Capítulo 16: Kazad-dûm
( POV Qoni Ahesh )
I was escorted through the city by a group of Dothraki as well as some Qohori. The Qohori weren't here for me though, they escorted the Qohori Khal's sister, Merida. Senu flew above me but I knew who it was watching over me. Shekh ma Asavva. My Sun and Stars. Knowing that he watched over me drove all the fear and worry from me.
I looked at the chaos all around. We traveled under the famed Iron Gate, I looked to either side and saw five siege towers by the walls, one never made it to the walls, destroyed by enemy trebuchets crushing countless men beneath it. The city itself reeked of death, great spans of the Slums had been burned away in a great blaze and much of what remained had been sacked by the Khalasar.
I saw a dozen men crushed under a large piece of stone that looked like it was ripped from the earth by a giant as we were leaving the slums. We made it to the one of the canals that separated the districts in the city. It was littered with bodies and the water was red with blood. I saw men frozen solid with looks of horror on their frozen faces and others impaled on jutting ice spikes.
I looked to my left to see Merida sat astride her mount looking sick at the scene in front of her. She wasn't used to death as I was, life in a Khalasar isn't clean or petty. Clearly Merida was unused to the smell of death, the stale taste of blood in the air. As a child I had become used to it, to be a Dothraki you would have to.
"Come Merida, let us get away from all this gore and go meet my husband." I said to the woman and she shot me a grateful smile
"Yes Qoni, let's." She said, colour returning to her pale face
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( POV Dwalin Steel-Shaper )
"Move it!" I roared at the two prisoners.
One was a fat man clad in black robes and wearing an ornate mask of a black goat fused to his face so it couldn't be removed.. The second was a gaunt man who looked malnourished. He was covered by purple and green robes lined with gold thread showing his immense wealth and clear status. Not a week ago these two men were treated like Gods in Qohor, now they were less than dirt.
I was snapped from my musings by the shocked gasps of the men around me. A gasp left my mouth as well when I saw what had stolen there attention. The Stone Gates of Kazad-dûm, they were more glorious than any tale I had heard of them. Ornate doors carved into the mountain. Either side of the door was a towering statue of Qohori warriors. Clutched in the hands of one was an axe and by his side was the carving of a giant eagle skull, the eagle representing the Red Eagle, leader of the Forsworn. Clutched in the hands of the second statue was a forge hammer, by his side was an anvil that represents our peoples rich history at the forge.
"Enough staring!" I roared as I peeled my own eyes away from the magnificent sight.
"Get these prisoners to our King, it's time for justice!" I roared again and they snapped out of their trance and began dragging the prisoners through the Steel District towards the gates.
We arrive at the gates quickly now that the men were motivated with the thought of there enemies getting what they deserve. Once we arrived we made our way to the two Kings. King Dane stood beside his son, and he looked at the gates with hope. The Pale Khal stood astride his stallion with Ghost by his side and he was speaking with his Bloodrider Arggo. I also saw my Wife. Merida looked as beautiful as ever and she spoke with the young Khaleesi, Qoni. On Qoni's arm sat the giant Golden Eagle Senu.
"My King, I present to you the Prisoners." I said, announcing my presence
"Ah the Mighty Red Eagle, and the Cardinal of the Black Goat." Jonos said while gesturing to the two prisoners
"A pile of bones and a fat priest." My Brother in law said before spitting at them with a look of distaste on his scowling face.
"What do you wish done with them?" I asked my friend and King who looked to Jonos for an answer.
"No King Dane, it was your city that was stolen from you and your people killed by these men, so it will be you who decides there fate." The young Khal said relieving the decision of their punishment to Dane.
"Fetch me a brand and start a fire!" Dane called out to some men nearby
"Grab a hammer, nails, rope and two wooden planks!" Dane called out again, finally deciding on a suitable punishment.
Soon the fire was started and a soldier had returned with a brand used my the Zelots to brand Heretics. Not long after that the soldiers returned with two planks of wood, nails, some rope and a hammer. Dane ordered both prisoners stripped to their waist. The men cheered seeing the leaders of the Forsworn being given what they deserved.
The Cardinal of the Black Goat screamed in protest, his voice muffled yet somehow enhanced by the mask fused to his face. The Red Eagle barley made a sound, that was until he was branded a heretic. You could see the rib cage of the old King as the red hot brand was forced into his skin. The old King's sorrowful moans would inspire pity if he hadn't personally lead raids into the Iron Hills in his youth. The Zealot leader inspired no sense of pity as he screamed about how the Black Goat would 'devour our souls like the heathens we are' I enjoyed his screams.
Next the two men were forced over a table chest down and they screamed as their newly branded skin touched the wood. Their arms were spread like the wings of a bird and across their shoulders and arms was placed a plank of wood. Dane approached from behind holding a hammer and nails. He started at the hands hammering the nail through the wood and through the hands before he moved to the shoulder blades and hammered through the wood and into the shoulders, then he moved to the next. The men cheered at the cries of agony.
He then ordered the prisoners taken to the great stone doors before he tied the rope to the planked of wood and ordered them both suspended on the air, According not high but only so there feet were raised of the ground. He then took his great axe 'Bloodletter' and approached the old tired King. He carefully cut the blood vessels in the king who cried out in pain before he did the same to the Cardinal. Dane then ordered the two of them raised further up.
Now the Red Eagle and the Cardinal of the Black Goat were suspended in front of the Stone Gates of Kazad-dûm, branded as heretics by there own brands, slowly bleeding out in the most painful way imaginable. Yet the deafening sound wasn't the screams of pain but the cheers of my people, there bloodlust satisfied. The leaders, both symbolic and spiritual had been punished for the crimes committed against my people. It was done at last.
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( POV Qoni Ahesh )
I watched as my husband approached the giant Stone Gates. He looked so tiny in comparison to there towering forms. He placed his hands upon the gates. I heard an entire army take a breath, King Dane placed a hand on his sons shoulder and Merida made a sign to her Gods. Thousands were watching him as he readied. Then he pushed. And the Stone Gates opened.
A sigh of relief echoed followed by a deafening cheer as the Stone Gates of Kazad-dûm were opened for the first time in three thousand years. Dane Ironfoot let out a bellowing laugh as he approached my husband, I followed after him as did Ragnar, Dwalin and Merida. When we made it to him King Dane embraced my husband in a hug like he was a brother and the others thanked him before I made my way to him.
"Jonos, are you well?" I asked noticing how sluggish he seemed. He said nothing instead flexing his fingers at the ground creating a small cloud of dust before making a fist causing a few pebbles to rise.
"I'm fine my love, that took a lot out of me that's all." He said to me but I wasn't entirely convinced
"Are you sure?" I grabbed his hand as I asked again.
"Moon of my life, I am fine I promise." He said as he placed a kiss on my temple and I dropped the subject.
After celebrating for a few more minutes we moved into the once sealed mountain keep. Everything was covered with a thick layer of dust and spider webs adorned almost ever surface. The ceiling was high, very very high. It was supported by rows of stone columns etched with different designs that meant nothing to me.
"Father we must find the remains of Durin the Defiant and his companions." Ragnar said to his father nodded in agreement.
"My son is correct, my kin deserves to be buried with all the honours of a King." The ageing King said before taking of and we all followed after.
We passed through the halls past many different rooms, we saw scorch marks also, so far the only evidence of the Valyrian Dragons existence. We searched the rooms looking for any sign of Durin and his companions or the Dragon Smaug but we found none until we reached the famed Forge of Moria.
The Forge was magnificent, hot magma poured through funnels and troughs heating the many forges that littered the room. The largest forge through, the one I assume to be the Mithril forge was cold. All the others still burned hot but not this one. Beside the forge was the skeletal yet towering form of Smaug or Scyrix as he was known to his Valyrian riders.
Imbedded above where his eye would be was a great axe and in his chest there were many spears just ring out. His bones were also littered with dozens and dozens of arrows and scattered around the room were eight bodies, the body of Durin the Defiant and the bodies of his seven companions, locked inside the mountain keep with there King to fight the Dragon Smaug or die trying. It seemed as though the second occurred.
"There is a presence here, it calls to me." I heard Jonos whisper as he took a step forward and I raised my hand to stop him before deciding that I should trust that he knows what he's doing.
He approached the Skeletal Dragons downed form causing Dwalin to grab his shoulder in concern though my husband shook it off saying he was fine. He got close to the Dragon and knelt down, he seemingly found something. He grabbed something in his hands but I couldn't see what. It looked like a rock but…..covered in scales?
*FROUSH*
*CRACK*
The flames of the forges burst and began burning brighter then the sun and the ground beneath Jonos' feet cracked. Everyone flinched and took a step backwards but I ran towards him forgetting about my own safety. When I got there he dropped the strange rock and fell onto his back. His glossy white eyes lacked pupils and blood flowed freely from then and also from ears and nose. I called for help but didn't register any response as my eyes set upon what caused this. I placed my hand upon the red rock, it was beside a cream, green and black rock.
But these rocks had heart beats.
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