As the reeling sound of heavy chains stopped , the massive wooden gates of the fortress opened; they groaned with a sound like a giant's teeth grinding together. As the gap widened, a wall of air hit Kenna's crew. It wasn't the smelly, rotten air of the jungle they had just left. It was fresh and cold, smelling like metal, old pine trees, and the sharp tang of a blacksmith's forge.
Tari coughed, trying to wipe the dust out of her eyes. When she could finally see, she froze. Standing in the mist was a group of huge men. They looked like Vikings mixed with scary bikers. They had muscles on top of muscles, and their leather clothes were covered in the scales of monsters. They carried big axes and jagged swords that looked like they had seen a lot of blood.
"Are they still part of the survivors?" Tari whispered to herself, her voice shaking.
They looked older than the island itself. Their beards were long and messy, and their eyes were hard, like they had forgotten how to cry a long time ago. Kenna's crew stood totally still. Tari looked at Mira, but Mira's face was blank. It felt like a fight was about to start.
Kenna walked forward slowly with an unwavering aura. She stopped right in front of a giant man with a brown beard and a massive axe on his shoulder. They stared at each other for a long time. Tari's heart was beating so fast she thought it might pop. "Are they going to kill each other?" she wondered. The big man leaned down and sniffed Kenna's neck.
"Oh my, you smell like you smoked a zombie's cremated remains mixed with pig dung," the man suddenly roared.
He started laughing so loud the ground shook. Kenna laughed too, and the entire crowd descended into a roar of laughter. Tari felt like she was losing her mind. What kind of greeting was that? The giant man, whose name was Brave, gave Kenna a strong warrior handshake.
"So good to see you, Brave," Kenna smiled.
"Likewise, Val. You look charming, as always. The island has got nothing on you ," Brave replied.
"Come on in, everyone! It isn't safe to stay outside much longer. The island is waking up, and I don't want my guests to be dinner for the Harpies."
Tari followed them in, feeling confused. Was that whole scary entrance just a joke? It was a bit flashy, something Aisha would have loved. Mira was laughing and talking with the men now. Tari realized Mira was full of secrets.
*The Fortress of Monsters*
As they walked, Tari looked around. This wasn't just a camp; it was a massive military base. The walls were made of stone and thick metal plates from old planes. She saw huge crossbows on the walls that looked big enough to kill an Amphidragon in one shot. There were also strange cages everywhere.
"What is this place, Mira?".
Tari asked. They had sat down in a big dining area, and Mira was already eating a piece of roasted bird.
"It's Merlin's fortress,"
Mira said with her mouth full. " We call it the 'Lunatic's Den'. The best fighters stay here. I trained here a long time ago. It's the safest place in Jotunheim, which isn't saying much. Look over there, at the training pits."
Tari looked. In a deep hole in the ground, men were fighting beasts that looked like giant, hairless dogs with glowing eyes. The men weren't using guns; they were using spears and their bare hands. They moved with a speed that didn't seem human.
"Those are the battle lunatics," Mira whispered. "They've lived here so long they've started to change. They can smell a monster from a mile away. They don't sleep much. They just wait for the next attack."
Tari stared in mystery at the adrenaline-fueled men snapping monster spines like it's biscuit. She took a piece of the meat, it tasted amazing, but her hands were still shaking.
"But they're survivors, right? Not people born here?"
"Yes, Tari. We're all survivors. But Merlin's group is the top security. They guard this part of the island because it's a mystery. Merlin handles the magic and the weird stuff. He thinks the island is alive, like a person. He calls it 'The Mind'. He says we are just germs inside it's massive biological system."
"Wow," Tari said.
"He sounds interesting."
"He's an alchemist," Mira replied, drinking some purple juice.
"A what?"
"An alchemist. He's the oldest survivor and our lead scientist. His folks built that bridge we crossed and all these weapons, our plumbing and farming systems, and other cool stuffs you're yet to see . He knows how to use the island's energy. He even figured out how to tame those giant War-bees and make medicine that heals wounds in seconds. But it's not magic like in books. It's 'Old Science.' Things from before the world went quiet."
As they ate, Tari heard the soldiers at the next table talking loudly.
"Did you hear about the squad at the East Wall?" one soldier asked, his face pale. "A Shadow-Crawler got over the fence. It didn't even use the trees. It just... blurred into the stone. It moved like water, but it had teeth like a saw."
"I heard it took three men before the electrical traps turned on," another replied, shivering. "They didn't even find the bodies. Just the boots. Merlin says the island is getting hungry again. Every time the mist turns red, something new comes out of the caves."
"That's why Brave is on edge," a third man whispered. "The traps are failing. The old science isn't working like it used to. The island is learning our tricks. Last week, a group of Vines climbed the gate. They didn't just grow; they moved like snakes, hunting for heat. We had to use flamethrowers for six hours straight."
Tari felt a chill run down her spine. These tough men were scared. That meant the danger was worse than she thought.
"Mira,"
Tari said softly. "Do you think we will ever leave?"
Mira stopped eating. She looked at the wall, her eyes far away.
"I stopped thinking about home five years ago, Tari. My feelings for anything went void after my aunt was taken eight years ago. On this island, home is just a place you see when you close your eyes. But Merlin... he's the only one who actually looks for a way out. He studies the stars and the dirt. If anyone knows the path, it's the old man."
* The Old Man's Lab*
Just as Tari was about to ask more, Kenna walked into the room. She had cleaned up and smelled like lavender now, not the stinking jungle moss and sulfur.
"Tari, come with me right now," Kenna commanded.
"See you later, Mira," Tari waved.
"Who wants to meet me? Is it Merlin?"
Tari asked as they walked through dark, cold hallways. The walls here were covered in glowing fungus that lit the way like dim lamps.
"You'll see,"
Kenna said, keeping the suspense. "And whatever you do, don't touch any vials. One girl touched a blue liquid last month and she still thinks she's a tree." Tari gulped hard.
They went deep into the fortress until they reached a concrete building with a chimney blowing out purple smoke. Kenna knocked, then opened the door. The room was filled with thick, sweet-smelling smoke. It was a laboratory. Tari saw telescopes pointing at the ceiling, microscopes made of brass, and jars filled with glowing bugs and bones of monsters. The walls were covered in glowing vines that pulsed like a heart. It was similar to the zombie fungus at the mountain pass.
CRACK!
A huge bolt of blue lightning jumped across the room from a tall metal tower. Tari screamed and jumped, but Kenna didn't move. In the shadows, Tari saw a man sitting in a chair, surrounded by piles of old books and bubbling pots. A ring of tobacco smoke floated into the air.
"What have we here? Who's decided to bother me at this hour ?"
the man spoke. He had a very thick, old English accent. "Speak up, I haven't got all day, and my tea is getting cold. Is it another soldier with a sprouting skin mold, or has the sky finally fallen?"
Kenna knelt down on one knee.
"Sir Merlin, it's Valkyrie reporting."
"I can smell your perfume, you silly girl. You always did love that lavender. It's a bit much for a dungeon, don't you think?"
The man, Merlin, said. He sounded very sarcastic. He stepped out of the shadows. He wore a big, heavy hood, so Tari couldn't see his face yet
"Sorry to bother you, boss," Kenna said. "But I brought the girl you requested. This is Tari."
Merlin stopped walking. He looked at Tari from under his hood.
"Nice to finally meet you, Tari. I was expecting someone... taller. Or perhaps someone with a bit more meat on their bones. You look like a stiff breeze would blow you into the next ocean. Are you sure this is the one, Val? She looks like she'd faint at the sight of a grumpy kitten."
"I've been through a lot," Tari said, trying to be brave.
"Oh, have you? How tragic. My heart bleeds for you,"
Merlin said, his voice dripping with sarcasm.
"We've all been through a lot, dear. I once had to eat a giant spider for breakfast because the supply lines were cut. And it wasn't even cooked! Don't expect a trophy for surviving a simple car crash."
He pulled back his hood. He had wild black hair with patches of white and a grey beard, and eyes that looked like they knew every secret in the world. He looked at a bubbling jar on his desk where a small, glowing fish was swimming in circles. He turned at Tari sharply. Tari froze.
"Everything here is old science, Tari. Things the world forgot. I use the blood of this island—this glowing sap—to power my toys. But the island is a greedy landlord. It wants its blood back."
He walked over to a strange machine that looked like a metal heart inside a glass box. It was beating slowly, making a thump-thump sound. "This is the core of the fortress. It sends out a hum that keeps the big monsters from eating us in our sleep. But it's dying. The energy is fading."
He leaned in close to Tari. His breath smelled like peppermint and old paper. " What a chatterbox" Tari thought to herself, trying hard to hold a serious face.
"And you, little girl, are somehow the key to fixing it. Or so my old maps and charts say. You have a spark in you. A connection to the island's core."
"I don't know anything about machines, sir," Tari said, feeling smaller than ever.
"Of course you don't. You probably can't even boil an egg without a manual," Merlin rolled his eyes.
"But the island doesn't care about your education. It cares about your blood. You're a Bridge, Tari. A way for the island to talk to us. And right now, the island is screaming."
"Maybe we should come back tomorrow, Merlin " Kenna suggested, trying to cut off the weird conversation. She knew where this was going, a d didn't want them rushing the little girl.
Merlin turned back to his desk and began mixing two liquids—one red, one green.
"Take her away, Kenna. My brain hurts just looking at her confusion. Feed her something that isn't sentient, let her sleep, and bring her back at noon. We have work to do, and I don't like to be kept waiting by children."
"Is there a way home?" Tari asked quickly, her voice small.
Merlin stopped and looked at her. For a second, the sarcasm disappeared, and he looked very, very tired.
"Home is a story we tell children to keep them from crying, Tari. Here, there is only staying alive. Now, shoo! I have a breakthrough to finish and your questions are ruining the silence."
Crackle!!
A louder bolt of lightning jumped off the grid again,almost hitting Merlin. Merlin docked ,as the charge knocked of a rack of jars filled with distilled water.
" Hah! Sorry about that."
Merlin grinned, turning on a dial " Electric-Hornets, obstinate bugs. Been trying to stabilize their charge plates to utilize their energy for weeks. Off you go now , child."
As Tari left the lab with Kenna, she felt more scared than ever. Merlin was a genius, but he was also cold. And if he was worried about the "metal heart" dying, then the fortress wasn't the safe place Mira said it was. The door clicked shut, leaving Tari in the dark hallway. A loud roar echoed from deep inside the island, and Tari knew that tomorrow would change everything.