Half an hour later Milli stood with her equipment in hand on the street outside the tavern tapping her foot impatiently on the dirt road. Not ten minutes before she sent some boys off to get their horses while Brogus and Petra had promised to gather their gear and meet her outside. Dol remained obstinate but she was sure he would come out and join them as soon as they made it clear their threat to leave was serious.
“Hello, Milli,” said Uldex standing at the corner of the building with his hand at the axe on his side, his leather jerkin pulled straight and tight, and his hair perfectly brushed.
Milli turned and her mouth opened wide as she stared at him, “Uldex?”
He bowed.
“What… how… did you?”
“I’m here for the Hammer of Fire,” he said in a quiet voice. “Cleathelm is here too and he’s got a thug with him. They just spotted you a little while ago. I imagine he’ll be along shortly to try and take the hammer himself.”
“But… how…,” said Milli looking up and down the street and waving her hands in aimless little circles. “I don’t understand?”
“We followed you to Das’von and then paid the mages to use the portals the same way you did.”
Milli looked at him with narrow eyes, “How did you survive the desert then?”
Uldex tilted his head to one side and closed one eye while he continued to look at her, “What desert?”
“Where we got teleported,” said Milli.
“We didn’t go to a desert. We came here right off,” said Uldex. “I mean not right here but maybe ten or fifteen miles outside town.”
“But why would they teleport us into that awful desert and you directly here?” said Milli, and her little hands went to her hips and her face reddened.
“You’re beautiful when you’re angry,” said Uldex and smiled.
“Yes, she is,” said Brogus stepping outside the door of the tavern with his axe already in hand.
“Brogus,” said Uldex his voice flat and toneless.
“Brogus!” said Milli.
“I know my name,” said Brogus and took several steps towards Uldex who pulled his own axe from his side and raised it.
A number of passersby in the street immediately stopped their own conversations and gawked at the two dwarves who stared at one another not more than ten feet apart. Just up the across the street Carus pulled out a little throwing axe and measured the distance to Brogus with his eyes.
“Move along,” said Brogus. “You’re not wanted here.”
“Brogus!” said Milli. “Uldex says Cleathelm is here too. They’ve come for Dol’s hammer.”
“It’s not Dol’s hammer,” said Uldex keeping his eye on Brogus. “It belongs to Craggen Steep.”
“It is my hammer,” said Dol, stepping out of the door, the apples in his hair fiery red and a sneer on his face. “Anyone who tries to take it from me dies.”
At this the growing crowd moved back a couple of steps although no one left the area. In fact, word of the incident seemed to be spreading like gas from a volcanic eruption and within seconds the crowd size doubled.
“You’ve grown boastful since we last met,” said Uldex with a glance at Dol. “The influence of the hammer no doubt?”
“Come and find out,” said Dol and brought the hammer up into a fighting position.
Uldex narrowed his eyes and moved to his left in an attempt to position the morning sun at his back, “It doesn’t have to come down to this Dol. The hammer has to go back to Craggen Steep, you know that. I’m authorized to let you use it against Gazadum if we can agree to certain conditions.”
“Authorized by who?” said Milli with a sharp look at Uldex. “The Council of Elders?”
“It doesn’t matter,” said Uldex. “What has to happen is the hammer must return to Craggen Steep. Come with me, Dol. We’ll take it back together. My uncle will honor you and when we take over rule of the realm you will be given great power. The new regime doesn’t care about your blood taint, we just want good men to fight with us!”
“I already have great power,” said Dol with a smile and spun the great hammer over his head. Its massive steel head glinted in the morning sun and Uldex caught a glimpse of the dwarf’s blackened hand and upper arm, and the head of the hammer seemed to suddenly blaze to life.
“The hammer is corrupting you, Dol,” said Uldex. “Come back to Craggen Steep. Cleathhelm is here and he wants it for the Firefists. We Blackirons…”
“Are traitors to the homeland,” said the voice of Cleathelm as strode down the street with Blaggard in tow. “Uldex the traitor. My father was right. Hand over the hammer, Dol. All will be forgiven and the Firefists will reward you greatly. Perhaps you might even be First Edos?”
“Come and take it, Cleathelm,” said Dol with a smile and the crowd grew ever bigger.
“This is crazy, Dol, Uldex,” said Milli trying to position herself between the two antagonists. “Just go back home, Uldex. Leave us be. Dol will never give up the hammer. You don’t want to do this!”
Uldex shrugged his shoulders, “What I want is not important. The hammer has to come back to Craggen Steep.”
“It’ll take years to walk all the way back up there,” said Milli as she ran over to Uldex and put her hands on his chest. “Can’t we just wait a week? We’ll take it south, kill Gazadum and then back to Craggen Steep. What’s the hurry?”
Uldex looked into her yellow eyes and his expression softened, “I’m not opposed to that, as I said earlier,” he said and lowered his axe. “Dol, after you slay the beast promise me you’ll return to Craggen Steep and I’ll molest you no further.”
“Don’t listen to him, Dol,” interjected Cleathelm taking a step forward and pulling out his own axe. “He’s a lying Blackiron. Only the Firefists can save you now.”
Dol shook his head, “The only promise I make is that whoever tries to take the hammer from me will die.”
“My wrists are bound,” said Uldex looking down into Milli’s plaintive eyes. “There is only one course of action.”
“No,” said Milli, but Uldex brushed her aside with a sweeping blow of his left arm and she stumbled and fell onto the street with a little gasp, “No!”
“Milli,” said Brogus and rushed over to her.
“Help Dol,” said Milli and pointed to Dol now being approached on two sides with Uldex coming one way and Blaggard and Cleathelm on the other.
Brogus stood and walked over next to his friend, “I’m here with you, Dol. They’ll never get the hammer.”
“I can take care of this,” said Dol and with a quick motion shoved Brogus’s shoulder.
“Now,” said Cleathelm and Blaggard hurled a dagger at the duo but it went well wide of the target and embedded into a watering trough near Milli. The girl immediately pulled it out and turned back to the fight.
Cleathelm charged forward with his axe raised high and took a swipe at Dol who moved to the side with a swift motion and let the burly dwarf rush past. Brogus, slightly off balance from the shove, attempted to chop the head of the Firefist but his axe only succeeded in nicking the heavy plate shoulder armor. “Damn,” said Brogus, just as another dagger from Blaggard sailed past Dol’s head and embedded in the horse post behind him.
“Help them,” shouted Milli to Uldex but the scarred dwarf was already circling behind Dol and Brogus to the opposite side of Blaggard and not far from where Cleathelm stopped his rush. The powerful dwarf turned to Uldex and gave him a quick grin, “Help me now and I can help you later.”
“Go burn yourself,” said Uldex. “I’ll kill you after I finish with Delius.”
“Uldex!” shrieked Milli and held up the dagger.
Cleathelm spun around and took two purposeful strides back towards Dol and swung his axe in a short arc in front of his short-haired foe while Blaggard threatened to throw more daggers and kept Brogus occupied. Dol casually flicked his hammer but Cleathelm pulled back with a quick motion and then launched an attack towards Dol’s left side. This time the axe came down towards Dol’s head. Instead of backing away from the blow, Dol moved forward and the axe handle came down on his shoulder. With no room to swing the huge hammer properly he simply shoved it into Cleathelm’s face and the burly dwarf screamed as the sound of burning meat crackled in the air followed by the terrible smell of burnt flesh.
Cleathhelm dropped his axe and fell to his knees clutching his face as Uldex used the moment to make a quick step forward and aim his axe at Dol’s exposed back. Brogus leapt between the two and tried to block the blow but overextended his arm, and Uldex’s axe bit deeply into the bone.
“Ahh,” screamed Brogus, but then an axe thrown by Carus plunged directly into the back of his head and silenced him forever.
“Damn,” said Uldex and tried to pull his axe from Brogus’s arm as the dwarf fell but he wasn’t fast enough as Dol bolted over with a single stride, raised the hammer high, and brought it down towards the scarred dwarf’s head. Uldex let go of his axe and tried to roll away but the hammer hit him with a solid blow behind the right shoulder and he spun into the ground with a loud thump.
Dol turned to Blaggard who was already on his knees cutting Cleathelm’s throat and taking his heavy purse of gold. The little goblin immediately dropped his dagger. “I only worked for Cleathelm. I have no feud with you, Delius. I threw my daggers wide on purpose. Take the hammer. Kill them all, I don’t care. Let me have Cleathelm’s purse and you’ll never see me again.”
Dol nodded his head, “I’ll kill you if I ever see you again,” and then turned to the writhing Uldex. Now this is finished.”
Across the street Carus moved back into the shadows and disappeared around the side of a building.
“No, Dol,” said Milli running forward and grabbing the fiery dwarf by the arm. “He’s hurt, he’s not a threat to you anymore.”
“Brogus is dead,” said Dol with a look at his friend on the ground, “and someone will pay.”
“It was the dwarf who did it,” said Milli pointing to where Carus stood a moment ago, but the creature was gone like a puff of wind on a hot summer day. “It wasn’t Uldex anyway.”
Dol threw off her arm and rolled Uldex onto his back but the crafty warrior slashed out with a dagger in his left hand and cut Dol across the shoulder. Dol winced, punched him hard in the face, and brought the hammer down on his opponent’s hand with a quick blow that was accompanied by the sizzling sound of burning flesh and the terrible smell that went with it.
Uldex grimaced and gritted his teeth but did not cry out. Dol raised the hammer again.
“No, Dol, don’t do it!” shouted Milli.
Down came the hammer on Uldex’s face.