The Battle of Danamor: Little Men, Big Treasures, #3

By J. Edwards Holt

Peace turns to chaos in the Mountain Realm when a great evil threatens to destroy the kingdom of Danamor. With their king gone, having mysteriously vanished, the dwarves of Danamor struggle to maintain their peaceful way of life. It seems that no one, not even the fallen king's trusted followers, are able to unite the divided and leaderless kingdom. One day, an unsuspecting young dwarf named Dwobble finds himself caught in the middle of the political conflict, but not before embarking on a journey that leads him to learn great truths about his family's past. Along his journey, Dwobble encounters fantastic mythical creatures, forms an unlikely friendship with a living legend, and is ultimately faced with a life-changing decision in the epic final chapter of J. Edwards Holt's "Little Men, Big Treasures" trilogy.

• Language: English
• Publisher: J. Edwards Holt
• Release date: Feb 11, 2020
• ISBN: 9781393255291

J. Edwards Holt

Born in North Carolina, United States, J. Edwards Holt always knew that he wanted to be a writer. After graduating high school, he attended college and pursued a degree in education, but later decided to change course and follow his dream to become a novelist and children's author. Now a full-time writer, editor, and blogger, Holt spends his free time dreaming up stories and reading. He is passionate about spreading Christian messages through his writing, watching science fiction and super hero movies, and collecting comic books.

Book preview

Little Men, Big Treasures

Book 3

The Battle of Danamor

J. Edwards Holt

Copyright © 2019 J. Edwards Holt

All rights reserved. This book or any portion thereof

may not be reproduced or used in any manner whatsoever without the express written permission of the publisher except for the use of brief quotations in a book review.

This is a work of fiction. Names, characters, businesses, places, events, and incidents are either the products of the author’s imagination or used in a fictitious manner. Any resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, or actual events is purely coincidental.

Visit www.jedwardsholt.com

Table of Contents

| Prologue |

Chapter 1

Chapter 2

Chapter 3

Chapter 4

Chapter 5

Chapter 6

Chapter 7

Chapter 8

Chapter 9

Chapter 10

Chapter 11

Chapter 12

Chapter 13

Chapter 14

Chapter 15

Chapter 16

Chapter 17

Chapter 18

Chapter 19

Chapter 20

Chapter 21

Chapter 22

Chapter 23

Chapter 24

Chapter 25

Chapter 26

Chapter 27

Chapter 28

Chapter 29

Chapter 30

Chapter 31

Chapter 32

Epilogue

| Prologue |

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Danamor: the crown jewel of the Mountain Realm, this once-mighty kingdom now lay on the brink of collapse. When the dwarf king Vorin mysteriously vanished, the throne was left empty - to be divided between his twin sons. There was Fimley the merciful and Kilig the ruthless. Despite their differences, both princes had many followers, splitting the kingdom in half.

Those who followed Fimley were calm and passive and sought continued peace for the kingdom of Danamor, while those who followed Kilig sought to transform Danamor into an empire that ruled by force.

The conflict between the two sides grew and grew until Kilig and his followers left Danamor, fleeing deep into the Mountain Realm. But before leaving, Kilig left Fimley with a promise: when the time was right, he would return and take the throne, killing anyone who stood in his way.

A few quiet months passed, and as promised, Kilig returned, along with his followers and an army of his own. He brought war and destruction with him, killing many in his anger. Fimley had believed his brother’s promise to be an empty threat and, thus, was not prepared for his return.

Danamor was now in utter chaos, as Fimley and his followers fought to protect themselves and their kingdom. Dwarf soldiers fought, riding mighty beasts through the streets of Danamor. Kilig had somehow assembled his own army of goblins, which was proving to be too much for the small army of dwarf soldiers Fimley commanded.

It seemed all hope was lost for Danamor; dwarves fell left and right as they fought to defend their home. Fimley began to fear for his people and for himself, employing every possible strategy to continue the fight.

In the midst of the battle, upon a ledge of the great fortress of Danamor, stood a young dwarf named Dwobble. Dwobble was not a warrior, nor a knight or soldier. He was, in fact, just a simple dwarf from a small village. As great buildings fell before him, Dwobble stood - not fearless, but courageous in the midst of the great battle.

Some would argue that Dwobble had no place in this war, but in just a short time he had seen things and gained great knowledge that no common dwarf would ever learn. Dwobble knew how he had gotten to Danamor, but at the same time he questioned the fact, often wondering if he were simply dreaming. At times, he felt he was not meant to be a part of this conflict, but then he remembered all that he had been through, all the sacrifices he had made, to come to Danamor.

Dwobble had become a humble dwarf. In his heart he believed that Danamor would fall, and he along with it, but he stood strong. He had come this far to protect the people, and he would do so even if it cost him his own life.

Dwobble now possessed a spirit of selflessness and a peace of mind like never before. However, things had not always been this way for Dwobble. In fact, five months earlier, things had been quite different...

| Chapter 1 |

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One of only a few, Dockside was a small port town on the coast of the Mountain Realm. Like most villages in the Mountain Realm, it was inhabited primarily by dwarves; however, it wasn’t uncommon to see the occasional human passing through, usually on errands related to business. The primary business of Dockside was the buying and selling of imported goods, brought by ships from different parts of the world.

Many different kinds of goods were brought into the ports, such as gold and silver, which were the most common currencies of the Mountain Realm.

Most of the townspeople worked in warehouses, managing the goods that were brought in, while the rest worked on the docks, handling the various duties that came with buying and selling. It wasn’t unusual for fights to break out amongst the dock workers, as agreements on prices were sometimes unable to be reached. This, however, was no surprise given that dwarves were well known for being short-tempered.

One of the more industrious dock workers was a young dwarf named Dwobble. Dwobble was on the thinner side for a dwarf, and he had short and curly orange hair. He wasn’t sure why, but - unlike most dwarves- he was unable to grow a beard. A lack of facial hair gave Dwobble a youthful appearance, causing others to often mistake him for a boy.

Dwobble was a hard worker, and so it wasn’t long after joining the docks that he was promoted to a supervising position. As dock supervisor – as it was called – Dwobble’s job was to make sure other workers did their duties properly, with minimal mistakes and shenanigans. Dwobble was also in charge of inspecting incoming shipments, checking to make sure the product that was bought was truly what was being received. On occasion, sellers would send the wrong product, in which case Dwobble would have to send it back.

For the most part, Dwobble enjoyed his job. The work wasn’t always easy, but the pay was enough for him to enjoy a decent and comfortable living.

When his workday was over, Dwobble would go to his home and rest. Some nights he would meet up with his friends at one of Dockside’s local taverns. Other nights, he would go and sit out on the docks, to simply enjoy the reflection of the moon on the water and the calm sounds of the ocean.

Dwobble lived in a small, one-story house he and his father, Dili, built together. Dwobble was originally from a town in the north called Mountainside Village. But, when he was just eleven years old, his mother passed away from a terrible illness. His father had been so stricken with grief that he decided to move himself and Dwobble to another town. After moving to Dockside, Dili got a job on the docks, and he and Dwobble built their home to live in.

Not long ago, just after celebrating Dwobble’s twenty-second birthday, his father had moved back to Mountainside Village to take care of his own father, Bindle, who had become ill in his old age. This left Dwobble with a home to himself, and a newfound freedom that he came to enjoy.

On the days he didn’t work, Dwobble would spend time in front of the fireplace, reading old books given to him by his mother. When he was a child, his mother would read stories to him every night, and so he had become accustomed to reading just before bed.

After reading, Dwobble would cook himself dinner, usually a roast beast or a pork dish of some kind. He wasn’t the best at cooking, but he was good enough that he could enjoy his own food. He would finish most of his nights by lying in bed, staring at the ceiling until he fell asleep.

Dwobble’s life was a simple one, and that was exactly the way he wanted it. With a home of his own, a job he enjoyed, and plenty of friends, he had everything a dwarf could possibly want. Because of this, Dwobble was proud. He had worked hard to make a good life for himself, and he knew it. His possessions were well-earned, and so meant everything to him.

Dwobble was content with the life he had made for himself, and he had no desire to see it change. Day in and day out, Dwobble went about his daily routine, happy and content.

| Chapter 2 |

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One morning, Dwobble awoke, got out of bed, dressed himself, then made his way to the docks as per usual. His day was uneventful, mostly spent inspecting various shipments and supervising the dwarves working under him. After work, Dwobble decided to go directly to his home, rather than stopping by the local tavern to see his friends, as he usually did.

Once home, Dwobble made himself dinner and then spent the rest of the evening reading until he fell asleep in his chair, waking sometime during the night to make his way into bed.

He had almost fallen asleep again when he heard a knock at his front door. Dwobble sat up, puzzled. No one had ever knocked on his door so late in the evening. He thought perhaps he was just hearing things, and so he laid back down. Again, he heard knocking on the door, this time much louder. A little afraid, he got out of bed and made his way to the front door.

When he reached the front door, he stood quietly for a moment, waiting to see if he heard the knock again. An instant later, he heard another loud knock and this time it was accompanied by a familiar voice.

Dwobble! Wake up! The voice shouted. Dwobble recognized the voice as his father’s, so he opened the door as quickly as he could. On the other side of the door stood his father Dili, who appeared to be badly wounded. He was standing between two other dwarves who were holding him up.

Father? Dwobble asked, clearly confused. He looked down at his father’s right leg, where he saw that a chunk of it had been cut out, which nearly made him