by G S Santos
"Okay, I promise. Where are you going?"
Adelphine cleared her throat, regretting having promised to tell him. "I'm going to the Easterlands. To Navgarod. They invited me in a search with people from the East to look for the blue gold. I do not know anything about the blue gold. I do not even know how this happened. And I do not want to leave! But I must do it because it is my duty and I made a promise."
"Why?"
"Papa told me never to break a promise, and every time I break them, things go wrong."
"The blue gold... Adelphine! And what if you do not find anything? The blue gold... It's rare, like nothing else in this world! And there are a couple of fields exploited to the very least."
"I do not know anything about it, but I made a promise and I must fulfill it. You know what? I hate doing it! I hate it! But I cannot give up fulfilling my promises. That's what I promised Papa."
Wil stared at her, and she saw his eyes become wet. "Adelphine, stay. Please."
Adelphine bowed her head and wiped her tears.
"Stay with me!" He looked into her eyes, his eyes clear as amber.
"I cannot," Adelphine said, her eyes brimming with tears.
Wil sighed and started walking again. "Adelphine... Do you promise to come back?"
"I… I would… But…"
"And if you come back..."
"What?"
Wil swallowed.
"If I come back. What?" Adelphine grabbed Wil's shoulders.
"Nothing, it's just a thought."
"What thought?"
Wil sighed and accelerated. "That your family is good. And my family too. Maybe..."
"Maybe what?
Wil swallowed. "Maybe we can get married." Wil smiled, but his eyes showed pain and uncertainty. "What you think?"
Adelphine felt a smile come to her lips and made an inhuman effort not to laugh.
"Why are you laughing?" Wil's smile faded.
"No, Wil, I’m not laughing at you. It is just that..."
"Why not?" he asked.
She felt blood rushing to her cheeks. This was embarrassing. "It is unexpected."
"But what do you think?"
"That’s fast, Wil."
"What you think? Why not?"
Adelphine sighed. "No. I have other things to think about, Wil."
"Think about it, we can be together, you can live with me, your brother too, and we can move, then help refurbish the castle."
"It's not about that," Adelphine said and released his body. “It is not so simple."
"Okay." Wil spurred Perkunas, and the horse moved across the field.
They continued to face the Vilnas gate, with the drawbridge on the ground and guards taking shelter from the wind and the sun under a wooden hut.
They climbed back up the paths of the citadel to Wil's tavern and entered through another door, into another lonelier and narrower alley.
The house was small and with narrow rooms like most of the houses in the citadel, but at the center stood a wide rectangular table with a white tablecloth on top. As soon as they entered, Sura walked into the room, she took Adelphine in a tight embrace like a lifelong friend and kissed her cheek.
"What are all those things down there, Adelphine?" Her eyes were wide open and her smile made her dimples show. She seemed to expect a pleasant surprise from Adelphine. Perhaps, an exciting announcement.
"Adephine is leaving," Wil said dryly.
"Wait. What?" Sura turned pale faced.
Adelphine cleared her throat. "Yes, I'm going to take a long trip, and I do not know how long."
"A trip?" The horror on Sura's face could not be hidden. "Why?"
"It's an expedition. A job." Adelphine lowered her head.
"Good. Well, then, I hope you're very successful." She smiled uneasily and pointed to the table. “Sit down. Tell me if you want to drink something before eating. Where are you going? Wodania? The Eastern Empire?"
Wil and Adelphine locked eyes for a moment, as if agreeing not to reveal the secret.
"Thank you, but I'm fine," Adelphine said and sat in a corner, while Sura returned to the kitchen. Wil sat down next to her, his face downcast and sad, then looked into her eyes as if he was about to confess something.
Adelphine wished she could leave as soon as possible, but he spoke to her. "What I told you before... It's serious."
"Wil, it's very soon."
"It's fine," he interrupted. "I get it. But this is my promise. I want to marry you, I never wanted anyone else in my life."
What was wrong with that boy? No, she would not let him compromise her, nor could she feel pity for him. "Don't say nonsense, Wil."
"And listen to me. I understand that you will leave, but please, do not forget me."
Wil reached out, closed in a fist, and pulled her close to Adelphine's. He looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "This is for you, I just ask you... Take it with you." She extended her palm as he clasped his hand over hers, leaving a solid, light object. It was the wooden necklace, with the profile of a horse roughly engraved.
"Wil, I cannot accept it." Adelphine reached out to return it.
"I cannot take it back. I must give it to you. Adelphine, I want, I want to marry you, and I understand that you do not want to, but I have to give you something of me. Do not think it's a commitment, or something like that. It's just... Something that comes from my heart."
***
Adelphine allowed Wil to accompany her to the place where the letter indicated, and they descended to the heart of Vilnas, near the main market. The strong wind dragged the fabrics and supports that covered the businesses of the street, and the few who had not kept the merchandise and returned home were struggling to keep them standing.
In the middle of the parade ground was a granite monument on which a king carved in ivory stood proudly under the sun. Then Adelphine spotted the two flags, one with two eagles on a white and red background of the Commonwealth of Lecia-Ladania, and the other of the mysterious Navgarodian Empire, representing a bear on three mountains, on a white background. Below, at the foot of the statue and the octagon-shaped benches that surrounded it, stood two horses, one covered with a linen cloak that wrapped around his tail at the head, with holes embroidered masterfully for the eyes, ears, and snout. The other was a warhorse, sturdy, gray as the rainy sky, and with chain mail and iron pieces covering its body. His riders, at that moment standing by the statue, contrasted in the same way; one of them was wearing a chain mail gleaming on a sturdy body, a silver helmet over his head of brown hair, so long that it reached his waist. His face was coarse, with a big mustache under his straight nose, and with the features of a man who knew the passage of time, perhaps counting on a little more than fifty. He seemed to scowl with the intention of intimidating everyone he saw, and on his shoulders, he had a cloak red as an apple. On his breast, on a breastplate of iron, shone a golden circle, like a brooch, perhaps made of the same material.
The other one, although seemingly of the same age, had another kind of life. His hair was fashionable, a little above her shoulders, with a sumptuous reddish coat, made with the skin of an exotic animal, and with large, golden buttons on black, velvet edges. All that covering the biggest belly that Adelphine had ever seen.
Adelphine felt her stomach turn and looked at Wil, whose gaze seemed to say, do you see what you're getting into?
She dismounted awkwardly, followed by Wil, who began to untie the saddlebags, while she looked at the city with melancholy. She approached him and looked into his eyes.
"See you later, Wil." She wrapped him in her arms. He held on tight and rested his head on her shoulder.
"Take care," he said, with both sacks of cloth hanging from his back. She turned and approached the two Navgarodians, who remained unchanged, and with cold expressions. She swallowed and wished it were all a dream. She took the letter out of her pocket, dry but with marks of having submerged in dirty water and ink with real signatures running and hardly legible. He gave i
t to the one who was nobler than a noble, who took a look. He frowned and looked at his colleague, then spoke to him in his visceral and incomprehensible language. The man answered with an even more visceral accent, and added a laugh at the end. Adelphine felt her legs shake like an earthquake.
"Adelphine of Varunas?" said the man in the sumptuous suit, looking her up and down, paying special attention to his shoes about to break. He seemed to have a hint of aversion in his eyes. His accent on the vernacular was almost perfect, but there was a slight phonetic exaggeration in the letter “r," deifying him as a foreigner.
"It's me." Adelphine bowed her head and swallowed instinctively.
"Well, the first one has arrived," the man declared, and shook a hand wrapped in a leather glove. She returned the gesture and received a firm squeeze.
"I am Ambassador Maltov," he said. "We shall wait for the other guests, and they will leave immediately."
Adelphine wished to reverse the time, or break her promise, say no and run to her castle. But it was too late.
The man in the armor stepped forward. Her long hair fluttered in the autumn wind, damaged and rough. Adelphine felt terrified.
"Sit there," he said with an almost incomprehensible accent and pointed to the nearby bench. She nodded fearfully, while Wil approached carrying the chest and the sacks with clothes hanging.
The man in the armor gave him a withering look, and Wil paused.
"This of the woman?" the soldier growled.
"Yes..." Wil's voice seemed to shrink.
"We cannot take it. There's no space."
"B-but…" Adelphine jumped forward.
"No space!"
"But I need…"
"Do not."
"It cannot be," complained Adelphine. "I have to wear clothes!"
"No sacks," said the soldier, closing all possibilities.
Adelphine sighed and glanced at Wil.
"Carry everything in hand," the man snapped.
"Really?" Adelphine complained and pulled a handful of clothes from the chest, then sat with the backup and a deliberate grimace.
"Adelphine." Wil looked at her with the expression of a puppy after losing its mother, then he put his eyes on the ground, as if unable to hide his pain. "I have to go now."
Adelphine felt that after so much, and to help her during a couple of difficult weeks, she would miss him. She could not think of marrying him, and she hoped that with time he would forget such pretensions. She knew he was a good man, even though he could be impetuous. Wil was a man with honor.
She smiled at him, waited for him to notice the sincerity on her lips. Suddenly, she sensed tears crossing his cheeks.
"Remember your promise," he said. She took the figure of the horse and lifted it up. He climbed the horse with a nostalgic gesture and trotted up the street.
Chapter IX:
Expeditions
Adelphine heard a voice above her head and turned around, perplexed.
"Do you also come on the expedition?" Before her stood a woman with an angular face, with small, slanted eyes, straight hair down to her hips, black as night, and with skin pale as milk. Her white tunic fluttered in the wind like a flag of silk.
"Yes." Adelphine swallowed and hid her eyes, hoping not to be recognized by a fan of the Siwelzac Theater Company.
"Of course." The girl smiled. "I am an expert enchantress. And you?"
"I? I... I am a mineral seeker."
The girl laughed softly and sat next to Adelphine. The skin of his arms brushed her. "Well, good." She looked at her with dark eyes as bright as stars. "We're going to get along very well."
"Yes," Adelphine muttered. She smiled uncomfortably and lowered her head.
"I am Mazgas of Virasz," said the girl. "And you? What is your name?"
"Adelphine of Varunas," she answered, and looked down.
"Varunas? It sounds familiar. And where did you learn to find minerals?"
And what am I supposed to answer? Adelphine thought.
"Well... It is instinctive. But I do not fail. You know?" It always works," she lied, and felt his heart shrink, hoping she would never have to prove herself in her presumed profession; moreover, with an intention peering into her mind, to jump up and run.
"Impressive," said Magzas, her eyes wide as saucers. "It means that you also have a natural talent."
"I guess so."
"Fantastic. Me too."
"Really?" Adelphine raised an eyebrow.
"Yes. I always had magical gifts. Even since I was very young. That is difficult because it puts you in complicated situations. But I’ve come to manage it."
"That's good! Did you study from a book? Who taught you?"
"I learned by myself."
"Interesting…" Adelphine did not want the question to sound uncomfortable, but curiosity invaded her. Tara had said that magic was done through spirits. What was that girl talking about? "Do you have guides or something?"
"Guides? I do not need them." Magzas raised an eyebrow as if one thing had no relation to the other. However, she sounded innocent and unpretentious.
"So, that’s how magic works, right?" Adelphine asked.
"And you? Do you have guides?"
"I?" Adelphine debated in her mind whether to say yes or no. No, she thought, it was better not to lie... But that whole thing was a lie. She swallowed. "I... I had a couple of books and...well, I pray to Lakmé." Adelphine prayed once in her life a week ago, so she counted it as true.
"Me too!" Magzas revealed a perfect smile, white as pearls.
"Good. But, good thing you have magical gifts. I always wanted to have them. I wish I was like you." Adelphine let out a sigh and shook her head.
"If you are a mineral seeker, and if you are as good as you say, surely you have talent. That's magic... You have nothing to envy in me."
"Well... Thank you." Adelphine smiled, hiding her eyes and planning to change the topic. "And what do you know about the Easterlands?"
"The Easterlands? Well, I have not been there yet... But I heard about it from my friends. It's a big empire with great landscapes, beautiful music, and colorful dresses."
"That sounds very nice. I love dresses and flower crowns... But...what about the ambushes, bandits, and the barbarians who live there?"
"There is a very cruel and powerful king, but despite his great power, he has not been able to dominate many regions. Well, people always talk about the bandits who assault caravans, but Ingiria and Kayiva are very stable cities." She let out a sigh. "Well, they are far, so… I hope it does not happen to us."
"That's true? Is it true that they enslave people?"
"I think so.... But it's not all of this, nor all of the Navgarodian Empire... Those are just those wild places on the border... Where the forests are full of hostile tribes of barbarians. Some of them don’t even speak Navgarodian."
"Are we going to pass through there?"
"Yes, they are close to the border... But do not worry. We'll be fine." Magzas looked to the other side. "Very well protected."
A man dressed in a brown tunic walked through the multitude and stopped next to the statue, dressed in a brown tunic. His shirt looked as if it was about to tear because of the thickness of his muscles. He was so tall that Adelphine’s head would reach his chest. His brown hair was trimmed at the sides, and was long on top. His beard barely touched his collarbone and contrasted with his white and prominent cheeks. His eyes were as blue as the sea and bright as sapphire. A longsword, thick like a tree-trunk was tied to his back, along with six daggers that dangled from his belt.
The man locked both his hands, interlacing his fingers, and bowed to greet the ambassador and the soldier.
"Tristan von Liktberg," he said, his eyes fixed on the ambassador’s. His gaze was cold and sure of himself, as if penetrating through people’s thoughts.
"Sir von Liktberg." The ambassador's eyes flashed for a moment. "It is a privilege to have you accompany the delegation. Again."
"I w
ill always be there when you need me," he replied with a certain irony in his voice.
"Be comfortable, as soon as the last experts come, you can go."
"Wait, with a woman?" the soldier snapped and pointed at Adelphine.
Tristan looked at Adelphine and Magzas out of the corner of his eye. He let out a crooked smile and approached. He looked like a tower that gazed at Adelphine from afar. She felt like a dwarf.
"With whom do I have the honor?" He looked at her in the eyes, as he sat and crossed one leg over the other.
Then he looked away, as if he were more interested in having the laces of his leather boots fitted snugly.
"Adelphine of Varunas…"
"Magzas."
"They call me Tristan," he said with a smile and that penetrating gaze. His eyes looked like a cloudy sky surrounded by a circle, blue like sapphire. Adelphine noticed that his skin, with a slight tan, glowed clean and smooth, even with a brown beard. His nose was angular as that of a statue, and his pronounced cheeks also seemed carved. She had never seen such a beautiful man. Well, what did it matter? He was just another mercenary.
"A pleasure," Adelphine said.
"So…? Are you coming on the expedition?" Tristan smiled.
"I …" Adelphine tried to invoke self-confidence "Yes. I'm a mineral seeker."
"And I'm charming," Magzas answered without being asked.
Tristan turned his gaze to his boots and adjusted them once more, looking for a place where they had not been polished.
"With spirits...?" he asked.
"Excuse me?" asked Adelphine. "I told you that I am a mineral seeker.
"Right. You work with spirits. It is not like this?"
"Well...yes," Adelphine lied.
The man laughed and let out a sigh, stretching his arms behind his head. "I hope you're lucky to contact them. No offense. In any case, we will be working together, and it seems opportune that we know each other."
"Hey, sorry," interrupted Magzas. "What are you talking about?"
"Yes," said Adelphine. "What do you mean, contact them?"
"Well..." Tristan looked Adelphine in the eye. She was hypnotized by the color of his pupils, but she brushed it away after a moment. He cleared his throat.
