Page 13 of One Last Promise
“This is nothing compared to facing a Noxlin army.”He shrugged absentmindedly.“I can carry your bag, too, if you’re uncomfortable?”
“No, I can manage.”
“Xavier gave me my orders to look after you.”
“I’m sure he did.Did he also tell you not to let me out of your sight?”
“It’s an honour that he chose me to protect you.You are our bloodline, Princess.I have been given the task of protecting the most precious Dylin aside from our king.I take a great amount of pride in that.”Raiden’s light power was unbelievable strength.It made sense for the general to pick him.There was no other soldier stronger than him.
“Call me Alora, please.We wouldn’t want anyone to hear you calling me princess now we’ve left Dallethas.”We had reached the end of our lands.The Barren Lands in Dreonarous lay ahead of us.The dark sky above looked scorched with fire.There was no colour as far as the eye could see.It was a pale, desolate land.A place that could easily swallow you whole if you didn't keep your wits about you.
“Of course.That was stupid of me.Forgive me,Alora.”
“Raiden, we’re going to be spending a fewmonthstogether.You need to lighten up,” I chuckled, looking out at the dry lands before us.“Do we have a long hike to our first rest stop?”
“Yes.It’s mostly flat for the first few days, so conserve your energy while you can.”A glance behind us showed that the town of Dallethas was disappearing in the distance.Taking a deep breath, I tried to calm my nerves.
The pilgrimage had to be done on foot to test one’s endurance and loyalty to Nantu.Our moonlight goddess had endured the worst kind of torture at the hands of the first Noxlin king.I had known the story word for word since my childhood.
Nantu was born of moonlight, unlike any of our kind before: a pure priestess of the highest power.She was one of the most powerful priestesses the Dylin had ever seen.
At the Battle of False Promise three billion years ago, she was caught by the powerful first Noxlin king, who enslaved her because of her beauty and power.He then took away her purity and deflowered her.
She managed to escape her captor, but was chased to the sacred mountains near Specter Isle, where her only choice was to jump.She sacrificed herself rather than go back to the Noxlin male that had defiled her.
Her choice protected the power of the light.By jumping to her death, it meant the Noxlin king couldn’t gain any of her power by trying to bond with her.Nantu made the ultimate sacrifice for her race.
It’s said that you can still hear her cries near the sacred mountains.
As the story is told, Nantu existed at the same time as Lustre, our first Dylin queen, over three billion years ago.Along with the first Noxlin king, Solace, Lustre and Nantu were Holy Ether’s gift when she created Afterlight Veil over four billion years ago.The thought that the first bloodline of both races might have ruled for over a billion years seemed impossible to believe, but some of the stories were mere myths.We had little in our libraries to prove that any of them had even truly existed.They were stories passed down from kings and queens of old.It was one of my favourite subjects to study in our grand library.Lustre and Nantu were immortalised in these tales, making them as holy as Ether herself.Lustre even had her own celebration towards the end of the year.A month of worship, all in her name.She was as much a part of our culture as Holy Ether, who was the maker of the first light and controller of the light power.
We had been walking for weeks.In that time, I had learnt that Raidan was a quiet, cautious male, with a depth I hadn’t seen in many of my kind before.The way he viewed our veil as a precious gift was quite endearing.
“Do you think we’ll get into any trouble tonight?”I asked, laying my sleeping mat out while he attended to the fire.
“If we keep the fire small, I can’t see that there will be any issues.”He was always on high alert, watching in the distance for any trace of danger.I had yet to see any of the Barren Land beasts that I had learned about.A few nights ago, we heard a pack of Night Howlers, but they didn’t come close enough to cause us any concern.“It might be worth sleeping closer to the fire tonight, though.I’m still a little concerned about the tracks we found earlier.”
“Do you really think a Noc Beast would wander this far from the mountains?”
“They shouldn’t.We are still a good few weeks’ walk from the mountains.I can’t imagine one could survive this far out.”Shuddering, I remembered how large the footprint had been.It had to be a giant, fully grown male.The marks of its long, sharp claws left in the mud were the length of half my body.It could gut us in seconds.Running into this beast would kill Raiden and I.“You don’t need to worry, Alora.I will protect you with my life.”I didn’t have the heart to tell him if the beast killed him first, I would have no hope of survival.Not when my powers hadn’t even surfaced yet.“I am sure it’s headed back towards the mountains now, anyway.There would be no need for it to be out this far.”
Moving my mat closer to the fire, I nodded and gave him a small smile.I was physically and mentally exhausted.The rations on this pilgrimage were playing havoc with my body.The last few days, all I had wanted to do was sleep.
“You should rest now.We will start to pass through the Lava Lakes tomorrow.It can be quite challenging, as the path is never the same.”I didn’t need to be told twice.Pulling my cloak over my body, I closed my eyes and listened to the gentle crackle from the fire.It didn’t take me long to fall asleep.
****
THERE WAS SOMETHINGbeautiful about the Lava Lakes.From a distance, they gave off a warming, orange glow as the lava trickled through the lands.It flowed from a single peak that was so active in its rage, fire was constantly bursting into the air, lighting up the sky in fury.
Steam poured off the cooling volcanic rock, where the lava had decided to flow in a different direction.
As I followed Raiden, I moved my bow and arrow to a more comfortable position on my back, watching my footing as I almost slipped on the smooth grey rock.The ripples of lava had practically made a staircase towards the lower part of the ground.
Raiden held his hand out to me and helped me to leap onto the bolder near him.“This might be a good path.It’s better to pass on the right hand side of Lava Mountain.It seems to be flowing in the other direction, which will help to gauge the best route to take.”
“Has anyone ever died in the Lava Lakes?”I had no idea why I even asked him that question.
“Not for a good few centuries.”Raiden was trying to hide his smirk.“Most fall to their deaths climbing the lava rock wall at the end of this path.”
