CHAPTER EIGHT

  TAKE WHAT THEY GIVE YOU

  Settled now near the bottom of the second mountain in The Dwarven Kingdom, Lord Grimdall watched from afar as Daukus led the men and goblins back to camp. He knew that starting at the bottom of another mountain would not be easy, as they had once done it before, after they had crossed the sea that connected The Dwarven Mountains to The Barren Wasteland. But since the valley that connected these two mountains was not as high as the beach they had originally camped on, Lord Grimdall thought their move should have gone much easier.

  “How are things going, Lord Grimdall?” came a voice in his head.

  “So, you are finally awake, Agmon,” replied Grimdall with a wry smile. Keeping his eyes on his retreating army, the former general of King Brock and The Human Kingdom Lands then pointed before him. “While you revived yourself, the dwarves again hurled boulders and rocks down upon us. They have discovered that ‘my power’ is not unlimited.”

  Looking at the giant rocks and boulders that had fallen near his camp, Lord Grimdall crossed his arms over his chest, the black armor still shining as the sun slowly descended ahead of him. When a strong wind whipped his purple cape out, Grimdall put his left hand on the handle of his dagger.

  “King Ironhearth took a chance and it worked,” continued the big warrior. Then Grimdall took off his helm and looked high up to where the dwarves camped. “Still, it is of no consequence. We will push them back as we did before. My men may retreat, but they will never give in. If it were so, they would have surrendered to King Brock long before finally being sent with me to The Barren Wasteland.”

  “What of the sabercats and the spiders?” asked Agmon, remembering the almost lifeless island that sat off of The Dwarven Mountains. “How many are left?”

  “We have lost many of the sabercats and spiders that we took across the dirt bridge you created,” replied Grimdall without emotion. “But they have done well. The sabercats are as fierce here as they were on The Barren Wasteland. The spiders even more so, once you made them bigger.” Then Grimdall looked again at the many dwarves standing atop the mountain. “However, the dwarves have learned how to fight them. General Shallamok has always been not only strong, but smart.”

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  Lord Grimdall continued to watch his army return to the flat ground of the camp for a few minutes. Then he put his helm back on, upon seeing Daukus break from their ranks.

  “Well Agmon, you have been silent too long. What are you thinking?” teased Grimdall. He knew the evil demigod was far more powerful than him, but since they shared his human body, Grimdall would never act subservient.

  “This time I will not destroy the boulders. I will use them,” announced Agmon, breaking the long silence. “Watch and see.”

  Slowly, the biggest boulders flew toward them. Then as they landed in front of Lord Grimdall, the next biggest boulders and rocks began to move from the bottom of the mountain.

  Grimdall watched silently as Agmon’s power again was on full display. He remembered floating out of the chasm from where they had met, and the armor and weapons that were created for him just before stepping again upon the land he had walked for a year. He remembered the spiders that normally could fit in the palm of your hand suddenly becoming as tall as a man.

  He had seen boulders disappear as they rolled toward them when they had started their invasion. He had watched as a small fortress was created around him from volcanic rock that had floated across the sea from The Barren Wasteland. Now, Grimdall wondered what feat the demigod had in mind.

  Once the boulders and large rocks sat in a long line of numerous piles, nothing happened. Then after a few moments passed the piles began to shake and the boulders rise. Fixated on what was transpiring before him, Lord Grimdall placed his hands on his hips and furrowed his brow under his helm. Then he watched as the rocks in the pile before him slowly connected to each other.

  As he looked from right to left he saw that all of the numerous piles did the same. The smaller rocks formed four lines, two on each side and connected onto the lone boulder that now floated above each pile. After the rocks and boulder in each pile had connected, another rock landed upon the top of the boulder and the creation began to float down. When the rock creations landed, the rock on top of each of the boulders turned and a humming sound was heard.

  Lord Grimdall held in a gasp as he marveled at the giant humanoid rock creatures that stood in front of him.

  “Do you like the new additions to your army, Lord Grimdall?” asked Agmon after a moment. His voice was labored, but proud, as if he were smiling. “These golems are slow, but they are powerful, and as they attack will create a great moving shield for your men. Do you agree?”

  Lord Grimdall looked from the golem army to the dwarves high above him, who were quickly moving off to no doubt report what they had just seen below.

  “Yes, Agmon. You are right,” replied Grimdall. “But they have already created more than that.”

  “What do you mean? They have not attacked. They have not even moved yet,” asked Agmon, interested.

  Lord Grimdall watched as King Ironhearth emerged and peered down from the cliff of the mountain he still held, then quickly disappeared. There was no war cry. No clanking of battle axes. He and the other dwarves were quiet for a change.

  “What have they created, without even moving?” asked the demigod.

  Lord Grimdall grinned below his helm and slowly crossed his arms again. Then he spoke just one word.

  “Fear.”