The Fall of Dorkhun Read Online Free PDF Page A

about, can you tell anything about Roskin?”
    “As far as I can feel, he is safe. That’s all I know.”
    “I wish I could’ve gone with him.”
    “Don’t worry yourself. You made the right choice. This next part is his and his alone.”
    “You’re right. You’re right, but still…”
    “You trained him well. He’s as ready as possible to face this. Try not to worry.”
    This time, Crushaw nodded silently and pointed at the field, indicating that he wanted to finish his task.
    Smiling, Kwarck turned and started for the house, and Crushaw stared to the west for a moment. He hoped the young dwarf would be okay. To him, the whole situation seemed more than a conflict over Roskin, and he was certain more was at work than any of them knew. He refocused on the row in front of him and located the next weed. As he stepped closer, he heard Kwarck call from the edge of the field:
    “Next time, Crushaw, you won’t hear me.”
    Chuckling, the aged general struck the ground and ripped out the weed. The sun was nearing its apex, and the temperature was climbing, so he quickened his pace, moving down the row.
    ***
    Vishghu stopped at the river dividing the ogre clans from the Kiredurk Kingdom and let her buffalo drink. The Kiredurks called it the Ganheren River, but to ogres it was known as the Mother of Ice, for its source was said to be at the end of the world. After leaving Kwarck’s, she had ridden for six days to her village, but when she arrived, she had learned the clan leaders were at the front near the eastern gate. She had rested a few hours, enjoying the cool weather, then gathered enough provisions to get her to the gate and set out again. After having ridden for another week, she was now only a day’s ride from the front.
    In her village, she had seen many wounded ogres and had heard terrible stories of the fighting. What surprised her most was the hatred her people showed for the dwarves that had been their closest ally for centuries. It was as if the ogres had turned all their anger at the Great Empire onto the Kiredurks. The thought bothered her, not just because she had seen Roskin’s valor and respected him personally, but also because she knew the humans had not stopped invading. The ogres couldn’t long survive a war on two fronts.
    Once the buffalo had drunk well, she remounted and crossed into the Kiredurk Kingdom. She had been able to see the mountains on the horizon for a couple of days, but as she neared Erycke’s Peak, which rose 10,000 feet, she was truly in awe. The first mountains she had ever seen were those of the eastern range, but the highest she had seen was barely over 5,000 feet. At the time, she had been impressed by the majesty of those green and purple folds in the land. Now, staring at the gray and white jagged rock that seemed ripped from the ground itself, she was overcome by the beauty.
    As the buffalo plodded along the stone road that wound around the base of the mountain, Vishghu saw thin columns of smoke in the near distance. The ogre camps were not too far away, so she rehearsed what she wanted to say to the matriarchs. She had been practicing for most of the trip, but now that she was close, anxiety and doubt crept into her thoughts. On the ride between Kwarck’s home and her village, she had been certain that she could persuade them, but now, her words felt weak and hollow. She wished Crushaw were with her. He could help make her argument stronger and clearer. Suddenly, two well-armed ogre males stepped from behind a grove of ponderosa pines and ordered her to halt.
    “What’s your business on this road?” one asked.
    “I need to speak to the matriarchs.”
    “In case you haven’t heard, they’re a little busy.”
    “I am welcome at their table.”
    “That so?”
    “I am Vishghu from the clan Ghlounsourhan. They will see me.”
    “What’s your business?”
    Part of Vishghu wanted to tell them about Roskin and Crushaw, the Slithsythe Plantation, the Battle for