KINGDOM OF THE STONE -- a Wattpad featured novel

Chapter Thirty Three

The men of Har-Tor did not wait until winter.  As soon as they could gather their men and weapons, twenty hands of men slipped into the northern valley with their dwerkan allies and went hunting angorym.

On the way to Korion-Calcaion, which they knew the angorym had occupied at one time, they passed through Korion-Garanth.  Karux, Macander and Arnion walked through the common area and stared at the once-familiar houses, now smashed and burned.  Karux poked through the ruins fearing to find the bones of his relatives, but when they found no trace of any of the villagers, he was no more comforted.  Karux fingered the stone hanging from his neck, dying to know what had happened and if anyone else had somehow escaped. He was tempted to use his arts to find out.  Only the thought of having to watch helplessly as his family and neighbors died all over again stopped him.  As he stared into the ruins, Jomel walked up next to him and put a consoling hand on his shoulder.

"We need to press on north.  We'll have to find a safe place to hide before night falls."

They approached the outskirts of Korion-Calcaion just before dusk.  Hiding in the bushes they noted the number of drwg chained outside the village and their locations.

"They have to chain the drwg to keep them from eating the dwerka," Trakus, one of the dwerkan warriors said bitterly.

Karux wondered if he might be related to Brakus, perhaps even his son, but he had no way to judge the ages of a people with no hair or beards and had never found a good time to ask him.

"How many angorym do you see?" Jomel asked.

"I've only seen two so far.  One watering the drwg and one yelling at the dwerka," Macander answered.

"There does seem to be a lot of dwerka here," Arnion observed.

"They're digging a keuthmone, to live in no doubt."  Trakus pointed to a hole dug into the hills behind the village where a line of dwerka streamed in and out with baskets of dirt and broken stone.  "I wouldn't be surprised if more angorym were inside."

 Jomel squinted up at the lowering sun.  "We better find a place to hide.  I hear the angorym like to let their drwg loose to hunt their own food at night."

"Yes," Trakus agreed.

The slipped back south and west and found a ravine in the foothills in which to camp.  They had to do without a fire, but when compared to last winter's freeze, Karux didn't mind so much.

"It would be nice to attack when the drwg are chained up." Arnion suggested.

"Except they always seem to have an angoran watching over them," Jomel observed.  "At the first sign of trouble, I'm sure it will loose the beasts on us."

"If they turn them loose at night, when do they chain them up again?" Karux asked.

"They'll work the dwerka in the keuthmone and at the forge throughout the night," Trakus said.  "The dwerka will be allowed a few hours to take care of their own needs just before dawn.  So they'll have to chain up the drwg sometime before then."

"That might be the best time to attack then," Karux said.  "Everyone will be sleepy at the end of the night.  If we can catch them just as everyone is going to bed before they change the guards, we might be able to defeat them before they can put up much of a fight."

"We should split the group," Macander said.  "One group should attack the drwg while another group waits on the hill near the keuthmone.  When the angorym hear the sounds of the drwg and rush out of the keuthmone to deal with it, then those of us on the hill can jump them."

Jomel smiled.  "I see which group you want to be in.  Very well, since this is your plan, you can be in charge of the group on the hill.  Trakus, you should go with him, perhaps you can rally the dwerka to help us."