Chapter 30

Ironsmith

Ironsmith was a grand old city which sat at the base of a great mountain range that split Altair and Couronne. Couronnians called the mountain ‘Ironside’ because ores and minerals could be found deep within the halls of the mountain. Altairians had given the mountain the name ‘Bezek’, which meant lightning in Old Speak, and it was in honour of Aquila’s Light before they had been devoured by Alshain.

According to Altairian legend, Aquila had created the mountainside by having struck the ground with their Light. From Aquila’s Light the ground shook as it swelled, the mountain growing out of the ground like a green seed sprouting from the rich earth.

It stretched upwards towards the sky, the sun and the Stars. Life grew around the mountain range; birds made their nests on the side of the mountain, elks, moose and small deers roamed the forest that had grown by its base.

The southern part of the mountain range was dry, , bare. The stone was sharp and coarse, while sunlight had paled the rocks over many centuries.

Only Sandwalkers knew how to travel along the southern part of the mountain range without dying of thirst or succumbing to the heat. They rode on the backs of giant cat-like creatures known as striped sand cats, one of the deadliest predators in the south.

Sandwalkers rarely travelled north, as they had no reason to. The northern section of the mountain belonged to either Altair or Couronne, and the Empress of Sul-fur-zaar was wise enough to stay out of the conflict. But on occasion, Sandwalkers could be spotted peering down at Ironsmith, spying in the name of their empress.

Further north near Ironsmith the mountain range was much greener and the weather cooler, more forgiving. It was easier to settle there where there was a better access to resources. A river ran beside the mountain where Ironsmith had been built by the First Queen of Altair, which was many years ago.

In the very first years when the World was still young, Ironsmith belonged to Altair. It was a mining city that brought wealth to many, and those who lived there were hardworking men and women who went into the mines early each morning and came back late every evening.

Today Ironsmith belonged to Couronne, won as a war spoil during one of the many battles between Altair and Couronne. But it seemed that old grudges had not been buried, past grievances had never truly vanished, and thus the war for Ironsmith had started once again.

A shrill cry ripped across the sky; one that shook Yongsun to her core. A woman in the street was cradling a small child, a boy, no more than seven years old. She wept as she rocked back and forth, holding the child close to her chest as if putting him to sleep.

Yongsun stopped in her steps, swallowing the lump in .

They had walked for several days, and Yongsun had seen the sun rise and set. She had seen fields and rivers, and eventually the mountain range looming in the distance.

She had passed through cities and villages where the people begged the Angels to stay. But they could not. Their orders were to go to Ironsmith, heal wounded soldiers and save them from the brink of death.

An Angel from behind her broke away from the other Angels to comfort the woman. The Angel took the child from the weeping woman’s arms. She cried out suddenly, like a wounded animal. Yongsun watched closely, as did all the other Angels. They whispered to each other about death, and pain, and bullets, and blood.

None knew what to do. Most of the Angels were too young, untrained and unknowing, while Yongsun and others like her were nervous about being thrown back into the heat of battle again.

They continued down the cobblestone street, following a sergeant who manoeuvred them through the safe areas in Ironsmith. He was in a deep conversation with Archangel Solji. Beside them walked Lieutenant Hyojin, who kept a firm eye on the sergeant.

The city of Ironsmith was laid out before Yongsun: Bent, but not yet broken. They were alive. But struggling. The streets were nearly empty, the stone houses occupied by soldiers waiting to be sent out to the frontline. Miners still went into the mines and most of them were happy to come back with their lives, if nothing else.

It was as if Ironsmith was holding its breath as all slowly fell apart around it. This was war. The soldiers said the fighting happened further north up the mountain range. They said the air was thick with gun smoke and the ground drenched with blood.

They said the Altairians had laced their weapons with magic, while Couronnians had enhanced their weaponry; guns could shoot a dozen bullets by pulling back the trigger only once.

The two sides would fight, and make blood rain, until they came to a stalemate, no longer able to fight or make blood rain. But they would seek to annihilate each other.

Yongsun looked over her shoulder and saw Angel Wheein looking solemnly solemnly at the ground. They had not spoken in a while. Whenever the opportunity presented itself to Yongsun, she was pulled away, rushed off somewhere else by the orders of Archangel Solji.

Irene approached Yongsun on occasion, needing something, mostly to talk. And that did not bother Yongsun. But she missed Wheein. It was as if their friendship, like a thread that kept them tied together, kept them close, had been slashed by a knife.

It was neither’s fault. The current circumstance had forced them apart: Yongsun was needed by her trainees, she felt she owed them as much after having not told them of the King’s command. Yongsun had to remain by their side until she could, somehow, end the war (but Yongsun still did not know how).

Wheein, it seemed, carried guilt in her bones, and felt she had been wronged by the Archangels and the Head Angels —by Heaven itself. Their last conversation had been an honest one, but Yongsun still felt as if she had lied. She had to tell Wheein, not to make her stay, because Yongsun was convinced Wheein had made a choice that could not be altered.

Yongsun took a deep breath, as if preparing herself, and made her way through the crowd of Angels. She approached Wheein with the intent of talking to her, but Wheein showed no sign of acknowledgement. She did not even look at Yongsun when Yongsun came to walk beside her.

«Wheein— » Yongsun tried, reaching out.

«I want to go home.» Wheein interjected, voice sharp. She shook her head. «This isn’t right. None of this is. Did you see that woman? She was in so much pain.» Wheein turned to Yongsun, looking right at her.

«I can’t take this.» She whispered.

«Tell me then, tell me how I can help.» Yongsun whispered back, voice smooth.

«Don’t you get it? You can’t help, Yongsun. There’s nothing you can do…» Wheein looked away, as if ashamed. «I just want to leave. Please don’t stop me.»

Yongsun’s chest clenched. She would not tell anyone, that was the least she could do for Wheein who would be shot on sight for daring to leave Ironsmith now. Yongsun nodded sharply, then looked away. She folded her hands in front of her and walked, head hung low. Wheein walked beside her in silence.

Their steps were heavy, tired. They came upon a green clearing just outside of Ironsmith. Yongsun looked over her shoulder and saw the stone buildings, the long and winding roads in the distance. The air became cooler as the sun was setting, and Yongsun became aware of how exhausted she was, how much she wanted to settle in for the night.

Several large tents had been set up for them to use. Yongsun saw other Angels walking about. Their faces were blank, as if all life had been drained from their bodies, their uniforms were dirtied with grime and stained with blood. Some stopped, turning their attention to the Angels who had just arrived.

Yongsun and the rest of the newly arrived Angels walked past the Angels who had been in Ironsmith working for months without rest. They gathered in a large tent. The cots were empty and the sheets had recently been changed.

Archangel Solji clapped her hands together, grabbing their attention. Yongsun looked up and saw Solji standing in the middle of a crowd of white and blue.

«This is Ironsmith.» Solji said. She frowned, thinking.

The Angels began to whisper among themselves, some were frightened, others weary. They had all travelled far to meet their doom. Most were aware that they would not make it, others knew only a few would survive, but that thought was like poison in their veins.

«What are we to do now?» A brave, yet small, Angel asked.

Solji turned, searching for the courageous voice that had spoken above the crowd. The Angel who had spoken was one of Irene’s trainees. She was small, her hair was cut short right above her shoulders.

Yongsun watched Solji intently, seeing Solji’s face shift from determination, to sadness, to hope, and then to nothing. It became blank and empty like everything else out here.

«Wait here.» Archangel Solji said quickly as she made her way out of the tent.

The rest of the Angels were left stunned, helpless without their leader.

«I heard there’s nothing left of Fulgeo!» An Angel cried, frightened and worried.

«Next they’ll take Ironsmith, and we’ll all be slaughtered like animals!» Replied another.

Panic rose, some sat down on the cots, heads in hands, pleading with the Stars, asking if this was their fate. Others were reciting prayers to themselves, eyes shut, hands clenched together.

Yongsun searched for Irene and Wheein. She saw them trying to calm the others, telling them Solji would soon be back and she would have news of would happen next.

Sicheng and Joy, and a few others were grouped around a cot, praying together. Yongsun approached them carefully. She had been feeling guilty since as she had not spoken to them since leaving Heaven.

«Head Angel Yongsun,» said Sicheng, surprised when he saw her. «Do you want to pray with us?»

«May I?» Yongsun asked, and they nodded. They made room for her and Yongsun sat down with them. They said the first prayer, one that Yongsun did not particularly like because it brought about false hope and promises that would one day be broken, but still she prayed with them.

«Thank you.» Sicheng said afterwards.

Yongsun was confused, and perhaps she felt her heart break. «Why?» She asked.

«Without you, we would’ve lost hope.»

«I kept the information from you, in a way I lied to you.» Yongsun gasped.

Joy shook her head. «No, that’s not the w