NOVEL WEB Chapter 053: Enchanter
I leave the tent after putting Olka to sleep; poor girl was so tired she dozed off immediately when her head touched the fur. It’s quite impressive considering the racket outside; I get dazed for a moment when I get exposed to its sheer volume. It turns out the tent provides a great isolation from the outside – I wonder if it is somehow enchanted? I’ll have to take a look later. But it has to wait – I have a more pressing issue to deal with: the source of the ruckus.
There’s a curious sight in front of me: Chieftain Yuras and his brother – the elderly monk, Pan Leto – kneel on the ground, surrounded by a mob of angry, yelling women. I recognise some of them: Pola is there up front, gesturing wildly; the witch that helped me earlier today is beside her, with her hands crossed in front of her; Nadia, the Myshka MILF near them, yells with her hands on her sides; the female warrior-monk is the loudest and the most agitated, being held still by a few others; and there are many, many more women – some of whom I’ve seen, some of whom are total strangers – swarm around them, adding their voices to the noise.
I listen to the cacophony and realise that all of them are chastising the brothers for what they’ve done to me in my stead! That lifts my mood so much I nearly tear up; I expected my lover to get angry for me, maybe a few other people I got to know – but all those strangers? Taking my side over someone they’ve known probably their whole lives? Today may not be so bad after all!
“Umm… everyone?” I say, but my voice drowns in all the others – so I flex my Aura a bit. That does the trick; I feel I’m getting better at using it!
“Wha…! Kora! You alright?!” Pola and the rest of the crowd finally react and swarm me. My Moonberry hugs me tightly and other women touch me reassuringly as well; they also add a few words of compassion and solidarity along with it. And yet… there’s a familiar feeling of unease creeping in as the mob’s attention gets centred on me; still, it is weaker than before – maybe due to my hunger and exhaustion, both mental and physical?
“I’m feeling a bit better” I say finally. “Although all the noise didn’t help” I can’t stop myself from poking at them. I watch their embarrassed and apologetic reactions with a certain level of smug satisfaction.
“I’m sorry” says my Moonberry. “It’s just… when I’ve heard what happened and then saw those two I felt such anger…!”
“It’s okay” I hug her back and rest my chin on her head. “I think if it was about you I would be the same… if not more heated” I chuckle at my own joke – and my lover joins in soon. “Anyway, I have some explaining to do… but first – I’m hungry; can you get me something light to eat?”
“Nugund already went for that” she says looking aside with a tint of shame in her voice. “I think he predicted we would wake you up and went to prepare food for you” I can’t stop giggling looking her pout. Then I walk up to the two kneeling men.
“I still believe you treated them too softly” my Moonberry pouts and I sigh heavily.
“We’ve been arguing about it when I was eating and the entire way here; can’t we agree to disagree?” I see she opens her mouth, so I hug her – both to prevent her from continuing the discussion and to show her my affection. She tenses initially, but relaxes after a moment. “I know you worry about me and I appreciate that; I just want you to have more faith in me. And the Witches that examined me. And the Chieftain and his brother.”
“Still, being forced out of heat and straight into bleeding seems uncommon at the very least, Kora” Nugund chimes in, sparking reaction from Pola.
“Uncommon? It’s unheard of! You should…”
“If you want to quarrel can you please go away? I’m kind of busy right now and would appreciate some peace and quiet” Miro butts in, cutting off his sister’s tirade before it can start. “And weren’t you supposed to be training, Kora of the Wilds? Although I think I’ve heard enough to guess what is happening… how are you feeling?” His tone softened as he was talking to me.
“I’m better, thanks!” I say, cheerfully, finally taking a closer look around; we are not in a tent, but some sort of a round hut, made from wood and dirt. It is surprisingly cool and light in here; the air also feels fresh. The floor is slightly underground, with a few steps leading in. More importantly, the place appears a little cramped, as it is currently filled with all manner of monster materials – from furs and hides, including the one that belonged to the bear I defeated, to various bones and horns.
The blind Lisithun sits in the middle, holding what appears to be a chisel made out of long, straight horn, intricately carved and filled with magic. He uses it to etch a pattern on a bone and a crystal he’s got in his other hand. I can feel magic being involved from here… until most of it cuts off when Miro puts them away with a heavy sigh.
“So… why are you even here today?” He asks. “I won’t be enchanting your armours and other trinkets on my own; but that doesn’t mean I’m not very busy after yesterday’s decisions.”
“What decisions?” I interrupt him with a question, confused and curious.
“You haven’t been told that yet?!” He says exasperated. “Even tough you’ve spent so much time with my sister and Nugund of Clan Lesin?!” The mentioned duo stays silent in their embarrassment, so the Foxman continues. “Well, I’ll cut it short then: firstly, the loses we’ve suffered, made it necessary to restructure the Clans; only three – Clan Moroz, Clan Viehar and Clan Gziki – are more or less intact and will stay, all others will merge and form completely new ones. Secondly, most of the Nine Sisters Tribe is to migrate to the Valley of the Wild Beasts, as it is now cleansed of monsters and the Tyrant under the Mountains has been slain; we will use his body to make your armour by the way. Finally – Baba Yaga is bedridden, meaning we must hurry.”
“Why though?” A sting of guilt pricks me. “Didn’t other Witches cover for her?”
“They – and some others well versed in magic – did” Pola says. “But that doesn’t mean it is easy to replace her, especially when we are meddling with her magic circle, trying to make it mobile.”
“And don’t you dare feel guilt for her” Nugund butts in aggressively. “It’s her very own actions that led her to that state… although her condition is what – in part at least – made so many of the Kin anxious” he looks me in the eye. “I think they were venting on the Chieftain a bit… though he did take the blame upon himself.”
“Enough of that!” Miro chimes in. “Nobody knew that Kora’s Flame can burn Souls… and Mind; the Eldest Witch just learned it the hard way. And Silvertongued Miron despises those who break the peace brought in His name. But let’s put that away; you didn’t come here to quarrel – you wanted to observe my work, didn’t you, Kora of the Wilds? Then come closer so I can see you” I tilt my head.
“See me? I thought you are…”
“Blind – and I am, really” I like his mischievous smile; is it because it is exactly like Pola’s? “But I can ‘see’ you with these” he raises and shakes his hands – and it finally clicks with me. I blush a little, glad he won’t comment on that and I come closer. I help him put his palms on my face; it feels strangely intimate, the way he gently traces my features with his fingers. “Ho, you’re even more beautiful than I thought! Ha! Your blush just deepened!”
“Y-you can tell?!” My reaction makes him break into laughter.
“You might have not realised it yet, but in your case it’s extremely easy to” he says, squeezing my cheeks. “Not only is your face warmer, the air is too!” His voice makes it clear that it amuses him a lot. “I really like this aspect of your Aura – I’ve never liked winter, to be honest. Now, this is a truly fascinating piece!” He exclaims, excited, when he moves his hands down my neck, to my choker. “Do you mind if I take a closer look at it?”
“Not at all” I say taking it off and giving it to him. “In fact, I’m pretty interested in what you can tell me about it… as you’re an enchanter.”
“And not just any enchanter!” Pola chimes in with pride clear in her voice; she has her hands on her hips and her chest is pushed forward. “The best one this side of Kolo Mountains!”
“Kolo Mountains?” I tilt my head.
“The mountains to the North” explains Nugund. “The ones far to the South are called Kola Mountains; they are named after our Ancestral Gods and mark the boundaries of our Ancestral Homeland.”
“Really? I thought Nine Sisters Tribe came here from the outside?”
“And that’s what legends say” confirms Pola. “And it isn’t a contradiction; our tribe formed only after we escaped here, but there always have been those who would leave for other lands” she shrugs. “Some would return later and form new clans and tribes. That’s how it has always been and will be; remember, our very own tribe is going to change, for example. Nonetheless, our Kin was birthed between Kolo and Kola Mountains.”
“Well, that’s what we, Kolokolans say; Zherymans would say that Zheryma is where the Kin came from” Miro butts in the conversation; he’s been studying my choker in silence all this time. “More importantly, can you lend me your spear? I want to compare something” he changes topic, his excitement palpable.
“Here you are” I give him Nyx; he handles her very carefully and with a great dose of respect; I want to comment on that, but my words die in my throat when I see his face: it is filled with clear reverence and glee… but also sadness and envy. “Sooo… I see you are taken by her beauty; should I be jealous?” I say jokingly.
“Maybe?” He chuckles. “Sentient weapons are so rare only the Chieftain has one” oh? So his axe is not only magical – it is sentient? That’s unexpected… wait a minute!
“What do you mean by sentient weapon?” Is only the first question. “What does that even mean? It’s true that I have always felt some connection to Nyx and I remember her appearing in some of my dreams… but can we communicate? And how did that happen?”
“You didn’t realise she’s one?!” The enchanter exclaims in supreme surprise. “How?!”
“Well… She was the first magical artefact I’ve ever had, so I couldn’t compare it with anything else; I thought it was normal” I shrug. “I got my choker only relatively recently… but I still have to admit – it felt way different compared to Nyx, I just haven’t given it much thought. And I haven’t seen many magical weapons, too – only Chieftain’s axe; maybe it’s why I didn’t notice much difference between a sentient weapon and an ordinary magical trinket?” Calling magical artefacts ordinary feels bizarre, but I guess that this is my reality now; I need to get used to the new norm.
“That explains things” Miro nods. “And you’ve got it from the Elder Oak, right?”
“Yes” I smile warmly, remembering Boromir. “I ate one of the acorns it gave me and I made Nyx in a trance” I chuckle. “You can say she’s my first baby.”
“You made her!?” The Lisithun can’t contain his excitement; he’s literally shaking with it! “You have to tell me everything!”
