Читать книгу The Invasion Of The Sombers - Jordi Villalobos - Страница 10

After a couple of days of tireless march, they reached Crystal Lake, not too large a lake but incredibly transparent and totally still that gave it a polished glass appearance, where they decided to stop over. Anyway, Garin advised everyone to stay away from the shore, as respectable-sized fish with strong jaws and fairly sharp teeth emerged from the water with large jumps, which could cause considerable injury to anyone who ventured into the waters.

However, Sergiker disregarded the advice of the dwarf and went into the water gathering a large number of these fishes, which he caught in flight, showing the giant an outstanding dexterity and thus offering his liberators a succulent dinner. The fish turned out to be very tasty once roasted.

The next day, very close to where they spent the night, they came across the remains of the camp of the somber group that preceded them and that little by little increased the distance between them.

Leaving the Crystal Lake behind, and entering a leafy forest, they continued the march under an heavy and annoying rain that did not stop afflicting them all day.

The downpour ceased at sunrise, but left the terrain too soft, where it was more uncomfortable and tough to advance.

At mid-morning they saw a column of smoke on the horizon, as if coming from a large bonfire, and decided to move cautiously in case it was the sombers.

At dusk the next day they could see that the bonfire was directly related to the sombers, but in a very different way from what they had originally thought. It was not a fire for cooking or heating, but a funeral pyre. The group of sombers, who had been able to avoid them for many days in the Peaks Pass were not as lucky with some effective enemy who, after defeating them, piled them up and set them on fire.

In analyzing the marks and footprints of the battle, Syriel pointed to the others:

“This has been done by a very powerful squadron, be alert at all times.”

“I know who did this," said Sergiker with pride. “The footprints and marks are unequivocally my father’s; he must be around here looking for me. So, don't worry, you have saved me and you are my friends, you have nothing to fear from my people,” the giant tried to calm his new friends.

“Well, that reassures me and matches those huge footprints. But don't stop watching, just in case," added the prince.

They left the funereal bonfire, expectant, and so on for the next two days, until they entered a gorge that made its way through a not so large mountain range.

“At the end of this gorge, in a huge camouflaged cave, lives my friend, the White Magician.”

But before anyone could answer, they were surrounded, from the irregular and not too high elevations flanking the gorge, by a hundred chunky giants measuring about thirteen feet height and brandishing their weapons in a threatening attitude.

Sergiker advanced to the giant with the most majestic bearing.

“Father, this is Syriel and Lirieth, princes of Delfia and Teberion. They and their men, orcs and dwarves, showing a distinguished bravery have saved me from the claws of the harpies I was held captive by and are escorting me to the White Magician’s abode to find the best way to bring me home," announced the giant prince, with a marked affectionate tone and thanks to his liberators.

Then he added, turning to the princes, filled with pride:

“I present to you my father, Magellan, the king of Granlesia.”

“I am indebted to your highnesses for saving my son," thanked the enormous king as he approached his heir and the rest of the giants relaxed, lowering their weapons.

Father and son fused in an embrace for a few seconds, then the giant king rebuked his offspring, affectionate but forceful.

“What am I going to do with you? How can you abandon your people and expose yourself to the dangers of these lands? When are you going to learn? When are you going to assume the role of prince that corresponds to you?” almost begged the giant king, with a certain harshness, although without ceasing to show a clear fatherly affection.

“Father," replied Sergiker, solemnly and expressing deep repentance, "I am very sorry for all the affliction I have caused you with my acts of immature rebellion. I give you my prince's word that it will never happen again and that from now on I will submit with illusion and desire to the learning tasks proper to my condition of future king,” promised the boy, looking furtively at Lirieth and Syriel.

“What made you change so radically? asked the pleased father.

“The princes have made me see that just as I can't help being a giant, I can't help being a prince and a future king, so I've decided to face my destiny as best I can," said Sergiker enthusiastically.

After holding his son tightly, he looked with deep gratitude at Syriel and Lirieth.

“I will never forget your help. If you ever need anything that is in my hand, don't hesitate for a moment to ask me. I am doubly indebted to Your Graces,” the great king compromised himself, with tears of joy in his eyes.

“Forgive me for daring to speak to you so soon, but we have seen that the dark ones are not counted among your friends and it is possible that soon we may need help in the face of an attempt by them to invade our kingdoms," said Syriel.

King Magellan ordered a wasteland to be brought to him. Instantly, one of its giants gave him a cage with a bird and the king offered it to the prince.

“Princes and future kings of Teberion and Delfia," he said, "I give you this most precious and beautiful bird. It is a balardi, if you let it free, it will come to me to follow it to the place where you released it. Therefore, when you need me, release him and he will take me wherever you wait for me. The balardi is a very fast bird, the only one faster than the falcon, and it will not take long to warn me of your invitation. It is the first time that I have given one of these birds to someone who does not belong to my people," confessed the monarch.

Syriel took the cage delicately and thanked the king for the valuable gift.

“We are very honored by your invaluable favor, although I hope I will never have to use it. If not, do not doubt that it will be because of a desperate situation in which we hope never to find ourselves," the prince wished.

Sergiker, fed up with all the flattery, interrupted the regal conversation.

“And my friend, the White Magician?”

“Here," replied a snow-white figure who appeared behind the giant prince, just at that moment.

Sergiker turned and embraced the snowy apparition, which reached beyond his waist, with touching affection.

The White Magician was really a being of dazzling whiteness, he had the typical point-shaped ears of elves and a pearly mane, straight and silky, that almost reached him halfway down his back. But surely, he was not known as White Magician because of the hair color which was already almost perfect white, but because of the marked albino tonality of his skin, as well as of the eyebrows, and even of his eyes, whose pearly shade could not even be distinguished the apple of his eye’s cornea. In spite of having more than two thousand years of age, his appearance was like that of a healthy human halfway between the sixties and seventies, although without any beard, as was usual among beings of elfic race.

Once the effusive greeting between magician and giant was over, the White Magician addressed the princes.

“I also thank you for saving my little prince. Welcome to my abode," he invited as a magical breach opened in the middle of the rocky mountain. “Go ahead, there's room for everyone, even the giants if they bend down a little as they enter.”

They entered caves of enormous dimensions, as much as the dwarfs, and even more so since only the White Magician lived there.

With a gesture of the magician towards one of the corners, some stables appeared with everything necessary for the rest and provisioning of the horses.

And to another gesture of the white-skinned wizard, some tables and stools of various sizes were materialized for the comfort of men, orcs, elves, mediam, dwarfs and giants, with everything necessary to initiate the most succulent and sumptuous of the banquets that could have been done for those lands.

That night the wine and beer of some small magical casks ran out and they could also eat until they got fed up with fountains full of the richest delicacies and bewitched in such a way that, when someone took the last piece of them, exquisite food would immediately come up again.

All night they rested placidly and comfortably until long after dawn.

At the foot of the colossal Dragons’ Mountain was the somber squadron camped out. General Baldin informed his future queen, accommodated in her luxurious tent, of the encounter that the group that was able to escape with the giants from the Peaks Pass.

“Giants?" roared Elenir, angrily. "What was a group of giants doing there? Their lands are much further north! Why have they come through these lands just now?" complained the dark princess angrily.

Elenir received nothing but an uncomfortable silence from her general, who did not know what to answer.

“How many survivors?” asked the shadow princess, with marked harshness.

“Only two, my lady," replied the intimidated general.

“Two survivors of one hundred and eighty warriors, well-prepared and dark! And not a single scratch was made on any of the giants!” a disgusted Elenir lamented.

“There was also a very powerful elf magician. He was white as snow, even his eyes, but he didn't seem to be blind. There were almost a hundred giants plus the magician, some enemies terribly…

“SILENCE!!!!” I do not want any more excuses, General Baldin. You have already disappointed me too many times, I won't admit one more failure, General. From now on, I will take over personally. Let no more decisions be made without my approval. We will go to The Dragons’ Mountain, dominate all we can give while a squadron at your command awaits the princes in a ‘lovely’ ambush. Prepare everything so that nothing fails, it is your last chance, general, and you know what that means. Do you consider yourselves qualified for this mission I commend to you, general?” asked the princess, not trying hard to disguise her insulting disdain.

“Nothing will fail this time, Your Highness, you can be sure," replied the general, forcibly sure and with a good lump in his throat.

“I hope so," replied the terrible sovereign, no longer looking at her interlocutor and dismissing him with a contemptuous gesture, indicating that he should withdraw.

The day after the opulent banquet, quite early, the giants, with their king and their prince departed back to their kingdom, but not before bidding a very cordial farewell to the White Magician and his new friends.

After the farewell, the princes, the orc generals, Hans, Garin and Baldrich met with the magician, who initiated the encounter.

“Well, my new friends, what brings you to these ungrateful lands? I suppose that the coincidence of your presence with that of the dark squadron must not be entirely coincidental, am I mistaken? I am also happy to deduce that the endless war between men and orcs has come to an end and, apparently, in quite a friendly way," said the magician, casting a significant complicit glance at the princes.

“Well, you're not wrong," said the princess. “Men and orcs, we began a new era with an alliance, with the main objective of defending ourselves with guarantees of the sombers and culminated with the marriage between the heirs of the two kingdoms. And as for the dark ones, we learned that they were going to the Dragons’ Mountains to recruit some of them into their ranks, so we decided to go intercept them to avoid it or to do the same as them, in case they arrived late. But a welcoming committee waited for us in the Slanted Mountains that we managed to reject, and the unfortunates who burned yesterday were the ones who managed to escape our enemies," the princess said with some pride.

“And how are you supposed to dominate the dragons?” asked the White Magician.

“I am a good sorceress and the magician Baldrich taught me and trained me to dominate the beasts. And in the Slanted Mountains I was able to subjugate a giant snake," Lirieth proudly said.

“Did you dominate Kasariviel?” the snowy wizard wanted to know.

“Yes, that's what they called it, it was a huge snake," added the princess.

“Yes, and quite stupid if we compare it to a dragon," said the magician, who asked Baldrich: "Magician Baldrich, how many dragons have you dominated in order to have the honor of teaching a noble princess the difficult art of dragon domination?”

“No master, we looked for him in Belvichu to help us, but we couldn't find him," Baldrich said.

“Well, I don't want to discourage you, even though a snake, no matter how giant it may be, lacks an advanced intelligence like ours. On the other hand, a dragon’s one is different. They have a shrewd intelligence, far superior to ours, and in order to master them you need years of training and a lot of experience or an unusual skill. And I deduce that you are not ready to do so. However, I do, so if you don't mind, I will join your cause. A few adventures will do me good, and even more so if it is to help defend you from the somber tyranny," offered the magician with incipient enthusiasm.

“For my part, I would be delighted if you would join us, and I would be honored if you would agree to teach me and train me in the ability to subdue dragons," Lirieth requested.

“I would be honored to receive that knowledge, too," Baldrich added.

“Then I will be happy to initiate you in such matters, although I cannot guarantee that I can remain with you until you really master this skill," warned the White Magician.

“We should not take too long to continue on our way," intervened Syriel.

“You are quite right, young prince, we should not delay in reaching The Dragons’ Mountains, but, before we go, I beg you to accompany me: I have something that belonged to one of your elf ancestors and I think it is your responsibility to guard it," the magician invited the prince.

The White Magician led Syriel through the labyrinthine passageways of the cave until they reached a cavity of few mentions which was full of drawers and trunks arranged in an orderly fashion and filled with weapons, scrolls, and all sorts of objects and utensils.

The wizard rummaged through an old but well-preserved trunk until he extracted a beautiful dagger and raised it to the height of the expectant prince's eyes, vocalizing:

“Hide, Dagger of Justice.”

Then the weapon disappeared and the magician showed his hands with a certain theatricality to the surprised prince, who was even more astonished when the object reappeared when the sorcerer pronounced:

“Show yourself, Dagger of Justice.”

The dagger was seen again in the hand of the magician, who, handing it to Syriel, invited him to try it.

“Take it, try it, it's not my magic that makes it work, but the magic within the dagger.”

Syriel took it and pronounced the magic phrases linked to the weapon, making it appear and disappear from his hand several times.

The prince admired the beauty of the stiletto, especially a white gemstone that occupied almost the entire stab and that for only a sigh shone in unison with the red gem on his necklace and the golden jewel on the stab of his sword.

“What is this white jewel?” the prince wanted to know.

“It is the heart of a petrified white dragon. There are dark magical arts capable of obtaining such gems and confers incredible powers on the objects which they are attached to," replied the White Magician.

“Are you capable of performing such arts?" asked Syriel.

“I would deceive you if I said no, although I have never wanted to use that kind of magic that leads those who practice it to dark paths and destinations," said the snowy magician. “It belonged to your mother's grandfather, Ronel. Use it carefully and in cases of extreme necessity to defend yourselves, since if you use it to attack for no reason it will disappear from your hand before it hurts your victim. So, try to show it only when you need it, and hide it again when you are done," added the elf.

“Thank you very much," the prince thanked, bowing his head as a polite thank you. “Did it ever belong to my mother?”

“No, she never wanted it, she didn't like weapons, not even invisible ones," exposed the elf.

“Who made it? the prince inquired.

“Alginel, one of the best elven blacksmiths known. The spell of invisibility was cast by an old and mad elf magician who now lives like a hermit in strange caves in the Badlands and who is about to go looking for dragons," joked the magician.

“Well, I hope I'll never run into such a character," Syriel continued. “Can we go now?”

“No, not yet. I must tell you more about the dagger and other magical objects. The story begins with an evil, albeit sublime magician, perhaps the wisest and most skillful ever, but, unfortunately, with a heart as dark as the clothes he used to wear. His name was Mazorik, although he has been better known by the name of Dark Magician. By the year 1600 of the last era, he created seven precious stones with the hearts of each of the seven dragon races. With seven disciples, he sent each one of these jewels to the seven races that populate Frienia. These gems had to be, during seven years, among the people of each race in order to capture their main essence. After that time, his disciples had to return in order to give the stones back to him. With them, he was going to create seven magical objects that would form the Dragon Armor, making the being who wore it acquire the seven essences of the seven races, giving it practically unlimited power that forced all races to submit to the will of the wearer of the armor. But one of the disciples discovered his plans and, not willing to be an accomplice to such evil, betrayed him and managed to avoid his purposes. There is no time to tell you everything, but take this book, which contains everything explained. It works just like the dagger; it will appear when you want to read it and it will disappear when you stop reading it. Only you can see it. Read it, it is of paramount importance, as there are indications that someone wants to collect the Dragon Armor again, and not for very noble purposes. The Dagger of Justice is one such object, your sword and your necklace are two more; do not lose them. I knew that the sword was in your power, but not that you also had the necklace, how did you get it?" asked the magician after his long exposition.

“It was Lirieth's engagement gift," replied the surprised prince.

“There is no doubt that it is a great gift which, moreover, someone has reinforced with a very powerful protective spell," replied the wizard with admiration, examining the jewel.

“Yes," said Syriel, "Lirieth told me that she had enchanted him.

“There's something else," added the magician. “I hope you don't mind, because I detect the appreciation you feel for the princess. Although Lirieth apparently possesses a pure soul, she hides something dark, I don't know if it is evil or not, but it is something bitter that can affect you when you discover it. Take care of her, you can't trust her blindly, you know that, right?” advised the magician.

“I can't believe she's hiding something shady," the prince protested. Baldrich warned me too, though, so I suppose I'll have to take this warning seriously," Syriel resigned.

“Believe me, don't close your door to her, but don't open it all for her either. And you would do well to keep an eye on her and trust her with certain reservations," proposed the albino magician.

“All right, I'll do it," Syriel said.

“And don't stop reading my notes, you have to get the Dragon Armor back together before someone else does. When you complete it, we will look for the best way to destroy it," concluded the magician solemnly.

In the palace of Gargaran, Queen Baldia answered the call of her jeweled silver mirror.

“What’s happening, daughter?”

“Our enemies have been joined by a very powerful white magician and a king of giants who might complicate our plans," a voice from the mirror said.

“A white magician? An elf with completely white eyes?” asked the queen.

“Yes, do you know him?" questioned the mirror.

“Yes, I do. And it is very powerful, but don't worry: neither that magician nor the giants will be a problem if we get dragons," answered Baldia. “Anyway, I'll think of something. You worry about those damn dragons," added the queen.

“All right, Mother. Now I must go," replied the mirror.

Queen Baldia was thoughtful with a worried countenance, looking at her image on the silver surface, where her daughter's face could be seen just before.

A somber detachment of about two hundred and eighty warriors and twenty magicians, led by Princess Elenir herself, began the ascent of the mountain in pursuit of the dragons.

The dragons that populated the enormous ancient volcano normally lived isolated from the beings of the flat terrain, at a considerable height, in large caves that crossed the entrails of the mountainous mass. They rarely ventured out of their elevated territory, since its extension, both in height and in vast valleys, plateaus and rivers at different levels in pursuit of the unreachable summits, meant that dragons, one of the numerous species of beings that inhabited the cliff, were not lacking in hunting.

Elenir and her dark ones advanced with extreme caution, since the scarce references of other previous explorers were not very encouraging, rather on the contrary. Aside from dragons, there were other dangerous species that could prove as deadly or more deadly than the mountain kings themselves.

General Baldin, along with three hundred others sombers, remained in the camp preparing an infallible ambush against the enemy princes, in the hope of regaining his lady's trust, and not out of appreciation for her person precisely, but rather out of fear of her terrible anger.

That same day, after making all the necessary preparations, men, orcs, dwarves, mediam and elves set out for the Dragons’ Mountains.

They advanced smoothly until nightfall, when they all lay down to sleep. All except the chosen ones as sentries and Syriel who began the reading of the book entrusted to him by the albino wizard.