Talohna Origins- The Northmen

by J D Franx

  Drengr nodded. “We tried all we could to destroy it down here, but when nothing worked the Jarls decided to bring it out where we would have the space to use more extreme measures. If that didn’t work the plan was to drop it into the Arachai Trench where nothing living could ever reach it again.”

  “Sounds like a solid idea and might still be the best plan. I’ve never seen anything like this,” Yrlissa said, rubbing her forehead in concern.

  Drengr agreed but said nothing. There was no longer any way to move the bloodstone. The granite slab sitting on top of it was easily the size of a mead hall and weighed tens of thousands of pounds. It wouldn’t be like the smaller hundred-pound pieces of stone they moved from the entrance. Worst of all, the rock sat directly on top of the bloodstone, leaving only about one-tenth visible. The immense pressure was causing the bloodstone to bleed what the miner’s called the red weep. The red ooze seeped around or onto all of the bodies, along with the dirt at their feet and other rock formations. The ooze worked its way under the skin of several of the dead, yet unlike the walking dead, the bodies did not reanimate.

  Drengr scratched his head, not sure what to make of it when he realized how close the weep was to their feet. “Don’t step in it,” he blurted out as he jumped back. The others did the same, but with more grace.

  “Why did these dead not rise?” Yrlissa asked as though she could hear his earlier thoughts. “They should at least be like the creature at the entrance, no?”

  He had no idea how to answer her. “Sabjorn?” he prompted.

  “They must have died during the collapse,” the rebel wizard answered. “The ooze itself most often only seems to affect active magic, whereas the rune magic affects those already dead.”

  “Like it did to the two of you?”

  “Yes,” Sabjorn admitted and pointed to the bodies. “If they were already dead...”

  Yrlissa muttered as she stared at the bodies. “Then there was nothing for the magic to raise.”

  “My best guess,” the ex-rebel answered, “Yes.”

  Yrlissa approached the bloodstone slowly, careful not to come into contact with the weep. Drengr followed even though he didn’t know exactly what she was looking for.

  “I don’t know what to do with this,” she said sincerely. “This is so far beyond my understanding... If you knew me better you would understand how unbelievably frustrating and extremely frightening that is. This magical phenomenon would take decades for the Guardians to study, yet there seems to be no safe way to do that.”

  “Which means?” Drengr prodded.

  “Your first instincts were right. We have to destroy it, and—” Her words stopped short as the earth shook, heaving them all into the air.

  Drengr landed on his back and managed to take a quick breath before the tremors hit a second time, kicking up dirt and rocks all around him. The mine passages filled with thick, choking dust, and flying shards of rock whizzed by his head before ricocheting off the stone walls. Drengr rolled onto his stomach to protect himself and coughed as more tremors rocked the mine.

  “We have to go,” he shouted, trying to stand. The dust was so heavy he couldn’t see and a racking cough followed each gritty breath.

  He felt an arm wrap around his waist a second before Yrlissa’s voice hit his ears. “Hang on!” she yelled as the rush of magic slammed into him hard.

  Drengr’s ears popped and his stomach flipped with an icy shudder before his lungs suddenly filled with fresh, cool, Sokn air. He opened his eyes to find himself standing by the main campfire inside the Steiin Fortress courtyard. A cloud of black smoke slowly dissipated around him. Yrlissa let go of his waist and he glanced over in time to see her release Sabjorn as well. All of Yrlissa’s men also escaped the collapse by using the same smoky black magic and one had his arm around Jarl Brenna.

  She collapsed to the ground heaving and struggling to breathe. “Bastard wizards,” she wheezed.

  “How did you do that?” Sabjorn asked, but Drengr didn’t really care, especially when he saw the mine behind them had completely collapsed again. The quakes continued on a lesser scale but didn’t stop and Yrlissa grabbed his arm.

  “The DeathWizard’s spell is coming to a close,” she said, ignoring Sabjorn’s question. “We need to get everyone into the sturdiest part of this fortress.”

  “The old barracks...” Brenna rasped finally getting to her feet.

  “Yrlissa!” Terric shouted as he rushed up.

  Stepping forward, she grabbed him and pointed to the barracks. “It’s time,” she said.

  “We need to get our people and the Northmen to safety.”

  “We can’t, mistress,” he argued. “They’re coming. The Orotaq army moved out the moment the quakes began.”

  “Of course,” she hissed. “They revel in chaos, of course they’d attack now. The Dead Sisters know this is the close of Jasala’s spell.”

  “Fighting during a magical earthquake certainly qualifies as chaos,” Drengr muttered.

  “Nothing to be done for it, we have to make a stand,” Yrlissa said.

  “Believe me, it’s not our first time fighting in quakes. Let’s go find Engier,” Brenna said.

  Drengr nodded and led the way to the barracks.

  Chapter Fourteen

  STEIIN BARRACKS

  The quakes were getting worse. It was all Engier could do to get his people into the safety of the only secure part of the fortress, the old guard barracks located on the north end. When Brenna, Drengr and the newcomer, Yrlissa, burst into the room behind him, the look on his wizard’s face was all he needed to know that trouble was coming.

  Yrlissa rushed to his side. “You need to get your people out of here, Jarl Engier,” she said.

  “This is the safest place,” he answered. “No other part of the fortress is sturdy enough...”

  “That’s not what I mean,” she said. “The Orotaq are on their way. You need to get your people out of here. You can’t fight an Orotaq army outnumbered and on shaking ground. I will escort you and your people away from here while my men and women fight the Orotaq off.”

  “There’s nowhere to go,” he argued. “It’s time the Northmen stop running and start fighting, besides, you can’t stand on shaking ground any better than we can.”

  Yrlissa shook her head. “My people don’t need to stand on the shaking ground to fight, Jarl Engier. Until the spell is completely exhausted, we still have the power to at least turn back the Orotaq.” Lifting her hands out to her side, magic flared, enveloping her entire body. Engier stared in amazement as Yrlissa rose from the ground and hung suspended in midair for several seconds before she slowly lowered back down.

  “So I see,” he said.

  “But we have nowhere to go where they cannot follow,” Brenna mentioned. “We have to stay and fight, together we can defeat them.”

  “You misunderstand,” Yrlissa said, shaking her head. “We can turn them back, but they will not retreat and we cannot defeat them. If your people are on the battlefield then—” She hesitated, rubbing her forehead. “We plan to blanket the Orotaq with magic not used in Talohna for many decades. They are immune to most other magic. It should force them back, but if it doesn’t work then we will have to retreat by using magic to jump out of here like I did with your runecasters in the mine. That means returning for the bloodstone at a later time after the Orotaq are gone.”

  Several of Yrlissa’s people stepped forward. “Mistress?”

  “Yes, Terric?”

  “You could lead the Northmen through the cliffs, the way we came in. But instead of heading back into Talohna, take them west back into their own land.”

  “Are you insane?” Brenna asked. “South of the fortress has open vents to the earth’s heat. The stagnant air will kill us long before we get through with the families who have young children.”

  Again, Yrlissa shook her head. “We found a safe way through. A deep crevasse will take us to some caves that will lead us part of the way
to the last stretch through the raw wound in the earth. There are no hot vents or foul air where we will exit. The choice is yours, Jarl Engier, but if you stay here to fight your people will cease to exist because my people cannot use the magic required to turn the Orotaq back permanently. No amount of magic will make them give up the hunt and return home as long as a single Northman remains alive.”

  Engier agreed but turned to Brenna and raised his eyebrow. “Thoughts?”

  Brenna chewed her bottom lip. He could see her mind was working hard to decide what was best. Fight and die like true Northmen or run and save the last of their people.

  Finally, she sighed. “I hate the thought of turning tail like a scared mutt, Engier.” She lowered her voice and leaned in closer, “But surely the safety of the clans continued existence is our only priority right now. We have children, farmers, and fishermen with us and the land is shaking apart around us. We are not all warriors, many of our people are terrified.”

  “You’re learning,” he said, smiling. “Good. Go get everyone ready.” Brenna nodded and left the barracks. “All right, Yrlissa. If you can lead us out somewhere that the Orotaq won’t know where we are, we’ll follow.”

  “They won’t know, I promise you. The far side is well out of sight for any of their scouts,” she said.

  “How long before the Orotaq are here?” he asked.

  Terric shrugged. “It looks like the whole army is marching, an hour, perhaps two like we initially thought.”

  “Good,” Engier said. “My people will be ready to leave in less than half that time. Drengr, Sabjorn, help with the evacuation.”

  “My lord?”

  “Yes, Drengr?”

  “I’d like permission to stay with Yrlissa’s people,” he said. “I can help them with the bloodstone, whether they can destroy it or not. I’m the best one to stay and help.”

  “Actually, you’re not,” Sabjorn argued. “I have studied the bloodstone more than anyone. If I stay, then perhaps I can begin to make up for the disaster my actions have wrought.”

  “I would be happy to take both,” Yrlissa offered as she stared at him.

  “If that is what you want,” Engier said. “You may stay. After Yrlissa returns here to the fortress, Brenna and I will lead our people west along whatever remains of the coast to Ikstad. If it no longer exists, we’ll make for Yrstak further into the island. You can follow when you’re done helping with the bloodstone.”

  “Thank you, my lord,” Drengr and Sabjorn said in unison and then left.

  “Are you ready, Jarl Engier?” Yrlissa asked.

  “Let’s go,” he answered. The two left the barracks and went to gather the Northmen elders.

  STEIIN FORTRESS

  Drengr sat cross-legged in the only watchtower left standing at Steinn Fortress. The last quake rolled through only minutes before and the tower across from him had collapsed during the apex of the quake. Thankfully, Yrlissa’s people made sure it fell away from the fortress and no one was hurt. He could see the Orotaq approaching from the north and the Guardians would engage them the moment they arrived on the plains west of the lighthouse. Sixty of their strongest wizards and two dozen archers were secluded around the area. Yrlissa placed her people under Terric’s command before she, Engier, and Brenna led the Northmen away from the fortress some time earlier.

  Standing with a sigh, he double checked the few runes he had left from those he split with Sabjorn. One fire opal coin, one thumb-shaped sapphire, and two of the rarest runes to exist. The lapis lazuli coin and the thin black onyx stick. Two more runestones were secreted away inside a hidden sleeve of the pouch. Two stones he hoped and prayed he would never have to use again. Sabjorn had his other two fire opals, a lapis lazuli, and one pearl so he would handle the fire and frost magic from his position among the edge of the forest below him. Heading down the watchtower stairs, Drengr shook his head and cleared his mind.

  “Are you ready?” Terric asked, as he stepped off the final stair and entered the barracks.

  “I am,” Drengr said and followed the man out of the fortress and to the front line.

  “Once we attack,” Terric said. “Do what you can, use whatever magic you have access to even though it won’t do much more than distract them, but do not enter the plains. You will die if you do, this kind of magic cannot distinguish between friend or foe.”

  Drengr nodded as the man disappeared into the trees and in a matter of seconds, all he could see was utter destruction and complete devastation. He realized he had walked into a magical war unlike any he could have imagined. The noise beat at his ears and made concentration difficult. Gnarled roots exploded from the ground. Writhing like snakes, they curled outward, snaring Orotaq warriors while Dead Sister witches countered with intense fire magic. The plains shook under the stress of hundreds of granite shards snapping from the earth to impale those standing flat-footed or off balance. He could see young and old women moving through the plains using air magic to shatter the sharp spines of stone that once held the Northmen captive. Three Orotaq shamans cast massive shields over the majority of their army. Finally, Drengr saw an opportunity to help.

  “Incredible sight, isn’t it?” Sabjorn said pushing his way out of the brush at his side.

  “It is,” he replied. “We may not be able to harm the Orotaq with magic, but do you see their shields?”

  Sabjorn nodded. “The two that are closest together can’t be more than twenty feet apart, that’s a mistake. I bet those two would be distracted by a couple of light web runes. Perhaps create an opening for Terric’s people to get to them?”

  “Still have yours?”

  “Yes,” he answered.

  “Think you can throw that far?” Drengr chided. Sabjorn scoffed and a smile quickly followed when he pulled the rune from his pocket.

  Drengr grabbed his own rune and nodded towards the Orotaq shaman casting the magic that supported the largest shield. “Start with him,” he shouted as the magic hit a crescendo out on the field. “I’ll toss mine once yours kicks off and I see the effect it has.”

  “Just say when,” Sabjorn muttered. “Let’s get rid of these Gods-cursed, blue bastards.”

  “Agree—” Another earthquake cut him short as the ground shifted, tossing Drengr to the dirt. The massive quake almost threw him back to his feet, but Sabjorn crashed into him when the earth shook for a third time and both tumbled to the ground to the snap of broken bones. Drengr shrieked in agony as he rolled off of his shattered arm, but still managed to hold out the rune for Sabjorn in his good hand. The other man snatched it and leapt to his feet before snapping both runes and throwing them into the fray among the battlefield. One rune landed by each of the Orotaq wizards just outside their magical shields.

  Three yellow bolts of energy sparked to life from each rune and struck out at the shields. Immediately repelled, the bolts bounced and struck the runes. Magic from the tree line arced onto the battlefield and struck their runes. The yellow energy snaked back out again, tripling in power. It slammed into the Orotaq shields a second time and several bolts cut through the protective energy. Those that didn’t penetrate bounced back, hit the runes like before and tripled in power again as they raced out. The mixture of rune and Guardian magic had a devastating effect on the battlefield. Back and forth the rune energy raced, as designed, but it tripled in power and force, again and again, thanks to the Guardian magic. Unstoppable, the rune magic built into a crescendo and exploded outward like a massive spider web of furious magic. Everything it touched sparked a new set of ever-expanding web that sizzled and hissed with intensity as it snaked through the enemy.

  The Orotaq shield quickly disintegrated under the onslaught and it opened the way for the energy to lash out at dozens of blue warriors as it continued multiplying. With no defense against the two entwined magics, dozens of Orotaq fell dead as the energy cut through flesh and robe alike.

  Once more the earth shook and tossed everyone to the dirt. Drengr tried to stand, but
unlike the earlier quakes, this one didn’t stop. The rumbling continued as the wind and clouds roared in from the ocean. Drengr struggled to his feet by using a tree to steady himself and Sabjorn crashed into his legs as the ground tossed him backwards. Drengr hauled the fellow wizard to his feet with his good arm and supported him until he could grab the tree.

  “What’s happening?” he asked.

  “I don’t know,” Drengr replied. “But we have to get to the bloodstone. These quakes could expose the stone or release the red weep into the world.”

  “The mine is collapsed, Drengr,” Sabjorn argued. “We can’t get back in there.”

  Drengr shook his head. “The cavern created by the first collapse is supported by granite,” he yelled. “It should have held. The cavern could still be there."

  A nearby snap of magic rocked his body and Terric stepped from a cloud of black smoke. The force of the shaking earth immediately pushed him into Drengr and the tree.

  “The Orotaq are falling back, whatever you two did set of a reaction that seriously harmed them,” Terric said. “But we need to jump out of here, back to Talohna.”

  “We can’t leave—” Drengr began, but Terric cut him off.

  “You don’t understand, Northman,” he said. With a sense of urgency, Terric wiped his daggers on an already bloody cloth showing him that some of the Orotaq had pushed forward past the plain. “The earth is giving way. I’m not sure if anywhere on this island will be safe. These earthquakes are being caused by the death-spell coming to a close. This island is going to collapse or explode.”

  Sabjorn grabbed Terric and pulled him close. “If that happens, the bloodstone is going to spread everywhere, we cannot just leave it here. Most of your people use magic, do you know what that means? Your people will have to spend countless decades, centuries even, dealing with the aftermath if that stone sees the light of day.”

  “Dammit,” Terric cursed. “Our people are already jumping out. I can jump you back into the cavern if you can give me a detailed explanation of it, but if it has collapsed we’ll all die the moment we step from the jump, and if not, then you’ll be completely on your own. I am second in command of the Guardians. I will not abandon my people without knowing Yrlissa’s fate. You will be alone, underground, with no way out and that’s if we’re not killed instantly by jumping into solid rock.”