CHAPTER EIGHTEENTHE VALOR MASTERS

  King Gideon Brock looked up from his prominent seat at a rge table as the door to his war room opened. He watched as three men cd in red and purple walked through the door. They were men he commanded, but even more, they were men that that he knew he could always trust. Even with his life.

  The older man leading the way was Noltas, the sword master. He was the same age as King Brock, and like him, despite his age, was still a formidable presence. He was the first of the Valor Masters, but more importantly, he was the king’s childhood friend.

  When Noltas finally reached the table, he bowed respectfully. After standing to greet his longtime friend, King Brock grabbed his shoulder and the sword master straightened. Then Brock turned to Gorman, the quick and nimble master of daggers and Vollmers the short, yet muscur axe master. As with Noltas, both men bowed to their king. Then as one, all four of the men took their seats at the octagon shaped table.

  “At ease my friends. We shall begin once everyone is here,” announced King Brock. Then he looked at Noltas. “I assume our guests are very comfortable?”

  “Yes, your highness. They are without want, as much as they can be away from home,” replied the sword master. Then Noltas looked over his shoulder as he heard the sound of someone with a staff walking toward the room. A second ter all four of the men heard it and looked up.

  Suddenly, the war room door opened and the sage Falldrim walked in with Finnell, the wiry and accurate master of the bow and Sevilno, the tall and formidable spear master. The old sage and the two remaining Valor Masters bowed to King Brock and then sat down. All but one chair was empty, but that was not unexpected. There was always a chair avaible for guests and allies during times of war or crisis.

  “Before we get started on the main reason for this meeting, let me first thank you, Sevilno and Finnell, for your speedy return from Parnigal,” began King Brock. “You were not given a reason to make haste. My apologies for that, but as you will soon see, it was something that had to be done.”

  “Please my king, no apologies are necessary. We are always at your service,” replied Finnell, with a sincere smile.

  “Highlord Beomont sends his regards. He still awaits your return to see all he has done to the city,” added Sevilno.

  “Yes, Westley has certainly made sure Parnigal continues to be regal and beautiful,” replied King Brock. Then he moved to a more pressing subject. “What of the dragon Firebaugh? Did he come anywhere near to the old capital city?”

  “The dragon only teases us,” stated Sevilno, in an annoyed, yet stern voice.

  “Firebaugh flew close enough for the archers of the four towers to see him, but he stayed just outside of bow range,” added Finnell.

  “Firebaugh will taste the sharp bdes of our weapons soon enough my king,” said Gorman lifting one of his daggers. “Whether it be in a fortified city like Parnigal or the pins below his mountain.” Then the Valor Master smmed the point of his bde into the wooden table.

  “And in the end, I will remove the sovereign dragon’s head,” added Vollmers, raising his axe. “And all that will be left will be the lesser dragons that are all but extinct.”

  “Sooner or ter, Firebaugh will realize that he should have returned to the Domain of Dragons with the other sovereigns when he had the chance centuries ago,” decred Noltas calmly.

  After the sword master finished, Falldrim looked over at King Brock. When the leader of The Human Kingdom Lands gestured to the door, the sage stood, bowed, and walked toward it. All five of The Valor Masters watched as Falldrim left. It was only Noltas that wasn’t puzzled by him leaving. After the door was closed behind King Brock’s most trusted advisor, The Valor Masters turned back to their king.

  “As my Valor Masters, you know that you are not just the most formidable fighters in this kingdom, you are my right hand,” assured King Brock. “Even so, I will still remind you that this meeting today is not just of the utmost importance, but the words we speak and the discussions at this table must be kept secret.”

  After scratching his bearded chin for a moment, King Brock looked at his Valor Masters calmly. “You were told that there is an invading force from The Barren Wastend, and that King Ironhearth is valiantly defending his mountain kingdom. However, sadly the tide is starting to turn.” Then he looked solely at Noltas.

  “We had been told that The Dwarven Mountains were not in danger of falling to this invading force,” spoke the sword master. “But we may now need to aid King Ironhearth, and soon.”

  “How did we come by this knowledge?” asked Sevilno, looking from Noltas to King Brock.

  As Finnell, Gorman, and Vollmers also sat in shocked silence, waiting for their king to answer, everyone began to hear the sound of Falldrim’s staff approaching. That meant the sage would soon enter the war room, but a few seconds ter they could tell he was talking with someone.

  “How did we come by this knowledge...” began King Brock, echoing Sevilno, but he stopped, hearing Falldrim’s staff just outside the door.

  When the door opened, The Valor Masters watched as Falldrim entered with a young, bearded dwarf. Then King Brock stood up and gestured to the two empty seats remaining at the table.

  “Valor Masters of the Human Kingdom Lands, I present to you Prince Basrak Ironhearth of the Dwarven Mountains,” announced Falldrim.

  The Valor Masters were quiet as Prince Basrak took his seat at the table between Falldrim and King Brock. The dwarf’s face was grave.

  “With all due respect to all that sit at this table, I do not wish to be here,” stated Prince Basrak, pinly. Then he smiled and nodded at the leader of The Human Kingdom Lands. “Though I am thankful to you King Brock for your hospitality to myself and my mother, I would love nothing more than to be defending my homend next to my father.”

  “Prince Basrak, please tell us what you have seen of this invasion into your kingdom,” said King Brock, nodding back at the prince.

  “All the dwarves in The Mountain Kingdom battle bravely, but the invaders are more than just the exiled humans and goblins put there by you and my father,” spoke Prince Basrak. Then he looked at The Valor Masters. “They are joined by monsters we have never seen, and a leader with incredible powers. After the enemy crossed the water on a magically created bridge, we released our boulders.”

  When Prince Basrak became quiet for a moment, all the Valor Masters but Noltas waited anxiously for the prince to speak again. Then he smmed a fist upon the table.

  “The boulders disintegrated as they fell. Every st one of them. Hundreds of rocks became pebbles. Some simply vanished into thin air,” revealed Basrak, his face a mix of anger and disbelief.

  “Where are the invaders now?” asked Gorman, as he pulled his dagger out of the table. Then rubbing the bde across his sleeve he pced the bde back into its sheath.

  “My father has slowed them, but they have left the shore and started into the mountains,” continued Prince Basrak. “If it were not for this wizard, this strong sorcerer in bck armor, this army and these monsters would be destroyed. Yet for as powerful as this man in bck is, It seems he can only use these godlike powers sparingly.” Then Basrak looked at King Brock. “However, he seems to be getting stronger as the days go by. That is why my father sent us here. I want to be with him, but I am the only heir and he wants my mother safe.”

  “Your father is right Prince Basrak,” replied King Brock as he thought of Marianna. “I know all too well what it is like to lose a Queen. Take heart. King Ironhearth will not lose your mother.” Then he thought of his own daughter, Octavia, currently at The Wizard Citadel. “He will not lose an heir...”

  When King Brock rose from the table, Falldrim and The Valor Masters stood as well. Then he finished, his voice swift and sure.

  “…and with the help of these men, he will certainly not lose his mountain kingdom either.”