Chapter 4

 

 

King Brodon was awakened from a worried sleep by two goblins demanding that he come to the throne room. He barely had time to dress before he was bustled roughly through the citadel. Inside his throne room he found several goblins with chisels and hammers trying to pry the throne away from the wall. He knew instantly that Rena must have used it as only the two of them knew of its existence.

 

Craw was there and he whirled around to face him, his face livid with anger.

 

‘I warned you about anyone trying to escape, Brodon!’ he snarled. ‘I’ll have your sister’s head for this! Or maybe your own!’

 

‘I don’t know what you’re talking about, Craw,’ Brodon replied, tyring to keep his voice calm. ‘Whatever she has done has been on her own. I wouldn’t risk my folk’s safety by being involved.’

 

Craw growled in frustration, then stabbed at the throne with his sword.

 

‘Then open it again!’ he snapped.

 

Brodon stepped up to the throne and gripped the battle-axe Rena had used. He tugged at it, but it didn’t move. He gave a small sigh of relief before turning back to Craw.

 

‘It’s been locked on the other side,’ he said.

 

Craw’s glared angrily at him for a few moments.

 

‘Is there another hidden passage I can use to follow them?’ he snapped.

 

‘No,’ Brodon replied, wondering who the others were. ‘This passage leads straight outside.’

 

‘I’m warning you, Brodon,’ Craw snarled. ‘You had better not be lying…’

 

‘I am not lying to you, Craw.’

 

Craw gave a roar of frustration and suddenly threw a hammer against the throne where it chipped off a piece of marble.

 

‘Then where does it come out?’ he snarled.

 

* * *

 

The escaping trio were plunged into darkness when the throne shot closed. But Rena quickly lit a lantern taken from her pack and light bloomed in the small chamber. It revealed several open boxes on the floor with weapons inside them. In one wall was an archway of a passage leading away.

 

‘Help yourself to weapons,’ Rena said. ‘We don’t have any bows and arrows though, Nyssa.’

 

‘A dagger will do me,’ Nyssa replied as she picked one out of a box and strapped it to her belt.

 

‘I never knew this place existed!’ Lore said in wonder as he chose an axe and a dagger. ‘I thought I knew all the hidden passages in the citadel.’

 

‘You would have known when you became king, Lore,’ Rena replied. ‘Only the citadel’s guard commander and the king ever know of it. It’s here to be used in the most dire of emergencies.’

 

‘Where does the passage lead to?’ Nyssa asked.

 

‘It comes out some miles to the west of the citadel in the hills above Wolf Woods.’

 

‘Father will have to tell Craw where it comes out,’ Lore said.

 

‘I know, but he will have to come down the citadel road and west along a winding trail through the woods to reach here. We should have some hours ahead of them.’

 

‘I hope he doesn’t harm anyone for what we’ve done,’ Nyssa added worriedly.

 

‘Don’t worry about that, Nyssa,’ Rena reassured. ‘Craw may have control of the citadel, but he answers to Mogrom. She wants subjects to rule, not bury.’

 

They headed out of the chamber and down the passage. Rena led with the lantern, then Nyssa and Lore at the rear now carrying Eldor’s staff. Deep shadows scattered ahead of the light and snatched as Lore’s heals.

 

They followed the passage for several hours as it twisted and turned through rock and stone. Several times they came upon steep stairs, dropping away into the gloom. A few were so steep that they had to walk with a hand on a wall to steady themselves.

 

Then they came to one long straight section and at its end they suddenly emerged into a huge cavern. It swallowed up the light they carried, its high ceiling and surrounding walls lost in darkness.

 

They headed deeper into the cavern and half an hour slipped by before they saw a wall appear ahead. An entrance to a further passage was there, but as they approached they were startled by sharp squeals from the darkness above.

 

‘Goblins breath!’ Rena cussed. ‘Shadow bats!’

 

More squeals filled the cavern and in the dim light they saw some bats wheeling in the air above.

 

‘They don’t like our light,’ Lore said.

 

‘Let’s hope they stay away,’ Rena said. ‘Their bite can make you very sick.’

 

They entered the passage and hurried on. They marched for another hour or two and then rounding a bend, came to a dead-end.

 

‘This is it,’ Rena said. ‘We just need to open a doorway here and we’ll be outside.’

 

They began to feel about the walls, searching for some kind of trigger to open it. But several minutes went by without any success.

 

‘It must be here somewhere!’ Rena growled in frustration.

 

Then Nyssa shushed them as her sharp ears picked up a sound in the passage behind them. They all pricked their ears and heard a growing squealing.

 

‘The bats are coming down the passage!’ Lore said in alarm. ‘We’ve got to get out before they get here!’

 

They continued to search madly for a door release, but there just didn’t seem to be one.

 

‘Goblins breath! Where is it!’ Rena snapped and gave the wall a hard kick.

 

At that the whole wall suddenly slid forward an inch or two.

 

‘What a fool I am!’ she exclaimed. ‘I remember now… it’s a single block of stone. We only have to push it open!’

 

Together they heaved against the wall and it lid forward with a grinding of stone. Daylight flooded into the tunnel as gaps opened up on either side. But then the bats arrived, hundreds of squealing, furry bodies that filled the small space quickly. The trio gave the wall a final push and then threw themselves outside.

 

There was a wide ledge beyond the doorway covered in deep snow. They sprawled into it and then heard the bats come squealing out of the passage after them. They rolled over and watched them flying up a high cliff like thick smoke before vanishing from sight.

 

‘Phew! That was close,’ Rena said as she got to her feet and brushed snow from her clothes. ‘Anyone get bitten.’

 

‘No… I’m fine,’ Nyssa replied.

 

‘Me too!’ Lore said as he looked about the spot they had arrived at. ‘Hey, the blizzard’s gone.’

 

He was quite right. The storm that had been raging about the citadel for several days had gone. But it had dumped snow everywhere and heavy dark clouds hung about the mountains, threatening a return at any time.

 

The ledge they were on stood half way up a deep ravine and at its far end they could see it emerge into rolling wooded hills.

 

‘Well this is a piece of good luck,’ Rena said. ‘I wasn’t looking forward battling through it. Come on, let’s shut the entrance again and get moving.’ 

 

They put their shoulders against the block of stone and it slid easily closed again into the wall. When they stepped back they couldn’t tell where it was, its surface weathered and worn like the surrounding stone.

 

They turned to head down a narrow trail leading down into the ravine, but were halted by the sudden hooting of an owl. Looking up they spotted a snowy white one gliding down out of the air.

 

‘It’s Moonwing!’ Lore said in delight. ‘He’s found us!’

 

Eldor’s owl friend landed on a large stone nearby and eyed them sharply with its brown eyes. They went up to it and gave it some friendly stroke.

 

‘Well, it’s up to you old friend,’ Rena said. ‘You’ll have to come with us and show us the way over the Bleak Mountains.’

 

Moonwing hooted again as if he understood and then launched himself back into the air. He flew down into the ravine, heading for its exit and the woods beyond. The trio followed down the trail.

 

* * *

 

It was late morning before they reached the far end of the ravine. The snow had been deep on the ravine floor and had slowed them a bit. But the cover was less under the trees and they were able to quicken their pace. They shortly came across a narrow trail winding through the trees and crouched by a tree beside it.

 

‘Craw will have to come along here from the citadel,’ Rena said. ‘At the top of the next hill is a woodcutter’s shed. Another trail begins there, heading further south.’

 

‘Nyssa and I know it,’ Lore said. ‘We’ve walked it a few times.’

 

‘We still have a problem though,’ Rena said in caution. ‘The goblins are very good trackers and are quicker on their feet than Lore and I. They’ll find our trail eventually and come after us. We have to think of some way of getting further ahead of them.’

 

‘What about canoeing down Moonlight River?’ Nyssa suggested. ‘It flows south as far as the Barren Hills and I know where some canoes are kept by its banks in my forest.’

 

‘That’s an excellent idea, Nyssa!’ Rena said. ‘We could put miles between us and any goblins.’

 

With that decided they crossed the trail. Rena came last carrying a tree branch and as she walked backwards she swept their footprints away. That way Craw wouldn’t know where they had crossed the trail and which way south they had gone.

 

Then they were away up the hill, climbing as quickly as they could. They reached its crest and walking a short way along it, soon spotted a small wooden shed through the trees.

 

They reached it and were rounding a corner when they suddenly blundered straight into two goblins. Everyone was so shocked at coming upon each other that they all stood there for several moments in stunned surprise. Then Rena whipped out her axe, followed by Lore and Nyssa’s dagger.

 

‘Don’t move!’ Rena said in an icy voice and the goblins held up their hands. ‘Are there anymore of you about? Answer!’

 

The goblins shook their heads quickly.

 

‘They must have slept the night in the shed,’ Lore said as he removed their weapons and threw them into the trees.

 

‘What shall we do with them?’ Nyssa asked.

 

‘There should be some rope in the shed,’ Rena replied. ‘We can tie them up and leave them inside.’

 

They marched the sullen goblins into the shed and quickly bound them with rope they found inside. They gagged them as well with some rags so they wouldn’t be able to cry out for help. Then heading out of the shed, Rena closed the door firmly.

 

‘Now we’ll really have to hurry,’ she said. ‘They’ll be found before the day is out and Craw will know which way we’ve gone.’

 

They were quickly away, heading along the trail and vanishing into the trees.

 

* * *

 

It was starting to snow again when Craw and a troop of goblins found the ones tied up in the shed. One of them had managed to loosen the gag on its mouth and alerted them with its shouts. It had saved them the walk up to the where the tunnel came out and Craw knew which way Rena had gone. He figured they were only several hours ahead of them.

 

He eyed the pair that had been tied up and pointed his sword at one.

 

‘Pick half a dozen others and go after them, Kreel,’ he said.

 

‘Yes, captain!’ Kreel replied smartly.

 

‘And I want them caught!’ Craw growled. ‘No matter how far you have to run, walk or crawl. Understand?’

 

Kreel nodded and stabbed his recovered sword in the direction the trio had gone.

 

‘We’ll get them!’ he snarled, keen to get revenge for being tied up.

 

* * *

 

At that same time King Brodon and Queen Merrill were together in their room. They were looking out a window at the darkly clouded day beyond, each thinking dire thoughts for their children and Rena. Craw had only mentioned in passing that there had been a young dwarf and elf with Rena, but Brodon had soon discovered who it was.

 

‘I don’t know what Rena could be up, but what could have possessed her to take the children with her?’ he said a little angrily.

 

‘She must have a reason…’ Merrill began, but trailed off with a worried shake of her head.

 

Brodon was silent for a few minutes, then his eyes suddenly widened as he thought of something.

 

‘Good dwarves!’ he exclaimed. ‘Eldor’s staff!’

 

‘What do mean?’ Merrill asked.

 

‘Craw didn’t have it with him in the throne room,’ he replied. ‘It had been with him since he arrived, but this morning it was gone. I think Rena and the children have managed to steal it from him. No wonder he’s so worried!’

 

‘What do you think it could mean, dear?’

 

Brodon grinned.

 

‘I think Eldor may have managed to give one of them a message of some kind,’ he said. ‘Perhaps in dream that the fairies are well known to use. He may have told them to get his staff… maybe to take it somewhere.’

 

‘You don’t think she is going to try and free Eldor do you?’ Merrill replied in alarm. ‘That would be madness.’

 

Brodon shook his head.

 

‘I don’t know,’ he said worriedly. ‘But whatever they’re up to, Mogrom and Orcon will not be pleased. If Eldor’s staff holds some key to defeating them, they will be after them with a vengeance.’

 

They fell silent, each with heavy hearts at the terrible danger facing the trio.