At first, the journey seemed pleasant to Chani. True, she vaguely recalled that the previous one had started out quite well, too... But it was easier than the trek to Hidden Harbor. After all, back then they'd had to fight their way through the forest thickets, smash their feet against rocks, and climb dizzying cliffs... Brrr... This time, a road paved with large gray stones ran into the distance, easy and comfortable to walk along. And although unwashed, dirty gray clouds often blocked the sun, and a damp wind mixed with rain whistled unpleasantly through the treetops and pelted them with handfuls of cold spray, Chani was in great spirits. Chani kept glancing around anxiously, but he always imagined strange horrors...
"Don't worry," Ruby told him. "They don't have time for us right now." She pointed to the greenish strip that stretched above the city wall.
"What is it?" asked Chani.
- Take a closer look...
In the gray twilight, countless swords flashed, orderly ranks of warriors moved to attack, colorful banners unfurled, the wind blew the white sails of numerous ships... But all of this hung in the air above the spires of the city towers, floating and melting like morning fog under the hot rays of the sun.
"They're currently fighting a horde of ghosts. Or rather, their own fear, and they're in no hurry to chase," Ryubi explained. "Everyone sees what they fear most."
"What is it?" Honey asked in a hushed voice.
"It's not time yet," Ryubi evaded the answer. "Let's go."
The old king's road led northwest, toward Kelhope. It wasn't quite the right route, as Ruby explained, but the long way along the road would take less time than the shortcut through the hills.
The rain gradually intensified, and Honey often praised Toril for her magnificent cloaks made from the skins of exotic sea creatures. Smooth and shiny, they were completely waterproof, and the lining of the finest bird down kept them warm even in the bitter cold. It was especially good that the princess wasn't with them now. She was, of course, a wonderful companion and a powerful sorceress, but above all, she was a princess, and she never let anyone forget it.
In any case, Honey walked along, whistling cheerfully. He didn't notice his brother's sullen silence or Ryubi's preoccupation. He didn't even wonder where, or why, they were going.
They'd covered about seven leagues on the very first day, so Hani felt their evening's rest was well-earned. The only thing puzzling was Ryubi's stubborn reluctance to stop at an inn that turned up so conveniently. Even during the day, when Hani had wanted to stop at roadside inns or pubs for a bite to eat, Ryubi had restrained him several times. He'd been forced to gnaw on the bread he'd managed to grab from home. But now, why give up soft, comfortable beds, a warm fire, and a delicious dinner? Especially since the bread had run out so quickly.
"Maybe we should stop in there after all?" Honey suggested without much hope as they turned into a young birch grove, and Ruby began untying her pack, preparing for the night. The inn's windows glowed so enticingly and invitingly...
"No," she shook her head and frowned.
"Why?" Honey couldn't figure it out. Chani only chuckled dryly.
"We don't have to hide too much," said Ruby, "but it would be better if we didn't get in everyone's way. You might meet all sorts of people in a tavern. Even some you'd rather not meet."
"Enemies?" Hani suddenly felt a surge of courage. "We'll..." He puffed out his chest proudly. "If we defeated the Sea King himself, what will we..."
"You've had enough of fighting," my brother said disapprovingly. "Better gather some firewood for the fire and try to remember how you escaped from the city."
"Why me?" Honey asked automatically. "You can too."
"Come on, come on," his brother nudged him in the shoulder. Honey sighed and went to get some firewood.
When a small fire had flared up and the flames were jumping and crackling on the damp branches, Hani asked:
— What about dinner?
Ryubi held out a tiny white cube to him in her palm, which Honey initially mistook for a salt crystal and grimaced with displeasure.
- No, thank you. Eat it yourself.
Chani winked at him slyly, but Honey didn't give in.
- No way!
"Then go to bed hungry," suggested the brother.
Honey took the cube skeptically and sniffed it. It smelled of nothing. He licked it cautiously, but didn't taste any salt. Then Honey took the plunge and popped the cube into his mouth. It seemed to go down by itself. A pleasant warmth and satiety immediately spread throughout his body, though Honey didn't have time to discern what exactly this unusual food tasted like.
"What is this?" he asked, squinting contentedly.
"Stone bread," answered Ryubi.
"Stone?!" Honey was horrified.
"That doesn't mean dried to the point of stone hardness. This is the food our people eat," said Ruby. "It contains all the juices of the earth, everything it gives to both plants and animals. One cube like this will last you several days."
"It's certainly very convenient on the road," Honey agreed mournfully. "But sometimes you just want to munch on something."
Ruby laughed loudly.
"We'll see how it goes." But then she became serious. "You wanted to know why we're hiding and why we're in a hurry, didn't you?"
"Absolutely right," confirmed Honey. "And one more small question: why are we going at all?"
"The second question, which should have been asked first," Chani chuckled, snapping a thick branch over his knee and throwing it into the fire. A shower of golden sparks flew up, and identical golden dots danced in Ryubi's eyes.
"Well, it won't take long to find the answer to that question. You yourself advised me to remember how we left," Ruby prompted.
"No, that's not enough," Honey insisted stubbornly. "You never know what they might come up with. They could make a lot of noise, and then they'd calm down. It wouldn't be the first time. And it wouldn't be the last, either, I think. After all, there's been constant noise and squabbles in the city these days."
The sky was rapidly darkening, and stars sparkled sharply through the gaps in the clouds, standing out sharply against the black background. Voices rang out especially clearly and distinctly in the damp night air. Honey even involuntarily lowered his voice; he was losing confidence, wanting to look back to check if anyone was standing behind him. Noticing this, Ryubi chuckled.
"You're not as brave as you try to look," she remarked slyly.
"Well, well," Honey frowned. And to hide his embarrassment, he added, "But you still haven't answered."
Ruby became serious.
"I will answer. We have no need to hide from the Sea King's minions. He has no one left, I believe. He is now as weak as a child and poses no threat. We have crushed this evil; the battle at Rainbow Gorge was the final outburst of fury, after which a lull has set in.
"A lull?" Chani asked sarcastically.
"Yes, a lull," she smiled sadly. "The lesser evil is gone, we destroyed it. Although, what kind of evil was it... Well... Nonsense."
"No way," Honey said incredulously, remembering the Sea King's prison. "You shouldn't have done that."
"I repeat: it wasn't evil, but merely a parody of it. Fortunately, you haven't yet encountered real evil; you have no idea what it is. Although you have had the opportunity to glimpse it, to sense its shadow. Toril was absolutely right when she said that evil can be fought with evil. But she was sorely mistaken when she said: only with evil. Yes, of course, you can destroy minor injustice, suppress minor cruelty with great injustice and enormous cruelty. But where will the work of your hands go then? After all, by unleashing great evil upon the world, we don't make it a better place, even if we believe we are opening the gates to evil with good intentions. On the contrary, the world only gets worse. We have returned the Black Sword to the sun. And its shadow may prove far blacker than the gloom of the Sea King's storms.
"Nevertheless, the king's army perished," Hani objected.
"It died," Ryubi agreed. "But was the Sword of Hatred the cause?"
Honey was embarrassed. He was clearly having bad luck that evening; he kept getting into trouble.
"You're right," he admitted reluctantly.
"And remember how the princess changed when she took possession of the sword," Ryubi continued. Chani, hearing this, darkened, wrapped his cloak tighter around himself, and turned away, burying his face in his knees. The conversation was clearly unpleasant for him. "No, no evil can be defeated with a sword," Ryubi concluded with conviction.
"And the dragon?" Honey reminded.
"The dragon himself only dreamed of freeing himself from the golden wings. Two dark forces clashed—the Golden Talisman and the Black Sword. Which of them would emerge victorious?" She lowered her voice, glancing back at the dozing Chani.
"It's still not clear to me. I don't think anything could have been done without the help of the Ten-Winged One himself." She dropped her voice to a whisper. "And I'm not sure Chani's touch with the sword had no consequences."
"You're saying that," Honey involuntarily looked at his brother.
"Only time can tell. I really hope I'm wrong in my suspicions. For now, one thing is certain: with our help, however unwitting, an evil that had been dormant until now has entered the world. And now we must correct our mistake before it has time to grow and strengthen. One evil deed leads to another, and soon they will roll, multiplying, into an all-crushing avalanche. No one who has embarked on the path of evil has ever managed to stop halfway. It's like an icy mountain over an abyss—slip even once, and you'll plummet without stopping to the very blackest depths. And even if you don't crash, you're unlikely to be able to climb back up to the sun."
Honey looked sad and worriedly at his brother. Chani was dozing and apparently hadn't heard anything.
- I don't like your words.
— I would very much like to be wrong, but...
— Who exactly are we chasing now?
"Behind the one who stood behind the Sea King. The King was simply a toy in evil hands, a puppet. Far to the north lie the roots of this evil; beneath the whitish sky of the Twilight Realm, the Ice Star gathers its malevolent power, there, in the depths of the eternal ice. Only poisonous claws reach here, poisoning souls and hearts, filling them with fear and servility, cruelty and arrogance. Evil itself does not like to show itself. It prefers to lurk in the darkness and does not tolerate sunlight well. Now it is far away, its influence weak, only its distant breath can be felt here. I do not fear what does not exist; that would be simply foolish. But remember Acanthon. Far more dangerous are the unwitting servants of evil, often unaware of their actions.
"That's good at least," Honey said, looking her intently in the eyes. "Otherwise, I was afraid you'd say they knew who they served and what they were doing."
Ryubi shook her head slowly.
"You're growing up. No, they're deceived. But why didn't they think of this simple question: if you want to create a state, is it really necessary to look for a ruler? Why do you need someone hanging around your neck? People should decide their own destiny."
Honey turned purple.
"Don't say that. They're strangers to you, no matter how well you treat them. They're not as bad as you think. They're simply blind. But that's their misfortune, not their fault. Bitterness is also evil and will only produce more evil. What goes around comes around."
"That's exactly what I was saying. The claws of evil must be plucked out, too, though if you get to the roots, the claws will fall off on their own. We've made many mistakes. We found the Black Sword. We allowed the Sea King to escape. So it's up to us to correct them, and as quickly as possible." She looked at Honey with respect. "And you're a good boy. I don't think your brother can figure this all out on his own. The only problem is that I have a feeling this expedition could be just as fruitless. We'll still encounter the Black Sword, and a greater evil. But will we be able to destroy it? Perhaps I'm wrong to lead just the two of you."
- Why?
"That's why!" Ruby suddenly replied rather impolitely. "Let's get some sleep. We need to get up early tomorrow."