Chapter Four
Allegra had seen the billow of smoke rising in the distance and she ran faster up the hill.
“Am I too late?” thought Allegra.
She was on top of the hill when she saw a group of soldiers trying to calm down a raving brown horse. Right away she noticed the symbol on their chest, a lion’s head. Quickly she pulled her blood-spattered hood over her head and slid her spade between her belt under her torn cloak. Then she made her way down the hill.
“Whoa, whoa, come down fella,” crooned a soldier.
He was a lanky man with fair hair and a hawkish nose.
“Bena, he ain’t calming down,” said one of the soldiers around him.
“Nar, calm. We are alright,” said Allegra as she approached the horse.
Nar immediately calmed down and stared at her, presumably in a horse kind of way, astonished.
“Is this your horse…what has happened to you, traveler?” asked Bena.
Allegra kept her head low, face shadowed, as she went to Nar.
“We were attacked by demons on the road,” said Allegra.
“By the gods! We thought we had killed them all. My apologies, do you need medical help? There’s a Grand Healer with us who’s healing the injured from the mob attack,” said Bena.
Allegra wavered her hand. “Thank you kind soldier, but my wounds are minor luckily. I do not wish to take up the Healer’s energy when he can use it to heal others,” she said.
Bena opened his mouth to insist when he, as well as Allegra, caught sight of a red haired woman coming over the hill.
“Hey, Al-“
“You’re alive!” cried out Allegra and dashed to Frey. She wrapped her arms around Frey and clung the shorter woman to her.
“Nice to see you too,” said Frey in a muffled voice, her redden cheeks pressed against the warrior’s chest.
“Listen to me, those are Bastilian soldiers. They have no idea who I am and I’d like not to fight honest soldiers. You got that?” whispered Allegra harshly. “Do as I say and I mean it this time.”
Frey nodded and was glad when Allegra pulled away.
“How did you survive? I thought you were gone,” said Allegra putting a convincing air of concern as she lead them to Nar.
Frey puffed her cheeks like a chipmunk. The warrior did not know the conditions of being a priestess of Isiana. One of which requires her not to lie. Ever.
“Well, I, hrum,” Frey became tongue-tied.
“Are you hurt, m’lady?” said Bena to Frey. “Again, my offer of the Grand Healer—“
“Grand Healer!” yelped Frey.
“Uh, yes, I was offering your friend here some healing if she was injured,” said Bena.
“Oh well, we don’t need it. We’re good. Just a little shaken up that’s all,” said Frey.
“If that’s the case, I am glad you two travelers are unharmed—which is a miracle by the way,” Bena hooked a thumb behind him toward the town’s gate. “We were just about to leave and catch up with our captain. I thought you two would like to take advantage of the Grand Healer before we escort him back to Paramecia.”
“Captain…?” said Allegra.
“Yes, The Quicksilver herself! Captain Winster. She has been charged with taking Princess Arilyn’s body back to Para,” said Bena and whispered. “Travelers, be careful. War is looming in the horizon. If you two are heading to Para, I suggest turning around and head back home.”
“Sounds grave,” said Allegra and turned slightly away so Bena wouldn’t notice the crackling of her jaw.
“Yes, indeed. Tell me, where were you attack so that we can kill those abominations?” asked Bena.
“Down the road. Not far from here,” said Allegra.
Bena nodded. “I see,” he turned to his soldiers. “We got two boogies down the road! Unit one come with me!”
One of the soldiers cracked her back. “The killing never ends,” she said.
“Not a word, Percela. Without us many innocents would’ve been killed,” said Bena as he moved to a fine black stallion. He climbed onto the saddle and took up the reins.
“May Isiana protect you two,” said Bena to Allegra and Frey. Then he tapped his left temple. “Ah, as another warning. A criminal of the highest treason has escaped from the capital’s prison. She is a half shade elven with unusual blue eyes. It has been reported that an equally dangerous red-haired witch also accompanies her. If you see any of the two, please report to the nearest authorities. There will be a handsome reward for those who help capture these traitors.”
“Will do,” said Allegra.
Frey and Allegra watched Bena spurred his stallion up the hill and over to the other side. Following him closely was the soldier named Percela and a few other soldiers.
“Newbs,” said Allegra under her breath. She looked onto the remaining soldiers who were busy burning demon carcasses in a pyre just beyond the entry gate. “No wonder Winster left them behind.”
“We’re lucky she did. They didn’t noticed us but I fear he may figure it out once he sees the demons on the road so going into Moss is out of the question,” said Frey. “I have a friend near. She can hide us until the soldiers are out of the area as it seems there is a bounty for us.”
“Is that the real reason why you don’t want to go into town?” said Allegra as she stroked Nar’s muzzle.
Nar neighed.
“Well, actually,” Frey stuttered.
“You can’t lie can you?” smirked Allegra.
“No,” smiled Frey. “Unlike you. Quite a thespian?”
“My secret guilty pleasure,” said Allegra and climbed onto Nar. She collected the straps that held the horse to the wagon as makeshift reins. “Get on before those soldiers notice us lingering.”
Frey climbed onto Nar and wrapped her arms around Allegra. For some reason, the warrior’s body felt quite delectable today. She did not realize where her hands actually were at.
The warrior grunted.
“What?” asked Frey.
“Your hands, lower them please,” said Allegra.
“Low—oh, sorry!” apologized Frey and moved her hands down to the warrior’s abdomen. “T-he hut is on the left fork of the road. It goes around Moss and into a pathless forest. Nar should know the rest of the way since that is where I got him. ”
Allegra nodded and clucked Nar to move down the forked road and curved around Moss. The warrior was careful to keep her head down as they passed the soldiers. Once they had gone around the town of Moss, the road had disappeared. Before them stretched rows of pine trees as high as towers and trunks massive enough for three riders to go through the upraised roots side by side.
“We should walk the rest of the way. My friend doesn’t like to see people riding horses,” said Frey as she got down. “Actually, she doesn’t like people much but that’s okay. She likes me.”
Allegra got off Nar and removed the straps.
“Something tells me she is not a usual woman,” said Allegra.
“I don’t know how you do it but you seem to already know what’s going on,” said Frey.
Allegra shrugged. “You can say a little bird tells me,” she said.
Nar flickered his ears and flashed his teeth.
“Oh look, Nar is happy to back with us, c’mon here boy,” said Frey and patted the horse’s snout. “I bet you want some oats! Little Narly wants some oats, don’t you?”
“If that woman calls me Narly one more time,” said Nar telepathically to Allegra, “I’m going to kick her in the face!”
Allegra nearly froze from hearing Nar in her head. It was the first time that the horse spoke in her mind instead of talking to her normally.
“Hey, Frey, let me lead Nar into the forest,” said Allegra.
“But he…,” Frey watched Allegra lead Nar, breaking branches that were in their way. “What has gotten into her?”
Frey followed the warrior and her horse silently, wondering if she had done or said something wrong to cross her…friend? Were they friends? The question hummed in her mind when they came upon a hut made from dead foliage, mud and feathers.
Allegra let Nar head to a small patch of meadow off to the side of the hut. The warrior turned around and saw the glimmer of a cloaking spell behind Frey. She rolled her eyes. She should’ve expected that much from Frey’s friend who’s probably another magical trinket collector.
“Do we knock on the door?” asked Allegra.
There wasn’t a door for the warrior to see. Only a rectangle drawing, seven feet by four feet wide, was marked on the hut.
Frey looked up a little surprised. “We just go in,” she said and went to the ‘door’.
“Nimhar, it’s me Frey,” she said.
The rectangle drawing on the hut suddenly formed into a solid wooden door. The door opened with the creaking sound that seemed to stretch throughout the forest. Frey entered the hut followed by a cautious Allegra. There they met Nimhar or more precisely, Nimhar’s bony finger.
“Eek, take off your clothes!” shrieked Nimhar.
The pint-sized old woman, with a nest as a hat on her baldhead, raked and clawed at Allegra’s and Frey’s clothes.
“Hands off of me you crazy lady!” threaten Allegra.
“What’s wrong, Nimhar?” asked Frey.
“Blood of their brethren will only drive them crazy! They will come here,” explained Nimhar. “Take your clothes off now! All of it,” she shrieked again.
“Wait, I can’t get naked here,” said Allegra.
Frey’s eyes widen. “We can’t do that,” she blurted out. “Well, not right here standing in the door way!”
The pint-sized woman stepped backward with her hands on her hip.
“Quick into the bath I have ready,” said Nimhar. “I feel them closing in. I must burn your clothes at once! Eek, that spade, give it to me NOW!”
Allegra, halfway undressed, handed over the bloodied spade and her belt to Nimhar.
“Go to the baths, hurry! Go, go, go!” Nimhar shooed them into the back of her hut and into a grey stoned room.
On the floor was a large carved out tub with steaming water. Allegra and Frey stripped off the rest of their clothes.
“In,” said Nimhar. She shoved them into the water and then pointed to the soaps, towels and scented oils at the edge of the tub. “Scrub everywhere.” Then she gathered their clothes and left the room.
“She even took my boots. Is she going to burn them too?” asked Allegra.
“Probably,” squeaked Frey. She had crouched low to avoid showing her body. However, she eyed the woman across from her. Allegra’s body was lean and toned, even the slash shaped scars that raced up the sides of the warrior’s body did not diminish that beauty.
Allegra didn’t seem to be all too perturbed by their nakedness. She was busy moving to the edge and taking up a bar of soap. She started scrubbing her arms and then stopped. “I’ve never heard of their blood attracting more of their kind. That lunatic better have a set of clothes for us. I’m not about to go to Para naked.”
“I hope too.” Frey felt the blood run up to her face as her gaze fell onto Allegra’s chest. There was an ‘x’ marked scar between the warrior’s breasts from the collar bones to just on top of the diaphragm.
“What are you looking at?” asked Allegra, catching her gaze.
Frey snapped up. “Oh, I was just wondering about that scar you have on your brea--I mean chest,” she dribbled.
The warrior looked down and frowned. “That was back when I was still a page. I got too confident and Winster gave it to me as a reminder to never step out of one’s bound.” She looked up at Frey. “Is it ugly?”
“Absolutely not!”
Allegra nodded and offered the bar of soap to Frey. “You better scrub or bird nest lady will come barging in. She may start scrubbing you herself,” she said.
“Maybe I want to scrub you,” thought Frey but quickly shot down the idea. What is gotten into her? “You were the one with demon gore all over,” she said, trying to keep her mind from her naughty thoughts, and snatched up the bar of soap from the warrior. She turned around quickly. “At least we’re getting a free bath,” she mumbled under her breath but the way the room was built, her voice easily carried over to Allegra’s ears.
The warrior reached over and picked up the scented oils. “I suppose these gets rid of the scent of demons.” She sniffed the oils and then poured them into the water.
The relaxing smell of lavender and mint carried themselves in the steam of the water but they did little to relax the nerves jolting in Frey. Here she was alone, naked, with Allegra. A dream come true or a nightmare? The wanderer could not decide which one.
“Frey,” called out Allegra. The warrior leaned into the back of the tub and pulled off the leather string that held her hair.
Frey carefully turned around, wiping the tips of her damp curly hair away. “Yes?” she asked, barely masking her jitters.
“I know I said I didn’t want to know why but if this is going to be a problem whenever a chosen of Her is in town, I think now is a good time to tell me,” said Allegra with her elbows propped behind her, on the edge of the tub.
“I’ve always wanted to but I wasn’t sure how’d you take it,” said Frey.
That brought a raised eyebrow on Allegra’s face. “You didn’t kill anyone did you?”
“No, no, nothing like that.” Frey hesitated and wrapped her hands around the bar of soap. “You remember me healing the wounds on your face?”
The warrior nodded.
“Usually it’ll take a regular healer less than five minutes to do that. I took double the time…if you’ve notice, I rely heavily on magic already embedded in objects,” Frey looked down at the bar of soap. “I’m a failure, Allegra. That’s why I ran away from the temple. I wasn’t good at anything and I was barely an apt healer.”
“Is that it?”
“Well, yes. Aren’t you a bit, I dunno, freaked out about it?” Frey slumped her shoulders. “It’s not normal to fail when the Goddess has chosen you to serve her.”
The warrior rolled her eyes and moved to Frey. She squared the shorter woman’s shoulder. “Nobody is the same and I expect that to apply to servants of Isiana too. She wouldn’t pick you if she thought you were a failure.” Allegra remembered her own conversation with the goddess. “So quit beating yourself down. No friend of mine who braves demons and my own temper would let something trifling like not being a good healer, priestess whatever, get to them!”
“I’m your friend?”
Allegra gave a side-glance look. “I would think so.”
Frey dove in, not for a kiss, but for a hug. She buried her face under the warrior’s chin and let it all out. All those years wandering and haunted by her disappointments came to a crescendo.
“Unbelievable,” sighed Allegra but she understood. Failure is a personal doom. She should know. The warrior felt her heart blacken and rage pulsating through her temple. Xavier will die or she’ll die trying.
“Allegra, is everything okay?” winced Frey.
Allegra wheeled backward when she realized her nails where biting into Frey’s skin. Five red marks appeared on either side of Frey’s shoulders. “I’m sorry,” she quickly apologized.
Frey only smiled and chanted softly. A blue light outlined her body and the red marks quickly disappeared. “At least I could heal myself. I’m not a failure on that department,” joked Frey, hoping Allegra heard the story of the great Healer whose only weakness was his inept to heal himself. A kind of running gag at the temple really.
Though under the jest, Frey was worried. The dark look on Allegra’s face was a mark of the beginning of madness. The pain in the warrior’s heart is slowly eclipsing into pure hate. “If she keeps on this path, she will become the very demons she despise,” she thought.
The warrior, feeling guilty for accidently harming her friend, offered to wash Frey’s back.
“I would lik—“
The door to the room opened. Nimhar stood in the doorway with two folded white robes in her arms.
“Finish, yeah? Go to my hearth. The bones tells me you two have much to tell me,” said Nimhar and bent down to leave the robes on the ground. When she straightens back up again, she crossed her arms and noticed that the two women in the tub were looking at her. “What is wrong?”
“You’re standing there, my friend,” said Frey.
“What’s wrong with that? It’s not like I’m going to be voyeuristic about it, unlike you two,” said Nimhar.
Frey’s and Allegra’s eyes widen.
“I see, I see, I’ll leave you two alone,” smirked Nimhar and closed the door behind her.
“Let’s get out,” said Allegra.
“Yes,” agreed Frey.
% % %
After finishing up and putting on the robes Nimhar provided, they went to the living area of the hut. Nimhar sat on a rocking chair sipping tea in front of the crackling fireplace. At the foot of the rocking chair were scattered bones of varies birds and small animals.
She pointed to two empty chairs across from her. “Please sit and tell me what has come to pass. The bones tell me of great danger looming in the world,” she said.
Allegra and Frey sat down and began reciting their tale. When they reached to the part with them encountering the Bastilian soldiers at Moss, Nimhar stopped them.
“This is far worse than I had imagined,” murmured Nimhar.
“How so?” asked Frey.
“My dear, isn’t obvious? Those soldiers heading to Paramecia only have one true mission and that’s a declaration of war. A war that will provide many deaths and, as they say in the Codex of Mosak, ‘He that death has made death will bring Him forth. His bonds be forsaken, His body reawaken and all of Lando shall perish under his shadow,’ ” said Nimhar darkly.
“So if Bastile and Paramecia go to war, Harthor wins,” said Allegra.
Nimhar nodded. “It is good, Frey, that you are going to Para to warn the Right Hand even though I hate his guts.”
Allegra looked at Frey who shrugged.
Nimhar continued, “However, Child of the Firs, you must stop the Elven Queen from going to war as one representative of your kind. The Right Hand may warn the Queen but he is human and distrust between our races has grown significantly since ancient times. I believe that is why the Goddess had ask you to follow my friend.”
“I’m only half. She isn’t going to listen to me,” Allegra protested.
“She will listen to the last person who loved her sister,” said Nimhar.
The warrior’s stubborn will faltered and she could feel a lump building at the base of her throat. “I will try,” she said quietly.
“Good then,” Nimhar stood up, “please follow me.”
The two followed the old woman to outside of the hut. They passed by Nar who whished his tail as a sign of greeting. At the side of the hut was a boulder that Allegra and Frey hadn’t notice before.
Nimhar touched the boulder. Instantly if crumbled away to reveal a set of stone stairs leading down a hole.
“The boulder is a fake. I didn’t want my forest friends making a home in the storage,” smiled Nimhar.
They went down the stairs. Torches along the walls lit up, illuminating the path. When they reached the bottom, Allegra and Frey were dazzled by the amount of gold, chests and gems piled up in the center of the room.
Nimhar notice them staring at the treasure and cleared her throat to catch their attention. “Another illusion, I assure you two. So don’t touch it lest you wish to forfeit your life,” she said.
“Let me guess, robbers?” said Allegra.
Nimhar winked at Allegra. “Just in case,” she grinned.
They walked around the illusion and into another room. In this room were weapons of all types, armors in brilliant metal, fine leather and shields with encrusted ancient emblems.
“Back in the days of the first wars against the demon hordes, this forest use to be a fortress for the united front,” explained Nimhar. “Here the elves dug intricate tunnel ways while we humans built the fortress. I was lucky to have found one of the storages still intact. Here you will find what you need for your journey.”
Allegra went to a leather armor and examined it. “These are enchanted,” she said.
“Good eye,” said Nimhar. “Not even elves make them nowadays. A great shame, really. They are still quite effective against demons.” She turned to Frey who stood in awe.
Frey’s eyes were rabid as she glossed over a nearby rack of weapons. Magical enchanted weapons.
“I think I’ve died and gone to Yaaru,” said Frey. She went to the weapon rack and took up a bronze pole that had a carved dragon wrapped around its full length. She twirled it around and made some impressive arcs with it.
“Good. I’ll leave you two and while I go prepare for supper,” said Nimhar. The old woman exited the room.
Frey and Allegra looked at each other.
“Well, I guess that answered your earlier question,” said Frey.
% % %
They waited for two days before continuing their journey to Paramecia. Thanks to their newly acquired equipment, demons seem unable to detect them. That made travelling a lot easier.
It didn’t take them long to reach Paramecia after they had left Nimhar’s hut since they were going through the forest. Usually travelers avoid the forest due to Nimhar’s illusions and the demons that lurked around it. Instead, most travelers use the other route from Moss to go to the elven kingdom.
Allegra and Frey stood in front of a pair of elven rangers at the border crossing. The warrior had pulled the hood of her newly acquired cloak over her head. She stood unobtrusively behind Frey and pretended to busy herself with Nar.
“What is your purpose at Paramecia?” asked one of the rangers suspiciously.
“We seek the Temple of Isiana,” Frey and showed her palms to them.
A blue hue of light hovered over her palms. Immediately the rangers bowed.
“Forgive us for our behavior, priestess. You and your friend may pass,” said the ranger.
Frey smiled. “May Isiana bless the two of you,” she said.
The rangers let them pass and they traveled for another three days in the elven kingdom as they made their way to the capital. At one particular stop, at a traveler’s camp not too far from the capital, they had gotten word that Captain Winster had arrived at Para some days ago and already left.
Allegra became quiet upon hearing Winster was carrying a coffin with her retinue of soldiers. It was obvious who was in the coffin.
“You okay?” asked Frey as she handed a steaming cup of tea to the warrior.
They sat at the outskirt of the traveler’s camp, electing solitude instead of interacting with the other travelers at the camp. The stars above twinkled and the cool air brought the incessant sound of crickets. Nearby they could see Nar’s silhouette nipping at the tall grasses.
“I’m thinking about her,” said Allegra after taking the cup of tea from Frey.
Frey put a hand on the warrior’s shoulder. “Would it help if you told me about her, Arilyn? The Right Hand always says it helps to talk about things that are painful. It makes the healing easier,” and she added quickly. “If that’s alright with you that is.”
Allegra looked into the darkness. “I first met her at the capital. King Edward had asked me and Viktor to go to Para and try to convince the elven queen in a new trade agreement. He wanted to make a new trading route that went through Paramecia as a rival of the famous Kitir’s Silken Road.
“When we were finally given an audience with the Queen, I had been summoned specifically because no full human was allowed inside the castle. That castle was huge. I can’t believe it, but I actually got lost.
“I didn’t want to look like a fool and ask for directions to the throne room. So I wandered about until I heard the most beautiful music. It was coming from the garden and as I searched for the source of the music, I saw her.
“By the gods, she was so gorgeous. I remember not being able to speak for a good minute or two….”
The warrior’s voice drifted away into light sobs.
“Oh by Her Grace, there’s no hope for me,” thought Frey. She rubbed the warriors back. “There, there,” she said gently. All she could do now is comfort the warrior.
% % %
The next day they arrived at Para, the capital of Paramecia. They had left Nar to roam at the grass fields near the capital’s entrance. Allegra had assured Frey that the brown horse was not going to run away again.
Frey took a deep breath. “The same as I have always remembered,” she said and took in the view.
The elven capital was like no other city. For one thing, a city of this caliber would have tall walls for protection from the demons. Here there was none to be found. Not even guards posted but rumors goes that the very trees in and around all of Paramecia serves as spies and guards for the elves.
Frey could hear the Damlsa River that coursed through the capital. It is this river that the elves of Paramecia used frequently to trade with other kingdoms. The river flowed from a nearby lake, Helmia, all the way down to the delta of Corith. She had often swum in that river with the other orphan children that had been warded to the Temple of Isiana.
She remembered one time she went too far deep and the strong undercurrent had caught hold of her tiny legs. She was drowning. Just when her head barely dipped under water, someone pulled her out and took her to the river’s bank. She was semi-unconscious and recalled that someone breathing air into her mouth. She coughed out the water and her eyes fluttered open. A young half-shade elf child with azure eyes was in front of her, heaving and dripping wet.
“Oh my Goddess, that was her! Allegra saved me,” thought Frey. The shock was overwhelming and she could feel her knees shake at the revelation. “How could I forgotten her?”
She recalled next seeing a male shade elf come over and clobbered Allegra over the head. He yanked the young Allegra up and pushed her onto a wagon, cursing profusely before driving off furiously. Then she relapsed into unconsciousness.
“Are you scared of going back?” asked Allegra.
“No,” said Frey and turned to Allegra. The warrior’s face lay hidden by the shadows of her hood. “Allegra, have y—,” a piece of paper landed at her feet. She bent down and picked it up.
“It says: ‘Dead or alive, Allegra Fir. Fifty thousand in gold,’” she said and looked at her friend.
Allegra’s face harden. “If it takes my life to end this war before it starts, then so be it,” she said.
“But after you get Xavier, right?” teased Frey though she would not want the warrior to die after this ordeal, especially now remembering that it was Allegra who had saved her before.
The warrior cracked a smile. “Shall we head to her majesty?”
Frey nodded and decided later to ask the question. There was something far more important at hand as they dove into the city.
