Chapter IX

--Aayyyyy, damn it, that's burning.

--What? What did you find?

--The rock is very hot, sir, right at this point. Touch it.

--It sure is. Ah, look, it must be because of those plants.

--How can a plant heat the rock?

--It's the austenic fluids they produce. It's a type of liquid energy that, when pressurized against the rock, starts to heat and fuse with it.

--Does that fluid help us?

--It helps me, but you don't need it.

--Sir, the other night I dreamed I was talking to a raven.

--It wasn't a dream, Vaf. It was the orobelo inside you. It can trigger those kinds of reactions in your body.

They continued digging through the mud of the cave. The valley was still plagued by the strong suns, and with the threat of Tah's warriors in the forests, it was better to move under the cover of darkness.

--Sir, does that mean you'll use your magic? Are we in danger?

-I don't want to deceive you, but yes, we are in danger. However, we are also very close to escaping. The man I'm talking to is a mage who can control creatures. He will help us escape.

--I hope he's not like that soldier who abandoned us.

They stayed two nights in the cave, talking about Angir's journeys.

--Once, I negotiated with some merchants from the west for a transport of high-quality spices. I said, 'I am Demiral of Highlen, I founded this city, and you, filthy and rude sailor, tell me that this shipment is not in my name.'

--Sir, haha, I wouldn't believe you either with such a strange name. I imagine you with a huge belly, like those lieutenants the kingdom sends.

--That's what I did, haha. I stuffed my belly with cloth and put candy pieces in my cheeks. I had all the fat needed to serve the king.

--Haha, those men were very cruel. More so, everyone in Argen knew that when a carriage appeared on the horizon, it meant some powerful person was coming that needed attending.

--But they never asked who it was? They just attended to them?

--Well, yes. The first foreigners who arrived said, 'The holy king of Angsiss will punish you for this disgrace.' Then we'd give them a bowl of hot chocolate and they'd fall asleep.

--And why did you deceive those men, sir?

--Well, I was hungry, and I also shared the load with some kids from the sewers.

--Are those the thieves mentioned in the royal messages?

--Yes, but they're not so vile. They simply steal what they need.

The flame toasted the hide of a rabbit. Angir had stopped asking Vaf to look for rabbits to eat; he would name them and then cry over their death.

--By the way, Vaf, I need to teach you how to use your abilities. The path is getting more dangerous.

--Finally, I've been waiting for you to say that, sir. What should I do? Haha. Or what will you teach me first? Controlling a monster? The mind?

--I wish it were that simple. The first lesson is to learn to feel the flow of energy in your body. Magic is nothing more than a geometry through which we make energy flow. It's like language; when we tell someone to do something, only magic doesn't express itself as a sound. It's like writing in the air what we want to happen, and depending on our energy, it will happen or not.

--Like an order, an unseen instruction?

--Exactly. The first thing you'll do is concentrate your energy through the part of your body that I tell you. These stones will indicate if you're doing it right.

Vaf fell asleep after concentrating and pushing so much. The rock managed to light up only once, but that was a very good start. Angir returned from conversing with Emsys' enslaved creature. After this nightly chat, he returned to the warm atmosphere of the cave and began to read. Here is where he would make a tremendously wrong decision, for he would forget to extinguish the flames that had kept him company during his sleepless night. Soon, the warriors saw a golden flash escape from the cave and decided to head there.

Angir, unaware, kept reviewing his notes, trying to find something to save his benefactor. "Some sorcerers of past ages tried to achieve immortality through the decomposition of their bodies in certain areas," he read. "Wait, those are nothing more than cursed spirits, beings who left a fraction of their powers in a specific area. But what would one do in the temple of the brotherhood? If they are high-level bad guys, they should have known of the presence of that creature." While engrossed in his deductions, he heard an object slicing through the air. When he turned around, he was hit squarely by an arrow. The soldier revealed himself and, without hesitation, drew his sword to take the head of that vagrant. Angir snapped back to reality and, with a pulse of air, pushed the warrior away. He quickly drank the austenic fluid and soaked his hands in it, waking his companion.

--Run!

In response to this shout, twenty soldiers appeared, throwing spears and yelling. Angir drew the gift from the Utues and deflected swords and spears until his friend got far enough away. Should he let the orobelo finish them off? If he did, Vaf's consciousness would be lost again, and everything they'd achieved would be forgotten. The soldiers attacked mercilessly. Angir destroyed the cave, burying a good number of them. But soon he saw a line of torches coming towards him, armed with spears and shields bearing the Benefer house's insignia. They were prepared to kill him. At this point, an icy wind consumed the fiery light of the flames. In that dense darkness, a beastly roar was born. The horses cried and threw off their riders. The Melkar was activated by Emsys. The creature attacked on a sad night for the men of Angsiss. The only thing visible in that nocturnal bloodbath was the scarlet eyes of the beast moving on the battlefield, devouring the horses first so the riders couldn't escape. It moved at a deadly speed, making terrible leaps that resulted in the rolling heads of terrified soldiers who scattered into the forest. The few brave souls who tried to kill the beast with poisonous spears were left firm against the ground. The Melkar's claws pierced 46 military bellies. Not even the hardened boar leather could protect the dirty navel of the soldiers. Out of a hundred explorers, the night reduced them to half.

Angir lay on the thin thread of life. He woke up to the stench of exposed intestines in the sun. A corpse lay on top of him, completely bathing him in blood. If he hadn't died from an attack, he would have suffocated. He managed to stand up with the help of his sword, only to see the aftermath of the battle. The crows had woken up early for breakfast. There wasn't a trace of life except his. The Melkar had been gravely wounded and lay on the ground, breathing heavily. It was a phenomenon worth recording, as the soldiers' flesh detached from the armor and cloth, fusing with the Melkar's flesh in a living, viscous mass so disgusting it was hard to look at without feeling vomit on the lips. The monster's wounds were being healed. It was hard to tell if it would die. Angir was so desperate for his friend that he didn't bother to record what he saw. He soon tried to communicate with a raven, but there was no sign of any emissary from Emsys. He decided to venture into the forest and leave that feast of death behind.

The battlefield was a meadow full of flowers. After the night, it was as if human parts had been cultivated in the field. Limbs were everywhere, and with a beautiful sunrise like those the valley offers, this scene seemed a mockery of the valley's beauty. The bees and flowers coexisted with the human remains of the men who had followed Tah in this mission the circle had entrusted him with.

Angir continued searching for his disciple. He saw some tracks far from the bloody painting of the meadow. He spent until noon walking until the tracks disappeared. He was exhausted, wounded both physically and spiritually.

--Why? Why haven't you protected us? It was your part of the deal. Where are you?!!! Stupid me for believing in a lackey like you.

Angir said these words not knowing that tomorrow had also cruelly struck his ally. Angir decided to place some food and look for the tallest tree to sleep and watch for any sign. What would he do? The boy could be dead, and Emsys still hadn't communicated. He was alone, as he used to be months ago. Only an absurdly heavy book, without a real purpose, tired, alone, with a horse that had also been consumed by the destruction of Argen. Again, he could only hear his own opinions, his own questions, but he was tired of knowing himself so well, and he shouted again: "VAFFF" "COME BACK!!!!"

Vaf listened to his heartbeats as he ran. He ran as fast as his master's shouts and as his mother's words without any regard for his feet. He heard the swords of that day, only that day he was well held on the back of a grimy traveling mage. His desperation ended when he thought, "I have the power." He was going to return determined to protect his master when a hand from a bush grabbed him and with pressure on his neck managed to knock him out.

The next morning, he woke up among dry leaves under a tree. His kidnapper was lying next to him, with an open wound almost consumed by the fungi and bacteria that feed on men's miseries. Vaf was about to leave him when he remembered his master's words, "everyone is our brother," one of the first lessons his master had taught him. He got to work, took the man's sword to look for food, set traps for small game, and although he still felt bad eating them, he was smart enough to know he had no other option. He woke up the wretch who, despite being on the brink of death, had knocked him out.

--Who are you? You don't look like those orange soldiers.

--I am from Argen, those soldiers wounded me.

He said while struggling to move his head closer to the fire.

--Sure, but you knocked me out. What were you planning?

--To protect you, kid. That beast would have killed you. You can go back to the field and see for yourself.

--I'll feed you and prepare an ointment, but I need to find my master.

--What makes you think he didn't abandon you? More soldiers will come, I've seen them. Maybe he thinks you'll become an increasingly bigger burden.

--How can you say something bad about someone you don't know?

They continued eating, but Vaf kept noticing the strange attire of this mysterious man. He was almost entirely wrapped in a dark cloak, had a pale face, and strange tattoos on his hands.

--Listen, I'll leave you here and come back by sunset.

--Wait, leaving me here to die, is that what you call being brothers?

--I'll leave you in a cave we prepared, with food and water, and don't insist on anything else.

The dying man didn't say more and let himself be dragged to a hole. As they made their way, he tried to leave marks so his master would find the path. He also realized that the crows were no longer following him. Damn, they were the only other beings he knew apart from Angir.

He reached a water spring to think. He felt a bit lonely, but he knew his master was looking for him and that soon a crow would help him. So he didn't waste time and practiced concentrating his energy. The afternoon and the next morning passed very slowly. The energy felt like a long bug slithering through his body. He managed to feel the energy in his arms, moving between his fingers. By nightfall, he returned to his new friend.

--Adults should take care of children.

--I don't know you. I'm only interested in your recovery.

--But why, if you don't even know me?

--It's my duty to take care of people, and besides, you're defeated.

--And when I recover and try to kill you? Or kill someone else? What good will saving me have done you then?

--It should help you to do something different. If you repeat the same path, it will lead you to the same place, with an infected wound and at the mercy of a kid.

--I like you. Your master is a brown-noser, right?

--Yes, why do you ask?

--Because of your ideas. You sound like one. Do you really believe in those things?

--My master tells me that no one should force me to believe anything, and frankly, I don't think everyone is my brother. He surely stayed to try to help the men who almost killed him.

--They are interesting people.