The Iron Forest: Ancestor's Legacy

Warriors of the Shankur and Shainxu poured through the gates of Gathal. The multitude of screaming men crashing through the gates didn’t stop the Chotukhan, but the Guardians leaping over the walls did. The sight of snarling cat-like machines took the fight out of them.

Weapons of wood and steel dropped to the ground as Sana strolled through the crowds of soldiers that stared back in awe. They were defeated by her army, as was her mother’s dream and her reality. Less than four seasons ago, she walked the same streets, wearing the chains of a slave, not holding a warrior’s spear. She felt some satisfaction in that, but not enough. The king and his priestess still awaited their judgment.

Rajin called out to her with his sword raised high in the air. The sight of him sent a rush of relief that he survived the battle against the Destroyers. She lost him in the chaos and thanked the Ancestors he still lived.

“Queen Sana, the city is ours,” he said with a celebratory grin through a blood-streaked face.

She didn’t share his enthusiasm. “Did you find Victor?” she asked, dismounting from her Guardian.

“Not yet. We still haven’t taken the castle.” He pointed to the massive structure. “Nor did we find the king. He’s held up in there somewhere.”

“Keep searching.”

Rajin approached a castle guard who stood among a group of fearful and confused soldiers. “You there! Have you seen a man and a wizard pass through here?” he asked, but the guard only shook his head.

“Do you mean the Sky-Man?” a general blurted out.

“You’ve seen him?” Sana asked.

“I think so. He was with an old wizard. I had them sent to the castle as prisoners.”

“Rajin, take control of this mob.” Sana bolted toward the castle entrance with her spear in hand.

“Where’re you going?” Rajin yelled over the noisy crowd.

“Same as before… to kill a king.” She paused. “And find Victor.”

Sana darted up the stairs with newfound energy. She remembered the castle and all its corridors and halls. She knew where King Shunlin would be waiting. He regarded himself above all others and would only spend the final days of his life on a throne, not hiding in the larder like a coward.

Several of her warriors followed her through the halls with their armor clinking against swords. She felt relief in having them tag along in case they happened upon a band of Chotukhan soldiers that didn’t know the war ended.

“Hold them back!” she commanded through sounds of unsheathing weapons, as they came upon a group of Chotukhan soldiers.

There were twelve of them against her five. They stood between her and the court chamber door.

Sana lunged forward, but a blast of green energy sent her back. Men, both Chotukhan and Shankur, flew in all directions. She sat forward, head pounding and ears ringing.

“Charred circuits! This place has more twists than a barrel of snakes,” a voice grumbled before sending another bolt of plasma into a Chotukhan soldier that survived the initial blast. “Oh! My dear Sana, what a pleasant surprise.”

“Jinlin!” she said, jumping to her feet and embracing the wizard. “Where’s Victor?”

“I’m afraid, my dear, I don’t know. We were at the temple to shut down Abaddon, but failed. Last I saw, he was fighting Lady Karmera. I assume he succeeded, since her dead body is still in the temple chamber.”

More footsteps and clanking armor echoed from down the hall.

Sana assumed a fighting stance, but a bony hand from Jinlin held her back.

“Go find Victor. I’ll handle this.”

She nodded and headed toward the court chamber.

A pair of massive wooden doors, decorated in gilded iron, stood closed before her. She pushed with all her weight, the groaning metal echoing throughout the chamber. She barely recognized the room. Fire no longer burned in the braziers and torches sat cold. Courtiers, priests, and nobles were gone, leaving only shadows and emptiness.

Atop the dais, an iron throne of crows sat between columns of light from surrounding windows. She froze at the sight of a man, his eyes glowing with bright blue light. Sana didn’t need to see his face to know that King Shunlin sat on the throne, waiting for her—for his bride.

“You must be the human that calls herself queen,” the king said in a voice that was both man and machine.

“I am no queen.”

He laughed. “The man who once possessed this body seems to think otherwise.”

As does everyone else. She approached slowly. He looked like the man who killed so many of her people, but he appeared different, stronger. “Who am I speaking with? Abaddon or King Shunlin?”

“Both. I am the protocol, abandoned by Gaia, but the one you call Shunlin still exists in memory.”

Sana twirled her spear and engaged its power, sending blue light up the shaft, making the blade glow white. “How convenient.”

Something caught Abaddon’s focus. “I’m afraid we have a guest.” He stood, not paying attention to Sana or her spear. His glowing eyes widened with surprise. “You!”

Victor emerged from the shadows with a sword covered in blood.

“Victor!” she shouted, trying to put herself between him and Abaddon. “Stay away. It’s not who you think it is. It’s Abaddon.”

“I know.”

He skirted around Sana to get a better position to confront the god. “I defeated your witch.”

Abaddon laughed. “It’s no matter. One human death is the same as the rest. She was a pawn, and no longer needed.”

But Sana saw a glimpse of anger and sadness passed over his face—a reaction from the king.

An intense wave of disappointment came over Sana. Not because of Lady Karmera’s death, but the fact she was denied the chance to silence the screams from Shayla and Amaya that still echoed in her mind. At least she still had part of King Shunlin to kill in order to fulfill her desire for vengeance.

Victor retrieved the data spike from his vest and gripped it with one hand, the sword in the other.

Sana expected Shunlin to attack Victor, but he didn’t. The man approached him more like a long-ago acquaintance than a threat.

“It has been a long time, Commander.”

“Not that long, only about three-thousand years… give or take.”

She glanced aside in confusion. “You know each other?”

Victor shrugged. “Our evil friend here is part of an AI that was supposed to help humanity fix the planet. Instead, he killed them off. He almost succeeded if it wouldn’t have been for Gaia.”

Abaddon chuckled. “Victor, if I’m evil. Then what does that make you? After all, you are the one who created me.”

“What does he mean?” Sana asked.

Victor frowned. “Nothing.”

“Who do you think is responsible for Gaia and myself? I only carried out the directive that Victor programed.”

“You’re right,” Victor agreed, tightening his grip on the data spike. Sana noticed it began to pulsate with red light. “And it is my responsibility to correct my mistakes. Even though it is a few thousand years too late.”

All the revelations were hard to process. Victor created the gods? She backed a step, trying to understand.

He lunged at Abaddon with his sword held high.

“Victor! Don’t!” Sana shouted, trying to stop him, but it was too late.

Abaddon called forth a pile of metal sand that formed a shard of steel. He swung with blinding speed, sending the projectile through Victor.

He fell to his knees as blood seeped from his tunic. He appeared confused until he glanced down.

“No!” Sana cried, rushing toward Victor to hold him in her arms—to stop the bleeding. Abaddon, the castle, everything disappeared with a flurry of pain, confusion, and panic.

“I failed,” he said, coughing up blood. “It’s up to you. If you kill Shunlin, you kill Abaddon.”

“Please don’t go, Victor. Don’t die.”

He reached up and placed a hand on her cheek. “I’ll be alright. Do what your ancestors couldn’t and put an end to the AI,” he whispered through gritted teeth. Victor was dying and she couldn’t let him go.

“Victor.”

A breath wheezed from his chest.

Abaddon chuckled, drawing her focus as she watched him sit back down on the throne. “Just like all sapiens, weak. What about you, child? Do you think you can defeat me like the Reapers I sent to hunt you down?” He leaned forward, grinning. For a moment she saw King Shunlin emerge through the blue glowing eyes. “I will admit the two you destroyed were quite impressive, but you’ll find me a more difficult opponent.”

Everything seemed to fall apart.

She stood and turned toward the god-king. It was just the two of them. The world no longer existed beyond the king’s chambers, snuffed out with her anger and hate. Everything she lost, her family, her village, Ikesh, Pavel, and now Victor, fueled a fire that surged out of control. “I think you will find me a more difficult opponent as well.”

Abaddon stood and held out a hand that poured metallic sand. The grains merged together and formed a sword that glowed blue with blades burning white. He twirled the weapon in a circular blur before resting in a fighting stance.

Sana charged, swinging her spear—Abaddon’s sword deflected the attack, thrusting her aside across the polished stone floor. She recovered and spun for a second blow that met with his sword. Flashes of light and sparks showered the room.

Abaddon slammed into Sana at the end of a wide swing. She jutted back across the floor. A quick adjustment, and she dove back into the fight. She thrust her spear with a flurry of bright arcs. The blade cut through the air with a thin whistle. Abaddon swung his sword again with enough force to cut her in two, but she blocked the attack. Its sheer power tossed her aside like a child.

For a moment, Sana felt over-matched. Her muscles ached and her breathing turned labored. She glared, wanting to kill the former king—needing to kill him.

With a leap, she charged. The god-king snarled with every swing that carried enough force to cut stone, but her spear blocked each one. The glow in his eyes got brighter. Sana was unsure if the fury came from the king or the god, but it didn’t matter.

As she fought, Sana felt a surge of adrenaline fueling her instinct. Abaddon hacked and slashed, but Sana was everywhere. She was not afraid. Every fiber in her body, bead of sweat, and blood in her veins became consumed with the desire to kill. Her vision catalyzed by memories of those who died and meant the world to her: Ikesh! Father! My village! Shayla! Amaya! Victor! She shouted the names in her head with every swing of her spear.

“By the ancestors, I want you to die!” she screamed.

Abaddon flung his shoulders back to avoid her spear-tip, then lunged.

They collided with a roll to the floor. The sound of a sword and crown clanged across smooth stone.

Sana flipped over and resumed her fighting stance, but this time, without a weapon. The spear, still glowing, protruded from Abaddon’s chest. Blue light purged from the hole in his front and back as he let out a mechanical groan of pain and disbelief.

“Not possible,” he said, pulling the spear from his chest and tossing it aside. Steel flecks sparkled around the wound like silvery blood. “You can’t kill me, child.”

Sana retrieved her spear and stood with knuckles white and fire in her eyes. All her pain and memories collided to accept who she truly was and who she must be. “I am Sana, warrior and queen of the Shankur. You are mistaken.” She reared back to deliver a swing with all her hate and fury. “I can kill you.”

Beams of blue light burst from a slice across Abaddon’s neck. Dim at first, then radiated bright as his head leaned back to fall free from Shunlin’s body. Sana shielded her eyes from the blinding light that burned through uncovered skin. The god-king was gone, leaving behind a pile of ash and metallic sand.

All turned quiet.

Victor!

Sana rushed to Victor’s side. The sight of blood pooling from his back welled her eyes with tears. She lifted his head and gasped with relief at his eyes, opening through thin slits.

“Abaddon.” He wheezed.

“Dead—He’s dead.”

Victor shook his head and pointed back at where the god-king last stood. The sand merged back into a monolith that glowed a dim blue light.

“Shunlin is dead, but Abaddon still lives.” He held up the data spike that glowed through smeared blood. “Finish it.”

Sana nodded, taking the device in her hand while placing a kiss on Victor’s forehead. She limped back against her aching joints to put an end to the god and ensure humanity’s survival.

At the monolith’s center, a triangular impression had the same shape as the data spike—

Glass burst outward from a Guardian flying through an overlooking window. The machine pounced, sending Sana sliding away. The impact forced the spike from her hands and the air from her lungs.

“I can’t let you kill him!” the Guardian shouted through a mechanical growl.

Sana scurried on her hands and knees to retrieve the spike, but pain from the impact made her too slow. The Guardian slammed the device with its clawed fist. Sparks burst outward, leaving dust.

Sana sat back, holding her throbbing stomach. “Gaia? What in Ancestor’s name are you doing?”

“I’m sorry, child, but I can’t let you do it.”

“But why? Why let Abaddon live? You’ve seen what he’s done—the death he caused.” Sana fought for control. The god that killed so many of her people would have finally been put to justice… yet all the lives lost, and her efforts were being erased by Gaia.

Like a ghost, the image of a beautiful woman appeared. Her glowing white hair and dress flowed in the windless chamber. The sight of the goddess that Sana only heard about took her breath away.

“I’m sorry, my child,” Gaia said with a face filled with sadness. “But if you kill him, you kill us both, since we are of the same code.”

“I don’t understand. Abaddon is evil and must be destroyed.”

Gaia’s brow raised. “Is he?” She walked toward Victor. “And what is evil?” she asked, kneeling to caress his forehead. “In this world, good and evil are relative, and I’m sorry to say, necessary.”

“Necessary?”

“I’m afraid so. You can’t have light without darkness. Just as you can’t have good without evil.” She smiled and placed her palm across his cheek. “One might consider Victor as evil. After all, he is the reason for me… for all this. But that is only half the truth. In creating me, he brought back the world and restored life that was once dead and gone.”

She reached toward Victor’s chest with a glowing hand. Since she consisted of no physical form, it passed through his tunic. The wound glowed as tissue reformed and healed, leaving no sign of corruption.

Victor gasped, eyes opening wide.

“Victor!” Sana shouted, rushing to him.

Gaia smiled. “You have suffered enough pain. Consider this a gift.” She frowned then, glaring over to the Guardian that kept a paw and fierce gaze on the monolith. “As for Abaddon, I’ll ensure he’ll no longer harm your people, but I’m afraid he must live so I can live.”

Sana held Victor’s head, running a hand through his hair. He stared back, trying to gather what took place.

The chamber door opened.

“Gaia!” Jinlin said, followed by Rajin, Lady Tani, and many other Shankur and Shainxu warriors that entered the room. They poured in dozens, then hundreds, and stared in awe at the mother goddess. Each one announcing her name and bowing with reverence.

Victor struggled to sit up through gritted teeth.

“Please don’t get up.” Sana pushed his shoulders down with a gentle touch, but he refused and forced her to help him sit up to his feet.

“I’m fine.” He poked his chest where the wound once was.

Gaia’s smile returned. “I’m glad you are still functioning.”

Victor rubbed his head. “You could call it that.” His focus turned to Abaddon. “What about him?”

Gaia turned away. “I will take him back to the Iron Forest with me. We have much to discuss.”

Victor nodded. “I’ll hold you to that.”

The goddess strolled back to the Guardian, observing the men and women that watched with disbelief. She paused at the throne, stroking the crows even though she had no physical form.

The room gasped as the black steel birds turned to metallic sand, then shifted into a menagerie of wolves, elks, and crows, and various other creatures. Each one, a symbol of the many tribes.

Gaia grinned and turned to Sana. “I believe this belongs to you,” she said, petting a wolf’s head. “Use it wisely.”

The goddess evaporated into a white mist as the Guardian snatched the remains of Abaddon between its powerful jaws and leaped out the window.

Sana looked back at the people gathered in the court chamber. She felt lost, confused. Hate still flowed through her veins, but with the Chotukhan defeated and her enemies gone, she feared this new reality. Her mother taught her to be strong and fight, yet she failed to teach the most important lesson… What do I do now? Just the thought of the future terrified her.

She glanced at Victor, then back to the growing crowd that surrounded her. Never did she expect to see so many congregated together from so many tribes as one people. Shankur, Chotukhan, Shainxu, Atani, and Totan men and women stood beside each other. They all stared as she stepped up the dais with Victor at her side.

Sana sat.

Hundreds soon took a knee, paying homage to their queen.