Radegast

Dragomir held his battle-axe at the god’s throat. The crackling fire in the fireplace was louder than Milena’s and Zduhach’s breathing.

The flames, however, stood perfectly still. No flickering, no movement. Only the crackling of wood and pleasant warmth.

Radegast, despite the blade pressing against his neck, reached for the mead and filled their glasses. “Drink, you filthy animals, to your health!”

“I shouldn’t drink on an empty stomach.” Zduhach stared at the glass but didn’t push it away.

“Should I grill some tasty sausages?” Radegast offered. Dragomir pressed harder, breaking the skin and drawing a thin line of blood. “Ho, ho, ho. Dragomir. You look beat up. Let me care for those bruises and swollen brow.”

The god reached under the table where a small wooden medicine box was stored. He opened it. Inside were several rolls of linen bandages, folded pieces of clean cloth, a tiny ceramic flask, a jar of herbal salve, dried herbs, a needle and thread, and a pair of iron tweezers.

“I’ll do it!” Milena took out the jar of herbal salve and opened it. She dipped two fingers into the oily substance. “Ugh…” It looked like snot.

Dragomir kept his eyes fixed on the god’s every movement. Milena came closer and gently spread the herbal salve across Dragomir’s swollen face. Within seconds, his wounds and bruises disappeared.

“Woah, magical oil!” Zduhach leaned forward at the edge of his seat.

“No,” Dragomir corrected him. “Remember what I told you about time and space? The salve just works much faster here.”

“So… not the oily stuff but… this place is magical then?”

Dragomir sighed. He allowed himself to blink for just a tiny moment.

Nothing more.

But the armchair by the fireplace was empty.

It was more than enough for the god to move and head for the door.

“Stop him!” Dragomir shouted.

Zduhach lunged without hesitation as the armchair behind him toppled over.

By the time Milena and Dragomir’s eyes darted towards them, Zduhach already had Radegast pinned down.

The door stood open, and the god’s fingertips reached just beyond the threshold.

“Heh…” Radegast smirked. “I told him to bring you here before you become a problem.”

Zduhach drove his elbow harder into the back of Radegast’s neck, forcing the god’s face against the shiny floor.

Dragomir pressed the axe against the side of his head again. “Don’t try anything funny, Radegast.”

“What a coward, trying to run away from his opponent.” Zduhach breathed more heavily than usual. The amount of strength he had to exert just to pin him down was enormous.

“Who are you calling a coward…?” Radegast whispered.

“Huh?” Zduhach pressed even harder.

But the god slowly pushed himself off the floor.

“Stop it or I’ll kill you!” Dragomir’s hand trembled.

Zduhach’s grip gave out, and he wheezed.

Radegast regained his footing but all he did was lean against the wall of the hallway.

He turned his head. First toward Milena, who had barely breathed for the past few moments. Then to exhausted Zduhach. And then to trembling Dragomir.

“Look at you three. The likes of you, pinning me down in my own house? And calling me a… a coward?” Radegast slammed the back of his fist into the wall. “I’m Radegast, the Warlord!” He suddenly screamed. “I’m the God of War first and foremost! And I hate people who take my hospitality for granted!” Flecks of saliva sprayed from his mouth.

His eyes kept drifting toward the door every few words.

“So what else do you need?” Radegast asked. “I know you’re not trembling because you couldn’t kill me. Quite the opposite. You could kill me in an instant, but you’re afraid to do it while you still obviously need me alive.”

Dragomir’s hand stopped trembling. “Nothing gets past you, huh?”

“How do we get to the Golden Egg?” Milena stepped closer.

“I’ll tell you. But it’s a little complicated. Why don’t we have some more mead?” Radegast subtly gestured toward the fireplace.

Dragomir and the others turned their attention back inside the house.

In a split second, Radegast stood outside.

“Damn it!” Dragomir gritted his teeth.

“What now?” Milena asked.

Radegast took an exaggeratedly deep breath, loud enough for all three of them to hear. “What wonderful weather! Why don’t we talk outside?”

Zduhach fired an arrow from the house directly at the god’s head but Radegast effortlessly dodged.

Dragomir sighed. “We lost.”

“What? Why?” Zduhach was confused.

“If we go out, it’s gonna get ugly. He overpowered even you. Milena hasn’t slept. And my shoulder still isn’t at a hundred percent. We’d be at a huge disadvantage the way we are now.”

“And that speed he showed was, well, godlike.” Milena added.

“But I came here to kill the gods!” Zduhach tried to run outside but Dragomir grabbed his hand.

“Don’t be stupid, we just came here for my weapon and some leads!”

“Then how are we gonna fight when it matters? Do you think we will always be ready when something or someone attacks us?!” Zduhach raised his voice, while Dragomir’s gaze drifted away.

For a slow idiot, he knew exactly what to say in crucial moments.

“You’re right. We can’t just wait for a perfect opportunity. We take him down.”

But then, Radegast passed by them inside the house.

When it happened, both of them almost leapt away from his path. Then they simply watched him sit down in the armchair again.

“What? You couldn’t decide, so I got tired of waiting,” he said nonchalantly, lifting the bottle in an offering gesture. “Want some more mead?”

“I think I’ll have some…” Milena took her glass, finished the contents and let him pour her another drink. Then she finished that one, too. “Yeah!” she said, in an almost sickly voice from deep in her throat.

Dragomir loosened up. “I think we’ll get going…” He slipped his boots back on and grabbed the Little Table.

The other two followed suit.

“I like visitors,” Radegast threw the three glasses into the fireplace, creating a small explosion. “But I like it even more when they don’t overstay their welcome.”

Then he stood up to see them out.

“I’m not telling you anything about the Golden Egg. So don’t ask again. In return, I won’t follow you.” Radegast offered a handshake before they left.

Milena took his hand. “You’re not the one I’m looking for. And that mead was good. So hopefully you can treat us again!”

“I’m afraid I can’t make any promises. The next time we meet, I’ll probably destroy you.”

Then he shook hands with Zduhach. “Next time we meet, I’m the one who’s gonna destroy you! So get ready, God of Hospital!”

Radegast popped a vein on his forehead. “Just go.”

Then he offered his hand to Dragomir.

But he just glared at it. “It’s not easy for me to act friendly towards your kind.” So he turned away and walked outside, holding his battle-axe. “Let’s go.”

When they took just a few steps, the house behind them was gone.

“Gotta admit, that was freaking cool,” Zduhach said.

“That bastard… he knows information is the strongest weapon in war. And I feel like we gave him too much of it…” Dragomir clenched his fists.

“So where do we go now?” Milena looked around. “This place doesn’t look like anything I saw in Leshy’s vision.”

“What do you mean?”

“The atmosphere was so… lifeless. Not in the sense that everything was dead… but more like… nothing was born yet.”

“Hmmm…” Dragomir pondered. “This is the Prav I experienced five years ago. So maybe what you saw was from a period way before then?”

“Whatever, we just have to find that Golden Egg and … and what?” Zduhach realized he didn’t know what the plan was. “Do we eat it? Do we destroy it? Do we force it to hatch?”

Dragomir perked up. “Hatch it…? Zduhach, you’re right. What if there is something inside that egg, waiting to be born?”

“Let’s not go there… once I found an abandoned egg in a nearby grove and it hatched into a freaking snake!” Milena brought her hand to her forehead. “As a young maiden I was terrified! But I can’t recall what happened afterwards…”

“I took the snake, waited till it was a little bigger and then released it back into that grove. I was scared of those reptiles too but when I saw it up close, it wasn’t so terrifying.”

“Pf… pfftt! Hahahaha!” Milena burst into laughter. “I’m scared to find out that every detail from my past I can’t remember somehow involves you!”

Dragomir was startled at first, but then he joined her in the laughter.

“You two are weird.” Zduhach crouched, grabbed the arrow he’d fired at Radegast and straightened up, only to realize he was face to face with someone. “G-guys?”

They turned their heads. Each of them had someone staring them in the eyes.

With no explanation, they found themselves deep in a chilly cave.

Chapter 22: END