squeeze you through those bars. Understand?”
Leinjar stared blankly. Part of him wanted the dwarves to kill him.
“Are you stupid?” the dwarf asked.
“No.”
“Then, you best answer me.”
“I understand.”
“We start practice soon. Be ready.”
With that, the dwarf turned and strode across the cage, and the others followed him, some glaring at Leinjar with expressions that made him shiver. He walked to the rectangular room and went inside. There were no furnishings or decorations, save a few crude drawings on the walls, and the dirt floor was packed as hard as the rest of the ground inside the cage. Leinjar went to the far corner and lay down, curling into the fetal position. He had heard rumors at Koshlonsen that the orcs had overrun many cities, taking all of the adult males as slaves and some of the female but killing all the children and elderly. But no one knew anything about Torjhien, and not knowing his children’s fate was the most torture. He buried his face in his arm and sobbed.
“What kind of sissy have they thrown in here?” the leader of the cage said, standing over him.
“Just leave me alone,” Leinjar said. “I’ve lost everything.”
“We’re starting practice. On your feet or I’ll stomp you where you lay.”
“I just want my life back,” Leinjar said, looking up. His face was streaked with tears and snot flowed from his nose.
“Get this through your head, whoever you were is gone. Here you either fight and survive or you die a very painful death.”
“I couldn’t protect my family.”
“Your family is dead,” the dwarf returned. His face was checkered with scars, and he was missing several teeth.
“Don’t say that.”
“On your feet,” the dwarf said, reaching down and grabbing Leinjar’s beard.
An image of his children flashed through his head, and the empty cavern where his heart had been ached with a pain he couldn’t comprehend. The knot in his stomach swelled until he thought he would explode, and as the leader pulled on his beard, his pain morphed into anger. Suddenly, he stopped crying and stared at the leader, his eyes wide with rage.
“Stand up,” the leader said, his voice low and threatening.
Leinjar sprang to his feet and struck the leader in the forearm, knocking his grasp from Leinjar’s beard. Before the leader could recover, Leinjar struck him in the chest, knocking the wind from him. The dwarf stumbled backwards from surprise, and Leinjar drove into him with all he had. Something inside him had broken, and he couldn’t control the fury. He pounded on the leader with every ounce of strength, forcing the bigger dwarf across the room and against the wall. As the dwarf slid down the wall, bleeding and wheezing, the other dwarves charged into the room and wrestled Leinjar to the ground.
“Get off me!” Leinjar screamed, struggling against their weight. The dwarves held him still until he stopped moving.
The leader spit out a mouthful of blood and pulled himself to his hands and knees. He glared at Leinjar for several heartbeats, but then, a smile slowly spread across his face.
“That’s more like it,” he said. “Let him up.”
The dwarves obeyed, and Leinjar scrambled to his feet, turning to face them.
“Save your energy,” the leader said, staggering to his feet. “It’s time to practice.”
***
Leinjar stared south as the wagon wound up the mountain road. He hadn’t thought about his children in many years. After a few years in the cage, he had found it easier to pretend he had never lived anywhere else, and after several more years, he had convinced himself it was the truth. If they had survived, they would be close to adulthood. He imagined them as strong, young warriors, and the thought comforted him. He took a deep breath and savored the air of the western mountains. Even though these weren’t his mountains, he was glad to be back in dwarven lands.
Chapter 5
An Unexpected Ally
Suvene awoke with a start and
Leinjar stared blankly. Part of him wanted the dwarves to kill him.
“Are you stupid?” the dwarf asked.
“No.”
“Then, you best answer me.”
“I understand.”
“We start practice soon. Be ready.”
With that, the dwarf turned and strode across the cage, and the others followed him, some glaring at Leinjar with expressions that made him shiver. He walked to the rectangular room and went inside. There were no furnishings or decorations, save a few crude drawings on the walls, and the dirt floor was packed as hard as the rest of the ground inside the cage. Leinjar went to the far corner and lay down, curling into the fetal position. He had heard rumors at Koshlonsen that the orcs had overrun many cities, taking all of the adult males as slaves and some of the female but killing all the children and elderly. But no one knew anything about Torjhien, and not knowing his children’s fate was the most torture. He buried his face in his arm and sobbed.
“What kind of sissy have they thrown in here?” the leader of the cage said, standing over him.
“Just leave me alone,” Leinjar said. “I’ve lost everything.”
“We’re starting practice. On your feet or I’ll stomp you where you lay.”
“I just want my life back,” Leinjar said, looking up. His face was streaked with tears and snot flowed from his nose.
“Get this through your head, whoever you were is gone. Here you either fight and survive or you die a very painful death.”
“I couldn’t protect my family.”
“Your family is dead,” the dwarf returned. His face was checkered with scars, and he was missing several teeth.
“Don’t say that.”
“On your feet,” the dwarf said, reaching down and grabbing Leinjar’s beard.
An image of his children flashed through his head, and the empty cavern where his heart had been ached with a pain he couldn’t comprehend. The knot in his stomach swelled until he thought he would explode, and as the leader pulled on his beard, his pain morphed into anger. Suddenly, he stopped crying and stared at the leader, his eyes wide with rage.
“Stand up,” the leader said, his voice low and threatening.
Leinjar sprang to his feet and struck the leader in the forearm, knocking his grasp from Leinjar’s beard. Before the leader could recover, Leinjar struck him in the chest, knocking the wind from him. The dwarf stumbled backwards from surprise, and Leinjar drove into him with all he had. Something inside him had broken, and he couldn’t control the fury. He pounded on the leader with every ounce of strength, forcing the bigger dwarf across the room and against the wall. As the dwarf slid down the wall, bleeding and wheezing, the other dwarves charged into the room and wrestled Leinjar to the ground.
“Get off me!” Leinjar screamed, struggling against their weight. The dwarves held him still until he stopped moving.
The leader spit out a mouthful of blood and pulled himself to his hands and knees. He glared at Leinjar for several heartbeats, but then, a smile slowly spread across his face.
“That’s more like it,” he said. “Let him up.”
The dwarves obeyed, and Leinjar scrambled to his feet, turning to face them.
“Save your energy,” the leader said, staggering to his feet. “It’s time to practice.”
***
Leinjar stared south as the wagon wound up the mountain road. He hadn’t thought about his children in many years. After a few years in the cage, he had found it easier to pretend he had never lived anywhere else, and after several more years, he had convinced himself it was the truth. If they had survived, they would be close to adulthood. He imagined them as strong, young warriors, and the thought comforted him. He took a deep breath and savored the air of the western mountains. Even though these weren’t his mountains, he was glad to be back in dwarven lands.
Chapter 5
An Unexpected Ally
Suvene awoke with a start and
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