Vedientir

  "The bag," groaned Dion from discomfort caused by the bag he was lying on and it took him two tries to get the bag off his back. He pushed it aside lazily with one hand and turned left to his side before finally turning all the way over to his stomach. He stayed like that for some time simply looking at the grass and breathing.

  "You alive?" asked Kerkio, knelt next to him and placed his hand on Dion's back.

  "Mmmm," mumbled Dion into the blades of grass touching his lips, but it sounded affirmative to Kerkio.

  "On your feet then. We have to get out of these wet clothes. We'll catch a cold faster in them than if we're naked. Eya will excuse our state until we redress."

  "I'll be over there," she said and moved away toward the forest before they could say anything else.

  Kerkio got up to his feet, but Dion was not as lively. He lifted himself up on his elbows and knees, but instead of rising completely up from that position, he sat down on his knees into a crouch, and left his hands on the ground. He looked as if he had fallen to his knees to pray to some god, but it was only nausea.

  He vomited a decent amount of lake water out of him, sighed in agony a few times, blew snot and spit out of his mouth and nose, and then struck the earth a few times with his right fist, crying inaudibly until a second wave of nausea made him vomit once more.

  The relief in his stomach came quickly after that, and then he heard two familiar voices amidst all the noise that he was only now realizing was around him.

  "Lyud! Gdo ti esi?" The dragon and the ravens called him, and their voices made Dion get up.

  He saw Zmai approaching and noticed that the dragon looked different. His scales were shiny, but not only because they were washed by the water of the lake. It looked as if strands of live fire had permeated his skin, and the water that still lingered on his scales evaporated into the cold morning air before it could slide off them to the ground.

  "Start a few fires next to forest so the men can dry themselves," he heard Aris give orders in the distance, but he could no longer see him from all the legionaries that were on the shore. "I don't want my whole legion to get wet and sick."

  "The dragon took care of the hunter that was holding you in the water," said Kerkio, and Dion looked at him in wonder.

  "I remember some of the things that happened after I opened the Path but I don't remember that. My memories seem blurry and incomplete."

  "There will be time for questions if you have any, but now tell me if you feel pain somewhere?"

  "It hurts all over," Dion answered after he took off his shirt. Kerkio looked at his back first but then squeezed them a few times to see if everything is in place. Dion removed the wet and dirty bandage off of the wound that covered the old wound he received in Echa. It seemed to him that it had happened in some other life.

  "You have no holes in you," said Kerkio after he checked Dion's torso and slapped him hard on the shoulder. "Well, except the ones you should have," he added, but not in the usual jovial voice Dion had already gotten used to. He still feared that Dion would start bleeding somewhere, struggling to accept that fortune smiled upon them and that despite his failure to guard him Dion stood and breathed next to him.

  "I am sorry," Kerkio said in a tired voice. He coughed a few times, his left eye twitched once, but that was all that escaped to the surface.

  "I completely forgot about the boars," he apologized.

  "You're obviously not the only one," replied Dion honestly. "I remembered them only after I saw Roga again. We have certainly underestimated their capabilities."

  "Lyud! Esi dober?" the dragon inquired about his health when he finally joined him and Kerkio. Aris approached them briefly but he continued past them, went back into the lake and stopped in front of the Tree entrance.

  "Ada," Dion replied and smiled back to the dragon.

  "Stop the men who are still in Syevnor," they heard Aris talk to the legionaries who were entering the lake from the Tree. "Let the rest wait a short while until we prepare a dry exit here, but first bring some firewood and dry clothes to this side. Let a few remain inside the Tree to keep the Path open."

  He turned then to toward the legionaries already on the shore of the lake.

  "Collect all those boars and their riders onto a heap here where I stand," he commanded. "Pile them atop one another and cover them with branches, dirt and leaves so the rest of the legion can come across without getting wet. That way there will be some use of their fallen bodies."

  "Where is Roga?" asked Dion and looked around, trying to find her and her giant bird.

  "I haven't seen her. She was here also?" asked Kerkio back.

  "That part I remember clearly. She was here, and her opinion was that my head no longer needed to remain atop of my shoulders."

  "She probably isn't so happy that we had stolen her dragon."

  "I don't care so much about her opinion as I do about finding her."

  "Maybe you won't have to go searching for her. She has found you once already, and if you say that she hates you that much, she'll find you once more, and we'll be ready for her."

  "It would be nice to see her again and for the last time."

  "Who or what are those?" asked Aris when he finally joined Dion, Kerkio and the dragon. He pointed with his head towards the first hunters that were being carried by the legionaries into the lake.

  "These might be the ones that have been following us from Echa," answered Kerkio. "We knew for sure that they were following us when we left Tialoch, but they were on the south side of the mountain, and we weren't expecting to see them soon, if ever."

  "I forgot about them," admitted Dion. "So much had happened to us after we went through the Tree that they got completely erased from my mind."

  "It ended better than it could have, and somehow I have a feeling that you will no longer forget to think about your enemies, be they near or far."

  Dion smiled grumpily.

  Two legionaries brought a complete set of dry legionary equipment, one for Dion and one Kerkio, and quickly went about their business.

  "How do we get out of this place?" asked Aris as Dion and Kerkio finished undressing.

  "Between the two cabins," answered Dion and pointed to the forest behind and to the right of where the dragon now stood. "The forest path is clearly visible once you reach the tree line. It seems that someone still uses it frequently enough. Perhaps someone from Phares."

  "And where is Phares in relation to this place?"

  "We are west of the main road. We have to turn right to get to Barda Rei and Eborum once we reach the road. Are we going to Tialoch through Eborum or via the Pharesia?" asked Dion, using the Pharesian name for the road they used to get here from Tialoch.

  "Pharesia," answered Aris. "I have thought about going through Eborum, but after seeing these monsters the south road is no longer a viable option. Who knows what could wait for us there, and I don't want anything slowing us down. Barda Rei is the legion's next destination, but I have to go to Phares first to ask Longin for supplies."

  "I would like to go with you if that is a possibility. I wish to see the Internal Sea."

  "Haven't you had enough water?" asked Kerkio.

  "We are so close to it. I might never get another chance to see it in my life."

  "You can come with me, Dion," said Aris. "You do owe me the story of everything that has been going on in Aelan while the legion was in Syevnor."

  "Deal," said Dion at once, smiling again, and then called Eya to join them.

  "Bring me..." started Aris to a nearby legionary but Dion interrupted him.

  "We are together," explained Dion.

  "Three horses," finished Aris. "Bring me three horses from the Syevnor side, ready to ride."

  Soon thereafter three horses crossed from Syevnor to Aelan over the mound of Roga's hunters that now connected the shore with the inside of the Tree.

  "The men who built this dry pathway to the tree are free of all chores until we reach Tialoch," said A
ris.

  "Give the rest the signal to continue moving through the Tree. It's time to go to Barda Rei."

  "Ravens, get into my bag and get some rest," Dion called the birds and thanked them for their help, and then Kerkio, Dion and Eya mounted their horses and led the way towards the forest path. The dragon walked behind Dion's horse, Aris rode behind Zmai, and the legion that stretched across two continents followed them.

  "My standard!" exclaimed Dion suddenly as they were entering the forest. He turned in the saddle, but Aris calmed him down before Dion had a chance to turn the horse around.

  "It's following you," said Aris. "You haven't lost it."

  ✽✽✽

  "Lowland brothers! Greetings!"

  A tall and broad-shouldered man greeted them as soon as their horses stepped out of the forest onto the Pharesia. The man wore a leather vest made from several stitched sheep skins, even though it was so worn out that it looked very little like something resembling sheep skin. They knew by his greeting that he was from Eborum.

  "We followed the whatever-they-are after they stormed through Eborum. The women ran to find us in the mine, and looked paler than we who see little daylight. Whatever-they-are destroyed half the town and yet they were only passing through. Big things, ugly. Heard about them? Seen them?"

  "We have seen them," answered Aris. "They won't be walking through Eborum ever again."

  "Got them?" asked the Eborum man, and he smiled at the same time, understanding what Aris had said.

  "Where did they come from?" asked the Eborum man.

  "Tialoch."

  "Then we will join you if you are going there," offered the Eborum man, "but I have to gather the rest of us first."

  "You have a more important task than to follow us to Tialoch," he said to the rugged man, but had to turn his attention to his men who began exiting the forest.

  "There," said Aris and pointed to the south. "Set up camp in Barda Rei," he finished and looked at the man from Eborum once again.

  "It is up to you to secure Eborum and make sure that no one can pass north through it again. Can you do that?"

  "Ah! They are already working on that!" replied the man. "A few of us went searching for the whatever-they-are, but you say they are done, so I guess we can go home."

  "You can," replied Aris.

  "Lowland lord," the Eborum man greeted Aris and then joined the legionaries who began their descent toward Barda Rei.

  ✽✽✽

  The road led uphill for two hundred more steps to the hilltop, and then began winding down into the secluded valley of Phares. It was green wherever an eye looked, but very little of it was wild. There were apple and olive orchards following the road all the way to the walls of the city. There were large patches of purple where bushes of lavender grew, a small river that nourished the valley plants, and a road halfway to the city that led up into the wine hills to the east - the most well known and well liked hills in the kingdom. The stone of the city's walls was as white as salt of the Inner Sea, and behind the tightly packed red roofs of the city's houses shined the silver-blue sea.

  "Start," said Aris, and it took some time before Dion understood Aris had said that to him.

  "Where should I start?" he started with a question, but then found a suitable beginning, started talking and stopped only when their horses brought them into the shadow of the city's tall walls.

  The air smelled of food and spices. The smell of fish predominated, but was far from unsavory. The breeze that lulled the air around them brought with it the fresh scent of salt from the sea, which cleared both nostrils and the mind at the same time.

  It had taken them two day parts to reach the walls of Phares. The magnificently tall walls clearly showed the wealth of the city, and their state showed that they had never been attacked from land. The city gate was wide open, and most strikingly, a large metal wedge held each side of the gate always open. The city's open gate was an unspoken symbol of freedom of not only Phares but of the whole kingdom.

  Dion had always called the Phares walls white as did everyone else who had mentioned them, but now that he looked at them, they were everything but white. Flowers of all imaginable colors bloomed all over the top of the walls, cloths of all sizes and colors dried on them so you couldn't even see the stone beneath them. All sorts of climbing plants lived on the lower half of the wall, fighting for space and sunlight. There were tents at the bottom of the walls, canopies attached near the road over various merchants' offerings, and small parks for leisure and recovery of mind and body.

  "A dragon," spoke Aris finally, and returned Dion out of his daydreaming. "I still have trouble believing it, and yet here he is, walking beside me just as you are. But how can I believe in the other things you have told me? Another world, flying mountains, winged warriors of the gods and Treewatchers who you claim are the gods themselves? Who else have you spoken to about this?"

  "We spoke to no one," laughed Dion. "I am having trouble myself with what my eyes had seen, and yet Eya is here with us, a living proof that it was no dream."

  "Let's keep it that way. Think what you will, but keep this story to yourself. Let's go to Jor's palace. After your story I've become more inclined to hurry back home myself."

  "These streets are really narrow," complained Dion after they went into the city proper, but then he laughed harder than he probably should have when a donkey forced the dragon to walk backwards until he managed to turn into a side street to let the overburdened donkey and his stubborn old owner pass.

  "We are close to the center," said Aris when the roads widened into small squares that allowed for more light to reach down to the stones beneath their feet.

  "Jor!" shouted Aris suddenly when he spotted Jor about to exit the same square they were just entering.

  The man turned to face the voice and had to take a few steps back to see who was calling him.

  The first thing that Dion noticed was that he was tall and that his skin had seen a lot of sunshine. His hair was blonde but turned to gray in places with age, and he was cleanly shaven. He wore light sandals and an almost see-through white cloth, with a belt around his waist that looked more like a piece of ship rope, and perhaps was just that.

  "We have come from Syevnor," said Aris when his and Jor's eyes met.

  Jor smiled as if Aris had told a joke.

  "I know that the docks for Syevnorean ships are empty. If it wasn't you who was speaking now I would believe I was being lied to."

  Aris responded with a smile and extended his hand that was quickly embraced by Jor's.

  "The king's messengers were here already and I have been informed of everything except of your arrival here. I've also received news from the west and they are as bad as they are here. Where is your legion?"

  "It is in the hills just beyond the valley and on its way to Barda Rei. We need supplies for our journey back, but not only that. We need even more supplies than that for the people under siege in Echa."

  "More supplies?" exclaimed Jor, extending the words in a typically Pharesian way until it seemed as if he was reciting rather than speaking.

  "I have already sent men and supplies to Tialoch as the king demanded," he started explaining himself defensively but Aris's strong voice stopped him.

  "Echa remembers," he said to Jor. "If you do not wish to remove those iron wedges at your gate, you should help Echa in her darkest moment."

  "Allow me to speak until I am finished next time," said Jor as roughly as Aris did a moment earlier. "There was no intent to refuse you. Supplies are yours, but I am afraid that I do not have many men to give to your, our, cause."

  "Every willing one is welcome," answered Aris in a more careful tone. "But more than men we need supplies. We carry only water and our weapons. We intended to resupply in Phares Nova, but we did not take that route home."

  "Go back to your legion," said Jor. "The first two hundred archers who volunteer will join you, and I will see to the supplies. You will have enough to
reach Tialoch and to feed Echa. Our gate must stay open."

  "Master Longin, the gate of Phares will remain so," replied Aris in a solemn voice.

  "Done," said Jor in a merry voice after he and Aris shook hands.

  "I have a question. Is this beautiful beast for sale?"

  "No," replied Aris before Dion had a chance to. "Legionaries are not for sale."

  Jor nodded in agreement.

  "Then I suggest you feed him before you head back. That way I'll have to send one cart of food less."

  "We have no time for that," replied Aris.

  "Oh, you won't need much time. The fishermen caught one of the largest thunnirs ever. That is the reason you found me here. I was on my way to the docks to see it for myself and maybe purchase a piece. The meat is as red as a cow's and as greasy as olive oil."

  "Sounds good to me," said Kerkio loudly from the background.

  Aris shrugged and Jor led the way.

  ✽✽✽

  "We are not there yet," yelled Jor from the docks, but Dion, Eya and the dragon did not care about him or the thunnir anymore. In fact, they did not hear anything that Aris and Jor talked about ever since they entered the bay of Phares that lay outside the city walls to the north. They jumped off the elevated stone road that led to both the east and west harbors onto the yellow-white sand that was almost as fine as house dust and remained there, enjoying the sounds of the sea and the warmth of the sun-heated sand.

  Ships and boats of all sizes were scattered around the bay and the open sea outside the bay. There were ships with one sail, ships with many sails and boats with none, and there were even ships in the harbor that were still being built.

  "The dragon's lunch will have to wait," said Aris, returning more quickly than Dion would have liked. "Only the head and the bones of the fish remain, but it really was a large fish. I'd say as large as a horse."

  "Where is Kerkio?" he asked, seeing he wasn't with them.

  "Kerkio!" he shouted and they all turned away from the sea to look for him, but they did not even have to move one step to find him.