The Word Cloud

“TALES OF FROZEN NORTH”

- SAVAGE WARRIORS -

'by Jaana [aka Cyane]'

- Tale 1 -

:Cold and Slaughter:

In a faraway place, where the winter's iced hills cover the Halls of Frozen City, a new hero was born. Forged into fire of battle, she become one of the most powerful warriors from all time. Member of the Viking Royal kindred, she grown with the blade by her side, fighting in the battlefields arm to arm with her father and brothers.

When a strange entity tries to destroy the balance between Earth and Sky, the Viking kings decided to summon one of their kind, to fight for hope and glory, and to bring peace into their lands.

When the warrior was chosen by their gods, the kings refused to accept that a young maid will carry such a large responsibility by herself, but they also couldn't question the judgement of their divine Gods.

No long after the maid was chosen, the four kings gathered their armies and raised her as general over them. When she received the blessings from her parents she headed to the mountain of the Harden Waterfalls, where she had to meet the son of the second Viking king, Ledan, and join forces against their enemies.

Several days have passed until she has reached the edge of the Aran Mountain, the pass which lead them towards the waterfalls. After recognizing the dark woods of Nefareh she took some precautions and made a plan while she rose a camp near the woods, she was feeling the strong pressure in the air, a feeling of cold and slaughter.

- Tomorrow we will continue our course, the only chance to find the others is to cross these woods, so we will need some rest. muttered the girl watching close into her men's eyes.

- But, Jaana, it is dangerous to follow this path. hissed her brother. These are his woods.

- Shua, please have a little faith in me, I believe in all of you, so that's why I know that we all will survive into this war. We are Vikings, the kings of these lands, and we will fight for them, to rule them and to save our balance.

Her men seemed to have more confidence after hearing Jaana's voice, rising an absolute courage into their hearts.

Jaana remembered the story her father used to tell about the little Nefareh, a child which was always ready to give his life for his woods.

“Born into one of the three Barbarian tribes from north, son of Galean and Amara, he has been send into those woods at his tenth birthday to prove that he's worth of taking his father's place one day.

More days passed and the boy didn't returned from his mission, so Galean took five of his best men and followed Nefareh's tracks by crossing the sharp paths of the cold mountain. In their way, the men saw dead orcs and Vikings, murdered in the most fierce methods. Several wounds opened by the edge of the blade were still bleeding, no long to know that they were close to the boy, and will find him soon.

- This is not the work of a Barbarian. My son has gone too far. spoke Galean looking like out of his mind around and hoping to find a survivor.

- We are close, it is wise to have your people to rest for tonight, I have a feeling that soon we will need all our strength to face him. the young Oracle murmured after she has thrown her runes over the dark flames she rose with her breath.

- What you see Renna?

The woman's eyes closed once she heard the howl of the wolves. Her voice enchanted the man's soul while she was singing a cadence, hypnotic, like the dark elegy falling from a child's innocent blood. The northern winds brought her the infernal rages of the ones who fell victims into the boy's hands. Feeling their agony, she separated the runes from the flames and threw them away.

- Who'll go there, will go forever...once you meet them you will not be able to escape from their necromancy. she murmured breathing so fast as her lungs were ready to explode.

- Escape from whom?

- The Muses! These are their woods. she cried laying her head on Galean's shoulder.

- Nefareh will be fine, we just need to have faith, I will save him. the barbarian muttered trying to calm down the woman.

Galean send three of his men to gain some information about the woods and to find his son. Renna fell asleep after Galean covered her with some blankets near the fire he made. He felt the night's presence spreading its dark mantle over the sky and saw the sun hiding its waves beyond the mountain of stars.”

A strong howl from inside the woods awoke Jaana. The burning desire to know from where came this broken howl, took control over her senses, like she was dragged by an unseen force, a hand which was leading her more and more into the forest's womb.

Not far from the camp, a white dragon flew through the fire's sparkling flames, ascending across the thunders, followed by strong lightning lines, all breaking at the earth through the frozen storm. The dragon's eyes discerned a vague shape, a human, laid over the cold white layer, in the middle of some old-enormous trees, which, by her luck, were protecting her from the storm's deadly rage.

TO BE CONTINUED...