Hammer of the Gods

Chapter 19

BATTLE AT THE GREAT DIVIDE

Chapter 11

Great Divide battle comes,

Gnomes and dwarves blood will run

Wolf and bear eagle three,

Archangels come save me

Drums they beat in caverns deep,

Iron on stone armored feet

Ruby red the heart doth glow,

As the great ones fall below

Jonah was not able to finish the thought as a patrol of gnomes rounded the corner into the open area in front of the vault. Seeing their countrymen lying on the stone floor in bonds and the treasury door ajar, they began shouting as they drew their swords. One guard ran for help while the other three attacked.

Atungitok disappeared. Not wanting to be trapped in the vault, they exited in a line to meet the halflings. The lead guard went invisible reappearing off to Uncle Tok’s right side. The guard thrust his short sword into the Alaskan native chief’s leg. Uncle Tok cried out in pain before he struck the gnome hard with the butt of his sword. The tiny warrior went down in a heap.

The other two gnomes both came at Jonah, who used the rod in a blocking motion. Suddenly he felt a bolt of energy pass through his hands as the staff created a wall of force that knocked the little fellows back against the far wall with the sound of metal striking stone. They crashed to the floor, unmoving. Jonah stared in awe at the staff that now was glowing white in his hands. The light from the staff illuminated the room like noonday sun for a moment before slowly fading once more.

“Run! We will catch up to you shortly. Follow Atungitok,” Uncle Tok yelled as Nanuk came to help him.

Their little gnome ally suddenly reappeared near the entrance of the guard room and waved at them to follow him, “Hurry we haven’t much time!”

“Leave me, Nanuk! I will catch up!” Uncle Tok yelled as he grimaced at the pain coming from his wound.

“Not a chance, Uncle!” Nanuk took a moment to rip part of his shirt and used it to bind his uncle’s wound. The younger man put his arm over the shoulder of his older relative, as they struggled to catch the others in the main hall. Alarm bells started to ring. Shouts came from the direction they had come.

Atungitok paused at the main hallway and said, “The way out will be blocked now. We will never reach the spiral stairs out of the mountain. Our only hope will be the bridge over the Great Divide. Follow me!”

The wounded Inupiaq man and his nephew tried to keep up, but were falling further behind. The gnomes who could travel faster than the humans would surely catch them before they could reach the bridge. The chief from Nome stopped and said, “Catch the others and protect them, nephew! If I cannot run, I can still fly!”

Tok shape-shifted into the great bald eagle. Nanuk quickly stuffed his uncle’s clothes into the pack that he’d recovered from the guard room. They had not found their firearms, but their other belongings were there. He left the extra sword, shield, and chain mail lying on the stone floor. His uncle would not need them now.

The main hall came to an archway in a great stone wall that had braziers on either side of an iron gate that stood open and unguarded. There was a tunnel that led down from the first gate, to a second. The small group hastily ran down the tunnel until they reached the set of thick iron doors, where they paused to look beyond. On either side of each exit were alcoves with windows that opened, facing the passage. There, archers might fire arrows at would-be attackers within the tunnel should the need arise. Additional low-ceilinged alcoves branched off to the sides of the second gate. More small openings which would allow archers to fire through ran in a row off to each side. The gate was open, and stairs led down to a large, flat area before reaching the bridge over the chasm. It had been many years since the last battle, and the gnome defenses had become idle. The sounds of pursuit were fast approaching leaving the small party with no choice but to move forward.

A company of armed gnomes stood guard before the bridge. The small soldiers turned as the humans and Atungitok came through the gate. The cavern was immense, and the air was somewhat warmer here. A dim light came from veins of quartz in the cavern walls as well as from the braziers and phosphorescence from lichens along the floor. An orange glow emanated deep in the ravine from the lava far below. Steam rose up from the depths in various places, creating a haze making the far side somewhat difficult to see. The moisture from the hot gases had frozen across the enchanted bridge, forming enormous icicles.

The large bald eagle flew out of the tunnel with a screech as it headed for the closest gnomes. Some went invisible, while others tried desperately to hide behind shields and spears. In his eagle form, Uncle Tok could still see the invisible gnomes and he continued to attack them as Nanuk closed the gate. But the crossbar was on the opposite side. He used his animal-skin-covered forearms and his great strength to lift the brazier from its sides and set it in front of the double doors. Nanuk turned and ran to catch up with the rest of the party facing the bridge. A large group of little soldiers now faced them with weapons drawn.

Nanuk looked at his sister, and they nodded to one another without saying a word. Each dropped their weapons, and for a moment, Atungitok, Jonah, and Angelica thought they had given up.

The Inupiaq siblings quickly removed their parkas and chain mail as their bodies began to grow hair. It happened quite quickly. Nanuk screamed at the approaching gnome soldiers. His cry turned to a deep roar as his body continued to change. He fell to his hands and knees. The hair growing from his skin was white. Thick, dark locks upon his head lightened until they matched the fur growing from his arms. The young native man’s face elongated and his teeth began to grow. His hands and feet were now huge, clawed paws. His body grew in size, splitting his clothing, until a massive polar bear stood where Nanuk had been.

At the same time, Lorne grew hair that was grey and black. In only a short time there was an enormous Dire wolf, where she had stood. The creature shook off what remained of her human clothing before raising its head towards the cavern roof. Taking a deep breath it let out a loud, intimiadting howl that echoed throughout the chamber. It was a chilling and frightening call for the pack which would go unanswered deep below the mountains.

The gnomes paused in their attack in shock and fright as they saw the transformation take place. A few cowered into one another as the humans joints popped and their limbs bent into unnatural positions. Worst of all was the transition of the outworlder’s faces as the jaws extended and the fangs grew and the eyes turned feral. Small even compared with dwarves the gnomes were terrified of the huge creatures which now came for them. The halflings fell back in fear to one side of the bridge entrance.

The great bear and werewolf cleared the few remaining gnomes who had the courage to stand their ground. With little effort they bounded up the stairs with Jonah and Angelica close behind.

Atungitok could not be seen, having gone invisible once more. The banging of metal on metal and yells from the far side of the closed gate reverberated through the chamber. Cheers went up from the gnome guard near the causeway as their reinforcements managed to push open the stout doors. The forceful impacts of the gnomes against the barrier knocked over the burning container, causing a fiery flow of flames to pour down the stairs off to one side of the entryway. An avalanche of tiny warriors poured through the doors, led by Chief Sangliak, who was now fully armored in shining, finely crafted steel. His helm had a gold crown fixed atop. The half-gnome, half-dwarven warrior retracted his face guard. Frosty mist escaped his mouth and nostrils as his eyes opened wide to survey the scene. His fierce glance focused upon Jonah and the staff. Bellowing his rage in a deep cry tainted with anger, he yelled for his men to attack as he led the charge towards the bridge.

On the far side of the cavern, horns began to blow as the dwarves, who mistook this unexpected turn of events for an assault against their kingdom, rallied their own troops.

The raptor made a pass at the half-dwarven chief to slow his assault. So focused was the gnome leader on the staff of Moses, that he did not see his peril until it was too late.

The bird-of-prey’s talons made deep slashes across the gnome leader’s face, tearing through muscle and flesh as it flew past and circled back towards the bridge. The commander’s crowned helm flew off his head and clattered across the stone floor.

The chief staggered but did not fall as his troops rushed to gather around their leader defensively. Pieces of flesh hung from Aternerk Sangliak’s left cheek, and some of his teeth and jaw bone were visible as the blood coursed down his face and neck. Grimacing, he cried out in pain as he pressed his left hand against the wound while grabbing a spear from one of his soldiers with his right. He cast the shaft at the great eagle with surprising strength and agility.

The steel-tipped javelin struck the bird in the right wing where it meets the body, embedding itself through feathers, muscle, and bone. Uncle Tok screeched in pain as he spiraled out of control and out of sight into the Great Divide.

There ended Aternerk Awarumtok, Third Chief of Nome. He had redeemed himself for ever after in the tales of his people. One of the last of a long line of Timi Gguk chiefs in the area around Nome had fallen.

The party cried out in dismay and grief as Nanuk turned to face his uncle’s killer, roaring his anger and sorrow. He backed onto the bridge as the small party retreated to its center. The gnome commander, followed by his guards, climbed the stairs cautiously with shields and weapons at the ready.

While the polar bear retreated towards the center of the stone overpass, Lorne, in wolf form, faced the dwarves who had dispatched their own soldiers on the other side of the chamber.

There seemed to be little hope for the mortals from the outer world. They were hopelessly outnumbered and surrounded by what seemed to be a sea of foes. Even the shape-shifters would not be able to defend against so many. Teeth and claws against thousands of heavily armed and armored soldiers were not the best of odds.

Aternerk Sangliak and his soldiers rushed Nanuk as blood ran down the Gnome Chief’s ruined face. The enraged and wounded chief bore his enchanted sword which now was glowing red as were his hands, forearms and eyes, giving him the appearance of some bearded demon. Swinging Crimsonfell, his great sword, with both hands, he cut the forearm of the bear leaving a gaping wound through fur and flesh as Nanuk roared in pain.

The polar bear’s jaws opened wide revealing his large teeth. With surprising speed the massive bruin lunged forward his mouth snapping shut, but the half-gnome, half-dwarf leader was too fast barely dodging the assault.

A group of small soldiers charged towards Nanuk. He knocked several of them off the bridge with a single swing before rising to his full height on two legs. The were-bear towered over the Gnome Chief, but Aternerk Sangliak was undaunted. One hand was still pressed against the wound in his face while the other held his mighty sword. As he prepared to strike he grasped his weapon with both hands once more which revealed the gaping wound in his face. The tear through soft flesh exposed his teeth and jaw within. Bright red blood poured forth anew, running down his armor.

Without warning, gnome guards appeared amongst the party. Lorne tore into those that were closest, biting through armor and crushing the bones beneath. One unfortunate gnome thrashed wildly in her jaws, screaming in pain.