Chapter 5
Arad returned briefly to his chambers on the seventh tier of the South West Chain accompanied by two guards who looked very uncomfortable overseeing his ejection. Arad began slowly picking through his drawers gathering some meagre possessions he thought will be useful in exile. He travelled widely in the lands surrounding Salnikovia although never leaving its borders and he despaired at what he may find.
He could not find the appropriate words when Minar entered his room. Never had anyone given him such an honour. Minar relegated himself to the fate of an exile to selflessly support a friend. Clasping Minar by the arm, tears seeping out of his brown eyes, he swore his allegiance to his friend an both took the Oath of Fealty to sustain each other and protect the other from the unknowns ahead.
Arad tried to be as noble as possible under the circumstances but after a few minutes he could sustain the facade no longer. He turned to Minar.
‘What are we to do Minar? We are lost. Our world is ended. How are we to live and survive so ignobly?’
Minar nodded while wrapping a huge arm around Arad’s shoulder as they left the chambers.
‘My friend, we will do as best we can and that is the best that we can do,’ he said. ‘The world is a very large place and I am sure there is room for a couple of lonely Aeserians to find some sanctuary.’
Walking in silence they reached an open courtyard. Minar stared up at the brilliant light show the storm provided and turned to Arad, his eyes as bright as the lamps burning from the spires.
;Arad. We are embarking on an odyssey. One no others apart from the mythical Kolin has undertaken. To be released upon the world and to be able to travel its lengths without impediment, to explore oceans and cross deserts. Ah it awakens a great feeling in me I have not experienced before. A feeling of adventure and high jinx making my senses come alive. We will seek out the secrets of the universe and live for a million years and have a greater knowledge of our world than any others before. So take heart, great heart Arad, for it is destiny determining we stand here together on the brink. Outcasts from our people but with such nerve they will write poetry about our lives for generations to come.’ He laughed gaily and puffed his chest as he prepared to leave the city.
‘You hearten me Minar and I can only thank you for that. I am afraid though I do not share your enthusiasm. The lands around Salnikovia are all I know and all I want to know. Leaving the city is the hardest thing I have ever done and frankly I am a little afraid of what awaits us. I really don’t think I am the adventurous type. I miss my city already and I haven’t yet crossed her threshold.’
Minar again clasped his the shoulder.
‘Not the adventurous type you say. Well Arad my great friend, you best become adventurous quickly because it is unlikely we will ever come back and as soon as you come to terms with that fact the better chance we will have to survive. Our path lies north and westwards and it is there we will discover our future.’
The night lengthened and usually the city would be sleeping, the streets all but deserted. Tonight however a huge crowd gathered to discuss the Judgement they had enacted. The two men crossed the courtyards with hundreds of their countrymen behind them and when they arrived at the main gates, at least a thousand Aeserians formed a cortege with an ominous finality about it.
Some of their friends passing close whispered encouragement, and the rest merely remained watching, their heads cast low, knowing it was their Judgement that exiled two of their kind to almost certain death in the Great Desert to the west or the Endless Sea to their east. The black clouds thundered above them and lightening rebounded of the peaks, occasionally producing rumbling thunder gurgling in the distance and Arad of no title and Minar the Loyal turned for one last look at their city.
‘Fare thee well great city of Salnikovia,’ said Minar in a voice echoing across the stones of the city walls. ‘One day we may meet again but until then keep my citizens well and protect them from all evils. Goodbye.’ He walked only a few paces when he turned again. ‘And be wary of Hammer, he possesses an unnatural lust and he cares not whom he tramples in his quest for the ambrosia of power.’ He turned north with Arad and followed the road curving north and west, skirting the Protectorate Mountains and leading them into the unchartered distant lands. They said little to each other preferring to relish their last moments in familiar territory and boldly strode towards their destiny as the clouds broke and the rain fell heavily. Pulling their cloaks tightly around them they pushed forward slowly.
They travelled with as much enthusiasm as they could muster from two who were in no hurry and soon the mountains began to curve away from them and disappear into the northern horizon, the rain abating and the sky clearing, with a few bright stars peaking through the parting clouds.
They made camp, chewing on some of their rations, not bothering with a fire and talking quietly of what they would need to do to survive. They could both hunt as could all of their kind, but even the best hunter is powerless when there is no game. Minar possessed some knowledge of edible root stocks and Arad was an expert fisherman so they decided to keep to the coast as much as possible and thereby have at least one food source at the ready at any given time.
They elected to live a nomadic life for the time being at least and did not want to merely set up a house just outside the boundaries of their home land. They would travel and explore and try to find their own utopia, if it existed and perhaps settle there.
‘I hate to state the obvious,’ said Arad on the second day of their march. ‘But I have been thinking and have come to a very disturbing conclusion.’
Minar laughed for the first time in two days. ‘And what may that be pray tell,’ said Minar, ‘enlighten me with the deepest thoughts of Arad the ex Generous.’
‘Well, to the best of my knowledge, Salnikovia is the only city our people have in the whole world and there are no smaller settlements in the wild lands of people like us, correct?’
‘Correct,’ said Minar. ‘Most of the Valkerie women left many years ago to a whereabouts unknown, although likely across the oceans.’
‘Then in all likelihood neither one of us will ever again have the opportunity to caress or even speak to a woman for the rest of our lives.’
Minar stopped laughing, mulling over Arad’s words.
‘That is not good,’ said Minar. ‘I hadn’t thought of that Arad. Thank you very much for pointing it out that makes me feel much better.’
This time Arad was laughing. ‘Don’t let it worry you too much Minar. I don’t recall you being that popular with the women in any event. You are a good companion my friend but you do not have a pleasant face.’
Arad’s laughing stopped abruptly when Minar launched himself, tackling him into the dirt, the two colossuses rolling in the grass like juveniles. Arad choked on a clod of mud Minar was wedging into his mouth and felt his shoulders pinned by Minar’s knees.
‘Take care Arad, you know I could always best you in the Games. My unpleasant face is also my unblemished face as you could never strike me when it counted.’
The two dusted themselves and tightened their packs, continuing their march north each a little more light hearted now they accepted their lot. New beginnings, thought Minar, and this is how he must convince Arad to behave. There was one issue he wanted to discuss with Arad and he needed to be careful not to upset the fragile mental state his friend was in now he had become an exile.
He had been cultivating an idea in his mind for the last two days and now he thought it ripe enough to harvest and share with Arad but it was so fanciful even he thought it impractical and possibly bordering on the ridiculous.
‘Arad?’ started Minar tentatively swishing a long stick across the dirt as he spoke. ‘Do you study the history of Salnikovia?’
‘At times I have read the books in the library. Most were of ancient history and hardly to be believed. They are wondrous tales but I treat them as just that, tales by s
tory tellers to amuse and entertain.’
‘What of the myth of Kolin, do you think there ever was a Kolin?’
‘Kolin and the Tempest,’ said Arad. ‘Of course I know the tale but it was a thousand years ago. Why do you bring it up now?’
‘No reason.’
Minar kept walking quietly alongside Arad, the two struggling down a steep incline leading to the ocean’s edge. The shoreline naturally sloped into a sandy beach washed by small wave lets breaking and scurrying away quickly with a quiet bubbling making the scene seem busy but calming. As far as they could see north, the sand stretched until it seemed to meet the northern arm of the Protectorate Mountains. The local maps showed the shoreline dip inland for a time and then continue to the famed Eighty League Beach which formed the limit of the formal cartography of the Aeserians. Since none travelled so far, they saw little purpose in mapping the region and all points further north were considered wilderness and untamed lands.
They stopped at the water’s edge and wetting their heads, and sat on the sand starring out into the Endless Sea each lost in their own private thoughts.
Minar broke the silence.
‘Kolin is supposed to one day rise from his banishment and gather the Jotuns in a final Gathering releasing them from all servitude. He would strike down the persecutors and restore us to our place in the world,’ said Minar. ‘Do you think the time has come?’
‘So Hammer claims,’ said Arad ‘but I am not expecting Kolin to contribute, mere fable’.
‘I am suggesting Hammer is attempting to incarnate himself as the myth of Kolin and somehow convince everyone he is a legend reborn. He is a schemer and manipulator and sadly, even though I too was overcome by his claims of restitution, I now know he wishes only to increase his personal power. Why else would he exile the both of us. He could see perhaps sometime in the future I, or more particularly you, would pose a threat to him. Your integrity is a trait all of us admire and in time people would gravitate to you’
Arad began nodding as understanding broke on his face. He began getting quite angry and reprimanded himself for being so gullible as Minar continued.
‘Hammer is sending our people to war in places we only know by history, and dim history at that. We will go willingly because he has tapped into the very heart of all our dreams. To return to the ancient homes of our people and seek justice for wrongs of the past. But Arad we know nothing of where we are going and less of the strengths of the enemy. He could be more powerful than we could ever imagine and then what? Another chapter of woe and misery to add to our pain. It is the death of innocents worrying me most. Our people could die. If even one dies then it is too many. We have comfortable lands and healthy living. We multiply and grow and I think we are basically happy and now we place all that in jeopardy by listening to the Hammer.’
Minar hurled a palm sized rock into the ocean as if he were defeated but just as quickly he rose to his feet and stood tall as he peered into the Endless Sea.
‘I cannot let this happen Arad and you are going to help me. You say you know of Kolin and he is nothing but the fantasy of the young, but I say it is more than a myth. I say Kolin lives and I say you and I are going to seek him and find him, and I say we will raise him to deliver our people. What say you?’
Arad thought hard. He knew he was a simple man and not prone to idle whims. He always tried to be as honest as he could with people and he would often forgo some treat for the charity of others and here Minar spoke on a plane he was not used to. He could understand only one thing for sure and that was the two of them existed as outcasts and that made them outlaws.
Even if Kolin did exist and even if they could find him and even if he agreed to help them they still could not return to Salnikovia. He could see little point and he told Minar.
‘I am a generous person Minar but even I cannot forever give. How will this help our plight. I am ashamed as I know in this matter I am being selfish.’
‘Your feelings are natural Arad. From your perspective your people have just deserted you so why aid them. The answer is simple and you know it also. Because it is the right thing to do. We see through the Hammer facade but others do not and without us they could die in a war they probably do not want to be involved in anyway. They have been coerced by twisting their natural tendency to justice so they will do anything to seek their revenge. I am not made of stone Arad. I too have harboured thoughts of standing at the peak of Mesania and knowing our lands had been returned and the thought thrills me. How could I stand there knowing possibly thousands of my people died for this privilege. It is not right. But if we are to go to war and we can do nothing to stop it then Arad there is a little known caveat on our exile.. If we bear arms against a common enemy then we are instantly re admitted to our society. It is a type of amnesty and one clearly written in our statutes. We cannot lose but we can certainly win. When you are at the bottom of the well there is only one way you can travel.’ Minar chuckled coldly.
‘We cannot do this alone Arad. If we are to stop a war or indeed join one, we need help and Kolin is the only person who can do it. I know in my very fibre he is alive and we must seek him and do so immediately. Hammer will sail in a month and be at battle in two and we have only our legs to carry us across the land. I do not know how far we are to travel but my readings tell me north is where Kolin can be found in the ‘Muspellshiem’, the hot lands. It is there we will find our destiny.’
For Arad there was no more to be said. His friend had a desire and even though Arad felt the entire search would be fruitless it was the least he could do to support a friend who so selflessly supported him.
‘Then we should probably get started. I know the hot land only by rumour but it is past the Eighty League Beach and this is still a mighty journey in itself.’
‘Then mighty men for mighty tasks,’ shouted Minar as he leapt into a jog with Arad by his side, a rush of adrenaline surging them forward.
The two travelled for three days at a steady pace to manage their strength. They stopped often to either sleep on the beach or catch their dinner and Arad was expert in both. Each day he would catch a different breed of fish and fry it lightly on a small pan he brought with him. The dinner filled them but was one dimensional and soon both he and Minar had a need for a more varied diet.
The Protectorate Mountains now were very close to the shoreline and only a thin strip of flat land lay between the base of the last mountain and the ocean’s edge. As they approached the pass they saw a clear roadway.
‘Why should such a road exist?’ asked Arad. ‘There are none to use it.’
Warily they continued along a well worn path made of crushed shells and stones. They saw a large brown log cabin ahead, sitting on the end of a rocky promontory pointing towards the ocean. Small waves gently rubbed up against the rear of the building but had not eroded any of the structure. The front of the building had a large entrance clear of any natural overgrowth one would expect if the area were abandoned.
I have studied the maps and nowhere is there any mention of people this far north. At one time trade routes criss-crossed the north and this building could be a remaining trade station. It looks occupied but surely this is unlikely. It is very curious.’
They approached the door and listened carefully for any trace of life but only the slapping of small waves could be heard.
Minar pushed on the door and it opened easily with no lock or handle to impede it.
‘Hello,’ said Minar tentatively. ‘Is there anyone here?’
He looked at Arad and shook his head and proceeded to push further into a homely room, well lit with a small fire burning in a hearth at the opposite end from the door. A joint of meat turned slowly on a rotisserie, the smell wafting tantalisingly throughout the room making both their mouths water.
I hope who ever is here likes sharing,’ said Arad. ‘Because that meat needs urgent eating.’
‘Control yourself,’ said
Minar. ‘I am sure the owner would be more than happy to welcome some travellers. I would not think he would have many guests out here.’
‘Welcome?’ said a gruff voice startling both of them. ‘Why would I welcome a couple of vagabonds who have entered my house unheralded?’
The men turned and saw an ancient man sitting in a well worn arm chair near the hearth, a pillow behind his head and a blanket across his knees, with a smoking pipe sitting on the edge of a thin mouth and cracked lips. He seemed as tall as them but his hunched body made his true height only a guess.
‘Besides I welcome no one. I ask no visitors and do not visit myself. I am quite comfortable with my own company and do not require yours, so if you please, the way to exit is the same as the entry.’
He blew a pall of smoke into the air and studied the two men.
‘We are humble travellers sir,’ said Minar. ‘We only ask of you some directions and perhaps some food.’
The old man slammed a heavy hand on the arm of his chair which produced a puff of dust.
‘Is that all? Just some food and directions and what, pray Kolin, are you going to give me in return. Surely you do not expect the traffic of courtesy to moves in only one direction. What if I told you it took me three days to catch the fowl you are eyeing so eagerly and what if I said it sapped just about all my remaining strength to do so and without this feed I may not even survive another day. But you assume where there is one fowl there must be others and you may be right but you would have to exert your own energies to catch it and it is much simpler to merely relieve an old man of his. Is this correct?’
Minar and Arad did not know what to say. They did not anticipate such a tirade and as both were fair minded creatures they could see the old man was probably right and they should be fending for themselves and not scrounging when there is game in the hills, especially from one so aged.
‘We did not mean to offend,’ said Minar. ‘We will be on our way.’
He grabbed a reluctant Arad by the arm and they proceeded to leave when the old man spoke up again.
‘You give up too easily. I would gladly share with you. I am merely trying to encourage you to look at all perspectives before you make assumptions. It will serve you well in the days ahead.’
‘What do you know of our days ahead?’ said Minar suspiciously, but to his and Arad’s amazement the old man vanished from right in front of them. They searched the cabin but could see no sign him. They searched outside and around the grounds but again they saw nothing and eventually went back inside.
When they returned, the cabin was dark and the hearth empty of both fire and fowl. The floor was covered in dust and the windows overgrown with weeds and branches. All the furniture looked decrepit and the arm chair was a pile of rubble. The whole scene looked as if no one had been in the house for centuries.
They tried to fathom what just happened when the door slammed, followed by the clear sound of a lock springing shut. They rushed to the door but even with their combined strength they could not open it.
Outside, the sound of waves increased and soon a splashing of sea water came through the floor with the walls shaking and creaking dangerously.
‘We are trapped,’ said Minar as the two began throwing themselves against the door. They looked out the windows and they could see the cabin becoming an island, with the water threatening to break the cabin free from the shoreline.
‘What are we to do?’ said Arad.
‘We could jump out the windows,’ said Minar, ‘however we have the other problem that I do not think either of us can swim.’
Arad knew Minar was right and although both felt comfortable with the ocean it was not normal for Aeserians to be good swimmers, preferring to fish from the shore rather than boats which they used as a necessity rather than a convenience.
The building shook one last time and they could feel themselves separate from the shoreline and float up and down on the incoming waves. The floor boards rapidly covered with water and larger cracks began appearing in the walls and floor. They smashed their fists against the walls in frustration and fear when a tiny voice could be heard coming from one of the windows near the door.
‘Here quickly take the rope.’
The men rushed to the window and hanging precariously from its edge was Isaac, a large coil of rope salvaged from Arad’s pack hanging from one shoulder.
‘I haven’t got all day you know, come on Arad, an Aeserian rope weighs a ton. Grab an end and tie it to something.’
Arad took the rope and searched for something solid and would hold steady. He threw the rope out of one window and Minar caught the end out of another and made a tight knot. Isaac had already tied his end to a tree near the shoreline and together they managed to stop the cabin floating out to sea.
‘I am afraid you are going to have to get wet Arad, bring your friend and follow me.’
Isaac could swim confidently but even he was not certain he could reach the shore without the help of the rope. The large coil filled his hands making it difficult to grasp. With some effort he managed to pull himself along it hand over fist and he finally reached the beach. Arad and Minar followed and eventually all three lay exhausted on the sand just in time to see the rope snap free and the cabin lifted high on a freak wave and come crashing down onto the jagged rocks of the promontory smashing it beyond recognition. Without warning the ocean calmed as quickly as it had become violent, tiny ripples replacing the surging waves of minutes before.
After they regained their strength Arad raised himself om one elbow looking quizzically at Isaac.
‘Well little Isaac, my nemesis, I do not know what to do to you. One half of me says I owe you a debt and the other says I should step on you where you stand.’
‘Come now Arad you wouldn’t hurt someone who just saved your life would you?’
‘If not for you I would not be here in the first place,’ said Arad who looked sternly at Isaac. ‘But then again perhaps providence brought you to me and maybe providence again is steering our courses to run together.’ Arad was surprised at his new philosophical attitude.
Minar sat quietly staring at Isaac with a mixture of disbelief, confusion and suspicion. He had never before seen an Invader but here stood one of the hated enemy right in front of him and not only had it shown no signs of violence, it saved his life. He decided to reserve his judgement on what to do until he had some more information. His whole education was built on a corner stone of the Invaders being the mortal enemy of the Aeserian and here Arad held a social conversation with the creature.
‘Hi Minar,’ said Isaac. ‘We haven’t met. I am Isaac.’
Minar looked in disbelief at the smaller man. ‘The creature is quick to dispatch names Arad. Is this normal amongst their race?’ Asked Minar.
‘Yes. They have little respect for title and seem to be quite frivolous with introductions. Here in front of you Minar is the very one I let go in the city and the reason we are standing in the middle of nowhere searching for a man I am sure has been dead for a thousand years. Tell me Isaac before I pass my Judgement upon you, how did you quit the city without being seen and how did you get all the way out here.’
‘Simple really,’ said Isaac, ‘You seem to think I am a your enemy but I told you before where I come from we are quite civilised. I felt terrible about what I put you through so I decided to follow you. I watched as Hammer exiled you and I tracked you through the city and out of the gates. I must admit it was easier than I thought because when you left, the crowd focused on you so it was easy to slip through unnoticed. Sometimes I struggled to keep up but I did not have anywhere else to go and did not know where to go in any case so I thought following you was my best option. If I just announced myself you would have in all likelihood squashed me however if I could assist you in some fashion, then you might forgive me. So what do you think, does saving your life entitle me to travel with you?’
‘The creature never
ceases talking,’ said Minar. ‘Do you think we can trust him Arad and what good will he be to us?’
‘He has already proved valuable Minar, perhaps he will again.’
‘Perhaps but he cannot slow us down. We must get to the Muspellsheim as soon as possible and we do not have the luxury of endless time.’
Minar eyed Isaac dubiously. ‘If you vouch for him then that is good enough for me. I am no baby sitter though and I still have my long held prejudice against these creatures to subdue. It may be one day I forget myself and crush him out of habit.’
‘Your friend sure is the jolly type,’ said Isaac. ‘He should be a bundle of laughs.’
‘Where we go is no laughing matter Isaac,’ said Arad. ‘We go to stop a war or maybe even join one. Do you think in this matter you would be able to help. I do not think so but only time will answer that question. I believe in providence and as such you may have been bequeathed to us for our benefit and have some role to play but we will see soon enough.’
‘Then let us depart,’ said Minar. ‘I am in no hurry to see that old man again. Who do you think he is?’
‘I do not know but the lands past the city are not well known to us,’ said Arad. ‘It may be a sprite or shape shifter or,’ Arad lowered his voice to such a level both Minar and Isaac strained their necks to hear him. ‘Perhaps a Fylgia.’
Minar laughed ‘Now who is believing the fancies of young children,’
‘What is a Fylgia?’ asked Isaac.
The three picked up their belongings, which for Isaac was simple as he had none, and began marching north. Each step of the giants was two for Isaac and his breathing quickly laboured as the giants strode effortlessly up the beach and onto a groin of grass lands leading through the gap between the mountain’s feet and the ocean.
‘You ask a complex question Isaac,’ said Minar with a smile on his round face as he watched Isaac struggle. ‘There are some who believe, as does Arad, that Fylgia are spirits whose whole purpose is to create mischief whether as shape shifters or as tricksters. There are others who believe we all have a Fylgia or its brother the dark and sometimes evil Hamingja attached to us who in times of trouble will aid and assist us through life and there are still a third group who believe they are mere stories and fable and have never existed except in our minds. I am a follower of the latter.’
‘They are no fable,’ said Arad. ‘They exist as real as you or I. Why do you think people lose things Minar. Surely it cannot always be absent mindedness. The Fylgia take the possessions and thereby own a little bit of the spirit of the one from whom he stole. It is how they gain power over us and how they eventually control, manipulate and possess us. I have
always believed Hammer’s Fylgia is most powerful and that is why he is prone to absolutism.’
‘Well believe as you may Arad, for me they are stories only and we are to blame for all our faults and failures and not some fictitious spirit. As for the old man, I have no explanation but this does not mean I will believe anything. There will be a rational answer I am sure it is just we do not have it. What of you little Isaac. Are there spirits in the Invader world.’
Isaac felt that Minar seemed interested and not condescending in his question. The debate the two giants had held no malice but was serious for both of them and now they wished new opinion.
‘We have those who believe in a divine being. A creator of the universe and who is all powerful and watches over the people and upon death there is an afterlife. If you have lived your life well it is an afterlife of happiness and peace and for those who have not it is an afterlife of misery and despair. However equally we have others who have no religious beliefs and lead their life unto death and believe with death comes the end.’
Both giants erupted into uncontrolled laughter slapping each other on the back with Minar falling onto the grass and holding his sides. Isaac looked scornfully at the pair.
‘How ridiculous,’ said Arad who regained his composure first. ‘An afterlife, what sort of creatures are you who can live forever. Quickly Minar we must rush back to the city and tell Hammer to cancel the battle as the Invader lives forever.’
He laughed again and Isaac’s face burnt bright red.
‘Oh no it makes much more sense to believe there are hundreds of thousands of little sprites running around stealing your combs and underwear and annoying everyone. Maybe giants just have pathetic memories and couldn’t find their way home without a map and a guide.’
Isaac regretted the words almost immediately.
‘Or perhaps Invaders are so glib as to forget they are within a hairs breadth of two creatures who could snuff out his life in an instant if they should desire it.’ Said Minar this time with heavy malice in his voice.
‘Come now,’ said Arad. ‘It will repay us all if we do not fight. Your stories are amusing to me Isaac. Minar does not know you as I do and he may ignore your jests and take comments literally. I will give you some lessens in my people’s beliefs if it will open some doors of understanding between us for it seems you have much to learn of our lives.’
Minar appeared to be sulking and still looked at Isaac dubiously. He soon admitted to himself he should not take seriously the barbs of a dwarf. He touched Arad lightly on the shoulder.
‘Allow me Arad, as I will ensure he gets the real version minus all the fairy tales.’
Arad looked scornfully at Minar, ‘Perhaps Isaac is more perceptive than I give him credit for. You are quite happy to lead us across the island looking for the mythical Kolin and are not prepared to accept other parts of our lore.’
‘Kolin is different Arad. He is real history. A factual creature from our past. Powerful beyond the mortal realm and if so then why cannot he out live the trees and mountains. No. I believe in Kolin and if our people are prone to believe in the ethereal then I choose to believe in Kolin.’
Minar was silent for a few moments and then began in a monotone chant surprising both Isaac and Arad.
The Twilight of the Gods is nigh
The Persuader awakes and speaks from high
Gather all and bring the past
Kolin and Jotuns, will come at last.
‘I didn’t think you had gods,’ said Isaac when Minar finished.
‘We have gods,’ he said. ‘But our gods do not seem like yours. They are many where you have one and ours are the energy you see around you. The ocean and wind, the moons and the sun all the life force that sustains the world we believe are worthy of respect and adoration.’
‘Who then is Kolin and this Jotun?’
‘You are curious that is for sure,’ said Minar. ‘That is a good thing. You need answers and this is the sign of a fruitful mind. We have travelled enough for one day. Let us catch our dinner and make a fire and talk late into the night and I will tell you of Kolin and the Jotuns. It is a tale that should be told over a fire, full stomachs and bright moons.’
The three gathered some wood lying plentifully around the nearby trees and Minar began building a fire while Arad went to the waters edge to catch some fish. Isaac found himself torn between his desire to see how Minar made fire without matches and how Arad would fish without a rod but as he only knew Minar briefly and still felt unsure around him, he decided to follow Arad.
‘Tell me Arad, how do you fish without bait and a rod.’
‘I do not know what those two things you speak of are. You are welcome to observe, I only ask you to be very quiet while I concentrate.’
Arad moved to the water’s edge and walked a few paces into the now calm ocean. Isaac often fished in the surf back home and he could not see any of the usual gullies that are the best for this type of fishing. The glass like ocean was smooth, the usual swirls and breaches in the water indicating fish were absent. Arad stood still as a stone, his arms straight by his side his fingers slightly twitching in anticipation. Without warning Arad struck. His arms moved in a blur as they entered the water and like a bear pulled out t
he largest flathead Isaac had ever seen.
Isaac let out a gasp of amazement. Arad was a huge man but the whip like speed of his arms showed an agility Isaac did not know possible. He wondered at how fast he would be with a sword.
‘I have never seen anything like that,’ said Isaac.
‘Yes I am sorry, the second one eluded me, we will have to wait for the waters to calm again and for the fish to forget I am here. Thankfully fish are not very smart and do not have a very long memory.’
‘Sorry?’ said Isaac. ‘I thought catching one fish in that fashion was good enough. How do you do it?’
Arad left the water and placed the wriggling fish on the sand and returned to the water’s edge.
‘We are taught at a young age to fish Isaac and some of us are more proficient than others. I am considered a good fisherman but there are others much better. You ask how, well it is no secret. We learn to Synergise. To be one with the water and the fish so they think I am a natural part of their environment and when I have their confidence then I merely pick them up.’
‘But I could hardly see your hands move moved so quick.’
‘Not so quick, as I said, I should have caught two not one and now I have wasted another half hour. I am very inefficient today.’
Isaac said no more as he watched Arad go through the same routine as before but now he noticed how the fish could be seen slowly swimming around his enormous legs as if they a rocky outcrop. Just as before, Arad struck like a cobra and he caught two more fish.
Arad had a big smile on his face. ‘That is much better. I must be more tired than I first thought. A few more and we can eat, Minar will have the fire and pan ready.’
‘We have a saying at home Arad. Give a man a fish and you feed him for a day but teach him to fish and you feed him for life. Looks like you can feed us all with those skills.’
Arad accepted the compliment. ‘That is a wonderful adage little Isaac, can I borrow it?’
‘Why not, I did.’
They cleaned the fish on some rocks and Arad gutted and filleted them before they returned. Minar had built a cosy campsite with a fire and logs to sit on. He had also found some local roots he cut and diced into the pan. He added the fish and placed the stew on some large green leaves and soon the three ate what Isaac thought to be a very wholesome and satisfying dinner. They finished the meal and Arad washed out the pan with some water he carried in a skin in his pack and they lay against the logs staring up at the two moons as they breached the horizon, lighting the area in a twilight.
Minar hummed to himself until he finally broke his reverie.
‘The story of Kolin is a tragic one but also ironically one of hope,’ he said. ‘It was thousands of years ago when Kolin brought the Jotuns over the Ran Sea. Bitter cold engulfed our lands which were ravaged by a civil war for centuries. Kolin led a group who had enough of death and famine to start new lives far away from the petty conflicts that haunted our history. Civil war is an awful disease and my people freely killed each other all for the glory of one lord to gain ascendency over another. How could we kill another of our race is a bewilderment to me and today our most sacred law, even for the most heinous of crimes we never again take the life of another of our kind. We can exile, or imprison for eternity. We will not however shed the blood of another. Kolin wrote the Law himself and to this day it has only ever been broken but once. That is enough proof for me to believe that Kolin is real.
When Kolin left the shores of our homelands in Jotunheim with five hundred of our people, we called ourselves the Jotuns but on arrival on Salnikov we became Aeserian which in our ancient languages means ‘The Free’ and free we felt at last.
We landed at a delta surrounded by mountains, with a great river drifting into the distance. We marched north and found mountains, greater than our own and canyons deeper than ever before. Rivers wider and forests lush and green. Plentiful game filled the plains and valleys and each tree verily dripped with fruits exotic and delicious. We thought we found paradise and always we knew somewhere lay a special place we would settle permanently. We marched for months before we found her. Mesania. We saw the peak in the distance, lonely and regal stretching into the sky. We headed for the mesa at our greatest speed and came to its base and stood in awe of what the gods of nature we reverie could create. Here we believed we had our own gift from the gods. For the next five hundred years we delved and built, created canals in the rock and a mighty city on the apex that pointed high into the sky like the fingers of a god claiming the entire universe. Happiness descended on us and Kolin became our mentor and law maker and this is the title we finally bestowed on him. ‘Kolin the Lawgiver.’ It is a great title and one accurately given to the greatest of our kind.’ Minar picked up a handful of stones and one by one tossed them into the fire.
‘Why is it great things must come to a great ends and usually in tragic circumstances? ‘While Kolin was our leader he was guilty of a lack of vigilance. He believed in the mesa providing our security and thought we left all enemies behind. He was wrong and our idleness became the makings of our downfall.
Out of no where they came, diminutive men who invaded our home. Their numbers much greater than our own and they assaulted us from within, somehow scaling our walls and entering our most sacred chambers in the heart of Mesania and the carnage began. Hundreds of us killed and maimed by the Invaders. Our dead lay in piles and we retreated into the bowls of the mountain in the hope of losing some of the enemy amongst the many caverns and canals. It was to no avail. The enemy kept coming and it was like holding back the tide with a spoon. Soon they defeated us with only a remnant of our people surviving and escaping again into the wild. Being so few in number we could not even call ourselves a race. No more than a hundred men remained and none of our women and children. We were desperate and alone but through all the murder Kolin managed to survive. Again he led us well and we trekked into the wild in the hope of somehow surviving. Kolin kept his thoughts to himself and if he had any plan, then he made none aware of it, rather relied on our trust in him to find the right path. We journeyed for years and could never find a place where we could survive. He led us into unlivable swamps and over vast desolate plains and finally through a mighty desert where the Aeserians thought they would surely die. When all seemed lost we saw a line of mountains in the distance and somehow Kolin knew them.
‘These are the Protectorate Mountains,’ he pronounced. ‘They will be our sanctuary. They will protect us from all the evils of the outside and we will rebuild our race.’
The people, weary of travel, accepted anything Kolin said and he led us finally over the mountains and into a rich pasture land where we built ‘The City.’ As close to a replica of the city we built on Mesania as we could remember and it was beautiful and regal. We called it Salnikovia, the capital of the Aeserian race and although we toiled long in its building our numbers meant it took many years.’ Minar poked the fire with a stick and added some more fuel, silent for a moment the night air cooling as the flames licked higher.’
At last we completed our task and although we had the material pleasures of a new home, the men of Salnikovia despaired because we missed the company of women and children. We are a long lived people compared to other creatures of the world but we would eventually die out if we could not procreate and all the work of hundreds of years would be in vain. Again Kolin had a grand plan and one day he announced he was leaving us for a time. With no explanation he departed and a sadness and insecurity fell over the people.
Days turned to weeks which turned to years and Kolin did not return. Life became easy and no one threatened the Aeserians as we continued to refine the city. Kolin was gone for so long, many thought he had decided never to return or some misfortune befell him in the unknown lands. However one day unheralded, came a long caravan of people, with beasts pulling wagons and at the head was Kolin laughing and singing as he led the group towards the city. The men of Salniko
via stood mouths agape when they saw with whom Kolin travelled. Valkyries, warrior maidens, a myth from our homelands believed to exist somewhere in antiquity of our legends, disappearing from our lives a millennium ago and here they stood before us, flesh and blood. Beautiful creatures. They stood as tall as our tallest men and glorious beyond description. Their sleek and powerful bodies and shining faces making everyone in Salnikovia remember what the glory of womanhood could be.
They marched into the city and Kolin told them our city was now theirs and together we would rebuild both our races for just as we could not grow in numbers so too they. For many they had never seen a man and for us it was so long without women, we did not know how to behave in front of them either. An embarrassed silence gripped both camps until finally Kolin asked the fairest of the Valkyries, Rania, if she would permit him to escort her to the dining halls and allow him to provide her with refreshments and a hearty meal.
Well Isaac, the tale goes with this initial gesture all the men chose a Valkyrie to partner him and the Valkerie accepted them and never more blissful a time did our people enjoy. The warrior maidens pierced our hearts with their beauty. They hunted better than any of the men and they could hold a sword along with our finest and they were equipped with voices so sweet a song passing over those lips sent the birds flying away in shame. Their femininity masked the tough sinew and muscles that made them so strong, but when they chose to be lovers then they did so with softness and patience, the gentlest women ever to draw breath. It appeared finally we were to have a happiness unknown to us for years.’
‘So what of Kolin?’ asked Isaac, engrossed in the big man’s story. He could sense the genuine emotion Minar felt as he told it. He looked at Arad who sat silently his head bowed lost in his own thoughts.
‘Kolin, our leader and Lawmaker became a victim of his own laws in the most tragic of circumstances. It is a tale worth telling in itself as the legend of the love of Rania and Kolin is one of our most precious gems. The two could not be separated. Their union and love radiated from their faces and they invigorated all they touched. They existed as a beacon of hope, an example of what two people could mean to each other. Their law was love and they would walk among the people with smiles dimming the sun. Where once stood two individuals, masters of their peoples, now stood one, together a spirit proud, strong and beautiful.
Kolin too, was another man. He was always perceived to be stern and cold but with Rania he was more often than not found singing songs, or sharing some jest with another or simply sitting quietly giving counsel to those with problems. He would sometimes write poetry which he would share in a quiet moment among his close friends. Always he wrote about Rania or of love or children. His favourite is still often quoted,
In childhood I was clumsy, frivolous and irrepressible.
In manhood I was sure-footed, considered and responsible.
In love I am clumsy and frivolous and irrepressible.
Never did our people have such happiness. We all waited in anticipation for surely there would be an heir conceived of two races, destined to lead us all into the next millennium. But as is so often the case, tragedy struck down our paradise.
One evening Kolin walked through the streets, enjoying the full moons shining on the city when he looked down an ally way and saw one of the Valkyrie women lying bleeding on the ground. At first he thought she had fallen or maybe had a few too many ambrosias so he bent down to see if he could assist. As he lifted the head he realised with a shock the one he held was his very own Rania, her life’s blood seeping out of a vicious knife wound in her chest. He held her close and tears washed down his face as he saw her pass from this world, a soft kiss onto his great hand from her shining lips, her last touch. As she passed out of this life she uttered the words of her murderer ‘Tyrel’ later titled the Despised, and her hands dropped out of his and slapped onto the stones, the moon light glittering off the gold band on her finger Kolin gave her to confirm their partnership.
He lowered her head and stood straight, his head pointed towards the sky as he let out a deafening roar that shook the very walls of the city. He ripped the sword off his back and knocked down almost every door in the city in his search for his wife’s killer. Most who saw him fled and hid from his wrath and those who tried to waylay and calm him, he dispatched with a swipe of his hand.
Finally he found Tyrel in a small drinking tavern in the centre of the premier spire and they battled. Tyrel fought with a strength none believed he possessed. It looked as if a demon took his body and infused it with complete hate giving him the strength of ten men. The fight ebbed and flowed, each man wounding the other with vicious cuts. The two threw down the walls of the tavern and rolled into the street forever parrying and stabbing as they sought some type of advantage. Each cut Kolin gave Tyrel was ignored and seemed only to infuriate him further whereas each blow landed true from Tyrel weakened Kolin dangerously. On bended knee and bleeding from many cuts Kolin looked up at his nemesis in despair and all who watched thought him defeated as Tyrel moved in for the final blow. The exhausted Kolin with his last piece of energy deflected the mortal blow of Tyrel and slew him with one mighty stroke, cleaving the murderer from head to waist and all whot witnessed the mighty battle watched as Tyrel evaporated in a mist of steam, his broken sword the only remains.
What devilry possessed Tyrel none knew and why, none could fathom. Kolin threw down his sword and collapsed, breathing in huge gasps and tearing at his hair with the pain of his loss. He stood and walked off without a word, leaving a disbelieving crowd to try and understand what they had just seen. Rumour of events spread like a raging fire through the city and soon every Aeserian was in deep debate as to what they would do with a leader who smashed his own laws, the greatest law, never to kill another Aeserian. They did not have to debate long.
Kolin knew what needed to be done as well as what the consequences of his actions were to be and immediately he marched to the meeting hall where every man and woman in the city converged. To a man and woman we wanted to forgive Kolin as if any had ever justification to slay another then surely Kolin was the exception, however it was not to be. It was here the great Kolin gave a resounding speech still remembered today some of which is embedded in stone in the city centre.’ Minar stood as he embodied Koiln himself reciting from memory the speech.
‘My people I have broken the most sacred of our laws. I have killed a man even though he is the same who murdered my Rania. I have now become no better than he whom I killed and the punishment is clear and appropriate. I will quit the city but not before I give a warning you should all heed. There is a cancer of jealousy and suspicion that has somehow crept unknown into our lives. We have survived the Invaders and the trek but now we are victims of our own people’s actions and I have contributed to this problem in my indolence. Seek out those who do not want peace. Expel any who do not wish to live their lives as one of the true Aeserians, seek them out in every crevice and cranny and treat them with rough justice or in truth we will self destruct.’
With no further speech, he left the city and no rumour of him ever returned to Salnikovia. But the final hurt was even greater than our loss of Kolin. The Valkyrie, who also mourned the loss of their Rania suffered greatly and a they vowed to leave the city. We beseeched them to stay but they would have none of it. They spent the next six months building ships in the harbour and they took with them what female children they had, leaving us with our sons and heavy hearts. They could not forgive and our lives became a vacuum with more than half the women departing. As the years passed the women who remained grew in numbers but we vowed one day we would be worthy of the return of all the Valkyrie and again our society can be one.
So you see Isaac our history is glorious but at times marred by tragedy not unlike many others I am sure, but to us we know our future and have hopefully grown as a species and to this day we have never killed another of our kin.’ Minar breathed heavily and sat placing his hands be
hind his head, staring at the milky sky above.
‘From what I have seen of Hammer he seems intent on resurrecting some pretty ancient grudges and I take it you do not agree,’ said Isaac who felt excited by the giant’s story. He felt profoundly the reality of being trapped in this fantasy world and he needed to help these two good men in any way he could. The simple truths of good versus evil and respect and honour, they held as truly valuable and not enough people from his world did the same. I am only a man,’ said Isaac. ‘But I offer you my help if you will accept it.’
Arad looked up and Minar laughed without malice.
‘You are only one man and we are two, but three is always better than two and you never know with Kolin we are four and already double the number who set out on this crusade. You are welcome Isaac, and this is a reason this war must be stopped. If you and I can be friends after a few days then why not both our races and we can live in peace and prosper together?’
Minar impressed Isaac. He thought him a visionary and a man not prone to ill-considered comment or action. He knew Minar had the character of a leader and in Arad there is one whose integrity could not be questioned. It seemed to him if there were to be some type of brave reconciliation of the two races, then these men could achieve it.
The three men finished their meals and washed their faces in the ocean and settled down to rest as best they could on the hard ground.
‘Sleep well my friends because tomorrow we search for a legend.’ Minar put his head down and fell immediately to sleep. The two moons briefly darkened as some thin clouds covered them and their light blinked off Minar’s round face as the troupe fell into an exhausted sleep.
A pessimist said to an optimist,
“We may all die if we vie with the Evil One,”
and the optimist replied “or be reborn”
Jharnell 5/55-58