“You may. If it’s someone on their own,” Louis stressed. “What if it’s a group?”
“I thought you were good at fighting,” Selen exclaimed, joking. He turned his head to Louis and smiled. “I am good at hunting.” He attached his reins to Louis’s saddle, dismounted, and disappeared through the thickets.
Selen made his way through the copses, always keeping an eye on the road. Fortunately, the bushes were thick enough for him to hide, but not enough to prevent him from passing through or under. He felt that they were drawing near. He heard a shout coming from the road. Selen climbed up a tree and moved closer for a better view. A hooded man stood on the side of the road with a bow in his hand. Selen saw that the man had not pulled the bow string.
“Tell me who you are and where your friend is,” the man said. Selen crawled silently on the branch to move even closer.
“I travel alone,” Louis answered.
“Don’t take me for a fool,” the man snapped back. “Who would travel with two saddled horses? And you still haven’t answered my question.” The man’s fingers twitched on the string.
Holding on to the branch, Selen swung his body down and fell on the man’s back, blocking him between his legs. The hooded man landed heavily on the ground. He twisted onto his back but froze when Selen pressed his dagger against his chin.
“Show yourself!” Selen ordered. The man pushed his hood back, revealing a young face behind shaggy, long, brown hair. Selen could not help but notice that he had the largest blue eyes he had ever seen. It gave the man a mischievous but cordial look.
“Will you hurt me?” the man asked. He looked at Selen’s hair. “What a peculiar hair color.”
The man’s remark threw Selen off-balance for a moment. “We won’t hurt you if you tell us why you attacked us,” Selen said.
“I felt you come my way. It was just a precaution. I can explain, or maybe you can.”
Louis joined them, his sword pointed at the man. “Do you have a horse?” his friend asked.
“I left it by the river. I can show you the way,” the man answered.
Selen lowered his dagger and got up. He held out his hand to the man, who grabbed it. Selen pulled him up onto his feet.
They walked together to a quiet place along a river and sat down on the grass while the horses grazed a few yards away.
“You felt us come your way?” Louis asked.
“Yes, it sounds ridiculous, I know,” the man responded, massaging his back.
“We felt you too,” Selen said.
“So I’m not crazy,” the man exclaimed. “Do you dream too?”
Selen nodded. “Yes. Can you tell us a bit more about you? Where are you from?”
“I am a fisherman from Kilcairn in the Windy Isles, but I sold my boat to make this journey,” the man said with sorrow. “Where are you from?”
“I am from the Frozen Mountains,” Selen answered. “There is a weird question I would like to ask you. Do you have amnesia?”
“It is not a weird question. I suppose that, if you ask, it means that you have it too. I woke up four years ago on the beach with no memory of my past. For reasons I can’t explain, I felt secured near the sea. So I walked to the closest haven and searched for work. I found some on the docks. I unloaded ships until I could afford to rent my own boat.”
“Do you have a family?” Louis asked.
“No. I lived a solitary life between my boat and my cabin.” Selen could understand the sadness on the man’s face. They all had lived alone.
“And then you have the dreams,” Selen said kindly.
The man nodded. “Two months ago, the dreams compelled me to travel. I had an uneventful journey, though I think I was lucky.”
“How so?” Louis asked.
“I walked across the northern border of the Ebony Forest. I had heard from tales that it was enchanting, so I was curious. Still, the place was gloomy and unsafe, and I got a strange feeling that something watched me.”
“Something you could see?” Selen asked.
The man shook his head.
“What do we call you?” Louis asked.
“My name is Lissandro,” the man said, “but you may call me Lilo.” He smiled.
“My name is Selen, and this is Louis,” he said and nodded towards Louis. “I’m confused, Lilo. You say you have dreams. Do you mean nightmares?” Selen asked. “I have only seen monsters, and Louis has even seen dragons.”
“Actually, I think it’s neither,” Lissandro answered. “I think it is visions.”
“You mean that what you see, or what we see, is real?” Louis asked.
“I think it is, yes. For example, I didn’t know your faces, but I knew you were two. This is why I waited for you on the road. I was afraid you would try to kill me,” Lissandro told them. “As for the monsters and the dragon you think you saw, Louis, I have heard tales about them,” he carried on. “Some refugees came my way as well. Some talked nonsense, but many of them mentioned ugly beasts coming from the woods and attacking villages. I think that at least this part is true. Then, one refugee told me that he met a man coming from the south who pretended to have seen a dragon, but the refugee had called him a liar.”
They all stayed silent for a while. Selen looked at Louis, who frowned, his eyes fixed on the ground. If Lissandro was right, they faced great danger. What was their role in it anyway? He felt the cool grass through his fingers and looked up. The sky was pure blue. The warm rays from the spring sun caressed his face. Could there really be a war going on nearby?
“Why us? What do we have in common?” Louis asked, eventually.
“Well, we are men. At first look, we are around the same age. We all suffer from amnesia, but I don’t have arabesque tattoos on my forehead.” Lissandro smirked, looking at Selen.
“Wait,” Selen interjected. “We have had amnesia for four years now, right? What happened four years ago?”
“The death of King Wymar Lambelin,” Louis answered, “and the beginning of the war in Trevalden.”
A silence fell. Even the forest had turned quiet.
“It means this is our destiny,” Selen said. Mixed feelings grew inside him. He felt the weight of responsibility on his shoulders for something he still could not explain. Yet, he was excited that his life had finally moved forward.
“So we should go south,” Louis said. “Lilo, do you have visions about it? Something that could help us?”
“Actually, I have,” Lissandro answered. “There is another reason why I did not meet you at the inn. I have had visions about some kind of giant ritual stone the first inhabitants of Trevalden used to worship their gods. This is where I had intended to go before I felt you. I think that there may be something there for us.”
“What do you think, Louis?” Selen asked. He was ready to go south, but he would not take the risk to voice his opinion before hearing his friend’s. Going south was one thing, going south alone was completely different.
“We have no choice,” Louis said, resolute. “It is our call. It means that, one way or another, something in the future will depend on our actions. It is war. We may die. But if we don’t go, it may turn worse.”
“That sounds reassuring,” Lissandro said sarcastically. “Anyway, I’m in.”
“I’m coming too,” Selen said.
“We should keep moving,” Lissandro said, “and preferably not on the road. It may be hard for the horses to cut across the woods, but it will be safer. Who knows what we will meet on our way from now on.”
They got up and went to their horses. Selen looked back at the glade where they had sat. He tried to perceive a remnant of the last carefree moment he had had a few minutes ago, but the feeling was gone. He understood with melancholy that spring was over for him.
CHAPTER 6
The three riders followed each other. Lissandro led the way, Selen rode at the rear. Lissandro had been right; it was not easy to go over the rocks and thick roots with the horses. He tried to get his bearings with the h
elp of the river and landmarks in sight. Yet, they had to make detours where the vegetation was too dense. He could feel his horse stagger on dead branches. If they kept on like this, he would soon need to dismount and test the ground first. It would mean a big loss of time. Concentrating on the difficult terrain, Lissandro had been disoriented and the river had vanished from his sight. He had already lost his way two times, but, afraid to worry his companions, he had not mentioned it. Now, Lissandro was growing anxious. He rode straight to the east in hopes of finding the stream. Fortunately, the river had grown into a torrent, and the noise had been easy to track.
They followed the water downstream for a while. Large, slippery stones that were covered with moss stood on each side. It only made the current stronger.
“Do we have to find a ford to cross the stream?” Louis asked.
“I don’t think it is necessary right now,” Lissandro said. “We won’t reach the stone before tomorrow. I was thinking we could find a place near the water to spend the night, unless you prefer to camp on the other side in the middle of the forest.”
“No, we can just as well stay near the stream. We can take advantage of the rest of the day to find some food and build a fire,” Louis said.
A little further down, they found a nice place that was not wet or damp. There was even a large, flat stone where they could build a fire safely.
“This place looks perfect,” Lissandro said.
They dismounted, took the saddles off their horses, unlaced their bags, and formed a circle with their belongings.
“I can search for wood,” Louis proposed.
“If you let me borrow your bow, Lilo, I will try to find us some rabbits. These woods are full of life,” Selen said.
“Well, it’s yours.” Lissandro gave the bow to Selen. “I will see if I can find something in the river.”
Selen and Louis went on their way into the forest while Lissandro took one of his arrows and checked the stream. The water was crystal clear. He could see small fishes and snails but nothing edible. The time passed and, empty-handed, he made it to the reeds where a swamp stood.
Once he had found some food, Lissandro walked back to their bags. Louis was the first to come back to the bivouac. His arms were full of dry wood. He placed the heap to the side and put fire to some twigs with a fire steel.
“Did you find us some food?” Louis asked him.
“I have,” Lissandro answered, “but it’s a bit, um, hopping and slimy. Let’s hope Selen had better luck than me.” He patted his wet bag and sat closer to the fire. Selen came out of the forest, holding two fat rabbits on his back.
“I knew you would come back with something juicy,” Lissandro said, taking the rabbits from his companion.
“I’m sorry I didn’t find a third,” Selen said. “I am exhausted. I think I will go for a dip in the river.” He searched for something in his bags.
“The water is ice-cold,” Lissandro said, raising an eyebrow.
“And I stink of sweat like a skunk,” Selen carried on, laughing. “I’m from the Frozen Mountains. The water can’t be colder here.”
“Well, I don’t really smell better,” Lissandro said. “I will come with you. As long as I don’t need to bathe my whole body in it.”
“Go first, I will rub the horses down and prepare the meat in the meanwhile,” Louis said.
Lissandro and Selen headed to the water.
“What have you got in your hand?” Lissandro asked.
“Soap,” Selen answered, cheerfully. “I used to make it myself with my ewes’ milk, some herbs, and honey. You want to share it?”
“I’d love to,” Lissandro said, smiling back.
They found a nice place where the water was deep enough and the current not too strong. Selen took his clothes off. Lissandro watched him and turned around briskly.
“I think I will bathe over there,” he said, trying to hide his uneasiness.
A few yards away, he undressed. He put one foot into the water and felt like he’d been hit by thousands of spears. Gathering his courage, he walked into the water until it reached to his waist. He had not bathed since the last inn he had visited, and he couldn’t even remember how many days ago that was. Small fishes swam around him. Their scales glittered. It made him think of his boat. He knew he had made the best decision. Still, it had been four years of his life, and he had liked his work. He missed the sea, but it was wrong. If he wanted to complete this quest, he could not allow himself to be nostalgic.
He felt a light tap on his shoulder. Selen knelt beside him with his clothes on and his hair soaking wet.
“You still stink,” he said, smiling. “Here, take my soap. I will go back to the fire. Don’t be too long.”
Lissandro thanked him and watched him go. He found it hard to understand how someone could be so joyful in times like these. Maybe it was a hell to live in the Frozen Mountains.
Clean and still wet, Lissandro came back to the bivouac. The fire gleamed orange, bright in the twilight. It warmed him and dried his clothes. The meat smelled delicious, making his belly rumble. He sat down between his companions.
“Do you want to try some of your frogs?” Louis proposed. He handed him what looked like frog legs. “They are excellent. Selen had some herbs to season them.” Lissandro took the legs and chewed the meat off the bones.
“You said that when you crossed the Ebony Forest, you felt watched. Do you know what it was?” Selen asked him, gnawing at a rabbit leg.
“I saw nothing, but I felt as if a dark and evil presence was there. I can’t explain it well. People of the Windy Isles used to tell tales about the Ebony Forest. That it was once a place filled with magic and beautiful creatures. Some kind of humans who had adapted to their environment, who could live in harmony with nature. They had built their houses in the trees, using wood, leaves, and moss. Some parts were even carved in the stone. Legends say that you can see ruins of it, if you’re lucky.”
“It sounds enchanting,” Selen said, dreamily.
“But it was a long time ago,” Lissandro carried on. “The people of the forest have disappeared, but I thought that the woods would look dead and monotonous, not …evil.”
“The Ebony Forest is not far from here. Let’s hope that what lurks inside does not creep into these parts,” Louis said.
“We should set watch,” Lissandro suggested. “Louis, you can start. Then Selen. I’ll take the last shift.”
Lissandro took his blanket and, followed by Selen, found a place between the fire and the river where they could lie down. Lissandro stretched on his blanket and prepared himself to sleep.
He wanted to scream but he could not. The shadow grew nearer. He heard the wicked laughs come out of it. A pale, bony hand stretched from the darkness and tried to grab his arm.
“Wake up, Lilo. It’s your turn.”
He turned around abruptly. Selen stood over him. “Did you have a nightmare?” Selen asked softly.
“Yes. Thank you for waking me up,” Lissandro responded.
Lissandro got up and sat near the glowing embers while Selen prepared himself to go to sleep. He lay down on his resting place near Louis, and after a while, Lissandro heard him snore faintly, indicating he was asleep.
The fire had died out, but the warmth was still there. The dream had left Lissandro with a bad taste in his mouth. He shivered. Sometimes, he wished that these visions didn’t mean anything. Now that some had proven to be true, he feared the worst. His companions looked brave, but they had not seen what he had. The dragon was only the tip of the iceberg. What lay beneath was even more frightening.
To clear his head, he checked for the horses. All three were under the trees. He heard them snore. They slept so peacefully. He kept on walking, first along the border of the forest, listening to the owls, then up the river side. The air was moist but not too cold, and the moon was shining. A regular night during spring. He passed in front of his companions, trying not to wake them up. He stopped. They lay near
each other, wrapped up in their blankets, but a side of the cloth had slipped down. Lissandro smiled at their entwined hands. For the first time in four years, he felt less lonely. He went back to the dead fire and warmed his hands above the embers. Over him, the dark blue sky was streaked with gold. Dawn was coming.
The birds were chanting. The three men saddled their horses, rolled up their blankets, and packed their bags.
“If we ride fast, it shouldn’t take the whole day to get there,” Lissandro said.
They found a ford a bit lower down the stream. They crossed the river and headed through the forest. That side of the river was easier for the horses. The trees grew strong and broad, their foliage letting the sunbeams pass through. Yet, no sign of a stone.
“I don’t want to alarm you, but shouldn’t we be heading south?” Selen asked. “I have had the sun on my back for some time now.”
“I know. I said south this morning, but I can feel we are going in the right direction. It shouldn’t be long now,” Lissandro answered.
The large trees spaced out, giving more place for sunlight to warm the earth. The air, which in the moisture of the morning had smelled of humus and decomposing leaves, felt lighter. Here and there stood carved stones with symbols emerging from the ground. He only discerned the top of the sculptures through the vegetation, but he knew that they approached a spiritual ground.
It appeared in front of them. It was more than the big rock Lissandro had seen in his visions. In the middle of a glade, many stones stood together, forming what could be a vault or a gigantic table. He could not say if it had been built by men or if it was a result of nature. The grass had grown wild around the base, and moss covered most of the structure. Earth had piled up against the north side and formed a slope to the top.
“It’s a dolmen,” Louis exclaimed.
“It’s beautiful,” Selen said. “I have never seen anything like this. Did people build it?”
“A long time ago, the people living on this land used to worship gods connected to nature. They used these stones as an altar to perpetrate rituals or celebrate rites. They would offer food or sacrifice animals to their gods,” Louis explained.
Rising from Dust (Light from Aphelion Book 1) Page 4