When the diary ended and he entrusted it to the care of his Master, the chosen one left the Den and headed to the shady wood where, in a safe place, he met Lenia for the last time, aware that his life would end in the final clash with Zergh. Conscious of his destiny, the woman had said goodbye forever, while he mounted his horse and headed towards the Grey hills, where evil had freed itself from its prison on the Ruins of Torus.
There, in those ruins, Xemnath’s fate had finally been fulfilled.
A tear appeared in Viktor’s eyes and he closed the diary.
He understood why Xemnath had left it to him.
He wanted to make it clear to he who would have taken his place the weight of responsibility as love, trust, friendship; he wanted to make it clear that not just because a person says he is dealing with evil means that he won’t become corrupted like the enemy he must face.
He wanted to make it clear that at the end of the journey everyone would get what he deserved, without distinction or exemption, because life doesn’t answer anyone but itself.
The chosen one recalled his first victim and remembered the disfigured man that was looking at him with empty eyes when, not meaning to, he had aimed the sword of the murdered soldier that he had found in the square of Beleth into his chest.
Getting lost in those memories, he seemed to relive the scene.
He put the diary under his pillow when he heard the door of the infirmary open and Elaine entered.
“Someone came to visit you,” she said.
At that point Vroel entered too, closing the door behind him.
Elaine left the room to respect the two and he greeted with a nod.
Viktor looked at him in amazement.
“Well, I’m not Selene, but I wanted to see you.”
“How are you?”
“Much better now, and you, how much longer do you have to stay here?”
“I don’t know, but thanks to Elaine’s care, everything is going great.”
“I’m sorry for what happened…”
“The vial was broken, its contents lost. I couldn’t see other solutions and I heard you while you were fleeing towards the entrance, but it closed in front of our eyes and we couldn’t have known that it was so imprudent to go on alone”
“It wasn’t you to be so impudent because I would have found you anyway. I blame myself for not having paid attention to the vial, I should have guarded it more carefully.”
“The important thing is that we’re all fine, right?”
“Of course, but the next time I think that preparing a few spare vials wouldn’t be a bad idea,” he said, turning to leave the infirmary.
“Vroel, wait,” Viktor called.
He turned around.
“The secret was to continue following the light that had opened the passage. It led us to the exit and, in part, it’s thanks to you,” the boy explained.
The half vampire didn’t respond but merely inhaled and exhaled deeply, nodding slowly as a gesture of understanding and then disappearing past the large wooden, iron door.
More time went by before anyone else came back into the room.
This time it was Selene.
As always, she came to see how Viktor was.
“You didn’t show up yesterday,” he accused.
“You’re right. Sorry. Galaeth decided to introduce me to some members of the Star and wanted me to continue my studies with white magic … he kept me all afternoon studying with Amir.”
“Amir? I guess you enjoyed it a lot,” the chosen one said sardonically, remembering his first and last magic lesson with the young woman.
“A bit impersonal, but she’s a good person.”
“With you, perhaps…”
“Why, what did she do to you?”
“She wasn’t very nice to me since I met her in Beleth.”
“Without a good reason?”
“If there is one, she will surely know it. I’ve apparently never been lucky enough to know,” he surrendered, trying to hold back a moan from the pain in his side.
“I’ll try to find out more,” the girl suggested.
“Never. Knowing the type would make things worse or she’ll end up hating you too.”
“All right, as you prefer. I’ve heard that the entire Organization will meet in the Circular Room tonight to have an extraordinary meeting.”
“Circular Room?”
“The room where the most important discussions are held. Hell, I know more than you!”
Viktor laughed.
“You should know everything about the Organization!”
“Oh, come on, spare me the morality lesson… I’m curious to know what it’s about.”
“I think Galaeth will mention something to you when you’re better.”
“I really hope so.”
“Do you at least know all the members of the Star? There are thirteen…”
“I’ve heard there are thirteen of them but I don’t think I’ve met all of them…you aren’t saying that you…”
“No, no … some go around carrying out tasks, they aren’t all always here,” she interrupted.
“Anyway, the ones I know are Galaeth, of course, Jef, Amir, Kanda, Vroel, Kheira, Elaine, the woman who was with the Master in the tunnel and ... Devanorth.”
Saying that name made him get a lump in his throat.
“I think her name is Ania… I think I heard Galaeth call her so that evening. However, according to your list five are missing, maybe I’ll see some of them tonight at the council.
“Selene, your boyfriend needs rest … you can gossip about the Organization’s business next time!” Elaine snapped coming into the room.
“I thought you respected private conversations, Elaine,” Viktor wooed.
“Not when it comes to the Star, youngster!” she warned.
“All right, I’m going back to my room. Soon I will meet with Amir to continue ...”
“Wait,” Viktor interrupted.
“What’s up?”
“I’ve read it all now. I would like you to keep it for me, it might come in handy.” He reached under the pillow and took out Xemnath’s old diary.
“I will. Did you discover anything new?”
“Less than what I’d like to discover. But yes, I learned something.”
The girl nodded before taking the diary, kissing Viktor on the lips and getting out of the infirmary.
******
When everyone had taken a seat, the council began. Galaeth stood up to catch everyone’s attention.
“With great regret, tonight I bring news of the premature death of a great member of the Star. Devanorth will be remembered as a man of undoubted seriousness, daring and bold, not afraid of death, which unfortunately prevailed. Willing to do whatever it takes to complete an assignment, he never overestimated himself, neither for this nor for his extraordinary fighting skills. He always helped and was always available to people he easily shared moments of profound support and solidarity with. The whole Organization will cry for the rest of the days this sad and significant loss.”
Staring at the empty seat at the end of the big table, Galaeth fell silent; everyone stood up and applauded.
The applause slowly waned when, with his commotion under control, the Master resumed speaking. “But today we are here for more urgent matters. First of all I’d settle the matter of the girl following the chosen one: Selene.”
Everyone took their seats again, their expression attentive.
“What do you think, Master?” Ania asked.
“The girl has many qualities and aspirations that can be considered positive factors for her entering the world of medical arts, both physical and natural. My proposal is that, during Viktor’s training, the young girl is entrusted to Elaine’s teachings, curator and expert in this field.”
A few indistinct murmurs animated the room for a couple of seconds before Amir reacted to the proposal: “If you don’t mind, I’d like to point out that it’s inconvenient to bring people here
to the Den who have nothing to do with the Organization, let alone agree with this proposal … it would only be a waste of time!”
Galaeth waited for the background chatter to die off and then went on: “Selene interacts in a very special way with Viktor, a way we cannot imagine. She accepted the destiny of the chosen one as if it were hers, and placed herself at his side, helping him and motivating him several times, I don’t think the boy would collaborate if we took her away from him. Selene has made her choice, and if Viktor thinks he can only give his best with her by his side, then we’ll give her a chance. As for the waste of time, we know that, although many of us are engaged in the outside world to verify the changes in the world, Elaine has always remained here to safeguard the infirmary. Surely we will not waste our member’s significant time if we ask her to prepare the girl for what she does best. Already having her here, we might as well let her be useful.”
Amir was silent, her gaze doubtful.
“And if she proves to be hostile?” Kheira doubted, to Kanda’s left.
“Hostile? And how? No, I fully agree with the Master’s idea: if she has so insisted on getting herself into this story, let’s make her our ally,” Kanda suggested.
“Her temperament wavers with Viktor’s choices. If there are surprising turns, the girl would follow the chosen one anywhere!” a member of the Star, with a runic tattoo on his face, doubted at the end of the table.
“What are you talking about, Hul?” Galaeth asked frowning.
“Managing Viktor also means managing the girl, since you can think of both as one person. This means that we will have benefits until everything is fine, but we could risk in case there are some differences ... ,” explained the man.
“We just have to prevent it from happening. Why are you speaking about the two as a single person?” replied the Master.
“Judging from the idea you have of their bond, I thought that ...” The Organization component paused for a moment when another, more burdensome question arose in his mind. “Master Galaeth, is the chosen one aware of what will happen if he succeeds in his task?” Hul asked again.
Galaeth fell silent.
“I don’t want to be overly insolent, but I don’t think you’ve taken into consideration every eventuality,” he added in response to that silence.
“I guarantee for the girl,” interrupted the voice of another member of the meeting, sitting at the end of the right side of the table.
“Your guarantee is not an absolute certainty,” Hul replied again.
“I believe that no one except your partner can give a guarantee that is so close to the certainty you yearn for, Hul. He spent enough time keeping an eye on her….,” the Master added.
“Excuse me, then. I certainly didn’t want to question your choice, just discuss it to take every precaution,” said Hul, relaxing his muscles.
The man who had just guaranteed with his face hidden in the shadows, nodded, remaining attentive to what was going on in the meeting.
“I wonder what our clairvoyant sees in all this,” Galaeth questioned, pointing to another member of the Star.
Jasmina had the hood of her tunic turned backwards, her smooth face without imperfections. Her closed eyes were decorated with a bright turquoise colour.
“I’ll have a clearer view tonight, when the stars will allow me to look for confirmation.”
“We’ll wait for the night, then. Thanks, Jasmina,” Galaeth replied.
“At the moment, therefore, the issue remains in favour of the proposal,” Jef said sitting on the right of Galaeth.
“Exactly,” he confirmed.
“The second argument,” he resumed soon after, “concerns Viktor. After careful analysis of Vroel’s circumstances and account, I think he is ready to consolidate and complete his preparation in the desert of Rakaj.”
“Are you going to send him to the hermit?” asked Vroel, surprised by the news.
“What amazes you? It has always been the final stage of every chosen one’s training,” the Master frowned.
“I didn’t think he had to already…well, we are well aware that the desert of Radaj is neither hospitable nor reassuring! You entrusted him to me and Devanorth to send him to the desert so soon? He could have started right there and avoided other unnecessary waste of time.”
“Viktor may not be really ready, but the clock’s ticking and all we have to do is complete the training. I’ve thought a long time about what you rebutted, but two years will pass too quickly. We have already stalled enough and, just because of the difficulties that the chosen one might have, I’ve decided that Amir will accompany the boy in the desert.”
“What?” Amir snapped, jumping out of her chair.
“I know what you think of Viktor, but I ask you the courtesy to collaborate and do the task. You were born in the desert and there you fought for your life: no one would be a better guide than you would.”
Amir sat down again and Vroel didn’t object any further.
“Will we leave together?” the girl asked.
“It’s not exactly what I had in mind. The idea was to have you meet at the entrance to Radaj, beyond the Grey Hills.”
“So who will the boy be with until then?” Vroel intervened again.
“He will be alone. I think it’s good for his training,” said Galaeth.
“Alone? Viktor will have to cross the Grey Hills through the Jerrall Pass and the Shadow Forest. Do you have an idea of what it means to spend the night in places like those in these times?” Vroel rebutted.
Galaeth hesitated.
“Vroel, you’re starting to lose it: that boy has got under your bat skin…” Hul commented.
With an imperceptible leap, Vroel jumped on the table in front of Hul’s bench, the fingers of his hand clamped around his neck while the other threatened him with clenched fists. “Challenge the shots I have left, then,” he provoked.
“Don’t force me to intervene!” Galaeth shouted.
“There’s no need to. I just have to stop doubting about the remaining shots,” Hul said softly, without taking his eyes off the half-vamp.
Vroel jumped off the table. “I hope Viktor will be followed by someone in charge of intervening in case the situation gets critical.”
The Master nodded. “Amir herself will keep an eye on the boy.”
With a wave of thanks, Vroel took his leave.
“The arguments have been dealt with, the decisions taken and the council dissolved. You can go,” he added immediately as the room cleared.
Galaeth approached Amir, still seated in her place. “Will you be able to do your job?”
She stood up. “I will do my best, even for me it won’t be a picnic.”
“All I need is for you to make sure that Viktor reaches the desert hermit.”
“I will guarantee for my commitment, but he will be responsible for his destiny.”
THE VOYAGE
L inen bandages were wrapped around Viktor’s chest.
Selene herself had tightened them with Elaine a few days before but now the boy felt he didn’t need them anymore.
His ribs had healed, thanks to magic and they were stronger than before.
“Did you talk to Galaeth?”
“Yes,” he confirmed, looking into her eyes.
“Then it’s just as Elaine had mentioned ...”
Selene looked elsewhere as she removed the bandages from the boy’s body.
Viktor took her head in his hands.
“There will be no place where my thoughts cannot reach you. I’ll keep on being by your side and when it’s all over we’ll be back together with our old life,” he said.
“I always wanted to wake up and find out that all this was nothing but a dream. I’ve wanted it since they brought you here the first time ... I feared I wouldn’t see you again.”
“It’s wasn’t like that, though. And it will not be like that this time either,” he reassured her.
At that moment, someone knocked on t
he door and, when it opened, Jef appeared. “Before you leave, Galaeth wants you to meet him in his office,” he announced.
“Thank you, I’ll be there in a moment,” replied the chosen one. “I’ll be back shortly,” he finally said to Selene once the Star’s messenger had disappeared into the corridors below the mountain.
Viktor hugged the girl tightly and kissed her, got out of bed and, putting his shirt back on to cover his naked torso, went to the Master’s office.
When he reached his destination, he found people he had never met with Galaeth.
“Before you leave, I want to introduce you to the members of the Star you still don’t know,” the Master began.
Viktor was enthusiastic: he could finally have clearer ideas about the people around him.
“This is Hul, a skilled manipulator of minds and fond of the magical art of illusions,” he introduced, pointing to a tall, slender, white-haired man. “She…,” he said pointing to a much shorter girl, “…is Eveline, the youngest member of the Organization. Hul took her with him because her adoptive parents abused her; she lived in a nomad encampment and during one of his patrols Hul helped her to run away. Later, to our delight, we discovered that the girl possessed a talent for the magical art of transfiguration.”
The green eyes of the raven-haired girl nodded tentatively.
“A little shy ... maybe I was too when I was sixteen,” Hul said, smiling.
“I am Jasmina, an expert diviner and reader of the stars,” a woman immediately introduced herself.
Viktor smiled with a gesture of greeting. “According to my numbers there should be another member of the Star, here ...” he ventured.
“Unfortunately he is busy elsewhere, the Organization keeps him very busy…,” Galaeth said.
“What does he do?”
“Nothing of undoubted interest, boy. You will meet him,” Galaeth finished, changing subject.
For the rest of the conversation he didn’t return to the subject, but the curiosity of knowing the thirteenth member of the Organization didn’t wither.
When the speech ended and those present took their leave, Viktor was forced to swallow his desire to know who he was like a bitter morsel.
He went back to his room to get his luggage and get ready for the trip, then headed outside on the rocky path.
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