The First Valkyrie

by S. C. Coleman

  “I want to go back to Numo. Why did you bring me here Jaco?”

  “We cannot go back there. Only death awaits you there.”

  “Only death awaits me here. I would rather die in Numo.”

  “That is not your destiny…” Jaco trailed off as the old lady from last night entered.

  “Come! You must be cleaned up before the Yellow Toothed Prince arrives.” The old lady placed a bowl of water in front of Eleesa and threw a rag at her. “Hurry up! I’ll be upstairs.” Eleesa sighed and began to wash.

  “Can you leave?”

  “Oh no worry here, it’s nothing I haven’t seen before.” Jaco smiled at Eleesa and rolled his eyes, before leaving. Eleesa drank the water thirstily. Then, she realized her mistake and coughed it back up. She felt sick and curled up; sobbing. Suddenly, she was startled as Harco entered the room.

  “Oh no… why are you crying pretty raven. Don’t worry…” Harco took the rag and began to clean Eleesa’s skin. She was too terrified to resist but then Jaco entered as well. He crouched behind Harco. “Will you help me?” Without a word Jaco moved around Harco and helped him clean Eleesa. “Now let’s get you into this dress. I hope you like it. I spent more than I would like to admit for it.”

  “What do you want from me lord?” Eleesa let him and Jaco put the dress on her.

  “Ha-ha! I’m no lord! I am a prince! Prince of the Yellow Teeth!” Harco laughed as whoops came from outside the room. Eleesa, startled, crawled up against the back of the small room. Harco stood with his back bent. The room ceiling was too low to stand up completely. “No need to be scared young raven. Come, I will show you what I have planned for you.” Eleesa allowed Harco to pull her to her feet and they left the room. Outside, three boys and a girl leaned against the walls. All had yellow teeth and carried an array of weapons. Harco still carried his sickle as well. “You can never be too careful with a prize like you on my arm.” Harco and his protectors escorted Eleesa upstairs.

  The tavern was a ghost of what it had been the night before. Bodies of men, sleeping off a night of drunkenness, lay everywhere. The women were completely clothed now and cleaning up vomit.

  “Going to the counselor?” Jaco’s question surprised Harco who glance inquisitively.

  “How would you know that?”

  “Just a guess.” Jaco smiled and looked back.

  “Yes, this girl here will become the Princess of the Yellow Teeth.” Together they exited the tavern and strolled out into the salty streets. Thousands of people stepped out of the way of horses and piles of manure. Sailors carried rope down to the docks. Fishermen carried in bushels of fish while others headed out to catch more. Hundreds of men stalked through the streets looking for a clean mark. Mercenaries patrolled in groups of ten; laughing and talking. Merchants with slaves and other products bartered and accosted citizens with discounts. A wagon was waiting outside the tavern; a yellow tooth painted on the side of the wagon.

  “Let’s go meet the master!” The girl jumped into the back of the wagon, followed by the other boys. Eleesa was hoisted up by Harco who got up next to her. Jaco jumped in the back with the others. The cart pulled forward as Harco lashed the reins. The old ox pulled the group forward at a slow pace. The city was vast and alien to Eleesa. It seemed as if the forest of buildings never ended, neither did the dock. She watched the waves crashing against the raised wooden walls. A massive trireme stood like a wooden giant over the docks. The whole city was cast in its shadow, but it was only a shadow of the city’s past. It was also a sign of what might come to the city; an omen often ignored by the inhabitants. At the center of the city stood a tall house. The lime stone dwelling had high walls and many sentries. An ox hide banner beat the wind on the north and south sides of the house. The high wooden gates opened as the yellow teeth gang entered. Inside were many gardens and fountains. A wide dusty path led up to the front door which was simply a hollow hole with stairs leading up and inside. Many more smaller holes, or windows, speckled its round canopy. The top of the canopy held another ox hide banner. Eleesa could now see that the banner had a snake coiling up it. That was the symbol of the house of Hamical and Lord Hamago stood at the base of the stairs into the house. A young man rode out into the courtyard; astride a tall black stallion. He was wearing a scaly bronze cuirass and short black hairs dotted his chin. He carried a long oval shield and three long javelins. Upon his waist lay a long straight sword with no cross guard. The handle was gilded in bronze, gold, and fashioned from a horn.

  “Greetings brother! I take it your mission was a success. It looks like a new prize came to you.”

  “Greetings Hamaco, I must speak with our father.”

  “What? I’m not good enough for you, bastard?” Hamaco spat and rode up to the wagon. “Look at this treasure you brought me. She will be a prize among my collection.” Hamaco poked Eleesa’s ribs with the point of one of his javelins.

  “Lord Hamago will not be pleased if he is kept waiting, Hamaco.”

  “My father is the King Regent and I am the prince, Harco. You are neither. You’re just a bastard.” Hamaco hissed and placed the javelin point under Harco’s chin. Harco reached for his sickle and Hamaco grinned.

  “I must see that king, prince.” Harco growled through his teeth and Hamaco galloped away laughing. Harco lashed the reins once more and the ox pulled the cart up to Lord Hamago. He stood erect with his long silky green robes billowing in the wind. His right hand rested on the hilt of a sword like the one Hamaco carried.

  “Come Harco, let us speak. Leave your children outside.”

  “Father, I would like to introduce this desert treasure.”

  “Where did you find her?” Lord Hamago made his eyes into slits and peered into Harco’s.

  “In an alley. I dealt with Caril’s gang.”

  “I care not for a band of orphans. Tell me of your mission.”

  “It was a success father. Also, I dealt with the tavern. They will not be any more trouble either.”

  “How did the old lady die?”

  “I don’t think a pig could bleed that much.” Lord Hamago laughed, gesturing for Harco and Eleesa to follow him. They walked up the stairs into a long limestone hall. Torches lined the walls and slaves stood at the doorways.

  “What is this young lady’s name?”

  “She is my young raven.” Harco stood taller but still looked like a small child in comparison to Lord Hamago.

  “You don’t know her name hunh…” Lord Hamago shook his head and walked into one of the rooms. Inside was a long table and dozens of cushions. Fresh fruit, cheese, fish, and wine lined the table. Lord Hamago sat on one of the cushions and Harco sat across from him. “Let her join us.” Lord Hamago gestured for Eleesa to sit as well but she continued to stand; staring at all the food. Lord Hamago stood up and forced Eleesa to sit next to Harco.

  “It proved to be a more difficult test than I had imagined father. A soldier saw us escaping out through the gardens. I’m certain he didn’t know who we were though. I was on my way to the Sea Lizard when I heard Caril’s boys attacking her…”

  “I don’t care about that!” Lord Hamago cut off Harco and held out his hand. Harco sighed and handed his father a folded-up cloth bundle. Lord Hamago put it on the table and unwrapped it. Inside was a yellow tooth and a finger. On the finger was a ring with a crab etched into it. “I will never understand your obsession with yellow teeth Harco. It’s disgusting.” Harco looked down at his hands and ran his fingers over old scars. “Let’s eat! Slave!” The slave that had been standing watch outside entered. He was a light skinned and gaunt older man. “Take my sons children to the kitchens and feed them.”

  “What should I feed them lord?”

  “I don’t care if it’s dog meat. Get out!” The slave bowed and backed out of the room. “Eat!” Lord Hamago picked up an olive and plopped it onto his tongue. Eleesa began to hungrily eat. Harco and Lord Hamago watched her for a moment. They started eat
ing as well but one of Harco’s children entered the room. Everyone stopped eating.

  “Lord Hamago,” She bowed and then faced Harco. “Harco, the slave has tried to feed us dog meat.” Harco growled and left with the girl. Lord Hamago laughed and continued to eat. Eleesa also began to eat slowly and stifled a cough.

  “Where are you from girl?”

  “Numo.” Eleesa replied between mouthfuls.

  “Do you know who you are talking to stupid girl!” Lord Hamago’s hand flashed over the table and grabbed Eleesa by the arm. Her eyes, startled and afraid, met his.

  “Hamaco said you are the king.”

  “That’s right. Do you know what a king is?”

  “No.”

  “I am the one that can have you killed.”

  “It seems everyone can have me killed but no one will.” Eleesa looked down at her food. Her appetite was gone now. Lord Hamago laughed and let go of her shoulder.

  “Well now, I’m also the one who can protect a certain desert flower. Harco cannot; he is only protected by me.”

  “Because you are his father.” Eleesa rubbed her shoulder.

  “Yes child. I rule this city under the name of our great Queen Magiya.”

  “My father told me that she was evil.”

  “All rulers are evil. Where is your father desert flower?”

  “Back in my village, king.”

  “Where is this village?”

  “It is called Numo and all I know is that it lies in the desert.”

  “I know of this village. They pay taxes to me. How is your father called?”

  “It is Juno, king.” Eleesa began to drink some wine.

  “I do not know this Juno my young desert flower. Perhaps, I will send men to investigate. Perhaps, he has not paid me taxes. Perhaps, I shall take you in payment.”

  “He is dead, king.”

  “Queen Magiya must be watching over me. To deliver you to me without any effort. I am blessed by the Dark Queen. How did you come here?”

  “Jaco brought me.”

  “Who is this Jaco?” Lord Hamago drank from his glass and lay on his side.

  “He is my companion, king.”

  “Your companion? Strange, I saw no other boys in Harco’s wagon. I don’t pay much attention to them anyway. Street people all look the same. Harco proved to be useful so I accepted him as my son. Hamaco will probably kill him anyway. He hates that Harco is older.” Lord Hamago fell silent and played with a piece of cheese. Harco walked back inside; covered from head to toe in blood. “Clean yourself off before you sit down!” Lord Hamago snapped and Harco scowled.

  “Slave!” Harco shouted and left the room. Eleesa and Lord Hamago sat in silence until Harco returned. “Better father?”

  “Yes, now eat.” Lord Hamago laid down and began to snore. Harco began to eat hungrily and drink. He noticed Eleesa was not eating anymore and laid a hand on her leg. Looking greedily over at her between mouthfuls. Eleesa was numb to being touched now. Harco finally joined his father in snoring after drinking too much wine. Eleesa sat for a while in silence. She stared at a bowl of fruit and imagined Juno’s body in his temple.

  “Eleesa…” Jaco snuck into the room and gestured for Eleesa to follow. Eleesa got up to leave but a slave blocked her path.

  “You are not allowed to leave without an escort. Master’s orders.” Eleesa sat back down and Jaco sat next to her.

  “We need to leave soon Eleesa…” Jaco whispered in Eleesa’s ear. “I will wait for an opportunity and then come and find you. Do not worry, nothing will happen to you tonight. Lord Hamago will make you a servant in his kitchens. Under no circumstances allow any of them to touch you or you will die.”

  “Why would I die?”

  “Good luck, Eleesa.” Jaco got up and left.

  The Gauntlet of Fruit and Fire

  Commander Magicar lay as flat to the wet ground as possible. The early battles and continuous bombardment of Timujri left only small patches of grass. The earth was stained with the blood of thousands. Combined with a light rain, the ground was a horror of mixed mud and death. Magicar and his men wore black leather armor. They tied black scarves around their faces and carried only a few essentials: grappling hooks, rope, and throwing daggers. The daggers had been hidden inside the grey satchels on their backs. The moonlight glinting from metal could give them away. On the other hand, everything they wore and carried had been covered in damp dirt and blood. Anything would’ve been camouflaged by the environment during the long crawl to the walls. Magicar knew, from years of hunting, that the key to any approach was patience. A single predator could fail ninety percent of the time and survive but he had no such odds. They had only one chance or they would die. He felt vulnerable crawling inch by inch through the dead bodies. One sign of movement would alert the Timujri sentries. This would cause Magicar and his men to become pin cushions. It was unlikely they could survive fleeing back to camp; being so far out in the open and lightly armored. The going was slow. One member of the group of twenty would crawl a few paces, signal to the rest, and stop. The next member would crawl forward and do the same. They crawled in a widely dispersed line to avoid attention. Magicar felt like he had been crawling all night. Indeed, it had been many hours. By the time the group reached the walls the first rays of dawn were approaching. The sky had turned from darkness to a light blue. The storm that their Dark Queen had brought gave them enough cover to reach the walls. However, the walls were now very slippery.

  “What shall we do my lord?” A member of Magicar’s crew asked. He was the first to join Magicar. Pressing their bodies tight to the wall, the rest arrived and stood up.

  “The grappling hooks will not work if there is a sentry up there.” Another member approached.

  “My lord,” a third approached but the rest stayed at their positions, “I have an idea.”

  “So, do I,” Magicar interjected. “Targo, you will climb this portion of the wall and take out the sentry. You will drop a torch down here once it is done. Hrak, you will take on half of the men and circle around to the north side. From there, you shall do the same. Understood?”

  “Yes, my lord.” The two men whispered their answers. Hrak left, stay close to the wall, and counted out his men. Targo breathed deeply and attempted to gain a foothold on the wall. He slipped on the moist rock immediately and fell over. Cursing quietly, Targo got back to his feet. He took out two throwing daggers and removed his shoes. Next, Targo thrust the blades through the front of the shoes’ soles. Utilizing two more daggers, Targo began to climb. The ascent was slow going and very dangerous. Once Targo reached fifteen feet, he knew that any fall would greatly injure him and then he would die under a rain of arrows. At thirty feet a fall would mean certain death. Targo had reached the point of no return once he crested forty feet. In fact, he was surprised at how far he had gotten over the wet rock. At sixty feet one of Targo’s blades broke. His left foot slipped from its hold and he clung to the wall with his three other limbs. Targo gasped for air but refused to look down. The broken blade was stuck in the rock. His left shoe plummeted towards the earth. Slowing his breath, Targo continued to climb. He moved slower now but his left foot wasn’t complete dead weight. At points, Targo’s bare foot was able to grip the wet stones. Finally, Targo crested seventy feet and the top of the battlements lay inches from his nose. He slowly peaked his head over the battlements. The air caught in his lungs as he lay flat against the wall, staring directly at the chest of a guard. The man wore a bronze lamellar vest. As far as he could tell, that was the only armor on the sentry. The sentry carried a single long spear, small round shield, and a recurve bow. A barrel filled with arrows lay to the man’s left. The sentry wore a felt hat rimmed with fur and a long green felt tunic. He was dressed in a typical Maguyari uniform. This man was no farmer, but a professional soldier and he was snoring. Targo thanked his dark queen for this luck and slowly removed a dagger from his satchel. In one swift motion, Targ
o reached up and speared the man under the jaw with his throwing dagger. The man suddenly awoke, attempting to scream. However, the man’s tongue had been severed by the blade. He stumbled backwards, clutching at the blade, while Targo pulled himself over the battlements. The sentry quickly came to his senses and charged Targo. Targo easily sidestepped the spear thrust and grabbed the pine spear shaft. The sentry then kicked Targo in the stomach, causing Targo to fall backwards. The sentry let the spear go and pulled an arrow from one of the barrels. Targo threw the butt of the spear at the sentry’s face, which caused the man to stumble backwards. Targo pulled another knife from his satchel as the sentry drew back on his bow. The arrow landed in Targo’s shoulder, but Targo’s knife caught the sentry in the stomach. The sentry stumbled back again, blood leaking from his body. Targo got to his feet as the sentry reached for another arrow. Just as the sentry was knocking the arrow, Targo picked up the spear and ran him through. Targo stumbled forward, breaking off the arrow in his shoulder, and picked up a torch. Leaning against the wall, Targo removed his grappling hook from the satchel. Next, he threw the rope, attached to the grappling hook, over the wall. The torch followed, and he started to hear his companions come alive.

  Magicar and the other eight Bondars crested the battlements and joined Targo, who had fainted from blood loss.

  “Leave him,” Magicar hissed, “he will not die here if we hurry to the gates.” Each member of the groups’ eyes widened in fear as drums began to sound. A horn broke through the night air and shouts began to blossom within the stronghold. They had been discovered.

  ***

  General Hamo was woken by his adjuvat and a commotion in the camp.

  “What is the reason for this disturbance Hammond?”

  “General, the mission has failed, and our spies were discovered. Ladders and the mantelets are in position. We await you on the field.”