Treachery : book 2 of Codex Elysium

Chapter 22

Chapter 22

Present time: Nidavellir

High king Dvalin stood on the ramparts of Nid-gate dressed in his finest war gear. A golden chest plate, thick gold grieves on arms and legs, a dark blue cloak hung from his shoulders at his side was his finest war sword. The only thing missing was the golden helmet with its plume of dyed blue hair. That currently rested on the merlon nearby. This best war gear was normally kept for ceremonial purposes. The high king had another set of armour that bore the dents and scratches from countless battles. Still, in his mind Dvalin thought. If this is to be our final battle, why can't I go out looking my best? The high king ran a hand through his shaggy grey hair and looked up and down the length of the wall. This was the first line of defense and the only entrance into the world of the Dwarves.

Nid-gate itself was little more than a than a standard fortress wall, standing twenty feet high and ten foot thick. It was about half a mile long, topped with merlons. Both ends were neatly embedded into mountainsides. There was only one gateway set in the very centre of the wall. Behind the wall was the great entrance valley that gently sloped its way up to the main fortress. The high king turned and looked into the valley. There were hundreds of dwarves franticly working away. They were clearing all the trees and shrubs, pulling out rocks and discarding the whole lot down either side of the valley.

After a reconvene of the war council, only one strategy seemed viable. The sad truth was they just didn't have the man power to defend the wall and hold a reserve force back in the main fortress. The plan was to hold the wall for a while, get a good look at the enemy and see what weapons and things they had then the dwarves would form a fighting retreat up the valley. A solid line of dwarf warriors that would fight the enemy while slowly backing up the valley all the way. The land clearance served two purposes. First, clear footing for the soldiers. Second they were trying to narrow the valley so their line wouldn't be spread so thin. Luckily, the valley narrowed the further back it went but at the wall, trying to spread your warriors in a line almost half a mile long was not smart.

Outside the wall teams of stone masons worked away, they were patching cracks, replacing rotten or crumbling stones. Anything that could be used as a foot or hand hold was being sealed. The high king wanted the surface as smooth as possible, he wasn't going to give the enemy anything.

The high king looked out at the rolling plains before him, they ran all the way to the distant World sea. There was more than enough room to marshal a force of fifty thousand. The land ran northwards where it dipped and rolled until it began to rise into the distant mountains of Jotuneheim. If you stuck to the coastal plains, headed east and bypassed the world of giants you would come to Asgard. Where Rekkr was right now, hopefully convincing Odin to send aid. High king Dvalin looked that way, hoping to see golden banners, the sunlight glinting off polished weapons and golden shields but there was nothing. No wait, there was something. A plume of dust rose up, it came from a lone rider who was charging hard and fast.

"My lord!" shouted one of the guards "We have in coming, shall we seal the gate?"

Dvalin cursed the guards' stupidity for asking such a thing. Only a fool would charge so recklessly across the plains. There were hidden rocks, pitfalls, any number of roots or low bushes that could snare a horse's leg and send it and rider crashing hard to certain injury and maybe death. The high king waved the guards to stand down. There was only one person it could be. He made his way down off the wall and headed to the gate.

Rekkr came through the gate hard, he brought the horse to a skidding halt as he saw the king, sending dust and scree flying in all directions. The high king felt sorry for the horse, it was shaking uncontrollably, lathered in sweat and looked ready to fall.