SWNOVELS Chapter 10: The Lake by the Mountain
“We should make camp here.” Obed said when they reached a calm lake. It was deep blue and the water was still. Pine trees surrounded it, hiding it from unwanted visitors. Naessa and her brothers had already met them at the tunnel exit and they didn’t hesitate to continue treading the forest of Elmswood as far as they could. There were ten of them there, including Laia.
The sun had disappeared from sight, leaving the sky with a pinkish hue. Naessa’s brothers were starting a bonfire while the others were unpacking a satchel filled with bread and meat. The moon could be seen rising over two rocky mountains, equally massive. Laia just stood by the lake, watching over it.
“It must be nice to have your ancestral home next to that beauty” Naessa greeted Laia from behind. “The Eleazarians call it The Twin Sisters of Alamar, after Meridith and Marinn Alamar, the great heroines that brought peace to the Eleazarian’s ancestral home beyond the sea. It is also believed that if you listen hard enough, you can hear the mountains grumble in agony for our land”
Laia looked at Naessa and found her odd. Dark skinned, black curly hair and eyes so blue. She did not wear a fancy dress like the other women in Eleazar, but rather, she wore a simple shirt and trousers. Not to mention her accent was very much different.
“You don’t look like an Eleazarian” Laia remarked. Naessa only chuckled.
“Because I am not.” She smiled. “I’m a Nazarian. During the invasion, my grandparents were abducted by the king’s men. My family became slaves for noble families ever since. We were starved, raped and disposed; nothing but tools for trade”
“What happened to the rest of the slaves?”
“Well…after the Nazarian horde retaliated five years ago, let’s just say we were not treated as kindly as before. Many were killed. Many fled back to the desert. While some of us stand to fight for the cause” Naessa turned towards her brothers. Her brothers than called them to eat as the food was already prepared. Laia pitied her.
“In that case, Naessa, this place is as much your ancestral home as it is mine.”
Naessa just smiled. “Come. You must be starving.”
They paced towards the bonfire and sat around it. Laia sat next to Eli who just finished sharpening his dagger.
The brothers passed the bread and a bag of water around. They all partook in it. Laia watched the small group of friends sharing food, telling jokes and exchanging stories. It was not at all how she imagined humans to be like. They were not the mindless brutes that she believed.
“Hey.” Eli called her as he passed her a piece of chicken meat. “Do you eat this?”
Laia only nodded and accepted the food.
“So…” Eli started to ask. “You never really told me why you were in the dungeon.”
“You tell me first, Rivergrove.” Laia replied as she took a bite of the nicely spiced chicken.
“Me, brother Obed here, and another…fallen comrade, stole the king’s regalia. Which is now in good hands, I presume?” Eli smiled, directing the question at Obed.
“As it should be.” Obed replied, enjoying his meal.
“Why?” Laia asked.
“The people never really liked the king. But they were afraid of him. So we had to show the people that there is no reason to be” Obed said as she took a sip of water. “By the look of the riot last night, you can see that our plan worked.”
“Now what about your crimes, Dalharian?” Eli turned back towards her.
“Ironically, I was supposed to be an envoy of peace after the king’s men destroyed my city on a sacred night. And even after that, the king had the nerve to ask our permission to exploit our main resource, the Terazine ores.”
“So I’m guessing your visit did not go well?” Naessa interrupted.
“Not at all. My sisters were killed and I was just lucky enough to be chosen as the king’s trophy”
“That makes the both of us, then” Eli said.
Laia just smiled as she stared into the fire. Then she continued.
“Naessa told me about her reason of opposing the crown. What about all of you?” Laia looked around. Obed replied first.
“I was the son of a nobleman in Eleazar. That was until my father discovered something he shouldn’t have about the Meridith family. Before he could tell anyone else, knights already raided my home. He was accused of treason and hanged for it. Not feeling satisfied with punishing one innocent, the king ordered the whole family to be executed. I was only blessed to escape that massacre. Unfortunately though, I never found out what that important secret was…”
“I’m sorry” Laia muttered. “What about you, Ranshark?”
“I was from the province of Galel. The people there never really liked the king because of the high taxes he placed on our people. One day, a man voiced up against the king and the next day his whole family was slaughtered. Galel has been quiet ever since. But many of us ran away to join the Reds.”
“Seems like the king is a genocidal madman. No surprise there.” Laia remarked. “I’m assuming your story is similar, Eli?”
Eli let out a big sigh and stared at the fire.
“Not exactly” Eli said. “I arrived here only five years ago and stayed with my mother in the province of Dalem. Dalemites were very fond of the king. We paid our taxes. We give away a portion of our crops to the crown…”
All of them listened to him attentively, Laia most of all as this is her first time listening to his story. Eli continued.
“But as you all know, Eleazar was once Nazarian land until the humans from the Blade conquered it and pushed its natives to the desert” Eli looked at Naessa and her brothers with pitiful eyes. “So as human nature had intended it, the Nazarians finally fought back to reclaim their land. They sieged many of the southern provinces. They even made it to high town. But they hit Dalem the hardest. They killed my mother and sister. I saw their throats slit right before my eyes. I was the only survivor of that attack. Not even the children could run”
“I don’t understand” Laia interrupted. “The Nazarians destroyed your village and yet here you are sharing food with Nazarians”
Naessa’s brothers grunted at hearing Laia’s rude remark. But Eli just signalled them to stay calm.
“Admittedly, at first my rage was towards the Nazarians. I spent a year of my life devising plans and looking for men who could help me destroy The Tribe of Nazar. That was when I met a man by the name of Adnar. He was a late friend of mine; died just the other day during our mission. He reminded me that the Nazarians had every right to reclaim their land, for we stole it from them. But the folks of Dalem had every right to be protected by the king as well. We were his most loyal citizens. We gave him all that he requested no matter how expensive. Yet, not one knight was sent to our rescue. All of them are called to protect the high towns, leaving us common folk to be left for the slaughter. And where was the king, you may ask…He went on a voyage to Rodenheim. Sirium knows what the coward was doing there. Not to mention all of this could’ve been avoided if Velron could just allow the Nazarians to share the land with us. But he’s nose-deep in his pride. Nothing can save him anymore.”
Laia could feel the pain in Eli’s heart. She suffered it herself during the Blue Moon. She saw for herself how the king’s pride has shown little change over the years. She looked at Naessa whose smile had faded.
“Lady Laia…” Naessa spoke up. “We all suffered the idiotic rule of the tyrant. That is why we gathered, regardless of skin colour under the banner of the Reds. We hide here in Elmswood, plotting a way to win the war against injustice. Which is why Eli believes the starbornes of Dalhar will gladly join our cause.”
Laia gulped at the thought.
“You have convinced me, all of you. Truly.” Laia said. “But that decision is up to my Ashosh. He is my king and he is the one who decides who can be our allies, not me”
“Again, milady, that makes both of us. I am also not in a position to decide for the Reds” Eli spoke. “Which is why you should come to our encampment and convince our captain that the Reds and Dalhar can be friends. Afterwards, if he approves, I will come with you to Dalhar and convince your Ashosh.”
Laia and Eli’s eyes were locked on each other.
“We can’t win this war alone, Laia” Eli continued.
Laia slowly nodded.
“Let me send a message to my Ashosh first.” She said. She stood up and walked towards the lake. The waters were now black, reflecting the night sky.
She took out her bracelet and started to chant. But the glow of the Terazine ore was dim. She tried to chant harder but it only flickered at most. The ore was finally out of Galaviere. She let out a loud grunt as she let down her arms and gazed at the Twin Sisters of Alamar. She closed her eyes then took a deep breath. And indeed, she could hear the grumbles of the mountains.