The Sapphire Eruption, page 14
part #1 of The Sword's Choice Series
“Yes, he is my friend, he is dying.” Hilzen threw himself to the ground and cringed on his knees sobbing while tears fell down his eyes. “I can’t go through this again…”
The giant turned his head, looking at Hilzen. Then he turned his head back to Noakh, nudging him with his fingernail again, making him roll onto the palm of his hand. With an ease that seemed astonishing to Hilzen, he undid the rope and began to observe it by grasping one of the ends with a finger and bringing it closer to his eyes. Noakh’s wound in his back appeared to be turning increasingly yellowish, suggesting high levels of infection. The giant lowered his nose and smelled him. His nostrils showed irregular holes, as big as the entrance of a cave.
“Poison.”
Hilzen raised his head in surprise.
“How do you know?”
“In my tribe I be a healer, I cure giants.”
“Can you help him?” He jumped up, a ray of hope seeming to have emerged “Please… save him!”
“But… he attack me, he woke me up.” The creature’s words were sad, emphasizing the fact that Noakh’s cries had awakened him, as if that were truly what had bothered him.
“Please!” Hilzen dropped to the ground, begging from his knees “Help him!”
The colossus paused for a second.
Then the giant drew his other hand down to snatch up Hilzen. The Aquo put his hands before his face as the colossus’s immense hand drew him towards him. However, the giant took Hilzen gently and held him on his palm.
From the height of the giant’s shoulders, the air was much colder. The giant’s footsteps soon caused a roar to echo around the forest. Animals came out of hiding; birds fluttered, perching on the giant’s head. Hilzen held onto the giant’s fingers to see where the beast was taking him. He had to use all his strength to grab on to the fingers and keep from falling.
The giant’s motion caused his palm to wobble, making it difficult for Hilzen to stand up. He intermittently turned away from the landscape before him to look at Noakh, who was still in the giant’s other hand. Noakh’s body protruded from the giant’s closed fist, his little arms moving from side to side as a result of the oscillation.
The walk was rather short, partly because of the giant’s huge strides. They soon found themselves in an esplanade, where the trunks of several uprooted trees could be seen. Leaves and branches were stacked on one side of the clearing. The giant’s bed, Hilzen guessed.
The giant lowered his hand carefully, then opened his palm and let Hilzen scramble off. Then the creature took Noakh with him close to a tree. In it, there were several holes, in which, Hilzen realized, the giant had stored all kinds of herbs and utensils.
The giant sat down on the ground and crossed his legs. Still holding Noakh in one hand, he reached his other hand into the hole in the tree and took out some herbs. He set the herbs in a small pile at his feet then took out a piece of thick tree bark and, digging his fingers into the bark, made a shallow hole in it. Then he dropped the mixture of herbs into the hole. He reached over and lifted one of the uprooted tree trunks and began poking a finger around in the dirt, then withdrew his finger, revealing a bunch of insects clinging to it. Carefully he dropped several of the bugs onto the crusty earth and crushed them between his fingers, creating a brown mass, which he drew up with his fingers and introduced into the hole he had made in the bark with the herbs. He then paused, touching his forehead with one of his fingers, as though trying to remember something.
“Missing flower.”
He pointed to some flowers that were growing next to Hilzen. They were white with reddish spots—a species not very common in the area—so strange, in fact, that Hilzen had never seen them. He scurried around to pick them, intending to tear them all away.
The giant guessed Hilzen’s intentions. “Only one!” he cried fiercely.
“Okay, it’s okay!” Hilzen replied, raising his hands in peace.
He gently picked one of the flowers and placed it in the palm of the giant’s hand. The giant crushed it and dropped the liquid that came out onto the bark. After removing the thick paste of herbs, flowers, and bug blood, he opened Noakh’s mouth with one of his yellowish nails, introducing the mixture into his mouth.
Hilzen couldn’t help but to feel repulsed, despite knowing that the giant’s actions were beneficial. After he was finished, the giant set Noakh on the enormous bed of leaves and sat down next to Hilzen. When his buttocks hit the ground, they raised a cloud of leaves and dust, producing a soft whoosh.
“He will live. Lethal poison, but very slow.”
Looking back at him, Hilzen could see an aura of wisdom in his eyes, an intelligence that he had been unable to see before, blinded as he was by his prejudices. Hilzen enthusiastically smiled and looked into the giant’s eyes, then he made the Aquo reverence towards him. The giant deserved all his respect. The giant nodded with his head.
Likewise, the way in which he expressed himself was quite decent. The giants had their own language, which to human ears seemed like a cluster of meaningless screams but nevertheless, depending on the modulation and duration, helped the beings communicate. With their arrival into these lands, the giants little by little learned the common tongue—in many cases in order not to be attacked by humans, but also to collaborate with them in cases when they were fighting a common enemy.
The giants’ language stood as a good example of all that had happened throughout the four kingdoms. Each kingdom possessed a language of its own that had nevertheless been replaced by the so-called common language, a language that thanks to not starting from any of the lexical rules of the other languages had extended to all the kingdoms, without any other territory imposing its language, a fact that had undoubtedly been part of the language’s success, along with its lower degree of complexity compared to the others.
“Thank you, thank you very much!” Then Hilzen realized that he did not even know the giant’s name. Standing up again while bowing, he said, “My name is Hilzen, and the boy whose life you saved is called Noakh. We both come from the Silvery Lakes region. What’s your name?”
“Cervan.” The giant looked at the ground. With one of his fingers he drew huge grooves in the earth. “From where I come I can’t remember. Long ago… lands of giants.”
Hilzen nodded. The giants were not a common sight in the Aquadom. Rather, they came from places far away. According to the stories Hilzen had heard, they had been attracted to this kingdom by its springs of pure water, a strong contrast to their barren lands dominated by dust—or at least that was what the stories said. He remembered the story of the giant princess, a story that his parents had told him during his childhood. The giant king had had a daughter, Garlogian, who, within the giants’ canon, was considered very beautiful. Their customs dictated that any giant who wanted to marry the young princess must emerge champion in a tournament. Several warriors of the tribe joined the tournament, a battle to the death in which the winner would win the hand of the princess. Borgan, considered the strongest giant of all time, respected and feared by the rest of the giants, joined the tournament too. When the other giants learned that Borgan would be joining, they decided not to participate, knowing they had no chance of winning. As a result, Borgan was declared the winner, as he was the only participant. The king, having been deprived of the spectacle of combat, reluctantly yielded his daughter’s hand to the powerful warrior, well aware of the consequences had he not done so. However, Garlogian was not so eager to abide by the rules. She used her cunning to make Borgan understand that there was no honor in his victory. He proposed that the powerful giant embark on a journey in search of something so beautiful that it was worthy to give a princess in exchange for her hand in marriage. Seeing the challenge as an epic adventure that would be forever remembered, Borgan accepted the challenge. Several giant warriors joined his cause, soon embarking on a journey around the world.
This story—with a few changes, depending on who told it—served as an explanation for many Aquos of how the giants had come to the lands of water; many added with pride that the water from their springs was undoubtedly the beautiful object the powerful giant had given as a present to the princess—a detail, Hilzen knew, that would certainly be replaced by the other kingdoms’ most precious assets if similar stories existed in those kingdoms. It was a story that Hilzen especially liked, since, unlike most of the stories in which giants intervened, in this story the giants were not treated as simple monsters who loved to eat children and crush villages; instead, this story reflected a gentler side of the beings. And, looking at Cervan now, Hilzen could see how the human nature that the story conveyed was actually real. It was good, he thought, that at least one of the stories concerning giants mentioned such features.
* * *
“The way you knew how Noakh was poisoned was as impressive as how quickly you cured him. Where did you learn such knowledge?”
“Giants always know trees, they know forest. Cervan healer in the war, learn a lot to save as many warriors as possible. Because Cervan wounded in leg in combat, not able to fight but want to be useful, learn to cure burns, poisons. Horrible war.” Cervan’s tone grew mournful while he talked about the war and his giant colleagues.
“Burns…” Hilzen knew which war the giant was referring to, so long ago that only a giant could have participated in it and still be alive today. One of Hilzen’s ancestors had fought and died in that war. A war where fire rained and the earth trembled. It was a bloody battle against the Fireos and the Tirhans, the Aquos being besieged by both sides. The Aquo Army had to divide its forces on two fronts; despite flooding their borders, the enemy armies had moved forward. Being aware of the situation, the queen at that time, Quarel—a woman as wise as she was beautiful—asked for help from the giants who lived in her lands, persuading them to fight at her side. This was one of several actions that led Quarel to repel the enemies’ attack and thus endure the siege, pushing back both sides. That battle earned Quarel the nickname Giant Tamer.
Many warriors died in that war, and without a doubt many giants, who because of their strength were sent to the most bloody battle zones. But because of their size—and the humans’ lack of respect for their lives—they were not treated by doctors. Cervan, after being injured, and wanting to help his fellow giants, had declared himself responsible for trying to save them.
Since the war had started, the population of giants had significantly decreased, both because many giants had died in combat and because many had decided to return home after the fight.
“My ancestors also fought in that war,” Hilzen told Cervan. “Let’s give thanks to what now seems to be an era of peace,” he added, knowing that the Fireos and the Aquos were in the era of the Sleeping War.
Both stopped talking as they looked at the sky. Among the trees, the clouds advanced above the branches. Then from his position where he still lay on Cervan’s bed, Noakh coughed and Hilzen ran on tiptoe to his bed, since after all it was a giant’s bed. Noakh opened his eyes and looked sideways at Hilzen, stunned.
“Noakh! How are you doing?” Hilzen exclaimed while Noakh touched his own head. A sharp pain, accompanied by nausea, attacked him. The giant came quickly and pulled Hilzen away.
“Having to expel poison.”
“Hmm? What do you mean by—”
Before Hilzen could finish the sentence, Noakh leaned over the edge of the bed and vomited on the ground.
“Exactly that. Medicine cures. But very powerful.”
Noakh, who until then had been too ill to fully comprehend the scene around him, realized with dread that a huge giant stood next to Hilzen. Rather than back away in fear, Noakh found himself unable to move, frozen with fascination. Hadn’t his father once told him about these beings? Hadn’t he always wanted to see one in person? However, before he could say anything that might hurt the sensibility of the giant, Hilzen intervened.
“This is Cervan, a giant healer. If it were not for him… you would not be here.”
Noakh was surprised at Hilzen’s words. His prejudices regarding giants were not so very dissimilar from Hilzen’s. Pushing himself to the edge of the bed of leaves, Noakh laid his eyes on the giant.
“You saved me?” Again Noakh looked the giant in the eye. Could it be true? What had Hilzen said? If it weren’t for the giant, Noakh would be dead? He looked back to Hilzen, who simply nodded. Then he looked back to the giant. The intelligence. The compassion. He nodded. I owe you my life then…” Then he began to reflect. “Cervan, someday I will be king of the Fireos. I know it may seem stupid now, but such is my destiny, and then you will be rewarded. I will be willing to serve you, even to die for you.”
“No need. You do the same for me.”
Noakh was about to thank the giant, but then, with a lurch, he started vomiting again.
CHAPTER 19. Separate paths
Early that night, a gigantic bonfire illuminated the giant’s dwelling area in the esplanade. The three friends sat close beside it, with Noakh and Hilzen enjoying the dinner that Hilzen had hunted for them: a boar with large fangs. The giant, however, ate tree roots. This relieved Hilzen, who had feared that the amount of meat the giant would consume might be as gigantic as Cervan himself. Earlier the giant had gone to retrieve the wagon and the horse, both of which he had brought back to the esplanade with extreme ease. The horse seemed to have grown used to him, letting him caress him with one of his fingers without showing any resistance; on the contrary, the horse even seemed to like it.
Noakh had managed to get out of bed and, after drinking a huge amount of water, as recommended by Cervan, had begun to feel much better. Yet his face was still yellow, slightly swollen, and showed signs of fatigue. His appearance was horrible, but he was not going to complain, considering that the alternative was, apparently, death.
During dinner, Hilzen told him how they had gotten to the giant’s dwelling, and his idea, which now seemed so brilliant while at the time had seemed demented, to use Distra to keep Noakh alive as long as possible. He told Noakh, too, of how Cervan, enraged by Noakh’s cries when he was possessed, had blocked their way with a tree to scare them and leave him alone. Cervan then admitted that he used to do that as a warning, to scare off someone whenever they bothered him, even though he was not usually that close to the path. Such a threat was sufficient for the vast majority of travelers to quickly understand the consequences of bothering the giant; typically, they ran off at a rapid pace to let Cervan rest in peace. However, the giant admitted that he would not kill any man, because he had learned to live with nature.
Staring at the flames of the bonfire, Noakh remembered the conversation he had with the force inside of Distra and how the voice he had heard had promised to kill Hilzen. He wondered if the promise had something to do with the words he boasted to Distra when he was totally tied. He preferred not to say anything. It was better not to worry his friend, because as Hilzen had said on multiple occasions, although he longed for death, he certainly did not want it at the hands of a demon—least of all, if it was with fire. At first he thought that encounter was a dream, a simple madness, a consequence of the effect of the poison in his blood. However, now, holding Distra in his hands again, he perceived no hostility, only concord, as if they had reached a kind of pact. Perhaps it was a consequence of the conversations he had with Distra and because, real or not, he had come to perceive the sword differently, as if the fear of using it had vanished.
During their conversation, the sword had kept telling him that he was not a king. Noakh realized the harshness of those words. His father had sacrificed everything for a cause, one to which he had not given importance, without realizing he was tainting everything of what his father had fought, for what he had lived and finally died for. He wondered about the extent to which Lumio would be disgusted with him, letting Distra take control, being about to die without even starting to fight. Those thoughts bathed him in a sense of shame and embarrassment that soon became anger… anger against himself. Without realizing it, he was squeezing the hilt of the sword so hard that he was pushing the blade into the ground, little by little digging the tip deeper.
Hilzen, observing him, guessed his torment.
“Noakh, do you remember the story of the giant princess?”
“Yes, I think so… Isn’t that where the giants search for the hottest flame?”
“I knew it!” laughed Hilzen. “I always wondered if this story was different in each of the kingdoms. Now I finally know the answer!”
Cervan, who had the horse in one of his hands while with the finger of the other stroked its back, asked about that story. After telling him, to the astonishment of both Noakh and Hilzen, reality was really far from the original version.
* * *
Once Noakh recovered, it was time for him and Hilzen to leave. Both of the men were sorry to say goodbye to the giant. He had revealed that he had a heart bigger, even, than his size. No doubt they would miss him.
As Noakh and Hilzen gathered their belongings, Cervan was very sad, continually crestfallen, and staring at the ground. He intertwined his fingers as he stood shifting his weight from side to side. Something tormented his mind.
“Noakh, you say willing to serve me. I only ask you one thing.” Cervan was embarrassed at his request, although he had to at least try. However, Noakh interrupted him, guessing his request.
“The horse can stay with you. You have found a partner and he has been too long in the service of humans. It is time it has a better life.” As he spoke he slipped the reins off the horse, stroking it on the back. Until that moment he had not paid much attention to the horse. It was brown, with powerful hindquarters as result of a life pulling a wagon. Although the horse was now in its later years, it seemed to have kept in shape.
Noakh looked at the horse’s eyes. He seemed to see a special glint in the horse’s expression. Perhaps it was merely his imagination, but he could have sworn the animal was genuinely grateful about his future destiny. A life in nature, without any burden to pull, and no master.
