Elinor. The Deserted Valley. Book 1. Mikhail Shelkov
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did not call to strive for death; humans must live. But they must live with dignity! Do’Ayve was trying to live with dignity, to live by the Code, and the example of the udoğan E’Do inspired him.
E’Do (Son of the Sword) was born in a small village north of the Empire, near the Path of Horror. His father Tsu’O-nɛ (Infinite Courage) went to the Valley, being the Law’s Detachment commander, when his wife was about to give birth to the firstborn. Tsu’O-nɛ left his wife his sword, Hanvet, and asked her to give it as a present from father to newborn child, for he did not know how long he would stay in the Valley.
And then one day, the village was attacked by demons. How many were there nobody knows, for there is no one left who could describe the heroic deeds of the local residents in the battle against the terrible creatures. No survivors remained after that attack, except one. When the soldiers of the Emperor entered the devastated village, a miracle appeared! Among the dead bodies of people and monsters lay a baby, tightly grasping the sword of Hanvet in his small hands. Next to him spread-eagled lay a dead demon, and there was no doubt that it was Hanvet which had made the deadly wound! The baby was so small the warriors realized he had been born during the battle. But was it possible that a child who had just come into the world could have picked up a sword and hit a demon? There was no answer! Two opinions existed: either the demon was killed by someone else, and the baby grabbed the sword that belonged to him by right afterwards, or the unexplored power condescended on the wonderful child and helped him perform an incredible feat!
The Emperor took the child to the court, gave him a nice name, and personally took up his education. There were even rumors he allowed his daughter, the beautiful Tsvetsho whom he was hiding from the eyes of other men, to spend time with the unusual boy.
E’Do grew up very quickly. He was singled out by reasonableness, strength, intelligence, and iron character. When he passed the initiation and began to fight with the demons, the inhabitants of the Ito Empire began to talk less and less about his miraculous appearance, discussing more often the feats of the young warrior. Broad in shoulders with long dark hair and a rough, manly face, he became a welcomed guest of any settlement of the foggy north. E’Do justified the Emperor’s trust by becoming a nightmare for demons and a role model for young soldiers of the Empire. By the age of nineteen, E’Do received the title of udoğan. Modern history knew no examples of someone getting such a responsible title at such a young age. Although the life of the Itoshins was short, the soldiers usually became commanders at around the age of thirty.
Unfortunately, E’Do never got to know the father who gave him that wondrous sword. In the Valley, the brave Tsu’O-nɛ and his detachment confronted the gang of a notorious pirate and bandit from the Guawarian people called Trouble. Whether this was a name or a nickname is still unknown. However, judging by the stories, his gang proved to be real trouble for the whole Valley. The pirates plundered caravans and killed people while constantly escaping justice. Valiant Tsu’O-nɛ and his troop surrounded the lair of Trouble and destroyed the dangerous gang – but one Guawar managed to escape. A few days later, the corpse of Tsu’O-nɛ was found in the square of the city of Dalaal with a knife in its back.
This sad story was told many years later to the still young E’Do by the udoğan Goro, who once fought under the leadership of Tsu’O-nɛ. E’Do swore to take revenge on the murderer, sooner or later. He told Do’Ayve the story of his life one dark night by the fire when they were on a demon raid. A young Do’Ayve was so impressed by his commander that the next day he killed as many as a dozen creatures.
Do’Ayve also knew of E’Do’s cherished dream: to find an ancient relic called the Demon’s Flesh. It was with the help of this object, endowed with ancient magic, that the traveler from the south, Azir Amunjadee, once passed through the Path of Horror and got to the country of the Ulutau. E’Do, in turn, wished to cleanse the Path of Horror from terrible creatures forever, thereby ending the demons of the northwest and freeing the path to the allied nation.
In the life of Do’Ayve, it should be said, there was nothing that he himself considered truly heroic. He had been born into a simple family and he fought decently, like an ordinary warrior. But to fight with dignity is a duty, an obligation of any Itoshin, and it is improper to wait to be praised for a fulfilled debt.
Two years earlier, during the Battle of the Sharp-Toothed Gorge, Do’Ayve met E’Do, who appreciated his military skills and took him into his troop. Do’Ayve gladly accepted the offer. Besides, in that battle, his first udoğan had fallen, and the young man remained without a commander. Recently, E’Do made him his first assistant and began to prophesy Do’Ayve the title of udoğan. It began to embarrass the young warrior. He was only eighteen years old.
Glorious E’Do became udoğan at nineteen! And to him, to Do’Ayve, there were still many more years of fighting until the title!
But the young man tried to think less about the future. He did what he had to do – he served the Emperor, listened to his commander, and killed demons.
He had not expected to go to the Valley. But he was glad that it had all worked in this way.
He considered the Valley to be a place of merchants, not warriors, but everything had changed now. Uncertainty awaited them ahead. “To walk without fear and doubt into the unknown is the essence of the warrior,” said the Code.
Moreover, if Do’Ayve stayed to live in Shohan, he would have certainly been overwhelmed by his spiritual anguish.
It all started recently, when during one glorious evening he met the beautiful Reyve on the shore of Moon Lake. Do’Ayve was practicing with his sword. Do’Ayve could tell that she momentarily evaluated his swordplay as she walked by.
Not only the men of the Itoshins are able to handle weapons – both boys and girls take up steel at the age of six. And though there are fewer female warriors than male, it is believed that a woman should also be able to protect her home during a sudden attack of demons.
But that evening, Reyve was just strolling. She walked along the shore, a light wind ruffling her hair. Do’Ayve asked her name, she answered. He gave his, and she smiled and left. Do’Ayve tried to continue practicing, but realized his hands could no longer hold the sword. It embarrassed him. He returned to his house upset and couldn’t fall asleep for a long time.
Since then, he saw Reyve several times on the streets of Shohan, and she would sweetly smile at him. He didn’t know what to do with himself! Although his favorite spot to practice was on the lake shore, he knew he could no longer work there because if he saw her, he would clumsily drop the sword.
But he soon realized he it wasn’t about Moon Lake! When he was thinking of her, he wasn’t thinking about the battles and the Dotsu Code. His hands could not hold the sword even when training in other places. Yes, the Itoshins are just people. They build their families, give birth to children… but these feelings prevented him from being a warrior! The body didn’t obey, the head didn’t work! Even E’Do noticed him changing. But Do’Ayve said nothing to the commander.
When E’Do announced that in a few days their detachment was heading south, Do’Ayve sighed with relief. At last he would get rid of the torments and temptations!
He also decided to tell E’Do about his experiences in the hope of receiving some sensible advice from the elder comrade.
3
They had breakfast in a large circle; the udoğan, soldiers, and apprentices – all together. E’Do appreciated the unity.
They ate vegetable stew, wheat scones, and boiled eggs. E’Do did not refuse the plentiful breakfast offered by the udoğan Goro. The awaiting path wasn’t as difficult, but it was still a tiring pass through the foggy hills. And from now until the Valley, the main food of the Itoshins would be the yauls’ jerky. Not the most pleasant prospect. You can endure anything, but a hearty meal both strengthens the spirit and gives new strength in battle.
The