“I'm terribly sorry, Master Myrius!”

“There, there, it's okay, don't trouble yourself...”

“I failed you miserably!”

“It can happen to anyone...”

“I'm a disgrace! The worst of the slugs!”

“Don't-don't be so hard on yourself.”

“You can punish me if you want!”

“It's no big deal...”

“But because of me you're so late in your mission!”

The Chimera Protection Task Force was now stranded on the last leg of its journey. Since the first day, the magicar had been suffering from a series of problems, and shortly before reaching its destination, it had proved to be a complete failure.

Because of the snowmelt, the roads had become a treacherous swamp, and the wheels were sinking into the thick mud, requiring more power than Korinna had calculated. Therefore, the pressure exerted on the metal plate, where the seal manifesting the driving force of the carriage had been engraved, reached such a high level that the plaque ended up disintegrating into a thousand pieces.

Korinna had, in fact, foreseen this eventuality and so, before leaving the city, she had stocked up on a whole bag of spare plates. However, that did not solve the problem completely, because no sooner than two or three hours, after she had got out of the carriage to nail the plate to the back of the vehicle, which in itself took her several minutes, the seal was pulverized again, and she had to do the operation again from scratch.

And so on and so forth, until all the plates were gone and they were hopelessly stuck.

Now Korinna was on the ground on her knees, buried in the mud, in front of Myrius, with tears in her eyes.

“You are the Leader of the mission! You can do whatever you want with me!” she exclaimed.

“Master Korinna, please stop crying!” he begged her.

“Korinna, stop that, and get up,” said Fidelia leaning on the carriage with her arms crossed watching that pathetic scene. “If you look at his face, the Master Leader is more scared than you are.”

And that was no exaggeration. Poor Myrius' face resembled that of a grieving father who didn't know what to do about the tantrum of the apple of his eye.

Where the hell had Rovenna gotten him from?

Korinna wiped her eyes and nose with the sleeves of her tunic.

At Fidelia's sharp comment, Myrius cleared his throat.

“I-I'd better go scout around, and see if I can find someone who can help us,” he said, and began to walk away down the path until he dissapeared around a bend.

Neither of the women made any attempt to follow him. Not because they didn't want to, but because they were exhausted. It had been a week since they had been able to sleep well, as they had to camp outdoors. They never managed to reach any of the cities or towns before sunset, so several times they had to stop and light a fire, as the nights were still quite cold. They had only stopped in one town or another to eat something, and then set off as soon as possible, hoping that the magicar would work better this time, so that they could at least sleep in a decent bed.

All the travelers they came across ended up leaving them behind, even some who rode on a mere donkey, and looked at them with curiosity wondering what those poor people without horses were doing there.

In fact, at some point they had tried to get horses, but people laughed in their faces. Getting horses at this time of the year? When everyone was traveling to the Dragon Lake to witness the Return of the Sirenians?

In the end, it was going to take as long or longer than if they had employed horses from the beginning.

Yet Master Myrius never blamed them for anything. Surely he was anxious to arrive, and meet his non-existent chimeras. But, whenever the carriage was stuck again, he simply smiled calmly, and went off to look for mushrooms or fruits, which he would later share with them, or cook on the campfire as supper. When he felt like talking, he would only ever do about chimeras, repeating again everything he had told them before he left or recalling the fragments in which they were mentioned in the Chronicles.

What little was known about them had been gathered by the hunting wizards, who tried to extract knowledge from the criatures without much success. It was known that there were different types of packs, and each had its own name. The few that had been registered were: Song of Dawn, Night Wind, Wandering Star, and Moon Fang. Not all chimeras could become the same, but it relied on practice, their own experiences and the environment they lived in. Depending on the location of the pack, there were some that could prefer land animals, water animals, air animals, others more aggressive, others faster, diurnal or nocturnal. There were even some that could have escaped by sea, if they had set their minds to it...

Master Myrius got enthusiastic every time he spoke on the subject. Did Fidelia and Korinna know that a chimera could not receive its name until it had mastered its power, no matter the age it had reached? Not having a name meant not being recognized by the pack. They were amazing creatures, but also ruthless.

Korinna always listened to him attentively, but Fidelia was tired of the chimeras, and, as the days went by, she felt more and more guilty for that man who was nothing more than a Rovenna's pawn. Although the former wizard had to admit that she herself was also using him to regain her power.

She wanted it all to end as soon as possible.

“I can't believe he's a Leader... he's so nice,” Korinna remarked.

Because he wasn't a real Master Leader, Fidelia wanted to tell her, but couldn't.

“Maybe things in the Council are changing for the better,” continued her partner.

Nope, they hadn't changed, they probably should be worse.

“If I fail with my inventions, I can still come back,” Korinna concluded.

“If I were you, I'd think it over,” replied Fidelia. “We got a strange man, that's all.”

“I think I'm going to marry him...”

“It's enough that a man smiles at you to make you want to marry him...”

“This is different... I still remember the loud voice of my Division Leader and his physical punishments...”

“You cannot like a man just because he doesn't hit you...”

“How was it that we could tolerate working in such a toxic environment? Thanks to the Nymph we're out...”

“Speak for yourself. You chose it, I didn't.”

“I'm sorry... I spoke out of turn.”

“It's all right.”

Another long time passed while they waited for Myrius. It was almost mid-afternoon. Concerned, they decided to take the little luggage they were carrying and start walking. The magicar was left abandoned by the side of the road. Korinna caressed the wood as a farewell.

“This reminds me of my time as an Acolyte,” she said nostalgically, after walking in silence for a while.

“I don't miss that time at all. A whole year sleeping in bad conditions and being besieged by villagers who kept asking you for favors. And the wizards of the Orders were pretty annoying too...”

Korinna was about to reply when...

“Look! A cartwheel!” she exclaimed. “And who's coming there too! Master Myrius! He's come to save us!”

To Fidelia the word "save" seemed too much, but Korinna's eyes sparkled with delight. Perhaps because she thought that if it had been one of their former Leaders, he would have abandoned them without looking back.

Enjoying this book? Seek out the original to ensure the author gets credit.

Master Myrius was sitting in a simple cartwheel pulled by an old gray horse. Its owner appeared to be a white-bearded villager wearing simple brown clothes.

“You won't believe me when you find out who I've met!” exclaimed the wizard, smiling and waving his hand.

When the cartwheel pulled up beside them, the villager took off his hat to greet them:

“By the warts of a goblin in grandmother's cauldron!”

That was the password that Rovenna had entrusted to them.

“Open up, otherwise the wizard's patience will run out!” Fidelia replied.

“That's right,” smiled the old man. “You had me worried. According to the pigeon I received a few days ago, you should have arrived at Shadowrock some time ago.”

“We suffered a setback with our transport...”

“Master Myrius already explained it to me. Come on up, girls. Guthran is one of my many names and by which you will know me. I am under the orders of a certain person.”

“I thought you might be a wizard,” said Korinna once they were seated in the vehicle, which was soon on its way.

“A wizard would be easy to recognize for the rest of his trade. But an ordinary person has nothing to show for it.”

“I see...”

“Who can imagine things about a decrepit old man like me?”

Towards evening they arrived at the village which, due to its proximity, shared its name with Shadowrock Castle. Guthran's house was a humble dwelling made of stone, wood and straw, but they didn't get cold, and he himself kept them warm with a tasty rabbit stew that restored their souls to their bodies. He was fond of plants and hunting, so the interior was crammed with pots from which emanated a soft perfume of medicinal plants, and also piles of skins on which he told them to lie down.

He also shared that he had been living there for several years, since Rovenna had sent him to the area to watch over the castle's movements. For obvious reasons, he did not tell them about his previous life. Nowadays he used to transport objects or food. It was not ideal, but both the Count and Eldrin kept strict control over those who worked in the castle, including the servants, so his role as a spy was reduced to what he could collect on his daily visits to the castle. He also went out hunting from time to time, through the forest, and sometimes came across interesting things.

Saying the latter, he looked Fidelia straight in the eye but without adding anything else.

“And-and it was you who saw the chimeras,” Myrius asked anxiously.

“Not me, unfortunately. It was some villagers, they were most disturbed, poor fellows. I didn't have time to question them further, because they left the village at once, saying that there were demons living near the mountains.”

“I see... what a shame,” Myrius pondered. “But it's a good sign... no doubt.”

Poor man, Fidelia thought, but she had already lost too much time. She could not let herself be carried away by pity.

“Master Myrius,” she began to tell him. “Since you have no need of my services for the moment, would you allow me to take a walk around? I will be of no use in the castle. You will be more than safe with the Leader of the Order. Korinna, on the other hand, will be able to assist you in whatever you need.”

“Ah... well, of course, I have no problem with that, if it's all right with you...”

“I will be happy to help the Master Leader!” exclaimed Korinna. “It will be the best way to make up for the whole magicar disaster.”

“Don't-don't keep blaming yourself, Master Korinna, really, please," said Myrius embarrassed.

“With you, Master, to the end!”

“It-It's no big deal,” the wizard's ears seemed to be burning.

There was another reason why Fidelia did not want to enter the castle, and that was because she wanted to avoid both Eldrin and Leander as much as possible. If she was lucky, she would find everything she needed to know in the forest, though it wouldn't be easy to communicate with the Elementals.

In fact, she couldn't really imagine it. She didn't even know if the Elementals could speak the human language.

So the next day the group split up. Myrius and Korinna made their way on foot to the castle. From afar, Fidelia and Guthran watched as they were greeted by soldiers and a wizard wearing a red tunic, who came out of the great gate to greet them. It seemed to Fidelia that the wizard looked rather like Leander, whom she had not seen in years, and that made her heart shrink.

Once she saw her two companions being engulfed by the door, she turned around, and followed Guthran into the forest.

“Now tell me everything in detail,” she asked him, as they walked.

Several weeks ago, Guthran told her, he was preparing to make one of his usual trips to the castle, when a neighbor approached him to warn him not to bother, as they had forbidden entry and exit. Only those carrying food could approach the entrance. A strange disease had spread within the walls, and the villagers were asked to stay as far away as possible.

Guthran had been in the castle the previous evening to fulfill an errand, and had not noticed anything unusual or heard of anyone being ill. It seemed odd to him that this should happen overnight, so he hid in the area of the forest closest to the castle to spy on their movements.

It didn't take him long to see the Count and his entourage appear, whoe were just heading towards where he was hidden. They were going so fast that he barely had time to step away.

Guthran had crossed paths with the Count many times. He was a man of honor, and therefore it struck him that the noble would leave his home in a time of crisis. Although it would not be unusual for him to want to make himself safe from illness. But, in that case, why had he not taken his daughter with him?

Then something much more unlikely happened. As Guthran followed the horse tracks, he came upon a scene worthy of a fragment of the Chronicles: Elementals fighting human knights. Though he wasn't sure if "fighting" was the best word to describe it, but it seemed to be that the Elementals were having fun at the soldiers' expense.

Guthran continued his tale by narrating the events of the following days. Another contingent of soldiers tried to save the Count but were also taken prisoner, until, just like that, they were all released at once.

During all that time, he had remained on the sidelines. He thought he could be caught at any moment, but the Elementals did not notice him, or did not give him any importance. Then the soldiers returned to the castle but, soon after, he saw the Count leave again, this time alone, only to return a little while later. The next day he went out again with his soldiers, but, unlike the first attempt, this time they were not attacked, and continued on their way into the forest. The castle, however, was still blocked, and he had only been able to approach the entrance to bring food that the soldiers themselves unloaded from their cartwheel.

“Did anything out of the ordinary happen those previous days when you visited the castle?” Fidelia asked.

“Nothing that could explain the disease... The only thing I remember is the incident with a cat.”

“A cat?”

“The Count's daughter was attacked by a cat, and everyone made a fuss about it, including one of the wizards. Nothing unusual really. The Count takes good care of his daughter. I don't know why I mentioned it.”

“But he didn't take her out of the castle.”

“No, he didn't. I've never seen her leave.”

“Could she be the one who's ill?”

“I doubt it very much. The Count wouldn't have left her to suffer alone.”

“Unless she needed to fetch an antidote. The elves could be a great help, in that case... It would also explain why the Count didn't want to tell the king or the Conclave about this, since it could jeopardize his daughter's marriage to the prince...”

Fidelia weighed all the options without being convinced by any of them. Too many things had happened at the same time for them to be unrelated, but she could not find the link that would unite all the pieces.

By the time Guthran finished his story they were deep into the forest. If the Elementals were so susceptible to the presence of humans, it would not be long before they appeared.

However, nothing was happening.

“Hey, Elementals!” Fidelia suddenly shouted.

“What are you doing?” shrieked Guthran.

“Just checking. Elementals, here I am! I've come to invade your forest! I am Fidelia Dabrus, sent from the human capital by the Council of Wizards! We are your enemies!”

Nothing, not even a branch moved. The silence seemed to grow heavier and heavier, as if the forest itself was holding its breath.And Fidelia felt more and more ridiculous. What could the Count or any of his men have done to make the magical beings decide to attack them?

Suddenly, she saw something peeking out of the thicket.

“Ah,” said Guthran. “It is nothing. It's old Barthra's hut.”

Fidelia knew that hut since she was a child, but she had never had the courage to go near it. In the village, old Barthra was as much respected as she was feared. Sometimes she had played a game with her childhood friends to see who could get closest there without being discovered by the old woman, but she had not even dared to knock on the door.

When she got older she stopped being afraid of the healer but, by then, she had already gone to work in the castle as Eldrin's disciple, and had no time for mischief. This was the first time she managed to get so close.

“Maybe we should talk to her,” Fidelia proposed, a bit driven by curiosity, but Guthran shook his head.

“You won't find her in there, nor will you find her in the village or even in the forest. She's gone.”

“Gone? Why?”

“It remains unknown. A woman came to visit her to ask for a ointment, and found that no one was there. Anyway, the healer had left several bottles on the table ready to be given to those who needed it.”

“Does this have to do with the Count?”

“Probably, but... the Count regarded her as a mother. The story is well known around here...”

“Yes, yes, I know. The famous healer from a faraway land who managed to save the heir of the Circle.”

“Rovenna wrote that you lived here as a child.”

“That was too long ago. Let's focus on the present.”

They entered the hut, which was tidy, although with some dust accumulated in the absence of someone to clean up. The villagers had already taken away all the herbs and medicines. All that remained was furniture, household goods, and humble ornaments. Nothing of significance.

Except for the two flower fairies who were dusting a table with sprigs of herbs.

“Hey!” exclaimed Fidelia, but the two fairies flew out through a hole in the wall.

She ran out of the hut, but saw no sign of either of them.

“It was also rumored that Barthra had a good relationship with the Elementals,” commented Guthran.

None of that could be just a coincidence, thought Fidelia racking her brains, but she had to accept that the Elementals would not talk to her.

She had to go to the castle...

Fidelia sighed. It was the last thing she wanted, but she would have to make the sacrifice, if she wanted to have any chance of regaining her magic.

They left the forest, and Fidelia headed for the gray walls. Guthran waved goodbye, saying that his presence would make no sense to the soldiers, and wished her luck.

She carried a small parchment with the Master Arcanist's seal on it, but she guessed they wouldn't let her in easily. A former wizard with a cross seal on her chest was not something that would be looked upon favorably. She would have to request Myrius' presence for him to confirm to them that she was one of his companions.

That was why she was surprised when, once in front of the huge door, the soldiers allowed her to pass right away, after barely glancing at the parchment. Maybe she was mistaken after all.

But no sooner had she stepped through the door than she felt a magical force pull her to the ground, and everything went dark. Someone had covered her eyes.

Immediately, she felt hands grabbing her, and dragging her somewhere.

She didn't know why, but she had been taken prisoner.

Although now she could at least confirm that Eldrin was up to something.