move?
A loathsome, formidable roar resounded, telling all who would know that it not only rode ahead of storms, it could imitate the very thunder it used to propel itself.
“Hells depths, Fie!” bellowed a deep voice in my ear. “ Run !”
When I looked around, I had no idea who had said it—all I saw was the enormous head of the beast lunging down into the courtyard, zipping toward me with terrifying speed. Spears were launching everywhere from the window slits, and people were roaring old dwarven war cries and prayers. Yet it came. The head remained low, a pair of luminous sinful eyes beading in on me. As I finally found my legs enough to run, I grabbed a spear and used it as a fulcrum to dive, dizzy from the heat of its blasting breath, behind a stack of mead barrels
“ Agh! Thundering hell! ” I screamed.
“ Stay down!” bellowed several voices.
Then the turning head of the beast suddenly drew up into the darkening night, and a massive pair of wings fluttered like twin sails. Its entire heft rose, and the wind ripped shutters of the windows with a huge bang. Its tail was still trailing behind. It must have been over a hundred feet long.
I leapt from behind the barrels, still shaking .
A s it sailed higher and higher into the far southern sky, the tremendous activity around me ceased, and a small army of dwarves stood silently, without moving, staring up at the beast.
Every nook in the fort fell silent, then exploded again with activity.
Dwarves were rushing half-dressed towards me, shouting questions. For a moment, I still stared into the sky, shaking.
It was only then that I noticed the spear I used to launch myself. Blackish pearls of blood snaked down its curved head, so fresh that for a brief flash I thought I saw steam rising from it.
In the next instant , I was surrounded by shaggy, ragged-looking rabble. There were Cutters from mountains, Cutters with long white hair, Cutters with beards like waterfalls of hair, Cutters half-dressed or dressed in ancient armor, or some gorgeous longshirt like lords of Delmark—in all, there wasn’t one manner of dwarf known that didn’t surround me at that instant.
“ By thunder, mister man-friend! I’ve never seen a soul stand his ground against such a menace!”
“ I saw him nearly take the beast’s head!”
“ Powers above!”
“ Bravery as from the tales of old!”
“ Frozen hell, human! I’ve seen ballocks like before, but they hung from ’neath a bull!”
“ What a heart! What a heart!”
I had no idea how to stop the torrent of false compliments, and I justified the silence on my lips by telling myself that even the stoutest of hearts need something to celebrate every now and again.
“What is your name, human?”
“ Fie,” I told the onlookers.
“ How old are you?”
Uncle Jickie and the rest of my warparty were gathered nearby now.
“I was in the middle of my twenties thirty when I got here. But by damn I just got scared straight to seventy!”
Every one of looked at each other, silent as snow in the cedars.
Someone sniffed.
Then a raucous wildfire of laughter erupted, spreading among the spectators so rapidly that even my Uncle Jickie put his hands on his knees and nearly fell over chuckling.
----
Spectators were lining each side of the path of the banquet that was to be held in my honor. There was a sad side to the clamorous welcomes and handshakes and surprised recognitions, of course. Had not these dwarves seen me shaking, full of heart-freezing fear?
Now, with hard-working dwarves offering up belongings to help in our quest and, worse, their stores of food for this banquet, I had a harder time dealing with my lies by omission. Now and then, strong dwarves would fall in my arms, and we would embrace like maids, and they would tell me with covered emotion of someone they had lost to the fearsome dragon.
All night, the confusion of false compliments
A loathsome, formidable roar resounded, telling all who would know that it not only rode ahead of storms, it could imitate the very thunder it used to propel itself.
“Hells depths, Fie!” bellowed a deep voice in my ear. “ Run !”
When I looked around, I had no idea who had said it—all I saw was the enormous head of the beast lunging down into the courtyard, zipping toward me with terrifying speed. Spears were launching everywhere from the window slits, and people were roaring old dwarven war cries and prayers. Yet it came. The head remained low, a pair of luminous sinful eyes beading in on me. As I finally found my legs enough to run, I grabbed a spear and used it as a fulcrum to dive, dizzy from the heat of its blasting breath, behind a stack of mead barrels
“ Agh! Thundering hell! ” I screamed.
“ Stay down!” bellowed several voices.
Then the turning head of the beast suddenly drew up into the darkening night, and a massive pair of wings fluttered like twin sails. Its entire heft rose, and the wind ripped shutters of the windows with a huge bang. Its tail was still trailing behind. It must have been over a hundred feet long.
I leapt from behind the barrels, still shaking .
A s it sailed higher and higher into the far southern sky, the tremendous activity around me ceased, and a small army of dwarves stood silently, without moving, staring up at the beast.
Every nook in the fort fell silent, then exploded again with activity.
Dwarves were rushing half-dressed towards me, shouting questions. For a moment, I still stared into the sky, shaking.
It was only then that I noticed the spear I used to launch myself. Blackish pearls of blood snaked down its curved head, so fresh that for a brief flash I thought I saw steam rising from it.
In the next instant , I was surrounded by shaggy, ragged-looking rabble. There were Cutters from mountains, Cutters with long white hair, Cutters with beards like waterfalls of hair, Cutters half-dressed or dressed in ancient armor, or some gorgeous longshirt like lords of Delmark—in all, there wasn’t one manner of dwarf known that didn’t surround me at that instant.
“ By thunder, mister man-friend! I’ve never seen a soul stand his ground against such a menace!”
“ I saw him nearly take the beast’s head!”
“ Powers above!”
“ Bravery as from the tales of old!”
“ Frozen hell, human! I’ve seen ballocks like before, but they hung from ’neath a bull!”
“ What a heart! What a heart!”
I had no idea how to stop the torrent of false compliments, and I justified the silence on my lips by telling myself that even the stoutest of hearts need something to celebrate every now and again.
“What is your name, human?”
“ Fie,” I told the onlookers.
“ How old are you?”
Uncle Jickie and the rest of my warparty were gathered nearby now.
“I was in the middle of my twenties thirty when I got here. But by damn I just got scared straight to seventy!”
Every one of looked at each other, silent as snow in the cedars.
Someone sniffed.
Then a raucous wildfire of laughter erupted, spreading among the spectators so rapidly that even my Uncle Jickie put his hands on his knees and nearly fell over chuckling.
----
Spectators were lining each side of the path of the banquet that was to be held in my honor. There was a sad side to the clamorous welcomes and handshakes and surprised recognitions, of course. Had not these dwarves seen me shaking, full of heart-freezing fear?
Now, with hard-working dwarves offering up belongings to help in our quest and, worse, their stores of food for this banquet, I had a harder time dealing with my lies by omission. Now and then, strong dwarves would fall in my arms, and we would embrace like maids, and they would tell me with covered emotion of someone they had lost to the fearsome dragon.
All night, the confusion of false compliments
Similar Books
