Valkyrie

[Balmafula]

By Vanessa

Nessa shivered. It was bitingly cold out on the massive, half-crumbled rock pillar that served as her look-out post and it was hard to keep her mind from wandering dreamily to the hot baths she?d been soaking in not two days ago. Above her, a waxing gibbous moon bathed the desolate landscape in an eerie, pale blue light, throwing every shadowy stone outcrop in sharp relief. Now and then, pale wafts of vapor rose from the ground like restless phantoms from Nyika?s visions. They weren?t the only reminders of the constant danger surrounding them: groans and rumbles split the chill night air and sometime she could feel the rock vibrate under her footpaws. She shivered again- the earth here felt almost like a living, breathing presence, pitiless and powerful beyond her ken.

A sudden yawn almost split the ottermaid?s pretty features in half. She hated to admit it, even to herself, but she was bone-weary. The only thing keeping her awake was their precarious position and the cold night breeze in her face. That, and the fact that below her, huddled together in their meager pile of blankets and cushions, lay the five beasts who were all the friends life had left to her and whose lives depended on her alertness. She could never quite see them, but she knew the ermine had followed them ever since the ruins and were now shadowing their every move. Responsibility had never felt quite so heavy as it did now.

Just as she turned back to her lonely vigil, a low wail made her spring around in sudden alarm. It was Poko but Nessa had only a glimpse of the young ferret?s wide-open and anguished eyes before the little thief curled herself back into a tight ball. With a sigh, the ottermaid settled back on her haunches but kept one eye on the maid below her. The others did not wake: Noonahootin?s ear tufts quivered briefly and Zev?s large tail twitched as did Nyika?s ears but the weight of the day?s nerve-wracking trek lay heavily on everybeast?s slumber.


Poko, however, had not gone back to sleep. To the casual eye, the ferretmaid seemed to be slumbering peacefully, but Nessa had experienced too much of the same symptoms not to notice the tell-tale tremble of her lower back. She?s cryin? her heart oot an? tryin? not tae show et. Just like Ah did. On impulse, Nessa slid carefully down from her perch, a soft light in her green eyes.

?Poko??

Gently, Nessa brushed her paw against the quivering robe that had once belonged to Gashrock. Poko stiffened underneath the fabric then buried her head even deeper in the large garment. Nessa kept her voice just under a whisper.


?Ah?ll be oop on the rock, if ye cannae sleep.?

Silently, the ottermaid climbed back up the weathered granite and waited. A few minutes later, a small masked muzzle poked up over the rim and Poko hauled herself up beside her. Nessa shifted and slipped the watch-blanket from her shoulders wordlessly, wrapping it snugly around the other maid. For a long moment, neither of them spoke.

And without warning the tears came, countless repressed, dry sobs welling up in a wave of pure grief. The little ferret hiccuped and gestured with trembling paws, words spilling out like water from a dam.

?I just- it was my Papa, Nessa, he was there and he was laughing and we were laughing together and then when I looked again his eyes were bugging out all blank and staring and his mouth- his mouth was hanging open just like when I found him like he was still laughing, but he was dead! He?s dead! He?s dead! It wasn?t funny at all!? She burst into fresh tears.
?I just -- miss him -- so much ? you don?t even know!?

She gasped for air. ?I mean, I don?t even know who I am!?
Poko?s claws curled in a despairing motion and she pressed them against her face, curling her knees and tail close again. Wordlessly, Nessa leaned forward and gave the only comfort that could be given, wrapping both arms around the ferret kit in a fierce hug. Only when she felt Poko?s heaving sobs calm somewhat did the ottermaid release her gently with a small smile that was somehow sad at the same time.

?Poko... did ye know Ah lost mah Da too??

Poko looked up, a startled look in her red-rimmed eyes. Her voice had gone suddenly soft.

?You did? I didn?t know that.?

She looked down at the ground then back up at Nessa

?How did it happen??

For split second, Nessa hesitated. She never spoke about her father?s death if she could help it. It stirred up both old and new griefs, regrets, and worse; things that lurked underneath her vibrant day-to-day life. But somehow, telling it to somebeast who had gone through the same experience felt different, free from the constant nagging feeling that the other beast did not, could not, know completely how it felt. The images rose up unbidden in her mind as she spoke steadily, trying to hide the tremble that under-lied her voice.

?Et was an ambush. They never told me much aboot et but there wasnae much tae tell. His entire patrol was wiped oot but he was still breathin? when they found him. They told me he died bravely, a soldier tae the last. But... all Ah kin remember, was when they brought him in, stretched oot on a bearer. Ah kin still remember the faces of the beasts who bore et, the color of the wood, the way the blood stained et dark. He was covered in arrow wounds, some still stickin? oot of his chest. An? his face- his face was covered in blood but Ah still recognized et. Mah father raised me, Poko: mah mither died when Ah was six. He taught me everythin? he knew- he was the fastest, strongest claymore fighter in all the Northlands an? he ne?er stopped pushin? me, not even when Ah yelled at him till mah voice gave oot. An? then he was jist, gone.?

She stopped suddenly and heaved a breath, realizing that her paws were clenched so hard her claws were digging in her skin. Another strange smile flitted briefly across her face.

?So ye see, Poko, Ah do know how et feels.?

The ferretmaid met her gaze wide-eyed then hunched herself back into a small ball, almost hidden in the folds of the blanket.

?Does it... does it ever stop hurting??

Nessa?s smile wavered, her own eyes suddenly smarting.

?Ah cannae tell ye, Poko. All Ah know is that at one point, ye need tae let them go. Keep the guid memories deep inside ye, aye, ne?er forget them, but dinnae hauld on tae the past. Let them go. Live yer life. There?s nae other way oot.?

A bitter note lingered in her last words as Nessa turned around, gazing at the smoking night plain, at the bright stars shining out of a pitiless black sky. When at last she looked back at Poko, the little ferret was lying curled up in the blanket, sleeping soundly. Slowly, tenderly, the young Yew Guard lifted the slight bundle up and carried her down to the sleepers below. And there they stayed, Nessa?s paw softly stroking the ferret?s headfur as the wheel of myriad stars above them turned slowly onwards in its heavenly dance.

When the sky at the horizon started shifting from midnight blue to pale azure, Nessa was still crouched in the same position. Frost rimmed her eyelashes and she blinked owlishly at the stars which were winking out one by one before the coming dawn.She?d been supposed to wake Poko for the last watch of course, but the ferret was sleeping so peacefully for once that she did not have the heart to. To stave off sleep, the ottermaid took stock of their surroundings in the quickly growing dusky light. Aside from the picked and potted rocky mounds rising around them amidst patches of half-melted snow, the most striking part of the landscape was a high ridge, like a creeping flank of the mountains, cutting through the plain not far away. It worried her- as far as she could see it originated at the foot of a mountain to the east and stretched for a good distance, blocking their path completely. Furthermore, it seemed covered in sharp, rocky protrusions. The only comforting thing about it was that it seemed to mark the start of familiar, mountainous territory. Territory which, hopefully, did not contain the perils they were currently battling against.

Something snapped her attention away from the terrain ahead. Voices? Quickly, she checked her companions: all were still asleep. And then she heard it again. It was definitely voices, coming from the right but so faint she could hardly pick them up. Nessa?s hackles rose instinctively. Ermine. Perhaps this was a chance to turn the tables.  All tiredness vanished as Nessa took cautious steps forward towards the sound. According to the map they?d found in the secret chamber, their current position was relatively safe but she wasn?t taking any chances. Like she?d done before in the tunnels of the moles, the Yew Guard slipped from shadow to shadow like an invisible breeze. The ground was firm underpaw and her confidence grew as did the voices. Finally, she paused- the voices were loud and clear now, emanating directly from behind the large rock in front of her. 


Carefully, Nessa spat on her paws and scaled the rock nimbly, settling herself into a little hollow at the top. She almost sniggered at the ermine carrying on below her, completely unaware of her presence. It was time to do a little spying of her own. She inched forward and poked out just enough of her head and ears so she could see and hear what was going on below.

There were four of them, all fully grown ermine, eating out of an earthenware jar as they talked. Their crossbows were leaning behind them on the rock.

?Pah. Comrades, ye call this dried fish? Hardly a morsel of flesh left on them. I tell ye, the foods just been getting worse these days.?

?Aye and methinks it will get worse before it gets better, friend Jehv. Curse that settlement! At least before they sent us enough food in exchange for the raids. Now we?re little more than slaves. And they have enough slaves to feed as it is.?

?You speak truth, brother. It would not do to forget the power Carrigul now wields. The only reason we still breathe is because we are useful as warriors. And I do not like that we have not yet disposed of these intruders.?

?Haquub must have his reasons... beasts have not entered our land for many seasons. Besides, The earth spirits will deal with them soon, do not doubt it.?

There was a reverent pause as the speaker placed his paw upon the earth. Then the third speaker spat.

?They will know, I tell ye. The ones in Carrigul will punish us. Have not we suffered enough? Why must we suffer more for strangers who invade our lands??

?I think as ye do, brother. And also... between us, there is something I must tell ye. The owl, the captain of the blue-cloaked ones, did you hear him address the younger one, the female? No? He called her Fern.?

Silence stretched on for a heart-beat. Two.

?Not... you think she is his daughter??

?This is not good. We cannot let her leave this place alive.?

?If she?s anything like he was...?

?Be quiet! The otter captain died like all beasts. Our bolts never miss.?

?He took a score before he fell.?

?Aye, and for all that, he didn?t even stand a chance. His own commander sent him out to be slaughtered. Those Carrigul scum and the cohorts in Yew- they?re all the same backstabbing lot. And, like always, we?re the ones who get to do the dirty work. Ha!  I still remember how he screame-?

The ermine got no further. Roaring like a wounded beast, Nessa threw herself from the ledge and came hurtling down upon the four beasts below in a small avalanche of snow. Before they could draw arms, before they could even shout, the ottermaid was among them like a vengeful whirlwind, heaving the ermine who had last spoken bodily across her shoulder. The hapless beast screeched as his back was smashed furiously against the rock pillar, several bones cracking as it did. Nessa?s paws were clamped around his scrawny neck, the otter?s breath hot against his fur as she tightened her relentless grip around his throat.

?WHO KILLED MAH FAITHER? WHO??

A desperate gurgle was her only answer: Nessa?s paws were contracting convulsively, her claws digging into every one of the most painful nerve points she knew. She didn?t stop, not when the beast?s eyes turned bloodshot, not when he began thrashing spasmodically, and not even when the body under her paw suddenly went limp.

At the sound of bolts being hastily loaded into crossbows, the ottermaid spun around, throwing the ermine?s body at his terrified companions who were desperately trying to bring their weapons into play against her. They took one look at the snarling face, clenching paws, and blood-suffused eyes of the dreadful apparition before them and fled as one beast. 

?MURDERERS!?

In a bound, the berserk ottermaid sped off after the running mustelids, leaving behind a churned up trail of dirt and snow... and a single motionless body slumped where it had fallen.

The ermine went like the wind, their white fur blending in maddeningly with the snow all around. But Nessa was unstoppable, staying only ten paces behind them. Rocks, steam vents, bubbling pits, all passed in a blur of red haze for the ottermaid, her eyes completely focused on the three figures ahead of her. Everything was forgotten in the maelstrom of rage driving her forward. Right besides her, a geyser sprung to life- she was gone before the boiling water could even fall. She didn?t even notice when her paws slapped across a sinkhole, so quickly the oozing mud did not even have time to stick.

Nessa didn?t notice either when the ermine began to dodge and turn through the increasingly numerous rock structures, leading their pursuer through a complex path under overhanging arches pitted with long chemical activity and through narrow passages covered in crystalline substances. The ermine were no fools: this was their territory and the hunter had become the victim.

The first inkling she had was when one ermine suddenly disappeared along with the light. Automatically, she sped up, trying to catch up to the two remaining vermin but her paws felt like lead. The scab had come off her leg wound and it burned like hellfire. She blinked the sweat away from her eyes and the second ermine disappeared into the green murk. Wait, where had all the green fog surrounding her come from? The red haze clouding her sight was dissipating even as her legs kept moving her forward, towards the lone white ermine slipping around corners of the tunnel. Tunnel? A sulfuric smell was in her nose, winding up her head, clouding her thoughts. She was in a tunnel, dark and filled with the smell. The ermine was gone.

She stopped short, her brain reeling, trying to make sense of what had just happened. And then she knew. She?d been trapped. This was the gas that the ancients spoke of, the gas that had decimated the entire ermine civilization in their sleep. Through blurred eyes, she could see it and hear it everywhere, seeping out of the ground with a soft hiss. The ermine had led her here to die.

Galvanized into action, Nessa forced her paws to move, trying to retrace her steps. Everywhere, the gas swirled in deadly clouds, whispering in her ears, slipping through her nostrils.

One paw in front o? the other.

Ah?m sich a fool!

One paw in front o? the other.

Ah left them all unprotected, they?ll all be killed! Ah fell straight intae the trap!

One paw... in front of the... other.

Ah dinnae want tae die! Not noo! Ah wanna live!

Her eyes were going dark. She stumbled and righted herself with a last, desperate burst of willpower. One step more, two steps- and Vanessa Fern of the Yew Guard collapsed against the rock and darkness took  her entirely.

When her eyes opened, she saw sunlight. She was held closely against warm fur, grey, otter fur. With tattoos. She was in Istvan?s arms. Her first instinct was to headbutt him and leap away and her second to kick the Corporal in a particularly sensitive area. She found she could do neither. Her mouth gasped convulsively for air and her limbs were unresponsive, except for a small tremor that ran through them.

Istvan himself seemed unsteady on his legs and, as memory filtered back, Nessa?s eyes widened. The gas. She was still alive. Istvan must have somehow managed to find her. Istvan. Suddenly dizzy, Nessa?s head flopped back against the male?s chest and she didn?t have the strength to resist the indignity.

?Istvan! Is she alive??

Her eyes fluttered open and Nessa found herself gazing into the wide pupils of her Captain.

?Oh thank goodness! What in Hell's Gate happened??

Nessa tried to move her leg and found she could and then she did leap out of Istvan?s arms and staggered unsteadily to a nearby rock. Everyone was there, Poko, looking at her with questioning, fearful eyes, Nyika, twitching nervously, Istvan, looking utterly worn out, and Noonahootin, looking positively harassed. Wait, that wasn?t everyone.

?Wh-where?s Zevka??

Noonahootin?s attention suddenly snapped to Istvan.

?Yes, Corporal, where is she??

Istvan cast a wild look around at the deserted rocky arches guarding the entrance to a host of tunnels bored into the ridge Nessa had seen earlier.

?She... I didn?t see her!?

The ottermaid suddenly felt an icy claw grip her heart.

?Where is she? Wot happened?

Noonahootin cast a wing over his eyes despairingly.

?No, no, no! Why didn?t I stop her!? She went in with Istvan to look for you, Vanessa. Poko woke us when she saw you?d gone and when we heard the screaming we all rushed after you. I ordered Istvan to go find you in the tunnels but Zevka was ahead of us, she?d already run in the caves to save you!?

Istvan tried to heave himself up from where he?d collapsed on the ground, worn out from the gas.

?I?ll go back.?

?No, you will not! You can?t even walk in the condition you?re in!?

Nyika stepped out.

?Both of you stay here. I?ll go. Zevka needs me, I can feel it.?

No one had the chance to go. Even as Nessa struggled to grasp the words that crisscrossed each other like lightning and come to grips with the enormity of what had just happened, Noonahootin froze, his great eyes roving around the little group.

They emerged like wraiths from behind the great rocks, from the murk of the tunnels, from the heights of the arches. Ermine, grim-eyed and silent, each with a bolt nocked into their deadly crossbows. There were more than any of them had thought, at least twoscore of rangy, hardened fighters and more were slipping from every nook and cranny of the ridge. Many wore masks, long and pointed like a crane?s beak, their eyeholes dark and empty. Almost unconsciously, Nessa scrambled up and pressed her back against her companions. The circle was closed. Wherever she looked, fully loaded crossbows pointed at them.

The last of the gas cleared from Nessa?s head and she suddenly felt like someone had thrown a bucket of ice cold water down her neck. Her senses opened up, her eyes darting from face to face. As though time had slowed, she saw one of the ermine raise a paw. She saw Noonahootin tense and Istvan?s paw clench around his knife. This was the end. They were all going to die and she knew with unassuaged bitterness, that it was all her fault.

?Stop!?

The words emerged from her throat as though someone else had spoken for her. The ermine leader?s paw paused in midair for a split second.

?Kill us and ye destroy the knowledge of how tae find the secret of the ancients that we have uncovered!?

Her mind was moving again, thoughts moving in and out with a clarity she had never felt. Everything Poko and Tak had told her, everything she?d heard from the four ermine earlier, all the scattered information converged in a single, desperate plan. Ignoring the stares of her companions, Nessa stepped out, her voice ringing across the deadly gathering of ermine.

?In the ancient temple of yer forefathers, we found a riddle, the riddle left tae ye when Carrigul wiped oot yer priests! The spirits of yer exalted ones spoke tae us an? we  opened the door which leads intae the sanctuary none of ye have ever entered! We possess the power which allowed the ancients tae command earth, fire, an? water! We know how tae read the marks on the stone, kill us an? ye will regret et fer generations!?

For a second, the ermine tribe looked stunned and a whisper rippled through their ranks. But the crossbows stayed trained on the survivors. The large, patch-furred ermine stepped forward, his voice hard as the very rock beneath their feet. 



?You speak boldly, stranger. What proof have you of this... discovery??

Nessa kept her chin high, meeting his gaze levelly though her heart felt like it was trying to pound its way out of her chest. 

?Lower yer weapons an? Ah?ll show ye.?

?Hah! A likely tale! This is naught but a ploy to mislead us into letting you live, murderer.?

?It?s true! I was with them!?

At the sound of the new voice from behind them, Nessa?s heart leapt with sudden joy. It was Takis. Pushing his way through the ranks of his fellow tribesbeasts, the young ermine joined the tense standoff, standing by Nessa?s side. He looked like he?d been running for a while. The leader stood completely taken aback.

?What... Takis? What are you doing here??

?I was with them, Marcus. They speak the truth! They could read the marks where we cannot and they opened the door into the chamber!?

The young ermine was trembling and Poko suddenly reached out and clasped his paw. Takis seemed to hesitate for a moment and suddenly drew himself up before the gaze of all the ermine.

?The chamber was opened for me. I have the knowledge.?

An audible gasp ran through the warriors. They parted ranks as an old, scarred elder hobbled forward, his black eyes still sharp and penetrating as they searched the youngster?s eyes. Nessa found herself admiring the way Takis met his gaze fearlessly.

?I am Haquub, old one of this clan. Now, Takis, can ye prove this to us??

?I can!?

Everybeast including Nessa turned to stare at Takis in shock. She followed his paw, pointing to a small hump a score of paces to their right. And then she understood. She could see the small, inconspicuous rock encrusted at the base of it, the same rock that was in the secret chamber and that had guided the party through so many dangers. Most importantly, it was a very dark grey-blue and drops of moisture beaded its edge. One of Takis? paw clenched Poko?s tight as he lifted his other in a sweeping motion.

?I command the water of the earth, as the ones of old used  Come forth!?

It was perfectly timed. Boiling water spewed up through the opening scattering several ermine who had been standing too close to the vent.

Every one of the tribesbeast gazed in awe as the steamy water receded and Takis?s paw dropped. He looked suddenly unsure of what to do. Without thinking, Nessa lept to a low rock and spread her paws wide. Her voice didn?t sound like her own as it echoed clearly around. Unbidden, as she spoke, an image rose in her head of Zevka leaning against a tunnel, coughing blood.

?With our help, the priests of old have chosen a new fated one tae lead this tribe forward! No longer do ye need tae cower in fear of the anger of this land, never knowing? when et might turn against ye! Carrigul will be powerless against ye noo, their armies will be nothin? against the forces of the elements ye control! In return for this, we ask only free passage an? the life of our friend who is trapped inside yer tunnels.?

At her side, Takis nodded, giving her his support.  A whisper passed through the gathered ermine and many looked up with new gleams in their eyes. Several of the younger warriors lowered their crossbows, consulting one another in low, excited tones while Haquub shuffled forward, his paws spread wide as he opened his mouth to address Nessa. For one wild moment, the ottermaid believed her desperate gamble was actually working. Then Haquub paused as a new voice spoke out from behind him. It was low and soft but trembling with suppressed rage. It was one of the ermine who had fled from Nessa?s wrath earlier.

?Methinks we forget ourselves, brothers. This creature, this outsider, has already made void any and all appeals to our generosity. In cold blood, she has spilled the blood of my kin, of our kin. My brother, Jehv, now lies dead, strangled by this murderer who now tries to cozen us with lies and empty promises! The young one of our tribe has been bewitched by their guile, I say. It is a trick, a trick to bring Carrigul?s revenge upon us, the last of our people! But even were there any truth in this tale, have we fallen so low as to forget our ancient laws? I ask you, brothers, how can we now countenance offering our aid to an enemy in defiance of our most sacred laws??

The words hit Nessa like rocks, bringing back the one memory she?d been trying to blow out with full force. She?d killed him. Even her friends looked taken aback and she wanted to explain, to pour out all that she had heard before that encounter but her tongue cleaved to her mouth. Time was running out. How long had Zevka been inside the tunnel? Five, ten minutes, more perhaps?

?What is yer law??

Nessa?s voice cut across the ermine?s. He seemed surprised but sneered viciously at her.


?Ye have killed one of ours. Blood calls for blood. Your blood.?

?You mistake yourself, Khev.?

Haquub strode between both beasts calmly.

?The law does not call for death as a punishment for a murder amidst our kin. Ye know the law.?

The elder?s voice rose.

?Should one of us kill another, the price the murderer pay is to offer the paw that did the deed as compensation.?

Nessa?s breath froze in her throat. Her paw. They wanted her fighting paw.

?Abide by our law and we will help ye, aye, even to free the marten and show ye the way to your destination, in exchange for the secrets of our ancestors.?

For a second, her eyes met those of her companions like a drowning beast trying to hold on to a spar. Zevka, Zevka. If she didn?t accept immediately, that spark of life that was Zevka would go out, forever. Just do et, don?t think aboot et.

?Ah agree to abide by yer law. Take et!?

?No!?

Captain Noonahootin?s voice boomed out as the old owl bulled his way forward, completely ignoring the seven crossbows pointed at his chest.

?Fiends! TORTURERS! Do not touch her! Take my wing instead, my livelihood! But do not harm a hair of her head!?

Nessa was desperate now, and she hurled herself between the ermine and her Captain.

?Nae! Cap?n, stop! There?s nae time! This is my choice. Take et!?

In the silence that followed, Nessa laid her paw on a flat rock. It was trembling and the small amount of pride left in her tried to stop it, without success. The trembling spread until her entire body was shaking uncontrollably.

A large muscled warrior advanced from the watching ermine, bearing a single shining scimitar in both paws. As in a dream, Nessa felt her gaze being drawn inexorably to the glittering blade, unable to move, unable to think. Sunlight flashed once on the blade as it rose and fell in a single smooth movement.

Everybeast present flinched at the pure feral scream of agony that ripped from Nessa?s throat. With a soft thump, a pathetic little lump of fur and flesh rolled off the rock and and lay there in a puddle of blood, staining the snow around it a violent red.

Surprisingly, it was Nyika who got to the ottermaid in time to catch her as she crumpled to the snow. Istvan was at her side in an an instant, his face uncharacteristically emotional as he ripped off a part of his uniform and bound Nessa?s limp stump with a gentleness none of them had seen before. The ottermaid?s eyelids fluttered briefly and she managed a hoarse, pitiful whisper.

?Save.... Zevka... please..?

Haquub nodded solemnly and gave an order to two of his masked subordinates who vanished into the smokiness of the caves, protected by the filtering beaks of the bird-like masks.

Paw... gone..

Cannae fight...

Cannae be... Guard...

Live?

Pain.

Pain.

Nessa fainted but not before her clouded eyes saw the two masked ermine emerge carrying Zevka.