by G S Santos
"Mountain Madness? It's a flower?"
"Yes. You will easily recognize it, do not worry.
"Good. If it is about that, it sounds easy, except that I am a Ladanian girl, without money and with a brother to take care of."
"Do not worry. Maybe you have better things to do," Tara said.
Adelphine took a deep breath. What was she talking about? The most powerful sorceress in the West? What did that mean?
"Can you really take care of my brother?"
"Yes," Tara said with a sincerity so deep and almost innocent that it could not be doubted. At least she could not doubt her intentions. Adelphine thought of the rumors that Tara was the king's lover. Would that be enough to protect Kaunas?
"If you promise me, I guess I can do it."
"Good." Tara looked at her with wide eyes and her perfect smile. She took her hand. “I promise you. And you? You promise me you'll go?"
Adelphine nodded, her eyebrows arched and getting nervous again.
"How can I go to the Easterlands?"
"Do you trust me? Who is the sorceress?"
"You are."
"You see? I know what I’m talking about. If you have doubts, just ask Talia. It's up to you. You can leave and never come back, or do what I say. For your brother, do not worry. I'll take good care of him."
Chapter V:
A choice to make
When Adelphine walked out, ready to go home, she could not imagine who the rider her aunt had hired was. He was waiting for her on a skinny, black horse, with four large sacks tied to the chair behind him and an ironic smile on his thin face. Adelphine rolled her eyes as soon as she saw him and shook her head with a grimace of disgust. Wil winked at her.
"Good morning, Miss Adel."
"You? Again?"
"Your aunt offered me a nice pay to help you," Wil told her. "You are welcome."
"Why does it have to be you? Is there no other rider in this neighborhood?"
Wil laughed. "Don't worry, young Adelphine, I take my job very seriously."
"So I cannot get rid of you." Adelphine arched both eyebrows.
"Girl, you do bite." Will made his horse move to a stop beside Adelphine and stroked its sleek mane. "I present to you, my friend, Perkunas."
The horse seemed to take it for granted and neighed with its dilated nostrils. His muscles were relaxed, and his ears moved expectantly. She knew those were signs of a relaxed horse.
"So, Perkunas." She glanced at Wil. "Cute name for a horse."
"Let's go. Come on, I'm not going to bite anymore." He stretched both hands to help Adelphine mount. She sighed and agreed, grabbed Wil's hand, and climbed on the horse with a look of displeasure in her eyes. She regretted having to spend the whole trip stuck to Wil, and tried to keep her distance.
"Ready?" he asked, then he turned to see her from the corner of his eyes.
"Let's not waste any more time," said Adelphine, and Wil hastened to make the horse trot on the rocky streets, down the ramps for horsemen.
"So you went to visit the sorceress," Wil said without taking his eyes off the path in front of him.
"I went to her house to fix the drainage, Captain Obvious."
"Watching the sorceress is a sign that things are not right for you. Is that so?"
"Well, you’ve got to start somewhere."
"So, Miss Adelphine... You know what?"
"What?" Adelphine growled with disinterest.
Wil sighed. "I'm really sorry."
"Ah? About what?"
"I was an idiot." His voice indicated sincere regret. "I want you to know that I’m really sorry. I acted like an idiot. Twice. This time I hope I don’t do it anymore."
Adelphine sighed. "I hope so too."
"Fair enough," Wil said. “Well, how's the sorceress?"
"She’s fine. Very well."
"What did she say?"
"She told me not to tell anyone."
"Seriously? Come on, tell me." Wil could kill someone with how annoying he was.
"She gave me a spell to protect me from the people who want to stone me, so that their panties burst in flames, and the same for the boys who think they can kiss me just because they want to."
"You're still angry."
"Thank you, Captain Obvious."
"As you wish."
Adelphine looked from one side to another in the city and noticed people pointing and whispering to each other. She gritted her teeth and lowered her head, hiding her face under her hair.
All of a sudden, a cabbage hit her shoulder.
"Out of here, scammer! Varunas!" a chubby vendor yelled at her, then threw a half rotten cauliflower. Adelphine dodged; it hit the ground and fell into pieces. She clenched her fists, restraining her anger. She wished the sorceress had actually given her some easy skill, to make their hair burn in flames or invoke the stones of the city to swallow annoying citizens.
"Come on." Wil patted on her hand. "Use the magic."
Adelphine would have liked to smash his head instead. She whispered to his ear, "Very funny, Wil, now that you're at work, let's get out of here. Fast."
"I also want to get out of here as soon as possible, but there is a lot of people, and…" A turnip, hard as stone, hit him in the face. He turned bitterly and pouted. "Who did that? Who do you think you are, you idiot!" he shouted to a brown-haired boy who was hiding behind his vegetable stand.
"Now, welcome to my world. Come on, Wil, stop wasting time," she said, dodging three consecutive carrots.
Suddenly, three guards came out of a brothel, armor covering them from head to toe, and wielding long, silver spears. They formed in front of the horse, blocking their way.
"What the helmet?" Wil pulled his horse's brake, and Perkunas rose on two legs, alarmed.
"They cannot do anything to us." Adelphine clung to Wil's ear. "Can they? Am I wanted? Wil. Tell me. Are they looking for me?"
Wil raised his head toward her. "Well, not that I know of." He looked forward again. "Is everything all right, gentlemen?"
"Youngling. We have heard some rumors among the people. Some people have started to murmur."
"What rumors?"
The policeman pointed to the cloth sacks around the saddle. "They say you stole that."
"It is not true!" Adelphine yelled bitterly.
The guards looked at each other as if discussing something important, then glanced at Adelphine. "Eh, are you the one from the Varunas clan? The one from the play at the central theater?"
Adelphine lowered her head and took a deep breath. Then she cleared her throat and raised her jaw. "Yes, I am Adelphine of Varunas. I did not steal this! My aunt gave it to me. She is the brewess at the north-wing. Is that clear? If you want to be safe, go and ask."
"Let's see, let's search," said one of the guards, approaching with a long, silver spear in his hand.
He inspected the wheat bag that hung from the horse’s saddle. He aimed carelessly, pointing the spear at its center and cut it. The grains fell down like a waterfall.
"You, idiot!" Adelphine dismounted quickly and approached the guard. "Who do you think you are? Do people have no right to live their life? I'm Varunas, yes, but not everything that Siwelzac says is true. Mind your own business! Do you want me to tell King Jogälion how his guards behave? I know you will not like it. I have contacts in the Court of King Jogälion."
The other two came forward, holding the spears.
"Take a step forward, I warn you." She raised her finger. "I warn you, you will not like it," she said, but her heart beat like a war drum.
She took a shaky step back, where Wil was still mounted on the horse, his face pale, and his eyes wide.
"Let's go, Wil," Adelphine said. He reached out and helped her up the horse, while the guards looked at them with narrow eyes and more murmuring.
"Well done," whispered Wil, impressed. Adelphine could not believe what had just happened, and hid a smile that was brewing in her soul.
"Shut up," she whisper
ed with a stutter. "And let's go, Wil. Now!"
In an instant, they were galloping through the streets and ramps to the lowest part of the city, this time barely stopping, while the angry crowds complained about the careless riders. Adelphine was sure not to raise her head, but to press herself to Wil's bony back, without looking at anyone around.
Nothing compared to the relief she felt as soon as they crossed the city walls. She smiled widely and extended her arms to the air.
"At last we left that blasted city!" Adelphine shut her eyes while the autumn wind caressed her face. She untied the scarf from her head and made it flutter in the wind. Her heart was full of joy.
"We did it!" Wil shouted and spurred his horse. The horse began to move very fast, and Adelphine felt that she lost her balance and fell backward. She reacted, scared, and clung to Wil's body in a strong hug.
"Don't go so fast, Wil," she blurted.
Wil laughed and spurred one more time.
"No!" Adelphine shouted and grabbed him by the neck.
"You don’t like it?" he said and spurred harder. The horse neighed furiously and galloped like a meteor downhill. Adelphine felt the wind throw them back. And she wished to throw Wil off the horse herself.
"Yeah, Wil! Stop!" She shook him by the shoulders.
The horse galloped like crazy until it got tired and the speed dropped.
"Don't do that again, Wil," she sighed.
"Easy, my horse and I know each other well." Wil stroked the gray mane. She already saw fields in the distance and the small hill on which the castle was built. There was his home, surrounded by dry trees, some of them ash, the drawbridge on the ground and wide open, and what looked like a desert across the threshold. Adelphine felt shame. Wil remained silent and rode to the entrance of the bridge, where they stopped.
"Thank you for taking me, again," Adelphine said, getting off the horse with a graceful gesture. He untied the bag of potatoes, made an effort to hold them in the air, but dropped them on the ground.
"Careful," Wil said, dismounting next to her and untying the other two bags, which he quickly caught in his arms.
"Do you want me to help you carry them inside?" Wil looked at her with a smile.
"Leave them behind the door, please."
He nodded with a wink and carried both bags behind her. Adelphine sighed and lifted the other bag with all her strength. She dragged it toward the door, her back turned like a frightened cat and enduring pain.
She stopped right at the entrance, beside the bridge, dropped the bag, and leaned against the wall. Wil came out from behind with a closed-mouth smile.
"Wil, I have to go to greet my brother. I'm sure he's boiling with anger. But thanks, anyway."
"There's no need," he said and looked at the floor.
Adelphine waited and prayed to the gods that he wouldn’t ask for another kiss.
"Adelphine..." he said.
She wanted, with all her heart, to avoid an uncomfortable situation. He did not say anything, just scratched his shoulder-length, black hair. Then he laughed timidly. "Sorry, again." Wil looked at the floor. "Really."
She sighed. "Don't worry, Wil."
"Well," he said, turning his back on her and walking toward his horse. He mounted it without looking back, and he started to ride down the same path. Adelphine ran to her brother's room and opened the door. She walked in and felt the smell of sweat, not bathing, and the piles of dirty laundry piled up in the corner. Kaunas opened his eyes, surprised. His red hair looked like a cuckoo’s nest. Beside him stood a lot of empty bottles and a plate besieged by flies.
"Kaunas. I came back at last."
"Finally. At last you came back." Kaunas made an effort and raised his torso on the bed, tensing his eyes and gasping in pain. "Good, you do not know how I almost died of hunger for a day and a half."
"Well, that might help you lose a few pounds."
“Then you tell me you leave me without eating another minute, and the good Kaunas will die."
Adelphine ran to the kitchen, her stomach also roaring, and prepared a stew with everything necessary to make her brother happy: potatoes, cabbage, carrots, turnips, and even pieces of dried meat. Then she sat down to eat with Kaunas and ate without saying a word for the first time since the attack.
***
"Good, Ade! So the trip was worth it!" he said and leaned his head against the pillow.
"Yes, it was worth it at the end," she said, staring at the empty bowl.
"And what were you going to tell me? Let's see. What did Aunt Talia say?"
Adelphine told her all about his adventure, omitting the last part: the visit to Tara and the promise she had made to her. How was she going to explain it to him?
After lunch, she went back to her room, closed the door, and pulled the old book from under her bed. She opened it and stared at the marks in the circle, made with all the anger in her heart. It was a testament to her hatred, to her desire for justice, which would never work.
She had a lot to learn from magic. Part of her made him afraid, but her heart urged her to do so. Yes, she had made a promise about her father's grave, and the only way to do it was that. Fulfill her revenge, just as Tara had called it.
The greatest sorceress in the West.
In addition, she remembered the words of the wise men.
She lay down on the floor and stared at the thatched roof and wood. Her mind was spinning, and she returned to the subject.
How was the East? She had heard of a mysterious land, with dark secrets in the forests and mountains, with barbarians who feared nothing and who treated Westerners like animals. The land without control, where there were massacres and a large slave trade of all countries. That sounded scary.
But she also thought of the sumptuous dresses of crimson silk, their fine linens; she imagined herself dressed like a princess from those distant empires, remembered the melodiousness of her songs, when Orientals came to wonderful circuses that visited the country and a few weeks later left, leaving nostalgia in her heart as a child.
But she had to tell her brother in a way that he understood.
She left and entered Kaunas's room. This time without asking. Kaunas was sitting against the wall, looking through a small hole in the wood, into the field, into the forest and the plains. He had already removed the bandages from his head. He had a long, tangled beard, red as a burning firebrand.
"Has something happened?" Kaunas's face was pale as if Papa had risen from the grave.
"You look good, brother, how do you feel?"
"Yes, it was already good. My neck feels better, at least." He sighed and winced in pain.
"You should take a bath." Adelphine breathed little to not feel the smell.
"I'll do it," he said.
"How is your back?"
"I still cannot move it."
"Do you think you can walk again?"
"Do not say that," Kaunas said, fear crossing his gaze. She also feared.
"I'm sorry," said Adelphine. She went to the window and flung it open, letting an icy breeze enter like a guest. Then she sat by the door and looked at her brother "What do you think? I guess you've had time to think, haven’t you?"
"About what? What are we going to do?"
"Something."
"You tell me."
"What would you think if I told you...?"
"Did your aunt offer you a job?" he asked worriedly.
Adelphine swallowed. "I have been offered something... "Adelphine kept her eyes fixed on the floor.
"A job or what?"
"Something like that," Adelphine replied.
"What do you mean something like that?" Kaunas growled. "Is it a job or what is it?"
"Well, it's..."Adelphine swallowed. “ ... I'd have to leave the city. I’d… I’d have to leave the kingdom."
Kaunas’s eyes opened wide, and his expression morphed to anguish. "The kingdom? Are you out of your mind? One thing is to go to the city every day! I would understand that, b
ut leave the kingdom?"
Adelphine realized the absurdity of it all. Maybe she was selfish, yes, maybe it was inconsiderate, and that made it way worse. "Yes, maybe you're right," she said, then looked at Kaunas. "But they promised me they would take care of you."
"Who?"
"Someone," she muttered.
"What? Who promised what? Do not tell me you went to see that fortune teller and believed everything she said."
Adelphine sighed.
"Will they pay you well, at least?"
"Hopefully so."
"It does not sound like it's very safe. Where do they want you to go?"
"To the East."
"To the East? Is this a joke? Are you playing with me, Adelphine?" Kaunas grimaced in disgust.
"I am serious, Kaunas, but it's a good job, I suppose. As I say, the person who told me is reliable."
"To the East. To the East. This is…inconceivable."
"Yes, but it's from a respectable person..."
"Did the fortune teller tell you?"
"Well…"
"And what are you supposed to do? Are you going to be a mercenary? Or slave? Or slave of mercenaries? Those of the East are those who come here, their job is to plunder. How lucky that King Jogälion takes care of the border, but we would share a room the width of a cow."
"Well, Kaunas, but you do not agree with me to leave if the pay is good? What if I can assure you that someone is going to protect you? I guess you will be able to walk by then. What do you think I should do? Do you think it's a good choice?"
"Ade, well. I sure hope I can walk too." Kaunas seemed perplexed. He shook his head as if waiting for impending doom. "Well, either way, it’s insane. The East? Who goes to the East? Since when do they have work in the East? So…just get more information. If we can make good money, go for it, I guess. I guess. Depends on how much."
But Adelphine could not be sure. She had to talk to the sorceress and give her an answer. For now. How could she trust her? She had not heard anything bad about her, unless being the King’s lover deemed her untrustworthy.
She shut her eyes. But she let trust guide her.
***
A week later, Adelphine was back on the road with a tight veil hiding her face and in clothing black as night. She arrived before noon and knocked on Tara’s door. She could not say yes to her so quickly, as Kaunas said, there was no gain, no explanation of who was going to take care of her brother.
