Ronte ran out the door, followed by Punali. The man didn’t stop until he got to the barn and looked around for Jakul.
─What happened?─ Asked catching her breath.
─Eri is not in her room!─ Ronte searched frantically.
─Eri!─ Called out to her mother.
─Jakul, where are you?
─Jarek was in his room, Jakul must have gone to sleep…
Ronte didn’t let her finish before running back to the house. He went to the side, were Jakul’s room was, and knocked with all his strength. Jakul opened the door with a yawn.
─What’s happening?─ His enormous hands rubbing his sleepy face.
─Have you seen Eri?
Jakul’s eyes opened wide, yet he stood still avoiding crossing Ronte’s glance.
─Jakul, she is not in her room. She could be in danger!─ He feared repercussions from the church.
─I saw her running to the forest, but she couldn’t have gone far.─ His deep slow voice was full of shame.
Ronte turned red with furry, his fist clenched, a spark crackled around it. He was ready to shout his lungs out when Punali caught up with them.
─Why did you let her go?!
─What did he say?─ Asked Punali calmly.
─She went to the forest!
─I thought she would come back on her own.─ Ronte was too altered to notice the regret in the giant’s voice.
─Breath. She must have gone to pick plants for her remedies. She has done it in the past. Why are you so worried?─ The woman tried to calm him down.
─We argued earlier about her going back to school and now the church has it in for us. It could be dangerous to be out alone.─ Ronte explained in a hurry.
Jakul seemed confused, he did not understand a lot of the problems that happened in town, rather he did not want to know. He was contempt staying on the farm and taking care of things there, especially in recent months. Punali on the other hand understood all too well what was the problem, recalling her own experiences dealing with fanatics. She looked at his husband's injured hands.
─I understand but don’t take it out on Jakul. I’ll take Jarek to town to check if she is around or if anyone knows where she is.─ Punali said less calmly than she intended.─ Jakul, did you see in which direction she went?
─Yes, I kept an eye on her until Jarek fell down.
─Then you and Jakul go look in the forest. If you find her, come back to the house and I will be back with some of our friends just in case. Take the fior to light your way and so I know where to look for you if you haven’t come back when I get home.
Punali walked slowly back into the house as if she had no concerns but as soon as she crossed the threshold, she ran to get the child, picked up whatever she thought could help, and got to the likgartos, big dragon-like creatures used to ride around. She placed Jarek and jumped behind him. The kid was still drowsy from being woken up, but being thrown on top of a beast is an excellent way to wake you up. Punali spurred the likgarto while holding the reins to the second one in her hand, both began to gallop down the road.
─Where are we going?!─ Was the last thing that could be heard from the house.
On the other side of the house, Jakul picked up the fior, a heavy metal object with a big white crystal held in place by the cylindrical frame and a handle to carry it around. Jakul blew on it and a soft white light emanated from the crystal. He blew again and it became more intense. Meanwhile, Ronte grabbed a knife from his workshop. Both of them ran to the forest.
They must have spent more than twenty minutes looking around her usual places, but with no luck. Ronte was getting more and more agitated. Jakul, in response, felt guiltier and guiltier. The air around them was cold while the wind whispered threats at every turn. Ronte knew the forest was safe, however, common sense had been replaced by an active imagination.
─She wouldn’t?─ Ronte said out loud while catching his breath next to a ginsapo tree.
─What?─ Asked the giant.
Ronte looked at the distance, building up his ideas but with no clear view of it, he could not bring himself to believe it.
─Can you see the tower?─ Ronte called to Jakul
The giant stood on his toes but even then he could not see it. Stretching his neck did no good, the canopy was too thick for him to see anything.
─Carry me, please.─ Ronte climbed up Jakul’s back with help of the orange giant’s large arm.
Ronte carefully grabbed the closest tree, with a small jump he lept up the branch to peak over the razor-sharp leaves. There at almost five legs, he could see the abandoned tower with light coming from the inside. There was no denying it, Eri had gone up there. There was no time to lose, Ronte jumped down trying not to fall. The darkness worked against him, he lost his footing. Jakul caught him and carefully lowered the man to the ground.
─Let’s go to the tower.─ Ronte told Jakul while walking as fast as he could in the muddy dirt.
─But, it is forbidden to go near.─ Jakul walked nervously behind him.
─My daughter is up there, so I will go there.
─Yes Sr.
─Don’t call me Sr. we are your family! Argh Forget it, let’s go!─ Ronte frustration multiplied.
Eri woke up to the pounding of the door, which matched the rhythm of the palpitation in her head. The sound came in through the balcony. She crawled to the edge, but even standing up, it would have been impossible for her to see what was happening. The balcony faced the sea while the door faced the forest. Disoriented Eri looked around inside the tower, concentrated on remembering what had happened but it was hard to focus.
Everything was shaking. At first, the girl thought it was just in her mind, but when she saw the books fall to the ground, she realized there was something wrong. The floating flames became dimmer and dimmer until a couple of them puffed out of existence. There was no time to reflect on what was happening. She stood up with a lot of effort, centered her mind looking for the orb. The magical item was rolling from one side of the tower to the other, far from her reach.
─What is happening? Eri, answer me!─ Eri heard, at last, the voice of her father.
The girl shouted with all her might but no sound came out. The orb rolled further away from her. Eri took two steps forward but her legs were no stronger than the cloth that covered them, she fell on her rear with a painful thud. With no warning, the roof began to cave in. Small rocks struck the floor while bigger ones got embedded, breaking the wooden boards. The girl desperately crawled forward sinking her nails on the wood, pulling with all the energy she could muster. She hadn’t crawled but a leg when one of her nails gave out, exposing the flesh to the elements. Her eyes flooded and a dry scream left her mouth. The ceiling gave a loud crack. As she looked up, a wooden beam detached, falling directly over her. Eri changed direction, pushed with all her strength causing a gust of wind to emanate from her hands, and rolled as fast as she could, but the impact of the wooden beam made the boards raise launching her forward. Her head slammed to the floor turning her lights out.
She could feel blood pouring out of her body, taking with it the little warmth that was still in her. One by one her senses became dimmer, the sounds seemed to get further like if she was moving, the pain became irrelevant and the smell of dust and musk was barely even perceptible. "Make a wish." A voice that she had never heard before popped up in her mind. “I wish I could get up.” She thought as her mind began to wander out of her body.
A glass object appeared in her hand, colder than anything she had felt that night. She concentrated on her hand touching it carefully. It was small, decorated, and had a neck that ended in a different material. “It is a vial.” She quickly realized. With no time to think about it, she opened it and drank the content with the little strength she had. Suddenly an unbearable pain struck her, starting from her head to her hands, even her legs began to hurt with intense cold, then warm, then hotter and hotter until everything burned. She gave out a muffled shriek that grew until it could be heard down the tower.
Ronte heard the scream over the strikes of the giant’s arms against the door. He stepped back and charged at it with everything he had, only to fall on his back. Jakul kicked and screamed at the door to fall. Ronte got up, clawed at the bricks around, he even pulled out the carving knife to scrape the mortar joints, but with no luck. He fell to his knees with hands to his face. The man began to cry in desperation looking for a solution that didn’t want to come. He thought of many possibilities but they all required his tools back home. The giant kept wailing at the door harder and harder, leaving his fists sore and bloody, when suddenly something hit his head and fell to the ground. There was a throbbing sensation in his neck but he paid no mind to it, he didn't even hear it rolling down the cliff. No matter how much he punched, kicked, or lunged at the entrance it did not give in, not even a mark was left.
Ronte on the other hand had turned to begging the deities to take him instead. Angry at his own impotence he clenched his fists and hit the ground. Instead of the grass surrounding the tower his left hand struck a rock, a flash of lighting emanated from them as his power accumulated, he opened his eyes and saw some bricks had gotten loose.
─Jakul, quickly, help!
Between the two they began tearing the bricks out of the wall to make the space big enough for the man to fit.
The heat dissipated slowly, her body recovered energy. The heat focused only on her head and her fingertips, however, it was no longer painful. The skin around what had been a wound turned rosy red as if the skin was brand new. Eri’s vision began to clear as the objects around her began to float by themselves. At first, it was the smaller ones, but with each passing moment, heavier objects followed. The orb that was resting next to her legs floated up so she grabbed it and stored it in her pocket. What looked like objects defying gravity started to orbit around the center of the room spiraling until they collided together at the center. Eri felt the pull starting to lift her. Without warning the tachil crossed in front of her, she grabbed it passing her arms through the loops and heavily walked to the door. By the time she had the handle in her hand, she was floating in mid-air while being pulled to the middle of the room. A big ball of debris was forming while compressing smaller, crushing all that it sucked into dust.
Around the room the walls began to shrink, the floorboards that were still nailed rose, the bookshelves and books got destroyed as soon as they touched the sphere made up all the dust from the debris. The hinges on the door gave out, first the bottom one, then the middle, there was only one left, keeping the door in place, which Eri held for dear life. Desperately she grabbed the wooden edge pulling forward until she was able to grab the door frame. She stretched as much as she could to drag herself out of the room. As soon as all her body had crossed it she felt the weight of her body return her to the ground. Eri didn’t look back, she ran down the stairs to find her father’s half body in.
─Push Jakul, I am almost through!─ Shouted the man.
─Go back, go back! The whole thing is going to fall!─ Hollered the girl as she jumped down the stairs.
─Pull Jakul, pull!─ Ronte called out as he reached out for her daughter's hand.
As soon as his grasp closed around the small thin hand Jakul dragged them out in one quick move, not a second too early as the top part of the tower caved in. They ran almost half a clog before looking back. Then the tower began disintegrating into the sphere that floated in the sky with an orbit of dust around it. Suddenly the sphere became the darkest black as it began to absorb the light around it. The orb that Eri had in her pocket pulled out and floated towards the sphere. The girl tried to grab it but Ronte stopped her. The three of them watched as the orb reached the mass of black and it imploded out of existence with a loud bang accompanied by a flash of white light. Jakul stepped back by instinct and fell over a rock on the edge of the forest. Ronte held his daughter, crushing her between her arms. Eri lost consciousness as soon as the light cleared. The three of them were left at the forest edge motionless, each with their own uncertainty of what had happened and what this would mean for the future.
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