Against

Against - Chapter 3

Chapter 3

“You will meet a stranger. You will not know if they’re good or bad, but the decision you make can either save or end your life.”

The rest of the ride to the river was, to say the least, uneventful. Elanil had hopped off Sylfaen halfway to the river to give him a rest of carrying her and instead held his reigns and led him through the thickening trees. His wound from the Luferus looked a sickly green, the blood drying a lot slower than when on Elanil and she hurried to get to the river. The first sun was almost at noon and the third sun, Eros, was just beginning to rise, making the sky on the east a beautiful collection of green stripes and colours. She heard the soft rush of water a few steps before the trees suddenly gave way to the beautiful river.

It shimmered in the light of the suns and Elanil felt her breath just seem to vanish from her lungs. The water was a crystalline blue with the white bubbles that Elanil only heard about from her father’s tales. The bubbles were said to cure any laceration or disease from any body shape, hobbit to giant, if you could gather them. The white bubbles disappear within seconds that you take them out of the water, and drinking them straight from the river does not help as only the bubble alone can cure someone. Wherever the suns’ rays landed made the whole river look full of diamonds before switching back to blue, as though it was constantly changing colour, and Elanil could only marvel at the beautiful meander of it as the water glided past, unobstructed.

Sylfaen strode, unfazed, towards the river making the reigns grow taunt before jerking Elanil to follow the horse, out of her stupor, and to the river bank. She looked around warily as she heard many travellers talk about beautiful and dangerous creatures that took residence in the waters itself. Sylfaen didn’t notice her caution and began drinking; showing Elanil that there was no nearby danger. Gaining courage, she dropped the reigns and crouched by the river bed. She first washed her hands and sword clean from the now black, crusty blood, before seeing what she could do for Sylfaen.

At first, she tried to cup her hands to capture a few bubbles, but once all the water drained off her hands, the bubbles started popping like foam, disappearing every second. The second try, she tried to move her hands faster to Sylfaens backside, and wait for all the water to run out, but then it still took a while for her to rub them off onto his flank.

She decided she could only wash the wound clean, and pray for his healing. So she took her blouse off, to reveal an undershirt, and soaked it in the clear water. She soothed him with her voice as she dabbed and cleaned the wound as carefully and painlessly as she could. It already looked better clean. All the green and black blood was washed off and three perfect circles made by dots for each tooth was engraved into his hind quarter. Elanil sighed in relief as it looked a lot better and wrung out her shirt, the blood staining the river for a few seconds before white bubbles crested over it, and then it vanished. She wiped off her forehead and laid her blouse on a nearby rock to dry out. She crouched again by the river and cupped her hands to drink.

And the water did not only look beautiful.

Elanil could not believe how it tasted. It seemed alien, like some nectar she’s never had, and her first reaction was to spit it out in shock, some dribbling down her chin. The sudden action made Sylfaen bring his head up quickly and stumble a few traces backwards before noticing there was no danger and going in to drink once more. So, she tried again, now more prepared for the difference. The sugary sweet liquid tasted better than the nectar of the saccharum fruit, and she brought more to her surprisingly thirsty lips.

She drank until her stomach was bloated with water, and then filled up her flask with the unworldly fluid. When Sylfaen had his full, she tied him to a low tree branch and sat in rest on the rock nearby. Checking her timescript to get her bearing right for Deborah’h with her map, the second sun, Fides, was already at noon, his blue light the most prominent in the sky, signalling it was time for her to leave. So she untied Sylfaen, put her blouse on, checked her map and timescript once more, before setting off for the entertainment capital.