Whatever this sound was, it wasn’t Holo. It sounded more like a low, rumbling roar. But he recalled Holo telling him that the mountains surrounding the lake were like a giant bowl, and that only people were dumb enough to mistake echoes as beasts in the hills. And earlier that afternoon, Fran had talked about the dam being overrun. So this was what she meant..
He looked up, and spied Holo’s gigantic form wandering about in the forest next to the waterfall. Evidently, she hadn’t expected this. He nodded back at her, knowing that she was looking at him. And immediately, she jumped out and stood atop the waterfall, releasing a mighty howl. The air shook, the trees swayed, and everyone looked up at her.
Fran had asked the landlord to judge the truth with his own eyes, but the sight of Holo howling up at the moon with her great fangs and majestic tail was nothing short of godly. So godly, in fact, that she might as well be a demon. Even Fran could only stare silently at her. Had they made a mistake? Holo hesitated and didn’t jump away, but Lawrence remained confident in their decision as he heard her howl echo over and over like some colossal bell.
Despite her tension, Fran eventually murmured.
“..it’s coming..”
Lawrence didn’t reply. As the howling subsided, everyone who had been frozen in place at the sight and sound of Holo caught their breath and heard what Fran and Lawrence had heard before them. It now sounded like an army marching to battle; a heavenly army coming down to them.
Everyone looked around for an escape route in a blind panic, but the sound soon mysteriously ended. Then, there was nothing but silence. No a noise was heard until someone finally pointed up at the waterfall and spoke in a hushed voice.
“Hey, it’s gone..”
Others started chiming in.
“Was that.. an illusion?”
Lawrence knew it wasn’t, and that Holo hadn’t hidden herself to make them think it was. But he and Fran didn’t have to worry about that for long. They knew they had guessed the truth correctly when a soldier suddenly shouted loudly.
“The waterfall!”
The waterfall had suddenly stopped, and a few moments later a tremendous wave came crashing down toward it. As it collided with the rocks at the top of the waterfall, something incredible happened.
In the dead of winter, under a silver moon, tiny little frozen sparks were rushing through the air. They mostly dove deep down into the pool of water below the waterfall. As they did, a strange sound was heard, and the water in the pool flew right back up into the sky as though blown apart by the impact.
The angel made its appearance.
“Look, Ms. Fran..”
Lawrence hugged the poor girl, who was no longer able to stand on her own. And yet, she calmly sat there staring at the scene that unfolded before her. She spoke, reaching her hand up toward the spectacle.
“It’s.. beautiful..”
Some soldiers were so startled they cast their gear to the ground and fled. Others who were more faithful fell to their knees in regret. The only one present who had any true conviction was looking up and reaching out to the angel as she beat her wings, then vanished, going back to heaven as tiny drops of water frozen in the moonlight.
Epilogue
“Then what?”
Hugh eagerly approached Lawrence, who stepped away and pushed him back. The art dealer understood. He sat back down on his chair and clutched at his clothing before asking again.
“What happened next?”
“After that the villagers all believed the legend, and accepted Katerina’s sainthood. It was over. Except..”
“None of them were sure if they’d seen an angel or the Devil, so they chose to keep it all a secret and pretend nothing had happened.”
“Ah.. I see, I see..”
Hugh was like a boy listening to an adventure story. His eyes closed and his chin tilted upward. He sighed while leaning back in his chair, finally at ease.
“You sure seem calmer, now that we’re back.”
Hugh’s eyes opened and he laughed at the joke.
“In clutch moments that girl will do whatever she wants. But still.. I didn’t think it would come to that. She was hurt so badly I thought something more disastrous had happened.”
In fact the soldiers and villagers of Tarsig ended up tending to her wound, but were shooed away in annoyance as she was recovering. Holo was delighted to see a kindred spirit who hated to be celebrated.
That was three days ago. They’d arrived back at Gerube the prior night. The others went to bed, but Hugh dragged Lawrence alone downstairs to explain what had happened.
“But then what caused that legendary phenomenon?”
Lawrence swallowed his fruit dipped in honey before replying.
“An avalanche.”
Hugh didn’t hide his surprise.
“What?”
“Well, snow from the mountains came crashing down like some tremendous wave, looking like steps up to heaven.”
“..And the beast?”
Lawrence had no real idea, so he chose the most likely conclusion.
“Anything echoing off the lake would sound like the army of God. This time it was the sounds of the battle, so I’ll wager it was something like that in the past, too.”
Of course it was Holo’s howl that was loudest, but he didn’t mention that. As Fran suspected, any noise loud and sharp enough could have sparked the avalanche.
“What a weird world we live in.”
“Isn’t it?”
Lawrence put on a look of sympathy and smiled, earning another laugh from Hugh.
“Well, that settles it, then. Now I’ll have to visit Tarsig too, even if I’m not quite as brave as Holo.”
There was a knock at the door as he returned his joke, but it quickly became obvious. Hugh rose to his feet, still smiling, and answered the knock. In cities, people couldn’t stay up all night. There were bylaws restricting the use of fires and candles, and without light they might as well sleep. A guard had simply seen a lit candle and came to check on it.
“Well, I’ll see you tomorrow.”
Lawrence spoke to Hugh’s back and stood up. He knew they would talk for hours if he didn’t make a strategic retreat while he could. He took his wine with him and climbed upstairs.
It might not look like much, but the company was quite cozy on the inside. It was rather nice for a four-floor building. Those who were less respected usually slept on the top floor, so Lawrence knew that their being on the second floor meant that they had Hugh’s respect.
As he walked past Fran’s room, he saw that the door was slightly ajar and the moonlight was peeking through. Surely it wasn’t a thief? He carefully took a peek inside.
“Yes?”
She noticed him immediately. Even human travelers were sensitive enough for that, unlike city girls.
“I noticed that the door was slightly ajar, so I worried we might have a thief.”
Fran’s eyes wrinkled as if smiling.
“It’s said that’s just what a discovered thief will claim.”
That would have been a tasteless joke among strangers at a feast, but after going through what they had it was quite friendly.
“It’s cold.”
“It’s said that only old wounds grow hot; fresh ones are still cold.”
It was an equally tasteless joke, but perfectly suited as a retort. “Not that I ever want to find out,” he mumbled to himself, happy that he wasn’t a military chaplain as well.
“I thought this would be the last stop on my journey.”
She suddenly looked at him while speaking. The moonlight washed over her through the window, making her look like she would fade away forever into little beads of light. She’d only recently removed the bandages from her torso, having recovered from the fever she ran in Tarsig. She certainly wasn’t frail. Anyone having to stoke the courage and faith of an army probably had to be this tough.
“What do you mean?”
Fran chuckled, obviously embarra
ssed.
“Looking back on it now, I’m really just a stupid little girl.”
It seemed she was never planning on making it back from Tarsig, judging from her bible, the passion those letters inspired in her, and her cold determination. Those with the sharpest fangs and claws were the first to die, and she could pass for the general at the head of an army.
That’s how she finally came to learn the truth behind that legend. Lawrence had no way of knowing what was running through her mind as they witnessed “the angel,” but he did recall the serene look of relief that had washed over her.
“You’re right about this journey not being over, you know. I still haven’t gotten that map.”
He put on his most accusing tone, making her spin to meet him. The moonlight revealed her face, her chin shining like a polished knife.
“I’ve seen merchants chase armies to have them repay their loans.”
“Are you saying I’ll have to pass through the gates of heaven to get it?”
Fran’s eyes closed like a cat. But they reopened and gazed at him as he walked up to her.
“That’s a shame.. a camel will pass through the eye of a needle before a merchant gets through the gates of heaven, after all.”
He quietly closed her window, and noticed a pained look on her face in the moonlight.
“I.. won’t be getting there myself, either.”
“Even though you’ve helped others so bravely?”
She smiled and pulled her blankets over herself. She probably wanted to be consoled, but not by a merchant.
“A merchant’s help doesn’t come cheap..”
Her malicious smile was the kind that Lawrence was used to. But this time, a hand was reaching out to him as well. It was the same hand that had reached out to the angel at the falls, so he knew she wasn’t really playing around.
“..But I’ll repay you.”
She was probably used to acting this way around the mercenaries. It wasn’t something that bothered Lawrence, either.
“Very well.”
He took her hand. Had she been a city girl he would have knelt down to kiss it, but that would have been too much for Fran.
“May the gods be with you.”
In response to receiving such a rare blessing, he motioned as though tipping an invisible hat to her. She nodded as her eyes closed. But just as Lawrence turned to walk away-
“Back then..”
“Hmm?”
“..Atop the falls..”
He turned back around, smiling.
“Atop the falls?”
If she asked, Fran would receive a response. But she thought twice.
“..Nevermind..”
She paused.
“Must have been an illusion.”
“Good night.”
She didn’t reply, so he left the room and pretended he didn’t see Holo, who was standing there. She followed him closely as he walked into their room. A quiet moonlit night began as he closed the door behind her.
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