The Revenge of the Dwarves by Markus Heitz Read Free Book Online

oil, making breathing impossible. Coughing and spluttering, they dragged their comrade back with them away from the machine come alive that was following them.
    The beast had no intention of giving up, but thrust its bloody claws into the heavy repair vehicle that carried the tools and the portable forge, simply pushing it backwards along the rails.
    “Stop it!” called Fidelgar, jumping into the wagon and pulling hard on the brake. At once the advance of their unearthly opponent was slowed but the wagon was stillmoving relentlessly on. The strength of the thing was enormous.
    “That should give us enough of a start,” said Fidelgar and he hopped out of the wagon on his way back to Baigar and the injured dwarf. They hurried along the tunnel as fast as they could with their burden.
    When they had reached the open hall, Baigar prepared to leave them. Fidelgar handed him his smoke roll. “I’ll maneuver another wagon into the tunnel,” he explained breathlessly. “Get him to a healer as quickly as you can and alert more of the guards.” He made one of the wagons fast with an iron hook attached to a chain that they used for the giant pulley. Because it would take too long to start the steam engine that normally dealt with the heavy lifting, he had to rely on the strength of his own muscles. He used the emergency winding gear; the chain clanked slowly into place and took up the slack.
    “Tell them to bring long iron rods,” he called after Fidelgar.
    The guard dragged the wounded dwarf out. “What shall I say when they ask what sort of monster it is?”
    “Tell them it is a new fiendish device of the thirdlings’ design,” answered Baigar.
    Fidelgar could not believe it. “How can that—”
    “I saw dwarf runes on the armour plating.” Baigar was sweating heavily from the exertion and just managed to lift the wagon with the help of a pulley. “
Beaten but not destroyed, we bring destruction
,” he quoted through gritted teeth. “It can only be the thirdlings. Tell the queen this for me if I should die.” The muscles of his arms and upperbody swelled and flexed as he pushed the heavy wagon over to the rails.
    In the nick of time. Hissing sounded out of the passage and a white cloud flew out through the mouth of the tunnel, signaling the murderous monster’s approach.
    “Off you go!” yelled Baigar. “I don’t know how long it can be held back!” He made ready to let the wagon down.
    “Vraccas protect you!” Fidelgar nodded, took the wounded dwarf over his shoulder and ran off.
    He had never moved faster in his life and for the first time it struck him that the vast extent of the dwarf kingdoms was not an advantage. He shouted out to attract attention. The other dwarves left their work and rushed to arm themselves, so that he had soon collected fifty warriors about him. He left the wounded dwarf in someone’s care and then hastened back to the hall with his companions.
    Yet they arrived too late.
    The wagons lay overturned on the rails blocking the tunnel mouth diagonally like a barricade. They had prevented the monster from passing into the hall and thus into the firstling kingdom.
    But they could not find the courageous Baigar—only part of his leg, a scrap of his jerkin and the blood-soaked smoke roll. It was impossible to make out where the rest of him was amongst the remains of the other dwarf corpses, in scattered heaps against the walls and piled up to the roof.
    Fidelgar looked back along the tunnel but could see no sign of the monster.
    Their new enemy had retreated and must be waiting in one of the passages, ready to attack. The thirdlings haddeclared war on their brothers and sisters again after an armistice that had lasted five cycles. He would inform the queen of this himself, as Baigar had asked.
    Girdlegard
,
    The Gray Range on the Northern Border of the Fifthling Kingdom
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    Spring, 6241st Solar Cycle
    T ungdil set out on his way through Glaïmbar’s kingdom toward the Stone Gateway,