by Edison G. S.
Andreas felt repugnant and melancholic. His memories were suddenly shattered; the image of the boy that grew up next to him was now altered. Andreas rushed to the ground soaking his hands with blood as he turned the bodies face-up, searching for his brother in law.
He could not find Anthony’s corpse. Maybe he had escaped. He is bold enough to escape. Yet, he knew he would never leave his men behind. But if he was truly dead, where was his body?
If Anthony were dead, he deserved an honorable funeral. But Andreas struggled to accept that he was gone. Another idea crowded his mind—the bastards took him, the leader of the group, prisoner. Anger raged in him as he contemplated the demons feeding on his body.
Ice Lord, damn their existence! If Anthony is harmed in any way, I will massacre Kazar and his clan a thousand times harder.
Tara
It has been a month since she regained her freedom. Many times she wondered how Commander Winterton was back at the kingdom. The king could be very vengeful, she knew that fact very well; however, the Commander was smarter and more importantly he had the loyalty of his men, one his gentle heart had earned.
Growing up, she barely understood why she was being punished. Commander Winterton helped her understand how her position as daughter of a Sub-Commander had descended to a hopeless prisoner. He taught her to smile even on bad days, which were often, and provided her with medication, books, and company. When Tara was old enough to understand fully her surroundings, she realized how the Commander looked at her with pity. He even confessed once he would die if his own daughter, Roxanna, were ever taken prisoner.
Tara was grateful for his existence. Nevertheless, Winterton misrepresented the changing world outside of the dungeon. She believed it was a world lacking fear and death; now she could see how horrible life was for those living outside the castle walls. As she walked around, it was obvious hunger was a daily occurrence in the Frozen Land and poverty was a ever growing issue. Though she had noticed people inside the castle also carried an empty life; they had richness and food, but most of them were ambitious, selfish, and dishonest. Pity for the people of The Frozen Land swept over her, but there was nothing she could do for them except assassinate the king, an act she would complete for her dead father and herself.
Every time her mind wondered what had been of the Commander she reassured herself, he is alive and well. It was vital for her to rationalize in this way to keep her spirits alive—and her hope.
She kept walking, her thoughts still focused on the Commander and Thomas. The area around where she was trekking was purely white ground. She never imagined the existence of such a place, but remembered her father talked often about the Frozen Land.. She never thought she would have a chance to see it with her own eyes. The last time she heard about the Frozen Land was when her father boarded a ship with the mission of meeting the former Sub-Commander of the Frozen Land.
Snowflakes tumbled from the darkening sky. Tara knew she was expected to be inside before it was completely dark. She quickly picked up her pace and walked toward a small house in which the women had crowded into. She was gone for a while and feared people might suspect something if they found out she left the village. No one would fathom she was hunting for demons. The desire to find them and ask them to let her join ignited her, but she knew she must carry out her plan gradually.
From her vantage point, she could see the ships that brought her and the other people to The Frozen Land. The water looked like glass and atop it lay huge animals that marveled her; they were gray and limbless, with odd-looking fins. She wished she could learn about the animal and all the animals that existed in The Land of The Men. She wanted to see everything there was to see, yet her appetite for revenge blurred her other aspirations.
She finally reached the small house and twisted the wooden doorknob, but Samuel pushed his hand firmly against the door, slamming it back in place.
“You scared me,” Tara said, her breath caught in her throat.
“What are you doing so far from home?” he asked, still holding the door tightly shut.
She crossed her arms over her chest and gave a quick, high-pitched cackle. “I do not know what you are saying. Let us play riddles some other time,” she tried to walk again, but Samuel grabbed her arm and thrust her small figure against the closed door.
“Let…me…go!” she cried out, struggling to push him back.
The snow and wind hid them in the small portico. She hoped somebody would pass by and defend her, but they all were already inside before it was fully dark.
“I know who you are,” he said, hostility in his voice. “I have despised your family since I was a child.”
Tara felt her legs weak and twitch as she heard those words. Everything the Commander did to help her, all of her tactics to conform to the others was useless; she could easily be found and taken back to her cage at the castle of Excarta.
“How futile I was not to notice your accent, a dry accent from the Desert, the first time. You have adapted a bit to the islander accent of Lera, but the Desert still runs in your veins. Your father started a rebellion that took the life of my father,” he said swallowing hard.
“Please Samuel,” she supplicated. “Let go of me. Do not take me back.”
“Tara Maxwell,” he exclaimed, his words full of venom. “And I believed you were a young kitchen help Tamara…how could I be so dim-witted? The daughter of the betrayer.” He started breathing faster looking right at Tara with scornful eyes.
All Tara could do was cry. She was powerless. If she screamed, Samuel would tell everybody about her real identity.
“Come with me,” he demanded, yanking her arm and dragging her with him. She obeyed, as always, without having other option.
The snow below her feet felt deeper, pulling her away from Samuel’s firm grasp. She wanted to run, but to where? He led her to a small, dark cottage. Inside was empty and there was a small bed in a corner next to a window. “Will you take me to the castle?” she inquired while he took her coat, his coat, and used it to cover the window.
“No, no yet at least.”
“Then what are you planning on doing?”
“I’ll keep you here until we return. The king must be offering some sort of compensation for bringing back a fugitive.”
“People will see me.”
“Nobody is going to know who you are and if you try to tell them, they will not believe you. And those that do believe you will fight each other for you, putting your life at risk. I doubt you will tell anyone your secret. Keep your mouth shut.”
Tara felt relieved only one person knew her secret. Now she had to get rid of that person and be more careful hiding her identity the next time. “How did you recognize me?”
“I suspected something when I saw your blonde hair. And I am not stupid like the other men on the ship. It took me a bit to mull over my suspicions, but you will not fool me, Maxwell.”
“There are many blonde women in Lera and here as well,” she said while Samuel made her sit on the floor next to a pole.
“I have seen your face since I was a child. I have hated your family name since the rebellion,” he said while diligently tying her hands behind her back.
“It has been twelve years. You have hated me for that long, while I have been dreaming of freedom,” she said. “How fitting!”
“Enough of your snake’s tongue,” Samuel covered her mouth and left her there before going to bed. Her screams grew mute and her hope drifted away slowly while tears poured from her eyes.
Omar
It took them a few days to reach the merchant city of Kamel in the Forest of Dragons, but it felt like a lifetime trapped inside that wooden box. The chickens were so noisy, at times Omar felt like coming outside the box and getting caught rather than spending one more minute inside with his feathered companions. During their journey, sailors had walked past the boxes cursing, laughing, and screaming, but they never heard the boys. His brother went in and out of consciousnes
s; the fever was almost gone, but he was very weak and malnourished. All they had to eat was bread and it was not enough.
The ship started making noises unlike it had previously. He could hear the raucous laughter of the sailors celebrating. Something is happening. Omar confirmed his suspicion by peeking through a small hole in the box. His eyes grew large as he saw land—vivid green land completely different from the Desert in which he had grown up.
“Neil,” he called softly, urging his brother to wake up. “We need to leave.”
Neil slowly opened his eyes and gave a fading grin.
“Look,” Omar urged.
Neil put his eye in the small hole, but he did not smile; instead, he backed up and put his finger in front of his mouth, directing Omar to stay quiet.
Omar looked outside and saw a merchant standing in front of the box. Only his pants were visible, as he was standing too close. A second man approached and they started a small conversation. The box atop was taken and then theirs was moved while the chickens screamed.
“Shut up already,” one of the men screamed, kicking the box and laughing.
The box started moving faster and Omar could see they were being transported to the ground outside the ship. A weird sensation filled his empty stomach as they were suspended over the water with some ropes. The box was lowered to the ground, making the chickens screech louder and the boys’ bodies jump with the impact.
“Neil. We have to leave. Do you understand what that means?” Omar was not sure his brother was in all his senses.
“We have to run?” he responded.
“I cannot carry you. You need to be fast and you cannot stop. Can you do it?”
“I can do it,” he replied with trembling words.
“All right then. Keep close to me and be ready.”
They looked through the air holes located on the four sides of the box. Some deckhands where walking nearby halting their progress until they were further down the dock. Once the moment was right, Omar slid the box lid off and jumped out, followed by his brother, both almost blinded by the sunlight.
“Hey!” a man yelled when he saw the boys climbing out of the box and the others looked at the boys.
The boys ran with all their strength as several merchants attempted to grab them. The boys kept running until they realized nobody was following them. Most of the merchants stopped their chase when they realized the boys were not stealing the chickens.
The short run overwhelmed Neil and he began to cough profusely. They needed to find medication to heal him. In order to do that, they first had to find their aunt whom lived in the city of Cadeno. Where is that? Omar wondered many times.
For the first time, they were able to appreciate the beauty of the Forest. The velvety sand stretched about ten feet to the shore before the land opened into a vast and alive forest. Towering trees seemed to reach the heavens and radiated as far as the eye could see. People walked by, smiling and greeting one another. The boys had never seen vegetation besides the cactuses in the Desert land, but here, flowers and shrubs of every shape and color sprouted from the ground wafting their sweet scents throughout the fresh air.
“It is so soft,” Neil commented, touching the petals of a fuchsia calla lily near him.
It had rain recently, so droplets of water fell from the plant when he let go of the flower. The plant bounced throwing the droplets on the boys’ legs. They giggled and the act of joy and freedom motivated them to continue on their journey.
“Come on, we have to find Aunt Ester,” Omar said putting his arm around his brother’s shoulders.
They had memorized her address since the day they left their destroyed home in the Desert. The journey would be long and arduous; Cadeno was located far from the port towards the center of the forest.
“Where are the dragons?” Neil asked looking around. The thick, green vegetation did not let him see much.
“There are no dragons. They are just a tale. People had been hearing so many things in the forest they made up stories of screaming dragons.”
Neil nodded; the disappointment was visible upon his young face.
* * *
As their journey began, they ran into a merchant willing to hire them for a few coins for the day. Omar helped move some lightweight boxes off of the incoming ships and Neil counted the quantities for correctness; Omar helped him most of the time since Neil was too young to know mathematics. The owner knew the boys were useless to him, but he did not have the heart to throw them on the streets. The boys learned to enjoy working in Kamel. The city was very similar to Caira, but much cleaner, happier, and more beautiful than anyplace they had seen. The boys were quickly well-liked by the merchant and even got a change of clothes. When they met the merchant, they never expected so much from him. Neil had stolen some apples from him that were being packed in an embarkation going to Rizo, an island next to Lera. When the man caught Neil, he did not scold him; instead, he told him, “You can keep those apples if you promise me the next time you will ask for it.”
Neil agreed and told the man his story and how desperately he needed to get to his aunt’s house. The man felt compassion for the two young boys.
When Omar came looking for his brother, the man kindly gave them a basket of fruit to share. They even were given a small bed out of generosity.
Days went by and the boys gathered some money to continue their journey. Omar bought some medication for Neil, whose respiratory issues were worsening. His breathing became more labored and he began to wheeze with every breath. If they were still hiding in the ship, they would have been caught for sure. Neil needed to see a doctor as soon as possible; the flu had spread throughout his body without treatment and the medication was only suppressing his symptoms.
The two young children had a critical decision to make—pay for a ride to their aunt’s house or pay for a doctor. They chose a ride since their aunt would help them find a doctor and might even pay for it. They could not be a burden for the humble merchant and his wife any longer. They had been treated well, but in the end, their mother taught them not to be a encumbrance for strangers.
* * *
They paid a wagoner to take them to Cadeno. The Forest was not as safe as Lera, but the citizens felt protected by the Spirit of the Forest. Their faith was practically blind, which was evident when the driver remained in the open all night long. It was hard to believe, but the forest was almost never attacked by demons. It was common knowledge that River Calls and Peare were the only cities with recurrent attacks. The cities were surrounded by the tallest trees on the land in which the demons could hide waiting to attack the two cities. Fortunately, both cities were on the opposite side of the Forest of Dragons.
The cool night air helped Omar drift off to sleep like a baby, until the nightmares returned. He dreamed he was back at his house and the demon that slaughtered his family was there terrorizing them. Her slender arms grabbed his older sister by her throat, lifted her off the ground, and sliced her neck all the way through. The innocent, yet terror-stricken, gaze in her dead eyes bore into Omar as her head fell near him. The demonic woman was searching for something and killed his family in the process. What it is she looking for? Maybe if she found it his family would still be alive.
The tire of the wagon caught a rock and jolted Omar awake, sweat covering his body. His nightmare was over for now, but it would never go away—it was part of him.
“How far are we?” he asked, but the driver kept silent, not out of rudeness, but out of deafness.
“The Forest is gigantic,” Neil told his brother between coughs. It was before dawn and the boy had not been able to close his eyes at all. He, as Omar, was excited to meet his aunt, surely she would bring an end to their disastrous journey.
Andreas
He had had many nightmares in which Anthony was never found. Often times, he woke up sweating and crying, but he tried to remain strong, for Marie. She was deeply affected, but once again, it was recommended she rest and avoid st
ressful situations. The guilt consumed him; he could not help but think he could have saved Anthony, his men, and their families.
Over the last few weeks, Yvette had won a reputation. Neither Andreas nor the villagers trusted her. People had focused so much on her, his deal with the witch was barely mentioned and when it was, it was quickly disregarded as a falsehood.
Andreas quickly realized the role of the foreign soldiers. They had not come to help as they claimed; they were silently vigilant, judging the way of life in the village.
Now, as Andreas stood in front of his villagers to speak of the brave men, women, and children who suffered and gave their lives, Yvette’s soldiers did not show any sign of respect. Insolence from the men weighed heavily in their body language and in their eyes when the families gathered around the pyre as their kin turned to ash. A letter from the king would not convince Andreas, or his village, that Yvette and her soldiers were there to help those in the Frozen Land.
Andreas glared at Yvette, next to him, and noticed how bitterly cold her eyes were, not a bit of compassion was to be found within the onyx eyes. Her thoughts were somewhere else or on someone else; there was no way for Andreas, or anyone, to know what plagued her thoughts or actions.
Suddenly Yvette seemed to come out of her trance. “Enough,” she whispered in Andreas’ ear.
He glared at her as if disbelieving his ears.
“We have to discuss important matters,” she said and turned on her heel without saying more, ignoring the crying children next to her who seemed to wonder why their families’ lives were unvalued.
Yvette
She walked away, still thinking of her son and how much he needed her, and she him. Most people would not speculate that a woman in such high standing as Yvette could have the maternal instincts she camouflaged so well.
As she entered Andreas’ home with him nipping at her heels, he reprimanded her about her response to his speech. “You are required to respect our soldiers and their families—both dead and alive!”