Dike stopped at the edge of the forest, looking at the Fireflies’Waterfall and farther from it, at the trees that were growing up on the other side of the water.
„It’s too quiet here,” The Titan unhappily murmured.
„Too quiet? Why? It’s the normal view of the waterfall. It never changes, even if the seasons are changing,” said Nathaniel, approaching the Titan.
„And doesn’t this seem weird to you?”
„No. The Waterfall doesn’t bother us. Only the forest over there, but as we never enter there, we are safe.
„Safe or not, something is weird here, but I can’t figure out yet what it can be. Arion, can you make some light here?”
Arion and Fenrir looked at each other, without understanding what Dike meant. But when Arion touched his blue ring, the one he had on his pinky, of the right hand, and rotated it on the finger, the magic all around vanished, and, instead of the fireflies, they all saw only sparkles of fire, and instead of the crystalline water – it was only a stinky swamp, full with mud.
„How is this possible?” Nathaniel murmured, unpleasantly surprised by that new view of the waterfall.
„I told you that I don’t like the stink. There’s always something dark hiding around where there’s too much light. Let’s go to see what’s hiding over this swamp,” said Dike, motioning toward the forest and he has been the first one to step onto that muddy water.
„Well, not that it’ll be something I like, but if there’s no other choice,” Fenrir mumbled, and, taking his wolf shape, he followed his father, and Nathaniel followed him.
Arion was the last one in that line, and the ring on his finger started to illuminate when they were at half of the swamp, for the daily light all around them suddenly vanished, and the night fell over the surroundings.
„Is it only my feeling, or does something stink in this forest worse than that swamp?” Fenrir murmured, approaching Dike from the left and walking by his side. „Do you think that it has been a good idea to leave Samaya and the rest alone there? We don’t know what’s actually hiding in this forest.”
„Nothing bad will happen to them for sure. Island is already in the know about this and he’ll join them soon. So, they’ll be alright. You should better pray for our safety, for we definitely don’t know if we turn soon and well from this trip. Some of us may not turn back from this trip.”
„Then you can strike back,” the wolf teased Dike and he has been the first to enter the forest.
Dike only loudly huffed, hearing his son’s bold words, and, reproachfully shaking his head, he followed him.
Nathaniel instead waited for Arion to get by his side and the two walked side by side till they entered the forest. „Why did master Dike say that some of us might not turn back? Might something bad happen to us?”
„To be honest: I don’t know. I only have the power to bring light there where’s darkness and chase those paunchy clouds away, full of heavy rains when they threaten to wash the earth. But I don’t have the power to see the future. If something happens in this forest, we’ll see it, for none of us can change his destiny.”
When the two last silhouettes have been hidden in the forest’s thicket, the image of the wonderful waterfall reappeared, for that was a place controlled by a powerful spell, which was broken only when Dike was near that place, for what was hidden behind that splendor was something that humans couldn’t see.
***
The forest all around started to slightly moan when the footsteps of the four pilgrims have been heard squelching on those dried leaves, fallen all over the ground, but yet covered by that fog that made them seem wet and slimy to the touch.
„Fade off the light!” Dike demanded to Arion in a whisper, and Arion listened to his command right away, and, touching his ring, they had been very soon surrounded by darkness.
But soon after that, when Dike’s hand touched the sword’s handle, Ionas lightened, and the four have been surrounded by the famous bubble, inside of which was light, like during the day, and this allowed them to see very clearly the surroundings. Yet, not the same happened outside the bubble: there was still darkness and the creatures and anything else around couldn’t see the four inside the bubble, advancing through the forest.
„What’s this?” whispered Nathaniel when they got to a place where the trees were completely dried, and many of the old trunks, taken out of the roots, were laying on the ground.
„The devil’s mercy,” said Dike, curling his lips. „They have nothing saint left in their souls if they dared to kill the forest and the magic all around.”
„It’s not about magic, master Dike. They are preparing for something. I feel strange pulsations in the air,” said Arion, sniffing the horizon.
„I thought that the wolf here is me, but I see I was wrong,” said Fenrir in a joke, funnily moving his nostrils. But he kept silent, seeing his father’s glance, full of reproach, and this made him take a few steps back, approaching Arion, who slowly tapped him on his back.
„Don’t worry, wolf: you’ll live with this,” Arion teased him.
Fenrir instead disliked his joke and showed his fangs to Arion.
„Yes, yes, I know that you have sharp fangs. But I assure you that you won’t ever taste my flesh.”
„And who exactly told you that?” asked Fenrir.
„My intelligence, but I’m not that sure that wolves know what’s this.”
Arion’s remark made Nathaniel smile.
Fenrir instead screamed: „Ya! Should I show you how…?”
„Quiet!” Dike furiously whispered and the three men listened to him right away.
Soon instead, Fenrir stopped, closed his eyes, and sniffed the horizon.
But when the wolf stopped, the bubble stopped too, for it was projected to defend them all and it couldn’t extend over long distances if it wasn’t projected so right from the beginning.
That’s why when Dike hit his forehead on the bubble’s wall, he frowned and right away turned back to see who dared to stop. But he really became mad when he saw something really weird behind him: Arion and Nathaniel were frozen while a kind of strange, blue light was floating around the wolf, making him seem like a real alive statue.
„The Minikin,” whispered Dike and crossed his arms on his chest, „freezing” in seconds, and the projection of his body moved along a kind of light tunnel till he got to the Rophion Forest, in the Glade of Baradar, and when his body had been completely restored from light, he saw Fenrir and Baradar, standing face to face, and waiting for him to recover his body.
„What this time, minikin?” whispered Dike, upset, taking a few steps toward the two.
„Master Dike, you’re here,” the minikin happily whispered, seeing the Titan, and smiling. „I thought that you won’t ever turn back here, in this glade where you left me, 7 thousand years ago.”
„Not that it was my intention – to turn back here, but while you kidnapped my boy, you forced me to come.”
„Nobody kidnapped anyone, father. He only called me, and I decided to come.”
„Aha, and I have only two years old to believe this. You couldn’t exit that bubble by yourself, Fenrir, and you know that. The only one who has the power to take you out of there, moving through time and space till here, being tightly related to your being, is this stubborn minikin. I've known him for 7 thousand years already and I know him very well.”
„Even if those words resounded like a scold, I’m still happy that you know me so well, master,” and Baradar smiled again, approaching Dike and opening his fist right in front of the Titan. Thus, they could see a black feather in Baradar’s palm, but even if it was so small, this made them really attentive yet.
„Tarther! Is that evil bird awakened again?”
„Yes, master Dike. Tarther awoke.”
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„Tarther? Who's Tarther?” asked Fenrir, but none of the two bothered to answer his question.
„I’ll show you. His den. Follow me!”
One moment later, the three were back inside the magic bubble and have been so surprised to see that Nathaniel and Arion weren’t „frozen” anymore, but were waiting in silence for them to turn back.
„But… how is this possible?” asked Baradar in amazement, staring at the two that were also staring at him. „I thought that no one can’t break my spell. How did they…?”
„You forgot who’s the Master of Ice, Baradar, and even if Arion can’t control the ice, his breathing can melt the ice, and this released them of your spell.” Saying this, Fenrir took a few steps in front, and Arion also took a few steps toward the minikin.
Being only one step from Baradar, Arion slowly bent toward him and hissed through his teeth: „next time you have the brilliant idea of „freezing” someone again, make first sure that you won’t ever see that person again, or you can feel on your skin how is to be frozen,” and, saying this, Arion turned his back to Baradar and approached Dike, who was waiting in silence for them to finish their quarrel. Then, the Titan reproachfully shook his head, moving further and forcing the others to follow him too.
Nathaniel, on the left of Fenrir, and Baradar on his right walked right behind Dike and Arion.
But the wolf was the wolf and, as always, he couldn’t keep his mouth shut: „I hope those two aren’t gossiping about us right now,” he whispered, seeing Arion and his father talking about something in great secret, and, because he was damn curious, the wolf moved his nostrils in a funny way, trying to calm himself a little.
„You are as always thinking about what isn’t, wolf,” said Baradar, without watching him and he took a few steps in front, toward Arion and Dike.
„Why everybody is against me today?” Fenrir said and looked at Nathaniel, waiting for another scolding glance from his part too.
But he only saw the concern on the man’s face. Thus, he tried to change the subject: „don’t worry for your sister and for your people. They’ll be just fine.”
Yet, even if he said this trying to be as calm as possible, there was a great storm in Fenrir's soul too, for it was the first time when he and Samaya were away from each other and he also didn’t know what to wait for in those evil places. Yet, instead of talking about his concern with the others, he preferred to keep his mouth shut, for the first time that day actually.
***
„This is madness,” whispered Fenrir, looking, from the hide-out of the bubble, at the huge army of lifeless statues, that were perfectly lined in garrisons in front of an abandoned grotto, whose entrance was totally covered by dried, poisonous ivy and spider web.
Those statues were the perfect copy of Yātrīkars and none could make the difference between them and the real Yātrīkars, and, if to carefully look at them, one could think that they were alive. But they were only the bad joke of someone or of nature, which copied itself in thousands and thousands of copies.
„How many are they?” asked Arion, still looking thunderstruck at those lifeless copies.
„About 20 thousand,” said Dike, frowning. „Did you know about this, Baradar?”
„No,” and the wide-opened eyes of the minikin were telling the truth, for he had found out only about that Tarther was awakened, but not about what was happening in that forest.
„And you call yourself the Spirit of the Woods,” whispered Arion, upset. „Let me check the surroundings, master Dike. Like a wind horse…”
„No,” said Dike. „This place listens to the evil’s command only. That’s why the trees, that grow up here, didn’t send the message about all this to Baradar. They aren’t alive anymore and since long ago. Their soul was and is possessed by the devil, and the fact that they sent the message about Tarther happened only because someone allowed it, to make us shudder, for they knew very well that if Baradar finds out, he will tell us about this.”
„But… this isn’t what I saw,” whispered Baradar, getting closer to the transparent wall of the bubble. „When the wind told me about the feather, I also heard a cry. The cry of a girl, who was asking for help while being in great danger.”
„And who that girl was?” Nathaniel asked, preoccupied. „Tell me, minikin. Tell me what that girl looked like!”
„I don’t know,” whispered the minikin again, looking at the ground. „I only heard her crying, but I didn’t see her face.”
„Do you think that you can recognize that voice if hearing it once again?” and Dike approached Baradar and Nathaniel, putting one hand on the minikin’s shoulder.
„I think so. The matter is that I don’t know what to do to hear that voice again. It’s… it’s…,” and a kind of emptiness has been reflected in the minikin’s eyes as if he was looking for a memory, deeply hidden in his being.
„I know how,” Fenrir said and motioned Dike to look at Ionas’handle. „Do you remember the day Samaya got lost in the Glade of Shadows when she met the fox that day?”
Dike, still looking at Ionas’handle, remembered that day: they were still running through the forest after they met Parca, and Fenrir left Ratatosk with Gaea. But even if they ran a long way, they couldn’t find the famous Glade of Shadows, and this was because everything around them looked the same as if someone was playing a prank on them.
However, when they got to the middle of a big glade, Ionas’s handle started to illuminate, taking everyone by surprise. But only when Dike took the sword out of its scabbard and this illuminated in all its splendor, did Fenrir touch the sword's handle as if charmed by that light, and the truth hidden in that glade appeared in front of them and they could save Samaya thus.
„Let’s try then,” said Dike and took Ionas out of its scabbard.
At first, the Titan touched his forehead with the tip of the sword, without hurting himself, and the sword turned blue very soon after that.
Fenrir approached his father then, at a slow step, without taking his eyes from the sword and, being only one step from Dike, he recovered his human shape and his hand touched the handle of the sword.
Dike instead didn’t withdraw his hand when Fenrir touched it, for he felt a strange message sent to him by Ionas – that only the power of one of them won’t be enough.
Then, they heard a weak voice whispering: „there must be five of you who should touch that heart that must be brought back to life when the light of those eyes will fade off. If only one of you will touch that heart, then her soul will be lost forever as the wind will be lost forever too.”
Hearing this, Arion approached Dike and Fenrir, and also touched the sword, putting one hand above Fenrir’s hand. Then, he whispered: „I’ll be the third one to offer my power for saving that soul.”
The minikin touched then Arion’s hand, and Nathaniel put his hand over the minikin’s as if he was the one who locked that „lock” of the pact, and the miracle started – the blue light of the sword’s blade split the air up, and their bodies moved at full speed through the forest as if they had moved through the void while their eyes were looking for something. But there wasn’t anything else than dead nature and desert.
„The Desert of Oblivion,” whispered Dike and he closed his eyes. Thus, he could teleport himself into that Desert to look for Yggdrasil.
„I’ll check the horizon,” said Arion and the winged horse raised up in the air while Arion’s body, his human shape, remained next to the sword.
„Go to the Forest of the Dead Ones, wolf! I feel that something happens there,” said Baradar, looking deeply into Fenrir’s eyes. „We’ll manage to hold the Balance here, for there are still two different magic here: one of nature and one of the humans, and the bond between them can’t be so easily broken. If something happens, we’ll call you back. But you must hurry up, for the time of dusk is approaching, the time when I heard that voice crying, and this means that the danger is quickly approaching that poor girl.”
„Alright, then. But keep the eye of your mind wide open, minikin, as the ears of your soul. If I find her there, you must tell me if she is the one.” Then, Fenrir, the wolf, entered the Forest of the Dead Ones, which he saw for the first time when he was only a boy and he met Baradar in the forest.
After that, Nathaniel deeply looked into the minikin’s eyes, looking for something hidden in them, for his people crossed so many hard times in the past, and he wasn’t able to trust the strangers so easily.
„Even if you don’t trust me, you must stay here,” Baradar told him, reading the truth into the man’s eyes. „I’m not here to hurt someone. Only to help.”
„I’ve heard already your story, minikin because the day you kneeled your people down, Moirae turned the virgins of my people into Yātrīkar, and Dike saved us then, for the first time. Alike you, minikin, who cursed your people in fact.”
„I cursed them… I know, that what I’ve done then brought me here, a tormented soul that restlessly wanders the surroundings. But, trust me: I still pay for that sin. I still pay for it, and if you don’t want to share the same curse with me, you must protect your people, for they are the priceless thing you have.”
„Baradar, I need you here…,” Fenrir’s voice has been, calling the minikin’s name as if his voice was coming out of a different world.
This made the minikin close his eyes and joined the wolf in that forest, which was burning in flames. And he saw the wolf right in the center of those flames.
Being only one step from the wolf, which was sniffing the horizon, Baradar looked around and reproachfully said: „I told you to find the girl, not to set fire to this forest.”
„It wasn’t me who did that. When I came here, the forest was already on fire. Someone else set fire to it, for sending me a message. But I can’t realize who that person might be.”
„Use your ears then! And the nose if necessary! Even if all around the hell burns, your instinct must be awake, to find the way to the truth!”
„Alright then! Keep yourself close to me, minikin. It will hurt like hell,” and the last part was heard coming out of the wolf’s mouth like a shout while both of them started to spin in the air at full speed like into a carousel of flames, that raised them up-up, pushed from below by an unseen and strange power, that was increasing the force of that rotation, till made it unbearable.
But when Fenrir closed his eyes and focused, he could stop himself from spinning and he could see a fragment of a fight between Sephir and a strange Water Spirit, in a world surrounded by water.
His heart suddenly froze, as his voice, that stuck into his throat when he wanted to yell… because he saw the one who he loved being in danger, but he didn’t know where she was.
„To the North!” Arion shouted from above, and when the three looked into the distance, they saw a big storm raising up above the Northern part of the woods.
„Sephir! Those black, heavy clouds are formed by her hatred, Arion! Can you chase those clouds away? I need to…”
„No, Fenrir. If I chase the clouds away, she’ll be weak. And that power of clearing the sky without taking power from Sephir – only God Boor has it, and he’s too far away from here, and even if we summon up him here, he probably won’t get here in time to save her.”
„Then, let’s be us those who’ll save her. I’ll teach that evil Mago what means to mess with the one Fenrir loves.”
***
They were five of those running through the forest to try to get in time where Sephir was and save her: a minikin, a winged horse, a wolf, a Titan, and a human.
But even if they had unequal power, none of them was staying behind, for each of them knew that if he gave up and stood behind, then the Goddess of the Heavy Rains will be in deadly danger, and if she dies, the Power of Time will be turned upside down and nothing will be controlled anymore: water, winds, storms, and the most important – the human nature.