«Price of the Path»

Chapter 5 — “The Price of the Path”

A huge shaggy beast, overgrown with moss and leaves, the size of three, maybe even four horses, was rushing straight at Michael. In shape, it resembled a bear, but it looked far too enormous and wrong for an ordinary animal.

— Frrr!

Arrows flew from the column. Several hit their mark, but the creature did not even slow down.

— Frrr!

Michael raised his crossbow and fired. The bolt struck straight into the eye. Only a few Casts remained before impact when the beast suddenly collapsed into the swamp. Dirty water rose in a wave, covering everything around. Michael barely kept his feet.

Silence fell sharply. The fog began to thicken, becoming heavy and viscous. A strange taste appeared in the mouth, stinging the tongue.

— Don’t breathe… — Michael began.

He did not manage to finish.

A roar tore through the formation. From the middle of the column, without a single splash, the beast burst out of the swamp and, with one blow, threw people aside. Someone collapsed into the mud, someone rushed to run, someone immediately began sinking into the bog. Screams mixed with the splash of water and the ringing of bowstrings, and a second later the beast disappeared again.

Something heavy broke loose from a branch and slapped into the mud at Sarah and Michael’s feet.

A piece of a body.

Kas.

— Shoot! Strike! — Sarah shouted, drawing the bowstring.

The cry rolled through the column, but panic came with it. The formation finally fell apart. Michael froze, realizing that everything had gone completely wrong.

A new splash sounded nearby. The beast surfaced beside Kas’s body, closed its jaws, and instantly disappeared into the swamp.

The panic could no longer be stopped. People ran, fell, fired blindly. Arrows vanished into the fog and the thick muck. At the edge of the swamp, the creature appeared again. Another strike followed, but this time several arrows still hit. The beast jerked back into the bog.

The screams grew louder. There was nowhere to run, and the fog muffled sounds more and more, hiding movement.

Michael forced himself to pull together.

A second of silence.

And suddenly — nearby, a splash behind his back.

The blow threw Michael into a tree. The air was knocked out of his chest at once, and his vision darkened. The beast had not struck with claws, but with a paw, simply sweeping him out of the way before disappearing again.

Sarah stood with the bow in her hands. Her fingers trembled. Chaos reigned around her: screams, fog, mud. Michael was nowhere to be seen.

— What do I do… — Sarah whispered.

Her thoughts tangled.

— Stand still! Don’t run! Shoot! — she shouted again.

Her voice broke, but almost no one was listening anymore.

And suddenly, from deep in the forest, singing reached them — clear, ringing, and strangely calm for this place. The words stretched out, as if they themselves were floating through the fog.

— Don’t breathe the fog… don’t run…

Other voices followed — louder and more confident.

The beast surfaced right in front of Bert. Dirty, pierced with arrows, with bloody saliva on its fangs. Arrows whistled through the air again.

Bert fell onto his back, trying to keep the spear in front of him. At that same instant, the beast lunged forward with its jaws open and, with all its weight, impaled itself on the shaft.

The Tumarg twitched and froze.

Silence fell. For several moments, no one moved. Only the heavy breathing of the survivors could be heard. The fog slowly began to settle.

When the air cleared a little, the aftermath of the slaughter became visible. The swamp had turned into a graveyard. Bodies lay in the mud — torn apart, scattered. Some had died from the beast’s claws, others from the arrows of their own people. Hands stuck out of the murky water, faces half-sunk into the muck. The wounded groaned barely audibly.

— Michael?..

— That’s Michael!

A girl quickly climbed down from the trees, followed by six more. The strangers stopped, looking over the swamp and the survivors.

— What are you doing here? Who are you? — one of them asked sharply.

Sarah did not answer at once. Her voice trembled with exhaustion:

— I am Sarah. From the Green Grass settlement. These are my people… And who are you?

The girl stepped forward.

— I’m Olivia. This is Pavel, Nathian, David, Khariton, and Alex.

One of the boys frowned:

— Olivia, you shouldn’t tell strangers our names.

Then he turned his gaze to Sarah:

— We are from the Ravens. What are you doing on our lands? And why is Michael with you?

Sarah took a step forward, trying to speak evenly:

— We are fleeing. The Bone Tribe burned our settlement. Michael is helping us.

— Not here, — Pavel cut her off sharply, looking over the swamp. — The Tumarg may not have been alone. We go up.

No one argued. Someone tried to pull out the bodies, someone walked with an empty stare, noticing nothing around them. Pavel and Nathian picked Michael up.

Half an hour later, they reached a place Michael had once mentioned only in passing. Sarah stopped. There were no houses around, no shelters.

— We’re here, — one of the Ravens said.

Raising his bow, the boy shot upward. The arrow caught on something among the branches, there was a creak, and a flooring of planks and ropes began to descend from the trees.

Sarah lifted her head and only now realized that all this time she had been looking in the wrong direction. High among the leaves, an entire town was hidden: walkways, platforms, hanging bridges, and wooden houses.

This was the Ravens’ shelter. The very one Michael had spoken of.

But there was no strength left to be surprised. Inside, only fear, pain, and emptiness remained.

At least it was safe here.

Fires were lit in stone bowls. The wounded were placed in wooden houses. The people were hungry, but no one dared to ask for food.

Michael lay unconscious beside the fire.

Sarah gathered the survivors and was already preparing to go back for the dead.

— Where are you going? — Olivia stopped her.

— What do you mean, where?! People were left there! They need to be buried!

Olivia shook her head.

— The first mistake was going through the swamp. The second mistake would be going back. A little more, and there will be no one left to bury them. And no one to do it, if you go. Take care of the living.

Silence hung for a short while.

— We were taught that in the swamps, it is better not to touch the dead. Other creatures will come to the smell of blood. You barely handled one Tumarg.

Sarah clenched her fists.

— We didn’t go there ourselves. Michael led us there. All these sacrifices… because of him.

Olivia sighed heavily.

— Maybe. But Michael is an experienced hunter. If he led you through the swamps, then he saw no other way. Or he made a mistake.

Her gaze slid over the exhausted people.

— I’m honestly surprised you managed to get this far. And what if they had caught up with you? Or if you had reached open ground? Then the Oxis birds would have come. The scavengers of Udgal. After them, not even bones remain.

Sarah said nothing.

— Better help with the food. And get your people involved. There will be enough work for everyone.

Behind them, a fire flared.

Pavel threw something into the flames. Smoke rose upward — first red, then green, then red again.

— What is that? — Sarah asked.

— A signal, — Olivia answered. — This is how we tell the camp that help is needed.

Sarah frowned:

— What help? You have an epidemic.

Olivia turned sharply:

— What epidemic? Where did that come from?

— Michael said so. He came to us for herbs. Wanted to trade them for medicine.

Olivia’s face changed instantly.

— David! Khariton! Pavel! Nathian! Alex! Here, quickly!

The girl broke from her place and rushed to Michael.

— Where?.. Where is it?..

Dropping beside him, Olivia began frantically searching through his things.

Pavel and Nathian ran up after her.

— The backpack! The old leather backpack! Where is it?!

Her voice trembled more and more.

— We have to find it. We must.

Anxiety began spreading through the camp again.

Sarah came closer.

— Sit down, — she said firmly. — Calm down. The backpack is most likely already in the camp. Michael took care of it.

Olivia seemed to lose the last of her strength and slowly sank to the ground. Tears ran down her cheeks.

Sarah was silent for several seconds, then said quietly:

— Cry. It will make it easier.

And only now did it become especially clear: sitting before her was not a warrior, but a sixteen-year-old child.

Michael lay unconscious beside the fire, and by evening the forest gradually fell quiet. The tension slowly eased. People sat by the fire; someone dozed, someone simply stared into emptiness, unable to find the strength even to speak.

Olivia fell asleep beside Michael. Even unconscious, Michael gave a feeling of safety — almost like her father once had.

The exhausted and wounded people began falling asleep even before sunset. In the camp, only the crackle of the fire, hoarse snoring, the hooting of owls, and the quiet voices of the sentries could be heard:

— I’m not sleeping… not sleeping…

Someone nervously jerked a leg, someone tapped fingers against wood without noticing.

For the Ravens and the survivors from Green Grass, this night would be remembered forever.

— Sarah!.. — Michael jerked sharply, trying to rise.

Someone was lying on his chest.

Shielding his eyes from the firelight with his hand, Michael looked closely at the face beside him and exhaled in surprise:

— Olivia?..

The girl flinched, rubbed her eyes, and quickly got up.

— Michael… you’re awake!

— Where are we?.. Already in the settlement? Is Sarah alive?

His attempt to rise ended in a flash of pain in his back. Michael nearly collapsed again.

Olivia quickly supported him and gave him water.

— No. This is the old training camp.

Michael inhaled heavily.

— Many died?..

— I don’t know how many of you there were at first. About seventy are left now.

Michael fell silent.

Too many.

The faces of those who had followed him immediately appeared before his eyes.

— How long was I unconscious? Did anyone come from the camp?

— No one came. We were on a trial… and we passed it.

A faint smile appeared on Olivia’s face.

— I received my first feather.

It was the first smile in all that time, and Michael involuntarily caught his gaze on it.

— We need to go home… urgently home…

His words began to tangle. Questions repeated again and again.

Olivia frowned.

— Lie down. I’ll be right back.

The girl quickly ran to Sarah.

Sarah was deeply asleep, and waking her was not easy.

— What happened?..

— We need a healer. Something is wrong with Michael.

Sarah came to herself instantly.

Together, they found an elderly woman among the sleeping.

— Are we already setting out?.. — the woman mumbled sleepily. — My legs won’t endure that…

— No. Michael needs to be examined.

The woman rose heavily and slowly approached the fire.

The examination did not last long.

— It’s a miracle he survived, — the healer said quietly. — After blows like that, people usually don’t get up.

Her fingers carefully touched his back.

— Fever. Everything has gone blue.

A short pause hung.

— We need herbs and leeches. Infection has started.

The healer looked at Olivia.

— He is already delirious. If we don’t deal with it now, he won’t live until morning.

Breathing out heavily, the woman turned to Sarah.

— Don’t think badly of me… I hold no grudge against Michael. I’ve already lived my life.

Her fingers squeezed Sarah’s palm.

— And you forgive him too. The Raven did everything he could.

She let go of her hand.

— And I’ll go… I have no strength.

They woke several more Ravens. Leeches were quickly found, and a hot infusion was brewed.

They worked in silence.

They managed to bring the fever down, and Michael’s breathing became steadier.

The night swallowed the camp again.

In the morning, the smell of broth woke the people.

They had caught a rabbit and hastily cooked stew. Warm food returned a little strength. It had to be enough to reach the Ravens’ camp by sunset.

People began gathering. The half-rotten wagons had to be pulled by hand — there were no animals left.

They split into pairs and, gritting their teeth, harnessed themselves to the shafts.

The column moved through the forest.

There were almost no paths. Branches caught on the sides, roots struck the wheels, mud pulled downward.

The Ravens and Sarah walked at the front, following the marks.

— A little farther… we’re almost there, somewhere about two calls left…

Only those words kept them moving.

Michael rode among the wounded and hardly raised his head, but he felt the looks pressing on him all too well.

Heavy.

Accusing.

— Because of him, half the column was left in the swamp… now we have to drag him too…

They did not even try to hide the whispers.

Everyone’s nerves were at the limit.

— We made it!..

The cry rolled through the column like an echo.

The forest ended.

Ahead, a pond opened up, and beyond it — a wide gorge with massive gates. Luka, Morgan, and Arthur were already standing on the walls.

Olivia raised a wooden whistle.

A short, sharp sound cut through the air, surprisingly accurately repeating the cry of a bird of prey.

The guards instantly came alive.

The gates began to open.

The people from Green Grass were accepted without unnecessary questions. The wounded were picked up, water was brought, and people were helped forward.

A woman ran up to the wagon.

— Michael!

Her gaze immediately trembled.

— Alive… you made it…

Catherine did not know what to do first — embrace him or examine his wounds.

— Are you badly hurt?..

Michael lifted his head.

Sunlight lay over the gorge in a warm orange color. Paths and bridges stretched along the slopes. Houses hung above the abyss, and deep within, the familiar waterfall thundered.

Cherry trees were blooming.

Everywhere stood a familiar smell.

Home.

— I’m home… I made it… just as I promised, — Michael smiled weakly.

— Enough, — a man’s voice sounded. — This is not the time.

A sturdy man of about fifty approached the wagon. Around his neck hung a necklace made of colored feathers and bird claws.

Caleb.

The leader of the Ravens.

— Caleb… — Michael said hoarsely. — Did the herbs arrive? And the boy?..

Caleb looked at him attentively.

— That is what we will discuss.

A short pause hung.

— Take Sarah.

The leader turned around.

— I’ll be waiting for you at the Council of the Grey Wing.

With difficulty, Michael climbed out of the wagon and, leaning on Catherine, went toward Sarah.

She stood a little aside, looking over the settlement.

Houses in the trees she could still have imagined.

But this place looked different.

Warm. Alive. Bright.

— Sarah, — Michael said quietly. — Come. They are waiting for us.

Catherine held him back by the arm.

— I’ll be here.

— Take care of the people.

Taking a cane, Michael slowly walked forward.

After that, they walked in silence along the stream.

The sound of water drowned out their thoughts.

Finally, Michael stopped.

— Forgive me.

The words came with difficulty.

— I knew there would be sacrifices… but not like this.

His gaze dropped downward.

— I am truly sorry.

Sarah did not answer.

Ahead, a wooden platform with ropes and a lever appeared.

Michael stepped onto it first.

— Hold on.

The ropes tightened, and the platform slowly began to rise along the waterfall. Cold spray struck their faces.

Halfway up, the movement stopped.

A passage opened behind the wall of water.

Inside waited a stone corridor and enormous gates with metal frescoes of birds.

Sarah froze, unable to tear her eyes away.

— Until they tell you to speak — stay silent, — Michael warned quietly.

The doors swung open.

Before them opened a tall hall carved directly into the rock. Light fell from above through an opening in the ceiling, illuminating the center of the chamber. Torches burned on the columns.

In the depths rose a statue of a man with wings and a mask. In his hands was a glass vessel, into which water flowed in a thin stream.

Drop by drop.

— Come in, — Caleb’s voice sounded.

Then the other elders began to gather.

The Council of the Grey Wing.

— I think the gathering may be considered open, — Caleb said.

A step forward.

— Michael.

The silence in the hall became heavy.

— Being one of the feathers of the Grey Wing, you made a reckless decision. You entrusted vital herbs to an outsider, brought danger into our home, and brought here a boy from the City of the Empty.

Sarah barely flinched.

— Such behavior is unacceptable. But, considering your help to the people of Green Grass…

The leader swept his gaze over the council.

— We will decide what your punishment will be.

Then his gaze stopped on Sarah.

— Come closer.

The glass bowl in the statue’s hands filled to the brim, then slowly lowered.

“Boooom.”

The water flowed into an opening in the rock.

“Tssssss-eeeee.”

A drawn-out call spread through the whole village, like a bird’s cry.

When the bowl rose back up, it was already empty.

Sarah’s heart began to beat harder.

She could not speak.

But she could not remain standing still either.

End of Chapter Five.