“That beast. They saw it again near the valley,” she exhaled and rubbed the temples with her hands as if trying to relieve herself from inner tension.
I exchanged another look with Elcha. Frightened already, both of us.
“Ricka, from now on you are working within the valley only. No single step beyond. Got it?” Nargara raised an eyebrow impatiently.
I was so shocked with the news I could only nod my head fervently, “Gotcha.”
“Elcha, and you too! Pick herbs only on the inner slopes.” Elcha followed me nodding.
“Good, then. And another. You remember the ban on any magic, right?”
We nodded again, as if one.
“Perfect,” she lowered her voice and went on, “and please take that seriously. I don’t want any of our customers to learn that the Karun witch’s daughters are firesses. That would bring about too many questions. We don’t want our reputation stained.”
“Nor do we want it fried,” Elcha giggled.
I could barely strangle a laugh.
“Hey, girls, I need two sacks of Talker flowers today. The guards got a couple robbers, now want to make them sing, so they ordered a couple elixirs. Go get some on the east slope in the afternoon. Together. And once again – don’t even think of going beyond the valley! I mean it.”
“You mean it,” we echoed.
Then Nargara charged Elcha with a few more tasks, after which we quickly finished our breakfast and ran, each of us about her own business.
The morning time flew as we were up to the ears in fuss. I ran to Kold’s bakery taking him the booster for sourdough. It made yeasted dough rise instantly, while the baking turned out just great. Kold, as usual, stuffed my bag with a whole bunch of rolls and cinnamon buns saying I had to eat more given my kind of work. I was too thin, he added – all skin and bones. As for him, he definitely never limited himself with his own product, which you could easily see from his fat cheeks and a stout build.
After that, I went to the Meekle brothers’ brewery taking a similar booster for beer, where
they treated me to a bottle of delicious lemonade they were selling in their shop along with beer. Then I delivered all the four efils and headed home.
Elcha was sitting on the porch waiting for me.
“Ready? Got the bags?” I asked.
“Yes, here,” she waved two gray rags. “And I also took some meat pie.”
“And I got lemonade and fresh buns,” I bragged pointing at my bag.
“Well, then we don’t have to hurry back home, could stay till sunset,” she hit me cheerfully with her idea, which I accepted with a nod, and there we went.
Walking a little through the city’s snaking streets, and passing through the square and the market, we approached the eastern gate and moved along a dirty road heading out of the place. After a while, we turned to a familiar path, which ran up into the mountains.
I had to walk alongside with Elcha, which was very tiresome as I was used to moving fast, so now the habit backfired. It felt like we were crawling like a couple of old turtles and the entire thing was nothing but a waste of time. Patience was definitely not my strong point.
Elcha could notice my irritation immediately, so she tried to distract me with a talk. And she succeeded after a while, to be honest. She was really fond of chatting, and loved asking hundreds of questions even more. Just asking, I mean, never waiting for all the answers to come. And that day my sister was asking me about my training with Yoos. “Well, tell me, how you are doing there. Using the blades yet?” she chattered. “I’m dying to know! He must have shown you lots of his best tricks.”
“Well, not actually… To be honest, it’s all much more complicated than I expected…” I said and frowned a little as I began to tell her about the latest training session.
The conversation made the rest of the way not so long, so it seemed quite soon that we came out to the stony slope where we usually collected little grass called Pyris. People, though, nicknamed it Talker.
“Hey, you don’t have to worry. You are just starting it. You always manage to get everything right, I know you. And this will be no exception,” my sister tried to reassure me. And yes, I have to admit I was really disappointed with my military failures. Not that I expected much success right away, but waving the whip all day to never hit the aim… That was way too bad for me.
“It’s like with magic. At first I couldn’t even hold the light on my palm. And now, look here,” and her palm flashed with a clear little fire gleaming gold around. I whistled in surprise.
“Wow! When did you learn this?”
“Well, around a month ago, I guess. I just never show it at home so Nargara doesn’t know I can and I do play with fire. And also, look now,” and she threw a fiery arrow into a nearby stone cracking it immediately, after which Elcha stood, arms akimbo, looking at me with conscious superiority. “See now?”
“Well, Mammy will never be happy with this. Remember what she said this morning?”
“Oh, c’mon,” she waved her hand at me, “there is no single soul around! And no one can see us here! You know, sometimes I think she takes it too seriously. Had she let us practice it to the fullest, you would have mastered your flow control long ago, so we would not have to use things like blocking.”
I dropped my eyes. The thing was that my magic skills left much to be desired, or were even worse, to be exact. My stream was totally chaotic, and which was worse, I had no clue why
it acted so. Once I could not stir it at all, but then fire came out, and so strong, it could literally burn everything around. For me it never was dangerous, but for those around – deadly. I could burn them alive. Mammy got worried about that all after an incident long ago, when I almost burned one man. That old fool decided to give me a slap in the face for some sort of a prank, and I felt so insulted I suddenly burst into flames, scaring to death both myself and everyone around. We had to move once again to another place after that, and Nargara blocked my magic thus preventing me from getting into any big trouble. Can’t say I was too much disappointed, actually. Trying to use magic that will never obey you may cost too much, you know. I had my fast walking, and I could manage my speed perfectly, so that seemed more than enough for me.
Elcha, though, got a real itch to use that gift. Anytime! And despite the ban, she would polish her skills.
Meanwhile, talking all the time, we began collecting small Talker flowers stuffing them into the bags and tamping them down from time to time to fit more.
Once the bags were full to the top and tied firmly, we went down the slope to the mountain river, sat on the grass, took out supplies and started waiting for the sunset.
That long trip made our legs hurt incredibly, so we decided to put them into the fast stream running down the mountain, and were enjoying its coolness.
“I was just thinking the other day, why not practice some archery? I think I could ask Yoos to teach me. Think he would agree?”
“Well, at least you could try asking him,” I smiled, “if you really mean it, of course. But keep in mind that he is not going to be any softer on you just because you are a girl.”
“Oh, I’m very serious. And my sister is so cool! Really tough and awesome! And me? I am no worse, you know. I’ve already made up my mind!” she announced putting on some oh-I-am-so-totally-determined-now look, yet could not keep it for long and burst out laughing.
“Hey, you, with your mind made up! Just don’t shoot off somebody’s nose,” I said ironically and splashed water in her face.
Elcha closed her face with a sleeve, jumped to her feet and shouting something like “That’s what you are up to!” began to splash back. We were chasing each other along the river bank, splashing and squealing like two young kids. Then, all of a sudden, she slipped on a wet stone while I tried to grab her. Next instant, clinging to each other, we collapsed into the fast stream, which picked up its prey instantly carrying the two girls, both twisting and puddling, away from the place where they fell into its soft yet firm grip.
For some time the river was spinning us in its captivity, but then its strength and depth began to decrease gradually, as if offering us a chance to crawl out.
Drenched to the skin and freezing, we fell on the grass. We looked at each other and burst into a hearty laugh – we looked so stupid. Both dripping, hair tangled and stuck to the foreheads, like the tentacles of a red octopus.
Having had enough, I got up and looked around. The river had taken its riders to the other side of the mountain ledge and thrown into a small ravine.
“It took us out of the valley. Better be careful, remember what Nargara said today,” I warned Elcha looking the way we came from.
“Please, gimme a breath! We aren’t that far, just half an hour on foot. It’s about five minutes for you, over there,” she pointed putting a hand to her forehead and looking that way.
The Sun was about to set.
“Let’s dry our clothes first,” I decided, and, running lightning fast along the river, I gathered a large pile of branches.
“Get one of your fire arrows, that’s where we’ll see the use of it,” I added, throwing out the dry branches under our feet.
Elcha had a short wave of her hand, and fire, breaking off her palm, hit the pile embracing it instantly with its red tongues.
“Ta da!” my sister said ducking a curtsy. “Welcome! Contact me any time!”
We got closer to the fire and began drying our clothes, which did not take long as the fire emitted a lot of heat. My face must have been really sad as I shook out of the bag what once was the buns, now all soaked with water. But the sight of the bottle of lemonade, clean and intact, brought so much delight to our hearts that we finished it the same instant.
Elcha was rattling away telling something about Selena’s birthday they celebrated the day before; she was telling everything, never leaving out a minutest detail, making funny faces and gestures all the time. Then she started to talk about the strange couple she met as she was walking to pick Dartor, and about their conversation that she could not comprehend in full…
But I could not focus on her chit-chat, just had to listen half-ear, as I was still thinking about my nightmare. I didn’t like having that dream as it would inevitably leave some unpleasant impression on my heart, and that time it was growing into anxiety.
I took my eyes up to look at my sister. She was still talking.
“… and then he says to the woman something like ‘I will seal it, too. Just to be on the safe side.’ And also…”
“What seals do you mean?” I asked feeling that I had already lost grip of the story.
“Ricka, you haven’t been listening to me all this time!” she screamed. “There is someone casting spells in our valley, and we have no least idea!” she was indignant. “I’ll have to tell Mammy about….”
But I still could not focus on what she was saying as I got some strange, yet familiar, feeling crawling in my chest. I shook my head trying to see what was wrong, and next moment my hands, all by themselves, touched the daggers on my belt.
Silence… It was absolute silence around, disturbed only by a distant sound of water and Elcha’s chatter. The rest of the world seemed not to exist. I looked at my sister who was sitting on a large boulder and trying to shake sand out of her boots. My glance ran over her shoulder… And there I froze, seized with horror that made me forget how to breathe.
Right behind her, on a steep wall, pressing its claws into the stone, the beast was descending quietly, with its moving mane stretching the tentacles forward, its nostrils swelling large enough to draw in not just the air but all the stones around, and never blinking or moving its violently burning eyes off its prey.
Elcha cut her story and stared at me, bewildered – my face must have had too eloquent a palette of colors that were enough to get my feelings without a word.
“Run, Elcha, run!” I screamed pulling the blades out of the sheath and rushing to cover her. She immediately realized everything and, jumping off the boulder, tried to rush to the river, yet was definitely too slow against the monster. It jumped, too, and would have got her right there, but ran into my claw – I had released one of the chains a split second before.
The creature roared and fell onto the stones, while I quickly pulled the blade out still
wondering how I had managed it.
“There! Fast!” I pointed toward a small cleft between the rocks hoping the beast would prove too large to squeeze in.
I could hear stones rustling behind and then a growl followed, which was getting closer. I grabbed Elcha by the arm and ran pulling her along.
She is too slow, I realized with horror, but we have to make it, no choice, the only desperate thought was beating in my head.
As we reached the cleft, I pushed her thus both adding her some acceleration and attaching direction to her movement. She flew into the crevice like an arrow, and I turned around. The beast was running at breakneck pace yet came to a dead stop the second it saw me standing on the way, daggers in my hands. Now it was standing opposite, growling.
“What now, you stupid rubbish? Never seen anyone fighting you back?” I shouted. “Wanna try once again?”
It growled again, teeth bared, and I could hear real menace in it.
“There is a way here!” Elcha’s voice came from behind.
“Elcha, run as far as you can, don’t look back,” I shouted over my shoulder, never taking my eyes off the monster. That moment, on my right, with my side vision, I could notice some more movement. And as I turned my gaze I froze. Another beast was emerging slowly from the bushes, its eyes glued to me.
“And you?”
“I’ll catch up!” I said slowly, trying to keep my voice stable. And there I had a click in my mind, I won’t catch up with her, no way! I won’t even leave this place now. Ever!
“Ricka! You crazy! I’m not leaving you here!” she was not just panicking, I could hear she was nearly crying.
“Elcha, just leave!” I shouted at the top of my lungs still never taking my eyes off the beasts. “Leave now!”
I could hear quick sounds of two feet running over the stones and getting lost in the distance.
The monsters were grinning and growling, yet did not dare come any closer, just standing there with their tentacles stretching forth.
Only then I could see they were different. The one I already knew was black as ink, while the other one had a slightly whitish mane. But the pattern on their skins was the same.
I wished I had not left my bag behind, Nargara’s special action elixirs would come in handy indeed.
My heart was nearly jumping out of my mouth, but at the same time I felt some strange and frightening calmness inside. The main thing was to stretch the time thus giving Elcha a chance to go as far as possible.
“What now, you stupid mongrels? Got your tails between your legs?” I tried to stick a smile on my face, but I think even someone sentenced to the rope would have a happier smile before the execution. “Afraid of getting your miserable skins spoilt? Expected to get me on a silver platter, didn’t you? You, two ugly things! And you couldn’t get me last time, so now you brought help, right?” I asked the black beast stuffing my voice with as much sarcasm as I could.
They both let out a hoarse growl and began their advance.
And the next moment, the one with the whitish mane rushed forward.
I was so frightened I shot both claws, which left a dull sob behind as they entered the flesh. The beast bellowed with pain and collapsed onto the grass having jumped short of me. However, as it fell down, my chains remained under.
Here, Truvle! Really great! Tell me nobody can get me with this weapon. So it was neither Truvle’s work nor the lessons I learnt from Yoos that could help me anymore. I tried pulling the chains with all might, and pulled again, but all in vain. They chains stuck under the ugly carcass. Out of my eye’s corner I saw the other beast ready to jump, and despair seized me. I threw the handles and darted to the passage. Something cut through my shoulder, getting deep through both clothes and skin. I uttered a moan, my teeth still pressed tight.
And then suddenly I was blinded by a bright flash, and a disgusting howl nearly ruined my ears, followed with the smell of burning flesh. I yet took a few steps forward, stumbled upon something and tried to pull focus. It was Elcha – standing right in front of me, her face harder than stone, and her hand ablaze with fire.
“Have been dreaming so long of trying this!” she said as she gave a wolfish smile, and then a huge fireball jumped off her hand. The fist creature, which had my blades under it, was already up and rushing at us. Everything around seemed to be slowing down.
“Elcha!”
She turned around and let another spell at the beast, which was already halfway jumping. The ball got right into its disgusting jaws, throwing it back, and us – the opposite way.
I was quick to jump up and drag my sister to the cleft seeing that the black monster was once again on its feet, already shaking its head to come round.
“Oh, shit,” I couldn’t hold anger, “they are up again… We got to run now.”
We ran down the narrow crevice in the rocks, dodging between stones. The cleft was soon left behind and we jumped out of the other side of the cliff.
The Sun had already set, and twilight came. We ended up just a little way off the Karun valley, and now there was a huge green field stretching before us.
I knew the place. Local shepherds often brought cattle to graze here. A little left, there was the trade route, and further down it, was the Eagle’s Nest fortress.
“There,” I waved to the side where the city lights were flickering, and then turned to Elcha. She was standing there, staggering, all pale and her face fallen. I even thought for a second that she had grown several years older within just the last minutes.
“I read somewhere that combat magic drains your power. But I could never have expected the feeling to be such a nasty one,” she smiled tightly.
