Chapter 20: Flying High
Ragnar stood still for several moments, staring at the dead elf. It took a while but the full impact of what he had done finally hit him. He had killed an elf. An actual elf! Their very existence was mythical at best. According to Burland legend, the elves vanished a short while after the times of darkness, when recorded history began to take form. With elves, dwarves, and other mythical creatures gone, the human populace had spread across the world.
But not even five feet from Ragnar was the body of an elf that he had killed!
Ragnar was so tantalized by the elf in front of him that he didn't even notice Healie floating towards the corpse. The healer rubbed its tentacles over the corpse, apparently studying the body. It then lowered its bulbous, blue head towards the body and began to suck on the blood.
Ragnar, who was at first curious by Healie's actions, suddenly gasped and realized what the healer was doing. It was going to eat the corpse!
"No!" Ragnar exclaimed. He picked up his sword and pointed it at Healie. "Get away from him, now!"
"Eat... food," Healie said, floating a bit higher, away from the corpse. "E-vil... man... eat... food."
"I realize this must be a feast for your kind," Ragnar said, walking closer to Healie, sword extended, "but you will not eat him. Understand? You will not eat him!"
"I..." Healie began but Ragnar's glare cut it short.
Healie floated away from the body and Ragnar kneeled over the body. He studied the corpse for a moment. A drop of rain ran down the corpse's face and Ragnar only now noticed that it had been slightly drizzling the past minute or so. "The swampy land should provide a decent grave," Ragnar muttered to himself grimly.
He stood up and faced Healie. "How would you like to bury your friends?" he asked the healer, waving his hand at the many pikes.
"Bur-y?" Healie said, confused.
"Yes, bury," Ragnar said, nodding his head. "Give your friends a proper grave?" The healer looked at Ragnar for a long time, its tentacles waving back and forth. "Never mind," Ragnar sighed and he started the grim task of removing the healers off the pikes and burying them in the ground.
Ragnar slowly walked towards Izmit, Healie floating just behind. The day had been long and weary, and the soaking storm only seemed to weigh him down even more. Twice he had come near death, yet twice he had survived. It was as if someone or something was watching over him, protecting him.
He wiped the rainwater off of his already drenched face, soaking his hand. Yes, it had been a weary day and his mood had not improved since they left the secret playground. Healie hadn't bothered trying to talk to the soldier, the healer not knowing what a casual conversation was. It suited Ragnar fine. He was not in the mood for talking right now. All he wanted to do was get to a dry, warm bed and rest, forgetting about today.
Ragnar glanced at Healie and his companion seemed weary as well, its tentacles drooping instead of moving in their usual random order. Ragnar smiled sympathetically at Healie, even if it didn't know why he did so. The poor monster had lost all of its friends, probably its entire family, in one day, all because it helped a royal soldier. At least Ragnar had a home to return to, friends to be in the company of back at the castle. Healie had nothing left except the company of Ragnar while it helped find the missing children that the healer seemed to care very much about.
When Ragnar turned back to the field ahead, he could see the lights of Izmit glowing slightly in the darkened, cloudy skies. Ragnar smiled, forcing the dripping rainwater to run in a different direction down his face. He never realized how inviting the tiny town could look.
Ragnar turned to Healie and said, "I'm going to be in the town just on the horizon for a day or so and I don't think they'll allow a healer to roam among the streets, friendly or not."
"I... know," Healie said, its voice sounding a bit cleaner than before. "I... wait... here."
"Will you be all right?" Ragnar asked.
"I... fine," Healie said, waving its tentacles to and fro. "I... wait... you."
"Alright then," Ragnar said. He extended his hand and Healie put its tentacle in the soldier's palm, allowing Ragnar to shake it. "I'll come and get you when I'm ready to find the children."
"Yes," Healie said and moved its tentacle out of Ragnar's palm. It then floated through the rain away from Ragnar, disappearing over a small hill in the field.
Ragnar smiled. He felt a bit of a kinship with the healer, which was odd since had it not saved him twice in this one day he wouldn't have had any regrets killing it before.
The soldier turned, wiped more rainwater off of his face, and headed back to Izmit.
Ragnar woke up late the next morning to the light beating of rain on his window. His body was well rested but he still felt weary, the previous day's trials still vivid in his mind. He sat up, stretched, and went to the window. The storm seemed to be passing as the rain was now softly falling.
Ragnar yawned, stretched again, and got dressed, putting on a heavy wool jerkin. He went downstairs to the eatery and ordered his usual bowl of porridge. As he waited by the counter, he asked the innkeeper if any of the other royal soldiers had showed up. The innkeeper shook his head. Ragnar rubbed his mustache, wondering what could have happened to them. If they had left two days ago, they should surely be back by now.
Once he got his porridge, Ragnar paid the innkeeper and went to sit down at a table. Off in the corner, he saw a couple eating as well. It was Alex and Flora.
He walked over to them and cheerfully said, "Hello, may I join you?"
Alex and Flora turned, startled. "Oh! Sir Ragnar!" Alex said, pulling out a chair for the soldier. "Of course you can join us." Ragnar thanked them and sat down.
The soldier looked at Alex for a moment. The young man had cleaned up since Ragnar last saw him. With all of the mud gone and clean clothes on, Alex appeared to be quite a handsome man. Ragnar wasn't so surprised now why Flora would want to be with him.
"Why are you still here?" Ragnar asked as he sat down. "I would have thought the two of you would have left for Burland Castle by now."
"We decided to stay for a while," Flora explained. "The seaside really is lovely at this time of the year." She then glanced at a rain soaked window. "Well," she added absently, "when the weather is better, I guess."
"So," Alex said, smiling, "did you find the secret playground?"
"Yeah," Ragnar muttered, poking his porridge, "I found it."
"And...?" Alex said, rising an eyebrow.
Ragnar looked at Alex, unsure of what to say. He couldn't say that he befriended a healer and killed an elf. They wouldn't believe him for a moment. And, if they did, would they start to question his morals? Legends always said that elves were good, not evil. Yet the elf Ragnar killed most certainly was evil.
No, it was best not to tell them of his trials at the secret playground.
"I... found a strange pair of shoes there," Ragnar replied lightly.
"Really?" Alex said. "What kind of shoes?"
"I'm not really sure," Ragnar said before shoving a spoonful of porridge in his mouth. He chewed for a moment then said. "They're white with tiny wings on them."
"Tiny wings, huh?" Alex absently said, rubbing his chin.
"What is it, dear?" Flora said to Alex.
"Wait a moment, honey," he said, holding up a finger. He seemed to be in deep concentration at the moment. Eventually, he looked up at Ragnar and asked, "Do you have them on you?"
"The shoes?" Ragnar said, not really paying attention. "Yeah, they're in my room."
"Could you go get them?" Alex asked.
"Sure," the soldier replied and he ran up to his room.
When he came back down, Ragnar gave the shoes to Alex and the young man looked at them for a while, studying every minor detail of the shoes.
"What is it, Alex?" Flora asked, concern in her voice but her husband ignored her.
Finally, without looking up, Alex said, "These are them."
"What?" Ragnar asked, confused.
"The shoes," Alex said, looking at the soldier. "The shoes Pocos showed me. It's them to the finest detail."
"I don't understand," Flora said. "What's going on here?"
"One of the children who disappeared was Pocos, the son of the innkeeper here," Alex explained. "Before he disappeared, he showed me a pair of shoes he had found at the secret playground that looked just like these."
"And a friend of his said that Pocos was playing with some shoes like these before he disappeared," Ragnar finished, rubbing his mustache. It was all starting to come together now. The strange shoes were the key to finding the children. Ragnar figured if he put them on, they would take him to where ever the missing children were.
"Thanks, Alex," Ragnar said, standing up and patting the young man on the shoulder. "I know what I have to do." He grabbed the shoes and rushed up to his room to gather his equipment, leaving Alex and Flora in the eatery, confused.
Ragnar quickly ran outside of Izmit, excitement creeping through every inch of his body. It would soon be all over! All he had to do was slip the shoes on and, hopefully, he'd find the children. Then he could go home and prepare the castle's defenses against the threat of beetle-men.
As he ran, Ragnar double-checked his supplies to make sure he hadn't forgotten anything. Inside his pack were a half-dozen medical herbs, a new torch, and the strange shoes. His family's armor was already creaking on his body, the plumed helmet was on his head, and his shield was strapped to his left arm. If there were going to be more of those elves, Ragnar was prepared for them.
He had wanted to bring Darnell along but his fellow soldier was still recovering, and the clerics at the temple wouldn't allow him access, claiming he was resting. Ragnar didn't believe them but it would be pointless to argue with the clergymen.
"Healie!" the soldier called out over the drenched hills. This had been the area he and Healie had parted company before he had gone to Izmit, so the healer should be around somewhere. He scanned the hills, still soaked after the night of hard rain. There were still a few, random drops of water falling but the main downpour had ended more than an hour ago.
Ragnar looked over the hills for a long time, waiting. He was starting to wonder whether Healie might have left. However, the soldier eventually saw a tiny, blue dot coming over the hills.
"Healie!" Ragnar called out, and the soldier ran towards his companion.
Once he caught up to the monster, Ragnar quickly explained the situation. Healie understood it all.
"Now remember," Ragnar said, "if there's any fighting, leave it to me and heal me from behind." He thought for a moment, then asked, "Do you know if there are any more elves around?"
"Elves?" Healie asked, confused.
"Sorry," Ragnar muttered, shaking his head. He forgot that Healie didn't have the vocabulary of humans. "I meant evil men," he corrected.
"No... know," Healie replied, waving its tentacles back and forth. "E-vil... man... at... home... on-ly... show."
"I see," Ragnar muttered, rubbing his mustache. He seriously doubted that the elf he had killed at the secret playground was the only one, though. If the kidnappings were planned, then any organized force would have more than one person in charge. In any event, there would have to be guards keeping watch over the children.
"All right," Ragnar finally said. "I'm going to put the shoes on now. I don't know what will happen, so, in case I suddenly disappear, it would be a good idea for you to hold onto me."
"Yes," Healie said, waving its tentacles side to side. The healer floated up and wrapped its tentacles around Ragnar's neck.
"Not so tight!" Ragnar gasped and he reached up to his neck to try and undo the pressure Healie was applying.
"Sor-ry," Healie said and loosened its grip.
Once his breathing returned to normal, Ragnar kneeled down and undid his boots. He then took the white shoes out of his pack, replacing them with his boots. Slowly, he slipped the first one on. The wings on the shoe fluttered for a second but didn't move after that.
Ragnar took a few deep breaths, steeling his nerves. This was it. Just slip the other shoe on and it would soon all be over. Slowly, he slipped the second shoe on his other foot and closed his eyes. The wing fluttered for a second, then stopped moving. Ragnar waited for a few seconds, but it seemed like minutes, anticipating whatever the shoes did.
Nothing was happening.
Curious, the soldier looked down at the shoes. He almost gasped when he saw them. The wings were flapping hard, harder than any bird Ragnar knew of. Then, just as he looked down, he was propelled high into the sky.
His sudden and rapid ascent had caught Ragnar by surprise and the soldier screamed in fright. He was flying so fast, his eyes watered and he could hardly open them. He felt the wind rushing past him. Healie's tentacles wrapped tighter around his throat, the healer no doubt even more frightened than Ragnar. With so much pressure on his neck, he couldn't breathe!
Ragnar wanted to scream out to Healie to relax its grip but the rushing air forced his mouth shut. The soldier started to pass out, the lack of air making him dizzy.
Eventually, the lack of oxygen finally claimed his consciousness and his head swam in dizziness, a black world beckoning him to enter.