“He was a friend of mine, but he’s since passed on, taken by an illness.” Though he had promised himself that he wouldn’t share his whole life’s story before the girl said a single word, Glaide felt his memories taking over, and he couldn’t help but share his experiences. He talked about the graves the nomads had dug for the villagers of Rackk, and how they’d wanted to build a permanent settlement, and then he spoke of the village they’d built, which promised to be a prosperous one. He spoke of how they’d asked him to name the place, not just as the Destroyer, but as Glaide.
“Ah, excuse me,” the adolescent pleaded then. “I let myself become lost in my thoughts, and I’ve just been droning on and on...” The girl took his hands, then, looking him deep in the eye, and the boy, who was beginning to understand her better, interpreted the gesture as a thank you. Though he felt a bit ill at ease, he didn’t try to free himself.
“Why are you thanking me like this?” he wondered. “How can my memories be of any use to you? I should thank you, because you’ve given me companionship, and you listen to me without interrupting.” After a moment, he carefully drew his hands away. “You should sleep. The road before us is long, and we need to conserve energy. We haven’t found danger thus far, but it’s everywhere in this world, and we need to be ready, just in case.”
The girl nodded, then wrapped up in her cape and lay down on the ground. Glaide watched her face for a long time after she fell asleep. Her face was calm, and there wasn’t even the faintest trace of the fear that seemed permanently present in the depths of her eyes. For the umpteenth time, he wondered to himself just who she was and what she’d experienced.
Chapter 11
AFTER that incident, the days began to blur together, and after a while, Glaide completely lost track of time. He knew that the journey would take a bit more than a week, but he no longer knew what day it was. The only thing that really seemed to matter was the present, anyway: the stories that he couldn’t keep himself from telling, the smiles of his attentive listener—though she still had yet to say a word—and the sun that kept them company and provided beautiful panoramas when it set. The young man talked more than he’d ever have expected he would, and the silence of his companion, too, lasted longer than he’d thought it would. And so he told her about how he’d met Kezthrem, and the training he’d gone through, his friends, the responsibilities he had as the Destroyer, and the plans he had to vanquish Baras. He never mentioned his time at the temple with his master, Ralon, and Koeris, however, he made no mention of the katana, and he didn’t speak of his origins.
He also took advantage of the time to play his shakuhachi a bit. Though he was still unable to play it while walking, he made use of it during the calm and pleasant evenings. He hadn’t had much time to practice up until then, so he still struggled to create fluid melodies and avoid hitting wrong notes, but more than once, he managed a passable little jig, with the young woman accompanying him by clapping to the beat.
Glaide also had plenty of time to think during the journey, and he noted that this journey was very different from the others he’d been on. He still had a goal, a destination, but he was in no hurry to get there. Time passed slowly, like in a dream, and he had the impression—for the first time—that he was really and fully taking in this new life that had begun when he’d arrived nine months earlier. His plans for the future seemed distant, and although he still wanted to find his friends, he didn’t feel it as a driving need, per se. His desire to unite the peoples to confront Baras didn’t seem futile, but it had somehow become less essential, less immediately pressing. “All of that can wait,” he told himself.
They found no signs of habitation in the countryside they were passing through, as if they were far from the rest of the world, and that mimicked how Glaide felt: far from all of the obligations that had been imposed on him, and far from the massacres of his enemies. It felt like a return to the tranquility and peace of mind that had marked his first weeks in Galadria. He tried to decide just when his thoughts about this new world, and all of the plans he’d made, had been interrupted by requirements he hadn’t chosen, and with a sense of disappointment, he realized that he had already lost his freedom and ownership of his destiny back when the guardian had spoken those first words to him on Earth, even if he hadn’t understood the meaning behind what the man had been saying at the time.
He didn’t find that conclusion as crushing as he could have, though; just as he’d said to Kezthrem, he was unsure if he wanted this Destroyer business to ever end or not, and meanwhile it gave his life purpose, rather than weighing on him. As he thought back on everything he’d experienced up until then, he had to say that he had no regrets.
A while after bathing in the hot springs, the two arrived at a rocky hill, at the base of which a small woods stood. As they started into the woods, Glaide thought to himself that, recently, the young woman had often seemed to be on the verge of saying something. She always seemed to change her mind at the last minute, but she obviously wanted to participate in a conversation.
On the other hand, the young man noticed that her sleep had been becoming more and more agitated. The previous night, she’d tossed and turned constantly, as if she was trapped in terrible nightmares, and when she’d woke from them with a start, she’d been covered in sweat, her eyes wide with terror. The adolescent couldn’t tell if that was a good sign or a bad one; during the day, she seemed to be doing better, but when she slept, every trace of the peace that he’d gotten used to seeing on her slumbering face had disappeared.
The two moved calmly through the trees towards the base of the mountain. The peak didn’t seem particularly high or steep, and Glaide easily spotted a path that would allow them to climb it. After a moment of hesitation, he decided to follow it, and it led to a bluff that overlooked the trees and acted as a terrace for a natural cave carved into the rock.
“Hey,” exclaimed the young man. “This is a lucky break! Tonight, we’ll have a roof over our heads.” He took a few minutes to make sure the place would be safe, however. He asked his companion to stay near the entrance, then he inspected the cave. It was empty and quite shallow, so that the sunlight from the entrance lit almost the entire space. The only thing particularly remarkable about the place was the two rocks on either side of the entrance, each four or five feet tall, and a few feet wide, which shaded a bit of the cave. They seemed to have been placed there to keep out some of the wind, should a strong breeze happen to come up, or perhaps to block some of the sunlight, since the sun would start to come in quite early in the morning. He quickly realized the latter couldn’t be the case, however, because their refuge faced the west, according to the flamboyant sunset they were currently seeing, and the rocky peak above them would provide shade until noon at least.
Glaide decided to set up a campfire on the bluff for the evening. The view before them was truly superb, and he wanted to enjoy it during the hot dinner he planned to make. Though he knew such a light would reveal their position to anyone for miles around, he decided the place would be easy enough to defend, so that there was no real reason to deprive themselves of the warmth.
After eating, the two sat down side by side near the edge of the bluff, their backs to the cave and the fire. They sat with the treetops—not particularly high ones—below their feet, and the view continuing on far beyond the woods. Despite the darkness of the night, they could make out the shapes of the hills they’d crossed hours before. It was a clear night, but although the young man stared off towards the horizon, he soon realized that it was impossible to tell where the ground ended and the sky began. The realization made him feel dizzy, and for a moment, he was struck by how small he and his companion were in the face of this immensity; they were nothing but two dark points, feebly lit by the warm glow of the flames behind them.
A light, agreeable breeze sprang up suddenly. Glaide noticed the young woman close her eyes to enjoy the gentle caress it provided. Unfortunately, that didn’t last long. A few mi
nutes later, the gentle breeze gave way to a more violent gust of wind. At his back, the adolescent heard the remains of the fire crackle and spit, and the light of the flames danced about. He decided it might be best to put the fire out and take shelter in the cave, and as if in response to the thought, a particularly violent gust blew out the remaining flames in the fire pit. The adolescent headed for the cave, his companion close on his heels.
Their refuge offered protection from the wind, but the two soon discovered that currents of air still found their way in. Outside, the wind was steadier now, instead of coming in gusts, and it wasn’t so terribly strong. It had brought a certain chilliness with it, however, and the two teens soon noticed a frigid draft creeping in from somewhere. To protect themselves as much as possible, they moved behind the stones near the entrance, but it was impossible to find complete protection from the wind. Glaide encouraged the young woman to sleep, while he leaned against the wall of the cave.
After a little while, he noted that sleep had already taken her, but that she was shivering violently. She was wrapped up in her cape, but it wasn’t a terribly thick or warm one. With a sigh, Glaide took off his own traveling cape, which he’d bought in Morthiaz after leaving his friends, and laid it over the young woman. She stopped shivering almost immediately, and her breathing seemed to calm.
“I can still remember the moment the merchant offered it to me,” the adolescent thought, looking at the large chunk of brown fabric that he’d brought with him everywhere he’d gone. “It’s helped me so many times, but this is the first time it’s helped someone else!” He grumbled a bit then as he rubbed his hands up and down his arms: now it was his turn to shiver!
He must have fallen asleep without even realizing it, because he was suddenly woken by a cry of terror, immediately followed by the sound of rapid footsteps. Kezthrem’s training did its job, and in just seconds, the fog of sleep cleared out of the young man’s mind, and he made his sword appear as he jumped to his feet. The moon was only in its first quarter, and it was quite dark. It took a moment for the young man’s eyes to adjust, but while the boy waited, he took the time to contemplate the sound he’d heard. The cry had sounded human, but where had it come from? After a moment, he found he could make out the contours of the cave, and his heart began to beat faster as he realized that where his companion had been, there was now no one.
A thought struck him then, and he headed to the entrance to the cave, where he saw a sight that seemed like some kind of phantasm: he saw the young woman who he’d promised to return to her home standing there, her back to him, facing the horizon. The wind that had been blowing a few hours earlier had changed back into an agreeable breeze, and was sending Glaide’s cape, which the young woman held tightly around herself, billowing up behind her.
Slowly, she turned to face her companion, who stood frozen in place, transfixed by the vision before him: behind the young woman, whose frail silhouette was protected by the massive piece of material, hung the moon, shedding its diaphanous light on their surroundings. Silence reigned absolute, and Glaide suddenly noticed his companion’s cheeks were glimmering in the pale light. He immediately understood that she’d been crying. Slowly, he sheathed his sword. Despite the darkness, he could see an imploring look in the eyes that were riveted on him, and violent tremors in the young woman’s body. She seemed glued to the spot, unable to move. Glaide headed towards her and wrapped his arms around her. She buried her face in his chest and let her tears flow freely down her face. Her hands gripped his jacket tightly. Glaide didn’t know what to say, and he felt like any words he might share would be useless, anyway; this situation was far beyond mere words. He realized that it had been the young woman who had cried out earlier, though he didn’t know why she was in such a state. As the sobs and trembling began to die down, the young man drew gently away from the girl.
“Take a seat here and don’t move. I’ll get the fire started again.”
She nodded in reply, wrapping the cape more tightly around her, while the adolescent gathered the rest of the wood and lit it. In a few minutes, he had a roaring fire going that flooded their surroundings with warm light. Then, he helped his companion take a seat closer to the fire, and sat down nearby himself. Finally, with a calm voice, he asked, “So, what happened?”
The young woman’s gaze was riveted on the flames, and the boy’s heart beat faster as he waited apprehensively to see if she was going to speak or not. She opened her mouth several times to start, closing it again each time. Then, suddenly, he heard her voice, husky from not speaking for so long, but gradually growing more clear. Her voice was gentle, and almost melodious, just as the young man had imagined it would be, and his heart filled with joy and pride as he realized what a great victory this was for her.
“A... nightmare... Everyone... I saw them all... dead...” With startling strength, she gripped the jacket of the young man and sobbed, “I never wanted to relive that! I fled from them... But they caught up to me...” The adolescent clasped her in his arms once more.
“But now, you are free. Today, you’ve faced those images that you want to forget, and you’ve won. The pain of memories like that can be powerful, but in the end, they always grow weak. We must face our fears to conquer them. I think what you feared above all was letting the past surface in your memories, but running from your fears forever can only lead you into insanity. Now, you’re free, because from this moment on, the past is truly in the past.”
The young woman turned her gleaming eyes to him, and Glaide smiled. Then, he turned to look at the stars, and lost himself in gazing at them, while his ward rested her head against his chest. They stayed there like that for several minutes, until the young man realized his companion had fallen asleep. Her face was marked by the tears that had flown down it, but a new serenity was there that had been gone for a long time, and this time, it wasn’t a facade brought on by sleep, hiding reality, but instead it was the truest expression of that deep emotion. Glaide couldn’t get himself free of the young woman’s tight grasp, and he had no desire to do so anyway. Within a few hours, the sun would rise, and the day would begin. But he knew from this point on, he’d have answers to his questions, and he would finally begin to get to know the stranger he was traveling with.
Chapter 12
“YOU’VE never asked my name,” the young woman observed. “I could have written it in the dirt.”
“I know,” Glaide replied with a gentle smile, “but I decided that it was yours to give when you could, because only then would it have any significance anyway.” The girl nodded thoughtfully at that.
The two travellers had left their refuge a bit after sunrise. For the young man, the events of the night before seemed like a dream, but he had indeed woken on the rocky bluff, his companion next to him. And more than that, as soon as they’d gotten up, she’d begun speaking as if it were the most natural thing in the world, and hearing the voice he’d hoped for for so long filled him with joy. The two had been traveling for awhile now, but that barely registered for Glaide. He was only too happy to finally have something more to do than just share his own story to pass the time, and he hoped that the journey would last a good while longer. He’d completely lost track of the days, though, and neither he nor his companion could give any estimate of how many miles away their destination might be. Glaide had decided not to ask his companion too many questions for now, and instead had shared his own problem: that after accompanying her, he’d need to go off in search of his friends. Though she’d apologized profusely for it, she’d been unable to help him in any way with that.
“Right,” continued the young man. “So, what is your name, then?” The young woman, who was now walking beside him instead of following along behind, smiled radiantly.
“Mehrika!”
“Mehrika...” Glaide repeated, as if simply being able to say the word was some rare pleasure. To himself, he added, “That certainly doesn’t sound asiatic...”
“I love it,” he rep
lied aloud. “From this point on, we’re Glaide and Mehrika, two travelers in search of a lost village.” With that, the two broke into laughter. The journey continued in the same good cheer, and the two talked almost nonstop. They stuck to light topics, and the young man made a point of not asking any questions about the girl’s past; he decided to be patient and wait until his companion decided to talk about it, and if that never happened, then so be it. For the moment, he simply enjoyed listening to her voice and not having to fill the silence himself!
As in the previous days, they didn’t come across a living soul. Glaide wasn’t particularly surprised, and the farther they went, the less likely it would become for them to meet anyone. When they stopped to make camp again, though, Mehrika declared, “If my memory serves me right, we should soon make out some forests. According to legend, the elves once lived there, but these days, humans have adopted the place and made their homes there.”
“They built cities in the woods?” the adolescent exclaimed.
“Well, more or less. Villages would be more accurate. And they don’t have proper city walls or leaders. People took shelter among the trees and decided to build their homes there. Bit by bit, others joined them, until communities formed. There are many of them, and they aren’t far apart. You’ll be able to visit several, if you like.”
“I’d love to!” Glaide replied. The description reminded Glaide of some of the other settlements Kezthrem had spoken about, and of the isolated home the master and disciple had encountered on their way to the temple, where they’d worked in exchange for a meal and shelter for the night.
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