Anchorite and the The Heart of Effie. Chapter 17

CHAPTER SIXTEEN. DEAD FOE – RISEN FRIEND

The stinking stench of burnt flesh filled the air, leaving no chance to escape. Though close your nose, though breathe with your mouth - eyes began to burst with bitter irritation, in the throat itched. Only a madman would poke his head into this smog for no good reason. But Oriel could not fly past. Even from afar, she heard wild screams, saw flashes of fire, but even being a fugitive and staying in not very good shape for now, she wasn't afraid to go down to the smoky ground. The fairy had to muster all her will and strength because she comprehended that there was still a long way ahead. Just a day ago, the fairy left a child in the Enchanted forest, a boy who fled from the possessions of Taurentius at the same time as she did, but she herself could not stay in her native woods: she needed to find Adrian, love of her life, and also convey important information to the mountinours: the offensive of Taurentius was already close and the mountain people had to be ready for an imminent war. Of course, Oriel could have been safe in her home forest, but then her father would have never let her go, and the fairy was not yet ready to exchange one prison for another.
For some reason, Oriel was sure that she must descend into this smoke, as her heart told her. The spell of invisibility had already worn off, but the strength still remained. Slowly, like a feather in the wind, the fairy has landed, circling over the epicenter of the smog. The carcasses of huge creatures continued to smolder on the ground, and the stench became simply unbearable. It was difficult to see what loomed ahead, so Oriel continued to float in the air, not stepping on the firmament. Maybe she was wrong? The fairy knew perfectly well what kind of creatures they were. Andalay wolves, wolves, some of the most fearsome, bloodthirsty and invincible creatures ever seen in the whole of Abbaddon, creatures that serve Taurentius and his minions. Nevertheless, here's what was strange: a pack of wolves was defeated, and even in this out of the ordinary way, by fire. Something or someone defeated these beasts. Somehow by the magic.
A huge pillar towered in the ruins of Tombtown. The legendary column where the innocent were set on fire many years ago. Oriel felt that from the air she might not find anyone in this smog, so she nevertheless sank to the ground, looking at the smoldering dead wolves. She needed at least one living being. But life finally left these creatures. The fairy was surprised, being deeply intrigued by the reason for such a terrifying situation, even afraid to imagine what kind of power made a whole pack of Andalay wolves lie down dead this way. Oriel had never seen such a picture and considered it unlikely for reality.
Finally, under one of the dead wolves, Oriel saw a man. Or someone very similar to a human. Weak life still flickered in this long-haired stranger, but it was clearly not for long: he was breathing heavily, apparently in his death throes. Without wasting a second, Oriel threw herself upon him and touched his rough, burned skin with her fingers. That was the way she read the fresh memories of all mortal and immortal beings.
Yes, Oriel was right. She managed to find life in this vampire. A kaleidoscope of events swirled before the eyes of the fairy. She barely had time to catch what was happening, but she recognized many images and faces: here was Taurentius giving instructions to his servant, and Troy, and the boy whom the fairy left in the elven forests a day ago, and ... yes, Oriel could not be mistaken.
'He's here... The Holly Five... He's here!' the girl whispered.
Trembling with unbearable anticipation, Oriel recoiled from the dying vampire and began to search for the one with whom she so ardently desired to meet. According to the vision that the fairy saw when she touched the vampire, somewhere very close her good old acquaintance should have been. Therefore, it turned out.
He was alive. But obviously scared to the point of unconsciousness. He sat on the ground with his nose in his knees. Oriel soared into the air, spreading her wings, and in one jump flew to the man, then sat down next to him and touched his shoulder, push him as if he were sleeping.
'Oreon…' the fairy said. 'Oreon. It's me. Oriel.'
Oreon slowly raised his head and for some time gazed into the face of his old friend, not believing his eyes.
'Is that really you?' he whispered. 'Or am I already in the world of Shadows?'
'Yes it's me. I'm so glad I found you. I can’t believe it...' the fairy smiled happily. 'What happened here? What are you doing here?'
Her voice was trembling, as if she was about to burst into tears, which, to be honest, was not far from the truth. Oreon was Adrian's sworn brother and Oriel's best friend. The meeting was, of course, pleasant and unexpected.
'We were all sure that you were dead…' Oreon said on breath. 'We thought Taurentius killed you…'
'No, he didn't kill me. Although hundreds of times he could. I ran. Someone helped me…'
Oriel could not betray Troy, so she did not pour in details. Oreon, beside himself with happiness, stood up and hugged his old friend tightly, without even holding back the stingy men’s tears in his feelings. Oriel also clung to the man, as if for the first time in a long time she met someone truly dear, a reliable shoulder, a close soul. The two of them stood like that for about a minute, until Oreon stopped hugging, removing the salty drops from under his eyes.
'Holy Five! Incredible, how is it? This is a real miracle. How? Who helped you?' he chattered like a wound up.
'It doesn't matter now. I'm already free and I'm here.' she replied. 'What happened to you? Where is Adrian? I was flying north to look for him, but I stumbled upon this fire and smoke...'
'Adrian…' Oreon shuddered.
Mountinour did not at all take into account the fact that the fairy could not know about the tragic fate of her lover. Is it right to speak the truth here and now? Oreon decided to continue.
'He disappeared at the same time as you. We haven't seen Adrian for a very long time and we don't know where he is. Our brothers tried to look for Adrian, threw all their strength into the search. But so far nothing, even traces of him have not been found...'
'Disappeared…' Oriel repeated in bewilderment.
'It is not known whether he is alive or not,' Oreon added. 'We thought you were dead all this time. Moreover, I was sure you were dead. But here you are, alive and talking to me. Maybe Adrian is still alive...'
'Tell me what happened here? You didn't kill all those wolves yourself, did you? I saw in the mind of a dying vampire that a boy was with you. And I can’t find the logic in what I saw,' Oriel changed the subject. Now, she felt, was neither the time nor the place to indulge in grief.
Oreon looked around, obviously trying to find someone with his eyes.
'The boy. Alpin. He set the fire here. We walked together to the wall, and at night Andalay wolves attacked us with Taurentius' henchman. Alpin burned them to the ground, as you see. This boy has magic...'
Oriel fully understood Oreon’s words and the events that the man was describing, but in her mind, none of this could form a logical chain. She clearly saw the faces in the vision. This boy, who had defeated a pack of Andalay wolves, was familiar to her. Oriel recognized this face even in the misty memory of a dying vampire. And there’s no way that kid was here in the middle of a rotten wasteland in Tombtown. Physically, he couldn’t appear here. Oreon realized that in the bustle it would not be possible to explain everything intelligibly, and, again approaching the fairy very close, took her hand and put her hand on his cheek.
'Read…' he said calmly.
It took Oriel only a few seconds to see the memories of an old friend. Here everything was much clearer and brighter than in the mind of that vampire. However, Oreon's memories confused the fairy even more. She could clearly see the boy that Oreon had just talked about. And this seemed to her the most mysterious.
'Where is he?' she asked, removing the hand from the man's cheek.
Nobody could answer this question. The search began in darkness and smoke. Oreon and Oriel searched the area, peering under every smoldering carcass, but the boy was nowhere to be seen. Visibility was still very poor.
'That can’t be…' the fairy kept repeating, muttering under her breath.
It seemed that there was no hope of finding Alpin: the boy seemed to be gone completely to ground. Nevertheless, in one moment everything changed. Out of the darkness came the cry of Oreon.
'I found him! Oriel! Here! Hurry!'
Oriel, spreading her wings and fluttering into the air, quickly approached him.
Despite the confusion and surprise, the first thing the fairy did was put her hand to the cheek of a young man lying unconscious next to one of the burnt wolves. Obviously, this method was the fastest and most useful under the circumstances. Oriel wanted to gather all the parts of the picture as soon as possible in order to clarify the understanding of the situation. But this time the fairy saw nothing. It was not possible to penetrate into the mind of the child.
'It’s impossible...' whispered Oriel. It was the first time a fairy could not penetrate the memory of a living sentient being. After making a few more unsuccessful attempts, Oriel looked frustrated, in complete bewilderment looking at the face of the child, and then gave Oreon a brief, disturbing look, continuing to whisper. 'I don’t know why, but it’s not working now. It’s like something’s not letting me in. I’ve never seen it before. I have no idea what the reason is...'
'We need to pick it up. Is he alive?' Oreon’s been fussing, pulling Alpin out of the smog. 'Andalay bit him. Something must be done before the boy expires!'
'The wound is very serious,' Oriel shook her head, examining her shoulder, but being afraid to touch it. It was obvious that the fairy was trying to solve some incredibly complex problem in her head, which did not want to succumb to logic. But the girl definitely agreed with the mountinour: this young man urgently needed to be saved.
'The poison has spread, but has not yet taken the life of the poor fellow. Usually after such a bite, after all, they don’t live for more than five minutes...'
'Oriel,' said Oreon. 'I can't carry him on foot. The boy will die on the way. Are you able to carry the child to the forest? If anything can save this poor man, it’s elf magic.'
'To the Forest?' with doubt in voice responded Oriel. 'The boy cannot be carried into the forest, whoever he may be. The enchanted forest will soon be under attack from Taurentius' army. From day to day there will be a real war. I saw this when I read the memory of a dying vampire. Here, not far, as soon as I descended into this smog. It is better to carry the child to the wall. It is faster and safer. I’m sure Ademius will find a way to save that life.'
'Henerion? That’s his memory you read? So, the Taurentius did choose the Enchanted Forest to attack. Holy Five! We need to tell Taurebeleg... I will turn my path and go there. You turned out to be alive, dear Oriel, which means I have one unfinished conversation with your father.'
'Oreon,' the fairy said softly, with despair in her eyes: suddenly her gaze was filled with fear. 'You don’t have to go into the forest. Not now. I learned something very, very important before I escaped from Evangard. And these are no longer rumors or baseless words. Taurentius leads the army. And he is determined to destroy everything that has not yet submitted to him. This can happen at any moment. He's going to use a royal child, a human-fairy hybrid. Or maybe he already did. First of all, he will lead the army immediately to the forests. If he succeeded, all the forest creatures will be destroyed. Every second counts now. Hurry north, gather an army and come to the rescue. Together we will overcome the enemy, I believe in it.'
'You know, your father would rather die than stand next to the mountinour in battle ... and no one can convince him, I tried ...' objected Oreon. And it was absolutely true.
'I'll convince my father. I can! I’ll leave the baby behind the wall and go to the woods too. I’ll be there, I promise. Together we will fight back against Taurentius. Forest people. Mountain people. Against all odds.'
'I won’t be able to get to the mountains so quickly, and then return with the army… It will take at least a week of travel…' Oreon spread his hands.
Oriel took a deep breath. Fairy suddenly walked to the side, trying to find something. The search continued until the girl found what she was looking for. One of the Andalay wolves was still alive, though not well. His huge body was twitching and death was obviously already close to that beast. The fairy was not afraid to come close to this creature. Then something happened that even seasoned Oreon had never seen. Oriel covered a dying animal with her wings and for a moment, there was a glow around it, a brief flash in the night. A sharp wind rose, gathered in a vortex circling over a dying wolf. When the fairy wings released it, Andalay was already able to stand on four legs, unharmed, as if nothing had happened.
'Can your wings heal?' Oreon said excitedly. The man was more than surprised: he had known Oriel for many years, but his girlfriend never mentioned this amazing ability.
'Only animals. And plants. Alas, there are no people... But don't worry: this wolf will now serve you. Mount it and ride north for the help of your brothers. This brave ally will cut your journey in half.'
'Me? Riding an Andalay wolf?' not believing in these words said Oreon. The idea seemed crazy to the mountinour, to say the least.
Oriel touched the wolf, stroking its rough fur like some kind of domestic cat, soft and fluffy. So the fairy, apparently, wanted to prove to the mountinour that now this creature is no longer dangerous. Then she gestured for the man to come closer.
'Touch him, bolder,' whispered Oriel, realizing with what eyes Oreon is now looking at the creature that just recently almost killed him.
Not to say that the mountinour was cowardly, quite the contrary, but now this touch was given to him with great difficulty. However, as soon as the palm touched the wolf, and he let out a loud, but not at all dangerous roar, more like a kind of greeting, Oreon realized that Oriel was right: aggression had left this creature and now it was ready to serve the new owner.
'Why didn't you ever say you could do that?' Oreon asked in disbelief, imagining with what faces the mountain brothers would meet him when he appeared in his native gorge riding an Andalay wolf.
'Because it's dangerous to show it to the public. And you should keep what you saw a secret, don't give me away. Now get on it - and may your path be quick and safe. Hurry, Oreon. Our time is up.'
The mountinour walked up to the fairy and once again wrapped her in a strong hug. To be honest, he did not want to leave Oriel now, obviously afraid of losing his dear friend again.
'Thanks to the Five that you are here...' he whispered to the girl, kissing her pale forehead.
Then Oreon, suppressing doubts and remnants of fear, saddled a huge wolf, which took the rider with a big enthusiasm, opening a terrible mouth and emitting something very similar to rumbling.
'Have a good road, dear Oreon,' smiled Oriel.
'This boy' finally decided to say Oreon. 'He must live. Fire magic, you know, is very rare. Elves, fairies, Taurentius, or even Ademius can’t do it. However, he, this child, has killed the entire Andalay pack of magical fires in a matter of seconds. I think... no, I’m even sure he’s someone we’ve all waited for so long. You’re right, Ademius will give all the answers.'
'I’ll see to his safety, I promise,' Oriel assured her friend. 'As soon as we stand up to Taurentius' army, you and I will go beyond the wall and find out the truth. Everything must work out. And then we will find my beloved Adrian.'
'So it will be,' the man nodded. He looked back at Oriel, and every cell in the Mountinour’s body trembled with the joy of this unexpected accident. The fairy was alive. Incredible things happened. So everything was possible.
Not knowing what to do and how to control this woolen monster, the mountinour simply shouted "Forward!" - and the wolf started off with an unthinkable speed that any brave trotter would envy. Oreon grabbed the animal tightly by the long fur, trying not to fall to the ground, and so far, he managed to do it with some difficulty. The fairy followed her friend with her eyes, until after a few more seconds he disappeared into the darkness of the night, and returned to Alpin lying on the ground. Having removed the dirty locks of hair from the boy's face, she once again looked intently at the poor fellow's face, still unable to understand how the boy had ended up in Tombtown in such a short time. Picking him up in her arms without much difficulty, Oriel pushed off the ground, spreading her wings, and rose into the air.
Night enveloped the expanses of the center of Abbaddon, and hardly an ignorant traveler could now guess that in half an hour dawn was to come. Oriel, holding on to the currents of air with her last strength, did not imagine how close her fears at that moment were to reality. In the west, a new army of Taurentius began its journey. Hundreds of hybrids, black horned silhouettes, resembling a swarm from afar, and an army of ogres moved on foot on the ground. Taurentius was somewhere nearby, he led this horde towards the Enchanted Forest, strictly to the south. The strength of the ogres will be needed immediately after the hybrids destroyed the magical defenses of the forest, that was a plan. The road was not close, however, Taurentius was in real euphoria. He was sure of his imminent victory as he never was, as at this moment. And there was no sadness in his thoughts now for his son, that had betrayed him, succumbing to love weakness for a captive fairy, and that Troy would never return to Evangard alive, and there were no regrets about past failures - everything seemed to be reset to zero for the magician, after all, he saw ahead of him what he had been going to all his life, what he had been striving for from the moment of the first battle won. Complete and indivisible power, the anticipation of which completely intoxicated the mind of Taurentius.
Oriel was aided by the winds. The air was coming, the wings caught the wind like sails. Everything was going well until the fairy lowered her gaze to the ground and gasped with horror. A thick white fog was rapidly approaching the fairy’s flying. It was definitely an ahlise. Usually it lay on the ground, but now for some reason the cloud began to stretch upwards, as if chasing Lairiel and the Alpin. Unwilling to be swept into oblivion, Oriel swung her wings and flew even higher, trying to increase not only height but also speed. The boy said something indistinct at the time and seemed to wake up for a few seconds.
Oreon did not notice the first rays of the sun, did not notice the void around. He did not even notice how mad the speed of the Andalay wolf had developed. The man was plunging himself into disturbing thoughts. Oriel brought the bad news of war, which became a reality, but at the same time she came back from captivity, which finally marked the unity of the mountain and forest peoples and the fulfilment of the Taurebeleg condition set on that difficult day on the edge of the forest. Oriel’s arrival changed everything and gave new hope for salvation.