Clan houses were ready for departure. Brigs were standing on the roofs, their heads raised high in anticipation. Occasionally they would stretch wings catching wind making clan house to hover a bit. Day was rainy. Monsoons changed - it was time for three months of almost nonstop rain in Hul Term, after three months of crushing heat. Gathered in the center of the camp were around thirty Wind Wizards. They came here early in the morning not being noticed by anyone. When Lord Aenead was getting ready to punish the guards for letting them enter the camp unnoticed, Wind Wizards explained that guards couldn’t see them. In loin clothes, with five pointed wigs covering their head they were quite a site, many Ulans gathered around them to watch. One of them stepped forward and addressed Lord Aenead “Deeply respected elder I would like to ask for your permission to carry you on the wind till we reach your final destination.” “What do you mean on the wind?” “The same way we brought you here, on the wind.” Aenead turned back to consult with his officers. On Lillium’s insisting they agreed, despite most of them were not quite happy with that solution. Wind Wizard added “You will travel a lot faster this way, especially if you order your animals to hover in the wind.” “We can do that.” Wind Wizards walked to Brigs gently patting them. Leader of Wind Wizards came to Lillium “I was told you are curious about our magic.” “Yes that’s true.” “Then we will show you, my name is Galatu.” “I am Lillium, nice to meet you.” He turned to Lord Aenead asking him to order soldiers to enter clan houses, to avoid any risk of injuries. Soon Ulans were in clan houses ready for departure. Only Lillium climbed the side chamber of her clan house watching what Wind Wizards were doing. Firstly they gathered in a circle drinking some beverage from glued leafs container. Actually when she looked better she saw some of them are drinking and some of them are not. Those who were drinking fell in some kind of trance shortly afterwards. Their friends who were still awake were catching them before they would fall down and hurt themselves, and gently lowered them on the ground, making sure they won’t get hurt. After that they made a kind of pillows of the dried grass rolled up in balls, positioning it under the heads of their sleeping friends. They stood there watching over the sleepers. Their only role was to prevent their friends from getting hurt. Air above sleepers start to flicker and move, moving was faster and faster till shadows materialized above them moving and changing shapes rapidly. Surprised Lillium watched with her mouths open. Shadows changed their shapes till she could easily recognize the shapes of big translucent white birds. Shape shifting stopped, exchanged by mass and color gaining till birds became totally materialized. They had long, crescent shaped, orange beaks. These birds were circling above Wind Wizards, slowly increasing their altitude. Higher they were getting, wind synchronized with a movement of their wings was stronger. Heavy dark clouds were gathering from all sides and rain was gaining in strength till it poured like cats and dogs. Thunders cut the skies in blinding light one after another with almost no pause between loud explosions. Clan house captains deployed copper antennas again. Electrit was gathering more electricity. Wild storm was breaking trees outside. Then it picked up clan houses, carrying them around like feathers. In a single swing it threw them in twister surrounding Hul Term. And twister moved away and opened a path for them, path that was leading out. Their journey was finally continuing, in a speed of a wind that was carrying them, they were moving toward a Land of Moving Hills. Retrieving herself from wonder and surprise inducted by magic she saw, she was actually sad for leaving Hull Term. In this city she had met a lot of people. Some of them became her friends. Lot of things happened here, and lots of memories were irreversibly written in her heart. Especially that one thing with Schnew… She knew he is wrong for her… He was not exactly her idea of a good catch, actually just the opposite he had big “stay away” stamp all over him. But whenever she would consider an idea to gently dump him, her heart ached with such intensity she was certain she would miss him, maybe even unbearably. She won’t think about that now, she can’t think about that, not yet. Her decision was to let the time solve her dilemma. Occasionally in the darkness of clouds above her, she would catch glimpses of white figures flying and commanding the storm.

Kisses on back side of her neck announced that time for solving her dilemma is over and that she needs to come up with a decision right now. It was Schnew kissing his way up to her lips. She gently pushed him away. “Wait…” “Why wait? Our lives won’t last forever.” “I need time to think about all that’s happened.” He smiled “Overthinking never brought any good to anyone.” She placed her hand on his cheek, looking into his eyes, trying to find right words to explain her ambiguous feelings for him, immediately she saw it was a mistake. But now she couldn’t turn her eyes away from his hypnotic gaze, there was determination and love and worry and rage at the same time in those eyes, mixed in big confusing storm threatening to swallow her up, and she couldn’t move. She actually had the urge to jump right into that storm. Finally he spoke up getting her out of the emotional state between fear and bliss “Are you really going to keep on torturing both of us? You are not a child anymore. You should know exactly what you want and what you don’t.” Now he was pressing a hand on her cheek, at the same time as her hand flabbily slipped off his face. “You should be able to recognize love.” She trembled “I don’t even believe in love, I mean I used to believe, but not anymore, not after all these years of disappointments.” “I don’t ask you to believe in love. Do you see this storm above us? She will be here even if you choose not to believe in it. I would ask you to believe in me, but I don’t exist anymore, not without you. So please believe in us.” Her lips were trembling: “I will.” She announced her surrender to the feelings by tightly hugging him and placing her head on his chests. She was ashamed for not being able to control herself, and a little afraid since her heart was going the way it wants, not even considering her opinion. But the feeling of being protected and comfortable on those broad manly chests was overwhelming. She was a little girl again, one with a need of protection and security. And he was giving it to her so she was perfectly happy. She wasn’t even missing independence and freedom she has lost. He picked up her head “If you have decided not to listen to what your heart has to say to you I would steal you, because without you in my arms I couldn’t bare another day. It would be better to be eaten by that terrible worm than living without you.” Subito and Miratur looked at them kissing and kissed to, love was everywhere in clan houses traveling toward the Land of Moving Hills.

Travel took few weeks. With every day temperature was dropping. Soon Lillium had to reverse back the stones of warmth she gave to every warrior and to make new ones for Hul Term mercenaries. Now when the stones of warmth were warming them cold of the Land of Moving Hills was tolerable. One morning they found themselves descending into snow blizzard. Snowflakes were wildly dancing, bouncing of clan houses, covering their roofs. They descended long time till they finally hit the ground. Wind Wizards landed them next to road dug out in the snow, which was so deep that in some places it reached nearly half of the clan house height. Lord Aenead sent scouts up and down the road to inform the inhabitants of their arrival. Warriors cut down nearby pine woods and made great fires. “We are in the lands of our forefathers. Hail Land of Moving Hills your children had come to defend you.” Lord Aenead had poetic moment. Others were too busy trying to warm themselves to share his enthusiasm.

Galatu leader of Wind Wizards, descended from the skies in the form of a white bird. He approached Lord Aenead “Honorable elder, you must excuse us now, war is not the place for our kind. We are going back to our land, to our sleeping human bodies. If you need us to transport you somewhere else, don’t hesitate to ask.” “No we are where we wanted to be. Thanks for your services, greet Hul Term in my name and in the name of my comrades.” Galatu flew to Lillium “Magic wielder farewell to you too. Let’s luck follow you on all of your journeys.” “Goodbye dear Galatu, let’s luck don’t forget about you either.” He landed next to her, pulling one feather out of his wing “Take this. If you are ever in need of a help just burn it and I will be there to help you.” He flew away the moment she took the feather. “Thanks again my friend.” Lillium whispered in the wind. Subito was hugging Miratur protecting her against cold wind and furious snow. Schnew came to Lillium and hugged her “I have someone to protect too, you are not the only one in love.” Subito flashed his tongue. They smiled, happy to have each other in this realm of snow and ice.

Before scouts could come back, group of native warriors approached Ulan camp. They have been in hooded robes made of bear fur. The robes were laced just below the chin in order to protect them from the blizzards and cold. On the stomach area was the pocket in the form of cylinder opened on both sides so they could put their hands in it. It seems they were intentionally shuddering animal hairs on their hoods making their heads look bigger. They were armed with spears made entirely of bones. Spears were slightly bent at the top, making a curve toward the tip.

tribesman

Other weapon they were using was a sword made of elk horn. Lillium was already in Land of Moving Hills before, so she explained to others, that these weapons are rather heavy since they fill it with the led. That way they make sure it won’t break under impact with metal weapons. She also added they also have small barbed led balls. Warriors from Land of Moving Hills could throw it really far, but they also use slings to hurl them. Guards took visitors to Lord Aenead. One of them stepped forward. It was an elderly man with a long gray beard and wrinkled face. One of his eyes was blue, other one brown. He had a strange accent pronouncing words long and slow and softening some voices “Greetings my name is Tortuil. I am commander of Luih tower and chief of Teresu tribe of Basteri kingdom. I am here to escort you to my tower.” Lillium explained “Since beginning of frequent raids of Lorantides, seven kingdoms of Land of Moving Hills made alliance. They had formed permanent congress below three heads of the mountain. Since all of Land of Moving Hills has been just the upper part of mountain gigantic in size. Lower parts of this mountain are under the fog. Around the congress hall, they built city made entirely of ice blocks, and named it Urusda. It is in place of traditional market place for all seven kingdoms, many roads lead to it already. New roads were built and old ones repaired. On every day of the walk they set defensive towers surrounded with strong fences. These towers are often next to ancient taverns built to receive travelers and traders. The towers are guarded by surrounding tribes.” Lord Aenead nodded to Lillium in sign of gratitude “We accept your invitation lead away.” He taped Tortuil on the shoulder.

They left a message for scouts that were still away and started the journey immediately. Scouts joined them shortly after that. Lord Aenead and his clan guards rode dogs down the road, Tortuil and his Basteri tribesmen were sitting behind them, sharing their dog mounts. Remaining soldiers were in clan houses hovering over them. Road they were riding on was not dug in the snow as they thought, instead it had stones of warmth in it. Those stones were melting the snow, thus making the road. Road itself was made of pebbles with wooden boards nested in the middle of it. Stones of warmth were embedded in wooden boards. Tower was not too far away from the place where they have landed. It was made of blocks carved in ice. The building was round in shape, same as the fence around her, made of the same material. There were not the doors in fence instead they used wooden ladders to climb in. Also the doors of the tower were elevated off the ground for length measuring three heights of a grown man. It also needed use of ladders to enter it. Clan houses landed around the tower fence.

Next to the tower was an old tavern dug in the snow. But all of Ulans couldn’t possibly fit in that small tavern, which was not more than few tables and one big stove. Really quickly great number of tribesmen gathered making improvised market stalls out of the snow and selling local beverages and meals. Also there was abundance of animal furs for cheap, and Ulans bought many to protect themselves against cold weather. They also bought wood, dried animal droppings and fat to make fires in clan houses. Natives were willing to give it all away as presents to ally army, but Lord Aenead forbid his soldiers to take anything for free. He was aware how hungry and cold must those tribesmen be due to the war. Even in peace they were often hungry. There were not many meals to choose from in this part of the world. For main meal porridge made of the wheat which they are growing during the short summers, with a piece of meat of some of the wild animals they hunt: wolf, wild swine, wild deer: roe and buck, hart and hind, elk, rain deer, rabbit, cony, squirrel, bear… For desert sweetened porridge made of wheat. For drink there was only local brandy made of pine cones mixed with wolf blood. Tribesmen believed wolf blood is giving bravery and strength. Disgusted Ulans refused to drink it and demanded pure brandy. Alma gave them a surprised look as she enjoyed her wolf blood brandy. She was also delighted with local variants of brass knuckles made of bear paws filled with the led. She bought two of them and was carrying one in each pocket from now on. Tortuil approached Lord Aenead “I will give one advice for your warriors: tell them to draw their swords out of sheaths and to tuck them behind the belt, or else they would freeze and will be impossible to draw them again till they are well heated above the fire.” “Thanks for the advice. I will send scouts to spread the word.” “Also don’t touch metal with bare hands or you will get nasty burns. Frozen metal bites in human flesh same as fire. Say can you do me a favor?” “Sure.” “Travelers on the road to the next tower were often attacked by Lorantides. I have a reason to believe there is a strong raider unit somewhere around. If I leave my tower I risk they would take it, and I can’t let them cut my communications with other towers. If I divide my unit and send one part against them, I could finish up really badly since I don’t know their numbers. You see where I am going with this?” “Sure we will dispose those raiders for you.” “Thanks, now I can retreat to my tower and finally have peaceful sleep. You will take care of at least some of my worries. Of course you should know that Lorantides are parasite attached to the base of the skull of the animal of human. So if you kill host you should immediately kill Lorantid too, since he won’t die when his host die. If you manage to capture them you should just kill the squid and save the host. Some of them won’t be more than ranting idiots, if the squid has spent too much time on them. But ones with stronger will and those who carry the squid for shorter periods have a good chance to retain their sanity.” He climbed over the fence and disappeared into the tower. That night Ulans haven’t slept, since they were admiring polar lights dancing in the skies. It was a fetun tower spectacle once more. For sure great opportunity to get drunk and eat some of those spirit mushrooms.

First thing in the morning they attached sleigh on the bottom of Lillium’s clan house and harnessed the dogs to pull it following previously developed plan. They were to go down the road while other clan houses were to follow them from the sky. Of course Lillium volunteered them for this task, and of course Schnew had complaints to make. Needless to say his complaints were in vain. Old Tortuil went out to say his goodbyes, he came to Lillium “Please one more thing, go to my cousin Thakha chief of tribe Byanki and reason with him, his rain deer flocks were attacked by refugees from the north and he is preparing to attack them. We don’t need to divide and fight each other now when the common enemy is upon us.” “We will do everything within our powers.” Schnew was there listening “More tasks, of course, why not?” Tortuil turned to him “I don’t have anybody else to turn for help. Man which is drowning holds on a straw in the hope it would save him.” Lillium was riding in front of dogs that were pulling the clan house. She was kind of scout riding few hundred steps forward, then back to her clan house. After a while they entered woods, trees were small and twisted in many grotesque forms. Lillium’s dog Sukenar, she named him after some old wizard whose name meant star’s companion, was nervously whimpering stepping through deep snow drifts. Often he would twist his head in an attempt to overthrow the reins. Nervousness from dog crossed on his mistress.

Sukenar

Her sixth sense worked at full speed, sensing danger every muscle in her body was tensed. Constantly she protruded her face out of fur hood exposing it to the hits of the blizzard that was raging in order to look into thicket cowered in snow around the road. Her skillful eyes haven’t noticed anything, but a curtain of snowflakes that were whipping her and fellow passengers added to her unrest. Chilled hand in glove transferred the sword from her belt to her lap, other hand was firmly holding on her staff. Icicles hanging of the hand on top of her staff released soft dinging sound as her dog was moving. Dogs that were behind her were frightened. Whimpering they were trying to hide under the clan house, but the hand of the coachman was forcing them to keep going forward. Subito and Miratur were sitting next to the coachman indulged in whispering and giggling, not noticing anything around them. Lillium was really annoyed with such behavior. Jolly laughter was coming out of the clan house. Schnew, Alma and others were gambling. And of course Schnew was wining, because he never played fair. Once Schnew took all of Alma’s possessions, even the clothes she was wearing. She was saved by Lillium who ordered Schnew to return everything he took forbidding them to play for real money. There was no point trying forbidding them gamble all together so she allowed them to gamble using small square iron plates, tribesmen used as change money. Such money had really small value and was called tvalkirig. Value of tvalkirig was often compared to the value of twig used for making the fire. Tribesmen excavated millions of tvalkirigs all over the Land of Moving Hills every year. Allegedly, those were deposits of iron, left behind ancient miners who were living on this mountain before the fog. Tribesmen had no other use of iron, than as change money. Blizzard was growing in strength. Lillium had problems to keep herself on the dog under the blasts of wind. Suddenly dogs that were pulling the clan house started to savagely bark. Subito and Miratur were not whispering any more, noise from the clan house was silenced, several heads protruded out exposing themselves to the strikes of the blizzard. Lillium stood upright on her dog, stabbing her staff in the snow and taking swords in both hands. Staff was useless anyway in these conditions, when crow couldn’t fly through the blizzard. Bird was spending her time inside of the clan house. Terrible roar erupted air, Sukenar reared and threw Lillium off. Then he moved a few hundred feet away stood there and watched what will happen next, while Lillium was trying to wriggle out of snowdrift she fell in. Some big creature stormed out from the thicket surrounding the road. It had an enormously big head, looking grotesque even on its gigantic body. Eyes were settled on the side of the rather flat skull, nostrils and mouths were big, but ears were really small and centered. It had really long tongue that was hanging from his mouths. Its skin was all in gathers like it had slipped into another creature’s skin, creature that was even bigger. Dogs harnessed to pull the clan house were jumping trying to break strings and escape, they only managed to dangerously tilt clan house. Creature walked over first two dogs breaking their bones with its column like legs. Its tail was really small and funny looking for such a big body. Snow was melting in touch with warm dog blood. Their eyes were becoming glass like, as they were dying. Creature hit the clan house with its head and clan house turned over. Cries of people captured within were coming from inside. Subito and Miratur rolled off clan house and fell into the snow close to the dead dogs. Creature was coming for them. Muffled growling and the terrible stench flooded them over from his opened mouths filled with square teeth that were indicating it feeds on plants. Subito grabbed his scythe from the snow and stood between beast and Miratur. Creature recoiled for a moment, but then made another charge, with the swift semicircular motion of his scythe Subito cut of creature’s leg tendons and meet its falling head at the point of his scythe. Creature was dead. Subito pulled out his sword and after searching for some time on the back of creature’s head, he finally found Lorantid “Finally we meet our enemy.” It was not more than twenty inches long, in color of the human brain and cylindrical in shape. Very simmilar to a squid, except for a human face. Many tentacles were coming out of lower part of his body. He used them to attach himself to his host and to control his nervous system.

Lorantid

Subito threw it in the snow and stepped on it. Crisp sound coming from it was rather pleasant to Subito’s ears. Some small dark shadows jumped out of the snow and covered Subito. In disbelief he determined he was attacked by squirrels. He cut a few of them in half before he fell in the snow. Terrible sound of cracking armor and ribs echoed in silence. Miratur screamed punching squirrel with her fist before she fainted seeing Subito’s blood red as a ruby in white snow. She was grabbed by Lillium’s hands before she fell on the ground, in the meanwhile sorceress managed to get out of snow. She hasn't tried to help her daughter, it would be a vaste of time. Instead she just left her to lie in the snow and attacked squirrels. She took hot suind she carried on her belt next to stones of warmth to keep him hot all the time and poured it all over Subito and squirrels. Squeaking in pain squirrels fell off. She had her fur cloak ready to drop it on them and wrapped it around entrapping them in it. Then she just simply burned it. She was already familiar with pack squirrels, but this big creature that Subito killed she didn’t know. It was probably some creature from the fog. Pack squirrels are white squirrels and are anatomically same as any other squirrel, but their behavior is significantly different. They gather in great packs from three hundred to five hundred squirrels, and attack animals sometimes even humans in order to eat them. It is considered squirrels behave this way due to harsh conditions and lack of food during the long winters in this land. They were lucky this time there was not a full pack of squirrels. She killed maybe sixty or seventy of them. Lillium dragged Subito to the clan house pressing torn pieces of her squirt on his wounds, and only then she woke up Miratur washing her face with snow “Press this on his wounds.” She was already next to the clan house helping those inside to open the doors and get out. They were interrupted in middle of it. Number of people was charging at them clad in robes wielding double bladed axes with handle long almost the size of the man and top stylized in the form of an owl whose wings were represented by the blades of the axe. Lillium instantly pulled the fetun stone out of purse hanging on her belt, which was the signal for Ulans above to come to help them. Miratur’s arrow released ear-piercing roar while reducing the number of the attackers by one. Warriors that were pulled out of the clan house spread in the battle line. Alma and Schnew greeted first attackers spilling their brains. Alma used her bear pawn brass knuckles to cut throat of one of them. Her eyes were shining, she was like a child with a new toy. She was so carried away one of attacker almost cut her in half. But Schnew met him with the sword catapulting his head several feet away. Lillium was throwing seed stones in the legs of the attackers, roots emerged out of snow entangling them, and making space between two formations thus giving time for Ulans to position better. Two of the attackers managed to evade roots and were waving axes above Lillium’s head. One fell under the impact of the arrow, other from knife Schnew threw. Sukenar had come back on whistle from his mistress, she jumped back on his backs and in flowing motion cut arm of one attacker sending him to scream rolling in the snow. At that moment hale of arrows from above hit attackers. Ulans were rolling down the ropes from clan house breaking last resistance of attackers. Those that were caught, after Lorantides attached to them were destructed, shared that they are Lumos, ancient nation who used to live in the fog north west of the Land of Moving Hills. They are immune to fog changing ability. Once when they were digging for btaris, they found Lorantides buried deep underground and had become their slaves ever since. They also mentioned that Lorantides are worshiping btari as deity. Lillium didn’t have time to be too detailed in her inquiries since she had to cure Subito, by binding herbs on his wounds. Ulans straightened up Lillium’s clan house and burned enemy bodies to departure toward next tower. Subito was in delirium. He was ranting and only word he was saying that could be understood was Miratur’s name.

***

In the Temple of Voice festive hall everything was covered with rock crystals. Bigger rock crystals were embedded in walls and ceiling and smaller ones were covering the floor. Rows of chairs for the audience were also richly decorated with rock crystals. Only one candle in the middle of the hall was enough to make whole room shine. Melessar could barely see the faces of people around him, but he had no difficulties to recognize Hremo and Red. Hremo tried to apologize to him, only answer he was able to give him was that it was not his fault, after that he had to turn his back and walk away. She has not spoken to him since that night, even if she was he wouldn’t know what to say to her anyway. All important people on the island were in this room including both kings. First to speak was High Priest. His speech was long and boring. He was trying not to listen to him, but annoying buzzing of the words and boredom were still there. Next was Hremo with an equally boring speech. And he knew his speech will also be boring, he actually envied baron who was sitting next to him who dozed off. He even snored softly, after long time smile danced on Melessar’s lips. His amusement was interrupted by the end of Hremo’s speech. He stood up walking to the small stage in front of the chairs. Climbing up, he thought “Let’s finish with this.” He was thanking to kings for support, to the High Priest, to his associates, to clan’s who gave him access to family portraits, to all who came here today. Then he explained the meaning of the symbols in old alphabet, and finally finished with a prayer from the Book of Voice:

“… Taking

Take and you shall be given.”

It was shortest one he could find. He couldn’t stand there any longer, in front of everybody, pretending that everything is all right. After that he had to endure banquet lasting long into the night. Suind was helpful. When it was finally over he walked toward his room quite light headed. In his bed voice in his head repeated countless times that she took not only his love but his joy also. There it was, his lifetime work was finished, his big discovery, and yet he felt no satisfaction. Jealousy was eating inside of him like a worm through the wood. He was hollow…