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“Scare it with the torch!” she screamed.
“It doesn’t seem to work!” he retorted.
“Move that damned torch!” the elf repeated again, this time with more conviction.
Kaj waved the torch vigorously, but the beast did not retreat. In fact, it had now crossed over into their perimeter. Clarice walked over to Kaj and set the arrowhead on fire. Other lalks approached from the center—they were surrounded. Suddenly, they heard a threatening growl; the others stopped as a huge one appeared in the center.
“Oh, fantastic,” Kaj exclaimed sarcastically. He thought for a moment, and came up with an idea. He lowered himself, grabbed another burning stick and, without taking his eyes off the lalks, threw it toward one of the beasts. The animal avoided it and fled, frightened. They were all baring their teeth. Kaj and Clarice had started to back away, as the lalks got closer and closer. Clarice aimed her bow and shot an arrow, which pierced a neck. The animal staggered for a second, before collapsing. At that point, the largest of the lalks backed away, leaving the battlefield to the others, who were determined to tear them apart.
“Well, now what?” asked Kaj, frightened.
“Now we entrap them,” said Clarice confidently.
“What do you have in mind?”
“Something stupid…”
Clarice took up the bow and killed two beasts, while Kaj wounded the lalk that pounced on him, forcing it to flee. With incredible aim, Clarice dropped the bow to the ground and threw a dagger at the last lalk. The animal avoided the blow, so she stunned it with a punch on the muzzle and then slit its throat.
“Well done!” said Kaj.
Clarice did not reply; she closely examined the forest. “We can rest tonight; we’ll use their bodies as a warning.”
Dawn came, and it was time to set off. Clarice was still sleeping, so Kaj walked over to her and woke her up. That morning, the clouds had given way to blue skies, and the snow glimmered in the light of the new day as it filtered through the branches of the pine trees. The winds had subsided, and there seemed to be nothing nearby that could pose a danger and spoil the day’s beauty. They passed a clearing, almost slipping on several sheets of ice in the process, and reached a small stream that disappeared underneath the rocks, only to reappear much further down in the plains. The shore was dangerously slippery with all the snow that covered it, but strangely, the water was not frozen.
Kaj saw Clarice approach the water. If she fell into it, she could catch something. “Clarice! You could slip!” he exclaimed, too forcefully.
“Dammit, are you mad!?” The elf glared at him. She bent down to fill the bottle, then threw it to the man with a defiant look. “How caring of you, Kaj. Up until a few days ago, I was the one who had to babysit you…” she said self-importantly.
“Babysit me?” he asked incredulously.
She stared at him intently for a moment. “You bet!”
Kaj returned her gaze without replying. Eventually, he tossed his backpack at her to provoke her, but Clarice elegantly ignored his provocation and resumed her march.
For a good hour, they continued apace along the stream, until they reached the point where it sank under the rocks. The path was impassable in places; the cliffs and the ups and downs forced them to take detour after detour. The time needed to reach Nidath was getting longer. They had to take advantage of the good weather and cover as much distance as they could.
They walked all night. The moonlight accompanied them faithfully, but by the crack of dawn, the clouds had returned, low and gloomy, a portent of fresh new storms. Clarice looked up at the sky. The tops of the tallest trees were swaying in the winds, which were once again strong and freezing. Suddenly, they heard something from behind. Clarice stopped, stretching out an arm to stop Kaj and gesturing for him to keep silent. The man knew what was following them; he sensed the same stench: lalks.
“They’re tailing us,” Clarice said softly.
The man did not lose heart. “Seeing how they screwed us over the other day, I’d say it’s better to attack first, so we can take them by surprise.”
“That’s just what I was thinking. Let’s let them get close.” The elf rose slowly, peering into the forest. Suddenly, the pack leader came forward, and two other lalks flanked it. Clarice had her bow in hand, and Kaj drew his sword. Two arrows were enough to kill the two lalks at the sides. But the largest remained. The beast avoided Clarice’s arrow, thereby yielding its side, and Kaj quickly lunged, managing to score a hit. The lalk turned quickly, growling and baring its teeth. Then Clarice laid down the bow and drew her daggers, before leaping forward for the strike. The animal knocked the elf down, and she lost her blades. The beast was close, and she managed to injure it in on one leg with the dagger that she had fastened to her leg, hidden by her tunic. The animal whined and bled profusely as it fled back into the forest.
Clarice was sitting on the ground. Kaj held out a hand to help her up.
“You were great back there,” he said.
She gave Kaj a satisfied look, accepted his hand, and got to her feet. “I know,” replied the elf.
The man shook his head in amusement, feeling the traces of blood left by the animal. “It’s losing a lot of blood. We should give chase and finish the job.”
“Agreed,” she nodded.
Trying not to make noise, they followed the lalk’s trail of blood into the undergrowth, weapons in hand to avoid surprises. Little by little, the size of the pools of blood was increasing, and the footprints were getting irregular—the animal was slowing down. They found it a little further on in a huge pool of blood, completely resigned to its fate. Clarice approached, and the beast did not attempt to attack. It only emitted a short growl. The elf took out the dagger, and when she was about to stab it in the heart, she saw that the animal had a collar. She moved its hair and discovered the stone attached to its hide. Kaj came closer to get a better look. The two exchanged a surprised look, and then the elf cut the collar. Suddenly, the animal stirred, frightening them both. It raised its head, looking at Clarice and breathing heavily, then expired.
They both stood there, speechless. Clarice looked at the collar: the stone, which until recently had been shining, was now dull and opaque.
“What do you think?” asked the man.
“Do you want to know what I think, Kaj?” the elf put forward a hypothesis: “The collar was controlling it, but when it looked at me before it died, it seemed to be nothing more than a normal wolf…”
Kaj chewed over her words. “If it’s the collar that makes it a ‘lalk,’ as you elves call it, that means it’s the work of necromancers.”
“They can probably see through the eyes of the wolf, and the stone influences the wolves that are close to it, inducing them to form a pack…” she said, searching for an explanation.
“It almost seemed like it wanted to tell you something,” hazarded Kaj.
“Without the collar, it had reverted to being under the influence of the goddess Efabi, and stopped being my enemy,” she noted, feeling for the beast. “It was my duty to free it from the pain I had caused it, and to send its soul to the Goddess.” Angry, the elf’s fist tightened around the collar. “I’ll have to make amends.”
*
Another two days’ walk brought them closer to the innermost area of the forest. The elven magic was so powerful that, despite it being winter, the vegetation was green and lush. Only in that area of Elelreel could one almost breathe in the power of ancient magic—the magic surrounding the creation of the first elves Nariel and Fayriss. They proceeded rapidly despite the shifting terrain. The elf’s purposeful steps served as a guide for Kaj. Suddenly, Clarice stopped to listen.
“What?” asked Kaj, surprised.
“Follow me!”
Clarice ran through the vegetation with such agility that Kaj could not keep up; he kept getting caught in branches. Going past the last shrubs, she spotted with great surprise a group of elves that had recently killed four lalks. When Kaj arrived, he was out of breath and exhausted. He tried to recover by resting his hands on his knees.
“They dead?” asked Clarice, checking the bodies.
“Of course!” replied an irritated elf.
Clarice found another collar at the neck of one of the animals. She cut it off, and shoved it in the elf’s face. “These collars are controlling the wolves! You don’t have to kill them!”
“They attacked us and we defended ourselves,” replied another member of the group.
Clarice swore in Elvish. Kaj convinced her that she had to explain herself better. “I believe that by removing the collars from the lalks that wear them, they will return to being simple wolves…” she said.
The elf stared at Clarice, eyes wide. “Incredible!”
“We found out a few days ago,” said Kaj.
The elf looked at him with suspicion. “And who would you be?”
“My name is Kaj,” he replied eagerly, hoping for a nod of acknowledgement.
“You weren’t asked,” said the elf.
Clarice stepped in. “We’re going to Nidath; are you headed there, too?”
The elf shook his head. “No. We don’t even come from the city.”
“Oh…” exclaimed the Vagabond, surprised.
Without another word to Clarice, the group of elves resumed their journey.
The night came quickly, and the rocky wall under which they took refuge was grooved by the climbing ivy which created a soft coating. Some branches drooped downwards, creating a cascade of green that concealed and protected the rocky cranny where they were resting. The moss all around them was lush, its intense green contrasted by the white froth of the stream’s waters.
They lit a nice fire, and Kaj, sitting in front of the elf, observed her frowning face as he tried to eat one of the roots they had collected. Eventually, he tossed the last piece into the fire. Clarice locked eyes with Kaj, and when she realized that he was laughing at the expressions she was making, she herself started to laugh; she wiped her mouth with her hand and took a swig from her flask.
“This area of the forest is the safest. Not even lalks venture beyond the edge of the Old Larches. They are the oldest and full of magic, and they form the border around the innermost area of the forest,” she explained, pointing.
“Where the city is,” Kaj concluded.
“Correct.”
“I’m learning.”
She looked at him with a smile, and the man noticed how deep and beautiful her eyes were, then looked away bashfully. “I saw some bushes earlier. I’m going to check if they have berries,” said Kaj.
The man picked up large, juicy dark blue blueberries and mushrooms. As he returned to the field he observed the forest, and the fact that he was unable to orient himself made him anxious. When he returned, Clarice was looking after the fire.
“I happened on some berries and mushrooms,” he said. “Amazed I managed to find any in the dead of winter.”
The elf turned her gaze to Kaj. The light of the fire made her eyes sparkle.
“Have a taste,” said the man, offering.
Though she knew how they tasted, she ate them with relish. “Thank you.”
“So how long till we reach town?” he asked.
“I don’t know exactly; we’ve made too many detours,” she admitted.
“There’s one thing I still don’t get. Are we going to Nidath just to see the King, or is there some other reason?”
The elf thought for a moment. “The key thing is to talk to the King,” he began. “The rest will come by itself… I think…”
“Count me intrigued!” he quipped.
Clarice grinned. “King Yenven will explain much, and then we will have to decide where to start.”
“To do what?” Kaj asked.
“Whatever we have to do…” she replied, unsure.
“Why don’t you finish the account of your past for me?” asked the man. “You left me hanging in Fenan.”
“The story is short,” she began. ‘They kidnapped me alongside the other children, and locked us in cages in a stable. I managed to open the lock and escape. I went back to the village, and discovered that they were all dead, so I left that place. A family hosted me for a few days, but it was not the place for me, so I left…”
“Where to?” Kaj interrupted her.
“First, I joined a group of smugglers who needed small, fast hands. Then I worked with thieves and mercenaries,” she explained, frowning at the sight of Kaj’s expression.
“Whoa, okay!” he exclaimed. “Smugglers, thieves and mercenaries?”
“Yes, and I was the best,” she replied.
“I don’t doubt it…”
“A few months before the invasion, I left the group I was with and became a Vagabond. I took up jobs that were fairly exacting, but they paid me well…”
“And did you continue after the invasion?” Kaj asked.
“King Yenven had heard of me, and asked me to join the army which sought to contain the invasion. After the defeat, I continued to be a Vagabond, though I still followed the King’s orders.”
“Thanks for telling me,” Kaj said sincerely. “I guess it’s up to me now…”
“We should rest, and take advantage of this night of peace.”
They agreed that Kaj would rest first, and when there were only a few hours left before the crack of dawn, it was Clarice’s turn to immediately collapse and fall into a deep sleep.
Kaj had rested well enough, and was now intent on keeping the fire alive. The winds were cold, and occasionally carried droplets of water from the stream, which evaporated as soon as they touched the burning wood. The man stood up to stretch his legs, and pushed beyond the ivy branches; the stream’s waters flowed energetically, and their burbling was relaxing. Suddenly, he saw them shine in a peculiar way, as if crossed by a flash of light that dissolved not far ahead. He stood still for a moment, then looked up at the stream, and saw it again. He flinched with a start. Stepping forward to try to see it better, the silvery glow about the waters grew stronger and stronger; he stared at the light until, at last, he could no longer keep from covering his eyes. When it started to diminish, he saw a female figure, which was gradually coming into focus.
“Alana?” he asked incredulously.
“Hi, Kaj,” said the apparition.
“How can you be here?” His voice trembled, and his eyes filled with tears; he couldn’t believe it. “Forgive me for what happened! I couldn’t protect you!”
The girl lifted a hand to calm her brother down. “Don’t be hasty, Kaj. Everything happens for a reason,” she said in reassuring tones.
Her voice came from a faraway place, and her figure, evanescent and luminous, created a small whirlpool on the surface of the water that slowly carried the drops of water all around her in an elegant and sinuous dance. He watched her, and thought her beautiful—extremely beautiful. More so than he remembered. She was so delicate and gentle.
“I see much regret within you, Brother, but you must not be so remorseful, because my death was your salvation. You would have died in the city’s pyre, but instead you are now pursuing a greater goal.”
“But… don’t you care about your own life? I wasn’t there to save you! You paid the price for my mistakes!” he said, tears running down his cheeks.
“My death saved your life, and in your life there will be glory. You have to find out who you really are. You will find the answers you seek, but not now. I see through to your troubled soul, and to my delight, I see you have not changed,” she smiled sweetly.
“I understand what you’re telling me… I have to silence the woes of my past. Just like Clarice said.”
“Exactly. My spirit is at peace, and I will continue to guide you, as I have done so far, Brother. Now I see inside you; I see who you are. See you soon,” she said, reaching a hand for his face. Kaj felt a cold gust when his fingers touched it, and then, she dissolved as quickly as she had appeared.
“No! Alana! Wait! Don’t go away!” he shouted despondently. “Don’t leave me…” his voice trailed off.
