During an attack on Zumzummin territory in the Nephilim city of Akron, Bena followed Mano on a surprise raid, ransacking the city and slaughtering the giants inside. Bena hacked and slashed until the blood of his victims dripped from his face and armor. Entering a home, he took a giant unaware and cutting the giant down before he could lay hand on his weapon. Out of a back room came the giant's wife, Euria, running to her fallen husband, ignoring the murderous Bena before her. She threw herself over her husband's lifeless form, and wept. He stood, axe in hand, dripping with savage hate, but as he looked into her tear-soaked eyes, something within his heart shattered. There she knelt beside her dead husband, head held high, waiting for the axe stroke to take her life, but it never came. He saw himself in her pain and felt her loss as he remembered his wife.
Throwing his axe before her, he fell to his knees, bowed his head and waited for her revenge. She was shocked by his gesture, but quickly took the axe in her hands, stood to her feet and raised it high above her head. She swung with all her might at his neck, but before the stroke hit, she stopped in mid-swing within inches from his flesh. Her scream of the rage echoed as she threw the axe across the room, sinking its blade into a wood pillar.
“No more,” she sobbed, falling back to the floor in agony. “No more.”
Bena had never wept before, not even when his wife died, but he wept that day. He took Euria from the city and hid her away from Mano and his Imperial troops. After leaving Mano's service, he and Euria fell in love, secretly married and had a baby girl. But fate was not finished with Bena since marriage between giants and other races was forbidden. Eventually, the giants caught up to Euria with young Sapha in her arms, chasing her to the edge of a cliff. Then, the leader of the giant band pushed her off with Sapha in her hands. Euria managed to gash her attacker’s face before she fell, but when she fell, took the force of the impact and saved her daughter’s life at the cost of her own.
Bena learned of the attack, but arrived too late to do anything but watch his world fall to pieces for the second time. Before his wife died, she told him of the leader she gouged in the face and begged him not to take revenge, but that wasn’t his way. He took the injured Sapha and went back into hiding. But, he never forgave the giants, or himself. He hated them for killing her, and himself, for not being there to protect her. When she was old enough, Bena left Sapha with some friends and disappeared into the wild lands to hunt giants once again. That is, until now.
“Why is he doing this?” Elhan asked.
“I can’t say. He never came to see me, not even once,” she said.
“There must be more to his actions than we are seeing. I’ve never known him to ever be this public,” said Elhan.
“All I know is, he’s always been there to protect me. Always,” she said.
Sapha took Nathan to Isha, but he remained listless as she took his hands in hers and called to him.
"Do you know where you are," she asked. When he made no reply, she patted him on the face.
"What are you doing," Elhan said.
"His senses are completely dulled," said Isha as Nathan's eyes rolled side-to-side as if he watched something in the distance.
"No," he cried as he covered his face with his hands.
"Show him the hemah," said Jackabo. Isha held up the bag. "Nathan, is this what you crave."
Nathan turned his gaze for a moment. Then, he pushed himself from Sapha’s grasp onto the floor and lunged for the bag, clawing at it like a wild thing.
"Give it to me," he yelled.
"This is poison, the more you drink, the faster you die," said Isha pulling the bag away from his reach.
"Please, just a little," he pleaded like a starving beggar.
"Conner poisoned you. The refuges are falling along with their eldars. You are a seer. What about your promise?" said Isha, as she pulled the star-cloth from her belt and gave it to him. Nathan took it in his hands and buried his face in the cloth.
“You don’t understand,” he said in disbelief. “I wished him dead and surely he deserves it.”
“What do you mean,” she asked.
“I couldn’t do anything to him. I thought if I’m the seer that I should be able to curse him or something, cause him the pain he’s caused others, I couldn’t…I couldn’t. No matter how hard I yelled and called on God,” he cried, falling to his knees. “What kind of seer am I to ask for something like that?”
“Sometimes, it’s not as simple as we plan,” she said.
“I know that!” he shouted. “Don’t you think I know that.”
He knew hemah was poison, but it helped him forget the horror he brought to this world. In his nightmares, Nathan had heard the dark voices, calling to him. So many times, he had felt the blackness swallowing him like an ocean death. He sensed his fear gripped him, pulling him down into the depth of his soul until he simply wanted to quit fighting, quit caring – quit everything.
Isha knew the darkness he felt because she had lived in it for years. She wanted to be angry and blame him, but it wasn’t completely his fault. There were many things that allowed the land to get in this condition and she knew it would also take many resources to heal it. But that was the point, Nathan is a seer and by nature, a seer is a healer. She knelt down and took his face in her small hands, forcing him to look at her face. His eyes were red from his anguish, as he looked at her. He didn’t find hate in her eyes, or pity, but a calm strength she’d been given.
“I’m told that Elyon will forgive you if you ask. But will you forgive yourself?” she asked with tears in her eyes.
“Maybe, if you help me,” he returned.
He took the star-cloth in his hands, held it to his face, remembering Delgado's wish as anger galvanized his soul, chasing away the ghosts of fear in his heart. Isha took the bag of hemah and held it up for him to drink.
“Take only a sip,” Isha said as she held the bag of hemah to him. But he snatched it from her grasp, dashing the skin full of it to the ground, splattering the black contents across the stone street as they looked on in dismay.
“No,” he insisted.
“You’ll die without it,” she insisted.
"There is always another way," said Nathan weakly.
She heard the truth of it but didn't want to believe it. Sapha carefully lowered him to the street, but Nathan staggered for a moment anyway. Isha reached out to steady him, but he held out his hand in protest.
“I'll be okay,” he said, as he gripped the star-cloth.
"Quiet, we're not through this yet," said Elhan.
He raised his hand for silence, pointing around the corner of the building to a contingency of guards searching the surrounding buildings. As fate would have it, a guard spotted them, quickly bringing a squad of soldiers to surround them. The group quickly found themselves in the center of a company of spearmen who cut off any means of escape. Knives in hand, Isha turned to Elhan.
“Do we fight?” She asked.
“To the death,” Elhan replied with his axe at the ready.
“Wait,” said Sapha. “Do you hear that?”
The sickening sound of moaning filled the air like a song of death beginning with a low rolling, then growing louder like a wave of malevolence. Nathan craned his head attempting to find the source of the sound. Without warning, the guards traveling with them grabbed their throats and began gasping for breath. Brackish blue blotches formed on their skin as the guards fell to the street and shook in uncontrolled convulsions, faces contorted with confusion and pain.
“What's happening to them,” Sapha asked with dismay.
The companions huddled together while the stricken guards stretched and writhed, clutching their hands spasmodically until the stillness of death gripped them at last.
“Quickly, follow me to the stables,” Elhan ordered as he moved down the street.
Nathan stumbled and fell trying to keep up so Sapha bent down, picked him up and put him on her back.
“Hold on around m
y neck,” she ordered, as she tossed him no her back like a sack of wheat.
Nathan carefully followed her instructions, but still found it difficult to keep his grip as the company ran full-speed to the stables. Luckily they were nearby and, due to the good planning of the city, stood at the eastern gate of the refuge. The last rays of the afternoon sun poured through the eastern gate when they arrived.
“So far so good,” said Sapha, swinging herself into the saddle of the largest mount she could find.
“Are we stealing horses now?” asked Dodie as he put himself on a sturdy mule.
“You’d rather run? Or possibly, if you wait long enough, you could ask to borrow one as they run you through,” said Jackabo as climbed aboard the nearest stallion.
“I’ll run,” said Isha.
“That’s madness. You’ll never be able to keep up,” said Dodie.
“I’m fast,” she insisted.
“I can attest to that, but we have miles to go to Landdown Pass, and won’t be stopping,” said Elhan.
“Those beasts hate me. They always have,” she said with embarrassment. “My appearance scares them.”
“Ride with me, it’ll be fine,” said Elhan as he pulled her up behind him.
“See here, what’s goes on?” said the stable-master, stumbling from his house, holding his pants up with one hand and a sword with another.
“Here,” said Elhan as he threw a small bag of gold at the man’s feet, “this should cover any cost and if I owe you more.”
With that, they bolted for the gate only to be cut off. Bena stood blocking the way with a contingent of city guards holding spears at the ready. Above, several archers took positions in the watchtowers, ready to send swift death at the first order.
“Get out of my way, Bena,” ordered Elhan with rage in his tone. “Out of respect for your daughter, I won’t cut you down where you stand for the death of Ezro.”
“What are you talking about, he’s confined to his home,” said Bena with surprise. “I ordered it myself.”
“I talked to him in a prison cell and he’d been beaten. That is, before they burned him to death,” spat Elhan.
“You’re a liar,” returned Bena.
“Jackabo saw it too. Believe what you want, I don’t care anymore,” Elhan stated, “just never let me see your face again, or I’ll put my axe through it.”
“You’re not leaving.”
“Father, don’t do this,” urged Sapha, trying to keep control off her fear-stricken mount. Spearheads gleamed in the waning light as the guards began moving toward the party with extreme caution.
“Sapha, you don’t understand. There’s more to this than you know. I have Mano’s promise you won’t be harmed,” said Bena. “I agreed to do this for Mano to save you.”
“And you trust him?” Sapha said with amazement. “What about them?”
She said this pointing to Elhan and the others. Bena’s reply was stark silence and this is all she needed to confirm her fear.
“You’re going to kill us,” she said.
“Then I’m staying with Jackabo.”
Just then, several flaming clay jars filled with tar struck the ground near the Bena and the guards. Immediately, the air filled with thick black smoke.
“Make haste, the rogues are with you,” sounded the voice of Lopie from a nearby rooftop.
Dodie took a piece of paper from his belt and quickly scribbled upon it. Holding it in his hands, he uttered a short prayer and the wind around the group began swirling, molding the dark fumes into a column that covered Bena and his guards.
“Hurry, the smoke won’t last long,” urged Dodie.
The group bolted past the guards who were in a state of utter confusion. Bena grasped the stirrup on Sapha’s steed for a brief moment, only to be kicked free by her boot. He never saw the tears of heartbreak streaming down her face as she rode past him, and she never heard his pleas for forgiveness as she past him.
To their good fortune, the moon was full that night, giving them ample light to speed their journey. At one point, Nathan had to be tied to Sapha with rope to keep him from falling off the horse. This is one time Isha truly wished she knew how to ride a horse. In spite of the darkness, she kept a watchful eye on him. They rode through the night, pushing the horses to the point of near exhaustion until the great arch of Landdown Pass approached them from the distance. Its great stone features were carved from the living rock by the flowing waters of the mighty Arnon centuries ago, becoming one of the chief southern access points to the Morah Highland. They arrived at the Pass just before sunrise and gazed upon the magnificent sight of Pelan City in the distance.
“No matter how often I come, I never get tired of seeing that,” said Dodie, as he looked beyond the gate to the polished bronze spires of reaching toward the clouds like arrows pointing a path to heaven.
“Where to now?” asked Sapha with a questioning look to Elhan.
Nathan's haggard expression, pale features and darkening circle around his eyes, told Elhan that Nathan didn’t have long without assistance.
“Isha, could you contact the White Venger's Branch if you wanted too?” asked Elhan.
The question shocked her for a moment, but she understood his reasoning. They were the only salvation for Nathan outside of Conner himself, but it would not be a simple matter. White Vengers held moral code above all things and rejected all other Branches. True, they killed with the highest skill and are thoroughly trained in all methods, but they never took life for money or power. Instead, they contracted out of moral conviction, just cause and the betterment of the people in their own moral reckoning. They rejected Mano's rule and his immoral usurping of the Regency as well as his blatant corruption of the law. Due to this, they became highly reclusive and secretive. Once, Mano sent a squad of soldiers to hunt them down only to find the soldiers in his throne-room the next morning, dead. The cause of death was never determined, but Mano got the message and quit hunting them the same day. It is dangerous to seek them out, but Isha understood, Nathan had no other options.
“Yes, I can find them,” Isha replied flatly. “We need to get to the temple area of the city.”
“I can take you there, but stay close,” said Elhan.
Isha remained strangely quiet as they moved through the city, keeping a close eye on Nathan. And as they traveled, she never left his side. The stonework of the streets would amaze even the most accomplished craftsman, showing tooled smooth walls with no trace of tool-marks anywhere. Around the campfires, Nathan heard pieces of the stories about the ancient people who lived in Pelan even before the time of Mano. According to the legend, they were condemned for evil practices and driven from the city. Some say the earth swallowed them, forming the Falls of Forever, while others believe they simply went deeper into the earth to live out the remainder of their cursed lives.
"How much farther?" Jackabo asked.
"It's just ahead," said Elhan.
The ancient stone structures of the temple district loamed before them as though waiting for some worthy seeker to approach. Elhan stopped before one of the largest wooden doors Nathan had ever seen. Isha pulled hard on the ring handles as the massive door creaked open, revealing a large circular courtyard lined with temples of every size reaching their spire covered ramparts toward the sky above while beggars sat along the walls, asking for alms from any who passed. The air as well as the buildings told them that this section of the city held many more ancient secrets than the rest.
"There is nothing more you can do. Nathan and I must continue alone," Isha said.
“We can't just leave you,” said Sapha.
“Listen to me, we may not make it back,” said Nathan weakly. “Dodie needs you and Conner must be stopped.”
“Nathan, may whatever gods you serve keep you safe,” said Jackabo.
“My God is always more than enough,” Nathan said.
Elhan, Jackabo and Sapha waited at the nearby holding watch as Isha and Nathan crosse
d the courtyard. Guiding Nathan by the arm, she stopped to pluck a white jasmine flower that found its way between two old cobblestones. Walking across the courtyard, she approached a beggar dressed in filthy brown rags except for a single white sash wrapped around his neck. The man took no notice of her, holding his hand out in the customary manner until she dropped the flower in his outstretched palm. Lifting his scar-covered face to her, his voice took a deep and serious note.
“What do you seek,” asked the beggar.
“The purity of the white,” she answered.
“Then come and be cleansed,” he smirked.
Twenty-Two
“Casing In…”
In the distance, the uneven cadence of metal-shod boots drew closer to their position.
“They’re looking for us,” Isha whispered.
The beggar stood, turned on his heels and vanished into an alley between two buildings with Elhan and the others at his back. They followed him until he turned the corner into a blind alley and vanished. Amazement gripped both Elhan and Isha since they were both expert trackers and weren’t used to anyone escaping their attention so quickly. Then, behind a nearby rock wall came the sound of clinking metal as the wall opened to show the beggar standing in the portal and motioning for them to follow.
Elhan gave a quick nod to Isha who quickly dashed into the opening followed by the others. The ceiling beyond the door reached high above them with the soft glimmer of torches lining the walls of the dark interior. The beggar led them into a large wall cut from the living stone itself. Its tall vaulted ceiling reached far overhead, decorated with beautiful mosaics of fighters in various training stances. A deep and distant rumbling filled the passage like the sound of lightning in the distance.
"Do you hear that?" Jackabo asked.
"It sounded like thunder," said Nathan.
Isha drew close to him and looked at him closely in the torchlight. He was sweating again, looking about him into the darkness like a caged animal.
"That's not thunder," she said. "Can you make it? I know you're suffering but I need you sharp.”
The Last Refuge Page 22