His Escape

“Haganto!” Alanus cried as Haganto’s right leg sank to his knee. Animo chirped as Haganto gasped, his hands instinctively placed on the ground to stop himself from falling any further. Thankfully, his foot soon touched solid ground and the earth didn’t swallow any more of his leg.

“Are you alright?” the bard asked as he grabbed Haganto’s arm and started to pull, although Haganto was much heavier than the thin man. Haganto just grunted as he lifted his leg out of the hole. When he was out and on his knees, he turned around and looked back at the hole.

Haganto had certainly stumbled into a deep patch of mud a few times and even almost drowned in a bog when he had been hunting for that kelpie. But this was the first time that dry land had attempted to swallow him alive.

Was...was this the clue that Haganto had been looking for?

“Have you gained weight recently, Haganto?” Haganto looked up to see that the guard with dark blue eyes, whose name Haganto couldn’t recall, was looking down at him tauntingly with a sneer.

“No, the ground was already weak here,” Councilor Belanor rebutted, his voice grave as he slowly walked up to them before kneeling beside the hole. He gently placed his hand near the edge of the hole. As if to prove his point, the ground quickly crumpled beneath his fingers.

“How...how could this be?” he heard Ruith ask while Haganto gazed down the hole. Despite Haganto’s sharp eyes, it was hard to see what was down there, thanks to much of the dirt collapsing in on itself like the earth was trying to fix itself. But after some time studying the hole, Haganto was able to detect two more openings, one on each side of the hole and bigger as well.

Did he step into a tunnel?

Haganto was aware of the others talking in the background but he tuned them out as he slowly reached his hand into the foot-sized hole. However, before his fingers touched the ground, he felt little feet run down his arm.

“No Animo!” Haganto cried as he quickly snatched the weasel kit away from his arm with his free hand. He then got his arm out of the hole and sat back before lifting Animo to his face. “You can't go down there. We-”

“Wait, I have an idea,” Councilor Belanor said as he crossed distance between him and Haganto. Then his index finger started giving off a light blue color. “Animo was it? Let him go and let me see what’s down there. He is currently our best solution to see what has happened here.”

Haganto saw the reasoning behind his idea. He knew that many elves could perform a spell that lets them see through an animal’s eyes despite not being there in person themselves. He knew that Councilor Belanor was experienced and skilled enough that Animo would suffer no side effects. Haganto knew that Belanor was right, that thanks to Animo’s small size, he was the only one who could see how the tunnel came to be. However, something in Haganto balked at the idea of willingly sending Animo down that hole. Haganto couldn’t follow and protect the little weasel kit, and he had no idea what was down there.

Then he felt a hand on his shoulder.

“Animo is a tough little fellow, and his kind are made to navigate through tunnels like these,” Alanus said. “And besides, look at him. He is raring to go.”

Alanus was right. While Animo wasn’t actively trying to escape Haganto’s grasp, he was looking down at the hole and his tail was twitching.

“...Alright,” Haganto sighed as he moved Animo closer to Councilor Belanor. “I can’t promise he will go where you want to, though. He is only a kit.”

“Don’t worry, I am also talented in the tongue of animals,” Councilor Belanor said as he gently took Animo out of Haganto’s hand. Animo, his gaze still on the mysterious hole below, started to squirm his way out of the elf’s wrinkled hand. Then Councilor Belanor, with his pinky and ring finger, stroked Animo’s back.

“Do not fret, little one. You will be down there soon enough,” Councilor Belanor told the weasel kit, his voice deeper than before, in an unnatural way. As soon as Councilor Belanor uttered his first word, Animo stopped his attempts at escape. He also finally tore his eyes away from the hole and looked up at the elder elf, who gave him a gentle smile. Haganto felt something akin to surprise since he had never seen Councilor Belanor smile before.

But then again, why would the chief of Malnora smile at the child of an ogre?

“I need your help, Animo,” Councilor Belanor continued. Councilor Belanor, who had been lightly stroking Animo this entire time, stopped before raising his glowing index finger just above the weasel’s head. “Please help us find the origins of this tunnel.”

Councilor Belanor then softly touched Animo’s forehead and closed his eyes.

“Pario visiol.” Councilor Belanor’s finger flashed a bright blue before the color faded completely. However, a turn of Animo’s head revealed that his normally dark eyes were now lightly glowing the same blue color.

“Go now little Animo,” Councilor Belanor said with that same unnatural deep tone as he knelt and put the hand carrying Animo down the hole before opening his fingers. “And do not forget to be safe.”

Finally unhindered, Animo safely and nimbly jumped down the rest of the way. When Councilor Belanor withdrew his hand, Haganto could see Animo sniffing both ends of the tunnel before going into the left one.

“Alright, what do we have here,” Councilor Belanor said softly, his voice now back to normal. He opened his eyes, revealing that like Animo, his were also glowing a light blue color.

“What do you see Councilor?” Ruith asked as he and Tarron helped Councilor Belanor to his feet by lifting him by his elbows.

“Nothing much,” the Malnora Chief answered. “Though...judging by the claw marks on the walls, I believe that this tunnel was made by some kind of animal.”

“So, like a badger?” Tarron asked hopefully.

“Perhaps.”

“I knew it,” Tarron said with a proud smile. “I knew that it was just some animal who got too close to-”

“No…” Councilor Belanor suddenly said, his glowing eyes wide and his voice full of horror. “No no no no!”

“What is it?” Alanus asked as a pit of certain dread appeared inside of Haganto’s stomach. Before Councilor Belanor could answer, they heard a squeak.

Coming straight from the cave.

Haganto turned his attention to the cave as the sound of pittering feet grew louder. A moment later, through the golden seal, he could see Animo running towards them, stopping once he reached the seal.

Agron was the one who made the tunnel.

“He...escaped...he actually escaped,” Tarron said quietly, his eyes wide and his face full of increasing horror.

“But how?” asked the blue-eyed elf that had been guarding the cave, sounding both distressed and in denial. “I thought his claws weren’t strong enough-”

“To break through solid rock, not the earth beneath our feet,” Councilor Belanor explained. Then a scowl overtook his usually calm features. “How could we have been so complacent and idiotic?! How could we have become so arrogant to never think that Agron wouldn’t ever think of digging underneath the impenetrable seal? He must have been digging for years, maybe even centuries, and we were never the wiser!”

“But why didn’t he attack us?” Ruith asked. “He could have done it so easily, and he had to hate us for being his prison guards. So why didn’t he?”

“Maybe he was too weak to attack?” Tarron said before shaking his head. “No, then he would have been too weak to dig…”

“He is sadistic,” Alanus said. “Maybe...he plans on saving Malnora for last.”

As Animo stood on his hind legs and tilted his head at them, Haganto pondered what Alanus said. For Haganto, it would be common sense for Agron to dig until he was just outside the cave and then kill all the elves in Malnora with bloodthirsty vengeance. But as Haganto thought about it, Agron had centuries to stew in anger and hatred. Why wouldn’t Agron, who was already sadistic and loved others’ anguish, take the most malicious option for revenge? And what could be more malicious than having the Malnora elves realize that not only did they fail in keeping Agron prisoner, but many innocents had died by his hand without them being any the wiser? Yes, Alanus was probably right. Though Haganto was sure that Agron planned to kill the Malnora elves once he felt they had stewed in guilt long enough.

However, that didn’t answer where exactly Agron decided to end his tunnel.

“I...I can see that,” Tarron admitted. “But who would have been his first victims then? Agron may be extremely powerful but even he couldn’t have gone far after starving for centuries.”

“I don’t know. But there's one way to find out,” Councilor Belanor said. Then he turned his attention to Animo. “Animo? Can you help us find the other end of the tunnel?”

Thanks to Councilor Belanor’s gift in animal tongue, Animo nodded before turning around. As the little weasel ran out of sight, Haganto thought about what Tarron said. He agreed with the quick-tempered elf though he also had no idea who Agron would have chosen to feed on. The wolves near Malnora? No, Councilor Belanor and the others would have realized the truth quicker if the wolves suddenly stopped howling at night. Some other herd of animals? Haganto couldn’t think of anything else with sentient life other than Zuthiss and-

No. It couldn’t be. Agron didn’t-

“Haganto! Where are you going?!” Haganto heard Alanus call after him as he rushed towards the front gate. Haganto didn’t even realize he had been running, but he didn’t intend to stop now.

He had to go to Filla Aethel. Now.

In what seemed like no time at all but somehow also like an eternity, Haganto reached the front gate of Malnora. He ignored the startled and indignant cries of the elves stationed there as he pushed open the doors just barely enough for him to squeeze through. Once Haganto had stepped onto the barren field, Haganto proceeded to run again, though he kept by the wall as he headed straight for the mountain where his home was.

A small voice in Haganto’s head tried to tell him that he had nothing to worry about, that Alberad and the other elves were safe, and that a weak Agron hadn’t even been heading in their direction. However, that desperately hopeful voice wasn’t loud enough to drown out the loud voices of terror, panic, and anxiety ringing in his head. It wasn’t calming enough to dispel the certain dread growing in his stomach. And it wasn’t convincing enough to stop the images of Agron attacking his loved ones racing across his mind.

When he reached the mountain and started to climb it using the path he and Alberad had used so long ago, memories were also racing across his mind. He remembered Alberad covering him with his cloak when Zuthiss dropped him off at the village, the village healer taking care of his injuries with a gentle smile and a soft hum, the village children wanting to play with him...the memories went on. They were all tender and full of love and warmth that Haganto had once thought he would never have. When Haganto had grown and decided to leave the village to hunt down monsters terrorizing innocent people, they gave him their blessing along with plenty of provisions and a mirror that would never break.

They...they had to be alright. They just had to be.

When he finally neared the tip of the mountain, the strain of forcing himself to run so fast for so long started to be painful and he was having a bit of trouble breathing. But Haganto didn’t stop. The path had taken him both up and around the mountain and Haganto was close enough now that all he had to do was run around the big rock right ahead of him and he would be able to look down-

Haganto made it to the other side of the rock.

Making the sight of collapsed and burnt houses below him clear as day.

Despite himself, Haganto stopped in his tracks, completely silent as he stared down at his home. Even his mind was silent as the smell of rot and death drifted up to his nostrils. Then he finally comprehended what he was seeing.

“No...no!” Haganto cried as he rushed down the mountain path, not caring if he stumbled and fell. All he cared about was getting to Filla Aethel, his home. He had to see it up close, he had to see if anyone survived, someone had to have survived, Agron couldn’t have-

Haganto finally made it home.

And he was instantly confronted with death. The next few minutes were hazy for Haganto as he searched the village as if his mind wasn’t in his body despite his feet avoiding the blood and death. Death that was decaying naturally because even vultures wouldn’t be brave enough to scavenge one of Agron’s brutal kills.

But still, Haganto searched, because...because...there had to be someone, right? They all couldn’t have died while Haganto was away and unaware, Haganto still had to have at least one family member. He had to-

Haganto stopped walking, denial and false hope finally leaving him.

He found Alberad.

Dead.

And Haganto hadn’t been anywhere near to help prevent it.

Haganto barely registered the scream that tore itself out of his throat.

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Next: Chapter 13: https://vocal.media/fiction/aftermath-xb3w0sfi