From Iron and Ruin

The Bridge

Unedited. 

Chapter One: The Bridge

That morning, the light of dawn spilled over the rising hill above of us. The beating of last night's rain soiled the roads, turning them muddy and treacherous. Around us, stretching for hundreds of miles, was a wood of tall, dark trees that crowded together ominously. 

My knee gave a treacherous throb and I stopped, digging my weight into my staff as I caught my breath.

On either side of me, dutiful hounds came to a stop and turned amber eyes on me, curious and impatient for me to continue. They bore packs on their broad packs without complaint and sludged through the mud with a delight that I wish I had.

Behind me, twisting and twining along the unforgiving roadway was the Legion. Soldiers were packed in dirtied armour, falling easily into the familiar pattern that travel had beaten into them in the last few weeks. Oxen trudged on stubbornly, lugging carts while the people of Haaling trailed on alongside them. They were the workers and servants, from the girl who served the tea at the breakfast table to the blacksmith and his family.

Right at the bottom of the hill, leading them, was Gwendolyn Feldspar. Gwen for short – she tended to thump those who used her full name.

On each broad shoulder, perched a small child. Across her back, she carried a heavy back but the Troll never seemed to look as if the weight bothered her at all. As I looked down at them, something the Troll said made the two children on her shoulders shriek with laughed and her grin bloomed wide.

Fyr, Asha'da bless her, didn't have that luck. While brilliant, she didn't possess the Troll's strength or endurance. Her horse kept pace with the Troll easily. The wind reddened her cheeks and she was buried deep in her robes. Some nights, she and her Magins put on shows for the children while her fire, shaped like prowling beasts, moved around the sprawling camp to keep watch over those inside their domain.

"Your knee hurts." A quiet voice told me.

I leaned down to rub it, blinking up at Kohen. "Just sometimes. All this walking is making it worse."

The Zentin's smile was slight but knowing. "You have a horse, Aviana."

I tried to swallow the concern that always cornered me when Kohen came near. He had been quieter than usual in the past few weeks, speaking little but always there to comfort a worried soul. He was a wraith in the campsite most nights and I couldn't help but worry. "She needed a break."

"Her knee wasn't shattered and reformed." Kohen let Zeer lick at his hand, smiling as the hounds clustered towards him adoringly. "Your hounds have forgiven us for cutting their fur."

Together, Kohen and I began trekking back up the hill. "You swear we were torturing them. The weather was getting too mild for their fur."

"People are more afraid of them now." Kohen commented. "Underneath all that heavy fur, muscle and brutish strength is revealed."

"And how are the people of the Legion, Kohen? Tired. Fed up with all this travelling?"

"They are tired and weary, but their trust in you is unwavering."

"It is Mahon who is keeping us on track," I gestured back, knowing that the Captain would be there amongst his soldiers, unrelenting and unyielding in his determination to keep people moving forward. Always reliable in such uncertain times.

"And yet, the Captain would follow you anywhere." Kohen commented lightly.

My cheeks darkened. "He has no choice. If the people of the Legion follow me, then he must too."