The Broken Reign Page 3

  They were coming down in a thick forest of evergreen trees. The horse–or something–angled through an opening in the snow covered cones of the heavily laden trees.

  The electric sparks around them diminished as they got closer to the ground. The horse’s hooves touched the snow covered ground. The red stuff around its legs burst off in a cloud of red mist. The horse reared, whinnying. Vazsa yanked the reins, then put her hand on the horse’s neck. It put its hooves back on the ground, but it stamped the snow, its skin twitching.

  Vaza held out her hand and the red mist coalesced into a small red ball and fell into her palm. She tucked it back in her robe. She half turned her head back to Joshua.

  “You can loosen your grip now,” she said.

  He sat back, letting go of her. His face was burning. “Sorry.”

  She slapped the reins. The horse shook its head, but started moving forward toward the trees. Vazsa directed the horse in between the thick tree trunks. The snow was thinner under the canopy of evergreens. Joshua craned his head up. The trees were huge. Their trunks were as thick as Grams house. They were covered in red bark and bright green moss. He breathed in the fresh smell of the evergreens. Much better than the animal smell of the other place.

  Except for the swish of the horses hooves through the snow, the forest was hushed and dim.

  “Where are we?” Joshua asked in a whisper.

  “This is the forest of Anta Vin,” Vazsa said.

  He waited for her to elaborate. They clomped on in silence.

  “I have no idea what that means,” he said, “And how did you do that flying thing? That scared the crap out of me. Almost literally, I think.”

  Vazsa shook her head. “You are not much of a hero,” she said.

  For some reason that stung him. He pouted for a few moments before realizing he was being stupid. Him? A hero? Of any kind? The idea was laughable.

  “I’m not any kind of hero,” he said.

  She didn’t reply. The silence grew to an awkward length. He tried to think of something witty or charming to say. Something like, say, those trees are really big. Except that wasn’t witty or charming at all, that was just pointing out the obvious. Besides, maybe these trees weren’t maybe very big at all around here. Maybe they kept the really big trees somewhere else. So calling these trees big would just be stupid, wouldn’t it?

  The horse clomped through the thin snow, its head up, flicking from side to side. It seemed nervous. He seemed to remember something about horses being high strung or something. He remembered the time with Grams at the fair all the horses seemed kind of twitchy.

  Grams.

  He felt a surge of guilt. Where was she? What had happened to her? She had been in his arms when the painting fell on them. Then the next instant he was in the snowstorm and she was gone.

  “Where am I?” he asked, “And I don’t mean the forest. What is this world?” He was a little surprised at his acceptance that this place was entirely different planet.

  Vazsa was silent for several moments. She sighed and gave him a half glance. “We call this world home, just like you call yours. It’s called different things by different peoples, but my people call it Seivar.”

  See-var? A meaningless word that told him exactly nothing.

  “I don’t understand what happened to me,” Joshua said. “That creepy painting fell on me and Grams and then I was here. You said it’s some kind of portal. Did you mean like some sci-fi thing or was it magic?”

  She shook her head. “We’ll be at the lodge soon. You can talk to Anta Vin then.”

  “Anta Vin? Wait? Isn’t that the forest? We’re going to talk to the forest?”

  “Anta Vin rules the forest land. She will speak to you.”

  Joshua started to say something then stopped. He had gone from being one prisoner to another prisoner. Though his new captor was much more attractive and hadn’t started hitting him. At least not yet.

  Seven

  Joshua

  Anta Vin’s lodge was nestled among a grove of smaller, normal sized trees. Normal sized to him, anyway. As they got closer, Joshua realized the lodge was the trunk of one of the giant trees, lying on its side. There were windows and doors carved into sides. Smoke curled up from three small chimneys set in the snow covered top.

  The scent of bread baking made his stomach rumble. He still hadn’t had a decent meal in this world, whatever it was. Though the meat and the mead had been good, at least until he passed out.

  Some kind of bird called out. He looked up to the canopy trying to spot it. Didn't birds go south for the winter? Or did they hibernate? He realized how little he knew about anything. He'd lived in his city his entire life. In Portland, the forest was only minutes away. The place was full of hikers and bicyclists who spent half their lives living it up outdoors. So what did he do? Spend most his life on the computer.

  A little outdoor experience would have come in handy now.

  As they approached the lodge, a few people came out. They were thin and dusky skinned like Vazsa. They didn't wear thick furs, though. Most of them wore loose fitting leather pants and long sleeve coats. A couple of the men were bare-chested, showing off washboard stomachs and corded muscles. It made him jealous. He would periodically tell himself he should start working out, lose a few pounds, get in shape. Good thing the fur robe wrapped around him hid his pudgy middle.

  Vazsa pulled the horse to a stop next to one of the men. His face was lined, but he had shiny black hair like her and a scowl on his face. At least he was wearing a shirt.

  “You’re home early, Vazsa,” he said, “And loudly.”

  “My apologies, Dovd,” she said. She jerked her thumb back toward Joshua, “This is important.”

  The man called Dovd looked back at him. Joshua gave him a tight smile.

  “It doesn’t look important,” he said.

  “We’ll let Anta Vin decide,” she said.

  Dovd grunted, but stepped back as Vazsa dismounted. They looked up at him. He realized they were waiting for him to get off the horse. The horse turned a baleful eye back at him. The horse was, too.

  Okay, I can do this....

  He looked left and right, wondering if there was a proper side. No, either side was equally bad. So it was just a matter of lifting one’s leg over–

  He slid off, crashing to the snow covered ground. Snow puffed up, then slowly settled back on his face. For a moment he lay there, trying to figure out of there was anything broken in his aching body. A face appeared over him. Dovd.

  “Seriously?” Dovd asked. He looked up at Vazsa, who had come around from the other side of the horse, “This was worth breaking the treaty and blowing your cover?”

  Vazsa sighed. “I hope so.”

  Eight

  Joshua

  The inside of the lodge was warm and filled with stomach rumbling smells of bread and meat. Most of the lodge seemed to be one large room under a long arching roof. People stopped to stare at him as his little group entered. The men and women all gave him scowls. Most of the children hid behind their mothers, except for one boy who boldly walked up to him. The boy scowled like the adults and planted himself in front of Joshua, hands planted on his hips.

  “What the hell are you?” the boy asked. The kid could have been anywhere from eight to twelve. Joshua wasn’t a good just of that kind of thing, not having any of his own.

  Dovd reached out and pinched the boy’s ear, pulling him out of the way.

  “Hey!”

  “Shut up, Cray,” Dovd said.

  “I don’t have too, Anta Vin is pissed at her, I bet,” Cray said poking a finger toward Vazsa.

  Dovd put his face close to Cray’s face. “You will shut up or I might tell Anta Vin about your little adventure the other day.”

  The boy’s face darkened and he pulled away from Dovd. Vazsa took Joshua’s arm and pulled him toward the center of the room. Low benches were arranged around an open fire. A metal hood stood over the fire, capturing the
smoke and taking it up a metal chimney. He wasn’t an expert, but the pipe looked like something that could found at Home Depot.

  A large black pot hung over the fire and Joshua realized mouthwatering smells were coming from it. He stomach rumbled loudly. Vazsa gave him a look. He shrugged. She rolled her eyes and pointed to an empty bench.

  “Sit,” she said.

  She went to the pot and picked up a bowl from beside the fire. She ladled something from the pot into it. She retrieved a hunk of bread from another bench and took it over to him.

  “Thank you,” he said.

  It smelled like the best thing ever. It was still very hot, so he sopped some of it with the bread. It tasted as good as it smelled, rich meat broth and some potato like vegetables. He almost asked Vazsa for a spoon, but he noticed no one else was using spoons. Besides Vazsa had disappeared.

  He shrank back a little into his fur robe as a roomful of eyes bored into him. There was a lot of tension in the room. No one was talking openly, but there was some low murmuring here and there among the men. He wished Vazsa would come back.

  He finished the bowl of soup and wondered if anyone would stop him from getting up and taking another bowlful. Just as he was about to stand, he spotted Vazsa walking back toward the fire from the other end of the lodge. Dovd was with her, his scowl even deeper. Vazsa was scowling and looking flushed.

  “Come on, it’s time to talk to Anta Vin,” she said.

  He set the bowl on the bench beside him and stood. He was suddenly aware that he hadn’t shaved or bathed in three days. He tried to smooth his hair back. It probably stuck out every which way. Walking with Vazsa, he gave himself a quiet sniff. He smelled like stale sweat and animal hide. There was a sinking feeling in him that said he wasn’t going to make a good impression. He considered asking Vazsa if there was a place he could freshen up first.

  But then they were stepping through a woven reed curtain and it was too late.

  The room was walled with reed mats. A fire burned in a small clay stove in the center of the room. The smoke from it was fragrant with something herbal. Against the far wall a small, old woman sat on a pile of furs. She had a thick fur robe draped over her shoulders. The fur on the robe was as pure white as the hair that flowed over her skull. She gasped as she saw him.

  “Holy crap, it is one of them,” she said.

  “Um hi,” Joshua said.

  “Do not speak unless Anta Vin asks a question of you,” Dovd snapped at him.

  Joshua sighed quietly. This wasn’t going any better than the other place.

  “Come closer,” Anta Vin said, beckoning him.

  He took a few steps closer, Dovd and Vazsa hovering to either side of him. He got the feeling if he made any sudden moves either of them would happily pound him into the ground.

  Anta Vin squinted at him. “This cannot be good,” she said. She looked up at Vazsa, “Where the hell did you find him? And secondly, why the flippity fuck did you bring him here?”

  Vazsa’s face darkened and she shifted from foot to foot. “Anta Vin, as I already said, I found him at the castle of Hurdroth. A warrior named Rangor claimed he found him in a storm and brought him to the castle.”

  “Actually, I kind of found him,” Joshua said, “I ran into his cave when I saw his fire.”

  Dovd reached over and slapped the back of his head. “What did I tell–”

  That was as far as Dovd got. Joshua rounded on him, planting his fist square on his nose. Cartilage crunched under his fingers and Dovd stumbled back, clutching his nose. Blood ran between his fingers and his eyes flashed rage.

  Joshua looked at his stinging fist like it was an alien creature attached to his arm. Where had that come from? He looked back up.

  “Hey, sorry about that,” he said, “Guess I’ve been under a little stress lately.”

  Dovd didn’t look ready to accept an apology. He launched himself at Joshua.

  “Dovd! Stop!” Anta Vin said.

  His momentum carried him into Joshua. They crashed to the ground, knocking the wind out of Joshua. Vazsa was on them a moment later, pulling the bleeding and enraged Dovd off him.

  “Dovd, go clean yourself up and wait outside,” Anta Vin said.

  Dovd gave him a look of pure hatred, then spun and stalked out of the room. Joshua guessed he had just made an enemy for life. He looked to Anta Vin.

  “I’m sorry, I don’t know what came over me,” he said, “I’ve never hit anyone before.”

  Which wasn't quite true. Once, when he was in grade school some kids had been picking on him. One of the kids taunted him about his dad being in jail. Joshua had snapped and started pounding on the kid. His mother had to come and get him. Afterward, there was a long talk at the kitchen table that evening about how an uncontrolled temper put his dad in prison. From then on he had tried to not get angry about anything.

  “You’re just like her,” Anta Vin said.

  “Who?” Joshua asked.

  “You really think he comes from her?” Vazsa asked.

  Anta Vin made a sour face. “Look at that red hair! Who else in this world ever had red hair!”

  Joshua self-consciously smoothed back his hair. His hair had been the source of other taunts. He often wished it was plain brown.

  “Who do you think I’m like?” he asked. He had a sneaking suspicion he knew who Anta Vin was talking about. He thought about the painting and the red hair flowing around the woman’s armored body. Gram’s hair had been deep red when she was young. What had Grams been up to?

  “You’re too young to be her son,” Anta Vin said, “Are you her grandchild?”

  “I’m really not sure who you’re talking about,” Joshua said. Now he was sure it was Grams the old woman was fixated on.

  Vazsa stepped forward. “Anta Vin, he came through a portal. I thought they were all destroyed in by...” she stole a quick glance at Joshua, “...by her.”

  The old woman threw up her thin hands. For an aching moment, they reminded him of Grams.

  "Well, obviously she kept one, didn't she?" Anta Vin said. She leaned forward and poked a bony finger his direction. "Where is she, boy? Did she come back to destroy the rest of us? We have honored the treaty...for the most part. Why now? Well? Speak you red-haired imbecile."

  Joshua was getting warm in the heavy fur robe. He loosened it up, looking around the room. There was a low table filled with skulls of various small animals. Squirrels or cats, he guessed. There was also shelf with rolled up scrolls of paper. On a small table next to Anta Vin were a variety of small clay jars. He thought of Gram’s little cityscape of medicine bottles by her bed. Where was she? Did she need her medicine?

  “I don’t know where my Grams is,” Joshua said, “If that’s who you mean. The painting fell on to us, and the next thing I knew I was in a snowstorm and Grams was gone. I have no idea about any treaty or anything. I live in Portland, Oregon. I work for software developer. I’m nobody.”

  Anta Vin shook her head. “No, you are the descendant of Amaya the Destroyer, and you have come back to kill our world once and for all.”

  Joshua's heart skipped a beat. Gram's name was May. He tried to think if he'd ever seen her full name on any official papers. Everything he'd ever seen just had May on it.

  “I won’t let you do it,” Anta Vin said, her voice rising, “Vazsa, kill this man. Kill him now!”

  Nine

  Joshua

  Joshua whipped his head toward Vaza. She looked shocked, opening her mouth to speak.

  Something in him said move. He turned and ran for closest wall. He slammed into the woven mat and it tore apart. Cold air hit him like a slap to the face. A frantic turn of his head showed him a lodge full of startled, hostile faces. But there was a window a few yards away.

  His feet were already moving. There were shouts behind him. Angry voices rising. He didn’t look back, but dove for the small window. It was covered with some paper like substance. It tore and he scrambled through it, scraping his side
s and legs.

  He fell into the snow. Now what? He saw the horse with the black mane. It was standing at the other end of the lodge, being petting and admired by the children. A small voice in the back of his mind screamed at him that he was crazy.

  He ignored it and flung himself through the snow toward the horse. There was more shouting behind him now. He risked a glance back. Dovd’s head was sticking out the window, his nose red and swollen. He was shouting profanities at Joshua.

  Joshua kept running. Other men were running toward him now. One young man drove straight at him. Joshua swung his arm out and knocked the man aside.

  “Sorry,” Joshua said, not feeling sorry at all.

  He ran up to the horse. The children scattered with cries of terror. All except the one kid who had mouthed off to him, Cray.

  “Hey, where do you think you’re going!” Cray shouted at him.

  Joshua grabbed the horses reins and looked at the horse’s back. The bundles of furs Vazsa put on were still there. What the hell did he think he was doing? He didn’t know how to ride a horse?

  The kid, Cray, kicked his leg, bringing him out of his stall. With a growl, Joshua put his hand on the kid’s chest and pushed him to the ground.

  “Hey!”

  Joshua clambered up on the horse’s back. The horse whinnied and reared. Joshua clung to its neck. The horse came down and Joshua slapped the reins.

  “Giddyup, damnit!” he shouted. He dug his heels into the horse’s ribs, hoping that would make something happen.

  The horse jumped forward and set off in a run through the snow. Joshua slipped to the side, catching himself just before falling off. The horse kept running.

  More angry shouts behind him. He glanced back. A wave of men poured from the lodge, running toward him. Joshua dug his heels in harder, but the horse seemed to be going as fast as it was going to go in the snow.