Freyah frowned. “A curse?” She chuckled. “It’s not like magic is real…”
Alissa sighed. “There’s so much about this world we don’t know about, Freyah. Who’s to say magic could not be one of those things?” She shrugged, contemplating that thought a little more.
Before they stood up to grab the dead animals and join Eldric by the carriage, Freyah sank to the ground where Alissa was sitting and held her tight.
“No matter what it is, Lissa, if it’s a curse, a disease, or whatever… we’ll find a way. Together.” She held her friend’s hands and squeezed them fondly. “We’ll save Dhalia. I promise you.”
Alissa nodded, faking a smile. “I hope she is doing well in my absence.”
“I’m sure my parents are taking good care of her,” Freyah answered.
“That is not what concerns me. I love your parents as if they were mine. If anything, knowing she’s with them is the only thing that comforts me,” she said, her voice quavering. “But she doesn’t understand my reasons… I fear she’ll resent me for leaving.”
“Oh, Lissa, I will make sure Dhalia knows, someday, everything you have done for her. If she has any chance at a future, it’s because you are fighting for her now.”
Blinking her tears away, Alissa quickly stood, trying to hide her emotions. “We should go back. Poor Eldric must be lost in loneliness and sorrow without us.”
Freyah laughed, her dimples visible. “I’d say he’s more likely to have left us behind.”
“He wouldn’t dare miss all the fun!”
Chapter 16
Bloody History
145 DAYS UNTIL DHALIA’S DEATH DATE.
“Will you tell us something we don’t know about Heldraine?” Freyah asked him. As a first-time traveler, she had learned how tiring long trips could be; she could only hope a nice story could ease some of the endless boredom.
“Sure!” Eldric brought his finger to his lip, thinking of a subject that might interest them. “Would you like to know more about how manure is transported all over Heldraine to be used by farmers?”
Alissa looked at him with a mix of amusement and indignation. “Really? Manure is the first thing about Heldraine you would like to share with us?”
He blushed, realizing how terrible his suggestion had been.
A smile appeared on Freyah’s lips. “I’m thinking of something about Heldraine’s history or maybe interesting myths, Eldric?”
His eyes sparked in realization. “I know just the story!”
Alissa and Freyah leaned back in their seats with expectation, gazes fixed on him.
He cleared his throat. “There was once a place called Belfar. It was more than a kingdom. It was a haven where magic reigned everywhere, a land filled with breathtaking views where people thrived. The soil yielded bountiful harvests, and the skies were always blessed with favorable weather. Magic ensured the health of the people and guaranteed that food was sourced without the traditional methods of hunting or farming.”
Alissa raised her eyebrows and let her mind wonder for a second about what it would be like to live in a world such as this. A world where she could feed her daughter without having to kill animals.
“The people of Belfar had wielded their magic for the good of all through centuries. But one day, the peace was abruptly shattered.” Eldric stared at the horizon. With every word he spoke, his voice grew darker, his hands drifting from the reins every now and then as if trying to reenact the scene. “Black clouds swallowed the skies, and scarlet lightning tore across the land as fissures split the earth open, unleashing a legion of monsters upon the world. Belfar became a scene of terrible massacre and evil.”
Alissa bit her lower lip, fighting the smile tugging at it. “I couldn’t help but notice you are using fancier words now, Van Myr. How did you not tell us before you were a scholar?”
Eldric shifted in his seat, his cheeks burning. “I am simply telling you the story exactly as it’s written in the books, Kriegen.”
She nudged Freyah with her elbow, still smiling. They had been friends for so long that they could communicate with a hundred percent accuracy without words ever being pronounced. Alissa wasn’t expecting it, but the look on her friend’s face begged her to stop interrupting the man.
Alissa grunted, then bowed. “You may continue now, milord,” she said with a smirk.
Eldric ignored her and continued, “These creatures, twice the height of a horse, were covered in scales. With predatory yellow eyes, teeth the size of a human head, and thunderous limbs, they swept across the land. Village after village, city after city, fell to the relentless onslaught of the beasts.”
“To save the beloved realm of Belfar, Prince Thayan summoned an assembly of mages to join him in the fight against the evil that threatened their peace. It was a war of magic against monsters, but the creatures were so resilient that not even the strongest magic could wipe them out completely. Instead, they trapped the creatures behind an immense spell-woven wall for eternity, marking the triumph of the most crucial battle ever fought in Belfar’s history,” Eldric said, his tone lower than usual.