The Heiress of the Lake (5)

A dark romantic fantasy

Chapter 5: The amazing qualities of the Snakeling Strong water

The day passed with three of them trapped in the same room, Magnush’s spy occasionally brought them food and grim news; the Wolfling’s men were searching the surroundings, their campsite was just outside the village border, the tavern was watched around the clock. 

“How long must we be trapped in here?” Marcian had polished his blade to a mirror-like shine. 

“Not very patient, are you, Autumnian?” Magnush sat completely calm. Apart from avoiding looking at Auri, he spent his time sharpening his daggers and the narrow sword Marcian had given back to him.  

“Quite the opposite! I’m usually very patient, am I not, Frogling?” he smiled at the girl, hoping to be forgiven for the prank earlier. 

She rolled her eyes and smiled back.

“Frogling? What kind of a name is that? She does not look like a frog at all,” Magnush replied hastily, but went silent instantly and blushed in a bright red hue. 

“I was  born very weak. Marcian’s mother nursed me. We grew up together,” Auri explained, and frowned. The memory of Lady Gwen’s slap still stung her heart. 

“You’ll always be my Frogling!” Marci said, and gave the girl his sweetest smile.

“Alright, I forgive you! Stop the act,” she retorted. 

The waiting continued. Auri and Marcian spent the time in idle conversations, Magnush listened, but did not speak much. 

They were forced to spend another night in the tavern. Auri snugged in the blanket, looking over the candle-lit room; Magnush hadn’t put the candle out for some reason. Marcian growled trying to find a comfortable position on the floor, and began snoring soon enough. Auri closed her eyes, but got an eerie feeling of being watched. She opened them in tiny, narrow gaps. Magnush’s green eyes were glued to her, looking hungrily at her facial features, her neck, but especially her bare shoulders. As soon as Magnush noticed the girl’s eyelashes tremble, he shut his eyes quickly, pretending to be asleep. Auri pulled the blanker right up to her chin and turned her back to the room. 

***

When Auri opened her eyes, she nearly jumped up; Magnush’s face was only an inch from hers. He was just as frightened; the trained assassin stepped back hastily, tripped over the chair and fell on his backside along with the chair. 

“What? Is it breakfast or are we under attack?!” Marci sat up and grabbed his sword. 

“I think you wanted to wake me up for breakfast, right Magnush?” Auri asked with a cheeky spark in her eyes. 

“Yes, of course! The breakfast. And new clothes. We are free to leave,” Magnush stood up and stuttered.

“Finally!” Marcian exclaimed. He didn’t hesitate to grab a plate of scrambled eggs and bacon, and gobbled it up with a monstrous appetite. 

“Will we be safe to travel?” Auri expressed her doubts, while pouring the tea into their cups. 

“We will disguise ourselves as Snakeling travellers. Nobody dares to attack my kind in these parts of the land. We’ll have to watch our backs; the enemy has gone further to the West, but they’re not far.”

“We hardly look like Snakelings,” Marcian grinned, “but then again - neither do you. You look more like an Autumnian, snake.”

The latter gave Marcian a hateful stare from his squinted eyes. 

Marci noticed some new bags on the floor. He picked one up; a bottle clinked inside it.

“Strong water,” Magnush explained.

“We’re in for a treat, Frogling!” Marcian put the bag down and rubbed his hands happily, “if the kind half-Snakeling grants us a pipe filled with Snakegrass to go with the booze, I would forever be in his debt.”

“I do not understand the Autumnian need to numb themselves, but I’ll see what I can do,” Magnush said calmly, but Auri noticed a cunning shine in his eyes. 

“We might even become good friends after all, snake!” Marci nearly tapped Magnush on the shoulder, but stopped when meeting a hateful disapproval in the latter’s eyes. 

“You shall have to dress as a man, to disguise yourself and… hide your… womanly parts…” Magnush stammered, handing the clothes to Auri and a long cloth meant to bandage the girl’s breasts. She indeed had inherited her mother’s hour-glass shaped figure. 

“Thank you. The short hair won’t fool anybody, I guess.”

“I’m afraid not,” Magnush could not raise his eyes to face her. 

All three changed into the usual Snakeling attire - long knitted tunics with leather belts, short breeches, leather boots and hooded travelling cloaks. Auri tried to hide here curves as best as she could. Under the hooded cloak she might be mistaken for a young Snakeling boy. 

“I must say, this is quite pleasant,” Marcian noted touching the soft, warm tunica. 

All three gathered their belongings and went out the backdoor, led by Magnush’s ally. Three large lizard-like beasts stood in the backyard, waiting for their riders.

“I’m not getting on that thing!” Marci objected.

“That’s what the Snakelings ride upon around here, but if you’re afraid…” Magnush shrugged. 

“How do I make it move?” Marci was the first to jump into the saddle. The other two joined him on their beasts. 

Magnush gave a peculiar hiss and all three lizards began stomping their way out of the backyard.

“I think my bum will be quite sore after a day like this,” Auri whined, sitting in the saddle of the lizzo, wobbling from side to side. Riding on a horse felt much more comfortable.

The three had been moving on the path leading South-West from the village for a few hours. They saw no signs of Regnar the Wolfling or his men, although the shapes of bushes and feeble trees startled them plenty of times on this mist-covered day. 

The other two did not answer the girl’s complains; Marci was tired and grim and Magnush seemed to be carefully listening to every single sound around them. The surroundings became more wet, the puddles splashed beneath the steps of their beasts. Luckily, the three wore Snakeling boots, made to resist water and humid conditions.

After riding for another hour, Auri got an uneasy feeling; they were watched by some hostile power.

“Magnush, I don’t like this place. Could the Wolfling be somewhere around?” she whispered. 

Magnush looked at her surprised.

“You’re observant, princess Auriani. We have entered a dangerous area. The mist is not our friend. Wolverines.” 

“Please, call me Auri!” 

“Wolverines? What are those?” Marcian asked shivering. 

“You truly haven’t been around much, have you?” Magnush gave him a grim smirk. “Wolverines are a breed of monsters spreading across the wetlands of Autumna, especially in the last couple of years. Large beasts with a strongman’s body and a wolf’s head. Bloodthirsty, ruthless. We Snakeling’s hunt them down whenever we can.”

A terrifying howl travelled through the mist toward them.

Auri gave a muffled shriek.

“What do they want?”

“Eat us. Wolverines are always hungry,” Magnush answered, drawing his sword. Marcian took a deep breath to regain his courage and followed the Snakeling’s example. 

Both men rode on each side of Auri, shielding the heiress. The howl repeated, but this time it had a response from afar. 

“Listen, snake! If you dragged us here to feed your wolverine friends, I hope they eat you too!” Marcian grunted quietly. 

“Wolverines are no friends of mine!” Magnush retorted, “I took this path because the Wolfling detests wolverines and would avoid encountering them at any cost.”

“I can understand why. Magnush how are we to survive the night?” Auri asked, desperate. 

“Have no fear, as long as you’re with me, Auri,” Magnush whispered her name softly, “we, Snakelings now how to deal with those pests. We’ll use the Strong water.”

“I don’t think drinking booze could keep us safe, although I  wouldn’t mind chugging down a glass or two right now,” Marcian pondered. 

“It’s not for drinking. Strong water has other qualities. It burns hot with a scorching blue flame. The wolverines fear the fire.”

Magnush assessed the wetlands around them and found a higher spot nearby the path to set camp. The misty autumn day came to its end early. 

“Stay and guard the heiress,” he commanded and stepped into the fog. 

Auri drew the soldier’s sword. They heard a sound of wood chopping; Magnush returned shortly with a load of bush branches and a small pine tree trunk. He set up the fire, Marcian gasped in shock as Magnush poured the Strong water over the firewood to set the wet branches ablaze using a spark from his flint. The load ignited instantly, burning with a bright, blue-and-red flame. An infuriated howl resounded nearby. Heavy footsteps ran away from the spot near their camp. 

Auri grabbed Marcian’s hand. 

“I don’t think we’re getting any sleep tonight,” she whispered.

“I wasn’t counting on it. We will spend the night sitting on guard by the fire. Keep your swords at ready,” Magnush replied. 

They sat with their backs together; it would not be wise to turn one’ s back to the swamplands when there are wolverines around. The fire kept them warm, but Auri couldn’t fight off the uneasy feeling of danger lurking from the thick fog around them. The wolverine howls resounded more frequently; the three were obviously surrounded. 

“The pests will attack, that we can be sure of. They’ll try to pull as away from the fire,” Magnush explained.

“How can we survive the night?” Auri chirped.

“Wolverines are dumb creatures. Once burned, they will not come back.”

“By burned you meant…” Marcian wondered.

“I’ll show you how it’s done soon enough,” Magnush explained calmly.

The entire swampland sunk in darkness; their camp was a little patch of light amidst the night of the Damned land. 

Auri couldn’t remember a darker night than this one. She sat facing the flames, she felt them approaching. Furry creatures with their eyes glowing red, the wolverines came closer and closer, growling and licking their sharp teeth. Their black-clawed paws reached to grab the three and pull them into the dark swamp. 

Magnush jumped up without a sound, his sword sang swinging back and forth, he sliced off the paws of the closest beasts with ease. Horrifying howls of pain filled the air around the camp, the first intruders retreated, giving way to the next ones. Auri saw them moving into the light of the fire - countless monsters, a whole crowd closing in on them. The girl shrieked, she could not move.

Marcian fought back the black claws alongside Magnush. 

“Get away from us, you bastards, or I’ll pop your guts out!” Marci yelled. 

The monsters kept coming, Auri was powerless from the fright, she sat crouching on the ground, covering her face, between the two men. 

The numerous intruders kept coming. 

“No time to get drunk!” Marci screamed at Magnush, because the latter had grabbed the bottle of booze. He did not drink - the Snakeling poured the beverage over his blade and shoved it into the fire. The sword blazed in blue flames, as Magnush stepped away from the fire and attacked the wolverines. The howls of wounded and burning beasts Auri would never forget. The monsters ran in all directions. Marcian followed the Snakeling’s lead and set his own sword ablaze,cutting off the black paws and burning the shaggy fur. Ghastly burning blue figures illuminated the swamplands all around them, running frantically and howling before they rolled on the wet moss to extinguish the fire. 

The rest of the wolverines retreated, they disappeared into the night, roaring furiously, until the three travellers were left alone in silence. Marcian was bending over, trying to catch his breath, half-cursing, half-laughing. 

“That was…. That was… what a rush! The bloody bitches! And the trick with the burning sword… that’s the best trick, snake! But… but why didn’t you… do it sooner?”

“I wouldn’t want to use up all our Strong water. We will need it,” Magnush replied, cleaning the blood off his sword with a clump of wet moss, “are you alright, princess Auriani, I mean, Auri?” he addressed the girl. 

Marci knelt beside her to embrace the girl.

“There there, Frogling! It’s over!”

Auri sobbed hiding in his armpit. 

“We could’ve used your sword though, Frogling,” Marci got up with Auri still clinging on to him.

“You know, snake, the heiress is very good with the sword. If only she had more faith in herself…” 

“Faith grows with experience. All you have to do is take the first brave step. But, it’s not easy to overcome the fear, if the soul is broken,” Magnush spoke, gazing into the darkness. 

“Her soul is just fine!” Marci objected, although the girl was still weeping in his embrace, “or it will be, because I’ll take care of her.” 

“Of course! You are her husband-to-be,” Magnush said with a slight notion of ridicule in his voice.

“I am her protector, and always will be. Speaking of…thank you for protecting us. Without your help, we’d be wolverines’ dinner by now,” Marci got up and extended his hand to the Snakeling.

Magnush hesitated, squinting his eyes, but still shook his hand.

Finally, they had dinner and even drank a cup of the Strong water, with the Snakeling’s blessing; the monsters would not strike again tonight.

“What about tomorrow night?” Auri asked.

“We have enough Strong water to fight them off tomorrow, and after that we’ll reach a settlement,” Magnush replied evasively, and searched his bag.

“As requested,” he gave Marci a small pipe and a cheerfully rustling pouch full of dried Snakegrass.

“I’m lost for words! Snake, I’m forever in your debt!” Marcian exclaimed, hurriedly filling the pipe, lighting it and taking a smoke. The young Autumnian exhaled the smoke like a lustful dragon, enjoying every second the intoxicating fumes travelled through his lungs. 

“Frogling,” Marcian sang her nickname and gave the pipe to the heiress. Magnush’s eyes widened in shock.

“You smoke?” 

“Everybody smokes Snakegrass in Autumna castle, don’t be so surprised, snake! If you knew what Auri has to suffer, you would not judge her,” Marci defended his friend. Auri grabbed the pipe with trembling hands; she hadn’t been smoking for several days. The Snakegrass made her relax instantly. She smiled, after exhaling a cloud of sweet-scented smoke.

“I’m no stranger to my father’s cruelty, Magnush. Although it’s incomparable to your people’s suffering.”

Magnush hung his head, thinking in silence. He poured himself another cup of booze and chugged it down. 

“This peculiar engagement of yours,” Magnush said after observing the other two sharing the pipe.

“What?” Marci frowned.

“You do not seem like the Autumnian couple’s I’ve seen in the town.”

“The naughty snake has been peeping at lovers on the streets?” Marcian ridiculed him. Even in the dim light of the fire, Auri could see poor Magnush blush. 

“You act more like a brother to her,” he mumbled.

“You’re wrong, snake! I’ve seen you staring at my Frogling. Don’t even think about it!” drunk and intoxicated Marci pulled Auri close to himself. The girl looked at him from beneath her furrowed eyebrows, but said nothing.

“Still, you remind me of… of a brother and a sister I once knew,” Magnush stuttered and took a deep, sorrowful breath.

“Sister, huh? Would I do this to a sister?” Marcian tried to prove his words by embracing Auri tightly and forcing a kiss upon her lips. After the smooch, Auri pushed him away, drew back her fist and punched Marci in the face with all her strength. 

He fell backword into the wet moss.

“What is wrong with you?! I thought we both agreed this does not feel right between us!” Auri yelled at him. 

“So much for the engagement,” the Snakeling grinned. 

“Alright, snake! Auri is a soul sister to me. We grew up together. We are not lovers, but I love her more than anybody,” Marci said, still laying on his back. 

Auri reached her hand to him, and pulled Marci back up.

“My father wanted to make us marry each other. We could not do it,” she said.

“Not even for the honour of the High King,” Marci continued, “that’s why we ran away in the first place.”

The three spent the night by the fire, keeping the flames alive. Finally, just before dawn break Marcian and Auri fell asleep where they sat, in the wet moss. 

They were awakened by an annoying sprinkling rain. 

“We should get moving.” 

Magnush had already cooked breakfast and made tea in a small kettle above the fire. 

“I might have been just a tiny bit wrong about distrusting you, snake. Will you forgive me?” Marci half-joked. He kept expressing his gratitude toward the Snakeling, while gobbling up the breakfast. Magnush replied nothing, instead his gaze turned toward the dark clouds gathering above the Damned land.

“A storm is coming.” 

“So?” Marci asked carelessly. With his stomach full of warm meal, tea and booze, he felt quite contempt. The pipe once again travelled from him to Auri and he couldn’t care less about a bit of wind and rain.

“You’ve seen the storms from the windows of a rich castle. A storm in the Autumnian swamplands is deadly,” Magnush explained.

“But we have nowhere to hide!” Auri looked around.

“We ride forward, holding on to lizzos. They’re too heavy for the wind to pick them up. Let’s get moving.” 

The giant lizards stood snorting and digging through the moss for some worms. They weren’t at all bothered by the uproar last night - wolverines didn’t dare to attack the animals with deadly venom in their sharp teeth. 

The three travellers journeyed on the path leading Southwest; the wind picked up. Then the blackened skies opened up and poured a freezing shower and wet snow upon the Damned land. The snowflakes driven by the powerful wind hit their faces, cutting the skin like hundreds of tiny, razor-sharp blades. 

“Hold on!” Magnush shouted to the other two.

Auri screamed grabbing on to her lizzo. The hefty animal withstood the power of the hurricane, stomping onward through the mushy moss and puddles. Magnush was right; the storm did get much worse. The wind howled over the marshes like a dying beast, Auri’s voice, drowned down by the noise, disappeared, though she screamed with all her might. Rubble, branches, even rotten tree trunks flew at them. The wind had room to rampage, the vast swampland was a flat terrain, no mountains or forests to stop the power of the hurricane. 

All three held on to the sturdy beasts, with Auri and Marcian screaming from the top of their lungs, terrified. Magnush kept quiet. 

A tree trunk out of nowhere bashed Auri over the head, she flew into the windstream, fell into a puddle and saw no more. 

***

The heiress woke up on the wobbly back of the lizzo. Two strong arms enveloped her, holding the reins of the animal. The girl blinked wondering; those did not look like Marci’s arms. The skin was much paler, the fingers slenderer. A single silver ring was on them - two snakes weaving together. A leather bracelet wrapped the man’s wrist. 

Her body was reclining on the firm chest of the man; she was sitting in his lap. Auri’s head still buzzed from the impact, her clothes were wet, but the man’s embrace kept her warm. 

“Who are you?” she asked bewildered. 

“I’m glad you’re awake.” 

The heiress recognized Magnush’s voice speaking softly to her. Indeed, it was him holding the girl. 

“Finally, you’re back, Frogling!” Marci said happily, riding on his beast beside Magnush. 

“You were unconscious. We decided the snake will carry you on his lizzo, until you could ride on your own. He is lighter than me, the lizard would carry both of you,” Marcian explained. 

“I thought the Snakelings weren’t allowed to touch a woman before the wedding?” Auri teased Magnush. 

He gave a short chuckle.

“I see you’re feeling better, princess Auriani.”

“Auri,” she reminded Magnush.

“Auri,” he repeated softly. Auri enjoyed him saying her name. 

“If you feel good enough, you can move back to your lizzo,” Marci suggested.

“No, I’m still a bit dizzy,” Auri replied, and snugged into Magnush’s lap. Now was good - warm, safe, and strangely pleasant. She noticed Magnush biting his lips to hold back a smile.

“Is the storm over?” she asked after a while.

“It’s over, but we had been moving too far to the West,” Magnush said quietly.

“The Wolfling?” Auri nearly jumped up from fright.

“We’ll have to keep our eyes opened.”

She leaned back into Magnush’s embrace, and strangely enough, it appeared he replied, slightly tilting his body toward the girl to feel her nearness. 

The wind blew from the East, Magnush had corrected their course - they moved South. The rain had stopped, but the fog crept from the swamp all around them; it was bound to be a very dark night. 

The dusk came early. 

“Hey, snake! Shouldn’t you be looking for a place for us to camp?” Marci asked, looking around, though the fog was thick and white as milk. 

“We’re being followed,” he whispered back.

“If that’s just a reason to keep Auri in your lap longer…” 

“Hush!” Magnush interrupted him. 

“Is it the Wolfling?” Auri shivered.

Magnush nodded. 

“We were riding down-wind. He could’ve sensed your smell if we had gotten close enough after the storm,” his voice barely rose above the raindrops, dripping from the nearby bush. 

“Can you hear them coming?” Marci asked with disbelief.

“We Snakelings have other senses. I feel the ground shaking beneath their steps.”

Marci shook his head, but said nothing. 

“They want to reach us before the dark.”

Auri moaned and hid her face.

“Have no fear. I will protect you,” Magnush whispered in her ear. Auri nodded silently. 

“Hold on, Autumnian! We do not stop. We’ll run as long as the lizzos can carry us,” Magnush said and gave a lengthy whistling hiss. All three beasts galloped forward more quickly than ever, throwing wet moss and mud into the air.

Auri couldn’t bear the manic ride, she turned and wrapped her arms around Magnush’s waist, clinging on to him tightly. Despite the beast shaking them, Auri could swear she felt the man shiver, and lock her tighter in his embrace. 

They travelled all through the afternoon. As the darkness began to creep on them, the lizzos stopped.

“The animals need rest,” Magnush explained, “lizzos are stubborn. They will not move before they’ve had a few hours of sleep.” 

They got off the beasts. All three lizards dropped flat on their sides and fell asleep instantly. 

“Have we escaped the Wolfling?” Marci asked. 

“No,” Magnush replied after feeling the vibrations of the ground, “they’ll be here soon. They’re driving their horses to death, but they will reach us before complete darkness.”

“Oh, no!” Auri cried.

“We shall be ready,” Magnush reassured her. 

“Snake, tell us what to do?” Marci asked in despair. 

***

The three travellers sat waiting and staring into the fire, when a group of thirty riders approached them. The Wolfling’s men made it to the fugitives before darkness had overtaken the land. 

“Well well, we meet again, princess,” a low roaring voice made cold chills run down Auri’s spine. Regnar the Wolfling jumped off his horse, drew his sword and stepped closer to the camp. 

All three stood up. Both Magnush and Marci held long, burning spears, standing on each side of Auri.

“Come, princess! There’s a long way back ahead of us. But tonight we’ll stay and have fun right here,” Regnar growled. 

“I hope you’ll have fun time burning, bitch!” Marcian shouted as both him and Magnush threw the burning spears at the feet of the Wolfling and his men. The wet moss all around them exploded in blue flames. Horses rampaged, throwing their riders into the fire below. Regnar’s clothes caught fire, yet he managed to turn into a Wolf and jump forward, out of the ring of fire. The beast’s fur was burning, he rolled on the moss to extinguish it, then got up on his feet and ran at the three roaring. Magnush stepped forward with his sword ablaze. He wounded the beast and set his thick, silvery fur on fire. Regnar howled “attack! Kill them!” In a beastly voice.  Half of the soldiers were rolling around, fighting flames, but the other half went at the three following Regnar’s command.

Magnush and Marcian stood side by side with their swords drawn. The Wolfling limped aside wounded. 

“So, snake. It’s you and me against fifteen soldiers and the bitch!”

“I’d say our chances are good enough,” Magnush grinned.

“For Auri!” Marci looked him in the eye.

“For Auri!” Magnush agreed, raising his sword. 

Although the two men stood before her stately and courageous, still Auri was certain - their last hour had come. Both of them would die protecting her in vain; the Wolfling shall get his way in the end. Not that! Anything but that!

Auri pulled her sword out. She would not go without a fight, and she would rather end her own life, if she must. No more cowardice! 

The heiress stepped forward, and stood between her two protectors, raising the sword along with them. Regnar licked his sharp teeth; although wounded, he was ready to take on the heiress, while his men would deal with her protectors. 

Suddenly blue-flamed torches lit up all around the camp. Sharp arrows pierced the soldiers left, right, and centre. Tall warriors dressed in long grey tunics killed the soldiers one by one mercilessly. Only a few, including the Wolfling, managed to escape. 

Auri and Marcian looked at the apparition - the pale, tall figures seemed ancient like some spirits of the swamp. Strangely enough, Magnush had put his sword down. He touched the leather bracelet on his wrist.

“Snake, what are they? Your kind?” Marcian asked confused.

“Forgive me, Autumnian,” Magnush replied and with a quick move pricked Marci’s neck with a little, black thorn he had pulled out of the bracelet. Marci’s eyes widened, he fell onto the ground stunned. The pale figures came closer.

“Magnush, what are you doing? No, please….” Auri looked into his eyes, but fell down right after; another ghastly pale man stood behind her, and pricked the girl’s neck with a poisoned thorn. Magnush knelt beside her. 

“At first, I was furious about your stubborn disobedience, but now… Now I must thank you, my son! You have brought us a gift more useful than the heiress’ death,” said the Snakeling Lord coming nearer. His face glared pale-and-blue in the light of the Strong-water-fuelled torch. 

“I did what I had to, father,” replied Magnush standing up straight. 

---

Chapter 6