The Fourth World

by Marina Sandoval

  “You mean your life is not worth anything to them, either?”

  She stared at him but did not respond, just twisted her lips.

  “Anyway, we did not ask for your opinion,” Thomas said. He told Richard to put her gag back on, and they proceeded.

  They spent the whole night walking, and in the middle of the road, the sermerio showed them the shortcut. Thomas stopped to put his plan in order; he and Richard needed to talk. He tied the sermerio to a tree and walked away without losing sight of her.

  “You think she’s speaking the truth about this shortcut?” Richard asked in a whisper.

  Not knowing what to think, Thomas was reluctant to respond. “I think there’s only one way to make her take us to town quickly without deceiving us.”

  “How are you going to do that?”

  Thomas pulled the dagger from his belt, went to the woman, and made a great cut on her thigh. The gag muffled her howls. He placed his face close to hers. “Now, you have an excellent reason not to lie, if you do not want to bleed to death.” He stood up and saw Richard’s shocked face, but he did not care. “So, where are we going?”

  The sermerio raised her trembling arm, pointing to the shortcut.

  When the sky was stained red, they arrived at a bridge that did not inspire safety; it was narrow, so they would have to cross it in a row. Snow coated the wooden planks; there was no way of knowing whether they were solid enough, and the ropes that held the bridge were very old. The morning mist was surrounding the mountains, which obstructed the view. With difficulty, they could see the mountains on the other side, and they could hear the churning waters running beneath the bridge. Thomas glanced around and hatred filled him, but they could not return, for they would waste too much time. He wanted to push the woman off the cliff—but no, he preferred to watch her die slowly, and one of his best qualities was patience.

  “Let’s go,” he commanded. “You first.” He grabbed her by the arm and placed her in front of him. She could not walk straight, but that did not matter to him. “I will not catch you if you slip. Do you still want to go down this path? Are you sure there is no other way?”

  She shook her head.

  Thomas pressed the tip of the dagger against the woman’s back, and they walked forward.

  “Are you certain this bridge can handle all three of us at once?” Richard demanded.

  “Wait until I get halfway, and then come,” Thomas replied.

  With each step, the bridge swayed. On the other side, Richard kept his eyes on Thomas. He still had his apprehensions about the pirate’s loyalty, but he did not want to be alone in that place and silently thanked him for staying with him. When the pirate disappeared into the fog, Richard began to cross. Richard looked down into the crevices of the woods and saw the water passing below; he judged it best not to look any further and just move on. He could see Thomas’ blurred shape ahead. The sky became clearer and clearer, and the mist was dissipating, improving his vision.

  We’re almost there, Thomas thought as he saw the end of the bridge. He looked back to see if Richard was coming. The sermerio stopped walking, and Thomas’ foot slipped in the snow. The bridge shook, causing everyone to fall. Richard fell to the side; a section of rope that held the bridge was frozen and broken; he grabbed the boards of the bridge, hanging. Thomas watched the scene from afar, trying not to move, so the bridge would not shake even more. He looked back; the sermerio had already crawled away, and Richard shouted his name.

  “Damn,” Thomas said and got up slowly, gripping the ropes on the opposite side of the bridge, and then headed toward the young man.

  Richard’s hands slipped. Thomas realized he would not make it in time. He grabbed onto either side of the bridge and tried to swing it to the opposite side. Meanwhile, the sermerio arrived on land and was releasing the ropes. Thomas looked back, but he was too far away to do anything; they would fall; there was nothing more to do. The bridge loosened, and, as they fell, they heard the laughter of the sermerio, but she soon stopped laughing; two mermaids jumped out of the water and grabbed them before they reached the surface, softening the drop. They sank into the water, and the sermerio saw nothing else, it disconcerted the woman for a few seconds, but then she tore off a piece of clothing, tied it around the wound, turned, and staggered toward the city as fast as she could.

  Chapter XXIX - Vanity Fight

  They took Steven to the Healing House. They descended a few flights of stairs and turned left, then walked a little longer, and Steven found himself in a long corridor with beds on both sides. Behind the beds were large, round windows. Steven’s eyes were half-open; he glanced out, wanting to know where he was; the only thing he could tell was that they were underground. The place was empty, but the few sermerios that were there followed Steven with furious glances. One of the sermerios dragging him moved to the man in charge of the place, who was shorter than the ones Steven had seen so far. He also did not have the hard expression of the others. After the guard spoke to him, he set his eyes on Steven and approached, examining his injuries.

  “You’ve done a lot of damage to this poor man,” he said. “It will take time to heal him. You can tell the king that as soon as he is well, I’ll call for him.”

  Steven recognized his tone at once. He was the one who looked after me when I looked like one of them, he thought.

  “We will not leave without him,” the sermerio who held him said.

  “Then, come with me,” the other sermerio said.

  He led them into a less-crowded area and had the guards put Steven on a bed. The doctor pretended to be awakening.

  “My name is Naruc,” the helpful sermerio said. He pulled away and came back in a few minutes with a tray. His actions were very slow, and it seemed to Steven that his tranquility irritated the others.

  As soon as he took care of the wound on his head, Steven felt a slight comfort; when he passed on to the minor wounds, one guard interrupted him. “We are not doing charity; you are only supposed to take care of his head, so he can speak.”

  “Then, I will give him something to diminish the pain, and you can take him away.” He opened a jar full of small spheres that looked like pearls and gave one to Steven.

  When he put it in his mouth, Steven had the impression that he had bitten into a pepper. As he felt his mouth burn, the soldiers snatched him by the arm and pulled him out of bed.

  “It’s prudent to warn the king that this medication for pain can cause side effects,” Naruc said, “like wooziness.”

  “We came here so he could talk, and you gave him something that will make him dizzy?!” the guard said while approaching the little sermerio.

  Naruc did not move, nor was he intimidated. “He will not feel pain; that’s what you asked for. Everything carries a side effect. You cannot ask for something and expect nothing to happen in return. The king should realize this.”

  “I am not interested in your philosophies, and I will inform the king of this.”

  “It is not my philosophy; it is how all worlds behave. Either way, the effect does not last for long; if you realize he’s getting dizzy, grant him some time, and he will soon return to normal.”

  The guards left in outrage, muttering curses, and Steven was blindfolded. They were climbing the stairs when they all halted. He heard a noise that resembled the flapping wings of a massive bird.

  Then, he heard the voice of a man saying, “I have a present for you.”

  Steven smelled burned flesh and heard the guards moving.

  “Take them to the hall!” said the guard who was holding him.

  They pushed the doctor, and that meant he should walk again. Along the way, the scent of burning skin faded, but as they approached the hall, he felt it again. One guard forced him to his knees, and then lifted his blindfold. His breath stopped when he saw the cage, where Lorne and the others were. The stink of burning was the coal that had hurt his friends. Zauber stood beside the cage with a full grin and his arms crossed. On the
other side, Virginia was still where he had left her, with her face pressed to the ground and her gaze lost. Lácio had not moved an inch, either.

  “Then, we are all reunited,” announced the king. “Frankly, I was expecting something more impressive.”

  As the king spoke, Steven investigated the cage. They had burns all over their bodies. Thomas and Richard were not there.

  Maybe they escaped, he thought. Or they were killed...

  He did not want the king to notice that two members were missing, and then he realized Habel was not there, either.

  The king went to the cage and stared at Lorne. He and Azura had awakened, but they were drained. “I assume it’s you who thinks they can take the humans back.”

  Lorne did not have the energy to answer and did not want to because he wanted to recover quickly.

  Luckily, the sermerio who accompanied Zauber stood in front of him, adding, “They had the Grail Spear.”

  The king’s eyes overflowed with greed. “Where is it?”

  “With me,” Zauber said.

  This may work. Thank you, Hubert, Lorne thought to himself and smiled inwardly.

  “What are you waiting for?” the king asked. “Give it to me!”

  Throughout this exchange, Steven counted how many guards there were in the hall: 15, plus the queen, the king, Zauber, and Lácio. He glanced up; the ceiling was now open, showing the blue sky. He remembered Ivy; it would be an excellent time for her to show up, but he could not count on it. He shifted his attention back to the discussion when he heard the mention of the spear, remembering that name, but he did not understand why they were talking about it. It was obvious that Zauber did not want to give the instrument to the king.

  “My lord,” said Zauber. “When we made our agreement, Your Highness offered me an artifact. I want the spear as payment for my services.”

  “Impossible; forget it!” the king replied. “I’ve been after that weapon for years.”

  Zauber made no indication of taking up the spear, which was under his cape and tied behind his back. Grant’s face hardened, and his soldiers were already in position to charge, as were the guards of the Oasis.

  The king went on, “I did not realize they had it—and even if I did, it would not be among the artifacts I’m willing to give you as payment. Now, give me that damn spear and do your task. Make them talk, so I can finish this farce!” The king’s voice escalated with each word, and when he finished, Zauber felt his face warm up from anger. The king and the wizard faced each other. Silent tension filled the hall. “What are you waiting for?” asked the king through gritted teeth.

  Zauber did not reply; he colluded with himself, evaluated his situation, and made choices in the back of his mind.

  The king said, “We have a wonderful arrangement here; why would you throw it all away? You already have a lot of power; you can have two more artifacts from my collection. What do you say?”

  “I swap the spear for the Alchemist’s Sphere.”

  Grant took a step back, and Steven thought this must be a precious thing, for even the queen jumped from the throne and stood, as if she did not believe what she’d heard.

  The king replied, “Do not speak such madness. I cannot offer you this, and you know it, but I have many things. Come on; do not force me to kill you; you’re extremely useful to me.”

  Zauber let out a sincere laugh. Outraged, the king took a few steps towards the wizard but did not reach him; a bolt of lightning struck him right in the chest, throwing him across the room and against the wall. The soldiers charged toward Zauber. The queen shot out of the hall; Lácio hid behind a pillar, not knowing what to do, and nobody cared about the prisoners. Meanwhile, Zauber killed the guards, one by one. Steven crawled to the cage.

  “You will not get us out of here,” Lorne said. “The key is with Zauber. Get Virginia and leave; I’ll find a way.”

  Steven wanted to inquire whether Richard was alive, but he did not have time. He did what Lorne said. When he reached Virginia, she was struggling to get up. She leaned on his shoulder. Steven looked around for Lácio but did not find him, and he did not even know why he bothered. Then, they rushed out. They dashed down the stairs; in the middle of it, they heard someone yelling so sharply that it hurt their ears. The noise echoed along the length of the stairs.

  “It must be signal,” said Steven. “Let’s move fast!” They kept moving down.

  “You... you know... where... are we... going?” Virginia asked, out of breath.

  “More or less.” In the spirals below, Steven saw a unit of soldiers coming up the stairs. He looked around and realized they were on the library floor. “Here,” he said.

  They entered and closed the door, hoping no one had seen them.

  Chapter XXX - Regrets

  Soon after Steven ran away with Virginia, Zauber killed the last soldier who had been in the hall and was heading for the door when Lorne screamed, “You cannot face them alone! The entire city is climbing those stairs! We can help, then we’ll leave, and you can do as you please!”

  Zauber stopped walking and glanced over his shoulder. “Unlike you, I’m not a fool, Lorne, and you’re mistaken; I can handle them.”

  “Are you certain? You look a little tired already... I can hate you—and believe me; I do hate you—but if I kill you, the chance of any of us getting out of here is zero. You’ve killed their king, and why do you care what happens to us?”

  The thumping of the soldiers’ footfalls marching up the stairs approached closer and closer.

  Zauber walked over to the cage, grabbed the key from the inside pocket of his cloak, and stared at Lorne. “Do not try anything funny. I can kill you all at once. I do not know what kind of help you can give me—other than being a distraction.”

  “We will not try anything,” Lorne replied. “We have no issue with you; we just want to leave.”

  Zauber opened the cage. Lorne and Azura struggled to get on their feet, but the others stretched out on the floor. Finally, they did not feel fragments of coal falling on them. Everyone’s legs and arms were numb, but although they were weak, no one wanted to hide. Lorne saw Lácio coming out from behind a pillar.

  “The way Steven talked about you, I expected someone braver,” Lorne said.

  “I understand swords and weapons,” Lácio replied. “I do not know—and I’m not interested in—magic. Cowards are those who use it against those who cannot defend themselves in the same way.”

  “We do not have time for this debate,” Lorne replied. “Do what you want. You can help us, leave, or hide, but know I will not bother defending you.”

  “I have an agreement with them,” Lácio replied.

  “Look around you!” Lorne cried. “There is no arrangement. You’re a human, and they will kill you, but it’s not my problem.”

  Lácio pondered for a moment. He felt repulsed by himself; he never thought he would be a traitor, but now, things were like this, and he needed to do something if he wanted to stay alive. “I have no weapons.”

  “There are many bodies on the ground,” Lorne replied. “Choose your favorite one.”

  Lácio ran among the dead, collecting what he found; the others did the same. He picked up a bow, all the arrows he could find, and two daggers. Then, he saw a weapon that caught his eye; it was a scythe, but at the other end, there was a spear. He danced a little with the weapon.

  “I hope you’re having fun, because they’re coming,” said Lorne, who reached for the same weapon from one of the dead. Fighting with weapons was not the wizard’s habit, but he could not perform magic in the state he was in.

  Zauber had been standing in the middle of the hall with his eyes closed. The others stood in line and did not wait long; the wave of soldiers broke into the room like a swarm of bees. Zauber did not move; Lorne knew what he was preparing; he needed more time.

  “Protect Zauber!” Lorne shouted.

  No one was happy with this order, but they obeyed anyway. Theo turned into a
tiger; he and Hubert fought side by side. Azura was behind a pillar; she was still preparing her arrows. She held a flask with a bright-white liquid and poured it onto the end of each arrow.

  Kyla saw her and went to help. “Where did you get that?” she asked.

  The wizard did not answer; she hiked the skirt of her dress above her knee, and there was a small leather bag held in a garter on her thigh. Azura watched the battle; she still had trouble balancing, so she preferred to shoot while crouched. Kyla did the same on the other side of the pillar. The wizard threw the first arrow, scraping a sermerio’s leg. He turned around, and before he could react, he was freezing. In seconds, he turned into a statue of ice and fell to the ground, shattering. Azura hid again; the other sermerios could not tell what had happened, and those who fought took advantage of the disturbance. Azura and Kyla shot again and succeeded, but this time, someone noticed them. Lorne ran to help them, yelling for the others. Everyone moved to their rescue, leaving Zauber unprotected. A sermerio was about to stab his sword into the wizard’s chest when Zauber opened his eyes, seized the blade of the sword in his hands, and electrocuted it. The lightning bolted from the sermerio and bounced across the room. Lorne and the others jumped to the ground behind the pillars as a cloud of lightning rolled overhead. They smelled scorched flesh, and, in a few moments, everything was still. Zauber fell to his knees. No sermerio was left standing. Slowly, Lorne stood and watched Zauber, who had his back to him. It was the ideal moment; there would not be another like it.

  Lorne bent to take an arrow Azura had prepared, but a thought made him pause: If I kill him, everyone will come after us. We need Zauber to detract them. He held the arrows regretfully and observed as Zauber stood. “Let’s get out of here!” said Lorne, still peering over at Zauber, wondering if he had made the right decision.

  They were about to run out of the room. Lácio was falling behind when he asked, “May I go with you?”