Марина Марли – Universal Parallels: The Earth (страница 3)

The news spread among the inhabitants quickly. The head of the Earth Clan didn’t sleep well at night. Tossing and turning in bed from the evening until midnight, he did not fall asleep at all. After all, he pulled off the covers and got up to stretch his legs. Stephen paced back and forth and measured his chamber nervously. His head was full of thoughts that didn’t let him go to rest, and his heart was beating rapidly, as if he had a premonition that something was wrong. «And how can I fall asleep if there are only enemies around? I can’t rely on anyone in this clan. My son is also up to something. But anyway. I keep them all here,» he clenched his fist and shook it at the window. Suddenly, a flash lit up the dark sky. It illuminated everything around. The head recoiled, covering his face with his hand. As soon as the flash went out, turning into a long tail, he looked out through the glazed frames again and followed with its gaze. «This is it,» he said dryly, as if he had been waiting for a sign from heaven itself for a long time. «It’s time for action.»

Stephen was determined. As soon as the star fell into the Dark Woods and disappeared, Stephen called the guards and commanded them to assemble the council. The decision to send reconnaissance detachments to the crash site was made unanimously. No one knew what they would have to face, but Stephen understood that the Mountain Clan would also rush there to get what had been sent to them by the Highers.

«It doesn’t matter what awaits us there, the main thing is who will arrive first and who will get this something unknown. The Mountain Clan is located further from the forests and the place where the ray landed. But that won’t stop Conrad. They are also ready to fight for the right of primacy. However, the head of the Water Clan has not been involved in wars for a long time. Having isolated themselves on the expanses of water, they chose to cowardly hide. Well, let them die there in oblivion and loneliness. We will get more,» Stephen mused, pacing the lonely corridors of the castle in a wearisome expectation of news.

The best warriors were equipped with the best weapon; the fastest horses were prepared. Everything was done to get what was sent to the earth with the ray of light. Stephen planned to use it for his own purposes, of course, related to the conquest of the enemy clan and the development of new, habitable lands. Deep down, he hoped that they had been sent something that could overcome the enemy. But if this something was aimed at destroying the Earth’s Clan inhabitants, the warriors were ready to deal with it without sparing themselves. Stephen gave the command to get the ray at all costs. With such guidance, the warriors set off under the cover of night. Urging their horses on, they moved quickly and smoothly, wanting to get to the crash site before the glow faded. Nothing could stop them, not even the surrounding Dark Woods. The brave warriors were ready for anything: either to kill a creature that invaded their lands uninvited, or to fight with an enemy clan if it arrived first.

However, the Earth Clan had the advantage. The Dark Woods was very close and it didn’t take long for the warriors to cross the valley and invade its gloomy lands.

It has been a long time since the common people came here. All the animals were killed, the birds were caught, there was no one else in these lifeless thickets – that’s what they thought. Only the trees still kept their green robes, though not as rich as they once were. Perhaps, somewhere behind them, the remaining birds or small animals could hide by occasion. Now, passing the gloomy trees, the guests felt the dead spirit of the local places. However, it didn’t touch them. As they made their way through the thickets, drowning in blackness, they were guided only by a faint glow, which grew brighter as they approached. Finally, they came to a lawn and stopped at the very edge of the trees. They saw a young maiden. That was the falling ray they were hunting for.

Shocked by the purity of the radiance emanating from her, they lowered the weapon they held ready. Absolutely. Perfect. The flawless light emanated from her, who was clad in a weightless cloak. It was a remnant of a gradually fading glow and the people of the Earth Clan continued to stare at it with widened eyes and their mouths slightly open. They couldn’t even imagine that a person could look so innocent. Everyone already forgot that people not from another clan may not be dangerous, that they are not in danger. But even this picture could not melt their hearts.

After a while of silent contemplation, they raised their weapon again. Spurring their horses, the warriors broke from the edge of the meadow and rushed headlong to the uninvited guest. Surrounding her, they didn’t slow down, moving around, pointing the swords at her. She was motionless and silent, as if she had already resigned herself to her fate, knowing the ending in advance. They stared, grinned, growled, whistled, as if they were intimidating a trapped animal. A beast who wished to sacrifice its life. The maiden still remained humble and silent. It could seem that the fear was unknown to her.

Finally, having finished their demonstrative but meaningless race, they stopped, surrounding her in a tight circle.

«Who are you? Tell us!» Without ceremony, one of the warriors commanded her. He was sitting on his horse and looking down at her, which made Deva seem tiny and vulnerable in his eyes.

«My name is Deva,» she replied meekly.

«Look at me!»

She lifted her head and looked straight into his eyes. In them, in these blue bottomless oceans, he saw a child who trusted him and was not afraid at all.

«Why did you come here?» another warrior asked her menacingly, seeing the pause that suddenly occurred.

«To help you,» she replied softly, shifting her eyes to him. The warrior also felt something strange. It was as if his mind was covered with nets and he was drowning, sinking into the bottom.

«Help,» the other warriors echoed and laughed.

Deva was beautiful in this radiance. Her dark skin, blue eyes framed by thick and long eyelashes, her curly hair darker than night. She looked like a star that had descended from heaven, and this modesty and meekness only made her more beautiful. Realizing that she was harmless, the main one got off the horse. Maybe he was still under the influence of her charms, or maybe he really understood what kind of treasure had fallen into their hands. He commanded the circle to be broken. The warriors stopped laughing and obeyed his leader. For a moment, everything was quiet again, only the occasional snuffling of horses disturbed this newly established idyll. There were seven of them. Seven people who intended to destroy something unknown to them.

Deva watched them attentively, noting the clothes created for battles. Their swords, arrows and knives. But most of all, she noticed their similarity to the environment they lived in. Hair and beards stuck out in clumps from under helmets, shaped like scalps. The clothes made of leather, reliably protected their bodies. Metal rings of armor covered it from above, as if the thinnest haze covered the earth from a stranger’s eyes. Of course, everything is as it befits hunters who went out in search of prey.

The leader finally finished examining her and breaking the silence that hung, said:

«You are going with us.»

Even the air was shaken by his loud voice.

«The cloak,» he commanded, looking at one of the warriors and moving his head in the direction of the maiden.

The warrior did not take long to wait. He quickly jumped off the horse, took a cloth from a bag strapped to the saddle and threw it over Deva’s shoulders covering her silver cloak. In this attire she became just like them. Just like an Earth clan inhabitant. Only a fading glow coming through in some places from under the fabric, revealed her as a stranger.

«Here,» the leader pointed to a place behind him.

The warrior grabbed her by the elbow and led to the horse. The maiden looked at the leader and shook her head, making it clear that she did not know how to handle horses and had never ridden them.

«Nursing you,» the leader snored with displeasure, clenching his teeth and angrily exhaled.

«Hands here,» the warrior pointed to the saddle straps, then pointed to the stirrup. «Put your foot here. Understood?»

The maiden nodded.

«Thanks heaven,» he breathed out in relief, while the leader silently watched all the actions of Deva.

Grasping the fastenings, she unsuccessfully tried to get her foot into the stirrup, which was running away from her, and her foot got tangled in the long fabrics of her clothes.

«She just arrived and is already pissing me off,» the leader muttered. «Help her!» he commanded the warrior standing next to him. He hastily took her by the waist and, like a piece of fluff, threw her into the saddle in one easy movement. Deva settled behind the leader, who was still threatening, muttering and swallowing words.

Spurring their horses and wasting no more time, the squad set off on their way back. The road to the Earth Clan lay through the Dark Woods and a Burned Valley, which in the morning light were preparing to emerge in front of Deva in all their ugly beauty. However, neither terrifying picture, nor these conquering warriors, nor the twisted trees, nor the trip to the unknown somewhere, intimidated her. There was only one thought in Deva’s head: to fulfill her mission.