The band of thirty dwarves was in Sangpûr, a desolate human realm under Queen Umilante’s rule. “You’ll be pleased to know that the worst is behind us.” “There’s no other way of getting there,” Gandogar said apologetically. The ponies that had borne them on their long journey to the secondling kingdom snorted and whinnied fractiously, trying to clear their nostrils but blocking them further with all-pervasive sand.
Dwarves and deserts don’t mix.” The verdict was shared by the rest of the troop. “Vraccas knew what he was doing when he sculpted us from rock. The freshest marks were just five orbits old, the result of a skirmish with orcs. He looked every inch the warrior, his chain mail bearing the scars of countless battles. He was taller and brawnier than the monarch and his hands and arms were laden with almost as many golden rings and bangles. I’ve never seen a sandstorm below the surface,” complained Bislipur Surestroke, the friend and mentor riding at his side. He led the party unflinchingly through the sand and scree. Beneath his diamond-studded helmet his hair and beard were brown and wiry. His heavy tunic of finely forged mail was worn with pride, despite the trying circumstances. He stood a little over five feet tall and his arms were strong and powerful. He tugged at his scarf, pulling it over his nose.Īt 298 cycles of age, Gandogar was a respected leader and accomplished warrior. “Bedeviled wind,” cursed Gandogar Silverbeard of the clan of the Silver Beards, king of the fourthlings’ twelve clans. Scarves muffled their faces but the cloth was no match for the fine desert sand, which worked its way through the fabric, clogging their beards and grinding between their teeth. The international bestselling fantasy epic now available in English for the first time.Tens of hundreds of tiny grains of sand pelted their helms, shields, mail, and every inch of unprotected flesh.īattered by the gusts, the brave band of dwarves struggled onward, mounted on ponies.
Not only his own safety, but the life of every man, woman and child in Girdlegard depends upon his ability to embrace his heritage.Īlthough he has many unanswered questions, Tungdil is certain of one thing: no matter where he was raised, he is a true dwarf.Īnd no one has ever questioned the courage of the Dwarves.
But when he is sent out into the world to deliver a message and reacquaint himself with his people, the young foundling finds himself thrust into a battle for which he has not been trained.
Ībandoned as a child, Tungdil the blacksmith is the only dwarf in a kingdom of men. For countless millennia, no man or beast has ever succeeded in breaching the stone gateway into Girdlegard.
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