by Elina Vale
Eavan cried, and the sound woke Boa from the haze. He ran to Eavan’s sword, lifted it up from the floor, and was about to push it through the beast’s back when its head creepily spun all the way around. The earthmaiden screamed with an ear-splitting, screeching sound, and pushed its nails deep into Boa’s chest before Boa had the chance to react. A horrible pain hit him, and the sword fell from his hand. Boa’s legs faltered, and he dropped to his knees in front of the beast.
The pain burned inside him.
Then the beast twitched and let go of Boa. A blade stuck out from its chest, with a heavy smoke rising from the cut around it. The earthmaiden turned around and was about to strike Eavan with its hand, but Eavan said some spell words out loud and lifted her hands in front of herself. The earthmaiden's claws stopped in the air, in front of Eavan, like they had hit a wall. It grabbed on the blade, sticking it on its chest with both of its hands, screaming with an ear-splitting sound. The smoking from around the blade increased, and the earthmaiden howled in agony. Boa fell to the ground on his back but saw from the crack of his eyelids that Eavan backed away when the flames around the beast grew bigger. Boa covered his face with his arm when the heat from the fire was too intense. The earthmaiden burnt in front of their eyes, flesh melting from its face, and finally there was only a pile of smoking ash.
Boa lay on the ground, staring at the dark ceiling.
Eavan’s face emerged to Boa’s sight. “Are you alright? Boa?”
“Yeah… I’m alright,” Boa said as he tried to push himself up but fell back when his head was spinning sickeningly.
“Oh, shit,” Eavan said, and eyed Boa’s torn shirt with her brow furrowed.
“What?”
“It stuck its nails into you, didn’t it?”
“Maybe… But it’s not that bad. It’s not even bleeding much. I just need a minute…”
Eavan laid her hands on Boa’s shoulders and pushed him back down. The strands of her black hair wiped Boa’s face. Her eyes were serious when she spoke. “Well, its nails have poison. I’m not sure, but I think it could kill you.”
“You think? Weren’t you supposed to be the expert on earthmaidens?” Boa said, and grimaced when the drowsiness crept upon him, creating a colorful burst of light into his eyes. Like he was drunk, but without the fun.
“I could let you die and use your situation as one of my study-cases and write about it into my book if you really think it’s that important?”
“Eavan…”
“I can heal you,” she said quietly. “With magic.”
Imagining magic wipping over him, again, terrified him.
Boa shook his head. “No.”
“Listen, junk-head. Either you let me heal you, or you'll die. I know you hate magic for some reason, but let me prove you wrong.”
She laid her hand on his cheek and her eyes were deep. “Please. I’m sure you still have a lot to do in this world. And dying would kind of prevent you from doing it.”
Boa had to close his eyes when he couldn’t see Eavan anymore. The poison was spreading. “Fine,” he whispered. “Do it. But I warn you, senatai, if I die because of this magical shit, I’m gonna haunt you as a ghost for the rest of your life.”
“Shut up. Now, eh, this is probably going to feel…a bit odd.”
A tingling, painful energy burst through Boa. He screamed, and then he blacked out.
When Boa woke, he was in his room at the inn. It wasn’t dark, but the light was slight and gentle, suggesting that it was an early morning. He lifted the covers and noticed that he had four new scars alongside the black markings, but the scars had already started to heal.
Magic.
The map!
Boa tried to rise up, but had to let his head fall back on the pillow when the world flipped in his eyes. He let the air out with a long gush. The sinking senatai had tricked him somehow, and was probably already miles away with the map. Maybe he could reach her. Boa was faster than Eavan—or he could at least try.
With that thought, Boa jumped up and got dressed. He was still feeling light-headed, but didn’t care about it. He had to pause for a while and lean on the wall until the floor quit wobbling, but then he was good to go.
He stomped downstairs and was astounded to find the innkeeper there.
“You! You saved my life!” he exclaimed, walking to Boa and wrapping his arms around him. Boa let him have his moment, but then pushed him away, awkwardly patting his shoulder.
The innkeeper smiled widely. “You saved the town from the beast! The town is grateful, and I’m—”
Boa cleared his throat. “Thank you, good man. You saved my life first, so I guess we’re even, eh?”
“Yes, yes. And the burning she-beast is finally gone, and so is Mayor Horda, by the way.”
Boa gasped. The sneaky man had vanished? Probably with the map. “When?”
“Just this morning, when you were still knocked out. It was lucky that Miss Firestone is so amazing with her, eh, magic, don’t you think? I was there in the cave, you were as good as dead, you were!”
Boa tried to understand what had happened and how long had he been out? “Is...eh, Miss Firestone gone also?”
“Yes, she is. She said Mayor Horda owed her something. Searched through his house like a tornado, she did, and then rushed after him.”
Boa cursed and took some coins from his pouch to give to the man, but he looked terrified. “No, I’m not accepting those. You are my guest. Every time you shall come to the beautiful town of Ronder, my inn has a room for you. Free of charge!”
Boa doubted that he’ll ever return this town, but nodded. “Thank you, my good man. Would there be any bread or ham to get before I head away? I have to ask where I might find Eav… Miss Firestone.”
“What? You insult me! A bread and ham? You’ll get a decent meal with pork and some red wine. And you needn’t worry. She left you a letter, the senatai did.”
After eating the meal, Boa opened the letter.
Boa Riverson,
I promised to heal you, didn’t I?
There you are, sitting comfortably, enjoying the fire and drinking wine, when I am freezing my ass here at the Dodgeville. Yes. That’s where you should come and find me and the devious Mayor Horda, who stole from me. Yes, from ME. I was the one who killed the beast, so I should have the map. But I also know now why you want the pendant so fiercely. I know why you hate magic.
I saw the markings when I healed you.
If you want to know what I know about those markings, come and find me.
And by the way, when you choose the brellyboat to take you to Dodgeville, don’t take the cheap red one. It’s going to hit a rock and sink.
Trust me.
EF
CHAPTER 6
It shouldn’t have surprised Boa to see the red brellyboat on the river bench with a huge hole on its side, but there it was, half submerged in the dark water. He leaned on the reeling and gazed at the hills and forests passing him by. Three days had gone since the earthmaiden had poisoned him with its claws, and the brelly grew the distance between him and that godforsaken town in the cold north. The spring had arrived here in the Midlands already, and the snow was only a memory. Dodgeville was located in Boa’s favorite area, in the green, lush Midland, where the rivers were clear-watered and the pines, spruces, and birches spread their branches towards the blue sky. The people here were known to be simple and hardworking.
The wind whirled gently around Boa, bringing the scents of the spring to his nose—dirt, moist and something joyful and light. He rubbed the markings on his chest a little nervously. The senatai hadn’t summoned him in many, many days. Boa was slightly worried to travel so near the place where the senatai had nearly caught him just a few weeks ago, but Eavan knew something about the curse and, naturally, he couldn’t let her get away with the map.
The day was beautiful and sunny. It wasn’t very warm yet, though the trees looked like t
hey would soon burst into light green happiness. A pack of white-eared deer stood at the meadow nearby, lifting their heads and wiggling their ears cautiously as the brellyboat passed them. But when they realized there wasn't any threat, continued eating the grass that had survived the winter under the snow.
The town of Dodgeville was ahead, and Boa fixed his eyes forward. Statues on smoke slithered in the sky, people walked on the road next to the river, and a group of kids ran alongside the river bench with the brellyboat. Everything looked peaceful. As the boat got closer to the docs, Boa saw a lone figure standing by the docs’ master’s hut's wall, leaning casually on its side. Eavan.
Boa landed from the brelly and walked to meet Eavan. He stopped in front of her, and she smiled at him under the hood. “Hi, Boa Riverson. You look much healthier than the last time I saw you.”
“Yeah,” Boa said, and cleared his throat. It was actually nice to see her again. He felt no discomfort talking to her—a senatai of all people. The thought made him a bit wary, because he should always remember that Eavan was a senatai and that she could do whatever she wanted to him with her magic. It became more clear to Boa that he had to find something with which he could protect himself against magic. Ironically, probably something magical.
Boa cleared his throat and glared at her under the brim of his hat, knowing he owed her. “Thank you for saving my life.”
Eavan shrugged. “I couldn’t let you die after you had just saved my life. And besides, I’ve got something I wanna talk to you about.”
Boa took a breath. “The map?”
Eavan glanced around the busy and bustling docs and nudged her head. “Come. We’ll talk somewhere more private.”
Eavan and Boa walked the crowded streets of Dodgeville, keeping a low profile. Dodgeville was a mid-sized town, known for its fur and meat trade. Small, brown, and fairly modest houses were lined up in straight lines on the sides of the stone-carpeted street. The houses were like people here, honest and sturdy—nothing fancy, but trustworthy. Several places sold beautiful skins and furs, meat in all its forms, cheese, and jewels and other items made of bones. Eavan skittled between the salesmen and their carts. She seemed to know the town well. Boa followed her and kept the brim of the hat low, even though the senatai looking for him wouldn't need to see his face to know that he was here.
Boa glared at Eavan's back. He had been happy to see her again, and it made him question his own principles. He had sworn on the grave of his parents that he would revenge their death, and he would bring the magic down for good and kill the senatai who had cursed him. He had to keep that promise! But Eavan Firestone… She was different. A tiny voice inside Boa kept saying that there could be others like her, and that maybe, just maybe, he had been wrong about magic. But then he remembered the pain he had felt so many times because of the curse, the horror his mother had had to witness before her horrible death, his father’s courage as he died for something he had nothing to do with. No. The magic must vanish. The world will be a better place without it.
Eavan stopped in front of a building, opened a door to a regular looking inn, though cleaner than the one in Ronder had been. She led him up to her room and closed the door. It was a small room with a bed, a table, and a window. She removed her cloak and revealed her lean and muscular body. She had a white linen shirt and brown leather trousers. She tossed the cloak carelessly on the bed and sat down next to it, tossing her long, black hair over her shoulder with her hand. She pointed at the chair near the window, and Boa sat on it, glaring at Eavan. He wasn’t sure how he felt being alone in the room with a senatai, but when he looked at Eavan, all he could see was a woman. Brave and funny. She looked so normal, nothing about her telling anyone that she could do magic. But she could.
Boa crossed his arms over his chest and leaned comfortably back, but the muscles in his jaw were tense. He looked at Eavan. “So. The map?”
Eavan’s stare was shrouded, but after a while she nodded. “I’ve got it.”
Boa bounced up, eyes and mouth open. “You do? Here?”
She frowned. “Well, yeah. But there’s something else we need to talk about.”
Boa slumped back in the chair. “What happened to Mayor Horda?”
Eavan grinned. “Something that includes a chair, ropes made of air, and him hanging upside down. And some other stuff.”
Boa snorted and stroked his beard with his hand. “Pft. Magic!”
“Indeed. That’s kinda my thing.” Eavan stared at him for a while and then spurted out, “So let’s talk about the curse.”
Boa startled and took a deep breath. “I don’t know if you’re the right person to talk about it.” Thinking that Eavan would know about his past, about his fears and the pain… It didn’t feel good. Somehow, he didn’t want her to know all of that.
Eavan leaned forward and kept staring at Boa’s eyes. “I’m exactly the right person. I know you want the pendant because it can hide you from the people who cursed you. I understand that.”
“So, it’s mine then?”
“No.”
Boa frowned and stood up. “What kind of games are you playing with me? If you're not gonna give the map to me, then why—”
Eavan sighed and stood up also. “Listen, you hot-headed horse. Sit.”
Boa sat down, brows furrowed and mouth pursed.
Eavan gathered her long black hair to her hands and started braiding it, pacing around the room. “I've seen those kinds of markings before... Somewhere else, but I’ve never understood what those meant. I think you can tell me. I know you don’t...trust me even after I saved your life. So, look. Here’s the map.” She suddenly handed the map to Boa, who took it, squinting his eyes to Eavan. She was up to something, he was sure of it.
Ignoring his doubts, Boa took the paper. It was not very big, only twenty inches per side. He studied the paper closely. The paper was yellowish, and the lines that were drawn to it smudged and partly missing, but he was sure that the map was from the northern regions of the kingdom Papuyen. It must be. That brown, large area must be the Sandy Planes, and the blue spot the Diamond Water. And the pendant was clearly hidden somewhere between— The map was snatched from his hands. It floated through the air to Eavan’s hands, and she rolled it and pushed under her shirt.
Eavan crossed her arms over her breasts and held her jaw stubbornly high. “Tell me about the curse, Boa. I’m not gonna give the map back to you until I hear the story.”
Boa remembered Karla’s story about the evil rising, the dark magic and Ordal…and hesitated. Eavan would probably be crazy enough to believe it all and maybe start investigating it. She could get killed, just like Boa’s mama had, because of it. Suddenly thinking, Eavan Firestone’s dead cold eyes stared into nothingness, that arrogant smile wiped off from her face, moved something inside Boa. Annoyed with himself and his thoughts, Boa stood up and walked to Eavan. He grabbed her by her shoulders.
“No. I think it’s wiser that we end our journey here. You…you can keep the map and I’ll just have to keep looking for a way to—”
“Are you serious? Really? You’d rather live with the curse than tell me about it? You're just so—”
“There’s nothing to tell. Maybe the curse will disappear over time, maybe I will...”
Boa’s eyes widened and his words withered down. He felt it again.
The summoning.
But there wasn't any pain. Only the summoning. That meant that the three senatai were here. Close. In this town. His heart began racing like a rabbit hunted by a fox.
“Boa? What’s wrong?” Eavan asked.
Boa glared around the room. He was trapped and couldn’t breathe. What if they would come here and see Eavan? He had to get away, and as far away from her and those senatai as soon as possible.
“I’m sorry, Eavan. I must go. I promise, when I’ve killed the ones who did this to me, I’m gonna give the pendant back to you. You deserve it. I’m sorry about this.”
Without a warning, Boa tripped Eavan down and hopped over her. She struggled, but before Eavan had the chance to defend herself, Boa had used a trick a man from the Band of Five had taught him, making her unconscious by pushing certain points in her neck. Eavan’s eyes rolled around, and head slumped, she blacked out.
Boa lifted her to his arms and carefully laid on the bed. She looked peaceful, beautiful. Her hair was spread on the pillow around her face. She breathed steadily. Boa knew the trick wouldn't keep her unconscious for very long, so he had to leave before she would wake up. Boa pushed his hand under her shirt and slid the map away, gently touching her hair.
“I’m sorry, but it’s better this way. If they would know about you... You live in the same tower with them. They’d kill you. We’re better off being as far away from each other as possible.”
Boa turned his back to Eavan and rushed outside to get away from her, the town, and the three evil tormentors.
Boa could feel the calling, the curse all the time inside him, and he had a desperate need to get away. He couldn’t possibly fight the three senatai, he didn’t have anything to fight them with—no magical swords, shields, or anything. If he would have to confront them, he would have to surrender or die.
CHAPTER 7
Almost running, Boa made it out of the town. The summoning pounded on his markings, beating together with his racing heart. The images from his past, from the night his parents had died, surged in his mind. He remembered the cries, the pain, the horror like it had happened yesterday.
He left the town of Dodgeville behind him only a few hours after he had arrived. The town and the river were left behind. And Eavan. At the moment, he had thought that stealing the map had been his best option. But now he was doubting his decision.
