Of Blood and Steel

by Seymour Zeynalli

  Arda rolled out the fur blankets inside the shelter and set the baby down in her basket. Balak was just outside, building the fire.

  “I’ll fetch some water for supper,” she told him.

  He nodded.

  Arda bent down and scooped up some water in her cooking pot. It looked spotless and fresh. She was startled by two black eyes that were watching her from the opposite side of the pool.

  A creature stepped into the light and walked closer to the pool. It was a gray and white wolf-type creature. He was as big as a horse, with rainbow coloured feathers forming its wings. It sat cautiously and ruffled its white chest before leaning in for a sip. It lapped at the water with its round pupils fixated on Arda.

  She paused and watched as it pulled itself to its feet. It spread its colorful wings and shook them twice. It then folded them in and loped away with its head held high.

  Arda took the water to the fire.

  “I’ve just seen a wolf with wings.”

  “Wolf? We need to take shifts, on watch.”

  “I don’t think it was a threat.”

  “Wolves only bring trouble, or did you forget what happened before?”

  “This one was different. Just think, we could be the first people to see these creatures since the Heroic Age.”

  “People who come here are said to never return. Let’s make sure we are not like them.”

  “Look, there it is again!” It flew overhead. It didn’t even acknowledge the pair below.

  “That gives me an idea. I’ll climb up that tree and see if I can work out what direction we need to walk in,” Balak said.

  When he got to the top, he looked across the forest but all he could see were treetops. He sighed.

  Arda put her pot on the fire that Balak had built. She started to cook.

  “Do you know where we’re going?” Arda asked.

  “Not really. I could not see the forest’s edge. I see why people get lost here.” He sighed. “We should continue west,” he told her.

  Arda changed the child and checked her satchel for food, but supplies were low and all she had was some corn, bread, and plenty of milk for the child.

  The child twisted and moaned restlessly.

  “We need supplies soon,” Arda told Balak. “This won’t keep us for more than a couple of days.”

  She sat and looked at her idyllic surroundings. She noticed a tangerine on the ground by her hand.

  “Look!” she said to Balak as she began to peel it. “Maybe this is edible.”

  But as she peeled off the last of the skin, it unravelled and grew legs. It rolled from its back, onto its front and scurried away.

  “I guess it’s not a tangerine after all,” she sighed.

  Balak watched the creature run.

  “I guess not,” he said.

  “You have been quieter than usual.”

  Balak sat silently.

  “Do you plan to speak to me?”

  “Why don’t you start by telling the truth?”

  “Where would you like me to start?”

  “Who else knows about the child?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “Well, somebody does and wants the baby dead.”

  “Levon had children. If they knew someone else could contend for a throne, they would want them to be gone.”

  “What about your parents?”

  Arda took a deep breath before she could find the words to answer the question.

  “I lied about that too. I never knew my parents. I spent most of my life in the palace halls. The only friends I had were servants and guards.”

  “Then what do you seek to find in Iron Gates?”

  “Not what but who. The King’s younger brother, lord Anzor.”

  “So you hope he will offer protection?”

  “That’s my hope.”

  “And what if he doesn’t?”

  Arda fell silent.

  “I thought you were smarter than this. What if you are heading right into a trap? Except, you will be taking all of us with you. I’ve dealt with men like Levon. Putting your fate into the hands of lord Anzor is a mistake. If he is anything like his brother . . .”

  “He is nothing like his brother. Levon was a predator. You don’t get to tell me what kind of man he was. I have seen his true face.”

  She was interrupted by a loud roar. It echoed through the forest and the trees rattled. They could hear the flapping of wings as birds took off overhead.

  “What was that?” she whispered.

  “That was a warning. We aren’t welcome here.”

  * * *

  Balak and Arda made an early start on their journey the next day. They walked for some time, through a dense part of the forest. They passed by a small pool and waterfall and were soon walking through a narrow path.

  “Look!” Arda exclaimed in excitement. “A camp, there must be people nearby.”

  “This looks oddly familiar,” Balak growled as they pushed through tall shrubs and bushes. They soon arrived back at their previous campsite. “Shit! We’ve been walking in circles,” he coughed.

  “Balak, I think you should consider that we might need a different approach.”

  “Magic?”

  “Well, yeah. You should at least consider it.”

  “Never!” Balak told her but after they circled back into their old camp for the third time, he became frustrated.

  “How else do you suppose we find our way through this forest?” Arda asked.

  Balak paused for a moment.

  “Fine,” he snarled.

  Arda screwed the spearhead back onto her staff, covering the crystal.

  “So, you hid it in plain sight. Clever.”

  Arda nodded. “Thanks. Ziya thought so too.”

  “He knew about you?”

  “Mages can sense the presence of another mage. It is like we gravitate towards each other. I felt there was something different about him and Kamala.”

  “What is so special about his camel?”

  “That was his sister.”

  “Right. So . . . how does this thing work?”

  “How does what work?”

  “Magic.”

  “Well, to be honest, even I don’t know how to explain it”

  “Try me.”

  “You speak the spell, make a few moves, and things happen.”

  “So, I recite a spell and lightly wave my arms in the air?”

  “I gave you a simplified version. It is a lot more complicated than that.”

  “Go on.”

  “Learning magic is like learning a whole new language. You have to pronounce the words with extreme accuracy. It’s like you are trying to summon forces outside of the visible spectrum . . . outside of our world. The books refer to it as the Irkalla. One wrong word or move and instead of summoning a fire ball your entire body could explode.”

  “Are all spells that powerful? Perhaps that power is better left alone.”

  “Not all spells are used for battles. Some spells are used for healing. It does take a lot of self-control in the field. But with enough practice and work, anyone can be a mage . . . even you.”

  “If magic is so good, maybe you should have put the child to sleep at least once. It could have saved us on a few occasions.”

  “Surprisingly, magic has no effect on her.”

  “How so?”

  “I think it has something to do with her being blue blood, a royal.”

  “She can’t be cursed?”

  “No. Sadly, she can’t be healed either.”

  “And what’s the crystal for? Does it make you stronger?”

  “Not exactly. It gives me more room for error. It’s pretty useless to more experienced mages but is essential to someone like me.” She handed the crystal to Balak to get a better look.

  “Looks like any other rock to me. How can you tell the difference?”

  “Same way a blacksmith can tell the difference between iron and zinc. They look the same
to the naked eye. You just need to know where to look to see the difference. I sense it too, like an attraction. I am drawn to it as much as it is drawn to me. I can also sense other magical items around me and other mages.”

  “Who taught you all of this?”

  “Nobody. I did it all by myself.”

  “That requires explanation.”

  “The library, back in Elbrus, had a few dozen books written about magic. I used to sneak my way to the library and read about it. A few women taught me to read stories for the children of noblemen. Eventually, I wanted to read more books about the history and the world. One thing led to another and I wanted to read more about magic.”

  “Books about magic wouldn’t have been just lying in the library,” Balak said with obvious skepticism.

  “They weren’t. I had to read them in secret. They were hidden behind locked doors and long hallways deep below the surface.”

  “Those books are better off keeping their secrets. I would have burned every one of them if I could.”

  “Those books possess knowledge left to us by our ancestors. Burning them would be sacrilege. Their hard work would have gone to waste.”

  “Some things are hidden for a reason, Arda.”

  “I am sorry, Balak. But you don’t exactly strike me as an expert on the subject. Unless, you wish to tell me something . . .”

  Balak remained silent. An animal howl broke the pause.

  “We should hurry up. The sooner we leave this place, the safer we are,” Balak said.

  The crystal began to glow like a beacon. “This way,” Arda said.

  Balak narrowed his eyes, shrugged, and walked ahead. They set off again.

  They headed down and the forest thickened. Balak noticed a pool of red.

  “This blood is fresh,” he told Arda.

  They followed the path further, but there were red streaks on the floor leading to an animal corpse. Balak bent down. Its entrails were strewn over a tree branch, and much meat was left behind.

  “What is it?” Arda gasped.

  “It’s some kind of deer by the looks of it, but I can’t be sure. It’s what killed it I’m worried about. It must have large teeth to do this kind of damage.”

  They heard a loud noise in the distance and suddenly, the trees started to shake.

  “We should go now, before it finds us.”

  They pressed on but as the darkness started to fall upon them, they set up camp with just a small, low shelter underneath some shrubs, only suitable for sleeping. Outside, he built a fire.

  Arda set the child down to sleep and joined Balak by the fire.

  “This is the last piece of bread we have,” she told him as she passed him the last piece of bread.

  Balak didn’t reply but broke the piece in half and shared it with her.

  “What are we gonna eat tomorrow?” she asked.

  “We are going to die of thirst a lot sooner than hunger,” he replied. “I am afraid our flasks are mostly empty.”

  “You wouldn’t know any spells that can help us?”

  “I wouldn’t even know how to conjure something like that.”

  “And what about the milk.”

  “No. Absolutely not. That’s for the child. That’s all she will eat. We can’t take that away from her.”

  “I understand. But what good are we to her dead?”

  Balak sat at the campfire but his face was deep in thought. Arda asked him, “I can sense there is more to it. Is there something else on your mind?”

  “There is. The dead deer we saw earlier. Whatever killed it left much of the meat untouched.”

  “I don’t think I am getting it.”

  “Most predators kill to feed. The only time they don’t eat the meat is if they are protecting their turf and offspring or . . .”

  “Or what?”

  “Or if they are hunting for the thrill. I have never seen an animal kill just because it wants to . . . that’s what worries me.”

  Balak noticed two vertical beaded yellow pupils tracking them from the brush.

  “Arda, we’re not alone,” Balak whispered and he swung his axe above his head.

  A horned creature appeared. It had two long, sharp, teeth that pushed over it’s huge jaw. It was long and cat-like, and almost as tall as Arda. It was snarling as it moved towards them, crouching low on its front paws.

  “Get ready,” Balak said. Arda readied herself with her spear. The creature pounced. Its huge paw knocked Balak into a tree. Arda jousted forward with her staff but the creature jumped back, then pounced again. Balak swung his axe and chopped at its side just as Arda ran in with the tip of her spear. Blood exploded everywhere and splattered all over Balak’s upper body and Arda’s shawl. The creature wailed its last breath, loudly.

  “Glad this is over,” Arda gasped

  “Do you think . . .” Balak began. Arda’s face frowned as a sudden rush of a rotten smell entered her nose.

  “Do you smell that? Are there more?” Arda got her spear ready again.

  “Yes. We are being watched.” Balak drew his axe.

  The flickering light of the fire provided just enough light for them to see a shadowy figure coming towards them. It looked like a man with a large hat.

  “Who are you? Reveal yourself,” Balak snarled, but the figure kept on coming. Arda put her hand on Balak’s arm to keep him from swinging his axe.

  The figure moved into view, but it wasn’t clear.

  “I don’t think that’s a hat, I think it’s its head.” Arda told Balak. The strange creature stood. Its body long, but its head shaped like a mushroom top.

  “This thing must’ve killed the deer,” Balak claimed as he wriggled his arm free from Arda’s grasp.

  “Balak,” Arda said as she gripped his arm again, “I suggest you take another look at it.”

  The figure took a step towards her. It had two, large brown eyes and the whole of its head and body was a very light shade of brown. It wore no clothes but clutched a spear with its long, thin hand.

  Its eyes, and even its arms and legs resembled that of a human, but they were thin, like tree branches. Its head and body shape were very different to that of Balak and Arda. Even in its naked form, there were no distinguishable features other than some gills, tucked up inside the hat shape on its head. There were no sexual organs and it did not have a nose.

  “Look, more of them,” Arda said.

  They started to push out of the shrubbery and circle Balak and Arda. A couple of them had shields, another was wearing a breast plate.

  “Stay back!” Balak snarled. He jabbed his axe towards them but a creature with a shield pushed him forwards.

  “Balak, put down your weapon. I don’t think that these creatures are threatening,” Arda ordered.

  Balak lowered his weapon and Arda crouched down.

  “I’m Arda. Don’t worry, we won’t hurt you,” she told it and held out her hand.

  More creatures appeared and the one by Arda grabbed her hand and began pulling her.

  “Wait!” Arda said.

  “Balak, they want us to go with them.”

  “Arda, I don’t think-”

  “Balak, we have to go. You have to trust me.”

  Arda strapped the child to her and held out her hand. The creature guided her along the path and some of the others guided Balak by pointing him in the right direction.

  They headed under a giant tree and the ground started to soften beneath them. It was cool and damp.

  “This is fresh soil.”

  To their left, they saw smaller spawns of mushroom-shaped heads, peeping from under the ground. All of them looked similar in shape, but their tops were very different. Some were larger than others, and they had different colors and shapes. Some of the creatures were thick and short, while others were tall and thin. Balak noticed that one of the creatures had a brown patch on its hat, while another had three spots.

  They were led to sit by a hole in the ground. One of the creatures low
ered Arda’s feet into the hole and then indicated that Balak do the same. They then covered their feet with earth and chucked water on their heads.

  “Hey,” Balak yelled.

  Arda laughed.

  “No! We can’t eat this way. We eat using our mouths.” She opened her mouth and pointed inside it. The creatures narrowed their eyes.

  One of the creatures put its feet in the hole and covered them, while another poured water on them.

  “This must be how they eat,” she told Balak. “They must absorb their food.”

  “At least they can’t absorb us then. Do they have any real food?” Balak asked Arda.

  “I’m not sure. I think . . . If my memory serves me correctly, these creatures are Gobelisks, the forest men. I don’t think there is any way to communicate with them through words.”

  A smell of sweet, damp grass filled the air as the creature pulled its legs from the soil.

  Several creatures approached and led them to a small cave. They pulled at Balak and Arda to enter. One of the creatures carried a torch and pointed to the pictures. There were various inscriptions, symbols and images on the cave wall. Pictures of a dragon blocking the sun, a figure covered in flames, and a bleeding tree stood out the most.

  Balak leaned towards Arda and asked, “Does any of it look familiar to you?”

  “Not really. This might be their history. Look, Balak,” Arda said. Her mouth was agape as she saw the story of a horned creature terrorising the Gobelisks.

  “They knew we were coming. These images are not of the past. These are prophecies.”

  “Don’t tell me you believe in this nonsense,” Balak croaked.

  “Then how do you explain this”?

  At the end of the row were two human-like figures, one holding a spear and the other an axe as they stood over the huge dead beast. Balak couldn’t help but admit the whole thing was strange.

  “Do you think they drew it?” Balak asked.

  “Your guess is as good as mine. I wonder what the rest of them mean.”

  “I don’t think it’s for us to know.”

  They turned to walk out of the cave and the whole tribe had gathered, staring at them.

  “They think we’re heroes,” she laughed.

  “We killed their beast. Enough heroics for one day.”

  The Gobelisk held out its hand and Arda placed hers in it. It closed its eyes for a moment. It then scurried off and returned with some berries for Arda and Balak.