Fires of Memory

by Washburn, Scott;

  He continued to stare. She was dressed like a Kaif, but there was something familiar about her…

  “K-Kareen?” No, it was impossible. But without thinking, he slid off his horse and went over to her.

  “Kareen!”

  It was his sister. It really was her! With trembling hands, he knelt down and grasped her. Was she still alive? He couldn’t tell.

  “Sir? Sir? The brigade is reformed, sir.” said Lieutenant Prinz. “Shall we attack?” Matt scarcely heard him. He was searching frantically for any sign of life. He wasn’t sure. Maybe…

  “Sir? Shall we attack, sir?”

  He looked up and saw dozens of faces looking at him, and he became aware that he was crying.

  “Sir?”

  “Yes. Yes, attack at once. But I’m remaining here. Major Dermont, take charge and attack. Push them, Major! Push the murdering scum! But, Lieutenant, send a rider back and find Lady Idira. Find the healer and bring her here as soon as she can come. Hurry!”

  “Yes, sir!” cried his officers. In a moment, the bugles sounded, and the brigade began to move off—into the Kaifeng camp. The thunder of the hooves faded and Matt was left there with his sister.

  Chapter Twenty-Four

  Jarren Carabello held Lyni’s hand and looked out on the field of victory.

  It wasn’t a pretty sight.

  Two days had passed since the fight, and even though the storm Lyni had predicted had come and washed away most of the blood, the burial of the bodies had scarcely begun. Thousands of people were laboring in the fields below them to dig trenches and drag the mangled remains of men and horses off to fill them. Nearly all the workers were Kaifeng prisoners, and nearly all of them were women or boys. Soldiers made a perimeter around them, but since they were burying their own dead, they did not have to do much to get them to work.

  All of the Eastern dead, a mercifully small number, had already been buried; but the Kaifeng bodies were so numerous, the job would take many days—and they were already starting to bloat and stink. If the job seemed bad now, it would be far worse in a few days. None of the smell was reaching them where they stood, and Jarren wondered if Lyni was shaping the wind to keep it that way.

  He glanced at the woman beside him and wondered other things, too. They had spent one night together, and it had been marvelous. They had both been too tired to do anything since then, but he wondered if they ever would again. Did Lyni really feel anything for him, or had it just been the instincts of two people convinced they would soon die? He gave her hand a little squeeze, and he was pleased that she returned it. Now she was looking at him.

  “Well, contrary to all my expectations, we are still alive and free, Jarren Carabello,” she said. “This creates unexpected complications to our lives.”

  “Do… do you regret what we did the other night?”

  “Regret? No, not at all. It was very nice. But what do we do now?”

  “I care for you, Lyni. I would like us to remain together.”

  “Together? How? As co-workers? Friends? Lovers? Man and wife?”

  “I would be happy with any of those.”

  “But which would you prefer?

  Jarren blushed. “My wishes have to take into account your wishes. I won’t force you to…”

  Lyni snorted. “Jarren, you’ll never force me to do anything. Trick, coerce, persuade, maybe, but never force.”

  “Good. But I still need to know what you want.”

  Now it was Lyni’s turn to blush. “I’m not sure what I want yet. But in spite of all logic, I do care for you.”

  “All right. But let me know when you figure it out, will you?”

  “Yes.” They fell silent and just held hands. Jarren looked out on the ruins of the Kaifeng camp. The rout had been so complete that the enemy had been able to carry off very little of their goods. Many of the tents had burned, and there were immense mounds of plunder. It was a measure of the fury of the Eastern soldiers that they had not even paused to loot, but had instead continued the pursuit as long as their horses and feet had been able to move. Most of the army was now many miles away, the Kaifeng even farther. All the reports indicated that the enemy was scattered and fleeing in many different directions. It would be hard to keep following them under those circumstances, but it appeared that the threat was largely passed. The Kaifeng invasion was stopped.

  “What’s going to happen to them?” asked Lyni, indicating the prisoners.

  “I’m not sure. I think the general is going to try and arrange an exchange for all of the slaves the Kaifeng are still holding.” Many thousands of the slaves had escaped when the Kaifeng were routed, but many more had been carried along in the flight. Some had managed to escape since then, but there was no doubt that many Eastern women were still held in slavery.

  “What if the Kaifeng don’t agree? What happens to these people then?”

  “I don’t know…”

  “Slavery for them? Rape and punishment at the hands of the victor? An eye for an eye? A rape for a rape, Jarren? Where does it end?”

  “I don’t know.”

  “It has to end, Jarren Carabello. When this mess all started, I did some reading on the whole conflict between east and west. It has gone on a very long time, a thousand years or more. One side gets an advantage and hurts the other. The other then takes revenge. Back and forth, on and on. Just because we seem to have the upper hand now, it might not always be that way. Only a year ago, the whole east thought like that, and look what’s happened.”

  “What can be done?”

  “I think I will have a little talk with the general. It is time for someone to say: ‘Vengeance might be the just thing, but this time, we are going to do the smart thing.’ Try to end this cycle of revenge.”

  “It would be worth a try, I guess.”

  “Yes it would. And the general certainly owes me a favor!”

  “He does. We all do. You and Hess and Idira.”

  “And you, too, Jarren. None of us would have been here except for your stubborn stupidity.”

  “Why, thank you, Lyni. It’s very sweet of you to say so.”

  “I mean it. Every word.”

  They stood there a moment longer and then, in unspoken but mutual consent, turned and walked back to their camp. Most of the army was still gone, pursuing the Kaifeng, but the camp was nearly as large as it had been before. The wounded and the escaped slaves made up for the soldiers who had left. Women bustled about everywhere, in sharp contrast to what had been before. Jarren wondered what was going to happen to these women? For the most part, their men were dead and their homes destroyed. They had been slaves to the Kaif warriors. What future did they have? The thought struck him, that some of the slaves the Kaifs held might not want to come back…

  They reached a small cluster of tents arranged under a large tree and saw Hesseran sitting with Colonel—Brigadier—Krasner. Both men rose when they approached. Hess looked tired but happy. Krasner looked tired and happy—but worried, too. They all exchanged greetings and then sat down while a servant brought them tea. Gez was a few yards away practicing with his sword like the old veteran that he was.

  “How is your sister today?” asked Lyni. Krasner’s look of worry strengthened, and he glanced toward the tent where his sister was being tended.

  “Idira says that she will live, but she is still unconscious. Her injuries were very serious.”

  “I’m amazed she’s alive at all!” said Hesseran. “You do realize what she did, don’t you?”

  “No, not really.”

  “She saved your life and your whole brigade is what she did! Maybe all of us!”

  “What are you talking about?” demanded Krasner clearly very puzzled. Jarren had a glimmer of what Hess meant, but the alchemist continued.

  “Well, from your description of what went on just before you found her, it’s quite clear what happened. The Kaifeng magicker was in the midst of casting a spell—a very powerful spell, too! I could feel it clearl
y from where I was, two miles away, and it was enormously powerful. But the spell was never cast. It was cut off just before completion. There are several ways such a thing can happen, but the easiest is to touch the magicker with cold iron. Iron won’t affect a spell after it’s cast, but during the casting process, it will suck away the magicker’s power like a sponge. From the nature of your sister’s burns and the half-melted knife she was holding, it is quite evident that she stabbed the Kaifeng necromancer as he was casting the spell. The power drained away through the knife—and her. Like I said: I’m amazed she survived.”

  “Gods!” hissed Krasner. “I didn’t realize…”

  “She’s a hero,” said Lyni. “I look forward to meeting her.”

  “That’s really fascinating, Hess,” said Jarren. “It might lead me to believe that magical energy is similar to electricity in some ways. Blast, where is my notebook?”

  Everyone laughed, even Krasner. “Always the scientist, Jarren!”

  “I try. That is what I am, after all. Once this is all over, I truly hope to be able to return to my research.”

  “I’m sure you’ll be able to do that, eventually,” said Krasner. “What about the rest of you? What are your plans?”

  “Immunize gunpowder,” said Lyni and Hess in unison. They simultaneously grimaced and rolled their eyes. Krasner laughed again.

  “Well, I’m afraid we’ll need you to do that for a while yet. We used up nearly all we had in the battle. Our pursuit is operating almost entirely on bluff. If the Kaifs manage to rally themselves, we’ll be in need of a lot more—unless, of course, Kareen managed to kill the Kaif necromancer…” he trailed off.

  “We can’t assume that,” said Hesseran, “so we’ll have to work you up a whole new supply.”

  Lyni frowned. “Sometimes I think that maybe Stephanz was right about you mainlanders making us into slaves.”

  “That’s not going to happen,” said Jarren firmly. “I won’t allow it.”

  “Good intentions are fine, Jarren,” said Lyni, “but they rarely count for much.”

  “Then we shall have to safeguard our rights ourselves,” said Hesseran sternly. “We have something these people need. Something they need very badly. Once the immediate crisis is past, we have the power to demand our rights, Lyni.”

  “What are you suggesting?” asked Lyni.

  “They need the immunized gunpowder. They need it in large amounts, they will need it for years to come, and right now we are the only ones who can make it. That gives us a great deal of bargaining power to get what we want.”

  “And just what do you want, Master Alchemist?” asked Krasner. “Money? Power? Property? Titles of nobility?”

  “Possibly. Maybe some or all of that. But mostly, I want control over my own life. I will not be locked away in an armory somewhere with a monthly quota of powder to treat!”

  “Damn right,” said Lyni.

  “I don’t think you will have to worry about that,” said Krasner. “After all, you are heroes now. People are going to want to see you and talk to you, and considering that there are only three of you, no one’s going to stand for you being locked away out of sight.”

  “Hopefully not. We shall certainly fight any attempts to control us. And don’t expect us to provide you with powder so you can track down and exterminate all the Kaifeng. Once they’ve been driven back where they belong, we’ll give you enough to defend the passes, but that's all.”

  Krasner frowned for a moment, but then he shrugged. “That’s all outside my control. But, in any case, my original question about your plans was really about after things quiet down and you are free to do what you want. What then?”

  “I’m not really sure,” said Hesseran. “Idira is determined to make a school to teach healers. In memory of poor Thad, if for no other reason. She’s not going to compromise on that.”

  “Nor should she,” said Krasner, nodding. “After what she has shown people here, everyone is going to be demanding more healers.”

  “I suppose the logical thing to do it to set up a school for magickers in general. Teach all of the arts.”

  “That would be wonderful, Hess!” exclaimed Jarren. “Perhaps I could set up a parallel school for the study of the scientific aspects of magic. I’ve known for quite some time that the success of my studies was going to depend on consulting with the real practitioners. I know that there are several cities in Ertria, where I come from, who would welcome such a university.”

  “I suppose that could be done. And you have already more than proved your worth as a researcher, Jarren. We could all benefit.”

  “Just how are we going to pay for something like this?” asked Lyni, ever the practical one.

  “That, you don’t have to worry about,” said Krasner. “All the wealth we took in the Kaifeng camps is legal plunder, and shares will be given out based by rank. All four of you will rank as major generals for the distribution. None of you will lack for money.”

  Gez was suddenly right there. “What about me? What’s my share gonna be?”

  Krasner laughed. “I suppose we could justify a lieutenancy for you, Gez. Even that should work out to more money than you can fritter away easily.”

  “What about the original owners of all that wealth?” asked Jarren.

  “Who cares?” said Gez, grinning.

  “Most of them are dead. Finding the rightful owners for the rest would be nearly impossible. Fortunes of war, you know.”

  “That hardly seems fair,” said Lyni. “What about all the freed slave women? They will be in great need. They should be provided for.”

  Krasner frowned but then nodded. “I’ll talk to the general. Perhaps something can be done.”

  “Something damn well better be done! In fact, I have a few other matters to discuss with the general.”

  “Gods help him,” whispered Jarren.

  They all looked up as Idira joined them. Krasner jumped to his feet. “How is she, Idira?”

  “She’s waking up. I think you should be there.” Idira looked incredibly tired. She had been healing the wounded almost nonstop since the battle. Krasner took her by the arm and accompanied her into the tent.

  * * * * *

  Kareen was struggling up out of a deep, dark hole. It seemed like she could hear countless voices screaming faintly all around her. She had been climbing for hours and hours, but she never seemed to get anywhere. The screams bothered her enormously. They reminded her of something that Thelena had told her about. Something terrible. Was she dead? Had she been sacrificed to Atark’s magic? Was she doomed to flounder in this endless blackness for all eternity? The thought gave strength to her struggles, and she clawed desperately at the hole.

  Then, after a measureless time, she thought she saw light above her. She pulled and pulled herself up, toward the light. Thelena? Thelena, are you up there? Help me get out, Thelena!

  “Kareen? Kareen? Wake up, honey.” She heard a woman’s voice. It was close, very close. The light was close, too. After a while, she realized it was just on the other side of her eyelids. With a terrible effort, she opened them and let the light in. Her eyes were open, but everything was just a blur.

  “Thelena?” she whispered.

  “No, honey, my name is Idira. But here’s someone you know.”

  One shadowy shape moved aside and was replaced by another. She blinked and blinked and tried to focus.

  “Kareen?” The voice sounded familiar. Damn, she wished her eyes were working!

  “Who…? M-Matt?”

  “Yes, it’s me, sis. How are you feeling?”

  “Matt! Oh gods, you’re alive!”

  “You are, too.”

  “Am I? Really?”

  “I think so. Let me check.” The shape came closer and she felt his arms going around her. In spite of the pain in her right arm, she hugged him back. Her tears were flowing, and they seemed to be clearing her vision a bit. She could see him now. It was really him. She clutched him tight and th
e tears flowed and flowed. She held him for a long time, but finally he pulled back and they looked at each other.

  “Good to see you, sis.”

  “Good to see you, big brother. How did I get here? And where’s here?”

  “You’re in our camp. I found you and brought you here. Lady Idira has been tending your wounds.” Kareen looked to the side and saw a fat, jolly-looking woman who was smiling at her. In spite of the smile, she looked terribly tired.

  “Thelena? Is Thelena here?”

  Matt looked puzzled. “No. Was she with you? When you…when you…?”

  A stab of fear went through her. “She was there with me. Right with me. Did you look for her?”

  “Yes, we searched all around for anyone who might have been alive. When I found you, there was no one close by at all.”

  She breathed a little easier. “Was Atark there?”

  “Who?”

  “The Kaifeng Sorcerer, Thelena’s father.”

  “Gods! Her father? No, the sorcerer got away.”

  “He probably took her with him. I hope she’s safe.”

  “I could scarcely believe it when I saw her outside the pen in Berssenburg. I owe her my life.”

  Kareen hesitated, and in that moment decided she would never tell Matt about her own role in his escape. “We both owe her our lives, Matt. She is a good woman.” She shifted position slightly and winced.

  “Are you hurting, Kareen?”

  “Some. How bad is it?” She held up her right arm and saw that it was completely covered in bandages. It felt like there were bandages on her head and face, too. The plump woman came closer.

  “You are doing fine, dear. The worst of it is your right hand. You’ve lost your two smallest fingers—I couldn’t save those, but the rest will heal fine. And there will be no scars, except for the ones you already had. I do good work, if I do say so myself.”

  “Thank you,” said Kareen. She looked at the oddly shaped bandages on her hand and realized why they looked odd. But only two fingers lost. A tiny price to pay for all that she had been through. “But how can you know there will be no scars? Burns almost always leave them.”