Emily's Saga

by Travis Bughi

  “And then, as often happens to young men, I fell in love. I met the most beautiful woman in all the world, and I mean that from the bottom of my heart. Her name was Ingrid, and she had a smile that could warm any house in the dead of winter’s chill. One look from her, and my heart was running like a spring stream. She had beautiful golden locks of hair that spun in spirals down her back and the cutest little nose you ever saw. Her eyes were green, kind of like yours, Emily, only much brighter, like the sun shining through an emerald. She was kind, too, something rare amongst us vikings. I swear that she’d shed tears when we cut down trees for fire in the winter. The woman was the complete embodiment of love and, to a brute like me, the most precious thing that ever lived.

  “Ah, by Valhalla did I love her! Her father was a right troll, though, and he demanded a hefty sum for her hand in marriage. I had to give him the warg I won from my brother! I’d trained him into a fierce mount—fantastic for breeding and fighting—and Ingrid’s father knew it. He demanded the warg for the dowry, and I gave in. I tell you this, it was the finest trade I’d ever made in my entire life.

  “Ingrid and I made a home for ourselves, and we had six children, none more than a year apart. She took to childrearing like a griffin to flight, and those children loved her like I did. We had to live on the outer edge of the village, unfortunately. It was all I could afford. My father and two of my brothers had died already, taken to Valhalla, and my sisters had been married off. My two remaining brothers were out on voyages making names for themselves, and so I was on my own. Ingrid’s rotten father didn’t give a damn about us, either. I don’t think he came to us once while they lived.

  “Ah, caught your attention there, did I? Well, sorry about that. I normally save that as a surprise, but it’s been too long since I told this story, so I slipped. Yes, it’s true, my life of love and laughter with Ingrid was not to last. One particularly nasty winter—what? Yes, winter. It’s not always snowing up in The North. There’s about a month of time where green grass shows, and, then again, there is a time in the dead of winter when the sun doesn’t rise more than a sliver above the land for just a few hours.

  “Anyway, if you’re finished giving Takeo confused looks, Emily, I’d like to get back to the story. Thank you, Takeo, for giving me your undivided attention. As I was saying, one winter, I made off to the town to get us some more food. Our stores weren’t looking well, and before things got real bad, I wanted to try and see if there was any work to be done. Perhaps I could chop some wood, repair a roof, who knows? Ingrid was pregnant with our seventh child at this time, and it certainly wasn’t the first time I’d left her. So late in the season, I didn’t think twice, and neither did she. We needed the food.

  “I was gone all day. I had to travel far, all the way to the docks, where I was paid to help the last ships coming in from raiding season get hauled out of the water. There’s always someone who arrives long after he should, and help can be hard to find around that time. I was one of the few, made a good earning, and went home with bread in my pack and a grin on my face.

  “What I came home to, I will never forget.

  “It seemed vikings weren’t the only ones out that late that winter. A small party of orcs and goblins had come down from the mountains for one last raid before deep winter set in. My children were dead before I arrived, but I heard Ingrid’s last cry for mercy before they killed her. I charged in with my axe blazing, tears streaming from my eyes, and foam frothing from my mouth. I hacked down maybe five of them before a club to the back of my head knocked me out cold.

  “When I awoke, I was being hauled up with a noose inside my tiny home. The orcs thought it funny to watch me strangle to death, but they didn’t have the time. They left me hanging there and tried to set the house on fire for good measure. To be honest, I no longer cared. Sure, I cursed them and their wretched kind and made oaths to slaughter their families—none of which they heard because I was gasping for air. But honestly, I hoped the fire would light. I wanted to die then. Even if it meant I would not go to Valhalla, I could picture no greater hell than the one I was already in: a world without Ingrid. But they couldn’t manage to light the fire before the sun set, and they decided to run away. They left me hanging from the rafters of my home with the door open so that I would freeze to death. I didn’t even attempt to struggle free. I should have died that night, but alas, I am too hard to kill.

  “My neighbor, a poor man who was a bastard child, lived not too far away from us. He had gone out to fetch some wood and stumbled upon the raiders’ tracks. Bravely, he charged off to warn me and my family, only to discover he was too late. He nearly turned away when he glimpsed the carnage from a distance, but he came anyway. He found me and cut me down, thinking me dead, but was shocked when I still had lingering warmth in my body. He checked again and found a faint breath. He used what tinder the orcs had left behind, lit a fire in the hearth, and set about keeping my life from fading away.

  “I wept for several days after I awoke. I barely ate, I barely drank, I barely slept. I wished the food would run short, but now I had more than enough to survive. If I could have found the strength to end my own life, I would have. However, it was not within me, and when I emerged after that long winter, I had but one goal in life: to die in a heroic fight. If I could not kill myself, then I would find someone who could do it for me.

  “When my brothers, Lidun and Luvun, came back from their voyage, I joined up with them immediately. I was officially ordained as Kollskegg Ludinson the Sturdy, and we went raiding. I slew pirates, hunted trolls, fought giants, and warred with naga. We even took down a dragon once with the help of some dwarves. By Valhalla was that a fight! It was my axe that struck the killing blow, right in the neck just below the chin. Even so, my favorite was slaying orcs and goblins. For every one I killed, my only regret was that I didn’t kill two instead. I relished those fights with a chill that makes me shudder even to this day.

  “I was unstoppable, and my legendary reputation was born. I’ve sired many bastard children over the years, and there’s even been a few songs written about my deeds. As we aged, my brothers grudgingly noted my desire for battle, understanding my lust for war but unable to mimic it. They envied me, and I never let them forget it. After Luvun died to a pirate’s bullet, Lidun decided it was time to return home and give up the seafaring life. He was tired of the sea, tired of not seeing his wife and children, and, though he never admitted it, tired of living in my shadow. He longed for the simplicity of defending his land from raiders, he claimed, and so retired, leaving his ship and crew to me.

  “I raided for many years after that. I’d have kept on raiding, too, had my crew and I not stumbled upon an old hydra off the coast of this wretched land. It had ten heads! Just a massive beast, full of death and anger and spite! We fought it, stabbing it with spears and hacking into her body. Her body smashed into my ship, destroying it, even as she attacked my crew, swallowing them whole or ripping them apart! Yet none of us gave up, and we fought her from the wreckage for what seemed like hours. In the end, though, my crew was all dead or dying, and the beast was still clinging to life. Standing on the last piece of driftwood that had once been my ship, I leapt onto her and hacked into her mangled body with my axe. She lunged at me with what heads she had left, but I was smart and hid in between her necks, using her very own body as my shield. Though I longed for death, I would not give it to her so easily. It was something she’d have to earn, and my soul carries a heavy price. I hacked her spine in two just as her teeth finally sank into my armor. With her last breath, she flung me far into the ocean. I barely made it to shore, so weighed down by all my gear. I would not release my axe; no matter what, I would not let it go. I washed ashore, barely alive, and stumbled into the home of slavers. They drugged me, and I was sold, and the rest of the story has yet to be told.

  “And that, my friends, is the short version of the epic tale of Kollskegg Ludinson the Sturdy. I’ll recount the longer version tomorrow a
fter we’ve gotten some rest. By Valhalla, I am exhausted! I’m sure my story will keep you two up all night, but I can’t hardly keep my eyes open right now. How does that sound?

  “Ah, Samurai? Amazon?”

  * * *

  In the morning, they traveled straight towards the nearest oasis. It was a silent walk, made so by their dry throats. They’d split the last of the water the previous night, and they counted each step to the next water source with apprehension. They couldn’t be certain Takeo knew the proper direction, so every moment was a tense one until the oasis came into view, and the trio gave a coordinated sigh of relief. They picked up their pace until their feet touched the water.

  Emily was surprised to find the pond remarkably cool. It seemed the night had chilled the water, and the morning sun had not yet risen far enough above the trees to heat it. There was a time when this would have upset Emily, but in that moment, she didn’t hesitate to douse her hair in the stuff. The cold water splashed down her face and soaked her clothes, making her shudder as tiny bumps formed on her reddened skin. She smiled at how her preference for warm water had changed. As she cupped two hands full and brought it to her face for a drink, she spied her reflection in the small pool and noted that her freckles had darkened.

  Koll didn’t hesitate at the water’s edge either, his previous concerns about poison forgotten when their lives would be forfeit without a clean source of the life-saving liquid. He scooped handfuls of it into his mouth and let the excess dribble down his beard. Takeo knelt to drink his own fill, as well, before opening up his water skins to fill them.

  As they were enjoying themselves, they were joined by a purple and red bird no bigger than a small child. It flew down awkwardly, almost tumbling in the air, and plopped onto the ground on the other side of the pond. At first, Emily was uneasy at the sight of this new creature. Although it wasn’t paying the humans any mind, Emily touched a hand to her knife and watched it carefully. She glanced at both Takeo and Koll, looking for guidance, but saw that neither showed the slightest concern. They ignored the bird as it ignored them, and Emily relaxed. She dipped her hands back into the water and splashed some on her face again before looking over the new arrival.

  The bird had a fiery red chest but purple wings, tail, beak, and feet. Its eyes were a dark orange, and it seemed unaware there were three humans across the way. It hobbled away from the water slowly, breathing hard as if exhausted, and began to inspect the surrounding trees.

  “It’s looking for shelter from the wind,” Takeo explained, carefully filling each and every water skin to the brim.

  “It’s not thirsty?” Emily asked.

  “It’s a phoenix,” Takeo answered. “They don’t drink water.”

  Emily watched the phoenix poke around the trees and brush, apparently very picky in its quest for a roost. Its steps were slow and awkward, and it dawned on Emily that this bird must be extremely old, or at least near the end of its life. Its feathers were ruffled and thin, its coloring appeared faded and worn, and it looked like it was bent over. The phoenix squawked at some of the trees and hobbled onwards, picking through the massive fallen leaves and tall reeds.

  “It had better hurry,” Koll said.

  “No,” Takeo disagreed, “it has time.”

  The phoenix finally found a place suitable for its needs. It poked its beak between a group of trees that had grown so close together they might have been one. A jungle of weeds filled in the gaps, and now the phoenix was waddling into the mass of vegetation. A few brief struggles and its purple tail disappeared from sight. Then the noise stopped.

  “So, alright then,” Koll sighed. “What’s the plan? Now that you know where we are, where would you two like to head?”

  “You have a say, too,” Emily replied.

  She was still watching the phoenix’s hiding spot, her eyes scanning for a hint of color. She saw brief flashes, but otherwise the bird was well hidden.

  “No, I don’t,” Koll replied. “I lost that privilege when I accepted a challenge from a boy who killed a minotaur in single combat. Foolish as I was, I made a promise to follow you two, and that I shall do. The bards that sing the legends of Koll the Sturdy never sing of dishonesty, and I don’t intend to give them reason to. Damn, Samurai, you’d think I’d have learned by now not to judge my opponents by their size and age, eh?”

  He said this last part to Takeo and grinned when Takeo smirked.

  “So how about it?” Koll continued. “I don’t want to stay here long. I’m surprised Jabbar hasn’t caught up to us already. He said that men are only worth the time it takes to kill them, and I plan on making myself worth more than he bargained for. I hope he hasn’t given up.”

  And so the obvious begins, Emily thought. She was surprised they’d gone this long without talking about it.

  “Oh, he’s definitely coming,” Takeo shook his head, “but Eisa will slow him down. Jabbar won’t be able to run on all fours with Eisa at his side.”

  “How do you know Jabbar didn’t just kill Eisa or leave him behind?” Emily asked. “Wouldn’t he rather catch us quickly?”

  “Not Eisa,” Takeo said confidently. “Were it Ossim, Bori, or Lufti, then maybe—quite possibly yes—but not Eisa. Jabbar needs him to travel through dangerous areas and also to take his revenge on us. He won’t let us go so easily. Rakshasas are prideful and ambitious but not stupid. Jabbar will be wary about fighting all three of us at once. He’ll want Eisa there just to ensure victory. Not to mention he won’t be worried about losing us in the desert. Rakshasas are, first and foremost, hunters. He’ll pick up our trail and track us down, knowing that with three of us, we’ll have to stop for food and water more often, while he and Eisa have plenty of stock from their fallen allies.”

  “So, what you’re saying,” Emily summed up, “is that one way or another he’s going to catch us before we reach safety. We couldn’t even take shelter in a town, could we? He’d just wait outside for us or sneak in at night, huh? There’s not one big enough to lose him?”

  Takeo shook his head and gave a shallow sigh, “Any town big enough to hide us would allow rakshasas to enter. And there’re none close enough on the map that I can see. He’s coming, and we’ll have to stand against him.”

  Emily frowned. Koll smiled.

  “Good,” the viking took in a deep breath. “I want another go at that fur ball, this time on my terms.”

  “You certainly are eager for death,” Takeo commented.

  “Aren’t we all?” Koll responded.

  Takeo blinked as he mulled that response over, then frowned and raised his eyebrows in mild acceptance. Emily heard rustling from the phoenix and looked in its direction. She saw nothing, though, and the rustling stopped.

  “Why is the phoenix seeking shelter?” Emily asked.

  “It’s because—” Koll started.

  “No,” Takeo cut him off. “Don’t ruin it for her.”

  Koll clamped shut, and Emily pursed her lips. She didn’t press the issue, though, and looked back over to where the phoenix was hiding and kept a watchful gaze.

  “So, back to the matter at hand,” Koll said. “We got a rakshasa and a Kshatriya we need to kill. How do we go about that?”

  “Eisa is not a Kshatriya,” Takeo said firmly.

  “Really? He seems to think so.”

  “He bragged about his story to me once. He was trained by one, and he thinks that makes him one, but he lacks any morals or honor. Just like knights and samurai, Kshatriyas have a code of conduct, and without it, he’s just a skilled swordsman for hire. He carries a title he has not earned.”

  Takeo took his shoes off and dipped his toes into the water. Emily decided to mimic him and found the feeling to be quite satisfying. Koll buried his entire head in the water, held it for a second, then lunged back, sending a cascade of water flying into the air. From the other side, the phoenix rustled again.

  “So, where will we ambush him?” the viking asked.

  “I think that a
nswer is rather obvious, isn’t it?” Takeo asked back.

  Emily was nodding before the samurai even finished his sentence. She’d thought along similar lines already.

  “You’re thinking of Kings’ Hearth,” she said. “I agree with you. Can we reach it before he catches up to us?”

  “I think so,” Takeo confirmed. “It’s maybe a week out, and we have a day’s head start. Not to mention we have the map, so Jabbar will have to go off memory. If we keep moving and get there first, it will be our best chance of survival. There will be plenty of places to hide, and we should be able to see them coming.”

  “Not to mention there’s supposedly treasure and a trap there,” Koll added. “We could try and use the trap against Jabbar if it’s possible. I don’t normally like using such cowardly tactics, but against a rakshasa I suppose I could make an exception. If we get out alive, we can use the money to buy our way off this wretched land. It might even be enough for me to get a new ship!”

  “So, it’s settled then,” Emily nodded. “No surprises. We get to Kings’ Hearth and make a stand.”

  Suddenly, the group of trees across the pond exploded in a hurricane of fire. A great wall of flame shot up, engulfing the trees in a swath of fiery fury so hot that it blew Emily’s hair back with a shockwave of heat. Emily yelped and scrambled back, and Koll laughed loudly at her. A plume of fire billowed into the air and dispersed as quickly as it had come, leaving the trees surrounding the phoenix in devastation, sending up tiny trails of white and grey smoke as fire licked up and down the tall trunks. The weeds on the ground had already fallen over, blackened and singed to ash. A visible shimmer of heat wafted upwards, pushing aside the gigantic leaves and disappearing into the open air.

  Emily struggled to catch her breath and stared with mouth gaping open. Her skin, so recently cooled by the water, was drenched in sweat from the residual heat, and her eyes were watering. Koll was still laughing at her, and Takeo was smiling.