18. A matter of understanding

November 14, 2008 at 8:25 am (Novel)

-18-
A matter of understanding

They had been walking for two and a half hours, due east in a nameless forest the two humans found exactly the same to any other they had seen on this world, when they heard the sound… It was low but they could hear it clearly. It was someone crying. Gaella pinpointed the sound and silently gestured the information to the two magic users.
I am going. What is it? It is… cringing. A satyr? A human? Elf-like. Berthal saw Bateleur descend behind the bush Gaella had pointed at.
So smooth. What is it doing? Touching me. Talking. Bring it here. I will bring it there.
Bateleur flew on a low branch above the bush. The bush shook. Then the Bateleur flew one tree further away, obviously luring the ‘smooth and talkative elf like’ creature towards them. A slim, male figure rose from the bush but when he saw the two humans and the centaur he froze in his place, like a child would freeze before his mother when caught stealing sweets. He had honey coloured, dishevelled hair that reached behind his back. His eyes had the colour of honey too and they were slightly slanted but not slanted enough to be an elf. He was a half-elf. He wore a pair of dirty, brown trousers and a green, human made shirt, which he had unbuttoned completely, exposing his hairless chest. The shirt was torn in several parts.
“Hello!” smiled Gaella.
With that, the half elf opened his eyes in a dreadful stare and placing his palms on his ears he started to scream horribly.
“Shut up!” Berthal shouted but the half-elf cringed back behind the bush.
“Very resourceful!” commented Azure.
Gaella jumped above the bush to see the poor creature screaming and cringing, pushing himself harder against the bush and pricking his white skin in the process. Gaella raised her hand and the scream became more desperate.
“I won’t hurt you…please…” she touched his hair and caressed him.
The scream slowly turned into whining. Gaella bent slowly and tried to make him rise. She noticed he wore no shoes.
“My goodness… you are scared to death… Who did this to you?”
She hugged him and the half elf grabbed her waist tightly.
“Oh, I’m going to throw up…” murmured Berthal.
Gaella brought him slowly and tenderly along with the others, all the while caressing his head and whispering calming words in his ear. Then she sat on the grass next to him. The half elf looked at the standing humans above him with huge eyes.
“Sit down! You’re scaring him!”
“He’s crazy.” Said Berthal shaking his head but Azure dragged him downwards.
“Who did this to you?”
He placed three fingers on his mouth.
“You won’t tell me?”
He nodded ‘no’. It was a sign he had not lost it completely and he could still communicate.
“Why?”
“They’re watching!” his voice trembled.
“Holy shit, let’s just go on!” protested Berthal. Azure knocked him with her elbow.
“Where?”
The half elf pointed at the shadow of a tree with one hand and at the shadow of a bush with another.
Gaella cast a questioning glance at Berthal but his face remained inexpressible.
“The water burns…” cried the half elf.
“Hush…”
“It burns me… My throat, my skin…”
Gaella pressed him on her to make him stop.
“…and the air presses me… and I can’t breathe… they’re talking to me!”
She felt his tears on her breast.
“Thank the gods Quath is not here… He would go delirious if he saw a dark elven spawn!” commented Azure.
“Can we go now?”
“We can’t leave him, Berthal.”
“I’m not a nurse!” Berthal considered the possibility of playing the sitter for the half elf even more disturbing than that of babysitting Azure.
“Look at this poor creature, how can you leave him helpless?”
The poor creature had withdrawn from Gaella’s chest and blinked innocently at the mage.
“Watch me!” Berthal said and stood up.
The women stood as well and Gaella held the half elf’s hand to keep him calm.

“You’re a damn bastard, Berthal” she shouted as she scurried behind him.
“Thank you”
Azure shook her head indignantly. “We can’t leave a mad man alone in the forest. He’ll die”
“Mother nature will take care of him. He’s elven, he’ll manage!” he said indifferently.
“Don’t be a wise guy with me!”
“There’s something you don’t understand Azure!” He stopped stomping ahead and looked at her. His face was red with fury. He’d rather skip all this and ignore her but she would keep on bugging him so he felt some things should be made clear.
“Nobody cares about me so I care about nobody!” he spat to the silenced woman “And I’m pretty happy with the deal!”
She hesitated for a few seconds, just to take in what he had said.
“And you consider yourself knowledgeable?”
Berthal turned and walked away and Azure trailed him again. Gaella, holding the madman’s hand, skittered behind them. Their argument was clearly echoed in a radius of at least a hundred meters in the forest, as if they were inviting any possible passer by to participate.
“You don’t understand a thing! The importance of all beings! The respect you owe to all living, good and evil!”
“I owe nothing to nobody!” he shouted, most probably increasing the radius a little more.
“… You don’t even understand that there are people around you, who you have no right to bully!”
“Save your egalitarian ramblings for a more appropriate time and a keener ear!” he growled with a quick glance at her.
“You will listen!” and with that, she grabbed Berthal’s left shoulder and pressed her nails through the cloth of his robes.
Berthal grabbed her wrist with his right hand and, turning to face her, he twisted her hand rendering it unable to move, in a trained motion she never believed he would perform so fast.
“You listen! If you consider yourself equal to that wretched creature, that’s fine with me! But if we get in trouble because of him, I will be more than glad to twist his neck!”
She held his gaze and spoke through clenched teeth.
“I know you will”

Gaella watched without intervention a few steps behind. She turned to the mad half elf that was watching equally speechless and wondered if he could understand what was going on. She thought she was experiencing an unnatural outburst of hostility from everyone towards everyone else lately. So much hatred was not normal…
“This has started to get really distressing.” She said to the madman and he nodded, agreeing.