by Alexey Pehov
“Hmm…,” said Deler after a short silence. “I’d like to be buried so…”
“Beautifully,” Hallas concluded for him.
“We have a belief that when an elf dies in battle, a new star lights up in the sky,” said Egrassa. “Foolish, but beautiful. Ell deserved his star.”
“Like all those no longer with us,” Alistan replied. “Let’s go back to the castle, it’s late.”
And the river flowed on as quietly and lazily as ever, with nothing to show that a few minutes earlier it had swallowed up the remains of a funeral pyre.
* * *
“Harold, this is yours.” Kli-Kli jabbed one finger at a sack with two shoulder straps that was standing beside my bed.
It was barely dawn outside, but the group was already up. Zagraba was waiting for us, and I had a chilly feeling of anticipation in my belly. But whether what was coming was good or bad, I couldn’t tell.
“What’s in it?” I asked, fastening on my crossbow.
“Your things. Blanket, rations, and a few odds and ends. I took the liberty of transferring all this junk from your saddlebags, plus a few things from the general heap…”
“Who asked you to do that?” I asked in a threatening voice.
“Oh, Harold,” Kli-Kli said dismissively. “No need for gratitude, I got up a lot earlier than you, so it was no bother for me.”
“Kli-Kli, don’t pretend to be more stupid than you really are. Why did you empty the bags?”
“Because you won’t carry them on your back. You’re not a horse, are you? It’s easier to walk through Zagraba with a sack. The trappers and a few hunters who dare to go into the forests take exactly this kind of sack with them.”
“Mmm…,” I began warily. “Kli-Kli, I thought I heard you use the word ‘walk.’ Did I mishear?”
“Not at all, that’s right, I said ‘walk.’ The horses are staying at the castle.”
“What!”
“Harold, I can see that you’ve never gone roaming through a forest before,” Kli-Kli chuckled, tightening the knot on his sack. “Just you try galloping through fallen trees, bogs, and darkness knows what else on a horse. It’s no fun. We’re going on foot. The elfess says that from here to Hrad Spein is exactly seven days’ march. That is, one week. The entrance to the burial chambers is in the Golden Forest. If the gods smile on us, we’ll soon be there.”
It was surprising, but I didn’t want to leave Little Bee. After a month and a half of traveling, I couldn’t imagine how I could get by without my own horse. And now I would have to wear my legs out dragging a massive load around on my back.
I didn’t really believe that Kli-Kli had packed my things properly, so I turned the contents of the sack out onto the bed. It would have been just like the goblin to slip five weighty cobblestones in with my things out of the sheer goodness of his heart. Sagot be praised, there weren’t any cobblestones, but I did find a stack of useless heavy things.
“What are you doing?” Kli-Kli asked, watching skeptically as I set the superfluous things aside.
“Sparing my back unnecessary suffering,” I muttered, tossing away a cast-iron cooking pot.
The pot was followed by a collection of assorted cutlery, a candlestick and candles, a ball of string, a hammer, two pairs of boots, spare chain mail, and all sorts of other miscellaneous nonsense. When I was through, the sack was a lot lighter. Now I could take it on a journey with an easy mind, without being afraid that I might suddenly break down at the wrong moment.
“All that hard work for nothing,” Kli-Kli sighed mournfully.
“You don’t have to carry it, so don’t whine,” I said, packing the blanket.
“Let’s get a move on,” said Hallas, glancing into the room. “It’s time.”
“Let’s go and say good-bye to Honeycomb,” said Kli-Kli, and skipped out through the door.
On the way we ran into Lamplighter. The Wild Heart was pale and the welt on his forehead looked terrible, but he was perfectly steady on his feet.
“So you’re still alive, then?” Kli-Kli asked the warrior sympathetically.
“You can’t bury me yet, fool,” Lamplighter said with a crooked grin, and then frowned at the pain. “I still intend to get back to the Lonely Giant. Are you on your way to Honeycomb?”
“Yes, do you know where he is?”
“Yes, I’ve just come from there. Go out of the tower, across the courtyard, in at the door on the left, up the stairs to the second floor, and it’s the third door on the right.”
“Thanks. If Alistan comes looking for us, tell him you haven’t seen us. Come on, pick up those feet, Harold, time’s passing!”
Mumr gave me a pitying look—when Kli-Kli gets his hooks into someone, no power on earth can shake him off.
We found Honeycomb’s room without any trouble. In one night the warrior had lost as much weight as if he hadn’t eaten anything for a month, and he had changed from the husky giant of a man we all remembered to a skeleton. A bundle of bones wrapped in parchment skin that looked ready to split apart, eyes with a feverish glow, yellow hair that looked as if it had been bleached by the sun. If I didn’t know it was Honeycomb on the bed, I’d have thought I was looking at an old, old man. The orcs’ shaman had done a really good job, and if Miralissa and the Border Kingdom magician hadn’t been there to help him, our comrade would have been lying in his grave alongside Marmot.
When he saw us, he gave a weak smile.
“How are you feeling?” squeaked Kli-Kli.
“Rotten,” Honeycomb chuckled. “I managed to get in the way of that shaman’s free handout.”
“Don’t worry about that. The main thing is that you’re still alive.”
“Thank you, Harold, that’s a great comfort,” he snorted in reply. “Deler let slip that Marmot and Ell … Is it true?”
“Yes,” I answered.
“Well then, in that case, I really did get off lightly. You’re leaving, I see.”
“Yes,” Kli-Kli said with a quick nod.
“It’s a pity I won’t be able to go with you,” Honeycomb sighed.
“Don’t worry about that, you just get well,” Kli-Kli said fussily. “Look, I brought you this, so anyway, recover.”
Kli-Kli took a large ripe apple out from under his cloak and put it on the table beside Honeycomb’s bed. Then he thought for a moment and added a carrot to it.
“From the heart.”
“I know, Kli-Kli,” Honeycomb said with a serious nod. “You’re a good lad.”
“Of course I am,” the goblin said with a grin. Then he gave me a mischievous glance, leaned right down to the warrior’s ear, and whispered something to him.
Honeycomb’s eyes opened wide and gaped at the goblin in surprise.
“I’m not lying,” Kli-Kli said, perfectly serious. There were demons of mischief dancing in the jester’s eyes.
I don’t know where Honeycomb got the strength, but he suddenly burst into raucous laughter:
“What a hoot! Well … and no one knows?”
“Na-ah.” The goblin grinned.
“What are you talking about?” I asked, bemused.
“Oh, nothing. We’re just, you know…,” said the goblin, baring his teeth in an idiotic leer.
Honeycomb started laughing even louder. Mmm, the goblin’s really in top form today.
“Will you look after him?” I asked, taking Invincible off my shoulder and putting him on the table beside the carrot, which immediately attracted the ling’s interest. “He’ll be a lot better off here than in the forest with us.”
“Of course, let him stay.”
“Well, time for us to go, be seeing you.”
“Get well.”
“Hey,” he called as we were walking out. “Come back with flags flying.”
“Definitely. We’ll definitely be back!”
I don’t know why, but I felt strangely confident that despite all our enemies I was going to defy fate and get that cursed Horn for the Order.
* * *
We were escorted to the border by Fer and ten of the soldiers who had traveled with us from Mole Castle. Zagraba greeted us with the silence of a slumbering forest in which morning is still several hours away.
“You’ll have to walk on from here alone,” said Fer. “I don’t know what it is you’re looking for in this forest, but in any case I wish you luck.”
“Make sure that Marmot is given a fitting funeral,” said Lamplighter, shouldering his bidenhander.
“I shall see to it personally,” the knight replied with a solemn nod.
“Expect us at the end of September,” said Miralissa.
“Very well, Tresh Miralissa,” replied Algert Dalli’s illegitimate son, then he swung his horse round and set off back toward the castle.
I felt as if I’d left behind an entire familiar world that I loved passionately. And waiting ahead for me was Zagraba. Dark, unwelcoming, and alien.
When I turned back from watching the men riding away, almost all our group had disappeared into the forest.
“Harold, have you decided to stay behind?” asked Kli-Kli, hopping impatiently from one foot to another. The goblin had a small sack hanging behind his shoulders.
“All right, Kli-Kli, you show the way, I’ll follow you.”
The goblin grinned and disappeared into the trees. I took a deep breath and stepped forward into a place where I thought I would never go for love or money. I stepped into Zagraba.
Glossary
Avendoom - the capital of the northern kingdom of Valiostr. The largest and richest city of the Northern Lands.
Annals of the Crown - the most ancient and detailed of the historical chronicles, maintained by the elves since they first appeared in the world of Siala.
battery sword - a variety of sword with a midsized blade that can be wielded either with one hand or both.
Beaver Caps, or beavers - soldiers of Valiostr, armed with heavy two-handed swords. Each soldier bears the title of “Master of the Long Sword” and wears a beaver-fur cap as an emblem to distinguish him from the soldiers of other units. These forces are used as a reserve striking force, to recover all kinds of difficult situations in battle. During military action the beavers are also accorded the honor of guarding the banner and the king, taking the place of the royal guard.
bidenhander - a two-handed sword with a blade that can be a yard and a half long. They usually are designed with a massive handle, a heavy counterweight that is usually round, and a broad crosspiece. Sometimes the armorers would add massive metal spurs to prevent the blade running right through the opponent.
Border Kingdom, or Borderland - the kingdom beside the northern outcrops of the Mountains of the Dwarves and the Forests of Zagraba.
Borg’s link - named after a general of ancient times who invented the chain formation, in which every single soldier plays an indispensable part in repelling an attack.
brother and sister swords - the names of the two swords in the special school of swordsmanship that is widespread among the nobility of Garrak. During combat the weapons are held at different heights in relationship to each other. The “brother,” a narrow, double-sided blade held in the right hand, is used both for slashing and for thrusting. The “sister,” a shorter blade with no cutting edge, is only used for thrusting blows. The weapons are either carried behind the back or in a double scabbard.
Canian forge work - weapons made from the steel mined in the Steel Mines of Isilia. The steel is worked in the famous smithies of the kingdom’s capital, Cania. Following special processing and forging it acquires a ruby color and a unique quality—on encountering steel of a different type it emits a melodic ringing sound like small bells, or a shriek of fury. For this reason Canian-forged steel is also known as Singing Steel, Shrieking Steel, or Ruby Blood.
Chapel of the Hands - the assembly of the supreme priests of Sagot.
Cold Sea - the northern sea of the Western Ocean. It washes the shores of Valiostr and the Desolate Lands.
Commission - the agreement that is concluded between a master thief and his client. The thief undertakes to supply the item required or, in case of failure, to return the client’s pledge and a percentage of the total value of the deal. The client undertakes to make payment in full on receiving the article in which he is interested. A Commission can only be abrogated by the mutual consent of both parties.
Crayfish Dukedom - the only state in the Desolate Lands.
crayfish grip (coll.) - a grip from which it is impossible to escape. The expression derives from the common saying that the men of the Crayfish Dukedom have a strong grip, and once they take you prisoner, you will never get away alive.
crayfish sleigh - in the Crayfish Dukedom, men who had been executed were transported to their graves on sleighs. Hence the meaning of this phrase—if the crayfish sleigh has come for you, death is at the door.
Crest of the World - the highest mountain chain in Siala. It runs from north to south across almost the entire continent. The crest is very difficult to cross and the lands beyond it are almost entirely unexplored.
Defender of the Hands - one of the highest positions in the hierarchy of the priests of Sagot.
Desolate Lands - the forests, stretches of open tundra, and ice fields in the far north. They have been settled by beings of various kinds, several of which constantly attempt to gain entry to the Northern Lands of Siala, and only the unassailable Mountains of Despair, the Lonely Giant fortress, and the Wild Hearts hold back their invasion of the world of men. Ogres, giants, svens, h’varrs, winter orcs, and dozens of other races and varieties of creatures inhabit these vast territories. People also live here, savages and barbarians who are subjects of the Nameless One. In all the Desolate Lands there is only one human state, the Crayfish Dukedom on the Crayfish Claw peninsula.
In the far north of the Desolate Lands, beyond the Needles of Ice, lies the dwelling of the Nameless One, whom savages captured by the Wild Hearts’ scouts mention only in reverential whispers.
Disputed Lands - the lands lying alongside the Forests of Zagraba, between Miranueh and Valiostr.
djanga - a rapid, rhythmical dance, very popular in Zagorie.
Djashla - the kingdom of the mountain people that lies alongside the Crest of the World.
Djok Imargo, or “Djok the bringer of winter” - the man who supposedly killed the prince of the House of the Black Rose. The Long Winter began as a result of this murder.
Doralissians - a race of goat-people who live in the Steppes of Ungava.
Doralissian horses - a type of horses bred in the Steppes of Ungava and valued throughout the Northern Lands for their beauty, speed, and stamina.
dralan - a commoner who has been granted a title by a duke; the title is not hereditary.
drokr - an elfin fabric that is proof against water and odors and does not burn in fire.
D’san-dor (orcish), or the Slumbering Forest - a forest that lies in the Desolate Lands, close to the spurs of the Mountains of Despair.
dwarves - the race of short beings living in the Mountains of the Dwarves. They are quite different from their near cousins, the gnomes. It is astonishing how their short, thick-fingered hands can create the most wonderful items, which are valued highly in every corner of Siala, whether they are weapons, tools, or works of art.
E.D. - the Era of Dreams, the final age of Siala. The events described in this book take place in the final year of the Era of Dreams. This age was preceded by the Era of Accomplishments (the age during which men appeared in Siala, about seven thousand years ago), the Gray Era (the age deemed to have begun with the appearance of orcs and elves in Siala), and the Dark Era (it is not known who, apart from ogres, lived in Siala in these distant times and what happened then).
elves - the second young race of Siala. The elves appeared almost immediately after their relatives, the orcs. After living in the Forests of Zagraba for several thousand years, the elves became divided into light and dark.
The light elves were dissatisfied with what they could achieve using shamanism and set about studying wizardry, basing their approach on the magic of men.
The dark elves, however, felt the light elves had betrayed the memory of their ancestors. They continued to make use of the primordial magic of their race, shamanism.
The names of all dark elfin women begin with M and the names of the men begin with E. If an elf is a member of the ruling family of the Dark House, then ssa is added to the name.
Empire - following the birth in the imperial family of twin boys, the Empire split into two states—the Near Lakeside Empire and the Far Lakeside Empire. These two kingdoms are constantly warring with each other to unite the Empire under the power of one of the two dynasties that trace their descent from the twin brothers.
Eyes of Death - when dice are cast and they show two “ones.”
Field of Sorna - the field on which the battle between the gnomes and the dwarves took place in 1100 E.D. Cannons and battle-mattocks clashed with poleaxes and swords. In this battle there were no victors.
Filand - a kingdom lying along the southern spurs of the Mountains of the Dwarves.
Forests of Zagraba - these evergreen forests cover an immense area. In some places beautiful, in others terrifying, they conceal within themselves a host of secrets and mysterious creatures. The Forests of Zagraba are home to dark elves, orcs, goblins, and dryads.
Garrak - a kingdom in the southern region of Siala’s Northern Lands. Powerful and thoroughly militarized. The Garrak nobility are regarded as extremely quick-tempered, dangerous, and unpredictable.