Steelforged Legacy 4 - Chapter 10

Chapter 10

“Casey, we can’t accept these…” Einar said with a frown that was mirrored by Vibeke, even as Aiden strained in the big man’s grip to investigate the pouch that his partner held in his other hand.

“Why not?” Casey asked, his feet spread for balance with his arms crossed over his chest.

“It wouldn’t be right,” Einar said with a shake of his head that made his shaggy hair bounce and Aiden protested the jostling.

“I already owe you too much, Casey,” Vibeke added, leaning forward slightly to allow Blair to balance on her shoulders.

The Gale Cat kitten enjoyed spending as much time in proximity with her human as possible, but only on her own terms. Which meant that Vibeke ended up being an impromptu roost most of the time while the two continued to bond.

“It’s not something either of you need to repay,” Casey insisted. “If you are going to keep up with me, then you need to be on equal footing. I know that chasing the Heavens is supposed to be a marathon, not a sprint, but I figure those will help you catch up.”

Einar grimaced and looked down at the large sack in his hands. Despite his protests about not wanting to accept them, it was obvious that the big man was struggling to release his grip on the precious bag.

After they had finished their dealings with the Bronze Fist, Queen Runa had ordered their ships to pack up and begin making the return trip to the Roaring Mountain. Half of the ships remained behind to patrol the border and ensure that the Bronze Fist left, since there were still the unresolved issues between the Roaring Mountain and them, but Runa’s flagship and two escorts were currently cruising over a section of thick forest only a day from the border.

Casey had taken the time to catalog everything he’d been given with Maude’s help and organize everything. He’d separated the beast cores into two bags, though, and given those to Einar and Vibeke.

“But still,” Vibeke began to protest again but was cut off when Blair got hold of the mouth of her bag and began tugging on it playfully. “No, stop that Blair. Those aren’t for you.”

“It would be a bad idea to give them to your partners all at once, anyway,” came a stern voice from off to their right.

Casey turned to spot Ragna, one of the senior drengr under Runa and the queen’s guard, as the other woman strode towards them.

Despite having encountered her several times over the last few weeks, Casey had yet to see Ragna in anything other than her full set of enchanted leather armor. The woman’s right hand rested casually on the head of the axe set into the loop on her belt, with the same level of familiarity that he had holding Maude’s handle while at rest. Her short mop of dishwater blonde hair danced in the light breeze that made it past the ships shields while she studied them intently.

“Drengr Ragna, does Queen Runa need to speak with Casey?” Vibeke was quick to say, straightening up to salute. It was only when Blair yowled in protest that she stopped, caught between keeping her spirit beast happy and being respectful.

“It’s fine,” Ragna reassured her with a wave of her hand, her stern features not shifting one inch as she glanced over the three of them. “I simply saw you three talking and surmised what you might be discussing.”

Casey wasn’t surprised at that statement. Ragna had the air of someone who did not miss much around her, a fact that reminded him quite a bit of his old lieutenant. The woman had been sharp and passed that same attention to detail on to her recruits as best she could.

Glancing around, Ragna clearly made a note of the fact that none of the other drengr that were in their section of the ship currently occupied their bunks. A small handful of spirit beasts lounged in their sections of decking in front of the berths, but they were either sleeping or ignoring them.

“Dividing up the spoils?” Ragna asked quietly, turning her stern face back to the trio.

“Trying to,” Casey grunted, his irritation not helped by the titter of laughter from Maude that only he could hear.

“It’s far too much,” Einar repeated with a grimace. “I would feel like I am taking advantage of a friend…”

“And who found me, beaten nearly to death and bloody from battle when I’d fought off a hill-varg with nothing but a sharp stick, and insisted on healing and helping me?” Casey shot back at the big man with a frown. “I still owe you for that.”

“There is no debt between friend—” Einar began before his mouth snapped shut and he grimaced.

“No debts between friends?” Casey offered and Einar nodded, realizing he’d just backed himself into a corner.

“You do ask quite a bit of them to accept gifts, if those are what I think they are,” Ragna continued, glancing towards the bags in Einar and Vibeke’s hands. “It would literally indebt them to you for their progress over several Steps, if not more along the Drengr’s Road.”

“I just want friends who can travel it with me, that is all,” Casey said in exasperation. “How hard is that to understand?”

Harder than you might imagine, love, Maude murmured reassuringly to him, and Casey felt the ghost of fingers running through his hair.

Ragna glanced between the three of them for a long moment, pausing to study their features for several seconds before moving on, before she spoke up.

“I would counsel you to accept the gift,” Ragna said at last, turning her attention to Einar and Vibeke. “Your friend wishes to cement you as his allies, and he is far enough ahead of you that help is needed to keep up. With time, the gap in qi will mean less, but that will be almost a full Journey before then.”

“But—” Vibeke protested weakly, but Blair interrupted her with a loud miaow that made the woman wince as it was right in her ear.

Aiden also gave a bark of support, his shimmering tail thrashing behind him as he snuggled into Einar’s chest.

“You don’t have to take them all if you don’t want to,” Casey allowed at last, wanting to find a middle ground. “Hell, I just divided them equally. Why not talk and swap them around so you have the ones that will best match your goals. I imagine that Einar has no use for the water-aligned cores, while Vibeke probably won’t want the earth ones, at the very least.”

The two nodded numbly, and while they looked like they might continue to protest, it didn’t look like they had a good argument right now.

“Think it over,” Ragna ordered the silent duo, her stern voice making both jump. “You both know your friend well enough to understand he is moving at a far greater clip than most. You will need to be able to commit to a more grueling training schedule if you are not going to slow him down. Those will help.”

Einar and Vibeke’s faces both hardened with determination at that. Before, when Casey had couched it in terms of helping them out, neither had wanted to accept. But with Ragna’s implication that instead they would be holding him back, that changed things into something both looked willing to accept. They would not be the ones holding him back.

Seeing that the two were coming around, Ragna gave a sharp nod before turning her attention back to Casey.

“My Lady wanted me to pass along her compliments on how you handled the negotiations. She would have interceded if they continued to try and push the idea that the chest was to make things right between the clans, as she would demand—and get—far more. I doubt the late and unlamented Damien’s family will retain their land for long unless they have hidden wealth that was not in Damien’s name.”

“Good. She’s welcome to ride them for as much as she can get…” Casey trailed off as his statement reminded him of something. Of an old woman and her simple son who had been a dab hand with leatherworking and crafted the sturdy saddle that Magnus was now using.

“Actually,” Casey said after a moment of thought. “I might have information on someone that the clan may wish to bring into their service…”

Ragna raised one eyebrow but gestured for him to continue.

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It was later that day that the sound of a signal horn in the distance brought the activity on the qi-ship to a dead standstill.

Casey had been meditating, going over the other things that he’d been given as his prize and trying to plan with Maude what they could be used for. While the money would be useful, there was a limit of what it could do for Casey. They would need to spend time going over what was available at the quartermasters when they returned to the Roaring Mountain. Einar and Vibeke had been meditating as well, though neither were using the cores he’d given them yet, clearly needing more time to consider.

The sharp note of the signal horn pulled Casey out of his meditation and he pulled out of his inner realm to find everyone looking to the west.

Another series of notes rang out over the plains and Casey was able to track them to a shimmering silver bird that was angling towards the qi-ships even now.

“Bring us about!” ordered Runa, the drengr stomping out of her quarters to stare towards the bird. “That’s one of ours, a patrol it looks like. I want to know why he’s blowing the signal calling for assistance.”

The silent deck immediately broke into a mad scramble, with drengr racing to obey or just get out of the way. Those that were not on duty slid down into the lower deck where the bunks were tucked under the edges to make space while those on duty began adjusting sails to bring them about.

“Get your gear, younglings,” ordered a grinning female drengr whose name escaped Casey at the moment. “The signal for assistance means we might have a fight on our hands.

Casey felt a thrill of excitement run through him at that.

Ever since the flight from the Bronze Fist  and the race to reach the Roaring Mountain, he’d been missing the energy that came with a pressure to fight and survive. Sure, it had been frantic and he hadn’t enjoyed hiding, but he’d also grown explosively during that time as well.

Casey shared a look with Einar and found the big man’s face splitting in an eager grin that he felt mirrored on his own.

“You two…” Vibeke said with a sigh as Blair and Aiden voiced their excitement too.

Since Casey only had the imbued clothing still, and he didn’t have or want to spend the time with the armor he’d won from Damien, he just started stretching out as the others prepared.

All around him, drengr collected weapons from their bunks, shrugged into armor, or began strapping armor to their spirit beast companions.

Nope, Magnus told him as soon as Casey’s eyes turned towards the Gladewalker Elk. No way are you going to strap me with metal. That’ll just get in the way.

“You sure, Magnus? It might help protect you?” Casey said aloud, amused at the elk’s protests.

Damn right I’m sure, Magnus answered with a snort and an irate flick of his tail. You try and do that, I’ll shit in your bedroll. I don’t care if you are my brother and your soul is steel. Earth Mother gave me everything I needed to protect myself at birth. I just have to be canny enough to use it.

Casey raised an eyebrow at that, but didn’t press. He’d learned to respect Magnus’ decisions over their time together, as the elk always had a reason for things.

That reason might just be to be a dick, but he has a reason, Casey thought with a grin as he quickly checked over his things and summoned one of the iron-banded round-shields to his left hand from his storage belt.

The grip was tacky under his hand, the leather giving just enough to allow him to get a good hold under the center boss. He gave it a few gentle swings to loosen up before banishing it back into his storage belt once more.

A sharp cry of an eagle nearby preceded the thunk of someone landing on the forward deck.

“Who is in command? I need to speak with them immediately!” a man’s voice barked urgently.

“Report, Drengr!” Runa’s voice cut across the others who had started to answer the man’s question.

Casey had turned to watch as the man—a broad shoulders but squat man with raven-black hair—inclined his head to Runa before he spoke rapidly.

“Fomori, a force of over a thousand has pushed past our border and is heading deeper. They appear to have come through the Sunsworn Ravine and are moving with a purpose rather than squatting to despoil the land, my queen. They numbered too many for my patrol and I to fight, so we scattered to find assistance.”

Runa cursed roundly at that before giving a sharp nod.

“Take wing and turn south. I left three more qi-ships along the border to the Bronze Fist. They should be on their way back, I want you to direct them to the fight. My ships will divert to deal with the threat before they get deeper into the valley. Give the heading to my helmsman before you go.”

“At once, my queen!” answered the stout man, snapping a salute to her with his fist to his chest before racing along the deck to the back where the massive enchanted tiller sat that guided the ship.

Moments later, the ship groaned as it began to shift and the helmsman began shouting orders to adjust the sails while Runa turned to the assembled drengr waiting in the hold.

“Looks like we have a chance to wet our blades this trip!” Runa called with a wild grin crossing her face.

The roar of approval from her assembled warriors was drowned out a moment later by the thunderous roars of the spirit beasts with them.

After the noise died down, the queen locked eyes with Casey for a moment before beckoning him up onto the deck.

Not hesitating, Casey trotted over and jumped to get up and out of the hold, clearing the near eight foot vertical jump with ease by using a post to scramble up and land neatly beside Runa.

“Walk with me,” Runa ordered as she strode back towards the rear of the qi-ship. Casey fell in beside her without hesitation.

Ahead of them, Casey saw the messenger speaking furiously with the helmsman for a moment before nodding and turning to race for the edge of the ship.

The man didn’t hesitate, mantling up and onto the railing before throwing himself over the side. A flash of steel-colored feathers came from below before a massive Steel Eagle rose up with the scout on his back. The great bird circled once before breaking to the south in the direction they’d been coming from.

“You’ve faced Fomori before?” Runa asked sharply, drawing Casey’s attention back to her.

“Yes, several times. Both with assistance and by myself,” Casey answered without hesitation. He could feel Maude vibrating with excitement at the idea of facing the monstrous creatures again, she loathed them as much as Casey did, after all.

“Good. I want you with us in the fight,” Runa said firmly as she rounded the back edge of the lower deck and led him into her cabin.

While it was the stateroom for a queen, the room was still small to make the most of the space they had. A table sat in the middle of the front half of the room, attached to the floor with iron straps. A closed cabinet sat against one wall that was full of what Casey guessed were maps or reports, as they were bound scrolls in different cubbies. A bed much like the ones they had below decks sat in the corner, though twice the size of those beds at least, while weapons hung from the walls and the eastern wall was taken up by a large tapestry depicting the Roaring Mountain itself.

“Einar faced them as well. One of the first fights I had by his side was to eliminate a small Fomori infestation on the lands held by the Silver Hammer,” Casey continued as Runa strode across to the cabinet and opened it.

“That was my next question. Your companions are far weaker than you, weaker than any I brought with us for this. Are they going to be up to the task? I see promise in them, but I don’t want to risk someone fresh if they aren’t ready,” Runa asked, selecting one of the scrolls and unrolling it before nodding and turning to lay it on the table.

It was a map, of a specific section along the south-western part of the valley that Casey recognized as it had a mark in one corner to denote the direction to the Roaring Mountain.

Casey throttled the urge to reply immediately, taking the time to compare what he knew of the Fomori to what he knew his friends were capable of.

Maude? 

They can handle it, Maude replied instantly. Einar proved that before, and Vibeke stood by our side multiple times during our flight from the Bronze Fist. They may not be up to our level, but they’ll keep even heads.

Casey didn’t question his partner’s confidence. Maude had more combat experience than likely anyone in the room currently, given she’d literally seen the war the gods fought in against the Fomori on the divine plane.

“They can handle it, though I wouldn’t drop them in the middle of this horde.”

“I wouldn’t do that regardless,” Runa said with a snort. “No, you and them will hit the enemy from the flank while another group hits from the opposite side. Two spears thrusting into their guts while I and our most senior drengr drop in from above in a lightning-blow to decapitate them.”

“What about their partners?” Casey asked, immediately thinking of the tiny Aiden and Blair. The two spirit beasts were scrappy, but nowhere near large enough to make a difference right now.

“They’ll stay behind,” Runa said without hesitation. “A handful will stay behind aboard the ships to guard them, as some Fomori can fly. If they balk, then tell them they are to ‘guard their den’ so their partner can retreat safely if needed. It works more often than not with the young spirit beasts.”

“Got it,” Casey said with a nod. His heart was already beating faster in anticipation for the fight to come. He could hear the roars, shrieks, and bellows of the other spirit beasts outside as they got themselves psyched up for the fight. “How long do we have?”

Runa didn’t answer immediately as she scanned over the map in front of her, fingers tracing valleys, ravines, and rivers along the edge of the map while mumbling to herself.

The thump of the door opening behind him made Casey jump and he turned to find Ragna stamping into the room with a snarl on her lips.

“Fomori, what dragged those bastards out of their dens in the wastes. Of course they are going to rear their heads while my queen is close enough to intervene and risk herself,” Ragna was grumbling, the drengr coming up short when she spotted Casey standing beside the table.

“Don’t start, Ragna,” Runa said from where she bent over the map.

“My lady!” Ragna protested in a tone that would have been petulant on anyone else.

“No,” Runa said firmly. “You know that I’m not going to sit this out. I get so few chances to fight. If I’d known that this was what would happen taking the reins after my uncle ascended, I wouldn’t have done it. We fight as we always have, battle-sister.”

“Back to back,” Ragna growled, and Casey thought he saw the hint of a smile on the stern woman’s features as she came to a stop looking down at the map as Ragna suddenly jabbed her finger down on a spot.

“Two hours,” Ragna said with a fierce grin. “If they are making full speed into the vale, we should catch them here. The open ground will favor our mounted soldiers. First charge will slam in hard and then dismount to anchor them, before the second charge hits them from the other side like a pike. Then we drop in on top of them.”

Casey looked down at where Runa was pointing and saw a large section marked as open plains with a river on one side and ridgeline of stone on the other.

“Which side am I with?” Casey asked, looking up to meet Runa’s intense gaze.

“You and your friends will charge with the first group,” Runa said firmly. “They can ride in with some of the larger spirit beasts, and will mix in better with those dismounted. You all haven’t had training yet in working as a cavalry group, so this is better anyway. Cover each other’s backs and get out of this in one piece.”

Casey gave her a sharp nod and turned to head out so he could inform Einar and Vibeke. Behind him, he heard the two senior drengr begin talking about who would go with which of the three forces.