Interlude – Prince Thordur, Heir to Beneath the Rock, the Ancient Kingdom of Dergia
Interlude
PRINCE THORDUR, HEIR TO BENEATH THE ROCK, THE ANCIENT KINGDOM OF DERGIA
The Prince of Dergia’s heart pounded as he and the dwarven forces pushed their horses down the snow-covered road.
Their small but fierce army, one hundred soldiers and twelve healers strong, had started their ride north an hour after Neve called to warn them that the deadly cold might come for Dergia.
That the same cold had already taken over Eygin and killed many.
It was a blow to the Kingdom Beneath the Rock.
Those in Eygin were friends and confidants of the dwarves, just like the Falk princess.
The dwarven forces had been nearly about to exit the mountain passages when Neve used the enchanted mirror again—this time to call for help. Now they were not just rushing to Eygin to help the villagers who had kept their existence a secret for so long, but for her. Their ally.
Would they be too late?
Riding leisurely, the gates of Eygin were a half an hour from the hidden mountain tunnels.
They’d attempted to cut that time in half by urging the horses to go ever faster, but Neve had already been fighting ice spiders when she spoke to the king.
And though his father claimed to know exactly where the Drassil in the mountain by Eygin grew, it was deep within the rock, a part of the mine set aside for prayer and solitude thousands of turns ago.
How much longer would it take to delve so deep?
The gates surrounding Eygin came into view, and Thordur stiffened.
Ten people stood just beyond the village gates.
He knew from previous trips to Eygin that the old mine’s entrance was right by the gate.
From how one person pointed in that direction, he could guess that they were considering entering.
“Those are not our allies!” Thordur yelled over the pounding sounds of hooves.
“I can see that,” the king replied, his voice muffled beneath his helmet, the largest and most grand of them all.
“Are we ready for our secret to be widely known?”
“The day has been coming since the Falk heir entered Beneath the Rock, son.” The king looked askew at his heir.
“It’s time for Dergia to stop hiding. To take a stand against those who wished to bend our knees and backs.
If we help her, if she takes her kingdom back, she will allow us into the open air. ”
The open. He looked up at the wide blue sky and though he wore a warm and protective helmet, a thick cloak, his leather coated armor, and woolen layers, a chill ran through the prince.
Soon they would no longer be forced to live and work and remain Beneath the Rock for all of their lives.
His sister, Bavirra, could finally go on adventures.
Thordur loved his people and his kingdom just as they were, but the thought was enticing indeed.
No one stood guard atop the village gate, and those who had been examining the mine did not stop the dwarves from riding through, though they did draw their weapons.
Flinty eyes stared at the dwarven king, and Prince Thordur could not help but feel immense pride in his father when the king dismounted.
One figure, a male faerie with silver hair and glacial blue eyes approached. The male did not hold a weapon. Instead, he carried a white hawk on his arm. The beast did not so much as blink as it took them in.
“Who are you?” the male asked.
Thordur bristled at the brusque tone directed toward his king, though his father just removed his helmet and inclined his head, not taking offense.
“King Tholin of Dergia.”
The male’s lips parted, and many of the faces behind him displayed the same shock, indicating that Neve had kept their secret.
One of the faces in the grouping caught Thordur’s eye.
A female with long red hair and—scales behind her ears?
The prince blinked a few times, trying to discern if his vision was playing tricks on him.
“That’s impossible,” the male faerie found his voice. “Dergia is lost to the ages.”
The king smirked. “My kingdom is alive and well and formal allies to Princess Neve, or perhaps she is now going by Isolde?”
Prince Thordur marveled at how steadily his father told their secret. He truly was ready to bring Dergia out of the darkness.
The male cleared his throat, shook his head slowly.
“Whatever the name you know her by, I believe the Falk princess is in great danger.” The king pointed to the mine.
“She called for aid just over a half hour back. Ice spiders were upon them. We have answered that call, and I don’t want to waste time on debates regarding the existence of my kingdom. ”
The male sucked in a breath. “Some ice spiders were just in the village too. Smaller ones and we killed them pretty easily, but that’s actually why we’re here.
Prints in the snow told us they came from there.
” He jerked his head to the door of the mine, now broken down, before catching the king’s eye again.
“I’m Aleksander, half-brother to Neve and Thyra. ”
Thyra. Thordur sucked in a breath. After Neve came to Dergia, the prince had thoroughly researched her family. Thyra was Neve’s twin.
“A pleasure,” the king said. If he was surprised to hear that another Falk twin lived, he did not show it. “Your sisters are indeed in danger. We need to infiltrate the mountain. There’s a chamber with sunshafts where an ancient Drassil grows. They were attacked there.”
“Sunshafts,” Aleksander breathed. “I’ve only read of the ancient dwarven mines, but those are openings to allow light through right?”
“They are.”
“So they’d be visible from above?”
The king nodded. “Unless they’re covered in snow, but I saw that these ones allowed light through, so that is not the case.”
“Are they large enough for people to slip through?”
Where is this line of thinking going? Thordur thought, though the king just nodded again.
“Arla, my hawk here, can fly above and find them,” Aleksander turned to the keen-eyed bird. “I’m a skin-changer. I can see through her eyes, then we’ll know what’s happening.”
“My father knows where they are,” Prince Thordur cut in. “We need to move. To run the tunnels and get there, for unlike some of you, we dwarves don’t have wings. And I doubt there are enough of you to take on the number of ice spiders we believe are in the mountain.”
“You may not have wings to fly, but we have animals that can.” The female who had caught his eye stepped forward, her red hair tossing in a gust of wind that swept through the mountain passes, “and if they’re not enough, I’m part dragon. I’ll carry the rest of you.”