by I. B. George
“I already thought of that,” replied Aryana. “After our meeting yesterday, I sent someone to Elementis through the Misty Passage. He will contact one of our friends, a merchant from Bakar who will give him the horses we need. On the hour we reach Elementis, he’ll be waiting for us at the Passage with the horses.”
“Looks like you thought of everything, Your Highness.”
“I’ve learned from my husband, Professor, that when you want to achieve something, you mustn’t leave anything to chance.”
“Your husband is a wise man,” smiled the Professor.
They continued on their way in silence, everyone buried deep in their thoughts. Suddenly, the silence was broken by Khar’s piercing scream coming from the sky. The falcon circled above their heads then dived and landed quietly on the Professor’s stretched arm.
“Is there something you want to tell me, my friend?”
“I can see the edge of the forest, Professor, behind the ridge of this small hill. You should be there in half an hour or even less.”
“Thank you, Khar. It’s down to Lokar now to guide us and keep us from that ferocious beast the queen was talking about.”
“I flew over the woods for a while, trying to catch a glimpse of this Hagor, but the trees are so thick that I couldn’t see anything. On the other hand, Zathar’s Trail looks pretty frightening for someone who can’t fly,” added Khar with a chuckle.
“I hope we won’t need to fly,” replied Radius with glee. “Let’s just get there and then we’ll see.”
At last they reached the ridge of the small hill they had been climbing for the last half an hour. Aryana pointed at the edge of the forest, showing them where they were heading. They started galloping, wanting to make the distance between them and Zathar’s Trail shorter, now that they were so close to their target.
They climbed down the hill and started on a straight road towards the forest where the secret path which they had to take back to Elementis was hidden. They slowed down when they got near the first trees and headed onto one of the paths pointed by Aryana.
The wilderness of the woods became apparent as they took their first steps in. The bramble and branches were so knotted that you couldn’t see anything through them, a clear sign that people didn’t venture that way. The path they were on now, probably taken by the spies of the Tanaris family going into Elementis, proved full of danger. From place to place huge boughs leaned across the path and the thick roots covered in moss, slowed them down.
They walked carefully, leaning across the necks of their horses each time an odd branch restricted their way. The horses snorted anxiously, almost as if they could sense some unseen danger lurking in the thicket which lined the road.
A far away roar rang out, which made everyone shiver. They immediately thought of Hagor, the ferocious beast Aryana had told them about.
“That roar sounded a bit muffled… Judging from that, I think the beast is about one hour from where we are,” said Captain Vidar.
“You could be right, captain,” spoke Voras thoughtfully. “That’s exactly what I was thinking.”
“I hope we’re lucky,” added Rolan. “From what I can hear, it doesn’t sound too friendly… and I definitely do not wish to make its acquaintance.”
“I think they’ve smelled us though,” said Vidar. “They’ve probably heard the horses snorting. If this beast is half as predatory as Queen Aryana has described it, then we must assume that it’s going to head this way.”
“Let’s hope we will start descending into Elementis before it can find us,” Akura uttered out loud what his friends were thinking.
Despite the rough terrain and the hostile vegetation, they tried to rush on, emboldened by the thought that one of the Hagors might reach them.
Quarter of an hour later, they came across a small plain from the edge of which Zathar’s Trail emerged proudly.
***
They dismounted and tied their horses to the nearby trees. They took down their bags of food, their weapons, the water and the ropes they needed to cross Zathar’s Trail. The saddles and harnesses were left in their place. You could see the Tanaris’s coat of arms on the saddles and Aryana knew that nobody was going to stop the horses on their way back to Nargor as long as the royal badge was on view.
After unloading everything they needed, Aryana told everyone in the group to untie the horses. She slapped the thigh of her stallion and gave a loud whistle. The creature raised itself on its hind legs then started off at a run in the direction they came from, followed closely by the other horses.
They had to hurry. They suspected that one or more of the beasts they had heard were closing in fast.
Aryana and Radius handed out the bags and weapons, making sure everyone had something. Aryana took out from her bag a long rope, securely plaited, which she handed to Azar. He tied it across his waist first then handed it to Rolan. In turn, Vidar, Voras and Radius tied it across themselves, the last one passing the rope to the prince so he could place it across his waist.
Aryana was waiting, scrutinising the forest, almost smelling the danger in the air. Akura also stopped suddenly, sniffing some unknown scent. At the same time, the desperate neighing of one of the horses rang out, followed by the roar of a beast savouring its victory over its prey.
“Hagor… is close,” said Akura. “Let’s hurry!” he added, calling out to his friends.
Aryana pulled her sword, took a firm hold of the rocky soil and called out to her companions:
“You go… I’ll try to stop it.”
“No, we’re staying!” cried Robert in despair as he was checking the knot he had just made on the rope.
“Professor, leave now!” called Aryana looking at Radius. “Your mission is more important than me. Take Robert and climb down Zathar’s Trail. The fate of Fantasmagoria depends on him.”
“Don’t, Professor!” called Robert back. “We shall stay put! I won’t let anyone take my family away from me again.”
Watching the edge of the forest and swinging her sword, Aryana felt her eyes welling up. She asked the Professor in a pleading voice to take Robert and leave.
Radius held Robert by the shoulders and pulled him away. With tears in his eyes, Robert gave up and joined his friends.
Azar started towards the stairs that led to the Lower Realm. Just at that moment, a terrifying growl rang out from nearby and the bushes ahead of Aryana cracked loudly, showing the frightening creature they called Hagor.
Everybody turned round and watched the approaching animal, its snout bloodied, confirming those in the group the outcome of the encounter between the horses and Hagor.
When looking at the beast, Robert saw a powerful and agile animal, much like the black panther he had seen a year before in a travelling circus that had come to their village. Except that Hagor was almost the size of a horse with a long snout like a wolf’s and a powerful tail topped with spikes which probably served as a weapon when needed.
The beast was closing in slowly, scrutinising them with his black, glass like eyes while bearing its menacing fangs. It stepped in front of them with a growl, seemingly assessing whether the pray ahead was worth the effort.
Another sound rang out somewhere on the right and between the bushes the outline of another Hagor could be glimpsed, as huge and menacing as the first one.
Without a second thought, Robert closed his eyes, trying to engage his Inner Fire. Now, more than ever, he needed to show he was good at it. Almost instantly, he felt the warmth flowing through his arms, making the flames appear in the cup of his hands. His efforts paid off as the fire erupted in an orange flame which made him open his eyes in relief.
At exactly the same time, one of the Hagors pounced on Robert, while the other jumped at Aryana.
Robert reacted quickly by placing his hands together and hurtling a wave of flames towards the attacker, making it retreat. Confused by such unpredicted attack coming from the little man, the beast walked backwards towards the edge of th
e woods with a menacing roar.
Aryana had thrust her sword into the chest of the second Hagor and it had collapsed on top of her growling. It tried to rip through her shoulder but the queen’s armour withstood the enraged attack. Aryana pushed up on her heels and managed to free herself from under the wounded animal but it stood up at the same time and started towards her.
Robert focused again on launching the Inner Fire while Aryana, left without her weapon was retreating towards the edge of the cliff.
The queen was also trying to unleash her Inner Fire but, as she hadn’t done it for many years, she only managed to feel a few flickers sparkling in her palms.
In a last effort, the wounded beast threw itself swiftly upon her. Aryana sensed her life was nearing its end so she took the curved knife from her belt and waited boldly for the deadly attack.
The creature stroke with might, pushing her towards the edge of the abyss. Aryana thrust the knife into the beast’s neck. With a roar, the beast pushed the queen over the edge and then collapsed by the precipice, grunting.
For a moment, everybody froze. Robert fell to his knees, the fire trembling softly in his palms. He stood up, his eyes reddened with fury, and unleashed a stream of fire towards the next Hagor, which was now retreating into the edge of the forest.
Screaming, Robert continued to focus the torrent of fire onto the beast, making it vanish into the thicket with a savage growl.
Azar came over to Robert and hugged his shoulders, urging him to calm down. Robert quietened down when hearing the master’s voice and turned around, burying his face in his chest.
He started crying as Azar caressed his head, unable to find the right words that would make Robert get over the pain of losing Aryana.
At last, Radius approached the two.
“I’m so sorry, Robert… there was nothing you could have done… it was Lokar’s will. I know this is hard, but we must continue our journey. Your destiny must be fulfilled, you mustn’t despair…”
Robert pulled away from Azar’s arms and wiped the tears that streamed across his cheeks. He watched the Professor with a lost gaze, as if seeing him for the first time.
“You’re right, Radius, it’s time to go. There will be time to mourn the loss of Aryana.”
***
“One thing is certain: luck is on the boy’s side,” uttered Tyreas angrily as he watched in the World Mirror the battle between Robert and his friends and the ferocious beasts of Akros.
“Indeed. It looks like Lokar is watching over him,” added Elian in a steady voice. “I still believe though that even Lokar can’t keep an eye on you forever.”
“Where is he? I don’t recognize the place.”
“It’s a place those in Akros call Zathar’s Trail, Your Highness,” explained Elian. “It’s a treacherous path leading to the Kingdom of Night. They figured out we would be waiting for them by the Misty Passage on their way back.”
“I shall order the troops there to catch them on the other side of this Zathar’s Trail.”
“I’m afraid you can’t do that. A good horseman, with an unwearied horse would make it to the Misty Passage by tomorrow. From there to where the prince and his friends would set foot in Elementis, your troops would travel for another three quarters of a day. You can only ask the troops to follow them and try to get as near as possible.”
“You’re right, sorcerer, that’s what I’ll do,” decided Tyreas. “But they will be fairly ahead. Do you think they will be able to catch up?”
“They are indeed ahead, for now. But as soon as they enter the Kingdom of Water, they will be forced to travel by night in order to avoid being seen. This would shorten the distance, Your Highness.”
“Yes, I didn’t think of that,” replied Tyreas, furious that the sorcerer always saw things more clearly than he did.
“I dare say that they will never make it to the Boundary,” Elian emphasised.
“Then I shall send a messenger to the Misty Passage immediately to inform our troops there,” said Tyreas on his way to the door.
He stopped on the threshold and turned to face Elian.
“One more question… Who was the young woman who fell off the cliff when fighting that wild beast?”
“I’m not sure but I’m guessing it was Princess Aryana Eremon.”
Tyreas was left momentarily stunned.
“The eldest daughter of late King Neron?! Now I understand why they went to the Khalari Land. It must be about that famous Blue Flame, the most prized secret of the Eremons. After the siege, I turned Sardar Castle inside out trying to find some clue about this weapon. Ah, this child is getting more and more dangerous. And now he knows the secret of the Blue Flame… I’m telling you, sorcerer, I’m doomed!”
“Allow me to disagree, King Tyreas. As far as I know, only the heir to the throne has the right to know the secret of the Blue Flame. And Princess Aryana never succeeded the throne of the Kingdom of Fire. Without a doubt, her father must have shared with her the secret of the Blue Flame but the key to that weapon was held by Queen Neri. Now… we could assume that little Eremon knew the secret already – although that doesn’t explain why he was in Khalari – or that Princess Aryana showed him the place where this secret has been kept.”
“In that case, it’s even more important to catch the prince before he gets to his destination…”
“I agree, Your Highness. It’s imperative you don’t fail now otherwise on the fourth phase of the moon you shall be resting under Zathar’s wing.”
***
For quarter of an hour they scrutinised the precipice on the edge of the small plain but couldn’t see any sign that Aryana could still be alive. They searched carefully through the few branches that had grown into the cliff – who knows how? – hoping to find a sign, any sign, which might indicate the place where the queen of the Khalari people had crushed.
Radius was the one who decided in the end to resume their journey. Without Aryana, who knew the way through Zathar’s Trail, the road was probably going to take longer and be even more arduous than they had imagined, so they didn’t have any time to waste.
As the most religious, Voras said a few words in honour of Aryana, praying to Zathar to keep her soul.
They headed towards the first steps of the Trail, Azar leading the small group. One at a time, they stepped carefully onto the stone notches, polished by the rains that have been sweeping over them for hundreds of years.
They had to be careful with each step they took. They had no way of knowing if those stone slates were going to crumble under their weight or the weight of time. Each notch they stepped on was no bigger than the width of one person and some of them were only a few paces wide, making it necessary for them to keep their bodies glued against the wall.
From place to place, the gap between the steps would widen, forcing Azar and those behind him to jump in order to get across.
They were advancing with difficulty. The sun had almost reached midday and the heat made the passage through the trail the more arduous. Their fingers started bleeding because they had to hold on to the rock in order to keep their balance.
You couldn’t see any sign of pain on their faces. They endured stoically the pain and the hardship of the road they were taking. Voras was convinced that this was some kind of martyrdom they had to endure in order to prove to the gods that they were worthy of the mission trust in them.
Azar assessed each notch before stepping onto it and he felt the burden of responsibility on his shoulders. The integrity of their small group was in his hands, and their fate was hanging by a thread should he take a wrong step.
The most treacherous were the steps he couldn’t try on beforehand, the ones they had to jump onto. He realised he was subjecting himself to great risks and he would call to everyone to hold on tight to each other in order to support him in case he fell.
Undoubtedly the spies in Akros made a better job of crossing Zathar’s Trail, especially those who had been there several tim
es.
A bird flew from its den right across Azar’s head, frightened probably by the master’s hand which had grabbed the rock near its nest. The unexpected flight of the bird startled Azar and he lost his balance, slipping off the step. Taken by surprise, Rolan too fell off the rock almost instantly when pulled down by the master’s fall.
Instinctively, Vidar anchored his right hand to one of the cracks in the cliff as his left hand pulled the rope energetically, stopping the two companions from falling over.
The survival instinct sharpened the master’s senses. He grabbed the rope with both hands while looking up at Rolan who was still in shock from the fright of being pulled off the cliff.
He called out to Rolan who was watching him with glass like eyes, gazing at the abyss that opened beneath him. He called out again, managing to wake him from his reverie.
“Swing along with me,” cried Azar, “we have to grab the rock!”
Rolan gave a nod, confirming he had heard the master’s words. He took hold of the rope with both hands and tried to synchronise his balance with Azar’s.
Above them, Vidar, Radius and Voras were pulling at the rope, supporting the two. The captain felt his arms bursting, his muscles contracted to breaking point. Also the swinging of the two increased the weight he had to lift.
Azar’s right hand reached desperately for the cliff wall but his fingers slipped across the rock. He pushed himself again with his legs away from the cliff while Rolan did the same thing. They pushed away from the wall, swinging above the precipice and then closed in against the cliff in front of them. This time, Azar managed to grip tightly onto a piece of rock while Rolan clung to the cliff, holding on firmly to the stump he was grabbing.
Seeing that the two were safe, Captain Vidar loosened his grip a bit. He felt the rope he had wrapped around his arm cutting deep into his flesh. Those behind him sighed in relief.
Azar and Rolan stopped to catch their breath before setting off again. The step that Rolan had fallen off was close enough but they didn’t dare resume their climb. The master looked down to the dense foliage of the trees at the bottom of Zathar’s Trail, imagining Aryana’s death and the fate he so nearly shared with her.