The Hautchkinses

  Herbert Hautchkins heard them as they arrived. The sharp whistle was followed by the rhythmic marching of the Heinn’s Guard as they marched down Main Street.

  “Make way!” the lead officer and his men shouted to morning commuters on the road outside. “Make way for the Third Brigade!”

  Herbert gnced around the general store at the other shoppers. His eyes nded on his wife, who was speaking to Mr. Olson at the cash register. Yet as the army marched by, they all stopped and looked out the window.

  “What in the hells are they doing here?” Anora said to Herbert as he set down his basket of produce and came over.

  Mr. Olson stroked his beard, his face stern. “Aye, Mr. Hautchkins, it seems the merchant’s predictions are to be believed.” He smirked.

  “Aye,” Herbert grunted. “This isn’t some pnned march. Why don’t you go check on Opal and make sure whatever is going on isn’t making her skittish?”

  Anora stared out the shop’s front windows, the long column of soldiers thundering by, their voices singing the Heinmarr national anthem. The soldiers weren’t dressed in their usual brightly colorful garb, like in the Frostnd March. Instead, the uniforms were a drab gray and yellow, almost lifeless. Their backpacks were stuffed to the brim with supplies, and their lever rifles were slung over their shoulders. Aside from the holiday march, she’d never seen an army like this march through Oren, and clearly something about it unsettled her.

  “Anora.” Herbert called her attention back. She gnced at him and nodded.

  “I’ll be just outside.” She smoothed out her dress before lifting the hem and walking briskly out.

  Herbert watched his wife go, along with the other shoppers, and turned to Olson. He bit his lip; he had hoped what Olson said all those months ago was just a rumor. Yet when he’d told Mr. Ashflow, the elf seemed convinced almost immediately. And now this army was outside. That was the nail in the coffin for Herbert.

  “What else do you know, Mr. Olson?” he asked the dwarf. Olson had stepped out from behind the counter, waddled his way over to the “open” sign, and flipped it to “closed.”

  “A little more than you probably do, Mr. Hautchkins.” The dwarf didn’t turn to face him. His eyes focused on the marching column, a hand reaching up to stroke his beard. His brow knitted before he closed his eyes and took a deep breath.

  He turned to Herbert, who stood by the checkout watching him anxiously. “War is coming sooner than expected.” He cleared his throat. “I heard from the st caravanner that came through town that many of the merchant companies are shutting down supply lines. Due to ‘dangerous’ activities and shipping nes that are being remapped.”

  Through the window Herbert saw Anora stroking Opal’s neck. The strider began to squawk when the rger siege haulers started coming down the road. Massive ground dragons, the size of train cars, pulled what Herbert recognized as godhammers. Gargantuan siege howitzers, which he’d read were capable of penetrating deep into the earth and smiting bunkers off the face of Enora like Margon’s hammer.

  Olson spoke up: “News rarely reaches this small town. Most of the folk here aren’t aware.”

  “Aware of what?” He gnced down at the dwarf. It surprised Herbert to see him so solemn.

  “The Kaiser’s cousin and first advisor to the state, Erlin Dommletel, was assassinated in the border country of Aeilhart.” Olson sighed heavily.

  Herbert wracked his brain, trying to remember where the hells Aeilhart was. Moments like this made him wish he paid more attention in school.

  “Isn’t that to the south? Why is the army way up here?”

  Olson snorted. “Ah, dumi, unfamiliar with politics as per usual.”

  “I normally don’t let it concern me.” Herbert shrugged.

  “Aeilhart is a puppet state of Veilnd.” He eyed Herbert as he reached into his vest, pulled out a pipe, and began to pack it with loki. “It’s said that when Erlin was on tour there, Veillite magisters attacked his automobile.”

  Herbert shook his head. Automobiles?

  Olson pointed out the window, and Herbert’s eyes widened as outside the window came rge boxy wagons rolling across the cobblestone street without anything pulling them. The machines purred loudly, and through one’s open windows, he saw what looked to be a halfling man with goggles fighting a wheel.

  The sight made Olson smirk. “Interesting device, isn’t it, dumi? Gnomish engineering at its finest. The nations of the world have been buying these metal puppies up like hotcakes.”

  Taking his eyes off the metallic monster, Herbert looked at Olson. “So, what does this mean, then? What’re you getting at?”

  Olson lit his pipe and took a drag before blowing smoke into the air. “The Kaiser is furious and mourning the loss of his beloved family member. The people within the metropolises are also enraged. Propaganda and national fervor are spreading like wildfire, Mr. Hautchkins. A change is happening around us; once the news officially reaches Oren, you may see it here. My great-grandfather told me this long ago, when he served in the Twilight War: that all it takes is a single spark to light a fire. And just st week, that spark was cast.”

  “How much time do you think we have?” Herbert asked.

  Olson took another drag of his pipe, still looking out the window. “Not much time. If those aristocratic fools can’t talk it out, I give it a few weeks before conflict arises. I’ve already heard news that the governor of Johanneson has ordered the opening of recruiting offices.”

  Herbert took a deep breath and sighed.

  “My offer still stands, Mr. Hautchkins.” Olson looked at him. “Come with me and my family.”

  “I don’t know,” Herbert said softly. “I don’t know if I can just uproot everyone.”

  “Well, you’ll need to decide soon, Mr. Hautchkins.”

  Herbert turned to Olson fully. “What do you mean?”

  “I’ve made my decision. Tonight, I’m gathering my wife and kids, and we’ll start packing.”

  Herbert stepped forward and said, “Wait, you’re closing shop?”

  Olson nodded. “I’m not taking any chances, Mr. Hautchkins, and I advise you to do the same. You don’t want yourself or your kids to get drafted into a bloody conflict, do you?”

  “No, and my children are too young. But I don’t think it’ll reach this far out.” Herbert’s heart began to race as his eyes wandered out to his wife, who was nervously shifting and looking towards the shop.

  “Don’t be foolish, Mr. Hautchkins,” Olson huffed. “Look out there.” He pointed to the army. “Those weapons, cannons, guns, and spells. The war that is coming today will be fought like no other before. Heed my words, Mr. Hautchkins. This will be rger than the Twilight War.”

  “That is doomsay.”

  “Nay! It isn’t! We no longer fight with swords, spells, and spears. No war has been fought with cannons that can ftten cities! Machines that can fly! A simple peasant can now kill a magister with a draw of their pistol. Magic isn’t the end-all be-all anymore, Mr. Hautchkins. It’s no longer who has the most magical prowess, but who has the most bodies to throw into the meat grinder.”

  Herbert blinked. “Olson…”

  “Just listen to me, Herbert.” Olson said it sternly. “Please, as a friend, come with us.”

  Herbert bit his lip and sighed. “I’ll need to speak to my wife and kids.”

  “You have five days! Come the start of the next week, we will be leaving.” Olson stuck his pipe into his mouth. “Take your produce, free of charge. Store some extra food while you’re at it!”

  Herbert blinked, nodded, and went to grab his basket of goods and walk back out to his wife. The streets were bustling with the noise of soldiers and the purring and banging of the automobiles.

  Anora’s eyes lit up, and she rushed to meet him. “Did you get lost in there?”

  Herbert said, “No, Olson and I just had a chat. He also gave me some extra fruits.” He pced the goods in the back of the wagon. “We’re going to the schoolhouse.”

  She blinked. “Why? Css is still in session for another three hours.”

  “We need to have a family meeting,” Herbert said. “I’ll expin everything once we have Avdol and Mi.”

  “Is this about the doomsay Olson has been telling you?” Anora asked, her words stopping Herbert midway up the wagon.

  He shook his head. “I don’t believe this is doomsay anymore.”

  Ashflows

  Slyran watched as the soldiers went by his home, his arms wrapped around Cailynn, clinging to her tightly. His eyes narrowed at the column marching along; he could hear Lorzio’s voice in his head clearly from all those months ago.

  “Oh, one more thing. Major General Hossler’s Third Brigade will be arriving in Oren come spring, as the rest of his division has been instructed to bolster the Stricknd line. So, expect this pce to get crowded.”

  Slyran released his wife and rushed towards the marching soldiers just as their singing and cheering died down. “Slyran, what’re you doing?” Cailynn shouted after him.

  “I’ll be back; just stay here and check on the kids!” he yelled over his shoulder.

  “Oi! Stand back!” a dragon-riding officer shouted from her highly decorated nd strider.

  The bck-scaled and red-feathered dragon snarled at Slyran. He stopped, clicked his heels together, and arched his fist upwards, pumping it in the air to salute the officer.

  “Apologies, Senior Lieutenant!” Slyran stated as his eyes flicked over the chevrons on the woman’s drab uniform.

  The dragon rider lifted her plumed cap, and Slyran noted the slightly pointed ears on the half-elven woman. “Learned fellow. A veteran, by chance?” The officer pulled her strider off the column, briefly breaking formation.

  “Former Lieutenant Slyran Ashflow, ma’am. Served with the second field army under General Wahler!”

  The half-elven woman nodded and smiled. “At ease, civilian, no need to salute me.” The woman maneuvered her growling strider around Slyran; she cooed and patted the menacing animal on its neck, calming it. “I am Senior Lieutenant Carina Roth. What brings you running towards my company?” Carina showed Slyran a stern gaze. “Rushing towards a column is a quick and easy way to receive punishment. If you wish to join the march, Lieutenant, you’ll need to report to city hall.” She gestured back towards Oren.

  Slyran bit his lower lip and bowed. “Apologies, ma’am. My family and I are concerned. I just wish to see what is happening.” He straightened up. “I’ve marched before; I know this is not the training company you got going on here.”

  “Aye, you’re right about that.”

  A few soldiers whistled and howled as they went by. Slyran gnced over to see them hooting and hollering towards Cailynn.

  “Oi!” Slyran barked. “That’s my wife! Get back in line!”

  The soldiers jolted, gnced at Slyran, and ughed, yet immediately were shut down. The senior lieutenant barked out for them to be silent and move.

  “Apologies for my men.” Carina turned back to Slyran. “They’re young and dumb. Many of them have never stepped foot beyond the metropolises.”

  “Where are you all going?” he asked as Carina pulled the reins on her strider.

  “To the Stricknd line.” She tsked as she pulled the strider back towards the formation. “Do not worry, lieutenant. Your family is safe, though if you ever wish… our brigade can always use more seasoned officers. Speak with Sergeant Heinrich at the recruiting office in the town hall!”

  Before Slyran could say anything, she lightly kicked her strider, which trotted ahead. Slyran cursed softly and muttered, “Just as Lorzio said.” He gnced towards Oren. The town was bustling, its town hall just barely peeking over the houses in the distance.

  “I hope Harold has a few striders by now,” he went on. “And Henderson better have that goddamn wagon ready.” He sighed, turned around, and made his way back over to Cailynn, who was kneeling before their children. Luna and Varis seemed to be hammering her with questions.

  “Everyone inside!” Slyran instructed them.

  “But I wanna see the weapons!” Varis whined, right before Luna grabbed him by the arm.

  “Let’s listen to Father,” she said, pulling him away. Her eyes never broke contact with Slyran’s.

  Slyran took a deep breath as Varis defted. “She’s a good girl,” he said softly as the children went inside, happy that his daughter rarely talked back. She was so smart for her age—too smart. He knew she had an idea as to what was going on.

  “What’s up?” Cailynn asked as she stood up, her face stern, though Slyran could see the worry in her eyes. “What did that woman on the dragon say?”

  “She confirmed exactly what Lorzio told us,” he said, and noticed Cailynn’s hands instinctively clench. “Then she told me I should go sign up to join the march. They’ve erected a recruiting station downtown, and from what I can see, they’re probably setting up a base of operations here.”

  Cailynn inhaled, her expression conflicted as defeat began to settle in. She pinched the bridge of her nose. “What do we do?”

  Slyran gritted his teeth. Part of him wanted to have an outburst, but he kept his cool. Part of him wanted to tell Cailynn how right he was, but he knew that’d just make things worse.

  “We change our pns,” Slyran hissed as he wrapped his arm around Cailynn’s waist and began to walk her inside. “What’s happening is exactly what I feared.” She looked at him quizzically. “Everything is happening faster than I anticipated. I’ll go down into town, speak to Lorzio at the Step Right Inn, and see if he’s learned anything else. Then I’ll check on Harold and Henderson to see if they have a suitable strider now and if the wagon is done. I don’t think we have a full year.”

  Cailynn said, “Harold still doesn’t have a strider?”

  Slyran shook his head. “He mentioned after our trip that tely procuring one is like ripping teeth out of dorrogans. But… he told me that his niece is breeding them down in Johanneson and he should be getting some shortly.”

  Cailynn watched the column march by. She hugged herself and looked back at Slyran. “What about Luna’s training and schooling?” she whispered.

  Slyran’s ears twitched. Varis and Luna were talking a bit too loudly in the kitchen, telling Isa about what was happening outside.

  He rolled his eyes and ran a hand through his hair. “That is what you’re concerned with?” he asked, and Cailynn pulled back looking offended. “By the divine, Cailynn,” Slyran said with a sigh. “Have these nine years dampened your edge?” He immediately regretted his words despite how much he wanted to say them.

  Cailynn blinked, struggling to reply.

  “Darling,” Slyran said softly, “I know how tired you are.” He looked deep into her eyes. “I can understand how you want to settle down, and I get why you despise Lorzio. But… you have to admit that what he told us was the truth.” He pointed to the marching army. “And it’s walking right past us. Now is not the time to worry about our children’s schooling. The only reason I went along with that fantasy is so that we could get the kids away, assuming we had the time we thought we did.”

  She opened her mouth to speak, but no words came. Her eyes flicked back to their home. The home they thought they’d stay in for years, maybe even a century as they raised their children. All of which seemed to be crumbling into the mud thanks to that marching army.

  “You can’t keep denying what’s happening, that staying here wouldn’t be a mistake. I don’t want to go either.” He took in a deep breath. “But we’ll have to. For the kids’ safety.”

  Cailynn looked away and covered her eyes as she sighed. “Okay…” she said in a low voice before lifting her head up, hand dropping to her side. “I can see about getting in contact with my brother.”

  “Your brother? Aenorin?” Slyran cocked his head.

  “Yes, that one,” she said. “He and his family have a house in Johanneson; in his st letter a couple months ago, he mentioned he got a construction job. Something big is being built there. He can probably take us in if we pay him some rent. Luna and Varis can even meet their cousins.” She rubbed her neck. “That is, if those two are in town, then…”

  Slyran nodded. “Okay, okay, I like this.” He stroked his goatee and snapped his fingers. “Alright.” He pointed to his wife. “If you can try to reach out to him and start packing, I’ll go contact Lorzio and check on the wagon and striders. Till then, keep this hush around the kids.”

  “What about Luna?” Cailynn asked. “She’s smart, Slyran, and mature.”

  “Too mature,” he agreed. “But she doesn’t need to know what’s coming. Our little star is growing up too fast, and I don’t want to force her with the little free time she has left. Ignorance is bliss, after all.”

  Cailynn took a deep breath. “I’m concerned she’ll find out for herself.”

  “If she does, then we’ll tell her; she’s a smart girl. I’m sure she’ll understand.”

  A sharp cry tore their attention away to the kitchen. Luna and Varis ran into the living room, Luna’s arms wrapping around her chest.

  The little elf ran over to Cailynn and grabbed her by the skirt. “Mother, Varis punched me in the chest; it really hurts!”

  “It was an accident!” Varis pleaded.

  “What did I say about hitting your sister?!” Slyran barked. He stood over Varis, who shifted away nervously.

  “I—I was just pying—”

  “It doesn’t matter, boy; never y a hand on her!”

  Varis gulped and nodded. “Yessir.” He looked at his sister. “Sorry, Luna.”

  She smiled and nodded. “It’s okay.”

  “Why did you hit her?” Father asked.

  “I was telling Varis about my chest and how it hurt tely, and he teased me by smacking them!”

  Varis opened his mouth as if to protest, but in a defeated state, he nodded.

  Cailynn scowled. “Varis, that is too far. Never touch a woman’s breast, let alone your sister’s. You know both of you are growing, and that area is very sore.”

  “Imagine if she punched you in the boys, son,” Father said, gesturing to his crotch. “You wouldn’t be so happy if she did that.”

  Varis nodded. “Sorry. I won’t do it again.”

  “Let’s go py tag now!” Luna beamed, ran up to Varis, and took his hand. The boy looked confused, but as his sister dragged him to the backyard, he seemed to lighten up.

  Slyran held a hand out. “Wait a second, I said stay in—”

  Cailynn pced a hand on his wrist. “Let them go, dear; I don’t think the soldiers are going to be marching around the backyard.”

  He sighed. “I know, it’s just… I’m worried.”

  “So am I,” Cailynn said.

  At this point, Isa poked her head into the living room. “I can watch over them for you two.”

  The couple looked at Isa and smiled. “We’d appreciate that,” Slyran said.

  Isa nodded and gave them a cwed thumbs-up before going to grab her jacket and step outside.

  As things quieted down somewhat, Cailynn said, “I remember when we were kids, and you spped my tit when I was growing.” To lighten the mood.

  Slyran was not expecting this statement, and he recoiled. “Wait, what, I never did—”

  “It was ninety-some years ago over in Covington when our parents had us meet. Just like those two, I was compining about my boobs, and you said, ‘Oh, it can’t be that bad.’” She mocked Slyran’s voice and smacked his chest. “And spped me right on the breast. Do you know how bad that hurt?”

  Slyran looked at her stone-faced and said, “I have no recollection of this.”

  “Of course you don’t.”

  As, vieil ami, I continue to ramble. Unfortunately, I cannot erase what I’ve carved into this metal. Perhaps I should get to the point. Dark days are coming...