The Legend of Alteria
Chapter 1
At the horizon four men were visible upon a
hill, their long, blond hair blew in the wind. Motionless and ignoring the
roaring wind they stared with fixed looks on the castle in the distance. The
men were clothed in black so they were almost unrecognisable in the darkness
and their blood-red eyes pierced the night like arrows. The man in the middle
stepped forward. He glanced at his companions for a moment then he clicked his
fingers. The four masked figures had disappeared. With speed for the human eye
almost unseeable they moved towards the city wall. The entrance portal was
guarded by several soldiers in heavy armour, they did not notice the four. Their
leader now fixed them with his eyes, it seemed like he wanted to pierce them with his look. Suddenly, the soldiers fell unconscious to the ground.
The men were visible again.
“Very good.” Their leader said. „We don’t have
much time. Nothing is allowed to go wrong.”
He nodded to his companions and turned
invisible. Until this moment everything had gone well, it seemed like nobody
had noticed them.
v
Inside the castle everything was silent, not
even the roaring of the wind or the distant murmuring of the soldiers could be
heard. In the halls all doors were closed except one. The clear voice of a woman who
seemed to sing something came from the room,
Queen Lira was singing to her daughter Lorane
before she went to bed. On a long, high-pitched note the song ended and the
woman left the room quietly.
As soon as she heard the sound of the closing
door Lorane sprang from her bed and hurried towards her wardrobe against which she
knocked. A repeated knock came from within. Lorane opened the door and with a
silent cry a boy fell to the ground. Quickly he stood up and looked at the girl
who said:
“You do
know that I can’t always let you sleep here in secret, Paul?”
The boy smiled peevishly, ran a hand through
his black hair and got a mattress out of the wardrobe.
After Lira had gone back to her quarters she
had sat in front of the big, bronze mirror and was now combing her long,
dark-red hair; she did this every time before she went to bed although her
husband had said that this was unnecessary. Lira laughed as she just now
thought about that again and turned around to Merow who was sitting in a chair,
reading. He ran a hand through his hazelnut-brown hair and yawned.
“Just put the book to the side.” Lira said. “You’ve
been sitting in this chair the entire day, it’s time to go to bed.”
Merow smiled at her, Lira did the same, then he
closed his book.
“Well, you’re right. I’m also slowly getting
tired.”
The same moment he had arisen from the chair,
somebody knocked at the door. He looked at Lira questioningly and frowned. Who
was knocking at this time, Merow thought and walked to the door. He opened it
and a young man stood in front of him, panting, he seemed all flustered and was
completely out of breath.
“What happened? Why are you knocking here in
the middle of the night?”
Lira observed with a tense look how the man
whispered something to Merow, made some wild gestures with his hands and then
disappeared. Merow closed the door and turned around to his wife.
“What did the man want?“ she asked.
It took a moment then Merow looked at her and
said in a dry voice:
“You should go to her.”
Lorane threw a sheet over the mattress and a
pillow as well.
“I don’t know if I have blanket left...” she
murmured and bowed into her wardrobe.
Paul tossed himself on the mattress and extended
his leg with relish. He took a book from Lorane’s nightstand and began to read
in it.
The door opened and the bright shine of the
torches outside in the hallway threw its light into the room. Paul looked up
from the book and immediately jumped up. Lorane went to him to see who was
standing in the door.
“Paul, what are you doing here?”
The boy stuttered a few times but did not
manage it to utter a proper word.
“Mum, why did you come back?” Lorane asked when
she had recognised her mother.
Lira had a look around the room as if she
expected any second another one of her daughter’s friends to appear in the
room.
“Paul, could you come here please?”
Hesitantly and with a red face he stepped up to
her.
“You’re a brave boy, aren’t you?”
Paul nodded slowly.
“Then I’m sure you can do me a favour?”
He nodded again. Lira bent down to him and
whispered something in his ear. When she had risen she asked:
“Can you do that?”
Again Paul nodded even though not in a very
convincing manner. Lira walked to the small table which stood beside Lorane’s
bed and reached for a piece of paper. Hastily she wrote something on it and put
if folded with a gentle smile into Paul’s hand.
“What’s going on, mum?” Lorane asked sadly. “Are
you angry because I secretly let Paul into my room?”
Lira laughed and took a few steps towards her
daughter.
“No, of course not. Perhaps it’s even good that
you did that.”
“Really?” Lorane asked in disbelief.
Lira took her hand heaved her on her bed.
“Listen to me, little one. You have to listen
very carefully because this is very important what I’m about to tell you. I
want you to go with Paul and leave the city.”
Lorane looked at her with big eyes but did not
say anything.
“Run as fast as you can and don’t get held up,
do you understand me?”
Lorane nodded and since her mother did not say
anything else she asked:
“Why am I supposed to leave the city? Are you
and dad coming with us?”
Lira shook her head.
“It’s important that you go alone, I must stay
here with dad.”
“But why should we go?” Lorane asked impatiently and looked
sadly into her mother’s eyes.
She was looking for an answer but it took long
until she had found it.
“Do you remember what I have told you about the
men from the mountains?” Lira asked. “Those men are here tonight and it’s
important that they won’t find you.”
She could clearly see the horror in Lorane’s
childish face, she was beyond frightened. Lira patted her head slowly and smiled
gently. She did not want to make her even more nervous.
“I’ll stay here with dad so those evil men cannot
follow you. Your father is already looking for them. Now hurry, get dressed,
quick!”
Lorane slipped slowly from her bed and quickly
put on a jumper and trousers over her blue nightshirt. Paul was already standing
at the door and looked with a long neck into the hallway.
“Mum, I don’t want to go!”
Lorane was pulling at her mother’s arm and
looked at her with big, sad eyes.
“Little one” Lira said and bowed down to her. “Don’t
worry, everything will be fine. You’re not leaving our home forever. We will
get you back home.”
Lorane tried to smile but she could not. The
mix of tears of utmost sadness and a desperate laughter, to see on the face of
one’s own daughter, was a sight a mother like Lira would not forget for a long
time.
“Really? I’m definitely going to see you again?”
Lorane asked.
Lira hesitated for a very short moment.
“Definitely.”
“How long will it be?” Lorane asked curiously.
Lira smiled at her again then she said melancholically:
“I don’t know.“
She took her daughter’s hand, it was shaking. Lorane
embraced her mother long and extensively then Lira gave her a kiss upon her
cheek; she noticed that Lorane was trying very hard to keep back a river of
tears.
“Now, hurry up you two! I love you.“ she added
when she let go of her hand then she turned to Paul. “Don’t forget what I told you.”
He nodded silently and grabbed Lorane’s hand.
Hesitantly she let herself led away by him and looked back at the door of her
room as long as she could when they came to a turning in the long hallway where
a soldier was waiting for them.
v
The city of Rectis was silent, nothing could be heard not even the howling
of lost animals or the whispering of the trees. Only the roaring of the wind echoed
through the alleys of the big city and knocked at the windows here and there.
Lorane stepped through the portal and right away a warm breath of air blew
into her face. She looked around with a puzzled expression; no guards were at the
entrance to the castle although there were usually ten people guarding the
portal.
“Come, we have to hurry.” The soldier said.
Paul pulled Lorane impatiently with him. Quickly they walked down the
streets, over the market place and further towards the city wall.
Suddenly various screams, the shattering of armour, loud, confusing shrieking
and eventually a quiet laughter from one of the alleyways. Lorane paused immediately
and Paul as well stopped next to her abruptly.
“What was that?“ she asked and look around hastily.
Paul did not answer and shrugged helplessly.
“Wait here.” The soldier let them know and walked towards the direction
where the noises had been coming from.
As soon as he had disappeared around the corner it was all silent again. Lorane and Paul waited. They waited
long, too long. When Paul wanted to take Lorane’s hand again to finally
continue, Lorane suddenly started running.
“It came from over there!” she murmured.
Paul ran after her as fast as he could. Lorane turned into the same alley
the soldier had, ran along a little side street until she reached a backyard.
Both closed their eyes a bit so they could better observe the scenery. A crowd
of soldiers lay on the ground and did not move anymore, their weapons lay,
partly destroyed partly carelessly left on the ground, next to them. Under some
of the bodies the ground had taken the colour of red. The soldier, who had
searched for the source of the noises, lay among them. In the middle of those
lifeless soldiers lay a man Lorane recognized, she moved closer to take a look. The
man still held his sword in one hand, his hazelnut brown hair was shining in
the light of the moon. Lorane rushed towards him and turned him around so she
could see his face.
Merow had his eyes closed and on his brow, blood was running from a big
cut. Lorane shook the slack body of her father and felt how the tears were
coming back. She let her head sink down on his chest; there was no pounding to
hear. She was unable to say anything, Lorane simply embraced her father’s lifeless
body and never wanted to let him go. She cried, she just cried bitterly into
herself, why she was here outside she had completely forgotten. Then the quiet
laughter sounded again from the alleys, this time it was a bit louder and
more malicious than before. Paul shook Lorane softy at her shoulder and tried
to loosen her arms from Merow’s body.
“Lorane, come
on! You can’t do anything for him, we have to go, they’re already nearby!” he
said to her and when she did not answer he quietly added into her ear: „He
wanted you to get away from here safely, he wanted to protect you. Do you want
us to disappoint your father?”
Lorane looked up to him, sniffed, wiped the tears from her face and shook
her head. Softly she let her father sink to the ground and took her hand off
his chest. Hesitantly she trudged after Paul and always kept looking back to
the dead body until they moved again into another alley. They ran along the main
road and could already see the city wall a few hundred metres away. The giant,
silver shining gate stood open and no guards could be seen. Without looking
around for the soldiers they both ran outside into the open landscape. As fast
as he could Paul pulled Lorane after himself and together they ran away over
the wet grass towards the south.
“We are we even going?” Lorane suddenly called next to him.
He did not answer right away, instead he looked behind them; he did not see
anyone.
“We’re almost there! We just have to get you away from here!”
The moment he said that, Lorane fell out of his sight. He stopped in which
he almost fell to the ground himself and looked for her. She lay on the ground
and did not move any longer; she seemed to have fallen over. Paul ran to her
and as he tried to take her on his back he could see a tiny trickle of blood
and a graze on her forehead, but luckily she was only unconscious as he
detected. He put her on his back and continued to run. We’re almost there, was
going through his mind the entire time.
He came to the end of a small hill and hasted down some stairs which had
been carved into the rocks. Two pillars, in which burned a fire, stood next to
the staircase and marked the entrance of a tunnel which led in the inside of the
mountain. Paul ran past the pillar along the long passage. He believed to clearly
hear the steps of the men in the tunnel, the noise when they touched the ground
echoed from the walls and into his ears. They did not even run, they were
absolutely sure that they would get their prey.
Finally he reached the end of the passageway and entered a small hall,
unknowing that the four men were as good as standing behind him. In the hall
was a tiny staircase as well which led to a small podium. Paul walked up the
stairs, took Lorane from his shoulders and laid her carefully on the ground
then he descended back the stairs. He fished Lira’s note out of his trouser
pocket and as he opened his mouth to say something, he heard again the quiet,
cold laughter behind him. He threw a look
over his shoulder.
„Come on, boy, just let us forget everything and give us the girl.“ their
leader said who had taken a step towards Paul.
He did not answer anything and stared at them. He had to try to turn away
but there was one thing he just wanted to know.
“Who are you?”
The man in front of him laughed, this time it sounded warmer and then he
pulled the black disguise from his face. A young man was standing before Paul, he
had a narrow, pale face and under his left eye was a light-coloured scar which
ran up to his nose.
“How nice of you to ask. My name is Tyranne and I’m the leader of this
special warrior unit. We’re the best and strongest of our people and we always
get what we want. Apropos” he added and was suddenly serious again. “Give us
why we’re here! Give us the girl!“
Paul finally turned back. He could not give them Lorane! On the other hand,
they would just come and get her if he did not do so. Against those four men Paul would
have had no chance at all, he knew that. Slowly he walked to the podium where
Lorane still lay unconscious and did not notice anything of all that. He walked
up the stairs then he stood next to the girl and leaned down to her. While he gently
put a hand on her arm he quickly whispered words in a strange sounding language
which he was reading off Lira’s paper as clearly as possible.
Suddenly Lorane began to glow, Paul yanked back in pain and pulled his hand
away. He staggered a few steps back and fell almost to the ground. Lorane
started to shine brightly and hovered slightly above the ground.
“WHAT HAVE YOU
DONE?!” Tyranne shrieked.
Paul fell down the stairs when a blazing flash of light came from Lorane
and he was unable to see anything for a few seconds. When he opened his eyes
again she had gone without leaving a trace.
Confused and completely baffled he stared at the spot where she had lain
only a few seconds ago; with an open mouth he got back up. He had not expected
that, Lira had not told him what would happen, she had only told him what to do
and then he should wait but Paul had not expected his best friend to vanish into
thin air.
“You shouldn’t have done that, boy!”
Paul fell out of his trance and turned around to Tyranne whom he had almost
forgotten. He did not know what he should do now and just looked past them
without replying anything. Tyranne walked towards him, his companions followed
close behind. Paul did not even try to flee, he just closed his eyes and
waited.
No comments:
Post a Comment