The Last Heroes Before Judgement (41 page)

One single bout of the morning exercise convinced me to fashion a sling for the hammer. The Lady Dooza was still upset about losing Dizzy, and she blamed me for the crows eating the cooked remains. We were still weeks from the migrating steeds to bring about more blue clucks, so it was my stomach that suffered the most. I was reduced to eating only one egg. Two weeks passed, the full moon came and went, and the rain clouds finally parted long enough to feed on the sun’s rays. I intended to make good use of the energy while I had it.

“You cannot leave the tunnel unguarded.”

“I will be within eyesight of the other side.”

“And the wall? The road? My hens?”

“I am protecting you from nothing. Every other nation has set sail to push the enemy back. If they all fail in Nepori, I will surely be next.”

“Fine. Leave us to die. Dizzy never liked you anyway.”

Dooza stomped the whole way up the serpentine. Even Kru raised a brow at her behavior.

“Don’t worry boy. Major Swiftblade should be returning tomorrow. Tonight will be a very long night, but, I cannot listen to this crazy witch for another day.”

I finished stretching, saving my strength by skipping the morning exercise. The road was empty, the valley air was flooded with pollen, and the sun blew away more clouds with each passing moment. I was ready to begin the next phase of duty. Ram’s Peak was a bore, and helping the Tremaines build a bridge over Broad Wolf Crossing would earn the respect of the lords in Embraun. We leaned in to a steady pace and crossed the tunnel well before noon. The foot path led us to the Drakkah Monument. The area looked even more destroyed from the rain, but there were blue berries to fill my hungry tummy. I had to wait for Kru to catch a gliding squirrel, as he refused to go another day without fresh meat.

“Well, we have water. We have a direction of travel. And now, we are armed. You ready to find this creatos mine?”

Kru was too big to coo the way he had as a puppy. After eating and stretching, all he wanted was a nap. For his sake, we marched north slow and methodical. Bratley’s directions were slightly off. By my count, we should have arrived just after noon. However, the shadows had reappeared and the air grew humid. Spring had only just begun, so the sun was not ready to linger in the sky. I sat to empty my boots of sweat.

“Kru, if we turn back now we could make the east end of the tunnel before dark. What do you think?”

The poor dog could only pant against the sudden wave of heat. I poured him some water, and decided to turn us back.

“I am not running out of water this far out from base. Come on, let’s try to find a faster way back. There’s always tomorrow.”

I must have had made too many wrong turns. I could see no landmarks. We were so far north and west of Ulfbar that I could no longer properly use the position of the sun alone to gauge my direction. We marched due east for what seemed like hours before finally stumbling upon the Giant’s Dam. A handful of lesser goats grazed on the tufts of grass. They were tiny, with pointed horns and long beards, and they could not make the peak of the stacked boulders the way the massive rams could. Mostly, I saw dips and holes designed specifically to house snakes. The wall went on for miles and ran into both mountains off in the distance, too far away to see in either direction. We should have turned south right then, but Kru caught a whiff of something. I did not like the way he growled, nor the uneven pounding of a creature that walked on two legs. I held him down, pulling the hammer off my back. We crept slowly behind a felled tree and Kru stayed crouched there. He waited for me to make the first move, and I did not hesitate. I leapt on top of the stump and over the direction of travel. The beast was tiny, and wheezing. I prepared to roar and challenge it, but, once it passed through the last bush, it held up its tiny hand.

“Matthius.”

“Zara-grast!”

“Hush.”

I threw the hammer back on my shoulders and tucked it under the shell.

“They are coming.”

I grabbed him as he fell forward. We had little water left to spare, but he was in dire need.

“Don’t worry, I’m here. Drink, there you go.”

He coughed up quite a bit, but managed to swallow the last of our bag of fresh water.

“You must flee.”

“From what? What happened? Where are you going?”

He struggled to escape, so I let him crawl.

“Must... lead them... ugh.”

His back was cut long and he had been shot by an arrow.

“No beast did this. Kru, run back to Dooza. Let her know she was right. Kru?”

Kru did not move, he only whined. Zara-grast crawled past him and looked over, wheezing extra hard and holding up his hands. I flicked my eyes about, realizing that the spring time bugs had suddenly gone silent. I reached up for my hammer, slowly, carefully, quietly.

“That’s far enough Commando.”

The voice came from behind the stump, but I heard worse all around. A whole troop of archers was pulling back their bowstrings, and they were all aiming at my back. I pretended not to hear the order and did not stop brandishing my hammer.

“Are you deaf sprite?”

“No, he will not follow the order of any man that has not already been crowned king. Sound about right, son of Gojinus?”

“That is exactly right, Goja the Thirteenth.”

The man laughed openly, confident that there would be no cavalry arriving for us. Though I could not see it, I felt the phoenix nearby. My final test from the gods was being watched by the very men whom had given me the power and sent me north looking for a long lost mine.

“The choice is your boy. Give up, go easy, and your friends- they go quick. No fuss, no pain.”

“No sir. The choice is yours. Let my puppy run along and be free.”

“Or what?”

“Half of your men will die, you will die, and the battle will give up your position to the Chron. They will send an army north, claim this land as their own, and you will never again set foot on these shores.”

Goja spit with such a force that I knew him to be hiding to my rear, two paces left, between a boulder and a massive scarlet pine.

“Your men are getting sweat in their eyes! You are running out of time!”

Screaming made Kru whine some more. I took a step towards him, only to hear Goja grunt in disapproval. While he tried to think for the first time in his life, one of the archers accidentally released an arrow. He also grunted, wiped his face, and loaded another.

“We will ask the gods. That is fair.”

“Yes, that is fair.”

I had no idea what he meant. What I did know was that, with every moment I stalled their advance, the greater the resistance would be formed to meet them. The Lantos had sent me to Ram’s Peak for that very mission. They did indeed divine the intent of the gods, both the Council and the Swillians. A holy man wearing white sorcerer’s robes walked out between myself and Zara-grast while his own personal guard prepared the final strike over the wheezing Lokah.

“You hurt him- you die first.”

“We will see, little turtle.”

I watched him closely while the priest played with his crystal ball. The guard wore the most ornate riding skirt made from the leather of a white bull. The chest piece displayed two bulls charging each other, locked in an eternal battle. His cloak was dead white, as was his skin and the short flat hair on his head. Only his two-handed broad sword showed color, as it was stained red with blood. He could have come straight from the morning prayer- to an afternoon of murder. If not for the Swillian spots, I would have thought him a mercenary fresh from the White Coal Nation.

“Honor. The gods respect honor.”

“Honor is a plague.”

“Yes, Goja. The very same plague that gave Gojinus his strength.”

Goja spit again, remembering having been bested by my father at every turn.

“It is decided. The little is unarmed, the dog is an innocent. They must be spared- lest the boy discover his true power. Won’t you rest now son? That arm looks mighty tired.”

My arm was shaking from holding the hammer high. I was dehydrated, but the hammer was full of the sun’s energy. We still had a chance at victory. It demanded that we fight, no matter the odds. The priest’s guard sheathed his sword. The troop of archers slowly released pressure on their bows. Somewhere off in the distance, the phoenix began to sneak through the trees.

“I accept the terms of your surrender. Put down that stupid toy.”

“The man with a knife to Kru’s throat will die before I give in to you, Goja.”

The priest’s guard snapped his head sideways and his eyes grew twice as wide. The red shadow filled his eyes with blood, and he marched over to the stump without hesitation.

“You disobey your priest?”

“But, the dog.”

“You disobey your gods?”

“He said it will deliver a message to the witch.”

“You disobey your Emperor!”

The fool did not have time to defend. The guard grabbed him up by the throat and the rear of his belt. He slashed with the knife while Kru ran to Zara-grast to help him stand. Pressure on the man’s spine continued to increase, then the guard stopped to look on the priest.

“Yes, Alaric, your instincts serve you well. If you were Emperor, this man would betray you. The gods show no mercy to traitors.”

“Nor shall I!”

With a long bellowing roar, the man curled backwards onto his self until a loud crack echoed out of his mouth. He was folded in half like a rag, and tossed aside in the same manner. Alaric turned to me, tracing his glance from my boots to my hammer. I tossed it to him, causing his arm to bend backwards at the elbow. He grunted, snapping his arm into its proper place, and scoffing at my trick. Zara-grast whispered orders into Kru’s ear. Before they could stop him, he looked on me one last time, and ran south. He was so fast, the archers failed to land an arrow anywhere near his tiny frame. The priest bowed to Goja the Thirteenth, tucking his crystal ball into a sling hidden by the many layers of his bright white robes. They made me carry Zara-grast, while Alaric struggled with the Broadhammer. We had overlooked the entrance to the mine twice in our wanderings. Because the Swillians had hidden it from view, posted a guard, and slaughtered the Seals. Once we were safely inside, I got a knock on the head. As was my way, I was smiling when the darkness took me. The gods tested me one last time. I had served my purpose well, and, my job was done.

“Get them torches back lit- faster!”

Of the pair of paid mercenaries dragging my body through the mine, the one on my left dropped me, and his own body, to smack flint stones on his spent torch. Goja knelt down with a heavy grunt to rip the man’s shirt apart, applying it, and some wine, to the branch. The bottled stuff was much more potent, and the light flashed bright enough for me to see the ceiling, as I had fallen flat on my back. I pretended to still be out, as being dragged in full shackles was better than hopping around on your toes. Goja the Thirteenth had already gone grey, so he made sure to lock both of my ankles together, and both wrists to the chain around my waist. No matter, there would be no escape. All I could hope to do was delay them another day- or was it night? None of it mattered, the legends were true. By some form of sorcery, the Swillians had once again made an ally of the Opa. They had made their new home in the empty mine, and found new friends with which they shared a common enemy- Matthius Broadhammer.

“Ugh. I would have much preferred bats.”

Zara-grast wheezed through a bout of laughter. I sat up to find he was being dragged behind me, tied to my shell with rope as he had not the strength required for metal chains.

“Master Sergeant Zara-grast...”

“Shut it you.”

The guard that proved himself afraid of the dark kicked me in the stomach. He yanked me up from the floor. Even then, I was still looking backwards.

“So, what do you think was the markup was on these irrigation ditches?”

He looked over the edge of the footpath. Bones and fur and rats floated at the bottom of a short slope. The ditch grew ever wider as the footpath raised in height, and the incline to the bottom continued to grow steeper.

“I’ll bet the Tunney’s charged an extra three copper per foot.”

The guards did not know what to make of us, laughing about such nonsense. They suspected it was code and used a handkerchief to tie a gag for Zara-grast. He and I both knew there would be no surviving, but Goja wanted to us to see the price of failure. He fully intended to make us watch the world die. As we passed the deepest part of the hole, I had to hold my breath in order to twist far enough to see the bottom. Horned mega steed skulls lay amongst the bones. A few still had the skull of a broad steed strapped under it, offering evidence that the human remains were that of the Sheek-tee. The longest mandibles had been stolen by the Opa. As they gathered to investigate the passing humans, they smacked the toothed jaw bones on the ground.

“Toss him in.”

“Good. The Opa know me. They will rejoice. I have arrived in time for tea.”

Zara-grast laughed so hard he whistled through his nose. The guards were so afraid of the red haired monsters that they were scraping the wall of the foot path. Up ahead, the dead body of their own hired thug was rolled down the incline. The largest Opa set upon his flesh, and a scuffle broke out for dominance over the prize. There he was, standing tall and completely healthy, the Opa War Chief. He sniffed the air, catching a whiff of his mortal enemy. His eyes met mine, and I laughed at his misfortune. The beast understood my loose goat tongued gesture, and rushed up the smooth incline to exact his vengeance.

“Back, ye foul demon. The underKing demands that you serve my purpose. Woo-woo...”

The priest revealed his crystal ball. Shaking it caused the small bugs inside to glow. Their soft white light was amplified by flakes of pure gold floating in the same mass of water. The charlatan even strung the ball through a web of tiny wires. The Opa thought him a god, freezing in place and repeating his cooing incantation.

“Don’t stop. You serve me! Kill me beast. Come, I have much flesh for you.”

“You talk too much.”

Alaric crossed through his scared mercenaries and grabbed me face. He squeezed my teeth in toward each other with such ferocity that I was lifted off of the ground. My grunting growl of pain gave the Opa what they wanted. They bobbed up and down, hooting and whooping and banging their bone clubs on the ground. Then their leader remembered that he was in the middle of claiming meat, jumping back down to land on the fool gnawing his way through food that was not rightfully his. Upon having his back crushed under his master’s giant feet, the rest of the Opa added his warm flesh to their feast.

“Move. Now. All of you!”

Alaric threw me to the floor and returned to his place beside the priest. They led us to a cavern on their right. It was the sleeping area for their men. Back on the footpath, giants operated the mine without pause. Opa twice the size of Major Bloodaxe were pulling furry elephant skulls out of the forward tunnel, full of creatos and dirt to be dumped in a deeper shaft. They had iron masks over their faces to prevent them from seeing their captors. The skulls were strapped to their backs, but they had to be dragged across the ground to allow for the giants to use their front knuckles like extra feet. As they passed through the main hall, females from the scarlet breed offered them bits of man flesh, likely to maintain peace between the Opa internally.

“I can’t believe it, the legends were true.”

“You got that right boy. I never thought these monsters were real.”

“Shut your face before you are fed to them.”

Goja was unappreciative of his men and their contribution. After all their efforts, they were not allowed to speak their own mind. His pomposity was matched by Alaric. If they could only be turned against one another, the men may fall victim to infighting. I raised a brow at Zara-grast, who was smiling and thinking the same thing.

“So, Goja the thirty seventh. What is your next move? Perhaps, you too will make love to your cousin. Oh, I know. You will wait around for the Lantos to realize you are down here.”

Goja clobbered my jaw with his massive fist, then did the same to my guard.

“He is planning something. Keep your mouth shut and your eyes open.”

“Yes sir. I plan on slipping from these cuffs!”

I feinted towards him. The cuffs held, but they both stepped back as if they expected them to fail.

“Listen up lad. You do anything, and I mean anything, and I will feed this half-a-Lokah to the giants. You understand?”

“Of course sir. I understand- you must threaten everyone because Alaric is clearly superior. He needs not words. Even your own men respect him more.”

I received several more punches and kicks. The more he lost control, the louder I laughed, chanting that I was right on with my prediction. Only the priest caught the game, pushing Goja back and taking control of the situation.

“Quite the musical melody, a harmonic hymn.”

He threw up his arms and gathered the attention of the men before they could begin to question the authority of Goja.

“From the mouth of babes, the very words of Gojinus.”

“You will not be splitting the empire any more than it has been.”

Alaric met Goja in the space provided by the priest. They embraced and showed their unity to their followers. Many of them nodded and looked at me with pride.

“No exiled half-blood can divide the House of Goja.”

“Forgive me sire, I have forgotten my place. In fact, I have forgotten most things. After that knock on the head, I cannot even remember the time of day. Is it tomorrow already?”

“It is nearly dark child.”

The priest knelt down and laid his hand on my shoulder.

“The allFather still warms our earth with his glow. You fell so very hard. The son of Boagrian cannot control his own strength. It was not easy- resting control of the mine. Do you remember how long Warden Tunney has kept you down here?”

“Sir?”

“Your father has been worried sick. The Emperor misses dearly his favorite grandson. Tell me Gojinus, do you remember home? The salty air, the endless steaks, the most beautiful spotted harlots in all the world? Do you remember Swillia?”

I let my eyes lose focus and my neck drift subtly back and forth. The priest did his best to put me in a trance, so I humored him thusly.

“Master Priest, I remember. I can see, the bull. I showed him mercy. I- I ate of his heart.”

Goja and Alaric were pleased. The party backed away to allow the priest room to work. He revealed his crystal ball and channeled the spirit of Gojinus from the underworld.

“Oh, the gods of might, send him back to us. The line of his blood cannot be cut by the swords of men.”

Major Talon had taught me the dark pseudo-honor of his speech. I mimicked it for the priest.

“The Lantos. They have stolen my weapon. The hammer, it speaks. Take it priest.”

Then my voice changed back, and I did my best to show a struggle over my soul.

“No! It is my body! That is my hammer! I will use it to tear down everything.”

“Yes, tear it all down! They took it all from you Gojinus! They took your woman, and in return, they gave you the whip. They locked you down here for so very long. We will avenge you my child. The mining masters of Ulfbar will know your anger.”

“No, not anger. Rage. The blood red rage of a thousand barbarian kings burned on the pyre- and returned to do battle once more.”

“Yes, yes my child. Bring us back the rage of Gojinus.”

“My hammer. Forged of my blood. Imbued with my power.”

I held out my hands, the chain tightened about my waist. I reached for the hammer, making Alaric question what was happening. He looked to Zara-grast for trickery, but he was merely bleeding to death. His slow wheezing breath was convincing, nearly cementing the charade. Then I added the final touch.

“The Lexicon demands my return. These Tunney’s lock me down here, because they fear me! Give me my hammer, Ulfbar must be destroyed.”

I writhed about on the floor and reached for the hammer. The priest wanted to prove he was in control, so I followed his every order.

“The hammer is just there. You must crawl back there. Now, roll through the hot coals.”

I grunted and blew on my skin, rolling into the wall without traveling any distance.

“Yes my child, you’ve almost reached it. But, there is a Lantos in your way. He wishes to stop you.”

I flipped over and sunk my teeth into Zara-grast’s shin bone. I growled and threw my head about. I did my best not to draw blood, and he did his best to feign sleep.

“Ah, this one is no more. Where are my true enemies? Where is my worthy foe? Tremaine!”

“Yes, Tremaine. He has your hammer. You must take it from him. Woo. Take it. Woo.”

I crawled to Alaric, no easy task. He moved away, dragging the hammer from side to side.

“You almost got him. Take it! Take up your weapon and slay the enemies of your Emperor- all of them!”

“Grandfather! I will show your strength to the world. The Lantos will fall, the Queen will fall. The Swillian Empire will reign supreme!”

“Yes, I can feel Gojinus in my presence. The Lexicon calls to us. Woo-woo.”

The men and the Opa alike were entranced by the priest. His crystal ball had them all convinced that the spirit of Gojinus was in control of my body. Only Alaric remained suspicious. Our fathers were born rivals. As well, he had been backed all the way to the wall of the cavern. When I finally reached the hammer, I simply caressed it and curled around it on the floor. As far as they could see, I rocked back and forth, muttering to myself, and was lost in the madness.

“I have conquered the world. All the world is mine. The power. The power is mine.”

“Gojinus, just as arrogant as the day he died.”

“Now Goja, what better way to finish the tunnel? With the boy leading the dig, we will break through onto the Sheek-tee plain within the week.”

“You had better hope Fourteen is in place by then. None of the fallen managed to fulfill their duties. We cannot afford anymore upsets.”

“You question the loyalty of my son?”

“I am confident the Lokah will refuse any bribery. They must be swayed by the sword. That is why you should have sent me.”

“You will see. Fourteen can be just as ruthless as- uhn, as...”

Goja stopped talking, suddenly confused. The priest stopped whispering ridiculous noises into my ear to look up. By the light of his crystal ball, we saw Zara-grast. He had stolen the lion’s tooth from my hair during our ruse. When the royals had begun walking away, the guards were all left staring at the priest. In the time it took them to explain how they would murder all of his people, Zara-grast had assassinated Goja the Thirteenth. He pulled the long tooth from the man’s liver, and tossed it to the Opa.

“Fresh man flesh! Come and get it!”

Alaric began pulling his sword, but it was too late. With both feet, I rolled the crystal ball quickly across the cavern floor. It picked up blood, which then picked up dirt. The light was nearly covered completely. No matter, it fell over the edge and exploded at the bottom of the pit. The scattered torch light was not bright enough for our human eyes, and we had no time to adjust. The Opa pounded the ground with their bone clubs. Alaric called his men to form a shield wall, and I stole the key ring from the priest’s belt while he threw his self on top of Goja. Zara-grast managed to escape from Alaric’s sword by using my shell as a full body shield. I got the cuffs off of my ankles in time to dodge it myself, though I lost the key on the floor. His men lost ground to the Opa with every moment, and their master knew to toss the torches away from our eyes.