Zakula: Beloved Companion

15: Let Love Find You

The entire village near Lake Taipas was in turmoil. Fighting age men, all six of them, gathered near the great fire in the center, armed with bows, flintstone axes and spears. Each packed provisions and took a dog with them.

Karelias stood next to the fire too, but he needed crutches to even stand upright. "The Syväs, what did they look like?" Adelo's father asked with a stern tone. "What colors did they make my boy wear?"

"They looked exactly as depicted on the paintings," Karelias explained. "Six eyes, crab-like shell. Adelo had a black shell and kept the same red eyes. I'm sure you'll recognize them. Tirato had a maroon shell and teal eyes. They both grew very large when the Nameless One transformed them, but I don't know whether that only lasted for as long as they were in the underworld. This place obeys very different rules."

"That sounds about right," an old man with a peg leg nodded. "If any of the lesser Syvä's survived, they'll have taken on your father's colors after they entered our world. The sons of a Syvä always bear his colors until they betray him."

Then Aria joined them, wearing a stone ax on her belt. All women of Lake Taipas carried one now. "I have Adelo's old scarf," she said, presenting a worn piece of barkcloth.

Her cheeks were swollen, eyes reddened. Bestofall always remained by her side, running in circles around her, searching for Adelo. "I hope he still smells the same," her father took the scarf and showed it to the dogs the men had decided to take on their search.

It did not take long until the dogs had taken in the scent and started searching. They scurried into the forest, sniffing everywhere. The men said goodbye and followed them, leaving the women, children, elderly and wounded Karelias behind.

Bestofall wanted to follow too, but Aria called him back. The dog winced and whimpered, looking around everywhere for Adelo. Karelias lowered his head in shame at the sight. Aria glared at him once, then walked off to make more arrows while others gathered round stones for use with slings.

"Respect boy," the old man with the peg leg sighed. "We haven't had Syväs here since when my grandfather was your age. He used to tell me stories about how they fought them back in the day."

Karelias perched up as he heard this, "How did they?" He turned around, nearly stumbling over his own crutch, "Toras, right? You're Aria's grandfather?"

The man with the peg leg chuckled, "You got the name right, but I'm not Aria's grandpa."

"Then you're Adelo's grandfather?"

"No, I'm not related to either of them," the old man smiled with all four of his teeth.

"Oh," Karelias awkwardly tried to smile back. "Uhm... anyways, how did you fight the Syväs back then?"

The old man stood up from the log he had been sitting on and patted Karelias on the shoulder, "We had two sorcerers. Demons like this are very vulnerable to magic. They rely entirely on magic to even live and are so full of fear, hatred and anger that a single curse can easily make them burst into flames."

"Damit," Karelias squeaked, his heart clenching. "My uncle Ardanas is a sorcerer and he offered to come with me when I left!"

"Why would you refuse that?"

It took a while for Karelias to respond. He tried to speak, but no words came out of his mouth. A lump in his throat blocked them all. Eventually, he sighed, "I- I just wanted to be alone for a while..."

"Hm, understandable," old man Toras shrugged, then hooked his walking stick into Karelias' clothing and pulled on him. "Now come, I'll show you how to kick Syvä butts! And don't care what the fairy says, a man can fight with grievous wounds if he has to."