Forging Destiny

by Marc Alan Edelheit

  As they approached the ridge, he could see it through the trees, seeming to hang over them. Tovak felt no sense of menace, dread, or darkness. Was he imagining things, then? No. Though he had serious questions about what was going on with him, he understood without a doubt what he had experienced had been all too real.

  As they neared their destination, Tovak found he became more awake. The exhaustion retreated and he began to feel a keen sense of anticipation and excitement, almost as if there were something waiting for him and him alone, somewhere ahead. With every step, the anticipation grew.

  Finally, after what seemed like an eternity, they reached the ridge. Tovak figured they were six hundred yards from where the fight had taken place the day before. As they arrived, he found ropes had been dropped down from above and both the pioneers from the Second and strikers from the Fifth were already climbing.

  The slope was steep, but not as bad as what Brund and Taboth had gone up the previous day. Under the direction of officers and sergeants, the tail end of the detachment quickly dispersed into climbing groups and joined existing lines waiting their turn to make their ascent.

  Once again, Tovak felt himself waiting. He found it terribly frustrating. He wanted to be up the ropes already. The groups moved forward through the trees until they reached the base of the ridge. Tovak kept looking up, eying the rope and the path he’d be taking. The excitement intensified. The first stretch looked relatively easy, little more than a very steep hill strewn with boulders, a few places of bare rock, some scrub brush, along with a few small pines that grew at odd angles. The second part would be more challenging. Tovak was looking forward to that.

  As his turn came, Iger appeared and moved before him. He looked at Thegdol, who was giving the order for each person to begin climbing.

  “Mind if I go up next, Sergeant?” Iger asked. “I have to report to the captain.”

  “Be my guest, Iger,” Thegdol said. “Discover anything interesting?”

  “Naw,” Iger said, in a bored tone. “Just my turn to come back, is all, and give a regular report. You know how it is.”

  “I do,” Thegdol replied. “See you at the top.”

  Iger took hold of the rope for support and began his ascent with practiced ease. Tovak had to admit the pioneer made it look easy. Tovak stepped forward.

  “Just a moment.” Thegdol held up a hand to Tovak. “Let Iger get a ways up.”

  “Yes, Sergeant.” Tovak turned to look back at Gorabor. “You ready?”

  “I don’t like heights none, but with the rope, this should be easy as making dodders,” Gorabor said, clapping Tovak’s shoulder.

  “Tovak,” Thegdol said, “you’re next. Time to go, son.”

  Tovak took a deep breath. He grabbed the rope, which was already moving like it was alive from the four people above working their way to the top. He started up. The beginning of the climb was no more than a difficult scramble. He still took his time and worked his way carefully up the slope. Wearing his pack made the job of climbing more challenging. He was concerned that, without a safety harness, there was a serious chance, if he made a mistake, that he could fall. However, Tovak had always loved climbing and was confident in his ability.

  Early afternoon sunshine beat down upon him, heating the rocks, almost painfully so. Tovak’s muscles soon began to burn with the climb. The rope chafed his hands and he found himself rapidly becoming thirsty. He resisted the impulse to look down and just focused on going upward, climbing. Sweating from the effort, he pulled himself up over a ledge to find Lieutenant Brund standing there, a waterskin raised to his lips. Tovak released the rope and clambered to his feet.

  “That’s quite a climb,” Tovak said.

  “It is, isn’t it?” Brund said. “I find climbing invigorating, especially on a beautiful day like today.”

  Tovak looked around and found they stood on a wide ledge he estimated was about three-quarters of the way up to the summit. They were above the tops of the trees, which seemed a long way below them. Tovak was bathed in sweat, and his shoulders and thighs ached. So too did his hands and fingers. As encumbered as they were, he could only imagine what the strikers were feeling wearing all that plate armor.

  It had been a difficult climb so far, to be sure, but not impossible. As Tovak looked out, he realized the view made every drop of sweat and every aching muscle more than worth the effort.

  They were about a thousand feet above the plateau, perhaps more. He could see for miles under a mostly cloudless sky. He could easily make out the long lines of the warband as it made its way across the rolling grasses and small streams that laced the plateau.

  Tovak tore his eyes away from the magnificent view and looked upslope. He spotted Iger above, holding the rope to walk up a slanted chimney of stone. Tovak turned and, looking over the edge, saw the rest of the detachment spread out beneath them, over about two hundred feet of steep incline. Brund looked over the lip of the ledge too.

  “We should have everyone up to the top in an hour or so,” the lieutenant said. “I think we’re making good time.”

  Tovak did not reply. He spotted Gorabor working his way up. Their eyes met. His friend paused, grinned, and shot him a thumbs-up, then resumed his climb.

  “I’ve been under Captain Dagon’s command for almost three years,” Brund said, looking over at Tovak. “I know he’s not happy you are with us.”

  “I think that is an understatement, sir,” Tovak said.

  “He is a hard Dvergr, but one of the fairest, most sensible captains I’ve ever known.” Brund’s look was earnest enough. “He’s taught me a lot and I owe him.”

  “Yes, sir,” Tovak said, suddenly uncomfortable. Was the lieutenant attempting to excuse Dagon’s behavior, justify it? No, that was not likely. Brund did not seem like the type.

  “The captain is honorable and takes his Legend even more seriously than most,” Brund continued. “Whatever his personal feelings are for you, his priority is his company and, above all else, the warband. I’ve never seen him behave contrary to that.” Brund glanced out at the plateau. “I know his son died under your father’s command, a tragedy to be sure. All of Second is aware of it.”

  “Yes, sir,” Tovak said again. He was not sure what else he should say. Though he had been fair to Tovak, he still did not know the lieutenant all that well.

  “I’ve never known him to be vindictive out of spite,” Brund said. “I guess what I am trying to say is, you’ve already changed minds. Keep doing what you are doing, understand? Show him what he does not want to see and is currently blind to.”

  Tovak nodded slowly, realizing the lieutenant had been specifically waiting for him. “I will, sir.”

  “That’s what I expect.” Brund turned towards the steep rock face that rose above them. Iger was almost at the top. “Shall we get a move on?” Brund took hold of the rope again and began pulling himself up, climbing as he went. Tovak waited a bit for the lieutenant to climb some. Then he took hold of the rope and followed after.

  Another half hour saw Tovak reach the top of the ridge. The last bit had been the most challenging and had taken some time. Tovak had enjoyed every moment of it.

  The crest of the ridge was for the most part wide, almost completely flat, and heavily forested.

  Benthok was waiting on the top, standing between two ropes. Brund had moved off into the trees.

  “Get into the cover of the trees and out of sight,” Benthok ordered. “Take a break. We’re gonna be here until nightfall.”

  Tovak gave a weary nod and took several steps forward as he pulled out his waterskin. He was terribly thirsty. Most who had made it up were farther along and into the trees. They had spread out under the shade.

  At the first tree, he took a drink and turned back, marveling at the beauty on display before him. The whole of the Grimbar Plateau spread out in a wide swath of rolling grassland. The view was even more spectacular than the one from the ledge below. He could not have prepared himself for the sig
ht that filled his eyes, and in that moment, he’d never felt closer to his god. His heart swelled at the beauty on display.

  The whisper of a cool mountain breeze sifted through pines that covered the top of the ridge. It rustled the branches and cooled him off. The peal of a small bird of prey drifted up from somewhere to his right. With the view and the sunlight warming his face, Tovak suddenly felt at peace. The morning prayer floated to his lips, but he shaped it to more appropriately fit the moment.

  “Thank You, Father, for the gift of this day. Blessed am I for the privilege it is to partake of this sight. The beauty of Your creation knows no bounds. I am and ever will be Your humble servant, till that solemn day when I return to Your breast and stand in the glory of Your magnificence.”

  To his left, at least twenty or more miles away, the mountains were a jagged wall of snowy and formidable peaks. They formed an impenetrable range of unforgiving snow-covered granite that traveled more than a thousand miles to the north and south.

  Tovak turned his gaze south to where the Baelix Guard had foraged in the hills and lower ridges. So much had happened there and in so short a time too. It seemed almost impossible to conceive how much his life had changed.

  He shifted his gaze back to the warband, which was a dark streak, stretching out over at least ten to twenty miles of grassland. He wondered what it might be like to move along in such a large column. What did it sound like? He could see the choking dust kicked up on the air, as well as the trail of trampled grass that seemed to stretch for miles. How hard was it to march for several hours and then go about the backbreaking work of setting up the main encampment, only to break the camp down the following day and do it all over again? Tovak had thought the constant stop-and-go this day had been frustrating. How much more so would it be for those in the main body, following after thousands who had gone before you? How monotonous?

  Looking around at the magnificent view, his appreciation for being part of a skirmisher company went up several notches, and he knew with certainty that he never wanted to be part of the heavy infantry. The life of a skirmisher appealed to him and he felt a sense of contentment. His place was with the Baelix Guard.

  The scrape of boots on rock stole Tovak from his reverie. He looked over to see Gorabor moving by. His friend gave him a tired, but enthusiastic wave. Bane, from Corporal Logath’s squad, reached the top on another rope, which was tied to a stout tree to Tovak’s immediate right. Tovak felt a dampening of his spirit at the sight of Bane, for he was an enemy and an ally, or really a disciple of Logath. Following the direction of a sergeant from the Fifth that Tovak did not know, Bane moved to the tree line. As he neared, Tovak held out his waterskin. He did not know why he did it. The offer just felt like the right thing to do.

  “Thirsty?” Tovak asked.

  Bane hesitated for just a moment, a strange, almost surprised expression crossing his face. Then he accepted the skin. The skirmisher took a long pull and handed it back.

  “Thanks.” Bane eyed Tovak for a long moment, almost as if he were seeing him for the first time.

  “Of course,” Tovak said, realizing there wasn’t even a hint of the animosity Bane had shown Tovak previously. “They’ve ordered a break,” Tovak said and pointed to the shade a few feet away where Bettoth, Torimar, Gorabor, and Dagmar sat. “Take a load off with us?”

  “I think I will.”

  They moved over into the shade with some large rocks sticking out of the scraggly grass that grew under the trees. The detachment had spread out over a wide area. Most were lying in the shade or leaning against boulders.

  Tovak and Bane sat down near Gorabor, who had selected a boulder a few feet away. Tovak’s friend was laughing at something Dagmar had said. Sitting with them were three pioneers, as well as a few others from First Section. Some joke had been passed about, for most seemed amused. Tovak was suddenly too tired to care what it was. The feeling of sitting and resting felt incredible.

  “You alright?” Gorabor asked, looking over. “You’ve not been too talkative today.”

  Tovak didn’t answer at first. Instead, he stared up at the sky through the leaves and breathed deeply. Finally, he turned to Gorabor.

  “I don’t think I’ve ever been as tired as I am now,” Tovak said.

  “Then get some sleep. I’ll wake you when they need us to move again.”

  Tovak nodded gratefully, closed his eyes, and was out in moments.

  Chapter Thirteen

  “Tovak.” Gorabor shook him on the shoulder. “Tovak, wake up. You are wanted.”

  Tovak opened his eyes and blinked, looking around, feeling momentarily disoriented. It was dusk and nearly dark out. The sky was still tinged with some remnants of orange light. He felt stiff, sore, and generally ached all over. Even his fingers hurt, likely from the climb and the rope. Yawning powerfully, he rubbed at his eyes and came away with sand. He wanted nothing more than to lie back down and go to sleep. Instead, he sat up.

  “What?” Tovak asked, yawning again. “What did you say? How long was I out?”

  “You’ve slept all afternoon,” Gorabor said. “Maybe four hours. Thegdol said to leave you be, so we did.”

  “I appreciate that,” Tovak said, stretching. He’d fallen asleep on his pack. He felt tired but at the same time refreshed, better than he had been when they’d arrived. Around them, skirmishers slept. Others were tending to their gear, sharpening blades, or talking quietly amongst themselves. There was even a quiet dice game going a few feet away between Dagmar and Torimar. Dagmar seemed frustrated, for he was scowling at the dice that had just been tossed.

  “Maybe we should use mine,” Dagmar said quietly to Torimar.

  “Everyone knows your dice are loaded,” Torimar said, looking up at his fellow skirmisher as he scooped up Dagmar’s coin. “Even they couldn’t help your luck today.”

  “I think we should give it a try,” Dagmar said.

  “Not today,” Torimar chuckled.

  Terribly thirsty, and with a sour taste in his mouth, Tovak grabbed his waterskin and drank until it was half empty.

  “Why’d you wake me?” Tovak looked over at Gorabor.

  “Lieutenant Brund is asking for you,” Gorabor said. “It sounds like you might be going out on a scouting run. You are to bring your pack.”

  Tovak perked up at that and glanced around. He did not see the lieutenant. “Where is he?”

  “That way.” Gorabor pointed farther down the ridge and through the trees. “Thegdol said to get your butt moving.”

  “Right,” Tovak said and stood. He struggled not to groan from the effort. He had thought he was stiff before, but now that he was moving … his thighs protested angrily. He stretched his back out and legs, then bent down and picked up his pack. It took some effort, for his muscles felt tortured, but he slung the pack over his shoulders and secured it in place. He shrugged his shoulders around for a better fit.

  “Stay safe,” Gorabor said.

  Tovak gave a nod and started over in the direction his friend had indicated. A short walk through the trees brought him to Brund, who was surrounded by six pioneers, four of whom had bows. The only one Tovak knew was Iger.

  “Tovak,” Brund said congenially. “Glad you could join us. We’re heading out to reconnoiter the enemy’s position on the wall. I thought you might like to come along.”

  “Of course, sir,” Tovak replied, feeling suddenly excited. What his body wanted was to stay right where he was on the ridge and go back to sleep. The lure of scouting, however, was something he could not ignore. Considering what Brund had said on the climb up the ridge, he absolutely did not want to let the lieutenant down. “I’d like that very much.”

  “Good,” Brund said, looking around at the small group. “The detachment will start following us down in about an hour and a half. It will likely take two hours to get everyone down and off this ridge. That should give us plenty of time to scout and report back on what we discover. I want to make this very clear: Our job is n
ot to fight, unless we have to. Remember, we’re poking around a bit. That’s all. Our mission is to gather intelligence on the enemy’s strength, positions, and possible places to assault the wall. Are there any questions?”

  There were none.

  The lieutenant clapped his hands lightly together. “Let’s get going then.”

  Brund started off, leading the way and moving deeper into the trees. Very quickly they came to the far side of the ridge. The sky, though clear, had darkened considerably in the time since Tovak had been awoken, which had not been all that long.

  Looking over the edge, Tovak saw that it was a near vertical drop-off. In the dimness, it appeared to be a cliff face of sheer rock that dropped straight down, several hundred feet.

  Tovak realized he was looking on the Keelbooth Valley. It seemed a vast place. In the dusky gloom, he could barely see the far side, more than ten to fifteen miles away. Keelbooth seemed to be flanked all around by steep ridges, like the one they were now on.

  The valley was filled with trees. On his right, the end of the valley seemed to terminate with the snow-capped mountains.

  Brund led them along the ridgeline in the direction of the plateau. Tovak followed along with the pioneers. They traversed the ridge for about half a mile, when Brund held up his hand and motioned for them to join him as he knelt by the edge. They grouped up around him and took a knee. A cool breeze blew, whispered through the trees. Tovak noticed a coil of rope at the lieutenant’s feet. One end had been tied to a thick tree just a few feet away.

  “There’s the canyon down there and the wall the warband will be assaulting.” Brund pointed away from them, in the direction of the plateau. Tovak looked and saw that another ridge seemed to creep up next to the one they were on, forming a canyon with sheer walls that were too steep to climb without proper gear.

  The canyon was wide, at least on this end. He judged it to be over four hundred yards from one side to the other. Ahead in the gloom, perhaps a half mile, he saw the defensive wall, which cut straight across from one ridge to the other. The wall, topped with battlements, was tall, rising several stories above both ridges.