Abarta stepped behind Lord Befen and took a look at father and son. »I’ll come back later,« he whispered to the Administrator.
He nodded and accompanied him to the door. »Could you still tell Lord Reito about Adar’s illness? Even if he gets back on his feet soon, it will take a few days before he is operational again.«
Abarta nodded and gently hit Befen on the shoulder. »I will, my friend.«
After Abarta had left, Befen returned to the bedroom. He took a book from the shelf and sat down in an armchair. He regularly came to Adar and checked whether he was still stable. Atesch remained patiently by his father’s side all day. Adar lay motionless with his eyes closed on the bed for the whole time. He breathed calmly and evenly, but nothing changed in his condition. Befen hoped that it would be a good sign, and that body and mind would heal through sleep. Already for his son Adar had to get well again.
In the day, Lord Abarta passed by again. »We did not find Maioshan. I had the city searched by warriors and even sent a patrol to look for her in the area. Nothing. She seems to have swallowed off the face of the earth, and no one has seen her. Befen, the city gates were locked. The fire raged right in front of the city. The ground is entirely black until a stone’s throw away from the walls. Everything is burned. If she got there … then she became a victim of the flames. We must at least consider the possibility.« Lord Abarta seemed helpless. He couldn’t understand how she could have left the city.
Befen shook his head. »No, she certainly didn’t go through the gates. When we both took the warriors out, I saw them. She went back to the neighborhood with Adar. A short time later, all the gates were closed.«
How should they explain to Adar that she could not leave the city alive? Not in such a firestorm, which had raved for hours outside the city. Many had spent the night sleepless and eavesdropped fearfully on the crackling flames.
But Befen also wondered what had burned so terribly long before the city. The ground outside was a little overgrown — some bushes, grass, and boulders. Today everything there should be black and charred. Befen hadn’t seen it yet, but he believed Abarta and shuddered inside at the thought.
In the late afternoon, Lord Sors came by again. He held an old book in one hand and two bottles of a liquid tonic in the other. He placed them noisily on the table. Befen had rarely seen the healer so serious and furious. The nostrils trembled, and Sors held his lips pressed together with rage. It was hard for him to whisper with Befen. »Lord Befen, the truth about Maioshan,« he asked the Administrator quietly and with extreme irritation.
»What do you mean, the truth, Lord Sors? What truth? What’s the matter?« Befen seemed irritated. He did not understand what Sors was getting at. He held the book up in his hand and pounded the cover of the book with the index finger of the other hand.
»There was a rumor years ago, just before they got married. At that time, it was said that Maioshan was a magician. Is that true? Is there any truth to it?«
Befen suddenly became pale. He remembered the incident well.
But Sors seemed enormously displeased. »Answer me, by the Waves of the Wide Stream, is that true? Is she a magician?«
Hesitantly and with a fixed mine, Befen quietly asked: »How did you come up with this idea, Sors? Maioshan called herself a priestess.«
Sors pulled both eyebrows up and pressed the lips together again to a narrow line. He growled angrily and held the book to Befen like an accusation. »Is priestess another word for a magician? I must know. I spent the whole day in the library today. After a long search, I found this. I also studied the entire chapter. If the rumor of that time is right, we have a huge problem. Then he may die. And do you know what’s so wrong about that?« Befen denied shaking his head.
Sors hissed wildly and with sparkling eyes, but continued to force himself to speak quietly: »There’s nothing we can do about it! Are you listening to me at all? In this case, we are not able to help him. He could die under our hands, under my hands. There is no cure, no treatment.«
Befen noticed both the irritability and the helplessness in the healer’s voice, although he spoke only in a whisper all the time.
So Sors pressed the book into his hand and pointed to the bookmark in it. »Read for yourself. In summary, it says that the love between a male and a female magician can be fatal if she leaves him. It breaks his heart. He dies of it. It is called the Force of the First Night and binds the magician to the female by the first intercourse. There was also a time here when there were female magicians. Since we no longer know this phenomenon, everything is unknown to us. We lost the decisive knowledge for it. If I look at this situation here, only one conclusion remains: Maioshan was a magician! Am I right?«
Befen lowered his head silently.
»Befen, entrust me with what the situation is here, so that I can assess how dangerous it is,« asked Sors, giving in now. His anger seemed was caused by his sincere concern.
»She possessed magical powers,« Befen confessed without raising his gaze. »However, she did not call herself a magician but a priestess. Whereby the differences are not known to me. But the magic she practiced was not black, as with our women, she did not harm anyone. She came from a foreign country, and her magic was different. Our seekers could not even perceive it in her. Please remain silent about this, Lord Sors.«
Sors breathed deeply. »Maybe not only her magic is different, but also the effect on the warrior here. We must hope for it. She loved him and would never consciously do any harm to him,« he said, but seemed insecure. Silently he hoped so much. He stared at the still unconscious Adar. He slightly closed his eyes. He mumbled more about himself: »His will to live left him when Maioshan left him here. He just gave up the moment he realized it. This one time, we were able to hold him. But I doubt whether we will succeed for long.«
Disturbed, the healer turned to Befen. »He will die under our hands if we do not find anything for which he wants to live.«
»How is that supposed to happen?« asked Befen. »She is no longer in town! Lord Abarta has had almost every stone turned around.«
Sors nodded thoughtfully. »So that would be a problem for us. But luckily, there’s something else he loves, something he has to live for.« Sors pointed to Atesch with one hand. »I hope the love for his son is strong enough to keep him alive. We have to show him how much Atesch needs him, Befen. It would be a pity for the man.«
Befen’s gaze followed the gesture of the healer. Atesch embodied all her hope.
»He and only he is why Lord Adar will be ready to live. I know how idolatrously he loves the boy, and perhaps this love is enough to keep him alive. The pain of his loss may fade away at some point.«
A small spark of hope glowed in Befen’s eyes. He nodded understandingly. Atesch had instinctively done the only thing that could save his father and hadn’t left his side all day. The boy was the anchor of his father’s life. Befen was already surprised at his calm, as Atesch was otherwise a little whirlwind, always curious and constantly in motion.
Suddenly Sors flinched. Adar lay with open eyes on the bed and stared bluntly at the ceiling of the room.
Sors hurried over. »Adar, can you hear me?« he asked now at average volume. But Adar didn’t move. Atesch sits up to look on his father’s face. »Father, are you awake, father?«
He did not move. Then Atesch put his head on Adar’s chest again.
»Sleep peacefully, father. I stay and take care of you. I will protect you so that you can get well again.«
Befen had to smile when he heard the words of the little one. What a matter of course Atesch wanted to protect with. Befen leaned deeply over his friend and spoke softly but forcefully at him. »Adar, your son needs you. You are all he has left. He hasn’t left your side all day.«
Lord Sors sat down next to him on the edge of the bed and dripped a pipette into Adar’s mouth. Drop by drop.
Atesch raised his head. »What are you doing, Lord Sors?« he asked and watched the healer curiously.
»Your father is ill, and this is a medicine that hopefully helps him to recover.«
»Will he be better tomorrow?«
»I do not know, boyo. Your father has a disease that I do not know and have never treated before. But you can help him. If you sleep with him tonight, then he is not alone. That will undoubtedly help him to get well.
Atesch tilted his head and thought for a moment. »Then I do that and sleep with him today. Mother is not there, so there is enough room,« was the boy’s unobtrusive answer.
Befen turned to the child and held his arms towards him. »But first we two have dinner. Come with me. We’ll order a delicious meal now.«
Atesch rose. He stood in the middle of the bed and jumped into Befen’s arms with vigor. Befen caught him and carried him into the living room. There he rang for a servant.
»Atesch, what would you like to eat?« he asked.
He thought for a moment. »I don’t know. I prefer to eat the fruit bread with a little butter. May I have some? Mother always says that the fruit bread is healthier in the morning because it fills you up for so long. Or bread with egg, that’s also good,« he nodded eagerly.
»Do you drink warm milk, my little warrior?«
»Yes, but not too warm. Because then a skin forms on the milk. I don’t like it,« he explained to the Administrator, pulling his nose out.
He had to smile. »If a skin should form on it, we take it down. Agreed?«
Atesch nodded happily. Befen ordered everything the boy had wished for and also bread with egg. Besides a pot with herbal tea for himself and warm milk for Atesch. But it shouldn’t be too warm.
»Would you like to wait with your father? I’ll call you when dinner arrives.«
Instead of an answer, Atesch nodded and hurried over again.
Shortly afterward, Sors came into the living room. »He has now been given some refreshment potion. Here is a second bottle. You can give it to him in a few hours.«
»What does it look like? Is he feeling better?«
Lord Sors pressed his lips together and denied shaking his head. »I don’t know. I would be glad if he would wake up and talk to us, then I could better estimate how we can help him. His eyes are open, but he doesn’t respond to any speech.« Sors seemed thoughtful. »It is as if his spirit was not here with us at all. I have hope. He might hear what we are saying. The strengthening potion will preserve the body, but what is with the spirit I cannot say.« Sadly he shook his head. »Goodnight, Administrator.«
»Sleep well.«
While Lord Sors went to the door, it knocked, and the servant came with dinner.
»Atesch, come to me, our food is here.«
Quickly the boy came out of the room and climbed onto a chair. He ate with a healthy appetite. They weren’t quite finished yet when it knocked again. Befen opened the door with a magical impulse, and Lord Abarta entered.
»Good evening, you two,« he greeted them. »Befen?«
Lord Befen understood the unspoken question and barely shook his head. »No real improvement yet. He is currently stable, but Lord Sors could say nothing about his condition.«
Lord Abarta squatted next to Atesch, who pushed the last piece of bread with egg into his mouth. »What does it look like, young man, would you accompany me to the bathroom?«
»Oh, yes. Father always goes with me, but he can’t today. But maybe he will be well again tomorrow. What do you think, Lord Abarta?«
»Yes, possibly tomorrow, he will be healthy, and today we’ll go to the bathroom together.«
Atesch took the cup of milk in both hands and drank the last sip. Then he put the empty cup and plate back on the tray. Abarta smiled amusedly, nodded to Befen, and gave Atesch a hand.
Befen sat down in the armchair that stood next to Adar’s bed. He created a magical light for himself and opened the book on the page marked with the bookmark that Sors had given him. The chapter had the title The Power of the First Night. It explained why there was this dependence, why it was so essential to bind the male magician to the female magician and what effects it had on a man.
The male was the warrior, while the female was the healer. Since the warrior, following his nature, went through the world seeking battle, he had to be unstable. But if he spent one night with a healer, he was bound to her in love. The night with a healer forced the warrior to settle. So the urge to move far away was something quite natural that stopped when the warrior had found his mage of the First Night. The connection was necessary for the warrior to settle down and start a family.
Befen shook his head in disbelief. Yes, he knew this urge as well, but the magic of the women was dangerous, even deadly. He read and read. The chapter about the Force of the First Night explained the addiction, but there was no cure, except one of them would die. Death alone could break the spell of the First Night. The death of the healer would cause pain to the warrior, but then he was free again. That would mean that Adar would live if Maioshan were dead, he would die if she was still alive. But how did the magician feel, how did he know if the woman was still alive or dead when she was just gone?
After Befen had read the chapter, he put the book aside and pressed his face into his hands.
There it knocked. Befen rose sluggishly and went into the other room to open the door. Lord Abarta brought Atesch back, who immediately ran into his room. Abarta looked admiringly after him. »This boy is just so sweet. He almost feels when something is in trouble. Befen, what did Adar do to his son? His musculature is enormously well developed for a nearly five-year-old boy. He is sturdy and yet supple.«
Befen smiled. »Adar discovered his interest in fighting at an early age and showed him everything a child could learn at this age. The boy rides every horse without a saddle. He sits on the animals as if he had grown together with them. The animals love him and obey the slightest pressure of his thighs. During a hunt, to which they took me, he killed a rabbit with a bow and arrow. The rabbit did not sit still in the grass but ran. When Adar did some exercises with the baton in the park with me, he stood with his baton and imitated our movements. Atesch has an incredible interest in fighting. He will undoubtedly become an outstanding warrior.«
Abarta listened to him. Then Atesch came out of his room, dressed only in light cloth trousers. Abarta looked at the small, sinewy, and muscular upper body with admiration. Atesch pulled a blanket behind him, the end of which he had placed over a shoulder. With this blanket, he climbed into bed with his father and covered himself with it. He also tried to lay the blanket over Lord Adar. Befen stepped up and helped him.
»Atesch, I will sleep in an armchair in the living room. We leave the door a little open. If there’s anything, you can always wake me.«
»All right, Lord Befen. Goodnight,« the boy replied, yawning. Then he lay down and closed his eyes.
»Goodnight, boyo.« Befen let the light go out and left the room with a hand movement that seemed to be of minor importance.
Befen and Abarta sat down in the living room, and Befen quietly told him about the book. He handed it to Abarta.
»Read it yourself. I don’t think Maioshan knew either. She loved him so much. If she had known, she would never have left him. Why by the Waves did she disappear at all? I had to tell Lord Sors that she was a magician or priestess, by the way.«
»Very well. I’ll talk to Lord Sors and explain our motives. Befen, does Adar have anything other than wine here? I could use a stronger drink.«
»Yes, it says whiskey here. Would you like some of this?«
»That would be great,« he returned brittlely.
Befen gave both a rather large sip into the cups, checked for poison, and handed over a Lord Abarta.
»What will become of your plans if he doesn’t survive?« he asked almost casually as he accepted the cup.
Befen looked up in horror, and their eyes met. »I don’t even want to think about it.«
Abarta pulled up an eyebrow, took a sip. »But we should consider it. Who should we support then
? Who else could be in a position to lead our country? You had two names. If I remember correctly, were they Lord Reito and Lord Rory? Who do you think would be better suited?«
Befen went through his hair with one hand, »I don’t know,« he roared wildly. Desperation was written all over his face. »I did not expect such a development. I don’t even want to think about it. No, it may merely…«, then he breathed out violently. His eyes were dark with anger and helplessness. »Rory,« he hissed his opinion towards the Supreme Lord.
Abarta nodded in agreement. He turned the cup in his hand and thought for a long time. Hesitantly he looked at Befen again and took another sip of the whiskey. Should he tell the Administrator which possibility he was still considering himself? But until then, so much time would pass. He would not experience it himself, but Befen could steer him in this direction. Maybe first Rory and then …
»Or my life clock has to run another twenty or thirty years longer. To give you the necessary time to prepare Atesch,« he added quietly and very thoughtfully, looking into the cup.
Befen stared at him in amazement. »Do you think the boy would be…?«
»The son of Adar has a transparent and honest character. There is nothing false inside him. He also seems to be a born warrior. And only a warrior can survive the battles on the Square of Fire.«
While Abarta remained silent for a moment, Befen dropped into an armchair. »If Adar doesn’t survive, the boy needs a reference person, a foster father, who can support him in all areas. Who would you suggest for him if the worst were to happen?«
Befen’s gaze became darker and darker. He didn’t want to think of the worst of all possibilities, but Abarta’s considerations were justified. It was quite possible to lose the young lord here and now. Then Atesch was more or less an orphan. The mother was untraceable. No one knew where she was or if she was still alive.
»Yes, my lord. I must also look at this possibility. Even if everything in me resists it. But I will not give up on Adar yet. And if the worst should happen, then I will take over the task. In that case, I will be Atesch’s foster father. I owe that to my friend. I will not abandon his son. I will also be able to steer the boy better in the direction that our country needs.«
Ized- the Ancestors Page 18
