by G S Santos
She found herself surrounded by blue, dark and bright as fire. It touched the walls, they were solid as marble. She was in a mine full of blue gold. A laughter escaped from the depths of her insides and echoed in the cave. She dropped back onto the floor and waved her arms like a madwoman.
"You did it, Magzas! You're the best!"
She left the cave with a big smile on her face and the wind caressing her hair.
***
The varganians were sitting around a boar, stuck with a stake and bending over the flames. They chatted in their tongue, sucked the bones of their ribs, and left them shining like swords, surrounded by wineskins and the last bottle of beer.
Adelphine stepped forward and stood in front of them. They stopped talking, and she felt the soldiers' eyes on her, as if interrupting them for something inconsequential.
"Gentlemen..."
Valadi stood, long hair and mustache fluttering in the wind. He still held a wine skin in his hand. "What do you want now?" He scowled.
Adelphine cleared her throat. "I found a mine," she said, and looked down, not knowing what to expect.
The men looked at each other, and Pavel jumped to his feet. "Are you serious, sorceress?"
"Yes."
Another of the guards spoke to him in his language, and Pavel answered violently. He looked at Adelphine. "They ask where. And if you've seen it in your dreams."
"I have not seen it in my sleep. I saw it with my own eyes. It's near here. A few steps."
"You say it's here? And there is no danger of demons or any creature? We have already worked with sorcerers."
"The danger has already been removed by Magzas. Come see it."
"Guide us," Valadi growled.
"How close are you, sorceress?" said another varganian.
"It's a cave, and it's less than a mile away."
"Wait a moment." He smiled in disbelief. "We are half a step away from the path. Travelers pass by here a lot. How come no one has discovered it until now? And how much material did you find?"
"I...I received the impression in my spirit."
"I hope it's good and does not waste our time," added Valadi, and drank another drink of wine.
"The clouded mind sees nothing."
Wilthers and Klaus emerged from the trees. "What is this murmur?" said Wilthers, coughing as if he were drowning.
"The sorceress says she has found blue gold," Pavel said.
"Ah, you don’t say?" Wilthers looked at her like he was looking at a girl who was telling lies. "Did a little bird tell you?"
"I saw it with my own eyes," Adelphine growled, hoping that he might swallow his words when he saw the cave.
"Do not follow her," Wilthers said. "Let us stay together. With the boy, we have seen wolves down the hill, it can lead to a bad surprise."
"Wolves are nothing," Valadi snapped. "Come! You, Pavel." He pointed to the thin one in the red cloak. “You will come with the woman. Get a lantern."
"I'm coming," Klaus said. "If you will allow me, sir, I would like to take the instruments to test their accuracy."
Wilthers grimaced at him. He waited for a minute, then he nodded. "All right. But watch your back."
Adelphine felt butterflies in her stomach. She advanced through the forest, with the Valadi, Pavel, and Klaus following her closely.
"Over here," Adelphine said, climbing through the trees, the place where she had found the horrible creature. There were no traces of the ashes left.
They advanced in the darkness, until Magzas and Adelphine jumped into the ravine. There was the cave, dark and silent, dissolving the whole world around it.
"Here it is," said Adelphine and Magzas.
"Well..." Klaus said. "Is it inside?"
Adelphine nodded.
"Pavel, you go," Valadi said.
Pavel nodded with a crooked smile, crouched, lantern in hand, and crawled forward. He got lost in the dark. In a short time he crawled out, now with his eyes open wide and a smile on his lips.
"By Perun! There are tons of ore! It is more than I have seen in my father's mines!" he said.
Valadi's face was also transformed. She had never seen him smile until then. And his smile was contagious. Adelphine grinned with satisfaction, looked at Magzas, and she winked at her.
Klaus said nothing, but he dug the instruments into the ground and switched on the battery.
"Leave that crap," Valadi shouted and tugged at his hair. "The gods have led us there! Hail, sorceress!" he shouted, looking at Adelphine and falling to his knees.
Adelphine felt her face turn red and looked at Magzas. She shook her head. She did not want to take credit. Why was she so good?
"No... It was not me, it was the gods who guided us."
"How do we thank you?" Valadi had his arms up, ready to praise with all his heart.
Adelphine looked at Magzas. She shrugged.
"With...sacrifice," he whispered.
"A sacrifice," Adelphine said.
"From any of us?" Valadi opened his eyes wide.
"What?" Adelphine felt pale. "No. These gods like a fruit sacrifice. It is my goddess Lakmé that you should thank."
"Well...we can get you a boar," Pavel said.
"Do your gods know if there is more gold nearby?" asked Valadi. "Oh, sorceress, please talk to the Goddess of Fate!"
"I..." Adelphine looked at Magzas. She shrugged. She did not have the answer, but something came out of the depths of her heart. "On Mount Svogod is the largest mine ever known. There will be enough to make the kingdom of Navgarod the most powerful and rich in the whole earth."
She did not even know what was coming out of her mouth. She looked around, and could not believe what was happening. And she could not wait for Tristan to notice. Where had that boy gotten himself?
"Well. Well, as soon as we have workers here, we'll go to Mount Svogod." Valadi laughed. "See, comrade?" He put his arm around Pavel's shoulder, smiling. "Valadi will be a rich man! Now send one of the soldiers to deliver the news."
Adelphine looked at Magzas, concerned. She raised an eyebrow.
"Have you seen Tristan?" she asked her.
"No ideal. You better go find him," Magzas muttered.
Klaus tapped on Adelphine’s shoulder. He looked at her as if in regret. "Sorry for not believing you."
"It's nothing," she said, but her gaze was fixed on the ground.
"What is it?" He took her by the shoulders.
"Nothing... It's just..." She looked into his eyes. "Have you seen Tristan?"
Klaus shook his head. "I’m sure he will appear in a while."
"I have not seen him for a few hours. He was sick. Remember?"
"I do not think there's anything to worry about," Klaus said. "He knows how to take good care of himself."
Valadi’s loud voice echoed behind them. "Well, let’s celebrate."
Adelphine nodded and smiled. Meanwhile, Pavel nailed a stake to the ground and entered once more into the cavern, speaking to Valadi in his own language.
Magzas looked back at her. "Adelphine...go. I will stay here with them in case there’s a spirit."
Adelphine nodded and turned, walking beside Klaus. "And now? What do you think will happen?" said Adelphine.
"Huh?" Klaus looked confused.
"What do you think will happen? Do you think we'll get paid soon? Maybe I'd rather go back home and see my brother, and then maybe make another expedition."
Klaus looked at her. "Well. I do not know. They will come to find the mine, and then we will see what happens. But do not worry. We will surely get paid really well."
"You're right. I think things will definitely get better from now on." She sighed. "I’m just still worried for my brother."
"I'm curious." Klaus looked into her eyes. "How do you do it?"
"Me? What do you mean?"
"How did you know it was there? Is it true that the animal spirits give you signs? If so... How does it work?"
Adelphine sighed. She wanted to
be honest. It hurt to lie, to the bottom of her soul, but... It was not yet time to reveal it.
"It's always... It's always different. It's as if something or someone guides you. Sometimes you just get there. Just because… It’s the place where you’re supposed to go."
"Interesting," he said.
"Why are you interested in this, all of the sudden?"
"Because there are people like me... Who feel that life has no direction, no purpose. But for you, it is as if life guides you in a direct course. That although you do not know where you are going, sooner or later you get to where you wanted to be."
Adelphine sighed. "Maybe it's not about us. Maybe...we are fulfilling an unknown purpose… Not only for ourselves, but for something greater. Something we do not understand. I think… I don’t know."
Suddenly they heard a wolf howl in the distance.
"Klaus..." Adelphine looked around her.
"Wolf… It’s far, though. What do you want to ask me?"
"I’m worried about Tristan. Do you think it will be appropriate to shout his name? You know, the wolves."
"He can take care of himself," Klaus said. "And wolves are dangerous. Almost as bad as the bad guys, if you ask me. I say we better go back to the camp."
"He was sick, Klaus, he was very ill."
"Who knows, he could have returned to camp and we did not realize it."
"Klaus, I can go look for him by myself if you’re afraid of wolves," Adelphine said. She didn’t mean to offend him.
Klaus looked at her closely, and his expression changed, as if he understood her suffering. "All right," he said with a sigh.
"Come here, he went down the same path," she said, guiding him uphill.
"Adelphine." She felt Klaus's hand grasp hers. She turned slowly. "There's something I must tell you."
"What is it?" she said.
"I'm worried you're so close to Tristan."
Adelphine looked at him strangely. "What do you mean?"
"It's not that he's a bad guy... But you do not want to spend a lot of time with him. He can make you suffer a lot. He’s sweet to you, he’s nice, but…he’s that type of man."
"What are you saying, Klaus?"
"Believe what I say. He has a reputation."
"He has a reputation as the right kind of man."
"No. Believe me."
"Who told you?"
"Well, it’s obvious. I’ve seen that before."
Adelphine snorted and pulled her hand away. She strode faster.
"Listen to me, Adelphine, before you make a mistake."
Adelphine ran, jumping and dodging the trees that grew in the path. "Tristan!" shouted Adelphine. Her voice seemed to get lost in the dark.
"Do not yell so much, remember there are wolves around."
That only added to her fear. What if the wolves got him? They ran through the bushes. Adelphine felt something on the ground beside her foot and stumbled to the front. It looked like a human face. Klaus illumined the area. It was Tristan. He was lying against a tree with his eyes closed and breathing heavily.
"Tristan!" Adelphine jumped up to him, dropped to her knees, and hugged him with all her might.
"Adelphine," Tristan whispered, and opened one of his blue eyes. He smiled.
"What happened to you?" Adelphine caressed his face. It was boiling in fever.
"Only...a terrible headache, I sat here to...to rest. Adelphine... I'm cold."
"How are your legs? Can you walk to camp?"
"Yes... I'm fine." He laughed weakly, like a child. "But I'm very dizzy."
"You're not well, Tristan. You're on fire. Let's go. Let me see, Klaus, help me," Adelphine said. Klaus leaned next to her, grabbed Tristan’s trunk-sized arms, and grimaced while struggling to lift him.
Tristan gasped, his eyes closed.
Adelphine whispered in his ear, "Come on, Tristan. We are going to take you to the camp, and you are going to rest. You're going to get better."
"Do your arms hurt?" Klaus asked.
"Arms, legs, whole body."
"Forest fever," Klaus said. "He’s gonna be sleeping like a log for days. Let's see, brother, you must rest."
"Yes, yes, but I must do my job, comrade," Tristan gasped.
"And we might not move from here anymore. This girl has good news," Klaus said. "She's just found a cave full of blue gold."
Tristan looked at Adelphine and smiled. "Well done! I knew... that you were going to make it!"
"Yes, friend, she did it. Now we can only wait and you will receive that good pay you deserve."
***
"He's sick!" Adelphine shouted as the varganians made room for Tristan in the grass. Tristan took two exhausted steps and dropped by the fire.
"What happened, mercenary?" Valadi approached him.
"He’s very, very sick." Adelphine stepped forward, now feeling like an adult, a woman of respect. "He needs to rest."
"What shall we do, sorceress?"
"Please take him to his tent." She knelt and whispered to him. She could feel his warm cheeks and his aroma. "You must go to bed. Tristan, I need you to go back to your tent and sleep as much as you can. I will prepare a remedy for you."
Tristan nodded and stared at her. "I will wait for you."
Adelphine and Pavel set up the tent for Tristan, small and warm, with wooden poles under a broad, leather roof, a lantern lit at his side. Tristan lay down and wrapped himself in the blankets like a baby.
Adelphine had plucked good herbs along the way, and ground them for tea. Then she entered his tent with a full vessel, whose aroma was remote, sweet, and citrusy.
"Tristan..." She spoke softly as she entered.
Tristan opened his eyes slowly and smiled. His skin looked as red as an apple, he looked like a child. He was the strong man who had protected her from death, and now he was as fragile as a bird. Magzas's words echoed in his mind. No matter how strong he is, he needs a woman.
"Here. This will help you with the fever." She handed him the bowl. He lifted his head and took a sip so small it could have been taken by a mouse.
Tristan looked up. Adelphine could not help but notice those glazed blue eyes, almost like a crystalline river in summer. Adelphine watched them as one looks at the moon and stars on clear nights, with a fascination that made her want to never stop looking. She remembered the kiss that morning, sweet as honey and the scent of amber.
She bowed her head, closed her eyes, felt her lips gather, and her whole body filled with heat. Then she felt Tristan's hands, large and strong, despite the fever, holding her head, lose himself in her hair, caress her. He kissed her again, and she responded with a longer kiss. It tasted like a fountain from which they both drank with a relentless thirst.
"Sorceress!" Pavel's voice called from the outside.
Adelphine smiled at Tristan, and felt his warm breath once again. It was a closeness she had never felt. She felt loved. She trusted him, like no one else.
She closed her eyes and kissed him again.
"I have to go," she whispered.
"Do not delay," he said.
"I will not." Adelphine smiled, rising to her feet and turning her back on him. Although she wished that moment had been eternal.
Chapter XIX:
The Merciful Kings of the West
Adelphine heard a murmur behind her, and turned around with wide eyes. Two varganians rushed out of the bushes, holding a scrawny, pale man by his tunic. The man writhed and shouted, trying to escape. Suddenly, he let go with his scrawny hands and shook like a salmon in a net.
The varganian jumped close to him and pulled his white hair. The man stretched like a cat. Adelphine could see the white hair and the wrinkled face.
It was the old Wilthers.
Adelphine felt the blood rush out from her face. She took a step forward. "What are you doing? Leave him alone!"
Pavel strode forward from the other side, sword drawn, as the other red capes held Wilthers by the arm. The old man shrieked
like a madman.
"What do you think they are doing? This is not the time to quarrel!" He scowled.
"He’s a spy!" the varganian growled.
"Spy?" Pavel's gaze changed to one of fury.
"The idiot was talking to the bandits! Using that thing to communicate!"
"Bandits?"
"He gave him our position. He told them we had found the mine!"
Adelphine ran to the place and dropped to her knees between Wilthers and Pavel. She tried to push the varganian, but did not move him an inch. "He's an old man! What are you doing? Leave him alone! Don’t you feel sorry for him?"
"It was not more than a mistake!" Wilthers shouted in a brittle voice.
"He's a spy!" the soldier called to the side, his face scarred. The machine he’s carrying... I do not know what it is... But I heard it talking to other men. With bandits! I heard her voice. In the Western language. I told them where we were and where the mine is!"
"That's impossible!" Wilthers cried. “It’s not true. Believe me, daughter! It’s a lie!"
"We saw it! We heard!" said the other.
"Let's see." Pavel stepped forward and grabbed Wilthers face. "Do you swear it's a lie? I will bring Valadi, and he is going to make you sing like a parrot."
Wilthers smiled like a madman. Pavel kicked him in the jaw, and his head jumped to the side along with a pair of teeth. Adelphine grimaced in pain. How could he do that to an old man? Pavel put the sole of his boot against his neck. "To see, I gave the truth. Who do you work for?" he shouted at his face.
The man laughed and put a hand on his mouth. "You have no time left. And it does not matter, I died for my country and for my king, yes for the Great King Alphred of Brightlands and the unified Wodanian Crown!"
"What?" Pavel's eyes flared with fury.
Suddenly, Wilther’s mouth started to foam. His arms and legs fluttered like paper under a strong wind. His body twisted from side to side, and a brittle laugh came out of his entrails mixed with screams of agony.
