The siege of Kapgar Kûm: chapter 14 of The Talyoran

 

The Fellgiants surrounded Mount Hogunoth on three sides. They encamped upon the Giants’ Road to the north, and spread their forces from there in a great arc about the eastern slopes of the mountain. Their lines stretched around the hill of the Minláka Kabadri under which lay Kabadkabâ, came close to the East Gate of Kapgar Kûm, and reached the Giants’ Road again to the south. They did not the enter the broken country to the west or trouble themselves with the Kabdath of Figrû Vomaddi. 

The main gates of Kapgar opened on to the Giants’ Road between the two camps of the Fellgiants, but here the slope was steep and the road bent as it climbed up to the gates from the south and again as it ran down from them to the north. And so it was easily defended. Opposite the gates, a high track branched off towards Kabadkabâ along the ridge. In many places it was exposed to view from below, but the slopes of the ridge were extremely steep. From time to time Fellgiants tried to come up that way, but they were easily repelled by the defenders.

Dreygan had ever been held to be the oldest and greatest of the Gangri, and so it was agreed by all the captains that he, last of the Frostgiants, should be accounted the Master of Kapgar Kûm. The situation of the armies was conveyed to him in the frosty chamber of Onskabâ by his faithful servant, Slungandi. His orders were conveyed back to the three captains by the same Slungandi. These directions were always wise, cautious, bold, and timely. Some of the captains suspected that Slungandi had more than a small hand in them. But as long as the defence was successfully maintained, no one challenged these counsels.

Blundubâl was Captain of the Northern Approaches to the Great Gate and Blamingûl Captain of the Southern Approaches; Mivgâ held the honoured title of ‘Guardian of the Gate’, for he and his troop defended the East Gate, against which the Fellgiants threw their main assaults. Before the Wars, Mivgâ’s home had been the great stone house Higatigna, eastward of the Gate, where he was wont to entertain Giants and Kabadri and even the occasional Entelláka visitor. But now the house was in the midst of the battle lines, empty, despoiled, and ruinous. He yearned always to win back his house.

The siege of Kapgar Kûm lasted for a hundred years. The Fellgiants marauded throughout the Northlands, so that inhabitants, both Gangri and Kabadri, were scarce, except where they had retreated into secure fastnesses. The Fellgiants were in constant need of sustenance, but they exhausted the resources of the lands which they had overrun. The Entellári watched over the Southlands, for the most part in secret, so that the Giants’ Wars might not spill over into the lands of the Hyûvandri. Unceasingly they travelled the great territory that stretched across the breadth of the Midworld from the eastern to the western sea — the Greenmarch, or Berufarána — to prevent the Fellgiants from entering the lands of the Hyûvandri to plunder them. 

The Entellári also laboured to prevent the Hyûvandri from passing into the northlands, by weaving spells of straying and confusion over the forest paths. But there were Hyûvandri who tried to cross that zone, or who wandered within its bounds, and those who returned had tales of strange things to tell. Many of the Entellári who guarded the Greenmarch became so enamoured of the Midworld that, when the Giants’ Wars ended, they refused to relinquish the guardianship of the Greenmarch or to return to Féo Êlesti or to Ailindâl. So they remained, guarding the Greenmarch for themselves; and they were known among the Hyûvandri as the Fâdhéri, and some of them became entangled with the Deep, and of them came the gulbúna and the hyífra.

The coming of the Minlári to Kapgar Kûm: chapter 13 of The Talyoran

 

The Stonegiants abandoned their campaign against the Entellári and marched back from Hrethlet Gangri towards Kapgar Kûm. But on the way they were ambushed by a force of Fellgiants lying in wait. Their warband was scattered, and only the small party led by Mivgâ managed to reach Kapgar Kûm, where they were almost immediately assailed by another force of Fellgiants.

After the rout of these Fellgiants by Dreygan and Firungwáfi, parties of Stonegiants began to arrive to join the garrison of Kapgar Kûm. Those who had been scattered by the ambush, led by Blundubâl and Blamingûl, made their way there by roundabout routes. Many others arrived who had been driven from their homes by the Fellgiants. The latter were the most numerous tribe and lived in small settlements all over the Northlands. 

The tribes of the Rock people, the Kabdath, had no part in the original quarrels, but now found themselves caught up in the wars. The Giants on both sides maintained friendship with the Kabdath of Hlund, on whom they depended for weapons and other supplies. But for the most part, the Kabdath favoured the Stonegiants. In the long ages before the arrival of the Hyûvandri, a company of hundreds of Stonegiants and Kabdath had formed the interior of Kapgar Kûm, by enlarging and joining the multitude of caverns and fissures running through the interior of Mount Hogunoth. So now the Kabdath of Kalípo Kalhondrim and those of Figrû Vomaddi, whose settlements lay in the hills known as the Karún Kabdath, below the Dagnath Nebren, having fortified their own strongholds, sent messages to the Stonegiants of Kapgar Kûm, asking for their protection in return for the provision of supplies.

Norog Minlárim was a settlement of Kabdath on the southern side of the mountains above Dreygan’s home at Firungráda. They had long ago aided in the building of Firungráda and still counted Dreygan as their overlord. The Melainë came to them and warned them that the Fellgiants had destroyed the Frostgiants and were on the march south. They told the Minlári that Dreygan had set up his highseat in Kapgar Kûm, and counselled them to abandon their settlement and hasten south into the hills of Karún Kabdath. One of these hills rose from a steep-sided spur thrust out eastward from Mount Hogunoth. Within this hill lay a great chamber built long before by the Stonegiants, with many dwellings and store-rooms opening off it, and below it, reached by a wide staircase, a vaulted cavern of vast size. The entrance to the chamber commanded a view over the lands around and was defended by great doors. Here they settled, naming the place Kabadkabâ.

The Minlári brought many plants with them to Kabadkabâ. When Slungandi heard of their arrival, he hastened to meet their chieftains, and asked them:

‘Have you among your plants and herbs any slips of the frostberry plant, of firunxapsë? For the Lord Dreygan has in his keeping the great coldworm Firungwáfi, and it is known that the delicacy upon which a coldworm most likes to feed is the frostberry.’

And they replied:

‘Yes, O master Slungandi, we cultivated this plant on the high snowfields of the northern mountains. For from it a heartening cordial can be distilled.’

Slungandi said:

‘Plant it in the caverns of Kabadkabâ, I counsel you. Brandubur will bring frost there such as the plant is accustomed to, and you shall purvey the berries in careful measure to Dreygan for the feeding of his coldworm. In return, the Lord Dreygan will give you his protection.’

And so they did, and they remained safe under Dreygan’s protection all through the Giants’ Wars and for many years to come, until the loosing of Firungwáfi and the destruction of the frostberry groves, which brought about their expulsion from Kabadkabâ.

Now, despite the urging of the captains, Dreygan would never permit Firungwâfi to be sent forth in battle against the Fellgiants. 

‘Let them once break into our stronghold,’ he said, ‘and then we shall see how Firungwáfi deals with them. He is the final and most deadly weapon for our defence.’ 

But in the end, Dreygan was prevailed upon to use the Coldworm to forge a great weapon, as the tale of Gantzor tells.

Dreygan comes to Kapgar Kûm: chapter 12 of The Talyoran

 

They marched by day and night. The Doitherúna do not need sleep as the Hyûvandri do, and a gangworm can travel hundreds of miles without a rest. But as the procession entered the Dagnath Nebren, and approached the Southlands, the air became warmer, and Dreygan became weaker and weaker. He sat slumped on the neck of the Coldworm, trying to keep cool.

When they drew near to Mount Hogunoth, the site of the Giants’ stronghold, Kapgar Kûm, they heard a new and deadly sound, a sound that had never been heard in the Midworld before: the clash of steel on shield and helm and the bellowing of wounded warriors. When they had descended the track from the northern slopes of Hogunoth, they rounded a great shoulder of the mountain and saw a mass of Giants in shining armour, jostling and struggling, raising swords and shields and smiting one another. A small knot of Stonegiants was battling against a much greater force of Fellgiants. At the Stonegiants’ backs was a cliff-like wall of rock, in which could be glimpsed the dark outline of the East Gate of Kapgar Kûm. This the Fellgiants were aiming to capture so as to gain entry to the stronghold.

The unfamiliar noise aroused Dreygan from his torpor. He rose up alert on the Coldworm’s back, and gripped Gantâr more powerfully. Slungandi cried out to the Falakkazri to fall back but be ready to run when the coldworm was roused. Then he went to Firungwáfi and touched his head with the Talyoran. The coldworm seemed to awaken abruptly from his drowsy state. A great cloud of icebreath streamed from his nostrils and he gathered his huge bulk together and bounded forward. Dreygan grasped at his knobbled back and brandished Gantâr with a yell. With the Falakkazri running at speed behind, steering the coldworm as best they could, Firungwáfi bore down on the besieging Fellgiants. Dreygan swayed on his back, bellowing defiance and waving his hammer. One glimpse of the great jaws, the flashing eyes, and the clouds of icebreath was enough for the Fellgiants. They turned and fled from the place of battle. A great cry of triumph went up from the defending Stonegiants.

Then Slungandi, by his art and the power of the Talyoran, returned Firungwáfi once more to his drowsy state. Dreygan dismounted from the coldworm. As a result of his exertions, and the warmth of the day, he was now very unsteady on his feet, so he seated himself on a large boulder. Then came Mivgâ, leader of the defenders of Kapgar Kûm, and said:

‘My Lord Dreygan, we Kapangangri thank you and your servants for coming to our aid at this time. It would be in our mutual interest if you and your servants, together with your doughty mount, would take up residence in Kapgar Kûm, which we are about to garrison as a bulwark against the infernal Dagangri. They have broken all the bonds of kinship and brought destruction on the Northlands.’

Then Slungandi said:

‘My Lord Mivgâ, on behalf of the lord Dreygan I thank you. My master is unwell from the effects of the climate. We need a deep place of which we can make a cave of ice, where he and the coldworm can lodge.’

Then Mivgâ said:

‘From this very gate runs downwards the passage we call the Eastern Incline. At its end through a further hall lie the great chambers, deep underground, that are known as Onskabâ. There they may dwell, and there is lodging nearby for the servants of Dreygan who need no frost!’

With that he spoke the Opening Rune and the East Gate of Kapgar Kûm swung wide. The wormwardens passed in, drawing the drowsy coldworm along behind them. Then came Dreygan, the last of the Frostgiants. He was suffering greatly from overheating, and to his shame, he needed the help of Slungandi to limp down the dark passages, despite the considerable difference in their stature. To light their way, Slungandi held up the Talyoran with its peak forward.

In the lowest level of Kapgar Kûm — or rather, what was believed to be the lowest level by most of those who dwelt there in the time of that war — were several vast caverns. One was furnished with great gates. Into this, Firungwáfi was dragged by the wormwardens, and made fast with Kâwrungdaga to a stanchion in the floor. This den was the new Handuvandûr, and the gates were named Mathúr ta-Handuvandûr. The greatest cavern was set aside for Dreygan. They bestowed him there with as much comfort as they could. Then Slungandi stepped into the midst of Onskabâ. He turned the Talyoran so that its peak pointed downwards. He began to beat softly on Brandubur, and to chant the greater runes.

It was a great wonder then that these caverns began to grow cold, as cold as the shores of the great Northern sea. Ice formed on the damp patches in the walls and floor and the breath of the Falakkazri steamed. By the power of the rune, the ice pinnacles glowed blue with coldfire and lighted the caverns dimly. There in the midst of the Great Cavern of Onskabâ they set up Nolgon the anvil, which, despite its great weight, Dreygan had insisted on bringing all the way from Firungráda. And a throne was built for him, the Fâlagidhron, where he sat and gave commands to his servants.

And so Dreygan became lord of Onskabâ, and the Falakkazri were housed in chambers close by, and Slungandi went to and fro on some errands of his master’s, and on many errands of his own.

The flight of the last Frostgiant: chapter 11 of The Talyoran

 

In the Northland, the Fellgiants were full of fury at the fall of Fundrubâl. Even across the wide river, Slungandi could see that they were now at council, planning their next move.

‘Lord Dreygan, there is no time to lose. We must leave Firungráda at once.’

‘I cannot leave the North. The ice and snow are a Frostgiant’s life. And now I have taken my great prize, Firungwáfi the Coldworm. We cannot convey him from here, and I will not leave him behind.’

In his anxiety, Slungandi, with his hand in the wallet he wore by his side, was turning the Talyoran over and over. It was not long before he saw the shapes of birds flying from a southeastern direction. As they approached he saw that they were not birds, but Melainë.

‘Once again you have somehow drawn me here,’ cried Kerorkîn Melainen, as he circled round and came to the earth. ‘How, I know not. But that is of little import. Today we have averted a dreadful battle among the Doitherúna, but now we are here at the bidding of your kin the Stonegiants.’

As his companions alighted, all the Falakkazri backed away. These Melainë were their estranged kinsfolk, who had left them houseless in the mountains. But the Melainë paid them no attention. They surrounded Dreygan.

Kerorkîn addressed the Frostgiant earnestly. 

‘My Lord Dreygan, your friends the Stonegiants have heard of the great malice of the Fellgiants and their intention to destroy you. They will receive you in Kapgar Kûm, where there are cold caverns suitable for you. You must flee south at once. It is very clear to us that the Fellgiants will shortly march that way and ford the river Throndir where it is shallow. You must be away into the hills before that.’

‘I will fight them with Firungwáfi,’ declared Dreygan. ‘Just let me loose him from his chain!’

‘Nay, my Lord,’ said Slungandi. ‘The beast is senseless. He will attack us all, you, me, and the wormwardens, and turn us to ice, before he comes near the Firungangri. But let me rune him into docility, and you can ride on his back to Kapgar Kûm.’

‘Never was it heard that a Frostgiant, or any nyanda, rode on the back of a dragon,’ Dreygan objected.

‘And you, Lord Dreygan, are the last Frostgiant,’ said Kerorkîn Melainen. ‘If you do not take your servant’s advice, there will be no Frostgiants at all.’

Slungandi, taking Brandubur, trudged through the snow to Firungwáfi’s den. As soon as the Coldworm saw him approaching, he rose up menacingly as far as Kâwrungdaga would let him, and sent forth a cloud of icebreath. But Slungandi had the Talyoran in his hand, and the freezing vapour vanished before it reached him. He sat down and began to drum. He intoned the greater runes. Soon the Coldworm became quiet and still, his eyes staring emptily. At once Slungandi ceased drumming. He went boldly into the den and undid Kâwrungdaga from its great stanchion, beckoning to the Falakkazri. The wormwardens came with some hesitation; but Slungandi spoke encouragingly to them and put the great chain into their hands. He bade them start to march, and as they did so, the Coldworm followed along meekly, as if in a dream, slowly placing one huge clawed foot in front of another, heedless of the snow or the chain.

‘Take your rightful place on his back as his captor, Lord Dreygan,’ said Slungandi. 

The Falakkazri halted, and so did the Coldworm. Cautiously, the Frostgiant took hold of the great knobbled hide of the Coldworm’s back, and climbed up as if on to a rock, and then seated himself where the body narrowed to join the neck. There was no response from the Coldworm; his eyes remained glassy. Slungandi gave a sign and the wormwardens again set off, hauling on the great chain; and once the Coldworm started to move, he kept on at a steady pace. Dreygan roared with delight and waved his hammer, Gantâr. Slungandi slung Brandubur around his neck, ungainly though it was, and accompanied their march with a continual low beat.

Then the Melainë took to the air, with a great whirring of their dark wings. They wheeled in the sky and streamed away towards the host of the Fellgiants.

‘What possesses those Ainë,’ cried Dreygan, ‘Have they gone to betray us to the accursed Dagangri?’

‘No, my Lord Dreygan,’ Slungandi called back. ‘They are going to give battle to them, to hinder their progress and prevent them from catching us up.’

And so it was. With great courage, Kerorkîn Melainen led the whole flight of avian Doitherúna across the river and round to the rear of the Fellgiants, and then they all dived and swooped upon them, taking them by surprise. But they had no weapons with which to cow the Giants. Their claws and beaks would be no match for the torches of the Fellgiants. They turned away again to the north, drawing the angry Giants after them for many miles. 

That was enough time. Dreygan’s strange party soon gained the cover of the hills and began to climb up a narrow path, well hidden from pursuers, leading south into the heart of the mountains.

How the Melainë prevented a battle: chapter 10 of The Talyoran

 

Meanwhile, in the East of the Midworld, another conflict hung in the balance. The Stonegiants gathered themselves into a fighting force, led by the three mighty ones, Blundubâl, Blamingûl, and Mivgâ. They delivered a challenge to King Olverúno, the ruler of the Entellári of Ailindâl, because they believed that he had sent a spy into the land of the Giants in order to enable the Entellári to take it from them. In their turn, a party of the Entellári, who had heard the rumours about the capture of their brothers and sisters by the Stonegiants, defied King Olverúno’s advice to remain calm and peaceable, and took ship to the Midworld in order to march against the Stonegiants. 

Never before had so many Gangri been gathered together in one place. Never had any Doitherân been clothed in armour or carried shield, spear, and sword. The earth shook as they marched.

It was a much smaller party of Entellári that marched to meet them. They bore only their staves of power. These had never been tested against weapons and armour of steel. Their footfall was light, but their valour was no less than that of the Gangri. 

The two warbands met on the plains of Arkallumis. Heralds stepped forward on either side. The herald of the Stonegiants was Mivgâ, who spoke thus:

‘We the Kapangangri are assembled here to defy you, the Entellári of Ailindâl, who seek to gain the rule and lordship of the Northlands, which belong to the Gangri and Kabadri alone, by sending a spy among us to discover our power.’

To this the herald of the Entellári, who was called Feripoklus, replied:

‘And we the Entellári of Ailindâl come to challenge you, the Kapangangri of the Northlands, for the capture and imprisoning of our fellow Entellári as they journeyed peacefully through Thrâyeldim.’

Then each herald utterly repudiated the other’s claim. But as neither would accept the other’s assertion, they retired, proclaiming that the dispute would be settled by force of arms.

The Stonegiant warriors were drawn up in a solid square. With a shout that shook the earth, and acting as one being, they launched a great volley of spears, which rose up into the air and then began to descend on the Entellári. But they, raising their staves, called out a strong rune in response. The spears fell short of their front rank and stuck fast like a thicket in the earth. And indeed, they took root instantly and began to sprout leaves and branches, and rapidly a tall thick hedge grew up between the two warbands. That thicket stands there to this day, and is called Hrethlet Gangri, the Giants’ Grove, or sometimes Hrethlet Thorgus, Battle Wood.

The Stonegiants, enraged that they had been separated from their enemies by a trick, cried aloud and clashed their weapons together. They split into two parties, each of which hastened round either end of the thicket. Just as the army of Stonegiants was about to fall upon the Entellári from both flanks, a great shadow darkened the place of battle, accompanied by the sound of the beating of many great wings. The Melainë — Doitherúna in bird form — had come, and they swooped to the ground to separate the two warbands. Then spoke out their leader, Kerorkîn Melainen the Mighty, in a sharp and commanding voice that could be clearly heard above the clashing of swords on shields.

‘Doitherúna! Nyandri all! This is madness! Your quarrels are foolish and baseless! We, the Melainë, fly up and down the length and breadth of Thrâyeldim. We have watched the journeys of the Entelláwë and the Entelláyë, the one party going this way and the other going that — and doing so for no good reason! We have seen that all are safe and none has been waylaid.

‘And we have seen the one you Gangri believe to be a spy: he is indeed mighty in runelore, but he is the servant of the Lord Dreygan, chief of the Frostgiants, and his powers are directed only to the furthering of his master’s petty pursuits. 

‘But an evil that you know not we have seen, and it is grievous: the Fellgiants have passed through the cold Northlands with the fire of the Deep, and they have destroyed all the Frostgiants save Dreygan himself. For the moment his servant has foiled their attack on Dreygan’s castle, but unless he can flee south to some sanctuary, they will undo Dreygan too.

‘Moreover, it is rumoured that the Fellgiants intend to take the whole of the Northlands into their power, and assert their rule over all Gangri and Kabdath. They have sent a part of their force to seize Kapgar Kûm beneath Mount Hogunoth and take it as their stronghold. If you Kapagangri do not act quickly, you are like to find yourselves dispossessed.’

At this news, the mood of the warbands changed abruptly. The Stonegiants ceased to look grimly on the Entellári. Instead they gathered around their chieftains in earnest speech. They swiftly resolved to return immediately to their homeland, and to garrison the fortress of Kapgar Kûm. They begged the Melainë to fly to Dreygan and bid him retreat to Kapgar Kûm, where perchance a cold cavern might be found for him to dwell in. Then without further words, they turned and marched westward. For their part, the Entellári abandoned their campaign. As they returned towards Ailindâl, King Olverúno sent messages to them. By the mouth of his speedy messenger Tiratas, he said:

‘You have acted arrogantly and come nigh to shedding blood in Thrâyeldim. I forbid you at this time to return home to Ailindâl, and, to atone for your rashness, I command you instead to journey south to the Greenmarch that separates the northlands from the southlands. There you shall sojourn and you shall guard it from the passage of the Fellgiants, lest in their war-mood they plunder the defenceless Hyûvandri.’

Slungandi delivers Dreygan from the Fellgiants : chapter 9 of The Talyoran

 

But now the tides of war swept into the Northlands. The Fellgiants were led by the mighty Gyúga, Fundrubâl. She was the largest and most powerful of the Fellgiants. With her she brought her three daughters, Fandrumin, Fulgimur, and Furgumal, but her spouse Fúdrofûr remained at home on Mount Zôyeglummi, for he would have nothing to do with the war. With her came a hundred Gyúgri and Gangri, bearing torches lit from the fire of the deep, with which Melyúnas had equipped them. The Frostgiants were, like Dreygan, solitary. They had no notion of forming an army. And so the Fellgiants destroyed them, one by one.

One day the army of Fellgiants reached the banks of the great river of the North, Throndir, and there they encamped. Before them stretched a wide expanse of clear water, and beyond that lay Firungráda.

‘Tomorrow, O Dagangangri,’ said Fundrubâl, ‘once we have found a way across the great river, we shall capture Firungráda, destroy Dreygan, and bring back in chains his miserable sorceror.’

In the night, Slungandi awoke and beheld the torches of the Fellgiants clustered on the further side of the river Throndir. While the Fellgiants slept, he came to the hither bank of the Throndir bearing the Talyoran. He turned it down under the starshine, and the whole river mouth began to freeze.

On the morrow the Fellgiants awoke and beheld a great expanse of ice stretching from one side of the river to the other. Then they were exultant, and, seizing their torches, prepared to go across the river. But Fundrubâl held them back, saying:

‘Let it be my lot to challenge Dreygan hand to hand. I shall easily slay that boastful Giant, but if I fall, you are more than he!’

And so she began to cross the ice alone, bearing her huge torch of the fire of the deep.

Meanwhile Slungandi began to beat Brandubur. Dreygan and all the Falakkazri arose and saw afar off the army of Fellgiants. And as he looked, Dreygan saw Fundrubâl advancing across the ice, bearing her flaming torch. He seized Gantâr and would have run to meet her, but Slungandi said:

‘My Lord Dreygan, Gantâr is mighty, but the flames of Ombros are mightier. And the crystal of the stars is mightier still. Stand and watch.’

Slungandi went to the riverbank with the Talyoran, and turned its peak towards the heavens, chanting the greater rune. There came a sound of cracking and the ice bridge began rapidly to thaw. For one moment Fundrubâl was standing unsteadily on a large floe of ice; the next she slid beneath the waters of the Throndir, and her torch fell with a mighty hissing sound. Far under the waters the fire of the deep continued to flame until the river mouth was boiling and steaming. A cry of dismay arose from the Fellgiants drawn up on the far side of the great river. But on the hither side, the Falakkazri jeered at them.

Dreygan captures the coldworm Firungwáfi: chapter 8 of the Talyoran

The following day, when Dreygan was fully himself again, he said:

‘Bring the Drum of the Deep, and rouse the Falakkazri and bid them bring Kâwrungdaga and Boyglir, for I am going hunting to catch Firungwâfi, the great Coldworm of the North.’

So Slungandi roused the Falakkazri and bade them bring Kâwrungdaga and Boyglir. It took eight of them to carry Kâwrungdaga and eight to carry Boyglir. Then they set off for an island called Kedos, or Otse ta-Ketya, Island of Ice, the home of Firungwáfi the Coldworm.

It was now the time of the Spring thaw, and there was an expanse of sea, clear of ice, between the shore and the island. The whole party gathered around Dreygan and gazed at the island. It had a low hill on it, and in the hill could be seen the dark mouth of a cave. 

‘There is the den of Firungwáfi,’ said Dreygan. ‘Since we cannot come to him, let him come to us. Beat on Brandubur, O Drumster of the Deep.’

So Slungandi began to beat on Brandubur. Soon the ghastly head of the Coldworm appeared in the cave’s mouth, and then the creature emerged. His back arched up as high as the height of Dreygan, and his body was three times as long; his tail stretched the same length behind him. Even as he reached the shore of the isle, he let out a huge cloud of freezing breath. The whole party recoiled many yards from the shore, but the ice cloud caught four of the Falakkazri, who fell to the earth, instantly bound in frozen sleep. Slungandi ceased his beating and hastened to the fallen servants. He touched them with the Talyoran, and their natural heat returned, but they remained upon the ground, shaking with cold and fear.

‘Beware, O Dreygan,’ called some of the remaining Falakkazri, ‘for the Coldworm is coming to us through the waters!’

The Coldworm was sliding with fearful speed into the icy waters. Slungandi came to the shore with the Talyoran. The worm began to swim; while he did so, he was unable to breathe his icy breath over them. Slungandi turned the peak of the Talyoran over the waves, then brought it down as fast as he could to touch the surface of the water. There came a great cracking sound. The sea began to freeze faster than the Coldworm could swim. A great white pathway of ice spread towards him. It came to his head, parted, and travelled down each side of his body. He ceased to move towards them. They could see his great eyes glaring, but his whole body was stuck fast in the ice.

‘Now, my Lord Dreygan, you may capture the beast,’ said Slungandi. ‘Join Kâwrungdaga to Boyglir, then take Boyglir and slip it over his head.’

Dreygan scowled at Slungandi, but did as he suggested. He walked out over the ice towards the monster’s head, carrying Boyglir and dragging Kâwrungdaga behind him. Firungwáfi rolled his eyes in wrath and tried to breathe upon Dreygan, but only a few icy puffs came forth. As the coldworm tossed his huge head towards him, Dreygan cast Boyglir over the muzzle, then stepped beyond and hauled on the great stone chain till the collar was around the coldworm’s neck. He called the Falakkazri to assist him. All who were not recovering from the icebreath made their way out on to the ice and took hold of the chain.

Slungandi went back to Brandubur. He began beating again. In a flash a rune spoke itself into his mind: a Rune of Frozen Time that he had not known before, and he chanted it.

‘Ho, Lord Dreygan and you worthy Wormwardens,’ Slungandi cried. ‘The Coldworm is growing drowsy. Now the ice will thaw. You must make haste to the land, and the Worm will let you haul him in.’

And so it was. As they hastened back, the ice began to break up, but the Coldworm was no longer struggling. The Falakkazri hauled on Kâwrungdaga, and the beast slid through the water. His eyes were closed and his head lolling.

At the foot of the hills behind Firungráda, Dreygan had prepared a kennel for his captured coldworm. It was a steep-sided bay in the rock face. This was the first den named Handuvandûr, den of holding. Dreygan had contrived a mighty stone stanchion in the living rock. Into this place the Falakkaska Wormwardens hauled the Coldworm. His claws slid over the snowy ground leaving a great trough all the way back to the seashore. Then Dreygan secured Kâwrungdaga into the stone stanchion, and the party stepped away to survey the work they had done.

‘Let us praise the Lord Dreygan, conqueror of Firungwáfi,’ cried Slungandi. 

And the Falakkazri joined in acclaiming the Frostgiant.