The morning began with a prayer.
“We welcome you, lord Auzarius, the First of the Five, most benevolent and majestic, our savior and guide. We thank you for granting us yet another day to complete your creation plan. We swear not to lose this precious time in vain and indolence. We will praise your name every hour and work hard to revive the miraculous force of magic. Not impeccable, we are, and guilty in our human imperfection, but we swear to be strict with ourselves, follow the law of the Five and teach others how to walk our path. Let your reign Azarius last forever, and let the light of the eternal Sun never fade.”
The sky was slowly brightening up, and the sun Viraz addressed in his long prayer was yet to rise over the heights surrounding the valley.
All five brothers were kneeling in the yard of the house. The rocky ground was quite uncomfortable, and the small cloth that each of them put under his knees could only protect the robe from dirt and in no way make the process more pleasant.
In the monasteries, the great prayer to Auzarius was performed every morning. However, while traveling, brothers were allowed to do it only once at the start of every week. Belrigan got used to that pose long ago. His knees felt pain only during the first year or two, and now he could easily spend an hour like this. Lauro was even more resilient as he spent many days kneeling in the monastery’s yard, training his obedience or as a punishment for his mischief.
The old man, their host, came from his house during their prayer. He watched the brothers for a minute or so with a somewhat indifferent expression and then left again. The brothers treated themselves to a warmed-up fahwa and dried bread when the prayer was over.
“How do you feel yourself, my boy?” Masho asked Belrigan after their quick breakfast was over.
“I feel good, master. Everything is as usual,” replied Belrigan honestly. His sleep that night was so sound that he couldn’t recall a single dream.
“I”m glad to hear that; a glimpse of a smile appeared on Masho’s face and faded immediately. “Please, Belrigan, be vigilant nevertheless. Here is another potion Gerome made for you last night. Have it with you, and drink it at once if you feel moon energy taking over. If I’m not near, brother Viraz will help you further restrain the energy.”
A tiny flask of thick glass, containing maybe two spoons of dark liquid, no more.
“I promise to be vigilant, master,” said Belrigan, hiding it in the belt bag.
“You slept well, Belrigan, and thus don’t know what happened tonight. There was a wolf hunt. People with dogs and torches were scouting the river and the village. Unfortunately, a moon wolf killed a local woman and wounded one of the teheni wardens.”
“That’s horrible, master. But why did it come to the village?”
“Strange indeed. They also say the wolf itself got wounded. I’m afraid our presence awakened the sleeping evils in this place. But this means we are on the right path. Brother Gerome and I need to speak to the witnesses and punshur. Maybe there is something we can help them with, or maybe this trace could lead us to our goal. Either way, don’t let this frighten you, my boy. You and Lauro should stay on your daily duties. Our lives and our mission is watched closely by the Five. The Gods guard us on every step, and we must not let them down. Brother Viraz will also be here in case you need his advice.”
There were quite a few things for Lauro and Belrigan to do. After several months of traveling, some of the brothers’ clothes and shoes required repairs, but their main concern was always their horses. They had three easy doers on that trip: a strong brown gelding carrying brother Viraz, a small gray nag carrying their belongings and supplies, and a pony helping brothers when one of them felt tired from walking or climbing uphill. Properly caring for them was a tedious task on the go, so during their stoppings, horses naturally enjoyed more attention.
The water in the river was very clean, and getting fodder wasn’t a problem either. A friend of the house owner happened to be a farmer. He didn’t mind earning some coper on his spare hay. After giving horses the hay that remained from yesterday, Belrigan and Lauro set forth to bring more bundles for the evening.
They went down the road, where a few farms were scattered across the river bank, and fahwa gardens were climbing on the hillside. Overall, the bottom of the valley looked more lively compared to the partially abandoned and half-empty buildings standing uphill. One of the farmer’s sons showed Belrigan and Lauro the way to the barn and followed closely, watching for them not to steal something.
Lauro had barely said a few words since breakfast, which was quite unusual for him. Belgian glanced at his brother, guessing if his thoughts were busy with a run-away plan.
“So, there were troubles this night?” asked Belrigan before taking his bundle of hay.
“Yeah…" Lauro sniffed before continuing: "It was sudden. A sudden hell. People started running around. Dogs were barking. And you… you slept like a log. I tried to wake you up—bad luck! We thought, what is going on? Brothers went out, and the people told us they were looking for a moon wolf. I couldn’t close my eyes after that.”
“I remember nothing. So, who exactly of the wardens was wounded?”
“I don’t know.”
The vigilant young farmer followed them on the way back, up until the farm’s fence.
“I think, brother, we are in big trouble,” said Lauro when the farm boy finally left them alone. “There’s a problem with all that plan about moon mages and their wolves.”
“A problem?”
“It’s simple. Brothers say we must cooperate with them against Libra. That's great. But what if they don’t want to? I bet they don’t even know about the law of the Five. These people are messing with the moon wolves—this alone speaks no good about them. I lived on the streets, and I learned many lessons there. One of them was: you should never trust dangerous people, especially when you trespass on their territory.”
The way uphill with a load was twice longer. Yet, strangely, it seemed easier to talk with a heavy bundle on your shoulders, as if its weight was pushing out all the hidden thoughts.
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Belrigan interrupted Lauro:
“That guy we met at the Phoenix peak was quite direct about Libra. He said they hate it because it had been hunting them and killed many. That is why they settled down here in the middle of nowhere, and now, when Libra is weak, they are searching for its members and hunting them down in return.”
“Sounds great… Belrigan, do you want to do the same? Do you want to hunt and kill people for the rest of your life?”
“Brother Masho says there are other ways as well. But we need the power to be able to overweight Libra. And we must be ready to fight, yes. You know what happened to my family.“
“Yes, we always knew that this magic shit is very dangerous, but back at home, in the monasteries, we were behind safe walls, or we thought so. And here… we are on our own. Do you think locals going to help us if something goes wrong? No way. I’m surprised no one has tried to rob us on the road. They must be afraid of wardens. Or maybe of magic—not without reason, I would say.”
Belrigan frowned.
“I’m not sure I understand you, brother.”
“What’s so hard? Aren’t you scared yourself?”
“Of course, I’m scared.” Belrigan sighted. “But running away is not an option.”
“Brother…” Lauro stopped and quickly glanced around, but no one was nearby, and even if there were, no one would understand them speaking hilistian. “Could you void-walk us from here if something bad happens? Theoretically?”
“Of course not. I told you many times: I don’t know how I did it.“
Belrigan stopped too.
“Then we have to run. You and me, let’s run together. Everything will be alright. We will go south, join a caravan, reach Pata-Araan, and start a new life.”
“It’s a betrayal, brother. I don’t recognize you. You always said that brothers mean everything to you. And now you suggest we betray them.”
“But were they honest to us? No. We were taught that our great mission is to revive magic. Then, they put these creatures inside us. And now they also say that before reviving the magic, we must defeat some evil magical order, and we must do it by cooperating with moon wolves. That freaks me out, and I would say they first betrayed us!”
“Brother…” Belrigan couldn’t find the correct words. “You are overthinking it. We need to trust our brothers—that’s it.”
“Trust our brothers, you say? But do you trust me?”
“Of course, brother.”
“Then listen to what I say, Belrigan. We’ve just arrived here, and someone is already killed in the village. I’m sure everyone’s already blaming us. And now is our last chance to escape. Masho and Gerome are busy somewhere in the village. Viraz could be an angry monster, but he is no good at chasing. Listen, when we return, the horses must have already eaten their first portion. So we take one and go. Trust me. I know that feeling. It’s like when you pass hungry by a stall with bread and notice the baker got distracted for a brief moment. That’s your only chance! Take it now, or hesitate and get yourself caught!”
Lauro moved a bundle of hay to his other shoulder and started walking again. Belrigan felt coldness in his stomach. He made it up with his brother.
“Are you going to run in bold daylight?”
“Yes. And we are doing it together—you and me. I won’t leave you alone with them. They gave you this damn evocation potion at such a bad time. They don’t think about us at all. But we will manage on our own. The further we get out of these mountains, the further we will be away from the magical creatures, and the safer it will be for you. Master also gave me that second potion. He told me to give it to you in case something happens. No one noticed that I stole a larger bottle from Gerome’s bag. I took it this morning when he went to the loo. Tell me now that Viraz could predict the future! He can’t even see what’s at his nose.”
Belrigan didn’t answer.
He’s serious. He will do it no matter what. Even if no one of the brothers notices his leaving, someone in the village surely will. Viraz doesn’t have much sentiment toward Lauro; he will inform the wardens, and they will catch him.
When Belrigan and Lauro returned to the house, Gerome and Masho were still gone, and Viraz was inside. The horses, standing in their enclosure, hadn’t fully finished the first portion but, seeing more food, became energetic.
“You’ve gone mad, brother,” said Belrigan in a low voice after they put the hay under the cover. ”This is not only a betrayal but also a theft!”
The expression on Lauro’s face became bitter.
“So be it,” whispered he. ”I was a thief, and I’ll become a thief once again.”
“I won’t let you.”
“Will you sell me out and betray my trust?”
“No…” Belrigan squeezed his teeth, “but I’ll beat the shit out of you if you just try running!”
Lauro’s face became red:
“This means you are not going with me?”
“Of course not! And remember what brother Viraz said, your life would be in danger if you live the right path.”
“Do you believe that brother Viraz can really read the future? He wouldn’t have sent you to Phoenix Peak if he could predict things. Brother Peto died. You almost got yourself killed. I won’t let him decide my fate like this. If I have to die, I’ll die because of my own mistake!”
“Please, brother… this’s suicide. Pata-Arran is hell far away. You will indeed die on the way. How would you get food?”
“We’ll see.”
“If locals catch you on stealing, they will cut your arm off, or you'll end up hanging on a rope.”
“Then so be it! But, brother, if you are not leaving, please don’t stay in my way!”
This was the moment when the further conversation became pointless. Lauro’s voice was trembling, and tears welled up in his eyes. Then, trying not to look at Belrigan anymore, he untied the pony and led it out of the stall.
No way, Belrigan thought, watching him with desperation.
“Stop, you idiot!” yelled he when Lauro was about to mount the pony.
In a few seconds, Belrigan made it up with Lauro, grabbed him by his shoulders, and pull down to the ground. Growling like two dogs, they both fell and rolled away from the shocked pony. Maybe, Lauro was more experienced in the street scuffling, yet he was both younger and lighter than Belrigan. After a short but tough fight, Belrigan emerged victorious. He sat on Lauro, trying to hold both his arms and restrain him from rising. His lips were bleeding from a short punch Lauro had given him a moment ago.
“Stop, you!” Belrigan repeated through his teeth.
Lauro wriggled like a snake, trying to escape Belrigan’s grip.
“Listen to me!”
Lauro didn’t want to. He pushed Belrigan, trying to escape, and then that happened suddenly. It was like a rapid shift in all of Berligan’s senses. He felt as if someone invisible pulled him to the left for a split second and then pushed right again. The picture before his eyes suddenly lost its colors, and his senses became very sharp. Belrigan had experienced that transformation before, but it had never happened to him so quickly and suddenly, except maybe at Phoenix peak. There was no wolf pack around now. Still, someone’s voice appeared inside his head:
Go on! Kill him! Let’s taste his flesh!
Someone took control of Belrigan’s hands, and they squeezed Lauro’s neck in an attempt to strangle him. A wave of excitement went through Belrigan’s body. What a satisfaction it was to feel your strength over the victim. Lauro, pinned to the ground, was easy prey to enjoy. He smelt of fear, and that was a deliciously tasty aroma.
Biting your teeth into a warm flesh feels even better! said a voice inside his head. Let’s reap his chest apart and take his heart while it’s still beating, so warm and delicious!
“No!” Belrigan screamed out loud, jumping away from Lauro. “No… no… I won’t do it!”
While Belrigan struggled with his own body, Lauro recovered and stood up. He looked at Belrigan with wide open eyes for a few moments and then ran away.
Run after! Don’t let him go!
Belrigan remembered about the potion. With a shaking hand, he opened his bag and took out the flask. Thanks to the Five, the thick glass was intact. Belrigan almost bit off the cork cap, and it took just one short gulp to drink its musky content. Soon after the drops of magic liquid went down his throat, another wave came through his body, bitter cold this time, and the force squeezing him began to fade. A few more moments passed, and Belrigan could see all the colors again. He jumped up and, staggering on the go, ran after Lauro as fast as he could.
When brother Viraz slowly came out, attracted by the sounds of fighting, the empty yard and a pony standing in the middle were the only things he saw.