The Last Heroes Before Judgement (6 page)

The intended schedule of our first day was interrupted too many times to stop for a lunch. We took turns riding and running until the early sunset crippled everyone’s muscles. Not long after that, the steeds began huffing and chomping at the bit.

“Major Swiftblade, sir, the horned steeds don’t take to overuse lightly.”

“Shut it boy. We all want dinner.”

He read through my words. He also turned back to smile, and then cringe while holding his belly. We rode until the caravan could be pulled off the road at the intended location. A thin hill rose randomly out of the valley below- always on the south side- with just enough room to circle the carts. Enough pine trees surrounded us on all sides to provide concealment, and the giant sloths there were so accustomed to humans that they stayed in the branches, barely groaning at the noise. Once the steeds were released, they gathered around Major Bloodaxe for an apple. He took the first bite from each one to maintain dominance in their eyes, but spit it back out to feed his dogs.

“One of you turtles get the fire going. We’ll clear the area.”

I was already knee-deep in the fire pit cleaning out the frozen bits. Senjay circled the plateau for fresh wood and even found a few tufts of sloth hair for kindling. Major Talon was too drunk to pitch a tent and when Major Swiftblade finished with hers he quickly and quietly raised two more over the beds of the remaining carts.

“Matthius, you’re up before dawn. No noise. Clean your gear. Be ready to move first. Fall behind tomorrow and you will be left behind. Understood?”

“Yes sir.”

He disappeared into his small tent and managed to build a tiny controlled fire before we could.

“A powerful master to learn from there mate. Too bad I got stuck with that Slorrick wino. She would much rather be a drunken pirate queen.”

“Well, ‘matey,’ she wouldn’t be in charge if she were weak. Besides, it’s my fault. Every time she sees me, she grabs for a knife that is not there. Must have been flashing back to the war all day long.”

Senjay stopped me and I spun around expecting to see her standing behind me, but he was listening for noise. Major Bloodaxe was growling at Lazarus beyond the thin tree line.

“So, what’s that all about?”

Senjay threw up his hands and we shifted our focus on blowing embers into the soggy wood. Once the fire was hot enough to melt my fingers back to life, Lazarus brought out a small iron pot and some bags of powder. Major Bloodaxe let his dogs down to join us and I broke the silence- screaming higher than a little girl.

“Puppies!”

The sloths groaned, Major Talon woke up kicking, and the tiny hunting dogs all rushed into my open arms.

“There are so many Lazarus. Where did you get all of these?”

“Ah, that’s Tina there. She had the litter in the dead of winter so it’s a miracle any of them are still breathing. Even the runt managed to survive on almost no food. They’re just lucky the Bloodaxe wanted them for himself so they got to leave Ulfbar together.”

“Sounds just like us.”

“And you are just like me, little one. Not even enough food to finish growing your ears out huh? That’s alright boy, I’ll let you lick my dinner bowl clean. How’s that sound?”

The runt was smaller and thinner from constantly losing the competition for his mother’s milk. She did not mind my keeping him, even when she laid out by the fire and all the other pups ran to her for their dinner. Lazarus filled the air with the smell of buttered bone broth and even added strips of another pink pointer he must have grabbed from the poachers. We fed the eyes to the tiny puppy and I tucked him into my vest to wait for soup. The Majors made sure we had our portions first, then gathered around to eat and review the day at the Bloodaxe’s cart.

“I cooked. Who’s got the dishes?”

“I’m on fire duty brother.”

“Well, the soap’s right here Senjay.”

“No fair, I didn’t even get a puppy.”

“Don’t wait. We have to share everything and that includes responsibilities.”

“Yes, mommy.”

I gave Senjay the runt and he escaped while Senjay saluted Lazarus. The brood mother sniffed at her pup with jealousy, making Lazarus jump up to feed her. He poured the pot over into his empty bowl and put both on the ground to cool. The puppies started running in every direction when their dinners were interrupted, but the two older males swooped in from the shadows and rounded them up. Major Bloodaxe put them all in his cart while he ended the meeting. Senjay slurped up the remainder of his dinner and hopped to stacking up dishes.

“Oi, boy-o. Not you, the pretty one. You wrote my loot report?”

“Sir, yes sir.”

“You write like a girl.”

“Thank you sir.”

“Stop laughing and finish with my dishes. And what have you got there? You thought I’d lose count?”

“Sir, this is just the runt sir. He had no choice but to move up to solid foods.”

I held up the little dog and he stood on Major Bloodaxe’s open hand cooing up at him.

“These runts are worth the most you know?”

“Is that right, sir? Because they have to grow up faster?”

“No! The harlot’s just like their lap dogs is all. Aint that right, boy-o? You gonna get spoiled rotten and sleep on pillows, aren’t you? What’s that you say? I’m cruel? You like gruel?”

“He says his name is Kru sir.”

“Are you finished with those yet? Lazarus, show him where to tuck the dishes in the cart.”

Major Bloodaxe stood there petting the dog for a moment and cooed back at him.

“Yea, your name’s Kru. Yea, I know. He rolls his tongue like a Swillian, doesn’t he? Good, he will fetch a gold or two all on his own.”

To my surprise, he handed the puppy back to me, and nodded to Major Swiftblade.

“Charles.”

“Boy, you’re on fire duty. No noise in the morning. And don’t you let that dog come to harm. You can run, but she will catch you.”

I followed his nod, turning my head right into the big mother dog. She licked her new favorite pup goodnight, and blew her nose in my face as a warning. She skipped back to the cart after Major Bloodaxe, leaving me to settle down with the tiny Kru.

“Psst. Psst. Matthius. Come.”

Senjay and Lazarus were waiving me over to Major Talon’s cart. The steeds pointed their ears in the direction of their whispers so I let Kru go and hammered my shell into the frozen dirt for a moment to break up the silence.

“You can’t seriously be peaking in on her. Are you two moon-mad?”

“She’s in his cart, mate. I know you want to see this cannon.”

I poked my head in beside theirs but the small bit of light from the fire and the moon showed me nothing.

“You turtles moseying about for an early death?”

Major Bloodaxe pulled the flaps of the tent apart and scared us dead silent. He must have thought that Major Talon was in there as well, because, when his eyes adjusted, his mood changed.

“Sir, I’m just curious is all. How do they work without flash powder?”

“That’s right, sir. I should have been covered in spent powder when you…”

He nodded while silently lifting his giant body into the cart. He peeled back the tent cover for more light, and sighed the smell of wine into our faces.

“Firstly, it’s the Swillians that use flash powder. Secondly, it’s the Lantos that designed the Drakkah Gauntlet System. That’s how we beat back the incursion, and that’s how they regained their power. So much for balance- death is what matters to the tall kings.”

“Now their priests control everything that’s copper, silver, and gold.”

“And they spread lies about dragons to hide the truth.”

“And now you boys can carry that secret too. All the way to the grave if you know what’s good for you. Hope you noticed the powders we got are many times more potent.”

The Major stared at us one at a time to show he was serious.

“Sir, what happened to you?”

“You first, boy-o. Start with how you ended up in the clink. Finish with how you survived. And, I know half the boys under that mountain, so don’t bother lying.”

“Well, sir, you know Swillians don’t get sick, and, survival comes naturally. But, I cracked the underpriest in the knee hard enough to cripple him. So, I deserved to starve in the mines. ‘Twas not a bother.”

“You spin a good yarn boy, but I want the down and dirty.”

I took a deep breath and closed my eyes to avoid his stare. The images he wanted flashed across my eyelids, so I simply narrated what was already haunting me so vividly.

“Firstly, sir. Hmm. You understand that south of the highway is technically in the Slorrick State? Even the UNF’s priests must follow the laws of their kings.”

“I know the maps.”

“You know they let you choose sir. Don’t you?”

“Oh no, choose what?”

I wiped the sweat off my face and saw that he was smiling- playing the fool.

“No mixing colors sir. They made us choose who would take the lashes for mixing colors.”

“And that was this one’s sister, eh? So how’d you like that boy-o?”

“But it was not enough for the underpriest sir. He went to flog her next. So, I stopped him, permanently.”

He smiled and clapped for me, but he shook his head and turned to Lazarus again.

“Sir, you said… what happened to you in the war?”

“Oh yea, alright then. I’m from Vinland City. We were only just ordered to Ulfbar and didn’t make it there until sunrise- same as the Swillians. It wasn’t the first time they sailed in under the guise of trade. Gojinus had filled the mines with spies and stockpiled weapons just outside the entrance. His troops were hiding under full Bahgeshi long robes whilst unloading boxes of flash powder bombs, swords, cannons. They had supplies, enough to take the eastern kingdoms and keep marching inland. The whole city was dead in a classic ‘L-shaped ambush’ and we rode strait into the heart of it like fools. The implants have always been the source of their power, but, Kane wanted us to show off his Drakkah Gauntlets to the world. Gojinus never knew what hit him, and most of his troops ran to the mines to hide from a dragon they never saw. The results were astounding. One Commando can thwart an invasion, two can defeat an army.”

He played with Major Talon’s cannon while he spoke, tightening the latches on the sliding rail and tracing the stitches where it was weaved into the many layers of custom fitting, leather plated greaves. The control switches were similarly weaved into the gloves themselves, allowing the thumb to operate a pressurized safety switch. A poke to the back of the assembly revealed a secondary switch, for a more controlled level of distant fires while stationary. Bertrada’s long blade, with that raptor’s talon hook of steel, shot to full extension. Kru sniffed at the ringing springs, licking the oils out of his nostrils.

“The Tipril are hardy and the Harlot’s Guild saved Vinland on their own. But Ulfbar is nothing but greedy lords and their hungry miners- always has been. We burned through every boat and slaughtered every hired sword, but it was too late. No one would have questioned the Bahgeshi garb in the presence of all those goats. The lords even had the nerve to walk into the open streets, and celebrate the Swillians for reopening the trade routes. The pox was never a backup plan, it was their primary objective.”

“What about Captain Mauler?”

“He was too injured to go on.”

“So you had to take his hilt?

“That’s how Mauler wanted it. He might have survived until morning but no one else would have. I did what was necessary. I did what was asked of me by my master.”

“Even though it meant murder?”

“If you catch me run through a spit with only one leg left- you had better do the same.”

“But, you earned your freedom.”

“Whatever happened after that is between Kane and me. He is indeed the wisest of all Lantos and deserves his place as king. And you had better learn to respect his authority.”

“You’re the greatest hero Dante’s Isle has ever seen. Why have you been away so long?”

“The moment the pirates smelled blood in the water, they crawled out of every dark corner of the sea. Thousands of parents lost their children every winter, and they went on to refill the pirate ranks come spring. Spent nearly a decade slashing and slaying and still, it did nothing but feed the demon. Mauler never had a family, and the demand for a trial was a sham. I thought you- of all people- would’ve figured that out by now. If you get orders to go to prison, you will go. Besides, vengeance is a rare treasure. Few ever find it to be truly satisfying. Charles taught me that. Damned monster hunter and his jungle wisdom.”

He paused, playing with the swiveling assembly that allowed the blade to rotate and the catch that allowed it to slide back in place.

“Truth is, on the day of days, everybody lost somebody. And it was only the beginning.”

We watched him silently replace everything and get out of the cart. He walked past us with slumped shoulders and went to bed without another word.

“Dammit, you just had to keep pushing Senjay!”