The First Valkyrie

by S. C. Coleman

  “How did you manage to become a bandit leader?” General Hamo grunted as his body was bounced up and down. The other men around them laughed and Stag’s expression became irritated.

  “He is not our leader!” Still laughing, one of the men answered General Hamo’s question. “No need to worry about our leader. We, unlike your army of slaves, do not take orders from anyone.”

  “Except ourselves.” One of the other men added to the chatter.

  “I heard that you once led us, Hamo. Look how the mighty have fallen.” The men threw General Hamo’s broken body into a wooden cage. Commander Gelaus followed and grunted as his head struck the back of the cage.

  “Perhaps, General, you’re thinking of escape. I hope you try it.” Stag smiled before spitting on the two men. “It doesn’t make a difference how many men you brought either.” General Hamo looked up at Stag in surprise. It seemed Stag had gained some sort of mental ability. He had changed considerably. Although, he was always intelligent. He had evaded so many enemies in his lifetime. General Hamo had never known his ability to read people. “Yes, General, I have gained some new talents on my journeys. You are correct in that regard. Sleep well.” General Hamo sighed and tested the integrity of the cage. It would not budge.

  “This isn’t so bad, General.” Commander Gelaus croaked exhaustedly. “Apart from our wounds, and my aching joints, things could be worse. What do you think they have planned for us?”

  “They will sear our testicles in the fire.” General Hamo lay back on the cage’s rocky ground.

  “I was thinking they might sacrifice us on Haraka’s arm. That would be fitting. If we died to the customs of the Maguyari. They might peel our skin off and then pick apart our bodies.”

  “Bandits are not usually very intelligent, Commander.” General Hamo sighed as he placed his hands behind his head. “Whatever they do, I hope they put us out of our misery soon.”

  “Unlikely, General. They really hate you.”

  “You might have a chance if you were a bit younger, Commander.” General Hamo chuckled as the two contemplated their demise.

  ***

  Nightfall had come to Yilia. The town of Ulsgard was lightly sleeping under the full moon. A few dozen torches moved about in the town, while others remained stationary. The battlements and dock were the only places well lit by torches. The mountains behind the town had a few torch bearers traveling between campfires. Up to this point, Eleesa and her three companions had not been discovered this far. They had to get moving soon before they froze to death. The journey around the edges of the fjord started slowly. However, once the small party began to move they picked up speed. Eleesa grimaced as they descended the side of the fjord. The watchmen at the fjord’s mouth must have been sleeping. So far, no alarm had been sounded. The next part of the mission would be much worse. Hicar crinkled his nose as he entered the icy water. He could see his breath as the water began to chill his bones. He took a deep breath and began to swim to the docks. While crouching, Eleesa and Diodo watched in cold suspense. Hicar slipped under the water. Eleesa and Diodo thought his limbs froze until he surfaced and crawled onto the docks. He was shivering a lot and this time Diodo and Eleesa thought he succumbed to the cold. Then, he got up and slowly walked towards the wall. When Diodo and Eleesa climbed over the wall, using a rope that Hicar had found. Hicar was naked and shivering by a fire. Diodo slapped him on the back. Next, Diodo handed his cloak over to Hicar and pulled Hicar to his feet. Hicar grumbled and walked towards the dock. Eleesa and Diodo followed, watching for guards while they walked. The three made it to a boat. It was very long and well fashioned from oak trees. The boat could carry fifty to forty men. It would be difficult to sail for two men and a young woman. Hicar got in and sat on one of the cross planks in the middle. Diodo took up an oar on the other side of Hicar. Eleesa sat towards the back of the ship and took ahold of the keel, after much direction from Diodo.

  “This seems simple enough.” Hicar grunted as he and Diodo pulled on the oars. They slowly moved away from the docks. As the approached the fjord’s mouth, Diodo and Hicar worked together to unfold the large sail. They did not know to whom the boat belonged. Its sail held an ornate snake eating its tail, intricately woven into its cloth surface. The snake, formed into a circle, had a stripped red and blue background.

  “That is the symbol of Serafina!” Diodo gasped as he stood in awe of the sail. Then, Hicar moved up behind Diodo and pushed him overboard. Diodo gasped before his head fell below the icy water. The guards at the fjord’s mouth must have heard the uproar. The siren of a conch horn sounded from the cliff face. The other cliff side, at the mouth of the fjord, sounded as well. The call was answered back in the town by a different sounding horn, made from bone and iron. The horns sounded different from the metal conical horns used on the continent. Eleesa protested in vain as she followed Diodo overboard.

  “I can take it from here!” Hicar laughed as he sailed out of the fjord. Eleesa and Diodo had no hopes of sailing out of the fjord even if they could swim back to the dock. Eleesa’s companion, Marco had jumped in the water after her. He held Eleesa’s head above the water, supporting her under the arm pits. Diodo clung to Eleesa as the watched their escape sail out into the ocean. Hicar disappeared into the horizon as two boats from Ulsgard departed the docks. Eleesa felt the cold penetrating her bones. It cut the breath from her lungs. The last thing she saw was another of the Ulsgard boats rowing up beside her and Diodo. Diodo had been the first to succumb to cold and unconsciousness. She followed next, even as she was pulled from the icy water.

  Eleesa awoke naked, again. However, this time it wasn’t for the purposes of humiliating a slave. She was not bound and rested on a bed of straw. A fire crackled in the corner of the room. The fire place was unlike any Eleesa had seen before. Instead of a brazier, like in Bahl, it was a well-constructed stone pit. Eleesa groaned under aching bones. She thought she had died. She felt the comfortable fur blanket that had been laid over her body. The room was constructed from oak in a similar fashion as the boats. The ceiling and walls had intricate carvings of ravens, bears, serpents, wolves, and even dragons. The one carving that caught her eye was of a woman with a fish tail instead of legs. There were also carvings of men and women. They fought with weapons strange to Eleesa. Axes, bows, hammers, and spears were accompanied by large round shields. The men and women all wore the same clothing; none. Their bodies had carvings all over them. The carvings were too small for her to ascertain. She looked over at Diodo, wearing the same fur blanket, who she could guess was also naked. How did they survive the cold? Eleesa wondered while she admired the fine decorations. Hicar was a strong man and could manage a bit of cold. Diodo was strong too, but Eleesa was only a young woman. She had only recently lived through sixteen years. Who owned this house and why was she not bound? Her questions would not be answered by the young woman who entered. She was tall, and her hair was much lighter than Eleesa’s. The young caretaker’s hair looked like finely brushed silk. It was the same yellow color as straw. Her skin also was much lighter than Eleesa’s. The young caretaker almost looked a pale white. She spoke in a language strange to Eleesa. It was a melodic language that Eleesa liked listening to, but she could not understand even a word. Eleesa shook her head at the woman’s words and sat up. When the blanket fell from Eleesa’s bare chest, she yelped and covered herself. The young caretaker laughed and left the room. Eleesa breathed heavily and looked over at the sleeping Diodo. She wrapped the fur blanket around her and scrunched up her brow in confusion. What is this place? The young caretaker reentered with a bowl of something. She handed it to Eleesa who sniffed the gruel. It looked like some sort of stew. Eleesa was hungry and pretty much anything would smell good to her. She drank the stew hungrily. The strange salty flavor assaulted Eleesa’s tongue, but the stew was very good. Small chunks of fish meat slid down her throat easily. However, Eleesa drank the food to fast and ended up coughing. The young caretaker laughed and wiped up the mess Eleesa had
made. Her caretaker took the bowl away. Then, she handed Eleesa a cloth dress, died in deep blue. Eleesa uncomfortably dressed as her young caretaker admired the curves of Eleesa’s body. Once Eleesa was dressed, the caretaker moved over and awoke Diodo. The man did not have the same reaction as Eleesa. He went through the routine of eating but not too quickly. He humbly dressed in cloth breaches and tunic. The breaches were deep blue and the tunic grey. His tunic barely reached past his waist. It was far shorter than those worn in Bahl. Diodo conversed with the young caretaker happily. The two chuckled and looked over at Eleesa who squirmed under their gaze.

  “It seems we are to meet the beautiful queen Serafina.” Diodo looked please. It seemed strange to Eleesa. His words were foreboding when they embarked on the escape mission. Now, he was almost excited to be here. Diodo was playing some sort of game and it made Eleesa nervous. She could not figure out what his purpose here was. The land was different but Eleesa imagined it would be like Bahl in many ways.

  ***

  General Hamo did not know if it was night or day in the old forest. The forest was always very dark, so he investigated the tree tops. Perhaps he could catch a ray of light peaking through the leaves. Maybe he could spot a star. It was a ray of light that caught he eye. The General sighed and his heart sank deeper into despair. How could they escape this prison? Even if they did escape, all their armor and weapons had been taken. Surely rushing away from the bandits would mean death, but he had no other option. So, General Hamo got work and cutting bindings of the cage. He used a sharp stone that lay just beyond the cage walls. Each one of the bindings was made from woven vines. It was slow going and hard work. General Hamo was hungry and he believed they would not escape in time.

  “Trying to escape I see,” Braco appeared at the cage door. General Hamo had not seen him approach. The General spat and shakily pulled himself up. He moved over to the door and threw his sharp stone at Braco. The former commander batted the stone away easily. “Let me help you.” Braco threw a knife into the cage. He laughed and General Hamo narrowed his eyes. He was surprised at Braco’s generosity but identified his help as a ploy. No doubt, men would be waiting to kill the General and Commander Gelaus. When General Hamo went for the knife, Braco departed into the trees. The General was about to throw the knife as well, but he dared not waste the opportunity. General Hamo sat back down in the cage and looked around for horses. This was a small camp and there would be at least three horses close by. He was relieved to identify and unnaturally dense portion of the jungle. That would be there escape. Now, all he had to do was cut the bindings. He smiled at Commander Gelaus and got to work on cutting through the cage. Commander Gelaus nodded and smiled. He patted the General on the back, barely able to raise an arm.

  “We will be out of here soon, my old friend.” General Hamo felt relieved as he cut the last of the cage bindings. The cage fell apart and the walls fell away. General Hamo picked up a stick to use as a cane. Then, supporting Commander Gelaus under the arm, the two hobbled towards the poorly hidden stables. General Hamo pulled back the leaf curtain to find ten bandits waiting for them. Stag was leaning up against a wooden support. He and his men began to laughed and General Hamo hung his head. Taking in a deep breath, and placing Commander Gelaus on the ground, the general used all his strength to leap at Stag. The weak attack was easily deflected. Stag struck General Hamo in the back of the head with his forearm.

  “Oh, how pitiful the Great General Hamo is!” The men laughed louder and Commander Gelaus’s eyes sunk. “Bring them!” The men roughly picked up the two prisoners as Braco strolled up.

  “Let the show begin, eh Stag?” Stag nodded to Braco and they left the forest stable side by side. The men carrying the captives followed.

  “This is a special treat for the men, my new friend.” Stag laughed as he lay an arm over Braco’s shoulder. General Hamo looked up to see their destination. A circle of fires had been built around two massive oak trees. Hundreds of bandits infested the tree tops. A long rope bridge had been constructed just beyond the two trees. Many of the other trees had been cut down surrounding the two oaks. This was a spectacle designed for the bandits’ entertainment. On the rope bridge lounged the most notorious of the bandits. The Bachi dressed themselves like black wraiths. They wore black cloth around their heads. Only their eyes were visible. The cloth had white teeth painted around the mouth. Their chests were bare, and they wore large leather belts. This would protect their stomach and groin in a fight. Some were sitting, and others leaned on the bridge’s rope rails. In their center stood a dark-skinned man of average height. He wore the same face covering as the other Bachi. This was the leader. He wore a crown made entirely of iron. Small bird skulls adorned the top of the crown. On his body he wore only a hardened leather vest and a loincloth. He wore bronze grieves and sandals on his feet. His skin, like the other Bachi, was covered in ash and mud.

  “Behold!” The crowned bandit spoke. “I, King of the Forest, call upon you. My brethren! This is our old traitor!”

  “I see only our men standing!” A man from the crowd shouted. He garnered many laughs. The crowned bandit gestured, and the crowd quieted.

  “The Great! The mighty! The ruuuuuuthless! General Hamo!” The crowd laughed loudly in reply. “He is the Grrrrrreat Desert Phoenix! What shall be his fate!” Loud cries of all sorts of torment arose from the congregation. Once more, the crowned bandit gestured for silence. “I will show you what I have devised for this traitor! Shall we taste blood?” The resounding applause sealed General Hamo and his commander’s doom. The men carrying him brought General Hamo to the first oak tree on the right. Commander Gelaus was taken to the oak tree on the left. The men unceremoniously pushed General Hamo against the tree. He cried out in agony to the cheers of the crowd. Long iron spikes were hammered into his wrists. The men stepped back and all General Hamo’s weight came down on the spikes. Commander Gelaus cried out as well when he was fastened to the tree.

  “Wait!” General Hamo’s words only gained laughter. “I invoke the ancient right of Phinaga!” The crowd quieted down as General Hamo had just challenged his captor.

  “You no longer believe in the ancient! The all powerful! The One! You are a traitor to us and our people!”

  “You are a traitor to our people!” General Hamo spat as rage heated his skin. The men around laughed raucously. “At least let Commander Gelaus go! It is me you want! The Commander was going to retire after our ride to the capital!”

  “You are correct filthy cockroach. The commander is entitled to the ancient rights as he still believes in the one!” One of the men who had carried the Commander held up a necklace with a silver star. “He will be allowed to go!” Commander Gelaus looked relieved and then guilt passed across his face. “He will leave only if! He can survive a night at the tree of the ancient One! You, however, will surely die! Desert Phoenix!” The bandit leader spat and at the name. “Not yet however! Strip him!” Most of Hamo’s clothes had already been taken and now even his loin cloth was taken. He was now naked and nailed to a tree. “Now! Each of my dear Bachi have chosen a piece of your flesh. The form of torment is up to them, but it is I that shall have the first cut. Is it time?” The crowd exploded in cheers and celebration. Mead and food began to be passed around. The bandits were gorging themselves on the supplies brought by General Hamo’s party. They had stockpiled other things from raids. Those must have been pillaged by the partying bandits as well. General Hamo sighed and the crowned bandit leapt down from his bridge. The crowned man drunkenly stumbled up to General Hamo. He hissed and Hamo could smell the man’s hot liquored breath.

  “Let’s get it over with then.” The General spat in the man’s eyes. He laughed and wiped the saliva away.

  “That is the best you can do. Look at the pathetic phoenix now!” The men cheered and applauded. They were less rigorous in their cheering this time. They were waiting for what would happen next. “I will take what is most precious for any lord.” The man whispered in Gen
eral Hamo’s ear. Hamo felt a hot knife touch between his legs. The hot knife burned his inner thigh and began to sneak upwards. “Are you ready!” The crowd applauded, hammering fists and stomping their feet. General Hamo gritted his teeth as he felt the sharp blade slowly cutting through his penis. The blade seared flesh and the deed was done. The bandit leader held General Hamo’s severed appendage above his head. The crowd roared so loud nothing else could be heard. General Hamo breathed deeply as Stag approached. Stag took one of General Hamo’s testicles and Braco took the other. The three men laughed and tossed General Hamo’s breeding parts in the fire. The General’s eyes welled with tears from the pain. This was causing the men to laugh and spit mead. Stag, the Bandit leader, and Braco all ascended a ladder into the trees. The crowd began throwing all sorts of things at Commander Gelaus and General Hamo. The commander received a barrage of rotten food. On the other hand, General Hamo received hot coals and stones with thorns wrapped around them. His sense began to dull at the pain. Then, the bandit leader raised a hand and the assault ended. This was only a sign of what would come next. The other Bachi leapt down from their bridge. The circled around General Hamo’s tree. The stood there for a moment, gathering things to cut and burn the General. One of the men strolled up to him and held a torch to his ear. Another walked up and tore a piece of flesh from Hamo’s arm. Yet another approached and removed one of his teeth. Piece by piece, General Hamo’s body was dismantled. At the end, General Hamo had no teeth, no finger nails, and no ears. His skin had been peeled from his body in strips. Still the General was alive and breathing. He barely clung to life and wished death would come. It would not come.

  The Jaws of Life

  Eleesa and Diodo were brought from their house to a hall. Furs, bones, shields, and weapons decorated the hall’s interior. At the back of the hall stood two mighty oak chairs. They also were covered in furs. One of the thrones stood empty, but in the other sat a very beautiful woman. She was the most beautiful woman Eleesa had ever seen. The woman’s golden locks fell around her shoulders and far past her chest. Strands of her hair had been braided in no discernable order. The strands of hair had been decorated with iron, gold, and bronze. Beads and flowers also adorned her regal hair. The woman easily stood over six feet tall. He body was sculpted like a goddess. She had freckles on her cheeks that only added to her beauty. Also, her pale white skin seemed to dance by the fire light. In the center of the room a massive fire had been built. The ceiling had a small opening to keep the room from filling with smoke. It seemed odd to Eleesa that no one in the hall bore weapons. Also, not being bound puzzled Eleesa greatly. A man dressed in a short fur tunic walked up to Diodo. The two laughed and greeted each other as friends. Eleesa was even more confused. The man had his head shaved on one side. Tattoos were visible on that side of his head. More tattoos snaked their way up his neck to his jaw. The man wore a necklace of shark teeth and beads. His arms were bare. Multiple metal rings adorned his chiseled muscles. Who were these men built like gods? The man shouted something at the caretaker, who sheepishly exited the hall.