The Great Hearts II: A Game of Gods

by David Oliver

  Bellowing with agony, the warrior dropped his axe, seized Cassius with his good arm and cruelly head butted him before dragging him back out of the crevasse and throwing him into the circle of men. And in doing so finally noticed us.

  So intent were the men on the fight with Cassius that they hadn’t noticed the quick dispatch of their comrades and the newly arrived force at their rear. Seven corpses lay on the floor by the time Cassius was flung into the mass of rage filled men. Or more accurately, rage filled men, and us.

  A pause filled the air as the men realised that it wasn’t their comrades standing next to them, but young, gangly youths. Their gazes slowly lifted from Cassius, taking in our clothing, weapons, age and the corpses at our feet, before one by one their brains confirmed that no, we weren’t friendly.

  When the pause was at its peak, I spoke up. “Morning!” I said brightly, before stepping over Cassius and stabbing the man nearest to me in the neck.

  Chaos ensued.

  Ella and Rikol joined me in front of Cassius, our blades out and stabbing furiously. Sophia grabbed Cassius and with the help of the three archers, dragged him clear to the base of the stairs. Once they had him to safety they turned and with their remaining arrows began a murderous fire. The big warrior grabbed the man nearest him as two arrows whistled towards his face, utilising his friend as an impromptu shield before crashing forward into the melee. A thunderous punch caught Rikol on the side of the head as he moved to dislodge his knife from the armpit of an armoured opponent. A knee followed the blow, doubling him over and a mighty kick sent him sprawling into the brawl. The giant strode through the fight, five men drawing close around him, their axes at the ready.

  Kaschan, for all its excellent qualities, is not best suited to engaging an organised unit. Practitioners of the art are masters of utilising weaknesses, drawing enemies into dangerous situations where our movement and skill sets can wreak havoc. Such fighters are wasted against an organised battle line where the shoulder-to-shoulder discipline of trained soldiers prevents gaps from occurring. For a second it looked as though the giant and his men would succeed in forcing their way out of the cavern. They moved as an organised unit, capitalising on our engagement of the others to force their way towards the stairs.

  Then Sophia struck. Arrows spent she dropped her bow and darted forward, blades in hand. She spun past a descending axe from the leading man, gashing a wrist as she moved and waited for the opportunity that came in the form of her archer team’s final two arrows. Expertly aimed, the two men closest to her fell. In an instant she was within the group, unleashing tightly controlled savagery with her daggers. Axes raised and fell, only to find nothing but air as she danced.

  The distraction was all Cassius needed. Picking up one of the axes he hefted its weight, the great axe massive in his young hands. He paused, watching the fray, biding his time. With a sudden whip-like movement of his body he flung the axe, snapping it towards the large brute as the man turned towards Sophia whilst she was busy embedding her dagger in his comrade’s eye. His boulder of an arm stopped mid-swing and instead reached up to clutch in vain at the axe buried deeply in his spine. Like a felled tree the man toppled, hitting the ground with a resounding thud.

  Much of the fight went out of the remaining men as they saw their leader fall, but instead of surrendering they continued battling on, lacklustre though it was. It didn’t take long for us to finish the job.

  I had just finished pulling my sword out of the last man’s torso when I was enveloped in a crushing embrace.

  “Good to see you alive and well Calidan!” Cassius exclaimed, breaking off his hug when my face started going purple. “Good to see all of you,” he said, scanning the room before growing more solemn. “Scythe? Is he-”

  “Fine,” I jutted in. “He hurt his leg so stayed behind to let us move more quickly.”

  Cassius nodded; relief plainly written on his face. “Good to hear. How did you find us?”

  “A story for another time perhaps,” I answered as Ella finished removing her dagger from a fallen enemy and rushed Cassius, grabbing him in a tear-filled hug.

  Leaving my friends to their long yearned for reunion I regrouped with Rikol and Sophia.

  “Nice work getting through that last lot,” I said to Sophia, nodding my head in the direction of the fallen giant.

  She smiled in appreciation of my words but directed me towards her three archers. “Couldn’t have done it without these three,” she said. “Their shooting made the opening.”

  After a round of congratulations, hand shaking and hugs Rikol voiced the obvious question, “What now?”

  “I will head into the caverns and let them know that the immediate threat is over, and to get more men stationed at the pass,” said Cassius, extracting himself from Ella. “Then we should use Calidan’s skill set to locate any survivors and hunt down any stragglers.”

  “Sounds sensible,” answered Rikol, Sophia, Ella and I nodding in agreement. Sophia thumbed her bowstring and cast a gaze at her archers before looking back at Cassius. “See if you can find some arrows back there?”

  He nodded.

  Ten minutes later we left the keep, the pass to the caverns now guarded by a grizzled soldier with one eye, and stocked with fresh arrows in our quivers.

  The hunt continued.

  Chapter 11

  Jadira

  A stubborn silence reigned as the surviving members of the fort began picking up the pieces of their lives. Bodies of friends and enemies were dragged to a growing pyre in the square and wounds were tended in a hurriedly set up triage centre...and as I watched it all I realised just how scarily pragmatic these people were.

  “It’s not the first time these people have been attacked,” Cassius observed, handing me a bottle of something eye-wateringly strong. “From what little I have learnt of them they will likely morn in their own time; preparing for the next attack comes first.” Pragmatic, just like Tracker.

  “How often have these attacks been happening?” I asked.

  A feminine voice broke in before Cassius could answer, “Raids are a normal way of life up here, but they've been getting worse.” Turing we saw Beonica slowly making her way over. The First Shield looked well, grinning broadly as she approached. She hugged Cassius, my friend returning the embrace with warmth, before coming to me. Pausing for a second, as if weighing me up, she lunged forward and grabbed me in a hug before I could react.

  “Thank you,” she said in my ear.

  ‘You’re welcome!” I wheezed. The woman’s grasp was bone-crushingly strong.

  Releasing me she stepped back, smiling. “Fortuitous indeed that such fine young men and women like yourselves turned up lost all the way up here. And here I thought the Emperor had forgotten us!”

  “The Emperor? You know him?” Cassius asked, surprise evident in his voice.

  “Know him? No. We aren’t part of the Empire; the clans have never been one for bowing to another. But we are trade partners, and if there is one thing that the Andurran Empire can’t abide it is the interruption of trade. So when the attacks began getting worse Jadira sent a rider to the Empire. We weren’t sure if anything would happen, but here you are.”

  “Jadira?” I questioned.

  “The chieftain,” Beonica said simply, “and also the person who sent me to find you young heroes. It seems that it’s time for you all to meet. Follow me.”

  As Cassius and I trailed after Beonica I leant over and murmured, “What do you make of the idea that our test was engineered to help these people?”

  He paused for a minute then shrugged. “Does it matter? I imagine that if the test is intended to be dangerous and yet relations can be improved at the same time...why not?”

  He made a fair point. But if that was the case then why place us in the forest with the trolls? Why not just give us to the clan to help with the defences, surely that would have been enough to fulfil the requirements of the test? I sighed in frustration, drawing a puzzled lo
ok from Cassius, and tried to settle the feeling of unease in my gut. Whatever the reasoning behind this test, I was positive that defending the clan wasn’t the whole of it.

  ✽✽✽

  Jadira turned out to be a woman in her mid-thirties, short yet lithe, with hair tied back in a warrior’s knot and carrying a sword with a well-worn grip. Her brow was furrowed in concentration as she frowned at a map spread across a large table. As we approached my senses flared. She had obviously seen some fighting earlier in the day; like myself she still reeked of blood.

  Looking up at our approach her frown eased and she spoke in flawless Andurran, “Ah, our wayward saviours, I see Beonica found you. Good. Pleased to meet you at last.” She indicated the bench in front of the table, already filled with Ella, Rikol and Sophia. “Please, have a seat. I was just giving your comrades an overview of the surrounding area.” Sitting swiftly, she continued. “As I was saying, this is the location of this fort. We are about two days walk from the next major clan encampment and often the first line of defence against the Hrudan who tend to approach through this,” she indicated an area on the map, “pass. The Pass of Eredon. It is the most direct route to the other side of the mountains and to the lands of the Hrudan.” She paused to take a drink, the sweet aroma of honeyed mead caressing my nostrils.

  “As Beonica has probably told you, these attacks used to be far fewer, with less assailants, perhaps only one every two or three months. It was more akin to a raid, a test of mettle for the Hrudan. Now however, we are being hit two or three times a month, each time by more men. Where they are getting their numbers from I do not know. The Hrudan are much like us, a system of clans that more often than not fight each other. For the attacks to have increased to this extent and ferocity...I can only assume that something has happened in their homeland. Perhaps they are being driven out or that the clans have united. But every scout that I have sent out hasn’t returned.”

  Uh oh. Are you going where I think you’re going with this?

  “Sophia and Cassius have been a massive asset the past few weeks. And after the events of the past day... I know that you can all handle yourselves better than anyone here.”

  You are, aren’t you.

  “I wouldn’t ask if the situation wasn’t so dire.”

  Here it comes.

  “But we are in desperate need of assistance. Can I ask you to scout the pass?”

  Goddamnit.

  I pasted on a smile and looked at the others who nodded in assent. “It looks like we’re at your disposal.”

  Jadira smiled and began to speak, but I held up my hand. “Firstly though, we have a companion in the forest who needs assistance. We need to bring him in and get him some help before we plan the next move.”

  “Of course!” Jadira replied. “What’s the injury?”

  “Badly sprained ankle,” said Rikol. “We’re probably going to need a stretcher to get him through the trees and undergrowth.”

  “Tell you what,” Jadira began. “If I send a few men with one of your party to find your friend, the rest of you can stay here and we can plan your approach. Deal?”

  I began to speak-

  “I’ll go.” Rikol. Everyone looked at him and he shrugged. “Of the three of us who know where he is, Calidan and Ella are the better at strategy. You can fill Scythe and myself in when we return.”

  “You’re sure Rikol?” Ella asked. He nodded firmly.

  “Done,” said Jadira. She motioned over one of her men and spoke swiftly in Meredothian. “Rikol, if you follow Rygaard here he will take you to collect a few others and then you can be on your way. There will be hot food and drinks awaiting your return.”

  Rikol nodded and stood up. “Best plan this well everyone,” he said as he began following Rygaard. “If we all die because I let you lot be in charge of the stratagems I will be mighty pissed. See you in a bit.”

  Once he left Jadira pulled out a box of flags and markers. “Okay. Time for some planning.” She started placing locations on the map, surrounding the pass. “We have suggestions that the Hrudan have placed a forward encampment at our side of the pass. Fires have been seen at night in the area. This is unusual in itself - usually the Hrudan retreat through the pass to their lands once a raid is completed.”

  “Where is the closest Hrudan fort?” asked Ella.

  “Here.” Another flag placed down. “Roughly a day’s march from the exit of the pass. Two other clans are located here, and here,” another two markers, both a fair distance from the original. “However, we have had no scouts return from the region in five months so much could have changed.”

  Sophia held up a hand. “Sorry Jadira. Before we go any further...what would you have us do? Scout the pass and return?”

  “If you can make it into Hrudan and find out what is going on, what the cause of these incessant attacks is, then that would be the main priority. If not, the scouting and impediment of any forces currently stationed in the pass is the secondary objective.”

  I raised a hand. “Can we shut the pass?”

  Jadira looked troubled and shook her head. “We would prefer you not to damage anything in the pass.”

  “Why?”

  She sighed. “The Pass of Eredon is a sacred site to the Meredothian people. It is where a mighty warrior, Eredon, took upon himself to venture into the ice caverns and defeat Mendrok, the spider queen. It is said that their battle is what caused the cavern to split and create the pass into Hrudan.”

  Silence.

  I held up a hand.

  “I’m sorry. Did you say spider queen?”

  Jadira nodded.

  “As in, large spiders? How large are we talking? The size of a mouse, a cat?”

  Jadira’s gaze widened. “Do you not have Tumulk in your country?” I looked at the others and saw that like myself we were all shaking our heads. Jadira grinned ruefully. “Just another monstrous creature that lives here in our lands then eh? Fear not, the Tumulk have not been seen in the pass in large numbers for many years. You should be fine.”

  I pressed the point. “How. Large?”

  She looked me up and down. “The average one, including legs? Probably about your size. They are basically standard spiders in every way except larger.”

  Oh how I wished Rikol was with us for a sarcastic comment.

  Ella rolled her eyes. “Anything else you would like to add?”

  Jadira shifted uncomfortably. “Well…many of them also have three-inch fangs and a venomous tail. But that shouldn't deter a group of killers like yourselves. Not unless you’re afraid of spiders?”

  Silence reigned.

  Now, none of us had a specific phobia about spiders. I’ve long thought that humanity must have been tormented by them in the past to account for the sheer number of people terrified by a tiny house spider. Coming from remote villages, Sophia, Cassius and I had dealt with plenty of spiders. Ella and Rikol were street rats and that, again, meant that spiders had been commonplace. But still...giant spiders? That sent a shiver down my spine. And a glance around the room confirmed that none of the others looked particularly pleased.

  Oh well, comes with the territory of being an Imp I guess.

  I tried to ease the tension. “If the Hrudan have been using the pass then they must have done something about the Tumulk. If it is the main arterial route to move troops into a neighbouring region then you wouldn’t want half of your men being eaten on the way!”

  The others nodded and Jadira spoke up. “You’re right. As I said they are not usually seen in large numbers but keep to the warrens below the main cavern. I imagine that if you went down there you would find more.”

  Cassius spoke up, “Okay, let me see if I can sum up. One, we remove any Hrudan encampment this side of the pass. Two, we attempt to get through the pass to see what is going on in the Hrudan lands. Three, we aim to destabilise the units there. Four, we don’t blow the pass. And five, we aim to not get eaten by giant spiders. That about right?”

&nb
sp; Jadira nodded.

  Cassius smiled at his less enthusiastic team mates, “Sounds kind of fun. When do we leave?”

  Of course he would be enjoying the idea.

  We spent the rest of the day cleaning blades, preparing equipment and acquiring decent clothes whilst we waited for Rikol and Scythe to return. Leather jerkins replaced the deer hide clothes we had made whilst in the forest, and we were gifted wolf pelt cloaks to keep us warm in the ice caves. Amongst ample provision of food supplies each of us received a number of blue flowers; if crushed into a poultice they apparently treated the spider venom. I sincerely hoped that none of us would need it.

  We were in the midst of acquiring new weapons and sharpening old ones when Rikol returned, Scythe hobbling alongside.

  “This is bullshit!” he exclaimed when we explained the situation. “Let me strap my leg up and join you!”

  I shook my head. “It’s an ice cave filled with evil bastards and giant spiders. We may need to move swiftly; I don’t think your leg can handle it.”

  “He’s right Scythe,” Sophia said, resting her hand on his shoulder. “Stay here and rest that leg of yours. We will be back before you know it.”

  “When are you leaving?”

  “First light.”

  Scythe looked around. “Well, if my reunion with you lot is to be this short then I’m going to properly save the speeches for when you’re back from the caves and go and do the fun stuff with my lady!”

  Ella nodded along, grabbing Cassius’s hand tightly whilst Sophia blushed at the friendly laughter.

  “Before I go though, you should know that our mysterious and inquisitive friend returned almost as soon as you left the cave,” continued Scythe. “It left about half an hour before Rikol returned.”

  “Any better idea as to what it is?” I asked.

  He shook his head. “Still sounds like a troll to me. But a very strange one at that.” He pulled Sophia to her feet and grinned at her. “I’ll keep an eye out whilst you’re gone, but in the meantime if you excuse us, I’m going to feast my eyes on something else!” With a passionate kiss, he and Sophia got up and left, shortly followed by Cassius and Ella who were presumably going to their own romantic rendezvous.