Chapter 2.5 TLOS: Awlin makes a decision

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Awlin had seen that the three groups of, now, fugitives had already left for their different destinations: Prince Erevin and his people to Haloren, Lassanides and those who accompanied him to Naras and Frey Kaistos to the Great Monastery of Os (ES). But he was undecided. When he was about to leave the tunnels, the creature had suddenly seen the immensity of the Valley, without walls or roofs or fences and had felt apprehensive? cowed? Or had he simply begun to feel free? It was obvious that he could not stay in the tunnels, because it could be that they were looking for him: of course, it was not likely that the entire assault on the Monastery of Sinnigen had been planned to find him, as Frey Kaistos had said (ES). But he could not be sure… so, what if it was true?

He smiled to himself: “Well, the truth is that I can't tell them much… I don't even know who I am…” He stopped short. “Hmmm, what if they did know? Bah, no, I don't think so. There is something else, much more important in that Monastery than me being there. What about the old Gärenul bridge that we found when we were being chased by those two gigantic Anahay desert snake babies? And who had destroyed it? And why didn't even the monks know it was there? What was that bridge for? There are so many questions that no one has asked… Hmm… but I can't help but feel good, almost… happy… to have left the tunnels. Ooooh, not almost… here I can only feel happy, really happy.” And then, looking at all that, he said to himself: “And that's what I know… I'm sure some monk knows more…”.

It was just dawn when he found himself at the opening of the tunnel. The first sun, called Dortian (“the remover of darkness”), was already clearly visible on the horizon with its pale yellow rays: it did not warm much, but it gave a soft but very pleasant light that helped overcome the gloom of dawn or dusk. However, Dortian alone would not have given enough heat to the earth, if it had been alone.

The second sun, Wromar (“the illuminator”), would rise in half an hour and then it would begin to feel warm and the light would flood everything. However, since it was not yet summer, the temperature had not risen too much. The weather was simply pleasant. Awlin smiled at this thought: he was rather little affected by the temperature at any time of the year.

He had to admit to himself that, although Wromar had not yet risen, the spectacle before his eyes was wonderful. He was increasingly convinced that, when he died, he had lost his memory, but that this loss was not total. Sometimes, like now, he felt a very pleasant "deja vu" when seeing things in the world, like it was happening at that precise moment: that landscape was a true spectacle that now, although he could no longer see, he could feel. He located the great Iridium River at the bottom of the canyon, deep and full of fresh water coming from the Snowwind Mountains and even further away, from the Mountains of Perpetual Snow, while its current reflected the clear and cloudless sky, with some very scattered clouds. He felt how the small streams of clear and singing water went down the hill, which in some sections formed small jumps in which it seemed that the small current went down the stairs, as if it were happy to go towards Haloren and the Ocean.

Only then did he realize that, apart from that, he could only hear the noise of the group of duenxies heading towards Naras: their songs, shouts and laughter could be heard throughout the Valley. Lassanides, the bald guardian, was not going to have a good time trying to discipline them. "They should moderate the noise: it is much better if they are not detected," he thought. But then he had to admit to himself that Lasánides was a warrior, in better shape (he was a strongman who trained daily!) and had better training that he actually had: after all, Awlin was a spirit who had lost his memory. In any case, those duexies looked more like children on an excursion than dangerous fugitives pursued by the Empress's servants. Come to think of it, it was kind of funny... seen from afar.

Finally, he perceived the sky, with a pleasant pinkish color, and felt that his fear of leaving the monastery was less and less. “Yes, he told himself, he knew that somewhere in this outside world there was that vile, cruel, vengeful thing called the Silver Voice, waiting for him. His role must have been important at the time of his death, because it was all he could remember. But for the first time, something inside him told him that if he was to be free for good, he would have to face it, even if he didn't know how or why. For now. A shiver ran through him as he remembered that all the traitors had knelt before that thing. They had said what it was called now, though it seemed to Awlin that that was not the name it had been known by before he died.

And then he concluded clearly and definitively: he would go with Frey Kaistos, as the monk himself had advised him, and see what they could find in Os about his origins. He was not very optimistic but it was more than staying in the Monastery without knowing and, above all, without knowing anyone and without any of those monks understanding him.

As he descended without problems along the pleasant slope, he enjoyed all the little animals he saw: some red-tailed hares over there, some aziorons¹ flying around looking for their breakfast and further away a colony of gamizulas² eating grass while others ruminated on what they had already eaten.

In a flash, he was back on the monk's shoulder and again he was frightened by the eyes of the owl and surprised by the calm of the molosser Uzo. It seemed as if none of those animals were affected by what had happened.

They went in silence, taking advantage of the shadows of the trees and hearing the melodious trills of the birds that lived there. They walked for almost two leagues and then Frey Kaistos told them that they should stop and fill their waterskins at a small stream that flowed strongly from the nearby mountains, because they were going to have to walk a lot in the next few days. But Arthurian smiled:

- “No, Frey, it will not be necessary to walk. I have a horse-changing post in a small town just behind the Arhuela, a tributary of the Iridium River that flows, with abundant water normally at this time of year, and crosses in front of the village of Aronuhela. When going to Sinningen, I ordered a cart to be prepared there, so we can go faster.”

For the first time since they left Sinningen, Frey Kaistos smiled:

- “Thank you, Arturiano”-. Then he looked at the sky and took a deep breath: the owl was calmly hovering above them while the dog continued walking at its pace without any further problems-. “We have more than 175 leagues³ to reach the Monastery of Os. We need to be quick but we can't stand out too much: I'm sure they have spies along the way. In any case, I need you to tell me what your employee heard, because we were interrupted before you could say it.”

- “Oh, that's right. What he heard was “The Empress will be pleased.” We are all aware of what that means.”

Frey Kaistos looked at the sky: the suns illuminated the day, bringing out all the most beautiful colors of the countryside around them. It seemed impossible that there were people who did not admire that view and the creation in general, as the wonder that it really was. He looked at Arturiano and said:

- “Yes, I am. The rumours are therefore true. The Empress has betrayed the Empire.” He looked up at the sky again and continued: “Although I have a feeling that it is not the worst thing she has done.” He stood up and said: “We must continue our march. The sooner we reach the horse-drawn carriage the better. We will have to be careful because we can be followed.” - He looked to both sides and said: “It would be good if we stopped, but not here in the middle of the road. I see a hill there with plenty of stones where we can sit down, have a snack and talk about the journey to Os.”

The masked man spoke then.

- “I think that's fine. The fewer prying eyes and ears, the better.”

So they continued calmly to the place that Frey Kaistos had pointed out and then the masked man began to speak:

- “I think there's something else we should worry about before we continue. But before we make plans for the coming days, I must say something because if not, you might be surprised by my behaviour” - everyone looked at him expectantly and he simply untied the dargol he was fastening and continued- “I understand that you know that I belong to the Order of the Prayerful.”

Arturiano opened his eyes in surprise but Frey Kaistos smiled amused:

- “Yes, I had many suspicions about that. Especially after Prince Erevin's words worrying about your safety. I would never have done something like that if I were a man.”

She nodded at the comment, then simply said, looking at Arturiano:

- “I will not go in the cart. I need a horse, so I can watch the surroundings, and these companions we have will help me,” she said, addressing Uzo and the owl.

Uzo barked, as if agreeing with her. The owl landed on her shoulder, as if accepting the proposition. Immediately, it rose into the sky and began to fly in circles, as if it wanted to see what was happening around them.

- “Okay,” said Arturiano. “I will do my best.”

- “But there is something I have to say. Do we have a map of where the horse stall is?”

Arthurian nodded.

- “I need to see it. It is more than possible that, if the Empress' servants were coming this way, they have set up spies in the surrounding area and especially towards Os. When I left the convent in Bonardia, to come on this mission, our Grand Abbess, Desa Akrovia, made it clear to me that His Highness Abalina did not have very good relations…”

- “To put it politely,” interrupted Frey Kaistos.

She smiled and continued speaking:

- “with the Grand Master of Os…”

- “And not only with him. You only have to see what his minions have done to our poor Abbot,” said Frey Kaistos with a broken voice.

Níramal looked at him, feeling sorry for the monk's suffering, understanding what he meant, and then continued:

- “In the case of the Grand Master of Os, he cannot be said to be old, because he was elected only 3 years ago and has not yet turned 40. But he always had been very outspoken since before the Emperor's death and everyone knows that he cannot stand Prince Holingen because of a confrontation they had quite some time ago in which the Empress's first son showed off all his arrogance. Therefore, I deduce that it is more than possible that they have placed spies at specific points.”

Finally, she looked at everyone, including the duexies who accompanied them, who had been very surprised that it was a woman who had so bravely faced the offspring of the giant snakes of the Anahay desert, and continued:

- “As the Grand Abbess advised me, I will only say my real name, not the name I have in the Community. My name is Níramal and I have been specially trained in the surveillance of trips like the one we are going to make.”

Along with Níramal, Frey Kaistos and Arturiano, the Sirdanian merchant, who was more pensive than usual, the group also consisted of three duenxies chosen by Chief Daringar especially for their erudition, good disposition and calm nature. Any of those characteristics made them very special among the duenxies: to be more clear, they were an exception. Obviously, they could not send the most mischievous duenxy to the Great Monastery of Os.

The first of them was, without a doubt, the most peculiar of them: too tall to be a duenxy (he was almost the normal height of a short human) and very thin, he wore a showy cap, which only covered his shiny bald head, as they had already seen when he had occasionally taken it off. That is what he did right now, before starting to speak:

- “I think we should all introduce ourselves too,” he said, a little taciturnly. “My name, Sprogiar, in our language means “He who studies.” A mischievous smile, the first sign that he was indeed a duenxy, spread across his face and, particularly, in his eyes. “My father was one of the most playful duenxies, so he bet that he would give me this name, because how could a goblin be a scholar? Well, it turned out that I ended up being one, which caused him even more hilarity than the bet itself. “I am a fortune teller,” he used to say, laughing heartily, passing his hand over his beer belly.” The goblin laughed back. “As our boss Daringar has already told you, that is the reason why he has sent me on this mission.” And I have accepted because I want to see for myself what the Os library is like: its fame has spread throughout the Empire both for the number of its volumes and for the erudition and great knowledge demonstrated by the comments of its monks. By the way, I think I can help with some stories I know.”

Then, he got down from a large stone he had climbed onto to sit down and stood between the three humans who were talking.

- “I understand what is happening. There is little chance that, if we all show up and there are indeed spies, any of us will come out alive. But there are other options. For example, you, young lady, I think you can come closer and see if there is any problem, right?”

She smiled.

- “Of course.”

Then, the second duenxy, much shorter, ruddy and with a perpetual smile, spoke:

- “I also agree that it was about time we made this introduction. My parents, who were not as jokers as Sprogiar's, named me Daliniar, although they never told me why. So it's a mystery” - and he laughed afterwards, as if it were a joke that had just been told to him.

The third goblin was small and quiet. He had nodded throughout the conversation and only said:

- “My name is Ankrat. The goblin chief told me that I had to collaborate in the security of the group and it seems that this is indeed going to be the case” - He then turned to Níramal and said - “Do you think that my company could be useful to you when you go to see what is happening in Aronhuela?”

She looked at him amused, while Frey Kaistos and Arturiano were quite surprised that the duenxies’ chief had sent them a bodyguard... who did not even reach their thighs. But, thinking about it, that could be very positive, because he could go and come back through places that they couldn't.

- “Any help is welcome… and four eyes see better than two, right? That's right” -she said now addressing everyone gathered-, “I think there are two possibilities: the first is that we enter the town during the day without drawing attention, which implies not getting close to the horse-changing station but observing what is happening around it. We will have to take a walk simply looking for an inn where we can eat or sleep, for example. The second possibility is to enter at night: it has very important advantages, because there will be fewer eyes controlling our movements as well as much easier evasion; but, without a doubt, there is another drawback: I am sure that there will be more controls at night, so they could stop us and question us.”

Then she looked at Ankrat again:

- “In case they ask, we will have to be very clear about why we are traveling together. What do you think would be the best solution to that?”

- “Saying that I am your servant. And, as for the time, I think that, although it may be more dangerous, it will be better if we enter during the day. Of course, the dog can come, but the owl is better if it only accompanies us from the sky: the other would make us easily recognizable and, therefore, the possibility of someone remembering us will increase exponentially.”

- “Yes, I think the same too” -then, she put her hand horizontally, protected by the thick leather glove she was wearing and the owl landed calmly. She continued -. “We do have to see how to communicate with you. And, of course, we cannot come to meet you in case we are followed.”

Arturiano, who knew the area well, interrupted to say:

- “I have it” - and pointed to the map in front of them-. “This area is flat but there are some places like this one we are in. There is one in particular that interests us a lot, because it is little known and, in addition, it is in a somewhat hidden area. It is called the Gamizulo Rock Formation and it’s situated here” - his index finger pointed to a specific point in the northwest of the town. “That way, if we have to enter Aronhuela in the end, we will enter it from the northwest, without having to explain why we came from the south.”

Seeing that it was late in the morning, they decided to eat something light and then each go to the place they had indicated. They had left the main path and were now going along a secondary one, perhaps with less preserved ground but they could see that it was safer. Frey Kaistos immediately realized:

- “There, look,” he pointed from a position higher than the main path. “What is happening there?”

A column of smoke rose in the distance. Arturiano scanned the horizon with concern:

- “That is the direction of Aronhuela. We have to be careful but I think we are not in the same place as before. We must find out what happened and we can only find out by getting closer.”

But then, everyone saw that Frey Kaistos seemed to be seeing something that was not there, as he murmured:

- “The courtyard of the Imperial Castle in Bonardia”…

They surrounded him without overwhelming him and soon he was able to explain:

- “You won't believe it… I think Awlin is starting to remember. He told me what he saw: he seemed to be walking along the rampart of the wall. It was the Imperial Castle of Bonardia, no doubt: the black marble staircase and the white facade were clearly visible. Meanwhile, in the courtyard the servants were busy putting up barriers and a place for the Imperial Court to sit. There was no determination of when it was, but the staircase was there. We all know when Lanio Stroidas built it: during the reign of Lamain the Bald less than 80 years ago.”

Meanwhile, the owl looked at Awlin and he understood that until then the animal had sensed it but now he could see it. Without speaking, they both agreed: they would go see what was happening in Aronhuela. The owl took flight with Awlin on its back, while they quickly approached the heat and smoke of the burning village.

General índex of published chapters (before the first proofreading).

1. a blue-feathered goshawk that lived mainly in this area of ​​the Empire. It Fed mainly on hares, but also on other small birds and rodents.

2. These deer-like animals, but reddish in colour and with antlers like those of mountain goats, lived on high ground. Traditionally, they did not live there, but the high hill where the Sinningen Monastery was located became a sanctuary for these animals, because the monks rarely hunted in the vicinity of the Monastery.

3. Castilian league = 4.190 meters. From the Iridio River to the Os Monastery there are 734 km, so in leagues there are 175,17899, so a little more than 175 leagues is the distance they have to travel.