Below the Peak (Sola)

by Juliet Lili

  The beating rain sent a cold shiver through her wet clothes to her bones. Big pools of puddle had already formed from the unceasing rain, and the water splashed under the plunge of Lucky’s hooves. Nara had no idea where she was heading, but she knew death wasn’t an option. A sudden, other two same looking ghostly creatures materialized each side and teamed with the other and chased her. She was surrounded from each corner. Her eyes searched frantically for an escape, and as she took a second too long to lose them, they charged at her.

  ***

  Chapter Twenty-one

  Barely escaping from their clutches, Nara dived front into the air, her legs restricted by fabrics of her heavy wet dress to land gracefully. Her back had hit a trunk of a tree before she fell under an archway of old mossy trees. The bad landing tore a painful grunt from her lungs. Pain speared her skull and her whole back. She blinked a few times. Her left hand throbbed. Her smallest finger was dislocated, it was the one sending the intense pulse through her entire hand. Biting her lower lip, teeth digging on the lip painful, Nara straightened her crooked finger. A painful moan rose in her chest, causing her to blink rapidly again. Lucky’s tormented cries had her lifting her mudded face from the ground and stare under the archway in horror as the wretched ghost creatures clawed and tore at Lucky ruthlessly. One of the shadow creature’s face widened to smoky jagged teeth and sank its boorish mouth on Lucky’s neck. Black wisps enclosed the head of the horse and rot its flesh. A soundless scream escaped her mouth at the savagery. Pain tore through her as unbearable sadness constricted her chest. Nara crawled and picked up the dagger lying in a puddle across her. She had to get going because soon the beasts would turn to her. She eyed the creatures once more to make certain they still haven’t seen her.

  Crap!

  One of them paused its feasting and sniffed the air for a moment. Nara stilled, noting its white wisps socket eyes searching the opposite direction then turned her way. It rose from its crouch.

  She knew when to run. And she did, ignoring the pain shooting up her legs. The fog was now everywhere save for the rain which was letting up to a drizzle. Not caring where she was running, she just ran. Surviving was all that mattered.

  Nara slammed into something solid, or perhaps it slammed into her. Either way, she was thankful it wasn’t one of the creatures, recalling when she had slashed one, her dagger passed through it as if she was jabbing air. Her relief was replaced by sharp panic when strong hands held arms and steadied her. She lifted her head and met smoldering features and familiar gray eyes peering at her intensely. “Did I not tell you to stay close to me?” Finn muttered.

  She was about to say something when a flapping cloak caught her attention. Nara turned, squinted and watched the prince leap from his ride into the air and landed with elegance and balance atop one of the mossy bent thick branch form the archway. He drew one arrow after the other from the quiver on his back and used a bow to shoot with precision at the creatures. A minute lapsed before the prince leapt down, mounted his horses and headed toward the creatures, the fog swallowing his form.

  “Climb on,” Finn told her, motioning for her to sit behind him on his royal horse. Nara hoisted herself up, and without another word, they followed the prince.

  “Thank you for coming back for me” she whispered after much deliberation, folding her hands between her thighs and the dagger resting on her lap.

  “You are welcome” Finn replied, softly.

  “However, you should really thank the prince. He is the one who just saved you” he added in the same tone as he halted beside the prince’s horse. Nara licked her lips, his words and actions causing a contradiction of what she has always considered them to be all these years and what they have just done for her.

  She glanced at the prince and found the same inscrutable expression he exercised on his face regularly. He had arrows in one of his hands, their points coated with dark red powder and rotten grime. She looked at the bodies lying on his feet. Her stomach blanched, and nausea noosed her throat. The bodies of what she supposed to be the ghostly creatures, were human corpses. Their rotten smell wafted around them, forcing her to breathe through her mouth. They look like some mutated abomination. As if someone replaced parts of their anatomy with other creatures, the hands with bones bird’s wings and mouth of a terrible beast with sharp teeth. Earth worms and maggots crawled from their decayed bones and chewed on their soiled and rotten flesh.

  Nara’s eyes shook as she stared at Lucky.

  Calemir watched as she brought her palm up and covered her mouth, and looked at the horse who no longer had flesh the whole upper part of its body, just its skull and ribcage shielding what’s left of its organs and whole heart. Rage burned within her gaze. Opening her mouth, she whispered soundlessly… Her mouth formed words like…she was counting.

  “We call them the cursed spirits,” Finn said solemnly, looking at the grisly display. “They consume the flesh of their prey leaving the heart for last with delusive attempts to walk the earth as they did once.”

  “9…7…21…” her face twisted tightly, her chin trembled as she counted more loudly… “1…2...3…” she shook her head and yelled, “DARN IT!”

  “They eat anything…” Finn paused mid-sentence, staring at the girl as if she had grown another pair of head. He also stopped stacking the arrows back in the quiver.

  The girl screamed and started kicking one of the corpses. She kept doing it over and over, screaming in rage and thrusting her boot into the corpses.

  What the… Finn glanced his way. “Hey…” Finn began gently. She wasn’t listening, her whole body began to tremble.

  Moving toward her, Calemir grabbed Nara’s arm and jerked her. “Look at me” he spoke softly. She tried to pull from his grip, her head shaking violently.

  “Be still!” he ordered grabbing her face with one hand and placing the other on her mouth to muffle her screams. He forced her to look at him.

  “Be calm and silent” Calemir commanded. Nara’s brown eyes widened, terrified.

  “If you don’t shut up, more of those will come” his eyes bored into hers, annoyance shinning in them. “It’s either you keep quiet, or we leave you here, got it?”

  Nara swallowed and breathed hard, nostrils flaring, the sharp breath warming the space between thumb and forefinger sat just below her nose. Calemir removed his hand from her mouth and held the sides of her face firmly. After a long second, his command sank in her head, past the rage, pain twisting and overwhelming her. He let the emotion slip from her to him until all she could feel were his warm hands on her face and the heat of him being close to her. She blinked tears and nodded her head lightly, her breathing slowing. I’m calm her body seemed to say.

  Calemir understood. He dropped his hands and stepped back, giving her the space she needed.

  Chapter Twenty-two

  Forod Kingdom

  Elloveben City.

  Calemir

  It was in the waking of dawn when they entered Elloveben. They climbed and descended a hill a quarter a mile away outer edge of the city. Through the mild darkness and vast mist, Nara beheld the beautiful city. It’s impenetrable walls and its high towers. The castle stood tall over all other buildings like a beacon. The Orange glow of the sun glided high over the mountains and cracked the early morning mist and basked the lush dewed grass and the entire city. It was an enchanting view that stole her breath. The morning chill pricked her skin, as her body trembled and teeth chattered. Nara clenched her teeth, wrapped her hands around her upper arms and with cold fingers, she rubbed some warmth to her chilled skin and bones. It was chilly here than back in Murisa. She rode with Finn and had taken a whole day for them to get out of the forest. She was beyond relieved they made it out alive. They crossed the arched bridge, the walls and entered the city. It was even more beautiful inside especially the small gardens and trees she spotted almost in every corner of the vicinity. Few elves strolled down the still quiet streets. The elves bowed and curtsied befo
re Calemir as they passed and stared at Nara in surprise and curiosity. Her stomach flipped with nerves. She felt like she was at an auction, her being the exotic creature for everyone to see. She hunched a little, forcing herself to ignore the eyes and stared at the back of prince’s head as he trotted and lead them. It was the palace’s vast square that made Vessener’s own look puny and insignificant. Here it was extensive and broad, built to assemble thousands of people and at the very center stairs that erected to a soaring statue. Nara lifted her head and stared in awe. The immortalized clean-cut sculpted elf stood tall with one foot in front of the other, spear in hand as if ready to leap and slay the unforeseen enemy. It exuded power and might.

  “Beautiful” Nara muttered under her breath in admiration.

  “Welcome to the house of Gwainor,” Finn said behind her with a broad smile. Nara turned her gaze to what was supposed to be an ordinary estate for the majesty, yet it was unlike any other castle she had ever seen. The palace had been built to a different design and structure, its several towers- dome shaped with spaced stoned pillars around far-flung floors and aisles of short stairs that connected to opposite wings. The various colored plants and trees from green, red and yellow to shades she had no name for grew on the ground and crawled over the columns making the dwelling more extravagant. The fortress was not left unguarded whatsoever, warriors dressed in sophisticated dark blood red armory with swords and crossbows watched zealously from high up the towering walls while others patrolled the grounds. Nara felt an unseen force surrounding the mighty fortress, making her more on edge and watchful than the deadly warriors. A queasy feeling settled in the pit of her stomach, her pulse thundered crazily, and her hands became clammy despite the morning chill as she willed herself to remain brave.

  Movement at the front caught her attention.

  An elf, strikingly tall and beautiful- garbed in an elegant lavender gown which its hem floated airily near the ground hastened toward them. The woman’s long hair-a shade of the darkest red was pinned delicately away from her luminous skin. She had a face of timeless beauty. She commanded attention without asking for it. She embodied the image of a goddess.

  The woman came short to where the prince stood. A stark intangible air surrounded her. The prince dismounted and approached the beautiful elf in short quick long strides, his brows pulled in. Finn and the lady elf saluted.

  Royalty perhaps? Nara pondered as she watched him speak to the woman in the elvish tongue. They exchanged words for a moment.

  The new elf looked past Calemir’s shoulders to where his horse remained, her eyes settling on the tightly tied water bags hanging on each side of the horse. She observed the other warriors until her gaze fell on the human who seemed to have had better days in her mortal life than she was now. Her golden eyes sent a shiver down Nara’s spine. She moved past Calemir to get a clear view of her. “Who is this you have brought with you?” she asked in Nyr.

  “She is lady Nara Jae Thani, your Majesty-” Calemir replied in Nyr, his eyes meeting Nara’s briefly.

  Nara tensed when she realized the beautiful elf was the queen of Forod. The queen studied her for a moment before turning back to her son. The prince said something dismissively in elvish at the queen which she sensed was about her. He unloaded the large water skin bag tied securely on the saddle. He carried it effortlessly on his back and headed toward the castle with the queen beside him. Nara watched Calemir leave with the queen by his side. Around her, it looked the rest took the queen and the prince’s departure as their dismissal since each one began to leave, lady Leena and lord Finn dismounted and headed for the stairs across where Calemir and the queen had just climbed and disappeared inside the heavily protected doors leaving her behind. She was suddenly aware of where she stood. Standing in the middle of the square like a target waiting for the archer to shoot the arrow straight to her head. She suddenly felt alone and nervous. A sense of loneliness warmed itself inside her and rivaled the coldish fever rubbing her bones. Not to mention her whole body felt heavy downright to her tongue. Her legs were numb and sore, her head ached as her shoulders shook from slight cold tremors wreaking her occasionally. In short, she felt sick. A lot has occurred in such a short time. She looked around aimlessly. She turned her he ad again to Finn and Leena. Finn was coming toward her. Over his shoulder, Lady Leena waited with a scowl. Nara straightened her shoulders, hiding the lonely feeling with a blank expression.

  “You must forgive us for our rudeness since it has been quite a journey,” Finn said, stopping in front of her. A trip it has been. She dared not recall the cursed spirits corpses and what they did to Lucky. Nara answered with a blank expression and watched how one corner of his lip tip upward. “As you saw, the prince has pressing matters to attend otherwise he would never leave his guest unattended.”

  Is this what she was, a guest?

  “Stay with me until he comes looking for you.” Nara hesitated for a minute. What gave him the reason she would want to stay with him? Seemingly to read her thoughts, he said. “You can come with me or choose to remain here and become a spectacle for everyone. I care less.” his friendly tone no longer there.

  The court had begun to get much brighter with the rising sun so were the five other non-guards walking the open floors of the towers.

  “I will follow you” for now, she gave in. She hoped ‘for now’ didn’t become the norm.

  Nara followed Finn’s lead as they strode to a set of concrete stairs that lead to one of the balconies. Her legs ached with every step she took, as though she was walking on fractured legs. She had little to no sleep the last few days. Her head felt heavy. She blinked continuously to keep her gritty eyes open. A faint tremor rippled through her. Her body gave an involuntary tremble, she stumbled. A firm hand wrapped around her upper arm, holding her steady. Looking up, she met Leena’s harsh glare.

  “Walk properly!” Leena clipped as she peeled her fingers away from her as if she had touched something disgusting. It was the first time the two ladies faced each other this close and lady Leena had spoken to her since their first encounter. Leena as Nara had come to know her name from hearing lord Finn call and encourage her in small conversations which resembled what someone might call friendly banters, had said little to no word on the road. In silence, she rode close to the prince as a protective and loyal warrior would beside his lord over the days. They crossed the wide-long spacious balcony, passing through a doorway which gave way to a lavish long hall. Nara’s eyes darted to the walls, taking in the elegantly carved drawings. The images told a story. Battle stories were elves war against orcs. An extinct race. A female coming down the hall had her taking her gaze from the tales to a lady who had been about her way but paused after seeing the three of them.

  “Lord Finn, Lady Leena you are back. I heard you were gone with prince Calemir,” The lady asked in the elvish language. Nara kept watchful on the woman as she walked toward them. The lady had long dark hair, and from the clothes she wore, Nara could tell she was dressed to impress others with her wealth. She also had a look Nara had seen on meddlesome ladies back in Murisa. The woman gasped on seeing her, her hand going to her chest as though to calm her racing heart. “Edan!” the she-elf shouted, narrowing her eyes at Nara and sized her up. “Who is this human?”

  The lady took a step toward her, scrutinizing her with intense curiosity.

  Finn stepped in front of her, blocking the nosy woman. He bowed slightly, lifting his head with a soft tight smile. “Good day to you too lady Evalyn.”.

  Lady Eva glanced at Finn and greeted him back.

  While Finn distracted Lady Eva by engaging her with monotone talks-clearly knowing Evalyn would respond because of ingrained manners, Leena grabbed Nara and lead her away. They passed several closed doors until they reached one that was much wider than the rest. Leena pushed them open, then turned to her with her usual hostile glare she gave her. “Go inside. Calem.... His highness will come and see you.”

  “When?” Nara asked no
t missing the way she almost addressed the prince by his given name.

  “When he wishes to” Leena replied. “Now stay here and do not come out.”

  Nara glanced into the room. The room seemed clean and almost empty with nothing strange or anything you would find in a torture chamber. Why would the elves need weapons to torture her anyway? Nara suddenly remembered how they had taken down one of the best-appointed warriors of Murisa. The thought made her less comfortable to go in. Still, she entered reluctantly. The doors closed the moment she walked in. Startled, she turned abruptly and stared at the doors for a long minute. Left alone, she glanced around the room. The room was empty except for the sunlight flooding in from outside through the open private balcony and the gentle sound of falling water. Nara walked toward the balcony and what met her eyes was one most beautiful greenery land. Populous flowers and trees of all kind of shades groomed the vast land and houses. Her eyes drifted to the pond lined with huge boulders and rocks to prevent the water from flowing outward. She noticed water came from the mountain’s peak just above a nearby tower. Below her, life seemed to start with the day, elves moved about, busy in their own world. Nara leaned against the wall tiredly and nursed her aching head. She was already missing the warm smile of her father, the giddy laugh of her sister and the warm hugs of her mother! Nara’s braced herself with her hands on the balusters. Her lids shut tightly while her fingers balled into fists. She desperately wanted to see them. I will see them again. She must find a way to get out of this situation.

  Chapter Twenty-Three