The Broken Reign

by Jeremy Michelson

  "Please protect us, Lord Fortune!" the cook wailed, "l can't take anymore!"

  Fortune ignored him. He threw a dozen fragrant, freshly baked rolls on a cloth, and grabbed a hunk of beef. Stuffing one of the warm rolls in his mouth, he was out the door before the cook could get out another trembling word.

  He dashed out to the courtyard, near the barn entrance. Snow was still falling in heavy, ragged chunks. The courtyard itself was chaos. The King’s bottom tier soldiers were running about, shouting and gesturing. There was a huge hole in the outer wall and bits of flaming debris littered the area near it.

  Fortune felt a pang of regret for the wall. His grandfather had once hired the finest stonemasons in the land to build it. All the stones fit together so precisely that the surface of it looked like a single piece of rock from a distance.

  Some of the soldiers appeared to be trying to rally a defense against whatever destroyed the wall. Most of the others were screaming about devils and trying to scramble over the opposite wall.

  Fortune stayed to the shadows along the barn and crept forward. Only very powerful magic could have done the damage. He thought of the cache of weapons Queen Amaya had hidden. Had someone already found it? Hemdell perhaps?

  Wind gusted and there was a sudden break in the snow. What he saw froze his blood. A metal giant with glowing red eyes stepped through the broken wall. As he watched, the giant lifted its arms and blue lightning flew from its fingers. Everything the lightning touched exploded. Including the men running from it.

  Some of the braver men were throwing spears at it. To no effect. The spears bounced off the giant’s metal hide. It stepped further into the courtyard, its footfalls shaking the ground.

  Fortune thought furiously. This was deep magic indeed. Queen Amaya had never used metal monsters such as this. But this was something equal to her level of magic. Who could be behind it?

  “WHERE IS HURDOTH!” a voice bellowed from the giant.

  The voice rattled Fortune’s eardrums. The men nearest the giant clapped their hands to their heads. The giant turned. Something popped up over its shoulder, then a jet of fire lanced out as something roared away from it. A split second later the object struck the great hall and exploded. Bits of stone and flaming tapestries rained upon the men.

  Fortune winced. The great hall had hosted so many wonderful balls and events. Queen Amaya had been there once. Though it had been a less pleasant occasion.

  “BRING ME HURDOTH OR I WILL TURN THIS PLACE TO RUBBLE!” the giant’s voice boomed.

  “He ain’t here!” one of the men shouted, “Take your metal ass over to Baddon if you want him.

  The giant turned, bent toward the man. He stood with hands on hips, his long, black beard flapping in the wind. The giant drew back its right foot, then kicked the man over the wall.

  “ANY OTHER FUNNY MEN HERE?” the giant roared.

  The rest of the men scattered as bolts of lighting came from the giant’s fingers again.

  Lord Fortune was turning to run when something caught his eye. Near the ragged hole in the wall, a man was climbing on a horse. A man with red hair.

  “NO!” Fortune screamed.

  How could he have escaped?

  Fortune took a step toward him, but a beam of blue light exploded the wall next to him. He dove face first into the snow. When he looked up, the red-haired man was on the horse. The horse leapt through the gap in the wall. Disappeared into the snow and the night.

  Fortune cursed and got to his knees, face stinging. This was a disaster. It made him forget for a moment about his beloved Bramblevine getting blasted to bits by the giant.

  He got to his feet and ran back the length of the barn. At the end was a small shack where the groomsman used to live, back when there were enough horses. Fortune wasn’t sure, but he had the suspicion his groomsman had been conscripted into Hurdroth’s army.

  Fortune kicked the wooden door open. “Dovd!” he shouted.

  Dovd lay in a pile of straw on the floor. At the sound of Fortune's voice, he raised his head. "Wha?"

  Fortune saw the bottle in the man’s hand. He stepped over and kicked it away. It crashed against the wall. The room filled with fumes from the strong wine that was in it.

  "Get up you idiot!" Fortune said, "The red-haired man has escaped."

  Dovd blinked and sat up. His bleary eyes focused, a little. “What the hell are you talking about?” he asked.

  Fortune grabbed his shoulder and shook him. “The red-haired man has escaped!” he shouted, “We have to get him!”

  Dovd pushed Fortune away. He rolled to his feet and rubbed his face. “That’s not possible.”

  An explosion rocked the little shack, sending pots and jars tumbling to the ground. Dovd’s eyes went wide.

  “What the fuck was that?” he said.

  Fortune took hold of his arm and pulled him to the open door. He pointed to the metal giant stomping about the courtyard.

  “That is our other problem,” he said, “Now where would you rather be? Inside the walls with that thing, or outside the walls looking for the red-haired man?"

  Dovd swallowed. “Let me get my gear.”

  Thirty-Eight

  Joshua

  Joshua clung to the back of the horse as it leapt over the broken stones. The stench of ozone and burned flesh fell behind him. Hooves clattered on rock, and the horse whinnied. He couldn’t tell if it was a happy whinny, or just your run of the mill terrified whinny. Horse wasn’t a language he spoke.

  Was it dumb luck or divine intervention that he was still alive?

  The horse scrambled over rough ground, jostling his internal organs and smashing his groinal region. He tried to imagine himself looking heroic like in all those westerns and other movies were heroic men rode heroically on their heroic horses.

  No. It just wasn’t him. All the ride was doing was making his crotch hurt.

  He had taken a pair of boots and a short sword from one of the half blown up barbarians. The boots had blood on them, but they were still warm. Something that creeped him out while making his toes tingle with relief.

  Snow stung his face as the wind whipped it around him. He yanked on the rope around the horse’s neck, pulling Damnit to a reluctant stop. The horse shivered and stamped its feet. It swung its head back to nip at his leg, but Joshua yanked on the rope again. Damnit shook its head, then let out another blast from its hindquarters.

  Holding his nose, Joshua looked back at the castle. Fire flared up along the walls, and blue flashes erupted every few seconds.

  Was Kojanza still back there? Had Fortune been telling the truth?

  Joshua pulled at the rope, trying to get the horse to turn. Damnit just shook his head and blew raspberries. Kicking him in the ribs didn’t produce any movement either.

  Joshua slid off, landing knee deep in the soft snow. “You’re really a terrible companion,” he told the horse, “I mean seriously. I hope you get eaten by wolves. No, that would be too heroic. I hope you get eaten by rabid squirrels.”

  He slapped the horse on its hindquarters. Damnit jumped, sending out a kick that Joshua barely dodged. After another thunderous fart, the horse trotted away.

  “I hate you, too!” Joshua called out.

  He felt a little foolish, trash talking a horse. But the horse had it coming. Joshua pulled the short sword from the sheath on his back and started slogging through the snow toward the castle.

  “I have got to be out of my friggin’ mind,” he said.

  Thirty-Nine

  Joshua

  Joshua didn’t go back toward the jagged gap in the wall. Sounds of weapons fire and shouting men still echoed out from there. Instead he made his way to the wall and started walking along it. There had to be other entrances. Maybe a window he could climb in.

  It was dark and the snow was sticking to him. His fingers gripping the sword hilt were stiff with cold. Not that the other fingers were doing any better. They were running along the smooth surface of the wall,
searching for a break of any sort in it.

  He had been walking for what seemed like forever when he saw a dim orange light. He quickened his pace for a moment, then stopped and flattened himself against the wall.

  Voices. Familiar ones.

  “Hurry, we have to get him back,” Lord Fortune said.

  “He’s probably halfway to the Southern Lands by now,” Dovd said.

  “Pray he isn’t,” Fortune said, “He’s our only hope of ending Hurdroth’s reign.”

  “You still have Hemsdell.”

  "Once we use the red-haired man to open Queen Amaya's weapons cache, Hemsdell will be swatted like a fly. Now hurry."

  Joshua inched along the wall. The two men stood in a doorway. An arched bar of light lay on the snow. Shadows of the two men moved on it.

  “Just let me get my gloves.”

  Joshua was right at the edge of the doorway now. He transferred the sword to his other hand.

  “Ok, I’m ready,” Dovd said, “I still think it’s stupid to go out in this st–”

  As Dovd stepped out of the doorway, Joshua rounded on him. His fist smashed into Dovd’s face. Dovd flew backward, landing flat on his back, head bouncing off the stone floor.

  Before Lord Fortune could react, Joshua punched him in the stomach. Fortune folded at the waist, air rushing out of him. Joshua hit him with an uppercut. Fortune fell to the floor beside Dovd.

  Joshua took his short sword and kneeled on Dovd's chest. He put the point of the sword at the man's throat. With his other hand, he pulled a dagger from Dovd's belt and pointed it at an astonished Lord Fortune.

  “I am seriously pissed off right now,” he told the men.

  Dovd groaned and rolled his head from side to side. His eyes were open, but unfocused. Lord Fortune’s throat worked up and down, his eyes wide. He wiped blood from his nose.

  “My good sir,” Fortune said, “How good it is to see you again.”

  “First I’m going to eviscerate this fuckhead,” Joshua said, “And then I’m going to shove this sword so far up your ass it will give you a tonsillectomy.”

  Lord Fortune plastered a wan smile on his face. “Perhaps we could discuss this like gentlemen.”

  Joshua leaned down and put the dagger on Fortune’s cheek. The man flinched.

  “If you want to live, you’re going to tell me where Kojanza is,” he said.

  Dovd started to shift under his knee. Joshua pressed the point of the sword against his throat.

  “I don’t recommend it,” Joshua said, “I’ve had a really bad night, and I’m pretty sure murder isn’t against the law in this place. It seems to be encouraged, in fact.”

  “You’re a fool,” Dovd said. He tried to spit at Joshua, but it just fell back on his face.

  “You killed Kojanza’s father,” Joshua said, “I think I’ll leave you to her.”

  Dovd just scowled at him. Joshua looked back to Fortune. “Where is she?”

  It was Dovd who answered. “We left her with my tribe, you idiot. You don’t think we’d bring a woman here, do you?”

  Joshua twisted the point of the sword. “You mean you left her at that big ass log in the forest?”

  Fortune cleared his throat. “If you mean the lodge of Anta–I mean Dovd’s people, yes. She was wounded and they could care for her better than we could here.”

  “Not to mention Hurdroth’s soldiers would rape her to death here,” Dovd added.

  Joshua let it sink in for a moment. If Kojanza was with the forest people, then she would be relatively safe for the time being. Somehow he would make it back to her. But in the meantime...

  “Okay, assholes,” he said, “Now you’re going to tell me about my Grams secret weapons cache...”

  Forty

  Vazsa

  Vengeance wasn’t as sweet as Vazsa thought it would be. Except it wasn’t quite vengeance yet. She directed the Armor through the swirling snow and out of the rubble of Lord Fortune’s castle. The control cabin stank of stale sweat and oil. She wished she could pop the hatch and let some fresh air in.

  Hurdroth wasn't there. She had finally caught one of the soldiers with the Armor's hand. Lifting him up to the Armor's "face", she had bellowed at him to tell her where Hurdroth was.

  Baddon Plain. Hurdroth was going to battle General Hemsdell there.

  Vazsa then asked where Lord Fortune was. The man squirmed in the Armor’s hand, telling her Fortune was somewhere in the castle, as far as he knew. She pitched the man over the wall and started bellowing for Lord Fortune.

  He didn’t come out. Not even after she leveled the entire castle.

  Red telltales were flashing in her peripheral vision. The Armor’s voice intruded in on her, warning motor units were overheating, and she was exceeding extensor stress limits. Whatever that was.

  She let out one last scream of rage. There might not have been anyone left alive in the castle to hear it, though. She wasn’t sure.

  The Armor clanked and whined as she piloted it out to the snow-covered road. The Armor automatically switched to night vision mode, showing her a strange, red-colored view of the world. It looked like everything was drenched in blood.

  She didn’t like it, but she continued driving the Armor toward her next target.

  Forty-One

  Vazsa

  Vazsa was halfway to Lord Kanreb’s castle when she saw the figure standing in the middle of the road. The Armor’s targeting system lit it up. She zoomed in. It looked like a man. He stood, legs apart, arms crossed. He didn’t move out of the way. Unless he was deaf, there was no way he didn’t hear the Armor.

  She continued moving toward him, motors whining, metal banging. At around a hundred feet, she stopped the Armor and flipped on the high-intensity floodlights. The man didn't flinch. The Armor switched over to normal vision. Vazsa gasped.

  Lou.

  He looked up at the Armor, a frown on his face. “Do you have any idea how badly you have fucked things up?” he asked.

  Briefly she considered stomping on him. Or blasting him with the plasma cannon. Maybe a missile.

  “Well? What do you have to say for yourself?” he asked.

  She flipped on the exterior speakers. “You were going to lock me up,” she said.

  He shook his head. "No, we weren't. Though maybe we should have," he said.

  She armed the left plasma cannon and brought it to bear on him. The Armor’s hand reached, pointing at the tiny figure on the ground.

  “You going to shoot me?” he asked. “Go ahead, prove Dr. Fran right again.”

  Her hand hesitated on the fire control. “She’s trying to steal the portal,” she said.

  “We’re trying to find one of these mythical portals,” Lou said, “We don’t want to steal it. We just want to go home.”

  What if they just want to go home? Cray’s words echoed in her mind. She pushed the thought away.

  “You want to enslave us, rule over us like Queen Amaya,” Vazsa said.

  Lou shook his head. “I could not give a diddly crap about ruling this place or any place. All I want to do is get back to south Florida. Sit on my porch and drink some beer. Watch the Dolphins get their asses kicked. Go for a drive to the Keys and lay on the beach for a while. That’s all I want.”

  Part of her wanted to pull the trigger. Make him shut up. She couldn’t bring herself to do it. Not yet.

  “I want to go home, too,” she said, “But Hurdroth has destroyed it. He killed Anta Vin. He’s taken everything.”

  Lou shook his head again. “Hurdroth didn’t kill your grandma,” he said.

  That set her back. “What?”

  “According to the old man, Tojedda, one of your own people did it. Some guy named Dovd. It was only after he took over that Hurdroth invaded the forest.”

  For several moments, Vazsa couldn’t think, couldn’t breathe. Dovd.

  Rage built in her. Anta Vin had trusted him. They all had. And he had destroyed everything. He was a traitor to the people.

>   She screamed Dovd’s name. Made the armor throw bolts of blue lightning to the sky.

  Forty-Two

  Joshua

  Joshua turned, as did Fortune and Dovd. In the distance, he could see an orange glow on the clouds where the castle still burned below.

  Dovd’s name echoed around them. Lighting sparked a mile away, blue forks lashing up to the sky. Joshua looked to Dovd. His face was etched with fear in the dim light of the lantern.

  “Someone’s calling you,” Joshua said, “And they don’t sound happy. My Grams liked to say that everything we did came back to us one way or another. What do you have coming back to you, Mr. Dovd?”

  Dovd didn’t answer. He turned his head away. Both Dovd and Fortune had their hands tied behind them. Ropes around their necks led to Joshua’s hand. He was still surprised at himself for accomplishing that much. He still wasn’t quite sure was he was going to do with them. Fortune claimed to know of a stash of Gram’s weapons. That seemed like a good place to start. Maybe with some serious weaponry, people would leave him alone. Then he could go rescue Kojanza. After that...well, he’d figure something out.

  As the echoes faded, Joshua prodded them with the short sword. “Come on boys, let’s move those feet. We have a long way to go.”

  Forty-Three

  The Gray Witch

  For most of a day, The Gray Witch watched the men climb down the mountain pass. She sat in the cool meadow, the breeze swishing the long grasses around her, tickling her naked skin. The fire had long gone out, with only the scent of charred wood remaining. There was no need for the smoke anymore.