SWNOVELS Chapter 13: Nulara
Nulara moved along the border of Norvinoria and Farderland. She was approaching Ottosdal, a small border village. Before her eyes appeared a picture of burnt trees, half-destroyed, black with soot, houses. She dismounted and led the karkhash behind her. Ropes hung from the surviving trees, and half-burnt bodies dangled from some of them. Suddenly she saw how a girl ran between the houses and hid in a ruined house.
Nulara tied her karkhash to a tree and headed for the house.
“Don’t be afraid,” Nulara said, moving to the place in the house where the girl was hiding, “you can come out.”
The girl came out in ragged clothes, she had an emaciated face; she was a northerner, about ten years old. Nulara pulled a scone from her bag and showed it to the girl. The girl instantly stopped being afraid and ran to the food. She snatched the scone and began to eat it greedily, swallowing pieces without chewing. The girl’s once light blond hair was streaked with dirt, dust, and soot, but her northern blue eyes shone.
“What’s your name?” Nulara asked.
The girl answered nothing. Nulara gave her time to eat. Then Nulara handed the child a waterskin. The girl drank so thirstily that she almost choked.
“What’s your name?” Nulara asked again.
The girl looked at her and did not make a sound.
“Do you hear me, do you understand what I’m asking?”
The girl nodded affirmatively.
“All right,” Nulara smiled, “can you speak?”
The girl opened her mouth, beckoning the larmarian, and Nulara, looking closely, saw that the girl’s tongue was cut off.
“Child, who did this to you?” Nulara asked.
The girl pointed to the woman’s corpse, which was dangling from a rope. It looks like it was an arnadacre woman of the race of sand elves. They probably attacked Ottosdal with a small force, but the locals repulsed the attack. Maybe the woman grabbed the girl at the moment of retreat, when the northerners were winning the battle, and wanted to escape, threatening to cut off the girl’s tongue, and somehow managed to fulfil her threat? Nulara decided not to think about it. Tears welled up in her eyes.
“Would you like to come with me?” Nulara asked. “I am heading to the majestic capital of the forest elves, Grandavalnall.” She smiled.
The girl nodded with delight. Nulara was about to take her hand, but then she got the idea to ask the girl.
“Can you write?”
The girl nodded affirmatively. Nulara took a branch and made a small stick out of it and gave it to the girl.
“Please write your name.”
The girl wrote in the union language, “Lala Freethieldson.”
“Nice to meet you, Lala, and my name is Nulara.”
The girl smiled.
“Come on,” and Nulara took the girl by the hand and led her in the direction of the tethered karkhash.
Suddenly she heard a noise, and three men appeared in front of them, two swarthy isterses and one azdairik. Azdairik had narrow eyes; he held in his hands a curved long blade that gleamed.
“Larmarian, I suppose,” the azdairik grinned, “let’s make a deal, we’ll take all your provisions, your karkhash, and we’ll have you, and then we won’t touch the girl.”
Nulara instantly untied the karkhash, tossed the girl on it and said, “Get out of here, find shelter!” and she slapped the karkhash, and the animal rushed off.
Turning to the opponents who managed to surround her, Nulara drew two short swords and, jumping high, lunged at one of the isterses, he with his sword repelled her attack, but in second attack she cut his thigh. Quickly she was beside his companion, she made quick powerful attacks with two swords, crushed the enemy, and the isters retreated. Then she kicked him with all her might in the stomach, and when he bent slightly in pain, she jumped to the side and slashed him on the shoulder, the isters dropped the sword, and with a swift swing, she slashed his throat. Nulara stuck both swords into the soil and drew two small daggers. She threw one, the azdairik swerved, and then she took the sword and threw the second dagger on the run. The dagger plunged into the warrior’s shoulder, and he hesitated slightly when Nulara jumped with a running start, holding the short sword in front of her, with all her might fell on his head, cutting the skull to the eye. All three was dead.
She looked around and saw that a karkhash was standing nearby. Nulara ran up and saw that the girl was lying lifeless.
“No!” Nulara shouted. Tears welled up in her eyes. “Lala! No!”
She roared, hugging the girl in her arms. The girl probably fell off the karkhash and hit her head on a burnt, sharp branch sticking out of the stump. Nulara burst into tears, covered in blood. So much suffering had befallen the larmarian, that her faith in life was fading. She hugged the child’s dead body and screamed hysterically. This went on for several minutes. Then she kissed Lala’s bloody forehead, got up and walked in anger towards the slain.
She took the curved azdairik sword, which was longer than her short swords, and in anger began to chop his body. When a bloody mess was left from the body, she did the same with the other two attackers.
Finally, she was exhausted. Thunder rumbled, it began to rain. She lay down next to the mutilated bodies and felt the rain wash over her face.
“Gods, I want to die, I want to die…”