That was quick... I never thought I would ever write out those events. Hope you enjoy
Chapter VII
"A Darkness stronger than Faith..."
The moment I woke up, I knew immediately that I slept too long. I decided to go to bed early yesterday, and yet I could tell that it was almost noon by the angle the sunrays peeked between the branches of my hovel. Despite that, I felt sleepy. The conversation I had with Light yesterday exhausted my mind, and sleep didn't let me escape from seeing the tears of sorrow he never deserved to go through. I woke up a few times to let some fall myself...
I sighed, untangled myself from the soft covers and ventured outside, careful to not let my hair catch on the twigs by the entrance.
Among the familiar rustling of the trees and crackling of campfire nearby, I picked up a sound I didn't recognize. The sound of something slashing at the air, accompanied by an occasional whizz and causing the birds to stop their chirping and listen. Confused, I followed the noise towards a small clearing near my home.
I didn't expect to see Light... and I certainly didn't expect to see him doing what he was doing.
Standing in the middle of the circle of silky grass, a stick in his hand, he looked like a child playing a swordsman. But... what he did didn't resemble a child at all. After a deft twirl came a skillful thrust, then another that would have made an opponent with a real sword think twice even if Light was still just wielding a stick. I just watched in awe, one of my hands resting on the bark of an oak, until another swing brought Light into a slight turn and he suddenly faced me, freezing up.
"Ah... good morning," his face went slightly red as he turned it away.
I needed a moment to regain my voice. "You're amazing... where did you learn that?"
"A lot of it is self taught to be honest... though someone helped me refine the style."
"That's admirable," I smiled, wondering how many times this man would still surprise me.
He just shrugged modestly. "I'm alright I suppose..."
"It looked really good to me. Did you have breakfast already?"
Light nodded, pointing to his right. "There is a plum tree about 100 meters that way. Met one of the druids there. They gave me some plums for helping pick them." That's right... it was almost time to harvest everything we could from the forest before autumn ended... And it was such a relief that my comrades let him help. It meant they didn't see him as an intruder anymore. "Have you eaten yet?"
"I'm glad you're getting along with them now," I smiled. "I haven't, but I don't really feel hungry."
"You sure? I can quickly run and grab something for you."
I hesitated shortly, but quickly gave up. I didn't really feel like eating, not with yesterday's memories still holding onto my stomach and the fear of today's revelation gripping my heart, but I didn't want to worry him further. I knew I would be doing plenty of that later on... "Well, you did say you want to take care of our next meal, so maybe I will have some after all," I covered my anxiety under an amused smile.
I knew the decision was right when I saw relief on his gentle features. "I'll go grab something then," he put the stick away, not really seeming to care where it would stay, and headed for the centre of our camp.
I walked up to the slender branch and picked it up from among the blades, their green already surrendering its liveliness to the cold that wrapped around the forest during the nights. What I saw just a moment ago was really astonishing... I was sure I saw but a tiny snippet of his skill, yet I already knew he was a formidable swordsman. What struck me the most though was the fact that he seemed so much different from any swordsman I saw in my life till now. There was no fierceness in his movement, no longing for battle and glory in defeating the opponent. His only desire seemed to be protection...
I let go of the stick upon hearing his footsteps again and straightened up to see him approaching with some bread and fruit. "Thank you so much."
"No problem."
Some shadow flashed across his face and I got worried that my eyes might still carry the signs of tears from the night, and the light in the clearing made them visible for him. I looked away. "Something wrong?" I asked dumbly.
"It's nothing... Just... are you feeling okay? I know I don't eat when I'm not okay."
That would explain why you're so skinny... "Must be something common then," I tried to reassure him with a smile, but I was aware it came out poorly. "I'm fine now, please don't worry. I just... had to let it out a bit."
"If you're sure..."
"I'm sorry, I know you offered me a shoulder to cry on... but I will probably burden you enough today, if you're still willing to listen."
"Always."
I started to wonder if he ever backed away if someone was asking for help, or if he was just as stupid as me... no. It wasn't stupid. I wouldn't allow myself to think that when it came to him. But then why did I allow it when it came to myself...? "Shall we... take a walk then?" I asked, shoving those thoughts away to take care of them later or just forget.
"If you feel ready."
Not feeling like that at all, I nodded and headed into the forest on the opposite side of the clearing. Light followed, leaving some space between us. I could almost feel his anticipation, but he didn't say a word, just respectfully waited till I myself decided it was time to talk.
I didn't for a while, eating one of the plums he brought me and using the time to wonder how to start.
When I eventually did, I wasn't able to stop it anymore. And Light didn't stop me either. I told him how years ago Ilmer faced famine, how the mages decided to perform a ritual no one has yet survived in order to save the city, how the most powerful magic in this world was trapped inside my little, two year old body...
It wasn't too hard to tell him how I honed my skills over the years. How rumors about me started to spread throughout the land and attracted dozens of people in need of help, which I was happy to give whenever I could.
The hard part was to tell him what happened just a few weeks ago...
We just finished our dinner, some delicious fish and bread made this morning to go with it. Ertralia, as usual after a meal, felt lazy and decided to let the food settle with her head resting on my lap. I took the opportunity to gently stroke her ears and check them for any unwelcome insects.
I didn't pay much attention to Ikago's footsteps until he came really close and spoke up: "Yasenka... there is someone who'd like to speak to you. It seems urgent."
It wasn't unusual for urgent problems to suddenly appear. Over the years, we've all grown used to them appearing regularly, attracted by my skills and unwanted reputation. I didn't ask much, just gave Ertralia a gentle scratch behind the ear. "You can wait for me at home okay?" When she nodded and freed my knees so I could get up, I looked at my friend. "Lead the way."
He didn't really need to, as every human who visited our camp for some reason ended up appearing at the northern border of it. Waiting there this time was a young man with long, black hair tied behind his back, dressed in clothing that was slightly soiled, but looked like it belonged to someone from middle class. He bowed when I came closer. "Good afternoon my lady..." he greeted me, "it's an honor to meet you."
I answered the courtesy with a smile. "Welcome wanderer... what brings you here?"
"I came to ask... no, beg you for help. I come from Shinestone, the harbor city on the other side of the Ethir Mountains..."
I nodded. "I know it."
"We are dealing with a terrible problem right now... there is an epidemic of some strange disease."
"Disease? What kind?"
"I'm not sure what it is exactly, even the local medics are clueless... But it causes changes on the skin and weakness..."
I lowered my gaze, fixing in on the green of the grass to help me think. The first thing that came to my mind was some kind of infection coming from the sea and spreading quickly because of many people having contact with it there... but it was kind of pointless to speculate around so little information... "I can't really do much if I don't know enough details..."
"I know it's way too much to ask... but could you maybe visit Shinestone? Bringing any of the sick all the way here would be sadistic..."
I didn't even think much. "Of course... I'll see what I can do."
"Do you know the exact way?"
This time, I hesitated. "Almost..." I've only been to Shinestone once, years ago, and was sure I didn't remember the way, but it wouldn't be a problem if I just searched for it from an altitude no human being could ever reach... But there was another problem. I wasn't sure how long such a trip would take with a horse, and certainly didn't want to raise any weird questions if I arrived too early. The last thing I wanted was to raise suspicions that might lead to revealing who I was and I didn't want to risk the lives of the people if I arrived too late all the more...
"If you require assistance, I could lead you there..." I suddenly heard words offering a solution.
It was... sudden, but my racing mind didn't really see better options. We couldn't really afford to waste time... I nodded again. "I'll get some things, can you please wait here?"
"Of course," the stranger smiled, looking relieved.
I turned around and headed for my hovel. A sudden but gentle gust of wind agitated the sparse leaves above my head and I rose it, curious. The forest seemed... concerned for some reason. I've never heard anything like that while listening to its whispers and had no idea how to interpret it... but I decided to think about it after returning. I didn't want to extend the suffering of Shinestone's citizen...
I gently shook Ertralia back to the waking world from underneath my blankets and explained the situation, reassuring that I will be careful and return soon. I took some of my clothes and herbs before heading to Elianir's hovel to ask for some that I didn't currently have in my provisions. After making sure the rest of the space in my bag was filled with dried food, I announced my leave to master Arakiel, fetched Laika from the clearing where all our horses had their resting spot and returned to the wanderer.
"I'm really sorry about this..." he muttered when I approached, looking down.
"It's okay... I'll gladly help."
He chivalrously helped me to climb onto Laika's back and led me a few dozen meters deeper into the forest, where his own horse, an auburn stallion was waiting.
I tried to learn as much as I could while he led me through the forest and towards the west once we reached the open space of the Serelath Valley. His name was Sharish. He was the eldest son of a noble family from Shinestone and was living with his brother near the city, not directly in it, which probably explained why he escaped the disease, whatever it was. From what he remembered, the illness seemed to befall mostly people in prime of their life, above all men, which made the suspicion that it came from the sea even stronger. The changes to the skin he mentioned earlier caused parts of it to peel off, leaving the lower parts of it defenseless against infections that were probably causing a side effect in form of weakness...
When the sun sunk towards our destination ahead, its darkening surface hiding behind the summits of the Ethir Ridge, we set up a camp at the border of the forest.
I freed Laika from the saddle and made sure she had enough grass around before starting to gather some firewood.
"How about I hunt something for supper?" Sharish suggested, which made a shiver run down my spine.
"Please don't..." I stopped him gently, "the forest wouldn't let you."
"Oh?" he gave me a confused look. I couldn't blame him. The Silivren Forest was like no other in this land, and humans like him rarely ventured here unless in time of need...
I tried to explain it as simply as possible: "This is no ordinary forest... it will come after you if you try to hurt its inhabitants without good reason."
"Oh... well I still have some provisions," he offered hesitantly.
I gave him a relieved smile. "Me too, let's use them."
I took my time with the meal, thinking. Some strange feeling crept up from the forest again, but it was weaker here at the border, the meaning still not clear to me. When Sharish offered to take the first watch, I decided to not think about it too much in order to be able to take over in a few hours and let him rest as well...
The journey next day was rather uneventful, filled mostly with Sharish showing some landmarks to me and me not paying very much attention, knowing I didn't need them for my journey back. The only thing I put effort into remembering was how much time it exactly took till we reached the mountains, so I could remember it for the future. If I would even need it at all.
It became eventful when we reached the mountain pass leading to the other side.
Our horses suddenly slowed down, eventually coming to a stop despite us trying to make them continue and started to stomp nervously, snorting. I looked around, knowing what this kind of behavior meant and soon spotted three dark silhouettes lurking in the shadows of the cliffs. As soon as we made eye contact, they started growling, not feeling the need to hide their presence anymore.
I quickly jumped off Laika, seeing Sharish do the same and drawing a sword from a holster by his saddle.
"Stay behind me," he asked, his eyes not leaving the approaching carnivores.
I did as requested, but had to frown as the three silhouettes emerged from the shadows. They resembled wolves, but were much bigger, their fur black as the most expensive ink...
"What are they...?" I asked quietly.
"Syards," Sharish seemed nervous. "Relatives of wolves that live in mountain caves..."
"Should we try to..." my voice suddenly caught in my throat when one of the beasts leaped towards us with a bloodcurdling roar.
Sharish dodged out of the way and slashed at it, injuring the beast's strong shoulder. It wailed and turned around, ready to take revenge, but I interjected with a spell, effectively severing the remaining muscles in its injured limb and rendering it useless. The beast stepped back, growling.
The two remaining syards swiftly rushed to the rescue, but we weren't as surprised this time and they seemed less confident after seeing their companion defeated so easily.
After just a few minutes, both were lying on the cold rocks in puddles of their own blood. The beast that attacked first retreated somewhere during the skirmish and was nowhere to be seen.
It was... painful. I never really had to kill an animal like this before... I tried to connect with their minds during the whole encounter, calm them down somehow, but nothing worked. Almost like their spirits were surrounded by some kind of protective spell...
Sharish's soft grunt brought me back to reality as he slumped onto a nearby boulder.
"Are you okay...?" I ran up to him, noticing the pain in his features.
"Yeah, just... a scratch," he lifted his left forearm, three claw marks running across it.
I quickly took out one of my herbal infusions and clean bandages from my bag and started to wash it, my hands still shaking slightly. It wasn't like I was taking care of wounds the first time. But it was the first time taking care of a wound inflicted right in front of me, to someone who was trying to protect me...
"Thank you..." Sharish smiled slightly. "I'm not that good with a sword."
"It's okay... it wasn't your fault." I carefully tied the fabric by his elbow and finally relaxed a little. "We should rest a bit..."
Sharish nodded, looking towards the two corpses a few meters away. His gaze then wandered further to his right and slightly up. "Actually... I live here in the mountains. Maybe you'd like to rest in my home? It's not far."
The question took me slightly aback. "Um... I guess we can..." It would have been a bad idea to continue like this. The treatment I gave him wasn't a full one that was necessary, we were both exhausted by the ambush and the scent of blood could attract further beasts to him...
Sharish got up before I could think further. "I'll lead the way then..."
I accompanied him to his horse and kept an eye on him as he climbed up before returning to Laika. I gave her a few calming pats, making sure she shook off the shock, and got up on her back.
Sharish led us further down the pass, but soon stopped shortly and I noticed a barely visible entrance to a path, perpendicular to the ravine and leading up the ridge, towards north. He gave me a small smile and directed his horse onto it.
The path between the high cliffs was barely broad enough for two horses to go side by side, so Sharish stayed in the front, observing the surroundings, his sword still unsheathed. We didn't talk much this time, wanting to listen for any signs of animals around, and half an hour later my voice was taken away anyway.
Sharish's home... wasn't exactly a house.
In the middle of a vast valley that we came out into, stood an enormous castle. Its walls were made of huge, dark blocks of stone, probably from that very valley. There were three towers guarding the corners of the structure, the fourth, pointing north-east, lying in rubble... Countless bushes surrounded it all, hugging the walls everywhere they could, extending into what looked like a garden on the western side and spreading a scent I didn't recognize. The small 'maze' of them, interspersed with flowers and small patches of vegetables reached for a small river. I had to take a closer look later, discovering new mountain plants always made me excited...
We approached the castle from the east, where a big, double door guarded the entrance.
"Is this... really yours?" I stammered out.
"Not really," Sharish cautiously slid off his horse. "It was abandoned, we just decided to settle down here."
"Who did it belong to?" I followed him to a small stable hidden in the shadow cast by the building.
"The lord of Shinestone that governed around thirty years ago," he showed me where I could hang the saddle and made sure the horses had food and water to strengthen themselves after the journey. "He wanted to start a revolt against the king and make this the new capital. And failed miserably"
I just nodded. I never really was interested in political conflicts of Earlindon...
Sharish invited me inside and we were soon standing in a spacious hallway, mostly empty, but decorated with a few potted plants, brass chandeliers and a crimson carpet.
"Where do you keep bandages and medicine?" I asked, preferring to tend to his wellbeing first rather than be awestruck by the interior.
"This way," he chose the second door to our right and led me through another hallway, smaller and shorter.
On our way through it I noticed that most of the castle seemed empty and unoccupied, rooms left bare, some missing doors. I guess it made no sense to adapt all of them if it was just two people living here. I looked around in search for his brother, but there was no one to be seen.
"Here," Sharish opened one of the cupboards in a spacious kitchen we found at the end of the hallway. There was a collection of dressings, small bottles with various liquids and little linen pouches filling the inside of the cupboard with fresh aroma. It impressed me more than the gorgeous kitchen.
Sharish sat down on a chair by a small table while I looked through the medicine. Once I assembled everything I needed, I sat down next to him, asked to place the injured forearm on the table and started to give it the best treatment I could.
A few minutes later, I tied a knot at his elbow once more. "All done."
"Thank you so much..." he seemed a little astounded. Not many humans had the opportunity to see healing skills of druids.
"You should rest..." I told him softly.
"So should you... let me show you to a guest room."
Despite agreeing to it earlier, I still hesitated. "Is it really okay if I stay?"
"Of course. I want you to have all the strength necessary to go to Shinestone tomorrow."
A small smile snuck its way to my lips. He was right. The top priority was to ensure I was able to help the sick as best I could. "Okay."
He led me through the castle once more, heading upstairs. It seemed like only the northern part of it was really occupied. What caught my attention the most were paintings... dozens of them, in the hallways, in the kitchen, even on the walls at the stairs. Most of them were landscapes depicting mountains, views of the Serelath Valley that one could probably see from the summits nearby, a harbor city I recognized as Shinestone, animals...
I was just about to ask who painted them, when Sharish opened a door, revealing a mid-sized bedroom. There was a spacious bed to the right, the bed sheets a pleasant sky-blue. A big, temptingly soft-looking armchair stood in the corner, by a small dresser with a silver bowl and a water jar on top of it. A few books rested on the broad windowsill, behind them a view on two peaks, the river flowing out from the addle between them.
"It's... so luxurious..." I whispered, not able to imagine what his own chambers looked like if this was only a guest room.
"Not really," he confirmed my suspicions. "I would have put more effort into it if I knew we would stay for the night."
"Thank you so much," I stepped in, almost feeling shy to do so. I never stayed in a place as fancy as this.
"My pleasure. Would you like to turn in early?"
"I think so... do you need anything else?"
Sharish shook his head. "I'll be okay."
"Good night then," I gave him a smile.
"Good night," Sharish retreated and the door quietly clicked shut.
If only I had known beforehand that it wouldn't open utill the day I was forced to raze this place to the ground...
That was a fun experience... Yasenka's story was never something I wanted to go into much detail with, yet here I am, doing it after a certain someone flipped my dreams upside down ^^ And it's not over yet.
I'm glad we got back into it sweetheart and I'm happy you liked it, which means I'm not out of shape just yet *yay*
Actually I'm quite surprised how easy writing is to me lately. I'm still not sure which is better, this spontaneous writing or the one I took years to ponder over. One way or another, I enjoy how natural it feels now. And it's all thanks to my precious partner who taught me to never give up, keep practicing, took a role of an editor for me and most important of all - became the most wonderful inspiration in the world 3