The adrenaline was still rushing through her veins after her melee at the core, and she took out her anger on her opponents. In part, he was responsible for the elves’ sufferings, and here he was laughing and enjoying himself as if nothing was amiss. Lumea was livid. Thrusting with the curved sword, she pierced the man’s heart, and as he fell down to the ground, her sword slid out the wound, covered in blood. With lightning speed, she attacked the other Swintheri, and they were dead before they even had the chance to rise.
Siard opened the exit and the three of them ran out over the snowy, open space and into the woods. When they were amongst the trees again they saw the Swintheri swarm out of the building. Knowing that the soldiers would not easily give up the chase, Elion led them deeper into the forest. After a while, they turned somewhat to the left in order to stay within Hydrhaga’s old boundaries. Dogs had been unleashed, and the fugitives heard the excited baying of the pack behind them. At times a dog would break free of the group and come quick on their heels, and Elion would pause only long enough to take it down with an arrow. The sudden fear of capture gave them the energy to quicken their pace, and they pushed themselves harder and harder, as fast as the uneven terrain would allow.
Finally, the sounds died away. The pursuers gave up the chase, called back the dogs and returned to the power plant. Lumea found an abandoned wolves’ den, and they crawled inside it to rest.
After a while, Siard made his way out of the den carefully, and discovered that the snow was melting. Everywhere, water ran in rivulets, creating a myriad of glassy sounds. The man found a few big leaves and, fashioning a makeshift bowl out of them, he caught some of the running water. The animals had also awoke from their sudden hibernation, and with Elion’s bow and arrow Siard managed to shoot a rabbit. There was enough dry wood to be found within the den, so the young man got a fire started without waking the others, and he carefully began to cook the rabbit.
The smell of the roasting rabbit woke Elion and Lumea. They enjoyed the taste of warm meat, after having gone so long without it. Somehow, against all expectations, they had survived the fight in the power plant.
Elion was the first to speak of it. “Thank you for supporting me back there,” he said to both of them, referring to the hard choice he had to make in the core. “I’m proud to have you by my side in this fight against whomever has done this to my people.”
Then, to Lumea, he said, “It’s almost surreal the way you fought those Swintheri. It really was quite terrifying, and I’m glad you’re on my side.”
Siard agreed with a nod. “Where did you learn to fight like that? You were like a wildfire, burning everything in its path!”
Lumea looked down at the ground, abashed. While in the power core, she had gotten the confirmation she needed that something was amiss in Hydrhaga. She had felt many emotions bubble to the surface because of it, but most of all she had realized that if she did not act, she and her friends would be the next to fall. Still, her own strength had surprised her, and she was almost afraid to think about it. She shrugged and answered, “What else was I supposed to do? It was fight or die.”
They grinned at her answer, but she had spoken the truth. They were starting to realize just how serious this situation was.
“We’ve come far, the three of us, probably farther than any of us had expected. Who knows what else we will find on our path? I, for one, would like to know what it is that they are building here in Hydrhaga.”
Elion looked at the others again and got up. They wanted to get as far away from the power plant as they possibly could, now that the Hosts’ fury would increase. They would travel every waking moment from now on. They would also leave the forest behind. They had a feeling that there was nothing more to be discovered there.
In the following days, the three fugitives exhausted themselves as they ran. Every time they heard faraway noises of pursuit, signifying that the Swintheri had taken up the chase again, they pushed themselves even harder. They had to be careful all the time, and there was not much time to rest or find food.
The speed with which Elion led them away from the power plant was grueling. They crossed between the trees, dodging branches as they went. At times, Lumea or Siard would pause for a moment to catch their breath, but every time Elion would call out that there was no time to rest. Every step she took, Lumea thought that it would be her last. First the fight in the plant and now the unrelenting pace at which they ran and stumbled through the forest was becoming too much for her. She needed time to rest, and try as she might, she could not get it. She cried at the unfairness of it all, though her tears served only to make her angry. She did not want to give in to the exhaustion.
They went on and on.
After a long time, something drew Siard’s attention. To their right, two small lights were danced erratically in the twilight. He told the others about it, but unlike Elion, Lumea could not see what he was talking about. The two men had a whispered conversation.
“Do you think they’re Swintheri?” Siard asked fearfully, trying to find cover.
More lights appeared, and at last, Lumea noticed them too. Elion looked at them intently, but then he suddenly started laughing.
“Alright, let’s rest here. We don’t want to miss this.”
Siard looked at the elf’s suddenly-cheerful face with a surprised expression.
“What is it?” Lumea asked, but Elion told her to stay quiet.
“Shh... Just wait.”
He had hardly said it before the number of lights multiplied. Fireflies! The yellow dots danced in the air around them, and they stood quietly together, enjoying the sight and the rest. A sigh of admiration escaped Lumea at the sight of this enchanting dance, for it was comforting to know that such beauty still existed in this land. Hydrhaga had not been completely abandoned by the gods, after all! The show was over too soon, and they were left again with the reality of their situation.
They moved on again at the same speed as before, but somehow the fireflies had given Lumea a new burst of energy and hope, and the hike did not seem nearly as tough as before. They went on, full of purpose now.
16
Eventually, Lumea and her two companions reached the edge of the forest. Before them they saw a wide, sloping landscape dotted with lakes and houses in the distance. Between the houses and the three of them there was a windmill farm, and the mills’ sails were spinning nearly out of control.
They saw that winter was losing its grip on the land, and the effects that the wall’s failure had on the weather. The sky was inky black and heavy rains slashed across the plains, limiting their visibility. A gigantic, dark cloud roiled across the sky, almost rotating as it went. Squalls whipped across the landscape, leaving a trail of destruction behind them. A hellish noise accompanied it all.
They found shelter near some trees and a well, and while Lumea freshened up, the men talked about what to do next.
“It won’t be easy crossing this plain. I don’t know if we’ll be able to fight the force of that wind,” Siard said, as a threatening rumble punctuated his words. “Listen, there’s a thunderstorm brewing. It isn’t safe to stay under these trees, but going out there on the plain without any shelter, that’s just stupid. Judging by those clouds, that storm won’t go easy on us.”
Elion disagreed. “I have the same concerns, but do we really have a choice? We have a chance so long as the storm is far away. I think we should leave these trees behind us as quickly as possible.”
Just as Lumea rejoined them, a lightning bolt flashed across the sky, immediately followed by a heavy thunderclap. The woman instinctively flinched and put her arms over her head, as if they could protect her from the force of nature. The two men looked out over the plain with serious expressions on their faces. The wind tore everything in its path, and flashes of lightning illuminated the world in short, violent bursts. Small tornadoes reached down from out of the clouds, and as soon as they touched the ground they ravaged the landscape. Windmills were u
prooted and thrown back down, turning them to splinters. The noise accompanying the destruction was drowned out by the rolling thunder.
Lumea had turned around towards the plain as well, staring at the nature’s fury with a mixture of awe and admiration. Endless lightning bolts flashed through the sky, the tendrils branching out as they neared the ground. The windmills, as tall as they were, were hit time and again, and some of them caught fire, but the driving rain quickly doused them again.
“Look over there!” Lumea called, pointing at a solitary building. “That building is closer to us than the rest, and it looks a lot different too. Let’s try to reach it.”
The structure stood at the edge of a lake. Elion nodded approvingly.
“If we walk in between the windmills, we can reach it. The mills reach higher than us, so we should be safe from the lightning among them. Let’s go.”
Siard’s said angrily, “Don’t be stupid. Those mills attract lightning, and as soon as the electric charge reaches the ground, we’re toast. There’s no real safe place at the moment, but the safer option is to stay put.”
Elion grumbled. “So what’s your suggestion then?”
“I do think it’s a good idea to investigate that building, but we have to wait for the weather to change. You see that hill there, halfway out on the plain? With this wind, we’ll be lucky to reach that in one night and going farther is completely out of the question. Once there, we can rest in relative safety. It’s the only possible route, but not just yet. First, we need to wait.”
Lumea agreed with Siard’s assessment of the situation, but Elion looked doubtful. “Elion, Siard’s right. If you decide to leave now, I don’t want to follow you. Even if I wanted to, I couldn’t. I just don’t have the strength left. Our flight these last couple of days has utterly exhausted me; I won’t be able to win against the wind.”
Elion reluctantly agreed. He was tired as well, but he was also afraid of their pursuers finding them. Still, he abided by the decision of the group.
The sun broke through the clouds above the forest where they stood, but on the plains, the deluge poured down unabated. Rainbows showed themselves in between the flashes. Any other time it would have been magical to watch, but under the circumstances the phenomenon had a sinister quality to it.
Siard was the last one to say something. “If this weather is artificial as well, we might be able to deduce patterns in it. That would increase our chances.”
Elion nodded, and Lumea heaved a sigh of relief, giving in to her body’s fatigue.
“So how are you feeling?” Lumea asked Elion.
She sat down next to him. They had yet to speak about the elves in the power plant, even though the emotional impact on him was obvious. She look at him worriedly.
“I did what I had to do,” Elion replied soberly.
“That doesn’t mean you’re not allowed to have feelings. Anger at those responsible, sadness for the loss of even more kinfolk...”
Elion interrupted her. “Don’t make it worse than it already is,” he snapped.
Lumea hung her head. “I’m sorry... I didn’t mean to make it worse,” she said.
The elf took her hand and gave her a sidelong glance. “I know you didn’t, and I shouldn’t have snapped at you. It’s just that... I don’t really want to let it sink in. Humans are apparently still targeting my people.”
Elion looked over to where Siard sat, and his look was cold. When Lumea followed his gaze, she was shocked to realize what he was thinking.
“Siard has nothing to do with this! He’s on your side, remember that.”
Elion shrugged. Everything that had happened had only served to increase his distrust of the humans in this region. “He’s Omnesian,” Elion finally said.
Lumea shook her head. “He’s your friend. You can trust him.”
Elion looked at her. “I know that. But it doesn’t always feel that way. That’s why I told you I’d rather feel nothing at all. It’s easier not to feel.”
“What happened to you to make you think this way, Elion?” Lumea asked with a sigh.
The elf thought about her question for a moment. When he started talking, he had his voice entirely under control. “All right, I will tell you.
“My past has been filled with loneliness. As you know, I was nine when my parents were killed, and not long after that, the elves were forced to flee Arminath, and we hid in the woods. The land around the city was greener then than it is now, but we still had very little living space. It was a time of fear, hunger and persecution. At the same time, though, there was this feeling of belonging. We were all up the same tree, so to speak. We had to rely on each other, help and protect each other. They were uncertain times.
“It was then that I killed my first opponent. It was either him or me, there was no middle way. Survival was most important, and I learned that from a very young age. I did not have the luxury to dwell on it.
“When I was about thirty, I decided to leave the other elves. There didn’t seem to be anything else to be learned from them. They were stuck in a vicious circle, and their moods were turning ugly. For years, I wandered through strange and faraway countries. My past was like a burden and I tried desperately to escape it.
“Finally, I reached some desolate region, quite nearly inaccessible. The rocks were colored red and orange, the earth was sandy and of the same color. For centuries water and wind had ate away at that landscape, until all that remained was a labyrinth that only a few creatures dared to enter. I was sure I would be safe there, from both humans and elves. I remember thinking that if there was any place I could forget myself and my past, it was right there.”
Elion was silent for a moment. When he continued, the slight change in his voice betrayed the emotions that were awakening, despite himself. “But how can you forget your parents, when you expect to see them around every corner? How can you forget what happened when every morning, before even opening your eyes, you pray that it was all just a bad dream?”
In the silence that followed, Elion got a grip on himself and the rest of his story was spoken with near-indifference. Siard had moved a bit closer and was listening, as well.
Elion continued, “I did not succeed in forgetting, in that land. On the contrary, every day my memories seemed to become more vivid and alive. It was a land of scavengers, and vultures always circled above me. They were anxious for me to die, and thus feed them. Those scavengers were my only means of survival. Sometimes I would kill a hyena, and I would share it with the vultures, but most of the time, I ate nothing.”
Elion remembered the hyenas visiting him in the early morning. Even in his sleep, he heard the shuffling gait of the animals; they were curious whether there was any food to be had. He had often wondered what would happen if he just kept still, how it would feel if he let them attack him and rip the flesh from his bones, however he had always roused himself and chased them away.
He did not tell Lumea this, of course. He really did not expect her to understand that death would have been a release. The scavengers showed him the truth: they all waited for his death, but it never came. He carried the genetic trait for elven immortality, and that everlasting life had become a burden for him. He knew that the only way for him to forget would be to die, but that path was closed to him.
“Finally, after a few decades, I left that land behind and decided to go back to Omnesia. On my return travels, I heard that more of my people were returning to their old home. I had also heard the first rumors about Hydrhaga. It felt good to be back. I could barely recognize the city any more, but it still felt like a homecoming. The elves organized many parties, and the depression that had chased me away had made way for happiness and a sense of purpose. My people had taken their lives into their own hands again, and the time that followed was lovely. Strangely enough, now that I was no longer determined to forget it, the past receded into the background. I went to Hydrhaga, but when I arrived, they would not let me in. I had almost accepted that, u
ntil you came along.”
He looked at her, and the cheerful light in his eyes did not escape Lumea’s notice. She was convinced that there were still things he was not telling her, but she let them slide. The important thing was that he did not feel too terrible after the events in the power plant.
The three fugitives stayed near the well for another night and day, but they could not discern any sort of pattern in the quickly-changing weather. The storm blew all that time, though by the end of the second day the delay between the lightning and thunder seemed to increase. Siard softly counted the seconds between each and and he looked more content all the time.
“The storm is moving off. It will be a lot safer to cross the plains now. The wind will be our biggest problem, but at least we won’t have to worry about getting electrocuted.”
As night fell, they began the trek across the windswept plains. At least their scent would be blown away, so the dogs could not follow.
Staying close together, Elion, Siard and Lumea moved out of the shelter of the trees and into the full force of the wind. It drove them to the left as soon as it had a grip on them, and they had to fight against it to keep going in the correct direction. Just when they were used to this, the wind turned without warning and they fell over. Siard was the first to get up and he helped the other two back to their feet.
With the wind in their backs, they made good time, going so fast that their legs could hardly keep up. Then the squall blew in their faces and made breathing laborious. They could hardly move a step as the biting wind and pouring rain tore at their faces. There were times when Lumea felt that the wind would soon pick her up and carry her away like one of Aeron’s kites, and sometimes she had so much trouble that she would not mind if it did. She forced herself to go on. Progress was slow.
At times the wind fell away entirely, leaving the three fugitives dazed and lost as to where they were. When the clouds would break apart briefly and the moon shone down on the landscape, Elion could always determine which way they needed to go, and in turn, that gave Lumea new courage.
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