Authors: Licia Troisi
“Listen to me. I know how you were able to make it this far. But no one has ever breached the doors of the Underworld, and neither will you.”
Sennar could feel his heart stop beating. “Did you … did you see death in my near future?” he asked.
Even Rool was holding his breath.
“No,” she responded, “but I saw with perfect clarity the destruction of your ship in the whirlpool.”
When Sennar stood, his legs were trembling. Rool grabbed his arm.
“May you pass safely and soundly through gracious waters, young sorcerer, and return as a herald to your people,” Moni whispered, as they walked away.
Sennar watched the sunset from the beach. An immense sun bled crimson into the sea and sky, merging them into a single scarlet sheet. It was just as in Salazar, when he and Nihal would climb the tower and watch from a terrace as the sun ignited the steppe. Who knew where Nihal was now, what she was doing. Sennar would have liked to have her there beside him, to hear her voice, to ask her advice.
A rustling noise interrupted his thoughts. Aires sat down next to him.
“My father told me everything,” she said.
Sennar didn’t respond. He was reluctant to ruin the sunset, the peaceful calm of nature, with the sound of his voice.
“Who are you, Sennar?” asked Aires.
The sorcerer turned to her. “What do you mean, who am I?”
“Who are you, for real?” she insisted. “What makes you want to go to the Underworld?”
What do I have to lose, at this point?
Sennar took a medallion out from the inside pocket of his tunic, the one he’d received the day he was appointed councilor. “I’m on the Council of Sorcerers. I’m Councilor of the Land of the Wind.”
Aires took the medallion and turned it over in her fingers. “Why didn’t you say so from the beginning?”
“Would you still have allowed me on your ship?”
“So, what, you’ve come to spy on us? Were you sent by the king of the Land of the Wind?”
Sennar burst into laughter. “Exactly. And to spy on you more effectively, I climbed up into your ship’s lookout tower and tried my best to kick the bucket.”
Aires laughed.
Sennar turned serious again. “I’m here because the war is a mess, Aires. The Armies of the Free Lands are losing battle after battle. We can’t seem to gain any ground. And the Tyrant is by no means short of warriors—he creates them himself. Our men, meanwhile, are dropping like flies. I’ve been watching people die since I was a child. I wanted to do something. Something other than casting spells to bolster weaponry and attending endless meetings. Then I found the map.” He paused and turned toward Aires. “That was when I had the idea of asking for reinforcements from the Underworld.”
Sennar tried to determine what sort of impression his last statement had made on her, but Aires’s expression was indecipherable, until her two black eyes flashed again with their usual irony. “And you plan to risk your life for such idiocy?”
Sennar was dumbstruck. Of all the possible reactions, this was one he never expected. “I … I don’t understand,” he stammered.
“Wake up, sorcerer! If you die, none of these people you’re dying for will even bother to thank you.”
“That’s not why …” Sennar tried to cut in.
But Aires was in full swing and wouldn’t let him interrupt. “Life is short, and you only get one. To waste it for the sake of someone else makes no sense at all. I do only the things I want to do. I want to feel joy, pain, passion, despair … everything. Because I know that when death comes to carry me off, the life I’ve lived will be the only thing I have.” She was speaking with great passion, her cheeks turning crimson. “I can understand dedicating your life to a lover, a child, a friend. But whoever goes wasting time trying to ‘do good’ is just stupid. The majority of people think only about trudging forward and surviving. As far as I’m concerned, I don’t care if the entire population of the Overworld ends up burying itself. It’s like they’re out there begging for death to come and take them. And then when it does, they have only themselves to blame. I know you don’t agree with me. Obviously,” she concluded. “You love to play the hero.”
Sennar was silent for a moment. He needed to think. Then he cleared his voice. “Let me tell you a story. Two years ago, when I was fleeing from the Land of the Wind, after the Tyrant’s invasion, I passed a house that had been demolished. The house of a family of farmers—a father, a mother, a daughter. They were all dead, the little girl, too. A soldier had run his sword through her and left her to rot there in the doorway. My friends and I buried the bodies. How could that little girl have defended herself, Aires? Why do the weak have to fall, too? Not everyone’s as strong as you. Sure, a person can have courage without strength, but courage isn’t enough.” Sennar wiped his face and looked Aires in the eye. “Of course I’m afraid. I don’t want to die. But I know I have to keep pushing forward. And not because I love playing the hero. I took a boat and went to sea. I don’t think that counts as being a hero. I did it because I couldn’t tolerate living anymore with death all around me. I did it out of fear. Fear of remorse.”
The sun had disappeared below the horizon. Aires was still sitting with her legs crossed on the sand, looking out at the water. She smiled. “Yes, it’s true, I like you, sorcerer. You’re a good guy. You could do great things. But I’ve realized I can’t make you change your mind.”
Sennar could feel his melancholy pass. He was relaxed. For the first time, he felt at ease in Aires’s presence. It didn’t matter anymore that he was a man and she a splendid woman. It was like they were friends.
His thoughts were interrupted when a foot struck the back of his skull. He fell on his side, dazed.
Aires leaped to her feet, infuriated. “Have you gone mad?”
Benares was standing behind her, red in the face with rage. “What do you think, I’m blind? A romantic, sunset meeting. Wonderful …”
Aires guffawed. “I never realized how much of an idiot you were, Benares.”
“I never knew you were such a tramp, either,” he retorted.
“Watch it, Benares. Now you’re playing with fire.”
Sennar was still flat on the ground. He could hear the lovers’ muted quarrel, could see the white sand an inch from his nose. When he tried to stand, his head spun.
As soon as he was on his feet, Benares struck him again. Sennar fell flat. Perhaps facing a jealous boyfriend wasn’t as easy an endeavor as he’d thought. Aires and the pirate were nose to nose, hurling insults back and forth. The whole thing struck Sennar as ridiculous.
Now, that’s enough.
He dragged himself up into a seated position and extended his hand toward Benares.
The pirate froze, spellbound and speechless.
Now he’ll have to use his brain
, the sorcerer said to himself as he got back to his feet.
Aires looked from Benares to Sennar, from Sennar to her Benares, perplexed. “What did—?”
Sennar drew his finger to his lips and stepped toward the immobile pirate. “I have to confess, Benares, when I first laid eyes on you I took you for an imbecile. Then, when I heard about your rescuing Rool, I changed my mind. But as far as I can tell now, it’s the first impression that counts, isn’t it?”
The pirate’s eyes reddened like two hot coals.
The sorcerer snapped his fingers and Benares regained use of his voice.
“Swear to me you’ll keep your mitts off her,” he wheezed.
“My mitts have never been on her.”
“Swear it, or as sure as I’m still breathing, I’ll strangle you with my bare hands the second I’m free. Your little spell can’t last forever.”
“Who says so? You want to try me?” Sennar egged him on. This sort of attack spell required a significant amount of energy, and he couldn’t sustain it much longer, but what did Benares know?.
Indeed, he fell for the bluff like a leaf in autumn. “I want your word!” he roared.
Sennar gave a heavy sigh. “Did anyone ever tell you you’re a bore? I never once tried to seduce your woman and I never will. Happy now?”
Benares shifted his eyes toward Aires, who’d been watching all along with a satisfied grin. “Fine, this time I’ll let it pass, Aires. But don’t forget, my patience has a limit,” he warned.
Aires walked toward him, swinging her hips. She held him in her gaze for a moment and smiled, caressing his face sweetly. Then she leaned in as if to kiss him.
The spit landed directly in one of Benares’s eyes. Aires turned her back and walked away, her chin raised.
By then, the enchantment’s effect was petering out. Sennar released Benares and the pirate took off after Aires, hissing: “We’re not done yet, sorcerer.”
The letter was short and to the point.
Laio,
Your behavior up to this point has been unspeakable. Not only have you tarnished the family name, failing to pass the initial trial battle, but then you ran off and led the life of a vagabond. Now I discover you’re living on a military base, carrying out a role that is far below your capacities and your rank.
I demand that you end this ridiculous behavior immediately. You were born to fight and you will be a warrior. To oppose your father’s will is foolish, and ultimately pointless. I therefore command you to return to our residence in the Land of Water, where, under my supervision, you will continue with your training to become a knight. If you do not step through the doorway of this house within twenty days, I will come to retrieve you myself, regardless of your wishes.
Just below the text was an elaborate wax seal featuring a dragon with wide-open jaws. Above the creature were a faint sickle moon and three stars, in remembrance of the Land of Night, the home of Laio’s ancestors. The signature, penned in dark red ink, stated emphatically: “General Pewar, Order of Dragon Knights of the Land of the Sun.”
As Nihal read the letter she could feel the blood rushing to her head. “Your father has no right to treat you this way,” she said, holding back a torrent of anger.
Laio smiled bitterly. “He’s
always
treated me this way.”
“And you plan to keep on letting him? You’re not a child anymore, Laio. You need to remind him that this is your life, not his. Yours, do you understand? And if he doesn’t accept that, then to hell with him!”
Laio said nothing in response. He tightened his grip around the piece of parchment and his eyes welled with tears.
It was beyond Nihal’s comprehension. Why couldn’t Laio just suck it up and refuse his father’s absurd demands? “What do you plan to do, wait here until he comes and drags you off by the ear like some naughty kid?”
“I don’t know, okay? I don’t know!” Laio shouted suddenly. “Right now, I just need to be alone, that’s all,” he muttered.
Nihal raced to Ido’s hut.
“You have to do something. We have to help him,” she exclaimed, red in the face.
Ido kept his calm. “Actually, I plan to do absolutely nothing.”
Nihal’s resolve only hardened. After all that Laio had done for her and Ido in the past few months, she was not going to let Ido turn his back. “You’re kidding, right?”
The dwarf shook his head.
“I don’t think you understand the situation,” Nihal went on, her temper flaring. “Laio wasn’t made to be a warrior, and his birdbrain of a father wants to just throw him into the fray. If it wasn’t for me, he’d have already died on the day of his first battle.”
“It’s not my business, Nihal.”
“Oh, but it
was
your business when he shined your armor and waited on you hand and foot? What is it, are you afraid of his hothead father?”
Ido gripped his pipe tighter and Nihal could sense his mounting irritation. “For your information, I have no problem facing either Pewar or Raven. I’ve been standing up to men of their sort since long before you were born, is that clear?”
Nihal lowered her head. “Clear,” she murmured. “But then why won’t you give him a hand?”
Ido took a deep breath. “Listen, Nihal. How many times can you go saving Laio, whether from himself or from someone else? You saved his life in battle, you rescued him from a shack in the middle of the forest, you brought him here to me … It’s time he figured out how to make it on his own. A man needs to learn how to lift himself up. And so does a woman.”
“But you’ve always been there when I’ve needed a hand.”
“Yes, but it was you, not me, who made the decision to change. There are certain things we must do on our own.”
Nihal was silent for a few moments. “But he’s just not capable, Ido. It would be like sending a child off on his own to travel the world.”
“Don’t play the anxious mother, now. First of all, it doesn’t suit you, and secondly, it’s the last thing Laio needs at this point. If he really wants to be a squire, he needs to say so to his father and fight for his independence. Simple as that.”
“And so what am I supposed to do? Sit here and watch?”
“Yes, Nihal. In those three months when you tried to make a life for yourself away from the battlefield, I sat and waited. Sometimes there’s nothing else you can do.”
Laio was alone in his room. He imagined Nihal running to Ido and raising hell. But what about himself? What would he do? He read through the letter again. Not even the slightest shred of hope. He knew his father well enough. He was a strict man, a soldier through and through, and he was used to having his word obeyed. If he came to get Laio, the only way would be to fight back. Perhaps it was better to run off again and hide. The Overworld was boundless. It would take his father years to find him, if he ever did. But then, what sort of life was that? Wandering for all eternity from one place to another, constantly looking over his shoulder.
In the short time he’d spent at the base, he’d discovered that his desire to become a squire was no mere whim. He found the work fulfilling. He wasn’t fit to bear arms, but he did know how to take care of them. As a warrior he’d never amount to anything, but by aiding other warriors he could make a real contribution in the struggle against the Tyrant. He could see nothing dishonorable about it.
He looked over at the sword that had kept him company through his many months of wandering, abandoned in the corner of the room. He fixed his eyes on the blade. It was dull and beginning to rust. He’d shined Ido’s sword and armor with great passion, but he never had any desire to take care of his own. Now he felt like picking it up again.