Song of the Ascendant

22. The Ascendant

First of Frostmaire

There was almost absolute silence in the tunnel. The shades made no noise as they operated their tunneler, growing ever closer to their goal. Twenty dwarves marched behind them, none speaking a word. Walking in the lead, Desuri silently cursed his foolishness at agreeing to lead this mission. He was an advisor, not a warrior, though he had fought in combat just like most dwarves. The mountain depths were home to all sorts of beasts, and it was rare to find a dwarf who didn't not know the art of killing. Still, Desuri had no love for it. Damn you, Nizali. He couldn't say no to the prince, even knowing that he was preparing a bid for the throne once this campaign was complete. Nizali would take the Source for himself, Desuri knew. He had to succeed if Zimari were to stay in power. Even in war, politics reigns.

The tunneler went silent, and Desuri signalled for his men to stop. He looked up at the tunnel roof, knowing that he wouldn't see anything, yet still giving in to the instinct to look towards his goal. He could feel the buzz in the air, knew that they were close. One quick strike and they could end this war with no glory to Nizali. The king would stay on his throne, and Desuri would enjoy a prestige beyond his wildest dreams.

He pushed the thought from his mind as the shades gathered together and began to hum. Even though he had been fully briefed on what would happen, he felt a sense of unease as the air began to shimmer around the spirits. He heard the other dwarves draw closer, even though they'd been assured that their positions didn't matter. Falkar himself had given the orders, but Desuri had to fight his fear as a bright light surrounded the shades, then burst forth over the whole tunnel. He felt a rushing sensation, and his ears popped as the pressure began to shift.

***

It was dawn on the surface. Belkai and Davos were asleep on bedrolls in the ruined watchtower, the only movement coming from the pair of elves patrolling the clearing. Even the two archers on the roof of the watchtower stood motionless as they searched for dangers. The night was still, with barely the flutter of a distant Blackwing to bother the watching elves. Belkai was the first to notice the coming danger, her eyes slowly opening as she felt a subtle presence drawing closer. There was no time to react. The earth shook as thunder roared, and a moment later an elf flew through the doorway, his body shredded by the blast. Davos was on his feet in an instant, his sword by his side. A horn blew to sound the alert, and already Belkai heard the clash of steel.

The dwarves emerged from the hole with weapons at the ready. The two elven archers reacted instantly, but their hasty shots bounced off the invaders' bronze armour. Two dwarves fired their mechanical bows, and the archers went silent. By the time Belkai and Davos made it outside the watchtower the small defence force was dead, the dwarves moving into the latrine building. The pair ran towards the rear guard, Belkai raising her longsword even as her senses reached out and wrapped around the two dwarves standing before them. She didn't hesitate. She threw the sword with all her might, and it buried itself in the first dwarf's face, sending his body crashing into the wall behind him. For a second he blinked, wide eyes focused on the blade as his life faded away. The second dwarf simply collapsed as Belkai snapped his neck. His body hit the ground a second before Belkai reached him.

Davos paused over the impaled dwarf.

"That was a little excessive," he said, nudging the body. It didn't move. He glanced over at Belkai as she retrieved the dagger from her belt and held it in a reverse grip.

"I was in a rush," she replied. He recognised the look in her eye, the same anger that she had shown when she'd killed the vampires that had been his captors in the desert. You dwarves have no idea what you've unleashed. He tightened his grip on his sword and followed Belkai as she stepped inside. There were four dwarves still on their level, and they turned as they sensed their approach.