It was early mourning in the small mountain town of Bremanton and the mists of the great Raven Lake were lightly floating over the still water. But soon after the sun rose over the Spine of the World Mountains the peaceful silence of the mourning was broken by a women's cry. This lady had been collecting wood on the out skirts of town when terror struck. She had just climbed a steep hill past the main gate of town when she came upon a horrid sight. Gathered below her on the stump filled plain's was a mass of multi-colored goblins. Such was the magnitude of this sight that she fell backward and tripped on the loose gravel of the hill. As she rolled down the treacherous terrain her face scrapped against a jagged rock and created and long painful gash on her face.

    When Shala Glacierwind, Sca’s mother came running into her house screaming she quickly awoke Sca’s still sleeping father from his early mourning slumber. While his father was still coming out of the grogginess of sleep his mother ran about as if mad and fetched his fathers steel trident and crafted wooden composite bow . He heard his mother rasp something of a sea of goblins to his father in between her shallow breathing. Some what awake now his father started comprehended what his mother had said and hastily went over to Sca’s bed where the little boy pretended to sleep.  Rolot slowly shaked Sca awake with a quiet urgency. When Sca opened his sleep filled eyes he was shocked to see a long red gash across his tanned mothers face. The wound looked like something cut across her face and left a deep blood soaked gash.

    Realizing her family needed her now she got some control over herself and stopped the sobs that came so easily to her and wiped away some of the blood dripping down her face. Knowing from what she saw the town hadn’t much time without every man on the wall. Slowly she dropped all of her husbands equipment and walked over to him. Touching him gently on the shoulder she saw he was holding Sca in a long hug.
"Rolot the town needs you now, go and I will keep Sca safe,"
saying this threw tear swelled eyes she stood over him and waited for him to rise. Although this was not a uncommon event in there lives Rolot felt something deeper about this departure and that was why he hugged his only son so long.
"Be strong Sca and listen to your mother because she loves you just as dear as I."
Releasing Sca from his strong arms he stood up straight and looked deep into his wives beautiful blue eyes. "Shala know that whatever happens Sca is to know about us and our ways. And you are always to remember that  even if hell awaits me outside that door I would gladly walk threw it a million times over for the chance to defend you. So let not you blame your self if I am hurt or worst because it is of my own will."
Saying this he gave her a long deep kiss on the lips and turned his back to her to walk out a door where no doubt a war was being fought and weather anybody liked it or not he was going to win or die to protect his family.

   As Rolot's shadow slipped out the door into the early mourning sun Shala shed her last tear and looked toward her frightened son. She told him in a calm but shaken tone that they had to hide in case the horrid goblins made it pass the main wall. Saying this she quickly hurried him over to the stone fire place,  took a  nearby bucket of water and threw it on the fire. Clutching a fire poker that was resting against the wall of the fireplace she jabbed it into a small hole far into the fireplace between two brown bricks. Rolot had insisted of such a precaution just in case such a situation had occurred. Getting it hooked she pulled the poker back with all her strength. After a few seconds the floor inside the fire place started to slide back toward Shala. Before long she had the hot steam of fire warming her face as she pulled the trap door in under her. Now with the whole bottom of the fire place slid out she dumped all the warm coals into a hole that previously wasn’t there. Running into the kitchen and grabbing what ever she could she stopped short and thought of the years of hers and her husbands work that was now being abandoned. Taking one last glance around her home she swore she would teach her only son that it was not right to live like this, it was just not right. With the few supplies and bits of food she gathered she hurriedly stuffed Sca down into the small hole.
"Take the food Sca,"
saying this she slid into the hole with him thinking they just might need every bite of it.
Reaching up into the mourning light she grasped the hot handle of the steel trap door and covered them both in a deep cooling darkness not much unlike death .

* * *

   Rushing threw the narrow streets of   Bremanton with twenty of his armored troops Rolot Glacierwind didn’t know what to expect once he reached the town’s main wall facing the Stump Forest. Brushing his long black hair out of his face he tried to formulate a plan for his company  that protected his town from the many raids of the savage monsters that inhabited the Spine of the World. The bells of the alarms blared out their hollow echo as he gathered with the rest of his troops at the edge of the town. His company was in charge of long range attacks, such came there name the Frosty Arrows. Approaching the walls he tried to forget about his family and focus on his job. Scanning the main wall he saw many of the towns men gathered or gathering and taking their pick of the towns weapons. Waking by the catapults he nodded his small chin at the catapult master.
"Lanfar my friend what is the situation."
"Sir I think you better take a look for your self,"
Lanfar said as he pointed to the wall. Rolot looked at him oddly, it wasn’t like him to give such a grim answer, he was probably just not feeling as young as he used. Dressed in Banded armor like he was with more then twelve daggers strapped on you would think he thought we were going up against all the monsters of the Spine of the World. Pulling himself up one of the many ladders that lined the twenty foot tall stone wall he looked out at goblin army assembled before him and thought to himself that he might just as well as join his wife and son in there whole in the ground. At least nine hundred heavily clad goblins could be seen in the small field just below the town and only the gods knew how many others were hiding in the trees. Indeed he wife was right it was a sea of brown gray and green goblins. The town's militia combined could probably with a lot of luck take out these forces he thought to himself. But as he squinted his still sleepy eyes he picked out what appeared to be trees as armored Hill Giants. There were at least twenty of the monstrous foes.
"Lanfar old friend, I think you can strap on a few more daggers yet."
Uttered Rolot.

    After one hours time the whole town’s force except the Icebergs, Bremanton’s navy, was at the front wall waiting for the impending attack. But not a single goblin moved forward nor did any giant raise his arm to fire a icy boulder. Not understanding the delay he used the opportunity and gave his men on the wall a hand single to arm there bows. Immediately they all started taking their short bows off their backs and notching arrows into there strings. Rolot then pointed at a visible giant and gave the single to fire at there eyes. Scratching his tidy black gouty for good luck, he drew a silver tipped arrow, another lucky omen. Putting the arrow in the bow line he raised the deadly weapon at the closest giants eye and yelled out loud.
"Fire"
Silence was the only sound heard before the twang of bow strings filled the air. Rolot was amazed as he was every time when he saw a rain of arrows but he was more amazed when all the arrows went right through the lead twenty goblins only to sink into the moist soil. And even his own shot passed right through the hill giants metal helm. When he had realized what had happened his mind filled with horror because of the deadly ruse. He turned around and yelled to his men to fire at the mountains but before he could even notch an arrow a rocky boulder came sailing threw the air. It nicked the head of the archer next to him but with such force it knocked him off the wall and plunged him into a darkness deeper than that of unconsciousness. Yelling for his men to take cover he leapt off the twenty foot high wall and rolled into the newly made mud, searching for his trident that he threw down. He felt the chill of dirt touching his face.

~ By: James Smeaton