Trouble in the Land of Dwarves
Chapter 18
The Escape
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As Prince Nathan�s closed his
eyes waiting for the end of the viking, his
other senses took over. Suddenly he heard
an animal growl followed by Gart grunting
once again in pain. Then there was a lurch
and he was free of the giant�s grasp. Only
now he was falling! He opened his eyes,
expecting to see that he had been thrown
over the edge of the mountain at last but, to
his relief, he landed on the path just a few
feet from Vonkar and Flindee.
To his amazement, they were both still
alive and Gart lay sprawled flat on his face
in front of them! The polar bear had bitten
the giant�s ankle from behind and tripped
him just before he had reached the dwarves!
In fact, it still had the giants leather ankle
wrap and was thrashing it with it�s head like
a puppy playing tug of war with a
sock.
But Gart was not down for
the count. He was only stunned for a
moment. They would need to move fast if
they were going to get past him before he
came to his senses. Already, he was
beginning to move his arms under
himself.
Nathan jumped to his
feet and ran over to help the others who
were still tangled together in a heap. For
every move the viking would make to free
himself, the jester would wiggle the
opposite way and send them both down
again. The prince grabbed the jester under
his arms and dragged him away from
Vonkar who leapt to his feet and grabbed up
his weapons.
�By the Golden
Warrior! This colorful little man is a living
net of arms and legs! My thanks to you,
warrior! Truly the enemy hath trained his
minions well! I should have watched my
back better, knowing that I might be
outflanked! Now step aside while I
dispatch of this
back-stabbin�....�
Flindee let out a
pathetic scream as the viking lifted his axe,
but Nathan stepped between
them.
�Wait a minute!� he
pleaded. �Flindee is not an enemy! He�s
just... confused... and... clumsy. He didn�t
mean to trip you. Don�t hurt
him!�
Vonkar glared at them both
for a moment, his breath coming hard.
Then he lowered his axe and a broad smile
broke out upon his face! �Well, spoken!
You show forth a noble blood in thy veins,
defending the weak and powerless. I salute
you!�
He banged his axe against
his shield in front of him and nodded to the
prince in a small bow. Nathan felt himself
flush with pride at the honor that was shown
to him and once again was glad for the
helmet that hid his boyish red
face.
Gart moaned as he began
to lift himself and Nathan remembered the
danger they were in. �We�ve got to get out
of here before he gets back up!�
�D�not be afraid! The enemy is
vanquished. And should he rise again, he
shall meet with defeat as
before.�
�But he�s not alone!�
Nathan explained. �There�s a dragon in the
cave and...�
�Aye, the dragon.
Tis why I came. The beast must be
destroyed.�
Vonkar turned back
toward the cave and began to head for it,
when Gart groaned again. He had lifted
himself up on his elbows and was shaking
his dizzy head.
Flindee
whistled. �Hey, Gart! You alright? That
was quite a nasty fall you took!� he walked
over and patted the giant�s bald head. �It�s
alright, big fella. Q says he�s got some
aspirin back in the box. We�ll take care of
you. But we better get out of this weather.
You remember the last time you stood out
in the rain and what that lightning bolt did
to your beautiful hair.�
As if to
emphasize his point the sky crackled and a
bolt of lightning struck a tall pillar of rock
on the path in front of the cave! The rock
and the ground beneath it, exploded,
tumbling down the side of the mountain,
nearly taking Vonkar with it in a small land
slide. Fortunately, the force of the
explosion knocked the viking backwards
and away from the falling rocks, but there
was know returning to Snagglefang�s cave
now. Between them and the entrance was a
15 foot crevice in the side of the mountain
that slanted downward at a terrible angle. It
was too far to jump and the weather would
not allow them to climb across.
Now they truly had nowhere to
go.
Gart had just regained his
senses, still blocking the path down and the
weather was only getting worse. Prince
Nathan was beginning to think that he
would never escape this
mountain.
�That does it!� Gart
proclaimed. �You little shrimps have really
made me mad now! No more mister nice
guy! Someone�s getting crushed! And I
think I�ll start with you, little howling
dog!�
The giant stood and bent
over to grab Vonkar, who was still lying on
the ground, stunned from the explosion.
Nathan felt helpless. Was there no stopping
the giant?
But as Gart�s hand
wrapped around his hated enemy, there was
another growl from behind him and Nathan
turned to see Vonkar�s bear once again
attack! The loyal animal abandoned the
ankles this time in favor of a more
prominent target!
Gart released
Vonkar and leapt into the air with a howl,
grabbing for his backside with both hands.
The bear did not let go. Gart stomped in
circles and brushed at his rear end, trying to
knock it loose with no success.
Flindee started to laugh at the comical
sight of the bear hanging from the giant�s
pants, but the prince had had enough!
Calling for the jester to help, he grabbed
Vonkar under one arm and began to run for
it once again!
He knew the
bear, as big and ferocious as it was, could
not hold the giant for long, but he hoped to
get as far ahead as possible before the chase
began. The winds were blowing now so
hard that the rain was blowing sideways in
there faces and Nathan felt like he were in a
dream, running in mud that seemed to suck
at his feet! It seemed they were getting
nowhere fast. Surely Gart would catch up
to them at any moment.
Yet, after
a few minutes, there was still no sign or
sound of him running after them. Finally,
Vonkar regained his senses and stopped
them.
�Why do we run?� he
demanded. �The enemy lies behind us. We
must return to face him! And where is
Grizzle?�
�Where is what?�
Nathan asked.
�Grizzle
MacCloud, my faithful friend, and traveling
companion. The great northern bruin that
carried me into the battle.� Vonkar seemed
frustrated with their lack of knowledge.
�Surely you saw him when we
arrived.�
Suddenly Nathan
understood.
�Oh, you mean that
big white bear of yours. He saved our lives
back there, but I don�t know what happened
to him after that.�
�What? You
mean you just left him to fight alone?�
Vonkar pushed them away and turned to go
back up the path, but he was still a bit dazed
from his fall and the storm winds kept him
off balance. He nearly fell as he took a step
forward.
The prince couldn�t
bare the thought of going back and pleaded
with the proud barbarian.
�Vonkar, please! We must get off of
this mountain before we are torn to pieces
by this storm! You�ve been hurt and
Flindee and I are no match for that giant if
he catches up to us!�
But the
viking would have nothing to do with the
idea of running from an enemy or
abandoning his bear. The very thought of it
made him angry.
�Run if you
must, cowards!� He scolded. �But Vonkar
the Vocal of Clan Axtagrind will not be
daunted by a mere storm or an overmuscled
giant!�
�Fine!� Nathan shouted in
desparation. �Go fight your giant! Go fight
your dragon! Go fight your storm! Go be
mister tough guy and fight everything for
all I care! I�m going to save my sister! And
if you think I�m a coward for doing that,
than go ahead! I don�t care! But she�s in
trouble somewhere and I�ve taken too long
to help her as it is and she could already
be...� He couldn�t finish the terrible
thought and found that he couldn�t speak
either as his throat tightened and he choked
back tears.
By this time, Vonkar
had stopped and Flindee was crying openly.
The jester blew his nose in Quattlebom�s
hat, then offered it to the prince for the
same purpose.
Nathan ignored
the offer, too lost in his own emotion, then
managed to choke out one last sentence.
�Now I�ve lost my dragon so I don�t even
know how I�m even going to find
her.�
He felt a strong hand on
his shoulder and turned slightly to see
Vonkar standing beside him. �Now don�t
worry yourself, lad. We shall find your
sister and she shall be fine. If she hath but a
wee portion of your pluck and courage, she
will be a terrible adversary for any foe.�
�Come.� he continued. �Let us
leave this evil mountain. Grizzle can
handle any giant. He be a fierce bruin with
matchless heart. Your fair sister must come
first, for there is no honor in abandoning a
young lass for even a short time of
sport.�
Nathan�s face brightened at
the viking�s sudden change and his warm
words. Perhaps there was still hope.
Vonkar couldn�t fly like Chrysolis, but the
prince had no doubt that he could find
Nataleigh somehow. The viking seemed to
fear nothing and refused to accept failure.
Somehow Nathan had to believe they would
succeed in finding his sister and rescuing
her from whatever danger she faced.
Vonkar would accept no other outcome.
Nathan decided he
wouldn�t either. With a new determination
on his face and Flindee bouncing along
beside, he followed his resuer down the
mountain. The storm still raged around
them, but the dragon�s anger no longer
seemed so terrible with friends by his
side.
�Whoopee!� Flindee
shouted with glee. �On with the Quest!�
Chapter 19
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