Conflict (14 page)

They walked among the ancient giants for another day, and on the morning of the day after that they came to a wide open area surrounded by those colossal trees. Aliana was surprised anew by the way the Usik whistled strange little melodies, as though they were imitating some species of native bird, and being answered by more whistling of the same kind. It was as though two birds were communicating through song. It was only the origin of those replies to the singing of the six Usik that took her completely by surprise.

It came from the top of the trees.

Aliana looked up, without understanding.

She discovered something both wonderful and unheard-of: well over a hundred feet up, among the crowns of the trees, the Usik had built a village. Aliana looked on, dumbfounded, at what she could see up there, close to the clouds. The Usik had fashioned their village around the huge trunks of the trees, joined by cat-walks of wood and rope. She could not even begin to think how it had been possible, but all the tree-tops in the area were inhabited. The houses were made of wood, wicker and rope, and set on platforms anchored to the trunks of the green giants and their enormous branches.

A village in the clouds!

Aliana blinked and passed her hands over her eyes without thinking, trying to make sure what she saw was real. She was looking at a whole village built at an unimaginable height above the ground, on and around giant trees, the crazy dream of some genius yearning to be closer to the unreachable clouds. She looked at Scar and his group with renewed interest.

How is it possible for these brutes to have managed such a grand scheme as this? I can’t explain it, they’re just a bunch of savages!

The architectural problems should have been impossible to solve for such primitive people as these, and the complications of design and actual building unmanageable… However much she looked at the wooden structures and the people walking on the catwalks and lookout points, she could hardly bring herself to accept the idea that it was anything more than a dream.

The exchange of whistles ended. Aliana had taken them to be signals of welcome to the village. The six Usik went up to one of the giant trees. The trunk was at least nine paces wide, perhaps more. A seemingly endless rope dropped from one of the platforms high above. They cut her bonds, then one of the men brought her the rope to hold. Aliana grasped it without understanding. She looked up. The Usik pointed at her repeatedly, jabbing her chest with his finger and then pointing at the village in the clouds.

Finally she understood.

This lunatic wants me to climb the rope to the village? That’s impossible! It’s more than a hundred feet high! How am I going to get up there? He’s absolutely mad!

The Usik insisted. The rest joined him, urging her to climb up. The voices grew louder, and one of the warriors threatened her with a hatchet. Aliana was so scared that she gave a start and began to climb up the rope. The Usik below chided her, waving his arm and shouting. She went up and up and up, fear powering her muscles.

What am I doing? There’s no way I could get up there. Not even an experienced soldier could climb this rope. And yet if I don’t try to reach the village these savages are quite capable of killing me here and now.

Still she continued her ascent, her legs wrapped around the rope, pulling her body up with her arms, all her muscles tense. She climbed to the limit of her strength, but even so she had not managed to raise herself more than twelve feet. She tried to go on, but there was no way she could. Her muscles simply refused to obey her commands. With a stab of panic like a bee’s sting, she realized she would not be able to go on. The Usik were yelling at her from the ground. It was an ugly situation. Her arms failed her, and she fell.

The Usik moved away. Not one of them tried to stop her fall.

Aliana hit the ground hard on her back. A sharp pain ran down her right side. She feared she had broken something, perhaps a vertebra. Straight away she used her Gift to check. She had been lucky, there was no major injury, just pain from the fall.

The Usik began to laugh at the tops of their voices, so that great guffaws filled the clearing. Once more her disgrace and suffering was a source of shameless entertainment for those evil creatures.
Is there any way they could be more horrible than this? I wish I could wipe their stupid smiles from their faces!
Aliana grunted with pain, wondering whether those brutes even knew what decency was, or if they would even understand the concept.

They all went on laughing at her pain, pointing at her and making comments which brought on new fits of laughter. At last Scar stepped up to her and helped her to her feet. Her backside hurt more than she could have imagined. It had been a terrible fall.

Scar looked at her and shook his head. He was smiling.

The look on his face made Aliana suspect she had been the victim of a cruel joke. Those brutes knew perfectly well that she would never be able to reach the village, and had made her climb simply to see her fall. They were heartless. This infuriated the Healer, something which took a lot of doing since her best qualities were self-control and a profoundly peaceful nature. But those savages had made her lose her temper.

At the flash of rage in her eyes, Scar put his hand over her face and kept it there for a moment.

Aliana was about to protest when Scar pointed upwards with the index finger of his other hand. She looked up and saw something she was unable to believe was real, still more unbelievable than the village in the gigantic trees. It left her gasping.

Gliding from the sky like a giant eagle, an enormous bird with a rider on its thick neck, a Usik, guiding it as if it were a horse, was coming down towards them. The size of that bird was as unthinkable as that of the trees surrounding them, as big as six men. Aliana had never seen anything remotely like this in her life. The head and neck of the bird were white, and there was intelligence in its eyes. The yellow beak could easily have torn off a man’s head. Its plumage was grey with black spots, and Aliana was delighted by its beauty.

The bird landed gracefully in front of the warriors.

The Usik greeted the rider and climbed up behind him, holding on to a harness with ropes which had been stretched across the great bird’s back. Aliana was in shock; a gigantic eagle had flown down from the sky to pick them up. The giant bird took off, carrying four of the Usik on its back. Scar gestured to her to stand still. The Healer watched the beautiful creature take flight with ease until it was able to set its stout claws on one of the elevated platforms. Here the four Usik dismounted.

It flew down again, gliding in circles to pick them up. Aliana followed Scar’s example and held on to the ropes. A few moments later they took off, soaring above the plain to the platform. It seemed to Aliana that she was dreaming, flying on the back of a majestic bird; surely there was no way that could be real. The great eagle landed, then shook its huge wings, raising a whirl of dust and leaves on the wooden platform. All of them dismounted and the bird flew off again, guided by its Usik rider.

Aliana watched it on its way. She found it hard to accept that this majestic, powerful and beautiful being existed, in contradiction to everything she knew. But it did, and not only that, the Usik had tamed it for their convenience, which was even more unbelievable. Suddenly she realized where she was and looked down towards the distant ground. Vertigo overcame her, and she had to sit down on the platform so as not to swoon.

What new surprises are there to come in this village in the clouds? Will I ever get out of this alive?

She looked at Scar and the other Usik of the party, who were watching her in amusement.

I honestly doubt it.

I have to do something! I can’t stay here any longer!
Iruki left, worry eating at her chest. From where she had been hiding she could not see the outcome of the situation. Thanks to the Assassin’s power they had been able to remain hidden in the shadows, undetected by the Norghanians. He had used one of his skills, blending in with the shadows so that he disappeared from human sight. Iruki had no idea how he could do this, it was plain sorcery as far as she was concerned. A magic like that of the world of the prairie spirits, but called up by her companion in flight: a magic she did not understand, but which she welcomed.

At first the Assassin had been unable to call upon his skills, since some other and far more powerful magic prevented him from using his talent. Repeated attempts to do so had proved useless, infuriating him. Seeing their pursuers closing up on them, Iruki had feared the worst. The damned Tracker was an unparalleled bloodhound. Once he had detected a trail he would follow it to the bitter end. Every attempt the Assassin had made to hide their track had been in vain. The Norghanian explorer had been able to find it again every time and continue the chase. The Assassin had used cunning and deceit to keep out of reach of their pursuers. When they arrived at the great frozen hall, seeing them so close, he had made one last desperate attempt to free his power.

“I’m going to try one last time,” he had whispered to her, worry in his eyes.

“Come on, I’m sure you’ll be able to,” Iruki had said, trying to cheer him, keeping her own fear hidden.

Mustering all his concentration, together with what Iruki guessed had been many years of harsh training, he managed to break the magical interference that was preventing him from using his arcane abilities.

“I did it! he exclaimed. “I managed to break the lock that stopped me using my power!”

Iruki smiled. “I knew you would, I didn’t doubt you for a moment!” she lied, while with some surprise she admired the triumphant glee on his normally serious face.

And then something totally unexpected had happened.

Taking her wholly by surprise, the Assassin hugged her, putting his arms around her and pulling her close to him. Iruki felt strange within his arms: frightened and excited at the same time. She knew they were in deadly danger, but the contact of his body against hers had filled her with a throbbing sensation which was undeniably pleasant. She felt the stranger’s strong chest pressing lightly on her breasts. An unexpected joy ran through her body in a warm wave of pleasure. A blush came to her cheeks. For a moment she lost herself in the delight of the embrace.

The Assassin had looked into her eyes. Iruki had looked back in silence. His foreign, strong, masculine face captivated her, she found him more and more attractive. She thought of hiding the feelings that were awakening inside her, a little ashamed in case he noticed. But before his deep enigmatic gaze Iruki had not been able to restrain herself and had embraced him passionately, pressing her body against his and laying her cheek on his chest.

“Iruki…” he murmured, fully aware now of what was going on.

Iruki raised her head, and as her gaze met his black eyes, she kissed him. Briefly but intensely, passionately, spurred by the danger that surrounded them.

Without wasting another moment, the Assassin had conjured one of his skills and they had both blended in with the shadows around them, disappearing completely in the darkness.

Instants later the pursuing group of Norghanians had burst into the frozen hall.

Iruki had clung to the Assassin’s body. They kept up the embrace, feeling warmth flowing from the physical contact. They were both thankful for each other’s touch, in more ways than one.

They remained hidden, in silence, watching the fight between the Norghanians and the monstrous sea snakes. In the midst of the carnage and despite herself, Iruki could not repress a feeling of gladness as she watched them fall, one after the other. That race of looters and rapists…. not one of them deserved to live, they were all bastards, pigs, and if it had been in her power to bring about the annihilation of the whole race she would not have hesitated. Not only for what had been done to her, but for the uncountable atrocities they had committed, and continued committing, against the Masig people and other weaker races within their reach. She knew it would not cure the deep wound they had opened in the bottom of her soul, but it would certainly help mitigate the pain of the despicable rape she had suffered and which she would always carry with her.

Finally only the accursed Tracker remained alive. And his end was near. From their hiding place she could not see the figure that was ending the life of their enemy and pursuer, but she was sure it was some kind of ancestral spirit with arcane power. The Tracker appeared to be drowning, as if the sea were swallowing him, filling his lungs with salt water. He was doomed, his death was only instants away. Iruki’s heart smiled. One Norghanian less, and this one represented her own personal nightmare.

And at that moment the unthinkable happened. For some reason she could not grasp, the Assassin abandoned the safety of their hiding place in the shadows, launching himself at an incredible speed in the direction of the sinister figure. Iruki found it hard to believe, it was on the point of taking the life of the Tracker!

“Let him die! Don’t save him!” was what Iruki wanted to yell, but she kept silent in case the sinister spirit noticed the Assassin approaching, stealthily and at great speed. Nervously, she took a step forward and watched the Tracker fall to the ground, clutching his throat. He was dying. Iruki’s gaze followed the distortion in space in which the Assassin’s silhouette was barely visible. Using one of his dark skills, one which Iruki had already seen in action, he disappeared from her sight completely in a phenomenal leap that took him to the middle of the island in the lake, where moments before the horrifying sea serpents had reposed in the shape of statues of ice. He moved again at that supernatural speed and disappeared once more, to cross the lagoon and reappear at the other end in front of the spirit.

Before the Assassin could deal a lethal blow with his daggers, the figure waved his staff while he uttered several words. As a result the Assassin was thrown back violently and fell backwards onto the rock floor several paces away. Stretched out on the ground, he clutched at his chest with obvious pain. His black robes were white with frost. Iruki’s heart sank, and unconsciously she took a couple of steps towards the edge of the lagoon, driven by tension and danger. Her heart was in her throat.

With a nimble leap, the Assassin recovered and was once again ready to attack. Iruki felt a pang of pure anxiety at the imminent combat; this spirit was clearly very powerful, and the Assassin’s life was in serious danger. Suddenly a cone of ice issued forth from the mage’s staff in the direction of the Assassin. Using his cat-like skill he rolled across the ground and at the last moment avoided the impact of the frozen missile.

Iruki, realizing the kind of spells the spirit was using, cried out a warning to the Assassin.

“Watch out! He uses water as the element for his spells”

Her words attracted the attention of the sinister being. Pointing his staff at her, he murmured a few words and threw a spell in her direction. Iruki imitated her companion by instinct and leapt aside as a bluish javelin of pure ice rushed past her. It grazed her, and she felt an intense icy pain. She held her right arm to look at the cut, which was deep and bleeding. It was the second time she had been wounded in those caves, and she was frightened. The trap in the foggy corridor had almost killed her. Thanks to the prodigious reflexes of the Assassin, who had pushed her away from the trajectory of the projectile at the last moment, she had been saved, but the ice pike had given her a deep cut in her shoulder. With her basic knowledge of healing she had cleaned and bandaged the wound, but it was still painful. She tore a piece from her shirt and bandaged the cut so that she would not lose more blood.

A crimson flash enveloped the Assassin, who with a whip-like movement of his right wrist hurled a small projectile towards the spirit, hitting him in the arm he had raised to protect his face. This made him retreat a few steps hesitantly. The attack had apparently surprised him.

The Tracker, lying on the ground behind Iruki, began to cough compulsively, freed from the evil spell which had been drowning him. Iruki guessed that the Assassin’s attack had momentarily broken the concentration of the malign spirit. The Tracker tried to stand immediately but was forced to stay on his knees, deprived of air, finding it seriously difficult to breathe. The spirit concentrated his attention on the Assassin, who rolled quickly across the floor and advanced on him with his daggers ready for the final blow. A series of strange words came from the spirit, and his body began to shine with great intensity. The Assassin leapt in the air towards his victim and in an unlikely pirouette thrust both daggers into the mage’s heart.

He’s got him! With that tunic he’s wearing, without protection or armor, he’s a dead man!
Iruki rejoiced as she watched the scene, full of optimism, convinced it meant the end of the spirit. But to her dismay, the daggers struck against a thick layer of ice which now covered the figure of the fighting mage.

“The bastard’s created an armor of ice all round his body!” cried Iruki in disbelief.

A powerful projectile from the spirit’s staff hit the Assassin, throwing him to one side with brutal violence. Iruki turned to the Tracker for help.

“Help him!” she yelled. “Get up and help him, he just saved your life. You owe it to him!”

A frozen projectile caught Iruki unexpectedly in the side, throwing her against the floor with tremendous force. She felt a searing pain from the impact, which almost broke her spine in two. It left her lying face down in agony.

The Tracker looked at her for an instant. He breathed deeply through his nose, and as he inhaled his eyes shone with a spark of hope. Immediately he lunged for his bow, nocked it at amazing speed and aimed at the powerful Spirit of Water. A cone of ice flew past him, grazing his head, but he did not flinch. With extraordinary skill the Tracker loosed three shots, they hit the mage’s ice armor which cracked under the impact.

The Assassin, still not fully recovered from the blow he had received, charged again with an inhuman leap which ended with him driving both daggers in two of the points where the Tracker’s arrows had already found their mark. Frosty fragments fell to the floor as the ice armor began to break

Iruki, still lying where she had fallen, sore all over, strained her eyes to see the end of the epic battle. Her heart cringed with the knowledge of the danger the Assassin was facing. Placing his hand, on his rival’s chest, the spirit cast a spell on the Assassin before he could strike again and succeed in destroying the armor completely. A freezing torrent burst from the evil Spirit of Water, freezing everything before him. To Iruki’s horror, the Assassin turned into an ice statue before her eyes.

“Noooooo! Nooooo!” cried Iruki in despair.

Ignoring the pain and the injuries she had sustained, she stood up and began to make her way around the lagoon in a desperate attempt to reach him. She prayed to the benign spirits of the steppes to pardon the life of one who had done so much for one of their daughters.

The Tracker continued shooting precisely-aimed arrows which bit into the frozen armor protecting the mage. He loosed another volley of three which struck with precision; the armor was on the point of collapse. But then a cloud of dense white vapor surged from the frozen ground in front of the mage, creating a dense defensive curtain.

“I can’t see him! Where is he? I can’t aim!” the blond Norghanian cried anxiously. “He’s creating water vapor, I can’t see where he’s gone!”

“Keep attacking!” Iruki urged him as she continued on her way round the lagoon towards the Assassin. “Use your power, your skills! Isn’t there one of them that can help you?”

“I can’t count on them down here,” he said. “There’s some spell in this horrible place that won’t let me use them!”

Iruki then realized that, even though the Assassin had managed to break the spell with his own kind of power, the Tracker’s was completely different and he could not do the same. The two men’s Gifts were of very different natures.

A whirl of icy wind hit Iruki unexpectedly. It began to gain intensity, rotating and moving rapidly across the hall. The temperature dropped abruptly, and a winter storm surged in the center of the chamber. Winds of extreme force hit the Tracker, sending him rolling on the ground. Snow, ice and stinging, freezing wind took over the cavern with the brutal violence of a killer storm.

“Come back! We’ve got to get out of here!” the Tracker shouted, trying to protect himself from the wind by holding on to a boulder so as not to be swept off his feet.

“I’m not leaving without him!” Iruki replied as she crawled towards the frozen Assassin, who stood like a statue in the middle of the storm. She was sure he was dying.

The storm was worsening by the moment.

“You won’t be able to save him. Go back to the entrance or you’ll both die!” the Tracker warned her. He was already crawling back towards the entrance.

“I’m not leaving him!” Iruki shouted as she finally reached her unfortunate companion, fighting against the elements. She looked around for the spirit, but fortunately he had vanished; probably he had fled after conjuring up the lethal tempest, certain that it would kill his victims.