Chapter 10: The Task
"That's the beeswax. Now mirror. But where can we find one," Lars said.
"I think I saw a hand mirror at a junk shop in Veldarah," Rhen remembered.
"Let us proceed to Veldarah then." Said Talia.
"How much is this hand mirror?" Rhen asked.
"200 gold pennies at least."
"That's highway robbery."
"Take it or leave it."
Rhen paid the shopkeeper and was going out. Suddenly she stopped as a birdcage caught her sight. Lars bumped into her.
"What's wrong with you?"
"I think we should buy that cage too."
"Why? We don't have time for birds. Are you forgetting we're on something? We can't waste money on a useless thing."
Rhen was going to answer back but she couldn't think of any rational reason of disagreeing. So they left the shop. They were headed to the Wildwood when Rhen stopped again.
"I didn't know you were interested in punctuation marks," Lars said sarcastically.
"What do you mean?"
"Coz you're acting like 'full stop'!" Lars laughed.
"Do you even know the reason!"
"So what is it?"
"Look over there," Rhen pointed to a cave.
"So? Why do you have to wonder around so much?"
"It was never a waste of time at least."
"Rhen is right. We should take a look," Talia supported her.
"Fine!" Lars grunted.
"Why are there so many snakes! I can understand the rats but snakes?"
"Because it's a cave. Where else will they live? In your house," Rhen teased him.
"What is this?" Talia frowned looking at the smudged signboard.
"A place where people lives? In these caves?" Lars exclaimed.
"Lived. As I don't see anyone ar…"
"Boo!" suddenly someone interrupted her. "Ha ha, did I scare you?" said a floating boy which was looking more like a hologram. Then it went another way.
"Did you see what I saw?" Rhen turned to others. They nodde.
"Ghosts?" Lars seemed confused.
"There is another one there. Seems like a girl," Talia pointed to another floating being.
"Do you think it's gonna talk to us without harming?" Lars asked.
"We have to find that out," saying so Rhen went up to the ghost girl. "Excuse me?"
"Oh my, humans! Down here!" she was surprised.
"What happened to this place?" Rhen asked.
"A necromancer put a curse and all were turned into ghosts. Most of them went away but I couldn't."
"Is there we can do to help?"
"There is a pendent in that house," she pointed to a rusty old house. "You have to break it to lift the curse."
They tried hard to break open the door but it won't budge. They saw a keyhole. They decided to find the key and then come back.
"Hey look there's a rowboat by the shore," Rhen pointed. "Maybe we can ask the owner about the price of it."
"We noticed you had a rowboat. Any chance we can buy it?" Rhen asked.
"Sell my rowboat? Never!" He replied in a bitter tone.
"What's the problem? You could've said that politely." Lars asked rudely.
"Well, it's just that… it's lonely here by myself. If only I had a wife." He sounded disappointed.
"What sort of woman are you looking for?" Rhen asked.
"Hmmm…I'm looking for an exotic woman with a mean bite," He described.
"If we find you a wife, will you sell us your rowboat?"
"I'll think about it."
"Well keep an eye out for you."
After the talk they headed south towards the Wildwood.
Eithera was sunk in a deep thought. "Might is right. Or is it?" she was arguing with herself. "Many things can also be accomplished by brain. Well, not always though." Suddenly she heard a sound. She was going outside but she twirled and blocked an attack from behind. "Who are you?" she asked but the horn-headed demon didn't seem to be interested in answers. It attacked again with rain of fireball. Eithera tried to stop them with all her might. She was badly wounded. Scratches and cuts all over her body. She summoned swords, spears and arrow but the opponent turned into ashes with a blaze. Then the demon started chanting and the druid was turning into stone slowly. Saurva went near the door which was sealed. "I shall set you free master." The daeva whispered and began a dark ritual. Just then Eithera used the last drop of energy to summon a genie. A lamp appeared there. It's lid was opened and sucked the demon into it and then disappeared. But the druid couldn't save herself and turned into statue.
Rhen, Lars and Talia were near the hind's place.
"Lets go west." Rhen said and approached before anyone could say something.
"The hind lives in a cottage?" Lars looked at Rhen.
"Well….why not? At least we can check it out."
She knocked the door and a voice replied.
"Definitely not the hind," Lars said.
They went inside. A man was standing near the fireplace. He welcomed them.
"I like the calmness out here, none to bother me but my memories," The woodsman said.
"What memories could be so terrible to bring you so far away?" Talia asked.
"I know this voice. It is from another lifetime. No, I must be mistaken. All who I have known are gone," he sighed.
"Stop moping, you buffoon! This pitiful self-declared misery do you no good." Talia said.
"Is it you? Talia?" he smiled.
"You are so dramatic, Devin Pendragon! What has become of the spirited man once I knew?" Talia scowled
"Look what the fate has brought to me. All is lost…"
"Er, where are from you said?" Rhen asked
"Thais…I am…..was king of Thais. But Thais is no more"
"You really are a buffoon. Thais still exists. But how did you get here?"
"I…I do not know. I thought I had died but when I woke up I was here. A fitting punishment for my mistake," he sighed again.
"Devin this place is not good for you. Come with me to Aveyond. You can think about your plans there.
"I do not know…"
"Devin stop squabbling!"
"You always make me do things that I never thought I would. For you dear friend I shall come."
"Children, you have convinced me that you are capable of taking care of yourselves. I am going to take Devin to Aveyond. We shall meet you there," Talia told them
After bidding farewell to Rhen and Lars, Talia and Devin left the cottage.
"Well not a hind but at least a depressed soul got relief." Rhen said to Lars who was lost at previous conversation. He frowned at her but said nothing. And so they left the cottage and went the other way to the hind.
Rhen and Lars were now standing in front of the cave along with which lied some people all turned to statues. Many of them had the same expression.
"So now we are at the hind's whereabouts," Lars whistled. "Well then let's go."
As they were entering the cave they heard an ethereal melody. The party plugged their ears with beeswax. They entered the cave but now were unaffected by the song. They saw hind standing in the middle. She had the head of a human and body of a horse. She was playing her golden harp. The hind' beauty was so unearthly that both of them forgot breathe. Awe washed over them and their limbs began to stiffen. With her remaining strength, Rhen pulled the hand mirror out of the bag and thrust it to the hind. The hind turned into a stone, a victim of her own curse. Both of them collapsed on the ground and breathed heavily.
"Rhen, we should take the hind's harp back to Veldarah. Master Harald said we had to accomplish a noble deed and bring back proof to Veldarah," suggested Lars after they felt normal.
"You're right, Lars. The legendary harp of the hind should be the proof that we need to be promoted," Rhen agreed after they unplugged the beeswax. They took the harp and went out of the cave.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~ "We have brought you the harp of the hind who was terrorizing the people," Rhen spoke to the headmaster.
"This is indeed a noble deed you have done. The hind has haunted the Wildwood for years," Master Harald looked proud.
"Rhen Darzon, Shadwood Academy recognizes you as a Sword Singer," the headmaster said as he gave her the Sword Singer outfit.
"Lars Tenobor, Shadwood Academy recognizes you as a sorcerer," he gave him the Sorcerer's robe.
"Please change into your new outfits as soon as possible. Since you are no longer students, you should not dress like them," the headmaster smilled at them