Viktor

by Francesco Leo

  Only then did Viktor realize that the red of the robe was blood.

  He turned white and started shaking, screaming and pointing Siride towards the figure.

  Despite trying with all his strength to react, he could not move a muscle either to attack or to escape.

  The woman raised a cadaveric hand with long fingernails, then stopped.

  “Viktor, run away, it’s a ghost! It’s a ghost!” Selene shouted from the other side.

  “I told you not to come!” the boy snapped.

  The ghost grinned again and swirled toward Selene, her lower body fading into a small grey cloud that followed her as she hovered a few feet off the ground.

  “Run to the main street, run!” Viktor pointed out.

  He kept his eyes glued on the trail of light that Selene’s torch left, trying not to hear the screams of the evil spirit.

  Trying to defeat the terror that blocked him, he began to run and for a moment he almost believed he was reaching Selene, but his torch went out, leaving him alone in the darkness.

  Without thinking twice, he threw it on the grass and kept running blindly toward the light from Selene’s torch, who suddenly appeared among the trunks.

  The girl stumbled and fell to the ground, the torch slipped from her hands and spun in the air to fall not far away.

  The woman’s spirit appeared before her and began to approach.

  “What do you want to do with me?” she cried.

  “Possess you until my presence consumes your soul,” the figure whispered in her ear.

  The girl’s vision clouded along with her senses.

  Her head became heavy while her heart was about to burst.

  She fell to the ground in the grip of cold shivers and confused sounds.

  By now she was about to give up, when she saw Viktor’s silhouette plunging into the enemy with his sword drawn.

  His body fell to the ground immediately after diving into his target; the figure was ethereal and could not be touched.

  The woman turned to Viktor and advanced towards him; the torch on the ground set fire to the circle of dry grass on the ground.

  Viktor got up and picked up Siride, whose blade, in the flames, was now incandescent. The fire had not yet ruined the hilt.

  He tried several lunges on the target, but his attempts were in vain.

  An enemy hand tightened around his neck, lifting him a couple of feet off the ground, gripping its long thin fingers around his flesh.

  Viktor understood that only magic could have done something against a spirit but, since he was not able to use it, he concentrated on the pendant of Artemisia.

  He regretted not having been attentive to the lesson on the arcane arts with Amir, he shut his eyes and tried to invoke the power of the purple gem. Suddenly the spirit howled with pain, the grip on his neck loosened and she fell to the ground with a dull thud.

  A sweet song, with an impetuous and proud force, echoed in the pine forest.

  “The lords of the forest still sing,

  who nothing claims and everything defends.

  The demons flee, the hand of death retracts,

  and the dark abysses are closed by shining chains.

  Of the sirens the illusions and the fire of the most dangerous dragon

  the extinction of peace the furious dart demands.

  Of the blood-soaked soul

  redemption will leave no trace.

  No trace, no evil,

  not a fearful memory.”

  The spirit was on its knees with its hands on its temples as it screamed and hurt in pain.

  Any song that could have a similar influence on a dark creature must have been soaked with ancient magic as much as he who owned its control.

  The flames around the youngsters suddenly opened and a centaur entered.

  The big grey hooves, the fur of a bright mahogany colour and the muscular and powerful bust shone in the light of the flames. Behind him he wore a bow and a quiver.

  The long fingers of the creature touched the strings of a small golden harp and only then did they notice the awesome melody that accompanied the magic song.

  The creature stopped walking a step from the spirit, who screamed and tried to grab it with its cold hand.

  When the centaur’s symphony reached its peak, the spectrum dissolved in a strong explosion of black fog that extinguished the surrounding flames.

  The ghost’s screams echoed far away, while the sound of the harp ceased vibrating.

  Viktor looked up to the centaur.

  Long wavy hair, thick and black, which fell to his back; a large forehead marked by some wrinkles and an aquiline nose with thin, rosy lips and a short beard surrounding them.

  “I hope your safety has not suffered,” said the newcomer.

  “We’ll never be able to thank you enough,” Viktor said, getting up slowly.

  “I am Irvine, guardian of the ancient forest of Miür,” the creature introduced himself, holding out a hand to Selene.

  “I am Selene from Lezhen,” the girl introduced herself, her voice still weak and frightened.

  “Selene without a surname?” Irvine asked.

  “My parents died before I could know them, I don’t remember it. The people of the village where I grew up gave my own name to me.”

  “That’s why I feel regret,” said the centaur, turning to Viktor.

  “I am Viktor, Viktor Agonar. We don’t often use surnames, in our neighbourhood we simply use to say where we come from. »

  Irvine hit his hoof on the ground and snorted, looking at the sky concealed by the trees.

  “Many moons have passed since the last time I had direct contact with your race. We once lived with the elves and they baptized this forest of which few today know the name. After the War of Oblivion, the few remaining centaurs chose to keep guard here, and the elves settled in the far East; nevertheless, we don’t dispute with your people.”

  “So there are others of you?” Selene asked.

  “Yes, but not many and we prefer to live hidden from the eyes of others. However, I couldn’t ignore the danger you were in”

  “Selene, you knew that woman was a ghost: how did you know?” Viktor asked.

  “Initially I was afraid, I only thought about it later. Damned souls attract prey into their clutches with lies. They knew we would try to help her and she framed you by making you believe there was someone in danger.”

  “Indeed it was almost impossible to find anyone in the meanderings of Miür at this hour,” said Viktor, blaming his folly.

  “Your heart is daring. You’ll be a good companion for the chosen one of the Star” Irvine said to Selene.

  “How do you know…”

  “The centaurs read the sky every day: they sing about stars and speak with them. The world is slowly approaching the same events of the past, assuming that everything will be resolved again, but this time it won’t be so. Even the one who despises danger cannot deny the sad reality that is about to overwhelm us: Zergh is getting stronger and stronger, and to succeed in your task you will have to invest everything you know,” the centaur warned.

  “Who was the ghost that attacked us?” Selene asked, ignoring what the centaur had just said.

  “At one time, a group of bandits attacked a woman with her baby. During the sacking, the men abused her and killed them both. We were too far away to help her. Since then, her damned soul assaults anyone she sees, hoping to find someone who committed this havoc one day.” Irvine turned his back to the youngsters and then took his leave.” The centaurs will be by your side, chosen one. To go back, follow the inhabitants of the forest,” he concluded, trotting rapidly into the darkness.

  Viktor wanted to ask Irvine many other things, but he was content to still be safe and sound.

  He struggled on his knees to find Siride, then he put it in its scabbard. “How do we get back to the bonfire?” he asked at last, scanning the darkness with the hope of seeing the light of the brazier somewhere.


  “Irvine said to follow the inhabitants of the wood, but ...” she paused, caught by a small swarm of fireflies. “Here they are! The inhabitants of the forest ... let’s follow the fireflies!”

  Viktor nodded and both followed the luminous insects, unravelling among the trunks of trees like hunting snakes.

  When the fireflies dispersed, Viktor and Selene discovered with great relief that they were standing next to their saddlebags.

  The blanket lying on the ground was cold and wet; the fire now nearly out. They restarted it with new wood, then settled down on the blanket.

  They quickly slipped into the confused and swirling world in which they would find shelter, abandoning themselves to their fleeting and silent dreams.

  BELETH

  T he lonely chirping of a goldfinch awoke Viktor, who blinked several times before focusing on the foliage of the trees irradiated by the late morning light.

  He moved slowly so as not to wake Selene, leaning on his back.

  He searched for the battered map in the pack that Maluak had given him: from what he remembered, all they had to do was go straight down the path to get back to the main road.

  He checked the direction to take several times, then put the map back in his saddlebag and fastened his belt behind his back; finally, he woke Selene up.

  Gently, he called the girl, who opened her eyes.

  “Five minutes more. When you’re ready, we’ll start again, we’ll eat something on the way: we’ve already wasted too much time.”

  Selene put a hand on her face hearing Viktor’s words, then took a deep breath and got up.

  They put the blankets away and Viktor threw some earth on the extinguished bonfire.

  It took them a while to find the main path, and then they began walking down it quickly.

  “I really think the knife that Trust gave me will be more useful than expected,” the girl asserted.

  “Well, I cannot say that yesterday was the best night of my life,” said Viktor.

  They marched until early afternoon, when exhaustion forced them to stop.

  They heard a noise getting closer and closer: the wheels of a cart. The thing that struck the youngsters was to see it emerge from the trees.

  Concerned by that unusual and curious way of travelling, they ran to hide behind a hedge by the side of the road.

  “Did you see where that chap is coming from? He is traveling with a cart across the forest! Why not follow the main street?” Viktor asked in a low tone.

  “Be quiet now!” Selene reproached.

  A person with large, brown trousers was hiding under a short cloak with a light, plum-coloured cap.

  The cart went beyond the hedge and continued toward Beleth.

  Only when Viktor and Selene made sure the traveller was gone, they came out into the open.

  “He was a person like any other, we could have done without hiding!” Viktor claimed.

  “People don’t dart out of the trees all of a sudden! I wonder if he’s going to Beleth or going any farther ...” the girl wondered.

  “Come on, let’s continue. If we don’t stop, we will arrive in the city for the evening. “

  “It will be better, considering last night ...” Selene recalled.

  When they found themselves close enough to the city to see the flags, the path took on a pending and a much more tortuous course; some stones were cracked and broken.

  The day had passed quickly to the rhythm of the sound of their footsteps, and the most daring rays of sunlight remained to challenge the imminent evening, illuminating the long, steep and meandering path through the trees. The struggling duo stopped at the gates of the town.

  The usual group of soldiers, now made up of several units, was guarding the large, solid, studded wooden door; to the right of the great door, the big hole in the wall had been filled with large stones and other mortar. Along the walls, some builders were working to re-establish the outer defences of the city and reinforce them.

  The two youngsters emerged from the pine forest and were immediately surrounded by soldiers.

  “Identify yourselves,” one of the guards broke in. “Viktor and Selene from Lezhen,” replied the chosen one.

  “What are you doing here?”

  “We’re travelling, nothing special.”

  “Do you have weapons with you, we must make sure of your intentions,” observed a taller sentry.

  “The fact that two people carry weapons with them does not mean that they have to use them: in these times, it would be foolish to travel disarmed,” Selene pointed out.

  The guard hesitated. “There’s been an attack on the city recently ... We’re forced to be stricter.”

  Viktor looked at Selene for a moment and pointed to Trust’s knife. She handed it to him.

  The young man threw it to the ground and then did the same with his own weapon. “You can keep them until we leave the city,” he said.

  The guard exchanged undecided looks with his fellow soldiers. “Take your weapons and go in,” he authorized. “But we will keep an eye on you,” he added.

  Viktor nodded resolutely and retrieved his equipment with his friend.

  “I hope you’ll have a pleasant stay here in Beleth,” the sentinel wished them. With a wave of his hand he signalled to his comrades at the entrance to open the door to let the youngsters in.

  “Clever ...” Selene whispered in her companion’s ear.

  “They just wanted to make sure we’re not a threat.”

  Scratches and grazes were present on the ground at the point where the barglas had committed the slaughter.

  Many destroyed houses remained silent in their defeat. It was like returning to the night of the attack.

  Viktor looked at the sky thinking of the rain of fiery darts on the inhabitants.

  The inn at the entrance to Beleth had been the first sheltered structure repaired for customers.

  The timid sign, “The Wanderer’s Candle,” moved slowly and creaked with fatigue.

  The travellers recognized the innkeeper behind the counter unlike the woman, who barely gave them a quick glance while she was busy checking a list of names.

  “Um ... could we ...” he began, trying to get the girl’s attention.

  “Yes, I saw you. Just a moment and I’ll be with you...” she answered.

  “We wondered if you have a quiet room to sleep and rest. We are coming from a very tiring journey, but one night will be enough.”

  “Yes, there are rooms ... here, take the keys to this. Room number four. It’s next to the newcomer’s but don’t worry, he’s a silent guy,” the innkeeper reassured them, chuckling.

  “New arrival? So there has been a certain influx of people even after the attack a month ago ...,” Viktor declared.

  “Oh, it was hard for the first dozen days, but then it seems like things have begun to go better. How do you know about it?”

  “The two of us were here to take a friend to the Grand Talent Contest. We were there and survived by the skin of our teeth.”

  “Really… we had a very bad time here. Many are still without a house and we don’t know when we’ll find a house for everyone. In any case, that chap arrived in the early afternoon from no idea where: he’s strange and doesn’t talk much. Before entering his room he ate his meal remaining motionless for a long time on that chair down there,” she pointed her index finger toward a table in the corner of room.

  “I see, I understand ... well, anyway, thank you. Now we’d rather go and rest,” Selene cut short.

  The innkeeper nodded and the two climbed to the second floor, then entered their room.

  “It’s practically identical to the one we had the first time,” Viktor noted.

  “I think they are all alike and we should also thank them that they exist! I’ll take a bath and go to bed.”

  Viktor put his saddlebags next to a bedside table, then stopped to look at the ruined landscape of Beleth. “Last time there was a man behind the counter.”


  “I think he was the girl’s father. Why do you care so much?”

  “Nothing, I was just prying. “

  “Maybe ... now I’m going to take a bath. If you try to peek, you’re done with me!”

  Viktor smiled, turning to the window, while the evening swallowed the earth.

  ******

  That night, the moon remained hidden behind a haze of disquieting, grey clouds, sovereign in a dark sky.

  A man wrapped in a cloak walked along the main street of the city, towards the square.

  The figure stopped next to a large caravan, leaning against a pile of rubble belonging to an old house.

  Viktor, who could not sleep, went to the window; when he saw the mysterious figure wandering the streets of the city, a motion of curiosity convinced him to go and check the person out. He wore a dressing gown and firmly tied the belt around his waist, then silently walked out of the room.

  The entrance hall on the first floor was cold, gloomy and empty.

  The hearth emanated a faint dying light.

  He walked quietly and withdrew when the cold of the damp night ran through the hand that had opened the door of the building.

  He closed the door without a sound and moved towards the centre of the square, running from one rubble to another to remain hidden.

  He continued slowly until he was in a position where he could observe the strange individual in a quiet way for a while.

  He saw him checking on horse-straps and other travel equipment in the caravan and, satisfied, realized that the enigmatic appearance that had made him feel curious was nothing special: a person like any other.

  The darkness of the night became even denser when large black heaps eclipsed the moon and the stars that had resisted the bad weather; small drops of rain began to target the stone floor of the large town square.

  “It’s starting to rain, you should go back to the inn,” the man scolded, intent on doing his job.

  Viktor remained appalled and uncertain.

  “Boy, I’m speaking to you, behind the rubble. It is not convenient to stay there. “