by Pedro Urvi
“Follow me in silence,” Ikai told her. “Step where I step. We’re risking our lives now, so be very careful.”
Liriana nodded. They went on for a couple of hours more, following the shore until they saw a solid round building by the river. The walls were made of rock painted gold, and the roofs were of silver-varnished wood. In front of the building a long, wide wooden pier ran into the great river. Several boats were moored there, swaying with the current. The two fugitives hid behind a fallen birch tree and watched in silence.
“That’s not one of the outposts of the Guard,” Liriana whispered.
“No, but it is one that belongs to the Enforcers of the Gods. They use it to check the passage of authorized vessels. There’s always an Eye and a dozen Executors posted here.”
“What’s the plan?” Liriana asked in another whisper. “How are we going to avoid them and cross?”
“There’s not much choice. We have to cross the Boundary, and although I can do it at any point, you can’t.” He indicated the Captain’s Ring with the Lion engraving.
She fixed her turquoise eyes on him. “You made a deal with Gedrel. You help me cross the Boundary and I’ll help you get to the Eternal City.”
“I don’t understand what you’re looking for there. Why do you want to go to the city of the Gods? There’s nothing for you there except slavery, death, or something even worse…”
“I have my reasons, just as you do. You’re not the only one who’s had loved ones taken from him. In any case, it’s not your business. You go through with your part of the deal, Hunter.”
Ikai did not like her tone. His concern for the young woman was genuine, not simply a trick to get rid of her.
“Are you sure you know where the Eternal City is?”
“You get me across and I’ll take you to it. Don’t worry, I’ll do my part.”
Ikai shook his head. He did not like the deal one bit, there was no guarantee. On the other hand, he had no choice. He had to reach Kyra before something irreparable happened to her, and Liriana was the only viable option at that moment. Nobody he had ever met knew the location of the divine city. It was a secret the Enforcers of the Gods kept very well. In fact nobody who had ever been there had come back to tell the tale. And when he thought about it he realized how critical Kyra’s situation was, and that he would never see her again if he did not get to her and rescue her. He felt an icy chill running down his back. He shivered and noticed the gooseflesh on his arms.
He pointed at the two Executors on watch duty under the light of a couple of torches. “Are you sure you want to go on? It’s desperately risky. I have no choice, I just have to rescue my sister. You can still turn around and save your life.”
Liriana glared at him, her eyes as piercing as darts. “You have your reasons and I have mine. The decision is made.”
“We have very few chances of getting across… the plan is crazy…”
“Is there any other point we could cross which would be less watched?”
Ikai shook his head. “Not that I know of. In all the time I’ve been with the Hunters I’ve only seen three spots where you can cross the Boundary, and the other two are much better guarded because they’re on land.”
“Then let’s go on,” Liriana said with conviction.
He sighed. “All right, then. Not a sound. Make sure your bow’s well strapped to your back, put your quiver in the satchel and tie it well. We’re going to get wet.”
Liriana understood. She nodded and made sure her gear was tightly strapped to her back. Very slowly Ikai dragged himself to the edge and went into the water. The river welcomed them with a wet and freezing embrace. He shook his body vigorously under the water to fight against the cold. He loved water, even though at that temperature it was torture. He was an excellent swimmer and had trained intensively with the Hunters. He glanced at his companion behind him. She should be just as good, as it was also part of training for the Guard.
They swam in silence, hidden by the night. He looked up at the sky. It was going to rain; the sky was densely cloudy. That played in their favor. They moved toward the pier without being seen. When he reached the outer end of the pier his Ring emitted a stinging buzz and his arm started to tremble. They were very near the Boundary. He plunged his arm in the water and the buzzing stopped. Liriana reached him, and her own Ring began to buzz alarmingly. Ikai seized her arm and pulled it under the water. They heard steps above their heads, on the pier.
They discovered us! he thought in alarm.
He hid as well as he could under the boards, with Liriana at his side, and they waited. His arm was now trembling uncontrollably; they were very close to the barrier. The steps became more numerous. At least half a dozen people were right above their heads. They’re searching for us!
Liriana looked at him, her eyes wide with fear. He put his finger to his lips. A flash hit the surface of the river. Ikai narrowed his eyes and searched with the water up to his nose. A transport ship was coming down the middle of the river. It was big, a cargo ship, and judging by how deeply-sunk the hull was, it carried something heavy. As it came close to the pier, he made out two rectangular sails and three rows of oars which drove the ship to the rhythm of a drum which now echoed in his ears. At the prow he saw an Eye-of-the-Gods, escorted by Executors. At once he filled his lungs with air, gave Liriana an urgent look and went under water. She did the same a moment later.
The ship went on with no indication that it was going to stop. It was heading downriver to cross the Boundary. This was exactly what Ikai was waiting for. Barely submerged, he watched the scene, holding his breath. The Eye on board the ship opened the book in his hands and began to send silver flashes towards the pier. Above his head Ikai saw the flashes being answered by others of the same intensity and color. The light coming from the ship met that from the pier and some kind of communication took place.
Suddenly a tremendous buzz assailed his ears. Everything around him began to tremble, as if an earthquake were beginning. The pier, the water, the river itself, seemed to writhe with convulsions. He had to resurface to breathe, and tried to control his body as it was shaken violently by the tremors. Liriana surfaced beside him with the water sliding down her ashen face.
There came a loud blast of golden light in the middle of the river, at the level of the pier. Ikai and Liriana turned towards the blinding light. A huge circle became visible, rising to the sky in the center of the river. Ikai dived and watched the lower part of the great golden circle, which cut the waters like a divine disc. The ship headed for the center of the phenomenon. Ikai surfaced, shook his head to get the water out of his face and hair, and whispered:
“They’ve opened a way through in the barrier. It’s now or never.”
He took a deep breath, motioning to Liriana to do the same. She understood and filled her lungs with the night air. He slipped under and with all the strength of his arms and legs swam towards the golden circle. Liriana followed him closely. He looked to his right and saw the hull of the big ship with the oars going in and out of the water. They were crossing the opening in the barrier.
We must hurry, or it’ll close before we make it.
He swam underwater with all the skill of an experienced Hunter. He reached the lower rim of the golden opening and checked that his Ring did not tremble. He hesitated. Crossing under water was extremely risky. If he lost consciousness he would drown. The ship moved forward beside him and pushed him to one side.
There’s no choice, it’s almost finished crossing. It’ll have to be now, or else the passage will close and we’ll lose our chance. Damn, we have to risk it!
He waited for Liriana to catch up with him, then looked her in the eye and grabbed her left wrist. He gazed at her for an instant: she floated gently in the deep, barely visible, part of her face and body bathed in that luminescence. Her life was now in his hands. It’ll work, it has to work! he said to encourage himself. He waited no more. He stretched out his left arm until it crosse
d the golden circle. He narrowed his eyes and waited anxiously to be hit by the noxious effects of the barrier.
Nothing happened. He stretched out Liriana’s arm now and waited an instant. Nothing. Free passage! he said joyfully to himself. He was about to cross when he noticed a long dark wake approaching them from the other side of the barrier. He hesitated. What on earth was this? Two huge golden eyes above a mouth with a viper-like tongue and two formidable fangs appeared before him. His blood froze at the sight of the long scaly silver body.
It was a water snake! A gigantic one! Fear overcame him so suddenly that he nearly opened his mouth to shout, and drown in the process. Then he remembered that animals did not go near the barrier, they drew back from it. He was wrong. That beast, which looked like something out of some drunken sailor’s nightmare, crossed the open passage and went straight for them. He realized with horror that it was the work of the Gods, that the water monster was there to keep watch. For a fraction of a moment he pondered what to do, then he acted. He pushed his body forward to attract the attention of the beast with powerful kicks, and Liriana followed him. Just before crossing the barrier he turned and went back. The snake attacked him. It closed its jaws and grazed his boot as he swam with all his might in the opposite direction. Liriana, with the momentum she had gained, crossed to the other side. She tried to turn back, but the barrier snapped shut behind her.
Ikai looked back and saw the ship and Liriana on the other side of the barrier. He knew it had closed. The beast, faster than he was himself, drew level with him and tried to coil itself around him. He reacted, brought out his dagger and stabbed the scaly body. The monster let go. It turned to face him, threatening him with its fangs. He had no air left in his lungs. If he emerged to breathe he would be discovered by the Executors. If he fought against the monster he would perish. And then he remembered his father’s advice: when all seems lost, do the unthinkable. And so he did. He swerved, avoiding the fangs which grazed his arm, then with his last strength and his lungs about to burst, headed straight for the barrier. The water snake followed him, trying to sink its fangs into his body.
Protect me, Oxatsi, dear Mother Sea.
He struck the barrier. Pain and convulsions hit him with the force of a tornado.
Water filled his lungs.
And he fainted.
Ikai woke up to feel someone beating on his chest.
“Come on! Come back to me!”
He recognized Lirana’s voice, but had no idea where he was or what had happened. A violent fit of gagging overcame him, and he vomited water.
“Breathe! Come on!”
He twisted onto his side and threw up all the water in his lungs and stomach in a series of violent heaves.
“Thanks to Girlai, our Father Moon!”
The image of the great water-snake came back to his mind, and the shock forced him to sit up.
“Easy, we’re safe,” Liriana reassured him.
He noticed they were among trees, not far from the river. “What happened?” he asked.
“You nearly drowned. You really scared me, but you saved us both from that horrible beast. I thought you wouldn’t make it. I’m thankful beyond words.”
“I managed to get across…”
“Yes, your Ring flashed and then you started convulsing as you were crossing, and you fainted. I had to bring you out. You were going down, and almost dragged both of us. It’s a miracle that we’re safe. I thought we were both going to drown, but I managed to push you up and we floated. The beast didn’t manage to cross, it got caught on the other side.”
“Thanks…”
“No, thank you and that head of yours. The trick worked. You think fast and well.”
Ikai tried to smile. His lungs and stomach ached terribly.
Liriana looked out toward the outpost of the Enforcers of the Gods.
“They haven’t seen us, but we’d better get going.”
We managed to cross. Ikai could hardly believe it. It was true that luck smiles on those who dare, or perhaps on fools, because what they had done had definitely been foolish. But they had done it. They went on for a few hours, putting distance between them and the outpost. Ikai did not feel they were being followed. Even so, he made use of his knowledge and took all kind of precautions, hiding the trail they left behind as much as he could. They camped in the woods, not far from the river.
“Thank you again,” Liriana said as she handed him a slice of cheese.
He smiled. “There’s nothing to be thankful for. A deal is a deal. I gave you my word, and I always keep it.”
“It was an excellent plan, except for the encounter with that nightmarish beast,” she said. She tilted her head and studied him carefully. He became aware of the scrutiny.
“A lucky improvisation, more like. We’ve been very lucky, that’s all.”
She shook her head. “Luck didn’t have much to do with all this. You had it all planned in that head of yours and in the end you improvised, daringly and coolly. Gedrel had already seen that in you.”
He shrugged. In his view, all he had done was opt for the most rational choice. Nothing more. They ate in silence, eyeing each other. Two fugitives measuring the partner their flight had imposed on them.
Liriana rubbed her hands together. The cool of the night was beginning to take its toll on their bodies. “It’s a shame we can’t light a fire,” she said.
“It’s not safe. They might see us.”
“The Enforces of the Gods? I don’t think they’re looking for us.”
Ikai cast a glance around. “No, not them. Out here, on the other side of the Boundary, there are very dangerous… creatures…”
Unconsciously he put his hand to his side. It had healed, but it was still sore.
“Creatures? You mean beasts like that giant water snake?”
Ikai sighed. “Yes, and worse.”
“Worse? I don’t follow, what’s out here? What are we up against?”
“I’ll tell you, then you’ll understand.”
Liriana put her satchel to one side to give him all her attention. He told her what had happened when he was wounded by the creature during the hunting mission, and showed her the wounds it had given him. He deliberately omitted the fugitives who had somehow managed to cross. He did not trust her well enough to reveal such crucial and dangerous information.
“It’s a frightening thing to happen,” she said, shaking her head.
“Let’s hope we don’t have to re-live it,” he said with a sigh. “But we must be ready to fight, it’s very dangerous being out here. The beasts aren’t used to humans, and they attack without warning. And I’m very much afraid there are some pretty strange things lurking about…”
“I’ll be ready, you’ve already scared me enough,” she said with a shy smile.
“Sorry, I didn’t mean to alarm you needlessly, but you have to understand that this side has nothing to do with what we’ve left behind. This is wild nature in all its glory, and some of the beasts of the woods and moors haven’t seen humans in more than a thousand years. I even believe some of these creatures have never been seen before, and it wouldn’t surprise me if the Gods had something to do with it all.”
“You really think so?”
“What attacked me wasn’t natural… nor was that water snake…”
“Then we’d better take all the precautions we can,” Liriana offered, and unsheathed her sword and dagger. “I’ll take the first watch.”
Ikai agreed, and they rested. Dawn came with a cool breeze, and they were soon ready to continue their march. He searched the area and found wild berries and edible plants for breakfast, which their stomachs were grateful for.
“Where to?” he asked Liriana as he let a few blades of grass fall through his fingers to determine the direction of the wind.
Her turquoise gaze scanned the waters. “We go downriver,” she said.
He found her vagueness unsettling. “Where are we heading for?” he asked.
“You’ll see when we get there,” she said without a glance at him in that curt, military tone he disliked so much.
Without waiting for a reply she set off. She stopped for a moment to look back at him. “It’s several days’ journey, so you’d better make up your mind. We don’t have time to argue.”
Ikai sighed deeply. At that particular moment he was glad he did not have his sister’s temperament. They went on following the river for days, like two explorers trying to find the mouth of that enormous blue snake. With each day of the journey the coolness between Hunter and Captain subsided, like a camp fire during the night, turning into embers by dawn. Ikai, making use of his skills as a Hunter, was in charge of finding food and scanning the area to make sure they did not stumble on any danger. Liriana set up camp, prepared the food and insisted on doing double watches to compensate for her poor skills in the field, something she had been forced to admit between gritted teeth.
The first days of their journey were quiet, until they came upon half a dozen gray wolves. Those wolves, much more aggressive and savage than any Ikai had ever encountered before, turned on them and attacked. They managed to repel them by climbing up an elm tree and shooting arrows from above. They managed to make the wolves run away after wounding a couple of them, but he was left with an unease in the pit of his stomach. Normal wolves would not have attacked them like that. Further ahead they saw a black bear in the distance, not close enough to pose any danger, but even so they hid immediately. The bear was huge, and he had another very bad feeling. Luckily they were upwind of it, and the beast did not discover them. No other incidents had followed.
On the other hand, Ikai was delighted with the unusual richness of the fauna and flora around them. He was fascinated. The wonderful landscape was covered with vivid growth: foliage, tree-trunks, ground, even rocks were lined with intense lush green. The wild fragrances were as exotic as they were vibrant. All his senses were overwhelmed by new and exciting sensations which bewitched him. Every day he found plants, berries and vegetation he had never before seen. Birds of lively colors and enormous size crossed the sky, and he could do nothing but gaze open-mouthed at that beauty. Most of the time he was not even carrying his bow at the ready, instead gazing around him, spellbound. Even Liriana, who was not such an avid lover of nature, was astonished at the exotic beauty they were encountering. He would have given anything to be able to stay and study that wonderful habitat, but he could not. They had to go on.
