Kingdoms of Caelum; Autumn of the War Queen

Chapter 18

It was steep up the mountain. Already exhausted from a full days trek, only sheer grit and determination pushed her onwards. But now the dark had set in, she felt coldness in her blood, to the point where it almost burned. Her frozen feet hurt with every step, and sharp rocks she could not see in the blackness ripped into her boots and tore at her skin. The pathway was wide enough for carts and wagons but she kept close to the mountain wall, nervous of the steep fall. She couldn't guess how long it had been since she had left Bane: three, maybe four hours? So when she reached the summit and the harsh west wind smashed violently into her, it was a moment of great relief; she had made it. Striding into the wind and over the rocks, she could barely see the giant bridge. Shrouded in darkness, only two small torches blowing aggressively at either side pinpointed the beginning of it, but when she forced her eyes to look upwards, the daunting silhouette of Fortis, thousands of feet wide, towered above. Suspended motionless, like Roskilde but twice its size, the black mass held a thousand twinkling lights across its body, escalating far up into the night sky. It looked a threatening and hostile place, especially in the darkness. Katla took a moment to gather her courage, not sure what to expect, but Fortis had a reputation for letting in drifters; making the dangerous Kingdom even more so. She took a nervous breath and walked towards the bridge, stepping quickly to the left and holding onto steel ropes as the forceful wind battered her body. It was a laboured ascent over the bridge, unpleasant and nerve wracking. She was not sorry when she reached the tall gatehouse and welcome light poured onto her. Her stomach churned as she released her grip on the bridge and strode past the industrial steel walls, under the open portcullis, and into Fortis. Torch lights cast eerie shadows on the gatehouse as she entered; it was deadly quiet. A lone, green, tattered flag flapped vigorously on a pole before her, bearing the black diamond crest of Fortis. Everything felt so strange, and it wasn't until she had walked fully through the entrance that she noticed the sentry guards. A dozen or more Dark Elves stood watching her. They were dressed in full battle armour, dull green steel breast plates and helmets. They were the first Dark Elves she had ever seen and, although she did not want to stare, she couldn't help but look; bizarre dark purple skin, almost reptilian in texture, and yellow cat like eyes that burned into her soul. Katla stopped unsure of what to do. A couple of them swung giant battle axes menacingly in her direction, and others gripped long pikes.

"I seek solace in Fortis", she said, unsure they could even understand her; Elvin was spoken fluently here, but although they eyed her with suspicion, not one made a move to approach.

"Arck dal'vinian!" A shout came out over the silence, and then the guards erupted into laughter. The tension seemed to ebb away and one by one so did the Elvin men. Quickly, Katla forced her feet to move. She walked fast through the warren of the gatehouse, passing more Dark Elves as she went, keeping her head firmly to the floor, and they seemed to just ignore her. The gatehouse reminded her so much of Roskilde's: a stale stench of sweat, ale and blood. She was thankful to find stone steps that led out of the place and up into the streets. Just like Roskilde, the streets were staggered, leading up into the Kingdom, but the similarities stopped there. Where at home, they had wooden huts with beautiful thatched roofs, cobbled streets and plentiful lush fields, Fortis was an IronCity. Tin houses sat side by side in crowded, military rows. It smelt of welding and steel, and black smog filtered through the streets. As Katla followed the streets higher and higher, her eyes rested on the summit, and on the large metal tower reaching into the black clouds: the ElvinPalace. She shuddered. It was no secret that Dark Elves hated humans venomously, both had once been mortal enemies and there was still a lot of hate between the species, but relative peace had thrown them together. They now co-existed in Fortis, with humans working predominantly amongst the many mines that Fortis ruled along the mountain range. Katla decided it would be best to keep her head down and her eyes averted while she was here, and she fixed her will upon finding Lofaid. It was late in the night but Fortis was not quiet; it was alive. The elves seemed to go about their business as though it was a brisk autumn morning; butchers cut slices into hanging carcasses as she past, blacksmiths hammered and clunked outside their tin sheds, thick black clouds from many burning barrels and kilns and the waft of rust and grime, hung over the streets. It was a suffocating place. As she scanned the surrounding streets, she couldn't see a single person, elf or human, that she dared approach. The Elvin men all looked the same to her; winged vest tunics, worn over a robe, a thick green sash across their waists, and then there was the hair: thick, black and long. All the Elvin men had long hair, some braided and some done in elegant buns on the top of their heads. It made them look incredibly supercilious and proud; incredibly terrifying. She glanced around some more and spotted men, human men, but again a large lump of fear settled uncomfortably in her throat. They were all built like mountains, like Bane. Dangerous looking, bile rose as she thought of the RisingPort and she wouldn't dare approach them; finding Lofaid suddenly seemed a lot harder then she had imagined. Katla passed more and more houses as she climbed the Kingdom; the smell of warm stews made her belly ache and her head feel dizzy, and several times she stumbled in the shadows of the streets longing for sleep, food and warmth. As she bit her lip and plunged onwards, she noticed a female Dark Elf up ahead. The first female she had seen. She was slender and almost beautiful looking, sweeping outside her hut with a wooden broom and dressed in white linen with furs hanging around her shoulders. Katla approached warily. This was a truly strange moment in her life, the first time she had ever met or spoken to an Elf.

"Please, I seek your help," she whispered shyly.

The female looked up from her sweeping and into the shadows where Katla stood. Her lizard like face creased into a scowl and her nocturnal eyes narrowed. She answered Katla in a foreign hiss. Katla took a step towards her and held out her arms. They were black with dirt, skinny and pale. She must have looked as desperate as she felt.

"Please. I'm looking for Lofaid. Lofaid? Can you help?" she pleaded.

The name registered on the female's face and her hate turned into confusion. She pulled her coal black hair behind her long, pointed ears nervously.

"You know him? Lofaid? Please, where is he?"

The female said nothing and her eyes narrowed again as she looked Katla up and down, glancing at her bow and arrows. Katla could sense she had lost her now. This was useless, she would never find Lofaid and every minute that went by was more and more dangerous for Bane. Disappointed, she turned to leave and took a few steps away before the female spoke in the perfect tongue of the Caelum language.

"Lofaid hates humans. What could you possibly need him for? He will hang you just for speaking to him."

Katla spun around and silence fell between them for a moment.

"Where can I find him? Please."

An uncertain smile fell over the female's face

"Where are you from little drifter?"

Katla averted her eyes to the floor waiting for the female to speak again. When Katla did not answer the female pointed up towards the Palace.

"Lofaid is Anisana's brother."

Katla blinked as the information sank in and she raised her head to the terrifying image of the tall iron tower. Anisana was known around all of Caelum, after all, she was the wife of the King.

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