In the Shadow of Mountains: The Lost Girls

Chapter Four

  A History of Legend and Romance

  “What do you mean by that?” Rolf asked, puzzled.

  “I mean that there are many things you must know about me.”

  “Good!” Rolf was suddenly eager. “I want to know more about you. Like where you came from, where you’ve been living, and how you did that trick with your sword.”

  She almost smiled, but it was as if her face couldn’t quite manage the task. It was a slight change in her facial muscles, a brief hint of something glorious that never came. “Then I will tell you.” She sat down again on the mattress. She didn’t bother with the blanket. She just sat in front of the fire, her legs drawn up as before. “Come, sit next to me,” she said, patting the mattress.

  He did as she asked. He sat close to her, admiring the curve of her thighs as she hugged her legs and stared into the fire, as if basking in its warmth. She was thoughtful, and he waited patiently for her to speak. Finally, Soo-Kai took a deep breath and sighed.

  “The Navak called us the Gest Hroya,” she said. “It means the Wind of Death. It is not our true name. You call us Destroyers. This is also not our true name. The passage of time has moulded the words, but the meaning is the same. The Navak were your people. Not those that originally colonised this world, but those who fought against us, and pursued us here, those whose blood still courses through your veins.” She turned her head to look at him. “But before I tell you my history, what does your history tell you about this world, Rolf Le-Pine? And about the Destroyers who fought against you?”

  Rolf had been instantly intrigued by what she said. He wanted to know more, to ask many questions, but her questioning of him had put him on the spot.

  He scratched his head. “I’ve been thinking about nothing else,” he said. “After what you said that night, about how we had forgotten things, I wanted so much to remember, that in the end, my head ached. I tried to remember what I was taught as a youth. I remember all the names of the Kings and Queens, about who ruled fairly, who won what battle, and who stole the crown from whom. But apart from that, everything else is all a little vague.”

  “Tell me what you remember, and then I will tell you what you have forgotten.”

  “Our history is a bit one-sided,” Rolf warned her. “I don’t want to anger or insult you, but you may not like what it says about your people.”

  “Do not fear for my feelings. What you tell me will not hurt me.” She turned back to the fire.

  Rolf nodded. “Alright. Well, at first, we were taught that Ellerkan was once a tremendous city, where light shone even in the dead of night. The ancestors of our people lived there. They were a powerful race. It is said that they came from the stars, and that they could fly across the fields and mountains like the birds. They lived in peace and happiness for many years in the city of Ellerkan.

  “Then one day, another race came from the heavens. Our people welcomed them, and allowed them to share the city. These were your people. They were arrogant, and selfish, and they wished to possess the city for themselves. They fought with our people for control of the city. But so powerful were both sides, that the city they fought to possess was soon destroyed. It is said that fire rained down from the heavens above, and the whole city was engulfed. By the end of the battle, the city was left in ruins, and many were killed. The survivors fled to the forests and the hills outside.

  “But the war was not yet over. Each side blamed the other for the destruction of the city, and so angry were they, that they continued the war for many years after. As the years passed, the weapons used grew less powerful, but each side continued to kill the other without mercy, until finally, the war was ended at the Battle of the Black Cross. It was at that battle that Rupert, the first King of Halafalon, led our army to victory. It was known as the Year Zero, and our calendar dates from this time. A castle built on a hill deep in the forest still marks the spot to this day.

  “It was a tremendous battle. Thousands were killed, but at the end of it, your armies were vanquished forever. Rupert pulled our surviving people together and re-entered the ruined city. He vowed that Ellerkan would be re-built, and that our people would be strong again. And so it was. The city was rebuilt, not as grand as before, but still beautiful. Many palaces and buildings rose from the ruins, and soon life filled its streets once more.

  “It remained like this for many years, until the survivors of your army rose up once more, and began to attack the villages and settlements on the plains of Halafalon, killing many people. At first, Stephen, King Rupert’s grandson, sent a small force to hunt for your people, his own son at its head. But they were overcome, and all were killed. Stephen mourned the loss of his son. But while he mourned, more villages were attacked, and the people massacred. Soon even Ellerkan itself was threatened.

  “It was at this time that my people began to call your people Destroyers, and everyone feared you. Finally, Stephen led his Royal Army against your people, winning another great battle. But his anger at the loss of his son had not abated, and after the battle he continued hunting the survivors over a campaign lasting many years, killing them wherever he found them. It was he that started the Hunts, saying that it was the only way to keep your numbers down, to prevent you from rising up and attacking us once more.

  “Generations have passed since that time. Kings and Queens have come and gone. We have grown stronger, the city more populous. We have art, and writing, and music and laughter. But at night, only candlelight and torches light the city, and in the day, only birds fly across the valleys and fields. But the young men from the King’s Court still Hunt.”

  Rolf had glanced at her face from time to time as he spoke, still anxious that his view of their history would antagonise her. And now that he was finished, he searched again for some sign of anger or hatred in her eyes. There was none to be found. Instead she merely nodded as she stared at the fire.

  “It is a fine history,” she said softly. “Filled with honour and good deeds, treachery and murder. Yes, a fine history, but one that is incomplete.”

  “Do you hate us?” Rolf couldn’t help asking.

  She turned to look at him. “Yes. With a ferocity you can never imagine.”

  He was shocked. Even though he had feared that she would answer this way, he had never really expected that she would.

  Soo-Kai saw his saddened expression and reached out to stroke his face. “Do not be upset, Rolf. I have no hatred for you now, not anymore. You do not yet understand, but you will. Listen now to my history, and learn the truth. At the end of it, it is you who may hate me, and you may wish for me to leave.”

  He was about to protest, but she quickly hushed him, her fingers brushing his lips.

  “Do not judge me until you have heard my history,” she told him. “It is a long story, a dark story. A story with words you may not understand. But listen to its message, and listen to its dark spirit, and you will understand.”