»Don’t misunderstand me. We will not give him up, Befen. You are right when you say that our country needs strong magicians. We will do everything we can to keep him alive. He must find his way back to life. Maybe he will succeed«. Abarta drank all the whiskey. »I suggest you go to the bathroom. I’ll stay here for a while and read the chapter.« He briefly lifted the book.
»Thank you, Abarta, that’s very kind of you. I don’t want to know him alone right now. I hurry.«
Abarta took a look into the book and pulled up an eyebrow. »Take your time, I’m busy here,« he murmured to himself.
Befen opened immediately. Sitting in warm water for a few minutes would certainly do him good.
Some magicians in the bath asked him about the condition of Lord Adar. Lord Aruno joined him.
»Good evening Lord Befen. Is Lord Adar feeling better again? What has happened? Has there been a fight? Was he wounded?«
Befen shook his head. »No battle, but it was scary. When I visited him, he suddenly collapsed without any reason. When I tracked him down, I could feel how life gave way to him. Currently, he is unconscious but stable. The healers have been able to strengthen him.«
Other lords had joined him and shook their heads in astonishment.
»How could this happen? Lord Adar, in particular, is a warrior with a lot of self-discipline,« Lord Mor pondered.
»It is also a mystery to the healers. That’s all I can tell you. But now excuse me, my lords.«
With this, he said goodbye and left the bathhouse. The water didn’t bring the longed-for relaxation, and the questions of the other magicians only worried him. When he arrived back in the rooms, Lord Abarta sat thoughtfully and paled in the armchair. It had been dark outside for some time. Abarta had only created a small magical light for reading that did not illuminate the whole room.
»Befen, I had no idea how dangerous love can be for a magician. The dependence we can get into is frightening. But considering how unstable warriors are, it was a sensible institution for them to become dependent on women to settle down. So the men concentrated all their strength on starting a family and protecting it.«
Befen nodded thoughtfully. Similar thoughts as Lord Abarta had already come to him. Also, he felt inside the desire to move out and to look for the fight, although he was already older. The warrior was always inspired by the desire to move out, to explore, and to conquer. Abarta rose, laid the book on the table, and nodded to him. »I’ll come back tomorrow morning, goodnight.«
»Goodnight, Supreme Lord.«
Abarta left him decidedly thoughtful.
Befen pushed two armchairs together near the bedroom and took a blanket from a cupboard. When he took a look at father and son, Atesch was already asleep - in Adar’s arms. Befen’s breath stopped. Adar had changed his position for the first time since Lord Sors had put him on the bed. With both arms, he held his son. The eyes were closed, and the breath went calmly and evenly. He seemed to be asleep. Befen breathed a sigh of relief but touched him to feel how he was doing. Everything seemed to be all right again. Both the breath and the heartbeat were even and healthy. That just had to be a good sign. Adar loved Atesch. The son was the anchor who could keep the father among the living.
A five-year-old boy was now their only hope!
Five - Agony of soul
Befen awakened by muffled noises. A barely audible sobbing came out of the bedroom. He was quickly at the open door.
Adar sat at the head end of the bed. He held the sleeping boy pressed against him with both hands and cried. Befen stepped up to the bed and sat down on the ledge.
Adar looked up with dark eyes. »Why, Befen? Why did she go away?«
He shook his head. »I don’t know, my friend. But your son needs you. He stayed with you all day yesterday, did not leave you alone. Only in the evening, he went to the bathhouse with Lord Abarta.«
Adar closed his eyes. »Yes, Atesch needs me,« he said rough and wanted to get up.
»No, my friend. Now you stay a little longer, and I get us breakfast for now. Do you have any wishes?«
Adar shook his head tiredly. »I am not hungry.« He didn’t care about anything, only his son, whom he pressed to himself, still counted. When Befen was back in the living room, Adar stood up, carefully laid Atesch back on the bed, and covered him up thoroughly. The boy should sleep a little longer. Then he dressed and followed Befen.
He shook his head reluctantly when he noticed him. »Why don’t you lie down and rest a bit,« he asked irritatedly.
»I only want to go to the bathroom. I have to … think,« Adar explained to the Administrator. »Besides, I’m on duty now.«
Befen knew that Adar had always gone to the bathroom when he had to think something over. There you were seldom alone, but those who sat in one of the seating niches were usually not disturbed. And so early in the morning, the bathroom was not visited much. Around this hour, there were usually only a few warriors who took advantage of the peace. Befen did it the same way. »You are released from service for today so that you can take your time,« he explained. »I’ll stay here with Atesch so that he won’t be alone and worries when he wakes up. But before that, please take this potion. It will strengthen you. Lord Sors brought it by.«
»Thank you, Befen,« Adar whispered, took the bottle, opened it, and drank without testing for poison.
»Can you manage alone?« Adar nodded silently and left. The administrator looked after him concerned.
Adar was happy to be alone in the bathroom at the time. That was one of the reasons why he always went there so early. He could think undisturbed.
Why did Maioshan think she was to blame for the fires? What made her believe the death of humans and magicians, and his father were her fault? Who was the Red she seemed so afraid of? He thought back to her conversation at the three rocks. Word for word, he let everything go through his mind again. She had left him her ring there. If golden streaks pulled through one of the rings, the Ringbearer was there. Then he was supposed to search for Emeishan and her. The ring would pulsate, and the Ringbearer couldn’t take it off his finger anymore. Only when the dragon united with magician … While Adar recalled everything Maioshan had told him, he looked at the ring. The jewel was black, clearly black. There was nowhere even a grain of gold. How would golden streaks ever move in a stone?
He was desperate. If only gold could finally be discovered in this jewel, if only he were the Ringbearer. Nothing could stop him, and he would follow her directly with the rings.
At the tendrils on the rock wall, the land could be entered. These tendrils had to be found somewhere. No, he could not leave Atesch alone. His son could not lose him as well.
When the first other bathers arrived, he left the bathhouse. Thoughtfully he returned to his rooms. There he had breakfast together with Befen and Atesch. While the two spoke, he remained silent. He felt no hunger. So he touched neither the bread in front of him, nor the tea in the cup. Befen watched him anxiously, but let him. A short time later, when Lord Sors brought over more bottles of a refreshing potion, he gave Adar one of them wordlessly. He took it, opened it, and drank it, again without checking for poison. Befen noticed it shaken.
Adar immediately resumed duty the next day. Befen had told him to rest, but the young warrior did not listen to him. He wanted to do his job rather than brood all day. The Administrator had offered to take care of Atesch in the residence when Adar was on duty.
Since there were plenty of servants working in the vast estate, Atesch was well occupied. Interested, he watched the people at work and otherwise moved like a whirlwind through the entire building.
Adar threw himself into work like a possessed man. After that, he spent every free minute with Atesch. Both practiced fighting with each other every day. Often they rode for hours into the woods beyond the city, which the fire had not yet reached. Atesch was pleased to spend so much time with his father. He put a lot of effort into the fighting exercises.
Befen, however, was
worried about Adar’s behavior. It almost seemed to him as if the father wanted to say goodbye to his son and give him some beautiful memories.
Adar became more and more silent over time. He seemed even more introverted than usual. He barely took part in conversations or discussions in the meetings and only replied if he was addressed directly. He used every opportunity to keep Atesch loving.
As the week drew to a close, tension rose in the city as a result of the imminent conflagration. Much of the human population get evacuated.
Adar volunteered to confront the unknown enemy with other warriors. Atesch was to spend the night with Lord Befen.
When Befen heard about it, he visited him during the duty. At the last conflagration, nobody had returned, and the Administrator worried about Atesch, who could lose both parents within a week.
»Adar, you will not participate in the mission,« he implored the friend.
»Like everyone else, I have a duty to our country,« Adar replied reluctantly. He turned away, wanted to leave since his ministry had ended in the meantime, and he had handed over to the next warrior shortly before.
At first, Befen stared speechlessly at him, caught himself again, and hurried after him. He grabbed him by the arm and stopped him: »Adar, wait! That is not the real reason. At the moment, you are only looking for a way to escape life. But with that, you sneak out of your obligation to Atesch,« he hurled outrageously at him.
Meanwhile, Adar whirled around, grabbed Befen’s shirt with both hands, and pulled him to himself. The men looked at each other with dark eyes. Adar bared his teeth and snarled threateningly. Befen also growled, holding his gaze, but did not move to allow Adar to catch himself. So they stared at each other. After some time, Adar managed to regain control. He calmed down. »It … It may be. Up to a certain point, it is so. But you don’t have to understand my behavior, Befen. For me, it is a clear sign if I survive the night of fire,« he hissed at his friend. »Precisely because no one came back last time, it will be a clear sign for me.«
He released his hands from him. »I cannot help it, Befen, I simply cannot. Forgive me.« Then he hurried away.
»I am not the one who has to forgive,« Befen grumbled after him.
The night of the fire was expected, and tension lay over the whole city.
And not only there.
The warriors, who would leave in the evening, walked the whole day through the quarter, restless and growling. They were ready to go into battle and die. Nobody dared to address one of them. Only Adar stood calmly and prudently in the yard for many hours and did not move. He watched the sky silently and smoothly, waiting for the dark clouds and the winds. It had always begun that way.
Then the miracle happened!
It was evening, but the winds did not come. Also, the dark clouds did not appear, which otherwise hunted over the sky, before the fire began. The bonfire did not appear!
Lord Befen and Lord Abarta, who wanted to accompany the warriors to the city wall, stood with the troop in the courtyard and stared at the sky in amazement. It became dark, and the weather remained calm. Not a single fire was seen all night.
During the next few hours, Adar wandered up and down in front of the assembly hall. He was ready for action. The further the night progressed, the more restless he became. Throughout the day, he had been the only warrior to be at peace himself. But now his behavior changed. While the other warriors calmed down more and more, he growled louder and louder. Snarling and growling, he separated from the others, and none of them dared to approach him.
Desperation grew in the young warrior. Maioshan had told him that these fires were moving across the land alone because of her. He had doubted it by the Waves of the Wide Stream. And now?
Adar wanted the fire, he needed it, because if it did not come, then everything Maioshan had told him would be true. If it did not happen, then she had been the cause of the disaster. Everything she had said had to be true.
Everything was true!
She had gone to protect his people, to save him and their little son from something dangerous - Something deadly, even for the magicians of Ized. But it would also mean that Maioshan was now in great danger. In terrible danger. He had promised to protect her always and against every threat. All these trains of thought were killing him.
In the following days, he was tormented by nightmares. More and more, he saw the many deep wounds in front of him with which he had found them at the source. His wife must have received them in a terrible fight, and he feared that another fight could kill her.
As everything remained quiet the following week, the magicians and the people breathed a hopeful sigh of relief. As suddenly as the winds, the dark clouds and the nights of fire had appeared, so unexpectedly, they seemed to have disappeared. No one could explain it, but everyone hoped it would stay that way.
Only Adar knew why the devastating fires did not take place.
Adar suffered terribly. Every new day was a burden for the young warrior. His son was the only one who occasionally elicited a timid smile from him. But even this smile no longer reached his eyes. Befen recognized it, even if his friend never said anything. Adar’s eyes remained dark, apathetic and dull, almost lifeless.
As his friend suffered silently, Befen worried more about him day after day. The young man became increasingly pale and lost much of his strength. The Administrator insisted every morning, when he brought Atesch by, to have breakfast together with father and son. That didn’t help either. Adar always ate and drank little. Often he even took only one herbal tea. He felt no hunger or thirst, and life seemed like a burden to him.
So a few weeks went by. Adar physically disintegrated, was only a shadow of himself. Lord Befen hardly knew how to help his friend. Even Lord Abarta was worried about the young warrior but was not able to give him any advice.
Mehit was visiting her parents with a magician for a few days. A healer lived in the village where Lord Abarta had sent her. He was several years older than the young woman but not as old as the men her parents had in mind for her. They got to know each other, and when he asked her if she wanted to marry him, she agreed. Now they had come to Farsie to discuss the wedding preparations with her family.
On a walk through the town, Mehit saw Adar with his son on the street and had passed him without saying hello. She pretended not to have noticed them at all. When she was visiting her grandfather, she couldn’t stop her curiosity and went on: »I see Lord Adar in town today, grandfather. He had a little boy by the hand. Does he have a visitor?«
»Little boy? You mean Atesch, his son. It wasn’t so long ago that his mother suddenly disappeared in the middle of one of the nights of fire. Since that time, he lives alone with the boy.«
»Lord Adar is already married? He is much too young for that. Who was the little boy’s mother? And why did she disappear?«
»You know her, Mehit. It was the stranger whom he found severely wounded. The woman who received care and hospitality from him. I had to send you away for your safety when you attacked her. Don’t you remember? They got married. Then she just disappeared without any warning. Nobody knows where she went. But we fear she died on the last night of the fire because the fires were outside the city wall. Many disappeared then. Warriors as well as humans. Even Lord Kairos, the father of Lord Adar, did not return home. It was a difficult time for the young man and now, all by himself with the little child, it is not easy either. Befen supports him wherever he can.«
When Adar picked Atesch up from the residence two days later and was about to go out the door with him, the boy suddenly stopped thoughtfully. He pulled his father’s sleeve and looked up at him. He tilted his head.
»Father, what are a slut and a whore? What do these words mean? Is mother a slut and a whore?«
Adar got big eyes and bared her teeth. The nostrils twitched with rage. His whole body was under tension.
Befen looked at the boy in horror. His mouth stood up, and he didn’t dare to breathe. Who had spoke
n such a monstrosity in the presence of the child? He noticed how much Adar had to control himself.
The warrior knelt on the ground before Atesch took him gently by the shoulders and gave him a forceful look. »Who said that about your mother, my son? Who spoke these words?« Adar asked gently. Much too gentle for a warrior who had just been insulted to the very depths of his soul.
Befen felt Adar’s ice-cold anger and excitement. He saw the savage, ruthless, of the warrior, take possession of Adar. Here knelt a man who was ready to go to war, who would destroy all that stood in his way.
The boy blinked. »That was Aunt Mehit.«
»When was that? When did she say that?« Adar gritted his teeth.
»This afternoon, when Lord Abarta was here. Lord Abarta and Lord Befen talked to each other, and Aunt Mehit played with me. So she said it. Then she laughed, and we continued playing. Father, what did Aunt Mehit mean by that?« Atesch looked at Lord Adar questioningly.
A shrill cry escaped Adar’s throat. He clenched his hands and hit both fists on the floor in front of his son. He had suddenly turned pale. Atesch involuntarily took a step back in front of his father. »Where is she?« he asked, growling with his fists on the floor.
Befen put a hand on Adar’s shoulder to calm him down. He should instead not have done that. While Adar jumped up, he hurled the Administrator right through the entrance hall.
Adar hissed at Atesch: »You stay here! Don’t move!« Then he turned around and quickly left the building to hurry to the residence of the Supreme Lord.
Ized- the Ancestors Page 19
