Return to Jorgaldur Volume V: Reunion (2)

Stopped in time (I)

The goshawk was flying high in the sky, far from prying eyes. At such a height, not even her keen eyes could clearly see the details of the surface, but she could get a general idea.

She had witnessed the emergence of the losts from the depths of the earth, and their attack on the fortress. She hadn't been able to distinguish the launch of the projectiles from the catapults, but the power of the impacts had been clear. The corrupted beings individually were blur, but she could see how the black stain was dispersing.

"The time has come," a voice said above her.

The albino bird had Grown large enough to support her rider. The wind aura prevented said rider from being affected by the flight, while she contemplated in the distance the same thing as her mount. The two had been flying in circles over the area above the northeast entrance.

Menxilya's eyes might not be able to see as far as the goshawk's, but they could make out what the bird couldn't.

The bird let out a soft screech, before she Plummeted. The girl held on tightly to the saddle that had been placed on her mount, though that wouldn't have been enough if the wind aura wasn't still protecting her.

Their fast speed prevented the losts still surrounding the gate from reacting. Some fired at her upon sensing her aura, but she had already disappeared from her position when they did.

She precisely calculated the exact moment to brake, and landed abruptly next to the huge gate. Immediately, the goshawk returned to her natural size, thus letting the saddle fall to the ground. She leapt onto it, and, without hesitation, she broke with her powerful beak the straps holding the girl.

The acceleration, speed, and braking had stunned the girl a little, and she staggered to her feet. Her sense of balance had been somewhat affected by the run, but she knew what she had to do.

There were two reasons why Cahldor had attacked the northeast gate. First, it was a bit weaker than the others. Second, the reason it was weaker.

A small inscription on the wall next to the gate was that reason. It was a weak point in the structure, as it caused the need to protect it, and to divert some energy. It was an incomplete inscription, but at that moment it shone for the first time in hundreds of years. For the first time since who knows when, the key was before it, completing it.

The necklace with the Heart of the Eternal Flame shone at the same time under Menxilya's clothes, as it was resonating with the inscription. A light enveloped her, and she disappeared an instant before dozens of attacks converged on her position.

Cahldor then looked in that direction, somewhat surprised that his losts had focused their attacks there, but there was nothing. He turned back to the fortress, clenching his fists. They had caused him great trouble, and they were going to pay for it.

Menxilya stood motionless, while staring around, overwhelmed by her memories. She might be an apprentice prophetess, but she was also a child who had returned home after a long time.

The shapes of the houses, the streets, the great luminous mushrooms, everything was familiar to her.

She looked curiously at a woman sitting on a bench who was completely still, as she had been for years. The woman looked like a statue, as did the whole city. Time had stopped for them.

"Crack!" she heard after taking a step.

She looked at the ground, and found a small insect crushed by her boot. Time had stopped for it too, but it would never resume for it. Or would it? Contrary to what one might expect, it was still intact. Its state had protected it. The sound had come from her boot.

"I'm sorry," she apologized to the insect, although no one could hear her.

She moved forward slowly, careful not to step on any more insects. Her head kept turning in all directions, observing every detail of what had been her city. She may not have known every street, but she did know the main one, full of people. Time had stopped for all of them.

"Uncle Cukhdo..."

"Likla..."

She was mentioning some names, as she came across familiar faces. Her eyes stayed on them a little longer. She was looking at them, wanting to talk to them, even hug them, but it wasn't possible. They couldn't answer, and she had to keep walking. She had a mission to fulfill, and she was the only one capable of carrying it out. There was only one bearer.

She arrived at the temple, but the gates were closed. The motionless guards at the entrance wouldn't prevent her from passing, but she couldn't move the gate no matter how hard she tried. Time had stopped.

Resigned, she walked along the wall surrounding the temple. It wasn't very high, as it wasn't necessary. A powerful spell was in charge of preventing intruders from entering, although the spell wasn't active. The flow of mana had stopped when time had.

Finally, she reached the tree she remembered having climbed to sneak into the temple more than once, along with her friends. The children were unaware of the spell, and it hadn't prevented them from entering. It had warned the people in charge, but they had let them in. It was normal for the children to sneak in, they had all done it.

It was harder for her to climb the tree than she remembered. It was too tough, without flexibility, like the statue it had become. She jumped over the wall, and from it to the ground.

"Ough... It's hard," she complained.

Menxilya stood up and looked around, with nostalgia. She recognized that pond, where she had bathed with her friends, and which was now inert. There was no wind to move its water, and it wouldn't have moved even if there had been.

Some bushes still had the sweet fruits she liked so much, but it was impossible to pick them. The soft grass she had lain on in the past now didn't even bend under her weight.

She then went to the main door by jumping over the stones that formed the path. It was easier than on the hardened grass.

"It's closed," she felt frustrated.

She circled around the temple building, inside the fence, but all the doors were closed, including the side ones. It was strange, but there had been an emergency just before everything stopped.

"Now what?"