Chapter 63

Year 164 – Spring – Secundus Mensis – 44th day

East of the Zievira forest, South of Rock Eden

The Silver Lining had been marching for three hours when they settled their encampment on the forest's eastern border. Each of them had a gloomy sight and a strange silence was at work when Nelis threw his tea cup to the ground. Vatra crouched to pick it up and passed her hand on his back.

Nelis – “I’ll go save her.”

Owen – “We all want to, but how do you intend to face an army? And that’s if she isn’t dead yet.”

Nelis – “But what if she isn’t? You want her to suffer for days in the hands of this monster? If any of us were there, she would have come.”

Jurren – “She would not want us all to die like that.”

Nelis – “You don’t have to come; I’ll go alone if needed.”

Jurren – “If you go, I’ll go, but I want you to know I’m against it.”

Nelis – “You own her your life.”

Jurren – “And she told me to protect you. If I let you go there, I would fail her.”

Vatra – “If you want to go, then I’ll come with you.”

Nelis – “No, not you.”

Vatra – “Am I not worthy enough? If you go there and die and left me alone I . . . I would . . . Is my love not enough?”

Nelis – “I BROKE HER HEART BY LOVING YOU! AND YOU WANT ME TO LET HER DIE? SHE’S BEEN MY CLOSEST FRIEND FOR MY ENTIRE LIFE!”

Tears were blurring Vatra’s sight as they filled her eyes.

Vatra – “Must you broke mine in return to feel at peace with yourself?”

Nelis – “I’m sorry . . .”

Vatra remained silent.

Nelis – “I don’t know what to do . . . I feel lost. Shred apart by my guilt.”

Jowrik – “That Atilos, he said he would make her death long and painful. I doubt he will kill her today or tomorrow. During the siege of Avem, the prisoners starved for days as they were crucified. If we want to save her, we should take our time and prepare our plan. We can’t go there head-on.”

Aberfa – “We should sleep and talk about it tomorrow when our minds are cleared. They will expect us to try to come tonight. But as the day will pass, they will be less and less alert.”

Owen – “Aberfa’s right, Lanaya is strong. If these prisoners survived nearly six days of starving and agonizing, Lanaya can survive one night.”

Jurren – “We should prepare the tent; I’ll do the first watch.”

Nelis and Vatra then prepared their tent and lit a candle before placing it in a small lantern, and the two of them sat next to one another within their tent. Passing their hand behind their back, as the night’s veil covered the encampment, Nelis quenched the flames, and they went to sleep. Jurren was walking around the forest, and the small fire was slowly dying in the night. But that night, a red moon rose in the sky as Jurren woke Aberfa to continue the patrol.

An hour passed and another when Nelis felt a convulsion from Vatra. He opened his eyes and could barely see anything. Passing his hand around until he found a flower, he opened his evocation book, and whispered the runes. A dim light then began to glow from the flower. As he looked at Vatra, he noticed her veins were taken of the same curse as after the siege. She was sweating, and the dark stains filled her veins from her heart all the way to her left eyes. Nelis shook her up to wake her. As she opened her eyes, her iris seemed unable to focus, and it was as if she was barely conscious.

Her lips were moving, but no sound came out. Nelis raised Vatra’s back while whispering to her ear.

Nelis – “Hey! Vatra! Look at me!”

She slowly turned her head, but her sight was not looking at him. It was as if a fog was covering her mind. Vatra was awake, but she was still dreaming.

A voice was echoing in the shadows. It was the cry of a pained child. Her mind was dizzy, she was trying to see what was happening, but her sight was blurry. She heard the cry resonate in her head. Disoriented by strong tinnitus, she narrowed her eyes to focus on the thing moving in front of her. It was a wolf, and it was so close she could feel its breath. Frightened, she fell on her back and crawled backward. Fearing for her demise, she was breathing sporadically.

The wolf growled and swiftly closed the gap between them. Vatra tried to scream, but no sound came out. As she stared at the wolf, it felt like time had stopped. A deep silence had inhabited the night when suddenly, like the wind furrowing the river, a voice came to her. It was a low guttural voice, echoing through her mind in a tongue she had never heard of, yet could understand the words as if they were her own.

The voice – “Release your anger, cursed one. Awaken through your trial.”

A man with a large mask was chopping the head of many prisoners. Her muscles tensed up, and an urge overtook her mind. She knew them. They were people she cared for. When the last head had fallen, the executioner pulled off his mask, releasing a flame so bright it blinded her. As her eyes were adapting to the light, she began to see the wolf again. It was looking at her. The wolf’s mouth was so close she could feel its moistened breath, and Vatra’s hand was moving slowly when she felt the handle of her blade. Blood was rushing to her head, and she felt a vigor regaining her. Gripping her blade, she grabbed the wolf by the shoulder and pulled it toward her as she pulled her blade off its scabbard before piercing the wolf with her sword.

The wolf was still alive, yet it wasn’t defending itself. It was looking at her with eyes filled in sorrow. Looking through the wolf eyes, she recognised a familiar sight, yet as she tried to picture who, a tremendous pain reached her mind, making her drop her blade before grabbing her head. It was as if a part of her mind was dying when a soft balm reached her lips. Like a gift from the god, she felt a warm light clearing her mind and easing her pain. The blur of her sight was fading, and her vision came back, yet the sight she saw made her entire soul shiver. She was breathing sporadically, and her hands were shaking as she couldn’t accept the truth.

Nelis – “You’re awake?”

Nelis smiled at her, yet his skin was pale, and sweat covered his forehead.

Vatra – “What have I done?! I’m a monster!”

Nelis – “No. Don’t blame yourself.”

Tears were flowing down her cheeks like a river of torment.

Vatra – “But . . . I . . . I pierced your heart . . .”

Nelis – “No . . . That thing within you did . . . I don’t know what it is, but it isn’t you.”

Vatra – “I don’t want you to die!”

Nelis – “I know. I love you, and I will love you forever, but now listen to me before I leave this world . . . No one aside from me and Lanaya knew about your curse. They will believe you killed me intentionally. You must leave.”

Vatra – “I can’t let you die!”

His voice was slowly fading, and whispers were getting quieter.

Nelis – “I will join Lanaya in the afterlife. You can’t stay here.”

Vatra – “Where will I go?”

Nelis – “You remember that island?”

Vatra – “The one with the library?”

Nelis – “Yes, Madinat Almudun. You might find answers there . . .”

Vatra – “Stay with me!”

Nelis passed his hand near her cheek and moved her sweaty hair behind her ears.

Nelis – “Now . . . Before I die . . . Give me one last kiss. I wish to feel the warmth of your love one last time.”

Filled with shivers, regrets, sorrow, and anger, she reached his lips and forced herself to give him a long kiss filled with love and care, but as she kissed him, his lips stopped moving. It was as if she gave him a kiss of death. Her hands and arms shook out of pain. She wanted to cry her soul out and scream her pain away, but she couldn’t risk waking anyone, so she repressed her feelings within her. She felt a tremendous pain at the back of her head as she slowly laid Nelis down. He seemed at peace, yet his clothes were drenched in blood.

Vatra moved his hair away from his forehead and kissed his lips once again, but they were stiff, and none of it quenched her pain. She slowly pulled her sword out of his chest and turned it toward her as blood dripped from her blade's edge. Her arms were shaking, but she held the sword with a firm grip, and she raised her hand forward. She wanted to pierce her own heart and die by his side, but her arms refused to move. She ground her teeth, and breathed heavily as she tried to act, but her arms were shaking, immovable until the pain was too severe and made her drop her blade.

Silently crying in the night, she was sobbing and passed her arms behind Nelis’s shoulder as she hugged his corpse with all her might. Vatra could feel his blood drenching her cloths as she silently cried in his neck. A quarter of an hour later, Vatra’s mind felt empty as she looked at the enlightened flower. The night was silent, and everyone seemed to be sleeping.

I didn’t deserve you, Nelis! I should have never stayed with you . . . Even you couldn’t survive me! I should probably kill myself, but I can’t. I’m too weak to do it . . .

As she rose onto her knee, she looked at her bloody hands, and noticed a few dark lines on her left hand. She pulled her sleeves up and saw the veins were reaching all the way to her heart, climbing up her neck.

What? What happened to me . . .? So, it was you all along. I thought you were there to protect me. That night . . . You didn’t save me from drowning. You saved yourself! You think you’re safe because I don’t have the will to take my own life? Let me tell you! You just signed your death sentence. I’ll find a way to get rid of you! You won’t even get the joy to take me with you! I’ll get rid of you, and I’ll survive you!

Vatra wiped her tears and slightly opened to tent. A blood moon was bright in the sky. No one was awake and sole the amber of the fire remained, barely enlightening the center of the encampment.

Madinat Almudun . . . They’ll know. They’ll know your weakness!

She closed the opening of the tent again and looked around. She took Nelis’s books and placed them in her backpack. She took his medical pouch as well as his small remaining pouch of black powder. She took his purse, his bracer, his black power matchlock engine, his small boulder of melted iron, his light latchet crossbow, his quiver, his crossbow bolt, his wedding ring and all of his useful equipment.

She then packed all her equipment and wiped her blade on Nelis’s bag before storing it back in its scabbard. She geared up and carefully looked outside their tent. Everyone was still sleeping. She crouched and walked away into the night. As she reached about twenty feet out of the encampment, she heard Aberfa’s voice.

Aberfa – “Vatra? Is that you?”

She turned around and saw a silhouette about thirty feet from her.

Vatra – “I . . . I wanted to take a walk.”

Aberfa – “Do you want company?”

Vatra – “No! I mean . . . I appreciate the offer, but no, I don’t.”

Aberfa – “If you change your mind, I’ll be there.”

Vatra – “Thank you . . .”

She kept walking through the night toward the south, but never came back. After a quarter of an hour, Aberfa was getting worried, so she walked to Nelis tent to wake him up, but as she opened the tent, she saw a bloodbath and stepped backward.

Aberfa – “OWEN! JURREN! EVERYONE! WAKES UP!”

Hearing her scream, the whole band woke up with their blades, believing they were getting ambushed.

Jurren – “Where are they!”

Aberfa – “We aren’t under attack.”

Jurren – “Then why did you scream?”

Aberfa – “Nelis is dead! I think . . . Vatra killed him . . .”

Owen – “What?”

Jowrik – “What did you just say?”

Petra – “It doesn’t make any sense! What are you on about?”

Aberfa walked to the tent and opened it, revealing the dead corpse of Nelis.

Petra – “That fucking bitch!”

Jurren – “Where is she?”

Aberfa – “I didn’t know she had done it. She said she was just going for a walk.”

Jurren – “When did she leave and where did she go?”

Aberfa – “She went south about a quarter of an hour ago.”

Petra – “You let her go?!”

Aberfa – “I didn’t know about it!”

Jowrik – “I hate to say it, but she could be two miles from here if she ran. We won’t find her in the middle of the night.”

Petra – “So we just let her go?”

Jurren – “Everyone get torches.”

Using his sword, Jurren shredded long pieces of clothing off Nelis’s tent while Aberfa and the others gathered resin off the tree barks. Owen placed a pot on the fire. The flame had been quenched long ago, but the amber was still hot, heating a small iron pot. They tossed a large amount of resin into the pot and as Owen was steering the melting resin turned into black tar. One after the other, they dipped a thick broken branches into the hot resin and rolled a piece of shredded cloths around the resin to keep it from dripping away. As they were ready, Owen pulled the pot away and Jurren gave him a torch. They dipped their torches into the amber and a large flame bursted in a circle, gripping onto their torches.

Jurren – “It’s been half an hour. She’s carrying a lot of equipment. She might be two miles away. She could be hostile, stay in groups of two. The sunrise should be in six hours. Someone should have found her by then, so come back if you’re empty-handed.”

Each of them began to walk south through the large Zievira forest, and an hour later, they were so far from one another that they could barely see the glow of their torches between the trees.

Vatra was walking when she heard a piece of wood crack behind her. She turned around and saw a glow within the night about two hundred feet away. She looked and saw Leo and Tally. Vatra hastened her pace to stay away from the light, but her chainmail was making noise as she was walking. About twenty feet further, a gust of wind passed through the forest, and Vatra stopped, hoping not to make sound as the wind would carry it away. She looked at the warm glow behind her when she heard their voices.

Leo – “You heard that?”

Tally – “Heard what?”

Leo – “It came from there! Follow me!”

The glow was coming her way. Vatra ran, releasing even more noise through each step.

Leo – “SHE THERE! WE FOUND HER! VATRA!”

His voice resonated through the night and as Vatra was running, she slowed down.

I can’t run. They’ll all arrive, and I won’t outrun them. I have to get rid of them first . . . I’m sorry! But you don’t leave me the choice! Tally should be able to heal you . . .”

Vatra picked Nelis’s light latchet crossbow and pressed the crossbow on her belly as she grabbed the lever. She raised the lever, pushing the hook forward. As the latch hooked the rope, she pushed the lever down until she heard a click. She looked behind her, the light was coming her way. She could see them. Grabbing the iron bolt and setting it onto the crossbow, Vatra raised it and aimed at them. They were running and the shot wouldn’t be easy. She slowed her breathing and slowly moved to the side to align herself with Leo.

As they were running, the glow of their torches enlightened Vatra, she was pointing a crossbow at them. Tally and Leo pushed their legs and feet forward to stop their motion and run behind a tree, but as Leo’s leg were halting in a single motion, Vatra released her bolt onto his right leg, making him stumble to the ground. Not waiting for Tally to react, Vatra raised the lever, pushed the latched, hooked the rope and pushed the lever down before setting the second iron bolt and aiming back at Tally.

Tally – “DON’T SHOOT!”

Vatra – “Quiet!”

She aimed at Leo, who was about to scream.

Vatra – “If you make a sound, I’ll kill you.”

He was breathing heavily and glaring at her.

Tally – “Why? I thought we were friends!”

As their torches fell to the moistened ground, the light enlightened Vatra, revealing the dark steins of her veins on the left sight of her face.

Tally – “What happened . . . To you?”

Vatra – “I don’t fully know myself.”

Vatra looked at the horizon, more glow was coming their way. As Tally stepped forward, she raised her crossbow.

Vatra – “Don’t come near me!”

Tally – “Calm down. We can find a solution.”

As she moved again, Vatra pressed the trigger and shot an iron bolt into the side of Tally’s leg, making her fall on her knee in gruesome pain.

Vatra – “I’m sorry! But it’s to protect you from the wickedness within me.”

She stepped backward while looking at her crying friend and looked once more at the glowing light.

It’s about four hundred feet away, maybe less.

Vatra turned around and began to run through the night. A short while later, Owen and Aberfa reached them and as they saw their wounded friend, they ran to help them.

Owen – “Are you all right? Are you two all right?”

Leo – “I’ll survive. I think . . .”

Tally – “We’ll survive, but we need to get back to camp. I’ll need my plants and a few hands because I won’t have the strength to pull those bolts myself.”

Aberfa – “Where did she go?”

Leo pointed southeast.

Owen – “Don’t go there by yourself. She’s dangerous.”

Aberfa – “She’s dangerous because our light shows us away.”

She dropped her torch onto the moistened ground and ran in the forest. Holding her bow in her left hand, she ran in a straight line, finding her way between the branches and the slippery ground as if the daylight enlightened her. As she was running, she stopped and walked a few steps back. A tree branch was broken about six feet away. She passed her hand onto it. The tree sap was still fresh. The small trail was leading southwest. Aberfa began to run through that path when she heard a loud crack into the wood. It was about two hundred feet south. She pulled an arrow from her quiver and kept on running after Vatra.

When she finally saw her, she was about fifty feet behind, Aberfa raised her bow and pulled her arrow, but Vatra was running sideways. She lowered her bow and ran another thirty feet, aimed at Vatra again and released her arrow which flew right next to Vatra’s leg, shredding the leather of her boots. Vatra stepped to the side of a tree and looked behind, but there was no light aside from the dark red moon.

Vatra – “Aberfa! I know it’s you!”

A whistle cut the air, and as Vatra hid back behind the tree, another arrow flew right past her head, lightly cutting the side of her cheeks. As she felt her warm blood flow, Vatra felt a sharp cold grasp on her lungs. She could feel it flowing through her veins as it clouded her mind. Her sight was getting blurry once again, but as Vatra leaned on the tree to avoid stumbling on the ground, her breathing felt fresher as if she was breathing in more air. While her mind was cloudy, her sight became as clear as in daylight. She looked at Aberfa. She was thirty-five feet away and released another arrow toward her.

Swiftly, without any effort, Vatra dodged the arrow. The blood on her cheek then reached the edge of her lips, and as she barely tasted her own blood, she felt her blood boil as a tremendous anger reached her mind.

It’s happening again! Not this time! I won’t let you!

Vatra gasped in pain as she tried to restrain herself.

Aberfa – “I won’t let you run! It’s over, Vatra!”

Vatra – “Don’t come near me!”

As Aberfa got closer and as the gap went under twenty feet, Vatra reappeared in her line of sight. She was crouched and seemed in pain.

Leave me alone!

As Vatra looked her way, Aberfa released her arrow. Yet with the speed of a deer, Vatra leaned to the side, dodging the arrow. Aberfa tried to pull another arrow, but Vatra ran toward her. Aberfa was about to pull the string of her bow when Vatra struck her blade sideways, pushing the bow to the side and slashed Aberfa’s neck. Vatra’s hand were shaking as she looked straight in the eyes of Aberfa. While chocking in her own blood, Aberfa muttered.

Aberfa – “Mon . . . ster . . .”

Under the weight of her body, Aberfa fell to the ground. Vatra was standing there unable to move, frightened of herself.

No! Not again! It has to stop . . . I . . . I can’t . . . It’s . . . Leave me alone. Leave me alone! LEAVE ME ALONE!

Her arms were shaking, her anger left her body and a feeling of weakness reached her as she fell back on her knees. She had a cold sweat and as she looked at the corpse of Aberfa, her sight returned to normal, leaving her once again in the dark as tears filled her eyes once more.

Vatra – “I’m so sorry! I . . . I told you to stay away! I’m so sorry . . .”

Vatra stood up, stored her dirty blade back in her scabbard and ran away. About half an hour later, Jurren and the other ended up on Aberfa’s corps.

Jurren – “Jowrik, Radomil. Take her back to camp. The others follow me!”

Hours after hours, they searched for Vatra, but to no avail. As the sun rose, Vatra was still running south, hoping to escape her demise. As the sun pierced through and between the leaves of the forest, Vatra felt a scorching heat hitting her skin. She looked up and was blinded by the sunlight. Taken in panic, she stepped into the shadow of a tree and suddenly, the heat went away.

What was that!?

She quickly scanned her equipment to see if something was burning, yet everything was just fine.

I can’t stay here! I’ll find out later . . .

As she stepped into the sunlight again, she felt the same scorching heat against her skin. Pained by the heat, she retreated into the shadow.

What happened to me? I . . . No! I must run away. I need to hide!

Vatra then shredded a piece of cloth and made herself a scarf to cover her face before putting on the hood of her cloak. As she slowly stepped back into the sunlight, she didn’t feel the heat which previously struck her. Without waiting to rest, Vatra kept on running south.

Searching two more hours after sunrise, Jurren decided to go back to camp. The group walked for eight hours and reached the encampment in the afternoon. As they arrived, Owen’s eyes were red with tears as he stared at Aberfa’s corpse. Brys had prepare a meal, but no one was eating, and the meal was cooling down in the cooking pot. Tally and Leo had been healed and were resting, trying to recover.

Tally – “Did you find her?”

Jowrik looked at her and shook his head.

Jurren – “We’ll stay here tonight and leave tomorrow.”

Owen – “I won’t leave with you.”

Jurren – “I know it must be hard, but-”

Owen – “I loved her.”

Jurren – “I know.”

Owen – “I don’t want to smile with all of you as she’s rotting away . . .”

They looked at each other in silence.

Owen – “I’ll go to Bona-Fide. I’ll open an inn there, but I don’t want to travel with all of you . . . I want to start over.”

Owen began to cry so Jowrik walked to him and gave him a hug.

Jowrik – “We’ll come to visit you.”

Petra – “I don’t want to say it because it feels wrong, but . . . I think I agree with Owen.”

Jowrik – “You want to leave?”

Petra – “You and me. We could leave with Owen to Bona-Fide and take a boat.”

Jowrik – “To where?”

Petra – “Anywhere! I want to change life! I feel betrayed by Vatra, and we’ve lost Lanaya, Nelis, and Aberfa. I think Elgan was right when he left back in Almuharib.”

Jowrik – “I don’t know what to say.”

Petra – “Just tell me you’ll come with me!”

Jowrik – “I’ll never leave your side. I . . . I just don’t know what to think.”

Jurren – “Petra and Owen might be right.”

Tally – “You want the Silver Lining to end?”

Jurren – “No. But as we speak, while Nelis and Aberfa are dead, Lanaya might still be alive.”

Radomil – “You want us to fight a whole army?”

Jurren – “I don’t. It is a suicidal mission, and I don’t think any of you should come.”

Owen – “But you’ll go?”

Jurren – “I need to rest, but tomorrow, I’ll go.”

Jowrik – “What if she is already dead?”

Jurren – “Then I’ll either die or escape. If she’s alive, then we’ll head for Bona-Fide. There’s, we’ll see what we do.”

Petra – “You won’t ever change your mind on that, will you?”

Jurren – “I should have died on that beach. All the years I’ve spent with you were the best of my life, and I would be glad to see you all alive in a decade from now, but if I do, it will be by Lanaya’s side. That Atilos said he would take his time.”

Jowrik – “It’s been a day. By the time you reach there tomorrow, it will have been two days, and if she’s alive, you won’t be able to save her in the bright daylight.”

Jurren – “Lanaya is strong. She’ll survive the pain. As for you all, don’t wait for my return. If I escape, they’ll send scouts on my tail. I’ll have to hide during the day and walk at night, and chances are I will die. You should all leave. Tomorrow morning, leave and avoid the roads as the Union could believe you are a bunch of scouts. Go to South-Burry and claim you came from Livarnia. From there, you’ll be able to go wherever you wish. In the last year, each of us has earned a large sum of Utos. There’s no reason you couldn’t be able to buy yourself some well-deserved rest.”

Owen – “We’ll need to carry Tally and Leo. They won’t be able to walk.”

Leo – “I’ll be fine. All I’ll need is a sturdy branch.”

Tally – “Owen’s right. We’ll need someone to carry us to South-Burry. From there, we’ll be fine.”

Jowrik – “So tonight is our last day as the band of the Silver Lining?”

Jurren – “No. You’ll forever be part of that band, even if the band is no more.”

Later that day, they buried Nelis and Aberfa and ate a stew in silence. The next morning, Jurren woke up early and left for the north without saying a word. With him, he took the bare minimum in both supplies and equipment to travel back to South-Burry with Lanaya. Leaving his noisy armor as well as his tent, shovel and other unnecessary and cumbersome equipment’s, he was travelling north to the Zievira forest encampment of the Kalator. Looking around for Lanaya, he couldn’t find her. He then left for Rock Eden and reached it in the afternoon.

As he carefully advanced toward the Kalator encampment, he heard screams of pain. They were coming from some sort of fully closed wooden cage, blocking the sunlight. They were from Lanaya.

She was still alive, but the encampment was far too active for him to walk in. The night would be his friend. A few more hours passed and as the night was about to fall, hundreds of torches were lit. The army had fully left the mountain side and were now reassembling every good of value. They were on high alert and large patrol were walking around. A few hours into the night, they formed a large contingent and began to walk toward the Zievira encampment. Jurren was looking at Lanaya’s cage leaving with the contingent. For four hours, he followed the contingent to the north of the Zievira forest.

For the rest of the night, the army was far too active and Jurren stared at Lanaya’s cage, praying for her. The following day, Atilos entered Lanaya’s cage and for multiple hours, her scream reverberated across the land. Atilos left for a few hours in the early afternoon and came back for a few more hours in the evening. When Lanaya screams ended, the night was about to fall. Jurren was tired, but his senses were alert and his blood, boiling. When Atilos left the wooden cage, he was carrying Lanaya.

Jurren stared at her, unsure if she was dead when they left his sight. Without moving, he stood there, not wanting to accept what he had seen when he heard her scream again. Jurren moved to be able to see her. Hearing her scream, one after the other, when he saw the wooden cross rise. She was there, crucified, and it was as dreadful a sight as the sunset was beautiful in Jurren’s eyes. A small rain began to fall upon him. Jurren looked at the sky, and no storm was in sight. It was a single low cloud passing through the sky. Jurren stood there, waiting for the last ray of the horizon to leave, and let the night veil cover his presence.