Chapter 43

The cold wind tosses her fair hair, and her eyes seem to freeze, but while many around her struggle with their horses, some for being disobedient and others for not enduring the difficult race on that road covered by a thick layer of snow, Pedrinho clenched his fists tightly around the reins and, without changing the direction of his gaze, just as his father had told him, he didn't stop and continued on the path beyond the next town.

"Damn it! Come on, you stupid horse! Move! Faster! Move!"

Stuck horses and crying children fallen to the ground around him. However, this is not the time to think about others' lives... not when his own safety is at risk.

Momentarily, his eyes closed to the surroundings, and while the sobs from the children smaller than him grew more distant, the howl of wolves echoed through the air and reached everyone's ears.

With the scare, many fell from their horses. The futile attempts to get back on the saddles ended only when the animals, by instinct, left the children behind and ran for their own lives.

Pedrinho can hear the screams, every single one of them. And, perhaps by his own imagination or maybe thanks to his senses sharpening at distinct moments, but even the sound of bones being crushed by the teeth of those creatures he can hear.

The number of survivors was gradually decreasing, and he could hear each one of the deaths, but... instead of sadness... how terrible must he be to feel relieved that those children were delaying the approach of the beasts?

His heart clenches just as his hands on the reins. While before his teary eyes, a great forest covered in snow rises.

"The forest..." a tear fell from his eyes and froze on the ground as he remembered his father's words. "...don't go around it, go through it. Remember, that's the fastest way to the next town. Do you understand me, Pedrinho?"

As they reached the forest, the children split up, with the majority choosing to go around and follow the traditional road. However, Pedrinho and a few other children didn't take that same path and chose to cross through it.

Just as their prey did, the wolves also split up. Two went after the majority, and only one of them entered the forest ahead.

In one moment, a blur of brown and green passed before his eyes, in another, with the sudden appearance of a fallen trunk, the horse neighed, and the ground seemed to be getting closer.

There was no time to get up or even recover from the fall. Before his blurred vision returned to normal, the huge sharp fangs were already surrounding his head.

No time for tears or screams. Everything went dark.

His white fur stained with red and his claws tearing through the ground as they move. As the chase continued, the wolf saw a strange rounded object of reddish color appear in front of him.

A living being. Its slow movement indicated that.

His paw raised, and his claws descended fiercely cutting through the winds. However, with the unexpected breakage of his nails and the sudden appearance of sharp thorns on the back of that creature, the wolf backed away.

His fierce eyes fixed on that being, while it stood towering like an impenetrable fortress before him. Removing the thorns from its back, there were no claws or fangs, but that shiny beak of horn-like structure that continued to shatter rocks with extreme ease and indifference could certainly pose a great threat.

Slowly the wolf circled the red turtle and prepared to attack it.

But, lifting one leg and tilting its body backward, the turtle hid its limbs and, with the thorns exposed, acting strangely, it began to spin rapidly towards the white wolf, who jumped back to dodge.

The jump had worked, but the assault was not over yet.

While the wolf regained his composure, a strange sensation of heat intensified on his back.

Startled, he turned. But it was too late.

As if flames were coating its body, the red turtle spun towards him at a speed that, for his abilities, would be impossible to dodge.

His remaining claws went towards the impenetrable shell. However, along with its destruction, the body of the white wolf was completely torn apart in moments, and its parts scattered throughout the area.

Hiding its thorns and returning to its quadrupedal form, the red turtle continued calmly feeding on the rocks around it.

***************

"Sir! No, sir, you can't!"

Walking hurriedly through a grand corridor illuminated entirely by torches made of mana stones, a man halted his steps before a huge golden door.

"Opening the door... you might end up dead if you do that!"

The man raised one hand, but trembling, he stopped halfway.

"It's been days... many days. We can't go on like this. We need answers."

His hands moved towards the door, but the tremor didn't cease.

"I know, but the laws say that doing this is..."

Without being touched, the doors shimmered. The runes carved on their surface stood out, and an uncomfortable glow capable of blinding the eyes emanated from the cracks created by their slow movement.

"I didn't touch them... Kayler... you saw, right..?"

Kayler nodded silently, and as the door opened, both men instinctively kneeled before that blinding light.

"Who are you?"

The serene and beautiful voice echoing into their ears naturally calmed them. However, the mana still imposed upon them made it impossible to move even a single finger from their places.

"I am Landric, my lady. Heir to Lancelot and the current protector of the lands of Avalon."

Steps were taken, and a being of simply terrifying presence approached the door.

"If you are the heir of Lancelot... how much time has passed since then?"

"My lord... currently, we are in the year 8,760..."

The golden eyes gleamed at the door's threshold, and the man looked around, searching joyfully for something that clearly wasn't in that place.

"If that's true, then where is he?!"

The voice, the pressure, and the growing fear in their hearts. Unable to breathe, Landric and Kayler found themselves pinned to the ground without any prospect or intention of retaliating. After all, the decisions of the true and only King are absolute... even if they lead to their deaths.

"What are you doing?! Can't you see you're hurting them? Stop this."

The voice tried to approach, and the pain vanished along with the pressure on their bodies. They could rise if they wished, or even look forward. However, keeping their heads bowed, those two wouldn't dare do anything so disrespectful.

"So, this is the year 8,760, right?"

"Yes, my lady..."

"But why don't I see him...? Where is he..?"

"I don't..." clenching his fists, Landric hesitated to speak. "I... We don't know..."

"Don't know... But I imagine you've used the portal, right?"

"Yes, as it is in the scriptures... But nothing happens, no matter how many times we repeat the invocation ritual."

"Hmm... That's strange. It shouldn't be like this... Have all tried to perform the ritual?"

"Yes, my lady, and none of them worked. But..."

"But?"

"It's been some time since the regents and protectors of the prison and the forest of the Ancient Black Crows and of Tintagel stopped responding to the calls."

"Kay and Bedivere, right...? What do you think?"

"I don't know, but there's only one way to be sure."

After a small silver dagger floated into his hands, Landric could say with absolute certainty that, having come directly from the King's hands, this is definitely a weapon without equal.

"Take this dagger and go to Tintagel and the Black Crows. If by any chance he really is there, it will shine in his presence."

"But... what if they're deliberately not responding to the calls...?"

"What do the laws say?"

"That betrayal is an unforgivable act punishable by death."

"So..?"

The doors began to close, and the glow gradually diminished. Meanwhile, with both hands, Landric carefully picked up the dagger from the ground.

"Yes, I will do as the laws say, my lord."