The group gathered at dusk, then moved quickly south all through the night. Klar insisted on coming along, despite all the Chieftains' protests. Chieftain Brann, or Urum, as he insisted Farin call him, turned the tide when he realized that the princess needed to join the search.

"She can never get her mother back," the Chieftain said, "but her father's still alive, and can be rescued."

"But King Grar's being held within Obrus," Farin replied. "We go to search for children lost in a valley, not to storm the citadel."

Urum nodded and smiled sadly. "And Klar is one of those children. The woman she yearns to be has the strength and courage to tread any path with any burden. But, the child who lost her mother lives in deathly fear of reliving such a dreadful torment, and is beyond reason now that her father is beyond her grasp. Princess Idana and the young ones are close to Thrond, and so close to the king. And, I think, the woman Klar sees the child Klar as being lost in a cave outside the mountain, alone and cold and needing rescue. In a way, Maiden, she's not wrong. She's dwelling in a dugout, a spacious and richly adorned dugout, but a dugout nonetheless, on the porch of a neighboring land."

"And her brothers and sister," Farin asked, "what of them?"

Urum smiled then, a sad but sweet smile. "I'm so very glad they all made it out of Obrus. The future of our people is in their hands. And, if I'm not mistaken, the future of all people. Ror is a living storm, to be loosed on our enemies to their woe. Halfur has a mind keener than any blade, and the will to wield it. Yemi has an enduring heart, and is the worthiest of souls. She I think is faring best of the four. Klar reminds of the Sholai. She handles well the cold, and reaches out but slowly, holding the past eternally preserved in her memory. Yemi is a babbling brook. Small, quaint, and not the least bit threatening. But she is tireless and in time will wear at even the hardest stone. And those boys; the Wolf and the Ram they are, unstoppable when they stand as one. Ror is a bolt of lightning and Halfur a constantly stoked forge."

After that he spoke of her and Koll, and how their union had become a symbol of great import to the survivors of the Betrayal, as the invasion had been dubbed.

Those words Urum spoke of Klar were whispering in Farin's mind as she struggled to keep up with her princess. Klar moved forward tirelessly, peering into the darkness with singular intent, except for when they would crest some high point and Obrus would rise undaunted above the other mountains. Then Klar's eyes would drift to the great mountain, though her feet kept their aim. Always the red star hung above the Brow. Its red light trickled down the snows of the Brow, as if the rotting husk of Magni were an open wound that never healed; its luminous blood dripping into the snows that consumed it when it reached the dark lower slopes.

"They must never fall," Klar said, looking up at the Brow.

"We'll rebuild it," Farin replied with a smile that reeked of effort.

"Will we rebuild the Tall Hill as well? And its four towers?"

"Highness?" Farin was confused.

"The Pillars of Dawn," Klar looked to the sky, but her eyes seemed to look at nothing. "More than just the kingdoms of greatest power. My father told me each guarded something the world needed. I thought..." She looked down towards her feet, then up to the Torch. "I was wrong."

She said no more, and Farin did not press her. She worried whenever Klar spoke indiscreetly of royal matters to her. She was happy to have the friendship of her princess, but wanted to stay in her proper place. Farin was a smith, a very good smith, but no more. Talk of things such as ohr and secret allegiances and the higher purpose of the Risen were matters above her station and worth.

"I'm sorry," Klar said. "I speak of matters unknown to you, far more than I should. I just... I speak out of turn. Something our father always warned us not to do. I suppose I'm out of sorts without him here to guide me."

"There's nought to worry over, Dread Highness. You're accustomed to the company of more informed people than I. I promise anything you say 'out of turn' will pass right over my head. I am a dwarf after all."

Klar smiled more than she had since the night of the Betrayal. "You saved my life, Farin. If not for you that drow would have put a bolt through my heart. You put yourself between me and him and dove headlong out the window to fend him off. Whatever happens, I'll never forget that."

Farin smiled, a true smile. Klar's friendship warmed her heart. She was a woman of status, strength, poise, education and beauty. That she considered Farin a friend was a compliment the Iron Maiden never thought to be given. "It was my honour, Dread Highness. May I never be so honoured again."

This story has been stolen from Royal Road. If you read it on Amazon, please report it

Klar laughed softly. The Captain of the Red Spears then blew a silent horn. Its call rolled through the stones and soil and shook the air, calling the party to quicken their pace. The line of sappers and armed men in the van were all pointing north and westward down a steep path cut into a wide ravine. The path was cut steeply to prevent pursuit from any other kin, and provided them with a welcome shortcut.

"Good find, Varli," the captain said. He was speaking to one of the owls, an old lieutenant given their command in their captain's absence. Farin liked Neri. She was glad he was with Koll and Nava. Nava had been thoroughly taken by him, Farin observed. He didn't seem the type to be wed, but one never knew.

They won precious time thanks to the pathway, and were on flat ground soon, making way quickly and quietly towards the eastern valley Yemi spied. As they approached they saw signs of a fire. Burnt rocks and charred tree trunks dotted the land at first, and then they encountered entire fields of brown, dried out grass and rotted flowers. The leaders of the group gathered to discuss what they saw, and Farin found herself standing alone.

"There was no smoke," said a voice behind her. It was Bok. She turned and smiled, though it was not a happy time.

"What do you think happened?" she asked.

He shrugged. "Hard to say. I've spent more time outside the mountain since the Betrayal than I have my entire life. I know fire well enough, though. The rocks are scorched, and the trees burnt, but we saw no smoke."

"It's dark," said one of the Red Spear sappers. "Smoke wouldn't show from a distance, and there's ways to hide the glow of controlled flames. The foliage looks poisoned. The land is being robbed of nourishment, and covertly."

"Why?" Bok asked, genuinely confused.

The sapper shrugged. "Our enemy might be trying to starve the children."

Farin shivered suddenly. The thought sickened her. To drive their people away was one thing, to prevent a return of their army was one thing, to starve frightened children who only wished to hide was despicable.

"If you ask me," Bok said, "reclaiming Thrond won't be enough. Primus needs to be purged, else our region will ever be tainted."

Brave heart, Farin thought, marvelling at Bok's fiery spirit.

The sapper smiled darkly, then shook his head. "Reclaim, rebuild, refortify, then take stock. That's the sensible way of it. We've the power to wipe those dim elves off the map any time we please, but then we're no better than their filthy new empress. But don't worry, little brother. There will be repercussions they won't soon forget. We Red Spears have the way and the will, even if we aren't given the command."

"Your captain has the face of a jester," Bok said, "but a bright smile can mask a dark heart."

The sapper laughed. "Wulden wears no mask. He finds joy in every deed, kind or savage. His smile is always true."

The group was then split into three so as to pass more stealthily. Klar led the group Farin was in, and Bok went with Wulden and the bulk of the sappers.

"I'm going to need strong, bold young men," he said. Farin was ready to point to Bok, if the captain failed to notice him. But the sapper they spoke to beat her to it. He put his arm around Bok's shoulders and carried him over to Wulden. Wulden's smile grew broader at the sight of Bok, and they went directly for the valley while the other two groups made their approach from the north and south.

All about them the land was robbed of life. Whatever means the drow had of hiding the glow of their fires, they had made good use of it. Only the highest branches had any fruit or leaves left to them, and all vegetation on the ground had been putrified. There were no drow or goblin patrols in sight, which seemed to worry the soldiers more, as well as Klar. Farin dare not say it, and rued thinking it, but it seemed likely the children had died, leaving no reason for the soldiers to search for them.

They met with the other two groups without incident, despite numerous signs of the enemies presence. The signs were old, though. They had come, done and gone. Every cave they searched showed the telltales of a quick escape by Idana and the children, and cold-hearted pursuit by bands of goblins. Only in one cave was there found a sign of hope.

"Salimod's sister saw why we teach our little rushrats how to fight," Wulden said as he kicked the caved in head of a goblin. There were a half dozen of them, and one of the trolls. Farin would have sung a line from the old troll song, if it weren't for the trio of small corpses that lay bent and broken underneath the troll.

"Boys," said Bok after he kneeled down to inspect them.

Wulden nodded. "Strong ones, too. Were their faces not so mangled I might guess their names and tell their parents."

"This one's name is Har, after the king and his sons," Bok said, holding one of the boys hands in his. "I know him by this ring. He's not of the citadel, but managed to make friends with some of Chieftain Brann's serving boys. He's younger than them, but clever, and bold. Or..." Bok was silent for a moment, "rather, he was. The flame has dimmed." He gave the dead child's hand a squeeze and stood. Farin wiped a tear from her cheek.

Thesearch went on for days, and each new cave they found showed the same signs of escape and pursuit. The count of slain children grew to eleven before Klar could take no more. She ordered the search to be halted for now, but bid Wulden to leave a few of his sappers to set traps for any enemy patrols. It was a feeble token of vengeance, but it was more than doing nothing. The return journey was without cheer or speech, and when they came back to Cloud Hammer Farin went directly to her dugout and huddled under the cloak Bok gave her. Before she fell asleep, she thought of Nava and Koll, and how glad she was for them that they were away from Cloud Hammer searching for hope.