While walking down a street, Saraf turned his head and told the others:
‘I hope your feet do not hurt as we will walk all the way to Saraf-Menom. I am not able to control a single energo-form Nymph.’
He then stood still. Something had caught his attention on the little street to his right. He entered the street under the curious looks of his man. At the end of the street, on a run-down house there was a dead Nymph, head facing down. He went to it and raised his head. It was Fasus, Falus’s brother, son of Akdarosif. He stared at him for several seconds pensively. It seemed that he was not the only one who had lost a son that day, killed by the energy. He left his head slide off his palm and returned to his men.
All Aorians soon left the town. Nobody was looking behind, they went on, guided by Saraf. They went past a hill next to Lint-Menom and reached a pasture with scarce trees while facing an Aorian forest. Next to it, Saraf stopped and waved them to stop, too.
They were all regarding him inquisitively, but he gave them no explanation for stopping. He just stood there hand raised carefully listening to the sounds of the forest. They then felt his extra sensorial perception passing among them like a sonar.
‘What’s the matter?’ an Aorian asked.
‘Hush’, Saraf whispered, signalling them not to speak.
He lowered his hand and generated two energo-form swords in the blink of an eye. He raised them to his chest in a battle position facing the forest which began 20 meters in front of them.
The Aorians either generated swords or raised those they already had on them. They were tense, holding their weapons tightly and with energy bows stretched to the maximum, towards the forest.
‘Saraf, what’s the matter?’ an Aorian asked again, but received no answer.
Annoyed by his silence, the Aorian shouted:
‘On Pandora’s garden, man, talk to us!’
Saraf turned his head to one side slightly and said:
‘We are not alone …’
***
Falus glided softly over the mountain surrounding the Lake of Mirrors mentally searching for his father’s thoughts. He was not willing to answer him, but Falus soon realized where he was. There was just one cave large enough where he could hide. He dived rapidly and landed in front of the entrance of that enormous cave. Inside, hidden in the mountain shade, his father, Akdarosif was lying on the floor, head resting on a pile of rocks. He ran to him trying to figure out whether he was injured. When he approached him, Akdarosif whispered:
‘I regret you seeing me like this. I’d rather have died before anybody found me.’
‘Why would you die?’ Falus asked, in panic.
‘Why would I live? I have disappointed you all, my weakness has led to the loss of numerous lives. I felt what happened in Urfius-Menom. Every lost life, I felt it in my heart. It’s my fault alone …’
Falus paused, in amazement; he did not know what had happened, he had no intention to find out there, on the spot. One of them had to stay strong:
‘No, it’s not, you could not have won. Crifius was helped by Lint. That back-stabber fed him energy. That’s how he defeated you.’
Akdarosif started laughing ironically:
‘It’s still my fault. Saraf volunteered to do the same, but I did not allow him. I said it was a duty of honour to defend my throne myself, even though so many things were at stake. I should have accepted his help, I could have saved everyone’s lives. I was so stupid …’
‘It’s not too late to finish this. You can still defeat Crifius.’
‘No need. He’s already dead.’
Falus felt relief.
‘So, Saraf and Afaris have won? Have they defeated him? Him and those who betrayed us?’
‘No, something else killed him, I cannot tell what. Probably Lint, only he had that power.’
Falus placed his head tenderly against his father’s:
‘Come back to us. We need you.’
‘My dear son, I am sorry, but my time in this world is over. I am waiting for death now. But you will be fine, a new leader will arise, wiser than me.’
‘You are wrong. I was chosen to lead the Nymphs in the Nest.’
Akdarosif was amused:
‘Now, that’s a problem; with a never-do-well like you our species will go extinct.’
Falus laughed, keeping his head leaned on Akdarosif’s.
‘I’m proud of you, son …’
Tears flooded Falus’s eyes:
‘I don’t want you to leave …’
‘We must all leave, sooner or later.’
Falus raised his head fast, detecting something. A weak psychic message coming from afar. He tried to figure out where it was coming from and from whom, but failed.
‘Do you feel that?’ he asked Akdarosif.
‘Yes, it’s Saraf. He’s in danger.’
‘Where?’ Falus asked agitated.
‘Somewhere near Lint-Menom I reckon. Don’t worry, he can handle it.’
Falus’s tears of pain turned into tears of rage:
‘Your best friend is crying for help and you’re just sitting here waiting for death?’
‘One day you will understand …’
‘Fine, leave your friend to die, leave your offspring crush!’
With a tempered pace, he left for the cave entry where he glanced back at his father:
‘I won’t remember you like this …’ yet he received no answer.
He look forward and took off. Rising to the sky he noticed a large flight of Nymphs next to the crater. They were his akin from the Nest. They were probably taking the victims of the battle to their rest in the Lake of Mirrors.
One of them saw him and inquired:
‘Falus, what are you doing here? I thought you were going to help Saraf.’
Falus decided not to tell them about his father’s hideout. It was safer like that, they should leave the old man alone to die in peace as he pleased.
‘Saraf needs help. I don’t know what happened, but I know where he is. I need you!’
‘Sure’ the Nymph replied flying in front of him.
He screamed sharply and all the other Nymphs gathered around.
‘You are our leader, you decide, we shall obey.’
Falus headed towards Lint-Menom at full speed, closely followed by his army of Nymphs.
While flying, a feeling of loneliness overwhelmed him, thinking about his father. He had always wanted to see him more responsible, to take over his leadership skills. And now, there he was, heading his army to restore peace between Aorians and Nymphs.
‘If only you could see me now’ he thought softly so that no other Nymph should feel it.
‘I see you and am proud of you.’
Falus turned his head in shock. Akdarosif was drawing closer. All Nymphs stopped mid-air unable to believe it. He had returned, he was again with them. Their hearts started pounding, especially Falus’s. They all hailed, filling the air with their chants.
‘I’m under your command, Falus’ Akdarosif said, watching his son with pride. ‘What are your orders?’
Falus was looking at him, tears of joy in his eyes. He resumed his flight to Lint-Menom leading the Nymphs and replied:
‘We are going to help our friends.’
Chapter 27
End of an era
Afaris and Finaria were sitting on the balcony edge, looking into the distance. They had returned from Urfius-Menom, on the same day, together with the victors. Even though there were numerous victims, Afaris was smiling. He was happy and relaxed. The war was over and he knew for sure those had been the last victims. Finaria, in exchange, was concerned as they had no news from Saraf.
‘Relax, everything will be fine’ he said.
‘I will when they all return home.’
‘The true battle was fought in Urfius-Menom. Lint and his army were decimated. I don’t think they had any problems.’
‘Do you really think that? You saw that energy in them. Are you sure tha
t your father, after that energy consumption during the battle and the flight, could cope with it?’
‘If there is something I’ve noticed about Father, it’s that he’s always as strong as he needs to be. Never underestimate him.’
‘Yes, but we still need to seal the pits …’
‘We will, don’t worry. After their return, this will be our major concern.’
From behind they heard Calista’s voice; she was strolling to them:
‘Messengers have confirmed more than 3000 Aorians ready to fight the pits’ energy. If they all focus on one pit at time, they will not fail.’
She sat down on the balcony edge, moving her legs to and fro in the air.
‘It was a fierce fight. Too many Aorians have not returned and too many Aorians are mourning. What matters is that so many are back.’
‘As I said, the battle was decisive’ Afaris added. ‘We won.’
‘I hope you’re right’ Finaria said. ‘Look!’ and pointed to the sky.
Far away, up on the sky there was a large flight of Nymphs flying towards them. They all stood up and Afaris shouted to the guards on the tower and in the town:
‘Everybody take positions! Do not shoot until we have confirmation they’re hostile!’
All the Aorians in the town became alert. Aorians climbed on the houses and prepared their energy bows, ready to attack. Finaria quickly generated her bow and armed it with a glowing energy arrow aiming at the flight of Nymphs. Calis was sitting calm behind them watching the scene attentively.
Seconds were passing and the Nymphs were closing in on the town. They could see they were headed by a large Nymph, but could not make out who that was.
‘They mean no harm’ Calis informed them.
Afaris, holding two energy swords, asked her:
‘Are you sure?’
‘Yes. They are flying on sight and advancing slowly. If they wanted to harm us, they would not be acting like this.’
Several Nymphs shouts were heard from the flight. Indeed, they were announcing the Aorians about their presence.
Afaris turned his swords into energy dust, resorbing them into his body, but Finaria and the other Aorians kept positions.
When the Nymphs approached the town, Afaris recognized the huge Nymph. It was Akdarosif. He smiled, happy to see him. Falus had managed to persuade him to return. That was a good sign.
However, when the Nymphs approached, his smile died. Every Nymph was carrying something in their claws: dead Aorians, and nobody was riding the Nymphs. They headed to the town outskirts, landing on the field, putting down the tens of corpses.
Akdarosif, followed by Falus, landed on the tower balcony behind them.
‘Who are these Aorians? Where did you get them?’ Afaris asked.
The two made no sound. Their faces were tense. Akdarosif was holding something in his enormous claws, but they could not see what it was. He lowered his limb onto the grass and opened his claws and a corpse fell. It was wrapped in a white, torn cloak, soaked in blood.
Calis ran to Akdarosif, Afaris followed at a slow pace, failing to understand what was happening.
‘No, no, no, no’ Calis yelled while running to the body.
She fell to her knees, next to the cloak, speechless. Afaris joined her and blood curled in his veins. Calis started to scream and cry. The entire valley could hear her. The entire Aora could hear her.
Afaris’s hands started to shake, he could no longer stand and fell to his knees next to his mother who was crying ceaselessly. In front of them was a corpse, with no arms, one missing leg, full of holes and a cloak full of blood. The face was beyond recognition, mutilated and the bones shattered. They knew who it was, though. They could not but recognize him.
‘You promised!’ Calis shouted. ‘You promised you would not leave me alone! You said you’d take me with you wherever you may go. Why!? Why did you do this to me? Why did you leave me alone?’
She leaned over the corpse and embraced its head, her tears falling over the mutilated face.
Afaris eyes were flooded with tears, but he could not say anything. He could not even move. He was just standing and staring blankly at the blood-soaked cloaks. Falus came behind and placed his beak on his shoulder.
‘I am sorry … I heard his cry for help. We flew in as fast as we could, but got there too late …’
Finaria sat down behind Afaris and embraced him, leaning his face against his, under that of Falus. Their tears were running together, but Afaris had no reaction.
Nobody said anything. Several Nymphs came to the balcony, landing in a circle on its edge and watching the scene in pain. They could hear the cries full of sorrow of those at the town border recognizing their friends, brothers or spouses among the countless lifeless bodies, but Calisa’s cries were overarching:
‘Come back to me, please …’
***
Afaris was sitting on a chair-shaped shrub at the council table in the tower. All the advisors from Saraf-Menom were present, debating the matter fiercely. Even though Afaris was following them all as they were speaking, his gaze was frozen on one point. The unoccupied chair next to the table. It all seemed a dream. He could not cope with the fact his father had died. He failed to understand how the strongest Aorian had been killed in battle, especially since tens of Aorians fighters had been with him.
‘He was reckless!’ an advisor shouted. ‘He should not have chased Lint that day, given his state. He could have waited, at least one day.’
‘It was not Lint that killed him’ another advisor replied in a calm voice. ‘The Nymphs said that nobody was alive in Lint-Menom. They even found Lint’s and Crifius’s bodies. They were found near the town.’
‘Who then, if not Lint and his cursed minions?’
‘I reckon it was somebody else. Maybe Saraf and his men razed the town, then somebody took advantage of their weakness and attacked them.’
‘I don’t think Saraf killed Crifius and Lint’ somebody else said. ‘If I remember well, the Nymphs said they had not found anybody wearing a white cloak in Lint-Menom.’
‘That’s irrelevant!’ the advisor shouted. ‘We have a new enemy, one that’s much stronger than us and we must find out who! In the name of Pandora, it killed Saraf. SARAF!!!’
The calm advisor asked:
‘Messengers who passed here, did anything seem not in order with any of them?’
‘No, they all seemed at ease’ another advisor answered. ‘I know what you have in mind and it is indeed the best possibility, that another town fell prey to the energy.’
‘Anyway, it must have been somebody with access to information. Somebody who knew that Saraf would chase Lint.’
‘Or they were spied upon and informed in due time.’
‘That’s impossible, Saraf left with the energo-form Nymphs. Nobody could have moved faster than them, especially since all the enemy Nymphs were killed either in Urfius-Menom or Lint-Menom.’
‘What if you’re wrong? What if not all of them were killed?’
Afaris intervened in the debate, continuing to stare at the empty chair, chin in hands:
‘We have to seal the pits.’
All the advisors went quiet and regarded him amazed. He had not made a sound until then.
‘How do you propose to do that?’ the grumpy advisor asked, clearly agitated.
‘There are more than 3000 Aorians on the planet ready to go for it. We will gather everyone and head for the pits. One at a time.’
‘You mean leave the towns without their main defense and start a mission with no guarantee of success, when an unknown and extremely powerful enemy is lurking?’
‘That was my father’s mistake. He did not focus on what was important.’
The advisor burst into laughter:
‘My dear boy, I know you are inheriting this town and I know this is bound to happen regardless of this tragic event, but we stood by your father long before you were even born. So let us deal with these matters.’
All the advisors frowned. They knew he was right, but the manner in which he had voiced it annoyed them, too. Afaris did not seem affected, though. He looked up at him, leaning his back in his chair and continuing to listen to him.
‘So you’re staying in the shade and worry not. You are still traumatized, as we are.’
The advisor resumed his discussion with them, but Afaris was no longer listening to him. His mind was roaming elsewhere.
‘Your true enemy is lurking in the dark ...’ he remembered Pandora’s words. It was obvious the enemy was not Lint, but somebody else.
‘Look beyond the energy and you will see him …’
His mind exited the rest state and started operating fast.
‘That energy does not only affect them, but gives them strength, too. Powers unheard of …’
He continued to remember various words, either Saraf’s or Pandora’s.
‘… they are much stronger! You have seen what energy turns them into …’ he could not remember who had said it, but recalled the conversation exactly.
‘He has the ability to capture the energy … copy it … he will be everything that you are, Saraf, and even more …’
Afaris stopped day-dreaming. He glanced at his advisors bickering then said:
‘Saraf was wrong. I am not ready to rule.’
He stood up and headed to the tower’s energy beam, his advisors frozen. One of them called his name, but he ignored him. He jumped into the energy wave and let himself carried over.
Underneath him, floating in the energy was Saraf’s torn body. At Calis’s request, he had been placed in the energy wave on the tower ground floor, in the hope he would return, that Aora herself would bring him back. Yet, Afaris was ready to face reality. Saraf was dead and nobody could change it.
He descended past him, refusing to look and then left the pit penitently next to his mother who was crying face in hands. He bowed down to her and embraced her without saying anything, then stood up and resumed his way to the tower exit.
It was still light outside, but the day was coming to an end. Finaria was sitting on the tower steps. Afaris descended and stopped in front of her:
Afaris: Shadows on Aora Page 25