I was still in my third year as a sister when I was told never to set foot on the ice of that lake because its never thick enough to take the weight of a person. But Anna hasnt been told that yet or she has but the warning has fallen on deaf ears. Im standing as close to the lake as I dare, praying for the ice to be thick enough to take the weight of a slim girl.
I shudder when she stands up and falls down again, landing on her backside and sliding even further away from me. Her laughter carries all the way across the lake.
Anna, come back here, please! I cry again, trying not to sound too scared. If I step on the ice myself, Im sure it will crack.
Its not so slippery here, she yells back with disappointment and takes a few steps back towards me. We can both hear the sound.
Anna looks down. From her feet snake-like cracks start sprawling in all directions. She bows her head a bit and takes another step, slowly this time. The next cracking sound is almost deafening. I watch her with my heart in my mouth. She looks up at me and the fear in her eyes is unmistakable. Her lower lip starts to tremble. I throw back my cloak and stand there in my light caftan.
Anna! Run to me! I try to yell but my voice cracks like ice and I hope Ive managed to say it loud enough for her to hear.
She does and she dashes to me. When shes nervous, she becomes even more awkward. She manages three steps but the ice is really cracking now, big pieces come loose and the dark water splashes on the surface. Anna slips on the water. I dont wait to see what happens next and bolt forward, carefully maneuvering between the cracks, leaping from one chunk of ice to another.
Anna is first to go under. She squeals and falls into the water, her head disappearing beneath the black surface. I dive in right after. A rasping shriek escapes my lips as soon as the icy-cold water touches my skin. I spot my sisters cloak billowing on the surface, find her and pull her up to the surface. Anna is sobbing uncontrollably. Her teeth are chattering and shes beating against the water with one arm, the rest of her body must have gone numb from the cold.
The water is freezing and it seems like Im being stabbed by a thousand knives. But my fear pushes me forward and I steadily move towards the end of the lake, pulling my sister behind me. When I reach the shore, I haul her onto the hard surface first and crawl after her on all fours.
My fingers are stiff as I strip Anna of her soaked clothing and wrap her into the only dry thing we have left, my cloak. She keeps sobbing, shivering from the cold and the shock. Im not much help as Im shivering all over too. But the fear of almost losing my sister is more numbing to me than the cold.
Irina is teaching me not to succumb to fear, to act, no matter what. And I try to heed her now.
A nnna ppput yourrr arms a rrround my nnneck.
I help her onto my back and try to set off towards the temple again. But my legs dont cooperate, my knees begin to buckle and pain shoots right through me. Anna does what shes told, for once, and clutches my neck, almost suffocating me.
I manage about five feet but my breath is heavy and wheezing. Im freezing, my numb fingers can hardly keep Anna in place but I see Irina rushing towards us and tears start running down my cheeks before I can stop them. My sobs turn to wails, even louder than Annas, as I fall into the soft snow and let Irina run the rest of the distance.
5
Yarat. The capital of Araken.
So many years have passed and the landscapes have changed. My memories help me to orientate myself a little and I realize that we are traveling northwards. I see some new villages that have sprung up, a few roads have widened and the outlines of the woods are different to how they used to be. Some places I used to know are just nowhere to be seen. We are moving along this unfamiliar road and I recognize a couple of places, while all the rest are completely new to me. But Im happy to learn that Araken still exists and Yarat has remained its capital. Even though, when I was alive, I only visited it twice. The first time, all Maras were asked to attend the new kings coronation and the second time we came to rid the woods from evil.
We, Maras, do not belong to any kingdoms and do not serve any kings. The woods adjoining our temple are considered Maras territory and are situated right on the border between two kingdoms: Araken and Serat. An ocean washes the western borders of the countries and on the east a mountain range creates another natural border. No one crosses the mountains and no one comes from the mountains. Maybe the world ends there or just people.
Maras do not take sides or have favorites; we help those who need it. Whether the people of Serat have needed us, or the citizens of Araken, we rush to their aid. But Im glad it was the Prince of Araken who raised me from the dead. If it had been the heir of Serat, I would have broken his neck before he even breathed a word.
Your Highness, I address the prince after a few hours of our monotonous journey, if you dont mind me asking, why are you so interested in Maras?
Where should I start? the prince drags out with a smile; hes probably flattered that I spoke to him first. My mother died when I was young, just five years after my little sister was born. The king, I mean my father, was not particularly interested in my upbringing and I spent too much time with nurses and my siblings, my little sister and my elder brother Nikolay. My brother loved reading to us and his favorite tales were those of Maras and Moroks.
A questionable choice of bedtime stories, I put in.
True. Thats what any adult would have thought. But we had a choice between you and goblins.
Whats wrong with goblins? I ask, nonplussed.
Well, they are awful monsters, for one.
They do look weird because of the skulls instead of faces, but they are pretty harmless. I object.
You call those thugs harmless?! Daniel looks at me like Ive gone mad. Ive heard they can be up to ten feet tall; their horns look like tree limbs and their eyes are blood-red.
Well, the blood-red eyes are nonsense, I shrug. More often than not, they dont have any, just a bare, animal skull where the face should be.
Even better! Empty eye-sockets definitely look more harmless than red eyes, the prince snorts.
I cant help but giggle and the sound is strange and unfamiliar. I seem to have forgotten how to laugh and the giggling is strained and a far cry from that beautiful resounding laugh I used to have.
But hes right. I am used to goblins and knowing that they are just wood spirits protecting animals and plants, I take no notice of their eerie appearance. For common people, they must look sinister.
Well, I guess they might look a bit fearsome, I cave.
A bit? the prince calls back and his lips break into a smile when he hears me laugh again. As weve agreed on the monstrosity of goblins, I shall continue my story.
I nod waiting for him to speak.
My sister didnt mind either way as all tales were horror stories to her. But as you might have guessed, I am not a fan of huge wood spirits. So, I chose the tales about you. What can be more fascinating than beautiful girls who bring merciful death?
Outlandish princesses?
Daniel waves my taunt away and continues with the story.
I wasnt wrong. I listened, enraptured, to every story. I was totally fascinated by them! I asked my brother to tell me the same stories again and again and I never got tired of them. Brother had not expected such a reaction though, otherwise he might have kept the stories to himself. The most popular one, apparently, was where Mara Silvia defeated two demons on her own to protect a group of innocent children.