With his right hand, Daniel reached for his left wrist, touching the new object that orbited around it, not too loose, yet not too tight either; fairly light despite its considerable size. Daniel had never been one for wearing jewelry; the only other object he had ever worn on either of his wrists, had been a plastic electronic watch, which he had kept for almost four years, until it had become too old and worn out. It had been Damien’s before him, and he had kept it as a reminder of his long lost brother. Now it no longer worked and the leather strap had been damaged years ago, but he still kept the watch with him all the time, tucked away in his pocket.
The bracelet was unsurprisingly made of silver and gold, the finest and purest he had ever seen or touched. It was about two inches wide and completely flat and smooth, apart from two thin lines on its contours. If he looked close enough, he could make out the carved symbols of the four Lords of Endërland, repeatedly running around the bracelet like a signature of their handiwork.
Diane told him it was the very same one she had been given to wear a long time ago, and it would remain on his wrist, until the Council of the Lords decided there was no longer need for it. Until then, he would be unable to return to his world, to Sotira, where Sam and Freddie would have to deal with his unconscious body.
He wondered how long that would be; would it all be just one night, even if he spent months here, or would he sleep for a lot longer? And if so, would his body really weaken and eventually die?
The situation had definitely turned south at this point. He had been accused of committing a murder and was being sent to find his judge, a task that could literally take him all eternity, since this judge apparently did not seem to be around anymore. In the meantime, even though he was not officially a prisoner, he was denied the right to return to his world, and could not go anywhere by himself.
The Council had agreed to let Daniel and Nemo go forth to find the Great Lord, on the condition that they would not go unaccompanied. Autumn promised to send his best man to aid the boys, who turned out to be none other than his son Heli. The Sky-Queen had also insisted on being involved and kept constantly informed, so she sent her own son to supervise the search and report back to them. Thus it was that the three princes and Heli set off that evening from the royal palace in Arba towards Tálas, the city where the oracle of the Great Lord lived.
With Heli upfront riding a huge snow-white stallion, quite appropriate for his size, and Daniel and Nemo following behind on separate mounts, they left Arba through the Northern Gate. Séraphin chose not to ride with them, instead flying ahead, clearly annoyed at this babysitting duty he had no choice but to accept from his queen and mother. He had to stop and circle back quite often, since the animals could never match his speed, and this seemed to frustrate him even more. Heli, however, seemed quite amused by it, and would deliberately slow down or stop every now and then, as if to test the wingman’s patience. With a joyful spirit like his, he found it hard to take Séraphin’s grumpy face too seriously.
Daniel was most happy that Heli was coming along; it made this whole thing feel less like a punishment or a mission, and more like a camping trip. There was nothing official or lordly about Heli’s attitude; he was just one of them, a friend joining the ride and leading the way through the unknown parts of Endërland.
He thought of Hëna, whom he had not seen since earlier that day, after the Council meeting had ended. He felt a weird longing for her presence, yet at the same time relief that she wasn’t around. Unlike Heli, she did not give the impression of being a very cheerful person, and for that little time that Daniel spent in her presence, he’d had the uncomfortable feeling that she didn’t like him very much. No, not that exactly; it was more like he wasn’t worth her attention, and for some reason that hurt even more. This journey was going to be hard enough dealing with one person who wasn’t particularly fond of him and Nemo, let alone two.
The moon had just crowned, when they left Arba behind and headed north. So far this was just like any other evening in Endërland; the full moon shine bright in the night sky, big and white as it always did in this world. He would often stay awake long after sundown to enjoy her radiant company, yet, when eventually he fell asleep and awoke back in his other bed, it was always only the next morning. How that worked exactly it was all still a mystery to him, puzzling him almost just as much as the fact that the moon was always full here, every single night. It was no different tonight; it hovered up there with such beauty and brightness that he had to struggle to look away. He guessed it was part of the magic of this world, one of those things that were quite similar to his, and yet, still entirely different. He was not complaining one bit though; sitting at the terrace of his mother’s castle every evening, had become his favorite time of day. Even Nemo had learned this by now and usually gave him his space, for which Daniel was grateful. Somehow, he felt this time belonged only to him and this unbelievably beautiful moon, and he did not feel like sharing it with anyone else.
The moon wasn’t the only one that shone big and bright up there though; the stars were endless and amazingly clear. He did not recognize this sky; all the known constellations were there, in their usual place, but there were so many more, all a lot closer than was even possible. Not a single space on the big black canvas had been left unadorned with their celestial glow.
This bountiful light made it unnecessary for them to keep torches while travelling at night; the moonlight alone was enough to see where they needed to go, and tonight it appeared to shine even brighter and closer than the usual. They could even make out the distant silhouette of Séraphin as he flew ahead of them in the dark.
Soon, however, they were going to have to camp and rest for the remainder of the night. Heli suggested that they ride for another hour or so to get some distance from Arba, and set their camp by a small lake that he knew further up north. The boys agreed and followed in silence.
The trip to Tálas would take them about four days, travelling mainly along the coastline, but they did not start that way. As they left Arba, they set straight for the valley of Destiny, leaving the seaside for a while, thus cutting short a good part of their journey. They would eventually meet the sea again farther up north. Tálas was built on the shores of the Northern Sea and was the second biggest city in the kingdom, population wise. Despite the circumstances, Daniel was looking forward to visiting this part of Endërland for the first time.
They packed light provisions to take with them in personal bags, which were loaded onto their horses; some blankets, a few extra clothes and some food and drinks that Diane had insisted they take with them. There should have been four bags altogether, including one for Séraphin, yet Daniel counted five of them; one on Nemo’s horse, two on his and another two on Heli’s steed. He wondered whom the other one was for, but did not ask.
Nemo rode uneasy on the back of his brown mare, still feeling quite inexperienced and uncertain. Heli laughed as he saw him struggling to find the best position and hanging on too tight, not daring to relax for fear of losing balance.
‘Stop fidgeting, Nemo; Alma is a smart girl, she won’t let you fall, even if you tried.’
Nemo gave a nervous smile and pretended to relax a little. Daniel laughed, too. He’d grown quite fond of the little guy. He actually felt a bit protective of him, as he would over a little brother.
And right then he thought of his own brother, Damien. He hated the fact that he could not remember anything about him, and what was even worse, he could not feel anything. There was no sadness, no longing, nothing to suggest that they were related by anything else but blood. It was as if Damien was just another stranger, whose path he would most probably never cross again.
They rode in silence for another hour, going up and down smooth hills, until they reached the camping spot. Séraphin, who had disappeared from almost half an hour ago, was already sitting quietly by a small fire he had started, his sizable wings wrapped around his arms and legs. The night had grown a bit chilly and Daniel wel
comed the idea of a fire.
He got off his mount and approached the wingman, who gave no sign of acknowledging him.
‘We haven’t been properly introduced,’ he said, extending his hand. ‘I’m Daniel.’
He stood there with his hand in the air waiting, but Séraphin ignored him. Daniel understood and drew away from him. Not untroubled, he walked back to his horse and began unloading the bags and removing the saddle, following Heli’s lead. Nemo, who finished first, took his bag to the fireplace and sat down facing Séraphin.
‘That wasn’t cool, man; he was just trying to be polite.’
Séraphin still didn’t move or react. He sat there with his head down and his arms and legs under his wings, appearing not to notice Nemo in front of him. This bothered Nemo.
‘Ok, now you’re just being rude. You’re no better than your friends, you know?’
He had not even finished that sentence, when Séraphin unfolded his enormous blue and white wings and jumped at him, throwing him down on the ground. A shiny dagger appeared out of nowhere, as he held it up the boy’s throat. It all happened so fast, that Nemo didn’t even manage to gulp.
With fire in his small bright eyes and real anger in his voice, Séraphin hissed.
‘You listen to me very carefully, fish-boy. I know exactly who and what you and your friend are. You may have fooled the Council, but not me, and I will make sure you both get what you deserve.’
All of a sadden he felt a pair of strong hands grabbing him by his shoulders, and throwing him off of Nemo and with his back on the ground. With a swift move, Heli found himself on top of him, holding him down and glaring at him.
Daniel rushed beside horrified Nemo, checking to make sure he was ok, and helping him up.
‘That was not very nice, Séraphin,’ Heli spoke with a stern voice that frightened even Daniel. His face had suddenly lost all that innocence and cheerfulness that usually characterized it, being replaced instead by a surprising harshness, which Daniel silently thought it suited him. This was a whole other side of Heli, that he had not anticipated he’d ever be presented to.
‘Now, I know you’re feeling angry and want to blame someone, but if you think that you have the right to take up the Great Lord’s place and judge these two, then tell us now and save us the journey.’
Séraphin opened his eyes wide in wonder. And he wasn’t the only one.
‘Go on, you clearly think you know better than the Council of the Lords, so why don’t you? Decide right here and now if they are to be held responsible for Ghordi’s death and then choose their fate. I won’t stand in your way; in fact, I’ll even help you. We can say to the Council that we found the Great Lord sooner than we thought and he ordered us to do it. Your mother would be so proud.’
Séraphin seemed to be getting the message and struggled to get free, but Heli wouldn’t budge.
‘Let go of me.’
‘No. Not until you come to your senses and give me your word. If you’re not going to be their judge, then you’re going to treat them as if they’re your friends and help us find the Great Lord.’
‘Get off of me, you’re crushing my wings.’
‘Your word,’ Heli insisted.
‘Alright, you have it,’ Séraphin yielded. Heli got off of him and helped him up.
‘I’ll go along with this charade, only so I can see them get the punishment they deserve for what they did. And I’ll stay away from them, as long as they stay away from me. Happy?’ he snapped at Heli.
‘No,’ Heli answered, having regained his former composure strangely fast. ‘But I’ll take what I can get. Now, apologize to Nemo.’
Séraphin snorted and with a powerful flap of his wings, rose up in the air and disappeared into the night. Heli chuckled.
‘He’ll be back,’ he said, turning to Nemo and Daniel. ‘He’s a good guy; he’s just wrong about you. Rumor has it that his mother is very tough on him, so I guess he acts up sometimes. Are you ok Nemo? Did he hurt you?’
‘No,’ Nemo replied, still shaking. ‘I’m fine.’
‘How do you know he’s wrong?’ asked Daniel, looking at his new friend with admiration. ‘Why are you so sure we’re innocent?’
‘I just am,’ Heli answered raising his shoulders, and then proceeded to bring his bag and the second one next to the fire. ‘I couldn’t say why, but I believe you; and you will have all the help I can give you to prove your innocence to the rest of the kingdom. Now let’s get some rest; you have a long day tomorrow.’
Daniel noticed that he said ‘you’ instead of ‘we’, but didn’t think much of it. It had been a very long and eventful day and he was glad for the chance to rest and forget about everything for a short while.
For the first time ever since he awoke into this new world, he went to bed knowing that he would actually sleep that night. When he’d open his eyes in the morning, he’d still be here, with Nemo, Heli and of course Séraphin. In a way he felt relieved; he had begun to miss his dreamless nights, when he would sleep through to the morning and wake up feeling rested and refreshed. Now, as long as he had the bracelet on, he could do that again. He only wondered if he would dream tonight, or any of the following nights. He guessed he’d just have to wait and see.