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  Danielle dropped to her knees before Tasha begging and Tasha relented even though she had no idea what she could do, and said as much, “When I first came across a crystal I was surrounded by suffering and pain. I had limited supplies to help the wounded soldiers under my care and Gabriel convinced me that the crystal dust had healed him. I was desperate to try anything to save one dying soldier so I used the crystal dust on his wounds. Somehow the crystals reacted with me and I was able to see into their bodies as the dust began to heal him. From then on I could only watch but never participate in the healing of patients and the need to do more is a driving force but not the key to the power of healing. Love is the key Danielle, find that which you love above all else and you may unlock your own power. I can only provide a crystal to aid you and guidance if you succeed.” She gave the women a crystal from her stash and helped her to her feet. Hold this in your hand as you try to unlock the power, if you succeed it will be absorbed into your body.

  The next day a Doctor Malone came to see her, asking for her help, “We have a woman in intensive care, she has a small burn mark on her hand and is cataleptic much like the symptoms you had before…”

  Tasha knew immediately who it was and followed the doctor to the woman’s room. Tasha knelt by the bedside and allowed her senses to enter the woman’s body.

  She could see the crystal particles flowing through Danielle’s blood but something was different, the women had two heart beats, Tasha searched and within the women’s womb she found a child barely formed. She watched as the crystals joined the child’s growing body, forming a crystal structure within his brain. She could feel the developing child’s mind was aware of her, so she moved carefully away and checked that Danielle was doing okay.

  She returned to monitor the child when she found the mother was also changing but unharmed.

  When she convinced herself that neither was in danger she drew back into her own body. She said to Doctor Malone, “They are both okay, mother and child, but I will need to monitor them closely. Can you arrange for a room nearby until she regains consciousness.”

  “Of course Tasha. Is she going to become a healer too?”

  Tasha watched the Danielle for a while before answering. “I believe she has that potential now, but her child was also affected. I don’t know what he will become.”

  CHAPTER 61

  Gabriel

  Behind the cover of thick trees Gabriel’s team worked to construct a simple pole raft. When it was complete it was large enough to carry all of them including Lockjaw.

  When the sun rose and bathed the battlements in light they pushed the raft into the water and began to pole their way upstream.

  As Gabriel had hoped they moved unseen along the river. The sun rose higher and the goblins retreated from the battlements to avoid the light. The gates however remained heavily guarded and they would need the aid of the dwarves to breach them for the wolven.

  When they made landfall within the Citadel they released the raft into the river and moved silently down the worn streets. They passed houses decked with goblin insignia but silence reigned as goblins slept peacefully unaware within.

  They finally made it to the base of the mountain at midday and had a short rest before continuing up a rocky path that resembled a stairway.

  Pebbles slithered down from their passage and the occasional rock broke loose starting small avalanches. By sunset they had reached a narrow defile and they began to squeeze their way along, barely fitting through. Goblins using the route would have struggled to move sideways single file making fighting impossible until they reached the other side.

  Eventually the crevice opened out into a small area with what appeared to be a series of terraces carved from the rock leading up the mountain like giant stairs. Each terrace looked down on them and had battlements to protect the defenders. Only a small hole on one side offered hope of getting to the next level but when they examined it they found that it was only a smooth sided chimney design without grips or steps for climbing.

  The soldiers broke out a grappling hook and rope to scale the wall and began pulling themselves up.

  Gabriel took the lead and was the first to see the dwarf standing guard at the top with an axe in hand. The short bulky man said in rough English, “Why are you here, creature?”

  When Gabriel made to pull himself fully up the dwarf lifted his axe menacingly and Gabriel got the message and answered, “The Wolf King sends aid to liberate the Citadel for the dwarves but needs an invitation inside its walls.”

  The dwarf paused trying to decipher the meaning of the words as Gabriel’s arms grew more tired. “You mean to say the wolven run south again but can’t get into the Citadel without our help.”

  “Yes, and my men and I seek to help an elven expedition journeying through the mountains.”

  “Don’t toy with me, creature, the elves haven’t moved from behind their wall in over a century.”

  “I’m a human and I’m telling you the truth. The elves have sent a small group to make contact with us on the eastern shore to create an alliance against the goblins. They meant to seek aid from your people and renew your alliance but whatever happened to your city has resulted in hundreds of goblins moving through the valleys making their journey perilous.”

  “We heard tales about humans from the elves a long time ago, not good tales,” said the dwarf fingering his axe.

  Gabriel felt the hairs on his neck rise but forced down his fear, “How long ago?”

  “They met the elves over a hundred years ago fleeing the goblins. If I remember correctly they turned on the elves and the elves were forced to slaughter them.”

  “A hundred years, how is that possible? Was there mention of a gateway, a doorway from another place?” asked Gabriel his muscles beginning to tremble while he held the rope.

  “Gateway, we know the word human. Very interesting, the Master of Broken Pass Keep will need to hear of this, only he can answer your questions. You will need to surrender your weapons as a sign of peace if you wish an audience with the Master.”

  Gabriel agreed and the dwarf helped him the rest of the way. Other dwarves moved forward to gather their weapons as they came up one by one.

  Gabriel heard the Lockjaw whining below and said, “We need to take the wolf as well. He’s the Wolf Kings ambassador.”

  The dwarves acting as a unit swung a crane over the chimney hole and using the pulley and rope lowered two of their companions down with a canvas sling. Lockjaw reluctantly allowed them to harness it to the canvas and pull it up the chimney. Slowly but surely the dwarves escorted Gabriel’s team up the mountain terrace by terrace passing other dwarven guards bearing heavy crossbows and axes.

  Gabriel realized that goblins trying to reach the top of the mountain would have no cover as they made their way up one terrace at a time. And by the looks of the cranes they could be dismantled or burnt to prevent the goblins from using them. The chimneys also alternated from the left side to the right slowing the progress of anyone trying to make use of them.

  Gabriel noticed cannon balls piled by the holes drilled into the walls on either side of every terrace. He asked the dwarf what they were for and the dwarf explained that the balls were fed into the bottom row of holes where they rolled down a “U” shaped tube and were spat out of the top row of holes at the enemy below. The floor was also slightly tilted so that the balls would make their way to the chimney at the far end and fall through to the level below causing even more damage to an enemy attempting to use them to reach the next level.

  While the dwarves’ stamina seemed inexhaustible the humans had to repeatedly stop to rest along the way. When they finally reached the top it was midnight. The dwarves led them to separate rooms and locked them in until sunrise to await an audience.

  CHAPTER 62

  General Esperanza

  General Esperanza cleaned his gun as he ran through the list of problems and accomplishments that had been achieved at Central.

>   The fishing fleet numbered ten boats so far but the winter weather no longer allowed safe travel on the sea. Stores were holding up well and would last till late spring. Harvesting of wood was becoming difficult as snow began to cover the forest. Fire wood was plentiful keeping the cave passages warm all day, but winter clothing was scarce and had to be shared which created a risk of exposure when working outside. The second wall was already one yard high on the south section and when it reached three storeys they would begin the north section leaving the west wall open until last in case they were attacked.

  The third attempt at building a foundry was underway in an attempt to create usable metal for tools and weapons. While goblin weapons were bountiful they were also generally too large to lift and in bad condition. Some weapons were obviously stolen by the goblins as they were of much better quality with strange patterns across their surface similar to the shaman’s staff runes. The commander had been confiscating the weapons until Esperanza ordered him to return them to the soldiers who had found them.

  With the last piece of his gun oiled he began to reassemble it.

  The goblins had disappeared since the start of winter relieving the soldiers from constant fighting but allowing them time to think, which was never good. Esperanza ordered a training regime in the archaic weapons to keep them busy and weapons training was going as expected, badly. Very few people had the skills to use anything but a knife or fists, let alone swords, axes and spears.

  Jack had become quite a leader in the small skirmishes he fought in the forest and would have to be promoted soon to official leader of the guerrilla force.

  Gabriel had sent no messages of what he was up to or where he was, but that was to be expected, the only electronic device still working was the mainframe within its heavy shielding and its error readings were increasing daily.

  Messages between Blackrock Keep and Central had ceased when the last messenger was found frozen to death after a terrible snowstorm that lasted days.

  Sliding the last piece of the gun in place he loaded the empty magazine and holstered it.

  CHAPTER 63

  Gabriel

  Gabriel, his men and the wolf were led under guard into a small audience hall. High windows allowed the rising sun to illuminate the walls bedecked with armour and weapons of various design. Soldiers stood in formation on either side of the passage running through the middle of the audience hall to where the dwarven leader sat in full armour.

  “Hanbar, Master of Arms of Broken Pass Keep,” explained the armoured dwarf leading them. When he came to a stop he introduced the humans one by one then motioned Gabriel forward.

  “You claim that you have come to liberate our ancestral city, Gabriel,” said Hanbar.

  “We bring you news that the Wolf King’s forces are ready to fight the goblins within its walls if the gates are opened. My companions and I came on a different mission.”

  “Yes the elves, how did you find out about the elven mission?” he asked.

  Gabriel hesitated but decided to speak the truth, “Gaia asked me to help them reach my people.”

  “Very few elves have ever claimed to have spoken to a deity, why should I believe you?”

  “Your people have suffered some sort of tragedy according to her, your god has been weakened enough that your defences no longer work and goblins overrun your city. I believe that Gaia wishes to provide safe passage for your people through this keep into the Citadel below.” Hanbar’s eyebrows rose. “That’s why she led me here and offered my aid to the Wolf King to find a means into the Citadel. If the wolven can overrun the goblins in the city below, then your people will have some safety until the wolven move north again.”

  “She told you this?” asked Hanbar.

  “No, I’m just putting the facts together. Your people are in dire need of safety, what better place than their ancestral home. After seeing the Citadel don’t believe it can be defended against the might of the goblin hordes when they return from the south but it will serve to protect your people during winter.”

  “Very well, I believe you are sincere and this plan does hold promise. You will accompany my men to open the gates and your men will remain here.”

  “But…” Gabriel began to argue.

  “If the wolven aid us in securing the Citadel I will aid you in finding and helping the elves. If not your men will be a small sacrifice for treachery. Now tell me, there has been mention of the word gateway. Is it true that you arrived here through portals from another place or perhaps another world.”

  Gabriel was taken aback by the threat but the mention of other worlds implied something stunning. “You speak my language, appear similar to me and know about gateways - how can this be possible?”

  The master of arms shifted in his seat then said, “My people have lived in this land for centuries but we too arrived on this planet through a gateway, in these mountains. From what we know of our history we travelled the valleys, always downward, seeking land capable of supporting our people, until we found the source of the river running through this keep. We followed it and eventually found this place overlooking the lake and forest below. We then founded our first city on its shores. Over time we added small walls to protect against the predators that roamed the forest and the city grew larger as we prospered. We mined the mountain for metals and harvested the forest for wood. Eventually we expanded our borders and created towns along the river where we found rune stone deposits which we used for light in our mines. Centuries later, the goblins began waging war against us. They destroyed our outlying towns but our main city survived as we built our defences stronger. Even as we began to discover the rune magic of this world the goblins wore away at the Citadels defences. Our leaders knew it was only a matter of time before the goblins overran the Citadel so we began to search the mountains for a safe refuge. To our surprise we found the caves the goblins spawned from. As the city fell behind us we marched into the mountains with our first rudimentary wardgates. Our plan was simple, build this keep to secure our rear from the goblins in the Citadel while we overran the source of the goblins. We fought a bloody path into the caves using wardgates to drive them ahead of us and to secure each passage behind us as it branched. The goblins sensing their peril came at us with all their might but the gates stopped them and our axes drove them back. They were forced deeper and deeper into the earth and we soon realized the caves made for a defensible new home. We settled the secure areas and built a new city which we called Stronghold. My people waited for goblin retaliation, but they never came in the numbers we expected. We grew stronger beneath the earth as we grew to understand the magic of this world and harnessed it to protect ourselves.” The distant look faded from Hanbar’s eyes and he frowned as he continued, “This tragedy you speak of so lightly, one of our people managed to reach us with a message from our king. His own words were that the wardgates have fallen, our power conduits are dead, our best weapons lie in ruins and our enemies come from above and below.”

  Hanbar paused to regain his composure. “If I hesitate to take you on your word alone that there is hope for my people I have good reason, human. I have been preparing to take my men in an attempt to liberate Stronghold but to do so will leave us weakly defended should the goblins rise in the city below. I have no choice but to aid the wolven on the slim chance that they can destroy the goblin threat behind us.”

  “If what you say is true and your race came through a gateway from another world then you may be descendants of humans,” said Gabriel carefully.

  “That has occurred to me but our records were left in the Citadel below locked within hidden chambers to protect them against goblins and the ravages of time. We may know in a few days or we may never know if the chambers were destroyed.”

  “That also means that the other gateways may have opened at different times, some may not even have opened yet,” said Gabriel as the full impact of what had happened hit him.

  “Other gateways, what other gateways?”


  “Thirteen gateways were opened on Earth to this world, one blew up before it could be used, another malfunctioned and was dismantled but that still leaves eleven. I arrived with one of three gates that opened on the eastern shore and if your race was from one of these gates that opened that still leaves seven unaccounted for.”

  “You forget the humans the elves have already met.”

  “What of the elves, could they have been human once?”

  “The elves resemble humans far more than dwarves. If this planet changed my race so drastically then it’s possible they may have also been changed, but they no longer speak the same language as us.”

  Gabriel went pale as he remembered something, “The language of the goblin gods is the same as ours Hanbar. I’ve heard the shamans speak it myself.”

  “Then there are four gateways unaccounted for by my count.”