The Iron Forest: Ancestor's Legacy

Shankur warriors armed with swords, spears, and shields fell in line at the valley’s entrance. Organizing thousands of people to move as one appeared chaotic at first, but the captains did what was needed to get the ranks in order. Shouts to beating drums resounded from one leader to another to rein in the masses into neat columns and rows. It was an army—a real army of men and women.

Astride her Guardian, perched atop a solitary stone, Sana stared ahead at the valley that surrounded the city of Gathal. The ground vibrated as thousands of soldiers marched toward the Chotukhan. Feet pounding the sandy soil sounded like thunder from a dust cloud that rose skyward. Her gaze diverted to the army that poured through the valley entrance like an overflowing river. Their faces showed ferocity and spirit, but she knew there was fear behind their eyes. She felt it too.

Following the foot soldiers, the elk archers added the chatter of hooves on stony ground to the echoes of marching feet. Their antlers, adorned with beads of turquoise and quartz, jingled.

Across the valley, Chotukhan soldiers waited for Sana’s army. Tight formations of men clad in steel armor stood between her and Gathal. Sana shifted her crowned helm to get a better estimation of their numbers. Too many to count, but the soldiers packed into tight rectangles appeared greater with the sparkle of armor and weapons. Toward the rear, formations of mounted bison and their own elk riders added to the danger and uncertainty.

She hopped off the stone podium to reunite with Rajin, who studied the Chotukhan from within the mass of warriors. He still looked confident and noble in his boiled leather armor and oiled-back hair, yet the prospect of battle she saw removed his cheery smile and dimples.

“A siege on Gathal will have to wait. It looks like King Shunlin committed his entire force. No doubt, he wants to take Tashimur back and ensure none of the other tribes ever think to challenge him.”

“Either that or he is trying to bide his own time.” Rajin pointed a finger toward the distant Gathal. “Do you see the temple?”

Sana held a hand over her eyes to shade them from the sun. The top of the sandstone pyramid changed since she last saw it. Although she couldn’t see any fine details, it supported what looked to be a metal framework, with arms stretching outward like an upturned spider. Light radiated from its center that shined brighter than the sun. “It’s glowing.”

“I’m guessing it wasn’t like that before you left.”

She shook her head. “No. Does this mean King Shunlin has wakened Abaddon?”

He shrugged. “I don’t know. It’s not like anything I’ve ever seen.”

Another formation arrived from the north. Men in red and brown marched to no cadence or rank and file. Their footsteps were random except for a rapping of metal against dirt. At each side, two Mechwalkers strutted, that towered over the men on foot.

“Shainxu! Shainxu! Shainxu!” everyone shouted, among cheers of celebration.

The thunder of footsteps stopped.

Both sides of the valley turned silent as thousands of soldiers waited for the call to attack. The center of the Chotukhan formation parted to allow elk riders to pass. One rider carried a banner of a crow against a field of black-and-white while the other, a pike. They paused halfway to await the terms.

Rajin smiled. “Time to negotiate.” He motioned for her to lead the way.

Sana proceeded forward with Rajin at her side, guarded by a pair of captains with flying pennants of blue. She never felt more like a queen. A crown of silver with stones of amber sat atop her braided hair. Her leather pauldron held a wolf hide across her shoulders, partially covering an embossed leather corsage. She gripped her spear high in the air with a sword at her waist.

She smirked when the Chotukhan soldiers backed a step at the sight of the Guardian beneath her. All eyes turn wide with whispers. Even the elks jerked and swayed with nervousness, forcing the white and black-robed envoys to calm their mounts. One of which was her treacherous brother. The sight of him sent waves of fury crashing through her. As she approached, it took all her will not to send her spear through his chest.

“Impressive,” Pavel said, glancing down at the Guardian. He gestured at his guards and a middle-aged grim-faced man, who stepped forward on an elk that struggled under his weight. Sana scowled at the fat governor of Tashimur who made a life of selling slaves to the Chotukhan.

“Queen Ranina…”

“Call me Queen Ranina again and I’ll kill you where you stand,” she spat. “My name is Sana.”

Lord Turkhan glared, then proceeded to read from a parchment scroll. “His illustrious majesty, King Shunlin—the first of his name, will allow the men and women of the Shankur to return to their villages unharmed only upon return of Queen Ranina…” He cleared his throat. “… I mean, Queen Sana, to yield to Gathal for the king’s judgment. This act of his magnificent generosity…”

A growl from the Guardian and a laugh from Sana broke Lord Turkhan’s concentration. “You tell King Shunlin to order his men to drop their weapons and walk off this field in disgrace. After which, he is to return the Cypher Key and the throne to its rightful owner, the Shankur.” She glanced behind the Chotukhan emissaries. “A king I don’t see anywhere around here. When I set him on fire, did his balls burn off?”

Rajin and his captains chuckled but regained their composure quickly.

Pavel gritted his teeth as he spoke: “Sana, I think you’re making a big mistake. Our forces have you outnumbered and the Shainxu will not be enough to turn the tide. If you don’t agree to these terms, many people will die. Are you willing to live with that?”

“What I can live with is knowing the difference between right and wrong. You, on the other hand, are a traitor and a coward. Can you live with that?”

“Sana, listen!”

“No, you listen to me, Brother! There will be no terms. Only Chotukhan death.” She spun her Guardian and bolted across the field with her retinue in tow. Warriors from both sides howled and cursed, weapons waving high in the air.

Sana examined her army, the battlefield, and the Chotukhan forces that blasted horns to prepare for fighting. She closed her eyes. Ancestors, bless these people. Please accept their spirits with open arms.

Her eyes opened as Lady Tani rode up beside her on a bull elk. The mage glanced around and smiled. “I was not wrong about the fire in your heart. Consider your debt paid.”

Sana returned the sentiment with a smile of her own. If Lady Tani failed to free her from Gathal, none of this would have happened. “Are your wizards ready?”

“The Shainxu are moving into position. Our gunmen will integrate with the front lines, but only for a short time. Plasma rifle will spark enough fear and cut the enemy into pieces until they overheat or run out of energy.”

She acknowledged the warning with a nod. “Very good. Tell your Walkers to keep an eye out for the bison riders. That’s their biggest threat.”

One last breath. One last look across the valley that held the people she hated so much. Somewhere beyond the vast fields of rye and brush, Victor made his way into the Chotukhan den to deploy his weapon. Both of them had long-dangerous roads ahead. She took those last few minutes to remember their time together — a pleasant thought before spears clashed into swords.

“Forward!” she commanded loud enough for the front ranks to hear.

The command echoed from captains down the line of troops. The formation marched forward in a lumbering mass of men and spears. Their shields of wood covered in leather held tight to protect their front.

Sana followed. “Remember. Hold the line no matter what. Let’s show these Chotukhan bastards what courage is all about.”

A roar of cheers responded from those within earshot.

The enemy yelled words of their own, but Sana ignored their insults.

The lines moved steady as arrows whizzed by. Chotukhan archers launched arrows in high arcs with glittering feathers. Broad heads thumped shields with a few slipping through the gaps. In a random instance of poor luck, men fell to the fate of an arrow. The first casualties of battle trickled behind the mass of Shankur warriors.

“Keep it together!” Sana shouted over the march of footsteps and howling.

The first line of Chotukhan were close enough to make out faces between their own shield walls. White eyes and teeth bore angry grins behind faces painted in white and black. Some wore crow’s feathers fixed to their helms while others decorated their weapons and shields.

Shankur archers unleashed their own arrows in waves with green streaks of light puncturing through the Chotukhan lines. Shields meant nothing to the Shainxu’s plasma bolts that turned men and wood into fire and death. Sana watched the gaps in the ranks form and fear grow on their faces.

The pace quickened to a full sprint. Calls and commands turned to angry war cries as the soldiers attacked with drawn swords and spears. Men and women let out roars, colliding into one another, slashing and stabbing like two storms merging into one. Swords and spear tips glittered silver, at first, but turned red as wave after wave of soldiers fought. Streams of plasma bolts flashed through the battle in green light, adding to the carnage.

Sana watched from a distance with Rajin at her side. She carried her spear with a white-knuckled grip, itching to bolt forward into the fray. She craved to fight, but her status as a queen kept her out of harm’s way—for now.

A cloud of dust from pounding hooves headed toward the flanks. Dark brown beasts with horns capped in steel charged the Shankur lines. Those warriors will be pummeled to pieces. I’ll be damned to sit here and let that happen. Nothing could stop the animals that weighed over ten men, except for a Guardian that weighed over twenty. Sana kicked her mount, lunging forward. Four mechanical claws dug deep in the valley soil as they weaved their way through the battlefield. Despite the machine’s size, it blew through the crowd of soldiers with grace and speed.

With a leap, the Guardian pounced on the lead bison, sending its rider soaring. A shower of hair and flesh sprang forth as the horned animal was ripped apart. The sight and sound of gore halted the herd. Streams of green plasma bolts from the Mechwalkers sent the bison scattering. Some of the frightened bison tore into the Chotukhan lines with satisfying screams of panic.

Sana was in the fight now with no intention of turning back. Her attack defeated the enemy’s heavy cavalry and the soldiers’ lines broke into small individual battles. She spun her mount around to charge into what order the Chotukhan left. Her spear skewered the enemy while her Guardian slashed them open.

All the enemy’s fight dissolved, turning the clash of steel against-steel into the horrible crunch of steel on bone. Most Chotukhan fled, while others pleaded for life.

Sana refused to stop. She parted a captain from collar bone to belly button with a swing of her spear only to impale another. “Show no mercy!” she shouted. “If they don’t die today, they will fight tomorrow.”

Thunder roared in the distance. Another wave of Chotukhan soldiers approached at full speed. They surged into a clash. The chaos was a maddening swirl of shrieks, clanging metal, and more carnage. Sana slashed and stabbed, splitting open flesh with sprays of blood like crimson rain. Her lungs heaved.

All around her, Shankur and Shainxu fought with a poetic grace. They did everything to keep the enemy at bay, but their lines broke against a force, still larger and better equipped. The Chotukhan pushed forward, but horn blasts from the mountains turned the enemy’s rage back into fear.

Sana grinned at the sound. It signaled the Totan and Atani to attack from their hidden positions within the flanking forests. She heard calls from Chotukhan captains that sounded confused and full of dread. To Sana, it was a prelude to victory.

Through the surrounding battle cries, a familiar voice called out amidst the sounds of battle. She turned to see Pavel shouting orders while cutting down Shankur warriors. He is the new Chotukhan general. Sana gnashed her teeth and aimed her spear, but something deep inside halted her desire to kill him.

Sana closed her eyes. He was not her brother, nor a Shankur any longer. Pavel was not just the enemy, but also their highest-ranking soldier wearing robes of white and black. He was Chotukhan. His blood deserved to be spilled like the rest.

She kicked her Guardian into full speed.

Her machine startled Pavel’s war elk, throwing him to the ground. Sana turned for the attack, but killing him dismounted seemed weak. She dismounted to meet him on the battlefield, face-to-face.

“Protect me!” she commanded her Guardian to keep others away. The metallic creature gnashed and swung at any who approached.

Pavel stood with his sword held high. “I don’t want to fight you, Sana.” He dug his feet in the sandy soil to gain a firm stance.

“Then you shouldn’t have betrayed your people,” she shouted, setting into a strong stance of her own. Her spear spun. “After all, the Chotukhan did, and you gave them your allegiance. Why?”

“Because King Shunlin is a fool,” Pavel said, shifting sideways in a circle around Sana. “Abaddon is only using him as a vessel to return to our world. It is I who will wear the crown. Once he regains his power, he will destroy Gaia and bring about a new future for humanity, beyond the Outlands.”

“Not if I stop him first,” Sana said with a swing of her spear.

She drove the steel blade hard toward her brother. Metal clanged with a shock to her arm as a sword halted the spear. Sana’s eyes widened at the realization that Pavel stopped her attack with a well-placed block. He spun, sending a flurry of razor-sharp strikes. Sana used all her muscles, already weary from battle, to keep his blade at bay. She blocked and parried against one killing blow after another. The skill her brother possessed shocked her, catching her off-guard. He spun around with a sweep of his sword, sending her spear aside to the ground.

Pavel chuckled as he stood above Sana with her back to the ground. “Surprised I can fight? Sweet sister, while you were galloping among the forests, I spent my time practicing the blade.”

I’ll use my bare hands if I have to. She leaped up into an unarmed stance. “Kill me if you must, but you won’t win this battle.”

Pavel thrust his weapon through the air, but his strike was interrupted by a mechanical claw. He rolled to avoid the hack and slash from the Guardian that towered over him.

All around the battle still raged with the ringing of weapons and shouts of fury. Most soldiers continued to fight, while others tended to the wounded and dying.

Sana stood, retrieving her spear to rejoin the fight against Pavel. Her brother still had his sword, but the sliver of metal was worthless against the Guardian, who reared back for a final pounce.

The beast let loose a mechanical snarl that was cut short by a massive explosion. Fire, then a shockwave engulfed the machine.

The blast thrust Sana off her feet, sending surrounding soldiers flying. She jerked up in a cloud of smoke and confusion.

“No!” she screamed. The explosion ripped the Guardian apart, leaving splintered metal where its upper torso once was. It twitched and flailed like a dying animal.

Pavel shared the Guardian’s fate. Flying metal from the machine tore her brother apart, leaving red smeared across the ground. Her heart sank with sadness over the death of her steed, but not Pavel. She only felt robbed, deprived of the opportunity to satisfy her vengeance for his betrayal.

Other blasts rang out across the battlefield followed by a different sound, distant and ominous. The clang of swords and armor halted.

Sana gasped as she turned toward the southern horizon. Machines marched toward them. Bigger than Reapers or Guardians, these four-legged beasts were of black metal bristled with weapons. They thumped the rocky ground like thunder from a hundred storms, with singular eyes that glowed red through the daylight sun. Sana’s heart dropped. She recognized the machines from the pit at Khalati and the same as Jinlin’s former pet, only they were numbered in the hundreds.

“Destroyers!”