Chapter 17 （Erendriel）Living Armors
Chapter 17 (Erendriel)
Living Armors
I thought we’d killed most of the dwarven army, and we probably had, but I wasn’t prepared for what awaited us when we got to the courtyard. An army of living armors, as far as the eye could see. There were dozens of them blocking our way into the castle. The armors floated in the air. The metal pieces weren’t even touching, and they had no feet. Yet they acted as beings, brandishing swords and shields in their invisible hands.
There was no flesh to wound, no blood to shed.
We’d been trying to get past them for hours. The sun was bathing the morning in its light. Yet the air was filled with nothing but dust as the wind blew and the ever-present smell of blood rose in the heat of the day ahead. People were not stirring in the streets, for they were still hiding. Death had not finished taking her share of souls.
I had no idea how dwarves possessed living armor. Dwarves had no magical powers, and I’d never seen anything like it. I’d be sure to ask Elaine when I returned to my kingdom.
No matter how hard we struck, the pieces of armor moved to avoid the blades of our swords. We felt as if they were mocking us. As I swung my sword again, my lungs burned from the effort. My heartbeat echoed in my head, mingling with the clash of swords and the cries of my soldiers, exhausted by prolonged combat.
The arrows of my archers struck armor and fell to the ground. The mages’ spells passed straight through without causing any damage. Yet everyone continued to fight the same way as the living armors struck relentlessly. Nothing seemed to exhaust them.
The few soldiers wielding a mace were the only ones who seemed to have any effect on the damned piles of junk. They sent pieces flying around, a stone floating in place in the center when they hit the enemy full force with a blow in the middle. We thought we’d found the way to victory, but it was short-lived, as the pieces immediately came together again.
We continued to strike, and despite the goddess’s magic, I was beginning to tire. I parried a sword at the last minute, just in time so it didn’t hit my face. As I kept pushing my sword to counter my enemy, a soldier at my side struck my assailant with a violent mace strike. As the pieces flew through the air, I was drawn to the rune that floated and grabbed it. The armor immediately fell to the ground, dead once and for all. Whatever this stone was, it was the source of the armor’s power .
“Hit the armor hard and grab the runes,” I ordered.
One by one, the living armor fell. The sound of clinking metal hitting the ground was our salvation. Moments later, a pile of armor, swords, and shields lay in the cursed courtyard. After hours of fighting, we were finally about to reach our goal.
I studied one of the stone runes in my hand. It was heavy, engraved with a strange marking, and pulsed with ancient magic—it called to me. This couldn’t be dwarven. How did they get this? I would ask the king before I kill him. I wanted this magic for myself.
“Yes,” praised a voice in my head. “Take the power. Take it all!”
Adrenaline rushed inside at this thought. Taking all the power to myself. This was what I needed. My blood burned with anticipation, hot in my veins as we advanced to the castle’s doors.
The castle’s interior was filled with precious metals from the mines. The smell of incense filled the air with the exotic scent of sandalwood mixed with ladanum. It was among the rarest incense, probably bought from an itinerant merchant. It would make a fine addition to the wealth of the elven people.
The room was vast and opened directly onto the throne room. At the far end of the room were the solid gold thrones. The king sat upright and proud. Dressed in rich robes, wearing his crown, his beard carefully combed. Beside him sat the queen in her evening gown, a large jeweled barrette holding back her hair, her crown on top. I was surprised to see that there were no guards with them. Had we defeated the entire army?
“Took you long enough,” said the king, taunting me arrogantly.
“Are you going to fight in your satin clothes?” I retorted .
“Tsk! I’m not so foolish as to think I can repel an army single-handedly,” he spat back.
I couldn’t help thinking he was weak. A king should die protecting his people, even if he knew he could not win. It was the ultimate sacrifice and glory before embracing death.
“You’ve already given up,” I sneered. An unarmed king would be no challenge. I pulled a rune from my pocket before asking, “Where did you find them? What sorcery is this?”
The king huffed in disgust. “You’ll get no information from me.”
I pointed my sword at the queen. “Perhaps I’ll get some from her?”
But neither the king nor the queen flinched. They were too proud. “ Kill the bastard ,” said a voice inside my head. “ Tear off his nails one by one ,” murmured another voice.
“I’ll proudly die with my secrets,” said the queen with conviction.
“Cowards!” I shouted in disgust at the two sovereigns.
“Where’s the prince?” I asked, stepping toward the king.
“You’ll never find him,” he gritted through his teeth as I threatened him, my sword pressed against his throat. “He’s far away from here, and he’ll see that you pay for your outrage.”
This was annoying as I was supposed to bring back the prince to the vampires. Never mind. I’d find him soon enough. He couldn’t have gone far.
“I have to say,” I spoke, my sword still pressing against the king’s throat, moving as his Adam’s apple pushed when he swallowed. “This is disappointing. After everything we’ve been through to get here—all those damned armors in your courtyard. I expected more resistance than this. I hoped for a battle worthy of a king, and yet, I find instead two cowards waiting for me to kill them.”
Neither of them reacted to my words, rage overwhelming me. Seeing that I wouldn’t get the information I wanted from them, I slit the king’s throat with a single blow, the blood staining his clothes. The queen gasped, letting out a high-pitched cry, then immediately pulled herself together. I moved toward her slowly.
“You’re the only one left. Perhaps you’ll talk?” I said. “Who knows, I might even spare you if you tell me where these runes come from.”
“Lies,” she spat. She kept her composure, but I could feel the anger filling her voice. “And even if it were true, I’d have nothing to do but live without my throne.”
“I see that you have more balls than your husband.”
With those words, I swung my sword high into the air. The queen stared straight at me . I liked strong-willed women. Too bad she was a dwarf. She might have made a good wife if she were an elf.
A cry rang out in the silence of the room. “No.”
A sword blocked my blow, and the queen shouted, “Yugrid, no!”
A young dwarf stood before me. He had the same brown eyes as the king, but his beard and hair were red like the queen’s.
I scoffed slyly. “Ah, so that’s the prince gone far away.”
“You were supposed to go,” exclaimed the queen in dismay.
“I can’t let my parents be killed without doing something,” he roared .
Despite his small stature, the prince had impressive strength. I let the darkness of Aeris’s powers fill me, fully appreciating the coldness that flowed through me. A black force emanated from my hands, escaping, surrounding Yugrid, and immobilizing him.
“What are you doing to him?” the queen asked, fear filling her voice.
I knew then that I’d have the answers I’d sought. “Tell me where these runes come from, or I will kill the prince before your eyes,” I stated.
Of course, it was a lie. I had no intention of killing him, but she didn’t know this, and it had the desired effect.
She pleaded, “Please, no. I don’t know anything about the runes.”
Keeping Yugrid immobilized by my dark powers, I positioned myself behind him, holding the blade of my sword against his throat, barely cutting so that a thin trickle of blood flowed.
“Liar,” I shouted in anger.
“All I know is that the runes belonged to an ancient civilization. We found them in the mines. Please, don’t hurt my son.”
I could see in her eyes that she was telling the truth. It was rather disappointing that she didn’t know more. Nevertheless, I didn’t need her anymore. I sneered and pushed the prince towards my generals, who seized him. Walking slowly toward the queen, I raised my sword to eye level.
I murmured, “Oh, don’t worry. I had no intention of killing your son. But you, on the other hand . . .”
The queen shuddered as my fingers ran down her cheek. The voices in my head begged me to make her suffer.
“Don’t touch her,” yelled the prince.
“Make him shut up,” I shouted to my generals without turning around. A blow sounded as one of my generals struck the prince hard, accompanied by a faint cry from the queen, and silence returned.
Until the end, she would be strong. I knew she would be. And yet, she irritated me. I wanted her to squirm with fear, to weep and tremble before the inevitable. She held my gaze, breathing deeply, staring death in the face. I plunged my sword straight into her heart. The queen breathed a muffled scream but did not attempt to save herself. I turned the blade in her body, but still no reaction. I was seized by a sudden rage at the queen’s impassivity. I slashed my sword relentlessly through her body, destroying everything in my path. The queen’s eyes were closed as I regained control of my senses.
It was over.
I turned to my generals, who were holding the unconscious prince. They stared at me, mouths agape at the horror of the queen’s murder and the loss of composure I had shown. I ignored their shock.
“Rejoice. The dwarven kingdom is ours.”
The silence only lasted a second before a cry of joy rang through.
“Ring the bells. Let the dwarf people know they have a new sovereign. We’ll clean out the bodies, inventory the wealth, and stay a few days to ensure a smooth passage of power.”
All went to carry out my orders.
“Your Majesty,” asked my generals, “what do we do with him? ”
My eyes fell on the prince. If it weren’t for Aeris, I’d kill him. But I had no choice but to bring him back alive.
“This castle must have a dungeon somewhere. Find it and lock the prince in. Make sure you guard it well. There may be some hidden servants who could try to let him out. Don’t let that happen.”
They set off in search of the dungeon with the unconscious prince. I walked to the king’s throne and pushed his still-sitting body. He fell heavily to the ground, face down. I sat down on the throne. It was too small, as it was made for a dwarf, but it would do. I took a deep breath, enjoying my victory to the full, contemplating the castle I’d just made my own.
? Two nights passed—dreamless nights where I could rest properly. I had kept all the runes we had found in my room in large bags. At night, I could hear whispers. I was certain it was people who wanted to steal them. Their power made them attractive to thieves, so I kept the bags close to my bed, ready to attack anyone who tried to take them. These were my runes and no one else’s.
We had burned the corpses to prevent the spread of disease and rodents. I kept the heads of the king and queen and impaled them on stakes in front of the palace. My generals begged me not to, but the voices wanted me to show the people who was in charge now. It would be a good reminder every time the citizens passed by.
I made an official speech to the kingdom. The people were present despite their fears. Most of the remaining dwarves were women with children, but I knew there would be resistance.
No one cheered when I announced that the king and queen were dead and that the elves now controlled the nation. Still, I felt the tension in the air lessened when I announced that we wanted the dwarven nation to survive and grow with us and that we would continue trading.
The mines were full of gold and rare minerals. We didn’t have time to dig deep, but I intended to see if I could find any more ancient runes. I was also bringing all the runes back to our city. I would undoubtedly find a good use for them.
Finally, I was preparing to return home with my prisoner. The royal beds were big enough to accommodate me, but I’d sleep better in my own bed in my palace.
I assigned rooms to my best generals. They would serve as an acting authority and stay with half my army. That would be more than enough to crush any rebellion. Besides, I needed people to handle the city’s affairs and the trading port. I would appoint a Lord to Mumbur in due course.