The Hammer of Fire (27 page)

Dol nodded his head, “Perhaps it is. Out here
in the open, the desert, the mountains, and now these grasslands,
maybe it’s opening my eyes to the world for the first time. I feel
different, I feel energized,” he said and reached his blackened
right hand all but into the fire. “I want to touch things, to feel
them, to see them burn.”

“What?” said Milli.

“I … meant,” stuttered Dol for a moment, “I
want to experience more of life. I didn’t say it like I meant
it.”

“What’s wrong with your hand,” she said and
reached towards it, although the heat of the fire quickly drove her
to pull it back.

Dol quickly put his hand in his pocket, “It’s
just dirty from all the riding,” he said.

“Dol,” said Milli and gently tried to pry his
hand from his pocket. “That wasn’t dirt. What’s going on?”

Dol shook his head and pursed his lips. “It’s
from holding the hammer I suppose,” he said and scratched his hair.
“Damn. Those apples are popping out all over the place. It’s the
heat or the fresh air or something.”

Milli, thus distracted, turned her attention
to Dol’s head and did note a fairly large number of little green
apples, some of them had a reddish tint as though they were
ripening.

“I think they’re getting ripe,” said to Milli
and reached out to pluck one.

Dol moved his head away and stood up quickly,
“You know I don’t like them,” he said and glared at Milli for a
moment. “If you persist in pawing at my head,” his face suddenly
turning angry red and his eyes glaring with a ferocity Milli did
not know, “I’ll have to do something about it!”

“Dol,” said Milli pulling her hand back and
standing up quickly, “I didn’t mean anything; it’s always been good
fun.”

“No it wasn’t, not then, not now, not ever.
I’m sick of these damn apples and I’m sick of all of you. I should
just take my horse and go on alone. You don’t need to come with
me.”

“Dol,” repeated Milli her hands on her hips,
“what are you talking about? We’re in this together. Right,
Brogus?”

Brogus wandered over, a dull look on his
face, “What’s wrong?” he said looking back and forth between Milli
and Dol. “Are you two fighting?”

“It’s nothing,” said Milli. “Dol just wants
to go off by himself and face the great fire elemental alone.”

“What?” said Brogus his voice suddenly rising
rising and his hands coming to the axe at his hip. “You know that’s
not going to happen. If there’s glory and fortune to be had then
I’m coming along. That’s final.”

“I meant more out of personal loyalty than
any sense of greed,” said Milli in a soft voice, although she
couldn’t prevent herself from smiling and shaking her head.

“Greed makes the world go around,” said
Brogus and his eyes became like golden saucers. “It’s what drives
Craggen Steep. Gold, platinum, gems, and the rest. All the other
races would try taking it from us if we didn’t keep the citadel
hidden. We’d be at war all the time. That’s what the elders
say.”

“Greed doesn’t make me go round,” said Milli
absently twisting the beautiful gold ring inset with three diamonds
that she sported on her right hand. It had been a gift for her
tenth birthday from some dwarf or another, she couldn’t remember.
She’d left most of her jewelry behind when they fled the hidden
citadel but kept a few of her most precious pieces. Lately she’d
taken to wearing them now that they were out of contact with the
other races. The experiences in Das’von had taught her the value of
her little baubles and what men might do to get them. “I’m
beginning to think that fellow from Das’von, what was his
name?”

“He didn’t give one,” said Petra emerging
from down the slope, a trio of fish on a line. “I caught these and
there are plenty more in there. The stream is simply hopping. The
only problem is catching ones big enough to eat with the little
fellows doing all the biting.”

“Anyway,” continued Milli. “I’m thinking that
fellow knew we were from Craggen Steep all along. That’s why he was
so nice to us and helped us. He wants to tap into the wealth of
Craggen Steep. You don’t equip and maintain an army that big for
long without money.”

“I said it before and I’ll say it again,”
interrupted Petra, “I don’t think Craggen Steep is as well hidden
as you seem to think it is. My people knew pretty much where it is
and we can’t be the only ones. If Corancil is going to launch an
invasion I don’t see why he wouldn’t use the wealth of Craggen
Steep to finance it.”

“But we don’t have any standing in Craggen
Steep,” said Brogus. “We’re just a couple of runaway apprentices
and a halfling girl. How could we help Corancil or that messenger
fellow?”

Milli shook her head, “I don’t know, but that
fellow, the one who said he was a messenger, he was crafty, and he
knew what he was doing. We promised to give them information about
the troops of the Black Rider and we did learn about them, didn’t
we?”

“It’ll take us years to get back to Das’von,”
said Brogus with a wave of his hand. “By then the invasion will be
in full swing and anything we know about troops or tactics will
have changed. He was just helping us because … well, I don’t know,
just because.”

“Could he have guessed your true mission,”
said Petra in a low voice. “The Hammer of Fire, Gazadum, the
volcanoes?”

“I don’t see how,” said Milli and bit her
lower lip. “But, Dol didn’t really hide the hammer. I don’t see how
the messenger could have known about it, about us, unless he was
already working with the three families in Craggen Steep. The
Firefists, the Blackirons, and the Drawhammers.”

There was a long silence in the group and
then they busied themselves about the campsite preparing for the
night. Dol spent most of the time near the fire gazing at it as if
it held the answer to some great mystery. Milli watched Petra bone
the first of the fish and put it on the fire.

“You need a sharp little knife for jobs like
this,” said Petra. “You should never be without your knives, Milli.
I’ve seen how you can handle the blade. Did the dwarves teach you
that?”

Milli nodded her head as Petra handed her the
third one to try and fillet. “Yes, they didn’t think the hammer or
the axe was an appropriate weapon for a girl like me. Or at least
that’s what they said. Everyone in Craggen Steep gets at least
rudimentary training with weapons. The guardsmen are born to it.
They learn weapon craft as children and never take up smith work. I
learned from a crippled old dwarf who couldn’t teach the boys
anymore. He was a sweetie; he’d lost an arm to the darklings but
still knew a thing or two about fighting. I was never very good but
he didn’t give up on me.”

“It’s good to know how to use the knife,”
said Petra. “My people, all the girls are taught how to use the
knife. We … you won’t think the worse of me?”

“No,” said Milli absently as she focused on
deboning the little fish.

“It is not uncommon for a pretty gypsy girl
to meet with a wealthy young man from whatever region we are
visiting and when alone use the knife to steal his purse,” said the
older woman with a shrug of her shoulders. “My people are often
ill-treated by the natives of a region so they feel it is
justified.”

“Did you ever do anything like that?”

Petra nodded her head, “I was young and
pretty once although it’s hard to see now,” she said with a laugh.
“Now you have to be decisive with your cut. If you hesitate you’ll
botch the job. Your hand is steady enough; let’s see what you can
do.”

Milli busied herself at the fire with the
fish while Brogus wandered over to where Dol had piled two more
limbs onto the already raging blaze, “Got it going enough there,
Dol?”

Dol didn’t seem to notice for a few second
and Brogus leaned forward ready to speak again when his friend
suddenly turned his head, a look of surprise on his face, “It is
rather high. I didn’t notice.” Then he broke into a loud guffawing
laugh as Brogus stared at him.

The two women also turned their heads and
looked at the dwarves, “At least he still has a sense of humor,”
said Petra and smiled at Milli.

“He never really had a sense of humor,” said
Milli a frown on her face and the knife tapping at the cutting
board. “I suppose it’s better than anger though. He’s been angry a
lot lately. Do you think the hammer might be doing it?”

Petra lowered her voice, “It could be. You’ve
seen the way he keeps a hold on it all the time and his hand is
black from the heat. You know, you never even told me how you got
it or what it is. Not that I’m asking you to betray any confidences
but it would help if I knew.”

Milli looked down at the board and the fish,
badly cut compared to the two that Petra did earlier, and gave a
low sigh as Dol continued to laugh loudly. “I don’t know if you
want to hear the story.”

Petra nodded her head, “It’s up to you.”

“We stole it,” said Milli as her shoulders
drooped. “But, it wasn’t like anyone was using it. It was just
sitting there and the First Edos told us to do it!”

“Who’s the First Edos?” said Petra quietly
sitting beside the girl.

“Should you be telling her this?” said Dol in
a quiet voice from over by the fire. When Milli looked at his eyes
they reflected the blaze and seemed to burn red hot like an animal
peering from the woods.

“She has the right to know,” said Milli
standing up, putting her hands on her hips, and giving him a firm
look. “We wouldn’t have made it this far without her.”

Dol shrugged, “Tell her then. Maybe she’ll
talk some sense into you. This is too dangerous. You should head
back to Craggen Steep with Brogus and I’ll finish alone.”

“Stop with that already!” said Milli taking a
step forward and jutting her firm little jaw at Dol. “I’ve been in
this since the beginning and I won’t quit until we see it through
or die trying.”

“Die trying?” said Petra with a raised
eyebrow.

“You knew it was dangerous, right from the
beginning, you don’t fool me,” said Milli turning to the older
woman and stomping her foot.

Petra smiled and began to clean up the badly
filleted fish with practiced and smooth motions, “That’s true
little one. I knew there was something special about the three of
you the moment I laid eyes on you. I’m not adverse to a little
danger. Now, tell me about this hammer that you stole and who is
this First Edos?”

“The Hammer of Fire,” said Milli with a look
towards Dol who did not look back at her. “It’s a relic of Craggen
Steep, it was made by the First Edos; well, no, it was put together
by the First Edos hundreds of years ago.”

“Not hundreds,” said Dol quietly while his
hand gently rubbed up and down the handle of the hammer.

“Anyway, a long time ago,” said Milli. “If
you want to tell the story; then go ahead.

Dol said nothing.

“No? Ok, then. I’ll tell it my way. As I was
saying before I was rudely interrupted,” said Milli with a smile as
she looked over to Dol and Brogus. Brogus looked back at her with a
wide grin but Dol kept his eyes down and towards the fire. “It was
put together hundreds of years ago.”

“Yes, you said made but then switched to put
together,” said Petra. “There’s a difference?”

“As I understand it, yes,” said Milli once
again looking over to Dol and Brogus. “The two parts, the handle
and the head were made at different times and put together
later.”

“That handle doesn’t much look like
dwarf-craft, now that you mention it,” said Petra. “It’s too slim
for the heavy hammer-head, and the writing on the side looks
elf-wrought if you ask me, but I’ve not met too many of the faery
folk in my travels. Lovely singers they are. We met up with a bunch
of them once when I was a girl. They stayed up the entire night
singing songs and telling stories.”

As Milli told the story to Petra, Brogus
walked over to Dol and stood next to him at the fire. “Do you think
she’ll want to stay with us after she knows everything?”

“I hope not,” said Dol with a sneer. “The
less that come along the better. You’d be smart to convince Milli
to head back. I can make it from here by myself. I’ve got a horse
and directions. It’s just a matter of time.”

“I’m not very smart,” said Brogus stroking
his lengthening beard. “I’m going to need a new band if I keep let
it growing at this rate. Platinum doesn’t seem to be as plentiful
out here in the world.”

“I take that to mean you’re not going to
abandon the quest,” said Dol as a statement rather than a
question.

Brogus nodded his head. “I hope Petra stays
with us. She has a lot of experience about living out in the world.
It’s different than in the mountains. Don’t look at me like that. I
know it’s different but there are little things I wouldn’t think
about, you wouldn’t think about. You know it’s true. Fishing? You
couldn’t fish if your life depended on it.”

“There are fish in the mountain streams,”
said Dol.

Brogus looked ahead, “Well, you may have
found some fire in your spirit but you’re still as stubborn as
ever. Why can’t you change that personality trait and just go along
for once in your life?”

Dol looked into the fire and his right hand
caressed the haft of the Hammer of Fire for a moment as he paused,
“I’m not sure,” he finally admitted. “I don’t think I’m different.
It’s this quest. It’s too dangerous. Milli could die and … I don’t
want that.”

“I could die too,” said Brogus with a
grunting little laugh that shook his belly. “You’re not worried
about me?”

Dol shook his head, “Not as much, no. She’s
been insulated from the brutality of the world in Craggen Steep.
Taken care of. She thinks this is all a game but we know better.
We’ve seen what the darklings do to prisoners, what the real world
is like.”

“I’m not so smart, as you say,” said Brogus
with his head tilted to the side and his brow furrowed. “But it
seems to me that the outside world is coming to Craggen Steep
whether we like it not. Corancil, the armies of the north, I don’t
see how we can stay hidden. Like Petra says, they probably already
know about us. Even if you convinced Milli to go back, and take
Petra with her, what would she find when she go there? Dwarven
armies joining Corancil? War, death, destruction? How is she worse
off with us, even if things go wrong, than back home?”