Warriors of Kagolania

"It doesn't make sense." Kalena more and more often found herself mumbling, but she did not stop. "What am I doing? I will never find Galaspiael. What day is it to ride this damn road? Even if I get to this mine, will Galaspiael still be there? How do I force Washar to show me the place where he hid him? I think I really went crazy!"

She began to draw a plan of her journey on a large, flat, black stone. The area was becoming more and more mountainous and with time she stopped seeing people at all. At night she found herself a cave, looking very unnatural. She wondered if anyone had attempted to carve the palace here, or maybe the place was remnant of a fight between two people cursing the earth. Anyway, it didn't look like something nature created.

"Tell me yourself," she said to the horse, who was calmly finishing up the rest of the supplies. "We will have to find something soon because I'm also running out of food." She turned and went to write something on the stone. "On the other hand, why would Washar hide Galaspiael elsewhere? He specially conspired to avoid giving it to the emperor. If he doesn't want to give him back, he keeps it with him, and since he is still in the mine... then Galaspiael must also be there. Just how am I supposed to find this damn place? What did he mean by talking only to ghosts? What ghosts? This man has lost his mind, and I am now wondering what he could have meant!"

Kalena waved her hand at the flame, and it immediately became brighter. The smell of roast meat reached her and she realized how hungry she was. It was hard to get food away from human settlements, and the supplies she bought in two small nameless villages were slowly running out.

"What ghosts should I contact?" She asked herself. "Maybe there is something like a Forbidden Zone in Madegald. To talk to ghosts, I'd have to find it. As if searching for one place wasn't a challenge enough!"

Thinking about it she realized how badly she missed Galaspiael. It was pleasant to imagine for a moment that he was sitting next to her and listening patiently. A trip to Madegald to investigate whether there is an equivalent of the Forbidden Zone there would be wonderful. Galaspiael had told her many times that he dreamed of adventures and dangerous journeys when he was younger. Unfortunately, because he was the heir to the throne, all the journeys he made were diplomatic expeditions to allied countries. Or an unfortunate war expedition that cost him his freedom and crown.

*

"My Lord!" The servant came in, knocking Seth out of his almost meditative concentration.

"What's happening?"

"Her Highness, Princess Jin-Si from Velikania has arrived."

Not knowing why, instead of joy, the boy felt something twisting him inside. Jin-Si surprised him with her unannounced arrival. He jumped up and glanced at his reflection in the mirror. It wasn't bad, though if he knew Jin-Si would be visiting him, he would have put on something more elegant.

He stepped out into the corridor with a heart beating so fast that almost jumped into his throat when he noticed her. He ran over and took her in his arms, not paying attention to the fact that he was acting completely against the label.

"What are you doing here? You have no idea how happy I am! Did something happened?"

"I received your message," she explained, "and my sister talked me into coming."

"Let all the gods of the world look after her!" Seth broke off, because for unknown reasons he wanted to cry. Jin-Si then met his eyes and took a deep breath.

"I came because I hope that despite the war going on right now, we can be at peace," she said calmly, looking into his eyes. "You wrote that you felt torn between the world and your country, so I decided to make your life easier. You don't have to choose between Madegald and me anymore. I'll give you a chance."

"Will you stay here?"

"Until you drove me away. I want to see if your departure was due to this dilemma, or maybe your feelings to me just got weaker."

"I didn't even dream about getting this chance. Please, organize a feast for our guests" he ordered

"How was your trip?"

"I chose the safest route possible," said the guard who accompanied the princess. "There were no problems, Your Highness."

Jin-Si came with him up the small steps to the alcove that served as the guest room.

"Have you seen Kalena?" She asked as they sat down. "Is she really looking for Galaspiael? Lin-Si didn't want to explain anything to me. First, I got information that he had died, and suddenly it turns out that he only went somewhere and Kalena is now looking for him... is that correct?"

Seth pursed his lips into a narrow line.

"I don't know. I don't get it and I don't think I want to talk about it."

"But I want."

"The thing is, I can't explain anything to you because I don't understand it myself. I really went to Washar's then. I saw him for the first time after his exile, I would not miss this opportunity. And you have to believe me that Galaspiael was not in his camp. Washar didn't say a word about the capture of an important Kagolanian prisoner. He would surely share such an achievement. He was closest to me from the whole family and I know that after what happened, participation in any plot is the last thing he wanted. And Kalena behaved like this... she was sure Washar was a monster. That he imprisoned Galaspiael somewhere and dropped a double into Kagolania. I still can't get over the fact that my former friend wants to kill my brother. You understand that I couldn't help her, right?"

"I understand," she replied calmly, "but you did help a little because there was no news from her for a long time."

"She has changed a lot," he continued, "she looked like... I don't know how to say it in your language."

"Say it your way," she encouraged, switching to Madegald.

"I can't find the right word in any of the languages ​​I know. I was scared of Kalena. She looked a lot more mature than I when had last seen her, but also somehow foreign. As if it wasn't the same person I met in Yagn-Sho. And it was not due to the purpose of her mission, at first I did not know why she came to Madegald. I don't know what happened before, but it changed her a lot. You would have to see her to understand what I mean. But please, let's not talk about Kalena anymore. I'm glad you want to stay with me, you can stay here as long as you want. My house is your house."

*

Kalena continued her search. She came to the city of Hino because it was the only place nearby marked on her map.

She did not tell anyone that she needed to contact the spirits, because she knew that people would consider her at least less than reason. Besides, Madegaldian people did not appear to have contact with anything supernatural.

She came across the temple of fire by accident. Returning to the place where she left the horse, she got lost and went out on a completely different street. Curious, she decided to go inside for a moment.

The entire building of the temple was decorated with faded flame paintings. Kalena touched the walls, admiring the intricate carvings that looked like real flames.

There was no one inside, but as soon as she crossed the threshold, she sensed fire energy everywhere. On the central place stood a life-size statue of a woman who enchanted fire.

She looked very alive. She just had to be the first enchantment that got there and people worshiped her.

Suddenly Kalena's attention was caught by the woman's face. Although her body froze in an extremely dynamic pose, her expression was calm. The sculpture was carved perfectly, and the longer you looked, the more you felt that you were standing in front of a living person.

The girl glanced at the hands of the goddess. A way of arranging the fingers indicated that once the monument had to be held in the hands of am-shen.

Kalena stared intensely and began to get the impression that the woman's expression was changing. She looked away for a moment and when she looked again the sculpture disappeared from the pedestal.

Feeling someone's breath on her back, Kalena instinctively reached for her weapon and screamed as she was heavily tugged on her arm. For a moment she felt like the floor under is about to collapse and it disappeared.

She floated in the air above an unknown place. The woman from the monument looked at her sternly and pointed her finger down, but Kalena could not tell where she was.

"Hey! You! Wake up! A voice snatched her away and brought her back. She was in the temple of fire again, and the monument stood in its place."

"What... what was this"

"What? Have you seen anything?" a man dressed in red robes, most likely a temple priest crouched beside her.

Kalena rose, trying to control the shaking of her whole body. The remnants of the vision continued to flash in front of her eyes.

"I ..." she wondered, "kinda."

"Hinonna rarely shows anything to strangers. What was that?"

"I saw the forest. A forest full of white trees."

"Forest of Silence?"

"I don't know!" She paused and glanced at the monument. "Who ordered the swords removed? Conspiracy?"

"Yes. A very long time ago. How do you know about swords?" The monk glanced at her am-shen. "I think I understand. Are you blessed?"

"You could say."

"I did not think that I would ever see with my own eyes how the art of fire enchanting is reborn."

"For now, you only saw me." Kalena was silent about the contract with Wan-Shi. "Could you tell me more about this whole forest? Maybe this is the place I am looking for. One man told me to reach my destination I had to talk to ghosts. I don't know if this... Hinoonna can be counted as one, but so far she is the only creature in the immaterial world who wanted to have some contact with me."

"It's hard to say anything about forest to a person who has never been there. Ghosts sometimes kidnap people there. We stay away from it and usually I advise everyone the same. But if you have to contact the spirits, then you really should go there. It's not far from here. You have to go straight all the time, you will know that you are already there."

*

Indeed, the said Forest of Silence was quite close to the city of Hino. It was a strange place and at first, reminded of the Kagolanian Forbidden Zone. However, the aura there was significantly different from the one Gyeul created around his home.

The further Kalena went, the silence became more and more intense. Although the gentle wind did not stop for a moment, the leaves buzzed almost silently, and the birds did not sing at that place.

Her horse did not feel worried as she rode through this secluded place. She thought it was a good sign and decided not to change the road until the evening.

When she wanted to light a fire she discovered that she couldn't enchant there. She did everything as always, she felt how her energy bonded with fire, but the flames would not listen to her.

"How should one talk to ghosts at all?" She asked herself. "I called Gyeul before, but I have no idea who can live here."

Kalena yawned. She no longer wanted to think about ghosts and how to contact them. The steady road turned out to be extremely tiring. She promised herself that she would think about it tomorrow morning. She became more and more drowsy with each passing moment. The girl lay down on a bed of dry branches and saw above her a lot of colorful, flying creatures that took her to dance.

"Kalena! How good to see you!"

"We wanted to see you!"

"Stay here!"

"Stay with us forever!"

*

Jin-Si did not mention Seth that her sister intended to use her as a source of information about what was happening in Madegald. Her guard reluctantly agreed to the role of messenger. He argued that he would prefer not to leave the girl in a foreign country completely alone, but she was adamant and followed the queen's plan exactly.

When Seth was gone, she was wandering around his house. If he came, she would say that she admired the differences between Madegaldian and Velikanian style of interior design. Fortunately, he never caught her once.

A war council was to be organized in the Lilac City. Although a large number of the Madegaldian generals and aristocrats were already there, the emperor told them to wait until everyone appeared.

Seth went to the palace every day, but he had not yet told anyone about Jin-Si's arrival, although he mentioned that he would like to introduce her to his family one day.

"But I already know one of your brothers," she reminded her. "Sujin is to marry my eldest sister."

"Do you really have this sister? Was it not a joke?"

"You thought I was joking when I said Sujin came to an engagement party with Min-Si?"

"Yes," he admitted, "I thought you imagined her. I lived in your palace for almost two years and never saw her."

"I told you why," she reminded, "and I even mentioned several times that he was here again. I wanted to confront you with him, openly admit that you are his brother."

Seth only smiled.

"Probably, even if you asked him directly, he wouldn't admit we have anything in common. Sujin was one of the reasons I wanted to leave Madegald. From all of all brothers, I had the worst relationship with him. I didn't like Vishimon either, but he was over forty years older than me and too busy fighting for the throne to build a brotherly bond."

"So the wedding will be interesting."

"For sure. But tell me, does she ever leave the room? A person can't live like that."

"She can because she somehow lives all the time. For as long as I can remember, she was isolated from us. You know, the future queen still had some duties. She closed herself completely ten years ago and no one knows why."

"How does she... handle her needs? She had her food being slide inside through the hole in the door, as the prisoners?"

"No!" Jin-Si laughed. "She lets servants in, but when they're inside she sits down on the bed and unfolds the curtain. She doesn't allow anyone to look at her. And she rarely speaks, except in a whisper. The last time she talked to me when I came to say goodbye to her before leaving. She asked if I could bring her a cake."

"I can't imagine that. I wonder if the future husband saw her. Maybe I'll ask him tomorrow. I think we are waiting just one more day and the council will finally begin."

"His Imperial Highness must have very important matters to discuss since he wants to wait so long for everyone?"

"After the last time, the generals could not reach an agreement for a long time," he explained, "precisely because many of them were absent. And now there are many more issues to be discussed, and this alliance with Kagolania will need to be rethought."

"Do you want an alliance with Kagolania?"

"No, they want to. A rebellion broke out there and I think they will ask for help in suppressing it..." Seth stopped abruptly. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Because ..." she began to search for an explanation. "Lin-Si didn't say anything to me, and I'm curious what's going on. Kagolania had an alliance with Sekania. Does Samin suddenly want to ally with the emperor? Weird."