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Chapter Four: The Iron Keep

The next morning Baka introduced me to a female named Tyla. She was a gatherer, another skill I had asked to be taught. Unlike Kooda, Baka and the others. Tyla was more similar to myself in appearance. She also wore a heavily modified Frai, and she had strange looking foot wraps as well. Tyla taught by example rather than by word, for the first hour she said nothing to me. We both moved away from the village and coast. Up into the hills and the dense copse of woodland that hugged the coastline for a little ways.

I had again left the eggs wrapped in my cape and was pretty much naked. Tyla had given me a simple loin cloth to wear and I had a small basket that was to be worn on my back. I spent that first hour collecting dry kindling with her. Sticks, twigs, dry leaves, bark all that sort of stuff. After another hour of straight hiking she stopped and took out her bow. She passed it to me, set up some targets and just stared at me silently.

I proceeded to embarrass myself shot after shot until Tyla told me to stop.

“You're obviously not one for bows huh." She said. I let out a huff, I was better with lighter weapons that did not require much strength to wield. I picked up my basket and followed her as she began to hike back to the village.

“I'm a lot better with knives really. Light stuff, I'm actually a pretty good shot. Well, with darts at least." I muttered. Tyla paused and half turned, her ears erect and a curious look in her snowy white eyes.

“Have you ever tried ha'si? You know, throwing axes or knives"? She asked. I thought for a moment before shaking my head. I had thrown one of my knives before, when Roderic and I had been attacked on the road. At least, I thought I did.

“No not really, you think I'd be any good at it."?

Tyla shrugged, turned westward and began hiking uphill, inland. “Only one way to find out. “I followed, perplexedly. We hiked nearly all day long and Tyla didn't say a word. I was beginning to get a little nervous. But that went away as soon as we came out of the woods and she pointed northwards.

It was the Iron Keep

The fortress was huge, built atop a steep slope of green windswept grass. With its back to the sea and cliffs. It was only then that I realised the Fortress was directly atop the village. You just couldn't see it from the village due to the shear angle of the cliffs. It was a rather grim, dour looking building too. All made of dark blackish stone and even some metal as well. It stood like a solitary blackened mark on the landscape around it. Imposing, angular, dominant.

Tyla and I made up the hill toward it. As I looked around I understood that the Fortress was in the perfect location. With its high ground, it forced any invading force into a bottleneck and an uphill fight at the same time. With its back to the sea, the sunrise would blind any advancing forces in the morning, and in the afternoon, sun faced the fortress. Meaning no one could hide from view. If you wanted to take the Iron Keep. You had to take it by force.

What I was not expecting however was another small village of Vermian set up at the main gate of the massive Fortress.

“Are they part of the Ashwood cape"? I asked, Tyla shook her head. “No, they're a different tribe. They work here at the Keep, as couriers. When the Iron lords want something, or want to send something, they use one of us from the camp here. Apart from that, this camp is mostly a trade post." She explained as we strode past the camp and into the Fortress.

The Iron Keep was not like the other two I had visited. The Claw keep had been massive and sprawling, tunnelled into the mountains, grand with massive blocks of stone and winding battlements. The Kings Keep had been more like a giant wall built into and atop the glacial mountains it sat. Ancient and wide, with battlements stretching for miles. The Iron Keep thought. It was intimidating. The inside was all towering halls, massive spaces, dark and lit by strange sconces that burned blue or yellow with fire that seemed to need no fuel. There were books scattered around everywhere, and the people here, the humans. They were as intimidating as the castle. Tall, with strong monolithic features, thick beards and sunken, yet keen and observant eyes.

They did however seem to know Tyla. She passed them by without so much as a sideways glance as she led me down into the bowls of the Fortress. To the forge. A massive, long room with a high arched ceiling and a massive furnace at the far end. The rhythmic beating clang of hammer on metal filled my ears sharply and the heat of the room was incredible. A lone man stood over an anvil so large I, for a moment thought it was a foundation stone. He beat a sword blade mercilessly with a worn, black metal hammer. He was a giant. Easily twice my height, his arms and chest wear broad and barrel like. His skin pocketed with small scars and burns and his face born the same features as the others I'd seen.

Tyla though, greeted him with a big smile. “Hello Bjorin! Busy today."? Bjorin's eyes shifted from his work to her, yet he never stopped hammering. His gaze then swept over to me, I was a little afraid of this man. He stared at me wordlessly as he took the blade up in a pair of tongs and plunged it into a barrel of water. The metal hissed and steam poured into the air.

“What can I do ya for my lizard friend,"? Bjorin asked. His voice was heavy and thick. Tyla then nodded to me. I swallowed and stepped forward, explaining to the giant of a man what I wanted. I asked for four simple, light weight throwing axes. Before he said anything, he handed me a small knife and pointed to a target.

“Throw." He ordered. I threw. The small dagger landed with a dull thud in the target, striking the red of the bullseye just off centre. He then nodded.

“Very well. I will need you to fetch three things first," He said. My ears perked up, curious, though Tyla rolled her eyes.

“First, find me the red metal that falls from the sky, second, the wood of a stubborn white tree, and lastly, the blood of a gryphon." Bjorin said flatly, his arms folded at his chest, his gaze locked onto me. I stood there blinking and confused. Red metal from the sky? The blood of a gryphon? Was he joking?

“You and your silly riddles." Tyla said with a chuckle, “what was it last time huh? Roots of the mountain, tail of Saperhawk and a flower of the sky."? She said mockingly with a fit of snickering. My ears drooped as I realised he had been trying to make a fool of me. Bjorin smiled and chuckled, it was a deep and echoing chuckle.

“Nae. Just having a little bit o' fun. Come back to me in three days' time, I will have what you request." The giant of a man went back to work immediately, pulling the quenched blade out and inspecting it closely. I followed Tyla back up and out of the Fortress, it would be late at night by the time we arrived back at the village.

The hike downhill was obviously swifter and easier than it had been going up. Yet still Tyla spoke little if at all. She was a dull greyish colour, mottled with black and white spots all over. Sleek and lean, I found myself curious as I walked behind her, following her path through the woods. I didn't actually know for certain which gender I liked, if not both. Then again, she was a strong silent type, I was an oaf compared to her. I shook my head and put the thought out of my head.

We arrived back at the village just after midnight. By that time I was beyond tired, my eyes were barely open. I dumped the basket of kindling and trudged back to the nursery. Where I fell asleep as soon as I was curled round my cape and the eggs within. I dreamt once more of the mountain and the cabin. Sleeping deeply and restfully.

When I woke, I ate, and kicked into a routine. Gathering and survival skills with Tyla in the mornings, a bite to eat for lunch and a quick nap ad midday. Then fishing and swimming practice in the afternoons with Kooda. This was the routine that I settled into over the first half of my week. I liked Kooda as he was vocal and easier to talk to, he would flirt or outright hit on me whenever he saw the chance. Which I didn't mind, I reciprocated sometimes. But Tyla was beautiful to my eyes, she was silent, working with her was difficult because I never knew if I was making mistakes or not. It took me a few days to realise, she was also teaching me self-confidence and assuredness. Once I realised this, she finally began to correct me.

In the nights however, I always visited that same dream. Always sat on some faraway hill or in some grassy valley, looking at the mountain and its small cabin. In that dream I would think and plan.

My plan was thus. I would make the short trek to the Iron Keep. Where I would stay one more week. To gather supplies and to ask for directions and aid in getting to the Claw Keep. I also wanted to get my throwing axes and preferably some clothing too. I was going to find my mother and sister. Then I was going to find the mountain in my dreams and I would take the two eggs with me. Mother could help me look after them, we could all be one family, and live happily.

That's all I wanted. But I knew it wouldn't be so easy. That's why I prayed, prayed that Scarlet, Emet and Digger were still alive, and were making their way to unearth whoever it was who wanted me dead. They were far more capable than I was. There was no way they had drowned. No, I was certain that they were sticking to the plan that Scarlet and I had hatched up on the mountains.

I believed in that thought, and because of that, I smiled as I worked my routine. I would finally have my life back.