They would make for Helsng. Apparently, Utgar had questioned several surrendering soldiers, and they had agreed that he should go there. Helsng wasn\u2019t the capital of the Empire \u2013 that was Elenrul, far to the north. But Helsng did guard a sealed Wellspring, and the soldiers had said it was the main Imperial fortress in Kinsland. That was where the Empire\u2019s representatives would be.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So Helsng was where they would go. Taelord knew they needed to make their intentions clear; they had just slain Ahnvad and left Srung an empty husk. The Empire could easily assume they meant to attack. They would need to have some sort of treaty if they were to find a place in Valhalla where they could live in peace.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
So they left, Volcarrens and soldiers forming a long line. Nearly all were men. Vraen\u2019s camp had contained plenty of women and even children, but they had been massacred when the camp was attacked. Now the only women were Volcarrens like Fera, who had been at Srung, or Vel, and they were nearly impossible to tell apart from the men, both being shrouded in black clothing, walking in a separate line beside the Volcarrens. That line was completely silent. Taelord found himself edging away from them as he walked.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The only supplies the Volcarrens carried were in packs on their backs, nearly all of it food taken from Srung. It didn\u2019t amount to much, but Taelord wasn\u2019t worried. Volcarrens knew how to survive on little food.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soldiers told them Helsng was a good eight days away on foot, and that most of that journey would be through the Red Flats, a deserted area of Kinsland, hot, dry, and barren. That didn\u2019t bother the Volcarrens. They were too used to living in deserts to care.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the sun was hot on Taelord\u2019s back as the line moved steadily westward, leaving Srung abandoned behind them. His pack provided some relief from the glaring heat, but it wasn\u2019t much. He wore only a rough woven shirt, and the sun\u2019s rays seemed to cut through it as though it weren\u2019t even there.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Adding to his discomfort was a sword, which he had strapped to his pack. It was a long, heavy weapon, nearly as tall as Taelord at the shoulder. It thumped uncomfortably on his back with every step he took, and although he had wrapped the blade in some scraps of cloth to protect from the sharpness, he could still feel bruises forming.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He had hoped to find a spear in the armory beneath Srung. They were ideal weapons \u2013 light, easy to walk with, able to keep an enemy at bay. But all of those had been taken by the time he got there. The armory had been nearly stripped clean, the only weapons left a selection of heavy axes and broadswords.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, the broadsword Taelord carried was better than no weapon at all. They were entering Valhalla for the first time \u2013 he hoped for peace, but wanted to be prepared.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After a few hours of walking, they came to the Toxic River, a kyrie-made waterway, a barrier which separated the Volcarren from the rest of Valhalla. It wasn\u2019t wide or deep, but no one had survived crossing it; steam billowed up from it, and its banks were crusted with white and yellow deposits \u2013 evidence of the poison within.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
There was only one bridge across, put there to allow supplies to reach Srung. It was solid stone, but it was also very narrow, the wooden railings somehow doing nothing to prevent the sense that they could topple over the side at any moment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They crossed in silence. It was an eerie experience for Taelord \u2013 once he got part way across, the steam from the river obscured both banks, so that he seemed to be walking in a hot, endless cloud, which smelled of poison.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Eventually, looming out of the acrid clouds which enveloped them, two watchtowers appeared. They flanked the end of the bridge, black squares against the pallid sky. They were deserted now, kyrie having flown ahead of Utgar to warn the soldiers not to attack. Usually they would be manned, Imperial scouts watching the bridge, ready to shoot down any Volcarren which tried to cross it. In the early days of their imprisonment, many Volcarrens had suffered that exact fate \u2013 circumventing Srung only to die at the bridge, and be cast into the Toxic River.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon they passed the watchtowers, the Volcarrens and Vel silent, and left the Toxic River behind. They camped for the night at the foot of some small hills, pushed up against the banks of a wide lake the soldiers called the Volcarren Sound. Taelord had been looking forward to seeing water, but the Sound looked no different than the Toxic River \u2013 steam covered its surface, and its banks were crusted with solid deposits, varying in color from white to yellow and orange. An acrid smell hung in the air, and Taelord was eager to continue moving the next morning.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Soon they came upon the Red Flats. It was, as Taelord had gathered from the name, completely flat. He still wasn\u2019t ready for it. The Volcarren had been pitted and scarred with canyons and ravines. Nothing there had been flat. Here there was just\u2026 nothing. A wide open, blank expanse of desolate ground, sandy, hot, and apparently devoid of life.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, after they had walked through the Red Flats for a few hours, Taelord had to admit it was more fertile than the Volcarren. An occasional shrub dotted the landscape, and in places the ground was cracked \u2013 a sure sign that water ran here occasionally. There was even grass in places, sparse, rough, and gritty, but still there, hidden amongst the sand. Taelord had heard of grass, but he had never seen it before. He ran his hand through it as they passed. Strange.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
They spent four days in the Red Flats, eating the food from their packs sparingly, catching small desert creatures whenever they could. There was far more life here than in the Volcarren, and the creatures they caught all seemed to have more meat on them. In the Volcarren, everything had been armored, thin, or outright poisonous to eat. But here, creatures seemed practically designed for food. Hares bounded away from them, an easy target for even the slowest Volcarren. Their meat was one of the best things Taelord had ever tasted.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
After four days in the Red Flats, the novelty of being in Valhalla was beginning to wear off. Taelord started to hear Volcarrens wondering what would happen next, and the recurring theme seemed to be how the Empire would react.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWhat do you think they\u2019ll do,\u201d he overheard one Volcarren asking as they walked, \u201cwhen we walk into Helsng?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The soldier next to him shrugged. He didn\u2019t look like a soldier anymore \u2013 he had removed his helmet, and his armor was dusty and scratched by sand. \u201cWho knows?\u201d he said. \u201cThey\u2019re afraid of you.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf us?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d the soldier said. \u201cThe Empire is weak. All the northern Imperial cities have grown fat off of good food and more luxury than they know what to do with. Conflict for them is about politics and social maneuvering. They won\u2019t know what to do when an actual army shows up.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Volcarren laughed.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ve always been afraid of you,\u201d the soldier continued. “No one in Kinsland ever liked the idea of the Volcarren being so close. There were always tales of some barbarian from the Volcarren killing a group of soldiers, or assassinating a commander\u2026 now that you\u2019re free? They\u2019ll be quaking in their boots.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Volcarren laughed again, the sound making Taelord shiver despite the heat.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe shouldn\u2019t walk into Helsng,\u201d another Volcarren said, joining the other two. \u201cWe should take it. If the Empire is as weak as you say, it ought to be easy.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The first Volcarren nodded. \u201cUtgar might be content to make some deal with the Empire,\u201d he said, \u201cbut I\u2019m not. My family was slain by Imperial soldiers \u2013 I\u2019ll bathe my blade in their blood before there\u2019s any talk of peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Everyone made sounds of agreement, including the soldier.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cWe aren\u2019t here to start a war,\u201d said a familiar voice. Taelord turned, and saw that Runa had approached the group unseen. She had formed a strange habit of appearing near Taelord at random times, though at the moment she was frowning at the Volcarrens who had spoken.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cStart one?\u201d the first Volcarren said. \u201cI\u2019m here to finish one. The Empire put us in that Wasteland. Well, now the tables have turned. We have a Wellspring. We have an army.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cAnd my father has given orders,\u201d Runa said, unfazed, \u201cthat no one is to attack the Imperials when we meet them.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cOf course,\u201d the second Volcarren said. \u201cIt gives him time to feel them out. See the strength of their armies. Find their weaknesses.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou actually think there will be peace,\u201d the first Volcarren said to Runa, chuckling. \u201cPeace is for the Empire. We are Volcarrens. We don\u2019t need peace. We don\u2019t want peace.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cYou\u2019ll be disappointed then,\u201d Runa said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The Volcarren laughed again. \u201cTell yourself that if you want, Valkyriesdaughter,\u201d he said, leaning closer to her. \u201cBut this will end in bloodshed, and I\u2019ll be there when it does.\u201d He shook his head and sped up, moving further down the line, his two companions going with him.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cHe\u2019s wrong,\u201d Runa said quietly, watching him go. \u201cThe fighting is over.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cI hope so,\u201d Taelord said.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
She turned to him. \u201cYou don\u2019t think it is?\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taelord hesitated. \u201cI want to,\u201d he said. \u201cBelieve me, Runa, I really want to. Utgar has the Wellspring, and I know he doesn\u2019t want a war. But the Volcarrens\u2026\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThey\u2019ll change,\u201d Runa said confidently. \u201cYou\u2019ll see. Once we arrive at Helsng, everything will be fine.\u201d She sped up, leaving him to watch her, his mother at his side, silent.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He didn\u2019t know what to make of her. They weren\u2019t friends \u2013 he had put her in danger more than once. But she seemed to want to talk to him \u2013 something Taelord was sure Utgar didn\u2019t know, and wouldn\u2019t approve of if he did. He shook his head.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
He hoped she was right. He really did. True, the Volcarrens wanted blood, but Utgar didn\u2019t. And Utgar had the Wellspring. And yet\u2026<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Taelord looked down, watching the ground pass beneath his feet. Maybe it was just Ahnvad, whispering poison in his ears. But Ahnvad was dead. He was dead, the Wellspring was theirs, and they were free of the Volcarren. Was it too much to believe the fighting was over?<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Still, it would take a fool to say the Volcarrens didn\u2019t want war. They were ready for it. Taelord didn\u2019t doubt that, had one of them drunk from the Wellspring, they would be on their way to besiege Helsng right now, not approach it peacefully.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Fortunately, Utgar hadn\u2019t revealed the location of the Wellspring. He, Runa, Taelord, and Kirav were the only ones who knew, and for that, Taelord was grateful. He was sure that if the location were known, some Volcarren would try to sneak in and steal some water.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Even without the location being known, the Volcarrens wanted Utgar to use the Wellspring. More than once, Taelord had heard kyrie suggest that Utgar give the water to Vydar and others, making more Valkyries, or that he use the Wellspring to summon an army to defeat the Empire \u2013 something the ancient tales said a Wellspring could do.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Taelord knew Utgar had considered both options. Vydar had suggested summoning the moment he met Utgar and realized how small their army was. But Utgar had refused. Summoning from across space and time was something not even the Archkyrie had dared do. It would open Valhalla to other worlds and other races\u2026 there would be no coming back from that.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Runa herself had suggested sharing the water with others, and Taelord could understand why: more Valkyries would ensure peace. What other option would the Empire have? But it could also cause war. Multiple Valkyrie with practically unlimited power\u2026 what happened when they had a disagreement? Utgar had seen this, and refused, and Taelord was glad he had.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
But Runa hadn\u2019t understood. Taelord had seen her frown when Utgar made the decision to keep the water for himself. She was trusting, perhaps too trusting. But Taelord agreed with Utgar: when it came to the Wellspring, very few could be trusted. If any.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
His thoughts were interrupted by a word rippling down the line, passed down by a scout who had flown ahead.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
\u201cThe Empire,\u201d came the whispers. \u201cThe Empire is approaching.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
They would make for Helsng. Apparently, Utgar had questioned several surrendering soldiers, and they had agreed that he should go there. Helsng wasn\u2019t the capital of the Empire \u2013 that was Elenrul, far to the north. But Helsng did guard a sealed Wellspring, and the soldiers had said it was the main Imperial fortress in … Continue reading Chapter Three<\/span>