The Fate of the Dwarves - By Markus Heitz Page 0,170

toward the dwarf, transforming itself in mid-flight.

It broadened out and developed spikes like fingers. It was clear to Kiras that nothing would survive contact with this phenomenon.

The dwarf stopped, twirled his weapons and abruptly laid the hammers crosswise together.

A loud bang ensued and a second column appeared—but this one was as high as one of the catapults. It surged off, spreading in the same way as the first, developing spikes the length of spears. The two shapes sped toward each other between the two armies. Bandaál’s collapsed with a crash and the other dwarf’s deadly wall of light continued on its path.

Boëndalin had turned round now and had seen what was happening. He screamed out commands, ordering an immediate retreat. The discipline among his troops was incredible and no one broke ranks or shouted, but they all raced faster than they had ever run before to leave the battlefield.

“By Vraccas!” Sanda cast a green lightning flash against the encroaching wall but it melted away harmlessly on contact.

“It’ll have us any second!” Kiras looked at Boëndalin, who was gesturing to them. It was impossible to avoid the magic pillar—it was moving too fast.

Sanda took hold of her remaining eight diamond splinters and told her brother to do the same. “Quick, a sphere,” she panted, grabbing his hand. Both of them knelt down.

“Get down,” Bandaál told the undergroundling, “or you’ll lose your head.”

Kiras threw herself onto the ground behind the siblings. The pillar hummed close. A milky hemisphere had enclosed them and, at the next moment, the pillar of light crashed into it.

One by one its spikes broke off and lightning bolts flashed hither and thither, but the three of them were unharmed. Kiras had a sense that every piece of metal near her, even the smallest rivet on her armor, was growing hot, and she felt her whole body being pinched and jabbed.

Then the attack was over.

“We’ve destroyed it,” gasped Sanda in relief. The sphere collapsed and she felt the wind that the wall of light had stirred up gust past her. Dust whirled up, getting between their teeth.

The undergroundling turned her head. “No!” she groaned. Before the wave of dirt hid the scene from view she saw the wall of light heading directly for Boëndalin and his troops. Then the dust cloud became too dense for her to see anything more.

Bandaál and Sanda pulled Kiras to her feet and, holding each other’s hands so that they would not get lost in the gray veil of dust, they stumbled on toward the safety of the southern gate.

All of a sudden the wind changed and they could see looming up through the dirt, less than ten paces ahead, the form of the unknown dwarf. He was holding his hammers right and left of him, arms spread out, the heads pointing down.

Sanda screamed when she saw him, clapping her hand to her mouth. Bandaál took a deep breath.

Kiras, on the other hand, looked past him to where Boëndalin’s unit had been standing.

The men and women had been caught mid-flight by the magic. Their bodies lay scattered on the ground, and Kiras scanned the carpet of limbs and torsos in vain for any signs of movement. She was suffused with guilt. If she had never pointed out the masts to Boëndalin, they would all have been safely back in the Evildam fortress by now.

The dwarf’s head was held low. A black lock of hair fell over his brow and blew about in the light breeze. Without a word from him, black flames emerged from the hammerheads and he slowly raised his arms.

Kiras stepped in front of the siblings and gripped her sword-ax. “Try to get to the gate,” she told them. She was more afraid than she had ever been, but was not going to leave Bandaál and Sanda here alone. “Go on!” the undergroundling urged. “You are more useful than I am.”

Brother and sister raced off and the dwarf let them pass. His brown eyes held Kiras in their gaze. His face was expressionless, or was that an attempt at a smile on his cheeks?

Kiras forced saliva down her dry throat. It ran slow as treacle down her gullet. “You’ll have to attack if you want me dead!” she called to the dwarf, pointing her weapon at him. “You will be…”

She spoke no more.

The dwarf moved too swiftly for her to be able to follow. He was suddenly right in front of her and struck her in the chest with his burning hammer.