by Ritu Ghosh
Flynn looked at Aaron with water in his eyes at the mention of his father. It was like he wanted to spill his heart out but he didn’t say a single word.
“Flynn!” Aaron shook Flynn gently “Is your father alright?”
Still no answer came from Flynn.
“Why aren’t you saying anything Flynn?!” Aaron was getting impatient now.
“I am tired, I want to sleep now” Flynn was looking weary like before. He got up and left, leaving Aaron wondering what has happened to him and his father.
He sat alone near the bon-fire now. There were many other smaller bon-fires. The men and women sat around them telling stories and drinking into the night. In some circles, they sang songs and in some circles, people were asleep around the fire. Some were too drunk to understand what was going on. Aaron sat near a bunch of people and listened to their stories about how everything in the world was created by God and how Evil came into existence.
He almost drifted off to sleep with the warmth of the fire and the melodious voice of the story teller. He was woken up suddenly by Ony.
“Get some sleep! We are leaving early morning tomorrow” Ony was standing tall over Aaron looking sleepy himself. Aaron followed Ony sleepily to their hut. Dan was already there. He was packing his things.
“Pack up kid! We will get going as soon as the sun comes out” he said.
“But why can’t we stay here for a few more days?” Aaron was hoping to get to know the hunter girl who had danced with him.
“We can’t stop anywhere for long kid. If they find us, they will attack without hesitation. We have to reach the Blue Mountains as soon as we can” Dan said clearly.
“But…” Aaron stared. Dan interrupted him immediately “We will do as I say. You haven’t seen anything yet”
Aaron turned towards Ony irritated, but Ony closed his eyes and pretended to snore on his bed.
Aaron packed his bag and lied on the bed. The bed was cozy but not like his own bed back in the house.
“And one more thing. Your friend cannot come with us to Arktor. But we will leave him in a safe place” said Dan before he put the lamps out. It was dark instantly. Aaron opened his mouth to say something but he couldn’t. He had caused so much trouble to Flynn already. It was better to leave him at a safe place.
He thought of many things as he fell asleep. What was Arktor like? What kind of people lived there? Where will he get to stay? He had never been to a city before. His imagined things that he expected to see in a city.
Sleep overcame him as soon as he pulled the blanket over himself. He slept calmly that night. He felt safe. Dan had told him that the hunter village was the safest place for the night in the whole of Robia. No wolves could come here.
Chapter 8
The Second Attack
The next day, Aaron woke up startled, hearing a big thud. Ony had dropped Aaron’s bag in front of him to wake him up. Even though the sun was out, it was chilly outside. Aaron was not ready to leave the bed, but the expression on Ony’s face didn’t let him go back to sleep.
He pulled himself out of the bed and put on his leather vest and the cloak. Still sleepy, he looked outside. The hunters were leaving with spears and various other tools for the day’s hunt. Their families were bidding goodbyes. There were some hunter women in the group too.
Aaron Suddenly realized that the feast last night was an effort of the hard work of these hunters who put their lives in danger to hunt. They risked their lives to put food on the table for their families.
Nobody would ever risk their lives for food in Brinsar. He understood that some people’s lives were much harder than his own. He was filled with gratitude towards the good hunters and their hospitality.
Aaron pulled his hood over his head and his bag on his back and came outside the hut. Flynn was waiting outside. Aaron stood there and watched Flynn. Flynn wore warm clothes and looked well rested. A well kept horse was standing beside him that he patted occasionally.
“Chief arranged all that for him” Dan smiled as he patted Aaron on his back.
“I should thank him for all that he has done for us” Aaron looked at Dan for approval.
Dan nodded and said “Chief Barda is a very good man!”
“How do you know these hunters and their language? I have never even heard of them” Aaron finally asked the much awaited question.
“I came here three years ago. I was badly hurt fighting the Lurgs. I almost lost an arm” Dan spoke with sadness. “If these people were not there to take care of me, I would have been dead. I am very grateful to chief Barda and everyone in this village. They kept me here as one of their own even though there was the fear of Lurgs following me” Dan was now emotional.
“I stayed here for six months and during those days I learnt their language as a token of thanks to them”
Dan stopped speaking as Ony walked out of the hut. All of them mounted their horses. Aaron stopped and said words of thanks to the Chief Barda. Barda was very delighted and he invited Aaron to come and stay in the village anytime he wanted.
The speed at which the men travelled made Aaron wonder if Flynn could keep up. Flynn was not a rider; he or his father never owned a horse. But surprisingly, Flynn did very well. He was keeping up with all three of them and seemed to enjoy himself.
What Dan said about Lurgs was bothering Aaron. He had talked about the fight with Lurgs earlier. Lurgs were creatures bigger than humans. Some say that they were brought back from the dead by an Evil Force. They consume human flesh and had no mercy for anybody. But before today, he had dismissed such things as stories made by people of the city. But now he doubted it. Where he was actually going and what awaits him there were the only questions in his mind now.
Dan stopped suddenly and everyone stopped behind him.
“A word of caution to all of you! This is a zone of danger. Anything could be hiding in these forests, ready to attack us. Be as careful as you can and keep your weapons at hand” said Dan.
“Why can’t we take another path if this place is so dangerous?” Aaron asked worrying about Flynn.
“Because, there is only one way to the Blue Mountains” Dan said grimly.
Dan spoke no more and Ony seems to be in agreement with him. Dan led the way to the forest. The forest was denser than the one they had passed before. There was hardly any light coming through the trees. Even the trees looked evil and crooked. They looked like they do not want anybody coming into the forest. The path was clear as the sun seeping through the leaves made it visible somehow. Some roots and branches of the trees were protruding into the path, making it difficult for them to ride at a good pace.
Dan was alert all the way. He was ready for anything. With one hand on the hilt of his sword he looked in every direction. He also kept a watch above as if he was expecting something to come down from the sky at any moment. Flynn followed Ony on his new horse, still silent. But he enjoyed the ride. Aaron was the last one in the row and was lost in thoughts. A little did he know about the Blue Mountains. ‘Who lives in the Blue Mountains who has all the answers I need?’ Aaron thought. He felt that his world was becoming complicated by the day.
Aaron was aching to ask Dan many things but the party had picked up speed. There was no stopping for hours not even for a little rest. The forest seemed never ending, the trees were now growing thicker and thicker and much closer to each other. Their branches were tangled with each other. Some of the trees were completely new to Aaron. It seemed to him that the trees were trying to close the path and lock them in the forest.
“We have to take some rest. We can’t go on like this” Ony broke the silence of the forest after many hours of riding.
“We have no time, it’s better to get out of this treacherous place before the sun goes out completely.” Dan said not showing any signs of stopping.
“We have kids with us, they can’t ride like us. They’ve not had any food since morning!” Ony continued his argument. Dan pulled the rein of his horse
and slowed down. Aaron remembered about the last meal he had, he was so full that he even forgot about the breakfast. But the mention of food had now made him quite hungry.
They found a clean spot and made a camp there for time being.
“I will help make fire” said Flynn. He was in a good mood now that he was part of an adventure.
“No! no fire!” Dan held Flynn’s hands tight and Flynn was afraid.
Aaron came forward and pulled Flynn’s hands back from Dan “Why not?”
“If we light a fire, they will know that we are here and they will get here in no time” Dan left after saying this.
“How are we suppose to sit here without any fire? It’s so cold here” Flynn said in whispers to make sure that Dan doesn’t hear it.
Aaron pulled his blanket out of the bag and gave it to Flynn “Here, this should help”
“Thanks!” Flynn sat down and covered himself with the blanket.
Ony handed them some bread and dry meat.
“Can I have some cheese and wine with this? This stuff is so hard to eat” Flynn said looking at what Ony had dropped into his lap.
“Oh yes your majesty. And then, we can all dance through the night and go back to our palaces” Ony mocked him.
Dan was looking intensely at Flynn now “This is all you get. This is food for survival and not a feast. Eat it or leave it.” He paused and said again “You shouldn’t even be here. You have no idea what kind of danger you are putting yourself into.”
Flynn ate without saying a word. Dan stared at him for some time and then went back to his food.
“Eat soon! It’s getting dark, we have to leave.” said Dan.
Aaron finished his meal quickly, it was better than the meal of just bread and cheese they had the day before. In fact, the dry meat tasted much better than he had expected. He sipped some water from his pouch. Suddenly, he saw something moving near the bushes. He sat up alert.
Dan asked immediately “What is it?”
“Something was moving over there” he pointed towards a few bushes.
“It was a big mistake stopping here! Quick, everyone back on your horses at once” Dan commanded.
Aaron grabbed his bag and untied his horse in a second. Flynn was very terrified. Aaron knew that Flynn remembered the encounter with the wolves before. Flynn trembled, Aaron clutched his shoulders to calm him down.
Before they could mount their horses, they heard loud howls and some black shadows jumped out of the trees all around them. One by one seven such shadows encircled them. With loud thuds they took their positions. Flynn gave out a cry like a cat and stood watching as the black figures became prominent.
They were weather wolves that had attached Aaron before. They had the same red glowing eyes and a jaw full of sharp teeth. The wolves stood on two legs and made agonizing growling noises.
Everyone reached for their weapons except Flynn who was looking for a place to hide. Dan was the first one to make a move; pulling his sword out he jumped and reached for one of the wolves but missed. The wolf growled and pushed Dan to the ground. Ony gave a grunt and with his axe, he hit one of the wolves on its feet. The wolf cried in pain and tried to hit Ony but he ducked and the wolf fell on the ground. Aaron too had his sword in hand, but he did not know what to do. A wolf came towards him growling. With a swing of his sword he cut off the wolf‘s right arm but this only made the wolf madder. With its other hand, it grabbed Aaron by the neck and chocked him.
Aaron couldn’t breathe for a moment. But, suddenly to his surprise, the wolf gave another cry of pain and let go of his neck. The wolf had a knife stuck to his eyes; it writhed in pain, rolled around and fell on the ground. Another wolf also fell on the ground with a knife in its eye. Aaron then spotted Flynn sitting on a tree, throwing knifes at the wolves.
Dan and Ony sprang to their feet and were now fighting the rest of the wolves. Aaron felt brave and ran towards a wolf yelling. He was caught by another wolf midway and he tripped suddenly, his sword fell far away from him.
He heard a cry and then Ony came flying towards him and fell on his right leg.
“Ony, Ony wake up!” he tried to move the giant off his legs but he couldn’t.
Aaron looked around, five big wolves were around Dan and he was fighting them alone. He wanted to help Dan but he couldn’t move as he was stuck under Ony. He tried to reach for his sword.
Suddenly, he felt a sharp pain on his left thigh and let out a cry. The wolf Aaron fought was lying next to him with its only hand and one good eye. It had dug its claws deep into his thighs and was not letting go. The pain was unbearable.
A louder howl came from nearby. The wolf suddenly withdrew its claws and left Aaron alone. Slowly, it moved towards the other wolves.
Aaron looked at Dan, holding onto his thigh. Dan’s mouth was wide open, he had a terrified expression on his face “No…” his said loudly.
Aaron looked in the same direction Dan was looking. Flynn had fallen on the ground. The wolves must have pulled him down from the tree. In front of Flynn stood a much bigger and hairy creature, the wolves gathered around the big creature.
Aaron couldn’t keep his eyes open, the pain spread to his head. “You shouldn’t have come with us Flynn” he whispered, with tears in his eyes, he blacked out.
Chapter 9
The Blue Mountains
Aaron opened his eyes. He didn’t remember how long it had been. He was sleeping on a bed inside a dreamy house, draped in silky white covers. The bed was small, but comfortable. The room was large and had many shelves on the walls. There was a large table with some strange apparatus kept on it. And the other two smaller tables were empty. There were two small armchairs kept next to him. The room had a beautiful aroma like the smell of fresh spring. Aaron’s face lighted up as he remembered the spring in his village. Open fields, colorful flowers and the trees full of fruits.
“How are you feeling now?” came a sweet voice from near his head. He turned his head to see but he couldn’t. The fragrance of the spring was getting stronger now.
An angel like figure appeared in front of him. His vision was still dizzy. The figure had hair of pure gold and was draped in a white gown that flowed to the ground. In her hair, she wore white and pink Alabas flowers. She moved gracefully in front of Aaron. Her voice was sweet as nectar.
“Am I in heaven?” He murmured under his breath.
He then heard a giggling and the girl ran out through the door. She was of the same age as Aaron. He heard the girl say “He is awake, come soon!”
Aaron realized that he was not dead yet. His vision was getting clearer and he could see a lot more properly now. He tried to move his hands and legs. As he moved his left leg he felt a pain but it was not as bad as before. His head hurt like he was asleep for many days. He slowly sat up against the headboard with some effort.
Dan walked into the room. He was dressed differently, mostly in white and there was no weapon on him. He looked much calmer.
“Thank God! You are ok! How do you feel now?” Dan sat next to Aaron, he looked relieved.
“The pain is still there, but I feel much better” said Aaron.
“A wound like this one will take some time to heal” remarked Dan.
Aaron remembered everything that happened.
“How did I survive the wolves? What about Flynn? And Ony?“ Aaron became restless.
“You should not stress yourself, it’s not good for you!” somebody said as he walked in. Aaron saw an old man with long white beard and a white robe that touched the floor. The man was standing tall but his eyes showed his age. His silvery hair sparkled in the sun.
Dan stood up immediately and said “I will go and inform the others”. He then left the room.
The old man pulled a chair and sat next to Aaron. Aaron felt a sudden sense of calm as his headache was melting away. There was some kind of an energy field around the old man and Aaron could feel it strongly. He was a little intimidated by the old man’s appearance.
But he finally asked “Who are you?”
The old man smiled “Young boy full of questions...I know, I know” said the old man.
Aaron said nothing but watched the old man in amazement, he looked exceptionally contented. He had a voice was of a middle aged man. It felt like his body had aged, but he had not.
“I will answer all the questions you have, but not now. Now, you shall eat and rest” he got up to leave but then turned towards Aaron and said “For now, all you need to know is that you are in my house and you are safe”
“Safe?“ thought Aaron. He had been attacked twice and nearly killed once, there was no comfort in the word safe anymore.
The girl who he thought to be an angel, was now standing at the door with a trey of food and a small jug. She walked to the smaller table and kept the trey on it. She then took a smaller plate to serve onto it. The old man noticed Aaron staring at her.
“My dear boy, this is Jane. She is the one who has been taking care of you. You should be thankful to her” saying this, the old man gave Jane a gentle grin and left.
Jane brought the plate to Aaron and handed it to him. Aaron was still mesmerized by her charm and couldn’t speak. He ate the delicious fruits and the sweet smelling bread. Jane sat on the chair right next to him. Both said nothing. After finishing his food, Aaron gave the plate back to Jane. She gave him a small glass to drink from. The water in the glass was sparkling. After drinking it, he felt his strength coming back. He looked at Jane when she was not looking and quickly looked away as she looked back at him.
“Would you like more food?” Jane asked in her sweet voice. He nodded his head in a ‘no’. As she was about to leave the room, Aaron said “ Thank You!”
Jane stopped and looked at Aaron and asked “For what?”
“For taking care of me while I was hurt”
Jane smiled, Aaron couldn’t think of another name for her than Angel. Her cheeks went pink and she said “You are most welcome!” and hurried out of his room.
Aaron eyes followed her, her pretty golden blonde hair bounced on her shoulders as she walked. She was gone, but Aaron stared at the door and wished that she would come back.
