by Ritu Ghosh
They choose a beautiful spot where the grass was softer and where many flowers bloomed. Jane pulled out soft bread and butter out of her bag and gave it to everyone. After they ate their food enjoying the nature around them, Jane handed Flynn a little warm liquid to drink. It was something similar she had given Aaron earlier. Flynn drank it and it took his tiredness away in seconds.
“Where have you learnt to make medicine this effective?” Aaron asked Jane while she was cleaning up.
“From my mother, she is a renowned witch for the best medicine in the whole world.” Jane said proudly. Your mother was a witch too. Do you know?” she asked.
“Yes… Alfadon told me.” said Aaron.
“My mother said that your mother was one of the best witches she had known” Jane said.
Aaron’s eyes widened “Your mother knew my mother?”
“Yes, very well. They both were students of Alfadon, both were best friends.”
Jane gave a hearty smile “My mother will be very pleased to meet you.”
“This isn’t a garden” Ony snapped as he saw Jane and Aaron talking leisurely. “If you want to race, you have to be on that horse” he said with a wink.
Jane hurriedly packed the rest of the contents into her bag. Aaron watched her in amusement and thought what had made her so strong and determinant.
Flynn was happy now. He said “Looking forward to dinner”
Jane laughed as there were hardly any delicacies to eat on the journey.
The evening started to fall and Dan had taken great speed. It was hard for everyone else to keep up with him. He went through the valleys and under the hill. The trees were long and thick but was not blocking the last sunlight that was still showing the path clearly.
The woods ended abruptly and road turned rocky. There were rocks fallen everywhere. The road had many broken boulders that have come from the buildings. Stone walls were broken and had fallen into pieces. Aaron thought that he saw a tower amongst the ruins. The rocks slowed them down by a great deal. The place looked like an ancient town which was abandoned for a long time. Dan halted in front of a ruined house. This house was in a better shape than the others. The exteriors were worn out, but the doors and windows were still in good shape.
“We will stay here tonight” he announced.
Even though everyone wasn’t happy, they got down from their horses and followed Dan into the house.
“It looks like a scary place. You think there are ghosts here?!” Flynn whispered to Aaron.
“Yes!” Jane said “In fact there are many”
“What do you mean?...” said Flynn looking all pale now.
“This is the ruined town of Silabala. Ghosts of the inhabitants are said to be residing here and they keep the wolves and the another animals away” she answered and walked up into the house.
“They bought us to a place full of ghosts to keep us safe!” Flynn didn’t know whether to run back or to hide. He walked very close to Aaron, looking in every direction. Aaron remembered how scared Flynn is of ghosts. Once, when they were crossing the streams near his house in the dark, Flynn almost had a heart attack when an owl made a sound.
“Don’t worry Flynn, we are all here with you” Aaron tried to keep Flynn calm.
Ony found a safe spot for the horse inside another house nearby.
They were all inside the house now . It was very dark there.
“Lights please dear!“ Ony asked Jane, as he held out a few torches. Jane took out something from her pouch and clicked on it to light the torches. She kept the device in quickly, nobody saw what it was. Ony handed out the torches to everyone.
“I love magic!” said Flynn amazed.
The insides of the house was not destroyed, it was almost intact. But the furniture was very old and rusty. They had to clean many cob webs in the rooms to make the place habitable. Flynn and Aaron cleaned the bedrooms so that everyone could have a room for themselves.
“I am sticking with you in your room!” said Flynn to Aaron “I am not going to be alone here no matter what”
Aaron gave Flynn an assuring pat and came back to the hall and found Ony restless. He was pacing to and fro in the hall and in and out of the rooms.
“What’s the matter?” Aaron asked.
“It’s not funny. Somebody ought to tell me that I will be spending the night in a ghost town” said Ony and then he murmured something under his breath. “Nobody tells me anything. They make their own decisions, it’s like I am not here at all.” Ony was annoyed but he seemed rather scared.
“How did this place become a ghost town?” Aaron asked.
“This town was ruined by Lurgs thousands of years ago” Dan said stepping into the hall.
“Lurgs?!” Aaron said.
“Yes Lurgs. This was the most beautiful city in the whole of Sargon. This town was under a protection charm which was put by a powerful wizard. The wizard was very happy with the people of this town as they were nice to him when he visited. He gifted them, by putting a charm on the town so that this town will be there forever and nobody could take over it. But when the Lurgs attacked, the charm did not work as the Lurgs were not from this world, they were created by Dark Magic. The attack was very brutal. Nobody survived in this town, but their spirits remained here forever as the protection charm kept them bound to this town. No one comes here out of fear of these ghosts. But the ghosts are harmless. We have nothing to worry about”
“Yeah, he has nothing to worry about. With all his muscles and weapons he will be safe” Flynn said to himself.
“Where is Jane?” Aaron asked suddenly. He couldn’t find her anywhere inside the house. He came out of the door to look. Jane was sitting on the small stairs outside looking into the darkness.
“Why are you sitting here all alone?” Aaron said as he sat next to her. He felt calm as they sat without saying anything for a while.
“Look there...” Jane said pointing straight to the lawn of one of the ruined houses.
Aaron adjusted his eyes to the darkness. He saw two white figures holding hands and standing there.
“There are people here?” he asked.
“They are not people! They are ghosts. I have heard in stories that your spirit is attached to the person you love the most. Poor things, I doubt whether they even know that they are dead” There was sadness in Jane’s voice.
“As long as they have each other, does it really matter if they are dead or alive?” Aaron said looking at the ghosts.
Jane looked at Aaron and smiled. “I think you are right”
Aaron never felt so happy with anybody before, he felt like he found a long lost friend. They talked for a long time. Aaron told her all about his village and his family. Jane heard it all with great interest. Even though she didn’t speak much about herself, Aaron felt a strong connection building between them. For the first time, he was happy that he had left home.
Inside the house, Ony made the fireplace work and called everyone to enjoy the warmth. Aaron and Jane joined in shortly. Flynn had become great friends with Ony now. They shared many tales with each other. Dan was sitting silently looking through the window at the moon that shone bright that night. He seemed to be lost in deep thoughts. Aaron wondered what Dan meant when he said Flynn was one of us now. Will they expect him to fight or go to war?
After a small dinner of meat pies and wine, they went to their respective rooms. Only Dan remained in the hall as he had taken the first watch. Flynn was scared, he followed Aaron to his room and asked him repeatedly that if he has seen any ghosts. Aaron convincing didn’t work on Flynn that much. They finally fell asleep, Flynn slept on the floor. It was long before it was their turn to watch.
Aaron’s eyes opened as he heard noises coming from outside. Flynn was sitting beside him on the bed, terrified.
“What is happening?” Aaron asked Flynn rubbing his eyes.
“I don’t know, do you think ghosts have attacked?” asked Flynn.
“Don’t be silly
” Aaron said and slowly walked towards the door. But before he could reach the door it swing open. It was Jane panting, she had her sword in her hands and a dagger tucked to her waist belt.
“Come with me, right now!” she said in a whisper.
Aaron and Flynn followed her quietly. She came out of the back door and ran towards a ruined shed and hid there.
“What’s going on?” Aaron whispered to Jane after joining her in the shed.
“The searches, they have found us. The Lurgs have attacked!” Jane gasped.
“But I thought we were safe here” Flynn panicked.
“Yes, but if they find us, nothing will stop them from hunting us down. They are always looking for us ruthlessly” said Jane.
“How did they find us?” Aaron asked in concern.
“They must have followed our trails. They definitely have been spying on us from the time we left the Blue Mountains” Jane replied.
“Now what? We are doomed, we are going to die here” Flynn cried.
“No! We should go and fight them” Aaron began to get up.
“You can’t, you don’t know how dangerous they are. Each Lurg has the strength of three full grown men in them. You are not trained to handle a Lurg. We have to leave it to Ony and Dan to take care of them for now.” Jane clutched on to Aaron’s arm to keep him down.
They waited for some more time. They could hear swords clashing and Ony cursing. But nothing seemed to stop.
“I cannot sit here like a coward, while they risk their lives” said Aaron frustrated.
Flynn gasped suddenly and opened his mouth to say something. But only a squeak came out, he ducked low. In front of them was a huge disfigured creature that looked nothing like a human or a wolf. He was bulky with raw flesh for his body. Most of him looked like he was eaten by vultures and maggots. There was no nose on his face. Most of his face had exposed teeth that looked very sharp and strong. Flynn almost passed out but, Jane caught him by his hands and made him run.
“Found them!” said the Lurg in a croaky voice.
They ran with all their strength looking for a place to hide, but the Lurgs came from all directions towards them. Soon, they were out in the open, standing inside a circle of Lurgs who were advancing menacingly. The Lurgs were thumping their spears on the ground and they looked like they would tear them in half at any moment. Three of them froze with fear.
All of a sudden, Flynn pulled Aaron’s sword and ran towards one of the Lurgs screaming his lungs out. Petrified Aaron and Jane watched knowing what was going to happen next.
To their surprise, the Lurg fell dead but Flynn had barely touched the Lurg. Aaron noticed an arrow stuck to the Lurg’s head. Soon another Lurg fell and then all the lurgs started to fall one by one. The Lurgs were getting hit by arrows coming from the same direction. Aaron looked around, none of the Lurgs were standing now. There were dead Lurgs fallen everywhere around them.
From the dark, two people appeared. They wore golden clothes. Their attire was very peculiar; Aaron had never seen anything like that before. It was a man and a young girl. Both holding bows made of pure gold walked towards them. Aaron was alarmed, he was not sure if they were enemies or friends.
Jane rushed and hugged the girl. She seemed to be as old as Jane. “I am so glad to see you Sandra!” Jane said and then she turned to Aaron and Flynn and introduced them.
“Belster, we were expecting you a bit early!” Dan came from behind them to greet the man in the golden dress. “I see you have taught you daughter well”
“You never know when is it your turn Dan, we should always be prepared” said Belster in his deep soothing voice.
“Is this Wills’ son?” Belster asked pointing to Aaron.
Dan nodded.
“He needs to train harder though”
Aaron was angry ‘I am good enough for now’ he thought to himself ‘I was not prepared to face Lurgs anyways’ But he couldn’t help feeling thankful to Belster and Sandra for saving their lives.
“And who is this?” Belster laughed looking at Flynn who was still standing there, holding Aaron’s sword.
“He is a new member of the council, Alfadon accepted him” said Dan.
“A member? Him?! He couldn’t even hold a sword properly, what did Alfadon see in him?” said Belster.
“We can’t say that Belster. We cannot doubt Alfadon’s judgment. And besides, not many come forward and volunteer to be a part of this council” Dan said calmly.
“Let’s see for how long this one will be alive” Belster snorted and walked away with Dan and Ony.
Jane took Sandra inside the house leaving Aaron and Flynn alone.
“We will show him what we can do” said Aaron angrily “Won’t we Flynn?”
But Flynn was lost. He was looking with dreamy eyes at the girls.
“Flynn!” Aaron shook him.
“She is the prettiest girl I have ever seen” Flynn said, still in a dreamy state.
“Who? Sandra?! Yeah, she is alright” said Aaron, closing Flynn’s jaws.
“Can I have my sword back now? And what were you thinking going at those Lurgs like that?”
“I don’t know, I think I just lost my mind” Flynn said with a silly smile.
Both of them came inside the house but the others were already preparing to leave.
“Are we leaving now?!” asked Aaron in surprise.
“But it’s still night” Flynn added.
“You two can sit here and wait for more Lurgs to come” Belster taunted them and Ony laughed.
“Yes we are leaving. It’s not safe here anymore. The searchers have found this place. More Lurgs will be on their way soon” Dan said. “Pack up soon!”
Both of them reluctantly packed. All of them started on their horses again.
Jane gave Aaron an assuring smile that made him feel better. He thanked God for her being there. He had to pull Flynn away from Sandra as he was trying to speak her. Belster was keeping a hard watch on them.
Belster and Sandra’s horses were fast as the wind, even Dan couldn’t keep up with them. Flynn tried to follow Sandra but she was far ahead of them. Aaron rode next to Jane talking about his village.
It was still dark and they all rode together through the rocky roads that extended a few more miles. Then they entered another forest. Dan had given the lead to Belster now, who seemed to know the forest well.
In the dark, the forest looked much deeper. The tress appeared abruptly. The riders had to bend and turn many times to save themselves from the branches that protruded. Slowly, the daylight began to appear and the forest didn’t look so dangerous anymore. They crossed the forest soon and entered a city.
Chapter 12
Lion’s Inn
Aaron had never seen a city in his life but he had heard about them a lot. Matt always told him how grand the city of Kantar was, how magnificent everything looked and how easy it was to get lost there. Aaron always wanted to visit a city to see what it actually looked like. He saw big buildings made of stones. They were painted in many colors. The bright red color of one of the buildings almost blinded him. The houses were nothing like the ones in the village. There were no thatched roofs or farms attached to them. The street was filled with many people. Some wore cloths he had never seen before. He found Flynn looking everywhere with amazement just like himself.
Everyone in the city was so busy that they hardly noticed the Defenders enter the market place. Aaron felt like he was living in a very small place all his life. The market place of the city was huge compared to the one in his village. There was nothing that you wouldn’t find there. From shops filled with fruits to shop selling clay pots were lined up in a row. As they passed the market, some vendors looked up and asked them if they would buy any of their wares.
Belster and Dan didn’t stop for a second. They kept a constant watch as if someone or something was following them. Aaron felt lost between many unfamiliar faces. He stayed near Flynn and Jane.
Finally, the
y came in front of a large Black Iron gate which was at the end of the street, secluded from the market. Behind the iron gate was a beautiful mansion with a big wooden door and white stone walls. Near the gate there was a big sign that read ‘Lions’. The houses around this big mansion looked like they were empty.
“What is this place?” Aaron asked in excitement stopping next to Dan.
“It is the safest place for us in the whole world, for resting and for fun” Belster winked at Dan. Dan remained expressionless.
A small man with long white beard came out of the door and greeted them.
“Good afternoon Sirs and Madams! Welcome to the Lions. I am Cody, at your service!”. He bowed so low that his beard almost touched the ground. With great effort, he opened the iron gates. All of them got down from their horses and handed them to Cody. They walked inside the big wooden door into a big hall. The hall was mostly empty, except for a small desk in the right corner. A large man was sitting behind the desk.
“Hello, to all of you!” The large man said. He tried to get up but it seemed like he was stuck to the chair he was sitting on. He shook hands with Dan, still sitting down.
“How many rooms would you need?” The large man asked politely.
Belster stepped forward and spoke to the man for a few minutes. Cody walked into the hall and picked up their bags. Everyone followed him. The corridors were large and there were plenty of rooms on either sides. Cody took them to one long dining area.
“Sirs! Be seated here, breakfast will be served in a few moments” Cody bowed again. Then he took off with their bags.
The table in the dining hall was big enough for the seven of them. The walls were painted in sunshine yellow. There was not much in the room except for a colorful carpet and the long dining table with chairs of three different sizes. They sat down quickly. Aaron was very hungry. The memory of freshly baked bread at uncle’s house left him longing for food. He remembered the kitchen table where Mrs. Renn used to give him all kinds of delicacies she made. He didn’t know that one day, he would miss her so much.
