This is an on going series. Use the links below to navigate.
The Godspeaker — Episode 3
The flower and the plan
He saw the shield-maiden and the tribe. They were still camped where Édegorn and Ládheris left them. The preparatives were over and they all gathered by a big fire surrounded by tents and packed goods. They were singing and drinking and having a good time after a hard day’s work. There was silence after they finished the song. One tough man with dark hair and punished skin raised with his arms open wide. He was talking, but Édegorn couldn’t understand the words. The air became heavier. The man pointed to the shield-maiden in an act of insolence. Someone threw him an ax. He stepped to the inner part of the circle of people where there were only empty space and the fire. Now the ax pointed to her while the man turned to the audience opening his arms and back to her again. She stood as she were, sat on the ground.
The man advanced in her direction. He was about to attack. In a scenic motion, she showed him her palm. He stopped at once. She raised and walk past the aggressor toward the fire. She walked around the fire to face him. Her palm reach for the flames, her eyes stared into the rebel. He got closer and did the same. The tribe around them cheered, but Édegorn heard no sound.
Their hands’ skin darkened and melted before their eyes until the man pulled his away first. The shield-maiden stood still with a frightening peace in her eyes. When the crowd was certain who ruled in that circle, she took her bloody hand from the flames.
Édegorn closed his eyes relieved. When they opened, the scenery changed. His hands and feet were on the ground. It was dark and it smelled of forest. He blinked. Now he was running like a wolf. He blinked again and there was no more motion. A pink and yellow flower moved up and down with the wind in front of him. All was dark after that.
***
He woke up with the sun already high. A smell of meat cooking hastened his consciousness back. His belly roared craving for that smell. When he got up, Haffan was stirring an improvised pan. It was made of leaves and clay, suspended by a wood structure with the campfire below.
“Uhm. Stew. Did the traps catch anything,” Édegorn asked.
“No, it was good you brought us meat,” the young one answered.
“Hmm. Interesting.”
Édegorn couldn’t remember how he got back to camp. Everything after the flower blowing in the wind was wiped from his memory. At this point, he was used to these losses. Every time he “talked” with the Gods, something odd happened. Loss of memory was a typical one.
“So, have you any knowledge for us, fair friend?” Ládheris said behind them.
The shaman turned while he recalled the ritual. He thought his next words then said, “our people look fine the Gods revealed me. But, on our next mission, the only thing I saw was the Flower. She was tossed up and down by the Wind, yet, she endured. Her blessing is with us, no doubt. We must not waste it.”
Ládheris pondered the words. He tried to ask for more details, but breakfast was ready. They ate a hearty meal after days of conserved food with bad taste.
“Good thing you caught those wild porks yesterday. The luck of the Flower is on our side indeed,” Ládheris said with a mouthful.
Édegorn nodded feeling he didn’t deserve credit for something he couldn’t remember doing. “Hail the Flower,” was all he could say as thank you.
Ildus ate in silence but he was anxious. When they all finished, he cleared his throat and talked to Ládheris who nodded in return.
“It’s time to plan our next move,” Ládheris said to Édegorn.
“Haffan can infiltrate any place in that keep without being noticed. He needs to study the place first, though, right Haffan?” Ládheris said and Haffan confirmed. “We can go inside the gates with this recommendation. We wander a little to know the place. Then, Haffan can go do his thing while we present ourselves to the master of arms. It will be good to be inside the walls if something goes wrong with the boy. The only trouble is Ildus. He can’t go near the place, but he is the only one who lived there and saw the Godspeaker with his own eyes.”
“I agree,” said Édegorn, “but won’t they take our weapons once inside the walls? They won’t allow armed strangers inside. Haffan can hide his blades, but you and me, are we ready to let go our ancestors’ heirlooms that easy?”
“We must. We work for the Gods now. Their mission comes before anything, including our ways. I wonder if we hide them and go unarmed the rest of the way or just go and try to recover them once inside,” Ládheris said. He explained to Ildus the plan thus far.
The two discussed and Ládheris returned to the Goths, “the Roman said he must go too. He abandoned everything because of this Godspeaker and so on, and so on. He said, maybe he could have lost himself hunting for food and we found him. A little memory loss here, all the scars he got on the way to find our tribe there. It could work.”
“It could. Well, if it won’t, we are screwed. There will be no second chance and we walked this all for nothing. Wouldn’t it be better if he tries his luck and we try ours,” Édegorn said.
Ládheris talked back to Ildus and the discussions went on without consensus. An hour later, Ládheris imposed his will upon the group. “We will do this. The Roman goes with us. We get a guard and explain we found this man roaming and hurt while we hunted and attended him. It took some time to recover, but he finally remembered he worked at this keep. So, we decided to follow him here and join their ranks. If this talk fails, we kill the guard and have our second chance. This is my command. It’s final.”
His vassals nodded. Édegorn was not amused but kept his silence. They destroyed the camp and went back to the road.
It took another half day of travel to arrive.
They looked beyond the hilltop. A moat surrounded a middle-sized castle town below. The only way inside was a wooden drawbridge. Attached to it, giant chains ended in two covered structures made of stone. They connected both sides of the castle walls. Sentinel shelters were scattered around the walls. Little soldiers moved in and out of them on patrol. Further, a castle made of giant stones watched over the land at the highest place within. Below it, many houses and smaller fortifications filled the keep. A shanty town grew outside the gates. The closer to the castle entrance the older the huts and tents. A rare house made of wood or stone appeared here and there. The place looked decadent, not much better than the settlement they passed on the way here. Even far away, they could see the villagers in rags coming and going to fulfill their duties. Some children ran around avoiding a chicken or horse along the way. Other than that, there was no sign of happiness in this forgotten place on the border of a falling Empire.
—
This is an on going series. Use the links below to navigate.
