Read Online Champions of the Gods by Michael James Ploof - Free Book Online

the steel hand against the bottle. His tongue hung out the side of his mouth as he concentrated on the task. When the fingers closed around the bottle, Roakore gave another cheer. Then suddenly the bottle burst under the pressure, and they both jumped back.
    “Hah! Ye’ll have to learn yer own strength,” said Roakore, chuckling. “Best ye ain’t shakin’ no one’s hand for a while.”
    Helzendar gave him a big hug and sniffled. “Thank ye, me king. It be a great gift.”
    “Alright then, alright,” said Roakore, wiping an itch from his own eye. “No need to be gettin’ too worked up.” He looked upon his boy with pride. “Come on now. Best we be gettin’ to the trainin’ room. There be silver hawks awaitin’.”

Chapter 9
Hawk Riders
     
     
    Roakore and Helzendar went up the many flights of stairs to the newly renovated silver hawk perch. Shortly after the fall of Eadon, he had begun buying silver hawk eggs from human merchants who had somehow obtained them during the chaos and warring. Roakore suspected that they had plundered the silver hawk keep of Shierdon, but the merchants swore up and down that they had purchased the eggs from someone else. More than half of the eggs had hatched, and now they were nearly full-grown. With them he intended on creating an elite group of flying dwarf warriors. Since the recent discovery of dragons on Drakkar, he had begun to speed up the process. Already the first of the riders had been chosen, with Helzendar and many of Roakore’s other sons among them. Since they possessed the ability to move stone, they would be even more formidable as silver hawk riders.
    When they reached the perch, Roakore and Helzendar found the recruits standing at attention beside their respective silver hawks. Among them was Philo, who had jumped at the opportunity. They stood with their silver-feathered cloaks tucked under one arm. Each rider had been spending time bonding with their hawk—a task that included battling the birds in a kind of dominance ritual. Some had failed, and one had died trying.
    Those who succeeded stood before their king proudly, chests puffed out and eyes facing straight. Helzendar hurried to stand beside his mount, a male bird that he had named Goldenwing because of its one long gold feather beneath the right wing.
    The other dwarves saw his incredible steel arm and gazed at it with awe. Roakore, not disliking the attention that his work had gained, gave them all a few minutes to marvel at it. They surrounded Helzendar, ogling the fine smith work.
    “Listen up and listen good!” said Roakore as he began walking down the line. “Today ye be ridin’ yer silver hawks for the first time. Don’t be doin’ nothin’ stupid or ye just might get yerselves and yer hawk killed. This be serious business. Silver hawks got a mind o’ their own oftentimes. And they be smarter than a horse. You keep them well and they’ll keep you.”
    He stopped and scowled at one of the riders. “Where be your goggles?”
    The dwarf reached up and felt his head, and then quickly searched his pockets. “I…I seem to have forgotten ‘em, me king,” he said with a gulp.
    “Forgot ‘em, did ye?”
    “I can run back quick and—”
    “What be yer name, soldier?”
    “Delgish, sire, but me friends call me Freckles.”
    “Well then, Delgish, ye’ll be with the first group then. After a flight without goggles, I dare say ye’ll never be forgettin’ ‘em again. What be yer bird’s name? Or did ye forget to name him?”
    “His name be Pecker,” said Freckles proudly.
    Roakore scowled at him, eyeing him dangerously. “Come again,” he said low.
    Freckles glanced around at the other dwarves, some of whom had begun to snicker. “Ye know, ‘cause birds peck at stuff and all,” he said, looking at the others quizzically.
    Roakore shook his head slowly. “Ye special or somethin’?”
    “Well, my mum says I be.”
    “I think she might be right, lad,” said Roakore, still