Steelforged Legacy 2 - Chapter 12

Chapter 12

Casey chatted with Arvid about inconsequential things as they walked. The two drengr in the lead would chime in on occasion, but for the most part they seemed to be content to listen to the two men talk with the occasional huff or grunt from Magnus.

It was actually rather nice to talk to someone reasonable, besides Maude. Casey didn’t quite count Magnus as reasonable, not yet at least.

Casey did what he could to learn of the area, though he made sure to keep his inquiries general so that Arvid would not be offended or think he was prying into things he should not. 

He learned that the Oak Horde clan was primarily woodworkers, foresters, and hunters. They maintained their forces of drengr to defend their lands, but relied on the vastness of the forest and the native wildlife as well to help protect their settlements.

Apparently, their primary exports were the qi infused woods that their clan had long been cultivating. The majority of those woods were sent on to the Skywolf clan, who used them to construct the fleets of flying longships that were sold and traded even further amongst the clans. Because of that connection, most clans did not provoke them as none wanted to lose access to the ships. Most clans, that was, except for the Bronze Fist.

Casey was just about to ask after the other clans that caused trouble for the Oak Horde when the road veered sharply to one side and the sounds of industry began to leak through the tightly knit trees on his right. The change was so sudden and the noise so unexpected that it startled Casey and he turned to peer into the trees in that direction.

“Didn’t notice the runestones, did you?” laughed Arvid. When Casey glanced back at him, the other man pointed over his shoulder. Casey glanced back along the road to see two rounded stones set into the turf, one to each side of the road. There were runes and symbols carved into them that glowed faintly in the shadows of the trees above.

“What are they?” Casey asked, turning back to the other man.

“Border stones. They surround the lands of the village and help keep us unseen and unheard. They form a ward that seals in sound and hides our scents. It allows the animals of the forest to come closer to our settlements without hearing us, so hunting is both easier and the creatures have a larger range.”

Interesting choice, but why leave them exposed like that? Wouldn’t attackers seek to destroy them, especially since the border is so noticeable? Maude asked Casey, and he relayed the question to Arvid.

“Oh, they are welcome to try. If one of the stones fails or is destroyed, it sets off an alarm in the village. The elder drengr make them and we have dozens of spares, so anyone foolish enough to do that when preparing to attack the village is just giving us even more warning. We have them out on the road here so passing merchants will know the town is here and stop to trade.”

“Huh, interesting choice. So you aren’t really hiding from other humans, just the native animals of the forest?”

“Both, to be honest. The only way to hear what lies on the other side of the barrier is to pass through it. It doesn’t hide us visually, so fliers and those who have a perch can still see the village, but it’s one of the small ways we avoid trouble.” Arvid said with a shrug before turning his attention back to the road once more. “We will be arriving at the gates soon. Let me handle the conversation there. We can settle your Magnus into a stable by the gates, then I’ll take you to see the truthsayer. With her statement, there will be no questions asked and you can do some trading in town and take a bed at one of the inns. I know I plan to take a steam myself before heading back out. Bodil may annoy me, but I won’t leave her and the others on the border alone for long.”

Nodding in understanding, Casey waited and watched as they approached a fork in the road. The route leading off to his right, in the direction where the song of hammer and saw emerged, was the one that they took. The rasp of saws and ringing of hammers as they drove chisels or nails echoed in Casey’s mind, reminding him of those times when he had passed near the blacksmiths in towns, each note reverberating in his soul and his qi singing in response.

The song of the forge, Casey thought, remembering what Maude had told him. Of iron and steel at work, of purpose and good cheer. I think I need to spend more time around these sounds; they make my heart feel… lighter?

It’s true. The Legacy of Steel holds both sides of the coin: common tools and weapons of war. Do not let one side of that coin become tarnished through disuse. Maude’s voice held her smile close, and he could feel the warmth of that expression on his face, as if she walked alongside him right now.

The gates of the city were broad and tall, easily over twelve feet high and ten wide. Black iron straps and pins held those massive slabs of dark gray wood in place, hanging inside a sturdy wall constructed of gray stone half again as high as the doors.

The city itself only had a bare forty feet between the curtain wall and the treeline, but it was carefully tended and cleared of plant life to give those on the wall good vision of anything creeping close. A far shorter cleared space than Casey was used to seeing, but given the condition of the wall and gate, he guessed it had to be intentional. No one who would build walls that high and strong would make that sort of mistake. There had to be something more he wasn’t seeing.

Arvid called up to the wall, exchanging words with them for a few moments before the gates creaked and began to open. Casey didn’t listen to the exchange as he was studying the wall and the open space, trying to figure out what it was that felt so off. Whenever he seemed to be figuring something else out, the distracting rasp or clank of the work taking place inside the walls sent his memory back to the visions of the forge from when he had taken up the Legacy that Maude had offered him.

“Casey, come on.” His name coming from Arvid drew his attention away, and he turned back to the other man with a frown, following after him through the barrier.

Inside the wall, the village looked a bit worse for wear, showing the signs of the raid that he’d heard about. One of the buildings near the wall was bare of thatch, with a pile of the charred material stacked into the alley between it and the wall. Men swarmed the thin rafters, working together to tie fresh bundles into place while others measured and called down for timber to repair burned sections of the building.

Panning his eyes over the scene in front of him, Casey spotted four more buildings getting the same treatment, as well as a half-dozen others that were showing signs of new roofs or repairs in the different colors of wood and weathering on their sides.

Unlike most of the towns that he’d been in over the last few weeks, the elaborate carvings and decoration of the wood portions of the houses stood out. While before, he’d seen things like twining vines, repeating patterns, and the occasional depiction of a man or woman hunting, these posts overflowed with details.

The building that was missing its roof had a pair of carved rams supporting either side of the overhang that shielded its porch for example, the animal’s horns each supporting a dangling lamp that held a baldrsteinn in a reflective brass cage.

Just beside the building, elaborate carvings of a herd of horses pranced alongside one wall, while a herd of massive, shaggy sheep decorated the other. The details of both herds were so intense that Casey swore that the only reason he knew they were carvings was the lack of paint. Another shop had swirling, repeating patterns that made Casey think of a rainbow with the different shades of wood used to depict it.

They settled Magnus into the stable, which was actually the building with the herds of sheep and horses on it. The stable hand, a thick-waisted young woman with a ready smile for Arvid promised to look after the ‘handsome lord,’ as she described Magnus, and was quick to tow the prancing elk into her workspace while cooing about how she would see he got a good brushing to clean out his fur.

“I am going to have trouble getting him to come with me when it’s time to go,” Casey muttered, watching the proud animal leave with its head high.

“She’ll make sure he’s well cared for and ready when you do leave. I’m sure he might forgive you for taking him away from her affection with time,” Arvid laughed, guiding him away down another alley with the other two drengr falling in at the rear of their group, now that Magnus of the Many Smells had moved on.

“Anything you can tell me about the truthsayer?” Casey asked as they walked along a narrow alley between two buildings, curving around towards the back of town. The sounds of labor and industry were still thick in the air, but muffled now that they were not directly beside them.

“Be honest, answer her questions. Do not threaten her. She may not be drengr, but she is still völva, and thus dangerous in her own right.”

Witch or sorceress would also work, Maude supplied before Casey could ask her. The völva are all these things. They may not have the martial strength of a drengr, but they are still respected.

Casey remained silent after that, turning over the idea in his head. Until now, the only portrayals he’d seen of witches and the like were from pop culture and modern media. Somehow he doubted that he’d be meeting a graduate from a certain Scottish school of magic waving a wand around. And, other than the penchant for the elementals to simply appear out of nowhere and his own techniques, Casey hadn’t really seen anything that might be described as magical.

Well, that and Maude just taking on her human form, Casey thought with a grin, his mind drifting happily back to the feeling of her bare chest pressed to his as they made love within his center, the only place the spiritual woman could touch him for more than a moment currently.

Pervert, Maude teased him in good humor.

Before he could respond, Arvid brought them to a stop in front of a small building roofed in green sod tucked up against the wall. A small pen next to the house held a pair of goats and a half-dozen chickens, while on the opposite side of the pen was a little fenced-in garden of what looked like herbs. The whole place looked unassuming and entirely normal, enough so that Casey felt disappointed as he looked it over. The ever-present carvings were here, but rather than making a cohesive whole, these were thick patterns of runes that flowed one into another like someone writing in cursive. But the individual symbols did not spell out anything he could tell.

Arvid gestured once to his two companions for them to wait and turned about to go up the trio of steps that lead to the shallow porch before the building’s door. No sooner had the man’s boot come down on the first step than the front door swept open to reveal a woman with a severe expression on a face that had a timeless look to it. Casey wasn’t sure if she was eighteen or thirty-eight. Her figure was full and slim, and her face free of wrinkles, but her long blonde hair fell in a thick braid that hung low enough to drag along the slats behind her and vanish into the darkness of the doorway. She wore a simple dress of sky blue trimmed in white that cinched in at her waist with a broad leather belt with the beaded shapes of stags stitched into it.

“Drengr,” the woman said simply, her tone firm and authoritative, like a mother calling for her children.

“Truthsayer Hrefna,” Arvid said while dipping her a curt bow. “I have brought one to you that we found crossing the bridge to flee the Bronze Fist lands. We need your confirmation that he does not bear suspicion to keep with our duties of protecting the border.”

The woman’s eyes darted from Arvid to Casey. She spent a long moment studying his face before dropping her gaze over his body while her frown deepened. A frown that abruptly fell away into astonishment for a moment before she slammed it back into place.

“Leave us, Arvid. You have delivered your charge to me, and I will take it from here. I need to speak to this stranger in private.” The older woman ordered before wheeling about and vanishing back through her doorway, leaving the portal open behind her and not giving them a chance to argue.

“Well then… you heard her, Casey. Best of luck now,” Arvid said, his brow knitting in concern as he turned to shoot Casey a questioning look.

“Sure… thanks…” Casey muttered, shrugging at the question he saw in Arvid’s eyes. “I’ll hopefully talk to you later. Got an inn you can recommend?”

“Dancing Leaves. It’s on the pricier side, but it’s worth it. I’m sure you’ll be just fine with her, so I’ll promise to see you there later tonight, all right?”

“Got it, Dancing Leaves,” Casey muttered before mounting the stairs himself, his left hand hooking over the hilt of his seax to keep it from bouncing and letting him converse with his partner.

Maude, what is going on?

I… am not sure. That was very odd. I can feel her power as well. This is not someone we wish to offend, Casey. Maude’s words were cautious and Casey thought he heard a faint hint of fear in them, and that began to raise his temper. He did not appreciate anyone who made his Maude anything less than happy.

Apparently, that thought and feeling transmitted through where his hand touched her metallic body, because a gentle giggle echoed in his mind next as Casey strode through the door and into the house.

The little house squatted around a round, central firepit made of ancient slate. A hood and chimney sat above it on four pillars carved to look like rearing horses that were weathered and polished with age. A small fire burned in the central basin, sending flickering light out to illuminate the room alongside the faint light of a trio of baldrsteinn hanging from the ceiling at the back of the room.

“Shut the door, drengr.” The older woman’s firm voice came from the other side of the fire. The clack of a shutter closing followed her words a moment later. A dimming of the light made it harder to see until another log was tossed on the fire a moment later.

Doing as he was bid, Casey stepped further into the warm, herb scented darkness of the home. His left hand did not leave Maude, in case he needed to speak to her, and he gripped his belt with the other hand to keep it ready and close to draw the weapon if he had to.

Bundles of herbs, baskets, and other various tools hung from the ceiling in different locations, the beams under the sharply peaked thatch roof also stained with both age and smoke. Casey was able to make out a partial second floor towards the back of the room, which held a bed. A table sat to his right with several well-made chairs pulled up around it.

Before he could study the room more, Hrefna strode around the firepit, her long braid dragging behind her several feet like the train of a gown as it ran over the polished boards of the floor. The strange sound and motion drew his eyes, and Casey noted that, despite its rough treatment, the braid didn’t look frayed or damaged at all. Instead, it shone with life even after having been dragged all about the room over the floor.

“Now then, drengr. You are not here as a spy for the Bronze Fist, are you?” The woman stopped a few feet away from Casey, gazing at him with piercing blue eyes that actually matched her gown in color. Her posture was tense and her hands held folded in front of her, the image of a stern, motherly figure.

“No, I am not. I am just a traveler passing through,” Casey said firmly, remembering what Arvid had told him and how Maude had coached him to be specific in his answers.

Her reaction caught him by surprise, as he’d been expecting another stern response or even just a nod. Maybe a follow-up question. Instead, Hrefna slumped slightly and blew out a breath of relief, letting her hands drop to her sides. Her stern facade faded almost immediately into one of relief.

“Oh, thank the gods for that… I was… I don’t know what I would have done to find…” She couldn’t seem to locate the words to finish her sentence and let them trickle out of her like water from a spilled jug.

“Miss?” Casey asked in question, his words startling her out of her distraction and Hrefna straightened, blinking her intense blue eyes several times before clearing her throat. Her voice was now warm and contrite as she spoke, her eyes drifting first to Casey’s face before falling towards the floor once more.

“I am sorry about that, drengr. I lost myself for a moment. I hope my previous attitude did not offend you, good drengr. Or you, child of the gods.”

The gasp he heard from Maude drew his gaze downwards and Casey realized that the woman was addressing the seax at his waist, her eyes fixed on Maude’s material form.

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Silence stretched on for several long moments between them before Maude finally broke it.

Can you hear me, daughter of the moon?

“I can indeed hear you, though it is quiet,” Hrefna replied, bowing her head respectfully to Maude. “I apologize for startling both of you, but I would be remiss if I did not offer my greetings and assistance to one of the divines.”

“Well… I guess it’s not just Magnus that can hear you then,” Casey muttered aloud, smirking down at the sheathed blade.

He got the distinct impression of Maude pouting up at him for a moment before he turned his attention back to Hrefna, who had looked up now with a question in her blue eyes that Maude answered.

A companion of ours, he is staying at the stables right now.

“The stables? But why? I am surprised Arvid did not bring him here as well to confirm he was not a threat…” Hrefna’s confused expression hadn’t faded, and Casey had to bite back a laugh. Instead, he decided to offer a bit of information that would put the woman’s concerns and confusions to rest.

“Magnus is a spirit beast. A Gladewalker Elk specifically. Right now, he’s getting spoiled rotten because your clan seems to think he’s something special.”

“A Gladewalker Elk!” exclaimed Hrefna, her eyes going wide once more before she laid one hand over her modest chest and took a deep, calming breath. “To think, one of the forest monarchs as well as a young divine…” she let the sentence trail off and darted a glance up at Casey’s face, her next question just as obvious in her eyes: Who was he to keep this kind of company?

Rather than answer her, Casey decided to let Maude handle this. Both because she knew the most, and because he knew she rarely got to converse with anyone besides him and Magnus. Maude clearly picked up that thought as well from him and sent Casey the image of a sweet kiss before she spoke aloud once more.

Hrefna the völva, you have nothing to fear from me or my partner. I can make no promises of Magnus, though, as that handsome fellow is his own master. The amusement in Maude’s voice helped the other woman to relax, and Hrefna gestured towards the table, indicating for him to sit.

“I apologize for my discourteous reactions. But to be visited by one of the divine is not a small thing. May I inquire as to what brings you to this realm, my lady?” She asked the question politely, but Casey could see the faint, concerned wrinkle on the woman’s forehead.

I don’t think she knows who you are, just that you are something special, he thought towards Maude and got a thoughtful hum in reply. From the völva’s lack of reaction to that, Casey confirmed that while she could hear Maude’s voice, the woman couldn’t hear his thoughts, which was relieving.

Maude was silent for several moments, and Casey could tell she was weighing her response before she spoke. And when she finally did speak, he was surprised at how much she divulged.

Casey is on a mission for my father. I was sent along to accompany and guide him, as well as help him to grow. It is my intent to see him elevated along the Drengr’s Road, as he has goals that will require the strength of the Divine Journey.

“May I ask…” the völva grimaced slightly, clearly nervous of voicing the next question, “who your parents are, my lady? I have received… visions lately that I feel might have a bearing on your mission.”

This time, Maude didn’t hesitate, answering the woman’s question with a voice filled with iron.

My father is Loki, and my mother is Sigyn. I am their youngest child, and you will keep this information to yourself, völva. Maude’s words were sharp, and Casey could feel the threat in them.

Hrefna nodded furiously, the motion making her blonde braid dance behind her as she knitted her fingers on the table top.

“Of course, my lady. With that information, I know already that my visions pertain to you and your companion. For who else would have this elaborate of a plan than Loki and his first wife?”

First wife? Casey thought, and Maude made a shushing noise.

I’ll explain later, Casey, Maude sent him before Casey felt her attention return to the woman in front of them.

Because it felt odd to him to have the völva staring at his waist while they talked, he reached across and carefully drew Maude from her sheath. The gesture made the other woman tense, but she relaxed when Casey laid Maude on the table next to him, with her blade angled towards him instead of at her.

What were your visions, völva? Maude asked, her voice pointed again. Casey wondered why it was that Maude had not used the other woman’s name. He guessed it was the formality of the situation, with the other woman addressing her via titles, so she was returning that attention.

“I saw a man hounded across the forest and over the river by hunters.” Hrefna’s voice took on an odd quality as she spoke of her vision. “A pursuit that continued along the length of the river and across a great plain to the edge of a massive valley. A great, sundered peak loomed in the distance, a mountain with four distinct peaks surrounded on all sides by rolling lands, a sole watchman over a great field.”

Casey glanced down at Maude, but she didn’t speak, letting the völva continue.

“Along the way, I saw you joined by a shadow that slipped through the forest like a fish through water. I believe this to be your Magnus, as the forest lords are the only creatures I know of that can travel as such.” Casey nodded at Hrefna’s suggestion and continued to listen silently. “What I believe is the direction I am to give you is this: along the river, there is a narrow island that is shaped like a drop-spindle, with the base pointing upstream. The world is wrapped in darkness with the scarf of the stars spread wide across the sky. A red fox darts along one bank, staring up at the sky before vanishing in a flash of red fur. Moments later, night becomes as day and a streak of light arcs over the trees to drive itself into the river in an explosion of steam, mud, and boiling water. When the steam clears, the island is gone and a lump of something fades beneath the water, its glow vanishing quickly and darkness’ shroud wraps the world once more.”

A fox… and you said the island is shaped like a spindle? Maude’s question was intense and as soon as the völva nodded in agreement, Maude ‘hmpf’d in annoyance. My mother then. Do you know what way from here this… vision was?

“North, good lady,” Hrefna said quietly, her eyes twinkling with curiosity. “I’ve never seen the like of it. I know spells that can cause that sort of damage, and stronger drengr or spirit beasts could do that. But that looked like a miniature sun?”

Casey could tell Maude was studying the other woman, wondering if she should reveal more. He had a decent idea of what it was, as he’d seen and felt something similar in the vision when he’d accepted his Legacy weeks previous, but it was Maude’s right to tell the story.

Calling it a miniature sun is quite accurate, actually, Maude said at last. That was a falling star.