Warriors of Kagolania

"I have to wake up." Kalena kept repeating, but the ghosts surrounded her even tighter, that she couldn't see her body. "Let me go. I just wanted to know where the mine is."

The spirits reacted to these words with a loud protest and carried her away even further.

"Why do you want to leave us?"

"Stay!"

"Isn't it nice here?"

"The mine is terrible, don't go there! Stay with us."

Creatures of various shapes and sizes captivated with their beauty. Kalena felt the urge to wake up less tempting. She looked at the colorful faces, tails, and feathers of the strange flying creatures and did not want to return to reality.

She couldn't even remember how she found them. They came to her on their own, and when she asked about the mine, they said something, but she didn't know what. She didn't care anymore.

Kalena curiously turned her head as another figure, surprisingly human-like, appeared in front of her and grabbed her wrist. She looked at him.

"Kalena, please save my son," asked the ghost. "He doesn't have much time left."

Galaspiael! How could she forget about him! Kalena felt her cheeks burning with shame mixed with extraordinary anger at herself. She couldn't meet the eyes of the apparition. She closed her eyes not wanting to burst out crying.

"Forgive me! I don't know where he is… I won't be able to save him," she confessed, "those ghosts didn't tell me anything."

"If you won't help him, no one will."

"I can't," she choked, "I will fail. For sure."

"No. Just try. I'll show you the way."

Before she said anything, he dove into the air and tugged hard on her hand. Kalena woke up to a painful tug. Her heart pounded furiously, and for a moment she couldn't catch her breath.

Was she talking to Galaspiael's father or was she just dreaming about it? She didn't have time to think about it at the moment. She was still in the Forest of Silence and she couldn't stay there any longer. For some reason, Kalena knew where to go, as if the road to the mine had appeared in her mind by itself. She touched her wrist where she still felt a slight tingling sensation. She quickly picked up her stuff and was ready to go. As soon as she got out of the forest, Najana leaped at her like a furious animal.

"I won't let you hurt him!" She roared, attacking furiously. "Go back where you came from! I won't let you!"

The wall of water washed Kalena off the horse's back. The girl quickly took two flints from her pocket, which she had bought earlier in Hino. She quickly hit the stones against herself several times before releasing sparks that could be used for her fight.

"I will not let you!" Tears welled up in her eyes.

"I don't want to hurt Washar, I'm not a murderer. I just want to save the king! If you care so much for his wellbeing, then go with me and convince him to let Galaspiael go and I won't hurt him." Kalena knew she probably won't agree but she tried nevertheless.

"He has the right to take revenge for what happened! Revenge is all that's left for him!" Najana replied sternly. "I may die in this fight, but I will not let you enter the mine!"

"You won't die," said Kalena, "and neither will I. Our elements are opposites of each other. We can try, but it will be an endless fight."

"Then let's use normal weapons!"

"Have you listened to what I've said before? We don't have to fight! It doesn't have to end this way, both Washar and Galaspiael can survive! I don't want to hurt you or him. I just want to save my friend. If you could help me persuade him… "Kalena stopped because Najana attacked again. She had to fight it off with her left hand. At the last moment resisted the temptation to use fire. It had been a long time since she had practiced swordsmanship and felt the painful consequences when she nearly avoided having her hand chopped off. She hissed feeling the burning pain on her forearm.

The tiny glimmer of hope that she might be able to avoid the bloodshed was gone.

They were not very different from each other. They both lost someone. They both loved someone. They believed they were doing the right thing. Kalena realized it and the fight became even harder. Kalena so harder. In the end, she injured Najana's leg so badly that she was sure it would have great difficulty chasing her. However, Najana did not want to give up the fight

"Can you stop? I don't want to kill you!" Kalena screamed at her.

"I'll avenge him! Rest assured, even if you make it out of the mine, I will find you and avenge Washar! You will watch your loved one die and you will feel my pain!" Najana screamed so loud and desperate that Kalena took a step back. She ran away quickly, not looking back. On the way, she cried and tensed her horse to concentrate on riding. The fight shook her more than she had expected.

The road became more difficult and the horse was getting tired. In the end, the girl decided to build a small camp and hide it well, and go on foot.

She covered herself tightly with the cloak. The higher she climbed, the wind more blew. Suddenly Kalena noticed a road with two lanes exceptionally clearly marked. She immediately imagined a large gold haulage vehicle and knew it was on the right track.

The route ran downwards and ended in front of a large crescent-shaped gate. The entrance and a part of the corridor looked like a small mound from the outside.

Kalena waited patiently for the iron door to open, but hours passed without the mighty gate moving. However, if the mine was operational, it had to open the gate from time to time to remove the gold or to replenish food supplies. The girl waited quietly. She decided to persevere, even if she had to stay there for weeks.

It wasn't until late in the evening that she heard a creak, and the large door swung open enough to let the wagon slide. It was harnessed by two horses and covered with a black cloth. Kalena leaned over to see what she was carrying and it chilled her when she saw a stiff, pale hand protruding from under the cloth. A pile of bodies was taken out of the mine. The two guards went outside and stood a little further away so that no one could see them. Kalena knew she wouldn't get a second chance. With her heart beating fast, she ran inside, not looking back.

It was dark inside. The girl walked down the corridor, guided by the light of a larger wall torch further away.

She pulled the flame towards her and sent it down a long corridor. It took a while for her eyes to adjust to the darkness. She touched the cold stone and turned away. Behind her, she saw only a small, bright dot. The tunnel was huge.

Eventually, she hit a fork in the road. Then one more and another. The mine was like a maze. She was walking blindly, constantly wondering where she would have ended if she had chosen a different turn.

Muffled sounds of tapping, footsteps, moans, and screams began to reach her, becoming clearer with each passing moment. At the next bifurcation, she involuntarily chose this tunnel from which she could hear the noise a little less. She ended up in the workers' room.

It reminded her of the shared common bedroom the slaves had in her first house. At first, she was surprised that the entrance to it was not closed or secured in any way. To get outside, all you had to do was go up and you would eventually find your way. Only later, when the flame flared a little brighter, did she notice that there were chains attached to the walls.

Kalena walked on, into another, empty room carved in stone. From there, she heard the knocking again. She wondered how she would blend in when looking for Galaspiael among the workers. No matter if she was moving the am-shen onto her back or strapped it on her belt or held it in her hands, they were still clearly visible. There was no way someone wouldn't notice that she's carrying a weapon.

She walked down the little steps and wondered how many people had to sacrifice their lives to create this monument of suffering and pain. This place was frightening in the worst possible way. Worse than captivity, even worse than the flogging punishment Kalena had considered the most terrible so far. Then she understood what the poor man who had miraculously escaped from wanted to tell her. It smelled death there. Not dead bodies, but death. It was everywhere, on the walls, by the chains in the group bedroom. It was floating in the air. It was rubbing against her legs.

Did Washar change the mine like that? Or maybe it had been like that before, and when he showed up, his power might have unfolded?

Kalena went to where the knocking was coming from and discovered that the slaves weren't doing any gold mining at all. The largest room a girl had seen in her life was being built underground. She supposed it would be twice the size of the throne room in the Kagolanian palace. There were loads of stones that had been chipped off while working. She managed to crouch beneath one pile, and that was the first time she saw Washar.

He stood still and supervised the work. His face was much paler than most of the people of Madegald, but Kalena guessed that he must have looked normal once. He hadn't seen the sunlight in a long time.

Kalena breathed a sigh of relief as she realized he hadn't noticed her. Suddenly she heard the clash of steel chains and a man, with his head completely shaved, rushed to run desperately. Washar slowly stretched his hand out and waited. A black mist surrounded the would-be fugitive. There was a loud scream that quickly faded.

When the fog disappeared, the slave was dead.

The others gathered in small groups and stood with their heads bowed, fearing that one of them would be the next victim, but Washar gave them one last look, called another guard, and rushed somewhere.

Kalena leaned out to see that he was climbing the stone steps on the opposite side. She immediately followed him. The stairs led to what appeared to be a small house suspended above the ground. Like everything else, it was carved into the rock and supported by special columns. The door was a rectangular hatch on the floor, and the stairs looked old and worn up close as if many people had already entered this way.

Kalena looked around. Two people stopped working and stared at her. Then it crossed her mind that she might already have seen Galaspiael in that room. They all looked similar, finding one man in this crowd was almost impossible. But she immediately realized that for Washar, Galaspiael was no ordinary prisoner. He certainly wouldn't make him work, maybe just to humiliate him. But then he would certainly have an eye on him to enjoy his victory.

She thought about it and felt her hatred for the man welling up inside her. Only a wooden hatch separated them, it was easy to imagine what she would do to as soon as he steps outside. However, until she knew where Galaspiael was, she could not implement these plans.

Washar finally left, and she had no hiding place nearby. She withdrew into the darkness, praying he wouldn't notice her. Her heart leaped in her throat as the man looked around suspiciously. She focused and felt several sources of fire close to her.

Because he was holding something with both hands, he didn't close the hatch closed behind him. Kalena felt a glimpse of hope. As fast as she could, she ran up the stairs, grabbed the metal handle, pushed hard, and barely held back tears.

Inside was the most simply furnished bedroom in the world. A room as normal as the underground conditions allowed. No chains, no whips, no sign of anyone but the host who had apparently been visiting the place, wanting to forget about the reality around him. No Galaspiael.

She went downstairs, trying with all her strength not to cry. The thought that Galaspiael might have been dead for a long time was still at the back of her head, and now it pushed in and took over her entire mind.

Washar suddenly returned to the same place. After a while he stopped, this time sure he was not alone. He looked around and very slowly moved his steps towards the stone arch, beyond which Kalena could see only a dark tunnel.

He suddenly disappeared into the darkness, and she paused uncertainly for a moment. She almost fainted with terror when the desperate scream of a tortured man rang in the corridor. It made her realize that there was nowhere to hide. When Washar leaves, she will have to attack him, there is no stone left to hide behind.

She crouched down with am-shen ready to attack. The flames of the five candles began to move unnaturally towards her. She was ready to attract them at any moment. She listened for the sounds of beatings, breaking bones, or another scream, but she heard no more. Only soft murmurs now and then. Washar was talking to some unfortunate man, but he didn't answer him.

She heard footsteps and froze. She was afraid that when she saw the man's face, her body would refuse to obey her and would simply slide to the ground. She took a deep breath and tried to control the trembling of her hand. The footsteps moved away until she finally stopped hearing them. She pulled herself together and, with a few flames hovering around her, started down the tunnel.

It had a second entrance. Washar was gone. She breathed softly and at the same moment heard a long moan.

Right next to it was the entrance to a small cell-like room. The black fog was so thick there it looked like a shroud. There was no torch burning inside, but someone who was there all the time whined softly as if he could see her through that impenetrable blackness.

Fighting with herself, she stepped inside with closed eyes. She winced at the sickening smell of blood and human excrement, and when she opened her eyes she almost screamed.

The cell was bigger than it first appeared. A man inside was staring at something above him, looking as if he was about to die anytime. His arms and legs were chained to the floor, he had a metal collar around his neck and a terribly disfiguring mark on his face. A wrong mark. It was a symbol of a slave without citizenship, born into slavery. They didn't burn him Kagolanian mark on purpose to disgrace him more.

It was Galaspiael.