"So you never wanted to leave Vladistov?" Christill asked Friedrich as they reached the top of the grassy hill. They stopped and turned to wait for Vrill who was sullenly trailing behind them.
"Not in the way that I did," Friedrich replied. "Vrill and I had made plans of our own to leave the city in secret. I had enlisted the help of some, let's say...questionable figures. However we never managed to utilise their services. Something that Vrill still holds against me."
"Remind me again why we are doing this?" Vrill muttered as he joined them. He dropped his hands to his knees, struggling to catch his breath.
Friedrich raised his eyes to the sky, unable to understand his cousin's constant foul mood. "Because you are getting fat," he replied bluntly.
Vrill looked down at his stomach with surprise and Christill laughed. He then turned his gaze unhappily to Friedrich and shrugged his shoulders. "Oh well, It's not like there are any women worth courting in this detestable city."
Friedrich started off down the southern side of the hill and called back, "As long as I have to live with you, I would appreciate not being reminded of a bloated walrus every time I glace in your direction."
"Oh to the Third Plane with you already," Vrill grumbled back.
"You two bicker like a bunch of midwives," Christill remarked, watching Vrill suck in his stomach.
Vrill and Christill moved to follow Friedrich south and they headed deeper into the Misty Forest. They had left Duathnin early in the morning to head to a place named Windwhisper Lookout. The lookout was a large rock formation south of the city. It rose steeply over the dense forest canopy, providing a clear and wide view of the southern part of the continent.
As they had moved deeper into the Karmanian homeland, the woods had closed in around them. Unlike the capital city, the trees in the outer forest grew close to one another and were joined by tangled vines and bushes that fought for room amongst the crowded floor. Christill admired the natural beauty of the Karmanian homeland. They passed colourful flowers in bloom and luscious grass that was unbelievably soft and smooth to the touch. Amongst the towering birch and oaks, bright green pines filled the air with a musty yet calming fragrance that mingled with the strong wet smell of decomposing leaves and soil below.
"It's hard to believe that something so beautiful could be so deadly," commented Christill, remembering the malicious side the Misty Forest held. His classmates had tried to frighten him with the story of a young Feldonian boy that had attempted to enter the forest without permission and had been found hanging dead in the branches of an evergreen. At first he had dismissed the tale as youthful teasing, but Dievu had later confirmed the story. The distrust of men was still strong in the minds of the gods, even after four thousand years on Kovi. Nyrune's protection of the forest borders remained strict and merciless.
Friedrich considered Christill's comment and bent down to pluck a small yellow flower from the ground. He studied it for a long time and muttered, "Beauty can oft be deceiving."
Christill saw that the young Dargonian Prince's mind was elsewhere.
Vrill crept up close to Christill. "Her name was Kiela," he whispered into Christill's ear. "Her favourite flower was none to different from that one."
"What happened to her?" Christill queried.
Friedrich replied, "In the end, once she found out who I really was, she became just like all of the others who sought only my money and name." He dropped the flower angrily to the damp ground and continued to head through the undergrowth.
Realising that he knew little of his new companions' pasts Christill pushed the conversation. "So how did you meet her?"
Friedrich did not respond at once, but finally said, "I saw her from afar each morning as I left my home in Vladistov. Her family owned a small flower stand in one of the smaller markets. I passed it on my way through the city centre and every day I would see her standing there with rosy cheeks and a big smile, greeting her customers. I became enchanted by the mere sight of her wavy black hair and simple homemade clothing."
"Flower traders don't make a great deal of money," interjected Vrill smugly.
"Cease your mockery," Friedrich replied in annoyance. "As I was saying, in order to see her as often as I could I would visit the fur merchant, whose stall was on the opposite side of the street. I'm sure that he was puzzled by my apparent love of fox fur, as after a month I had purchased most items that he had to offer."
"If you ever need a fur blanket, scarf or vest merely ask Friedrich. He has a room full of them," Vrill pointed out slyly.
Christill laughed and remarked, "Men will do foolish things for a woman."
"Are you two finished?" asked Friedrich, unimpressed. "I don't have to continue."
"Please do," returned Christill, holding his hands up in mock apology. "We won't interrupt again."
Vrill began to chuckle, but Friedrich continued, "It did not take long for her to notice that I was there every morning, and she began to smile shyly when our eyes met. I decided to make my intentions clear, yet knew I could not go empty handed. The problem was she worked at a flower store, so what was I supposed to offer her? Perfume or jewellery would give away my identity, and most Dargonian sweets are more likely to give you stomach cramps than pleasure. After a row of sleepless nights, I had had enough. I left at the crack of dawn, storming out of my father's manor and headed towards the market. On the way I almost absentmindedly plucked a yellow flower from our garden to give her."
"Such a romantic," commented Vrill. This time Christill began to snicker.
"I went to her stall and found her setting up for the morning's business," Friedrich went on, ignoring their foolery. "I counted myself lucky as she was alone. So I walked up to her and introduced myself."
"She did not recognise your true identity?" asked Christill.
"No. I used a false name and always did my best to disguise myself when I left the estate," Friedrich said. "As it turns out the yellow lily that I chose to give her is amongst the rarest flowers in Dargon and is extremely difficult to grow in our frosty climate. She was speechless when I handed it to her and within days I had won her heart. We spent every evening together and I grew to know her very well. Her family was indeed poor, as Vrill mentioned, but this did not bother me. To the contrary, it actually made me love her more."
"So eventually she found out?" Christill wondered.
Friedrich nodded. "Every few days I brought her a yellow lily from my father's garden. After a while she could no longer accept them without questioning their origin. Thinking that it was time to tell her who I really was, I took her to our garden to show her. At first she thought I worked at the estate, but she then realised the truth and from that moment everything changed." Friedrich's features took on a sombre aspect as he continued. "Our time together quickly turned to talk of marriage and living in riches. I told her that I wanted nothing to do with the life that I was predestined to lead, but she stopped listening to what I said. In the end my love for her wilted away."
"What happened to her?" asked Christill.
"I left her," replied Friedrich in a low voice. "She tried insistently to contact me. Eventually it was my father who grew fed up. He had her and her family removed from the city."
"That seems to be a common theme with your father. Did he send you out of Vladistov because he had had enough of you too?" Christill questioned, trying to lighten the mood.
Friedrich smiled. "He's not a bad man. He just couldn't stand Vrill's company any longer."
"I'm struggling to hold in my laughter," Vrill sarcastically replied.
They approached and were forced to climb over a massive fallen trunk that blocked the trail. The trunk was covered by bright yellow lichen and rose ten feet high. Christill summoned his magic and tentatively raised himself up to the top whilst the others waited below. He then lowered himself down onto his stomach and helped the other two up the slippery wood. By the end of it they were covered head to toe in smears of fungus and dirt.
Sliding
down the other end of the rotting tree, Friedrich turned the conversation to Christill. "So what about you. Any lost loves?"
Christill landed on the soft ground beside him and was reluctant to reply.
"There's something you're not telling us," said Vrill, spotting Christill's hesitation.
"No lost loves. But there was one girl I lost," Christill finally said. "But that was a long time ago now. In a different world." Thinking back to Miirvk brought back too many memories that he did not wish to dwell on.
"I shared my embarrassing story," pointed out Friedrich. "It's hardly fair if we don't hear one of your own."
"I guess it wouldn't be fair, would it?" he agreed. He cleared his throat and began, "Her name was Siri. I grew up with her in Miirvk and we cared for each other very much."
"There is always a 'but' in stories like this," Vrill added in.
"But...," Christill began.
"Didn't I say so?" cut in Vrill with a smug grin.
"You have the mind of a child," Friedrich observed.
"But...," Christill restarted. "She was promised to someone else." His tone still held remnants of the spite that he felt over losing his bond with Siri.
"I gather you were none to fond of her betrothed," Friedrich inferred.
"You could say that I am none to fond of the entire Miirvkin race. They are as backwards as they are half witted."
"Before my grandfather was murdered by Zephra, he passed on a piece of advice to my father," Friedrich replied. "If there is one thing that my father taught me, it is this lesson. You cannot judge a group of people by one or two members that have done wrong. Each and every community, be it a family, a town or a nation will hold bad people in it. The important fact is that there will also be good people there."
Christill found it odd to hear a Dargonian making such a moral point and felt slightly embarrassed that he had once again shown such narrow minded judgment. His attention was drawn back to the path as Vrill let out a grunt of relief. Up ahead loomed Windwhisper Lookout.
They continued through the forest, passing strewn boulders that had fallen from the lookout over hundreds of years. The reddish rock that formed the structure sparkled in the light. As they reached its base, they peered up and felt slight regret at their choice to climb the massive formation. The rough paths that snaked their way upwards all passed amongst jagged outcroppings and piles of rocks sitting precariously on the sides of the formation.
"Well, we didn't come all this way to give up now," Christill said, encouragingly. Friedrich turned to Vrill and the Dargonian returned his look with a heavy frown.
The companions made their way slowly up one of the steep paths. As they moved upwards, their feet crunched on loose rocks, each step sending pebbles bouncing down the mountain side. The trail that they had chosen was cut along the side of the lookout, with the rock face to their right and nothing but a steep plummet to their left. They moved in single file, keeping to the right and watching each precarious step. After a long hour of ascent, the forest canopy fell away below them. They paused to take in the northern skyline. Here they could see the abrupt end of the Misty Forest and the border of Feldom. Far in the distance Christill spotted what he believed to be the Southern Beon Ranges and was reminded of his forced trek through the mountains. With a shudder, he turned his gaze away and continued up the path.
A faint whispering sounded from up ahead and they knew that they were close to the summit. Christill drove them on until they came to a clearing that had been cut into the top of the lookout. The ground was levelled with four stone pillars raised in its centre. Several other paths reached the clearing at other points, some well travelled, others strewn with years of debris from misuse.
Here, on the peak of the lookout, the wind carried through the holes and cracks in the rock to create an unusual sound akin to hushed whispering. The three young men pulled out their water skins and drank deeply, all the while listening to the wind whispering from the earth itself.
"Finally!" Vrill sighed, stretching out his aching legs. "That bloody path went on forever."
"There is something unworldly about that noise," Friedrich observed, as he tried to find words amongst the murmuring of the wind.
"Very much so," agreed Christill. "It's almost as if the lookout is trying to tell us something."
Vrill let out an unsatisfied grunt. "I've seen stranger things."
"Such as?" Christill queried.
"Friedrich's taste in women," Vrill returned with a wink. He then turned and fell down next to one of the stone pillars, leaning back and closing his eyes.
Friedrich, tired of his cousin's bantering, let the comment slide and moved with Christill up the south side of the clearing. Staring into the distance they saw the dark blue Karmanian Ocean past the edge of the forest. Much closer, they spotted Dark Shell Bay, home of the famous bronze backed crayfish. The two of them stood there silently, seemingly on top of the world, and enjoyed the temporary moment of peace.
"I'm very glad you convinced me to come here with you," Friedrich thanked Christill.
Christill smiled. "I am grateful for the company."
Friedrich returned Christill's smile and left the rest unsaid. Christill let his eyes wonder over the hazy horizon and wondered what wild lands lay beyond the great southern oceans.
They spent a long hour on the peak of Windwhisper Lookout, yet eventually the sun began its downward arch. As well as this, thick clouds from the south had begun to creep ever closer. It would take them some time to make it back to Duathnin before nightfall, so they set off back down the path.
Their descent was slow as they had to check each step to avoid slipping on loose stones. Travelling further down the side of the rocky landmark, the wind picked up abruptly, forcing them to hug the side of the path and making the going even slower.
"Be careful not to stray to the edge of the path," Christill shouted over the loud winds that assaulted them at these heights.
Vrill and Friedrich signalled for him to continue, now regretting their choice to visit the lookout. Staying close to his companions, Christill abruptly noticed more and more pebbles and small rocks tumbling down the rock face from above. He quickly snapped his gaze upwards just in time to see a huge boulder tumbling down the lookout towards them. He screamed out a warning to Friedrich and Vrill and jumped towards them. With all of his strength, he pushed them forwards, out of the way and onto the ground. The move cost him his own chance to avoid the boulder and, as it rolled over the path it bowled Christill violently out of its way. He was sent flying over the edge of the lookout.
Friedrich and Vrill, recovering from their initial shock, rose and ran to the edge of the path. Fearing the worst, they were relieved to see that Christill had not fallen too far and had landed on a section of rock that jutted out from the formation. They called out to him but received no response.
"We need to get down there!" snapped Friedrich, urgently.
Carefully the two of them began to climb down. With stable handholds hard to find, it took them longer than they thought to reach him. Finally they dropped onto the hard stone next to Christill's motionless body and bent down to check him. Friedrich let out a puff of relief as he felt a pulse.
Christill came to, once shaken. He tried to sit up, wincing in pain. "I think I broke some ribs," he cried, holding his chest.
"Can you walk?" asked Friedrich.
Christill took a moment to recover and then, with the help of the others stood up. "I should be able to manage."
"Try using Nyrune's magic to heal yourself," Vrill suggested.
Christill shook his head. "I don't know how to mend bones yet. I will be fine though. Thank you for coming for me."
"It is you who should be thanked. You saved out lives," Friedrich pointed out. "Come, we will help you back."
Christill was too sore to reply. He let his head drop and felt Friedrich and Vrill place his arms over their shoulders. Despite the pain running through his body, he felt safe.
Dawn of the Valiant (The Valerious Chronicles: Book One) Page 106