Forge of Ashes

by Josh Vogt

  She glanced back at Selvia again. The other dwarf remained wide-eyed at all the natural wonder surrounding them. Probably hadn't left Taggoret her whole life. The shopkeeper cared for Gromir, that was obvious. She'd refused to give up the copied maps until Akina relented to her request to join them. That and the offer of using the workshop's coin cache to pay for journey supplies swayed the decision, though Ondorum still frowned whenever he looked Selvia's way.

  Akina gazed ahead, remembering her first times beyond Taggoret's caverns, astounded by the sense of an endless sky speared by dozens of mountain peaks. The cliffs, gorges, and canyons made the region look like it had been carved by the hammers and chisels of the gods. Tundra fought for space against boulder fields, and they passed over numerous rivers swollen with snowmelt that poured down into natural and dwarf-made reservoirs in the upper valleys. The bleat of goats rolled off the cliffs from time to time. Even with all the passionate labor the dwarves had given to their mountains across the centuries, it remained a raw, untamed land. She loved it for that.

  As had her mother. She easily pictured Jannasten traveling through this area, pack on her back, expression bright as she soaked in the same wild beauty.

  As with any wilderness, it held its dangers. The main roads and passes tended to be safer, as patrols swept them at regular intervals. The city garrisons took regional defense seriously, considering it provided merchants and traders more peace of mind when bringing commerce to the area. But one couldn't keep an eye on every hillside or fill every vale with armed dwarves. Nor were bandits forever deterred by soldiers once the weather grew colder and their bellies emptier. Roving beasts, trolls, giants, and ogres who also called the kingdom home all added potential complications.

  As the shadows slipped toward evening, Akina scanned their surroundings for any sign of an ambush or tracks of any deadly beasts. So far, she'd spotted only a few wolf prints in the dried mud and a discarded set of antlers in a patch of brambles.

  The sun dipped behind the nearest peak as they crested a ridge. The road continued through a narrow plain divided by a winding river and covered in swaths of wildflowers. Two days out of Taggoret. One more to Davarn. Their mules rode steady enough, laden with provisions, but they'd pushed the pace most of the day. It wouldn't do to have one or more pack animals get exhausted and leave them traveling all the slower.

  When the others reached her, Akina pointed to a flat patch just above a river bend. A few scrub trees and bushes clustered there, offering minimal cover from the night winds that had howled over them the past couple stops."Figure we'll camp there and be off at sunrise."

  Ondorum headed down, but Selvia held back. Akina looked at her in question.

  "Is it wise to camp out in the open like this?" Selvia had switched from her shop-keeping silks to a more sensible set of traveling clothes, with a leather vest that accentuated a trimmer figure than Akina would've guessed.

  Akina nudged her mule forward, prompting Selvia to follow."I prefer campsites in the open, most times. More freedom to move in a fight and lets me see my enemy coming. That, and it gives them a few extra moments to reconsider closing the gap."

  "But if you can see them, can't they see you first? And couldn't they hit you with arrows or spells from afar?"

  Akina shrugged."Sure, but if something's out hunting you, it'll come whether you think you're safe or not. Hiding's for the weak."

  Selvia shivered in the mild breeze."It's hard to imagine constantly being exposed, though. Up here, it's like the gods are always staring down at you."

  "Those are just stars. You get used to things on the surface. Or you don't, and it kills you sooner or later."

  "Good thing we'll be back below soon." Selvia glanced around as if double-checking the wildflowers for hidden threats."You must've learned a lot of things like that while traveling. How to face all sorts of unknowns and strange people and creatures. You really fought with mercenaries?"

  "Gromir told you that, hm?"

  "More complained about it, really. Said those sort of lowlifes weren't worthy of your presence."

  "Sounds like him." She studied Selvia from under the rim of her helm."Not my business, so tell me to stow it if you want. Were you and Gromir ever..."

  Selvia started in her saddle."Me and him? Oh, no. I'm just his assistant."

  "And yet here you are, leaving home for the first time, braving camping in the open under the gods' own eyes, possibly heading down into the Darklands after him."

  "What's down there?" Selvia asked."How deep have you gone? Orv?"

  Akina snorted."You kidding? I've heard of folks going that deep and surviving, but I figure anyone who boasts about it is either a liar or madman." She mimed different layers with her hands."You've got Nar-Voth, which is what most people mean when talking about the Darklands. I did a few training patrols there back when. Then there's Sekamina, which they say is overrun by dark elves. Orv is under all that, leagues deep, and I can't even begin to tell you what might be down there."

  Selvia cocked her head."What were your patrols like?"

  Akina started to answer, then chuckled. She guided her mule off the road toward where Ondorum was already clearing space for a fire."You almost did a damn good job of distracting me. I was talking about why you wanted to come along so much. I doubt it's for my brother."

  The younger dwarf flushed."Gromir's only ever had a mind for you."

  "No straight answer is answer enough."

  Selvia lowered her eyes.

  Akina considered her as they rode on. If another woman ever appeared who had a history with Ondorum and turned his eyes away, Akina figured she might get a bit... snippy. Yet this youngling kept herself amicable, if occasionally flustered. Was she intimidated? Felt she wasn't good enough for Gromir?

  They trotted up to where Ondorum had tied his mule to one of the scrub trees. Selvia hopped down from her mount and took Akina's reins.

  "Um... is there anything I can help with for camp?"

  Akina swung off her saddle."Same as last night. See to the animals and then start gathering what dry wood you can find."

  Akina joined Ondorum in putting up their small tents and hauling in rocks from an old slide nearby to use as a fire ring. Not much more entrenchment needed for one night; certainly nothing like sticking in one forest-bound clearing for months like they had with their former band. Things could get quite cozy at times, even when everyone lived out of tents and ate from the same pot and spit.

  As Selvia fed the mules and watered them at the river, Akina pondered the many unknowns piling up. It'd been years since she felt at such an utter loss. Oddly, one of her mother's old exhortations rose to mind, urging her to turn to Torag for guidance. He'd led the dwarves up to the surface and guided them to strength and glory. Couldn't he still offer her direction and wisdom?

  She thrust that thought aside. She hadn't prayed to Torag in years, and wasn't about to start now. Besides, it wasn't like he'd answer.

  She hunkered down to stew in silence. By the time Selvia stumbled back into camp with an armload of dead scrub and twigs, darkness had truly fallen. Everything had gone shades of gray and muted whites to Akina's eyes, letting her clearly note the valley's layout even though the moon had just peeked over a low saddle. She rose to give the youngling a hand.

  Ondorum lunged at Selvia from his crouch. The dwarf's eyes rounded and the wood dropped from her grasp right before the oread drove her to the ground. Akina stood dumbstruck for an instant before the earth burst open, showering dirt and rocks everywhere. A silvery form bigger than a horse shot through the air right where Selvia had been standing.

  Akina drew her maulaxe, but the beast burrowed back down into the ground, disappearing in an instant despite its massive size. She glimpsed a spurred fin on its back and a ridged tail before it vanished into the hole dug by its claws. She spun, searching for any sign of where it might emerge. The beast's coming and going had shredded their tents to little more than scraps of leather and rope.
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br />   Ondorum rolled off Selvia, who lay gasping. She pushed up on an elbow, blood trickling from a scratch on her cheek.

  "What was—? Was that—?"

  "Landshark," Akina breathed in awe. She turned a circle, still seeking the beast.

  The earth bulged a few paces over. She threw herself that way right as the landshark's head broke the surface. Encased in carapace that gleamed under the rising moon, it opened a maw filled with slavering fangs large enough to shred her in a single bite. Her blow whipped across its lower jaw, making its bite snap aside. It thrashed, and its skull slammed into her, sending her tumbling.

  It clambered the rest of the way out of the earth. She rolled to her feet and braced herself. The creature raked the ground, parting it like water. Its eyes gleamed and its hiss threw ropy spittle at her. She circled to put its back to the others.

  The beast charged, snapping wildly. She lashed her weapon back and forth to ward off the attacks, trying to stay just out of range. She struck a claw away with the hammer and then spun to slam the axe edge between its eyes.

  The beast whirled with blinding speed, and its tail slapped her into the air. She somehow kept her grip on the maulaxe as she hit the ground. She spat blood and grinned as embers burst into flame within her.

  The creature now raced toward Ondorum, who wielded a summoned iron quarterstaff. The staff blurred in his hands and lashed out to strike his foe multiple times in a moment, though it seemed to have little effect besides blunting the creature's bites. He took simple steps to evade its furious charges from all sides, almost as if taunting the creature. Of Selvia, there was no sign.

  Akina used her maulaxe to push herself up. No hesitation this time. No worries about who to hit or not. She had a clear target, an open field, and all the strength she could muster to pound it back into the dirt it'd come from.

  Akina howled death and thunder and closed the gap in two bounds, ramming her shoulder and helmet into the beast's scaly side. Then she staggered back, stunned, while it remained unmoved, focused on the monk. Claws lashed out and one clipped his shoulder. He whirled, planting the staff to keep from sprawling flat, but was exposed as the beast raised a claw.

  Akina charged in, slamming the maulaxe up under its shoulder with all her might. The landshark roared as the hit flung it off its feet, skidding it across the grass. She followed and dealt hammer blows to its exposed underbelly.

  The beast writhed to its feet, forcing her to leap back as it faced her. The spiked fin on its spine quivered and lifted, as if excited by the fight. Screeching, it lunged for Ondorum, who'd recovered and tried to come in from the side.

  He ducked to let the beast leap over him, turning aside a tail lash with his staff. The landshark bulled ahead and dove into the ground. Akina charged for the hole in the earth, determined to crawl in after and slaughter the beast in its own tunnel.

  Ondorum's staff blocked her way. She tried to bull past, but he just stood there, focused over her shoulder. Her gaze followed his.

  The landshark reappeared over by where they'd tethered the animals. Two of the three mules were torn to shreds in instants, the beast gulping down chunks of muscle, organ, and bone. The last mule broke free of its tether and raced across the plain for freedom.

  The landshark swallowed a last mouthful and then tunneled its way underground once more. It astounded Akina that something so huge could slip through the earth so easily.

  Then she realized she should do less gaping and standing still. She jumped back right as the landshark speared up into the air where she'd just been standing. The ground trembled beneath its landing.

  Akina dove aside as the maw snapped for her. She dug a heel in to reverse direction and threw herself up so the next bite stuck its head directly beneath her. A kick to the top of its skull sent her soaring above its back. She landed on its flexed haunches, bringing the full force of the maulaxe down to flatten the fin. The beast lurched at the last second, skewing her aim. Rather than striking the fin, the hammer pounded into a surprisingly soft patch of flesh behind it.

  The creature's screech filled the night as it collapsed. Akina tumbled off its back and turned to see the creature thrashing, its back not quite aligning as it tried to regain purchase and dig to safety.

  As it tried to roll upright, Ondorum darted in and rammed his staff into the exposed flesh behind the fin. The staff plunged deep, and the landshark's squirming flung chunks of dirt everywhere.

  She sprinted up and landed a shuddering blow on the side of its face, cracking an eye socket. It raised a claw, but she knocked it away and rammed the axe edge at the same wounded eye. She hacked at the spot, ignoring it trying to scrabble at her. At last, its skull burst open, spewing black-and-red ichor across the ravaged earth. It gave a fading hiss and a final few twitches.

  Chest heaving, Akina spun and looked for something else to slay. Ondorum stood a short distance away, looking wary as well, but of her, not more monsters.

  She bared teeth and growled."Don't worry. Know who you are."

  At this admission and the lack of any other target, the inner flames flickered and died. Akina's bones cooled, and the weight of her armor and weapon doubled. She planted the maulaxe head to steady herself.

  Then she realized she'd lost track of their companion."Selvia?" Akina's tongue felt like a chunk of lead."Shattered stone, she must've run."

  "No, I'm h-here."

  Selvia's head poked up from a large bush, twigs sticking to her hair and clothes. While Ondorum went over to help untangle her, Akina dropped to the ground and laid her maulaxe across her knees. The youngling stared over at the enormous corpse, now a jagged mound in the moonlight.

  "What just happened?" she asked."What was that?"

  Akina worked on stilling her trembling muscles."We call them landsharks. Figure them for beasts created by some fool of a wizard long ago. Who knows why." She unbuckled her helm and set it beside her. She swiped back her sweat-drenched hair and let the breeze soothe the blaze of her skin.

  "Why'd it attack us?"

  "Hungry. Angry. Bored. Take your pick. Dead now, at least." A hoarse laugh escaped her as she eyed the remains of the mules."Even exchange, maybe. We lived, but it likely killed what chance we had of catching Gromir before Davarn."

  ∗ ∗ ∗

  With their tents ruined, they repositioned by one of the thicker trees, each with their back to it so they could rest while keeping an eye in every direction. Ondorum indicated he'd take the whole night's watch, but Akina laughed that off, saying she just needed a few hours to feel right and ready again. Selvia surprised her by offering to take a couple hours herself, claiming to be too shook up by the fight to sleep much anyways.

  Once they settled in, Akina leaned her head back against the trunk and stared at the stars. The clear sky shone so polished and bright she figured it should've reflected a bit of the ruin and bloodshed down on the ground to be fair. As drowsiness crept in, her mind slipped back to her brief conversation with Selvia, and she wondered whether any of the stars might actually be the eyes of gods watching in silent judgment. Plenty to judge on her account.

  One thought did niggle at her. Despite their savagery, landsharks were considered by some dwarves to be Torag's envoys. Elect of their kind were occasionally dispatched to send a message or work his will in the world. One in particular, an uplifted beast named Stoneriver, was said to swim in channels of magma the same way its lesser cousins did earth and stone.

  If she were a more pious dwarf, she might take this as a sign. An indication of Torag's disapproval or a warning. But she figured that'd be overthinking the whole event.

  She turned her head enough to see Ondorum sitting watch. At night, his form looked even more statuesque.

  Whatever they had shared in battle, bed, and beyond, one of the biggest things she loved was how he never judged her. He'd disapproved of her methods at times, yes, but had never spoken out against her as a person. To him, the enlightened monk-god Irori was the ultimate judge, and pe
ople were only responsible for their own performance in life.

  So did her methods matter so much as the results? Did it matter whether she fought under the blessing of Torag or Gorum or any others of the vast pantheon?

  No answers came in the wind that sliced across the plain. She let the gust temporarily sweep away all worries and doubts as it filled her ears and mind with imagined cries of a horde about to charge into war.

  To those pleasant thoughts, she at last fell into weary sleep.

  Chapter Nine

  Gladdringgar

  Ondorum wished they had more time to experience the land, though he knew it to be a selfish desire. Even before meeting Akina, he found himself most at peace in the wilderness, or at least in places where people blended their structures with the earth, such as his old monastery.

  As they often did, the thoughts of the monastery shot bolts of grief and regret through him. He briefly shut his eyes against memories of orc war cries, the sight of so many of his fellow monks fallen to their blades. He'd spent years attempting to purge the befuddled guilt the atrocity had left him with... and then the village incident had brought it all sweeping back to the fore.

  At last, the memories receded, leaving him a measure of calm. Yet he knew they remained, waiting to pounce sooner or later. Would he never atone for either failure?

  Since the loss of their mounts, they'd managed a steady pace on foot. Selvia impressed him with her determination and fortitude, never asking for rest despite the rough terrain they maneuvered through. They reached the fort south of Davarn by the end of the day, purchased new mules and supplies, and forged on as dusk encroached.

  Ondorum questioned the wisdom of riding through the night—even though both dwarves and oreads could see well enough in the darkness, the mules were another story. Akina pushed to make up the lost time, though, and established in no uncertain terms that she'd be riding on and the others could follow later if they wanted to take a little nap, or perhaps sample some of the local brew. They journeyed north under a cloudy night sky, pausing at sunrise to give their beasts a brief respite before heading onward.