by Liara Woo
Halthren nodded. "Thank you."
The griffin jumped away, and Halthren heard several wing beats that gradually faded away into nothingness. He was alone.
He lay on his back and gazed up at the rugged brown ceiling, feeling exhausted and cold, wishing that sleep would come and worrying about Katie. After a few moments he heard an odd sound. It took him a few seconds to realize that the sound was the sound of something flying very badly. Curious, Halthren pulled himself up the sides of the nest with his right hand, shaking all over as his legs and still-healing toes supported his full weight for the first time in several days. He just barely managed to peer over the side of the nest to see outside
There was a pale, robin's-egg blue hue to the sky, and the trees below were mostly bare except for a few, clinging desperately to their remaining red and orange leaves. Many tall, dark fir trees rose above the rest, silhouetted by the afternoon sun and surrounded by a halo of flying creatures. At first he thought they were griffins, but he could see only two legs, not four. Straining his eyes, he made out bald, pink heads and large, ragged feathers. Vultures. Giant ones. But what are they doing here? Halthren wondered. Squinting, he looked at the vultures again, and he thought he could see horned figures sitting on their backs.
"Demons," he whispered, horrified. "Demons in Fliuviel!" Then his bruised, weakened legs gave beneath him and he fell backwards into the nest, stabbing his back with a dozen twigs. He lay motionless, unconscious once more.
* * *
When Arian returned moments later, Loriina was with him. Halthren smiled wanly as he came back to his senses, gazing at her massive silver head peering into the nest at him.
"You look awful," she winced. "Come on; you really need that healing water Arian told me about."
Halthren grinned bitterly. "You'd probably look just as bad if you'd had your arm broken and eaten and your chest struck by lightning."
Loriina smirked and gently lifted him in both front paws, closing her finger-like talons around him. Halthren felt himself relax; the warmth from her scales was unbelievably soothing. Balancing precariously on her hind feet, Loriina turned away from the nest and jumped out of the cave; Halthren's stomach lurched uncomfortably as he anticipated a terrible drop to the ground far below, but Loriina spread her wings and was soon soaring away, following Arian as he flew ahead of her. Halthren focused on the sky above him, imagining that Loriina was carrying him safely along the ground instead of hundreds of feet high in the air, and much to his relief it worked—he didn't feel as frightened. Or maybe he was just too tired to be afraid of heights.
"If Katie could see you now I don't think she'd be very drawn to you," Loriina said after a few minutes.
The words felt like a hundred blows to his stomach. He didn't respond; if anything could have made him feel worse than he already felt, what Loriina said had. He knew she hadn't been trying to be mean; being a dragon, it was somewhat difficult not to make cutting remarks, or so he thought.
Is it true? he wondered. Would Katie only be disgusted by the way I look? An image came to his mind, of her face twisted into a mask of revulsion as she looked at his arm after the frog had devoured half of it. Although he wasn't vain, he certainly took an interest in what Katie thought of him. He cared for her deeply and dreamed of a day when she might care for him, as well.
Loriina landed several minutes later, setting him on dry, yellow grass covered in leaves in a patch of sunlight. For several moments Halthren relished the feeling of the grass and leaves tickling his bare skin like a wolf pelt did in midwinter, and then he forced himself to sit up and look around. He was sitting in a small clearing at the base of a short cliff. Moss grew in the crevices, and he could see dark pine trees leaning over the top. Fir, oak, and conifer trees surrounded the clearing, and he could see a deep into the woods, since the forest floor was flat and there weren't many dips and rises. The bushes were small, sporadically scattered across the leaf-covered ground.
Loriina reached out as if to pick him up again, but he pushed her away with his good arm. "I can stand," he insisted, rolling to a kneeling position and attempting to get to his feet. But his legs couldn't take the pressure and he collapsed to his hands and knees, groaning through clenched teeth as the impact sent white-hot agony through both his arms. Loriina wrapped her large forepaw around his shoulders and hauled him to his feet again, her talons wrapped under his arms, holding him upright.
"I don't think you can," she deduced. "But I'm too big to walk through these woods as a dragon. I can't carry you."
"Will you ride me, O Amazing—I mean, will you ride me, Legendheart?" Arian asked eagerly.
Halthren nodded glumly, feeling like an invalid. It was moments like this that led those around him to believe he was too weak to do anything on his own and couldn't even move without help. A surge of longing filled his heart, bringing a sharp, unpleasant taste to his throat. Will I ever be free?
Unresisting, he allowed Loriina to lift him onto Arian's back. "It won't hurt you if I hold your feathers, will it?" Halthren asked, resignedly certain that he'd fall off if he didn't have something to hold on to.
"Not at all," Arian answered. Loriina transformed into a human as they began their walk through the cold forest, and Arian trotted along with a rocking, jolting gait. His hips swayed up and down, and his shoulders moved back and forward with each step. It was incredibly uncomfortable, but Halthren didn't want to complain; it would have been rude.
They journeyed to a thin stream full of clear, sparkling water mostly shaded by tall, interlocked trees on both shores. Halthren slid to the ground, managing a few shaky steps this time before he fell to his knees, biting back another cry of pain.
"Drink the water," Arian instructed. Halthren peered into the gently flowing stream, gazing at the smooth, pebbled bottom. The light that filtered through the water danced upon the stones in complicated tortoise-shell designs. Despite that, Halthren could see his reflection quite clearly. He gazed into his own eyes, seeing the silver rings around his pupils.
For the first time, he disliked those silver rings. What Loriina had said about how he should have stayed home made him regret that he was cursed and that the stars had chosen him. Why couldn't he have led a normal life? Why did he choose to be obsessed with old tales and magic? Why did everything have to be so hard for him?
For the first time, he felt a little bit of hopelessness. What if the curse can't be broken? What if even after Darkness is gone I still have to suffer?
All of a sudden his reflection changed into the face of Kylaras, and she didn't look pleased. Doing what's right, even if it hurts, has its own reward, she admonished him in his mind. If you give up now, Katie will never be able to find where the Sword of Light is hidden. I know where it is, for it was I who hid it, but if I tell anyone, then I will fade from existence, unable to help anyone ever again. You must persevere, Halthren. If you don't, then Darkness will cover the world. We chose you because we knew that your heart would stay true even when beset by utter agony. Bad things happen to good people, Halthren Legendheart. But it won't always be that way.
"Are you certain about this?" he murmured.
Arian nodded, thinking the question was directed to him. "Quite certain. It'll heal anything and everything, and no one knows about it except for me."
"Do you ever see…visions…while gazing into the water?" Halthren asked hesitantly as the face of Kylaras faded.
The griffin hesitated. "No," he responded, sounding uncertain. Loriina snickered.
Halthren shrugged and bent down, closed his eyes, and put his lips to the ice-cold water, drinking it slowly. Instantly he felt something cool and refreshing, like a summer breeze, seep into his body, spreading down his torso, arms, and legs, penetrating every part of his body, bringing soothing relief with it. All of the pain entirely dissipated—except for the constant ache in the dark red cut in his chest inflicted by the Shape-Shifter (that injury never seemed to heal).
But he sighed, relishi
ng the feeling of being almost completely unharmed. No bites, no scratches, no gashes, no broken bones… he opened his eyes and saw that the burns on his chest had entirely vanished. The hole in his left arm was gone, leaving the flesh looking exactly as it had before the fanged frog attacked. He felt strength return to his weak limbs, and he straightened his left arm, marveling at how completely it had been healed. Slowly, staring in amazement at himself, he got to his feet and turned back to Arian. "I don't think words can describe my thanks," he said happily. "How…how in Allagandria did you find this?"
"Someone showed me," Arian replied. Loriina blinked in confusion.
"I thought you said that you were the only one who knew about it," she remarked.
Arian seemed to smile. "That isn't entirely true, I guess. She has been here longer than I've been alive. And…you said that you were also known as Halthren, correct?"
Halthren nodded. "What does that have to do with anything?"
"Everything," Arian responded mysteriously. "Come. Before you return to your quest, you must meet the Lady of Fliuviel. No one knows about her except for me."
"Why are you being so mysterious?" Loriina asked, a hint of annoyance in her tone.
"Sometimes a little bit of mystery is fun," Arian responded with a shrug. "The Lady decided for some reason that I was worthy to know about the stream she'd hidden for a thousand years. I will tell you this: she is an elf, and she lives here."
"An elf is living in Fliuviel?" Halthren asked, perplexed. "How…?"
"Follow me," Arian invited. He turned, his lion's tail held high as he led Halthren and Loriina upstream, towards the stream's source. The trees hugged the riverbanks, their roots dipping into the water, and they looked healthier than any tree Halthren had ever seen before. The bark was thick and rough, and it was colored a deep, rich brown. The leaves that had fallen all around them were dark, rich shade of red. Halthren guessed that their health was an effect of the magical stream giving them nourishment.
The sun continued towards the horizon, slowly stealing the warmth from the world and giving way to darkness. Halthren shivered, hugging himself, rubbing his bare arms in an attempt to get warm. Maybe I should have asked Arian to bring the clothes with us, he chided himself. A sharp twig stabbed his foot and he grimaced. I hope he has shoes.
A light evening mist was rising from the river by the time they came they came to a tall, ruddy brown cliff, where the water bubbled out of a thin, dark crack in the wall. Halthren approached it hesitantly, peering inside, but all he could make out was darkness. The echoing of dripping and rushing water from within filled his ears.
"Go in there," Arian said softly. "Loriina, you may not enter because the Lady is terrified of all dragons. Go inside, Legendheart."
Halthren stepped into the water and squeezed through the crack, entering the darkness. He followed the burbling sounds through the cave, with one hand on each of the cold, damp walls so that he didn't miss a turn. He squinted, trying to see ahead, but all he could make out was darkness, leading on and on. While elves do glow, the light of their skin is hardly enough to see by.
After rounding a bend, he saw ahead of him a faintly glowing figure bending down over something in the water. Surrounding her were shelves carved into the wall; resting on each one were empty vials made of glittering blue stone. Intrigued, Halthren approached her, and when she heard him she straightened. A slender, flowing blue gown hung from her slim shoulders, and her elegant face seemed somewhat familiar. She had dark blue eyes exactly like his own—without the silver band. His eyes widened in recognition and tears stung his eyes. How? How did she get here? This is impossible! Wonderment flooded his soul as he stepped forward, reaching out. "Mother?" he gasped.
The elf laughed. "Of course not. Your name is Halthren, isn't it? You must be my sister's husband. You look just like him."
Halthren was startled. The astonishment in his mind died abruptly, overcome by confusion. "I'm—I'm not—I'm not married," he stuttered, taken aback by her response. She looked confused.
"But you look like him. Except… the shape of your face is different. And your eyes…and the color of your hair…" She gasped, her hands flying to her face. "You're my sister's son!"
"You must be my aunt Nildria, then," Halthren realized, a flutter of happiness sprouting in his heart. "My mother's younger sister. But this is impossible! She…she told me you were dead!"
"A thousand years ago, the world was enslaved to the dragons under the reign of Vechthain," Nildria explained. "Your father freed them all and killed Vechthain along with an elf named Treemoon. My sister helped; I was only fifteen years old at that time. I was kidnapped by a dragon shortly after Vechthain died, and the dragon dropped me over Fliuviel. I fell into the healing stream and grew up here, away from everything I once knew. I suppose that because my sister never saw me again, she believed I was dead."
Halthren shook his head. All of a sudden tremendous joy flooded through him, and he sank to his knees, overwhelmed. "I thought… I thought that all of my family was dead," he whispered, tears stinging his eyes. "And now…to find you here…I can't believe it!"
"What do you mean, you thought all of your family was dead?" Nildria asked, suddenly worried.
Halthren's joy faded as quickly as it had come. "My parents…died. It happened a little over seventy years ago. Demons raided our village."
"The demons from Kratchene? When I was in Kylaras, we were at peace with them."
"Well… we've been at war with them for my entire life. Aunt Nildria, I must leave." He was suddenly, painfully reminded of the mission to find the Sword of Light.
"Thank you for bringing me news," Nildria said sadly. "It grieves me that my sister and her husband are dead, but… they live on in you. You look so very much like both of them, and the way you act and speak reflects how they were in life."
Halthren felt the desperate, aching despair he'd experienced at the moment of his parents' death return in full. Tears gathered in his eyes despite his efforts to remain strong, sliding down his cheeks and into the water. "I hope I can make them proud of me," he murmured, unable to stop his voice from trembling.
Nildria took one of the stone vials from her shelves and bent down, filling it with healing water from the stream. "Take this with you, child. I would be heartbroken if my last living relative were to die in this… war." She pressed it into his hands and he looked nervously into her blue eyes, the same exact color and shape as his own…the same as his mother's.
"I will come back for you and take you back to Kylaras when the war is over," he promised.
"No," Nildria protested. "I've grown quite attached to this place, and I don't think I shall leave it. But you must visit me."
"I will," Halthren assured her with a nod. "I will see you again, even if I'm in the form of a star."
"May Light keep you safe, then," Nildria said softly. "Farewell." She wrapped her arms around him and held him tightly for many moments. At first Halthren went rigid; it had been years since anyone had hugged him the way his mother had. But at last he surrendered to her touch, basking in the love of family, and awkwardly patted her shoulder. It was many moments before she released him. "Go," she urged.
Halthren left the cave, feeling encouraged and reinvigorated.
The Griffins of Fliuviel
The Griffins of Fliuviel
Katie was numb with cold, and her eyes stung with tears. As the flight on Fendilon's back continued for the third day, the ache in her heart grew. She'd realized that it was impossible for her friends to have survived, and that thought brought her no small amount of anguish. Loriina died saving me… Halthren died because I couldn't protect him… I promised Joran that I would, but I didn't! It's all my fault…
She tried to rationalize that it wasn't really her fault; how could anyone predict that a patrol of griffins had been flying overhead and had tried to attack Shrikirlych? How could she have guessed that the cruel dragon would have used poor Halthren as a shield?
More overwhelming sadness, like a massive pit of loneliness and emptiness, filled her heart, and she buried her face in Fendilon's neck feathers, sobbing silently. In her mind she couldn't get the image of lightning striking him out of her mind… she saw Shrikirlych tossing him into the air, and then a jagged bolt of lightning piercing his chest. He fell with a long, drawn-out cry of utter agony, and then he ceased to move. She shook her head, trying to think of anything to replace that terrible scream. The flowers. Remember them? Strong and cheerful, even in Dark times. Be like the flowers.
Fendilon turned his golden head to look at her. "I…I couldn't help but notice that you seem… upset. Is there anything I can do for you?"
"I don't think so," Katie sniffled, wiping tears from her eyes. I must be strong. Strong like the flowers; strong for the sake of Goodness. "How much longer is it until we get to the emperor's palace?"
"Only a few minutes now," Fendilon answered, beating his wings a few times as he soared over the clouds. "In fact…if you look closely through this fog, you may be able to see it."