by C Woodward
A few hours passed and Jerak was the first to make contact with me.
He strutted next to me with his hands behind his head, "So, having trouble?"
I groaned, "I don't want to talk about it."
He rolled his eyes, "The silence has been unbearable."
"I said I don't want to talk about it!" I snapped at Jerak.
He gave me a disappointed look and kept his mouth shut.
I sighed, "Sorry. I’m just stressed, that's all."
Jerak patted me on the back, "Oh, don't worry about it. It's not like she will stop caring about you."
"You're right, but." I muttered.
Jerak walked ahead of me a bit, "I am sure things will be fine, right?"
I shrugged, "I don't know what to think."
Jerak gave me a shrug and walked beside me, "Sorry, I don't know what else to say."
I forced a smile, "It's alright man, thank you."
I turned to see Talestria talking to Amgati. She looked quite hurt. She glanced up at me, but I turned away. I felt so ashamed. Somehow I knew she felt that way too.
We kept going like this for the remainder of the day. The sun was about to set and we hiked to a small bank a short distance from the road. Talestria quietly unpacked her bedroll and blanket while I made my business behind a tree. I just zoned out in my worries for longer than I cared. When I wandered back, Amgati blocked my path.
"You two are in quite a bind." Amgati said in a mournful tone.
I just nodded and stared at the dirt, "Yeah."
Amgati scratched the back of his head, "When you fell yesterday, it scared her." He cringed a bit, "She released all her thoughts about it as we traveled today. She is scared."
I glanced at the ground, unsure what to say about that.
Amgati continued, "She had hoped we could have stopped it but now she has doubts and she is unsure how she feels about it." He looked at me, "She cares about you, but this may bother her."
My heart sank, "Thank you for the info."
Amgati shrugged, "Best to keep your distance and let time heal things."
I walked back to camp and saw she was already trying to get some sleep. Jerak sat on his bed roll and gave me a worried shrug. I couldn't look at her long without feeling uneasy. I laid out my bed roll a short distance from her and tried to go to sleep.
When morning came sneaking up, I had actually slept more than the other night. Today we should reach Milunus' place. I had no idea what to expect but I was hoping she could fix my problem before it was too late.
Talestria and I could only make slight eye contact all morning and afternoon. Jerak and Amgati both began speaking loudly to each other in a casual way. They even tried to hurl some jokes at one another in hopes it would make us laugh. I didn't feel like laughing. Not yet anyway.
The landscape changed from low hills and farmlands to a large gathering of trees. Further ahead we saw a small, lone mountain. The mountain was covered in large rocks and trees and appeared to be where we were going.
The sky became a bit cloudy and grey, much like my mood. At this point, even Jerak and Amgati's attempt to lighten the mood had died out. We were all anxious to reach our goal in hopes we could shed some light on our troubles.
We just started to make our climb when we saw several stone towers in the distance. As we hiked closer, we saw a large stone wall that stood almost as tall as the towers. The wall towered over the tallest of the trees in the forest. I could see a few figures in yellow robes walking along the top of the wall. It was hard to determine who they were but they seemed to be aware of our presence.
The wall covered a large curved area with a big wooden gate blocking our way. The sound of it opening was loud enough to chase birds away. The gate appeared to be about three stories tall and I was unsure why they even needed one that big in the first place.
Several women in yellow robes stood alongside the opened gate. Each of them gave us a warm smile but didn't utter a word. It was almost eerie. Most of the women appeared to be fairly attractive but with their hoods on I couldn't tell if they were human or elf. Inside the wall stood a large stone building with a green dome covered in moss. Along either side were several smaller stone buildings of a similar design.
The whole place appeared to have just women living there. I could see them wandering and working. There were a few small fields on one side, and on the other side I could see a large hearth with bellows and an anvil lying near it.
We slowly walked up to the large double doors of the main building. They opened as we came close. Three female figures walked out, all dressed in yellow. The middle one wore a simple but elegant yellow dress. Her skin was blue and her hair was shiny black with a large braid on either side that met down in front. She had three eyes and four arms and had almost the same face as Ayjestus. This, no doubt, was Milunus.
Chapter 7
Milunus gazed upon us with her three eyes. She gave us a friendly smile, "Welcome! I hope you had no trouble coming here."
The four of us glanced around, unsure what to say.
"My sister has told me much about you Blake, and about the troubles all of you have gone through," Milunus spoke. She took a step to the side, "Please come in. We have much to discuss."
We followed her inside. Along the halls were red wooden pillars that were smoothly carved and arched from side to side. In between them stood a wooden bench with several potted plants and flowers. On the cobbled floor was a colorful rug that stretched the whole length. On the walls hung various tapestries and paintings. They appeared to be works of the women who lived here. It was rather cheery.
"Are there only women living here?" Amgati asked while inspecting one of the paintings.
Milunus smiled, "Yes. Much of the services that the Lyonus Empire employs is men. The druids of the north sometimes send their daughters here."
"Druids?" I asked.
"To the north, all the way up to Dragon's Back, is a great forest. It engulfs much of the land north of here. There are many wild beasts which can be quite dangerous. The druids call that place home. They follow one of the great dryads." Milunus explained.
"Dryads?" I asked again.
Amgati answered, "They are an ancient race of beings who are strong with nature. My people consider them the true kings and queens of the forests."
Milunus nodded, "You are quite correct, ranger. They are peaceful but much like wild beasts, they can be quite dangerous when threatened."
Milunus stopped and pointed at two rooms, "Blake and Talestria, follow me." She pointed to the other room, "You two wait there for the time being."
Jerak shrugged and marched into the room, "Good luck fixing their mess."
Amgati looked surprised and went with Jerak into the room. He whispered loudly, "Don't speak so boldly to a silthrym!" He flashed a forced smile and they both entered into the room.
"Well. This way, you two." Milunus beckoned us.
We followed her inside a room with a large stained glass window. There was a large chair near a bench with a nice cushions on it. The rest of the room was pretty bare apart from a small table with a candle and a book.
"Please, have a seat." Milunus kindly gesture as, she walked over to the large chair, sat down and exhaled.
Talestria and I looked at each other as we sat next to each other on the cushioned bench. I felt the tension between us. She stared at the floor and avoided eye contact.
Milunus looked at the two of us, "The heartache you two share is quite distracting."
Talestria and I almost in unison spoke, "Sorry," we glanced at each other but looked away.
Milunus sighed, "Talestria, I know you must be feeling fear and shame." She looked at me, "You are feeling rejected and scared of losing her."
Talestria started to cry, "I thought I was going to be fine with this! Blake's condition is just so..." She tightly gripped her knees and I saw tears drop on her lap.
I bit my tongue to hold myself back. I couldn't think of anything
to say.
Milunus explained," Blake is very lucky to be alive. The life force he has now is a blessing from the Dragon Spirit." I could tell she wasn't ready to play the role of marriage counselor.
"I know, I know! It’s just too scary for me. I shouldn't feel this way but I do!" Talestria confessed.
Milunus reached over and put her arms around Talestria. Talestria started crying on her shoulder.
"I was hoping there was something you could do to fix it" Talestria cried while muffled on Milunus' shoulder.
Milunus looked at me and sighed, "There is something I can do but it can slow it down. However,…" I knew Milunus wanted to explain something but was concerned of how really upset Talestria was.
"Blake, lift up your chest plate," Milunus spoke. She carefully moved Talestria aside.
Milunus slipped her hand my armor under to reach my chest, "I feel it pulsating. Now, relax. This might cause discomfort."
I could feel strong jolts in my chest. My body spasmed with each jolt. The feeling stopped and I felt short of breath.
"What happened?" I asked while trying to regain my breath.
"I halted it." Milunus explained. She looked at Talestria, "I sealed up the effects but it is not permanent."
Talestria smiled, "Oh, then we can buy enough time to take him to the Dragon Spirit and fix it!"
Milunus shook her head, "We might need the strength of a drayken to stop Xum'gol."
"What do you mean? Didn't you and Ayjestus figure out a way?" Talestria said in disappointment.
Milunus reached in a pouch and pulled out a rolled-up scroll about the size of her pinky, "This can banish him back to the underworld. Though there is one problem."
"Problem?" I asked.
"He is very likely strong enough to resist the spell. You must weaken him greatly first." Milunus explained as she handed me the scroll.
Talestria looked confused, "If we need to weaken him for it to work than why should Blake need to rely on..."
Milunus interrupted, "Xum'gol is too powerful for you." She took a deep breath and continued. "The four of you barely survived mostly due to the sacrifice of your friend. Even then, what saved you was the destruction of the gateway."
I realized she was right. Clagmir really did save us, but we got lucky by him breaking the gateway in the process. Talestria sat back with her hands on her knees. After an odd silence until I got up, placed the scroll in a pouch and turned toward the door.
"Blakey." Talestria cried out softly.
I looked at her and Milunus, "If I need to become a monster to defeat a bigger monster, so be it."
"Wait, Blake." Milunus called out.
I ignored her, marched out of the room and down the hall. Maybe I was being rash, but at that moment I knew what I had to do. I couldn't let Talestria be repulsed and scared of me. No. I needed go on without her.
I could hear them calling for me as I left the building. It had to be done. I couldn't put her through anymore hardship. Her curse was broken, at least I given that to her. As I made it to the gates I heard only silence. I stopped for a moment to listen. Perhaps she knew what had to be done. I hoped she will learn to be happy without me.
As the sky grew dark in the forest, I began to question my hasty retreat. I still had enough dried food to last for several days. I shouldn't need any more to reach Dragon's Back. Besides, I can set up a simple, small game trap or fish the streams while I camped. This wasn't the first time I had been traveling and I’ve learned a lot during my time here in this world. Maybe going alone was a foolish thing.
That night I laid my bedroll next to a large boulder. The wind wasn't bad but it was best to get some cover. I munched on some dried fruit and stared upward. The stars shined brightly between the branches and leaves. I saw the dual moons peeking through. The one moon was always behind the other. Always together. Ugh! I should just get some sleep.
In the morning, the sun shined down through the trees and into my eyes. I wanted to turn over and sleep more but my brain woke up the rest of me. I slowly got up, stretched and then saw Jerak sleeping in his bed roll a short distance away.
"You were pretty easy to track," Amgati spoke from somewhere out of my view.
I turned and saw Amgati sitting on a fallen log with his spear resting on his shoulder.
"When did you guys...?" I asked in a confused state.
"We heard you stormed out of the place. We couldn't just let you go alone." Amgati said cheerfully. He got up and walked over to the sleeping Jerak. "Besides, this guy would just end up flirting with every women there," he smiled as he prodded Jerak with the handle of his spear.
"Uh, not Mr. Neighneigh, er. Hey!" Jerak muttered as Amgati woke him. Jerak looked at me, "Oh! Morning!"
I sighed, "You two didn't need to help me."
Jerak quickly stood up, "Don't be an idiot! Of course I have to help you!"
Amgati laughed, "And someone needs to make sure you two humans don't get lost."
I glanced around and saw they were the only ones that showed up.
"She is still at the monastery." Amgati said in a solemn tone.
"It is for the best," I replied. I put my helmet on, "We should get moving. Who knows how much time we have?"
Jerak looked at me oddly, "What do you mean “time”? I thought that Milunus lady stopped your dragony thing."
I rolled up my bedroll and tried to stuff it in my pack, "I am talking about stopping Xum'gol."
"I could have sworn that lady mentioned we have time." Jerak thought out loud.
Amgati nodded, "Milunus said that it may take Xum'gol months to contain the source."
"Really?" I dropped my pack.
Jerak strutted over, "She explained about it after you stormed out in a rage."
I glared at Jerak and then lowered my head, "I guess I overreacted."
Jerak shrugged, "I can't blame you. I would be upset too if I found out my wife didn't love me because I was going to become a dragon." Jerak cringed as he finished that sentence. "Oh, I am sorry. I didn't mean it like that."
I closed my eyes and took a few deep breaths. That hurt more than I realized. I let out a big sigh and grabbed my pack. I turned to go and we headed north.
There was silence between us for most of the morning. The terrain was getting rough in patches but was nothing the three of us couldn't handle. After going through it a while, your brain doesn't even register. You just travel over it without thinking.
Jerak broke the silence, "Any idea how far to this Dragon's Back?"
Amgati replied, "It is quite far. A week, maybe two perhaps."
Jerak groaned, "That's if we don't get lost along the way."
Amgati chuckled, "The way there is quite simple. We travel north till we reach a mountain range. If we head too far west, we reach the coast. Too far east, and we hit the Iron Mountains. If it gets too confusing, we can go along the coast."
"That is quite strange to me." Jerak muttered.
"What is strange to you?" I replied.
Jerak turned to me, "That there is a coast on the west side. All my life it's been at the east."
I chuckled, "I guess that would be weird to you."
Jerak smiled, "Did you just laugh just now?"
I shrugged.
"Ah! You did! You can't be grumpy forever!" Jerak said cheerfully.
Amgati walked beside Jerak, "Don't tease him. He has a good enough reason to be brooding."
Jerak protested, "Brooding won’t make things any better. There is no harm in laughing time to time."
"You're right, Jerak. I am sorry for being a grump with you guys" I apologized. It wasn't fair to them to be a like that.
Jerak walked over and patted me on the back, "Ah, don't worry! Like I said, I would be upset too. Well, you know."
Amgati groaned, "It is fine to let your sorrows flow out of you, Blake. Just don’t let it consume you."
Jerak nodded in agreement, "That is true. If anything, you can take out your frustration on
Xum'gol!"
"Don't let this destroy you, Blake" Amgati said. "She cares about you still, even if things go sour. She will not stop. Let's just put our minds on what’s ahead of us and stride forward, not letting our worries reach our backs."