beast was off of him and he could breathe. He turned to look at what had saved him only to see the most incredible sight. Four aerials with bat like wings were actually lifting the giant being off the ground.

  A woman, or female at least, in thread bare clothing stepped in front of his vison bearing a sword tarnished with age and notched from use. With a mighty stroke she plunged the blade deep into the chest of the giant who howled only for a second before falling still, in death.

  It wasn’t until she turned that his addled mind realized that she too had wings. Huge, beautiful, black-feathered wings. She walked toward him and reached out for his arm, he drew back in fear, his kind had warred with the aerials throughout history.

  “it’s okay, we’re friends now, or at least on the same side,” she said as her hand gently closed on his upper arm. He felt warmth at her touch, a warmth that flowed through his entire body bringing him a feeling of wellness and security. She gently helped him to his feet.

  “Who are you?” he gasped still barely able to retain a full breath.

  “Me?” She smiled a brilliant smile that dazzled his mind and warmed him at the same time. “I am Falco, we are here to help.”

  “But…how, I mean, you’re aerials.”

  “Yes, we are. The world has changed overnight, we now have a king for the first time in three centuries and our king says that we are allies, and so it shall be. Are you going to be alright? I don’t want to rush off, but there is a lot of killing to do and I would hate to miss out.”

  “No, no…by all means, on to business,” Juin said and paused as he gathered his thoughts. “Falco,” he said in time to stop her from flying off.

  “Yes, Prince Juin?” she said with a sly smile, as if she knew how she had captured his awe.

  “Thank you,” Juin said.

  “You’re welcome, by your leave, sire,” she said and bowed deeply. She stood and in an incredibly graceful leap she was airborne, black wings spurring her back toward battle. Juin shook his head not knowing if she was mocking him or sincere.

  He sat down on the chest of the dead giant still trying to recover. He had seen so much this day and lost so many. If twenty of the elves who had started with him survived, he would be surprised. He wanted nothing more than to have his people rest for just a bit, but the battle still raged, neither side as of yet gaining the upper hand. A shadow fell across him and he looked up with dread fearing another giant.

  “Your army looks diminished, young prince, may we join with you?” Thorvald asked with more than fifty frost piners at his back.

  “Yes, I would welcome your aid,” Juin said and stretched out his hand for the piner to help him to his feet.

  “It is quite a strange turn of event to have aerials within our midst, is it not?” Kyle who Juin had met several years ago and had dealings with since asked.

  “It is; it is very strange indeed, Kyle. In fact, I don’t know quite what to make of it other than…” He paused to catch his breath which was coming fully back to him now. He looked up at the piners as if starting a new conversation as opposed to finishing his last sentence. “I was as good as dead. There was no way that you could have gotten here before that massive being crushed the life right out of me. Four of them and that woman came to my rescue, they lifted that thing right off the ground and plunged a three-foot blade to the hilt right in its chest.” Juin looked down reflectively. “I thought they were going to do me next…I would sure like to know something about what is going on here.”

  “It’s Nigel’s work I would bet,” Bobbick said as he appeared from the battle on the river bank that the aerials seem to have taken over the clean up on.

  “Nigel? Who in the pits is Nigel?”

  “I would think that you knew him seeing as how he showed up with your sister. He’s been staying with the new cobbler up by the city office. Lemure Boots has expanded here and sent a young guy to run the place and he knows his stuff,” Bobbick said.

  “This is the same kid you mentioned earlier? And he’s a cobbler?”

  “Tic is what he goes by, he’s a nice kid and supposed to be some kind of wizard or something. I don’t know for sure, but I think Frodeg was teaching him some stuff or he was teaching Frodeg, I’m not sure how it washes out. Frodeg is on the Riverhouse Mystics Council, you know, and a fair hand at magic himself.”

  “Could be,” Juin mused. “He might be the one who was teaching Juil some things then,” he said as he thought about the things she had done earlier down in the tunnels. “Tell me about Nigel.”