The Legend Of Black Eyes

"Purpose…" I whispered. "I"d rather get my leg back. And safe pa.s.sage out of these tunnels if you don"t mind."

Abrath roared once more. I would learn, many years later, that the roar meant laughter for this beast. "Such a shame," he said. "When I heard your grandfather had traveled to hunt you down, I made a lair out of these caves. I knew your path would lead you here, so I waited. Of all Stalwart traits, I didn"t expect you to inherit their stubbornness."

"Can we get this over with, please?" I asked. I held the crimson drop high enough for the beast to divert its attention toward it.

"You do realize," Abrath said, ignoring my clear show of impatience, "that I can kill you and take it from you."

I sighed. "Now you insult my intelligence," I said. "You would have killed me long ago if you could. The fact that we"re still talking is proof enough that you can"t take the drop unless I willingly hand it over to you."

Abrath roared, and I felt the ground beneath my feet rumble and shake. Its voice alone could destroy an entire cave system. I couldn"t linger here more than I needed to. I waved the drop under the beast"s nose. Its eyes never left the glowing item, but I could still feel its hesitation to take it.

"You"ll get one drop of venom for your leg," Abrath said. "The witch stays with me."

"No can do," I replied, "enough venom to heal both of us, and safe pa.s.sage out of here."

"One drop," Abrath said. "I"ll also summon one of my minions and let you absorb its time energy."

"The witch comes with me," I said.

Raiya was still unconscious. I couldn"t leave her there. Abrath would probably kill her, or play with her until he gets bored then send his minions after her. She had saved me before from certain death. I couldn"t leave her in the cave while I could do something about it.

"What is your obsession with this time witch?" Abrath asked. "You could save your life, even recover the use of that destroyed leg. You"d throw it all away for a woman you barely know?"

"It"s a matter of principles," I said.

"What if I added a teleport to my offer," Abrath said. "You"ve seen me transport your brother before you were allowed in here."

"I"d take the witch," I said. "I don"t even need your minion"s time energy."

"Stalwarts…" the beast hissed. "Negotiating with the father was easier than with his offspring."

It was then that the song came back to me. I suddenly remembered every word of it, and at that moment, it made total sense to me. I understood why father hated it. I understood why he forbade us from singing it near him. Most of all, I realized the reason behind his terrible "accident."

The song was as follows:

"In the dark forest he lies,

Light shining through his eyes,

Our hero, the crestfallen knight,

Approached the beast in the darkest of nights,

What do you want?

The beast asked,

His fur white as snow.

His face threatening with a fearful, gaping maw

A despicable beast he was,

Sharp fangs, tail and claws.

My wife aches, pleaded the knight,

Your venom would cure her blight,

Very well, said the beast,

Offer your light, for I need no feast.

The man spoke, raising the ritual keg,

Take my arm, take my leg.

Take the job my family"d never favor

For my wife, my light, my savior.

It is so that our hero lost his drive,

He wouldn"t dream, hope or thrive.

In the end, our hero regained his wife,

Together, they lived in constant strife."

I didn"t speak a word of it then. I kept it all to myself. My father had sacrificed his life to heal my ailing mother, only to see her fall ill again. If it weren"t for Raiya, she would have died long before I was sentenced to prison. Perhaps, she would never have seen the day when Utar came and slaughtered them all.

"My father was a fool through and through," I said. "Leave him out of this, and please, let"s conclude these negotiations."

"You"re still not willing to let go of the witch," Abrath said. "I can let you go, but I can"t free the witch. She has yet to pay for her insolence."

"Then name another price," I said. "This drop will only be yours if you free her."

Abrath, his eyes still fixated on the glowing drop, let out a loud snarl. Its muzzle contracted, baring sharp fangs beneath it. It retracted its front paws, and its claws tore through dirt and stone, leaving deep rifts where they had been.

"Anomalies, you always think you"re immune to death, until you"re not," the beast said with an unpleasant, hissing voice.

"Aren"t we all?" I said. "Will you take the drop, or will you name a different price?"

Abrath snarled once more. I thought he would jump at me and end me then. I didn"t care though. I was already at death"s door. In fact, I had long crossed death"s threshold and was exploring the afterlife. It was indeed a miracle that I was still alive, negotiating with a beast that could devour with extreme ease.

"So be it," the beast said. "Hand the drop over, it"s too valuable for your incompetent hands anyway."

On that, Abrath was right. I never knew what it was for. To tell you the truth, that fox was the greatest mystery I have ever encountered. I knew it meant to help me, but for what purpose? That was a mystery I had yet to solve.

I handed the drop to the beast who, in turn, stretched its barbed tail toward me. The tip of the tail hovered over my open palm, and a green liquid dripped down onto it. It turned from green to blue then to purple.

"Apply it on your broken knee," Abrath said. "Take the witch after you recover. If our paths ever cross again, this one will not show you any mercy."

The beast stood on its hind legs, turned its back to me then walked forward. A sudden gush of wind made my hair flutter as Abrath swung his tail left and right. I was sure he was trying to intimidate me with that last move, but again, I didn"t care. I had concluded the deal, and Abrath wasn"t going to move against me yet.

"The exit"s this way," he went on. "Follow it, and you shall reach the exit. Beware of straying far from the right path, lest you stay here forever." I heard it purr as it walked on toward the winding tunnels.

After it disappeared into the darkness, I hopped over to Raiya. I shook her so hard that I fell on my side twice. I slapped her, even attempted to kick her but thought better of it. She was out cold. Her pulse was weak, but she was alive. The tourniquet she applied to her right shoulder didn"t fall off despite the heavy blow she took.

I sat next to her, and applied the purple drop, Abrath"s venom, to my knee. I watched as it sprung up to life. The shattered bones began reconstructing, and I felt all of it. It was greatly disconcerting, but it didn"t hurt as much as I thought it would. My knee lodged back in place. Then flesh started forming around it. Muscles reattached. Then skin, pink and soft like a newborn"s, covered my formerly broken leg.

The caves kept on rumbling. The noise and intensity of the tremors kept increasing as well. I was running out of time, and Raiya didn"t show any signs of recovery. After my leg had miraculously reattached itself, I carried Raiya over my shoulders and followed the beast"s path.

I realized, to my greatest dismay, that the small creatures I had sensed in the other caves began moving toward me. Soon, they would swarm the caves, and my way would be lost forever. Abrath must have left the caves, leaving the path open for whatever lurked in the darkness to come and devour us.

I was glad that sly fox had found it in its good heart to fetch my weapon for me. I switched Raiya over to my left shoulder, and picked up speed. No matter what came at us, I had to beat it. I remembered that despite everything that happened, we had finally captured Bodrick. We were closer than ever to reaching our goal. I only needed to get out of this trap and rejoin the others.

***

In the meantime, far off in the capital of Biarkh, Hilda had met with a Priest by the name Utar and his apprentice, Samuel Avourel. Lady Fischer had invited them to one of the most expensive restaurants in the city. She offered them food and refreshments in a private lounge she had bought up for the day.

"Lady Fischer, we appreciate your generous gesture. Although we are not entirely sure of your motives, we cannot turn down a Lady"s invitation," Utar said with a wide smile.

He was wearing the Church"s traditional attire, a white robe with bronze embroideries on the hems of its long sleeves. He raised his gla.s.s, urged his apprentice to do the same, and nodded at the lady as their eyes met.

"We both have a common enemy," Hilda said, raising her gla.s.s to meet Utar"s. "It"s only natural that we share vital information about his whereabouts."

"What about his ally, the man they call Hartwell?" Utar asked.

"He has received the gift of Lord Qil"Al," Hilda replied. "We know he"s perfected the killing spell. So I"d advise caution when, and if, you decide to face him."

"Naturally," Utar replied. "I trust that Lady Fischer"s allies would also provide us with a.s.sistance."

"This goes without saying, Father," Hilda said. "We"ll even secure a spot for your champion in our ship, destined for the isle of legends."