Agartha

Chapter fifteen

Ragnar´s POV

I decided to follow her from a discrete distance. She was leaving the center´s grounds, so I checked on the children before going after her. They were still awake and putting them to bed took some time. Afterwards, found her track and followed it, I could tell she was far away. Anxiety was pulling my heart, so I walked faster.

When I got close to a clearing I sensed her and someone else there. This can´t be good… walking faster trying not to make any noises I sensed him, a satyr! No!

I ran taking my sword and yelled at her, but it was too late, he dragged her to the water and disappeared.

Franticly, I searched everywhere but it´s a well-known fact that only a satyr can open the water entrance to their realm. Desperate, I ran back to the palace, like I've never run in my life. My screams woke everyone while the guards surrounded me.

The king was the first one rushing downstairs pointing at me with his wand. “General! What is going on?”

Trying to catch my breath I formulated the words almost yelling, almost crying “A satyr took Galia!”

“What???” the rest of the royal family was coming down and heard me.

“She was walking away from the center. The kids stopped me, but I figured I would catch on her later. I followed her track to a stream in the forest leading to the villages”

Her grandmother cried desperate “What happened to my child, General!?”

“I found her there, a satyr was holding her, I yelled to warn her and threw my sword hurting him, but he dragged her to the water and disappeared!”

Everybody gasped. Some started crying. We all rushed to the library, the king sent calling bubbles to all experts and elders he could think of. Antinoo said he would astral project to other realms to find out whether any of them knew anything useful. I kneeled before him.

“I am so sorry my old friend” I was sobbing, “you asked me to protect your child and I failed you”

“It´s not your fault. Galia was supposed to be at her room in the first place. She didn´t grow up in our world so she is unaware of many dangers”

“I will find her, no matter what”

“I don´t think you will” he looked defeated and his old eyes where full of tears. “No one has ever found the entrance to the satyrs realm, and no witch ever retuned from it”

“No! I refused to believe that!” everybody was looking at us “there´s got to be a way”

There were people crying all over the place, like in a funeral. They truly believed she was not coming back! This is a nightmare and it´s all my fault.

The night became day, and the day became night. Days passed and Galia wasn´t found. We still had a connection and my heart told me she was fine. If only she said my name to the dagger I would find her… why isn´t she calling me? Maybe they took it from her… maybe she felt for the satyr and she wants to stay with him… No! Her heart still belongs to me, our connection is not broken. We still have time to save her, to bring her back home. If I could tell her grandparents they would remain hopeful… but I can´t.

A week had passed, and I was losing my mind. I thought my queen could help so I asked the king to astral project there and take me with him. The queen couldn´t help, she said what everyone keeps saying, only a satyr can open the entrance and no witch has ever returned from their realm. I won´t give up.

***

Galia’s POV

I woke up because of the warm weather, cuddled on someone´s chest and surrounded by feathers everywhere. I lifted my head and found his loving and curious eyes staring at me. I pushed back and he allowed it.

“Who are you?”

“I am yours” His answer was simple but confusing.

“OK…” I said rubbing the sides of my head, “let´s start over… You are not a wizard, you have wings… are you some kind of angel?”

“Angel? Is that how you want to name me?” His eyes brightened

“What is your name?”

“I don´t have one”

“That can´t be true”

“Satyrs don´t have names until they meet the love of their lives” He kept speaking matter-of-factly like I'm supposed to know all of this.

“So, you are a satyr…”

“Yes”

“Well, I read about satyrs at one of my classes but didn´t pay much attention. Satyrs are magical but they don’t perform magic like wizards or elves. They open and close portals, they have a connection with nature and interpret its signs, they have wings and fly… They kidnap witches and they never return!!!!” I started panicking but he interrupted my hysteria.

“Not true” he explained very calmed. “Satyrs live their lives waiting for the one true love destined to them, which is always a witch. Nature takes us to them, and we bring them here, to our realm”

“Not against their will?”

“Is that what you people think? Of course not!”

“But they never go back!”

“Because they don´t want to. They fall in love and they know their families won´t understand, so they stay here, happily”

“What about their children? Are they some kind of half breed? What if their children are witches and wizards? Shouldn´t they go to the wizards realm?”

His wound was bleeding so I search around for something to help him. We were inside something that looked like a hole in an enormous tree. At the entrance I found some leaves and took them to heal him while he continued talking.

“Satyrs and witches only have satyr sons, and they find their witches when they grow. Magic takes them to their love one”

“Magic took you to me?”

“No. I am different. All satyrs feel a pull at some point in their lives when the witch that is meant for them is at the forest. They also know since they are children when is going to happen. I've never had that knowledge in me. So, I've waited hopeful on that stream for years, thinking that even if I don´t feel it, there´s a witch predestined for me. I thought, if a witch was there and no other satyr showed, she was mine”.

“Oh! That´s why you brought me here!” Good, I'm not kidnapped. I observed him carefully. He looked just like an angel. Bronzed skin, honey hair, tall, muscular body, curly locks, purple eyes and (hard to ignore) big white, green and golden wings. Looking closely, his nails were crystalized!

“What happened to your nails? They look like mine!” His face was of total confusion.

“I told you I'm not like other satyrs. I inherited my mother´s magic and it comes uncontrollably out of my hands and it hurts too much…” he looked sad, pained.

“Because you need a wand!”

“I'm a satyr, we don´t use wands”

“You said you are not like others”

“True”

“Let´s talk to your mother, she can tell me where she is from and I can get you a wand”

His eyes turned sad. “My mother disappeared when I was a child. There was some kind of war at your land and she had to go to help. My father died trying to protect her and she lost her senses. She was some sort of naturalist, or so I was told, and became feral. She vanished and never returned”

“I'm so sorry to hear that…” He broke my heart, just wanted to hold him and protect him.

“Are you leaving me?” He blurted the question without hesitating.

“I´ll be honest with you. I'm in love with someone…”

“The elf” he interrupted me showing no emotions

“How do you know?”

“Satyrs understand about love… I guess you are not the one meant for me. Maybe no one is”

“Maybe you are part wizard and you have to find her the way we do” His eyes brightened with excitement. “Is there anything you can tell me about your mother? I need to know about your family to get you a wand and bring it here”

“I wouldn´t know how to use it…”

“I´ll try to teach you”

“Your nails are like crystal too. Don´t you have one?”

“I do” said showing my wand hidden in my robe. “I don´t use it, it´s a long story…”

“Tell me”

We spent all day long talking. He showed me parts of his land. Everybody was happy there! No wonder witches wouldn´t return. Love could be smelt in the air. The land was full of fruits, animals running everywhere, flowers grew in all places and they all lived in high holes in the trees. It was simply a happy place. All other satyrs had white wings; Angel was definitely different.

At the end of the day we went back to his tree. He found a neckless that belonged to his mother. It was an emerald surrounded by a gold frame. Behind it, there was an inscription: to our beautiful daughter Dinorah, from your loving parents Antinoo and Asaf. Don´t ever forget where you belong.

“WHAAAAT!!!”