“I have to think about it.”
Mouth's eyes went blank for a moment. “Gharib resolved to accept your condition. You have time until morning.”
Fog appeared from nowhere, and when it vanished again, we were standing on a meadow close to a forest.
Gharib was gone.
Elisa turned to me. “What are we going to do now?”
I smiled. “We are going to have supper, love.”
~
With a little help from Kwazzo we gathered some branches and made a fire. I took out the last piece of bread and salted pork flesh from my bag, and roasted it in the flames.
We ate silently while the sun descended and the night took over.
I prepared a plain bed from my quilt and lay next to Elisa.
“I'm going to keep watch, my Lord,” Kwazzo announced and left us alone.
“Thank you, my friend,” I replied so that only he could hear me.
I snuggled closer to her. “Aren't you cold, love?” A simple spell changed a small piece of fabric into a delicate blanket.
She smiled. “Thanks.” She looked at me without moving her head, the light from the flames glinted on her face and in her wide, deep eyes. “Why don't we just go home?”
I hugged her and inhaled her smell. “It's not that simple, love. I possess powers that may help immensely, where needed.”
I couldn't tell her how guilty I felt over the destruction of Averot'h, of the death of so many innocent humans and wizards, and how much I longed to redeem my deeds. If there was an opportunity to do some good, I was obliged to agree.
She caressed my cheeks. Yet, my temples were aching and I still could feel the blood in my mouth. But with her soft touches, all my problems seemed far away.
Under the blanket, my hands moved gently from her back to her neck. She let out a muffled moan of pleasure and turned onto her left side. I caressed her shoulder, her arm, and suddenly my hand rested on her hip, and her firm bottom.
Her lips curled. “Hmmm,” she purred as her hips wriggled impatiently. She kissed me passionately, moving above me. “Is Kwazzo far enough away?” she murmured.
“Yeah, I think so.”
She gave me a quick smile. “Splendid… We are going to need some privacy for a while.” Her fingers ran toward my belt, and unlocked my belt buckle. “I'm not cold anymore, sweetheart.”
~
We woke up with the dawn. The fire went out and the morning was truly chilly, but I smiled at grass covered heavily with pearly tinted dew droplets. It was simply beautiful.
I helped Elisa to put her clothing on, whilst enjoying rare moments of her body uncovered.
She laughed nervously, her face blushing. “Don't stare at me like that!”
I turned, hiding my flush.
“Hey, I was just joking...” Elisa took my face in her hands. “God, you are so timid,” she spoke softly. I stared at her eyes, a kaleidoscope of colors and feelings, and was completely lost before her kiss liberated me.
“I love you,” she whispered.
“I love you too. I have something for you.”
I bent to the ground and picked up two small droplets. I let them lie on my palm. Elisa blinked and the droplets transformed into silver earrings.
“They are magnificent!” Elisa grinned and didn't hesitate a second to put them on.
She brushed her hair from her ears. “Do they suit me?”
“Yes. You look great. But that's not all.” I teased.
She lifted her gaze to me, surprised.
I pulled a knife from my bag and pricked my right thumb a little, causing blood to trickle out. I caught the blood in my left palm until the red stain was of the size of a coin. With the next breath I changed it into a ruby stone.
Elisa was caught off-guard.
“Wow...”
And it was her only commentary. I felt somewhat complacent.
She took the stone carefully and examined it in the morning light. The gem refracted and reflected sunbeams in marvelous fashion.
“That... is... something.” Elisa exhaled deeply.
With another spell I created a simple chain from a blade of grass. I connected the ruby and the chain into one piece.
“Now you can carry my blood with you.” I said and handed it to her.
She nodded, furrowed her brows and then shot me a serious look. “Yes, I will.”
~
The fog came sooner than I wished. When the mist dissolved, the circle of standing stones appeared.
I sighed.
Mouth stepped out of the ring. “It's time to go,” he said.
I shook my head. “Tell me about the task first.”
“You will learn everything when the time comes.”
I embraced Elisa tightly. “Love, I left food, water, a quilt, and warm clothes in my bag. Take it. Wait for me for a few days. If I don't come back, try to get to Averot'h. We will meet there. Kwazzo will be your company. Trust him, as you would trust me.”
She nodded, her silky hair falling to her eyes.
“Is your mission dangerous?” she asked.
“Yes,” Gharib replied so that only I could hear him.
“No. Don't worry, love.”
“Will you come back soon?” Her brown eyes were filled with concern
“Rather not,” was the quiet reply of the Elders. “It may take days, but also months or years...”
I nodded. “I'll be back soon, love...”
I gave her a short kiss. My heart was beating fast. “I love you, do not forget it,” I said.
“I love you too.”
“Kwazzo, take care of her!”
“Yes, my Lord,” a calm voice replied from a distance. “Good luck!”
I turned away from Elisa and set off to the middle of the ring. The power of magic started to whistle in my ears. My senses blurred and then it came. The world exploded.
And a dreadful premonition flashed through my mind.
Maybe, I'm not coming back...
CHAPTER 6
The White Fortress
i was lying on my back in grass, squinting into the sun. The air was warm and smelled of field poppies. Bees were buzzing around my ear and somewhere in the distance, starlings were singing their love songs.
It's summer... But where am I?
I sat up and looked around.
Suddenly, a cloud eclipsed the sun and a neighing sound made me turn.
A horse with a rider was galloping in my direction.
I stood up.
The rider slowed down, halting in front of me. He was all in black, with a hood on his head.
“Get on!” A female voice said. “And hurry up!”
She passed me a hand and in the next moment I was sitting behind her. “Hold tight!” she yelled and spurred the horse into the gallop again.
I embraced her around her waist as it was not easy to maintain balance.
“Who are you?” I yelled into the wind. “And why are we running so fast?”
She turned her head slightly. “Just look behind.”
I did.
And I was left mute.
High in the sky a giant creature with black wings and a grey head was chasing after us.
~
A dragon!!
I had no doubts about it. It was the creature from fairy tales and folklore, and alive! But in my world dragons were gone! Yes, I had seen a dragon skeleton in the Arena, but they became extinct centuries before I was born.
I tuned behind again. The beast was amazing, large as a two story house, and covered with scales that reflected the daylight and glinted in all colors of the rainbow. Further, it was drawing nearer with every beat of its giant wings with two joints. Its long tail, covered with needle-sharp thorns, swayed during the flight from left to the right, making the look of the beast even more terrifying.
I was not familiar with dragons' habits, but from our current situation it was obvious we were just his prey.
But where are we heading? W
e cannot run away; he is much faster.
And then I spotted white walls in front of us, raising high from the green grass.
It can't be true…
The walls we were approaching belonged to Averot'h!
~
The place was Averot'h, and at the same time, it was not.
I couldn't see Mag'reb or any other of the Four Spires, just a perimeter wall. It was getting harder and harder to keep myself steadied behind the rider. I tightened my grip around her slim waist, hoping she wouldn't bruise. It was a strange feeling, holding an unknown woman that way.
I looked behind.
The dragon was close, very close. His large mouth with long, sharp fangs hung in the air just five or six horses' lengths away. His yellow eyes blazed mercilessly. And the walls were some hundred horse-lengths away.
We won't make it…
~
The dragon roared and his wide nostrils puffed out acrid smoke. My hair went wild. I could feel a stream of hot air hitting my back. I bent over the rider to protect her from flames, while releasing a protection spell that created a sphere around us impenetrable by fire.
My breathing synchronized with the rumbling of the hoofs. Behind us, the dragon waved its wings and eclipsed the sun above us, perhaps confused why we were not roasted by his stream.
He soared toward innocent white clouds, increasing his distance from us.
Is he giving up?
The flying creature roared again and drew its wings together in a head-first dive!
He had climbed higher only increase his speed!
Come on!
The walls were so close!
But the dragon was closer...
~
We were seconds from getting inside!
When the hoofs banged the drawbridge, I sensed the dragon's head just inches away from my shoulders. The beast struck the defensive barrier around us with a force that threw me aside. I was falling down!
No!
In an instant, I saw the gate dropping down and I lost my balance for good.
I fell into a mud pool that splashed all over the courtyard, not to mention my face and eyes.
But I didn't mind!
We were inside the walls!
The courtyard was empty, covered with tamped-down, clay soil. It was roughly a rectangular shape and some thirty feet overhead it was hemmed with bastions and bulwarks.
The creature was rising to the sun, roaring with despair. It didn't take long and it changed into a tiny spot that vanished among the clouds.
The rider jumped down from her horse.
“Are you all right?” she asked. “We were lucky. It was goddamn close.”
I nodded, though I knew she was wrong.
Without my spells we wouldn't have made it...
On the other hand, I was relieved she hadn't suspected my true origin. Somehow, I sensed wizards were not specifically welcome here. Restoring my human look at the moment she picked me up was just a matter of instinct. Anyway, I didn't want anyone to know my true identity until I checked the situation and potential risks.
“What have we got here?” A man with a ginger hair and a brown long-coat stopped in front of the mud pool. His face was craggy with a long, thin and apparently fresh scar on his chin.
“I found him a mile northeast,” the rider said. “I don't know who he is.”
A boy came running to her. He bowed slightly to her, and she handed him the reins. The boy took the horse to stables on my left. On my right, a low, wooden barracks adjoined a tall keep.
“We don't need vagrants,” the man snorted, gazing at me with disdain. “We need soldiers.”
“You are wrong, Darnis. We need every pair of hands.” She was almost as tall as the man. She took off the hood.
I gasped.
Her hair was the color of honey, delicately curled and falling unbridled on her shoulders and back. She turned to me. Her eyes were deep as an ocean depths, sparkling in shades of green and blue. She was young, surely younger than me, and perhaps younger than Elisa. Between her voluptuous lips a slight gap revealed snow white teeth. Her blouse and trousers were made of red deer leather, making the impression of her slim body even taller.
I spat out the dirt from my mouth and cleaned my eyes, but it was to no avail, as I was dirty from my heels to the top of my head.
I straightened to look more dignified.
The rider hid a flash of amusement in her eyes.
“I'm sure he will be useful,” she said, still observing me. “Give him clean clothes and show him our fortress.”
Before I could say a word, she turned her back to me and left.
CHAPTER 7
Deadweed
i washed myself in an improvised shower next to the stables. The water was fresh, though its quantity was rather insufficient. I received some old worn-out clothes of intangible color, but several spells made the cloth almost satisfactory in terms of its length and hue.
Darnis didn't bother with me more than a few minutes, and left me in the hands of a stable boy named Egis, who guided me through the fortress, explaining what could be found there.
A terrifying truth sent shivers across my spine.
The city was not built yet. I have to be centuries or thousands of years back in time.
I felt unbelievably oddly.
I was in Averot'h, indeed. But all the spires, palaces, and houses were missing, and the city was not more than a fortress. There were the snow-white walls with watchtowers and donjons, defending the future city form the north. I got to the fortress under a massive donjon, which guarded a drawbridge arching over a moat. The barracks adjoined a keep topped with four pinnacles, forming the western side of an imaginary rectangle. The keep itself was connected to the battlements by an open parapet walk. The southern and eastern part of the rectangle was occupied by stables, a barn and a larder. The keep's inner wall was dotted with round, practice targets for archers.
From Egis I learned that the barracks contained a dormitory, mess hall, armory, two infirmaries, and a kitchen, while the keep served as a residence of commanders.
And that was it. The rest of the city was barren land covered with grass, mud, and marshes.
Someday, the fortress will be replaced by the White Palace, the place where I will become a Warlock.
What I'm doing here? What my task is all about?
~
We climbed up the wall to the top of the battlements. From there, I overlooked the area of the future city.
Memories filled my mind.
It was here where I met Elisa. And where I lost my brother. I fought with Ver'del, and become a Warlock. I destroyed Ka'tan... But all of this is yet to come in a very distant future.
Summer wind played with my hair, bringing the smell of blossoming poppies.
“Who is that young lady with the blonde hair?” I asked Egis, facing the north horizon.
The boy raised the eyebrow. “You mean Deadweed?”
“Deadweed?” I replied, confused.
“That's what we call her. She's a healer, and also a vice-commander.”
“I see.”
“Only Lord Auger calls her a Princess,” the boy continued, shrugging. “But I don't know if she is indeed a Princess, or not. And what about you, Sir?”
The boy stared at me with curiosity. He could be thirteen or fourteen, and his dark eyes were bright and naive.
I smiled. “What do you want to know?”
“Are you far afar, Sir? People say you arrived with Deadweed just in time to escape from the mouth of a dragon. They say it's a miracle you got inside without being burnt to a cinder.”
When he saw my face, he apologized quickly. “I'm sorry, Sir.”
“You are right. We were lucky indeed,” I admitted. “My name's Syrdan. I used to live in the south, near the Yellow River. I came here for a reason that...” I was seeking the proper words. “That I can't speak about right now.”
The boy nodded knowingly. “I understand.
It's a secret.”
I gave him a smile. “I have seen enough. Thank you for your help, Egis. Now, take me to the mess hall, please.”
“You are welcome, Sir,” the boy replied, evidently delighted. “Please, follow me.”
~
I ate a piece of white bread with goat cheese, just enough to satisfy my rumbling stomach for a while. It was getting dark already, and people were coming to have dinner, or just to sit and talk. The room was lit dimly by one small window under the roof and fire from a fireplace.
Soon, all fourteen tables with six chairs around were occupied by hungry and thirsty soldiers and other personnel. I shared a place with two women, probably from the kitchen, and three young men who might have been squires. My company seemed not interested in my trifle, so I could enjoy drinking delicious warm beer with a cinnamon flavor without answering annoying questions.
From time to time I glanced to the doors. But Deadweed was not hungry, or perhaps she was not in need of company.
Two boys, even younger than Egis, were distributing meals and drinks. I waved at them and enjoyed another marvelous pint of the black beverage which melted gently on my tongue. At my farm, we brewed beer from time to time, but it was certainly not as good as this.
I relaxed. My thoughts slowed down. My senses, taste and smell, took over. I didn't even notice when the hall started to clear out, until only two tables were occupied by me and a handful of soldiers at the table next to the doors.
They had drank as much as me.
When I was about to leave, one of the men at the doors pointed in my direction and said something that caused his fellows burst out laughing.
I decided not to care while aiming toward the doors.
“Hey, you!” someone shouted. “The mud rider!”
I turned.
And it was a mistake...
One of them got up. He was sturdy, with long, black hair and drunk, pig eyes. He placed his hand on my shoulder. “Hey, lad! We want to hear again how you got almost roasted and then fell into the mud!”
The War of Spells Page 4