The Forgotten Prophecy

Chapter 27

'Don't panic,' she whispered to herself. 'They must be close.'

She headed to a direction she thought to be the correct one. She trod on the freezing snow, trying to hear any sound that would give her a clue about their whereabouts. She felt dizziness overcome her mind, her lungs choking from the magic in the air. I won't give up, even if it takes days to find the right path, she thought.

Ines opened her eyes and looked around her. Her eyes were blindly searching in the fog, her mind overworking. Use your training!, she reminded herself. She started investigating the ground for any footprints, and it was after a while that Ines found something that rekindled her hopes. On a small branch was hanging a dark red cloth that was flattering in the wind.

She left the cloth where it was. If she walked in circles, that would be her sign. She passed by it, her eyes trained to the ground, and she saw footprints in the snow. If she stared at them directly, the marks disappeared, probably another trick of the magic. She followed them, and a few hours later another cloth came in her view. She was afraid it was the same as before, but this time it was of a different colour, the kind of white summer clouds radiated.

With the setting sun came a sky of fire, the battle cry of a gathering night, and still Ines wearily trod on the snow. Her body was aching all over, her head was throbbing from exhaustion. Only the thought of Matthew kept her going. In the darkness she finally reached a river. She walked beside its banks, listening to the dancing water, and noticed a small light in the distance.

Ines regained her strength, and quickened her pace; that might be the end of her torturous journey. She reached the glowing light. It was an old lantern with a candle that was burning without a candle. Next to it was a tiny gold bell with a string. She rang the bell, and a soft melodic sound reached her ears.

The fog suddenly melted away, the magic that had created it having released its bonds on her. She looked around her. The place was truly magical. A roaring waterfall was shedding its waters in the river that nourished the earth of the valley, sheer mountains stood tall all around her, encircling the area and providing safety to the inhabitants. On her left a huge bridge made of dark stone loomed over the trees and seemed to work as a safe passage between the to mountain slopes that were facing each other.

Ines saw on those two slopes a hidden elf settlement, consisting of hundreds of dwellings with pointed roofs and big gardens. That was the city they had been heading towards. She sighed in relief, and a weak smile slipped on her lips. She walked towards the bridge, which had winding stairways around each pillar. Her legs barely managed not to collapse until she had reached the end of the never-ending steps.

With trembling legs she made it to the elf city. The streets were filled with people, young and old, who were probably returning to their homes. People walking, talking, holding hands and in linked arms passed by her. It didn't take long before one of them noticed her. Ines didn't react even when people roughly grabbed her arms. She was too dizzy and tired to resist their hold.

'What are you doing? Release her!' she heard a familiar voice shout from the distance.

'He is a human!' one of her captors snarled, like she was accusing her of a terrible crime.

'He is not just any human. He is the one we have been searching for.'

The old elf came in her field of vision, his expression hard. The guards froze, they couldn't believe their eyes. Ines wasn't really paying attention to what was going on around her, the energy that had kept her moving forward had drained away from her body, and she caved in under the weight of the cold and the fatigue.