Chapter 72

Year 163 – Fall – Sextus Mensis – 21st day

Avem, town of House Kalator, land of the Vale

The door was partly covered in snow. Using a small shovel, Nelis pushed the snow to each side of the door before pulling the handle. The wood creaked under the pressure. It was frozen and would end up breaking, had he kept pulling.

Nelis – “It’s stuck. We’ll have to enter through the window.”

Vatra – “Let me do it.”

Nelis – “If we pull too hard, the handle will break, and we’ll have another issue on our hands.”

Vatra – “Trust me and pass me your dagger.”

Nelis – “Sure . . .”

Nelis gave her his dagger and walked to the side, sceptical. Vatra pulled the door handle while looking at the corners.

Nelis – “See?”

Vatra glared at him before looking back at the door. Placing the tips of the dagger near the bottom right of the door, she grabbed the shovel and hammered it into the wood.

Nelis – “Not to be mean or anything, but what is this supposed to do?”

Vatra – “The two upper hinges aren’t frozen. Only the lower one is.”

Nelis – “Right . . .”

Vatra – “If I push the lower one off, the door will open.”

Nelis – “But the door will be broken.”

Vatra – “Two hinges are enough to hold a door. Besides, the hinge won’t be broken. We’ll just have to patch the hole and nail the hinge again.”

Vatra kept hammering the dagger a few times until the strident sound of metal reverberated. She then moved the dagger up and down to pull it out before opening the door.

Vatra – “See?”

Nelis – “Well, after you! I guess . . .”

The two of them entered the forge and opened a few windows from the inside before closing the door behind them. Dust was hovering through the few streams of daylight.

Vatra – “Has the Kalator not used it?”

Nelis – “It does seem that way. Anyhow, Egmond gave his approval to Lanaya, so we are free to use it.”

Vatra – “Thank you.”

Nelis – “What for?”

Vatra – “I . . . I feel at peace now. I know it might sound strange, but since my village was attacked by the Kalator, I felt like I never rested. I mean, I rested . . . obviously . . . but it wasn’t quite what I’d call resting.”

Nelis smiled and sat on a chair near the window. Vatra began looking around the forge. A few barrels in a corner were filled with coal. Above them was hanging a large bag of sawdust. Tens of hammers, tongs, and chisels were waiting on a large rack beside a pile of pig iron slugs and a wooden container filled with chunks of limestone. In the middle of the forge, near the anvil, was sitting a large blast furnace with a chimney leading above the roof. Vatra opened the furnace door and noticed some snow had found its way in.

Vatra – “It will take a while to get the forge ready. If you want to leave, you’re free to go.”

Nelis – “No, I’ll stay just in case. I don’t want your injury to worsen.”

Vatra – “As you wish.”

Nelis began playing his flute as Vatra kept looking around the forge until she found a few dry sticks of wood. She grabbed three and tossed them near the furnace. Using the shovel, she grabbed the snow from the furnace and threw it over the window.

Some charcoal . . . Some sawdust . . . No, it’s winter . . . More sawdust. Where did they place it . . . oh! There it is.

Nelis – “Do you want some help?”

Vatra – “I’m fine. You can keep playing. I enjoy it.”

Vatra grabbed a bow drill that was hanging on the wall. She crouched and stepped on one of the twigs to lock it in place. She then rolled the bow drill’s rope around the second stick before attaching it to the end of the bow. Vatra moved the bow drill back and forth while applying pressure at the top of the twigs until a smell of smoke rose in the air.

Almost there!

Rolling the stick faster and faster between the bow drills, a small ember appeared. Vatra grabbed some sawdust and sprinkled it above the ember while blowing lightly on it. The ember began to spread on the dust, so she added more to keep the fire going. Breaking the third stick in half, adding more sawdust, she saw the fire spring into motion. She pulled the bow drill away and broke the two initial twigs in half before adding them to the fire.

She shredded a large chunk of charcoal to pieces, adding small bits to the fire to maintain it until it was heavy enough to hold itself. Vatra then grabbed a metal shovel nearby and moved her small fire inside the furnace.

As she closed the furnace door, the warm light left the room. Vatra walked around the furnace and grabbed a lever attached to a large bellow made of thick leather. She slowly pulled it upward and heard the air fill in. Pushing it down, she felt a strong blast of air blow through the furnace, and flames came out of the stove. Vatra then closed the forge windows, leaving the room illuminated by the newly born fire.

Nelis’s melody was slowing down. He was amazed at the assiduity of her work. It felt so easy that he saw the years of expertise she had under her belt. She was no apprentice at her work. As the blasted flames enlightened the room, he saw her focused and heedful look and felt a strong heat emerging not from the forge, but from his very own heart.

Vatra opened a small trap near the top of the furnace. A stronger light was brightening the roof. She added three shovels of charcoal before closing it back. Vatra blasted the air again and again, using the levered bellows. After many blasts, she added more coal and blasted again.

For nearly two hours, she kept doing the same thing. The temperature inside the forge was slowly rising. Vatra wiped her forehead with her hand and pulled her mantle off before placing it on the table next to Nelis’s mantle.

Nelis – “Already taking a break?”

Vatra – “Says the one who stopped playing nearly an hour ago.”

Nelis – “Will you be able to use it today?”

Vatra – “Not for forging. I’ll preheat the forge tonight, and tomorrow morning, I’ll do the forging.”

Vatra then closed the few windows and grabbed a small bucket before walking outside. She filled it with snow, and using large padded gloves and a tong, she placed the bucket on the stove.

Vatra – “Did you bring some leaves?”

Nelis – “Probably, let me check.”

Nelis looked in his bag and pulled a small pouch filled with tea.

Nelis – “I have tea, but no cup.”

Vatra walked around the forge and found an old wooden cup lying on the ground. She blew on it and a cloud of dust made her sneeze.

Vatra – “I’ve got one. It’s a little dirty, but we’ve got too much water anyway.”

Nelis – “Good.”

As the water was boiling, Vatra grabbed the two gloves and the large tong. She pulled the iron bucket and poured half the boiling water over the wooden cup to clean it of dirt.

Nelis grabbed the cup on the ground and rubbed it on the table’s side to get rid of the remaining dirt. He held it from the tips and dipped it halfway into the hot water. As it was filled nearly two-thirds, he pulled it back up and added a few leaves before letting it rest on the table. Vatra joined him and sat on the other chair.

Nelis – “So . . .”

Vatra looked at him with curiosity.

Nelis – “Where will you go next year?”

Vatra – “What do you mean?”

Nelis – “Well, you asked me if you were free to leave, and I said yes. When we first met in the forest, you wanted to go south, didn’t you?”

Vatra – “Eh… I don’t know anymore . . . I guess it’s what I should do.”

Nelis – “I’m not trying to make you leave. If anything, I’d like you to stay. I’m just wondering . . .”

Vatra raised her eyebrow.

Vatra – “Really? You’d like me to stay? You don’t think I’m a burden? I certainly would think so if I were in your shoes.”

Nelis – “Maybe I should.”

Vatra grabbed the cup of tea and drank.

Nelis – “If you were a man, I’d agree, but healing a naked girl is certainly less boring than waiting for the whole day doing nothing.”

Vatra choked on her drink and laughed.

Vatra – “Don’t you get bored with it after a while? I mean, I’m certainly not the first one you’ve healed.”

Nelis – “You’re thinking about it the wrong way.”

Vatra – “And what way am I supposed to think of the way girls look?”

Nelis – “Think of a flower so beautiful you’d see it in your dream. One day, travelling the world, at the bottom of a meadow, next to a river shore, you see it. It’s there, at hand’s reach. It’s so fragile you’d wonder how it survived alone in the wild. You’d wish to admire it from dawn to dusk, but you have a duty. You’d wish to bring it with you as you leave, but you’re afraid of what it would become, away from its roots. So, you leave it behind, hoping to see it in your dreams one last time.”

Vatra – “That’s blatantly untrue. Maybe some people look at Lanaya that way, but most of us aren’t worthy of admiration.”

Nelis – “No, you’re right. I suppose I’ve been lucky in your case.”

Vatra – “You’re being too nice, but now I won’t need to be healed. So, why would you care if I stayed?”

Nelis – “We don’t have a blacksmith, and I guess I kind of enjoy your company.”

Vatra – “You enjoy my company?”

Nelis – “I enjoy the company of almost every member of our band.”

Vatra – “You don’t hang around with them like you do with me, though.”

Nelis – “I do with Lanaya and Jowrik.”

Vatra looked inside the forge. It had been forgotten in the dust, as if the toll of war had left no mark on its vicinity. Like she would open the door and nothing of it would have ever happened. Warmed by the heating foundry, she felt like it was home again.

Vatra – “Maybe I could stay for a while . . .”

Nelis – “Oh, that’s great.”

Vatra – “Good lord, that smile.”

Nelis – “What? It’s just a smile. You should try one day. It works wonders.”

Vatra then looked at him with a teasing smirk.

Vatra – “Oh, yeah, you’re right! I feel like a different person now.”

Nelis – “Whatever you say . . .”

Vatra – “Sorry, I didn’t mean to mock you.”

Nelis – “Don’t worry about it. I’m not the kind to care.”

Vatra – “So, you don’t just ‘kind of’ enjoy my company, do you?”

Nelis – “Well . . .”

Nelis took a sip of tea and breathed slowly.

Nelis – “Maybe a little more than kind of.”

Vatra – “A little? Like in a little more than the others’ company?”

Nelis – “Don’t put words in my mouth now, would you?”

Vatra – “Well, I guess I also like your company.”

Nelis – “Glad to hear it’s mutual.”

Vatra took the last sip of tea and got up.

Vatra – “Alright, time to work.”

Nelis – “Don’t overdo it.”

Vatra – “Or you’ll be forced to heal the flower again?”

Nelis – “I’m saying that for you.”

Vatra – “I feel like I’m hearing an old friend.”

Vatra shook her head and blasted the air again, using the bellow. For nearly an hour, she kept pushing the bellow and adding more charcoal. When the furnace was finally filled, she grabbed the cup and poured it into the water bucket.

Nelis – “You’re done for today?”

Vatra – “Yeah. I feel weak. It’s crazy. It’s not supposed to get me this tired.”

Nelis – “It’s normal. You haven’t moved for a while. It will come back, don’t worry.”

Vatra – “It better be the case.”

Taking their mantle and crossing the door, the two of them froze in place. The door was facing the north, and as they left the forge behind them, a strange light was covering the horizon. A light shade of green was hovering in the northern sky like the leaves of a summer tree.

Nelis – “I think the god sends their regards to the Vale.”

Vatra – “I remember seeing something similar when I was a child, but it was red and violet. I thought the sky was burning. Harald then told me they were god’s tears. I didn’t believe him. I knew he was just saying that to calm me down but . . . ha . . . It’s annoying how these memories come back like flashes.”

Nelis – “Aren’t they good memories?”

Vatra – “That’s why they are painful.”

Vatra shed a tear and grabbed Nelis’s hand.

Vatra – “Don’t mind it . . . I just . . . I feel lonely.”

Nelis – “I usually feel this way, but not tonight.”

Vatra – “Don’t you have Lanaya?”

Nelis – “Lanaya is . . . Well, don’t tell her what I’ll tell you.”

Vatra – “I won’t. I swear.”

Nelis – “You swear?”

Vatra – “On those I’ve lost.”

Nelis – “I feel like a dog in her company. I like her; I really do. But no matter what happens, I feel like there is an unreachable mile between her and the rest of us. I know what she is, and even if I didn’t, I would still feel unworthy.”

Vatra – “And since I used to be a slave, you feel worthy?”

Nelis – “That’s not what I meant. She has goals I could never bring to life. I would feel like I’m closing the doors of her dreams if she felt anything toward me. I don’t want her to break her dream for someone like me.”

Vatra – “Then why not settle with any other girl? You travelled so much; there’s no way you couldn’t find a partner.”

Nelis – “I’ve always been feral toward strangers. It might sound stupid, but . . . I see the same sight in your eyes.”

Vatra – “Our eyes aren’t alike. Even an old man who’s almost blind could tell my eyes are from the East.”

Nelis – “I know it’s stupid . . . It’s just that I feel that you look at a stranger with the same vigilance and fear as I do.”

Vatra – “I don’t look at strangers with fear but with doubt and apprehension.”

Nelis – “Isn’t that the same?”

Vatra – “No, it isn’t. Fear would make you look away.”

Nelis – “Maybe it’s just the northern light, but I feel like you’re different from any of those I’ve seen before . . . like there’s no filter between you whom I see and the you that you are. I might be wrong and it might be just a shade, but I so hope it not to be, as for the first time in ages . . . I feel like life has begun to smile at me.”

Upon hearing those words, a shiver went through her skin. It was like a wave crashing on the shore. The quiver scattered across her arm and for a brief instant, the warm ripple made her forget the cold of the night. Entwining her fingers between his, Vatra tightened her grip.

Nelis – “Couldn’t right now be a good memory in the future?”

Vatra – “Won’t any good memory be a poisoned chalice like the rest of them?”

Feeling her distress, Nelis looked at her. Carefully, he moved his hand under her chin and made her look back at him.

Nelis – “If that chalice is poisoned, then I’ll drink it with you.”

Vatra – “But what good would an eternal night bring?”

Nelis – “If the sun was not to rise tomorrow and the hopes of a blooming flower were flaking away, there’s nowhere else I’d wish to be, as only in the darkest of night . . . May the smallest kindle flames blaze brighter than the sun.”

It was as if time had stopped beneath the beauty of dusk. Nelis leaned toward her and kissed her on the lips. His skin was warm, but her lips felt cold. Nelis pulled back and looked at her again.

Nelis – “I’m sorry . . . I didn’t mean to scare you. I . . .”

Vatra – “I’m not scared of you, but of the thought of what I could lose, were I to love you . . .”

Nelis – “But what of the thought of what could be?”

They could feel each other’s breath, dampened and shivering, when the breeze of winter brought them back to the cold night.

Nelis – “I see . . . I should probably go then. It’s getting late, and the others might be searching for us.”

Nelis was about to turn around, but Vatra grabbed his hand firmly, passed her hand behind his back, and reached his lips with her own. She whispered.

Vatra – “This memory will be a good one.”

Under the northern light, they felt like they were alone in the world. Yet, lurking in the shadows, a pair of eyes filled with sorrow and pain was watching the two kindle their love from afar. The warm cup in her hand was pouring its tea in the snow, melting it in a yellowish tint. Tears were furrowing her cheeks, only to freeze on her chin. Her breath shook. She wanted to scream but couldn’t release a word. In a voice so weak the wind buried it, she whispered.

Lanaya – “So, this is what you’ve chosen.”

Filled with a void she couldn’t explain, Lanaya walked until she reached the wall. From there, she could see the crescent moon on the horizon. She was looking afar when she felt a presence nearby. She turned around, hoping, but only felt disdain.

Lanaya – “It’s you.”

Egmond – “You seem disappointed. Were you expecting someone?”

Lanaya – “Not you, to say the least. Since when have you been following me?”

Egmond – “I haven’t, I was just taking a walk on the wall.”

Lanaya – “Oh, really? A walk on the wall? In the middle of the night? During winter?”

Egmond – “It’s calm and quiet. Well, it usually is. Besides, tonight, the view is astonishing.”

Lanaya – “I suppose it is.”

Egmond – “On the other hand, I’ve never seen you up here.”

Lanaya – “I needed to be alone, but it seems to have failed.”

Egmond – “Indeed.”

Lanaya – “Are you going to just stand there? Aren’t you supposed to be walking?”

Egmond – “While you seem to despise me, and while I once looked down upon you, I don’t see you in such a light anymore. I’ll leave you alone, but know that I could offer you much more were you to agree to my proposal.”

Lanaya – “Not everything can be bought with gold, Egmond.”

Egmond – “I have much more to offer than gold. Good night, Lanaya.”