The Serpent and the Crown

by Sam Puma

  “It’s big enough to cross the chasm,” said Orion as he leaned back and stroked his beard. “It could be a machine with moving parts. If they place an indestructible bridge across the chasm, judging by previous battles, that could put the odds in their favor.”

  “If that’s the case, we need to concentrate more firepower on the Cruxai who are dragging it. That could allow more of them to penetrate, but with Ixtlayo watching the back line that could work in our favor. We should leave the front door open and we’ll torch it after we let in double the amount of the last battle.”

  Jankaro felt the fear well up inside him. In his mind’s eye he watched the horde charging through the gates and surrounding him.

  “I can do anything with Ixltayo.”

  He didn’t mean to say it aloud.

  “Then we’ll let them all in and watch you take care of it!” Titus said mockingly.

  “It’s risky, but it’s a good plan,” said Orion. “We have to take chances. We know they have something there that will change the dimension of the battle.

  “We can still use the ruse with the wooden Ashtari. We know they always adjust to our tactics. They will expect Ixltayo and another band of jaguars to emerge from the south and they will have a force prepared to defend from that angle and protect their bridges from his claws. That should make whatever force breaks off more vulnerable to arrow fire, and the traps we dug will take out more of them.”

  “That will help to slow down the positioning of their new bridge,” said Titus. “We will cut their army in half.”

  “They could have a new monster in there,” said Jankaro as thinking about the black rock sparked his imagination. “The Cruxai all look like hybrids of other creatures. They may have a new creature designed to kill Ixtlayo.”

  “That’s a possibility,” said Titus. “It would likely run out to the fake Ixtlayo and we could fire at it. They could have that and a mechanized stone bridge. Ultimately we won’t know until it happens. So we will prepare to fight and make adjustments on the fly. That is what my brother would do, and my father before him. Let us go now and rally the troops.” Titus extinguished his smoke and boldly stalked out.

  Orion and Jankaro looked at each other from across the table. “You ready?” Orion stared at him with the same intensity he had used on Titus.

  Jankaro stood up and pulled his knee up toward his chest. “My hip could use a few more days, but I can ride. If Ixltayo is ready, I’m ready. And he is ready to kill every last one of them.”

  “Good,” said Orion as he stood. He slipped the familiar rings over his fingers and used them to bend his wooden knee as he walked to the door.

  “You got your leg back!” Jankaro smiled and couldn’t help but feel encouraged.

  “It would have been nice to have a few more days to work out the quirks, but it should suffice. We work with what we’ve got.” He raised one eyebrow suggestively and nodded at the door through which Titus had just departed.

  Scattered drops of rain floated down upon the soldiers as they gathered for a rally at sunset in the front courtyard. All were clad in yanigo armor, even the civilian troops who were yet to become soldiers. Jankaro wondered if there was any hope of initiating more soldiers without Anhael around, but he pushed the thought from his mind. It was not the time to speculate about his forsaken friend.

  “My father promised you that Caladon would not fall.” Titus lacked his brother’s charm, but when he donned his helm affixed with rams horns and covered with a layer of yanigo bark, the soldiers knew who was in command. They all knew what he was capable of in battle and remained confident that he would command them just as well as his brother. They hadn’t witnessed what Orion and Jankaro had, and for the sake of morale, the two remained quiet about it.

  “My brother, Rafael, promised you that Caladon would not fall.” His voice rose in volume and quavered with emotion when he spoke his brother’s name. Fists rose and scattered affirmations rose up from the crowd. “His spirit is with us, watching over us. And he can hear me now as I, Titus, son of Oranos, promise you that Caladon…” He paused for dramatic effect and all were silent. Ixtlayo remained remarkably poised and patient through it all. Jankaro’s hip was feeling good, just a bit tight. Ixtlayo’s armor was repaired and covered him completely. He had secret packs of medical supplies strapped tight in various locations on his body, along with Jankaro’s back up blades and bows strapped on his back.

  “WILL NOT FALL!” Fists rose again as the soldiers cried out and banged their shields together.

  “We will crush them tonight, then make preparations to…”

  “Take back Dorfin!!” Orion roared the remainder of the phrase and the soldiers cheered again.

  “Our new captain, Jankaro of Olaya, rider of the Ashtari, will assume command of the cavalry and the back line.” Titus waved his hand to Jankaro. Ixtlayo reared up and ran in a circle around the cheering crowd. He jumped up onto the front wall walk behind Titus, reared up on his hind legs and roared while Jankaro held tight. The soldiers erupted with emphatic cheers.

  “Battle stations!!” Titus roared and lifted his sword high in the air. “On to victory!”

  “Victory!” The crowd echoed his call and the soldiers dispersed to prepare for the Cruxai.

  Jankaro didn’t know much about being in command; he just followed his instincts and put his faith in Ixtlayo. Everyone seemed to understand. They might follow his lead if things went wrong, but there were captains and lieutenants in his unit who directed the various groups of riders and foot soldiers into their positions around the city.

  He directed Ixtlayo to the top of the pyramid for a better view. The rain dripped off their armor as the darkness of night fell. They reached the top and Jankaro saw the familiar glow of Janesa’s aura. She held a long tube up to her eye and lowered it as they reached the top.

  “I stood here with Anhael to watch the first battle, so easily won. Last time I was on my own. He was too busy with the worms. I performed all the amputations myself. Tonight… I’m glad Maximus and Franco are back.”

  Jankaro wished he could comfort her and say that it wouldn’t be necessary, that they would beat the Cruxai so bad that there would be no need for amputations. But he couldn’t shake the unsettled feeling deep in his gut. The time could be up for any or all of them. He shook the thought from his mind, dismounted and walked over to stand next to her.

  “What have you got there?” He tried to hide the fear and sound confident and relaxed. Ixtlayo drank from a puddle in the flat stone surface on top of the pyramid.

  “It’s a telescope. Galdean technology. I just look through here with one eye and I can see objects that are far away. Here, try it.”

  Jankaro put the telescope to his eye and looked ahead. He saw Titus scowling, pacing the wall, and barking orders to his soldiers. He saw Orion looking out with a telescope of his own. He looked beyond and saw the glowing auras of a few scouts, but no Cruxai.

  “Their technology is amazing,” he said. “But I still miss the jungle. I see a bird here and there, and other new creatures occasionally when I ride out with Ixtlayo. But the jungle, Janesa.” He inhaled and caught a scent of a sweet smelling flower essence she wore. “So much life. A new beautiful creature to discover every day.”

  Jankaro handed the telescope back to Janesa.

  “You should be a medicine man,” she said. “After the war is over you can discover the jungle all you want. I could teach you about the plants and how to use them for healing. I mean… I’m not a master, but right now I’m the best we’ve got.”

  “My father wanted to teach me to be a farmer and stay close to the village. But I never wanted that. I always wanted to roam free.”

  “My father and mother were the same way… before the Cruxai killed them.” They turned to each other and their eyes met. Janesa stood stoic and calm. He could see that the tears had been cried
out many times before. “My first teacher was like my mother, but she didn’t always practice medicine in an honest way. Anhael was like a father to me, and he… it’s up to me now to find my own path with the help of my plant teachers.” She faced forward and put the telescope to her eye again.

  Jankaro watched and listened and tried to stay focused for the battle, but was distracted by his wandering imagination, walking through a new part of the jungle on a sunny day, holding Janesa’s hand and pointing out new creatures together, playing with the monkeys and learning from her about the plants.

  Two hours passed mostly in silence and watching, but they would occasionally swap stories about their lives in the jungle before the war. Maximus and Franco came and went, bearing fish for Ixtlayo, which he greedily devoured. He stood behind them for a moment and looked out at the horizon. Janesa’s face wrinkled into an elaborate frown.

  “Ick,” she said as she turned and pushed on the side of Ixtlayo’s face. “Your breath stinks.”

  Ixtlayo obliged and backed up a few steps.

  Jankaro recalled his father in the days leading up to his departure from Olaya. Jorobai told him about an initiation ceremony the men had planned for him. They were to gather and acknowledge him for the man he was and how he had grown, and name him farmer’s apprentice, to learn the ways of plant cultivation by his father’s side.

  “If only he could see me now,” he thought to himself as he gazed out into the distance.

  “The horde is approaching,” said Janesa as she peered into her telescope.

  The night was dark. Rainclouds blotted out the starlight on a moonless night. Jankaro broke out in a cold sweat.

  “The scouts are in.” Janesa narrated the scene to Jankaro. “The gate is shut. Cruxai scouts are parading around drawing fire from our long range archers. The Jurugas are in the middle, dragging the black rock. They’re stopping. Titus gives the signal.”

  Ixtlayo grunted and stood at attention as a flaming arrow soared through the air and landed at the feet of the Cruxai horde. Twelve torches were lit to the south and the fake Ixtlayo was illuminated.

  “Damn. They’re not going for it,” Janesa cursed as she momentarily lowered the telescope in a snapping motion. She lifted it back to her eye and watched again. “There’s a man in a cloak with the Jurugas.”

  “How do you know it’s a man?” asked Jankaro.

  “I can see his aura.”

  Jankaro squinted into the distance and saw what might be a man among the Juruga.

  “Agustin.”

  Something inside his mind told him that Anhael had been right. Agustin had come.

  “He’s climbing to the top of the black rock. The Juruga with the Ashtari hide is following him.” Ixtlayo growled continuously as they climbed. “They’re at the top. The Juruga pulls his sword. He…eh!” Janesa recoiled in disgust. She shook it off and brought the telescope back up to her eye. “He killed the man. Took his head off. He is walking back down.” The Cruxai chanted in guttural voices. Thunder struck and a bolt of lightning flashed. For a moment Jankaro thought he could see red blood trickling down from the top of the black rock. The rock trembled and shook. The Cruxai stopped chanting.

  “Oh God.” Janesa dropped the telescope and it clattered on the stone. She clutched her stomach and doubled over in pain. She forced her head up to look. “He put his soul into another form.” She choked out the words. “Old magic…”

  Jankaro stood transfixed as the black rock transformed. The soft red glow of its aura brightened. Lines formed in the stone, and pieces separated from each other. It wasn’t stone. It was black skin and scales and plate.

  Ixtlayo growled louder and didn’t stop. Arms unfolded from over the giant creature’s head. Knees separated from the ground. The black creature rose higher and higher until it reached its full height of 100 feet. It stood considerably higher than Caladon’s front wall. It stood like a man, and had scaly skin like a reptile. Its face was like a reptilian monkey with glowing red eyes. Its gaping mouth revealed long sharpened fangs. It was the same face Anhael had painted on the wall of his chamber, and he had painted it true to size. Jankaro suddenly felt dizzy. He put his hand to his forehead and staggered sideways. Janesa caught him in her arms before he collapsed.

  “Look!” She cried out and pointed. “It’s coming!”

  Jankaro slumped in her arms as she propped him up. Ixtlayo’s growling stopped. His urine splashed across the top of the pyramid. Droplets splashed on both of them but Jankaro remained unconscious.

  Janesa snapped the juzi stick under his nose and he jumped to his feet and lurched forward as the medicine hit him. She grabbed his arm before he tumbled down the pyramid steps. He turned around and leapt onto Ixtlayo’s back.

  “Fire!” Titus cried out from the front wall. “Kill the giant!” He scrambled around roaring at his soldiers. “Jankaro, get a rope and bring that thing down!”

  Ixtlayo nearly threw Jankaro when he bolted down the back side of the pyramid. His fear was palpable and his violent trembling doubled Jankaro’s fear.

  “Wait!” Jankaro called to him, pulling back on the handles bolted into Ixtlayo’s armor. “Let’s get another look; maybe we can take it down!”

  “Ready the rope!” Captain Maravik, Jankaro’s second in command, called out to the cavalry.

  “Twenty thousand Cruxai, two thousand hairy ones and ninety Jurugas stand between us and that giant,” Jankaro said as Maravik pulled up by his side on his horse. “No way we can bring it down with a rope.”

  “We must follow orders!” Maravik was dismayed. “What’s wrong with you?”

  “Titus!” Jankaro yelled to the front wall. “We need to run!”

  “Jankaro!” Titus yelled back, his voice full of anger and desperation. “Wrap its ankles and bring it down! We’ll cover you!”

  “There’s no way we could get through before it kills us! Come down before it gets here! We need to run!”

  “Curse you to hell, coward! Maravik, make it happen!” Titus turned his attention forward and screamed at his archers to aim for its eyes.

  “Don’t send anyone else out there to get slaughtered,” Jankaro said to Maravik. “Soldiers!” He called out to the men and women under his command. “Retreat!”

  They stared at him in shocked silence while Titus screamed with more urgency on the front wall. The Cruxai continued their advance and were getting close.

  “We need to help Titus,” one of them said. Others muttered to themselves and shook their heads, torn between duty and the will to survive. Jankaro watched as the giant approached the ravine with a large pine tree in his left hand, stripped of its branches to form a wooden club. He swung it quickly, scraping the top of the front wall, sending the bodies of Galdean soldiers flying in all directions. Titus’ shouting could no longer be heard.

  “Sagaya, no!”

  Jankaro watched in horror as the giant thrust his club through the front gate, smashing it into pieces. The Cruxai poured through the gate with little resistance from atop the wall. Titus and Orion’s units were shattered.

  “Escape now!” Jankaro cried out to the soldiers as Ixtlayo bolted for the back of the city.

  He looked back over his shoulder and saw the giant pointing in his direction.

  “Janesa!” He called for her but had no idea where she went. Ixtlayo leapt over the back wall. Jankaro’s stomach dropped and he held on for dear life. Ixtlayo’s claws scraped the cliff as he tried to slow himself. He scrambled and kicked, trying desperately to slow his descent as he slid down the face of the nearly vertical cliff.

  The sounds of the battle faded in the background as Ixtlayo struggled to avoid a tumbling freefall. He leaned his head back and dug his claws into the crumbling rocks. The sandy beach below rose up to greet them.

  Ixtlayo spun his body around so his face was uphill, which gave him a better angle to ho
ok his claws into the cliff. He slowed the descent to a less-than-fatal pace. Still, he hit the beach hard. Jankaro fell off, landed on his back and bounced. Ixtlayo twisted, bounced, and flopped down on his side with a painful grunt.

  Jankaro’s back was stunned from the impact. Salty water rolled up the beach and into his ears. He lifted his head and looked up. High up on the wall, he could see the giant looking down. He wasn’t sure if it saw him. It emitted a loud roar that sent a chill down his spine. Ixtlayo crawled over to him, dragging his battered body. He grunted and made gestures with his head. His eyes were terrified. He nipped at Jankaro’s arm and gestured until Jankaro understood. He wanted juzi stick.

  Jankaro hesitated when he saw one of Ixtlayo’s bloodied claws dangling out of its socket. Ixtlayo had put his body on the line to save him. They had put some good distance between themselves and the Cruxai, but they were exposed on the beach. They needed to get into the jungle and hide. He unfastened a bag that hung from Ixltayo’s armor and broke the juzi stick in front of his nose.

  The juzi stick enlivened Jankaro and he quickly mounted. Ixltayo sprinted down the beach, leapt into the river and swam. He swam awkwardly from his injuries, but the juzi stick kept him going. As they neared the other side, something took hold of Ixtlayo’s leg and pulled him under. Jankaro let go and floated to the surface as Ixtlayo fought for his life below. In the darkness all he could hear was thrashing as he swam for the other side. He pulled himself onto the shore.

  He waited and hoped. The carnage continued above as the giant swung his club and threw pieces of stone, destroying Caladon. Ixtlayo emerged and gasped for air. He scrambled onto the beach. Jankaro was horrified to see that his left front paw was missing. Ixtlayo gestured for Jankaro to mount up. He hesitated and pointed at the missing foot, but Ixtlayo growled insistently. Jankaro was aghast but complied. The Ashtari ran as fast as he could on three legs, and they disappeared into the relative safety of the jungle.