The Little Things

“Are you okay, Drago?” Levoslav took off his cape and laid it carefully on the Little Table.

Is this the person I once cared about? Am I supposed to save his dushe somehow?

Dragomir opened his mouth but the words caught in his throat.

Without taking his eyes off him, he fumbled for his battle-axe.

Calm down, Dragomir. This is just me traveling into the past, obviously. But how? Is my consciousness in the past? Or my whole body? Look. Look for any clues.

“Yes… I’m okay, Levo. Sorry if I startled you.”

“You look like you’ve seen a ghost. You dozed off for a bit, so maybe a Mora attacked you?”

“No, no, nothing attacked me.”

Dragomir carefully leaned on his right hand to push himself up from the ground. But a sudden twinge of pain ran through his shoulder, so he hit the ground again.

“Woah, what’s wrong?” Levoslav rushed to his side immediately.

What? I shouldn’t have this injury yet. So I… physically traveled into the past?

“Did the fight with Radegast drain you this much after all?”

“Yeah… I think he hit me in the shoulder with one of his axes.” Dragomir reached for his shoulder and massaged it gently.

Levoslav observed him for a few moments. “Damn, you have to take care of yourself more.”

“Well it would have been easier if you weren’t more worried about your cape than about winning the fight!”

“Ahahah! You got me there!”

Dragomir didn’t want to laugh along with a traitor. But he couldn’t help it.

Each of them reached for one sausage. Even though it was still hot, they ate quickly, because they feared the Little Table would make the food disappear soon. And as convenient as the table was, it still needed time before it could lay another feast.

The duo then resumed their journey.

Dragomir traveled with the Little Table and his battle-axe, while Levoslav wore his sword sheathed at his belt.

“It’s just you and me, huh?” Levoslav gripped his sword. “We lost every single one of them.”

“Yeah… they were good people.”

“Good thing you asked for that table. We wouldn’t have made it this far with so many people starving.”

“But it wasn’t my idea.”

“Oh right, it was that baker. Haha, what a thoughtful guy he was…”

Dragomir eyed the bohatier. So many trials. So many battles. And yet this traitor couldn’t even remember the names of his own party. No. Not that he couldn’t. He simply wouldn’t.

I should have noticed the little things sooner. It’s always the little things.

“Wait.” Levoslav gestured with his hand.

“What?”

“The wind. It stopped blowing every three seconds. Now it’s blowing constantly.”

“How could you even notice that?” 

The wind grew stronger. It carried the sound of a wind instrument. It pushed Dragomir back, lifting him off the ground and slamming him against a nearby tree.

The impact cracked the bark behind him.

“So it’s only you two now, you so-called heroes?” The mocking voice came from the wind. The wind formed a mouth. Then ears. Then nose. And then the full head.

Levoslav slashed the face with his sword but the face of the man turned into a gust and then reformed, this time with a whole body, floating in the air. The man had a pair of wings on his back and held a long golden horn, which he played.

Dragomir pushed himself back to his feet.

Of course. This is the day when Stribog, the God of Wind, and Mokosh, the Goddess of Earth, attacked us. But where is she?

Dragomir scanned the surroundings, holding his shoulder. His battle-axe was too far away, the Little Table had been blown away behind him.

What should I do? Do I run toward the table or do I get my battle-axe first?

In the meantime, Levoslav defended himself with his sword against the piercing wind that Stribog sent his way. With every note he drew from the horn, a different wind blade came slashing towards Levoslav.

“Drago! What are you doing? This isn’t like you!” he shouted in the midst of battle.

He’s right. I’m too cautious. I used to be much more reckless during this time. If I don’t fight like back then, he’s gonna be suspicious.

Dragomir then dashed towards his battle-axe. As he ran, the soil below his feet cracked, causing him to stumble and fall face-first into the dirt. Some of it even got into his mouth. When he lifted his gaze, he saw her.

Mokosh had strands of yellow straw where her hair should have been. A crescent-moon-shaped scar on her forehead. She leaned against a spinning wheel.

Levoslav was pushed back and he landed right next to Dragomir.

“You foolish bohatiers!” Mokosh shouted in an exaggerated voice. “You’ll never be able to rewrite the rules of this world!”

“This is bad news,” Levoslav panted. “Mokosh attacks from below, and Stribog attacks from above. And they don’t have to worry about accidentally killing each other because a god cannot kill another god.”

“Yeah,” Dragomir spat out some soil. “They’re in perfect sync. But all we have to do is attack them when they’re not touching their domain.”

“What?” Levoslav turned his head.

“If we make Mokosh jump, we can destroy that spinning wheel. And if we can make Stribog land, we can slice up his horn.”

Levoslav gazed at Dragomir a bit too long. “Well… I have no idea what you’re talking about, but I guess we can try it.” He tightened his grip on his sword. “Just make sure not to get dirt on my cape.”

Dragomir smirked. “Don’t worry, prince charming.”

And so the battle resumed. Levoslav covered for Dragomir as he reached for his battle-axe.

“Run!” Dragomir instructed, and Levoslav dashed towards Mokosh.

Dragomir then threw his axe as if he meant to cut off Mokosh’s legs. It spun, but the goddess effortlessly jumped. In the split second that her feet left the ground, Levoslav slashed and cut the spinning wheel in two.

“No!” Stribog screamed.

But it was too late.

Mokosh gasped. The earth beneath her feet cracked, then went still. The strands of straw covering her head lost their golden glow and fell limp around her face.

Blood ran from the corner of her mouth.

Then the Goddess of Earth collapsed onto the very ground she had commanded moments before.

“You bastards!” Stribog flew above their heads, playing the horn as the winds slashed them from different angles.

Levoslav threw his sword at his wing and the metal pierced it. The snowy-white feathers turned rust-red, as Stribog lost balance and the horn slipped out of his hands. Ignoring it, he went straight for the defenseless Levoslav. He swept a hand through the air as he flew down, forming an almost invisible blade of wind. As he slammed into Levoslav, the bohatier stopped him with pure force, locking his hands onto the god’s shoulders. “Now, Drago!”

Dragomir dashed towards the horn that had dropped to the ground.

“What are you trying to accomplish? That horn is unbreakable as long as I’m not connected to the ground!”

The god drove the blade through Levoslav’s shoulder.

“Arghh!” Levoslav let go of him with the injured arm but he grabbed him tighter with the other. “But I am.” He planted his feet firmly on the ground. “And I am touching you!”

At that moment, Dragomir swung his axe. The long horn shattered.

The winds died instantly. His wings went limp, and the feathers drifted quietly to the ground.

Stribog’s body followed.

I should be more careful about how I change the past. Dragomir panted. The first time, we weren’t able to finish them off because it took us too long to figure out their weaknesses.

Levoslav fell back and hit the ground, grabbing his shoulder.

Dragomir instinctively let go of his axe and ran towards his partner. “Hey! You’re injured!” He touched his shoulder, blood smeared across Dragomir’s fingers. “Why did you risk your life like that?”

“I didn’t risk it,” Levoslav huffed. “I trusted you to pull through.”

Dragomir’s eyes widened.

This… this isn’t the Levoslav that betrayed me. At least, not yet. Maybe he didn’t mean to do what he did. And maybe… that’s what Triglav meant. If I save his dushe, I can save his heart, too.

Chapter 24: END