Chapter 24
Reynard
Wiosna Mountain stood before us in all its glory; a mountain peak surrounded by verdant vegetation, its slopes jauntily topped by a cap of blinding snow.
Three of its sides were so steep that nothing grew there.
However, the side we faced had a gentle incline that resembled a slow-flowing river frozen in time.
The only road that climbed there led to a plateau on which the entrance to Wiosna’s city was located.
Perfect for defence, a nightmare to attack.
It looked peaceful, but considering the scout’s report yesterday, this stillness filled me with foreboding. A feeling that didn’t go away despite the beauty of our surroundings.
There were several terraces, created using impressive Dwarven engineering, where they grew produce, raised animals, and stored the lumber cut from the surrounding forest. Each level was well protected by high walls and guard towers, previously used to deter bandits and wild animals, now perfectly adequate to make our attack difficult.
Then came the city itself, built within a huge antechamber and protected by a set of iron-bound doors, the entrance to the capital of dwarven life, the underground halls of King M?ot.
‘Everything’s ready, sire.’ Ivar drew up beside me. Both the horse and the rider were protected by heavy chain mail that slowed the horse’s steps. ‘I don’t think this mountain’s ever been conquered, but there’s always a first time.’
‘Only mages need srebrec, and only the dwarves can mine it. Why would you attack a mine if you can’t use it?
’ I asked, wondering what I would do if we succeeded.
The whole Tir ha Mor continent would turn against me if I cut off its richest source of srebrec – if there was any left after M?ot’s obsessive mining.
‘Let’s go. Send in the reconnaissance unit.
Let’s see what those terraces and trenches are hiding.
’ It didn’t matter how long I looked at the strange creation excavated by the dwarves; I couldn’t make sense of it.
I studied the ditches, frowning. They weren’t in the places I’d expect for defence, neither breaking up the road to prevent a frontal attack, nor in front of weak points in their walls.
‘Any thoughts, Tova?’ I asked the dwarf, but he shrugged.
‘Fucked if I know. Maybe he’s hiding soldiers there.’
That had merit. Dwarves excelled in close combat; their axes, dense body mass and sheer bloody-mindedness meant they excelled at chopping the enemy down, winning them many a battle.
‘Do you think they have archers?’ I asked. Tova and Ivar looked at me like I’d swapped brains with my horse.
‘They’re half blind from mining in the dark and the fumes of smelting. The day I see a dwarven archer will be the day I hang my sword on a decorative rack,’ Ivar said, pretending he didn’t see Tova glaring at him.
‘The hammer-headed prick is right; there won’t be archers, but not because we’re blind. Longbows for someone of our height?’ Tova’s comment made Ivar frown.
I laughed, scratching my neck. The sensation of being watched began to bother me. ‘Well, let’s hope someone didn’t start making crossbows. I’m guessing the mages are incapacitated again?’
‘Yes. They set up camp deeper in the forest. We have a field infirmary there, but no combat mage to support the troops.’ Ivar’s knuckles tightened on the reins, and I shared his irritation.
‘We’ll fight with what we have,’ I said, watching the soldiers slide like ghosts from the forest. ‘I’m more concerned M?ot is setting the trap, and we are walking into it with our eyes closed.’
Ivar nodded, a forlorn grimace tightening his lips. ‘My thoughts exactly, sire. The troops we encountered… if not for the void cubes, fighting them would feel more like a winter exercise than a campaign.’
‘Well, we’re about to find out.’ I pointed to the unit spreading out as they darted forward. We watched in silence as the reconnaissance forces advanced up the slope, navigating boulders and treacherous terrain, almost reaching the first line of defence. Almost…
A roar broke the silence, the ground shaking in response. A warning shout from an Observer came too late to alert the warriors. A curse slipped from my lips, drowned out by the hum of blood in my ears. I watched, helpless, as flames erupted from the trenches and the earth buckled around them. How?
My horse reared, the explosion sending it into a frenzy. The cries of men filled the air as they fought to stand amid the chaos of the avalanche threatening to engulf them. To retreat from what I realised was a genius trap devised by cunning engineers.
My heart hammered as I watched. I counted them one by one, grief spearing through my chest. My soldiers, my men, disappeared beneath the foul tide, all because my strategy had failed them.
I clenched my fists in frustration, praying to the gods above and below for their safe escape.
The men were lightly armoured and fleet of foot, trained in hit-and-run tactics, but even then, few of them survived.
‘That fucking cocksucking, nasty swine. Where’s his honour? Gods, I will gut the bastard like a pig.’ Ivar spat curses, desperate and grieving, while I sat motionless on my dancing horse, shocked by this senseless loss, doing what I did best: planning the next move and calculating our chances.
‘Get yourself together,’ I told my second in command. ‘Send for the healers and organise people to rescue those who might be alive under all that.’ He looked at me, so angry I thought he’d attack. ‘Ivar, that’s an order.’ He saluted, turning his horse and leaving without a word.
I gestured to the guard at my back, pointing at the survivors.
‘Bring them here.’ I needed to know what we were facing.
I had an overwhelming force, but M?ot had the advantage of position, shelter, and engineering skills that almost wiped an elite platoon from the surface of the earth.
‘Fuck,’ I said, watching an officer of the reconnaissance unit heading my direction. ‘Report!’
Something was wrong with him. The man was… sparkling? His skin and clothes glimmered as if he were covered in diamonds.
‘You have to remove that dust before it rots you from the inside,’ Tova said grimly, pointing to the man. I frowned. ‘He’s covered in srebrec powder. Some bigger shards are embedded in his skin. He needs it removed before the ore poisons his blood.’
‘Report,’ I repeated, tearing off a section of my surcoat and gesturing for him to wipe his face.
‘Barrels, right before the explosion… There were barrels surrounded by strange metallic rocks.’ He coughed, spitting out bloody saliva. ‘Fucking dwarves found a way to bring down the mountain on our heads,’ he said, wincing when he rubbed the dust off his skin.
Well, my carefully planned attack just royally fucked itself. I could stomach a dent to my pride, but not the thought that my men suffered because of my oversight. ‘Anything else you can tell me about those trenches?’ I asked before passing him my water skin.
‘He can’t tell you much, but I can. There are braces holding up the rear. The entire groundwork is like a dam construction ready to burst at the slightest rupture.’ Tova’s tone was full of anger and mourning.
The captain drank deeply, swallowing as if his life depended on it.
‘Go to the infirmary. I’ll call if I have more questions,’ I said, turning to Tova, who eyed the mountain like the rock itself was his enemy.
‘If you know what it is, tell me how to overcome it,’ I said, dismounting and passing my horse’s reins to the guard. ‘Then you can explain how in Svarog’s realm that paranoid twat learned how to explode metal.’
Tova closed his eyes, his hand tightening on the head of his axe.
‘He didn’t. It’s my invention. Those terraces, the ones we grow crops on, are fertilised using bat guano.
There was an accident with a barrel one day, and…
I did a little experimenting, but abandoned the research for something less…
’ He swallowed hard before raising his chin and looking me in the eye.
‘I guess M?ot found my notes. I should have burned everything when I followed Sana.’
I looked where the muddy avalanche had come to a stop, a natural depression that, now full, marked the end of safe footing. ‘We’ll set up our forward base just back from there.’
‘And then?’ Tova asked, his gaze darting to the place I pointed.
‘Then you and I will have a talk,’ I said, reaching out for my horse’s reins. ‘And you’ll tell me how to bury that son of a bitch in molten srebrec.’
Tova remained silent as I mounted Kary. The unsettled stallion still followed my commands, so I gave him a proud pat, then headed towards the end of the avalanche.
Mud with rocks and fragments of hissing, degraded srebrec filled the slight depression.
My lungs burned from the rising fumes, bile filling my throat.
I’d never encountered the unrefined metal before, but this reaction exposed just how dangerous it was.
Nothing will grow here in the spring. You humans always destroy whatever you touch.
Cinared’s disgust couldn’t hide the sadness I sensed in his voice, and when I looked up, I spotted him, flying so high I could barely see him.
So, dragons can fly over the mountain? I thought back, wondering why the dragon riders claimed otherwise. And just so you know, it was the dwarves who caused this, not humans.
Those puling children might not fly here. I can. And what difference is there between you bipeds? You all die before seeing the consequences of your actions.
I thought of how my brother’s dragon, Vahin, would try to help in this situation. This one, however, seemed content to stay back and accuse me of transgressions I hadn’t committed.
Cinared? I looked up again, my gaze tracking the dot in the sky. Go fly where the sun doesn’t shine. I don’t want you here.