Myrkron (Volume Two of The Chronicles of the Myrkron)

Myrkron

Volume Two of the Chronicles

of the
Myrkron

Written By

Timothy Woods

Myrkron
: Volume Two of the Chronicles of the Myrkron
is a work of fiction.  Characters, names, places, and events are the products of the author's imagination or are used fictitiously.  Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, places, or events is entirely coincidental.

Copyright ©
October 2013 Timothy Woods. 

All rights reserved.

ISBN  978-0-9859848-2-3

Printed in the United States of America

Chapter One

Karg could see the tiny humans scurrying around in the entrance to The Slot.  They ran like rabbits in the shadow of a hawk.  He chuckled to himself, enjoying the image the thought brought to mind.  It seemed humans were always frantic, running here and there but they were so small. Maybe haste was natural to them.  They reminded him of ants, always moving, always busy.

Karg looked left and then right.  His troops were moving forward with steady ease.  They
'd been marching for only four hours this day and had already covered seven leagues.  He felt a fierce pride in his people… well, some of them.  Karg growled over his left shoulder and the column of ogres came to an immediate stop.

"
Mardak, come with me.  The rest of you wait here," Karg ordered.

"
Yes, Chieftain," Mardak replied, looking up at the larger ogre.

Mardak
was small for an ogre, only eight feet tall.  His back was bent and his shoulders hunched forward, however the corded muscles across his neck, shoulders, and chest were a match for any ogre in the line.  His skin was the color of mustard and his long, coarse black hair was tied back from his face with a leather strap. His left arm rested uncomfortably, bound tightly in a sling. It had been broken in the last battle they fought leaving their homeland. The great hammer Mardak carried was decorated with several shrunken troll heads and two red feathers.

He moved forward falling into step beside his leader. 
Mardak looked up again at Karg and smiled.  Karg, his brother, was almost four feet taller than he.  His proud stride and noble bearing made him appear even that much taller.  Though Mardak was two years his elder, Karg was their Chieftain by right of battle and blood.

"
I want you listening while we converse.  I want to know their true feelings," Karg instructed him.

Knowing Karg meant listening with other than his ears,
Mardak replied.

"
I can tell you their true feelings from here, brother; fear, loathing, despair.  They are no different from others of their kind."  Mardak raised his head and inhaled deeply.

"
I can smell the fear from here."

Karg took his eyes off the pass and looked at his brother.
  "Just remember why we're here."

"
I haven't forgotten," Mardak assured him.

The two ogres walked into the mouth of the pass
and stopped side by side.  Mardak placed his hammer on the ground beside him as Karg pulled his hammer from the sling on his back.  He planted the head on the ground in front of him and crossed his hands over the handle.

"
Humans, we would talk," Karg’s voice thundered through the pass.  He stood, waiting patiently.

A few minutes passed and they could hear feet shuffling and the clatter of armor.  Finally
, three figures emerged from the pass, two humans and one dwarf.  The humans eyed the two ogres warily, but the glint of rage in the dwarf’s eyes held a promise of blood.  Karg smiled a toothy grin at the dwarf.  Here was a true warrior. This, Karg understood.  He waited until the trio came to a stop approximately fifty feet away.

"
Who speaks for your leader?"  Karg asked in his rumbling voice.

A
black and gray haired man stepped forward with seasoned confidence.

"
I am Commander Salic.  I speak for King Brose of Branna."

Karg’s eyes snapped from the dwarf to the black haired human.
  "I am Karg, Chieftain of the tribes of Mir Reach.  This is my brother, Mardak."  He indicated the other ogre with a gesture.  "He is shaman of the tribes.  We've come to offer our aid to the men of Branna." Here Karg paused and looked at the dwarf. "And the dwarves of Delven Vale."  He noticed the look of rage did not leave the dwarf’s eyes.  Rage of that kind could only be kindled in blood.

Mardak
placed his good hand on his brother’s arm to get his attention then pointed to the dwarf.

"
Axethane," he whispered.

Karg kept his eyes locked on the dwarf
's and bowed slightly to him.  "It is an honor to meet with a warrior of your people, Axethane."

Bran was about to speak when he heard the voice in his head.

"
This is a genuine offer they give.  It would be best to withhold your anger and treat fairly with them
."  Bran let the scowl slip from his face and returned the bow stiffly to Karg.

"
I am Axethane Bran.  If we are to fight together, then we must trust one another."  Bran turned as he felt a tug at his mail.  Dain stood just behind him with his eyes focused on the smaller of the two ogres.  "Dain, what are you doing out of the pass?"  Bran demanded, the scowl creeping back into his features.

Dain merely pointed to
Mardak.  "He needs my help, Axethane.  His arm is shattered much as yours was.  Without my help, he will never use it again."

Bran watched Dain
.  The young dwarf’s eyes looked slightly out of focus and never left Mardak.  Bran turned inward, the voice remained silent.  He heaved a massive sigh and unhooked both of his axes letting them fall to the ground.  "Chieftain Karg, if we are to trust one another, let us begin by helping your brother.  Dain is a healer.  He wishes to tend your brother’s arm.  Will you permit us to approach?"

Karg’
s eyes shifted to his brother.  "Would you allow this, Mardak?"

"
I can feel his power from here, Chieftain.  You know how badly my arm is broken.  If he can fix it, I would have use of it again.  I would not only allow his aid, I welcome it," Mardak replied, never taking his eyes from Dain.

"
Very well, Axethane, bring your healer forward.  I would be most grateful for any ease he could give my brother."

Commander Salic looked at Bran
.  "Are you sure about this, Axethane?"

Before Bran could reply, Dain waved a dismissive hand at Commander Salic and walked forward
.

"
I am sure, Commander."  Dain’s voice had an authoritative ring to it that surprised both Bran and Salic.

Bran moved forward quickly to catch up with Dain, unsettled by the sudden change in Dain.

Dain stopped before Mardak and looked up into his heavy featured face.   "Mardak, could you please kneel down so I can reach your arm?"

Mardak
went down on one knee, he was still too tall for Dain to reach his injury.  He smiled down at the tiny dwarf and scooped him up in his good hand.  "I’m afraid I will have to lift you to it young healer.  You are too short and I am too tall it seems."

As
Mardak held him gently around the waist with one massive hand Dain worked at the knot of the sling.

"
Try to keep the arm steady," Dain instructed.  The knot was so big and tied so tightly that Dain couldn't get it undone.  He turned to Karg.  "Chieftain Karg, would you please give me a hand with this?"

Karg let his hammer fall to the ground and moved behind
Mardak to untie the knot.  When it slipped free, Dain saw a slight grimace cross Mardak’s face.  The arm was splinted just below the shoulder and what Dain could see of the skin was heavily bruised and swollen.  Dain placed a hand on the injured shoulder and slid the other one under one of the bindings.  He looked up at Karg again.

"
Be ready to support him if he starts to fall.  A healing of this magnitude should really be done from a prone position."

Karg grunted an affirmative and placed his legs against
Mardak’s back.

Dain looked into
Mardak’s eyes.  "This is going to hurt.  I will work as quickly as I can and try to be as gentle as possible, but there is much damage to the arm."

Mardak
smiled a toothy grin at Dain and chuckled.  "I am used to pain, little one.  Do as you need."

Dain closed his eyes and felt the familiar link begin to form.  He could sense differences in the skeletal structure from others he had healed.  The bones were thicker
and denser than dwarven bones.  He gasped in pain as the link solidified.  The entire arm had been shattered between the shoulder and elbow.

As Dain worked, t
he bone chips began aligning and fusing.  The pain was not as intense as he had imagined it would be.  Maybe ogres didn’t feel pain in quite the same way as his people did.  As the arm knitted and became whole, Dain sensed another problem.  Mardak’s spine was malformed.  The way it curved down onto itself cramped his upper body, preventing his lungs and heart from functioning properly.  Several of the bones had begun to fuse together, further restricting Mardak's movement.

Dain slid his hand from
Mardak’s shoulder around his neck to the opposite shoulder, bringing his other hand up to the other shoulder.  With eyes still closed he opened the healing channel again.  He could see how the spine was supposed to be and willed it so.

Bran saw the arm move and shift as the bones underneath returned to the proper place.  He watched the two ogres for any hint of deception
, and was impressed that Mardak did no more than frown as Dain did his work.  He, himself, knew how painful such an injury was.  Bran saw a smile come over Mardak’s face as Dain finished the healing, a smile that was reflected in his big black eyes as well.  Before Mardak could set Dain down, Dain shifted his hands to rest on both of Mardak’s shoulders, cupping them against the massive neck.  As small as Dain was, it almost looked to Bran as if he was trying to hug the big ogre.

The smile suddenly left
Mardak’s face, and his newly healed arm began to twitch.  Mardak’s eyes squeezed shut, and he threw his head back and roared in agony.  Bran heard several loud cracks, reminding him of trees snapping under the weight of too much snow.

Karg was instantly alert for trouble
.  He put a hand to his brother’s shoulder and was reaching for Dain when Mardak suddenly stood, still clutching Dain in one massive fist to his chest.  Mardak's shoulders unbunched and straightened to each side.  His head moved back on a neck no longer bent over his chest.  With a final massive pop, Mardak and Dain both bellowed and Mardak fell to his knees, catching himself with the arm not holding Dain.  He panted heavily, clutching Dain protectively to him.

Karg was kneeling at his
brother's side.  "My brother, are you injured?"

Mardak
turned watery eyes to his brother and shook his head.  "Nay, brother."

Bran was right there on the other side on
Mardak.  "Is Dain ok?  You didn’t crush him did you?"

Mardak
turned his gaze to Bran.  "I would never hurt one such as him.  See what your healer has done for one you would call enemy."  Saying that, Mardak stood, cradling Dain in the crook of his arm.  When he rose fully, his shoulders and back were no longer bent.  He stood to almost ten feet.  He drew in a deep breath to lungs that now would allow it.  He tossed his head back and roared with laughter.  "See, Axethane, your young healer has given a cripple back his dignity.  I can walk among my people, tall and proud."

"
Dain is not moving," Bran said with growing menace.

"
Be at ease, Axethane.  He is well.  He only sleeps.  He gave much of himself to heal me."  Mardak eased Dain down into Bran’s arms.  Bran started to turn, but Mardak stopped him.  "If we were to judge all your people by him, then we could be in no better company.  I would like to speak with him when he wakes."

Bran could feel Dain breathing regularly
and the dark circles under his eyes spoke of exhaustion.  As Bran turned, he came face to face with Pace.

"
Let me take him, Axethane.  I will see that he rests."

Bran
allowed Pace to take Dain from him with a nod.  He turned back to Mardak, who was stretching his arms and shoulders in new found mobility.  Bran’s eyes were caught by the movement of Karg as the huge ogre picked up his battle hammer with one hand; his other hand, he placed on his brother’s shoulder and nodded to Mardak with awe on his heavy features.

Karg took a step toward Bran and
, going to one knee, laid his hammer at Bran’s feet.  "Axethane, you have my pledge of support and protection.   Dain has done for my brother, something I can never repay.  I and my men are at your command for as long as I draw breath."

Bran looked
up at Karg’s fierce features.  "It would seem I have been hasty in judging your people by the actions of just a few of your race.  For that, I apologize, Chieftain.  My men and I would be honored if you would fight at our side.  Know this though.  In this land, I am under the command of Commander Salic.  I take orders from him.  If you serve under my command, you will be under his authority as well.  Is that agreeable to you?"

"
Aye, anything you command, Axethane," Karg assured him.

"
Oh, do get up, man.  I am no king that you must bow before.  I am a warrior the same as you."  For the first time, Bran saw a smile come to Karg’s face.