Einen glanced at his friend.
“I mean,” he answered, “That someone conjures these veils, and they’re usually meant to protect treasuries or secret libraries. To enter one, you must either understand the art of seals and break the veil, or have a key.”
Hadjar looked at the top of the dune. Strong disturbances in the flows of the World River could be felt coming from there. Multicolored flashes were visible and Ramukhan’s cursing could sometimes be heard as well. Apparently, their hacking wasn’t producing the best results.
“Wait,” it suddenly dawned on Hadjar. “In order to cover such a large area with a veil...”
“Exactly,” Einen nodded. “I don’t know who did it, but the veil encompasses a huge territory. And the fact that Ramukhan is getting through it...”
“Means that he has special artifacts,” Hadjar nodded, “like everyone else who’s already inside. It would hardly be possible to break through such a defense on your own.”
“Well, that, or your cultivation would need to be at least one level higher than a Spirit Knight’s,” Einen confirmed.
For a while, they looked at the top of the dune together. For some reason, it seemed like they were being deceived.
Damned intrigues!
“What are you two chatting about?”
Tilis sat down between Einen and Hadjar. She was smiling, but her eyes were as sharp as daggers.
“Maybe you want to kill us all while we sleep?”
Tilis had a new theory about how Hadjar had killed Serra. She believed that her sister had foolishly trusted the northerner, who had then treacherously killed her in her sleep to steal her pass to Underworld City.
“Tilis,” Hadjar sighed wearily, “I’ve already told you that I’m not responsible for your sister’s death. I loved her like my own sister.”
The witch jerked back and looked into Hadjar’s eyes. Her green eyes flashed.
“Can you swear it on your blood?”
Hadjar remained silent.
“What? Can you swear it or not?”
She didn’t notice she was crying. Everyone was quiet. All eyes were turned toward them. Tilis was still screaming, and Hadjar was staring blankly at the fire.
“Tilis!” Karissa rose to her feet sharply when Tilis’ rod started burning with bright, white energy.
For a couple of seconds, the witches stared each other down, until Tilis got up and went back to her sleeping bag.
“That’s what I thought,” she muttered. “I swear, northerner, even if it’s the last thing I do, I’ll kill you one day.”
Hadjar just kept looking into the fire. He hadn’t been able to swear that he was a human once, and now he couldn’t swear that he wasn’t to blame for Serra’s death. He didn’t even believe it himself...
Looking at the fire, Hadjar remembered the day when the three of them had sat around and chatted about something. The next day, their final battle had awaited them.
It was almost similar to what was going on right now...
Touching the wallet the bracelets were in, Hadjar sighed, poured his porridge out on the sand, wrapped himself in his blanket, and plunged into deep meditation. It was the only thing that could give him some peace these days.
Chapter 356
After five hours of meditation, Hadjar opened his eyes and looked around. Everyone was asleep. They didn’t need to take turns guarding the camp, Karissa’s spells surrounding it were enough to warn them about any surprise attacks.
Wrapped in his blanket, Hadjar stood up and climbed to the top of the dune. Ramukhan and Salif had already finished their work. A slightly flickering arch was visible in the air, and he spotted it without even needing to view it through the World River. A wind blew out from it. It was alien and evil. It promised danger. Hadjar met it with a childish joy. His heart yearned for adventure, and his body ached for a fight.
“I have one question for you, Northerner,” someone nearby spoke.
Einen stepped out of the shadows. He did it casually, like someone stepping over the threshold of their home. The Technique had used to unnerve Hadjar once, but now he’d even learned to anticipate his friend’s arrival.
“What?”
The islander sat down next to him. He held out his hand and Azrea jumped on it with a joyful meow. She really liked the bald lover of philosophy and mysteries.
“What are you hoping to find in the library of Mage City?”
Hadjar wasn’t shocked by the question, if anything, he’d been expecting it. Einen wasn’t stupid or naive, and even Nehen could’ve envied his sagacity.
“From the very beginning, as soon as you heard Rahaim’s story,” Einen continued, “you did your best to join the search. I’m certain that, even if Paris hadn’t offered you any rewards, you would’ve still gone on this journey.”
Hadjar looked at the islander, and then back over to the shimmering arch. Next to him, Mountain Wind lay on the sand.
“I think there is information about the gods and the Seventh Heaven in that library,” Hadjar answered.
Einen sighed and shook his head.
“Mortals mustn’t seek the divine, my friend. It never leads to anything good.”
“I can’t say that I’m looking for something good, necessarily,” Hadjar admitted honestly. “I’m looking for justice.”
“Justice and the gods.” Einen’s lips trembled slightly and he grinned. “I’m not sure that those words can coexist in one sentence in this world. And even if other worlds exist, it’s the same thing there, surely. It sometimes seems to me like people came up with the concept of justice in order to find an excuse for the gods’ cruelty.”
“They also came up with,” Hadjar’s palm was now on his sword, “the concept of upholding justice.”
Einen opened his inhuman, violet eyes wide.
“Well said, Northerner,” his hand touched his staff-spear, “Well said, indeed.”
“And what are you looking for?”
“Nothing specific,” Einen answered. “This is simply a new test for me, which will either kill me or make me stronger. Staying weak is certain death. So, I really have no other choice. ”
“You could’ve sought your test in Underworld City, couldn’t you?”
“Yeah, I could have,” the islander agreed and scratched Azrea behind the ear. She purred and began to rub against his arm. “But my friend is going to Mage City, and that means that I’m going there as well, to keep an eye on him.”
They said nothing more. They sat there for a bit longer, then went down to the squad. Hadjar had listened to the thunder all night. Surprisingly, the dune seemed to have shielded them from the storm raging in the sky of the Demon’s Heart. Not a single flash had erupted above their camp.
That morning, even before the sun rose, Ramukhan woke everyone and lined them up.
“Everyone knows their tasks,” he said, sitting in the saddle of his mighty camel. “I hope we’ll all get to come back here together.”
Judging by Tilis’ look, she was hoping for something else entirely — that their squad would be short at least one member by the end of this.
“Let’s begin,” Ramukhan commanded.