The entire body of elves and dwarves turned in utter shock. For a few seconds, all that happened was a few large chunks of rock falling from above the tunnel and rolling down the broad avenue leading up to the entrance. Then the beam brightened. Harsher and harsher it became until all who gazed upon it were forced to shield their eyes. Even from where Hronso was standing it appeared brighter than a hundred suns.
By now, the intense heat radiating from the dwarf weapon had driven the two Rakasa several paces back from their station. The grass beneath it was already turning brown, with tiny spirals of smoke starting to rise. But this was nothing compared with what was happening to the mountain. A twenty-foot radius around the point of contact was now dripping a steady stream of molten rock. Hronso smiled. The thought of the dwarf city being brought to its knees was pleasing – old hatreds left over from when he was still able to call himself an elf.
Reaching into a leather pouch on his belt, the general fished out an egg-sized, black stone that had been filled with the power of his master. Placing the stone carefully atop the weapon, he stepped back a few paces. For several seconds nothing happened. Then the stone began to change from black to a blood red color. It was ready. Steeling his nerves, Hronso leapt forward. In a single swift motion, he brought his fist down hard, smashing the stone into tiny shards that embedded themselves deep into the structure of the weapon. Almost at once, the green light emitting from it turned into a deadly stream of black fire.
Hronso felt the searing burn of his master’s power tear through him, threatening to rip his spirit apart. He sank to one knee, clinging to consciousness, but managed to lift his head just in time to see the entire face of the mountain blown apart in an almighty explosion. The shock waves racing back from this hit him an instant later, tearing the breath from his lungs and throwing him flat on his back.
The weapon was now silent – completely spent of its power. Hronso struggled to his feet on unsteady legs. In the distance lay utter devastation. Most of the dwarves and elves were still scattered like dead leaves. Those few who had already managed to rise were staring in total confusion and disbelief at what was left of the mountain. The entire face of it had been blown away. The rock above where the weapon had been focused was collapsing down and filling in the enormous void created by the explosion.
“Send them in.” Hronso said in a whisper only audible to the two Rakasa, who at that moment were also just managing to regain their footing. “Kill them all.”
“He’s alive.”
“Thank the spirits.”
The voices seemed distant and muffled at first. The last thing King Ganix remembered was stepping outside the kind-hearted elf weaver’s door. Something had then struck him on the back of the head. He could feel his clothes clinging uncomfortably to his back and shoulders – sticky with drying blood. There was also something pressing down on what he assumed was an open wound just above his left ear.
Though his eyesight was still blurry, his hearing was rapidly improving. The sound of frequent screams, along with the deep rumble of shifting earth and crashing rocks, told of something terrible.
“Carry him to the manor.”
“No,” he croaked. “Tell me what has happened.” He tried to move, but a pair of hands held him firmly in place.
“We’re under attack, Your Highness. The Emperor has brought down the mountain.”
Now his vision began to clear. Kneeling beside him was a dwarf girl who had been tending his wounds. Standing a few feet further back beside three dwarf guards was the elf woman whose house he had been inside. In her hands was the blanket she had given him.
He reached back to touch where he had been hit, but the dwarf girl grabbed his hand.
“A piece of the elf’s roof came loose and struck you,” she explained. “I need to finish bandaging it.”
But Ganix did not care about this in the slightest. He sat up. “You say the Emperor has brought down the mountain?” This unbelievable news was enough to push aside any pain and overcome the girl’s insistence. “How?”
“We don’t know,” said one of the guards. “But we must get you away from here quickly.”
The dwarf girl finished wrapping a bandage around his head. “The bleeding is nearly stopped,” she said. “Though you still need to get this tended properly.”
Ganix struggled to his feet with the aid of the two guards. “There'll be time for that later. Show me what...”
His voice fell abruptly silent as he caught a small glimpse in the distance of open sky where there had once been naught but solid rock, directly above where the road had led to the mountain exit. Closer to home, right where the city gates were, rock was still pouring down, relentlessly increasing the height of a solid wall of rubble that was already close to sealing off completely the vast cavern encasing the city.
“That’s impossible,” he whispered. “Nothing could do that.”
“All the buildings near the city gates are destroyed,” the guard told him. “Whatever they used to do this must have taken down the entire mountainside.”
“What of those outside?”
“There’s no way to know. As far as I can tell, we’re sealed in.”
Ganix could not imagine that even Shinzan had such power. He started toward the main city gates. The pain in his head was throbbing rhythmically in time with his heartbeat, and for a moment he became dizzy. He stumbled a few paces.
“Please, Your Highness,” said one of the guards who were keeping pace with him. He caught the king by the elbow, urging him to slow. “There is nothing to be done, and it is too dangerous in that sector.”
Heedless of the warning, Ganix pulled himself free and continued on. The closer he came to the gates, the more damaged the buildings became. At first it was nothing more than cracked walls and some broken windows, but soon the true extent of the devastation became evident. Entire structures had been shaken from their very foundations and pounded to rubble by falling rocks. People were running wildly through the streets calling out desperately for their loved ones who had been living in the ravaged area.
A sigh of relief slipped out as he reached the gates and saw that they were still intact. Though the collapse had completely blocked off the road, they had been strong enough so far to withstand the tremendous weight that was now piled high against them. Even so, how much longer they could resist was another matter entirely.
“We need to find out what happened,” Ganix said. “Send men to the other minor tunnels. See if they are passable.”
One of the two guards bowed sharply and hurried away. Only then did Ganix notice that the elf woman had been following them. She was still holding the blanket tightly to her breast.
“You should return to your home,” he told her, moving closer. “There is nothing you can do here.”
The woman remained still and silent, as if she had not heard him. The king touched her hand gently. “There is nothing more to fear,” he assured her. “Unless they can burrow through solid stone, the enemy is not coming.”
“But what about those outside of the mountain?” she said, choking back sobs. “Whatever did this…they faced its full force.”
“Yes. But there is nothing to be done about it for now. I must look to the safety of the people here. Now please. Go home.”
After hesitating for a few seconds, and without saying another word, she pressed the blanket into his hands and set off back with a heavy tread. Ganix knew that all elves could feel the pain of their kin. And there was a large number of elves with the force that had been left behind to defend the mountain He shuddered to think off the torment she must now be suffering.
A large chunk of rock smashed into the walkway just a few yards from where he was standing, wiping away this thought.
“Come, Your Highness,” urged the remaining guard. “It’s not safe for you here.”
He nodded. “Yes, just one moment more.”
As Ganix cast his eyes around for a final look at the devastation, a deep howling sound called out. He knew instantly what it was. A troll. The lone call was quickly answered by another. Then several more cried out at once. Within a few seconds dozens had joined in, creating a disharmony of frenzied communication. He had heard the trolls howling through the tunnels many times, particularly of late, and had often wondered what their calls meant. But this was a sound that needed no translation. This was pain. Immeasurable pain. Shinzan had struck at the very core of their being and they were in agony.
Another piece of the cavern ceiling slammed to the ground - this one even closer than the first. The guard reacted immediately by physically pressing his king away from the gate. Ganix relented, but the cries of the trolls remained constant and had still not faded by the time they made it to the undamaged part of the city. Here, the sounds of the creature's distress was having a chilling effect on the already frightened people. Many of them huddled against buildings, covering their ears and weeping. Others were simply screaming for the trolls to stop.
He made a point of pausing by Lady Thora’s house, and was grateful to see that it was undamaged. Even so, there was no one at home, so he guessed that she had likely taken Asta and Maile to his manor for safekeeping.
Upon reaching the manor, he was not surprised to see hundreds of agitated people gathered along the avenue just beyond the colonnade. As he passed by, dozens of voices called out demanding an explanation for what was happening. With no answer to give just yet, he pressed silently on. Several more guards hurried to his side to escort him safely through the crowd.
Once inside, he made directly for the council chamber, where as anticipated, Lady Thora and the other council members not with the main army were already gathered. The moment they saw him, their voices burst into an unintelligible cacophony of pleas and questions. Ganix simply pushed his way through and took a seat at the table. Thora sat on his right hand side. They then waited for the others to find their seats and quiet down.
Ganix leaned over and whispered: “Are the children all right?”
She was visibly shaken, but nodded. “They are terrified, but unhurt. I’ve put them in one of your guest rooms until we figure out what has happened.”
“You should all remain here until things have been properly assessed.”
She shook her head. “I might be shaken, but my home is intact.” She reached out and touched his bandage. “However, I will see to your wound before I return.”
There was no time for Ganix to object. The chamber was now filled to bursting, and demands for answers were coming at him from all sides.
“Please. Calm down,” he appealed. “I don’t know what has happened other than we have been attacked. I’m sending men to the lesser passages to try and find answers. Until then we must tend to the matters at hand.”
He did his best to reassure the room that the danger had passed. But the truth was, until he knew more, he wasn’t even sure of this himself. The few dwarves and elves left within the city able to bear arms would stand no chance at all should Imperial soldiers somehow find a way through. As for the people outside…there was simply nothing he could do but hope. And if whatever devastated the mountain had been used on them as well, there was precious little of that to cling to.
* * * * *
Hronso had seen the might of his master unleashed before. He had been with him in the Dragon Wastes when he'd laid ruin to an entire continent. But even that had not prepared him for what he was now witnessing. Aided by Shinzan's power, the dwarf weapon had completely destroyed the entire side of the mountain, collapsing millions of tons of stone down to its base.
Every single elf or dwarf who was near to the initial blast had been ripped apart by the sheer force of the shock wave. Many of the others slightly further down the mountain road had also been killed or badly injured. Only a few thousand who had already formed ranks well ahead of the others had been a great enough distance away to escape the blast’s effects. Easy prey.
His men were ready to engage these survivors. Ten thousand swords of the deadliest nature – their spirits altered and their minds broken. They lived only to serve Shinzan.
“General Hronso,” called Captain Lukus. He was winding his way through the brush with a broad smile on his face. “You sent for me?”
“Yes. I want you to carry word to the Emperor that all is well. Elyfoss is crippled and we will soon move north to Kytain.”
“You want
me
to do this?
I
shall meet the Emperor?” He didn’t bother trying to hide his excitement. “Thank you, General.”
Hronso sniffed. “You are a fool. You know that?”
The captain lowered his eyes. “Forgive me. I only meant that I have never met our sovereign. I have served since I came of age, yet never once laid eyes on him.”
Yes, Hronso considered. I suppose for a man like Lukus, Shinzan was not a name that brought fear to his heart in the same way it did for most others. He was not ambitious like the nobles. His rise in status was on pure merit. It wasn’t until the he had happened to be put under his own command that he'd attained anything higher than the rank of lieutenant. An officer of such ruthless competence was a threat to those of high birth, so they had used his abilities to cast themselves in a favorable light while keeping him in the shadows.
“When you do meet the Emperor, I suggest that you take special care,” Hronso told him. “He can be a man of…unpredictable temperament. Deliver the message, speak only when asked a direct question, and take your leave at the earliest opportunity. Do
not
linger. It would be inconvenient to me should you be killed.”
Before Lukus could give any response to his advice, he pointed ahead. The
silent ones
were just about to clash with the elves and dwarves. The two of them paused for a moment to watch the combat unfold.
The defenders were still in disarray, making it fairly easy for the enemy blades to hack through their lines repeatedly. And though some had managed to recover sufficiently to put up a spirited defense, the sheer numbers and ferocity of the
silent ones
quickly overwhelmed them.
Further back near the devastated mountain, those few who had survived the blast were rushing in to join their comrades. It was though, unsurprisingly given the chaos and confusion, an undisciplined assault without any clear shape or objective. Dwarves were brandishing their rods, but it was almost impossible for them to fire without risking hitting their own people in the melee, so very few streaks of flames or bursts of energy were actually released.
In less than twenty minutes, all resistance had been beaten down. The tiny number of defenders still alive were in full retreat. It was a total victory for the Empire.
“Shall we pursue them?” asked Lukus.
Hronso shook his head. “There is no need. We have accomplished what we set out to do. By the time those trapped inside are able to recover from this, it will be far too late.”
“Far too late for what? What does the Emperor plan?”
“Those are precisely the kind of questions that can get you killed, Captain.” Hronso's voice was quiet, yet filled with authority. “Now go. There is nothing more for you to do here.”
Suitably chastened, Lukus gave a sharp salute and then hurried away. Hronso briefly considered sending another of his subordinates to deliver the message in his stead. He would actually regret having sent Lukus to his death. On the other hand, he could think of no one more reliable. And seeing as how everything was unfolding according to Shinzan’s design, so long as Lukus kept his mouth shut, he would probably survive.
He was just about to descend the low rise and order his commanders to pull back when he noticed a trace of unusual movement against the ruined mountainside. Only his exceptional Rakasa eyesight enabled him to spot the small opening that was forming. Just beyond where the molten rock still flowed he could see a split roughly three feet high and two feet wide. This alone would not have been unusual considering what the weapon had just done, but even now as he watched, the opening was continuing to grow at a steady pace.