“And to say that it is nature alone that has created such marvels as that,” he thought. He couldn’t prevent tears from welling up, but he couldn’t even say why he was crying. He felt completely lost, absorbed in the contemplation of all that surrounded him. His friends, when they noticed his state, preferred to say nothing, for fear of breaking the magical moment unrolling before their eyes. This was without a doubt a time for them to observe the great gulf that separated them from their friend.
Chapter 21
DURING the month of August, the group continued their respective training, tried to regularly go to the library, and also decided to visit the king to begin learning more about their roles as maggs and protectors, and about what they could do. The king was happy with their progress: they now had their own goals, and knew significantly more about Galadria. However, he continued to advise them to take their time as far as taking on the role they were being given.
The friends were far from ready and, in any case, they were quickly learning that no one could give them a clear definition of the role of a magg. It was more of a tradition: something so familiar and evident, that no one thought about it at all. In the end, the four friends, despite all the good wishes of the people around them, were completely reliant on themselves. Everyone hoped that they would accomplish what the Book of Eternal Twilight had destined for them, but no one knew how.
During one of their visits, Rozak informed them that the village had been the subject of numerous attacks in recent days. Gobelins, orks, chimeras – and at times, other creatures as well – had repeatedly confronted the troops of Shinozuka. At first, Glaide was shocked that no one had told the general population about these attacks, and he also wanted to know why the attacks had happened, though he already had an idea.
“You’re trying to tell me that monsters have tried to take the city, but no one has been informed about it? It’s dangerous! You can’t carry on like that during a war,” exclaimed the young man.
“They weren’t particular major assaults. A few monsters are no serious problem. And, the inhabitants know that their village is the subject of frequent attacks, though the number has admittedly increased recently. There is no reason to disquiet them; it’s only necessary to be careful if you leave the walls!” responded the king.
“This is exactly what happened at Rackk, until they decided to attack in earnest. And you know what wound up happening! I don’t want Shinozuka to be destroyed because of me!”
“Why do you think it is your fault? Perhaps they’re searching for you, yes, but where in all that are you responsible? You did not choose to be who you are! And then, you need not be afraid: to destroy this city would take far more than a few simple skirmishes. If Baras really wants to reduce this place to ashes, he knows as well as we do that it would take a veritable army!”
“And what is to prevent him from putting one together?”
That response surprised the king, so much so that it took him a few minutes to reply. “You really think our enemy is ready to raise an army to kill you?”
“And why not? I don’t know anything! It looks as though you find that idea completely absurd, but maybe it’s not! I don’t know what I represent in his eyes, but I have with me two maggs who’ve just swelled the ranks of the men of this world. Plus, we come from another world. Perhaps our adversary fears our origins? We bring with us a unique view of Galadria, and who really knows if we couldn’t cause him serious harm? I don’t see any reason why he should hesitate even a second to get rid of us!”
“Glaide, I think you’re being a bit of an alarmist. The destruction of Rackk was dramatic, but I don’t think that anything like that is going to happen here. Everyone here – in fact, everywhere in the Known Lands – knows that a menace is looming over us. A constant menace. But is that any reason to stop living? No! Look around you: do you think this tranquility that everyone shows is due to being unaware of the risks we’re under? Far from it – it is what we call courage.”
The adolescent meditated on the words of the king for a long time, finally deciding that he simply wasn’t going to think about it anymore. Learning Murockai had revealed itself to be quite arduous, and he decided to simply invest more effort in his training, so that he could progress more rapidly. His goal was simple: as soon as he was able to fight well enough, all of the problems that were tormenting him would be resolved. He would be able to protect his friends, and so they’d be able to live as they wished, without constantly fearing being attacked on the road, or seeing the places they went get wiped off the map! But to gain motivation, he would need to give up his hope of learning Iretane – and the idea of abandoning his group – for good. Emily must have realized that, because she seemed especially joyous during those first weeks of August.
One Sunday, a day that they considered their day of rest, the friends decided to go for a walk on the other side of the hill. They wanted to visit the surroundings of Shinozuka. They circled around the butte, and found themselves faced with an expanse of green. After an hour of walking, they stopped in the shadow of some tall trees. Behind them stood a small woods. The trunks of the trees were relatively sparse, and the adolescents thought they heard a stream, which seemed strange. They decided to venture into the greenery – after all, the sun filtered through the branches and illuminated the whole place with a beautiful green light, and so it seemed they had no reason to be fearful.
While the stream seemed to be becoming closer, the four friends were surprised to also hear conversation. It was impossible to estimate how many individuals were in the group, so they decided to approach the source of the noise. The closer they came, the more violent the discussion seemed. They began to run when they heard cries. A hedge of brambles, vines, and creeping plants rose up before them, preventing them from continuing. The voices came from just behind it. The protectors drew their swords immediately, and began to hack at the wall before them. They could now distinctly hear the conversation.
“What do you want?” growled a man.
“You’re not welcome here. Leave immediately,” added the voice of a woman.
“And how do you plan to make me?” The voice was grave and slow. It frightened the adolescents, who nonetheless doubled their efforts to see what was going on. The last man who had spoken seemed to be very dangerous. He began again, saying, “You’re nothing but vermin infesting the surface of Galadria. I’ll put an end to your lives here and now.”
Finally, the wall of bramble gave way. Before the four companions, a hedge could be seen, just tall enough to hide them if they crouched. Behind it was a small cabin, and before it stood a man and a woman, along with a younger man and a younger woman. To all evidence, they appeared to be a family. The four friends decided to hide themselves so they wouldn’t be spotted; they wanted to evaluate the situation before they took action. Besides, they couldn’t distinguish where the grave voice was coming from.
It was then that a fifth person stepped out of the shadow created by the surrounding trees. As he advanced, the hearts of the young people skipped a beat. The stranger was easily six and a half feet tall, and he wore nothing but a sort of loincloth made of bear skin, boots of the same material, and had an excessively large axe hanging at his side. He had long blond hair, and tanned skin. His muscles were of an impressive size, and he exuded power and brutal force.
“A barbarian,” whispered Glaide, admiringly.
The barbarian had a dark look on his face, and they could easily read murder and a desire for blood on it. The grave and frightening voice belonged to him, and it soon resonated through the space again.
“If you think you’re capable of it, defend yourselves. I will grant you no mercy,” he said, taking up his axe.
“Arm yourselves!” exclaimed the man in front. “We have to defend ourselves! This slave of Baras wants combat!” The young man took up a staff that stood near the cabin, while the girl pulled out a crossbow. The father drew a sword, while the mother drew a knife of considerable siz
e.
However, just as the man finished saying those words, his adversary hurled out, “I am not a slave of Baras! I have nothing to do with him! Don’t say anything of the kind; I’m going to kill you so that my people can take back their rights!”
Thoughts raced through Glaide’s mind. The sudden anger of the barbarian had frightened him. It seemed to be extremely important to him that everyone knew he had no connection with Baras. But then, why kill these humans? Did they have some dispute to settle? That didn’t really seem likely. The individuals didn’t seem to know each other. No, it looked more like an arbitrary massacre...
Glaide felt anger rise up in him; while at first he felt admiration for this family, each of whom had taken up arms, he quickly realized they had no chance against the brute facing them. And he couldn’t take the feeling of weakness that was his. Could he and his friends be of aid? The young man knew that a barbarian was a born warrior, with natural strength and endurance, increased by their often difficult living conditions – they often lived in deserts – making them extremely dangerous enemies, but indispensable as companions.
The adolescent glanced at his friends. They had their eyes glued on him, with a look of expectation on their faces; it would be up to him to make a decision. He held his head between his hands and said to himself, “These people have no chance against this brute. But we don’t know how to fight! We can’t help them. But we’re protectors. It’s our job! And the city is too far. We can’t go look for help. What should we do?”
Suddenly, he ran out of time to think: the barbarian launched his assault. The four friends remained frozen in place, paralyzed with fear before the bloodbath that was announcing itself. The girl immediately fired an arrow that struck the shoulder of their adversary. A normal man would have shrieked in pain, but the barbarian didn’t even seem to notice. The father spun to face him, his son at his side. The man tried to parry a blow from the axe. He luckily also had the idea to dodge to the side as he parried, because the blade flew away in splinters. The weapon of his adversary was truly gigantic: the barbarian carried it in one hand, though it would have taken four arms of normal strength to lift it.
Despite his destroyed sword, the father stood on guard while his son attacked. His staff, which had to be at least an inch thick, would normally have easily cracked a skull or broken a few ribs, but in the current situation, it did nothing but bounce off the incredible abs of the enemy. Another arrow was released, with no more effect than the first one. The mother stayed back.
To all evidence, the battle already seemed to be drawing to a close: the family no longer had a sword, and their weapons seemed completely ineffective. Glaide hesitated on what to do: act or do nothing? He thought that their weapons, the weapons of protectors, would not break under the violence of the blows, though that would not necessarily be the case for their arms. He weighed the pros and cons for a moment, then he made a decision: He got up abruptly – then crouched back down almost immediately. There was a resounding voice coming from the surrounding woods.
“Stop!” it cried out in an imperious voice. “Who do you think you are?”
The barbarian turned around; the voice was addressed to him. “Show yourself, coward! Or are you afraid to confront me?”
“You claim to not serve Baras, but then, who are you serving? Aras? Certainly not! Yourself? In that case, what is your interest in killing innocent humans?” It was then that the new voice made its appearance. The adolescents were once again stupefied: the voice came from another barbarian. Just as muscled as the other, though with dark hair, he carried a two-handed sword – or it would be, for an ordinary man – in each of his two hands. However, though his facial expression was just as vibrant as that of his fellow, no desire to kill could be seen – only anger. He spoke again, forcefully, “I don’t know what clan you come from, but you and yours should know that now is not the time to oppose each other. All of these quarrels have gone on too long!”
“You want to protect these pitiful humans?” cried the other. “What do you find in them? They are feeble beings. They don’t deserve to live on this earth!” The cries of the two barbarians filled the space, so much so that their tones made the earth seem to shake. The adolescents regarded the scene with a certain amount of curiosity, since they couldn’t understand what was happening.
“These people are innocent, and I won’t let you murder them,” said the second barbarian, who seemed to be their ally. “You, disciple of Baras: you think them weak, but look at the will power that shines in their eyes, and see how they are able to unite in the face of adversity! Is that what you call weakness?”
“What does it matter? You know very well that they have no chance against me!”
“You should admire these people,” growled the barbarian through his teeth. Then, he said explosively, “If we must once again fight amongst ourselves, then so be it. But look the truth in the eyes: humans are our future. And your god can do nothing against that!”
“I SERVE NO ONE!!” screamed the blond one.
“That’s not true. Baras has divided us. You’re afraid of no longer existing, so you want nothing more than to destroy. He is using you!” This phrase marked the end of the discussion; the two barbarians bounded towards each other, weapons held high.
It was as though time had stopped. Only the pounding of their boots could be heard. It sounded like an earthquake. Their cries of rage were deafening. The shock of their weapons striking against each other was titanic; their attacks were of exceptional strength. Each blow released a spray of sparks, and each attack seemed to announce the end of the world.
No one could say how long the battle raged, but it seemed as though Galadria itself would fall. The four friends could do nothing but hide behind the greenery, waiting for the tempest to cease. Like children during a thunderstorm, they were curled up, gasping for breath. The cries took the place of the thunder. The clashing of swords took the place of lightning. And then, there was finally silence.
It took a moment for Glaide to realize what had happened. Slowly, he got up. His muscles hurt from being contracted in terror. He didn’t know what awaited him, but the scene before him reassured him: the family still stood, pressed against the cabin. They seemed to be pulling themselves together. The body of a barbarian lay on the ground – a blonde one. At his side was his fellow barbarian. He held two bloody blades. If it weren’t for the dead body and the blood that had spurted about, one wouldn’t even know that such a mighty battle had taken place here. The silence of death reigned. Glaide looked at his friends as they slowly took in the scene. With faces still red, and short of breath, they also remained silent. Without a sound, the barbarian picked up his swords and the body of his enemy. The two men and women thanked him with a bow of their heads. He smiled at them joylessly, then disappeared into the woods. Was he leaving to bury his fallen companion?
Without really knowing why, the adolescents had the feeling that this victory really wasn’t one. The lives of the humans may have been saved, and the “good guys” had won, but at the cost of a brother killing a brother. Glaide couldn’t organize his thoughts, but he dazedly contemplated that he had today discovered a new side of Galadria. It seemed that orks and other monsters were not the only scourge that afflicted this world.
The four friends rapidly drew away; they did not want to stay in this woods. They needed to breathe in fresh air, their heads spun, and their hearts were filled with sadness. When they finally reached the edge of the woods, night had already fallen.
They paused for a moment without speaking, contemplating the immensity of the sky above them. Glaide, usually so joyful when faced with the novelties of this world, felt again how little he had to offer: he did not know how to fight, he knew nothing about the place where he found himself, and the more time passed, the more he realized how critical the situation was. But the worst was, without a doubt, the discussion between the two barbarians: the one he had at first taken for an enemy appeared to simply be
a victim of Baras.
What could they as maggs and protectors really do to change all of this? Why was the situation what it was, when so many white magicians still existed? Was it really their future – the four of them – to tilt the balance? His friends were almost certainly thinking the same, and he could see discouragement printed on their faces. Suddenly, before such a force, the school of Murockai appeared futile, and the possibility of changing things suddenly seemed like a pipe dream.
Glaide took vague note that the experience they had gained today was invaluable: they had discovered a new people who seemed to be divided, they had seen the solidarity that humans proved themselves to have, and above all, they had learned humility in the face of power and situations that were beyond them.
They came from another world, it was true. They were maggs and protectors, almost revered as individuals, they knew the king and his counselors, and they had seen the destruction of a village. But before all of that, it seemed the adolescents had forgotten what they really were: lost children.
The way back was silent. No one spoke. They had far too much to think about to burden themselves with useless conversation. After a while, Glaide, who dealt more quickly with all that had happened, looked around at the devastated faces of his friends. Alongside the fear that was still visible, and a look of pain whose origin he couldn’t precisely pinpoint, he could also see determination, and, yes, courage. He hid a smile: their strength was there, in this newly acquired courage that – coming from a desire to change things – grew, bit by bit.
Chronicles of Galadria I_The Other World Page 17