Songs of Battle

Chapter 7: Stronger

Long after Leona's outburst, Caspian had stayed awake, confused. He'd heard the words that Leona had said, from the vuxta who gave him his scar...

As the vuxta known as Randerian loomed over Caspian as he fell to the snowy ground, the vuxta roared in triumph. The Ice Prince had fallen by his hand. Randerian produced a dark blue goblet and filled it with Caspian's blood. With blood came power, and if Randerian drank it, he would be forever infused with the Ice Prince's power. Randerian leaned his broad head down beside Caspian head and whispered, "Leran; Merbemer; Lercal."

Caspian didn't know if he ever drank his blood. And he didn't want to know. Caspian also didn't know what those words meant. They were in the language of vuxta, he knew that for a fact. Caspian remembered that it was a proverb that the vuxta used often when one made a mistake.

The Ice Prince initiated the mental contact, Nanuk, we are going to go out riding alone. I need to bounce some ideas off you," Caspian said.

He felt Nanuk's curiosity; she sent back a simple acknowledgement. He jogged out to the stables, finding his brother's animal's gone. Perhaps they had went out on an early morning jaunt as well. With practiced ease Caspian pulled himself into the saddle.

Him and Nanuk went out one of the side gates near the stables, out into the high mountains of glaciers that the Ice Realm was famous for.

"You spent a few years with the white vuxta before you came to me when I was five. What do you know of their language?" Caspian asked aloud. "It is a strange language. It could be based of our own language, but I do not know. The syllables are read as they look, but it takes a very long time to learn," Nanuk answered. Nanuk must have sensed Caspian's next question, for she said in his mind, "Instead of having a sound equivalent to a letter, each word has it's own sound unique to itself. To learn it you would have to memorise every word, not just sounds of a letter."

Caspian took it all in. "When I had one of my flash backs, there were words in there over and over again," Caspian told the wolf. Nanuk turned her head to him as she jumped over an icy boulder. "Pray tell, what were these words? Perhaps I can decipher them."

"The words were O'ranel Fay," Caspian told her. He felt Nanuk's sudden confusion. "That is the vuxta name for halfblood. It is also one of their city names!" Nanuk exclaimed. "Why would have that in your flashbacks?"

Caspian shrugged.

"It must mean something, otherwise you wouldn't be in your subconscious," Nanuk reasoned. "I agree. She also said Leran; Merbemerr; Lercal. What do you suppose that one means?" Caspian said.

"I haven't a clue at the moment. I know it is a vuxta proverb, but I cannot place the meaning of the words. Give me time and I may remember and recall," Nanuk responded. Caspian nodded, although he was frustrated. Leona was acting strange and asking too many questions. It wasn't right. Why was she so interested in learning about the Ice Realm and their fighting techniques.

He shook his head when it twinged with the start of another flashback. It was time he put an end to all the pain he was in, and make peace with his demons. They would hinder him no longer.

"Nanuk, take us to Frozen Tears."

"Caspian, you know that whenever you think about it the flashbacks are there; even stronger than any other time," she reminded him. "I know, but I need to make peace with myself if I am to figure this out," he said to the white wolf. Sighing, Nanuk replied, "Very well, my Prince."

Nanuk took Caspian down a steep sloping canyon, through almost invisible cracks in the rocks, until they reached the bottom, there, in pallid and icy glory, was the rocks for which the canyon was named...