THE GIRL AND THE SWORD
2.Avalon
I must have been staring at her face for some time, for she looked away, clearly embarrassed. A faint reddish tinge warmed up her already beautiful face.
"I am Aria, the member of…", she said.
"I know, I have heard about you", I replied (remembering Master Gog's diary entries), "but what confuses me is why a Fire Phoenix Army member is trying to save ME, of all persons, from a bloodthirsty assassin."
"A what?!"
"Never mind", I added quickly, looking at the sharp knife dangling from her belt.
"Well,", she said, impatiently, "you are certainly injured," pointing at my bleeding cheekbone, "and I have many more works on my hand than escorting a layman."
Fuming inside, I followed her. She led me through an intricate maze of roads, tunnels and down more roads, and when I finally thought I could walk no more, we emerged from the bowels of a tunnel.
Lights blinded me.
As my sight adjusted to the bright light, my jaw dropped on seeing the marvellous sight before me.
Avalon.
I have heard of the magnificent city from my masters but have always assumed it to be a fictional one. I didn't expect it to be so… grand.
Aria turned towards me, "Now, this is our city, MY city, the city of the legendary Fire Phoenixes, Avalon."
"I thought you like to keep it secret from outsiders?" I asked.
"Times are changing. My masters thought…DUCK" suddenly her eyes went wide, and she tackled me with all her might. I rolled and my head struck something.
My vision swam.
And then everything went dark.
The boy is running, occasionally peeking back. The gnarled tree roots and boulder pieces are making him stumble. He can literally feel the Mureq's presence behind his back.
As he turned a corner, he heard a shriek going up the air. The boy froze. He had forgotten his sister behind.
Ignoring the Mureq's fear, he doubled back to his camp. Smouldering wreckage of tents, campfires and barrels lingered everywhere. Torn appendages were scattered here and there.
At the centre of the town square, the Mureq held his sister up by the throat, a Damascus Steel sword lying on the ground. There was a large gash on the creature's hideous skin.
The creature's back seemed to be covered in some sort of glowing runic shields, which the boy would be coming to know in the later years to be the symbolic attire for all Mureqs.
His sister, though a very good sword master, obviously could not hold for long against the Mureq.
As her gaze fell on the boy, she whispered, "Run, Timmy. Flee to the east. Follow the rising sun. Go to Gog. Tell him…"
Suddenly, her voice was cut off by the Mureq's grasp. Gasping for breath, she started kicking and punching the monster, but its stone-hard hide was impenetrable. Then, she fell limp, and her eyes turned glassy.
"Noo…" shouted Timmy, "monster! You killed her!"
The boy started to pelt the Mureq with pebbles. He picked up a nearby sword and started the charge towards it with childhood bravery and futile courage but was swatted away by the colossus giant.
"Tenebris appropinqure, stultus puer", the monster hissed and vanished.
I woke up with a start.
Her voice still seemed to be resonating within the room. My sister's last words, her voice, even after so many years, still haunts me.
They say time is the best healer. They say time can make you forget anything. Anything.
As I began to rock with silent sobs, I realised the bitter truth.
They lie.
To be continued…
Author's note:
Can you guess on which mythological animal is mureq based?