The Forgotten Land of Myria

ROY

“Well, would you look at that?” Ada said as she poured an oily slime over my face. “The little waskaway has finally decided to rejoin the living. Welcome back!”

I smiled through bruised chapped lips. I’d been awake for a while already, but was only just able to move now. My eyes felt heavy my skin ached with a warm stingy feeling that I knew all too well--I didn’t even have to look to know that I was completely sunburnt. My shirt was torn open and I could see a large swollen cut on my upper belly. As if I hadn’t had enough of those. It was from back when I’d been ambushed, but it was still fresh.

My spine was also sore from being stabbed, forcing me to roll on my side, facing Ada.

“Can I, just this once, know what this goo is that you’re rubbing on me?”

Ada grinned.

“It’s a concoction of traufferies and honey harlequin, with just a tweak of quercitron. Nothing fancy. Improvisational, really. I always carry some ingredients with me and I had to work with what I have, since, you know, we divided up the supply crate...of course Livia would have made a much better mix since she got the best of the medicine.”

She faltered and a look of dismay took over.

“Well, uhh, why does it have this snotty green color?” I asked in an attempt to distract her.

“Oh, that would be the quercitron. It’s quite the strong spice.”

Angus, who was sitting next to me, scribbled some notes in his notebook, and Ada dabbed my face with a wet piece of cloth. As I began to feel more relieved, another sensation took over. Hunger. The last time I remember eating anything was at the Blood Dunes. In the prison cell, we had only been fed a bowl of muddy water.

“How long have we been here?” I asked, clutching my stomach.

“Just a little over half an hour,” Safira appeared over me, and Eulisses joined in. “I think we should tell you how we all got here. And here, have some of this.”

She solemnly handed me a wooden scoop of broth.

“How did you--”

“Sit up so you can eat,” she snapped.

“You know, I was awake during the escape, so I pretty much saw everyth--”

As Safira and Ada sat me up, I came across something that made me forget my bowl of broth. “What kind of jacked up monkeys are those?” I asked.

“The hairless kind,” Angus snarked. “A.k.a, humans. Tanya, Zeff,” Angus extended his open hand toward me with a flourish. “Meet your cousin Roy, the hairy ape.”

I was too tired to answer to that...

Near them, a small spark was floating around and I was ready to call it a firefly when--it talked. It said something in a high-pitched voice that I couldn’t make out; but it said something.

“So you didn’t see everything,” Ada giggled.

“Oh! That’s--one of those--Tinkerbell things we saw in the forest!”

Safira nodded. “A nixie. Questions?”

“Yeah...uhh, in fact, let’s start with those two--whatever you wanna call them.”

After that, I sat through twenty minutes of explanation that made my head start throbbing again.

“Okay...so...you just...woke up in this place?”

Angus nodded.

“Wh--what about that?” I pointed to the frozen sphere that glittered on each of our faces, “I get that you turn it on with that flute.”

“Ocarina,” Angus corrected.

“But--what exactly is it?” I said, ignoring him.

“That,” Safira said, “is our ticket out of here.

“A--actually,” the little nixie with the weird name (who liked being called Isabelle) flew in between Safira and me sheepishly, “I wouldn’t quite say our ticket out of here.”

“And why not?” Safira confronted. Isabelle fiddled her pea-sized feet in midair, but didn’t say anything. “Answer me!”

“All right, all right!” All of us had our eyes on her.

“Well...the Razorgate. It’s made of meqauntigum.

“Mega, what?”

“Meqauntigum,” Isabelle repeated. “It’s the conjuring of fire and water. In other words, when you blend fire with water, you make meqauntigum.

“What do you mean blend fire and water?” Angus jumped in, like I was pretty sure he would. “You can’t blend fire with water. What do you even mean by blending?

“Well the Razorgate says you can!” Isabelle pouted.

“Go on Isabelle,” Safira gestured, shooting Angus a shut-up-now” look.

“Fine,” Isabelle croaked, looking offended. “As I was saying, the Razorgate is made of meqauntigum. Being the blend of fire and water, it can only be used by a water elemental and a fire elemental, together. A water or fire elemental alone won’t be allowed through.”

I had no idea what Isabelle meant, but apparently Angus did--and he seemed pretty annoyed by it.

“Water elemental, fire elemental. That’s all rubbish!” That seemed to tick Isabelle off.

“Fine!” she squealed. “If you’re so sure that it’s nonsense...then touch it! Go on! Touch the orb, I dare you!”

Angus gave a loud gulp.

“Not so smart now, are you?” Isabelle taunted, “Remember when you activated it and I warned you not to touch it? Well, that’s what I meant!”

As silly as he looked, Angus wasn’t going to admit defeat.

“Well, how did you know I wasn’t a fire or water elemental for that matter? How did you know I couldn’t touch it?”

“Because if you could touch it, you WOULDN’T HAVE SPENT ALL THAT TIME TIED UP!”

Isabelle’s words echoed through the cave, and I tried not to break the silence with laughter.

“Wait a minute,” Angus muttered. “The grip that was holding me down was made of meqauntigum?”

“Exactly!” Isabelle humphed, crossing her arms.

“And how did you know that...” Angus eyed her suspiciously, and soon Isabelle didn’t look so superior.

“Well...b--because...”

Angus slowly rose, making the little nixie even more uncomfortable.

“Because...well--well because...oh stop it! They were the ones who did it!” Isabelle pointed a shaky finger at Tanya and Zeff who were still messing around with Banebee.

“They did it?” Angus was blown away. “They were the ones that trapped me here?”

“Gee if it wasn’t for them, you wouldn’t be alive right now!”

Angus’ eyes widened.

“That’s right,” Isabell cleared her throat. “They were the ones that found you stranded, deep in the cave. You were unconscious. The gnomes must’ve dropped you or something, when transporting you to the prison cell, and Tanya and Zeff found you. And so they brought you here, and--”

“And tied me up with meqauntigum...”

“Oh, don’t hate them!” Isabelle pleaded. “They were only trying to be cautious is all! They wanted to see if you were trustworthy! After they saw that you had freed yourself and done all of this,” she gestured around at the Razorgate. “They saw your brilliance! Oh, you should have seen how surprised they were!”

Angus slowly sat back down, embarrassed by the wildlings. Then I noticed that Eulisses, Ada, and Safira were all fixed on me.

“Safira,” Ada said. “That means you and Roy can go.”

“What?” I replied.

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? Safira is a water elemental, you’re a fire elemental--”

“Now wait a minute,” Safira interrupted. “We don’t even know for sure if he’s a fire elemental or not.”

Fire elemental. I remembered overhearing Eleazar and Leof talking about it, and...the thing I had done with my hand at the Blood Dunes, after pouring Myrrh over it. I had summoned fire. With my hand. Safira was going off about the whole thing.

“...And if we do go, what are we to do then? We won’t know where it takes us, and--”

“I’ll do it.”

“What?” Safira scoffed.

“I said I’ll do it,” I replied, as firmly as I could. “I’ll go through the Razorgate with you. A waterbinder and a firebinder, right? That’s what it takes. I’ll do it.”

Safira pursed her lips reluctantly, though I could tell she was tempted to accept it. Finally, she said. “If we’re getting out of here, we’re all doing it together. I can’t imagine leaving you all behind.”

Ada was ready to protest, until we all heard a squeal. Tanya and Zeff raised their hands in alert and gathered around. The nixie, Isabelle, had fallen to the dirty floor of the cave. She looked dull like she was fading, and her glow was sparking like a lightbulb, flickering on and off.

“Oh no!” Safira burst out. “Not yet.”

“But--already?” Ada gasped.

“What? What!” Angus jumped in. Safira took a deep breath.

“Nixies are known to have a powerful glow, a light that never really switches off. However, there is one particular night where all sources of light get obscured--including the nixie’s glow. One night where they all shut off.”

“Is it the...the Lotus Eclipse?” Angus asked.

“Yes It’s also the night where all evil rises. The night where Theon’s forces become stronger than ever, and...and the night where he leaves his current body, and takes on a new one.”

That’s when I felt a stab in my heart. “Alice,” I whispered to myself. I gulped a dry lump in my throat.

“I--is it happening--now?”

“Not now. Not exactly. Signs of the Eclipse begin showing the night just before it. I’d say we have about 20 more hours before it takes on fully.”

Suddenly, I had no more patience. “We have to go,” I said. We have to take the Razorgate. Tonight.”

She didn’t respond.

“We can’t just sit and wait to find another way out.” I raised my voice. “It’s now or never.”

Safira sighed. “Look...we can’t just leave them. I mean, how are you guys going to get out, and when? Since there’s no other way, we shouldn’t split up.”

I felt my fists clench, but then I heard Angus.

“Unless...”

“Unless what?” I snapped.

“No, just a whim--it would never work...” He stammered to himself until he noticed everyone looking at him, waiting for a solution. “Well, what are you all gawking at? It was just a passing thought, not a plan to get us out!”

“Say it,” Safira demanded.

Once he came to grips with how urgent our situation was, he sighed and spoke up.

“Well, huh--I was just wondering if--the--the Horned Serpent--well there’s this theory that umm...and if you defy it then you might just--”

“Angus,” Safira said patiently. “You’re thinking faster than you’re speaking. Take a deep breath, and speak clearly.”

“Well--okay...a few years ago, research was conducted where a man lay down in the open savannah in front of a lion. The lion, obviously, saw a scrumptious meal. However, when it took a step towards the man, the man did the same. The lion was clearly confused, as it’s accustomed to seeing its prey run away, rather than stand it down. So, it attempted its approach again. So did the man. Seeing that it was being confronted the lion eventually retreated, in defeat.”

He stood for a moment waiting for a response.

“Okay...” I said impatiently. “What’s your point?”

“My point is--any animal can be intimidated, if confronted with the right tactics. It’s called the Wolf Theory--well, that’s just what I call it. The man, by refusing to run, constrained the lion, forcing it to retreat, and thus gained control over the beast. What I was thinking is--like I said, it was just an idea--what if we applied this strategy on the Horned Serpent?”

Now pumped up, Angus seemed to ignore the choir of scoffs. “Well, we are trapped under its wings, if you may. In enemy territory. The only possible way out that I see, is to conquer the creature who owns the territory. In this case, the Horned Serpent. If we found a way to--to tame it, then--well, it is a flying creature--we might just get our ticket out of here!”

There was a nervous silence but Angus impatiently wanted a response, so I decided to break the ice. “You’re right. That’s not a plan. At all.”

“God, did you not listen to what I said? It was just a passing thought! Of course, I didn’t expect you to agree to it, I just--”

“It’s brilliant,” Safira cut him off.

“What?” Ada, Angus, and I all exclaimed at once. Safira bit her lip, leaned closer and spoke in no louder than a whisper.

“Back when we were trying to escape...everyone had already been down the portal and I was the only one left. But the Serpent had caught up and it cornered me. Before it could do anything, Tanya and Zeff confronted it, and sort of threatened it, and the Serpent actually backed away.”

I was surprised, but still not convinced, and I made sure to show it.

“Look, what Angus is suggesting isn’t such a terrible idea,” Safira insisted. “In fact, it’s our only idea so far.”

“It makes sense,” Ada agreed.

“Besides Roy, weren’t you the one who wanted to up and leave just now?” Angus asked.

“Okay, then how are we going to tell Tanya and Zeff about all this? As far as I know, our only way of communicating with them is currently lying on the floor, lifeless.”

I took another quick glance at Isabelle, who looked even more pale and faded. Ada gently cupped her in her hands.

“No,” Safira said immediately. “Not them.”

I sighed. I didn’t understand anything anymore. “Why not them?”

“Well, one, because we can’t communicate with them, like you said. And, two, I’m not letting them take that risk.”

“Why not?” I demanded. “I’m sorry, but do you know anyone else up for the job?”

There were a few moments of silence and then—

“I am.”

All our heads turned to Eulisses, who had been perched in the corner, like always, just listening.

“I will do it,” he repeated. It was weird to actually hear him speak. Everyone was so used to him sitting on his own, not contributing to anything. In fact, I didn’t remember ever hearing his voice before.

It was deep and hoarse, like it had been worn out--ironic, since he probably spends days without saying anything.

“A--are you sure?” Angus asked.

“I have nothing to lose.” A short and simple response and his head sunk down again, turning his grimstone in his hand.

“And besides--I am, after all, in the same guild as the Domitors.”

“Yes, but you’re not a Domitor. You’re a Summoner,” Safira contested.

“But who’s to say I don’t know a few things about taming beasts myself?” Eulisses said, his lip curling into a creepy smile.

“Ahh...okay,” Safira said awkwardly. “If you insist.” It was clear that we all felt a bit uneasy about the situation, but we accepted it.

“That’s it then,” Ada clapped her hands in relief. She had set up a small cot out of cloths and dirt for Isabelle. “So when do we leave?”

“Let’s see,” Angus said, squinting his eyes. “When we were out there, the sun was three-quarters way down the horizon. It has been a couple of hours since we’ve been here, so my guess is it’s nearly nightfall. Attacking at night would only increase our chances of failure, so I suggest we make our move first thing in the morning--since we can’t know when for sure, let’s put it to--seven hours from now?”

“Sure,” Safira agreed. Then Angus stared straight at her.

“Not you,” he muttered, wagging a finger at Safira and me. “I think you two should still take the Razorgate.” he continued before Safira could protest. “It’s clearly the only secure way out of here. We shouldn’t waste a chance like this, I mean, we have to assure that someone will get to Squire Elm before the Eclipse.”

“The others are probably already on their way,” Safira said.

“You don’t know that for sure--”

“I can’t leave any of you. I just can’t. I’m a Warden. It’ll go against all of my duties.”

“Stow your pride away,” Angus responded in a secure tone that I had never seen him use before, “Paewyn would want you to do what’s best for the Quest.”

“And we’re heroes too,” Ada added, just as firmly. “We weren’t chosen for this Quest just to slow things down.”

“Funny you should say that--I mean look at Roy!” Safira said, “He can barely walk!”

“I’ll manage!” I said, standing up to show how much better I was while trying to sound as confident as possible. Safira stared me down, and I felt a large wave of different emotions splash inside my belly.

“Look,” I said, trying not to make my voice sound to shaky, “let me remind you, that that girl they’re going to sacrifice twenty hours from now is my sister. I don’t know how much you know about family, but she’s the only piece I have left. If I lose her--I’ll never be able to live with myself...and I won’t forgive you for that.”

I stared at her as dangerously as I could, but she did the same, until Angus decided to awkwardly break the ice.

“Exactly,” he continued with a reassuring look. “Taming the Horned Serpent may take a while. If we all sit around and wait, we might arrive too late. We need a head start.”

Safira pursed her lips, thought for a moment, bowed her head and finally gave in.

“Fine,” she agreed, and I had to hold myself from punching the air in celebration.

Angus nodded.

“You two should leave a few hours earlier than we do,” Eulisses called out, “in case you wind up off track of the Fortress.”

“It’s settled then,” Safira agreed. “We’ll leave just before the crack of dawn.” She then paused for a moment. “And I think we should take Tanya and Zeff with us. They’re clearly immune to meqauntigum, and they could be of a lot of help with--with the paths, and such.”

I swallowed my fear with the cup of water Ada had set down next to me, and took a walk around the cave to assure myself that I was alright. I still had a bit of a limp, but I could manage. Safira and Ada were still discussing some things as I walked away from them. I needed to be alone for a while.

I stood a foot away from the lake, where I saw my distorted reflection on the water that was lit up by the shining orb--and I was terrified of myself. It looked like, in the past month, I’d aged ten years. My face was beaten--heavy bags fell under my eyes, and I now collected three scars on my cheek from the murcat’s scratch. I had gotten skinnier, way skinnier. My arms were weak and my legs shaky. Not to mention the bite mark on my calf that was still ripe with fresh meat, and the wound on my lower back that I had gotten from the gnome attack, which made me walk with a bit of a hunch. My hair was knotted, growing in every direction and my beard was full and dry.

I then squatted so I could examine my new face--and I smiled. I wondered, for the first time, if I looked like my dad... Had he ever been this torn up? Did he have this many scars, or stories to tell? Had he ever looked into a murcat’s eyes before stabbing it through? Or surfed a whirlwind? Or ridden turtle-shell Nessie? Or climbed a 35-foot rock wall with his bare hands? Or, speaking of bare hands, did he also shoot fire out of them? I scoffed. More importantly, did he ever bawl under a starry sky for having left Alice and me behind?

I guess that’s the biggest difference between us, Dad, I thought.

Behind me, Ada clapped her hands together cheerfully. “How about a meal to stir us up?”

“I could definitely go with some more of that broth,” I chuckled.