Lilith nodded slightly toward the centaurs and said quietly, “They are from Port Kalhes and will be staying in Taquin for a little while. They wanted to visit the Great Library before finding their relatives in town.”
Catarina quickly picked up on the unspoken request. She nodded, smiling dazzlingly.
“How about a tour, then?” She snapped her fingers and a servant rushed to her side. “We have some visitors from Macrin. Would you be so kind to give them the tour of the premises, Meakh, dear?”
The dwarf bowed his head and muttered an affirmation before scurrying off, presumably to make preparations for the tour.
Catarina used this opportunity, to approach Khaleb and his uncle and took their hands in hers.
“I am so sorry to hear what happened to your home. You are very welcome to Taquin and I urge you to call on me if you need anything. Meakh will help you with your visa after giving you a little tour of the library. Does that suit you?”
Khaleb’s uncle nodded, a grateful smile extending to his eyes.
Meakh returned, his arms full of scrolls, demanding their attention, but not before Lilith turned to Khaleb and gave him a hug and a goodbye.
“I might come visit some time,” he said, smirking hopefully.
Lilith returned the smile.
“Please do.”
While the centaurs were led through one of the side doors, Catarina led the rest of them upstairs and into a luxurious room, urging them to join her around her large table, where fitting chairs were currently being prepared by several troll servants.
She elegantly sat down on one of them, her skirts and frills fanning out almost by magic. Only a moment later, the tea for everyone were brought out.
“Lilith, dearie, do you remember the nickname you have acquired?” she asked, smiling gently.
Lilith exchanged glances with her friends before nodding.
“You said it was “White Demon”,” she replied.
“White Devil,” Catarina corrected. “At first, the stories were just from what happened in Tsoaluo, but there were some who saw you in Macrin as well. Many believe you are a monster, can you believe it? They feel fear when they hear of a girl with white bat wings.”
“Do you?” Selene challenged the dwarf. Catarina met her fierce gaze easily.
“I do not.”
She turned back to Lilith, a smile on her lips.
“Once again I must repeat this advice – be careful about when and where you decide to show your wings. A reputation like yours isn’t easily disputed.”
Her voice was serious and leveled, not dramatic and lively like before. She took a slow sip of her tea, her eyes closed.
“Use them as your last resort,” she advised. “Rumors travel fast; no doubt they will have heard of it in Quintz. I presume you have acquired the artifact you were looking for and that Port Kalhes was a victim of circumstance, not of intent. I am usually a rather good judge of character, I will have you know.”
She slowly opened her eyes, her cold, ungiving gaze fixed on Lilith.
“But if I should be mistaken about you and find out you use this power for evil, then I swear to the Moongoddess and the Mountains, you will be brought further down than Hell would permit.”
Lilith didn’t doubt her words for even a second. The room had suddenly grown frosty and she felt static in the air. It frightened her, even though she had no intention of abusing the Hellfire Naginata. For lack of words, she decided to leave it to a nod.
“Lilith doesn’t have a bad bone in her body. Don’t you dare speak to her that way!”
“If you do I will peck your eyes out!”
Selene had stood up, fuming, and stared the other woman down. There was murder in that gaze, and Lilith was quite certain that only a few months ago, Selene might have lunged at the librarian. Zero had the same thought, because he got ready to hold his captain back. Amethyst, at the same time, had leapt onto the table, flapping his wings wildly and angrily.
It was Catarina who relieved the tension. She laughed and returned to her usual cheerful self.
“Oh, don’t you worry, dearies! I never thought anything else of her! Though it is nice to see that she has friends so dedicated to her. However, you must understand, as the ruler of this country, even if it is only temporary, it is my duty to ensure the safety of my subjects. And as such it was my obligation to warn your dear friend.”
Selene slowly let herself be pulled back onto the chair, but her grim expression did not waver.
“Now. Before you run off again, I thought I should inform you of the situation in the Highlands. According to my informants, Quintz attacked early this morning.”
Lilith’s eyes widened and she jumped to her feet.
“This morning?” she exclaimed. “We need to get there immediately! What if they-”
“Now, now,” the librarian chided her. “Sit back down, dearie, there is nothing to worry about. Apparently, they were frightened away by a strongly worded letter before it could come to any fighting.”
Lilith could hear Ayalon’s slightly rumbling laughter. Amethyst fell into it as well with cawing and hopped onto Lilith’s lap where he sat down.
“Silly humans,” he stated proudly.
“But who wrote that letter?” Zero asked uncertainly. Catarina smiled at him after winking at Lilith.
“That is a good question, dearie. No one is quite certain, because it was written into the air with magic, but according to all sources, there cannot be any mages in Pbecrah left but one, and that is Lady Phyenor Xelma herself. Even so, it cannot possibly have been her, so it remains quite the mystery, doesn’t it?”
Relieved, Lilith smiled to herself and thought fondly of Colm.
“You should still hurry,” Catarina added. “But horses won’t get you there fast enough. You see, the winds this time of year all blow from west to east. But they cause a vortex around the Tree of Life which makes one stream of air blow in the opposite direction, right above the Highlands, in fact. You simply need to travel a few hours north of here and fly up high; I will send someone to guide you to the right place, then all you need to do is find the correct altitude and fly along that. It should bring you to the other side of the continent within a day or two! However, I insist that you stay the night first. You all look exhausted and you’ll be no use to anyone like this. Now, finish your tea, dearies, and then off to bed.”
*****
Catarina kept her word. She wouldn’t hear of them leaving that night. Instead, she made them take some of the rooms and promised them she would arrange for provisions and a guide to fetch them early the next morning. They said their good-byes to her and centaurs that evening, so as to not waste time the next morning, and promised to come back some time to visit once the fighting for the Highlands had ended and everything was settled.
The next morning, a troll picked them up, leading them through a tunnel in the back of the library into the mountains and a little to the north. The tunnels here were very different to the one through which they had traveled in Macrin. Lilith was especially impressed with their lighting system, which was made from glowing blue flowers that were planted into the walls and ceilings. The air was dry and not as cold as she had expected, either.
They didn’t stay in the tunnels for long, exiting them a little way across the border into Pbecrah. There, the troll stopped and told them the air current should flow right above them. Following Catarina’s advice, Lilith kept her wings unseen and got onto Ayalon’s back, together with Selene, while Zero took on the shape of a seagull. Since the winds were too strong for the raven, Amethyst nestled with them on the dragon’s back.
Shaken from side to side by storm and squalls, Ayalon and Zero rose up higher and higher into the sky, until eventually all of them felt a distinct change in the wind. It was softer, gentler, but still strong.
“Let’s get sailing then,” rumbled Ayalon as he put himself into the right position to be pushed
homeward by the wind. Zero followed his example and adjusting their wing beats to the wind, they sped onward, the ground racing past beneath them.
Lilith could only hope that they would reach the Highlands before another attack. A letter from Colm could only achieve so much.
Ayalon’s wings beat strongly, full of force and power, but slowly. Lilith realized it was the most effective way to use the wind, but it still didn’t help her impatience.
“Don’t worry, it will be alright,” Selene said next to Lilith’s ear. She flinched. She had completely forgotten that they were on Ayalon’s back together. Selene must have noticed her anxiety and tension.
“How can you be so sure?” Lilith asked, trying to ignore the pit in her stomach. She wanted to believe in Selene’s words. She really did. But how could she, when there was so much on the line and so little certainty?
“I trust in my crew,” Selene replied. “I have no doubt that they will give it their all. After all, our ship is there and if the place is overrun by soldiers, there’s no telling what might happen to the Bat.”
Lilith could imagine the grimace Selene must be making at the notion of her ship being in danger.
“I do not think I like war,” Lilith mumbled more to herself than to anyone else in particular.
Selene gave a snort.
“Only those who benefit from it like war. Those who don’t have to fight. Everyone else would prefer that everyone just gets along. It’s the people at the top who are to blame. Their power makes them forget that there are lives at stake.”
Bitterness tinted her voice. Lilith thought about the stories she had heard from the pirates. Selene, their leader, had always fought on the front lines, no matter the battle. She had infiltrated the place where the people in power sat and confronted them directly, to make those responsible pay.
Lilith couldn’t quite excuse the fact that they had still likely killed a lot of people, but she supposed that the people who decided to go to war really didn’t do anything else, except that they made others do the killing and dying for them. She could only hope and believe, that all of that was a past life for all of them and that they would refrain from taking that same path again.
But it made Lilith wonder, when they got to the Highlands, what would they find? What would they need to do? Would she be forced to use the Hellfire Naginata? She didn’t want to use it, not after she had seen what it could do, but she knew, if she had to, she would. She would fight if she could protect her home that way. She would fight to keep her family and friends safe. She knew how to use the Naginata, it was only a matter of whether or not she wanted to.
But she didn’t want to hurt anyone if it could be helped. She didn’t want to destroy families, leave grieving siblings, parents, friends, and partners behind.
Throughout the entire journey, Lilith kept wondering if she could somehow end the war without needing to hurt anyone, and still protect her home.
“Are you sure they’ll come?” James asked Balthasar anxiously, as they waited in position. The enemy forces were already in sight, marching toward them.
“D’cat will ha’ made sure o’it,” Balthasar grumbled in response. Though he had to admit to being a little worried. The Quintz army was already so close, but the Pbec army was nowhere to be seen. Additionally, it was still daylight, so they couldn’t use their previous tricks. Colm had mentioned that he had a few options that might keep the foreign soldiers at bay, but not for long without things possibly getting out of control. If the Pbec army didn’t arrive soon, they would have no choice but to fight.
Balthasar ground his teeth. He had no issues with fighting, but he knew the villagers wouldn’t stand a chance.
The Quintz soldiers stopped a little way away. Both sides stared each other down. Nobody moved. Even Balthasar held his breath for a moment.
Time seemed to stand still.
The strong wind was the only thing making noise as it blew through clothing, clattered weapons together, and made the trees rustle.
“At least we have the wind at our back,” James muttered. It was true. Overnight, a strong wind had started blowing from the East. It blew directly into the Quintz soldiers’ faces, carrying dirt and leaves so they had to squint. And because of the visors they wore, they could not get to their eyes if something was irritating them or got inside. Balthasar wondered for a moment if it had been Colm who had called this wind with his magic. It occurred to him that a wind maker would have been incredibly useful during their days as pirates back in Jianlah. Even now the image was exciting.
Balthasar slowly scanned the faces, first of the villagers, and then of their enemies. There was uncertainty visible on both sides. Despite not being able to see their faces, there were signs in the way the Quintz moved, in the way they shifted their weight and turned their heads. Their movements were abrupt and too frequent to mean anything else.
Looking back to the Highlanders, Balthasar noted grimly that there were too few people for another battle in the future. They all knew this. This would be it. And the Quintz army had a clear advantage in both numbers and weapons. He risked a quick gaze to the East where the Pbec army should arrive. Nothing was in sight.
They didn’t have any people on the lookout for the Pbec, seeing as their present situation required their more imminent attention. Right now, they just needed to concentrate on what lay right in front of them and wait for the signal to attack.
Sweat poured down Balthasar’s temples and back. This was different to the battles he was used to fighting. And yet it came down to the same thing. He gripped his mace tighter.
Then, a battle horn announced the attack, but it didn’t come from Quintz. The soldiers looked around in confusion. Balthasar grinned to himself. The timing was impeccable. He craned his neck around and saw the Pbec army, with its red banner, approaching quickly from the North-East, on foot and mountain horse back, pouring over the ridge and down into the valley.
Quickly he signalled a retreat to the other pirates and villagers. They didn’t need to fight just yet after all. For the moment, this all might work out. All of them retreated quickly to the vicinity of Myara Hill to be out of the line of fire but still able to see what was happening. There were more Pbec soldiers than there were Quintz. Pbecrah appeared to have a strong desire to keep the Highlands in its possession, despite barely acknowledging its existence most of the time.
They, too, had a mage with them. It was a woman with a green shimmer in her dark hair, elegantly dressed in black and green, and obviously someone of authority. Balthasar presumed she had to be Lady Phyenor Xelma, the mage who had studied alongside Colm but had now become the head of the Pbec state. She stood in the back, surrounded by women with large shields to protect her from arrows and bullets, and concentrated on weaving a spell. Purple light shone gently around her hands as she moved them in a peculiar flowing manner.
The two forces clashed. Some people were struck to the ground instantly, but soon they spread out and began to duel one another, with an occasional stray bullet finding its target. Balthasar’s fingers were itching to get in there, to join the rumble, but it was stupid. Letting these two armies fight each other simply meant that several problems were taken off the villagers’ hands all at once. It made sense to not interfere. There was no point in fighting and dying for nothing.
But if the Hellfire Naginata wasn’t brought to them soon, they would end up having to fight the winning army.
Balthasar didn’t like that outlook. But it was Colm’s home and plan. It would probably work out. Hopefully.
Death watched the battle from Myara Hill. She had to be there, of course, to take away the pain of those who were slain by their enemies and sometimes, accidentally, even by their friends. As she took a great many warriors to where they belonged, she couldn’t help but wonder something, so she asked one of them, a young Pbec woman who had been knocked over the head by one of her allies while they had swung their sword at a Quintz soldier.
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I have come to take your pain away. Death began, as was tradition. It was the phrase that let people know they were dead and who they were speaking to. It was important to always start with it, even when she wanted to say other things, though she supposed, she wasn’t really meant to say much more.
“Then I have fulfilled my purpose. Please take me to where I belong,” the woman said, relieved, closing her soul’s eyes.
Before I take you there, I have a question.
The woman opened her eyes, surprised, to look at Death.
“A question? Is that a part of it?”
No. I am merely curious.
“So, it doesn’t have anything to do with where I’ll be brought to? Not at all? By the way, what is that place anyway? I mean, we’re being told basically nothing but that it’s where we belong. What does that even mean?”
You will find out soon and this question will not matter anymore.
“But can’t you just as well tell me?”
Death wasn’t sure what to reply to such bluntness.
I cannot. She eventually concluded. It is different for everyone, there is no definite answer.
“Oh,” the woman said and remained quiet for a moment, seemingly thoughtful. “Then I won’t meet my departed mother on the other side? And my grandmother?”
I do not know. You might. If you belong in the same place.
That seemed to satisfy the woman and Death took her to where she belonged before remembering why the conversation had begun in the first place.
Drat, she said, but she didn’t have to wait long to have the opportunity to ask someone else. At the same time, the Quintz soldier who had been stabbed by the same warrior as the previous one had been killed by, appeared in Death’s peripheral senses.
I have come to take your pain away.
“Oh good! Because this hurts like a wasp’s sting in an open wound,” he exclaimed, and after thinking about his words for a moment, he added, “Probably a little worse actually.”
But before I do that, I need to ask you a question. Why is it that warrior and worrier sound alike?
White Devil Page 25