Destiny (38 page)

“I think Aliana tried to save him with all she had… and in trying desperately to stop him dying… she crossed the line, and I very much fear she’s… she’s gone…”

“No!” Asti wailed.

At that moment Hartz and Kayti arrived at a run, with Lasgol and Lindaro close behind.

“By the three goddesses!” Hartz cried.

“Aliana, no!” Lasgol cried as he knelt beside her.

The Forest Ranger examined her again, but he too could find no sign of life in her. Downhearted, he shook his head.

A dreadful silence fell upon them all.

The final victory had turned out to be a bitter one.

The sun’s rays were beginning to lose strength, its gold darkening, in a sky which by now was completely clear. Soon night would fall over the battlefield where thousands lay, victims of the worst and bloodiest battle in the entire history of Tremia. One on such a scale that unless the gods themselves came back to earth to resolve their differences, it would never happen again.

The surviving Rogdonian soldiers awaited their King’s orders to leave the battlefield and return to the city. They were broken. A few were still standing, but most had dropped to the ground in utter exhaustion. But the order to return to Rilentor was not coming, since their leader, their King, was unable to give it. Gerart gazed upon Aliana’s body. His moist eyes were unable to look away from the Healer’s serene face. Anyone seeing the King’s face would have seen that a terrible pain was oppressing his heart: the pain of having lost his beloved.

Gudin and the Norriel had sat down in a circle. They sang ancient Norriel songs of courage and glory, as was the custom among them when a battle was over: of warriors who had given their lives to defend their country, of heroes who had sacrificed everything for land and family. They sang with deep voices, the voices of battle-hardened men. They sang so that the three Goddesses would bless the final journey of those who had died gloriously in the battlefield. Valor, honor and glory, those things which the Norriel honored most, those things which the Norriel were. They all sang wholeheartedly, since Norriel they were and Norriel they would die. Forever, with honor and glory.

Lindaro came up shamefacedly to Asti, Iruki, Sonea and Komir.

“It’s time to honor her and let her be one with the Light,” he said in a low voice.

Kneeling beside Aliana, he turned his face to the sky and began to pray to the Light. He placed his hands on the Healer’s chest and gave thanks to the Light for having permitted him to know such a valiant and dedicated soul, then invited the Bearers to do the same. Lindaro withdrew, and the four Bearers knelt beside Aliana. They placed their hands on her chest and closed their eyes, and each one in his or her own manner took their leave of the Healer.

And yet the farewell was not exactly that, since none of them wished to let Aliana go. Komir’s heart was broken, and his anguish at her loss filled his soul. Anguish and emptiness which Asti, Sonea and Iruki also felt. None of them wanted to say goodbye, none of them wanted her to depart. Instead they all wanted the Healer to come back to them, to stay with them.

And at that moment something happened. Something unexpected. The medallions interpreted the Bearers’ wishes, as those wishes were so strong they could not be ignored. Asti’s Medallion shone. The next instant Sonea’s did the same, and Iruki’s followed. The three exchanged looks of amazement. A moment later Komir’s shone in turn. Suddenly Aliana’s medallion burst out with an intense radiance as it responded to the plea of the other four medallions, to the will of the Bearers.

Search for life in her. If a single drop be found, bring her back!

“What’s… happening?” whispered Komir. But before he could finish, Aliana’s medallion flashed three times. Time seemed to stand still, all sounds ceased and suddenly Aliana’s eyes opened wide.

“By all the knowledge in the universe!” Sonea exclaimed in amazement.

Aliana filled her lungs with a deep and terrible gasp. She sat up with her legs stretched out in front of her.

Komir was unable to repress his joy. “Alive! You’re alive!” he shouted.

“The Medallion… found one last drop…”

The Healer tried to speak, but was unable. She fell on her side, exhausted.

The next moment everyone clustered round the Healer, and her companions’ cheers of victory and joy burst out on every side.

Some hours later, with Hartz’s help, Komir got to his feet. Aliana, supported by Asti and Sonea, did the same a moment later.

“You scared the living daylights out of me!” said Hartz.

“We didn’t mean to, I swear.”

“Wait, lean on me, you don’t look very good.”

Komir looked down at his own body and discovered he was very much weakened. He nodded at the big Norriel.

Aliana breathed in and exhaled deeply. She looked like a walking corpse. Asti and Sonea were holding her up.

“Don’t worry, Komir,” the Healer assured him. “Given time I’ll heal you so you’ll be back to yourself again.”

Hartz indicated Komir’s head. “His hair too?”

Aliana sighed. “No, I’m afraid I can’t do anything about that.”

Komir was puzzled by this. “What’s with my hair?” he asked.

“It’s all white, you look like an old man,” Hartz said with his usual bluntness. Kayti elbowed him to shut him up.

“Your body will get its vitality back, I’ll see to that,” the Healer said, “but there’ll be side effects. Your hair is one of them.”

Komir looked at Aliana and nodded. “It’s a small price, and I’ll gladly pay it.”

At that moment a warning reached them.

They all turned to where the Dark Lady had fallen. Iruki was watching her from a few steps away without coming too close, as if this were a pestilence she did not want to contaminate her.

“It’s unbelievable, but she’s still alive,” Iruki said. “The creature won’t give up!”

They exchanged tense glances.

“I’ll deal with it,” Komir said.

“Are you sure?” Hartz asked him.

“It’s my destiny, it’s my responsibility.”

With Hartz’s help Komir went across to the fallen Sorceress. When he reached Iruki he left Hartz behind and went to the Dark Lady’s side, taking the last few steps alone. Yuzumi lay surrounded by her dead guards of honor. A mist had begun to form around her. He crouched beside her and looked into her eyes. Pitiless eyes, which even in that moment of defeat and suffering gleamed with pure hatred. Her mouth and ears were bleeding. He put his hand on her chest; she was still breathing. As he touched her all her evil contaminated him, so that he had to withdraw his hand quickly. He closed his eyes. He felt only evil, suffering and perversity emanating from her: not a wisp of goodness, no matter how remote. He shook his head. This creature was evil personified. He felt it. He knew it.

He sighed deeply, knowing what he must do. He took out his hunting knife and placed it on the throat of the one who had caused so much pain and suffering, not only in his own life but in those of thousands upon thousands of innocent people. He could not let her live: not for the sake of revenge, but for the evil which consumed her. If he let her live, that evil would create new suffering and pain in the lives of innocents. They would never be safe. She would find some way to return, and kill them all. He pressed the knife against her pale skin. He knew what he had to do, even though he did not wish to. Something inside him held out against it. He still had some humanity left in him after so much blood and death, and for that he thanked the three Norriel goddesses.
I can’t do it. I know I have to but I can’t.

“Come on… you coward… what are you waiting for…” Yuzumi’s voice was barely audible, but the scorn in her eyes was clear.

Komir swallowed hard. He did not want to execute her in cold blood. He was neither a murderer nor a hangman. He had never wished to kill; it had always been something forced on him, and every death weighed on his soul.

“I… would not… hesitate…”

“You and I are different.”

“Coward… you do not have… the guts…”

“It’s not a question of guts, it’s about having a soul or not.”

“If… you do not… kill me… I shall come back for you… for everyone… my destiny will come to pass…”

“I know.”

“I shall attain… my Destiny… of Glory…”

He raised her eyes, and in the mist he saw Amtoko’s silhouette. The Witch’s eyes were fixed on him. Komir turned a questioning gaze on her, asking for her advice. When Amtoko lowered her eyes and nodded heavily, Komir knew that he had to do it whether he liked it or not. That was his Destiny. He looked again, but the Witch was gone.

A hand grasped his shoulder.

“If you want, I’ll do it,” Kayti offered.

Komir shook his head. It was his Destiny, and he would see it through at all costs.

“It’s my burden, my responsibility. I won’t shy away from it.”

Aliana joined him. Her eyes were on the knife.

“We’re all with you, Komir,” said the Healer.

And with Aliana’s words Komir found the strength he needed. He grasped the handle of the knife.

“Farewell, Mirta, farewell, Ulis. I shall never forget you.”

And with that last goodbye to his parents, Komir slit the Dark Lady’s throat.

Tears came to his eyes, and he was unable to hold them back.

“Let’s go,” Aliana said. “It’s all over.”

And Komir cried. Bitter tears.

Haradin woke up, startled, and sat up in his bed. The morning light, shining in through the great windows, bathed his aching body in a pleasant warmth.

He looked around at the elegant room and failed to recognize it. “Where… where am I? What’s happened?” he asked in confusion.

A young woman came up to him.

“You shouldn’t exert yourself. You’re still very weak.”

“What happened? What am I doing here?”

“Relax, you’re among friends. My name is Gena, I’m a Healer, and I’ve been taking care of you for over two weeks, since the great battle. You’ve been very close to death.”

“Two weeks? The last I remember is… the battlefield… the spells of power, the Fire Storm…”

“I must tell them about your recovery. Don’t move, I’ll be back presently.”

A few moments later the door of the room opened and Mother Healer Sorundi came in, followed by Aliana and Gerart.

“It’s a true miracle! He’s woken up!” said the leader of the Order of Tirsar.

Aliana smiled broadly. “You had us very worried, Haradin. For a moment we thought we’d lost you!”

“What happened?” Haradin stammered. “And the Black Army?” Worry was growing inside him.

Gerart put his hand on the Mage’s shoulder.

“You needn’t worry, my dear friend, we defeated it. There’s no more danger. We won the battle.”

Haradin could not believe the news. “We won? How’s that even possible?”

“Perhaps we’d better tell you how it happened,” Gerart said with a smile.

Aliana and Gerart told the Mage what had happened during the epic battle. Haradin listened with interest, particularly Aliana’s account of the defeat and death of the Dark Lady.

“The magic of the medallions is unbelievably powerful,” Haradin murmured. “Even more so than I’d anticipated…”

This fact worried him deeply. On the other hand he could not but feel immense joy at seeing they had survived.

“It makes me very happy indeed to hear such good news, to know that you’re alive.”

“Many were lost: brave ones who gave their lives for their homeland. Too many of them,” Gerart lamented. “The Kingdom will take a long time to recover from this tragedy. Several generations, I fear…”

“Now is the time to heal and rebuild,” Mother Healer Sorundi said. “There’s much to do. The wounds will heal and the ill will recover with time, patience and good care. We’ll survive, and Rogdon will pull through.”

Gerart gave Sorundi a bow of gratitude. “Thank you for your invaluable efforts. The Healer Sisters are tireless. They’ve saved uncountable lives and have taken on the responsibility for caring for all the injured. Their numbers are… overwhelming. Each day that passes I wonder what I could have done differently to avoid this inhuman calamity which has brought us so much pain and suffering…”

“You did the right thing, your Majesty,” Haradin hastened to say. “Unfortunately life can be very cruel, and suffering cannot always be averted even by the most powerful or just of Kings. The cruelty of evil is always lurking nearby ready to attack, and all we can do is fight it on behalf of the innocent. Your heart is noble, your Majesty. The people know that. Don’t torture yourself; there’s nothing you could have done to avoid this catastrophe.”

Gerart bowed his head and sighed.

“I thank the Light for the Sisters and all their acts of kindness.”

“It’s our duty,” Aliana said. “Still more so in such a dire situation.”

“You have the absolute gratitude of the King of Rogdon,” Gerart said, and his eyes shone as he gazed at the Healer’s face with such intensity that Haradin caught its meaning immediately.

Aliana blushed, smiled at the King and looked away shyly.

Haradin interrupted them. “What has become of our allies, the Norriel?” he asked.

“The brave warriors of the highlands have left their wounded under our care. Auburu the Matriarch and that incomparable fighter Gudin have stayed behind until they recover. The rest have gone back to their homes in the mountains. What amazing fighters they are! I say it with true admiration, a people of born warriors. But for them we would have lost.”

“We owe them an immense debt of gratitude,” Haradin said with deep feeling. “And I owe a special debt to a certain Norriel witch with silver hair.”

Gerart looked at the Mage blankly.

“And the city?” Haradin asked.

“The rebuilding has begun. Hundreds of volunteers have offered themselves, and together with the surviving soldiers they’ve already begun cleaning and reorganizing. Good old Urien is in charge of logistics and construction. It will take us a long time, but Rilentor will once again be the radiant, magnificent city it used to be. You have my word as King for that. It will be a testament to determination, valor, and courage of the resilient Rogdonian people.”

“I’m pleased to know the Royal Counselor survived. We’ll be needing his great experience and care if we’re to recover all that was lost. And the rest of the Kingdom?”

“I’ve sent Lancer detachments to travel the land. There’s no enemy presence anywhere. We found the Fortress of the Half Moon deserted. No trace of the Norghanians. To the South, in Silanda, the last Noceans left the city three days ago. The Rogdonian flag flies over its battered walls. There’s a great deal of work to do there as well. The city was hard hit.”

“And the foreigners, the men with slanted eyes?”

“Vanished. We think the survivors have gone east. I’ve sent scouts to make sure.”

“Well… much indeed have we lost, but once again the Rogdonians have stood firm against evil.”

“Indeed. Now if you will excuse me, I must go and see the Queen. Her suffering for the loss of my father the King is great. She is disconsolate.”

“Of course,” Haradin said, and bowed his head.

Gerart turned to look at Aliana briefly: an honest glance, full of hope. Aliana returned the glance and smiled softly. The King left the room.

“We must go back to our wounded,” Mother Healer Sorundi said. “There’s so much to do…”

Haradin nodded once again.

“I also have urgent matters to attend to. Very urgent…”

Komir went into the great Cathedral of the Light in Rilentor, which now served as hospital and center for healing. It was crammed with the injured and sick. Healers and surgeons, Priests of the Light and volunteers tended to them with love and care. He walked past several convalescent Norriel warriors and hailed them in the tongue of the highlands, but he had no time to stop and chat. He had to find Lindaro urgently. He scanned the huge hall as he went on, and at last located him.

He went to his side. “Lindaro,” he said.

The man of faith was preparing some drinking medicine beside a Rogdonian soldier who was lying on one of the long benches.

“Hello, Komir,” the man of faith said briskly. “By the expression on your face, I guess something’s wrong.”

“You know me too well. We must leave.”

Lindaro grimaced.

“But I can’t. My duty is here, I must do the work of the Light.”

“We’ve already discussed this, Lindaro. I need you. You’re the only one who can help me with this.”

“But Komir…”

“Do it for me, for our friendship. If it weren’t very important I wouldn’t trouble you like this.”

Lindaro lowered his head and gave in with gritted teeth. “All right… but I don’t agree…”

“We leave at dawn.”

“This mission isn’t a good idea, Komir…”

“They never are.”

And with that, Komir closed the argument. He turned and left the Cathedral, and as he did so a dreadful feeling of anxiety came over him.

Walking very slowly, as he barely had strength enough to stay on his feet, Haradin reached the foot of his ruined tower. Filled with sadness he eyed the once-regal building which had been his home, where he had spent so many pleasant hours of study and discovery. He sighed. Now it was no more than a useless heap of rocks.

Cursed war, which destroys everything, respects nothing, neither sacred life nor the greatness of man’s achievements.

He knelt, leaning on his staff of power, and cleared his mind of sentimental considerations. He was there for a reason, a purpose of supreme importance. A unique treasure lay buried under the rocks and he had to find it. Keeping it safe was both an imperative and a sacred duty.
The survival of the human race itself is at stake.
He closed his eyes and concentrated, letting his mind open itself so that it could feel the power around him. In a moment the object would reveal itself to him and he would be able to rescue it.

A sense of acute concern came over him: he could not manage to grasp any power at all.

It can’t be! The Ilenian Book of the Sun! Someone has removed it!

Haradin clenched his fist, possessed by fury. “Fools!” he cried to the heavens. “What have you done!”

Aliana and Asti exchanged a conspiratorial look. The morning was brightening, but they were staying hidden in the shadows. It was less than an hour since dawn.

“Did anybody see you?” the Healer asked the Usik in a whisper.

She shook her head. “No see.”

“Did you tell her?”

The Usik nodded.

“Is she coming?”

“She say yes, yes for you, for no else.”

Aliana smiled.

“I wasn’t sure I’d be able to convince her.”

The Usik indicated the stables. “Horses ready.”

“Very good.”

“She wait outside wall.”

“Let’s go, then.”

The priest of the Light, with Komir watching by his side, studied the Ilenian portal. Sculpted on the rock of the chamber, the huge magical artifact gleamed softly. The outer ring, with its Ilenian runes, had the sheen of gold. The inner one shone with a silver gleam.

Lindaro was apparently lost in his own thoughts. “I can’t believe we’re back here,” he said. “It’s as though an eternity had passed.”

“Here’s where it all began,” Komir said. In his hand was the Dark Medallion which had belonged to his mother. “It brought us here.”

“I still can’t believe we’re here under the Egia Lighthouse, in the Temple of Ether,” Lindaro said. He was staring at the runes on the portal.

“Believe me, it surprises me more than you.”

Lindaro gave the ghost of a smile and gestured towards the ceiling.

“And all the difficulties we had to face before we reached the chamber of the Ilenian King of Ether,” he said.

They had just gone down the stairs from the funerary chamber to the portal by the hidden passage under the sarcophagus.

“Have you managed to find out anything? The situation’s urgent… and I wouldn’t want to cross without knowing what’s waiting on the other side, or how to get back from there…”

“I understand, but interpreting this portal isn’t an easy task.”

“Will you be able to work out where it leads to? Where did they travel?”

“I think so. I can’t give you a guarantee, but I think I will. When we were trapped here the last time I managed to decipher the meaning of several of the runes used by the Ilenians, thanks to the Book of the Moon. This portal is a wonderful creation. And filled with wonders, there’s no doubt of that. I certainly must devote more time to study it as soon as I have the chance.”

“And the meaning of the runes…?”

“Oh, yes… I must thank the Light for the good memory it’s blessed me with.”

“We must thank the Light for many of your excellent qualities, my friend,” said Komir with a smile, and patted his shoulder.

Lindaro turned to him and smiled in response. “Thank you.” He turned back to the portal and remained staring at the second and third runes in turn, studying the top of the outer ring, trying to find out the destination.

Time went by. Komir, realizing it was going to take much longer than he had anticipated, finally had to sit down on the floor and wait.

At last Lindaro cried:

“I think I’ve got it!”

“Very good! I knew you’d manage! Where does it lead to?”

“Well, let’s see… the second rune means
room
—no, more like…
Chamber.
And the third, the one I’ve been finding so hard to puzzle out, is the rune of the eternal, of the everlasting
,
of something without end. So I’d guess the portal has been manipulated to travel to the
Everlasting Chamber.

Komir stared at the three runes at the top of the portal’s outer ring. “Fantastic, Lindaro, you’re a genius! I must admit that to me they’re just incomprehensible symbols. The Everlasting Chamber… well, it doesn’t sound particularly promising, but I must go and find out what goes on there.”