Never before had other clans come so close to the Earth Clan and stood at the open gates of the settlement. Never before…
The warriors of the Mountain Clan found only trampled grass at the place where the ray fell. They followed the trail then, which led to their eternal enemy. And now, in full readiness and determination to win back their prey, they suddenly appeared from the forest, immediately going on the attack.
Dozens of arrows sliced through the air. One flew very close to the Deva’s head and miraculously didn’t graze her. In this general mess, she felt someone’s hands grab her by the waist and drag towards the closing gate, literally shoving her there. On the other side were left all the warriors who had recently celebrated victory in their minds. Now they were fighting to the death with the enemies who had attacked them surreptitiously. They had no fear of imminent death. They were always ready for battles. They knew that sooner or later, a sharp blade or arrowhead would catch up with them, and so they fought desperately, paying the price of their unforgivable carelessness. Even the archers, who by coincidence were not on the wall at that time, got up there and realized that there was no one to help. All seven warriors were dead, putting their lives on the chopping block, protecting one.
Catching the enemy off, the squad of the Mountain people dealt with them quickly, but they didn’t get the main prize they were hunting for. After taking minor losses, their warriors were forced to return home empty-handed. The surviving warriors turned their horses and headed back to the woods, where they hid behind shady trees and stood for some time watching the movements on the wall of the enemy clan.
CHAPTER 3
People rushed in disorderly crowds in front of the gate, bumping into each other and knocking down. But Deva didn’t lose her head and run to the wounded young woman whom she noticed first. She didn’t have the gift of resurrection, but she knew the secret of healing. When she reached her, she examined the wound.
«Everything will be fine,» Deva promised, realizing that the arrow only grazed her tangentially and the bleeding wound only looked scary.
Deva looked deeply into her eyes, trying to inspire confidence. The woman, frightened and bloodied, immediately trusted her, holding her breath, took her hand away from her shoulder and winced at the terrible pain spreading in jerky impulses throughout her body. Deva brought her hand to the wound, stopping just a couple of inches from the split skin. A soft light poured out of her palm, and the bloody laceration healed. It took only a few moments, and the incision was already gone. The woman no longer felt pain and seemed to be more shocked by what had happened than by the dastardly attack on the clan.
«Thank you,» the woman said.
Deva barely smiled, thanked her in return and helped her get up from the ground. The woman nodded and started backing away from her. Deva sensed her fear. She was afraid of what had just happened. The fact that Deva appeared at the moment of the unexpected attack caused even more fear in the woman. Tears began to roll into her eyes, she turned away and disappeared into the terrified crowd. The maiden looked at her, following her with a sad look. She saw the feelings that overwhelmed the sufferer, but had no right to intrude further with the help. Among the warriors who died behind the wall was her beloved, whom she had come to meet. She will never see him again in the world of the living. Deva wanted to shout the words of regret after her, but she remained silent, realizing that it was much easier to heal a physical wound than the one that damaged the heart and pierced the point into the soul.
People did not see this miracle of healing, they continued to scurry randomly under the walls of the settlement. However, a little further away, a boy was hiding around the corner of one of the houses. He was watching from his shelter everything that was happening at that moment in front of the main gate. Early in the morning, he took up this position, preparing to wait for the solemn return of the warriors with the loot in their hands. He believed that it would be the people of his settlement who would be the first to get the burning ray that fell from the sky that night. He had noticed her from the very beginning. From the moment the gates were raised and she appeared surrounded by warriors in front of the people of the settlement. And even after the attack happened, he was not afraid and did not run away, but continued to stare at the girl with wide eyes. He had never seen anyone like her before, and he couldn’t leave and miss everything. His eyes saw not only the bloody and dead bodies of the inhabitants, who did not have time to escape from the nimble arrows, but also the miracle of healing the wounded.
Without even touching them, she healed their wounds, putting them out of their misery. His eyes, the color of fresh spring green, grew wider and wider in surprise. As if mesmerized, he continued to marvel at what he saw, without leaving his place.
Gradually, people came to their senses. Helping the wounded, carrying away the dead, they cleaned the cobblestone paths, washing away the traces of grief that this morning had brought them. Deva did not stay away. She also helped the residents and now, taking an elderly woman by the elbow, lifted her off the stone floor. She fell when she tried to escape from enemy arrows, but got off with only fright.
«Thank you, sweet heart,» the woman groaned, barely getting up, leaning on the Deva’s hand.
In response, she just smiled, trying to hide the pain that was tearing her from the inside. The universal heaviness that covered all the inhabitants of the clan this mournful morning. The woman, as if not noticing anything unusual in the appearance of the maiden, dusted off her dress and hobbled on, hiding in the alleys of the settlement. Among the warriors who remained behind the wall, the old woman did not wait for anyone, but simply came out of habit to meet her people who returned home alive.
Left all alone, Deva looked around, trying to figure out what to do next and where to go. There wasn’t a soul around, and she was turning her head in confusion. A little further away stood the main castle, with many windows and fancy turrets crowning the building. Deva would like to take a walk here and admire the simple architecture.
Suddenly, the guards appeared around the corner. They walked in a perfect square, and Deva had no doubt that they were coming straight to her. Their bodies were covered with finely forged shiny armor, and their chiseled step ricocheted off the stone surface. She looked at them and did not understand for what reason they put on this iron armor. Did she really pose such a danger? Was she a great threat to the peace of these people? She brought death with her. People died because of her, although Deva did not want this to happen at all. She wanted peace on this earth and came here only to establish it. But are they interested in it? Those brave warriors only laughed at her answer when they asked the reason she had come. And now they will join the Navi and be forever chained to the ground by their own evil deeds. The Creators will never allow them to get even into the transitional worlds.
The four guards were gradually approaching her. The maiden sighed sadly and looked up, once again preparing to meet her fate.
«We were told to bring you to the council,» one of the guards said sternly and calmly, approaching the maiden at arm’s length.
She silently bowed her head, not intending to resist. The guard surrounded her and took to the castle as if she were a criminal who deserved the most severe punishment. After walking through the labyrinths of cobbled and similar streets without stopping, they reached the main castle and went inside. Then they went through a side door, crossed several passages and climbed two floors up. For some reason, they did not meet any residents along the way. Apart from the ones she had seen earlier in front of the entrance gate, none of them caught her eye anymore. «Maybe they were afraid of me and decided to hide all the people?» she wondered, standing in front of the elegant wooden doors, waiting for them to be allowed to enter.
She paid her attention to the carved curls of leaves hanging from a tree, on the branch of which a wonderful bird was sitting. Deva stood behind two broad-shouldered guards and saw little ahead of her. She tilted her head to the left and to the