2. Alixader the Giant

Gupra made an entire show of it. Ashorra found it dumb. Dumb, dumb, dumb.

Alixader the Giant had burned down half of Preza and pushed back the fearsome Pricecats. The only one to be able to stand up against those cats, helped by godly magic. If Ashorra heard that this creature came to Schola, well, he’d raise his walls and prepare his army!

But Gupra turned it into a festive day. He received the giant commander with a smile and gifts.

Your grandfather has grown soft and weak. It will kill him today.

The entire city had joined in the festivities. Young and old cheered for their leader, but not before they’d taken their share of the free banquet. Gupra had depleted part of his royal treasure to spoil his subjects so much.

Subjects, yes. Grandfather was tempted to forget.

The nickname Giant was not misplaced. Alixader was an entirely new species, with the tusks of firegod Ardex, horns like a buffalo, but the flexible body of a Gosti who could stand on two legs if they wanted. And when he did, he was twice as tall as his own gigantic grandfather.

But he didn’t come alone. Ardex himself trudged after him as if he were Alixader’s servant, instead of the eldest and most powerful godchild. His Firering jangled on his left front paw, his Flamefeaster on his right.

They stepped into the palace and negotiations started instantly. The gods must be busy now, fighting the First Conflict.

“We want to search Schola,” Alixader said, “and passage to the south. Who knows what enemies hide there.”

“I can assure you,” Gupra said with a wide smile, “that no enemies hide here.”

His trunk grabbed a bunch of grapes and offered it to his guests.

“That is reassuring,” Alixader said, rejecting the offer. “But I don’t work on promises.”

Gupra’s trunk stiffened, but he kept his smile. “I united Schola to ensure peace. We’re on the side of the gods, but don’t want to be dragged into some war.”

“United with the exception of the Tamli,” Ardex said.

“And those are most interesting,” Alixader said. “They control the coasts; the only way to arrive her by sea. They control the best land and have enough money to keep buying Pricecat soldiers forever.”

Gupra stayed silent. Ashorra looked up, past his colorful robes, with hopeful eyes.

“My plan,” he whispered. “Tell them my plan!”

His grandfather instead pushed an apple into his mouth and stomped away.

“Let my entire army walk through Schola,” Alixader continued, “and we’ll destroy those Tamli for you, no problem. Half their riches go to the Gupramils, half to us. I promise that.”

“Funnily enough,” Gupra said, “I don’t work on promises.”

Ardex spit out a fireball. “All this talking! Bah! It’s us. The gods. If we wanted to conquer Schola, we’d have done it yesterday in an hour.”

Ashorra stood up. “No, we don’t need your hulp, because I have a winning plan!”

“Ash, go to your room—”

“I see ghosts,” he said. “Ghosts everywhere. Look, one floats behind Alixader, a tiny cute mouse that doesn’t dare come closer. I … I think I control them. They protect me, or the Gupramils.”

Alixader frowned and leaned forward. Ardex stood stunned, his tongue lolling out.

“If I can get close to the Tamli, and then get in danger, the ghosts will kill them for me! I am sure!”

“And why are you sure, little boy?” Alixader pressed, increasingly impatient.

Little? He was almost nine years old!

“A soldier once came to kill me. But just before he did, a ghost like that came and killed him instead.”

Gupra smashed his wine glass against the stone table. “Ashorra, why do you always do this?”

“Why do I do what?” He looked at Ardex, still stunned. “It is true! You know it’s true! Or is that buffalo—”

“I shot down that buffalo guard with my bow and arrow.”

Sure. Don’t believe him. He just wants to make you look even more insane.

His grandfather pushed him from the room. “You could become a great leader,” he whispered, “but mention ghosts or spirits one more time …”

“Wait,” Ardex said, who blocked their path after one giant leap. “I have reason to believe in this plan. What would it hurt to take little Ashorra with us on the next Tamli attack?”

“What kind of—” Gupra looked at Alixader, who grinned and emptied his wine glass. “A boy—practically a baby elephant—on the battle field?”

“He’d be under my protection.”

Odd. Ardex was the only one without a ghost following him around. Did he keep them away with his godly powers? Could gods not be attacked or killed, despite what the Pricecats kept telling everyone?

“Good! Then it’s decided,” Alixader the Giant said. As he stood up, he bumped his head into the chandelier hanging from the ceiling.

“Nothing has been decided!”

“We already have an infallible plan to defeat the first Tamli king. We’ll take Ashorra, we’ll gain your trust. All will be well, little elephant.”

Alixader gave Gupra a pat on the shoulder that was strong enough to push the king through the room.

Alixader’s army studied the skies. What on Somnia was that?

They stood on the border to the first Tamli king, their palace a blur on the horizon. Gupra had once tried a surprise attack to kill the king, before anyone could even sound the alarm. Strangely enough, the alarm sounded immediately as soon as he placed one foot across the border.

Gupra called it dark magic, dear reader. But it was simply a guard patrol that accidentally walked the wrong route that night, and then a defect in the alarm bell that made it go off randomly. He almost started to believe in Ashorra’s ghosts.

Alixader had a different strategy. His enormous army stampeded over the border and destroyed everything in their path, until nothing remained but a straight path to the palace.

But more and more soldiers stopped walking to study the stars. Stars that were increasingly less bright and visible, because—

“Snow?” Alixader’s voice was twice the usual pitch. “Snow?”

Ashorra had never seen it in his lifetime, that’s how rare it was in this warm country.

The palace quickly became invisible, the floor a white sheet. Soldiers froze to their spot or got lost—invisible to their battalion, despite being only a tree’s length apart.

He stuck out his tongue to catch snowflakes. Someone crashed into the snow next to him and giggled. A girl elephant. He subtly looked aside and noticed she had also stuck out her tongue.

She was beautiful! Her laugh made him laugh even harder. Her trunk shortly touched his in an attempt to grab as many snowflakes as possible. Something fluttered deep inside his belly and he shuffled closer to her for warmth.

Until he saw the ghost behind her. So the Tamli had them too! Her ghost was a man who studied them from some distance, arms crossed.

“Well, as they say,” she said smiling. “Nobody conquers the Tamli kings. Enjoy your snow storm, Ashorra the Insane.”

He was too much in love, dear reader, to hear the nickname or realize she was the enemy. Isn’t that wonderful? Yes, the answer is yes. He let her go, stunned and starstruck.

She hopped away from him, taking a confident straight line to a cloud of blurry lights. That had to be the palace direction. Then—

Alixader stood in the center like a pillar surrounded by ants. He yelled commands, but they blew away in the wind. Weapons were thrown down to stick ice-cold paws at warmer places.

A bright glow erupted across the field. Ardex sent clouds of fire to provide light and melt the snow. He seemed scared to touch even one snowflake. The Firering glowed more brightly; the ring of fire around him expanded.

It expanded as far as the Tamli girl. She yelled as the tip of her tail burned. She extinguished it in the snow and ran away.

Two buildings, initially hidden by the snow, had also caught fire.

Ardex noticed it and gave up.

Coward god. Weak god. Doesn’t even want to burn a few houses to gain victory! Doesn’t even want to burn—a very sweet girl.

No. Stop it. She’s the enemy, she is a foul Tamli, Gupra told him all about the things they did to them a hundred years ago, she … she must be a witch that can summon snow storms!

Alixader sighed. He had no other choice than pull back with whatever soldiers remained.