Chronicles of Galadria I - The Other World

by David Gay-Perret

  The sun reddened, still far away, but already one could feel its heat. However, it didn’t seem to reach the young man, who shivered. Emily noticed the silence of her protector, unlike Jeremy, who continued to squabble with Gwenn, and she drew nearer to him. Nothing on his face gave away his sadness and his melancholy. He was simply turned towards the heavenly body as it rose. However, Emily demanded, “Glaide, are you okay? You’ve hardly said anything. You’ve just sat here, not even moving.”

  “Yes, I’m fine.”

  “Okay, that’s it. You’re not doing this.”

  “What are you talking about?”

  “What is the problem?”

  Glaide sighed, wanting to talk, but not wanting to make his friend worry. “Well, in short, I’m worried about you. Baras wants to kill me. Didn’t you notice?”

  “I think he wants to kill everyone here. I don’t see what the problem is.”

  “Don’t you remember, he called me the ‘Destroyer’. I’m someone special to him.”

  “That’s true, I did hear that.”

  “Actually, the real problem is that I don’t fight well. Even if I manage to kill five orks – and that would be an accomplishment for me – that wouldn’t be enough. “Plus, I’m not prepared to carry the responsibility for all of your lives on my shoulders. It’s clear that Baras wants me dead, and for that, he’ll probably send innumerable enemies towards us. Who knows what kinds of creatures obey him. I wouldn’t be surprised to find trolls or something like that. And I was incapable of killing black orks. Imagine for a moment that he sent twenty! Our deaths would be assured! Drekhor told me that we should find a school for sword fighting. Do you understand why? And as for the Guardian... When he spoke of the role of protectors, he said that we should never leave you except to protect you...”

  Emily began to understand what her companion was trying to say, and stopped him dead in his tracks. “Listen, Glaide. Back home, it would have been perfectly normal if we only spoke twice in a year. Here, we find ourselves carried along together in the same nightmare. I’m getting to know you, and you’re getting to know me. I don’t know if I’m the best one to talk to you, but this is what I know for sure: I know why I don’t lose hope, and why I keep on moving. It’s because I believe in you, because I have confidence in you. You are the one guiding us. You belong here, even if you are still a stranger in this world, and I know that you will lead us somewhere. We are all in your debt for being our light in the darkness.

  “For the moment, none of us can concentrate on the task that destiny has assigned us; there are still far too many doubts, too many questions; but we will find our answers, because of you. This world is reaching out to you, but I beg of you, continue to lead us. Let us follow you until we, too, find ourselves able to live this life. And anyway, what does this so-called weakness of yours matter? I see in front of me a man who is capable of creating hope, and that is what Baras should fear.”

  Glaide turned towards the young woman, who was looking at him. “Thank you,” he murmured, his throat tight with emotion, as a soft breeze lifted their hair and carried away the tears that had started to appear in Emily’s eyes. Jeremy and Gwenn soon reached them.

  “So what, are you tired?” Gwenn demanded gaily.

  “We have reason to be, what with that jerk waking us at such an hour,” grumbled Jeremy.

  “Right, well, we should get back on the road,” exclaimed Gwenn. “Look, the sun is nearly up, and we’re dragging our feet.”

  “Alright, let’s go,” Glaide said joyously. The group moved away, heading for a small path in the distance that disappeared between the hills. It seemed like the right direction, if they could believe the sun. The young man set his questions aside and contented himself with laughing along with the others. For once, his mind was clear. What would come would come, and he would need to prepare himself to confront it. But for the moment, it was time for joy and a tranquility of the mind. There would be plenty of other occasions to worry about the future.

  Chapter 11

  THEY walked faster now than they had before, as no one in the group wanted to sleep again under the stars. When they stopped to eat, around midday, Glaide took the time to calculate the approximate duration of their trip. The distance seemed immense. He finally concluded that it would take them fifteen days to complete the distance, assuming that they continued to make good time, and that the path continued to be in good condition.

  “Two weeks,” exclaimed Gwenn when told the news. “But that’s an eternity!”

  “I know,” responded the young man. “It seems long, but it’s what it has to be. Here, traveling will probably always be more or less like this. It’s true, we’re used to traveling long distances in little time, and without becoming so fatigued, but now it’s different. That being said, we’re in no hurry, and we’ll have to get used to this slow-paced way of life, instead of the running about we’re used to.”

  “You’re absolutely right,” Jeremy added. “If we keep our minds open to the changes of a new world, all the better.”

  “Well, in that case...” Emily sighed, and the journey continued, despite a palpable anxiety, since it was certain they would have to pass many nights in the out of doors.

  The day continued without any problems. They stopped earlier than usual, so that they would have time to carefully choose a place for their camp, and they opted for a spot near the edge of the path. There was nothing nearby, and they would be able to see an enemy coming from far away. They set up guard duty: Jeremy would go first, Emily second, Gwenn third, and Glaide, who loved to watch the sunrise, would take the last shift. So it was with an atmosphere of anxiety that they slept.

  Glaide was awakened by his magg in the early hours of the morning, who let him know that no one had fallen asleep during their watch. He took the time to stretch as the young woman went back to lay down. Rather than sitting, he preferred to walk around for a moment, to stretch his legs and warm up a little. This first attempt of theirs seemed to have been a success, though it wasn’t very agreeable to keep watch alone, with nothing to do but keep one’s eyes on the horizon. “To avoid apathy, each of us should take a different watch than the one we had the previous night,” thought the young man. “At any rate, I hope this little game doesn’t last forever.”

  The morning arrived without incident. Baras, it seemed, had decided to leave them alone, at least for now. So it was with light hearts that the companions returned to the road. They soon arrived at a small community, and chance smiled upon them: just as they approached, a group of men on horseback left the village. From a distance, they saw the young people and turned towards them. This time, the protectors decided to leave their weapons visible.

  “Good morning!” one of the men said in greeting. “Are you headed for Endre?” The four friends looked at each other. Was that the name of this village?

  “No, we’re heading to Shinozuka,” Emily responded.

  “Shinozuka!” the first speaker said. “Well, then you have some courage! But it seems we’re headed the same way. Would you like to come with us? Our horses are fresh, and would save you some time!”

  After a quick consultation with the group, Jeremy replied, “We accept, with pleasure.”

  “Then get on!”

  And so the journey continued, uneventful except for a stop near a small hut situated in front of a pasture of horses. Glaide thought to himself that this road they had taken must be quite well traveled for any kind of commerce to be set-up here, though he didn’t see anyone else around. The horses the group had been riding were exhausted, so they changed horses there. This time, the adolescents insisted on helping with the expense of the trip.

  Talking to the horsemen did them good: they felt less alone in the world here than they did in the immense empty spaces that seemed to cover this world. And so it was with heavy hearts that they wished safe travel for their companions, and the two groups parted company.

  They passed another night out of doors.<
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  The next day, the group's enthusiasm was dampened a bit, but they continued on their way. They walked for three hours, then stopped to eat, and it was then that they heard some kind of music coming towards them.

  “What kind of noise is that?” exclaimed Jeremy. “Someone squawking away, as if they’d never learned the first thing about singing...”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to ask them,” responded Glaide.

  Before them they could distinguish a man driving a cart loaded with hay, and howling out a song at the top of his lungs. The words of the song were strangely poetic. The song spoke of a young female musician who passionately described the rounded form and harmonious sounds of her lute, and of a band of men who were obviously more interested in other types of roundness.... The man hadn’t noticed the young people, and continued on his way as if there was nothing out of the ordinary. The young people quickly put away their things and dashed towards the man.

  “Hey, hey!” cried Jeremy. “Wait, please!” But the man continued on his way, braying at the top of his voice.

  “Can’t he close that mouth for two minutes?” grumbled Emily.

  “Take the opportunity and learn some new vocabulary,” responded her protector, laughing. “But on a more serious note, we have to catch him. If we can travel with him, we’ll gain a great deal of time, and save our strength.”

  They sped up, finally catching up with him, but now out of breath. The man willingly accepted their company, and Gwenn took the place near him, engaging him in conversation, while the others took places in the back of the cart and began their meal.

  The newly formed group made good time, and the three friends seated in the hay began to doze off. That was when they came up to a valley. The man entered it, seemingly unconcerned, all the while continuing to explain how he’d become a trader. But Glaide was on high alert, and his suspicions turned out to be justified. He soon distinguished silhouettes that advanced above them.

  “Jeremy,” he said in a low voice. “I think we’re being followed. Look up above, but discreetly.” The young man did so, and saw the shadows above them becoming more and more numerous, as they moved noiselessly about. They informed Emily, but didn’t want to say anything to the man, who was now describing to Gwenn the different types of straw and hay. They hoped that the creatures weren’t hostile, but Glaide always had the thought in the back of his head that he was being hunted to be killed. He suddenly regretted having run after the traveler: it seemed that they had put his life in danger.

  A few minutes passed, then the assault came: the orks left their position with a bound, landing only a few yards behind the cart. The man, surprised by the sound, turned around abruptly. Glaide and Jeremy had already drawn their weapons, and prepared to jump to the ground to join their adversaries, when the man cried out, “Wait, stay here and hang on!” He turned back around and shouted, “Move it, Alfred! Get us out of here!” The horse took off at a gallop, with the man frantically striking about with his whip in all directions. In a few minutes, there was complete chaos: the cart raced ahead, with the driver never ceasing to harangue the horse, Gwenn grasping at whatever she could to hold on, and the other three doing their best not to fall out of the cart.

  The orks had taken up chase, and the cart couldn’t seem to put any distance between them. The protectors did their best to distribute sharp strikes of the sword to any hands that came too close. The wheels of the cart sunk into the ruts and potholes that punctuated the way, and each time, the craft then flew up into the air, only to fall heavily back to the ground. Nonetheless, the man never once slowed down. In their attempts to strike their enemies, all while remaining in the vehicle, the two boys frequently dropped their weapons, but each time, the arms immediately reappeared in their sheaths. That gave Emily an idea.

  “Boys,” she cried, trying to make her voice heard over all of the noise. “Throw your weapons, point first!”

  The boys looked at her for a moment, incredulous, then they turned back to their enemies, each launching their weapons towards their enemies point first, as straight and hard as possible. They found their targets, killing two of the green-skins. The protectors immediately made their swords reappear, and repeated the attack. The technique functioned well: the creatures had to duck down or shuffle to the side to avoid the sharp steel, and they lost ground as a result. But they always returned, always more numerous.

  The valley suddenly came to an end, just as the creatures came close to catching the runaway cart. However, on the now-clear road, the horse could accelerate, and bit by bit, amidst the swearing, the striking of the whip and the swords, the orks disappeared into the distance. The man didn’t relent until the monsters were out of view, then he burst into laughter.

  “It’s been a long time since we’ve amused ourselves like that, huh Alfred?” The horse neighed in response, visibly spent. “And you guys – are you okay?” he continued. “Nothing broken?

  “Nnnno... I th-think we’re okay...” stammered Gwenn, completely rattled.

  “Mmm, I don’t know what they thought they were going to accomplish by that, but they’ll remember after this not to attack Boaret! Heh heh...” The man burst out again in thundering laughter. The three teens in the back had bits of hay in their hair. They had haggard looks on their faces. “Excuse me, but my friends don’t look so well,” commented Gwenn, who also looked about to vomit. “Do you think we could stop for a moment?”

  The man turned to look behind him.

  “You’re right. They don’t look so well,” he conceded. He stopped the cart in the middle of the road, and the three friends climbed down, trying their best to keep one foot in front of the other. They finished by dropping onto the grass.

  “What kind of crazy race was that?” Glaide exclaimed, white as a sheet.

  “Incredible,” murmured Jeremy. “We’re still alive.”

  “And the cart isn’t even destroyed,” added Emily.

  “Hehe, this cart is a solid one,” announced the man proudly, tapping on the nearest wheel. The wheel broke with a terrible sound, and the cart was immobilized. The three travelers couldn’t hold in a snort of laughter, while the merchant stared at the wheel, wide-eyed and visibly confounded. Luckily, this Boaret was a resourceful man. He pulled a spare wheel from beneath the hay. Aided by Gwenn, it took almost an hour to replace the wheel, during which the three other teens did their best to recover from the shock of their rapid flight.

  “We’ve fallen upon a complete lunatic,” whispered Emily.

  “A lunatic that saved our lives,” responded Glaide. “Without that race, we would have been lost. There were so many of them.”

  “That’s true,” admitted the young woman.

  Finally, they returned to the road. The teens and their chance companion parted ways a few hours later. They had come to appreciate each other, and it was with sadness that they said farewell to one that they now called a friend. They had no choice, however, and they kept the good-byes brief: they got down from the cart, thanked the man for having carried them so far, then they turned to the crossroads.

  “I don’t know if we’ll ever meet another person like him,” murmured Jeremy. “Personally, I’m going to miss him.”

  His three friends nodded in agreement.

  Chapter 12

  THE company continued walking three days more, moving at a regular pace, but unhurriedly. They encountered no one, and the solitude began to weigh on them. They were tired of the silence surrounding them, only interrupted by the twittering of the birds about them. The scenery changed very little: gigantic plains lined either side of the path they followed. They noticed that the path didn’t seem to be very well maintained – grass covered the path at points. It was so obvious that the path was little used, that the teens began to question whether or not they were completely lost, and whether they would ever arrive. However, they did their best not to let it unsettle them, and they continued on their way.

  Three days had passed in compl
ete solitude, when they came across a dozen horsemen a few miles away from a small town called Heidro. They were on the way to another town near Shinozuka, Elmash, and agreed to accompany the young people as far as they could. The journey was very nice for the young people. The four friends were delighted to have the chance to speak with the men, and they appreciated the sound of the hooves striking the ground and replacing the oppressive silence that had accompanied them up to that point.

  One of their chance companions told them that Shinozuka would be no more than two or three days farther on foot, assuming that the four friends moved at a good pace. This news was like a balm to their hearts; they didn’t know what they would find there, but they needed to see people and hear life surrounding them. Their solitude had rendered them terribly melancholic, and that had to stop.

  They passed the night in the company of the men who played a few pieces of music that they knew on flutes. The first of the melodies was rhythmic and cheerful, and they danced a few steps around the fire, as it released wisps of smoke up to the sky. Glaide noticed that one of the instruments had a slightly different shape and timbre than the others. He wanted to know more, but the man could only tell him that he had gotten it from a tramp.

  As they began to feel their fatigue, one of the musicians chose to play a piece that was slower, mesmerizing, and sad... Silence fell over the group as each of them became lost in their thoughts. Some gazed at the sky, while others couldn’t drag their eyes away from the ground. Glaide stared fixedly at the flames of the campfire.