by Pedro Urvi
It was nightfall when he returned to the camp. They had reached a placid lake in the center of which was a small island with a huge white boulder. The boulder looked like a standing man. The place was certainly picturesque. They had glimpsed it the previous day when they reached the top of the plateau, and Liriana had insisted it would be a great place to camp. Ikai preferred somewhere more sheltered and easily protected to spend the night, but she had been adamant and he had finally agreed.
“What did you catch today?” she asked with a welcoming smile.
“Don’t fret, I didn’t fish,” he replied with a trace of amusement. He knew now that she hated fish. Something really odd for one of the Senoca, as fish was considered a scarce delicacy, the food of Oxatsi Mother Sea, even though they could only enjoy the freshwater variety. He raised his hand to show her four hares he had caught with string traps.
“To the West, behind the woods, there’s a wide open plain covered with scrub,” he explained with a shrug and a smile. “Perfect for catching these little ones, they’re fast but they’re also curious.”
“I’d have preferred partridges…” she said with a smile, and her eyes shone with that bewitching turquoise.
One look from Liriana and he relaxed completely, lowering his guard as if all worries had vanished, as if he were bathing in a warm pool of celestial water. That worried him; he could not afford to lower his guard. He blinked hard.
“I saw some birds that might have been edible, but I didn’t dare catch them I have no idea what they are, but they were very big. A lot of the fauna is huge…”
Liriana shrugged. “It’s the first time I’ve been out here, and to me this whole landscape is incredible.
“I’ve been out here several times on hunting missions, but we never went far from the Boundary, not more than a couple of days…”
“Here, give me those,” Liriana said, reaching out for the catch. “I’ll prepare them for the way. One good thing they teach you in the Guard, apart from killing, is to ration and preserve the food.” She gave him a wink.
“Thank goodness they teach you something halfway useful in the Guard…”
The water-skin flew over the fire and hit him on the head. He laughed, picked it up and took a swig at it, feeling cheerful. While Liriana used her knife on the prey at her feet Ikai could not help but note her legs again. Strong and well-shaped. For some reason he found them very sensuous. He did not have much experience with women, and what little he had had not turned out well. He remembered with a pang of sadness how all the girls in the village had shunned him the moment they found out he was going to be a Hunter. It was natural. He recalled that awful day. For a moment he had dreamed she would understand, that she would accept his reasons and not turn her back on him. But he had been wrong. With the sun falling on her golden hair, Miria had looked back at him with those eyes as blue as the sky, and rejected him. The girl Ikai had been in love with since they were children, the only woman his heart yearned for, had turned her back on him as if he were a leper, as if who he really was, his soul, had changed. He had not changed, he was the one who had loved her every single day up to that ill-fated one. But Miria no longer saw Ikai the farmer; she saw a Hunter, a man repudiated by all, the enemy. And that was why she had rejected him. That day something inside him had broken, bringing with it a pain which did not cease for a long time. It almost consumed him when Kyra told him that Miria was marrying the smith’s son. But one learns to live with pain and he overcame it, persevered and won. He had healed and it no longer hurt… almost.
“Haven’t you ever seen nice legs before, Hunter?”
Ikai noticed in horror that he had been staring at Liriana’s legs while he was lost in thought.
“No… I was… sorry… lost in my own thoughts…” he tried to explain, red spreading across his cheeks.
Liriana smiled in amusement. “Easy, you’ll choke. Don’t worry, I’m used to men looking at me. I belong to the Guard, remember? I know I have pretty legs… for some. For most they’re too muscular, from what they’ve told me. You seem to be the first type.” She gave him a roguish smile.
“I… no…” he choked. “I mean, of course they’re pretty, but I wasn’t…” he mumbled.
“Easy, I understand. Take a breath,” she said with a laugh.
Ikai managed to recover a little from the uncomfortable situation. Red as a tomato, he tried to sort things out.
“I swear I wasn’t looking at you that way…”
“No? Don’t you like my legs? Are you saying I’m not a sensual woman, that I’m not good to look at? Is it my haircut? That’s it, right? Too masculine for your taste?” Her tone seemed very serious now, and her eyes were fixed on him.
Ikai was nonplussed. He had no idea what to do or say. His cheeks were burning, his head felt as though it was about to burst and he feared that anything he said would make things worse.
A tense silence fell between them.
Liriana broke it, laughing whole-heartedly. She held her stomach as she doubled up with glee. Ikai stared at her and realized the Captain had played him as if he were a little boy. He felt horribly ashamed, but he could not help laughing too. The two young fugitives laughed, letting the pleasant feeling it gave their spirits spread throughout their bodies.
They ate in silence, exchanging furtive glances as they enjoyed the meat, which they accompanied with some strong cheese left over from their supplies.
She held up the leg of a hare. “Oh, I’d give anything for a good wine to go with this,” she said.
“Are you from a good family?” Ikai asked
“You say that because of what I said about the wine? No, I’m not used to enjoying it. I’m the daughter of a woodsman. My father still works in the forest, it’s either that or die. The Eyes are particularly keen when it comes to the amounts of wood they require from woodsmen. I don’t know what they want so much wood for, but they make them cut trees down non-stop. The fever took my mother when I was five… she was a beautiful woman, from what I’ve been told.”
“I’m sorry… I didn’t mean to…”
Liriana shook her head. “Don’t worry, it was a long time ago… I was happy working in the mountains with my father. Unfortunately I was called up for a Quota of the Guard. They recruited me for my skill with the axe and my physical strength. When you spend your whole life felling trees, you acquire certain abilities…” She showed Ikai her strong, clearly marked biceps, which made his eyes almost pop out of their sockets. “And, of course, your favorites,” she added, showing him her leg muscles.
Ikai smiled and shrugged by way of apologizing. An owl hooted and they both tried to locate it in the night.
“I thought you might be some relative of Gedrel’s.”
Liriana’s face lit up at the mention of the old man’s name. “I wish I was, he’s a great man. His leadership and wisdom are invaluable for all of us. There’s nobody I admire more. Don’t get me wrong, I love my own father very much. He’s a good man, hard-working and loving, but he hasn’t got the spirit required to bring our people out of the slavery it’s suffered over a thousand years. For that you need a very special man, a rarity among common men. Gedrel will guide us to freedom. It’ll be a tough journey, very tough, but I’m convinced he’ll triumph. We’ll get back the freedom they stole from us.”
“That’s a dangerous view…”
“I know you don’t share it, but look around you, what do you see?”
Ikai looked around him for a long moment. He sighed.
“You see and feel it just like me: we’re surrounded by freedom. Absolute freedom! Fill your lungs with the night air, with this aroma of freedom. This whole exotic landscape oozes freedom.”
“You’re a dreamer…”
Liriana spread her arms wide. “And why not dream, Ikai? Why not wish we could all live out here, free of the Gods, breathing and enjoying this freedom through every pore of our bodies? Why not, Ikai?”
He wanted to reply, but he kep
t quiet. He knew the Gods would not allow it, ever. “Tell me, why are you headed for the Eternal City? Shouldn’t you be with Gedrel, helping him make this dream come true?”
“That’s exactly what I’m doing.”
“Going to the dwelling of the Gods?”
“Yes. There’s a lot you don’t know, Ikai. You’re not the only one who’s been robbed of a loved one. Someone who’s crucial to the lives of many.”
Ikai gazed at her. Her turquoise eyes were drowned in deep sorrow. Seeing the pain and realizing he would not get any more information, he changed the subject and asked her something he had been puzzling over for a while. Every time he asked her about it, she evaded the question.
“How long till we reach our destination?”
An honest smile of acknowledgement was what she gave him in return. He frowned in surprise. He had expected a negative reaction to the question. She waved her hand at the island in the middle of the lake.
“We’re there? But… there’s nothing! Only a big white boulder with the shape of a man.”
“Travel downriver until you reach the white man standing on the lake.”
Ikai stared at the island and the big white boulder, visible even in the middle of the night under the light of the stars. And then he realized. “Now I get it. It’s a mark, a meeting point. Not the final destination. Who are we going to meet with here?”
Liriana nodded and smiled. “I have to admit, you’re smart.”
At that moment the owl took flight. Ikai turned his head towards the trees where the flapping had come from. His heart stopped. The reason for the owl’s sudden flight emerged from the underbrush: a giant white tiger was watching them with its enormous cat eyes. It took him an instant to react; the beast was too big. He thought at first that his eyes were deceiving him with the light of the fire. It was impossible, it was ten paces away from the camp and it was as big as a working horse. He half-closed his eyes, unable to believe what he was seeing.
“By the seas! It’s huge!” Liriana cried.
And he reacted. He rolled over and grabbed his bow. Liriana stood up and unsheathed sword and dagger.
Defiantly, the great beast roared, showing enormous fangs.
Trying not to let fear overpower him, Ikai nocked an arrow. The animal took a step forward, its white-furred body shining in the night. It had ice-blue eyes, and in the firelight he could see the black stripes which marked its white skin. But what frightened him most was the gleam of those enormous cat eyes: it was not natural but strangely golden.
“Take cover behind the fire!” he said to Liriana as he too drew back.
The beast took another lazy step towards the fire and the flames illuminated it in all its splendor. It was massive. Its head alone was as big as a cartwheel. Ikai raised his bow and aimed through the flames. He had the uncomfortable feeling that the beast had come out to hunt, and they were its prey. He glanced at Liriana, who was wielding her weapons nervously.
The great beast took one more step, then with amazing speed for such a huge animal it attacked. Ikai reacted and let fly an arrow. The tiger leapt over the fire and lunged at them. He rolled to the left and saw Liriana roll in the opposite direction. The beast roared and clawed at his head. The claws brushed his hair as he threw himself to one side to avoid them. Liriana went to his help and drove her sword into the beast’s rump with a powerful thrust. The great tiger roared and leapt to one side, then faced Liriana and launched itself at her in a powerful leap. It knocked her down with a terrible blow.
In desperation he shouted like a madman to attract the beast’s attention before it put an end to Liriana. The enormous head turned and stared at him, showing its fangs, challenging him. Under its body lay Liriana. The tiger roared with a sudden whimper, as if hurt. A black arrow was standing out from its back. Ikai, dumbfounded, looked at Liriana on the ground. It could not have been her, and there was no one in sight in the clearing. He had no idea where the arrow had come from, but he seized his chance. He grabbed a burning branch and waved it, screaming like one possessed, trying to scare the beast. Another arrow pierced the snow-white skin of the tiger. The animal felt the wound and withdrew in confusion. It turned its head in all directions, but like Ikai, could not find the aggressor. It began to claw in Ikai’s direction while it roared in confusion, ears flattened against its head and eyes glaring with fury. He grabbed another burning branch from the fire and exchanged it for his sword.
The tiger decided to attack. It jumped towards him, and he met it with fire. The huge fangs searched for his face, but he stood his ground and plunged the fiery branch into the beast’s mouth an instant before it bore down on him. He went flying over the ground amid a sea of sparks and felt a lacerating pain in his chest. He drove one knee down and got out his throwing knife.
The beast watched him from two paces away. It was about to finish him when another arrow hit it, in the same spot as the others. It roared at the night sky, a sound so terrifying and loud it silenced any other sound on the plain. The great white tiger, badly wounded, roared for a last time, as if it were letting him know things were not over yet, withdrew into the thick undergrowth and disappeared.
Ikai fell to one side, badly hurt. Liriana tried to stand up, but failed.
A dark mist which mingled with the night shadows approached slowly. Ikai watched the unusual spectacle of black mist merging with the night. Immediately he sensed danger and looked for his dagger. A figure emerged from the blackness, as if appearing from the shadows of night itself, and came up to them, bow in hand. Ikai made out the stranger more clearly, five paces away. He tried to defend himself, but his chest was in agony. He grasped his throwing dagger and waited until he had him at arm’s reach, even though he doubted he could throw.
“You can drop the knife,” a hoarse voice said.
He stared at the stranger, who was wrapped in a black hooded cloak. “And why should I… do that?” he managed to articulate.
“Because it’s me you’ve come to find,” said the stranger, and pushed back the hood to reveal her face.
“Albana! Thank the seas!” Liriana cried.
Ikai looked at the young woman’s intense black almond-shaped eyes, the jet-black hair, the face which radiated fierceness, and he remembered her betrayal of him in the Dungeons of Oblivion.
“You, damn you!” he muttered.
“You can thank me later, Hunter. Come on, get up! Let’s get away before it comes back!”
18
The convoy advanced along the great bridge which gave access to the Fifth Ring of the Eternal City. The viaduct was an architectural structure both enormous and regal, ornamented with countless details sculpted on its white granite. From the open cart drawn by chargers, Idana was gazing at the turquoise waters which separated the fourth and fifth rings flowing beneath her. She looked ahead and noticed the guards standing at the end of the bridge. They guarded the entrance to the outer ring, with behind it the high wall which separated them from the immensity of the ocean.
Idana sighed in resignation. That’s where we arrived, crossing the great waterfall… I have a nasty feeling we’ll never manage to get out of here. Not alive, she thought, remembering the journey which had brought them to the city of the Gods.
Those guards were huge, bigger and stronger than the Executors. They had the same brownish ochre skin, with thick black veins marking their bodies. But what caught Idana’s attention most was the helmets they wore: similar to those of the Executors, but with a visor made up of two facing sharp-edged half-moons, one in front of each eye. It was as if their eyes were protected by the blades of two curved, vertical daggers. The guards were armed with short white spears and protected by round shields, huge and slightly oval, which covered practically their entire bodies. On the shields was an engraving of rough waves against a background of the sea. They wore sky-blue tunics which reached to their thighs, and over it their upper bodies were protected by rigid cuirasses of indigo-blue decorated with strange runes in black. M
atching gauntlets and grieves protected forearms and legs. Dark blue capes hung from their shoulders but did not reach the floor.
Ugh… I get the shivers just looking at them. They’re dreadful, and that brutal power they radiate is terrible. She felt fear, like a claw digging into her neck. She tried to see their eyes and could only make out golden dots, one in each of the half-moons. She shivered with apprehension and lowered her head.
The Eye-of-the-God who led the convoy, standing in a light carriage pulled by two black chargers, reached the guards. He stopped and saluted.
“Custodians, I request entry to the Fifth Ring,” he said in his creaking voice. “Your Lord Saxti, heir to the crown of the House of Aru, is waiting for us.”
The two Custodians exchanged brief looks, then nodded. The Eye turned and gave the order to continue. He shook the reins and the horses set off again and entered the Ring. Idana met the frightened eyes of Kata, the other Selected from the Summoning. With a great effort Idana smiled at her, trying to convey some support, wishing to spare her the fear she herself was feeling at that moment. But the four Executors with them in the cart and the other two at the back of the group in another light carriage did not make the task easy.
“Cheer up. It’s all going to be all right.”
“Where are they taking us? Where are the others?”
“I don’t know.” Idana glanced down at the white tunic she was wearing. It came down to her knees. In the center of her chest was embroidered a strange golden rune, which looked ominous.