“Yes. He must have made a very good bet to win a dragon. We have to go; he will come back, and something tells me he will not be alone next time.”
Habel screamed for help, coming out of the water with Kyla unconscious in her arms. As they approached, they saw that Kyla's wings had turned to ashes.
“Can you help her with some magic?” Thomas asked Azura, feeling sorry for the girl.
“No. Her wings will not grow again. We have to take out what is left, or she is going to die.” Azura bent down and whispered something in Kyla’s ear as she slowly awoke. She choked on the water she'd swallowed, looking around slowly. Their faces were coming into focus. When she tried to move, she felt an enormous pain in her back and remembered what happened.
“My wings...” was the only thing she could say.
“What are we going to do?” Theo asked.
“Look!” said Richard, pointing to the sky.
Zauber was coming back. With him were elves and trolls.
Lorne told Hubert to carry Kyla, and they ran from those who persecuted them. They managed to distance themselves enough. Lorne shouted at them to stop. Ivy came running to meet the group. Virginia took her in her arms. Lorne pulled his sword and planted it in the sand. They felt the heat of the dragon’s fire in their faces. Lorne whispered a few words, and the earth shook. Time slowed down. A wall of fire was right in front of them. Thick smoke billowed from the tip of Lorne’s sword and spread amongst them.
When time speeded up again, Zauber and his army roared with rage. Lorne and the others had disappeared.
Chapter XVIII - Kyla’s Lost
The sky was dark with no stars, and frosty air entered their lungs. Their eyes did not have the time to get accustomed to the dark. Suddenly, they heard the crackling of ice underneath their feet.
“Do not move,” Lorne ordered. They were standing over a frozen river. “Theo, can you see anything?”
“Yes, the nearest shore is a few steps away.” Theo was the only one who could see, because of his tiger eyes.
The sword that had brought them there was stuck in the ice. Lorne tried pulling it out, but he heard a crash and judged it best to leave it there—at least until they left the ice.
“Slowly, one by one,” the wizard whispered through his teeth.
The cold already penetrated their bones, and their clattering teeth were the only sound to be heard.
With each small movement, they heard more ice crack. Steven, Thomas, and Virginia were the ones closest to the shore, and they soon reached it. Hubert also arrived safely. He placed Kyla on the ground with care. Their eyes had adapted to the dark, and they could see the shapes of their friends. Lorne approached slowly. Habel watched them apprehensively from above.
When the wizard was almost onshore, the ice broke. He and the others fell into the frosty water. Thomas and Steven pulled Lorne out, and Habel helped the others. She went into the water and dragged them out one by one. Once she was closer to shore, Steven, Thomas, and Hubert helped them, too. They fell into the snow, trembling, and all their limbs numb.
“Where are we?” Hubert asked as he picked up a blanket, which Sephir had given them. The only ones who saved the supplies from the water were Steven and Thomas.
“We’re in Sermeria,” Habel replied.
With painstaking effort, they lit a fire and set up camp right there.
Virginia sat next to Kyla, who had a fever and was delirious. “What are we going to do with her?” Virginia asked.
“Steven, Lorne, and I will take care of her,” Azura said. “You should eat, if we have something that’s still dry.”
They set up a tent, and the three of them took Kyla inside.
While the others were busy, Hubert approached Habel. “Are you okay?”
Habel nodded. Since she had seen Kyla’s wings catch fire, she could not keep from crying, so she avoided staring at him.
“When I saw the fire,” Hubert continued, “and you fell into the water, I didn’t see what happened. I was afraid that it had hurt you, or worse...”
“Kyla got hurt!” Habel snapped.
“I know! That’s not what I meant...”
“Zauber aimed the fire at me! And now, she’ll never fly again!”
Hubert hugged her, and she wept copiously.
They ate dried sausages with stale bread and saved some for the others while trying to listen to what was happening inside the tent, but they only heard Kyla’s groans. Thomas and Richard fell asleep soon after eating. Habel tried to remain vigilant, but tiredness overcame her, and she slept by the fire with Virginia, who had Ivy to warm her feet. The others resisted sleep.
Azura left the tent, sweat running down her forehead. Lorne came right behind her and did not look much better.
“We saved food for you,” Theo said. Both sat down, while Theo put the meat on the fire. “How is she? Did it work?”
“She will live,” Azura said.
Steven came out of the tent. His hands and clothes were stained with blood. He was equally finished. He moved to wash his hands in the icy lake. Hubert placed his hands on his shoulders and gave him a pair of gloves. Steven thanked him with a whisper; it was as if he were too exhausted to talk.
“How was it?” Hubert asked.
“After I took out what was left of the wing,” Steven replied, “they healed the cut, but it’s still open.”
“I stole a balm from the market that will help the healing,” said Azura.
“Once again, Azura’s stealing habit will benefit us,” Lorne said, struggling to sound optimistic.
“Maybe it’s better if someone stays by her side tonight,” Hubert suggested.
“I think so, too,” Steven replied. “I do not know how she’ll behave when she wakes up.”
“I’ve never met an Arvelian who survived without their wings,” said Lorne, concerned. “They are like birds... I hope she’ll accept it well.”
“You three can rest,” Theo added. “Hubert and I can keep watch and care for her.”
Both men spent the night making rounds and checking in on Kyla.
“I was thinking...” Hubert murmured when daylight came. “If King Grant died, this place it would look different. Maybe... well, maybe we could stick around.”
“You’re crazy!” Theo exclaimed. “Why would we stay here?”
Hubert did not respond.
“Anyway, the king will not die so soon,” Theo continued, “and it will not be we who will try to kill him. We’ll be very lucky if we do not die just trying to get out of here.”
“I’ve never felt as good as I feel here,” Hubert replied. “It seems... it’s like this is my place.”
“Humans cannot remain here,” Theo reminded him, “and that will continue, even when the king dies.”
“Humans wizards can live here,” Hubert pointed out.
“You’re not a wizard...” Finally, Theo understood what was going in Hubert’s head. “You cannot be serious!”
“Do you think Lorne would help me?” Hubert asked.
“Of course,” Theo replied, “if you wish, and you have something to offer him as compensation, he’ll tutor you, but I do not think it’s a great plan. Honestly, I think that having all this power messes with these people’s heads. Look how they all are; even Lorne and Azura think they are better than others and always crave more power. It’s never enough.”
It was true; Hubert had already recognized that among the three wizards he had known, they all had two traits in common—excessive ambition and disdain for others—but that did not mean he would become so.
“I’d better make another round.” Hubert got up and walked between the dry trees, remembering everything that he had survived in this place. No, it did not matter if he ended up slightly like them; he had his values and believed in them. I have no doubt, he thought. That’s what I want. I’ll talk to Lorne tomorrow.
****
Kyla’s screams awoke the camp. She was in tears, and nothing they said w
ould calm her. She would not listen to them.
“She needs the balm,” Azura patiently said. “If she does not cooperate, she cannot come with us, and we cannot remain here, waiting for the sermerios to hear her screams and execute us.”
“You’re not planning to leave her, are you?” Habel asked. “She’s in shock! She needs time…”
“We do not want to leave her, but we do not have time,” Lorne interrupted. “If she wants to live and continue with us, she will have to accept what happened and quickly. If you know how to persuade her to calm down, I suggest you go in there and talk to her, because if she keeps yelling, I’ll gag her.”
Habel was about to start a discussion, when Virginia interrupted. “I can try; I’ve taken care of people in this state.” Everyone glanced at her, uncomprehending. “I was a nurse in the war.” Seeing their curious expressions, she explained, “No one ever asked.”
Azura took a glass bottle with a cork from her pouch. Inside it was a dark-red paste, a little clearer than wine. “Good luck,” she said.
Virginia opened the tent. Kyla was sitting with her head on her knees. “Go away!” she shouted as she saw Virginia, but she did not move.
“I can go. We can all go. Do you wish to stay here alone? Is that it?” asked Virginia, calmly but firmly, as she sat beside her.
“Why? They will leave me?”
“No, Unless it’s what you choose.”
Kyla stilled, tears pouring abundantly.
“I wish you had all the time you needed to accept what happened,” Virginia said, “but that’s not the case.”
“I should have stayed... with Sephir,” Kyla said through her sobs. “He does not need me... I couldn’t leave him.” Her thoughts were scattered. She wanted to go back in time and stay with the minotaurs instead.
Virginia realized she was talking about Lorne. She delicately pushed the girl’s hair aside, revealing her back. Two cuts descended from her scapula to her waist. “This will ease the pain.” As if handling a wounded animal, Virginia rested her hand on Kyla’s back to spread some balm on it.
Kyla trembled but did not move. “It will not return my wings.”
“No. But now, you’re in pain, and the pain makes everything seems lost. If you do not take care of the wound, it’ll get worse, and then you will die. I’ll say it again; if that’s what you want, I’ll let the others know. We will go away, and you can die in peace. Unfortunately, we do not have time to convince you otherwise.”
Kyla looked at her, astonished. She felt less pain, but something was corroding her insides, and it was not just the loss of her wings. It was a pain no balm could heal. “Why didn’t Lorne come?”
“They took care of you during the night, but they cannot spend all their energy on you; we must be ready if we need to fight. And if anyone hears you screaming, we’ll surely have to fight.” Virginia knew what she was saying was rather cruel, but she had to make Kyla come back to her senses as soon as possible. She did not want to leave her behind. “I will bring something for you to eat. We will leave soon enough.”
“We can’t leave now!”
“You’re fine; you can walk, and we have no reason to stay here.”
“I cannot walk!”
“You can!”
“If I leave here...”
“When you move, you will not fly; you will be like us. You cannot stay here forever.” She left the tent, leaving the young woman behind with her nightmare.
Kyla did not wish to see anyone. She was furious at everyone; they were all guilty. She thought of Arvel and its houses in the trees; it had been so much time since she had been in her city. She was always following Lorne, helping him with everything, and he would not think twice before leaving her. He did not even want to waste his power to heal her.
Virginia came back with a plate of toasted bread, peapods, blackberries, and white cheese. “If it makes you feel better,” she explained, “No one is eating as much as you tonight.”
She wanted to refuse, but she could not; her stomach was clamoring for food. To make her comfortable, Virginia left, and it worked; Kyla attacked the food, and she finished it all rapidly. With her stomach full and less pain, she reflected with a little more clarity; no one would leave her behind, but she would not pass through the portal. She wanted to go back to Arvel, but she could not; not while Zauber and King Grant were still alive. She had to get rid of them. She would do that. She placed her hands on the floor and rose slowly. Her legs wiggled, but she balanced herself. She dressed herself painstakingly.
When she left the tent, everyone stopped what they were doing, but soon, they returned to their activities, so she would not feel awkward.
Hubert was the only one who had the courage to approach her. “How do you feel?”
“Better...” She did not want to talk to anyone about anything. She wished she had something to occupy her head and hands. “What are you doing? When do we leave?”
“We’re destroying everything that may show we’ve been here,” Hubert explained.
“What can I do?”
“You can help me undo your tent.”
****
Lorne stared at the sword in the middle of the frozen river. Azura was by his side.
“Could you draw it here?” he asked.
“It seems the frost of dawn has frozen it,” she replied. “It will shatter.”
“We need that sword! If we are in danger, it will be our only salvation.”
Azura smiled and pulled her wand out of her pocket. “The next time I buying something, please do not criticize me. I knew the wand was better than the sword.”
Lorne hugged her, and their lips met.
When they came back to the camp, Hubert told Lorne that he wanted to talk to him alone. “I want you to train me to be a wizard.” He spoke all at once and without hesitation.
Lorne’s first reaction was to stare at him, perplexed, but then he laughed.
“I am not kidding!” Hubert cried.
“Do you realize how long it takes for a human to become a wizard? We do not have time for this.”
“It doesn’t need to be right now. I just want to know if you will help me. I know everything that needs to be done, and I also know that we can do everything when we are in our world.”
Lorne scratched his beard. “When we are safe, we will talk about it further, but limit your expectations.”
“Is that a yes?”
“We’ll see.”
****
In the camp, every time Habel approached Kyla, she moved away. After a few attempts, Habel became convinced that she did not want to talk and left her alone.
However, Kyla could not slip away from Lorne. “Thank you for not compelling me to leave you here,” he said to her.
She did not reply. She stared at him. Something inside her sank even more. She realized that, in a sense, she felt indifferent to all of them, as if all that snow had penetrated her body, leaving her cold and with no feelings at all.
Chapter XIX - Poisons
They walked for a long time inside the forest. The snow covered the dried, black branches of the trees, and the whole ground. The sky was red when they arrived at a river. It was wide and quiet. Lorne was encouraged by that because now, he realized precisely where they were.
“How are you going to get across?” Habel asked.
“Can you part the river?” Steven asked Lorne.
“No,” he replied. “You have no idea how deep this river is.”
“What if you turned the river into snow, like you did with the waterfall?” suggested Thomas.
“That river was not this deep or wide... it would take too much time, and I would be exhausted.”
“You can warm up the water, and we’ll swim,” Azura said.
“Surely, that will be easier,” Lorne agreed. “I don’t need to warm the whole river, just where we will pass. I guess everyone can swim, right?” He asked, glancing back.
“I can’t,” Kyla replied apat
hetically.
Their eyes fell on her for a moment, but Lorne soon declared, “You can climb on my back; I’ll take you.”
“I’d rather drown.”
The hostility was palpable, until Thomas added, “I can take you.”
Kyla accepted, still keeping her eyes on the wizard.
They wrapped their backpacks in blankets. Lorne was the first to enter the water, and shortly after, they saw steam rising where he passed. Richard, Virginia (with Ivy in her arms) and Thomas (with Kyla on his back), were the first to enter; the others came soon after. The water was warm; they wished to remain there and clean themselves, but they could not afford to. After three strides, they were compelled to swim.
“There are animals in this river?” asked Richard, struggling to conceal his fear.
“It’s a river, Richard. Of course there are animals,” replied Virginia sympathetically.
“I meant big animals,” he replied. “Like those who can devour us alive.”
“It’s probable,” she responded jokingly, but he was certain she meant it.
He took a deep breath, trying to control himself; he could fight an army alone without hesitating, but when dealing with creatures, he was not so confident. It was even worse when he was in the water. One thing that had always horrified him when he was on the warship was the possibility of falling into the sea and being left behind.
To his relief, they came to the other side, but once again, they were cold and wet. Habel flew to the other side and set up camp. After they had changed their clothes and warmed themselves before the fire, they fell asleep. Thomas and Theo stayed awake to guard the camp.
They woke with the first rays of sunlight and continued to walk. They marched for another day, stopping just to eat. Night fell again, and an icy wind was blowing. Lorne encouraged them, saying they were not far. But, the news that they were getting closer was not so exciting, since that meant being closer to the sermerios.
Everybody was sleepy-eyed when they heard footsteps. Quickly, they hid behind some bushes.
“Did you hear anything?” a man’s voice asked. “Go look and see if there’s anything in the forest.”
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