they were like the dragons of his own world. He thought that they were larger than most dragons he had seen, the shapes of their heads and ridges different from that of any breed he knew. Their jewel-like armor gave them a very remarkable appearance, as if they were not living creatures at all but statues carved of stone or cut from facetted jewels that had been brought to life. He watched them hurtle past in the night, wondering where they were going and what they were planning, and he could only hope that the dwarves of Rockhome were already secure below the ground.
The fearful night passed, but the new day only brought the dwarvish defenders that much closer to the inevitability of invasion. By midmorning, the sentries had left their posts farther down the pass, retreating back to the fortress. They brought the warning that the invading armies were beginning their slow march along the road into the mountains, even though a couple of the companies from the east had yet to join the main body of the army. Fort Denwarf would be under siege by nightfall.
For the dozenth time, Korinn reviewed his plans for the battle to hold the Styrdal Pass. He had one plan of defense if the invading armies attacked first, and a second, very different plan if the gemstone dragons attacked. He had to take for granted that he would have to face the Masters sooner or later, especially if he was successful in holding up their army. The only plan he did not consider was that Thelvyn Fox-Eyes and the dragons would come to his rescue at the last moment. He had no doubt that the dragons would come, but he knew they needed time. Thelvyn was too clever to go to war unprepared; he would wait until he had a force of dragons powerful enough to face the Masters and their army.
Late that afternoon, as the sun was sinking behind the mountains to the west, the front ranks of the invaders came up through the pass and halted a short distance from the gates of Fort Denwarf. They stopped just beyond the range of most longbows or light crossbows, and they moved their siege weapons and many of their supply wagons to the front to provide added protection. Then, to all appearances, they began to make camp for the night, as if they had no wish to begin battle in the darkness. They were at some disadvantage in bringing their forces against the fortress, since there was only a small open area before the gate.
Indeed, the invaders were required to camp on the road itself, since the last three miles of the approach to Fort Denwarf had been cut into the rocky eastern wall of the deep ravine formed by the Styrdal River. There were sheer cliffs or unclimbably steep slopes on the east side of the road. The west side of the road, bordered by a high, massive stone curb, fell away into the darkness of the ravine. While the design of the road appeared to be a simple matter of convenience, dwarves seldom left anything to chance that might prove important to the defense of their cities and treasures.
Korinn waited until well after nightfall, giving the invaders time to make their camp and settle in for the night. He had been standing on the wall of the fortress watching them for some time, and he could easily believe the report that they were slaves whose minds and wills were under the control of the Masters. They seldom spoke, or at least when they did they spoke too softly to be heard, never singing or laughing or taunting the defenders but going about their tasks with a lifeless, almost mindless intensity.
'How are you at ninepins?' Korinn asked General Balar.
'My boys are very good at it,' the older dwarf answered. 'Shall we have a game tonight?'
'Right now would seem to be a good time, while the Masters aren't here to interfere.'
The defenders of Fort Denwarf began their 'game' only a few minutes later. A large ballista released its load with a dull, heavy snap and creak of timbers, and a large stone lifted deceptively slowly over the wall of the gateyard. The dwarves knew their business well, and the stone sailed out over the road over a hundred yards before it crashed into the nearest of the siege engines the invaders had brought forward. The impact crushed the base of the small tower, which gradually tilted, then fell forward as if it were in slow motion. The heavy stone itself continued on, gathering speed on the steep incline of the road, brutally battering aside supply wagons.
Dwarves were meticulous in their plans, and they had anticipated circumstances such as this in their designs. Over the years, they had cut stones, ranging from a hundred pounds to several tons, into perfectly round shot for the ballistae. Of course, even the dwarves could not hurl a stone more than a couple of hundred yards or so, and the road disappeared around a turn in the pass not much farther beyond that range. But the dwarves had devised a way that allowed their weapons to have a much greater effective range. The road was wide, bordered by the wall of the cliff on one side and a high stone curb on the other, and it descended steadily to the sentry post on the far side, nearly three miles away. The descent was just steep enough to keep a large stone rolling at a deadly pace for the entire distance.
During the day, the dwarves had moved all their ballistae into the gate yard along with a generous supply of shot, so that they were able to fling stones over the wall as quickly as they could reload. The first three dozen shots reduced the barrier of siege weapons and supply wagons to shattered ruins. Most of the stones continued to roll along the road, scattering the encamped invaders. Indeed, the first stone caught a large portion of the army by surprise; many of the soldiers failed to understand their situation until three or four stones had rolled through in rapid succession. They scrambled desperately to get out of the way, but there was nowhere for them to go. They were trapped on the road, left trying to dodge as best they could while the stones bounced back and forth between the inner wall and the curb.
For the moment, the defenders of Fort Denwarf had every advantage, their enemy trapped in the path of destruction of their weapons, unable even to protect themselves, much less fight back. But Korinn knew how quickly fortune could turn against the dwarves. They kept up their attack for as long as they could, as teams of dwarves cranked back the arms of the ballistae and loaded another stone as quickly as they could. Suddenly, without warning, one of the higher towers of the fortress exploded in flames and crashed down in burning wreckage. The defenders looked up to see dark shapes moving swiftly through the night sky, darting in to strike swiftly with fire and destruction.
But the dwarves were hardly caught by surprise. Korinn had known that if he gave the invading army any trouble, the Masters would return quickly to deal with the problem. Except for the crews working the ballistae, he had already sent all the defenders out of Fort Denwarf by secret ways, beginning the inevitable retreat southward toward Stahl and Evemur. That made the final retreat much quicker and easier now that the fortress had to be abandoned in a hurry. The dwarves released their final shots and hurried into the depths of the main keep, descending into deep tunnels cut into the mountain. In a matter of minutes, the last of the defenders were filing quickly and silently through the underground ways, careful to leave no trace of their passage. In time they came to a secret door in the shadows along one wall, and one by one they disappeared inside.
Korinn Bear Slayer and General Balar were the last to arrive at the hidden door. In honor of the older dwarfs years of service at the fortress, Korinn passed inside first, permitting Balar to close and seal the door behind him.
'A week ago I wouldn't have believed that we would ever be forced to abandon Denwarf to an enemy,' Balar said, pausing a moment to listen at the door. 'It galls me to leave while the walls are still standing and the gate is still intact. But with those dragons blasting at the towers, it's no use trying to defend the fort. I just hope those beasties don't tear the place apart.'
'I doubt they'll spend the time and effort,' Korinn assured him. 'We'll rebuild whatever is left. I fear we'll have a great deal to rebuild before this is done.'
They quickly set the final traps, which would bring down massive blocks of stone to close the passage if anyone tried to come through from the other side. Then the two dwarves hurried along the dark passage. About a hundred yards down the tunnel, they came to a chamber where a small company of soldiers waited for them with their packs. The others were already far ahead. The soldiers bore magic lanterns to light the way, although a dwarfs night vision was sufficient to find his way in almost total darkness. Once Korinn and Balar had pulled on the straps of their packs, the company filed out through the passage on the far side of the chamber.
Korinn wondered what was happening back at the fortress. Had the Masters already discovered that the dwarves had abandoned Fort Denwarf? He hoped they would notice that the fortress was empty soon in order to hold destruction to a minimum. The only thing Korinn really regretted leaving behind was his courier horses. Being young and strong, he had no complaints about marching, but the horses would have gotten him back to Dengar far sooner. But unfortunately the horses were not a safe option. The roads were unsafe for travel with the Masters already within Rockhome, and the cities were probably under siege by now.
He understood that there was little he could do. The dwarves of Fort Denwarf had probably fought the last battle in the protection of Rockhome that very night. From now on, their only for survival was to lock themselves as securely as they could within their underground cities and strongholds and wait for the Dragonking to arrive with
