Chapter 2

The captain saw them coming, first slow and steady to the beat of a single drum, some being men just as him but then there were others, some looking almost as smaller replicas of those huge reptiles he had see yesterday, and some that he didn't even could find names for. Beasts he thought, beasts with a purpose. The stench of blood and gore whipped up to a frenzy by their priests hung over the battlefield as a invisible cloud as the foe came up to his last palisade. Long ladders were raise as other tied to ram the palisade down by battering huge rams hung in ropes in a triangular frame allowing them to swing back and forth. His man fought valiantly but it was as trying to stop an army of ants, there were just too many of them. Some of the creatures, he found no other name for them, the one nearest to him must have been over eight foot, started to climb the wall using some clawed implements, its snouts letting out a flickering cleaved tongue like some monstrous lizard as it flowed up the wall like some bloated spider. Seeing him the captain realized that their time was up and blew his horn, lowering the pike. Its clear note seemed to cleave its way through the stench making his men starting to retreat, first in good order holding together but soon to break up in a run, each one for himself. Captain Lance smiled a grim a smile as he saw them make their way back to the fortified breastwork. To the foe it must seem as they finally were giving up he thought as the ports opened to let them through, his men were doing a good job indeed giving them that presumptive taste of victory. Lying on the parapet were the stocks, drenched in combustive fluids, waiting to be released with the torches burning just beside them. He had warned them not to keep those torches to near as the logs were like tinder, ready to go up in flames. His plan seemed to be working, the ground between the wooden palisade and the parapet were filling up with a mass of warriors, giving him the feeling of looking out on a unruly disturbed sea. There was something almost hypnotic to it he thought as he gave the sign to light and release them. The elevation was steep and the stocks burned fiercely as they started to roll down.

It was if that whole sea took to fire he thought, and the foes were forced into a rout, many of them in flames as they run back to the palisade still standing behind them. As they found themselves enclosed between the palisade and the logs coming at them they found themselves out of space and the combustible fluids seemed to take to a life of their own, jumping of the rolling twisting logs like some sort of jelly-like water leaping up in the air to drench their foes. The stench of burning flesh combined with a thick smoke that made it almost impossible for him to see what was happening though, and to be honest, he was grateful for that. For a fleeting moment he wondered what kind of wars they had at that realm Roland came from, if this was the way they fought them he knew that he himself would prefer a clean bite from a sword any day to that. This new kind of warfare felt somehow unclean to him, what was it Roland had called it 'guerilla'? But it worked, and it spared his men. The palisade had started to burn too, they had made sure to drench it in the same fluids before leaving it and the whole field now started to look as one immense funeral fire with the screams becoming like one. Magnus that had came up to him stood beside him listening. "Sir." He said having to raise his voice as he leaned to the Captain. "I didn't expect myself to feel sorry for those bastards, but I almost do." Lance nodded. "Yes Corporal, but we have to make do with what we have. We are just buying time here." As the evening came the smoke had started to clear some, giving them a view over a burned black landscape covered with charred bodies stretching past the burned down palisade almost to that red pyramid where the priests had had their 'offerings'. The priests, or was it shamans? Seemed dipped in blood as they in the flickering light of their torches slaughtered man after man, with the drums building into a continuos crescendo. But he noticed that there were few that dared to come near the old palisade, at last he had put some god honest fright into them.

In the Cavern Roland and his friends were resting, talking in low voices as they waited for the Keeper to decide how their negotiations had turned out. Foil had tried to explain to Roland how he understood the Keepers hive mind to work. "Well Sir, it's somewhat like insects. They are truly distant cousins to us." He had said almost disdainfully. "They don't go by civilized speech Sir like us more, ah, noble born species. If you have seen ants communicate you might come closer to it, gathering themselves together into a heap like snakes, communicating through their glands secreting as much as they speak. That is what makes them so unpredictable, there is no real logic to it Sir. But know this, when they have come to a conclusion they will uphold it, in that they are much as dragons" "And elephants to perhaps." Muttered Roland to himself remembering the tales about the excellent memory and lust for revenge those were said to have. "Elephants Sir?" As Roland described them Foil looked at him as if he suspected himself being the victim of a unsavory joke, and it didn't get any better when Roland found himself describing that Disney movie. "Really Sir, well, I can assure you that they are not any cousins to us, even if they can fly." "No, they can't fly, they can't even jump." Said Roland, finally exasperated. "But sir you said th." "It's just a movie Foil, Ah, forget it." Marie who held the sleeping form of Pup in her lap put some more wood in the fire. "Love, those ohlipants. Do they really exist?" "Of course they do. But they are where the land is much warmer than here." Thinking of it again he added. "Well, I don't know if they exist here though?" Le'am who had sat beside them spoke out. "We know of them Roland, from tales only, but I think we have them here too. They are said to be fierce warriors and hugely wise too." Roland shook his head as he musingly tried to assimilate Le'am's words. "Warriors?" "Well Roland, they are said to have cities of their own where the sun burns for ever." Heck, here we go again Roland thought unbelievingly as he listened to Le'am tale which he finished with. "And they are said to be sole rulers of a vast continent." He decided to give up on discussing elephants in the future, promising himself to be more careful with his comparisons, the headache just wasn't worth it. "Never mind." Turning to Foil. "How will we know when they are finished? Should we take a look Foil?" "No Sir, we have a truce for now, better to abide by the Keepers word. He will let us know when it is time." They all were finding themselves getting restive waiting for the decision and Roland who had a dark foreboding of that shadow still searching knew that their time were running out. They needed to get out of the tunnels up in the light. Mari felt much the same as Roland, she had made a furtive scrying trying to divine a path but the Lady has only showed her danger, one immediate and that one she thought to be the Keepers and one vaguer which she backed from in revulsion not being able to come near at all. It was that last one that scared her the most. She wanted to talk to Roland about it but as he was gone then with the Keepers there hadn't been any opportunity. And now she hesitated.

They had came in the night, unexpectedly using those beasts he had seen before as their vanguard, dragging with them what he now knew to be cannons. The parapet had hold, just barely. Their crossbows was useless in the dark as they couldn't really see where the gunpowder were stored. The fighting was fierce and without mercy, and the darkness made it hard to separate friends from foes. Captain lance knew that they made a valiant resistance, but the number were all wrong. For every man he lost the enemy had twenty or more, and the attacks came like waves, never ending. As he pushed down the ladder placed against the bulwark he knew that they had to make it through the night, they had to stop them from taking the parapet until their equipment could be moved back to the last wall and mounted again on it. The masonry on that one was both thicker and higher that this and he still had the water waiting for their foes. But after that? Then there would be only flesh and blood between the civilians in his care and that rampant horde thirsting for slaughter. They had had some use of the crossbows thought, the reptilian beasts had learned the hard way how costsome it was coming to close their wall, and the havoc those had created as they had gone mad, fleeing from the walls had cost the foes more than they had expected. Ordinary crossbow arrows just bounced from their scales but those big ones did get through. Magnus came up. "Sir, we've moved them." Another cannon shot came clipping big chips out of the bulwark as he spoke, almost making him fall as the whole parapet seemed to move a little. "Should we retreat Sir? The boys can't hold this one much longer." The captain leaned over the wall to try to get some overview over the situation, doing it a scaly talon suddenly materialized from the darkness below missing his throat by just a hair's-breadth.As he throw himself backwards Magnus sword came whistling through the air separating the talon from its arm and as Captain Lance found his balance again he heard something scream as lost its grip on the wall. "Thanks Magnus, that was a close one." He said breathlessly. "Yes we will back up to the wall, tell the boys. They had still some logs saved and the captains plan was to release them just before they retreated, to give them all some breathing space. He trusted it to work, their foes knew all to well the dangers of those logs. "On my signal Magnus." Waiting and hoping that they all would know what to do he stood there, shoulder to shoulder with his men, fighting a loosing battle as more and more of those creatures scaled their walls. He blew his horn as his men lighted the log in front of him, looking around he saw that their discipline still held, shoulder to shoulder, the best comrades one could ask for he thought as they tipped the log over. Two more was lighted and put to action where he stood but that was the end of it. He heard screams of anguish and fright from under him as the logs started to take their toll. "Move." He screamed. "Fall back!" and with that their retreat was full on.

Roland woke up to a strange sound vibrating through the caverns wall. He looked at Foil who had placed himself as their sole guard with the rest of them had taking a last chance of getting some sleep. "Sir, it's time." Said Foil. "We are expected." Rousing the others they all made ready, not knowing what the day would bring them, but better to fight together if so than separated Roland thought and the others had agreed too. They all left the cavern passing the crossroads, the Belten ponies lived up to their reputation, instead of shying as they came up to the Keepers the horses seemed to make ready as for battle. Roland thought it was the same Keeper as last time slithering up to them, the others of its kind were gathered out of the torches light but Roland still got fleeting glints reminding him of gigantic slimy white grubs situated on the floor walls and even roof. "We better get ready, I don't like this." He told D'am. The Keeper turned its head as if understanding, it had no real eyes as far as Roland could see, instead there were small black protrusions spread in a even pattern around what he guessed went as its head and down its sides. He expected those to fill the same function though as those situated closest to the torches seemed to close together. Foil turned to Roland. "Sir, we seem to have come to an agreement. They are prepared to do as you suggest but they insist on keeping our companions as a security." Both Roland and Avery shook his head at that. "Not possible." Declared Avery. "My mission can't wait." And Roland said. "Tell him that they will get me and Pup and Foil, but no more. Tell them also that we will need." He thought furiously. "We will need their help coming out as close as possible to Lokagard, and protection. If they can help us with that we will promise them much prey and a great clan will be theirs."

The grub who seemed to have listened now wheezed the first understandable words Roland had heard it utter. "Incubators wizard we need." Roland bowed to it. "Incubators you will get and your kingdom secured in binding treaties, but make no mistake here, the prey must be chosen by us and the rest of us allowed to go free." Foil and the grub continued to talk and after some while Foil turned to Roland again. "We have an agreement Sir. They will set wardens along our path guarding Sir Avery and the others on their journey, as for us they are impatient to start as soon as possible." "I too will go with you Roland." A voice declared suddenly, it was Mari. Roland went over to hug her quietly saying. "No sweetie, you can't. I'm not sure what's waiting back there, but its not for you. They will need your healing and your lady's protection and you know it." Mari listened and thought about her scrying, if it was not the Keepers the warning had been about, what then? Also she remembered the way she hadn't been able to turn her awareness to that darkness hiding behind, it seemed as if Roland might be right she admitted to herself, but she would not give him up. "Let me make a scrying to see what it might bring first Roland. If it agrees with you I will follow it." Said and done she went to a corner to prepare her utensils, she had so little of the lady's water left, ordinary water worked too of course but water blessed wrought the clearest sight. Last time she had used that but this scrying might be the one separating her from her love. She carefully filled the copper bowl and sat down to meditate over it. The others had moved away as she was preparing herself to give her some privacy and even the grub had drawn back. After quite some while Roland heard her say "No." And then he saw tears starting to run down her face, but she didn't stop her watching. He wanted so desperately to comfort her but it was as if there were an invisible curtain shielding her making it impossible to approach.

After another small eternity she looked up at Roland, her eyes filled with grief. "You are right Roland, my duty is with you Sir Avery, and you of course honored dwarves." She said as she raised herself from the floor. "The lady spoke to me directly this time, she also told me." her voice broke a little. "She told me that we would meet again Roland." She finished bravely looking at him as if she for once and forever wanted to imprint in her mind his face and appearance. Roland hurried over to her as the invisible curtain suddenly dropped, She seemed heartbroken of her sight and he wondered what it was. "Lady what did you see?" he asked. "Don't ask." She whispered tears still falling. "Just hold me for a while, will you." Roland stood there holding her his mind filling with a growing sense of frustration over the way it all had turned out. "You must tell me Mari, I need to know what made you so sad." She smiled hearing him through her tear-filled eyes. "Our geas is heavy Roland, it weighted me down. But she promised we would meet again, can you remember that love? As for the rest Roland, that was between her and me and I can't speak about it, will you trust me?" Roland studied her sweet uplifted face, so warm and yet filled with sorrow, suddenly understanding that he was letting her go, with him once more finding himself on his own.

With a sudden feeling of desolation he harshly whispered "How long Mari, how long?" "A long time Roland, too long for me it felt, but we have no choices here. I will keep you in my heart, as I hope to be in yours. She gave us this day and night together but then our paths must split." Roland hated the sound of that, but he saw no way out of it. "I wish we could do it differently Mari, but there seems no other way to me. I will not knowingly bring you into more danger than I must and my feeling is that what awaits us would only lead you in disaster." He tried to smile down at her holding her tighter. "So even if our wait will be to long I will stand that better than loosing you forever, and we still have the day Mari." "and night." She whispered as she kissed him, a kiss lingering with sorrow as well as promise. "Come." Foil said, breaking up their magic. "The Keeper want to show us to a better place of rest, it had informed me that they still haven't their full numbers together. Tomorrow they will be ready." "You see, it's like she said. We have still some time Roland. Let's make the best we can of it." Mari caressed him as they followed the Keeper, in the lingering light of their torches clinging to each other as two children lost to the darkness.

The Captain and his men were now standing on their last bastion looking out. The logs had done their work once more, sweeping away the horde, although they all knew that their respite was just momentarily. "Captain, the morning is near. Do you think they will attack before?" Magnus asked. "I'm guessing they will want to drag their bombardments up first corporal. But this time we will be ready for it." The cannons hadn't stopped even though the foe had been withdrawn, the parapet was by now starting to look more as heaps of stones than anything put together by masons. "Their cannons seems stronger than what Roland expected though." The captain commented as he studied it. "But those walls are both higher and thicker. I doubt they will make any noticeable damage." He smiled. "And we do have some surprises left, don't we Magnus?" Magnus nodded sagely. "They will find their work cut out for them Sir." He had made a count of the men left when they had came in behind their new bulwark. It was a pitiful few left, no more than a three hundred left of what once was three full squadrons. But the fighting before the stronghold and now here had left those surviving as hardened veterans, each one worth, well he didn't really knew how to value them as he had told them the. "But know this friends. Behind each one of you, our slain are standing. Former comrades, friends and loved ones. And each one laying their hand on yours, giving us their strength to stand. We might lose this fight but we will not be forgotten, not as long there is one left to remember. So what do you say? Let us make them remember."

There had been no need to lie or paint a rosy picture for his men, they all knew that they were up the wall here, the only way out being the cave or possibly over the mountains. And most of them had wife's and sweethearts here too. But as he looked out at the morning dawning he found their hope slim indeed. It seemed as this battle was a decisive one for Lord Foul. Every day had seen new troops drawn to it and this day were no different. The mastodont reptiles that had run amok in the night was gone and new ones were there in their stead, they were drawing up cannons more immense than anything he had seen before. The parapet that now was reduced to rubbles were being put out of the way to leave place to the monsters so that they would have a free field of sight. "Corporal, tell the men to be ready. I want each crossbow sighted in on the carts with gunpowder, their arrows drenched in flammables, and, ah, be sure to see to that they don't pick the same one will you Magnus." "Don't worry Lance Sir, they know how to do it, but I will check it out." "Good, be on with you then man." As the dawn cleared he noticed that it was going to be a sunny one, no clouds in sight and with the wind blowing from them towards their enemies. The captain liked that, it meant that the smoke and fire would walk away from them and he wanted to think it a good omen.

As he watched the cannons becoming drawn into place he noticed a black stallion. The horse was much larger than any horses he had seen before, drawing some sort of two wheeled vehicle, and as he watched the man on it unfolded a white flag and started to come towards them. As the equipage draw up to the wall the man like creature, as it was no kind of human he ever had heard of before, all to large as well as it was moving as if its joints were wrongly leaded, lifted its head to look up on him. Then it called up to the captain "Listen thrall. My lord offer you a free way out of here if you leave immediately." Captain lance studied the contrivance standing under him as he worked on his answer. The wheels on the cart had wicked blades sticking out from it and he could easily see how they would hinder a defender to get near as well as the horse having some kind of protection in front in form of hides hanging from its neck shielding it almost the whole way down to its forelegs. But it looked rather clumsy to him all the same. "Do you really think that will work?" he asked pointing to the hides. The creature seemed all of a sudden at a loss of words. "Thrall, do you yield?" he asked. Lance studied him some more and then answered. "I will have to consult my superiors on that. How much time will you give us?" The creature smiled at that showing a row of yellow pointed teeth. "You have no time thrall, go now and be back with your superiors. I will wait." Captain Lance nodded briskly and went to find Magnus. "Magnus, you've seen the messenger?" "Aye, I have?" "Well, as long as he have his flag we won't touch him of course, but I found his bearing offensive all the same. Perhaps there is a crossbow left somewhere? Ah Magnus?" "Naturally Sir, as you say, we can't kill, even such as that, under truce, but as you pointed out, we do seem to have some crossbow over? Let me check it out Sir."

The captain went back to where the creature waited. "Sorry, they were eating, and had no time over. But they begged me to tell you that they were prepared to offer the exact same terms." The creature almost stuttered. "I is that your answer?" "Oh no, my superiors answer." Lance informed him cooly. Now the creature started to turn his vehicle. "Be it on your shoulders then thrall, next time it will be my sword you see." "Well, good riddance to you too." mumbled the captain as he watched the creature draw back to his own line, looking over to the side he saw Magnus nod and smile at him. The foes cannons were already getting readied for fire, having four great monsters of them. They were made out of some blend of iron and bronze with great fat bronze bands circling their circumference, and he had to admit to them looking quite intimidating. The carts were pulled up to them and all of it well out of any ordinary bows range. As the captain gave the signal there came a simultaneous 'twang' as the fiery arrows were released from their rest, not all found their targets but the men was reloading and sighting them in as fast as they could. Two of the cart's were blazing now and then a third. The messenger and his horse were down too. It seemed as if the arrow had gone through both the horse and the creature on its way, leaving them both a burning mess. Suddenly it seemed as if the whole world went up in flames, the bang of the explosion so strong and violent that he almost lost his footing. He saw the cannons lift from the ground, light as feathers to fall down as if in slow motion. And the carts and their animals were all gone, as were the men serving the cannons. Some of the crossbows continued to 'twang' but now with their fire directed on the carts and their animals further down. By blind luck two more 'black powder' carts were hit and the explosions created seemed to create an even greater havoc amongst the foe. The soldiers manning the walls started to cheer as captain Lance made a sweeping bow at them. "Well men, at last some peace and quiet, what." He called smiling his worst. "Magnus, can you get us some brew from the Cooks perhaps? It's thirsty work, standing up here, ain't it men?" Now the men cheered even wilder as they watched Magnus pick some men to fetch the beer for them. The captain felt pleased listening to them, there had been too much pain in between those cheers he thought wistfully as he turned back to witness the devastation.

Their night was filled with whispered words of care and love making, it took them a very long time to finally fall asleep. As Mari woke up the next morning she found herself still in Roland's arms, and when she tried to untangle herself he started to move restlessly. She leaned to his ear whispering. "let me go baby, I want my tea." With a complaining sound in his throat he let her go, not fully awake. "Would you like some too Roland?" she asked a little louder. "what?" he grumbled finally forced awake. "Tea? I was asking if you like tea in the bed?" "What! Tea? In my bed? Shit." Roland scrambled up as he tried to feel if he had burnt himself. Now wide awake he stared at her accusingly. "Why did you do that?" she smiled. "I just asked if you wanted me to get you some tea to your bed." She answered sweetly. "But if you like you can get it yourself." Roland who by now had succeeded to open his eyes smiled back a little grudgingly. "Nah love, you'll get it, I'll just try to wake up, okay?" She imperially gave her consent reminding him. "This time okay, but no complaining when I come back, you hear." Roland smiled sleepily as he laid down again, him? Complaining? Just need some more sleep he thought as he started to glide in to the warm darkness again. "Wake up Roland!" it was Mari coming back. "I got you your tea, and some slices of bread too, come on sleepyhead, move over." Sitting together in his sleeping-bag they started to munch on their food intermitting with long slow draughts of tea. After a while Roland leaned to kiss her. "Thanks Mari, it was very nice, I didn't know I would be this hungry." Mari gave him a slightly mischievous smile. "Work do make you hungry, doesn't it?" she commented. "What work, oh." He belatedly remembered their unrestrained lovemaking and had to smile back. "Yeah, you're right."

He looked around, the cavern they found themselves in this time was much larger than anyone he had been in before. "I wonder why they called it the throne room?" He said, L'am who sat at the fire heard him and came over. "We think that this was where Alain foD'm held court, it seems that the Keepers still remember him, imagine that?" Roland nodded as he looked around with more interest. "So is there a throne then?" he asked. "You know what! I don't think we have checked on that." Said the dwarf excited as he went back to the other dwarfs to discuss the possibility, them all bending over Roland's map arguing. As they finished their meal they saw F'am and Le'am come back almost running and looking very agitated. "We found it!" F'am said. "The throne, over there." He pointed behind them to another cavern opening to the side. They all went there to look, it was very grand, made in precious metals inlaid with stones of all kinds and glittered in the light of the torches. D'am wrought his hands trying to calculate the worth of it, then he came to his senses again. "It's magnificent." He said. "And it's historical value is priceless, we must open negotiations with the Keepers again." "Hear, hear." Came from the mass of dwarves. Mari had to agree, it was certainty magnificent but it still gave her a vague sense dread looking at it. To her it seemed not only a throne, but also a seat of power. Roland felt the same as he looked at it and he greatly felt a need of coming closer as if it called for him. As D'am made as if to sit in it Pup stopped him putting herself between him and the throne. "Sir, this seat is not for mortals." She warned him. "It has marks of power on it. It may be that the keepers are testing us still."

She turned to Roland. "You might sit though Roland." She said. "You're not yet bound to this realm, and the claiming's and warding's made for creatures born is not yours." "Born, Pup? And why would I want to sit in it?" But he still felt the drawing made by it tug on him. Mari looked at Pup feeling confused. "Why do you want him to sit there child?" She asked. Pup shook her head. "I didn't say that I wanted him to sit there, but I have a feeling that the keeper had a purpose with bringing us here, and that this might be their test." Now Foil opened his snout. "Sir." He said turning to Roland. "It's my mistake, as I was talking with it yesterday we came to discuss divinations and prophesies. As I happened to mention the way you had unlocked me from my former existence it seemed to become agitated and soon after it insisted on us having our sleep here." So there might be something more to it then mused Roland to himself as he watched the throne. As he concentrated on it the cavern slowly seemed to dissolve leaving the chair levitated as if in air, he went closer and closer and in the end he found himself sitting on it, the chair felt just right to him, as if it had been waiting for him to appear. As he woke up he was still standing to the side looking at it, but now it seemed to have lost some of its luster and the calling he had felt before was gone. "Did I sit in it?" he asked Mari, not knowing what to make of it. "On the throne? No, you just stood there." Answered Mari. "But I'm not sure?" She had a feeling as if there had been things happening too, somewhat alike when she woke up sometimes, just on that border between dream and reality. "I too think something happened Roland, I'm just not sure what?" Pup seemed thoughtful, she had seen both realties unfolding and felt the rightness of him sitting. "I saw you Roland." She said. "And I think it is as it should be, it was waiting for you, or at least for someone like you."