XIV.

Lake Martha is the largest lake in the world and also a very important landmark in local geography. It is said that the lake is the only non-disputed place in the border between Vivre and the Eight Races of the Great Forest – Besides the Red Desert, of course. Which also means that creatures from both sides often die nearby, without any war or great battles being declared. Likewise, it is the place chosen for the resolution of local disputes and secret meetings in boats – meetings between species from both kingdoms.

On both sides, the excuses for such occurrences are always the same:

Such encounters never happen between creatures of both kingdoms. The girls were actually seduced by an aquatic creature – this creature has seducing powers and, the next day, turn into a dolphin and disappear into the lake; The boys were always seduced by women with half the body of a fish, who drown their admirers after the meetings (no way they would been killed by betrayed spouses, would they?).

And what about deaths that weren’t originated by a prohibited relationship? Ah, these deaths were caused by a creature that inhabits the depths of the lake. An ancestral monster, capable of sinking ships; a creature that feeds on the bodies that disappear; a magical monster, who spends much of its time asleep and, when awake, it's unstoppable.

Demystifying a Magical World – Joanne & John Fritz – Vol. II

*

Vivre and Fiandel’s soldiers ride toward Lake Martha. Despite the desire to stay away from the Great Forest, any other route would take much more time and effort, consuming two resources that none of the injured could spend.

Some of them even woke up on the road. Thiago immediately warned Yvanna about it, preventing anyone from seeing the unconscious body in the back of the vehicle.

At this point, none of Fiandel’s or Vivre’s soldiers knew about the passenger hidden among them. Only Rinlia, Yvanna, Thiago, Barsen and Gasser.

Eventually, they need to stop. Although the number of horses and carriages allowed a peaceful journey for more than two days (at full speed), they decided to stop in the city of Arcille: A small village formed almost solely for the purpose of receiving and sending travelers to the Lake. The economy of the place is entirely based on the existence of Lake Martha: From the construction of boats, passenger transportation, tourism for the ones who decided to venture into the vicinities of the Great Forest, fishing for freshwater and some other typical activities of similar regions.

The arrival of visitors, usually, does not attract the attention of the residents, who are used to visits and groups passing in the direction of the capital of the kingdom. However, the large number of soldiers is enough to agitate the population and, soon, everybody knows about the group of soldiers that came from Fiandel and now are on the way back to their kingdom.

-Yvanna! It is you!

The skinny old lady with a protruding nose who throws herself over the vampire’s neck is the responsible for the filthiest inn in town – Or rather the worst between the two inns available in the small village: “The Dan-the-Lion”. The familiarity between the two is evident from the start.

-Marjorie! – Yvanna receives the hug with affection, smiling to the old lady. – You weren’t here when we passed-by. I missed you so much!

-I’m sorry, my dear. If I knew you were coming, I would have waited. Come on in! The others can take care of the carriages. – The woman runs her hand over the vampire’s hair. – Look at you! So beautiful! It’s as if no day has passed since we last saw each other!

Yvanna hides in her smile the thought that she tries to hide in her mind. The woman raises her eyebrows, as if guessing the thoughts of the vampire. Yvanna changes the subject.

-We need accommodations.

Since the beginning of the trip, Rinlia decided that she would place all her soldiers in the same lodging. She would not make the same mistake twice, placing Arthur in a building separate from the others.

-Of course. Come here, my dear. Eyvar! – Marjorie waves to a man on the opposite side of the room. – Take their luggage and call those idiots in the back to help you transport the wounded. – She turns to Yvanna, who pulled Rinlia to accompany her. – My dear, so many wounded soldiers. What happened?

-I promise to tell you everything. After we can rest a little. Probably while we eat something prepared by Eyvar. Rinlia could not eat the last time we were here and she must be thinking I am exaggerating.

-Oh, not at all. – Marjorie smiles at the commander while they head to the upper floors. – Eyvar’s meals are the reason this joint still have clients.

-Don’t talk like that. I like it here. – Yvanna protests.

-Me too. This does not change the fact that the owner has not come to the place since we were both children and that the last time this place was reformed, the current kings were not even born.

-Still, the nostalgia…

Yvanna and Rinlia enter the room ahead. Marjorie stays outside.

-My dear, I will not argue with you. Nostalgia can do everything with a person’s mind. Anyway, make yourself at home. I will make sure that things are properly arranged to receive all of you. – She winks. – It is not every day that we receive so many guests.

-Don’t disappear. I want to talk to you later. We have so much to catch up on!

-Of course! Get some rest for now so we can talk later. You two must be exhausted.

Marjorie leaves shortly, leaving Rinlia alone with Yvanna. The vampire, although still smiling, does it out of the habit of keeping her public mask. Rinlia is the one who starts talking.

-Were you able to pass the message to her?

-Yes. We are friends, but that welcome embrace has always the same reason.

-Are you sure it’s okay to leave it in her hands?

-You said yourself that we cannot give Arthur special treatment in public. We need someone to watch over him in our place.

-I just hope you really trust her.

-You asked me for a place where we could trust in someone. I totally trust Marjorie.

-We will be asking a lot of her. Hiding and transporting a person is not typical work for an innkeeper.

-Marjorie is not a typical innkeeper. I wasn’t either, when we worked together. Don’t worry, she won’t leave a trail. Besides, she owes me some favors. She is not doing this totally out of her goodwill.

-You seem to know each other for a long time.

-Are you jealous? – The vampire walks around the room, lying on one of the beds. – Don’t worry. You are my best friend now. After so many years without seeing each other, she kind of lost that position.

Rinlia gestures, dismissing the joke, looking at the window, making sure that no one would hear their conversation.

-Call the others. We need to talk about the plan. – Yvanna gets up upon receiving the order. – Ask Marjorie to bring Arthur here this evening. I’ll be waiting.

-Will he be awake?

-Yes. The effect of the potion I gave him will end tonight, but if it weren’t for his recovery powers, his body would remain unconscious. Otherwise, he would die from the number of injuries he suffered while escaping. His magic… - The elf shakes her head. – This is not important now.

-Isn’t it better to go to his room?

-You said you trust Marjorie. If that is the case, I believe she will not look suspicious when transporting him here. If a soldier sees me walking in the halls in the middle of the night, it could raise suspicions.

-Right. I see.

-I want you to watch the corridors while I talk to him. It may be a little excessive, but this is not the time to take risks. Find some place where you can hide. We both know that this won’t be a problem for you.

-Asking me to stay out of the room… Do you want to be alone?

-This will be only a consequence. If there was someone else sleeping in our room, I would entrust that task to them.

-We can call Thiago, or ask Marjorie-

-No. I want the less amount of people involved. No more carelessness. If anything goes wrong with this plan, let it be something absolutely out of my control.

*

Arthur enters the room, leaning almost entirely on Marjorie. The old innkeeper was much stronger than expected, supporting the young man without problems. Arthur also used a crutch on the right side, making full use of the two supports to be able to move to the room.

The boy’s condition is deplorable: His left eye is swollen to the point that is not even possible to move the eyelid; his lips are cut and his face has a bunch of wounds; part of his hair was ripped out during the collision with the stones and, in the region, it is possible to see the exposed flesh of the wound; his left arm, which Marjorie uses to support his body, does not move on its own. The innkeeper wraps his arm around her shoulders and holds it; the bandages in the fractured leg are stained in bright red.

Despite all the wounds, he seems to have some autonomy to move. After the innkeeper lets go of his arm, he grunted because of the pain and, after being able to sit on the chair in front of the elf, his expression softens.

At that moment, he faces Rinlia with his good eye. His expression is so altered by the number of injuries that his feelings cannot be read by the elf.

-Come on, Marjorie. – Yvanna calls, pointing to the door.

-Thank you. – Rinlia waves to Marjorie.

The door closes and, at that moment, they are alone.

-It’s not been so long ago that we talked like this. – The elf takes a deep breath, finding it difficult to look at his face. Somehow, she feels responsible for his wounds. – Last time, you were in jail and I couldn’t do anything. Luckily, now I-

-What makes you think that my situation has changed?

He sounds annoyed. She frowns.

-I don’t think I understand.

-I’m still in prison, aren’t I? Isn’t that what you wanted? You wanted me to escape so we can go to the destination you chose.

-No.

-Oh, so that was not your intention? You didn’t want to take me somewhere and explore this magic that I can use?

She shakes her head.

-Yes, you are right, but the way you’re thinking is wrong.

-And how should I be thinking? Because I don’t know if you noticed, but I’m almost dead. – His voice breaks. He straightens up in his chair, taking a second to catch his breath. – I am almost dead and, honestly, I doubt that you are helping me out of pure kindness.

-Arthur, I know you’re angry, but we really don’t have time to discuss this. I already said that I want to take you to Fiandel with me. You know that I am interested in your magic. What’s the problem with that?

-The problem, Rinlia, is that you took me to Vivre. You are the reason why I was a prisoner and had to escape. You brought me here and, at this point, I don’t know why I should believe that you want to help me.

The elf remains silent for a while, looking at the face of the young man in front of her. Her desire is not to fight with him; however, the boy’s tone is problematic. Despite his weakened appearance and the burden of guilt she feels, the elf cannot tolerate such futile discussion.

She gets up and walks in front of him for a few seconds, thinking about the best way to proceed. After all, if Arthur doesn’t want to go with her, he could become a much bigger problem. Any action taken by him while they travel along with Vivre’s soldiers would expose that she was the person who helped him to get out of the capital.

By now, the capital’s guards must be on the roads, looking for traces of his whereabouts. She couldn’t stay in the same place for much longer. The plan needed to continue.

There is no time for mistrust.

-If it reached this point, there is nothing else I can do. – She shakes her head, dissatisfied. – Looks like you’re right.

-What?

-You’re right. In a way, I am restraining you. Telling you what to do and where to go. And, yet, I’m not even sure we should continue with this.

-I… I don’t understand.

-Go away. – She points to the door. – Go out and look for a better destination than the one I’m offering you. Go quickly, before Vivre’s search parties reach this village. The world is big, but you will need to go quickly if you want to stay free.

He looks at the door and then at the elf.

-Are you saying that they are after me?

-Of course. You have escaped from prison, Arthur. There were guards protecting the place and I doubt you escaped without hurting anyone. Besides, the Queen was interested in you. I don’t think she would give up just because she hasn’t found you yet.

He remains silent. The elf returns to her chair.

-Arthur, look at me. – He obeys, mechanically. – You’re right. It was my mistake that put you in this position. I apologize for that. But what did you expect me to do? It was part of my job to keep you around, and, when I found out your identity, I didn’t really know what to do.

-Are you making excuses now? I-

-Let me finish. I know you are angry. I would be too. Unfortunately, you don’t have the time to hold a grudge. You must make a decision: Go out that door and be on your own or listen to my plan and get ready to travel.

The boy takes another look at the door. His desire to leave is evident. However, Rinlia’s words get to him. Arthur knows the danger of being alone. If someone found out about his magic, the consequences could be disastrous. Furthermore, he is still inside the kingdom that wants to see his death.

He bites his lips, looking at the floor before saying:

-I don’t want to be a prisoner.

-You won’t be. – She answers. – I wouldn’t do that again.

He considers her proposal. He wished that the incorporeal was close by. Since he woke up, Arthur tried to locate her, but there was no sign of her presence. If only she were around, he could think calmly about the possibilities. However, at that moment, so far from where he last saw her, he does not even know if he would find her again.

Rinlia seems to be his only option.

“Besides,” he thinks “I can still learn more about my magic. After we get out of this place, I can escape if I want. Yes, that’s it.”

He looks at her face. The elf tries to read the boy’s expression, but the wounds make such task impossible.

-I am not a prisoner. You can’t tie me up or imprison me. From now on, I am a fellow traveler.

She nods.

-Of course.

“That is right.” He thinks. “I’m going to do to you what you wanted to do to me, Rinlia. I will use your help until is no longer necessary and then flee away. Away from you and everyone who put me through this hell.”

-We have a deal. From now on, I am in your care.

“It doesn’t matter who’s in my way. From now on, I will be ready.”

“And I will fight until the day that I can regain my peace.”

*

*