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1328 lines
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DDDDD ZZZZZZ //
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D D AAAA RRR GGGG OOOO NN N Z I NN N EEEE ||
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D D A A R R G O O N N N Z I N N N E || Volume 10
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-=========================================================+<OOOOOOOOO>|)
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D D AAAA RRR G GG O O N N N Z I N N N E || Number 3
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DDDDD A A R R GGGG OOOO N NN ZZZZZZ I N NN EEEE ||
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\\
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\
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========================================================================
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DargonZine Distributed: 04/26/1997
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Volume 10, Number 3 Circulation: 645
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========================================================================
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Contents
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Editorial Ornoth D.A. Liscomb
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Thought and Feeling Jim Owens Early Spring, 1016
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Night Two Max Khaytsus Naia 11, 1015
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The Long Way Home Josh Brown 15 Ober 1014
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Shattered Love 2 Mark A. Murray Sy 1015
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========================================================================
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DargonZine is the publication vehicle of the Dargon Project, a
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collaborative group of aspiring fantasy writers on the Internet.
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We welcome new readers and writers interested in joining the project.
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Please address all correspondance to <dargon@shore.net> or visit us
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on the World Wide Web at http://www.shore.net/~dargon. Back issues
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are available from ftp.shore.net in members/dargon/. Issues and
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public discussions are posted to the Usenet newsgroup rec.mag.dargon.
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DargonZine 10-3, ISSN 1080-9910, (C) Copyright April, 1997 by
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the Dargon Project. Editor: Ornoth D.A. Liscomb <ornoth@shore.net>.
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All rights reserved. All rights are reassigned to the individual
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contributors. Stories may not be reproduced or redistributed without
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the explicit permission of the author(s) involved, except in the case
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of freely reproducing entire issues for further distribution.
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Reproduction of issues or any portions thereof for profit is forbidden.
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========================================================================
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Editorial
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by Ornoth D.A. Liscomb
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<ornoth@shore.net>
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Three months of jury duty is a nightmare.
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Or it would be for most people. For me, on the other hand, it was
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something of a sabbatical, increasing my free time and enabling me to
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put some major time into updating the DargonZine Web site.
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I spent this free time reviewing how our Web site was organized and
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coming up with changes that will make it easier to use, as well as lots
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of ideas about new services that will benefit both our readers and our
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writers. Some of those changes have been put in place already, and some
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(probably the best) are yet to come. As with any Web site, the
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DargonZine site is never "finished", but will continue to evolve over
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time with changes in the information it delivers, the technology which
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delivers it, and the aesthetics of those to whom it is delivered.
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But I can at least announce some of the recent changes. The most
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notable addition to the Web site at this time is the availability of all
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of DargonZine Volume 7 (calendar year 1994) in HTML format. It is our
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goal to convert all our back issues to HTML, but we have a lot of back
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issues and it's an arduous and time-consuming process. We now have the
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past four years online, and will continue to convert more as time
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permits.
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In addition to the back issues, we've reorganized certain sections
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of the Web site and updated many pages. We've added several new maps to
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the "About DargonZine" page, as well as recalculated the results on the
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"Reader Profile Responses" and "Questionnaire Responses" pages. The
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"Archives" section has been revised, as has the "Links" page, the
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"Writers" section, and the "Current Issue" display on the splash page.
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Future changes include major revisions of the "Subscriptions"
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section, as well as reorganization and clarification of the "About
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DargonZine" and "Dargon Resources" sections. In addition, we're
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developing a new format for our stories and issues, as well as
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introducing a site-wide navigation bar.
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So expect continuing changes in the site as it evolves and
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improves. And let us know if any of the changes work particularly well
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or particularly poorly. After all, the site has to work for you -- the
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reader -- or it hasn't served its purpose.
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The other big news is the upcoming 1997 Dargon Writers' Summit.
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Despite the fact that we're working together constantly,
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DargonZine's writers have very rarely had the opportunity to meet
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face-to-face. And it wasn't until 1995 (ten years after FSFnet's
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founding) that we tried to organize any kind of formal gathering.
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In that year, we held a very small gathering in Boston, and last
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year we held a slightly larger gathering in Denver. Both were trial runs
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designed to guage whether larger organized meetings would be feasible
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and productive. Both the Boston and Denver meetings were successful, and
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so this year we're trying our first larger gathering.
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The 1997 DargonZine Writers' Summit will take place the weekend of
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May 10th in Washington DC, and will be hosted by Jon Evans. We've got a
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lot planned for our 48 hours together, and it should be both a fun and
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productive weekend. I'll be sure to tell you all about it both in our
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next issue as well as on the Web site.
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This issue starts out with another new story from project
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co-founder Jim Owens, who continues his ongoing depiction of the lives
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of Levy and Sarah Barel. In this episode, we get to see a little more of
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their interaction in a story that says a great deal without shouting.
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We then continue with "Night Two", the second story in Max
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Khaytsus' new Deep Woods Inn series. We learn a little bit more about
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what happened in the previous episode, and the travellers are faced with
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a difficult decision.
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Josh Brown joined the project last October, and stayed only long
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enough to see "The Long Way Home" through to publication. He's given in
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to the pressures of real life and left the project, but assures us that
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he'll be back shortly.
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Finally, DargonZine 10-3 culminates with the climax of Mark
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Murray's long-running series about Raphael and Megan, Kell and Loth. But
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you can bet that it certainly isn't the end...
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Enjoy, and look for us again in June, after the Writers' Summit!
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========================================================================
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Thought and Feeling
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by Jim Owens
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<gym@ncweb.com>
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Early Spring, 1016
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Sarah made the walk from the house to the meeting hall alone. Only
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when she approached the great door did she meet up with Lara, her
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friend.
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"Hello, Sarah," Lara said solicitously. "Alone tonight?"
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"Yes, Lara," Sarah replied, tight-lipped. "The children are asleep
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already."
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"Still no Levy?"
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"No Levy."
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They moved through the thin crowd slowly. The town meeting had been
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called because of some portent from the outer world that only vaguely
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seemed important to Sarah. Nonetheless, she was there, along with most
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of the rest of the villagers.
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"The nights have been cold, haven't they?" asked Lara as they
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walked, referring to more than the weather.
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"No, I've not slept with him for about a week," Sarah replied,
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cutting to the point. "He's sleeping down in the old house with the
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oldest." The admission left her feeling naked, exposed, partly because
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of her anger, partly because of her loss.
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"Well, if he has anything to say to you, tonight's a good
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opportunity," remarked Lara dryly. "There he is." She nodded toward the
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back of the hall, where Levy was loitering by a stack of old looms and
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frames that made up the couple's habitual seating in town meetings such
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as this one. Sarah straightened her back and walked firmly toward him,
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moving through the mostly-seated villagers.
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"Hold him to it, Sarah," called Lara to her parting back.
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"Can we talk?" Levy asked, hand outstretched, as she approached.
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One glance at his face showed her that he was wanting to make up. She
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wondered if she were. She took his hand and allowed him to lead her into
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the jumble of old furniture, to where a few hay bales formed impromptu
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couches. They sat down, only their faces showing to the group gathered
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to hear the elder. Sarah faced the village leader's chair, not looking
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at her husband.
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As Eli called for attention, Levy leaned close to her, speaking
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softly so no one else could hear.
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"You're right, I should sell the horse," he said, squeezing her
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hand. She continued to look forward, answering in the same soft tone.
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"And the forge?"
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"I really can't move it," he replied.
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Sarah felt her ears start to burn. "Why, that's no compromise," she
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thought angrily to herself. "That's just him tossing me a bone so he can
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get what he wants!"
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"If that's what you think's best, do what you must," she remarked
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aloud, pulling her hand out of his. She didn't feel like arguing just
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now. She folded her hands atop the old clothes-chest they were both
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seated behind, and rested her chin on them.
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"... make travel in the area more dangerous in the immediate future
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... " Elder Eli was saying, to a slightly bored audience. Levy settled
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down on the hay beside her, out of sight of the crowd.
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"I want to include what you think in my decision," Levy countered,
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not looking at her. She considered his words, but her heart was still
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burning. The argument had building over months. Levy had his horse, and
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his forge, and he was either making something or peddling it round about
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the countryside, going and coming as he pleased, while she was home with
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the children and the chores. The money he brought in was entirely of no
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consequence -- didn't they both already have more than enough money for
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the entire family? What was there to spend it on, anyway? Who had
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anything they wanted to sell, what with the war and all? She wanted her
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husband at home, where she needed him.
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As her silence grew, Levy continued. "I really can't put the forge
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in town," he continued. "The other villagers would complain about the
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smoke and noise, and would make me move it back again anyway. Besides,
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we're out in the field every day anyway -- why not just leave it there?"
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Now he's trying to convince me, she thought, like he always does. A
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small part of her felt a bit guilty, almost as if his argument was
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convincing, but the argument really had nothing to do with it. Levy was
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just away too much. He needed to be home, with her. He didn't need so
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much freedom. Did she wander from town to town? Did she disappear for
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hours and days at a time?
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"Just do what you need to, Levy," she replied. Elder Eli was
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speaking about some minor lord, somewhere nearby, and who was to replace
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him when he died.
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"If I put it in town I'll never get any work done. It'll be people
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in and out all day, bothering me with questions and gawking. " This was
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the real reason, she knew. He selfishly wanted to be alone, to hide from
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the world, and from her, even. "Besides, it's not like you don't use the
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forge, too," he countered.
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"What, once a month?" she snapped at him, spinning to face him.
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"All the way out there?"
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"If I tear it down we'll lose the money I make off it. You do still
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want that fabric from Dargon, don't you?"
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She almost sneered at him. "I could have bought that fabric four
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months ago, if there were any to be had! The money was never the
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problem!"
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"But then you couldn't have bought that targum seed," he chided
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softly. She felt her impatience growing. They were starting to argue
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about money, when that was not the real issue. Why did that always
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happen? Why did he always turn the conversation away? She knew in her
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heart that she did the same thing, but she did it for a different
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reason, to show him the completeness of the problem. He was just
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arguing.
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"Just do what you need to." She again turned away, her eyes
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watering involuntarily.
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"What I need is to make you happy," Levy replied. "That you have
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right," she almost said. Instead she turned to face him.
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"Do you really want to please me?" she asked him, giving him no
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where to turn.
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"Not all the time, I suppose," he replied.
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Now that's a new angle, she thought, her attention caught. She was
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listening again.
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"I should," he continued, "but I know I don't, not always. I
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suppose now is one of those times. I want to keep my forge where it is."
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"Well," she said, slipping down off her seat to recline beside him,
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"you have a decision to make, then. I want a husband who is home more
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than he is away. That would make me happy."
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"I want a wife that's happy. Therefore, the question is, which do I
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want more? A forge out alone, where I can work uninterrupted, or a wife
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who is pleased with me?"
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"That's the question, Levy Barel." In spite of her anger, Sarah was
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with her husband. Few men in the village would have had the wisdom and
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courage to admit what he did. But if he could admit it, why did he still
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cling to such a stupid claim? How simple it would be for him to just
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give in. It wasn't like she was forbidding him to have a forge. Couldn't
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he see that she wanted this? That she needed this? That she needed him?
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The forge she could live with, no matter where it was, but how could she
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live with a man who held back on her, who held out on her? Hadn't she
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given him everything she had? Hadn't she given him her very self? She
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could tell by the look in his eyes that he was weighing both sides of
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the issue. She wanted to slap him, and was about to push away from him
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and get up when the look in his eyes changed.
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Sarah held her breath. The cold, calculating expression faded from
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his face, draining away, and was replaced by a yearning, a look of
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abject poverty of soul. She hadn't expected this. It didn't happen very
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often, and it was almost frightening, because she knew that he was
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dropping the walls around his heart. She had seen the look before, and
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it always amazed her. This was not something she was able to do -- this
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complete exposure of the self to the will of another. But Levy could. It
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faded after a moment, but not completely. It remained a faint glimmer in
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the back of his eye.
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"I suppose I could get Mattan to help me move the shed, if I asked
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him nicely," Levy finally admitted.
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Sarah almost laughed through her tears. It was like watching a dam
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burst, and a mere, small stream come out. Yet that was all it would
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take. She knew that once Levy made the first step, he would complete the
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journey. The argument was over, but the piled up emotions remained, a
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logjam that threatened to disrupt the flow of their new-found peace.
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"You remind me again of why I love you," she said matter-of-factly.
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She leaned forward, still hurting, but wanting now to touch him. He
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leaned forward to kiss her, but she drew away, not ready for intimacy.
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She still smarted from his obstinacy, but he had finally given her what
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she needed, so she could again give him what he wanted, once the pain
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subsided.
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"And as for my being away from home so long ..."
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Sarah held her breath. "Now what?" she wondered.
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"... Now that the children are older, perhaps we could all make
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some of the trips now. I know it's a chore, but I know that you have
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been wanting to get out, and you could be with me, wherever I am."
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Sarah's jaw dropped in shock. "Is he crazy?" she wondered silently.
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"What sort of idea is that?" But then her dismay was replaced by
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intrigue, as images of her own childhood home came to mind. When was the
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last time she had visited her father's grave? When was the last time
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she'd seen the deep green trees of her youthful home? A warm joy
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diffused into her mind at the idea of returning to hills where she was
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born. And then, the terror of the idea returned. Take the children? The
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baby? But this time her joy held her terror back.
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"We'll see," was all she said.
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The sounds of the crowd rose, indicating the end of the meeting.
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Levy withdrew his hands as they both arose. She smiled warmly for him,
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holding his hand firmly, sniffing back her tears. Her head was content:
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things were again right, even if her heart was still unsettled. They
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could get back to the business of life, with each other to lean on. That
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was all that mattered. Her emotions would catch up in time, and could be
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concealed until then.
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"Well, father will want to talk to me," he muttered, smiling shyly.
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"I won't be long."
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"Don't be," she admonished, not really feeling it. She let her
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touch linger as they pulled away. As he walked away she settled back
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onto the hay bale, sorting out her thoughts. When he returned to her bed
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tonight he would expect and deserve a warm reception, and if she could,
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she would provide one. She had no qualms about acting out an affection
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tonight that she wouldn't feel until tomorrow. Not all of one's actions
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had to be spontaneous. It occurred to Sarah that her body might be
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unreceptive as well. No matter. Levy would work at that, and possibly
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even achieve it. Besides, the joy of making up was sometimes worth the
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pain of the fight. Suddenly her emotions came flooding out her eyes, and
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she wept for a moment. Then she got up, straightened her skirt, and
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headed for the house.
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She encountered Lara at the door again. Lara had a curious look on
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her face.
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"Well? What were you at, back there?" She waited, expectantly.
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Sarah thought a moment. "We were making love," she replied, then
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left the wordless Lara behind. She walked out into the chill, star-lit
|
||
|
|
night. Looking up at the stars she considered. Had she lied just then?
|
||
|
|
No, not really. Love had to be made, just like anything else in life.
|
||
|
|
You just used different tools. She continued on alone, to await her
|
||
|
|
lover.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
========================================================================
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Night Two
|
||
|
|
by Max Khaytsus
|
||
|
|
<khaytsus@cs.colorado.edu>
|
||
|
|
Naia 11, 1015
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
"Shor?" Jana stuck her head through the trap door leading to the
|
||
|
|
topmost balcony over the common room.
|
||
|
|
The Lashkirian warrior stood with his back to her, looking down at
|
||
|
|
the common room below. The balcony was right below the ceiling of the
|
||
|
|
inn's extended third floor, just roomy enough to prevent the Lashkirian
|
||
|
|
from having to bend down. Below, in a larger and wider concentric ring
|
||
|
|
sat the second floor balcony with doors leading to rooms. It was set
|
||
|
|
further out, causing the topmost floor to protrude out above it, making
|
||
|
|
it seem like the extended portion of the rafters. Thirty feet below it
|
||
|
|
all, lay the floor of the common room, with eight tables along walls,
|
||
|
|
forming a semi-circle, leaving the center of the room open and clear.
|
||
|
|
The east end of the room opened into the vestibule of the inn,
|
||
|
|
disappearing under the low overhang of the second floor, separating what
|
||
|
|
must have been the old and new portions of the building.
|
||
|
|
"Shor?" Jana climbed up to the balcony and walked up to him,
|
||
|
|
holding the rail for support.
|
||
|
|
"I didn't realize how open the room is to this balcony," Kishore
|
||
|
|
said to Jana, as she stopped by him. "You can see every corner from here
|
||
|
|
... "
|
||
|
|
"Are you setting up an ambush?"
|
||
|
|
He turned his head. "Are you afraid of heights?"
|
||
|
|
"What makes you say that?"
|
||
|
|
"Your bad jokes and the way you stand. You're wittier, usually."
|
||
|
|
"I'm just a little scared. I'll be fine if I don't look down."
|
||
|
|
"Sit," Kishore offered. "You were telling me about Tench last
|
||
|
|
night, before the brigands came."
|
||
|
|
Jana sat down by the trap door, placing her back against the wall.
|
||
|
|
The bandits from the night before, she remembered nervously, came to rob
|
||
|
|
the inn, involving the guests in a fight and causing all of them to
|
||
|
|
spend an extra day here, waiting for the local constable to show to
|
||
|
|
clear things up.
|
||
|
|
"You look a little pale," Kishore said, sitting down by her.
|
||
|
|
"Perhaps we should go downstairs."
|
||
|
|
"I'm fine, really." She took a deep breath. The chasm in the floor
|
||
|
|
appeared right before her, seeming a league wide.
|
||
|
|
"Last few days been too much for you?" Kishore asked.
|
||
|
|
Jana nodded. "I didn't think those men would be killed."
|
||
|
|
"They're brigands, Jana. Thieves. I am less worried about their
|
||
|
|
well being than I am about yours. I am only sorry the time was so
|
||
|
|
inappropriate."
|
||
|
|
"I wanted some adventure, remember," Jana smiled. "And besides, you
|
||
|
|
didn't know they would pick last night to raid the inn. It could have
|
||
|
|
happened anywhere."
|
||
|
|
"Nonetheless, it was bad timing."
|
||
|
|
"Yes, but it would have to happen to me at one time or another.
|
||
|
|
Better now, when there were people around, than later on, when I'm
|
||
|
|
alone."
|
||
|
|
"People died, Jana. You could have been one of them."
|
||
|
|
Jana tilted her head towards Kishore. "I wanted to help."
|
||
|
|
"Next time, please don't."
|
||
|
|
She nodded. "I'm sorry."
|
||
|
|
"You did not know that man from Pyn ... ?"
|
||
|
|
"Pyenson. Pyenson Barony is in the southwest part of the duchy,
|
||
|
|
right up against the Darst Range." She fell silent for a moment, then
|
||
|
|
added. "I have no idea who the man is, other than a member of the House
|
||
|
|
of Pyenson, judging by his dress. He was pretty far from home. I was
|
||
|
|
afraid he'd recognize me. He gave his life for me instead."
|
||
|
|
"Did that teach you anything?" Kishore asked. He was hoping she
|
||
|
|
would decide she was reaching too far.
|
||
|
|
"I learned that when my brother and I sparred, he held back. The
|
||
|
|
fight caught me off guard."
|
||
|
|
"I never intended for you to fall into danger like last night."
|
||
|
|
"Don't worry about it. I was ready for a fight ... with the
|
||
|
|
Narragan guard. The brigands just caught me unprepared. I am ready,
|
||
|
|
now."
|
||
|
|
"You only think you are," Kishore said. He had grown used to the
|
||
|
|
girl's stubborn streak. "You were telling me about Tench."
|
||
|
|
"Tench is in Narragan ... " Jana started thoughtfully.
|
||
|
|
"How close to Armand?"
|
||
|
|
"Not very. Actually, it's clear on the other side of the Duchy.
|
||
|
|
There's also a military camp not far from there, Castle Pentamorlo, on
|
||
|
|
the Dargon side, so the Ducal Guard does not patrol the area much."
|
||
|
|
"Who do the troops answer to?" Kishore asked.
|
||
|
|
"Lord Morion, a minor noble. The land was vested to him by three
|
||
|
|
Kings of Baranur, so it's his now," Jana explained. "He's sort of a
|
||
|
|
Duke, but not really. And his soldiers patrol the area, so there's no
|
||
|
|
need for the Ducal Guard to go out of their way."
|
||
|
|
"A sort of a Duke in a sort of a big place that is small?" Kishore
|
||
|
|
inquired.
|
||
|
|
Jana laughed. "Did I say that?"
|
||
|
|
"Something like that."
|
||
|
|
"Well, it is. The only reason Tench ever grew beyond a farming
|
||
|
|
community is that it's at a major crossroads. Hawksbridge and Wachock
|
||
|
|
are south of it and Miass, east in Asbridge. I guess those would be the
|
||
|
|
choices for where to go after Tench."
|
||
|
|
"Before we settle on a place," Kishore said, "how far do you intend
|
||
|
|
to run?"
|
||
|
|
"I ... " Jana looked up at her companion. "How far will you take
|
||
|
|
me?"
|
||
|
|
"How far will I ... "
|
||
|
|
"Hey, anybody around here?" A gruff voice sounded below.
|
||
|
|
Kishore leaned forward and looked down through the planks of the
|
||
|
|
balcony rail. A large man in a faded military jacket stood in the middle
|
||
|
|
of the common room, looking around. He scanned the balcony of the second
|
||
|
|
floor with his eyes, but did not bother looking above that.
|
||
|
|
"Who is it?" Jana whispered.
|
||
|
|
"The constable, perhaps."
|
||
|
|
"Can I help you?" Ravi's voice sounded down below.
|
||
|
|
"I'm Constable Trumfor. I understand you folks had some guests last
|
||
|
|
night."
|
||
|
|
"We were the guests, Constable," Ravi answered. "Some men attacked
|
||
|
|
us. They killed the proprietor."
|
||
|
|
"Who is 'we', lady? And what is your name?"
|
||
|
|
"My name is Ravi Lavgan and we -- the other guests and I -- were
|
||
|
|
the people staying here for the night."
|
||
|
|
"Yes, well ... "
|
||
|
|
Footsteps sounded in the common room. "Giles Kreb, a pleasure to
|
||
|
|
meet you, Constable." Metal clanked below.
|
||
|
|
"You were here last night?" Trumfor asked.
|
||
|
|
"Yes, I was."
|
||
|
|
"I'm going to join them," Kishore whispered to Jana. "Stay here.
|
||
|
|
You'll be able to see everything."
|
||
|
|
"Yeah, as if I'll look."
|
||
|
|
"If your curiosity gets the better of you, you will."
|
||
|
|
"Don't pick a fight with the midget, Shor," Jana reminded him.
|
||
|
|
"Not unless his tongue lashes out again."
|
||
|
|
"Please, take a seat," Ravi's voice sounded as Kishore disappeared
|
||
|
|
down the narrow ladder.
|
||
|
|
"I'd be happy to," the constable answered. "It's unseasonably hot
|
||
|
|
out there," he hinted to his hosts.
|
||
|
|
Wood creaked, as if a heavy load settled into a chair and Jana
|
||
|
|
leaned forward a bit, trying to see what was going on. She moved
|
||
|
|
forward, only far enough to see the balcony of the second floor across
|
||
|
|
the room before her fear forced her to lean back against the wall.
|
||
|
|
"So, why don't you tell me the story from the start," Trumfor
|
||
|
|
asked.
|
||
|
|
"Of course, Constable."
|
||
|
|
Another chair creaked.
|
||
|
|
"Would you get us some mead?" Ravi asked.
|
||
|
|
"What? Me?" Kreb groaned.
|
||
|
|
"You're just sitting here."
|
||
|
|
"And you're standing."
|
||
|
|
"I'm telling a story. You get the constable something to drink."
|
||
|
|
The midget grumbled and got up, the chair creaking once again.
|
||
|
|
"So, what happened last night?" Trumfor asked again.
|
||
|
|
Ravi sat down in the chair Kreb vacated, taking her time and trying
|
||
|
|
the constable's patience. "We were here waiting for our meals, six of
|
||
|
|
us, when four men walked in. Two waited in the entry and the other two
|
||
|
|
... "
|
||
|
|
Kishore entered the common room from the vestibule stairs. "Ravi,"
|
||
|
|
he greeted the woman.
|
||
|
|
"Kishore," she stood up. "Kishore Talluri, Constable Trumfor. The
|
||
|
|
Constable is here to investigate the murder."
|
||
|
|
"An honor, sir," Kishore gripped forearms with the man. The
|
||
|
|
Constable was a heavy set man with greying hair and a weathered face. He
|
||
|
|
was easily in his forties and possessed a powerful grip.
|
||
|
|
"Continue, please," the constable insisted, returning to his chair.
|
||
|
|
Kishore also sat down.
|
||
|
|
"Two men waited in the entryway," Ravi went on, "while the other
|
||
|
|
two entered the kitchen. I didn't give it much thought at the time; the
|
||
|
|
men acted rather boldly, as if they belonged."
|
||
|
|
"It really didn't look like they were here to kill anyone," Kishore
|
||
|
|
interjected into Ravi's statement, "although they did have an air of
|
||
|
|
arrogance about them."
|
||
|
|
The Constable turned his head to Kishore, an irritated look on his
|
||
|
|
face, but said nothing, seeing Kreb's return.
|
||
|
|
The midget put three wooden mugs on the table and filled them from
|
||
|
|
the pitcher he had brought. One mug was passed to the constable and
|
||
|
|
another to Ravi. The third he kept for himself, having placed the
|
||
|
|
pitcher back on the table.
|
||
|
|
"I admit I'm much larger than you," Kishore leaned forward in his
|
||
|
|
seat, coming nose to nose with the standing midget, "but a pitcher is
|
||
|
|
far too large a mug for me."
|
||
|
|
"So get yourself one," Kreb barked, pulling up a seat.
|
||
|
|
"The story, please!" Trumfor interrupted the argument.
|
||
|
|
"Well, after the men disappeared into the kitchen," Ravi went on,
|
||
|
|
"we didn't do anything until the innkeeper started yelling. It sounded
|
||
|
|
like he was in trouble then, so we all got up and confronted the two men
|
||
|
|
who were watching us ... "
|
||
|
|
"All of you. Three of you and ... ? You said you were six."
|
||
|
|
"My friend, Salish, was with us," Kreb said.
|
||
|
|
"And my ward," Kishore added. "And another patron, who was killed
|
||
|
|
in the fight."
|
||
|
|
"Where are they now?" the constable asked.
|
||
|
|
"Jana is around, I expect," Kishore said. "She had little
|
||
|
|
participation in the confrontation."
|
||
|
|
"And the other one?"
|
||
|
|
"Salish," Kreb repeated. "He was the one who rode out to get you.
|
||
|
|
He'll be back tomorrow morning."
|
||
|
|
"Yes, the skinny man," the constable remembered. "He said he was
|
||
|
|
getting supplies."
|
||
|
|
"After we confronted them, the men drew steel on us," Ravi said.
|
||
|
|
"They had first strike, but not first blood."
|
||
|
|
"And you killed them?"
|
||
|
|
"Not that easily. Their companions in the kitchen joined them, as
|
||
|
|
did two other men who apparently waited outside."
|
||
|
|
"So there were six of them and six of you, and the innkeeper," the
|
||
|
|
constable tallied the people.
|
||
|
|
"Right, at first," Ravi agreed, "but the innkeeper was dead by
|
||
|
|
then. They killed him before they left the kitchen. And another man
|
||
|
|
joined us in the fight. While we fought, he came in the door and aided
|
||
|
|
us in the fight. He's the only one from around here. A friend of the
|
||
|
|
innkeeper."
|
||
|
|
"Is he still here?" Trumfor asked.
|
||
|
|
"Out back, I think. I left him there just recently."
|
||
|
|
"Go on."
|
||
|
|
"The bandits showed no will to yield, so we killed all of them in
|
||
|
|
the fight."
|
||
|
|
"Seven of you and six of them?"
|
||
|
|
"Most of us seem to be trained fighters. We held our own." Ravi
|
||
|
|
answered to the constable's skepticism.
|
||
|
|
"Where are the bodies and where is the innkeeper's friend?" Trumfor
|
||
|
|
asked.
|
||
|
|
"The bodies are in the barn, also out back."
|
||
|
|
"All right, let's go see about them," Trumfor got up.
|
||
|
|
They all went into the vestibule and through the back room to get
|
||
|
|
outside, Kishore pausing at the edge of the common room to take a look
|
||
|
|
up. He could see just a trace of Jana on the top balcony, sitting back
|
||
|
|
from the rail. The balcony was too high to naturally fall in his line of
|
||
|
|
vision and so appeared to be a perfect hiding space.
|
||
|
|
Outside Ravi brought the constable to Sand, who was splitting wood
|
||
|
|
with an axe. Splinters flew in all directions each time he struck a log,
|
||
|
|
but he would quickly turn it, or pull up another one, and strike again.
|
||
|
|
"You're the innkeeper's friend?" Trumfor asked. It was obvious that
|
||
|
|
he recognized the woodsman.
|
||
|
|
"Yeah, what's it to you?"
|
||
|
|
"Nothing, I suppose. Did the old man have any family?"
|
||
|
|
"None that I know of," Sand said. "I know he built this place after
|
||
|
|
his wife died, but I don't know if they had children."
|
||
|
|
"You know what those bandits wanted from him?"
|
||
|
|
"Money? Food? Room and lodging?" Sand said sarcastically.
|
||
|
|
"Don't give me your mouth," the constable warned. "Show me the
|
||
|
|
bodies."
|
||
|
|
Ravi led him and the others to the barn and let them in. "They're
|
||
|
|
in the back."
|
||
|
|
Trumfor walked between the eight stabled horses, looking right and
|
||
|
|
left at the animals. He paused by the white stallion that belonged to
|
||
|
|
Jana, admiring the horse. "Nice, nice ... "
|
||
|
|
Having looked in each of the twelve stalls, the constable turned to
|
||
|
|
Ravi. "Whose animals are these?"
|
||
|
|
"All but the three on the end are ours," Ravi responded. "I guess
|
||
|
|
the extras are the innkeeper's. One could belong to the dead guest."
|
||
|
|
"Are they?" Trumfor asked Sand.
|
||
|
|
"I imagine so," he said. "I wasn't writing his ledger."
|
||
|
|
"What about the bandits? They didn't walk, did they?"
|
||
|
|
"I put their horses in the woods behind the house," Sand said.
|
||
|
|
"Didn't want them recognized by others who may pass through."
|
||
|
|
The constable nodded at that and entered the stall where eight
|
||
|
|
bodies lay on the hay. He first looked over the dead innkeeper, pausing
|
||
|
|
on the cuts in his neck and chest. "Quick cuts. They wanted him to die."
|
||
|
|
"Look at his hand," Sand said. "They broke some fingers before they
|
||
|
|
killed him."
|
||
|
|
The constable picked up the dead man's hand and examined the now
|
||
|
|
black bruises, then let it drop in the hay and looked at the other
|
||
|
|
bodies. He paused again at the man who was obviously not with the
|
||
|
|
brigands and straightened his tabard to get a better look. "Pyenson
|
||
|
|
Barony, in Narragan, if I'm not mistaken. Know his name?"
|
||
|
|
"We did not exactly have the time to ask," Ravi said. "It all
|
||
|
|
happened pretty quickly."
|
||
|
|
"And these are the six you killed?"
|
||
|
|
"Yes."
|
||
|
|
He looked the men over one by one, taking care to examine the cuts.
|
||
|
|
"Someone bash this man while he was on the ground?" he asked, examining
|
||
|
|
the split skull of the man Kishore had struck from above, the first
|
||
|
|
casualty of the fight.
|
||
|
|
"It was a rather vigorous battle," Ravi said. "I'm sure one of us
|
||
|
|
did."
|
||
|
|
"Well, no matter. This one has a reward of five silver on him. Ten,
|
||
|
|
if he were alive." The constable looked at the last of the bodies, the
|
||
|
|
man Sand killed after the fight ended. "Don't tell me this happened in
|
||
|
|
the fight, too." The back of the brigand's skull was crushed and throat
|
||
|
|
covered with bloody scratches. The body was stained with dried blood.
|
||
|
|
"It was a rather vigorous battle," Ravi repeated. "I don't think
|
||
|
|
any of us could say how that happened exactly."
|
||
|
|
"Yes, well. I know him, too, and I don't care how he died. And if
|
||
|
|
I'm destined to ever find his buddies, I wouldn't object to them
|
||
|
|
suffering the same fate. Save the Duke's Advocate the bother of trying
|
||
|
|
them." The constable stood up and critically examined the old barn. "You
|
||
|
|
know, five years patrolling this part of the Duchy and this is the first
|
||
|
|
time I stopped at this rat hole." He kicked the wall of a stall, causing
|
||
|
|
the old board to crack. "I watered my horse in better swamps. Now I have
|
||
|
|
to investigate this one ... "
|
||
|
|
"I'm willing to offer any help that I can," Sand said. "I owe the
|
||
|
|
man something for his kindness ... "
|
||
|
|
"We're all willing to help," Ravi said. Kreb started to say
|
||
|
|
something, but she kicked him instead. "We all suffered through the
|
||
|
|
night."
|
||
|
|
Trumfor brushed his chin, a little grey growth on it from the
|
||
|
|
previous day. "Why don't I just deputize you for this and have you
|
||
|
|
look?"
|
||
|
|
"For what?" Ravi asked.
|
||
|
|
"Why don't you come with me, all of you."
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Jana climbed down the vertical ladder off the top balcony, clinging
|
||
|
|
to it for fear of falling. She hated heights, but she hated the idea of
|
||
|
|
being seen by the local Constable even more. For that matter, she did
|
||
|
|
not much want to be seen by anyone, including the people she had spent
|
||
|
|
the night with at the inn.
|
||
|
|
'The Forgotten Inn', the sign proclaimed over the doors, and she
|
||
|
|
had hoped that meant that this lone building, in the middle of nowhere,
|
||
|
|
would be a quiet place to spend the night before continuing to Dargon,
|
||
|
|
but instead it was besieged by guests, and later bandits. She had not
|
||
|
|
wanted to spend the evening in a fight.
|
||
|
|
At home brigands were rare. Narragan, like Dargon, was still a
|
||
|
|
frontier of Baranur and justice in the Duchy was always rapid. Public
|
||
|
|
executions were not uncommon and did their share to discourage crime.
|
||
|
|
She had never heard of a group of men, such as this, being able to
|
||
|
|
attempt what she had witnessed the night before. She had no doubt they
|
||
|
|
would have killed everyone at the inn, had they been given a chance, and
|
||
|
|
that made her wish she was back home. It was the first time she felt
|
||
|
|
this way in her dozen days on the road and it scared her to think that
|
||
|
|
her father was right when he told her she was not bred for a life of
|
||
|
|
adventure.
|
||
|
|
Jana hurried down the flight of stairs from the guest rooms,
|
||
|
|
wanting to escape the inn for the deep woods outside, to wait for the
|
||
|
|
Constable's departure, but instead, as she entered the vestibule, came
|
||
|
|
face to face with the constable, returning from the back of the inn.
|
||
|
|
The old soldier reflexively grabbed Jana, preventing a collision
|
||
|
|
and the girl immediately shrunk back.
|
||
|
|
"My ward," Kishore said, hurrying to the constable's side,
|
||
|
|
protectively putting his arm around Jana's shoulders and pulling her
|
||
|
|
back. "Constable Trumfor, Jana Wynn."
|
||
|
|
"How old are you, girl?"
|
||
|
|
"Sixteen," she hesitated before answering.
|
||
|
|
"Yes, yes," Trumfor muttered and went on.
|
||
|
|
"Are you all right?" Ravi asked Jana.
|
||
|
|
"Yes," she nodded.
|
||
|
|
"Go outside," Kishore said. "We will be done soon."
|
||
|
|
Jana let out a breath of relief and hurried out the back way.
|
||
|
|
Kishore hurried to catch up with the others in the common room.
|
||
|
|
Constable Trumfor sat in his chair and took a long drink from a
|
||
|
|
freshly filled mug. "There is a whole lair of these brigands somewhere
|
||
|
|
here in the woods. Two dozen or so. I figure if you catch all of them --
|
||
|
|
all the right ones -- you'll earn yourselves a couple of gold Marks.
|
||
|
|
Nothing to make you rich, but enough to keep you in rations for a year
|
||
|
|
or two."
|
||
|
|
"Why haven't they been caught yet?" Ravi asked.
|
||
|
|
"Because they're not that big a problem," the constable answered.
|
||
|
|
"They're just annoying enough to have a price on their heads, but not
|
||
|
|
enough of one to summon bounty hunters or send the Guard after them.
|
||
|
|
Bring 'em in and I'll pay you."
|
||
|
|
"Where are they?" Kreb asked, a greedy sparkle in his eyes.
|
||
|
|
"If I knew that, I wouldn't be here telling you to go find them."
|
||
|
|
"How will we know it's them if we find them?" Ravi asked. "There
|
||
|
|
are travellers on this road and people in these woods."
|
||
|
|
"Your first clue will be them trying to rob you," Trumfor laughed.
|
||
|
|
He downed the rest of the ale and stood up. "I'll send someone for the
|
||
|
|
bodies, and to pay you the reward. If you find anymore, take them to
|
||
|
|
Dargon, or look me up in Heahun or Shireton." He shuffled a moment
|
||
|
|
longer, checking his sword and belt, then headed for the door.
|
||
|
|
"Constable," Sand called out after him. "What about the inn?"
|
||
|
|
"What about it?"
|
||
|
|
"Delor is dead," Sand answered, "and I don't know if he had
|
||
|
|
children ... "
|
||
|
|
"If no one claims it in three years, the land will revert to the
|
||
|
|
Duke ... but so long as the taxes are paid, no one will care who's here.
|
||
|
|
I certainly won't."
|
||
|
|
"An inn and a reward ... " Kreb muttered as Trumfor again headed
|
||
|
|
for the door, no longer paying attention to them.
|
||
|
|
Ravi cast Kreb a look of disgust. "Personally, I'd like to get my
|
||
|
|
hands on their leader. This seems like too quiet a road to have bandits
|
||
|
|
on it."
|
||
|
|
"I'd like nothing more myself," Sand agreed.
|
||
|
|
"I already said I'm in," Kreb repeated.
|
||
|
|
Kishore looked at all of them, his gaze passing from one face to
|
||
|
|
another. "Your intentions are admirable, but you know nothing of one
|
||
|
|
another, or what awaits you down the road."
|
||
|
|
"Are you not joining us?" Ravi asked.
|
||
|
|
"I was planing to be in Dargon soon," Kishore said.
|
||
|
|
"So what's a few more days?"
|
||
|
|
"A few less days I will have to do something else. I have a young
|
||
|
|
girl to care for. I have no wish to drag her into some personal revenge.
|
||
|
|
I killed two men last night. That's two more than I have killed in a
|
||
|
|
long time. Death isn't something I want her to experience. We'll be
|
||
|
|
leaving tomorrow morning."
|
||
|
|
No one replied and Kishore got up and left the room, leaving the
|
||
|
|
others to think about what he had said.
|
||
|
|
"Well, that's his loss," Kreb was the first to get up.
|
||
|
|
"It's his choice, not his loss," Sand corrected him. "I can
|
||
|
|
understand what he said."
|
||
|
|
"Whatever," the midget muttered and left the room.
|
||
|
|
"Foul attitude," Ravi leaned back in her chair.
|
||
|
|
"I can understand him, too," Sand answered. "Four foot tall is a
|
||
|
|
long way to look up, especially if you're dealing with someone as tall
|
||
|
|
as the Lashkirian."
|
||
|
|
"You weren't here when he got called a 'lizard man'."
|
||
|
|
"The Lashkirian?"
|
||
|
|
"Who else?"
|
||
|
|
"Then maybe it's for the better if he left," Sand agreed. "We'll be
|
||
|
|
having plenty of battles if we tackle the brigands."
|
||
|
|
"But he is good with a sword ... "
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
"Jana?" Kishore called to his companion, having come out the
|
||
|
|
kitchen door of the inn. Jana sat on a low wooden bench behind the
|
||
|
|
building and he took a seat by the girl. "The constable left. Are you
|
||
|
|
all right?"
|
||
|
|
"Fine. He scared me a bit."
|
||
|
|
"You did run into him."
|
||
|
|
"I wanted ... thought if I could get outside ... He didn't
|
||
|
|
recognize me, did he?"
|
||
|
|
"Do you know him?"
|
||
|
|
"No," Jana protested. "He's just a soldier, and in Dargon, at
|
||
|
|
that."
|
||
|
|
"Then don't worry about it," Kishore said. "I doubt anyone not
|
||
|
|
looking for you will know who you are. And we'll be leaving tomorrow,
|
||
|
|
anyway."
|
||
|
|
"For Dargon? And then Tench?"
|
||
|
|
"Dargon, and then Tench," Kishore agreed. "And then you'll have to
|
||
|
|
give me more advice."
|
||
|
|
"Miass," Jana answered without being prompted. "As far away from
|
||
|
|
Armand as I can get."
|
||
|
|
"You'll miss your family."
|
||
|
|
"Are you asking me, or telling me?"
|
||
|
|
"I'm telling you," Kishore answered thoughtfully. "I miss mine."
|
||
|
|
"You never told me about your family," Jana said.
|
||
|
|
"No. And I'd rather not now."
|
||
|
|
"Doesn't seem like I'm the only one running." Jana got up, dusting
|
||
|
|
herself off.
|
||
|
|
"Everyone runs. We just do it for different reasons."
|
||
|
|
"I'll check the horses, so we can keep running tomorrow," Jana
|
||
|
|
laughed and headed for the barn.
|
||
|
|
"Don't be too long!" Kishore called after her.
|
||
|
|
As soon as she was out of sight in the darkness, new footsteps
|
||
|
|
sounded from the house, behind Kishore, and he turned to look. Giles
|
||
|
|
Kreb slowly made his way to him. "Don't fight me, Lashkirian."
|
||
|
|
"I'll be leaving soon enough. Fight whoever you want, then,"
|
||
|
|
Kishore said, getting up.
|
||
|
|
"I'll fight who I want, when I want to, but I'll also be man enough
|
||
|
|
to appreciate another's skill."
|
||
|
|
Kishore looked down at the midget. "If this is about last night,
|
||
|
|
you're welcome."
|
||
|
|
"It's about last night and all other nights to come. Your presence
|
||
|
|
made a difference."
|
||
|
|
"Shor!" Jana called from the barn. Kishore glanced her way and when
|
||
|
|
he looked back, Kreb was making his way back to the inn.
|
||
|
|
"Shor!"
|
||
|
|
"Yes?" Kishore started for Jana, puzzled over the midget's words.
|
||
|
|
What was he trying to say?
|
||
|
|
"What did Kreb want from you?" Jana asked.
|
||
|
|
"I'm not sure ... He didn't really thank me ... and he didn't ask
|
||
|
|
me to stay, but I've got the feeling that's what he wanted to do ... "
|
||
|
|
"Stay? You mean at the inn? Why?"
|
||
|
|
"The constable hired us -- I say 'us' loosely -- to find the rest
|
||
|
|
of the brigands in these parts. I thought it would be better if we moved
|
||
|
|
on."
|
||
|
|
"You didn't ask me?" Jana chided.
|
||
|
|
"I don't think looking for highwaymen is a good thing for us to
|
||
|
|
do."
|
||
|
|
"You mean for me, right?" Jana asked.
|
||
|
|
"More for you than me," Kishore agreed.
|
||
|
|
"Can't we stay another day or two?"
|
||
|
|
"Why?"
|
||
|
|
"Well, you say Kreb asked you to," Jana offered, "and if he could
|
||
|
|
swallow his pride, it must be pretty important."
|
||
|
|
"He didn't ask me," Kishore stressed, "and even if he had, I don't
|
||
|
|
think I'd do it for him."
|
||
|
|
"You weren't in this much of a hurry last night."
|
||
|
|
"I hadn't met Kreb then. And we weren't in any danger."
|
||
|
|
"But can we stay a day or two longer?" Jana insisted.
|
||
|
|
"Why?"
|
||
|
|
"I stayed up last night talking with Ravi," Jana explained. "She
|
||
|
|
... she's the type of a person I always wanted to be -- free and
|
||
|
|
independent. I really like her, and if she's going to stay ... "
|
||
|
|
"Jana," Kishore sighed, "we're a mere fortnight from Armand. We're
|
||
|
|
not safe here. Anyone can follow us. This is the only road to Dargon."
|
||
|
|
"This is the most direct, but not the largest, nor the safest,"
|
||
|
|
Jana corrected Kishore's argument. "That's why we took this road.
|
||
|
|
Please?"
|
||
|
|
He nodded with reluctance. "All right. Come on, it's dark out."
|
||
|
|
"Wait. Isn't the constable taking the bodies? They've been here a
|
||
|
|
whole day now. They will start to smell in this heat soon."
|
||
|
|
"The horses won't mind another day," Kishore answered. "Trumfor
|
||
|
|
said he will send someone to get them."
|
||
|
|
"Yeah, but in the barn ... "
|
||
|
|
"They could be in the house," Kishore said, "or in a war. Be glad
|
||
|
|
you didn't see the bodies in the war."
|
||
|
|
"My brother was in the war," Jana told him. "He said the same
|
||
|
|
thing."
|
||
|
|
"You don't know how right he was."
|
||
|
|
They returned to the inn, pausing at the kitchen doorway.
|
||
|
|
"Do you want something to eat?" Kishore asked.
|
||
|
|
"No. Not now. Not after seeing those bodies again."
|
||
|
|
"Suit yourself." He headed into the kitchen, leaving Jana in the
|
||
|
|
vestibule.
|
||
|
|
Ravi was putting mugs away in the kitchen, cleaning up after the
|
||
|
|
constable's visit. "So can I change your mind about leaving tomorrow?"
|
||
|
|
she asked as he came in.
|
||
|
|
"Are you anxious I left sooner?" Kishore hid a smile, looking
|
||
|
|
through a storage bin which contained fruit. He selected a dark green
|
||
|
|
apple and turned back to the red-headed woman.
|
||
|
|
"I was wondering if you could be persuaded to change your mind,"
|
||
|
|
she answered. "We could use the help."
|
||
|
|
"You say that as if you expect to find the other brigands," Kishore
|
||
|
|
said, taking a bite from his apple.
|
||
|
|
"I know we will," she answered, "or they'll find us first -- we cut
|
||
|
|
their number by six. A dozen or five dozen, losing six will sting."
|
||
|
|
"And if I say 'yes'?"
|
||
|
|
"Then one sixth of two Marks is just over three Rounds."
|
||
|
|
"And that'll keep me in rations for a month or two?" Kishore asked
|
||
|
|
with a smile.
|
||
|
|
"Depends on how much you eat. You're pretty big."
|
||
|
|
Kishore thought for a moment, chewing on the apple. "You're not the
|
||
|
|
first one to ask me to stay."
|
||
|
|
"But were you convinced before I asked?" Ravi asked.
|
||
|
|
"Almost. And I'm almost convinced now. I guess another day or two
|
||
|
|
won't hurt."
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
========================================================================
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The Long Way Home
|
||
|
|
by Josh Brown
|
||
|
|
<jbrown@macs.biu.ac.il>
|
||
|
|
15 Ober 1014
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
I close my eyes and they are there again. They stand there amidst
|
||
|
|
the noise and the carnage and they plead with me voicelessly. The faces
|
||
|
|
and voices that have haunted my dreams. Dreams that do not end.
|
||
|
|
I open my eyes and they are gone. I look around, not sure of where
|
||
|
|
I am, but then I realize that I am far from the battlefield, far from
|
||
|
|
those desperate eyes.
|
||
|
|
Suddenly, I remember where I am. The hill before me is the same as
|
||
|
|
it was when I played on it as I grew up, and home should be on the other
|
||
|
|
side of it. I am home. Finally, I am home.
|
||
|
|
I stop as I reach the crest of the hill, and look down at the town.
|
||
|
|
For some reason, it seems smaller than it was when I left six months
|
||
|
|
ago. Was it only six months? It seems a lifetime ago.
|
||
|
|
I walk along the hillside, looking for some sign, something that
|
||
|
|
will allow me to believe that I am really home. Suddenly, I realize
|
||
|
|
which tree I am standing under. I look up at the branches, counting them
|
||
|
|
as they go higher. There, it is still there. My mind drifts back to that
|
||
|
|
sunny afternoon, not two years ago, when, on a dare, I climbed the tree
|
||
|
|
to carve my initials, and Bronya's, surrounded by a heart.
|
||
|
|
Bronya. My heart leaps at the thought of her. Now I know. I am
|
||
|
|
home, and will soon be with Bronya again. I break into a run down the
|
||
|
|
hill.
|
||
|
|
As I draw closer to the town, I can see children playing, running
|
||
|
|
around in some game. I should know these children, yet I cannot put
|
||
|
|
names to these faces.
|
||
|
|
The children run around, oblivious to me. They cry out to each
|
||
|
|
other, calling for help, screaming out of the pain they feel. No one can
|
||
|
|
go to help them. The healers run to see if they are injured, but it is
|
||
|
|
not a physical hurt that causes them to cry. It is the battle that has
|
||
|
|
raged around their village, the fighting that has disrupted their
|
||
|
|
innocent lives. It is the sight of their parents killed, murdered by
|
||
|
|
soldiers who saw them as some threat. It is the sight of their parents'
|
||
|
|
bodies, lying face down in the mud.
|
||
|
|
And we cannot help. Our commanders give brief orders to march on,
|
||
|
|
to get back into formations. So we can move quicker down the road that
|
||
|
|
leads us towards battle. Towards our destinies.
|
||
|
|
A shout wakes me from my daydreaming. "It's Tomas! He's come home!"
|
||
|
|
I blink, and it is not crying children before me. They are laughing
|
||
|
|
and playing, knocking things over as they try to catch each other.
|
||
|
|
The cry comes again. "It's Tomas! He's come home!"
|
||
|
|
I am quickly surrounded by laughing and cheering friends and
|
||
|
|
relatives. They are happy, rejoicing that I have returned from the wars
|
||
|
|
safe and sound. Festivities are planned. Everyone insists that I come to
|
||
|
|
them for dinner. Everyone wants to be happy that at least one soldier
|
||
|
|
has come home safely.
|
||
|
|
I am practically dragged to the tavern. Drinks are bought and are
|
||
|
|
practically thrown down my throat.
|
||
|
|
The taste of the hastily made tea burns my throat, but it is all
|
||
|
|
there is to drink, all we can prepare on this march towards the enemy.
|
||
|
|
One of the others throws me a half loaf of bread with some meat sticking
|
||
|
|
out from it. I eat as quickly as possible, wanting to finish before we
|
||
|
|
are ordered back into this long march.
|
||
|
|
A hand lands on my shoulder. I jump, thinking the order to resume
|
||
|
|
marching has been given.
|
||
|
|
"Tomas! Does Bronya know you're home yet?"
|
||
|
|
It is Bronya's father. He shoves another mug in my hand, and hugs
|
||
|
|
me.
|
||
|
|
All, of course, want to hear stories, what I've seen, where I've
|
||
|
|
been. But how can I tell them of the things I've seen? What the faces of
|
||
|
|
ten year old girls look like after they have been raped by a dozen men.
|
||
|
|
What it smells like when people are herded like cattle into huts, which
|
||
|
|
are then set alight. What the air over a battlefield tastes like when so
|
||
|
|
many men lie dead or dying in the blood soaked mud.
|
||
|
|
It is some time before I can get myself away from the crowd. I
|
||
|
|
hurry down the streets, ignoring the calls of those who are seeing me
|
||
|
|
for the first time. When I reach the house, I stop and knock on the
|
||
|
|
door.
|
||
|
|
Bronya opens it.
|
||
|
|
She cries out, and hugs me. I hug her back, almost choking her with
|
||
|
|
my embrace. I put her back down, and follow her into the house.
|
||
|
|
The house has been looted thoroughly by those who have preceded me.
|
||
|
|
The furniture is smashed to bits, and anything of real worth has been
|
||
|
|
taken. Something glittering catches my eye from the bottom of the pile.
|
||
|
|
It turns out to be a child's bauble, forgotten in the inhabitants' haste
|
||
|
|
to leave, to get out of town before the soldiers arrived. Before I can
|
||
|
|
look further, the captain calls. We must move on before nightfall.
|
||
|
|
We return to the trail. We move silently, each of us deep in our
|
||
|
|
own thoughts of the remains of the farm we have just passed. Thoughts of
|
||
|
|
what if it was our home. I look behind me, to see the long line of weary
|
||
|
|
soldiers marching on, and the supply wagons behind us. I stumble over
|
||
|
|
some stone in the road.
|
||
|
|
Bronya helps me back up. She apologizes for the mess in the house.
|
||
|
|
She was not expecting me, of course, and she has been keeping up her
|
||
|
|
work as a seamstress in my absence. She pushes the basket of cloth from
|
||
|
|
out of the way.
|
||
|
|
I am speechless. Weeks of dreaming of this moment have not prepared
|
||
|
|
me for it.
|
||
|
|
Bronya rushes around, putting food on the table. The first taste of
|
||
|
|
her stew, seasoned as she knows I like it, erases the memories of trail
|
||
|
|
food from my mind. While I eat, Bronya has my pack open, and busies
|
||
|
|
herself with unpacking it. She glares at me when she sees the state of
|
||
|
|
my clothes. I explain that we didn't have a laundress with us, but she
|
||
|
|
just sighs.
|
||
|
|
She smiles when she finds the sack of money. I must admit, it is
|
||
|
|
enough to see us through at least a year. The captain was kind with us
|
||
|
|
when the company was discharged, and I had tried to save as much as
|
||
|
|
possible on the trip home.
|
||
|
|
Suddenly, she leaps at me, knocking the spoon from my hand as she
|
||
|
|
begins to cover my face with kisses. I can do little but smile smugly.
|
||
|
|
She must have found the bolt of silk I bought for her on the road.
|
||
|
|
I have barely finished my meal when a hammering comes at the door.
|
||
|
|
"Tomas! Come out and join us! Let us get a look at you!"
|
||
|
|
It is my younger brothers. I look sheepishly at Bronya, and she
|
||
|
|
waves me out the door.
|
||
|
|
"Go and be the great war hero to them. As if I could stop you."
|
||
|
|
I smile, give her a quick kiss and join my brothers outside.
|
||
|
|
I know that it has not been that long, yet they look older to me.
|
||
|
|
Seff's chin is covered with fine down and Markus seems to have grown a
|
||
|
|
head taller since I have seen them last.
|
||
|
|
They want to hear stories of what I have done as well. "How many
|
||
|
|
men did you kill?" "How much did you bring back?" "What have you seen?"
|
||
|
|
"What battles did you participate in?"
|
||
|
|
I hold my hands up to try and stop the questions. "Let me answer
|
||
|
|
one at a time. I can't answer them all at once. 'Specially if I can't
|
||
|
|
hear them all."
|
||
|
|
They grin, and stop to let me speak. Suddenly, something falls on
|
||
|
|
me from behind.
|
||
|
|
I whip around, my sword ready. Before me stands a soldier, the
|
||
|
|
markings on his dusty armor showing him to be an enemy. He charges, and
|
||
|
|
I parry his thrust. My mouth is suddenly too dry to call for any of my
|
||
|
|
companions to help me, and so I must fight on alone.
|
||
|
|
He is better than I am, and I must give up ground, moving farther
|
||
|
|
and farther into the back of the ruined building, trying hard not to
|
||
|
|
trip over any of the rubble that covers the floor.
|
||
|
|
My first judgment is wrong. He is not a little better than I, he is
|
||
|
|
a lot better. I find myself swinging wildly, dodging his blade as best I
|
||
|
|
can.
|
||
|
|
Then, the worst happens -- I trip over something on the floor. I
|
||
|
|
look up at his smirk, as he is about to bring his sword down through me,
|
||
|
|
when a strange look comes over his face. He suddenly groans, and falls
|
||
|
|
at my feet. I look up and see Samir wiping the blood off his sword. He
|
||
|
|
then reaches down and helps me to my feet.
|
||
|
|
"I guess you owe me one, right?" he asks.
|
||
|
|
I grin, but before I can answer, we come under a hail of arrows
|
||
|
|
from somewhere up ahead. We duck and take cover, yelling out for the
|
||
|
|
rest of the company to come and help us find where these archers are
|
||
|
|
hidden.
|
||
|
|
"Tomas, is something wrong? Why the yelling? It's just Barak."
|
||
|
|
I blink and look at my youngest brother, who now lies on his back
|
||
|
|
from where I threw him. I apologize, and help him to his feet. He laughs
|
||
|
|
and says he deserved it, jumping on me like that.
|
||
|
|
I sit with them for a while, telling them of battles and of the
|
||
|
|
places I've been. I try to keep the gory details from them. They listen
|
||
|
|
to me with their mouths hanging open, memorizing my every words.
|
||
|
|
Suddenly, Bronya sticks her head out of the window. "Time to go
|
||
|
|
home, boys. Tomas will be here in the morning, and I'm sure that you
|
||
|
|
have to be up early for chores. And Tomas must be tired. Let's let him
|
||
|
|
get some sleep."
|
||
|
|
The boys wish us goodnight, and disappear into the darkness.
|
||
|
|
Inside, Bronya takes me by the hand and leads us to our bedroom.
|
||
|
|
She dances away from my embrace, insisting I wash off the travel dust
|
||
|
|
before she'll allow me near her.
|
||
|
|
When I return to the bedroom, she is already undressed and under
|
||
|
|
the covers. I smile, remembering her modesty, and remove my smallclothes
|
||
|
|
in order to join her under the thick goose down quilt.
|
||
|
|
She reaches to me, the tatters of her shift revealing her body
|
||
|
|
beneath. The burns on her arms must pain her greatly, yet she does not
|
||
|
|
cry out. I yell for the healers to help her, but before they can come,
|
||
|
|
the crash of battle reaches my ears, and a shout to abandon what we're
|
||
|
|
doing, and to join in the fight. I leave the woman where she lies, and
|
||
|
|
rush to find my companions.
|
||
|
|
"Tomas, what's wrong?"
|
||
|
|
Bronya's question hangs in the air between us. I look down,
|
||
|
|
suddenly realizing I am no longer in bed.
|
||
|
|
I rejoin her on the bed. She reaches for me again, yet I do not
|
||
|
|
feel I can grow warm again in her arms.
|
||
|
|
And the next day is worse. The images of the places I've been, the
|
||
|
|
horrors I've seen seem to blend in with the faces of those I live
|
||
|
|
amongst. I see the wounded as I walk through the marketplace. I hear the
|
||
|
|
cries of the children as I sit in the tavern with my neighbors.
|
||
|
|
And I see and hear the wounded women as I lay next to Bronya. I
|
||
|
|
feel that I have somehow let her down, that it is somehow my own fault
|
||
|
|
that I cannot bring myself to touch her. She does not understand. And I
|
||
|
|
cannot find the words to explain it to her.
|
||
|
|
And so I live my life haunted by the demons of a war that is over.
|
||
|
|
I hope and pray that they'll leave me and I cling to the thought that
|
||
|
|
tomorrow will bring release, that I'll be able to go back to the life
|
||
|
|
I'd had before.
|
||
|
|
I only hope that I do not wait in vain.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
========================================================================
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Shattered Love
|
||
|
|
Part II
|
||
|
|
by Mark A. Murray
|
||
|
|
<mmurray@weir.net>
|
||
|
|
Dargon, Sy 1015
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
Raphael, Kyle, and Jandis travelled through Dargon following a
|
||
|
|
small, magical wooden box. Jandis held the box and led the group where
|
||
|
|
the small stone inside it pointed. Raphael and Kyle were behind Jandis,
|
||
|
|
talking about their lives and where they had traveled. They followed the
|
||
|
|
magical box as it led them closer to Loth. Jandis and Kyle were here
|
||
|
|
because they were commanded to stop Loth. Raphael's reasons were both
|
||
|
|
simple and involved. He simply wanted to kill Loth. He wanted Loth dead
|
||
|
|
because there was a good chance it would cure Megan. He also wanted to
|
||
|
|
kill Loth because Loth had killed his best friend. And so the three of
|
||
|
|
them walked through the town of Dargon using magic to lead them to a
|
||
|
|
mage.
|
||
|
|
After following the box for less than a bell, Raphael, Jandis, and
|
||
|
|
Kyle found themselves at the docks. Raphael caught sight of a figure
|
||
|
|
stepping into an alley at the end of Commercial Street.
|
||
|
|
"Kell?" Raphael whispered.
|
||
|
|
"What?" Jandis asked.
|
||
|
|
"I thought I saw Kell," Raphael said not knowing whether to hope
|
||
|
|
his friend was alive or not.
|
||
|
|
"There is magic ahead of us," Jandis told them. "Ready yourselves.
|
||
|
|
I think we're close." Raphael gripped his cane tighter as they strode
|
||
|
|
forward. As they reached the alley, they saw someone leaning against an
|
||
|
|
open doorway, hunched over somewhat, as if sick.
|
||
|
|
"Kell?" Raphael asked as he walked down the alley. Raphael did not
|
||
|
|
see any other people around, nor could he see inside the house that the
|
||
|
|
person was leaning against.
|
||
|
|
"Kell?" Raphael asked again as he neared.
|
||
|
|
"I'm afraid not," came a voice from somewhere in the house behind
|
||
|
|
the figure. "Or rather not as you knew him." Raphael knew that voice --
|
||
|
|
Loth. As Raphael got closer, he saw that it was really Kell -- and he
|
||
|
|
was dead. His flesh was dried and leathery and had tightened to show the
|
||
|
|
outline of his bones.
|
||
|
|
"Damn you Loth!" Raphael shouted.
|
||
|
|
"You think I wanted this?" Loth asked. "Your pitiful friend here
|
||
|
|
was very useful to me before he ended his life." Loth stepped next to
|
||
|
|
Kell's body and motioned slightly with his staff. Kell's body fell
|
||
|
|
forward into the dirt a few paces in front of Raphael. Loth stepped
|
||
|
|
outside. "You never did realize the power that was in him, did you? He
|
||
|
|
never did, either. Had he known, he could have destroyed me easily.
|
||
|
|
Easily! All that time that he hated me and wished to be free of me, and
|
||
|
|
he never knew that he could have enslaved *me*! And that power was to be
|
||
|
|
*mine* to control! *Mine*!" Loth raged. His tall frame shook and small
|
||
|
|
bolts of energy arced from the staff to him.
|
||
|
|
Jandis and Kyle were to Raphael's right and they watched as Loth's
|
||
|
|
rage faded suddenly.
|
||
|
|
"Do you remember the cabin?" Loth asked Raphael calmly. "The one
|
||
|
|
where you met Kell in disguise? Did you know that Kell held the owners
|
||
|
|
captive until you had gone. He was going to free them once you were well
|
||
|
|
away from there, but I showed up sooner than he expected. It was a joy
|
||
|
|
to watch as I made him kill them." Loth smiled and motioned someone out
|
||
|
|
of the cabin. Three men stepped out of the cabin and stood to Loth's
|
||
|
|
right. They were large men dressed in dirty, ragged clothes, and each
|
||
|
|
one held a sword in his hand.
|
||
|
|
"My bodyguards," Loth said and then laughed. "Dock worker
|
||
|
|
bodyguards," he laughed as if it were a joke known only to him. His eyes
|
||
|
|
closed to slits as he turned his attention to Jandis. "And who are your
|
||
|
|
bodyguards?"
|
||
|
|
"Get ... out of ... my ... mind," Jandis said through clenched
|
||
|
|
teeth.
|
||
|
|
"My, my, what a strong mind," Loth said. "Let's try this, then." He
|
||
|
|
raised his staff and pointed it at Jandis, but nothing happened. Nothing
|
||
|
|
that could be seen.
|
||
|
|
"Get out!" Kyle yelled suddenly.
|
||
|
|
"The Elders!" Loth hissed.
|
||
|
|
"Stay out of my mind!" Kyle yelled.
|
||
|
|
"A bit touchy, aren't you?" Loth said to Kyle. "Did you really
|
||
|
|
think that I was going to try to enter his mind again, when yours was
|
||
|
|
unprepared? Fool!"
|
||
|
|
Loth turned to look at the three men beside him. His eyes narrowed
|
||
|
|
and arcs of magical energy snapped between him and his staff. It started
|
||
|
|
at the bottom and moved up the staff quickly to disappear at the top.
|
||
|
|
Making a circular motion with the top of the staff, Loth created a small
|
||
|
|
dark cloud. He sent the small cloud towards the men. Raphael watched as
|
||
|
|
the cloud slowly drifted to the men and settled on them. As it magically
|
||
|
|
soaked into them, Raphael recognized the magic. The three men now had
|
||
|
|
the taint that he had learned to dread. It had been Loth behind all the
|
||
|
|
attempts on his life.
|
||
|
|
"I promised them a Sterling each, but now I don't have to pay them
|
||
|
|
at all," Loth explained. "They'll do whatever I command.
|
||
|
|
"Kill him!" Loth ordered suddenly as he pointed to Raphael. Raphael
|
||
|
|
looked over to Jandis and Kyle with a questioning look of 'just me?'.
|
||
|
|
Before anyone could reply, Loth snapped his staff toward Jandis. A
|
||
|
|
streak of energy flew from the staff to strike Jandis in the chest and
|
||
|
|
hurtle him backwards. Raphael couldn't look back because the three men
|
||
|
|
started to advance. His own blade was drawn and he stood relaxed.
|
||
|
|
He hoped they were just dock workers and not experienced fighters.
|
||
|
|
But when the three fanned out to surround him, that hope died somewhat.
|
||
|
|
His only, and possibly last, chance was that they wouldn't work well
|
||
|
|
together.
|
||
|
|
He stepped to the left and moved to attack. As the man blocked his
|
||
|
|
thrust, Raphael used it to set his distance. The timing would have to be
|
||
|
|
perfect. Using a few small thrusts and parries, Raphael watched as the
|
||
|
|
middle dock worker closed in. He wasn't worried about the far right man,
|
||
|
|
yet. Just a little closer. Raphael feinted a thrust and left an opening
|
||
|
|
in his defenses. Just as the left man lunged in, the middle one also
|
||
|
|
attacked. Raphael moved quickly, just ahead of both blades, and stepped
|
||
|
|
in between them. As he kept moving past both, he sliced the left dock
|
||
|
|
worker's side. Turning around quickly, he readied for an attack, but
|
||
|
|
none came. The injured man was on his knees and the other one was just
|
||
|
|
turning around. The third dock worker was behind the other two now.
|
||
|
|
Raphael backed away slightly so he could watch Loth out of the corner of
|
||
|
|
his eye. Loth was occupied with Kyle, and Raphael hoped Kyle could deal
|
||
|
|
with him.
|
||
|
|
A movement behind the three men caught Raphael's eye. Jandis stood
|
||
|
|
up and took a charred medallion from his chest and threw it down. As
|
||
|
|
Jandis looked up, he pointed at the closest man. A ring of light floated
|
||
|
|
from his hand and encircled the dock worker's waist. When the ring
|
||
|
|
started to constrict, the man looked down, dropped his sword, and
|
||
|
|
grabbed the circle of light. It was a useless effort as the circle
|
||
|
|
tightened and slowly cut him in half. He never screamed.
|
||
|
|
Raphael used the opportunity to attack the remaining uninjured man.
|
||
|
|
Without the other two, the fight ended quickly. Grabbing at his
|
||
|
|
punctured throat, the dock worker fell silently on the ground. Raphael
|
||
|
|
turned and made sure the injured dock worker wouldn't rise again.
|
||
|
|
Finished with his task, Raphael started toward Loth.
|
||
|
|
He saw Kyle slumped on the ground with his hands clutching his
|
||
|
|
stomach. Blood was running from his eyes, nose, and mouth. Raphael
|
||
|
|
grimaced as he remembered Kell suffering from the same symptoms.
|
||
|
|
Sparks of light brought him back to the present. Loth was grinning
|
||
|
|
as he forced Jandis back with hits from his staff. With every touch from
|
||
|
|
Loth's staff, there would be a spark of light and the area touched was
|
||
|
|
blackened and burned. Jandis was trying everything he knew to stay
|
||
|
|
alive. He would send flashes of light from his fingers to strike Loth,
|
||
|
|
only to be turned away or dispelled.
|
||
|
|
"It's me you want," Raphael said as he moved toward Loth. Loth hit
|
||
|
|
Jandis one last time before turning to face Raphael. Raphael watched
|
||
|
|
Jandis fell to the ground behind Loth. Most of his clothing was burned
|
||
|
|
away and his skin was blackened.
|
||
|
|
Loth extended his hand and a glass sphere appeared. "Your precious
|
||
|
|
Megan's soul is in this globe," Loth said as he suspended the globe in
|
||
|
|
mid-air. "If you look deep enough, you can see her. Such a pretty thing.
|
||
|
|
If the globe shatters, she dies. If I die, the magic holding the globe
|
||
|
|
will end. I'm sure you can figure out what happens then. If you can
|
||
|
|
touch the globe to her physical body, you'll free her from the spell.
|
||
|
|
"I *was* going to release her. Even though it's only a slight drain
|
||
|
|
of my energies to keep her this way, it is a drain none-the-less. But
|
||
|
|
when you killed Kell, I decided to keep her. As a reminder of Kell's
|
||
|
|
weakness and my revenge on you. Besides, she looks so lovely in this
|
||
|
|
globe," he said smiling.
|
||
|
|
"I am going to kill you," Raphael said as he moved toward Loth. He
|
||
|
|
had seen what Loth's staff could do and he didn't want a repeat
|
||
|
|
performance. He had one advantage that Jandis didn't have -- he had a
|
||
|
|
sword to put between that staff and his body. Loth smiled as the two
|
||
|
|
closed the distance. Loth swung his staff at Raphael but it was more to
|
||
|
|
draw him out than to strike him. Raphael blocked his attempts and struck
|
||
|
|
back carefully. It was a game to measure each other's skill. As time
|
||
|
|
passed, the game got more intense. Raphael found that Loth's skill with
|
||
|
|
the staff was good -- but not great. He noticed a few small openings and
|
||
|
|
wondered if they were feints. He took advantage of Loth's next opening
|
||
|
|
and drew first blood.
|
||
|
|
"I see that you outmatch me in the physical skills," Loth said as
|
||
|
|
the cut on his arm started to bleed. "Let's add magical skills to our
|
||
|
|
fighting, shall we?" he asked as he sent a bolt from his finger into
|
||
|
|
Raphael's chest.
|
||
|
|
Raphael staggered back as the magical bolt burned his chest. It
|
||
|
|
wasn't a bad wound, but it was enough to let him know he was in trouble.
|
||
|
|
He doubled his attack and pushed Loth's defenses hard enough to keep him
|
||
|
|
from sending another spell, but he knew he couldn't keep the pace up for
|
||
|
|
long. He was scoring small hits on Loth, though, and it was then that
|
||
|
|
Loth's defenses opened wide. Raphael thrust his sword and realized too
|
||
|
|
late that it had been a feint.
|
||
|
|
Loth, smiling, brushed the sword aside. He thought he had Raphael's
|
||
|
|
attack parried enough to counter attack, but when the pain lanced
|
||
|
|
through his body, he knew he had made a mistake. Glancing down, he saw
|
||
|
|
that the sword pierced him in his side, low and to the outside. Loth
|
||
|
|
concentrated and energy crackled from his staff to his wound.
|
||
|
|
As the energy flew from Loth's staff, Raphael pushed the sword in
|
||
|
|
deeper. Loth drew in a sharp breath, and Raphael saw the staff begin to
|
||
|
|
move. With his sword in Loth's side, there was no protection against the
|
||
|
|
staff. There was a jolt of energy and Raphael was thrown to the ground.
|
||
|
|
Pain lanced through him as he fell. The smell of burnt hair and
|
||
|
|
flesh assaulted his senses. He looked up to watch the killing blow, but
|
||
|
|
it wasn't there. Loth, with the sword still in him, had turned toward
|
||
|
|
Jandis.
|
||
|
|
"You *dare* to test my will! I am the master!" Loth screamed at
|
||
|
|
Jandis. Raphael saw his only chance, and while Loth was mentally
|
||
|
|
occupied with Jandis, he moved. If he could grab the sword and cut
|
||
|
|
across Loth's midsection, it should be enough to kill him. As he moved
|
||
|
|
to grab the sword, Loth turned toward him.
|
||
|
|
He *knew* he couldn't avoid the staff, but maybe there would be
|
||
|
|
time enough to complete his task. That one final cut was all that
|
||
|
|
occupied his mind. His vision narrowed slowly to focus on the sword
|
||
|
|
handle. As he got closer, he watched his hands come into view to line up
|
||
|
|
with the hilt. Before he got there, the staff shattered his vision as it
|
||
|
|
came straight toward him. His body didn't stop, though; it was going to
|
||
|
|
try to complete its course of action no matter how hard his brain
|
||
|
|
screamed warnings.
|
||
|
|
He saw the staff get closer and thought for sure that he would fail
|
||
|
|
when a streak of brilliant blue light whizzed past his eyes to strike
|
||
|
|
the staff. His guess was that Jandis must have knocked the staff aside
|
||
|
|
to clear the way. He didn't care as his hands grasped the sword.
|
||
|
|
He cut from where the sword was to Loth's upper abdomen, where it
|
||
|
|
caught in a rib. Loth clutched his stomach and leaned on his staff. He
|
||
|
|
looked incredulously at Raphael. Slowly, he sank to his knees and
|
||
|
|
smiled. Looking at Loth's expression, Raphael knew what was going to
|
||
|
|
happen, and he dashed to the globe. It had just started to fall when
|
||
|
|
Raphael caught it.
|
||
|
|
He grimaced as he cradled the globe, for he knew what was coming.
|
||
|
|
It was a decision he had made instantly; he had left his back open to
|
||
|
|
Loth to save Megan -- his life for hers. When the pain exploded in his
|
||
|
|
back, his thoughts went to the globe. He cradled it and turned so that
|
||
|
|
his back would hit the ground. Raphael landed half on his side and half
|
||
|
|
on his back, and he looked down into his hands. The globe had not
|
||
|
|
cracked or broken. He started to smile when he noticed that he was
|
||
|
|
losing control and feeling in his body. He fought to turn from his side
|
||
|
|
to his back so that the globe would not fall from his hands, but his
|
||
|
|
body didn't move.
|
||
|
|
Time slowed as he watched the globe fall from his hands. As it
|
||
|
|
fell, he saw Megan inside it pounding on the glass. She was screaming
|
||
|
|
something at him but he couldn't hear her. "She always did have a fiery
|
||
|
|
soul," he thought and that was part of what he loved about her. He
|
||
|
|
watched as she stopped pounding and became still. She lifted a hand and
|
||
|
|
placed it against the glass wall as if to steady herself, but her eyes
|
||
|
|
never left his.
|
||
|
|
"I will always love you," he whispered to her. He knew she heard as
|
||
|
|
he watched her tears run down her face. He saw her lips move and he knew
|
||
|
|
what she said without having to hear it.
|
||
|
|
It wasn't a long fall, but it was enough. The globe shattered when
|
||
|
|
it hit the ground. Raphael heard Megan cry as the pieces settled and
|
||
|
|
blackness overtook him.
|
||
|
|
"I lied," Loth said. "Breaking the globe sets her free. But you'll
|
||
|
|
never see her, and much to my dismay, I don't think I will either," Loth
|
||
|
|
said as he watched his blood make a large pool around him. "Your sword
|
||
|
|
has done a rather good job of cutting me open." His staff fell from his
|
||
|
|
lifeless hand and he fell quietly to the ground as he died.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
The figure on the bed jerked and drew in great gasps of breath --
|
||
|
|
life giving breath. She spasmed and the wolf pup that lay beside her
|
||
|
|
jumped away. Megan sat up and Anam looked at her in confusion.
|
||
|
|
"Raphael," she whispered as tears fell from her green eyes.
|
||
|
|
"You can't be dead," she thought. "I'd know if you were dead," she
|
||
|
|
told herself. "I saw ships behind you!" She said jumping out of the bed
|
||
|
|
and running to the door. Opening it, she turned and ran down the stairs
|
||
|
|
yelling for the only person she knew.
|
||
|
|
"May! May, where are you?" she yelled.
|
||
|
|
"Who's yelling for me now?" came a voice from the kitchen.
|
||
|
|
"May? Oh, May, he's alive!" she yelled. "I know it!"
|
||
|
|
"Who's alive? And who's yelling and causing such a commotion?" May
|
||
|
|
asked as she stepped out of the kitchen. She caught sight of Megan
|
||
|
|
standing at the foot of the stairs and took a step back.
|
||
|
|
"Sweet Stevene save me!" May yelped. "You're alive? Oh, Father of
|
||
|
|
us all, you'd best be alive. I can't stand no spirit in my place!"
|
||
|
|
"I'm alive, May! And so is Raphael. He's somewhere where the ships
|
||
|
|
are. Where would that be?" she asked. "I have to get to him. He's hurt,
|
||
|
|
May."
|
||
|
|
"How are you ... That don't matter right now, I guess. You're here
|
||
|
|
and he isn't. He didn't look too good when he left. I've been worried
|
||
|
|
about him ever since. Ships, huh. Has to be the docks. Well, don't just
|
||
|
|
stand there, come on!" May said as she headed for the door. Megan
|
||
|
|
noticed that it was near dark as she stepped outside.
|
||
|
|
She followed May through the streets of Dargon. When May stopped,
|
||
|
|
Megan saw the dock area. It was huge. There were ships all along the
|
||
|
|
docks. "Where are you?" she wondered.
|
||
|
|
"Here's the docks. Where is he?" May asked.
|
||
|
|
"I don't know," Megan answered.
|
||
|
|
"What do you mean you don't know? You said he was where the ships
|
||
|
|
were. That's here, so where is he?"
|
||
|
|
"I don't know. I didn't know the docks would be this big. He wasn't
|
||
|
|
too close to the ships, though."
|
||
|
|
"Well, I'd guess that he'd be on the south side of Commercial
|
||
|
|
street then. Let's go. We'll search each building if we have to," May
|
||
|
|
said.
|
||
|
|
"No, he wasn't in a building. He was outside one."
|
||
|
|
"Can't be that hard to find, then, can he? Just how do you know he
|
||
|
|
was here and near a building?"
|
||
|
|
"I'll explain that later, May. He's got to be here! And he's hurt,
|
||
|
|
May. He would have given his life for mine," Megan said as she started
|
||
|
|
to cry.
|
||
|
|
"That way," May said and pointed toward the end of Commercial
|
||
|
|
street. "If he isn't there, it's still a good place to start." They
|
||
|
|
walked along Commercial Street looking around and between buildings. It
|
||
|
|
was near the end when they saw a body lying on the ground, half in the
|
||
|
|
shadows, between buildings. Megan ran to it, but it wasn't Raphael.
|
||
|
|
As she stood next to the body, she looked deeper into the shadows.
|
||
|
|
There were other bodies on the ground, and one of them was Raphael. She
|
||
|
|
ran to where he lay, knelt down, and cradled his head in her lap.
|
||
|
|
"Don't you be dead, Raphael Etrigan!" She said as she shook him.
|
||
|
|
"You didn't drag me all this way to die on me! Wake up!" she yelled at
|
||
|
|
him and shook him harder. A groan escaped his lips, and she clutched him
|
||
|
|
tighter.
|
||
|
|
"Raphael?" she asked.
|
||
|
|
"Megan?" he whispered. His eyes opened and he focused them on her.
|
||
|
|
"Am I dead?" He asked.
|
||
|
|
"No," she told him. "Nearly, though."
|
||
|
|
"You're free?" he asked.
|
||
|
|
"All those years, and the first thing you say to me is 'you're
|
||
|
|
free'?" Megan said teasing. "I ought to leave you here in the dirt."
|
||
|
|
"I've missed you," he said smiling.
|
||
|
|
"And I, you," she told him.
|
||
|
|
"There's another one over here that's alive," May said. "An older
|
||
|
|
man. Is this Loth?" she asked.
|
||
|
|
"I can't get up," Raphael said. "Loth should have a sword stuck in
|
||
|
|
him, though."
|
||
|
|
"I'll see who it is," Megan said as she got up. "And if it's Loth,
|
||
|
|
I'll make sure that he doesn't stay alive for much longer." As Megan
|
||
|
|
turned, she noticed Loth on the ground with the sword still stuck in
|
||
|
|
him. She went over to him and pulled the sword out of his body.
|
||
|
|
"You might not want to watch this, May," she warned. Taking the
|
||
|
|
sword, she hacked at Loth's neck.
|
||
|
|
"I'd like to see you heal this!" she spat at Loth while she cut his
|
||
|
|
head off. "Black hearted, vile ..." she muttered as she stuck the sword
|
||
|
|
back in Loth's body.
|
||
|
|
"I take it Loth is dead?" Raphael asked. "The living one must be
|
||
|
|
Jandis. He helped me kill Loth. If not for his magic, I wouldn't have
|
||
|
|
been able to do it. How bad is he?"
|
||
|
|
"I don't know," May replied. "Wait here and I'll get a wagon. And
|
||
|
|
the town guard. They'll need to know about this."
|
||
|
|
"I don't think I'm going anywhere, May," Raphael told her. "I can't
|
||
|
|
move my legs."
|
||
|
|
"What?" Megan asked. She twisted the sword once more before she
|
||
|
|
went back to Raphael.
|
||
|
|
"I think Loth's final blow did it. I can't feel or move my legs."
|
||
|
|
"We'll get you to a healer," Megan said. "I'm just glad you're
|
||
|
|
alive. I didn't want to lose you now that I'm free."
|
||
|
|
"Come closer," Raphael said. Megan sat next to him. "Let me see
|
||
|
|
your eyes," he said. She bent down, and he looked into her eyes. Even in
|
||
|
|
the fading light, he saw her green eyes. He smiled and lifted his hand
|
||
|
|
to touch her hair. "I love you."
|
||
|
|
"I love you," she said as she kissed him.
|
||
|
|
|
||
|
|
========================================================================
|
||
|
|
|