Crystal Pieces of Fantasy Read online

  Crystal Pieces of Fantasy

  J. M. Ava

  Austin Macauley Publishers

  Crystal Pieces of Fantasy

  About The Author

  Dedication

  Copyright Information ©

  The Herbalist

  The Frozen Prince

  The Elixir

  The Fairy

  The Journey

  Flight

  Utopia

  The Two Leaves

  Reality

  The Soundless Violin

  About The Author

  J. M. Ava is a European woman who lives in London. She has a broad range of interests, such as world literature, history and arts, which has fuelled her vivid imagination. She has been a muse for a poet whose book was published abroad and has influenced her for her writing.

  J. M. Ava had danced classical ballet from a very early age, which has laid a foundation for appreciating the finer things in life.

  Her life has been full of colourful experiences, some of them beyond imagination, which have become a source of inspiration for her stories.

  Through her charitable works, she has met people from all walks of life. Thus she has understood the lives of unfortunate people and has deepened her perception of the full colours of life.

  Her stories are an inspiration for everyone who loves fantasy and fairy tales.

  Dedication

  For my mother, who is the most caring person and my closest friend, who has always been there for me and has been inspiring me with her unconditional love.

  Copyright Information ©

  J. M. Ava (2019)

  The right of J. M. Ava to be identified as author of this work has been asserted by her in accordance with section 77 and 78 of the Copyright, Designs and Patents Act 1988.

  All rights reserved. No part of this publication may be reproduced, stored in a retrieval system, or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic, mechanical, photocopying, recording, or otherwise, without the prior permission of the publishers.

  Any person who commits any unauthorised act in relation to this publication may be liable to criminal prosecution and civil claims for damages.

  A CIP catalogue record for this title is available from the British Library.

  ISBN 9781528907033 (Paperback)

  ISBN 9781528907040 (Hardback)

  ISBN 9781528958479 (ePub e-book)

  www.austinmacauley.com

  First Published (2019)

  Austin Macauley Publishers Ltd

  25 Canada Square

  Canary Wharf

  London

  E14 5LQ

  The Herbalist

  Delaida barely walked, weakened by the hunter’s poison arrow. She has been agonising for several days, since the arrow scratched her skin and death started flowing through her veins. She was wandering alone through the woods, surrounded by frightening animal sounds, seeking for a way to save herself. He was following her closely for a long time, hot on her heels. One of his arrows left a scratch, the poison penetrated the flesh and was now draining her life out little by little. It was only a matter of time until she fell down breathless.

  Delaida was raised in a small house near Lake Bretava. It was in the heart of the mountains, where people founded several small villages that grew over time and merged into a town – Merab. Merab was a thriving city in Delaida's time which was seething with life. People lived calmly, doing their daily activities and enjoying life, which flowed smoothly and endlessly. The whole area was flourishing under the rulers of the Tanassi clan.

  But that was about to change.

  A rumour was spreading that the merciless invaders from the north, the Haudi tribe, were conquering the surrounding lands. Fear enveloped people’s hearts. It was a matter of time for Merab to be taken over by them.

  Delaida grew into a tender, beautiful maiden who stood out from the other girls in her own way. She had keen eyes and a sharp mind. Maybe that was the reason why, when the Houdi tribe, the merciless invaders from the north passed through Merab, the Hunter chose her. Delaida was scared when she noticed that a young Houdi man was gazing at her. He wore a hunter’s clothes and a quiver of arrows and a bow hung on his back. She was carrying a bucket of water, which she had to bring to her house. The young man, who was twirling a blade of grass between his lips, started walking deliberately towards her. His gait gave out what he was – an unyielding conqueror. Delaida didn’t know what to do, if she left that would make the fierce warrior mad, but if she stayed what would he demand of her? She felt weak, as if she was trapped, so she just froze. The conqueror approached her and put his muddy boot on the well. He spat out the blade of grass right in front of Delaida.

  “You local girls look good,” he started a conversation while studying her with a ferocious look in his eyes.

  She felt her hands shaking while holding the heavy bucket of water. At that moment, some girl from the town, just a few steps from the well, started screaming helplessly. One of the Houdi men had grabbed her by the neck and was dragging her towards the inn. It was a shocking sight and the people around were just observing indifferently. Fortunately, at that moment, the leader of the group intervened; he went to the girl and tore her away from the hand of the Houdi man.

  The Hunter watched impassively the scene and then, after the spectacle was over, he turned his gaze back to Delaida. He looked her up and down with a meaningful look and returned to the rest of his tribe. She came back to her senses and walked hurriedly to her house. The meeting with the Hunter didn’t bode well. She felt that she was going to see him again, but she didn’t know if she’d have the chance to escape unscathed. Once they singled someone out, the Houdi people hunted them to the end.

  A few days passed, clouded by frantic concern. Delaida wanted to leave as soon as possible, so that she would not be pursued. That’s why she put some clothes and a little food in a bundle and was about to leave, alone, because there was nobody to take along. But then she heard the creaking of the front step and shuddered. She saw the Hunter through a crack in the wall, he had come for her. Delaida stood on the spot and tried not to make a sound, so that he wouldn’t know there was someone in the house. Cold sweat covered her forehead and hands. The Hunter knocked several times, waited for a while and then made a little step back. He began scrutinising the facade of the house. Delaida did not move. He returned to the door and sniffed like a hound. At this point, Delaida realised that he knew she was there. It was as though his sharp gaze pierced through the door, and she felt like he grabbed her. But the Hunter did nothing. He turned around and left. Today wasn’t the day that he would sweep away his prey, not now. He would come back for her and she couldn’t do anything. If she remained in Merab, she would fall into his clutches, and she wanted to escape far, far away and save herself from this black soul.

  She waited a few minutes, which felt like hours, then she quietly left the house and took the path that led to the woods. She had to cross a broad field before entering the wild woods. Delaida walked fast and stopped only shortly, just to take her breath. The fear for her life and of her safety was choking her. She was also afraid of the wild beasts in the woods. Where would she sleep that night? Dusk was falling now. The darkness gradually covered the tops of the trees and then the rest of the forest. Delaida climbed a tree and sat down on one of its large branches. She coiled her body almost into a ball and wrapped her dress around her frozen legs. She could hear a lot of different noises, the mysterious songs of the night birds, the howling of a wolf somewhere in the distance.

  She had dozed off for a while when suddenly a splash of wings over her head startled her. The night was long and cold, and the darkness impenetrable. But the morning came, and with the firs
t rays of sunlight, Delaida set off again. She had no appetite, so she didn’t stop for lunch. She walked alone for several days, and the nights she spent curled up on a tree, shivering with cold. One day her dress got caught up on a bush and when she bent down to free it, she heard human footsteps and cringed behind the bush.

  She waited for a minute because she wasn’t sure if she had really heard the sound. Delaida held her breath and felt her pulse thumping. But then she heard the footsteps again, and she was sure there was someone there. She couldn’t peek around the bush, so she just stood up and dashed forward. Delaida was running too fast, and although she was watching her steps, she stumbled upon something and fell.

  She was on her feet in a second, but then she felt two strong hands grabbing her by the shoulders and throwing her on the ground. Delaida was terrified when she saw the Hunter. He noticed the blood on her leg, leaned over and smelled it. He saw the wound from the fall, which was not deep. The Hunter stood above her and watched her without saying a word, just like a predator playing with the prey before killing her. He bent down and squeezed Delaida’s wrist, staring at her with his chilling gaze. His hands were ice cold. But he did not want to kill her, he wanted to make her his own.

  “I’ll go gather some wood and fetch us food,” he said in a commanding tone, and Delaida knew she had to obey. If she did not accept his dinner and escaped instead, she would doom herself, it meant a certain death. Houdis punished disobedience and the Houdi man would hunt her, find her and avenge the rejection.

  A lot of time passed, but the Hunter hadn’t yet come back. She sat curled up again, completely numb. Her mind had gone blank after the sudden encounter with the Hunter. But when evening fell and the sunset lit the sky in purple, she came a little to her senses and began to consider her options. What would happen if she stayed with the Hunter? Houdis were savage warriors, and sooner or later, he would be her undoing. And if she ran off now, the Hunter would probably catch up with her very soon and kill her on the spot that same night. In both cases, she would lose her life. Then suddenly she decided to do it anyway, to escape again. To be killed now would be a better fate than to be abused over and over again. She sprang to her feet and started running.

  It got dark. It was the hardest night in Delaida’s life. She didn’t know how many minutes, how many seconds more she had left. Her body, frozen with fear before, was now burning. She stopped running, but continued walking. Again, the same sounds, a wolf’s howl, the splash of birds’ wings. It was a moonlit night. Then another sound…and she recognised it from before, it was the footsteps. She took to her heels, and then she heard the drawing and releasing of the bowstring. In a minute, she found herself lying numb on the ground and the poisoned arrow lay beside her body. The Hunter stood above Delaida, looked at her without showing any emotion and then headed back to Merab.

  The whole night Delaida spent lying down in that helpless position, but she was not dead. She felt she had to fight the poison, to stay alive. Another breath of air, two more seconds of light, it was worth it to breathe, even though she was in pain. That way, on the brink of death, she drifted through the night and greeted the dawn. The sunrays fell on her, and she managed, somehow with great effort, to stand up and stumble away, to move forward. Numbness clouded everything. She didn’t feel the sun nor the dark and cold, she only felt the poison that spread through her body, gnawing at her life. She walked and walked until she couldn’t feel her feet anymore, and then her knees buckled and she slumped to the ground. She had no strength to stand up. She laid down, feeling the poison sucking out her forces and finally fell into the depths of unconsciousness.

  And then, something pulled her out. As if in a dream, she felt the touch of warm hands to her agonising body. Someone lifted her from the cold ground and carried her…where to, she didn’t know.

  A young man, living in the nearby mountains, had found her in the woods and brought her home. He lived alone and nobody knew about the existence of his little hut.

  When Delaida started to wake up, it was night. She opened her eyes and saw a flickering light, but she did not have the strength to keep her eyelids up. She fell back into deep slumber. Were these the last moments of her life? She had no strength to follow this thought.

  And then she felt heat spreading through her body. It started from the heart and reached every last part of her. She was woken up by a soft touch to her arm. The young man stood in front of her, staring at her, slightly startled. She sat up in the bed, not knowing what to ask, and the man in front of her didn’t say anything. She looked around the room she was in, and considering it didn’t look dangerous, but somewhat strangely cosy with the smell of herbs and other pleasant aromas, she calmed down and asked him:

  “How did I get here?”

  I found you in the woods," explained the man. “You were injured and I brought you here to heal your wound. There was poison in it.”

  He looked at her tenderly and asked her:

  “What happened to you?”

  Delaida felt comfortable around this man, as if she had already known him from before. He had a pleasant-looking face and warm eyes, which made her feel safe.

  “Please don’t ask me about it,” said Delaida, “it’s a miracle you have found me and cured my poisoned body. I don’t know how I can repay you for saving my life.” A tear dropped from her eyes.

  They kept talking for a long time and trust was born between them. He told her that his name was Evkar, he lived completely alone, and he learned from his father which herbs to pick, and how to use them in his everyday life as well as to cure various illnesses and treat wounds with them. Sometimes an elderly woman from a remote town would come for herbs to treat the people who lived in the area. She kept to herself the location of Evkar’s house for his safety, so that the tribes that ruled the neighbouring lands would not force him to join them.

  He offered Delaida to make her tea so that she would feel better and she accepted it with gratitude. He put it on the wooden table beside her bed and went out somewhere. Delaida drank the aromatic tea and waited for him to come back, but Evkar was late. She didn’t want to stay in bed, so she got up and tried taking a few steps. She still wore her torn and bloody dress. She thought to herself that the young man had not taken it off because he didn’t want to reveal her nude body. That made her smile. Maybe he’s not like other men? she thought, and put on her shoes that he had left by the door, then went out. What a beautiful summer day it was! She breathed in deeply the fragrant warm air and felt truly alive. And somewhere near was her saviour.

  She walked around the small house, which had just one room. Outside there was a little shed for the firewood. There she saw some straw on the ground and a blanket. She thought Evkar must have slept there so that she wouldn’t feel threatened and worried. She decided to go to the woods to look for him, but after a while, she saw the cottage was getting too far away and got frightened. She started walking back and when she got to the house, Evkar was already there, waiting for her worriedly.

  “I did not know where you were. I thought somebody found you,” he said, and Delaida looked guiltily at him.

  “I was quite close,” she said, “I needed a little fresh air.”

  “Don’t go alone in this forest. There are wild animals there and sometimes even scarier creatures…” said he gently, but looking very concerned.

  “What do you mean?” she asked.

  “Tribal warriors, armed to teeth, bloodthirsty. You’d better stay close to me, so I could help you if anything happens.”

  It became clear to Delaida that Evkar knew quite well about the enemy’s existence, so she decided not to put either of them in danger by getting far away from the hut.

  Evkar suggested that the next day he could take her to a nearby lake, where the water was crystal clear.

  “We’ll go to the lake; it’s not far from here. It is safe there and you can bathe in it and wash your dress from the blood. I’ll be waiting nearby,” he offered.


  Delaida gladly accepted.

  It was like a new life began for Delaida in this small hut in the midst of the wild forest. The presence of this young man, who was accustomed to living alone but treated her so well, made her feel secure.

  “You were unconscious for many days,” said Evkar, “I wonder how you managed to recover when you’re so weak. You’ll need a few weeks to get healthy again.” Evkar said these words in a caring tone and smiled kindly.

  Delaida was moved. It felt nice to be in the company of this man and she wanted to know more of his story.

  “Will you tell me about your father?” she asked.

  Evkar, who was adding wood to the fireplace at that moment, stopped working and stared somewhere in the distance with a thoughtful expression on his face.

  “I haven’t seen him for many years,” he began, and sat on the chair, “he took care for me and my mother. It were just the three of us here in this hut that he built for us. He had escaped from a tribe that took over our city. But my mother was spotted by a warrior.” Evkar halted for a moment, and Delaida felt a growing tension in herself.

  “This warrior wanted my mother, but when she sensed that he would try to kidnap her, she managed to get away and go to my father who, having learned about it, grabbed her and me, and without any baggage led us to the woods. He took only a few woodworking tools and a small axe. I don’t remember much of the escape, because I was very little.”

  “What happened next?” Delaida asked anxiously.

  “My father got here, and in a few days, he built the little hut,” Evkar went on. Delaida stared at him with complete concentration. “The three of us lived here until I grew up. There was only one person who knew where we were – the old woman. She came to visit and brought us clothes and news from the city, and in return, we supplied her with herbs. One night, I heard the sound of horseshoes, but my father motioned me to stay inside. He went out, and I watched through a crack in the wall as my mother was thrown on the back of the horse and then the rider took her away, and my father was running after them as fast as he could. I was 13 years old at the time,” Evkar was clearly reliving the experience again, as he was telling Delaida what had happened.