Thor ya sauka kan gwiwowinsa ya suguna da kai a sunkuye.
“Mai martaba,” yace. “Ka gafarce ni domin na dameka.”
Yiwa mashawarcin sarki wulakanci zai iya jawo tsari a kurkuku koma mutuwa. Wannan zahirin ya riga ya kafu a zuciyan Thor tunda a ka haifeshi.
“Tashi ka mike, yaro,” inji Argon. “Da naso ka durkusane, ai dana gaya maka.”
Ahankali, Thor ya tashi ya kalleshi. Argon yayi wasu taku ya matso kusa. Ya saya ya kurewa Thor kallo, har sanda Thor yaji abin yadameshi.
“Kadauki idanun uwarka,” Argon yace.
Sai Thor ya tuna baya. Bai taba haduwa da mahafiyarsa ba, kuma bai taba haduwa da kowaba, banda mahaifinsa, wanda yasanta. An bashi labarin ta rasu a wurin aihuwa, wani abinda Thor yakejin cewa laifinshi ne. Tunda yana jin Kaman shi yasa iyalansa suka tsaneshi.
“Ina ganin Kaman kana daukana a matsayin wani daban ne,” Thor yace. “Bani da uwa.”
“Baka da uwa?” Argon ya tambaya yana murmushi. “Namiji kadai ne ya aifeka?”
“Ina nufin ince ne yallabai, mahaifiyana ta rasu a haihuwa. Ina ganin kana kuskuren sanina ne.
“Kaine Thorgrin, na dangin McLeod. Dan autan yara maza hudu. Wanda ba a zaba ba.”
Idanun Thor sun budu da fadi. Yarasa yaya zai fassara wanan lamarin. A ce mutum mai matsayin Argon yasan shi waye – wanan ya fi karfin fahimtansa. Bai taba tunanin an sanshi a wajen kauyensuba.
“Yaya……kasan duk wannan?”
Argon ya mayar da murmushi, amma baiyi Magana ba.
Kwasam sai Thor ya ciku da jin son sani.
“Ta yaya…” Thor ya kara, yana neman kalmomin da zaiyi anfanidasu, ….ta yaya ka wayi mahaifiya na? ka taba haduwa da ita ne? Wacece ita?
Sai Argon ya juya yayi tafiyarsa.
“Tambayoyin wani lokaci nan gaba,” yace.
Thor ya kalli tafiyarsa, arikice. Wannan ya zame masa haduwa mai rikitarwa da al’ajabi, kuma nata faruwa da sauri. Ya ga baikamata ya bar Argon yatafi haka kawaiba; ya bishi da sauri.
“Me kakeyi anan?” Thor ya tambaya, yana saurin ya kamo shi a tafiya. Argon, da sandan girmansa, irin na daa da akayi daga ivory, nata tafiya da sauri. “Bani kake jira ba dama ba, ko ni kake jira?’
“In ba kai ba sai waye?” Argon ya tambaya.
Thor na sauri domin ya kamoshi, yanabinshi sunata shiga dajin, sun bar shareren sararin a baya.
“Amma yaya saini? Yaya kasan zan kasance anan? Mai kakeso?”
“Tambayoyi dayawa,” Argon yace. “Kana chika iska da Magana, ka kasa kunne a madadin haka.”
Thor nata binshi a yayin da suka yita dada lume kurmin dajin, yana iya karfinsa domin yin shuru.
“Kazo neman tunkiyanka data bata,” Argon yace. “Kokari maikyau. Amma bata lokaci. Bazata rayu ba.”
Idanu Thor sun budu da fadi.
“Tayaya kasan wannan?”
“Nasan su duniyan da bazaka taba saniba, yaro. Koda zakasansu, ba yanzuba.”
Thor yayi mamaki yayin da ya kara saurin tafiya domin kamoshi.
“Bazaka kasa kunneba, kodashike. Haka yanayinka. Taurin kai. Kaman mahaifiyarka. Zaka cigaba daneman tumakinka, da muradin cetonta.”
Thor ya girgizu a yayin da Argon yayita fadan abubuwan da ke cikin tunaninsa.
“Kai yarone mai bin abinda ranka ke so,” ya kara. “Taurin-hali. Ji dakai. Yanayi nagari. Amma wata rana zai iya zama dalilin fadowanka.”
Argon ya fara haurawa wani dan kunya mai ciyayi, kuma Thor na biye dashi.
“Kanason ka shiga rudunan sarki,” Argon yace.
“Kwarai!” Thor yabada ansa, da faraha. “Akwai wani daman a yiyuwar haka a gareni? Zaka iyasa hakan ya faru?”
Sai Argon yayi dariya, kara mai zurfi, kuma mara komai ciki daya haura har kashin bayan Thor.
“Zan iya sa komai yafaru kuma bazan iya sakomai yafaruba. An riga an rubuta kaddararka. Ya raga nakane ka zabeshi.”
Thor bai gane ba.
Sun kai saman kunyan, inda Argon ya saya yakuma fuskanceshi. Thor na saye kusadashi, sai makamshin Argon yabi jikinsa.
“Kaddararka ta kasance mai muhimmanci,” yace. “Kada ka gujeta.”
Idanun Thor sun kara buduwa. Kaddararsa? Muhimmanci? Yaji kanshi nata kumbura.
“Ban ganeba. Kana mani Magana a habaince. Yi hakuri, ka kara mini bayani.”
Sai Argon ya bace.
Bakin Thor ya kara buduwa domin mamaki. Yayi kallo zuwaga ko ina, yana kasa kunne, yana mamaki. Ko duk a tunaninsa ne kawai? Ko wani irin mafarkine?
Thor ya juya ya kalli dajin da kyau; daga wannan guri mai kyau, a can samman kunyan, yana kallo da nisa fiye da dazun. A yayinda yake kallo, ya hango wani motsi a gaba kadan. Yaji kara kuma yayi zaton tumakinsa ne.
Sai ya fara gagautawa a gangarwa kunya mai cayayin yana sauri zuwa ta inda yaji karan, daga baya ta cikin dajin. Yana tafiya amma yana tuna haduwansu da Argon. Yayimasa wuya ya yadda da abinda ya auku a sakaninsu. Menene mai bawa sarki shawara keyi anan, a cikin duk wurare? Kuma yakasance yana jiran zuwansa ne. Amma domin me? Kuma me ya nufa da kaddararsa?
Duk sa’ilin da Thor yayi kokarin kara fahimtan wannan lamarin, sai kara rashin fahimta yakesamu. Argon ya masa gargadin kar yaci gaba a yayinda da kuma ya kwadaitar masa da yin hakan kuma ta wata hanyar. A yannzu, yanakan tafiya, Thor natajin wani Karin yanayin haramci, Kaman wani muhimmin abu na shirin faruwa.
Ya shiga wani kwana sai ya saya a tsandare saboda abinda yakegani a gabansa. Farat daya duka munanan mafarkinsa suka tabbatu. Gasusuwan jikinsa sun mike a tsaye, sai ya fahimci cewa shiga Darkwood dinsa yakasance babban kuskure.
A dayan gefenshi, kwatankwacin taku talatin kawai, sai ga wata dabbar Sybold. Yana kumburi, a mumurde, a tsaye a kan kafafunta hudu, kusan girman doki, ya kasance dabban da a ka fi tsoro a Dakrwood, watakila ma a masarautar. Thor bai taba gani ba, amma yaji tasuniyoyin. Yana kama da zaki, amma yafi grima, fadi, fatansa jajazur kuma idanunsa launin kwai mai kyalli. Tasuniya na nuna cewa yasamo jan fatansa ne daga jinin yaranda basuciba basuganiba.
Thor zai iya kirga iya lokutan da yaji labarin anga wannan babban dabban a gabadaya rayuwansa, duk da ana ganin wadansuma karya sukeyi. Watakila wannan ya kasance ne domin babu wanda ya taba karo da wannan daban ya tsira. Wasu na ganin dabban Sybold shine sarkin dajujjuka, kuma Kaman wani alaman karfanci. Komenene karfanci, Thor bai saniba.
Ya ja baya da taku daya amma da kulawa.
Dabban Sybold din, da hakora a kwaye, dogayen hakoran sakiyan bakinsa na digarda yawu, na mayar masa da harara da idanunsa masu launin kwai. Yanada battacen tumakin Thor a bakinsa: yana ihu, yana rataye kai a kasa, rabin jikinsa a hude da dogayen hakoran. Yana kusa da mutuwa. Daban Sybold din na jin dadin kamun dayayi, yana daukan lokacinsa; Kaman yana jin dadin bama tunkiyan azaba.
Thor ya gagara sayawa yana jin kukan. Tumakin yayita motsi gefe da gefe, ba maitaimako, sai yaji yakamata shi yayi wani abu.
Tunanin Thor na farko ya gudu ne, amma ya riga yasan haka zai zama a banzane. Wannan mumunan daban yafi komame gudu. Idon shi yagudu zai karawa dabban karfin gwiwa ne kawai. Kuma bazaya bar tumakinsa ya mutu haka kawai ba.
Ya saya a daskare da tsoro, kuma ya san dole shi yayi wani abu kada ma menene.
Bazatarsa ya rinjayeshi. Yasa hanu a hankali a cikin jakarsa, ya ciro kwayan dutse daya, ya sashi a majajjaba. Da hanu yana girgiza, ya waina, ya dauki taku daya zuwa gaba, sai ya wurga.
Dutsen yayi tafiya a iska yaje ya samu abunda ya auna. Harbi daidai. Ya samu tumakin a cikin kwayar idonsa, yawuce sambai zuwa kwakwalwarsa.
Tumakin ya kwanta shuru. Amace. Thor ya kawo karshen wahalarsa.
Dabban Sybold din ya gwaye idanunsa, yaji haushin Thor ya kashe abin wasansa. Ahankali ya bude manyan hakoransa ya sake tinkiyan, wanda ya fado da kara a kan kasan dajin. Sanan ya sanya hankalinsa a kan Thor.
Yayi ihun barazana, mummunan kara mai zurfi, daya taso daga can cikin tumbinsa.
Yayinda ya fara taku zuwa gareshi, Thor, zuciyarsa na bugu, ya daura wani dutsen a majajjabarsa, ya masa baya, da shirin yin wani harbin.
Dabban Sybold din ya fita a guje, yana gudun da yafi duk abinda Thor ya taba gani a rayuwarsa.