Travel to iron tree was a lot shorter than the first time when they were coming from Bebuli’s cave. Group of Iron men was waiting for them on the banks of the river. High Torturer pated Subito on the backs:

“Finally you had come. We have expected you yesterday, but in vain you haven’t appeared. Some of us were starting to doubt that you will come at all. But I assured them our hero will be here to take our gift.”

“I was a bit surprised when I received your invitation. Other obligations prevented me from coming earlier, but I hope you will understand and not hold it against me.”

“We would not blame our savior, even if he would do something to harm us. Of course we would forgive you for your late arrival, if we had anything to forgive. We wouldn’t like to stand between you and your quest in any way. This gift is meant to assist you in pursuit of your goals.”

“And what exactly is your gift?”

“In our researches of limits of human pain we found out that under the influence of slow fire human skin can be tempered in a similar way as metals. Basically, we are going to heat your skin and then put you in special grease solutions to toughen your skin in such a manner that no man made weapon can cut through it. This will still leave you vulnerable to bludgeoning, but stopping that is beyond our powers. This method is used for generations in our society and only on strongest warriors, since only those with exceptionally strong will power and greater health and strength than an ordinary man could survive this procedure.”

“I am afraid now.”

“No need to be afraid. Consulting spirits from the fog we found out that your power is like no other human ever had. We toughen our warriors up to the point when their skin can slow down strike of the weapon and diminish damage induced, but you can survive a lot more heat, so we are going to make your skin impenetrable.”

“You are trying to tell me I am the first one who will undergo whole procedure?”

“Yes, but don’t worry, I was chosen for this position because of my talent in prolonging the pain as much as it is possible. Point of torture is for your victim to remain alive, till you want him dead. If I notice you were not able to withstand it, I will interrupt the procedure. But I am sure you can do it.”

“Ok, I agree. Can you please make proper weapons for my friends and me, if you are going to use forge anyway.”

“Sure, your friends will explain my blacksmiths what do they want, and it will be made.”

Subito winked to Schnew and he followed blacksmiths into the Iron tree. One group of Iron men was digging a ditch, while others were making a dozen of big fires around it. When they have finished with their work, they invited Subito to undress and lie down in the ditch. Smiling, he descended down, settling as comfortably as he could. Then they shoveled embers in the ditch, covering him entirely. Pain was excruciating, but he endured. Pretty soon he got used to it and was ready to make jokes with Lillium and Alma who were standing nearby with a worried expression on their faces. High Torturer offered him some strange drink:

“Drink this, it will ease your pain.”

“No need, I am perfectly fine.”

“There is one legend speaking about a stranger who visited the thorp of our ancestors before the fog. He was king of some land far away. They say he was able to sleep, when guest cottage they prepared for him accidentally caught a fire. He had just awakened in the morning like nothing has happened. Later on he almost succeeded to free us all from this cursed world. You have same strength he once had.”

“I am real, not a legend.”

“Indeed you are. It is time to take you out.”

Several Iron men brought giant tongs and pulled him out of the ditch. In that moment everyone turned away. He looked at his reflection in the river and saw his skin is shining as Bright as any Fetun stone. High Torturer put on a helmet with glass visor blackened with soot. He pushed him with an iron bar, skin bent and he could feel the iron touching his insides. All over his body, he could feel his skin flowing.

“He is ready.”

They dumped him in big tub made of stone filled to the top with black solution. Big cloud of screaming steam rushed upwards. When steam settled down High Torturer grabbed his hand and pulled him out:

“It is finished, you are good to go.” He pulled the dagger out of his sleeve and stabbed Subito in the chest. With clanging noise blade snapped in half, leaving only stump in his hands.

“Just be careful in the rain or you will get rusty.” He laughed and said in silent voice, “Recipe for this solution was carried in my family for generations, my father gave it to me and one day I will give it to my son. But I can reveal it to you, because I know it will be in safe hands.”

“It is a great honor to enjoy such trust.”

“Solution is made of four different kinds of grease. First is the fat of a bear to give the metal strength. Second one is the fat of a badger to give it flexibility. Third is the fat of a man slaughtered in battle to give it a soul. And the last one is milk of she wolf to give metal a song.”

Schnew emerged from cave knocking into blade of one of the new made scythes. Long resonating tone echoed all around them.

“You can always recognize true blacksmith by the song their blades are singing. And this song hits a nerve, I could dance right now.”

He was shifting scythe in his hands remembering his weapon master who wouldn’t let him touch real weapon till he learned to perform warrior’s dance with heavy logs in each of his hands to perfection. The old master was claiming that in the old days it was a shame for warrior to even take a weapon in his hands before he can properly wield it. There is no honor in cutting your own head off, he would say. He also revealed the secret of strongest hit to his young students. Schnew remembered well that one time when his master killed an ox with just fist hit in animal’s forehead, so he approached one of the trees growing nearby. He positioned himself sideways to the tree, shoulder of the arm that was holding the upper part of the scythe pointing directly into the tree bole. A scythe and hand were high above his other shoulder, and then with a deep sigh, he fell on his knee swinging scythe furiously. With a loud crack tree fell after just one hit. High Torturer was smiling, his white teeth shining like pearls in contrast with his face and clothes covered with soot:

“Weapon is nothing without wielder, only together they are complete. And you and this scythe are one.”

“I have to admit I was rather disgusted with you and this place, but now I am sure we could be great friends.”

Subito interrupted: “Unfortunately we have to go, so you will have to develop your friendship later. We will get to Bebuli cave late tonight.”

And he was right. When they have arrived dawn was not far away. Schnew run into a cave shaking sleeping Bebuli:

“We finished our third mission, where can we find this fire plant?”

“What was making those crying noises?”

“There was some crying woman and some monster drinking her tears. We easily disposed the monster, so damsel in distress is free now. We are ready for our happy ending, tell us where it is?”

Bebuli’s face turned pale, holding his head in both hands, he walked around in circles and wined:

“Oh, no how is that possible? What have you done? What have you done?”

Schnew was staring blankly at him. Lillium approached petting Bebuli’s head:

“What’s wrong?”

“You don’t understand… I don’t understand how is it possible that they have escaped? It is a disaster! Disaster…!”

“Calm down and explain what makes you so worried.”

“She is my sister, once she was goddess of water, one of four elements. When the fog came, she was affected. I had to lock her in deep underground cave, so fog couldn’t find her. She was mad. Together they would destroy a world. I mean fog master nearly destroyed it by himself. Monster as you call him was her guardian.”

Schnew was ready to speak again:

“So you locked your sister with that creature?”

“Yes, she was a danger. And she was crazy. She liked things he was doing to her. She was masochist.”

“Can we do something, to correct our error?” Lillium offered.

“No way…! He said three tasks. We completed them, now it is time for our reward.” Schnew crossed his arms on his chests.

Bebuli frowned at him: “I have told you to investigate what is going on, not to kill anyone. It shouldn’t even be possible to kill him. He should be immortal since he was drinking her tears. You must have killed him. I knew you were a bad luck.” He pointed at Subito.

“Yes I have killed him, but now we are offering to help, stop being such a baby and tell us how. Where have you found this so called immortal monster which drinks tears?”

“He was not immortal at the time I found him, her tears made him immortal also enabling him to drink all those tears and survive. Now when he is gone, in no time whole world will be drowning in her tears. Even the highest mountains will be under the sea level in a century or so.”

“So any one could take his place if all what is needed is someone to drink her tears and become immortal?”

“Not anyone, he has to be extremely cruel and have no mercy what so ever.”

They all turned to Schnew who laughed uncontrollably, when he noticed their raised eyebrows, he shrugged:

“I think we have a new job for my friend High Torturer.

Bebuli slapped his forehead: “Yes, High Torturer! Go at once!”

Day later when they arrived in those woods again - there were no woods but a vast amount of water. They found girl swimming in the center of it. They picked her up and brought her ashore. Together they have built a boat out of pine tree and boarded girl and High Torturer on it. Lillium made Fetun stone and attached it on top of the mast, to keep the fog away from them.

As they were watching the new couple drifting away Schnew turned to Lillium, “You should name it the Sea of Tears in your maps.”

***

When he woke up again Utrikat servants were removing cocoon Galatu made out of grass, and washing his body with some kind of smelly oil. Galatu who was sitting on a shaft of the scythe hanged on the wall, hidden in the shadows, now landed next to him noticing wrinkles he made on his nose:

“They made this oil following my commands, it smells bad, but it does well. You will have to put up with the smell just for a couple of days, your wounds are healing faster than I have expected. You have very strong and healthy body. I suppose it’s because of your young age.”

“You are still here? What about your body?”

“It will be well preserved by my former brothers, despite I am outcast now. They are sworn to help everyone. Legends speak about Wind Wizards who were out of their bodies for years, but we know for sure body will stay intact by decay at least for a couple of months.”

“When can I visit the kings? We have no time to waste.”

“In three days I would say. First we have to bath you in rose water. You can’t visit the kings smelling like that.”

“Thanks again…”

“Do not mention it. Your uncle is coming. I will leave you alone.”

It took quite a long time for his uncle to emerge from behind the boxes. He was probably giving orders to some servant he met on the way. He was never off the duty - vigilance was defining part of his uncle's character. Approaching the litter Melessar was carried on, since they couldn’t raise him into one of the sleeping chambers, he was shining with one of his familiar smiles. Melessar loved those broad, sincere smiles, even when he was a child. It was easy to recognize love and truth behind his uncle’s smiling face. He never saw anybody else smiling with such a joy.

“You don’t have to strain yourself and speak. Galatu told me everything about Subito and his loved one.” Smile vanished of his face. “Poor Miratur so young and she is already dead, same as my wife. It’s like someone cursed men in our family, to have our hearts broken. Even you my poor boy, even you who never hurt anyone had your heart broken.”

“I can speak, I am almost healed, ask Galatu. And I believe my heart is healed. In three days I will go to the kings.”

“Heart never fully heals, it is worst wound. Believe me, I know. I already have sent messengers to the kings to inform them about your arrival and prepare them for your request. But we received only vague answers, there are rumors some Lorantid emissaries visited kings and maybe brought some gifts. If that is the case we will go anyway, if they try to stop us, we will destroy them along with Lorantides.”

“Slow down uncle, you are not young boy to get carried off by the rage. Patience is the key to any victory. We don’t need a civil war right now. War against Lorantides is far from finish.”

“Do not dare to accuse me of treason! But if they try to betray us, we will not let them. I already called our two brotherly clans and other friendly clans to join us in our hunting grounds. Clan Alba is also coming, and all of Bolki nation, they are eager to revenge old Lord Aenead and our fair flower Miratur.”

“Let me speak to them first.”

“We will be ready. It will not stop you from speaking.”

“But they will wonder why we have gathered.”

“Let them wonder, your task will be easier if we make them wonder, bad thing would be if they surprise us.”

“I can see you have firmly decided, and I can’t do anything to change your decision. Maybe you are right after all. I have to tell you about this book I have translated. It is called “Fog migrations” and speaks about small city which was founded after fog appeared for the first time. They were actually refugees from the city in the vale below the high hill on which new city was founded. They evacuated one wagon of the books from the imperial library which was in their city. All books Wind Wizards found in the ruins of the city were from that wagon, except this one. This book was written by local amateur historian and curator of the imperial library, he meant it to be annals of the new city. Over the time fog level raised and some of the inhabitants were changed into mindless monsters. Last passages are telling about preparations for the assault from a big group of their former relatives and friends. City lasted less than a decade, but a lot of information about other areas was preserved. It seems all of today’s Land of Moving Hills and lands east of Lumos land were part of the great empires of Klah. It also incorporated lands between the Land of Moving Hills and ocean shores, including Hull Term and this ancient city. Borders of empire were many days south of the city. There were states of Loperi and Kurew, of which we know nothing, except their names. On the north Klah was bordering Lumos and on the northeast border was on the great marshes. There were legends telling about tribes beyond the marches, but no one was really sure is there any truth in those legends, not even in those times. West of Klah was the Ocean and on the islands in the ocean was living a nation of Otri divided into several kingdoms. They were fishermen and pirates. I believe they have transformed into Utrikats and Ulan was one of their islands. Most interesting is the east, there was kingdom of Trokezi. They were people from the steppes east of Land of Moving Hills mountain. They used to ride giant dogs and were often coming to the mountain to hunt for matasarts. This was the reason for many confrontations with Klahians. In one of the passages historian speaks about political argue in his city. Leader of one party was proposing for them to wait, he was pointing out the example of Lumos where just a small percent of the population changed, and were easily contained by the majority which was immune on the fog. Leader of other party suggested migration to the high mountain on the east, where, I quote: 'Great throng of people gathered under the leadership of Aenea and Aenead lords of Tielbad, which was province in Klah. There are not just Klahians, but also Lumos and Trokezi which are under the leadership of young prince Ang.' And Ang is our ancestor.”

“So we are descendants of the kings? In that case, those two have no right to command us.”

“Please uncle, I need you to be voice of reason, the one which will hold back all those incoming warriors before they do something stupid.”

“I will, I promise.”

“Pray with me:

…Tears

Tears wash away all sadness and all troubles you carry on your backs, thus preventing you from collapsing under the weight of troubles. But they are also weakening you, since they are erasing everything, even the memories – so you don’t learn anything. Tears are a good indicator that you cannot withhold the pressure and that you are weak. They are dual, made of salt and water. Water is there to clean you, while salt is there to corrode you.”