The Ice Lands

by William Dickey

  To turn just a voice box and the various internal muscles that controlled it without creating an external augmentation to the wolf was an act of profound control. The sound itself was understandable, but brutish and cold, though that may just have been Jutmaek’s desire in this circumstance rather than a lack of ability to sound warm in wolf form.

  “Huh… Well… Answer me. Did you really think no one would ever figure it out?” the wolf form Jutmaek repeated.

  Most of Truant’s friends were confused. They didn’t understand what was happening. They had known about Truant’s aspirations and his occasional clashing with the clan chief, but nothing they’d seen would have prompted this reaction. Known for his evenhandedness, many didn’t think Jutmaek would go this far over a minor matter.

  Meanwhile, everyone on Jutmaek’s side knew what was happening, or at least they had a good idea. After Talia’s explanation, Jutmaek quietly summoned Rotimer and had him reorganize the scouts and call a number of Doraga’s most trusted and influential. Jutmaek didn’t just summon those in his own camp, but Adriel and several representatives from smaller factions so long as they weren’t close to Truant and his ilk.

  This of course included Hagatha, Doraga’s best potioner, for reasons soon to be made clear. Once everyone had quietly gathered, Talia led them to Wy-1 and James. There, Hagatha used her potions to ensure James’ honesty during the group’s interrogation. It didn’t take long for everyone to determine the truth and amass this force to take Truant into custody.

  “Figure what out?” Truant pretended not to understand. He didn’t have a clue how Jutmaek found out, but he knew the old leader wouldn’t be doing this if he didn’t know. Truant’s mood reversed itself from a moment before when he’d felt on the precipice of victory. He knew his big dream was over. Truant’s confused act was for the benefit of his men. With their support, all might not be lost. “Oh, I see. You are looking to smear me before I can challenge your power. I thought you were better than this.”

  “Stop playing around. If you quickly and publicly confess everything, I will see your punishment reduced,” said Jutmaek.

  “What is the point? You will not get away with this,” Truant shook his head. “Come on, my friends. We cannot let the clan chief do whatever he wishes. He may be Doraga’s highest authority, but his role is meant to enact what is best for Doraga. Do you really think that turning against fellow clansmen is what is best for Doraga? Do you really think that many of the things the clan chief has done recently is what is best for Doraga? We cannot put up with this anymore. We must resist. We must fight.”

  It never really took much to work an Othan up to a fight and it didn’t hurt that those around Truant were mostly hot-blooded young men and already receptive to his point of view.

  “Yeah, let us show these fools we are not going to just roll over and let them do whatever they feel like,” Snakefang roared. Snakefang had always been most loyal to Truant despite the fact that Truant kept many secrets from him.

  “Yeah, let us do this,” said another. A round of cheers went off. A couple started to shift into their beastforms, prompting Jutmaek’s side to move in. Things would only get messier if they finished.

  At that same moment, Truant followed suit. He’d put in a lot of practice and could make the transformation into his bear form much faster than most. Jutmaek was focused on Truant and the moment shit hit the fan, the wolf leapt at Truant. Truant knew it was coming and focused his attention to shifting his right arm first. He used the powerful bear paw to batter Wolf Jutmaek to the side and bought himself enough time to finish his transformation.

  A part of Truant wanted to engage Jutmaek right away. His supporters occupied all of Jutmaek’s protectors and Truant was confident he could take the old man one on one, but that would also ensure his eventual capture. Truant stirred up trouble at this time because while distracted by his supporters, Truant hoped he could break through and escape. This would be as good as an admission of guilt. He’d never be allowed to return to Doraga. But, Truant had friends in the south who shared his vision for the future. There he could get a fresh start.

  Truant easily broke through the encirclement. Most were too preoccupied with their own skirmishes to even notice much less pursue. Of course, Jutmaek followed. After getting bear punched, Jutmaek was dazed but uninjured. It didn’t take him long to return to his feet and continue pursuit.

  Truant’s bear form was quick, but his speed was nothing compared to Jutmaek’s wolf. Jutmaek caught up a couple hundred yards away and sunk his powerful jaws into one of Truant’s legs.

  Truant used his other leg to beat Jutmaek off, but the damage was done. The calf muscles in Truant’s bear leg were shredded. He wasn’t going anywhere, at least not before others would catch up. Jutmaek spent the next couple of minutes circling Truant as he waited for backup. Jutmaek didn’t see the point in giving Truant an opportunity to strike at him.

  Outnumbered, it wasn’t long before the last of Truant’s companions were pacified and tied up. As soon as there were a few free hands, two of Jutmaek’s men came to secure Truant. Jutmaek returned to his human form. Truant followed shortly afterward. There was no point in struggling. There was no way for him to get away.

  “Hagatha, if you do not mind. Let us try to clear this mess up as quickly as possible,” said Jutmaek. Hagatha stalked over, potion vial in hand. She still had a bit left over from James’ interrogation. Truant’s followers watched in shocked dismay. They all recognized the brilliant blue liquid as Eronict serum and couldn’t comprehend why Jutmaek would call for Truant to be dosed with it in front of everyone if Truant hadn’t done something egregious.

  “What the hell do you think you are doing, Jutmaek? Doraga is not your plaything, where you can demand anything at any time,” said Truant as he tried to use what little freedom of motion he retained with his head to fend off Hagatha’s attempts to shove the blue liquid down his throat.

  “The clan chief has already secured permission from the other elders. Now, hold him still you two, if this spills we will have to wait two days for me to make some more,” said Hagatha.

  The two men held Truant down more tightly as Hagatha dumped the vial into Truant’s mouth. Truant still put up a fight even then, refusing to swallow until Hagatha held his nose and a desire for air gained precedence over everything else.

  After a few minutes, Hagatha checked Truant’s eyes. His pupils were so wide there was virtually no brown.

  “He is ready,” Hagatha told Jutmaek.

  Jutmaek could have interrogated Truant in private, or at least with a smaller number of elders, but he chose to question Truant out in the open. As much as Jutmaek hated to admit it to himself, the influence Truant held had a profound effect on unity and trust within the clan. A large number of young people might believe Truant’s assertions and Jutmaek knew the easiest way to liberate them of this belief was to hear Truant’s depravities first hand.

  “I asked you a question a few minutes ago: Did you really think no one would ever figure it out? What do you think I meant by that?” Jutmaek began.

  “Not sure what you meant. Could be many things?” said Truant.

  “Many things? Well, we have a bit of time. Go ahead and list them all,” said Jutmaek.

  “No, I cannot do that. I can get in really big trouble if anyone finds out about those things,” said Truant showing a bit of resistance to the chemicals seeping into his brain.

  “Come on now. There is no need to be like that. Just think about it, would I have really done all this if I did not already have damning evidence. If you come clean now you can get a bit of leniency. Would you rather not have that?” said Jutmaek.

  “Alright, but you better not be lying to me,” said Truant.

  “Of course not. Am I known to lie,” said Jutmaek. It wouldn’t be a difficult promise to keep. Truant’s crimes were so bad it would be lenient to give him a quick death.

  “Okay. Well, I guess the first thing is that I have not been
turning in all of the resources I’ve hunted,” said Truant. Truant was one of the clan’s hunters. They went around collecting resources from across the territory, both meat and wild plants. Hunters didn’t get to do whatever they wished with what they collected. The territory was a clan resource and was to be shared by all its members. Skilled hunters were rewarded with a larger share than most if they did a good job, but they were still required to turn everything in before distribution.

  “I did not take much. Just enough to help should the worse happen and… Nest,” Truant choked up. This first crime wasn’t all that surprising, Othans may have emphasized the importance of the clan system, but it also pushed the importance of survival. After the fall of Nest and ensuing chaos, many were terrified of the same happening to Doraga.

  “I imagine you could not have done that alone,” said Jutmaek. Hunters rarely went out alone. Truant remained silent on that point. Even under the influence, he resisted turning in his comrades. There was something admirable about that.

  “Never mind,” said Jutmaek. He could have pressed it and undoubtable would have succeeded but it wasn’t what he was after. “Anything else. Maybe something related to the New Fallen,” Jutmaek prompted. At the rate things were going, if Jutmaek had to go through all of Truant’s crimes one at a time, the potion might lose effectiveness before he got to it. Jutmaek needed to know if there were any more surprises he had to worry about.

  “Oh, that is what you knew about.” Truant deflated. A bit of him thought it a shame he just admitted to those other crimes, but the rest knew it didn’t matter, the New Fallen crimes alone were enough to ruin him. “Yes, I have been… working with a few New Fallen.”

  “How?” Jutmaek asked. “They always seem so uncontrollable.” The New Fallen were a menace to all the clans, consuming resources that should be theirs. If Truant had found a way to control them, it could be a huge boon for all the clans.

  “I took two of them in before they changed. I was interested in their immortality, but that did not lead anywhere. Because I fed them some, they did not change completely and retained enough to communicate. I then bribed them with food to lead others in their kind to do my bidding,” said Truant.

  “What exactly did you have them do?” Jutmaek asked.

  “When I heard your daughter was headed back to the clan from the frontlines I had them out looking for her,” said Truant. That one caught Jutmaek by surprise because he hadn’t known it was coming. He probably was the only one who was surprised. By this point, Truant had revealed so many disgusting details that even his closest companions couldn’t watch anymore, they all just shriveled up, cowered, and waited for it to end, hoping that it was all just some nightmare.

  “Then I sent some to intercept the group you sent north on that wild goose chase,” Truant continued. “And… and…” Truant frowned as if confused. To someone who didn’t know better, it looked like he had simply lost his train of thought. But Jutmaek knew the truth. The effects of Hagatha’s potion were wearing off. The stuff never lasted long, but Jutmaek expected it to last longer than this. Hagatha did say she was running out so Jutmaek chalked it up to a smaller dose than normal.

  “Hurry, what else have you done recently with the New Fallen?” Jutmaek tried to get in, Jutmaek knew from his interrogation of James that Truant had another tamed New Fallen gather a second pack. He just needed to know what Truant had done with it.

  Unfortunately, Jutmaek’s question hadn’t come in time. Truant remained silent and in a daze for a minute before snapping out of it.

  “Wha- What happened?” Truant shook his head and tried to get to his feet by reflex. Two men held him down which was exactly when Truant realized they were there. The rest fell back into place rather quickly.

  “Wait… I was captured. The old witch…” Truant gasped. He couldn’t remember what he said under the effects of the Eronict serum and never would, but he could recall what happened just before and piece together things from there.

  Truant glanced over to his supporters, companions, and friends, or to who had been those moments before. Not a single one of them would even look at Truant. Most of them had their eyes closed, their mouth turned into a deep frown, and shoulders leaned forward and hunched down in constant supplication. It looked as if they were quietly demonstrating their disapproval while begging for forgiveness for whatever role they might have played. A few couldn’t even hold together that much and just sat their shaking in fear of their future.

  Truant knew what such behavior meant. Truant’s world shattered. All his dreams, for both himself and the clan, were lost. As bad as the things Truant did were, from his perspective everything he did was for the good of the clan. To Truant he was the selfless hero. He was the one who got his hands dirty while attempting to rid the clan of a feckless leader who was leading them all to ruin by resisting a southern migration and squandering precious resources on a wild chase.

  Now after enduring all that, his friends abandoned him. Truant’s faith in his one guiding principle, to do what’s best for the clan, snapped. Truant started to laugh.

  “So, this is what it all comes to. So, this is how I am treated after all I have done, after all I have sacrificed. All of you believe as I do, that this fool sitting before us is leading us all to ruin. Yet none of you had the courage to do something about it. Well, I could not just voice my complaint and let him do whatever he wishes. I am exactly what this clan aspires to be. I have displayed courage in the face of adversity. I have worked harder than Jutmaek. Certainly harder than any of you. And I have been willing to sacrifice anything and everything for the greater good. I have been the perfect clansmen, yet you reject me because I am the only one willing to go far enough.” Truant worked himself up from calm almost detached to the pure raging hell of hate.

  “Well, screw all of you. You all deserve exactly what is coming for you. I hope my monsters eat you all.” Truant returned to his mad cackles as he imagined what was coming.

  Jutmaek jumped at Truant’s last line. He hadn’t been able to get Truant to tell him what the second group of New Fallen were up to before Hagatha’s potion wore off, but Truant hadn’t known that and accidently revealed it.

  “The other New Fallen are coming here. You actually dared to direct them towards your own home,” said Jutmaek with disgust. Despite Truant’s prior proclamations, Jutmaek couldn’t understand how Truant could have done such horrors.

  “Rotimer,” Jutmaek called for the head of Doraga’s local scouts and watchmen.

  “Yes, chief,” Rotimer immediately replied. Naturally, he was present given everything going on and since many of his best were used to round up this traitorous batch of hooligans.

  “Gather up as many aerial beastforms as you can and have them search for any signs of the New Fallen. Start near the village and expand the search outward. We need to get a better idea what we are dealing with,” said Jutmaek.

  Rotimer set off to his task.

  “You did not know, you did not get to that point,” Truant realized before he shrugged it off. “Well, there are New Fallen coming, hundreds of them. More than your men could face at least alone.” Truant glanced at all of his companions, a look of pride spread across his face. “I was planning to come back with my men and have them save the clan, but given how things are looking, it is hopeless, so I have something I wish to tell all of you. If you still feel the way that I do about the future, then recognize that it is too late for this clan. Be silent and go along with things for now, I understand. But at the first opportunity, run away and go south. There is where the future of all Othans lies. Do not stay and let yourselves be dragged down by the weak and foolish. I would join you if I could, but I am afraid I will not be able to.”

  Truant went quiet after that. His job was done. There was nothing more he could do.

  Jutmaek was furious.

  ‘Why did I not just kill him on the spot?’ he thought. Jutmaek hated to admit it to himself, but Truant was right, Doraga was
in trouble. Between the number of troops Jutmaek had to send to the south, a smaller number of survivors making it through the last Blood Moon, and a few sent on the expedition, Doraga had relatively few combat experts at the moment. Now if you were to toss in all of Truant’s friends as potential deserters, Jutmaek didn’t like the odds. The New Fallen weren’t powerful but hundreds could overwhelm them especially while they had to defend the young, ill, and others ill-suited for battle.

  “Take them all away. Leave them in one of the empty storage tents. A couple of you stay behind to keep watch until I decide what to do with them. The rest report back to my tent for further instructions. Gag that one, his mouth has done enough damage to the clan,” Jutmaek pointed to Truant. All the captives were led away. Doraga didn’t have any prisons. Small crimes were punished with extra work duties and reduced rations. Larger crimes led to banishment or outright execution depending on the severity. There was no need for a prison so Jutmaek had to make do with what he had available.

  Jutmaek returned to his yurt and waited. There was nothing else to do until he knew what was going on. After an hour, a hawk and an owl landed outside Jutmaek’s tent before shifting into Rotimer and Talia.

  “We found them,” Rotimer told Jutmaek. He was not smiling.

  “Let’s hear it,” said Jutmaek.

  “There are roughly four hundred New Fallen gathered seventy miles north east. They are already on the move, coming this way,” said Rotimer. Jutmaek agreed with Rotimer’s analysis, the news was nothing to smile at. Jutmaek had around eighty experienced warriors. If he included some of the more skilled young ones and ones a bit too seasoned, he might be able to scrounge up a hundred and twenty warriors. Finally, if Jutmaek were to also rely on Truant’s party there would be around two hundred warriors.