In Search of Auria (3 page)

“I don’t have anyone waiting for me back
home. Dead or alive, it’ll be the same”.

“But…”

Erik didn’t let him finish. He lifted
Gregor’s body on the back of the horse and helped Raymond to get
on. The shouting of the voices began again. Ray glanced back at the
body of his father and pressed his lips in grief. He then nodded at
Erik, “Thank you, Erik. And don’t you dare die.”

He raced out of the village for the main
camp. Erik was left alone in the dusty street. He could have gone
back with Raymond and return to safety; maybe even go as far back
to return to the city of Pollen, the capital of the miaflorian
kingdom. But he was born and raised in war, trained to run towards
battle and endure its horrors. He turned and scurried around the
corner, towards the place where the voices kept chanting, “Beast!
Beast! Beast!”

Entering the flagged floor of the plaza, he
realized what was happening. He understood the reason for the
chant. In the middle of the plaza was a giant of a man, almost
twice Erik’s height. He wore the balorian armor and fashioned a
long curly beard. Most balorians used a sword or spear, but he
wielded a large axe with a long handle to suit his size. Three of
Erik’s remaining squadron fought against him. On the other side,
behind the giant man, the balorian soldiers gathered along the
square like if watching a spectacle. To the west of the plaza was
the cliff, with the Crude River rushing at its bottom.

Erik’s comrades were exhausted. They
couldn’t get close enough to hurt the giant soldier because of the
great axe he brandished. The balorian took the offensive and swung
the axe from right to left. The first two soldiers dodged the cold
edge, but the third one was cut in half, the blood splattering on
the stone floor. He then swung back and hit the second soldier with
the back of the axe, darting him into the air just like the
captain. Before he finished the last one, Erik ran to his colleague
and raised his shield to protect him. The giant man stopped his
attack.

“Bwahaha! Another one came to die,” he
bellowed and the balorians laughed. He walked towards his people
and asked, “How do you want their heads, sliced or crushed?
Bwahaha!”

“Ivan, are you fine?” asked Erik. His
comrade was kneeling on the floor, firmly gripping his halberd. His
hair was pale, almost silver, and he suffered a bloody gash on his
cheekbone.

Staring at the enemy, he spoke with his
smooth voice, “Erik, the fields of Somber Petalia will be our
grave, Tally being our deathbed. But before we die, we have to kill
that man! He’s the spirit that drives the balorian army and the
reason why the miaflorians flee. If we manage to stop him, the
balorian morale will plummet.”

“What about the cliff?”

“We already tried that. He’s big, but not
stupid. If we could manage to wound him so that he can stop
fighting…”

“Prepare to receive death,” shouted the
oversized man. “I, Sebastien ‘The Beast’, shall deliver it!” He
darted toward the miaflorians and dropped the axe, almost slicing
their bodies. They separated and surrounded the giant on his front
and back. Ivan aimed for the head with his halberd, but Sebastien
blocked. Erik hurried to cut him from behind, but met with his
rising foot. The kick took him to the ground. When he returned to
his feet, he saw his friend on a vicious deadlock with Sebastien.
The giant pushed down with both arms, but Ivan kept strong, hoping
that the edge of the axe would not split his halberd. Erik picked
up a loose rock from the decorated floor and threw it at the giant.
He hit him on the tender spot right behind the ear. Sebastien
lowered his head with a grunt and stepped back, swinging his axe
wildly. Erik dashed around and rejoined Ivan.

“Let’s try it again,” he told him, “The only
thing he can do from behind is a kick. If I can dodge it, I can get
to him.” Ivan agreed with a nod. The balorian soldiers stayed back
and cursed at the miaflorians, urging Sebastien to finish it.

“Playtime’s over,” shouted the Beast, “This
ends now!” He hurried toward the men and thrust his axe like a
spear. Erik and Ivan dodged, but when they tried to go forth with
the plan, the enormous soldier wouldn’t let them. He would hack and
jab so to keep them together. Finally, he brought the long weapon
to his side and swung a brutal horizontal slash. Erik rolled under
the blade while Ivan jumped over it, his chest facing the sky. It
was a sight that the balorian soldiers never expected to see; Erik
on the ground, Ivan in the air, and the axe passing right in
between.

When Ivan fell on the ground, Erik heard him
scream in pain. He landed flat on his back, hurting it on the
flagged floor. Erik got up as fast as he could to aid him, but it
was too late. He had to see how the axe fell directly on his
friend’s throat, and how the body trembled as it lost its life.

“Ivan, no!”

The axe had stabbed deep, getting lodged
between the flags. Erik dashed to Sebastien, fueled with that same
rage he had warned Raymond so much about. He pointed his blade to
the balorian’s torso and lunged forward. The giant quickly pulled
the axe out of the ground and with the same momentum swung it to
Erik’s head. Erik had to dive in and lower his body in order to
avoid the blade. By doing this he did not strike Sebastien’s torso,
but instead drove the sword deep between the joints of his ankle.
The giant made a horrible howl that left the balorian soldiers
scatterbrained. Erik left the blade jammed in to make the wound
tear as his enemy fell. He then jumped to his feet and ran directly
towards the west of the plaza, where the cliff was. The soldiers
remained stunned as they saw the great Sebastien struggling to get
up. They stayed that way until a commander wearing a multiple
horned helmet shrieked, “Don’t just stand there! Kill him!”

The archers in the enemy ranks quickly
stretched their bows and launched their arrows. Erik switched his
shield to his right arm, blocking the barrage. The soldiers
sprinted behind him, as the edge of the cliff drew nearer.

He chose to jump over the cliff instead of
retreating out the village, for his enemies were many and would
have eventually caught him. He could’ve stayed right there,
retrieving the sword from Sebastien’s ankle to pierce his gut and
await a great warrior’s death. But even though he had said to
Raymond that his death would change nothing, he wanted to survive.
At some point of his life he wanted to experience something that
the battlefield could not provide; something his mind hadn’t
discovered, but that his soul yearned for. He had seen enough
blood, enough death, and enough violence.

Reaching the edge, Erik jumped with a groan.
The soldiers were not as brave as him and abruptly stopped, almost
falling down themselves. Erik set his sights down to the river as
he gained speed with every second. He let go of the shield and
crossed his arms over his chest. The wind battered his body as he
dropped through the air. Would he survive the plunge?

Suddenly, the river disappeared from under
his boots. All became black and all feeling stopped. Darkness
slowly crept into the sight of his eyes…

*

The fire I made had died. I found myself
standing in front of the smoking wood with my face buried in my
hands. I did not recall getting up or placing my hands on my face.
These memories I held were of bloody battles and lost friends; too
intense that I sometimes lost reality. I shook my head and cleared
my mind. I needed to rest for the coming day. Perhaps tomorrow I’d
focus on better memories, on the ones of my Auria.

I woke up to a sunny morning. I rubbed my
eyes as they came in contact with the daylight. The sun was already
high in the sky. I had overslept. I needed to gather my equipment
and continue on my path. I folded the thin, black blanket I had
slept with. I always had it in my bag, except for when I was with
Auria. When I was with her back home, I would spread it on the
ground so we could sit and have a good chat. I could’ve been
chatting with her at this very moment, sitting on this blanket. But
we weren’t. And for that I blamed myself.

According to the map I took from the
outpost, I would reach a village called Vieris if I followed the
route to the northwest. And after the sun went past noon, I was
there. The stone walls around it were so old they had deteriorated
and broken down. The gaps in between were so wide that three
carriages could pass through side by side. But what caught my eyes
even more were the cultivating fields that surrounded the village.
They circled around, full of eggplants, corn, tomatoes and beans.
There was even a small, but noticeable section with flowers. After
my recent encounter with the balorian soldiers, the best course of
action would be to avoid the village and prevent any unnecessary
interaction. But, I was weary after days of walking and hiking. The
sun was too hot and I needed a drink.

I walked upon the dusty road leading to the
southern entrance of the walls. Passing by villagers and farmers,
the last carrying crops to their wagons, I thought about how easy
it would be to invade this village. The walls were so deteriorated
that a measly kick would crumble them. This is how much war-
infested my mind was; I was approaching a peaceful village, and all
I could think about was how to tear it down. This is why Auria was
so important to me. Not only did I love her, but she would take me
away from my warring life.

Nearing the entrance, the guards took a
suspicious gander at me. I kept on forward without making eye
contact. And surprisingly enough, they left me be. Maybe things
around here were so calm and dull, they didn’t even worry about
strangers like me.

The houses inside were made of well crafted
wood, all with circular windows and little bells beside the front
door. Many of them had two floors; a shop on the first and a home
on the second. It only took me a few minutes to find the town pub.
Pulling the creaking door, I let myself in. The barkeeper looked at
me funny when I asked for water instead of mead or wine, but
without any problem poured me a cup. After a few moments of rest, I
noticed two lovebirds at the corner of the bar; a man and a woman
just flirting and laughing. Seeing them with their games and kisses
made me rub my sorrowed eyes, whispering her loving name,
“Auria”.

“Warrior, something wrong?” I heard someone
asking from behind. I turned on my seat to see who asked, and
laying my eyes on him, I instantly knew he wasn’t from this part of
the land. He was slightly younger than me, short, with long black
hair, high cheek bones and almond-shaped eyes. He spoke with an
accent that I had never heard before. The blue robe he fashioned
seemed like something to sleep with.

“Greetings!” he said, “My name is Yang. I be
wayfarer, traveler of far east. You?”

I froze, thinking on the pronunciation of
his name. I had never seen anyone with his type of features; exotic
and unknown. And yet I didn’t sense him to be a dangerous man.
Actually, he looked a bit fragile. “Um, my name is Erik.”

We started talking; about the bar, the
weather, the roads on our maps, of how good it is to have a drink,
etc. Sometimes he had trouble pronouncing some words, but I
understood him well overall. He seemed to be a decent guy, and
entirely out of place. He explained that he had come with a group
of merchants to trade goods in the western countries. Seeing the
great diversity of people and cultures other than his own, he
decided to leave the group of merchants and travel farther west. He
wanted to see more.

“My country not know much of this world.
From far, far east it is. I made the mission to learn and then
teach my people. Been away too long, but I learn the language.
Language is important. And you, warrior, why are you here?”

I stayed in silence for an instant. I didn’t
want to say the real reason I was there, in a country not my own.
But, I didn’t want to lie to the humble man, either.

“Like you, I too imposed myself a mission.
Only that it doesn’t have to do with learning or teaching, but with
recovering what is precious to me…”

“Oh, be very personal mission. Well, I must
continue my journey. May our paths cross again.
Zaijian
!
That means good bye.” When Yang extended his arm to pay for his
drinks, I saw the design of a bird on his robe. I hadn’t noticed it
before. It had many colors with an imposing outline.

“Yang, what is that bird?” I asked.

“This? It be legend bird of my country, the
Fenghuang.”

“Feng who?”

“Not fengwho, Fenghuang! The ruler of all
birds, with the most beautiful of songs. Its voice can bring you
fortune.” After the explanation, he turned to go on his way. But I
had one more question.

“Yang, one more thing. Have you seen a
carriage hauling a covered cage around here?”

“Not here,” he said, rubbing his chin.
“Maybe pass already.” With that he departed through the tavern
door. I looked at the corner where the lovers were, but they had
left, too. I dropped some lorins on the bar counter and took my
leave. If the carriage and cage had passed through here already, I
needed to exit the village as soon as possible and catch up.

I feared I wasted too much time at the pub.
I walked around in search of a store to buy provisions. Instead, I
found trouble. I took a left turn at the end of the street and
there were two balorian soldiers walking towards me. With a shocked
face I spun on my heel and went the other way. The soldiers saw my
withdrawal as a dubious one and pursued me.

Why did I turn in such a way? I should have
just passed them without a glance just like the soldiers at the
entrance of the village. I walked faster, but that just made me
even more suspicious. Damn it, why did I get so nervous when I saw
them? A couple of days ago I was undercover among them, and now I
saw two and lost my backbone!