The Stone of Valshar: Chapter Two

CHAPTER TWO

MEETING THE REF’GEES

Drigesh wished to waste no time in Mount Herpdon. The dawn had arrived and the necessity of their quick departure should be put to action. The company began their journey as Enya, the injured lady, had received her final medication from Drigesh. She was calm and quiet, now that she knew she would be safe under the protection of Drigesh and Wind Spirit. Despite of her partially healed condition, their journey must go on. She could not go back to her village anymore, for they had sought protection from Irah, the Earth Spirit.

They packed all their necessities and henceforth walked steadily out from Mount Herpdon and through the other side of O’am. They travelled east to the Kingdom of Boræ before the stop at Queldur. No one knew what creature stayed in the kingdom, but what they knew was that this kingdom was built by an old clan of the world called Ref’gee. Such word was not found in the language of Noturian, even the nearest one was Rafigue which means fierce.

They took their first meal before began their journey. The whole company needed some nutriments to survive the harshness they were about to confront. Drylem distributed the food to everyone except Wind Spirit. Enya thought this showed disrespect to Wind Spirit. Wind Sprit had saved her whole clan from a disastrous curse, a curse made by a member of the clan but affected the whole.

‘Show some respect to the Great One. She requires nourishment as we do!’ demanded Enya to Drylem.

‘She is neither the Great One nor does she need nourishment. Argue as you wish, the truth is so whether you like it or not.’ Drylem attacked her without mercy.

‘Be careful with those lethal words of yours, or you will suffer the consequences.’

These words came so sudden as though flashes of lightning struck Drylem and made him furious. Such insult was too unjust to him and was beyond his limit of acceptance. He tried to argue, but Wind Spirit came between them.

‘Enya, my child. Drylem told you the truth. I do not eat like you do nor I am the Great One.’ Wind Spirit explained. ‘I am merely novice if I were put side by side with the Master. And the Great One was and still remains Durugah. The dwellings I come across are only the quarrel of the creatures, while Durugah himself had dwelt in the great war of the Spirits.’

‘Who is this person he called himself “the Great One” –’

‘We should leave this place at once. The land itself had already been poisoned and begun to show its effect upon us.’ Drigesh ordered. Thus the quarrel was stopped. In hurry pace, they left the moor and went towards Mount Boræ, a place where Drigesh saw fit to make their resting place before they continued their journey. Furthermore, it was the safest yet toughest route to Queldur.

Inside Yi’ema’s pocket bag was Mir’Irah, the stone with colours of green, blue and yellow, the stone clunked merrily with the bottles of medicine inside the bag, telling the company that their next destination was Queldur. The company moved jovially, though the pre-war had started, with Wind Spirit covered the front and Drigesh the rear. They stopped every once in a while as Enya needed rest.

Along the way, they saw many scattered crops and animals that were unfit to travel due to the bad condition. Nevertheless, some had been saved by Drigesh. She shrunk and put them into a magic jar that could sustain their lives even without food, and they all would fall into deep sleep.

They travelled as long as the sun can be held on the sky. Out from Mount Herpdon, through the moor and the wild they walked. When they reached the mountain range of Boræ, the sun had begun to set.

The things could be seen henceforth from the journey now on were endless mountains and trees covering the scenery. The hangings of the trees sometimes were so thick that what was behind it was not able to be observed.

The journey grew sturdier with every passing day even at one point that Wind Spirit’s leaving them was unnoticed. The tracks were not easy to walk, when the rocks were everywhere, big or small, to make the road painful to the feet, ankles, toes and knees. Sometimes the wall of big rocks was full of green slimy plants that no one had the courage to touch it when they were out of breath.

They travelled into the mountain ranged for twelve days and nights, and not even once slowing down their pace or taking rest. There was nothing interesting or peculiar happened along the way, besides the flying dust accompanying their heavy breathing when they thumped the ground. The stillness of the air was obvious enough to suggest that the danger was gazing at their every movement nonetheless. Every single person felt the oddness of the circumstance and its likelihood to lead to a disastrous event.

Their energy had drained out from them, their skin and lips dried up. Unable to withstand the severe condition, Enya finally collapsed. Thus it brought the company to a halt once more. The food was distributed and Drigesh performed the healing magic immediately to everyone. Her power alone was not enough to save the company. Thus she borrowed the power of Mir’Irah. It was such a fortunate to have the stone with her, or else she would drain herself out by exhaustion of using magic.

Mir’Irah was the seven powerful stones that lay in league, let alone the three stones that guard the elements of the sky. These seven stones were formed by the Spirits to aid them in the war of Anthis. Mir’Irah was called Mir’Throdim the stone of healing, as it was the stone that was used to heal the being on the Sprit’s side that was hurt during the war.

After its contribution to the war, the stone laid inside Oopunh, the Tower of Delight. Seventeen hundred years it was hidden and concealed from the world, for Irah, its creator fears that others would use it for their own profit. Longevity it could give to the one who bore it with him, but the consequences would also give the person a living death.

It was obvious that Enya’s collapsed had sent the message to the creature that lived here when there was a heavy thud coming their way. Obviously, the thud told them that there were intruders in the land of Hashboræ in the Ref’gees tongue.

‘Who dares to enter the prohibited Hashboræ?’ and thus came an enormous body, with every thudding steps toward them. It was the giant. Now they knew that Ref’gees means the Giants. Not as giant as they were said, Giants were actually only twice the size of a human with figure of lean and tall.

The Ref’gees were the largest creatures on land, but they were known to be vicious. They ripped their foe apart or put their heavy steps on them. Legend had that the giants were an experimental failure of the Spirits. They were said to be the original Noturiaz, but their size made them unmanageable. They raged through the forest and destroyed whatever was in sight.

‘I believe you were in a hurry toward west, Khirshalam.’ They suddenly heard Drigesh said, ‘why are you still immobile?’ even to the Spirits, such conversation would seemed odd, for no creatures dared to speak to these being, afraid that they might get injured.

The giant began to laugh, which the wave of the laughter shaken the ground they stood on, ‘Drigesh, my apology to shout at you in such a manner.’ The giant apologised. ‘Indeed, I was travelling west to visit the creatures of O’am. Unfortunately, I had to abandon my journey when all of them seems to travel my way. With such a big crowd that made me had ill imaginations of O’am.’

‘It is I who suggested them to go east. Terrible things had happened to Aña, O’am in particular. The foul being had corrupted the outskirt of O’am. Everyone will soon die if the don’t leave O’am.’

‘A wise decision! Now, you must not stay outside of Anshor for such a period. Through your explanation, I dare say that the next most likely place to be attacked is Hashboræ.’

The giant set off toward Anshor while the others follow them from the rear.

* * *

‘Yi’edha… Yi’edha…, do not attempt to escape. Sooner or later, I will get you! Why not save the time and give yourself up?’ the voice of Miña echoed through the forest, followed by a mad laughter.

Yi’edha began to feel the dizziness due to the loss of blood. He could bind the wound easily, but the magic he used would mean more wounds would come his way. Even so, she had found him endless times. Yi’edha felt that his life was drifting away. He was going to die. Yi’ema did not hear him, all he had is himself, alone, weak and dying. I beg for your forgiveness, Aña. He thought. With my stubbornness and stupidity, I chose a path that would cease me from existence. He could no longer carry the task that was bequeathed upon him. There was no more hope.

Darkness fell upon his eyes. Yi’edha saw nothing after the final glimpse at Orjazdu. He felt only the wind, strong and dry, followed by the roaming thunder from the sky. The rain was here, pouring onto his face and body. It was not a bad death after all. The Cloud Spirit would know his whereabouts and send his corpse to his sister.

He felt his body getting lighter, every minute. He would be glad if this is the way he died, with no pain of whatsoever. The only thing he felt guilty was not able to carry his task successfully. He clutched the seed inside his hand strongly, hoping that he would not give it away when his soul left his body.

Suddenly, Yi’edha heard a shrieking call from behind. This is it, he thought, she had found me, and soon she will kill me. It was worthless to fear whatever came his way when the darkness finally engulfed him.

* * *

Khirshalam came to the gate of Boræ and halted. The gate was enormous and beautiful. It was made of the finest white stone that exist with carvings that dance gleefully along the wall. The carvings were so real that one might think that animals were sacrificed to be put on the wall. What was certain is that the Ref’gees were not as violent as they were being told. Killing animals was not what they do for lives; leave be the animals they raise for food.

‘Aram khor iguan.’ He shouted. The gate began to glow and soon as though only a light of veil of light blue covered the entrance. Khirshalam walked slowly towards the entrance. The light was a strong magic that they inherited from their ancestor. Only those who are of the blood of the Ref’gees and those who were permitted to go in would be allowed to walk through the gate. Others would be sent to the land beyond so far that they took seven years to come back to the gate.

‘Such a paradise in the wild,’ said Drigesh to the giant. ‘And yet you shunt it from everyone.’

‘The power we set on this place never been lifted since the war, Drigesh.’ Khirshalam explained, but his face was not as gay as a moment ago.

The war that Khirshalam was referring to was the war of Anthis. It all began when Folrest, one of the Spirits had greed over the great land of Anthis, which was the origin of the Ref’gees.

‘If I do not know better,’ Khirshalam claimed, ‘I think that Durugah himself would have agreed to believe in such a story! My ancestor said that he was the very eye witness of our arrival to this land.’

‘It would be put in writing in Añari if such eventful happening took place. But I do not recall coming across a chapter of the happening.’

‘Believe it or not, Durugah had set a few hidden chapters in the book that only those who are sincere enough would read the whole book without any snag.’

Drigesh sat there thinking hard, tried to understand every word Khirshalam said a moment ago while he went and mind his own meddling.

When the night came, it was time for the people of the kingdom to celebrate their new year, which was every twenty five years, six months and three days.

The celebration was held with utmost grandness, like none of them had ever seen. There were lights everywhere they went as the lanterns were lit along streets with white and blue fire burning. People wear no clothes of silk or cotton but or rugged cloth, trimmed and sewn by craftswomen with skilful hands.

They danced and sang as the music was played. Thus the noise of thumping feet and rumbling music were said to be the madness of Mount Boræ every twenty five years. The Roha’inDala said Mount Boræ got angry and asked for sacrificial animal. Thus the first sacrificial ceremony of the world came about, and a golden mare of the Jaza was sacrificed, making the Noturiaz hide from the Roha’inDala, fear that one day they would take them as sacrificial prey.

It was after four days that the celebration ended. People within the kingdom were cleaning up the debris they made four days in consecutive. There were sweeping the sidewalks, throwing away the waste, making the street clean again.

Drylem, who had began to get used to the live in Boræ, the Kingdom of Anshor, was very interested in the history of the Ref’gees after he had heard various great happenings of them when he wandering in the kingdom. Thinking that Khirshalam must know more than anyone would, he approached him and asked for more stories. Drigesh was there too, but the reason was unknown. Thus, Khirshalam began the story of their arrival.

‘It was said that our ancestors travelled to Earth by light. The story that was orally passed throughout generations said that we were once the civilian of the farthest star called Anshor. This Kingdom of Boræ is called as Anshor to make us remember where we come from.

‘Our ancestor was once so proud of our kind that we were the greatest civilisation of our land. We lived in harmony with the creatures that once exist in our view, but that all changed when one day came a necromancer whom his origin was the knowledge of none of our ancestor. He brought along his people and conquered the land and enslaved them. These people were villains! They chopped down the trees and killed the animals in our land to make their living place and their clothing. The air was getting thin and there was urgency to act or we were going to deplete soon as there would have no more trees to chop and no animals to kill soon. Thus, my ancestor put up a war against the people of the necromancer.

‘Twenty six thousand and forty two years, nine months, and thirteen days they were under enslavement of the necromancer. They were tortured to build and serve him. The necromancer was a bad leader. He killed the people of our kind when no one wished to obey his order.

‘Garadhña, my ancestor, had an idea of building the platform of Lindush, a place big enough to perform the magic for them to travel to the faraway star. The platform was built in secrecy, and the necromancer was told that they were building an altar for the God they praised.

‘When the platform was finished, our ancestors gathered around in groups to travel through the faraway land. When they begin travelled through the platform, their doings were revealed. The necromancer was angry and soon cast the spell to destroy the platform. Only a small amount of our people was not able to travel through this platform before it collapsed.

‘Many years had passed, no one knew if the story were true. Some thought it was the way of the people before them use their leisure by concocting such story with their immense imagination. Those were the people who would never get the truth of the story. The story could be found in the Añari, the Book of the Earth. In this book, Durugah had written down the happenings on Earth, which one part was devoted to explain the enormous tribe that they called themselves Orandy. These people had travelled through a vortex to Earth.

‘Do you really believe the story?’ Drigesh asked, ‘is it not supposed to be just a fairytale of the Ref’gees?’

‘Yes, I do.’ Khirshalam answered. ‘Most of the content of the story was true, but the oral text of the story had many versions and most likely did not talk about the war of Anthis. People tend to live in fairytale or even their own imaginations. That was why there were no helpings from these people when the very worst of an event took place, for none of them had the courage to live on when they are out from their fantasies and face the real world.’

‘So this proof that the story, even your own version, was full of uncertainty. Then what good does it make to believe in such castle in the air?’

‘My advice to you, Drigesh, is try to look up the story in Añari.’

* * *

Yi’ema had left the company behind and walked the other way. She alone would go to Orjazdu to save Yi’edha, her brother. It was when they left the moor and planned to travel to Queldur that she heard his call. Help me, sister! She knew it for that instance that her brother was in danger. Without second thought, she left the company, and went away.

When she reached Orjazdu, she saw a large tawny owl perching on a nearby branch, as still as the stone. With eyes wide open, but with no more life to live, the bird was obviously dead. It was the sign of the poison that attacked the forest. Thus, Yi’ema blew the summer breeze into the nearby land to find his brother’s breath.

He was already severely wounded when she found him. Tortured by Miña, even though he ran and hid as good as he could. By the fact that his brother was severely wounded and that Miña knew the forest very well, she had to find him, the sooner the better. The wind helped her to arrive at Yi’edha’s side fast enough.

She carried him and began to fly, as it was the fastest way to bring Yi’edha to safety. Her magic was too obvious and soon noticed by Miña. She chased them from behind and shrieked when she saw that it was Wind Spirit who had come to the rescue. Even though afraid that she might lose her prey, Miña could do nothing. She was not fool enough to challenge the power of Wind Spirit.

Yi’ema flew high and fast to the mountain range of Boræ and tracking the trail which was made by the company. Suddenly, a dark orb with black fire formed behind her and chased her, but the power of the wind pushed the orb away. After tracking all the trails, she set off to the Kingdom of Boræ. The orb came back, this time with a great flame of grey and dark blue. Since she was moving, the flame never caught her. She went into the compound of the kingdom from the top, and landed in front of Drigesh.

‘Sister, please help my brother! He was severely injured.’ Yi’ema pleaded.

‘Yi’ema, what make you think that I was capable of healing your brother?’

‘You can heal the Spirits, can’t you?’

‘Yes, but not when your brother needs the healing power of Irah.’

‘The stone, we – ’

‘No, your brother needs to cure himself; no one can help him to heal. That is how the power of Irah works.’ Drigesh explained, ‘. But I can try bringing him to consciousness and providing him with strength.’

Drigesh made a potion of lilies and plum, added with some extra potions from under the sea. The potion was the colour of reddish orange, giving out the fragrance of morning breeze, adds in the smell of wild flower. Drigesh took the potion near to Wood Spirit’s nose and the solution went evaporated and was inhaled into Wood Spirit’s lungs.

Just a couple seconds past and Wood Spirit woke up with a stutter. After he was himself again, he quickly performed the magic of a glowing pale blue light and put it in front of his chest. The light went into a great flame and began to turn into dark blue as nearly as black, then became white.

Wood Spirit hit the white flame into the ground and it shaken the floor with huge wave sent to all directions. All the things went back to life again when the wave reached the bare grounds. New buds sprouted from the soil, while the poisoned plants were given new life again.

At last, the wave reached Orjazdu. The brown leaves turned green, the black branches and trunks turned brown. Miña was then knocked by the wave so hard that she woke up thinking what had she done for the past few days. Then she remembered that everything changed when her ring was touched by the blue raven, a bird that showed most oddness of its kind.

Wood Spirit then performed the second magic. He coughed up a three leaf clover from his mouth and placed it on his forehead. The leaf went dissolved into his forehead leaving a mark of clover leaf. As he began to regain his strength, the marking was clearer, but turned blue. Soon, Wood Spirit could walk around the kingdom with ease.