Iron and Flame

by Alex Morgenstern

  “Adna,” she yelled. Her eyes started to moisten, and she held him tighter. She remembered talking to him once in her life, and her father was friends with his, but she never thought she would be so grateful to see him.

  “Wow, I’m surprised. What are you doing here?” Adna muttered.

  “Adna, I’m so happy to see you. You won’t believe what happened! I’m so glad to see you.”

  They let go, Adna looked at her with an innocent smile.

  “What’s wrong?” Adna asked. “I am really sorry, what was your name again?”

  “Alana,” she said. Tears streamed down her cheeks. “Have you heard anything? Did you hear about what happened to us?”

  “What are you talking about?” Adna still had a silly smile on his face. Alana felt her stomach turn. How could she tell him?

  Alana wiped her tears.

  “The village.”

  “What about the village?” That smile did not leave him.

  Alana swallowed. How could she tell him? What was wrong with her? She had fought and won great battles and was unable to tell a man the bad news? Well, those were the worst news he could ever hear. Everything he thought he would return to was gone.

  She cleared her throat. She had to do it.

  “Adna, they attacked the village. They . . . They killed almost everybody, your mother is still alive . . .”

  Adna’s pale face became as white as snow, the shock appeared to come too fast.

  “What? Wait, what are you saying?”

  “Adna, they killed them all,” she sobbed.

  “Who? Who? Wait, no, that cannot be.”

  “The Empire did it.”

  “What did you say? There must be a mistake, that cannot be . . .”

  “Adna, it’s true, we saw it with our own eyes. The Empire did it. Legionaries, in red and iron. They came and killed them all.”

  “That’s impossible. My father . . . What did you say about my family?”

  Alana took a deep breath, she felt terrible, and free at the same time, as if a wooden yoke had fallen from her neck in exchange of pushing a dagger through somebody’s heart.

  “Adna . . . I have to tell the rest of your men,” she looked up at him.

  Adna stood straight and silent. His eyes wide open, his face still white.

  “Adna, I really need to talk to them,” she insisted.

  He shook his head, as if waking up from a trance.

  “We’re not all together . . .” he muttered. “I’m with Askar and Elkas, do you remember them? And a few others, we were accused of desertion and remain here until they clear the issue up. But . . . Oh, gods damn them, how could this be . . . How?”

  “We have to talk to them.”

  ***

  The legionaries had been sleeping at an old thatched roof. Ten men slept there, all under the leadership of Elkas, a big, strong Gadalian with a chiselled jaw that Alana had never met. His toga had been partially torn, revealing his wide and defined chest. He was friends with Atila, the boy Alana had been in love with since she was twelve. Askar was with him, and had greeted Alana enthusiastically, yearning to know about his baby. Raxana’s brother, however, was not with them.

  “Well,” Elkas said. “What happened?” He sat at the centre, leaning his elbow on a small wooden table. His comrades stood around, with crossed arms, leaning against the walls and beams of the small hut.

  Alana sighed. “Too many things. I’m sorry to be the one who does this. Really, this is something horrible, I know it will be hard for you to believe and assimilate but . . . If only you knew how bad things really are.”

  “Well, we can tell by Adna’s face,” Elkas said, his brow furrowed. “First of all, why did you come here all the way, all alone.”

  “I came with Ira. Ah, you don’t know her, she’s Varalkian. But . . . please, prepare yourself. What’s happened is horrible.”

  They remained silent, Alana could feel the anxiousness in their hearts.

  “The Empire betrayed us, they attacked the village. Killed all the men.”

  Their glances fell. Elkas clenched his teeth, grasped the armrest so tightly he tore it away from the rest of the chair. He panted like a wild animal. They sat silent, looking at each other. Alana lowered her gaze.

  “That cannot be true,” Askar said, standing straight. “Everyone? How about our parents? It cannot be . . .”

  “Every man they saw, Askar. Only a few elderly men like Arunas were left alive, and Kassius and Tor hid with me.”

  “Damn,” Elkas shouted, clenching his fists. “Those fecking bastards.”

  “But no.” Askar shook his head. He refused to believe it. “The Empire has us here, they are . . . Wait.”

  “Askar, I was there when it happened. They came in broad daylight, pretending to be a travelling caravan. The entire village was out, enjoying the day. They killed them all. All the men who could utter a word, Askar. They enslaved us all, forced the women into marriage.”

  “Gitara? How’s Gitara?” Askar asked.

  “Gitara is fine. She was with me.”

  “And the baby? Did she have the baby?”

  “Yes she did,” Alana responded with a sad smile. “She gave birth to a beautiful baby girl. She named her Lesa.”

  Askar’s mouth twitched.

  “We must return . . .” Askar said.

  “Yes, please, return with me,” Alana said.

  “Who gave that order?” Elkas said, his arms crossed. His eyes distilled pure hatred. “Fecking bastard, he killed my father, why the feck am I even here now.”

  “It was Governor Larius,” Alana said.

  “The governor?” Elkas tensed his lips even more. “We even mourned for him. Those damned bastards had us mourn for him.”

  “He gave the order,” Alana said.

  “We were told he was sick,” Askar said. “That’s what they told us.”

  “Yeah,” Adna interrupted them. “Do you remember when old Furgus said he was actually killed by rebels and no one believed them? There you have it. Always listen to gossip.”

  “We killed him,” Alana said.

  Elkas took a deep breath. “Larius. What a cruel fecking joke.” He looked around. “How could they do that to our people and lie to us so that we keep slaving for them?” He gazed at the floor. “My father, my father was killed by those . . .”

  “We gathered an army, Elkas,” Alana announced. “I need you to come with me and avenge them. The Varalkians can’t help us, but the Sons of Hunaz will.”

  “An army?” Askar asked. “Wait, there’s a lot of information you’ve left out.”

  “And there’s much more,” Alana said. “But the rest I’ll let you know on the road. Now, let’s go back and save whatever is left.”

  “We can’t move,” Elkas said. “We’re wanted for fecking desertion. We were expecting things to clear off, but it will take a while. If they see us within the Imperial Territories they’re going to torture us and hang us before you can say giant.”

  “I don’t want to brag, but the price on my head is much bigger,” she said. “Come with me, really, I’m telling you. I have an army.”

  They looked at each other. Elkas laughed. Alana thought the act of her being Alana, the young girl who never amounted to anything and was acting as a war emissary, was strange in itself to them. It was for herself. She could not fathom telling them many of those people called her leader. She did not need them to do that, anyway. They would find out themselves.

  But something Elkas said got her attention.

  “And by the way, did you say anything about giants?” she asked Elkas. “Do you know anything about it?”

  “It’s true!” Adna yelled. “Literally. I told you all.” He pointed at both. They looked at him with arched eyebrows.

  “We were following it,” Elkas said. “We were doing important things for the Empire, and see how they repay us.”

  “But did y
ou see the giants?”

  “We haven’t had the pleasure to meet him in person,” Elkas said.

  “But I believe you, I know he’s out there.”

  “If you have seen what we have!” Adna kept shouting.

  “Are the giants really a threat?” Alana asked. “I mean, I heard they destroyed the village.”

  Elkas shook his head.

  “They were searching for something,” he said. “Some ancient treasure.”

  Alana blinked. She was sure that it had everything to do with the ancient legends. But what exactly? A few months earlier, she saw the tracks in the snow and the trail of dead soldiers it had left. And all because of their own spell. A sense of dread surged in her, along with feelings of guilt.

  “What treasure are you talking about?” she asked.

  “They call it the Crown of Somr.”

  “Amazing! Never heard of it. What is that supposed to be?”

  “A severed head, they say, three thousand years old,” Askar muttered. “The head of their fire-god.”

  “Wait, you’ve lost me here,” Alana said. “Whose fire god?”

  “Suevians. They tell a story, I think the story of Jupiter, whom they call Thunderer, and Ares, whom they call Tir, who destroyed the god of fire.”

  “Tell me more . . .”

  “Who is that god? I mean, we know he was a giant.”

  “Whatever it was, whoever it was,” Elkas said. “That bastard was willing to massacre an entire village to get it.”

  Alana scratched her chin. The God of Fire? Who could that be? The Forger of the Weapons of the Gods? She had to find out, but what did they want, and what did they want to achieve with that. As the giants had awakened through their magical rites. Alana thought Kassius and her would have to deal with that later, but it seemed so unfathomable.

  “And no weapons can harm them,” Elkas said. “They are invincible. I believe they might be interested in ancient treasures, like dragons are, although gold they do not touch.”

  “Maybe they’re just looking for magical things. To perform a ritual, or something.”

  “A ritual?” Askar raised an eyebrow.

  “There’s something else I did not tell you, it’s hard to explain, but we have a sword . . . It’s very unique.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “It’s the sword of Ares.”

  “What?” The three of them shook their heads.

  “We found a crystal.”

  “Wait . . .” Elkas pointed at her. “You found a crystal, was it before or after the giants. I guess you wouldn’t know, you weren’t there when they rose . . .”

  Alana felt her face turn pale.

  “What’s wrong?” Askar asked.

  “I am sure the sword was created to destroy the giants, but I don’t know how it works . . . Anyway, boys, we may solve that later. We’re working on that, we’ve got books and stuff to solve that puzzle. Now, I need you to come with me, to the south.”

  “That’d be hard, we . . . We’re soldiers.”

  “The Empire deserted you!” Alana said. “It’s done, go home.” But she knew it would be hard for them to change so rapidly. She could see it in their faces, that was hard to fathom, hard to believe.

  Elkas clenched his teeth.

  “What about the giants?”

  “I will tell you the truth, sir. I was there when they rose. I saw it with my own eyes.”

  Elkas made a wry expression, as if he could not believe her. “Honestly, this is all too much. Too much to believe.”

  “Sir, why would I tell you all this?”

  “A trap?”

  “For what?”

  “Well, fine,” Elkas said. “We travel to the south.”

  “Retake it.”

  “We are not strong enough.”

  “We just want to take the land of Adachia and make it free, that’s all,” Alana said. “The Empire shall have no part in our deals.”

  “Do you mean going back to how things were?” Adna asked.

  “Yes.”

  “But . . .”

  “There’s no way back!” she said boldly. “There’s no other way. The Empire is our enemy, you have to understand. How can you not understand?” But Alana knew it was too much to take at once.

  Suddenly, the door opened with a creak, it was a man with a bald head and long hair on the sides and back of his head. He was Suevian, and a traditional knot hung from the side of his head. He leaned in, and the faint sun made its way through the dark room.

  “Itruschians, they are calling you, they say it’s urgent.”

  “What is it, Adalbert? We’re discussing important matters,” Elkas said, in frustration.

  “Come on, it’s not your soldiers, don’t need to fear,” Adalbert said.

  “Who is it?” Askar asked the man.

  “Some woman, the hell do I know?”

  “At the gate?” Alana stood up, with a smile, thinking who it could be “What does she look like?”

  “What do I know, I’m not the damned watchman.”

  “Let’s go!” Alana announced.

  “What?”

  “It must be the Ira I told you about, you must come and meet her.”

  Elkas’ frown disappeared, he lowered his hand.

  “Ira?”

  “Yes, she’s my companion, the Varalkian woman.”

  Adna patted Elkas’ shoulder.

  “Brother, let’s go see that Ira,” Adna said.

  Elkas stood up slowly and stretched his triceps. They bulged like moons springing out of the dark sky.

  “Alright, but we won’t stay there that long.”

  They walked through the dirt roads of the small city, ignoring the harsh Teutish chatter that emerged from the wooden windows, nor the thick people that abounded next to cake shops. Also, the glance Alana caught of a local weapons store impressed her. She saw sparkling blades of twisted steel, of the best Teutish quality, so sharp and shiny that tiny rainbows reflected on them as the sun caressed their steel. But that was for another day. Alana felt strangely small when standing next to the huge barbarians, and she was not a short woman in the least.

  “So, you have travelled this far with her,” Elkas said to her. “It’s a long and perilous journey. Did you have to fight much?”

  “A few times,” she said, looking up to face him. “But I had a good friend by my side.”

  “Interesting. I'm surprised to see you survived such a long trek. How did you do it?"

  “Provisions, hunting.”

  “These lands are full of bandits, killers, beasts, you name it. Even if you don't travel alone, it's quite impressive.”

  “I have a bit of training. A bit of training and a whole lot of luck. And Ira, of course, I would be lost without her. Or dead. That's my secret.”

  “Then you're like an amulet.”

  “I wouldn't say that,” she said, looking down. “Or, blast, I might as well be.”

  “So, what was your name again? I remember you from the village. You used to stay at Zita's house, didn't you? For weaving.”

  “Yes, that was me,” Alana said.

  “Fecking Hades, who would have believed it. Now you're here . . .”

  The tall houses hid the wooden wall around the village. They walked to the main gate. There, the entrance was guarded by Suevians with long spears and cuirasses armours of bronze.

  The gate was open, and the piercing slight of the sun blazed behind them. And there, Alana felt a smile curving in her lips as she gazed as her friend that had protected her life during the past week, her dark flowing hair, freckles, a few new scratches and scars on her face.

  “Ira,” Alana said, running to embrace her friend, but as she passed through the gate Alana stopped short and blinked in surprise. Ten tall Suevian men stood behind Ira, with horses, carts, and weapons.

  “I hope you took care of my horse!” Ira said, jumping to gre
et her with a warm hug. She still smelled like fresh goat cheese. It made her feel hungry.

  “Of course I did, he’s fine and well. Ira, I’m so, so sorry I left you!”

  “It’s okay.” Ira put a hand on her shoulder. “You did what you had to do. I wouldn’t do that to you, though.”

  “Really, I’m sorry.”

  “I’m just kidding.”

  “Do you know her, Itruschian?”Alana overheard one of the guards asking Elkas, at the very side of the gate. She turned her face.

  “Well, she's a distant relative, in a sense,” Elkas answered.

  “She’s with lesser men. They want to get in. Pests, they are.”

  A man got off a horse behind her. He had dark hair down to his shoulders and blue eyes.

  “Is this how you welcome old friends?” he said to the guard. “Go tell Albrich his brother is here, whether he likes it or not, and we're doing some good.”

  “You are nothing but bandits.” The guard pointed a finger at him. “Not welcome here.”

  “That's too bad, oh, the infamous Teutish manners.” He turned his back on the guard.

  “What's going on?" Alana asked.

  “Alana, you need to talk to the chieftain of this town,” Ira said.

  “Again?"

  “Yes, Alana. I also saw the destroyed village. You must.”

  “But they already know about the giant, it’s not necessary.”

  “You've got to. We need more allies.”

  “Against the giants or against the empires?”

  “We must be prepared.”

  “But how are we supposed to know? Ira, there's no time. The sons of Hunaz must already be there.”

  Ira remained still.

  “Boys,” Ira said, then stepped through the gate. “We are riding back to Gadalia. I know you are wanted, and let me tell you, you’ve got the best guerilla army this forest has ever known. Some call them bandits, I call them old friends. So if you value your family more than anything. Come with me.”

  The soldiers exchanged a glance. They looked at Elkas, and Elkas seemed enthralled, with his eyes like arrows pointed at Alana. She felt slightly uncomfortable.