by G S Santos
"Wait." Kaunas swallowed. "It is dangerous to get hit with this. An uncle of mine lost a tooth by practicing with wooden swords."
This time Wil laughed. It felt like a good comeback for Kaunas's mockery.
"Are you kidding? A tooth? What is a tooth? Come on, if you do not practice, you can never fight. By Perkunas, you're bad."
"Hey, I'm starting," said Kaunas.
"That should not mean you're terrible. In addition, to train like this, seriously, full contact swordplay, is what you need to do to see your level. How much do you know about yourself if you've never been in a fight?"
"Good," he said.
Kaunas took a deep breath and was on guard. Wil mirrored his position and launched himself with an attack to the same spot. Kaunas blinked but blocked with a clumsy step backward, and the sword was in a diagonal angle. Wil hurried to attack Kaunas's thigh, and he pulled his leg away in an instant.
"All right. Stay like this... Concentrate."
Wil attacked with two slow feints that Kaunas blocked and then with a horizontal cut that hit Kaunas on the head.
Kaunas let out a moan and covered his head with his hands.
"Come on, stop crying!" Wil extended his sword in front of Kaunas.
Suddenly, Kaunas turned swift as a whirlwind and planted the bronze leg on the ground. Wil saw the wooden sword approach him and felt the impact on his right temple.
"Damn!" Wil jumped back, trying to hold back the pain and not feel. "You hit me in the ear!"
"Sorry!" Kaunas dropped the sword and approached slowly.
Wil clenched his fists to ignore the pain, but he could not. Suddenly, he attacked Kaunas with a diagonal cut to the ribs.
Kaunas received the blow with a frown, picked up the sword from the ground, and attacked with all his strength. Wil blocked the successive attacks and kicked him in the stomach and sent Kaunas flying a couple of meters.
"Now you'll see!" said Kaunas, and attacked Wil. Wil blocked as fast as he could, and then he received Kaunas with a kick in the thigh and a sword stroke in the neck.
Kaunas responded with a fist to the face that made him turn in the air and fall to the ground.
Wil felt something was missing, and blood began to flow from his mouth. "Damn," he moaned, resisting the pain.
"You're good?" asked Kaunas.
"I think you got my tooth," Wil said and hit the ground with his fist.
"I'm sorry." Kaunas was by his side, hands outstretched to help him. Wil sat up on his own and spat on the floor. There was blood and bits of tooth in the sand.
"Uh. Blast. It's horrible. Auch."
"Hey, Wil, I didn’t mean to, really."
"No...problem." Wil stood up. He realized that he was trembling after having fought so much.
"I do not know what to do, really."
"These are...things that happen...when fighting."
Deep down, he wanted to do the same to Kaunas but he held back. Was Adelphine going to love him if he had a broken tooth? Luckily, it was one of the back teeth.
"Good. I withdraw what has been said. You're not that bad. But you were scared to try." Wil sighed.
"You are not bad."
"Only..." He sighed. "Well, it's good to practice."
"Are you kidding? I had not felt this good in so long!" said Kaunas. "We have to do it again!"
"Well, another day." Wil tried to change the subject. Behind him, a worker lit the lantern by the door while the sun faded into the plains.
"Thank you," said Kaunas, extending his hand to greet the man.
"Who are these people? Where did they come from?" Wil asked.
"Sir Van Preussen brought them. He pays them. They are all good, trustworthy."
Wil gritted his teeth and then cursed with that pain.
"I need something to drink, man. You have a little of that good wine of those days."
"You do not know how I need that! But old Van Preussen locked the cellar. He just left thin beer outside."
"He locked it? Let's see. Was it from this side?" Wil walked to the cellar door, next to the stairs and under the shadow of the tower.
"Yes, it's here."
"Let's see." He squatted in front of the door, pulled a wire out of his pocket, keyed it into the lock, and put another wire on the bottom of the lock.
"What are you doing?"
"This is the good thing about having bad company."
"What? Are you going to open it? Do not do it, Van Preussen is going to kill me!"
"Easy." Wil smiled as the lock clicked open. It fell to the ground like chains of slavery breaking. Then Wil lifted the gate with a gesture as if he had saved the kingdom. He smelled dust and looked at Kaunas.
"Do not doubt my abilities," Wil said.
"Preussen is going to kill me!"
Wil looked at him with an arched eyebrow. "And how is he going to find out?"
"Well..."
"Come on, forget about that, and show me the good wine."
"Well... Choose the one you like... I guess."
Wil went down the stairs in expectation, the light from the lantern barely illuminating the stairs to the entrance, while the interior was dark as blindness. Wil snapped his fingers and looked up.
"Kaunas. Does anyone have light?"
In a few minutes, Kaunas went to the cellar carrying a wooden lantern and resting his hand on the back steps to keep his balance.
"Let's see what's left," said Kaunas with a sigh, and hung the lantern in a corner. “There was much more, but the Siwelzac men arrived, stole the bottles, and drained the wine."
"It's a shame."
"Look, there are the bottles that remain." Kaunas pointed to a shelf in the corner.
"I do not think this lasts much." Wil tried to read the fine calligraphy but gave up.
"You know…" Kaunas stretched out his hand. "See that thick bottle with the handlebars? Bring it, that's one of the good guys."
"Let's see." Wil pulled her out of the pile and stared at it. It had a wax seal in its opening, the glass was clear and greenish, and some sediments and leaves could be seen.
"Come on, that one is strong, that will be enough."
"Okay." Wil smiled, but he had to grimace as soon as he felt the friction of the tooth now half its original size.
***
Two bottles later, Wil and Kaunas were sitting in a circle in front of a bonfire, with workers telling dirty jokes and laughing out loud under the stars.
"What a life! Man, if I had all the money in the world, what would I not do?" said Wil.
"I wish I had so much money," Kaunas snapped. "But I would like, first of all, to have a woman by my side, man. I'm very lonely. You do not know how horrible it is."
"This is life. But you're too lonely, man. Come to the city with me. I can introduce you to people and..."
"Hey, I do not want stones thrown at me. My sister said that people spoke ill of us and...and that they threw stones...and..."
"Oh yeah. That. Well I think…" Wil heard a gallop in the distance and raised his head. "What the hell is that?"
"Let's see, someone is in the tower right now. He’ll tell us."
"Who?" Wil looked at Kaunas with fear peering into his face.
"Wait." Kaunas narrowed his eyes.
"It's Siwelzac's!" one of the men, with bright blonde beard, yelled from the tower above.
"Dammit, damn it." Kaunas stood awkwardly, and Wil continued to lean on his shoulder, stumbling and fearing a fall. His eyes widened in worry.
"Them? Blast, they're going to find me!"
"Everyone to…!" Kaunas seemed to forget the words and looked at the workers who were getting up. "Everyone, bring the weapons!"
The three horsemen were advancing at full gallop, while Wil ran to hide behind the wall.
Kaunas stood in the doorway watching the approaching men, while his new companions brought shovels, spades, and a pair of wooden swords.
Chapter XVII:
Caverns of the Heart
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The autumn wind whipped Adelphine’s face, the silver moon over them as she pressed her cheeks against Tristan's cloak, holding on tight as they ascended a narrower path.
No matter how much she was surrounded by the greatest experts in combat, she felt vulnerable when riding beside bushes and leafy trees—where enemy arrows could hide, worse in a night where only a couple of varganians carried lanterns lined with fur and the moon emitted pale rays.
On the other side, the mountains that looked like glass and metal had sunk into darkness, and their shadows covered a sea of endless stars.
Valadi came forward with Pavel, and they made their horses turn around, looking at the rest of the company.
"Let's make a campfire," declared Valadi, and jumped down from his steed.
"At last," Klaus said, impatient that the varganian with who he was riding stopped the march and dismounted.
Tristan dismounted and leaned his face against the saddle. His eyelids were pronounced and looked more tired than usual.
Adelphine dismounted later and took a deep breath, trying to escape the cold that made her fingers seem to be about to crack even with her gloves on. She hid under her cloak and interlaced her fingers with Tristan’s.
"Are you okay?" she asked, and removed her hood.
"I still have a headache."
Adelphine stretched forth her hand to touch Tristan's forehead. It was as hot as a pan. "By Lakmé! You’re sick."
"Sure, it's a cold." Tristan straightened his body.
"Tristan, whatever it is, you must take care of yourself. You must rest, or you will not get well, ever. You may even get worse, and then, how can you fight?"
"Do not worry," he said. "When you have to do your job, you just have to do it."
"I’m just telling you to rest. I am not telling you to lock yourself in a tent and hide from the world."
"Do not worry," he insisted.
"If you say so," Adelphine sighed, and followed her companions with her gaze. "I wonder why they want to ride until so late at night. It makes no sense."
"It’s not easy to find a place to set up camp," Tristan said, as the group advanced to the clearing beside the path.
Soon, the varganians appeared carrying dry wood and piled on circular stones. There, they lit a bonfire. Then they set up their tents around and gathered again by the fire to share barley, bread, and beer.
Magzas sat next to Adelphine, who was not comfortable looking at her and knowing that he had left her alone with a bandit, who almost drowned her in the middle of the river.
Adelphine sighed and took a sip in a wooden glass. "Those mountains at sunset were the most beautiful thing I've ever seen," she said and sighed.
"Enjoy it while you can," said Klaus, more talkative than usual thanks to his beer. "We hope not to die of cold."
"It will not be the first winter of my life. Ladania is also cold," she said.
"Well, you cannot imagine how cold it is from above," Klaus said.
"Have you been there?" Adelphine looked at him curiously.
"Yes, a few years ago we went up there to do experiments. It's...it's very cold."
"How does it feel to be so high?"
"Well, you see the world as if it were an anthill. But that place is very different from everything I've ever seen. You see it?" She pointed to a dark mass in the night, pointed like a pyramid and covering the stars. "It is said that the God of the Mountain lives on that peak."
"That there?" Adelphine looked fascinated. It seemed to be true. She felt it was true. "Right on the top?"
"No one has come up," said Tristan. "The villagers would not allow it even if they threatened them. We were there already, and we saw it happen. And they, themselves, would kill anyone who approaches. It is almost anathema to them."
"Superstitions," interrupted Wilthers. "Man fears what he does not know."
"But the truth is that nobody has ever climbed it. Up to the top, at least," Klaus said. "Did they say anything to you, Tristan? They really made it sound spooky. They told us about a beast man... An ice giant that lives in the mountains, condemned to wander forever after the fall of his race."
"Listen Klaus," Tristan broke his silence. "When we finish this matter, what do you think if we climb that mountain? Whether or not there is a god there, it's worth it, don’t you think? It’s almost as bad as Svogod. Well, there are legends about both… Like they were two ancient towers of wicked kingdoms; that they are gates, to the Lower World."
"Ha, ha, ha," Klaus laughed. "Well, you do it, friend."
"Speaking of that... Do you think there is something that money does not buy? If you do a good job, we will have enough money to buy the kingdom of Ladania. It depends on you. And on you." He looked at Adelphine and put his hand on her head.
Adelphine let out a smile that hid her biggest and tortuous secret. Tristan was convinced that she had powers. And now? She was a fraud, and hiding that truth made her feel like she was carrying a hill on her back.
But there was only someone she could trust naturally. Could she, really? She looked at Magzas, her angular face shinning and pale, and her eyes fixed on the flames. She looked miserable. Magzas also had her secrets, even if she had been a fool earlier that week, she apparently had a reason to be. A wrong reason, but an important reason for her.
"Mag." Adelphine stood up and walked up to her, searching for the appropriate words, but not finding them.
Magzas turned to her with narrowed eyes, sad as if they still asked for forgiveness.
"Do you want to go talk?"
"I cannot... I still cannot." Magzas shook her head, stood up, and ran into the darkness of the forest.
Adelphine watched her disappear among the leaves and thought, what a strange girl.
Tristan stood up and stretched his arms as if he had just woken up. "You know what?" He yawned. "I'm going to rest for a while…"
"Liktberg," Valadi snapped. "Today you have to do guard, do not forget it."
As Adelphine heard that, she rushed back to face Valadi. "Excuse me," Adelphine said. "Tristan does not feel well."
"And does that matter?"
"Forget it," said Tristan to her.
"What are you saying, Tristan? You are sick!"
"Yes, and I'll rest a couple of hours."
"You need to recover well!" Adelphine looked at Valadi. “Let him sleep all night."
"Do not worry." Tristan put a hand on her shoulder. "Adelphine, it's just looking around the camp, it’s not such a big deal."
"How many are you? There are six soldiers! You can let Tristan rest without any problem..."
Another soldier grimaced.
"It seems to me that this woman wants something else... She wants to get him in bed."
The soldiers laughed. Pavel smiled briefly.
"Well done, Liktberg!" another shouted. "I say, give the man a prize! Give him the whole night free!"
"What?" Adelphine felt the blood flow to her face and looked at Tristan. He was smiling, but his face changed as soon as they exchanged glances. "What are you saying? And you, Tristan! Are you going to let them talk like that? You're going to let them talk about me and you like that, and you're going to smile like an idiot! I have not slept with anyone. I just want to help."
Adelphine turned her back on everyone and walked toward the forest, proud, but with her eyes dampened and wanting to hide her face.
Tristan, behind his back, looked at her, but seemed unable to get up and run to apologize. She did not care, and entered the forest wishing to dissolve into the night. What good was this useless trip? She preferred to go home and be with Kaunas. Yes, sometimes she enjoyed Tristan's company, but she could not stand the pressure, and the horrible conditions. And what about Magzas?
Adelphine could still see the fire between the trunks, but she sensed another faint light in the leafy forest and advanced curiously.
"Magzas?" She looked around, as she moved with outstretched hands, touching nearby trees. "Magzas, are
you there?"
"Yes, it's me." Magzas peeked through the foliage, with her left hand in front and a silver flame floating on her palm. Adelphine took a step, and looked away while her pupils dilated to fit that light.
"What in the world is that?"
"Moonlight fire."
"What?" Adelphine stared at the small flame, brighter than a bonfire. "Now that's magic... But how do you do it?"
"I just do it…"
Adelphine sighed.
"Magzas, I'm sorry, really. I feel like I do not understand you... But you're my only true friend. I think nobody understands me like you do... I do not know what happened to you, but I forgive you and... I do not want you to leave me alone."
Magzas looked at Adelphine's feet. She seemed to want to smile, but she did not.
"Are you doing okay?" Adelphine came over and placed her hand gently on her shoulder. She hugged her and rested her cheek there. Magzas' skin was cold.
Magzas wrapped her arms around Adelphine. "Yes, Adelphine. I'm sorry, really, I should apologize. But I cannot do it, you do not know what it costs me to finish a life. Even if that person deserves it..."
"It does not matter." Adelphine looked into her dark eyes.
"And there's something else." Magzas smiled. "There's something here that I must show you."
"What are you talking about?"
"In this hill. There’s a Shine in here."
"What is that?" Adelphine raised an eyebrow.
"You will not believe it. Wait for me tomorrow and I'll take you there. He is calling me."
Chapter XVIII:
Cover the Sun with a Finger
Wil had his back against the inner castle walls. Behind him, the horsemen galloped closer. He picked up the mask from the floor and put it on, as he peered out. Three men had arrived with flaming torches, two with dark armor, and one with white armor, a blue cloak, and a tree engraved on the chest.
Kaunas stepped forward, his legs trembling. "What do you want?" Kaunas grunted. "There's still a month left for the payment date!"
"Kaunas of Varunas?"
"You know me well after running your horse over me!"
