The War of the Dwarves Read Free Page A

nothing could withstand the violent quake.
    Most of the dwarves were knocked off their feet, hitting the flagstones in a jangling of chain mail. Axes flew through the
     air and clattered to the ground, while helmets collided with stone. Two of the surviving towers collapsed with a deafening
     bang, raising clouds of dust that shrouded the rubble.
    Boëndal thought of the vast orb that had passed overhead. He had only one explanation for the tremor: The comet had landed
     in the mountains to the west, sending shockwaves through the ground. He tried not to imagine what was happening in the underground
     halls and passageways; how many firstlings were dying, how many dead.
    The rumbling grew fainter, the quaking subsided, and at last it was still. The dwarves held their breath, waiting for what
     was next.
    An acrid smell burned their throats. The air was thick with dust from the ruined masonry, and smoke rose from scattered fires.
    The fearsome heat had passed with the comet, and it was snowing again. From a distance, the stillness could have been mistaken
     for tranquility, but it was born of destruction. Death had visited the Red Range and ravaged the firstlings’ home.
    “Vraccas have mercy,” whispered Boëndal’s companion, his voice as sorrowful and defenseless as a child’s.
    Boëndal knew what he was thinking. Dwarves were fearless: They threw themselves into battle regardless of the odds and defended
     Girdlegard against the invading hordes. Their axes and hammers brought death to the most monstrous of Tion’s beasts, but no
     dwarven weapon could match a foe like this. “We couldn’t have stopped it,” he told him. “Even Vraccas can’t catch a falling
     star.”
    Leaning over the bridge, he realized that the base of the tower was seriously unstable. Cracks, each as wide as an outstretched
     arm, had opened in the stone and were spreading through the masonry. He could almost hear it breaking. “Quick, before the
     tower collapses and takes us with it!” He set off quickly across the bridge, followed by a handful of survivors.
    They were almost halfway when a large clump of snow struck Boëndal on the neck.
What a time to play stupid games…
He brushed away the snow and kept walking.
    The second snowball hit his left shoulder, showering him with snow. He whirled round to confront the hapless prankster. “By
     the hammer of Beroïn, I’ll—”
    Before he could finish, the dark sky opened up and pelted him with clumps of snow. Powdery snowballs hit the bridge, his helmet,
     and the other dwarves. Boëndal heard a faint rumbling and the bombardment intensified; he knew what it was.
    The mountains, not his companions, had started the assault.
    Boëndal’s stomach lurched as he scanned the peaks around him. Although the comet had hit the ground many miles to the west,
     it had called forth a monster that lurked above the dwarven halls. Boëndal had seen it hundreds of times while standing watch
     in the secondling kingdom. The White Death, roused by the rain and the tremors, had mounted its steed near the summit and
     was galloping down the slopes. In the space of two breaths it filled the mountainside, crushing and consuming everything in
     its path.
    Like a vast wave, the snow rolled down the mountain, throwing up powdery spray. Everything before it was toppled, stifled,
     and dragged on its downward plunge.
    “Run!” shouted Boëndal. His legs seemed to move of their own accord. After a few paces, he slipped over, but someone grabbed
     him by the plait and he stumbled to his feet. Two dwarves slotted their hands under his armpits and pulled him on. Driven
     by fear, they stumbled over the bridge, more skating than running.
    Even as the gates swung back to admit them, the White Death reeled them in.
    Hurling itself triumphantly over the precipice, it fell on the dwarves like a starving animal. Its icy body smacked into the
     bridge, knocking them into the chasm.
    Boëndal’s shouts were drowned out by