by E. W. SALOKA
Daksha still crying, hugged him and whispered. “Can you ever forgive me father?”
“My child I have always loved you” Faazen smiled. “Your room, my dear is still the same as it was. I could not change a thing. Go there and rest.”
“I will” she said. With tear stained cheeks she wrapped her arms around her father and would not let go. “I have always hoped to come home… someday.”
Faazen whispered to her. “Someday is now.”
Daksha made her way slowly up the stairway; she paused on the landing and looked at all the tapestries on the walls. Running her hand softly over them, she smiled. “I am home, finally home.” Her room was the same way she had left it. Her pillows were still to one side and her walnut bookcase still held the treasured volumes of mystery, romance and far away places. She settled on her bed beneath the silken canopy and curled up between the downy quilts. Closing her eyes, she fell into a deep and dreamless sleep.
A few hours later, Faazen entered tiptoe into her room to bring a snack tray. He left it on the dresser, and after kissing her cheek, he quietly closed the door and padded downstairs. He was overjoyed she had returned to him after all these years. He thought of Rianor and how would he respond to Daksha leaving him. He had been quite mean and controlling toward her and Daksha’s escape was a cry for help to anyone who would listen. Who knows how long she had to bear this pain in silence. Faazen ran back up the stairs and entered her room. Walking over to his sleeping daughter, he gently pushed back the covers. There he saw purple welts up and down her back and fresh bruises across her slender neck. He could see no more, “Oh my poor child,” he wept. “The suffering you had to endure. Sleep, sweet Harmony, sleep.” He carefully tucked her back in and left the room. He was determined to keep her safe, and soon she would laugh and sing again.
Daksha slowly opened her eyes as her gaze took in the familiar surroundings. She smiled when she saw the tray and then decided to eat a little. Slipping out of bed and walking to her dressing closet, she ran her hand over the beautiful dresses until her fingers rested on a blue velvet robe. She carefully removed her dress and wrapped herself in its warmth. Hugging herself, she shivered a little and then moved by the hearth. Curling up, she ate a few bites from the sandwich and took a few sips of from the cup. Daksha closed her eyes and recalled the past hours in her head. Rianor had found out that she was the one who let the mother dragon Medrith escape, one of his nasty guards was the informant. He had shown his anger by striking her repeatedly. This time she barely left with the clothes on her bruised back. This had not been the first time, but she knew it would be the last. He had beaten her so far down she hardly knew herself anymore. With nowhere left to go, she returned to her beloved father and her castle home. Here she would find the girl that she left behind. When she became Daksha, she lost Harmony, her given name. But Harmony was here again, running in the castle gardens and sitting in her white and gold room. Through the looking glass of time, she would return to that place of long ago and find healing for her bruised body and most of all, her heart.
“Father is that you?” Daksha’s mind was brought back to the present by a few soft taps on her door.
“Yes my dear. I saw a lamp light under the door and thought you might be awake.”
“Come in.” She smiled weakly and he saw the purple rings under her dark lashes. Her green eyes that once were bright and alive now clouded over with fear and sadness.
Faazen stood by her bedside as Daksha slowly walked over to him and clasped his hands.
“Thank you for letting me come home, so much has happened. I keep trying to process it in my head, to make sense of all that has transpired. I am still not able to, not yet anyway.” Her voice trailed off.
“That will come in time dear, rest and know you are home. That is all you need at this time, nothing else is required of you.” A fat and furry silver head pushed open the door as he finished speaking.
“Mei-Ling” she cried! “I missed you old boy.” The silver- winged cat jumped up on her bed and started purring happily.
Faazen smiled. It was a moment too precious. He had dreamt of having his daughter back home at Dragmar again. He watched her fall asleep with a fat silver cat curled up next to her. Faazen pulled up a chair and keeping a vigil by his sleeping girl, he dozed off a few times and each time he looked over, there she was safe and in her own bed… finally.
It must have been several hours later and early morning. Daksha opened her eyes and adjusted them to the sunlight streaming in through the partially opened drapes. It did look like a lovely day, so warm and promising. She glanced over and noticed her father with his head tilted back and snoring lightly. “Oh” she said, “he must have nodded off after I fell asleep. It had been a long evening for everyone.” She was hoping for a quiet day, perhaps to walk the castle gardens, loving them so much when she was a child. Later she would go into the Seia Woods and visit Algor Palgon, missing the dear family friend and his sage advice. Just then, she heard some voices down the hall.
She dressed quickly remembering that her father was entertaining guests.
Daksha entered the courtyard where they were having their breakfast. Bergouhy was pouring the juice. She went over to the gnomlie and greeted him warmly. “Hello dear Berge, how have you been?”
“I have been well Miss Daksha, so happy you are home.” He smiled broadly.
“I am glad to be here as well. Good morning Mr. Thomas and Zachary, I am Faazen’s daughter Daksha.”
Thomas stood up and pulled out her chair. Zach nodded, his mouth full.
“Thank you” she said as she was seated. Helping herself to some freshly squeezed orange juice, Daksha thought about her father sleeping upstairs. She realized how much she had hurt him over the past years and hoped to make up her shabby treatment to him. She briefly thought of the Queen Mother. How disappointed she would have been too. Tears welled up in her pretty eyes. Time would be her friend, and much time was needed. She touched her belly gingerly as she still wasn’t feeling right like herself.
Rianor was storming about Windsword questioning everyone in his service concerning the whereabouts of Daksha. She infuriated him, and more so now with her disappearance. Let her calm down and eventually, she would return. In the meantime, he had things that needed priority, and since she was not here to attend to them it would be up to him to delegate those chores to someone else. I certainly cannot be bothered, he thought. “That’s a woman’s work. Where was that woman anyway? He yelled out her name in anger and pain, a little mixture of both, and went back to pacing throughout the castle muttering to himself. Reaching for his cloak, he went out for a walk thinking it would clear his head. Maybe he actually missed her, what if she was staying away for good. Perhaps he went too far this time, yes but she deserved it. She somehow always upset him, and frankly, he was tired of their one too many arguments. This could be a good thing. Then he thought how she always had a special meal he would enjoy. Now he missed her even more. Exasperated, he crunched his boots deeper into the snow and stormed into the ice prisons.
“Might as well go and torture my prisoners. “If I’m miserable they should be too!”
Rianor had enlisted some of the orcs into servitude, guarding his ice prisons. Their vile, filthy nature made them quite suitable as sentries. They inflicted pain well and were indentured to him since they had turned on their loathsome orc general, Piggmordon. They never would be accepted back into their tribe and were banished to Windsword. Scabb was an evil-eyed orc creature who kept order in the ice wizards’ dungeons. If anything went wrong, it was Scabb’s head on the chopping block, so he stayed fearsome and remained a formidable force.
Rianor approached him. “What brings you here?” Scabb asked in a broken, raspy voice. “Is there a problem Sir?”
Scabb started sweating and his green skin took on a grayish hue.
“Relax, I am just paying you a visit and I see everything is as it should be. I’ll be on my way quickly, but think I’ll
just take a look around.”
“No problems here” he said bowing.
“Stop bowing and scraping, I find it distasteful and annoying.”
“Very well Rianor, as you wish.”
The ice wizard shook his head, his captives had been chained up in solitude, He believed it was best this way. They would be more apt to co-operate because of the thought of going mad and nearly insane secluded in his frozen chambers.
He walked over to one cell door; a young girl was lying on the cold ground clad only in a tattered and dirty white dress. She could not have been more than eight or nine years old, her dark hair was tangled and matted around her head. Her eyes were unusually large and deep violet.
Rianor shouted, “What is this child doing here? I demand an answer!”
The three guards ran in and one spoke up in a nervous, hesitant voice. “She was on Windsword grounds and was going to steal something. She tried to run but we captured her.”
“Well you fools, tell me what did she steal?” Rianor eyed them angrily.
“Well, we don’t know but she looked suspicious.”
“Oh you are stupid oafs, unchain her and bring her to me!”
They scurried to remove her bonds; she rose slowly, hardly able to walk. Dragging her towards Rianor, the girl regained her composure and stood before him.
“Please sir, let me go home to my mother. I have done no harm or stolen anything. I was visiting dragon friends and their hatchling and became lost.”
“Oh, those two” the ice wizard smirked. “Very well, go home to your mother. What is your name?”
“It’s Amberlin sir,” She lowered her head respectfully.
“I don’t have any use for you child, be gone now!” He pointed to the entrance and Amberlin smiled.
She quickly ran from the ice caves in her bare feet. When she was clearly out of his sight she raised her arms, her torn dress became clean and new. Her tiny feet covered with pink, iridescent ballet shoes.
With hair black as night, she looked up at the pale moon then whispered, “Montiki-Lebrue” and then flew up to the stars.
Varthon quietly watched from his caverns in the distance and wondered what she was doing in Windsword. He would need to ask Marquor as she might know.
Faazen opened his eyes. His sleep was deep and restful, his most peaceful in many years. The dark images did not invade his dreams this time. He felt strong and focused. Getting up from the chair the wizard heard voices outside the arched, open window. Drawing nearer, he looked down on his daughter laughing in the courtyard with Thomas and Zachary. Joy filled his heart, overpowering him with emotion. “Our lovely girl has come back to us again.” He thought of his late wife the Queen Mother, and reminisced over the times they had shared together with her as a child, playing in that same courtyard so beautiful and so innocent. His eyes welled with tears remembering times past with his family. He had not wept like this for what seemed ages, and it poured from him. Longing for his daughter’s return to him for so long, his tears were bittersweet. As he stood watching her, he saw in his mind’s eye the pain she had endured at the hands of Rianor.
A father’s rage began to overtake him, and a heat rose inside until it burned. As they fell from his cheek, Faazen’s last tears turned to searing flames, scorching the stone floor at his feet. Raising his head to see his daughter again he knew what he must do. In an instant he whirled around violently and was gone. All that remained where he stood was a swirling cascade of hot red embers.
Rianor, still in the prisons of Windsword Passage, was still angrily searching for Daksha.” Where is that woman? What is she up to? I cannot trust her anymore!” His fist clenched hard, “when she returns I’ll…” At that moment, he heard a loud thump.
Faazen appeared outside the icy fortress in a blinding, fiery shower of sparks and flames. At the lower entryway was the living-ice Rianor had placed there for protection. Approaching swiftly towards the immense prison door, icy crystals began to melt. They quickly took on a shimmering liquid consistency and rose several feet into the air resembling a living, pulsing wave. Thick icy tendrils shot out above Faazen, then arched over him. With thunderous speed and power, the massive living shards encased the wizard in a frozen prison. This failed to contain him for more than a few moments. The glow of red-hot flame emanating from his body turned the icy tomb to wet dripping slush. “You’ll have to do much better than that Rianor” he said in a slow deliberate whisper. His whole body crackled with energy as Faazen again thought of the pain Daksha endured. His eyes narrowed as he plunged forward through the door.
The large door splintered and burst as Faazen flew at Rianor. The ice wizard was completely off guard as he was thrown into the side corridor wall.
Faazen spoke coldly, “Touch my daughter again and it will be the last thing you ever do!” With that, he whirled around and melted the ice walls with his fury. Quickly he disappeared from sight leaving behind damage and destruction in his wake.
Rianor looked at the icy walls dripping into a large puddle at his feet. The ice wizard was shaken by Faazen’s fury and deciding to heed his words for now. Daksha would return to him. She always did. In the meantime he would wait in silence, in his own quiet anger.
Faazen joined the others as they were starting their breakfast. He had a smile on his face as he kissed his daughter. “Good morning my child, I trust you slept well.” Daksha frowned. “Father what happened? Your clothing is rather damp.”
“I stepped in a puddle I guess,” Faazen said with a smile.
Thomas and Zach rolled their eyes. Nothing surprised them anywhere. “Must be one of those pressing matters you needed to attend to,” Thomas said with a wink.
“As a matter of fact, it was my good man. However I am ready for my breakfast now. I might have worked up an appetite dealing with that nasty puddle.”
Daksha smiled at her Father’s humor this morning. She bit into a delicious blueberry muffin and found she was even looking forward to what Cook would prepare for supper later in the day. This came as a surprise to her as she never really ate more than a few bites of this or that. Maybe it was being with her father in her childhood home again. It made her feel safe, at least for now.
Fourteen - Dates, babies, and other things.
Andi woke early, she was happy as a lark and she certainly knew why. She went to the chicken coop to gather eggs for the day, humming a happy tune. Hearing a noise, she stopped suddenly taking the eggs from her apron to a nearby basket. She wondered who would be going down the road so early in the day. Andi walked down the path, shielding her eyes from the sun, her gaze rested on a frail old woman. She was stooped over and pushing a peddlers cart. Her hair was snowy white, but it was her eyes, that captured Andi’s attention. They were a lovely shade of violet with dark black lashes, the eyes of a younger woman that didn’t seem to fit one so old. At closer inspection, Andi saw that the cart contained most every item imaginable. The old woman stopped and wiped her brow with her handkerchief. “Oh, it’s a warm day my dear, I need to stop and rest a bit.”
“Where are my manners Ma’am, would you like a cool drink? Apple cider would be refreshing.”
“Yes my child that would be ever so nice.”
Andi walked up to the porch, poured a glass of cider from a pitcher, and came back. The old woman was resting there and she handed her the apple drink.
“Thank you, so thoughtful, such a dear girl and kind to strangers. That shows your strength of character. You can choose anything you want here and it is yours as a gift for being so hospitable.”
“Hmm,” Andi said, “I’ll take the blue ribbon please.” It was the smallest and least expensive item on the old woman’s cart. Andi thought she would like that lovely copper pot but she didn’t dare take anything of value.
“I am Ruzanna,” she said as she handed the girl the ribbon.
“Thank you, my name is Andi Domino and this is our farm. May I ask what that unusual bracelet you are wearing is?”
> “Ahh Miss Andi, this is very special, she is my little friend. I talk to her; she’s wonderful at keeping secrets.” The old woman pointed to a small iridescent white lizard with rose pink glass eyes.
Andi’s heart swelled with compassion, oh my, the dear lady is lonely and has made up an imaginary friend. She took Ruzanna’s hand, “Do you need to go far with your cart?”
“No child, not too far. This is for you.” She handed Andi the copper pot she had her eye on.
“Oh how nice it is and thank you!” She went to search for some silver coins in her apron. The old woman held up a hand knotted with deep wrinkles and paused thoughtfully, “a gift for you.” She held her head high, as someone who had given away something of great worth. “By the way, are you the sister of the famous racerider?”
“Yes, Dredd is my brother, do you know of him?”
“Ah Yes Miss Andi, everyone knows of your legendary brother,” Ruzanna had an unusual smile as she mentioned Dredd’s name. Then she added, “I will come back this way again.”
“Please do” Andi said warmly. She hugged the pot to herself wondering how Ruzanna knew that out of everything on the cart, this was what she truly wanted. Nevertheless, Andi still thought it odd that Ruzanna knew of her brother. As the old woman made her way back down the road, the girl looked down at her beautiful copper pot. Looking back up, the woman and the cart seemed to disappear. “Perhaps the sun is playing tricks on me” Andi said musing aloud.
Colby Shaw’s hair was slicked back and he was probably wearing a little too much cologne. He couldn’t help smiling and his heart was beating so fast he thought everyone could hear it. He didn’t know why he was so nervous, oh well it was their first date today and he was on his way to call on Miss Andi Domino. He had hired a driver with a carriage, and Angus’s Wife had packed them a nice picnic lunch. She fussed over it so, picking an especially pretty tablecloth to spread out, and Colby chose a fine wine from their wine cellar.