The Fourth World
Page 24
The little being flew into Azura’s hand before he could finish the sentence. With the other hand, she snatched his paper. She squeezed him in her palm; the Imp shouted in pain. You do not know what she is capable of. Now, what Kyla had said made sense. The in Azura’s hand writhed in pain, and a subtle smile appeared on her lips; she looked him straight in the eye, as though she wanted to see the pain she was inflicting. Suddenly, she threw him against the wall, and then read the message as he coughed.
I do not know where the king is, but I have soldiers searching for him.
If Zauber intends to use the sphere, he must have traveled to Utgaard.
When I have more information, I will inform you.
The Imp will be our means of contact.
After a deep silence, Richard suggested, “Only Lorne could kill those two. We’d better concentrate on finding another portal, so Azura can get us out of here... you will help us, right?” he asked Azura.
“I think she has other plans,” Kyla said, staring at the wizard, who did not answer, for she was too overwhelmed by her thoughts to pay attention.
“We will not give any answers for now,” replied Steven. He didn’t want anyone to lose their mind, and everyone was already hanging by a thread. Behind the hardness of Azura’s face, he recognized that she was suffering, and maybe that was why she wished to provoke pain in others. Steven could understand it because he had been through this before. He did not want her to seek revenge alone. He owed this to Lorne.
“What shall we do with the imp while we contemplate?” said Hubert.
“Tell your queen we still need to get organized,” Thomas said to the imp, who stuck out his tongue at him.
“You can inform her that I’m going after Zauber,” Azura said.
The Imp took off his hat, bowed, and then disappeared.
Azura looked at the group and proceeded to speak. “I will take Lorne to Gullveig... I guess he would like to be buried there.”
The weight of her voice was so strong that no one dared to disagree.
“I’m coming with you,” added Virginia.
“I’ll go alone,” Azura argued.
“I insist,” Virginia countered.
Azura accepted, since she did not feel like arguing. “Let’s go then,” she declared as she entered the room.
Virginia barely had time to say goodbye; she knew the wizard was not willing to wait.
It’s happening... Steven thought; the group was breaking up.
Virginia hurried into the room. Azura was ready with her wand in hand and Lorne’s body in front of her.
When she traced the circle, Kyla appeared at the door. “I’m going, too,” she said. “I have the right to bury the man I followed for years.”
Azura did not object. Kyla entered the circle, and they were gone. A profound sense of defeat and hopelessness hovered over the others. All the plans they’d made, one by one, had been dismantled.
“What are we going to do with your friend?” Hubert asked, referring to Lácio.
“He’ll betray us again,” Richard said.
“Actually, he can be useful,” Sephir said calmly. “What does everyone expect from a traitor? That he will betray again. Lácio can pretend that he still wants to play the king’s game, and that may be useful for us when we find him. He can pass on information as though he were betraying us, and then lure the king into an ambush.”
“I think—as you said—he will betray us again,” said Richard.
“In my opinion, he should be killed,” Thomas said.
“Maybe,” Sephir continued, “but he will not die here. Once you leave, you may do to him whatever you decide.”
“I read that there is a spell which makes one see and hear everything that another person sees and hears,” Hubert said. “When Azura returns, she can do this with Lácio. So, we’ll make sure he’s on our side.”
“She’s not coming back,” Thomas said.
“I hate to admit it, but I also think we cannot count on her,” said Sephir. “She can bring Virginia and Kyla back, but she will not stay with us, she wants her revenge...”
All were silent. Without Lorne and Azura, they were really lost.
“With all this talk, I forgot how hungry you must be,” Sephir said in a lighter tone. “I’ll give you something to eat.”
He left the room and went to his small kitchen, which was comprised of a wood stove and a pantry. He gave them each a plate with an apple, a hunk of bread, and dried meat. Then, he returned to the kitchen and came back with a bottle of mead and six glasses in his hands.
“After all this,” he explained, “a little alcohol will go down well.”
As soon as they sat down to eat, they felt the fatigue take over. The drink soon took effect, and slowly, they fell asleep, but Steven still had his eyes fixed on the ceiling. Sephir’s only furniture consisted of a leather armchair and a carved, wooden sofa. Thomas slept in the armchair; Richard slept on one side of the couch, and Hubert slept on the other. Steven settled on the wara-skin rug. It was getting harder and harder to fight sleep, but he did not want to because when he woke up, he would be sure it all had really happened. They had been were so close to getting out of this place... and now, here they were again, at the beginning.
Finally, sleep won, and he plunged into confused dreams, until he woke up to a new day.
To be continued…
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Marina Sandoval is a Brazilian author and translator, she has published four Fantasy books in her home country. The Fourth World is her first book to be published in English, but others are being translated and will soon be available. If you want to know about the author and new releases follow her Instagram: @marinacostantin