A Quick Sun Rises

by Thomas Rath

  Scanning the room for any others who thought to play, Resdin finally found himself alone with the Dona of the house, her husband having fled the residence earlier to find his death on the slow roasting spit of a troll somewhere.

  “Well, my dear,” he smiled wickedly while wiping the blood from his blade in the hair of the still breathing guard that lie at his feet anxiously awaiting death’s reprieve. “Alone at last.”

  Sheathing his sword, he approached the woman who put on her best airs of defiance though her trembling lip gave her away to panic. “How dare you, sir,” she snapped. Resdin found himself somewhat impressed that her voice at least held firm without quivering. “You will pay for such audacity.”

  “Actually,” he sneered, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her head back, “I figured I would be rewarded.” Leaning close, he forced a kiss to her lips and though she struggled to extricate herself from such a vile murderer, he was too strong for her. Finally pulling away, Resdin gave her his most evil grin. “Now tell the truth,” he slithered. “That was better than you thought it would be.”

  The woman, whose face was now wet with tears, spat in Resdin’s face hoping it would earn her a quick death. Resdin’s hand cocked but was stayed by a soft voice calling his name from the doorway.

  “Resdin. That is not how you were taught to treat a woman.”

  Dragging his shirtsleeve across his face, he turned and bowed slightly to the old man that glided across the marble floor, careful to avoid the puddles of blood without seeming to even notice them. “My lord,” Resdin offered.

  Zadok sighed as he surveyed the carnage. “With such a fine home as this, you would think they could afford decent servants to clean up the messes. What is the report?” he demanded, his voice taking on an icy tone.

  Resdin looked at the woman and whispered, “We will continue our discussion later, my love,” before releasing her and turning his full attention back to Zadok. “It would appear that they flee for the stronghold that is Bedler’s Keep.”

  Zadok laughed, his chilling cackles echoing through the large hall. “What irony, my son, that this should end where it began so many centuries ago. I cherish the taste of it in my mouth.”

  “But the keep will pose a greater defense,” Resdin offered.

  “That it will,” Zadok smiled. “But you forget I have the memory of the place. Its secrets were given up to me long ago and I have not let them slip away. And what is it to me that more trolls should find their deaths as we assail it to take it? The promise of even greater treasure will be more than enough to keep them under foot until I am through with them.” His voice took on a tone of mocking grandeur. “Have I not already given them the spoils of Haykon and now the grand capital of Calandra? Their natural lusts for blood and death will press them on to the very gates of hell before they even recognize the leash by which they are held. It will not be so difficult as you might fear.”

  Resdin watched the woman in the corner of his eye slowly and deliberately move toward the closest guard who still begged for elusive death to finally take him. “But would it not be grander to rob them of their safe haven and cut them down with the very gates in sight?”

  “That is your problem,” Zadok snapped. “You are too much like the foul creatures at my command; always anxious for the next quick death found at the end of a blade.” His voice soothed to a near whisper. “You must learn the intoxicating delicacy to be had in taking in each delicious course, each nuance of pain and suffering that comes from the long, slow, calculated sapping of another’s hope as you move to end his life. The sheer ecstasy and rapture as you slowly draw it out, devouring every last portion as it drips from your victim.”

  Resdin felt a cold shiver running up his neck as he listened to Zadok’s words, suddenly feeling revolted by them even in the face of such butchery as littered the floor. Even he was not so sick as that. Yes, he enjoyed the powerful rush that came from holding the power of another’s life and then taking it from him, but even he would not go so far as Zadok suggested. His words placed him in lower degeneracy than even the goblins or trolls.

  “And what of the dragons?” Resdin asked, knowing all too well that the leviathans were not so easily controlled as the rest of the army. “They grow tired of the wait.”

  Zadok smiled a wicked grin that seemed to draw the heat from the room. “Yes. I think that perhaps the time has finally arrived to introduce ourselves to the rest of the people, don’t you think?”

  Even Resdin felt a slight tremor at the lust for death that dripped from his Lord’s voice. “As you say, milord,” he answered with another bow.

  “We move as soon as this rabble is convinced that they have had their fill,” Zadok suddenly stated and then turned without further comment and exited the room.

  Resdin watched him leave and then turned back to the woman who now held the guard’s sword in her hand. Resdin grinned. “Decided to play have we?” he chuckled wickedly.

  She turned, almost startled by his voice, the resolute mixture of defiance and fear gone from her face. Now all he saw was the chilling, blank stare of the dead. Turning the sword point to her breast, and without hesitation, she fell upon it and added her life to those taken by Resdin, robbing him of his foul intent.

  Without the slightest look of pity, he stared blankly at the woman and then turned for the door after his master.

  * * *

  It wasn’t until Tchee had passed the sprawling camp below that Teek realized she wasn’t stopping. The sun was waning quickly in the west, making its final farewells as night grew in strength on the horizon and the roc carried forth toward the mountains. “Tchee,” he screamed above the rush of the wind. “Tchee, you’ve passed it. We are going past the camp.”

  But the giant bird seemed not to hear, her wings’ steady beat continued as they flew further away from the others. “Tchee!” Teek called out, this time patting her back to try and get her attention. But she ignored him still, save for a loud screech of annoyance at his pounding hand. Teek looked back at the fading camp as its mass slowly grew smaller in the distance. “But I have to be there in the morning,” he said, mostly to himself, a small tear building in his eye. “I will miss helping the others if we don’t return.” This time his banging was more desperate but Tchee seemed either not to feel it or not to care about his desperation. “Please,” he finally said, halting his barrage. “Please.”

  Tchee belted out a loud roar but her course remained straight and true. Teek leaned forward and rested his head in the down feathers against her neck knowing he had no choice as to their destination. He comforted himself in the fact that he trusted the large bird with his life. Never before had she ever done anything to harm him or allowed harm to come to him. Maybe wherever it was she was taking them would still permit time for them to be back to the camp in the morning.

  He watched as the miles seemed to rush away in the blur that was the ground below until night quickly overtook their flight, bathing him in darkness of sight and mood. He now knew in his heart that wherever it was that Tchee was taking them would not allow him to return to Thane and the others by morning. The guilt of failing them washed over him like an icy tide that bathed him in tears. How would they find the trees without him? He felt a sudden flash of hot anger toward Tchee for stealing him away and the thought came to just leap from her back to his doom. He could then be with his family again, he told himself, building his courage with his rising anger that would give him the strength to follow through with it. His rage carried him to point of gloating at the pain that Tchee would surely feel for causing his death. She would be sorry for robbing him and the others of such an important trek as that of finding the old trees that seemed so important. He let his thoughts dwell on how satisfied he would feel at her sorrow as payment for the pain she was causing him now but soon the bitter taste of his revenge lost its appeal as he knew he would not do something so foolish as take his own life just to try and make a bird sad over it. Though he was certa
in she loved him, maybe it would make her happier to have him gone. Then she would not be tied to him as she was.

  He sighed heavily as if clearing his mind of the poison that had been clouding his thoughts. Tchee had been nothing but helpful thus far, and he couldn’t fathom her being anything else in what she was taking him to do right then. Her timing was just not what he felt was the most efficient or advantageous. Pressing his body as far into the soft, warm feathers as he could, He was finally able to fight off the annoying rumblings of an empty stomach and drift off to sleep.

  It was morning when he was awakened by the loud roar that was Tchee’s mighty call. The air was chilled in the early dawn as the sun was again reaching for the skies above. He was surprised that he had slept the whole night and was even more shocked to find they were flying over what could only be the Dorian Mountains. Was she taking him back to his empty home in the Teague swamplands? Was this her way of trying to protect him? Though he knew that the war would likely claim his life, he didn’t want to return to the swamps. There was nothing but sorrow for him there now.

  Looking in all directions he was surprised that all he could see were mountains. They were flying lower now so his vision of the world was not so broad yet he knew he would be able to see the edges of the Underwoods if she were flying him home. But if not home then where?

  Tchee suddenly banked left avoiding an extremely high peak before circling back to the right as they passed as if she sought the far side. Making a long, lazy arch, she swept around and then dropped quickly into what appeared to be a naturally forming bowl protected on all sides by large, jagged peaks. Teek was overcome by the beauty of the place realizing that he was most likely the first person to ever set eyes there.

  As Tchee dropped further in he got a better view of the forest of trees that clung to the area fed by the multiple streams and falls that dripped from the ice capped peaks and fed a large lake toward the center. Deeper in he could see the carpeted meadows dotted with a burst of color from the hundreds of different types of plants and flowers that were almost too much for him to take in at once.

  Passing low across the lake, he could see large bodies racing through the water just below the surface but far enough down that he wasn’t able to clearly make out what they were. He assumed fish, but some of the shapes seemed too long or too large to be any type of fish he’d ever seen or heard about in the most generous of storytelling. He felt Tchee dip slightly and then heard the gentle splash of her talons touch the water before pulling up again just as the lake ended into one of the large meadows that dotted the area.

  Slowing quickly, Tchee flapped her wings and settled them down into the soft grass whereupon, dropping from her back, Teek discovered a fish that she dropped from her right foot. He was about to thank her and ask why and where they were going when her wings suddenly stretched out again and quickly lifted her skyward.

  At first, he didn’t worry much, figuring that she was certainly going to return to the lake for a catch of her own, but she didn’t turn back around, but instead flew straight on and then lifted up to the nearest peak and disappeared beyond his sight leaving him all to himself. Though somewhat surprised, he still didn’t worry. Many times he’d been left as she had gone about her own business and always she returned again to claim him.

  Looking around he quickly determined to have his proffered meal in a way he liked instead of the raw flesh that Tchee seemed to think was good enough. Lifting the dead fish by the tail he carried it to a small grouping of trees to his left where he found plenty of cast off limbs and branches with which to start a small fire. In no time he had his breakfast roasting over warm flames that licked at the fish’s skin as if attempting to taste it. Finding some nuts and a shrubbery filled with delicious violet berries, Teek sat down by the fire and turned his fish slowly as it cooked, the disappointment of missing the trek into the Underwoods somewhat lessoned as he looked forward to a delicious breakfast.

  After devouring his meal, he quickly put out the fire and cleaned up the area expecting Tchee to return any moment and whisk him away again. Deciding he was thirsty, he made the short walk to the lake and dipped his hands in the frigid water to clean them and then scooped up a handful of water. It was sweet and refreshing leaving him feeling revived and satisfied. His natural inclination was to explore the area. He wanted to see more of its splendor but feared to leave should Tchee return and not find him. Sighing heavily, he forced himself to sit down and wait. Pulling at the blades of grass by his leg, he quickly became bored. His mind was left to wonder and soon entered those dark areas where he still felt angry over being torn away from everyone and the responsibility and opportunity he’d been given at finally being able to help. He felt so small in the grandeur of the war that had enveloped him even though he had done nothing to warrant its rage.

  Lying on his back, he let the sun’s rays warm his body though his mind was still dark and agitated. He wondered what Thane’s reaction would be when they found him missing. He figured it wouldn’t be good and felt suddenly ashamed. Thane had gain hero status in his eyes and someone he felt he wanted to emulate. He seemed to naturally command attention and respect as if possessing tremendous power that waited his order for release. Yet, he seemed approachable at the same time. And though their interactions had been few and brief, Teek felt a certain fondness and loyalty toward him. He sighed. Now he would be thought of as unworthy; a mere child that cannot be trusted to follow through with his duty or promises. But that was, in fact, what he was, his mind reminded him. He was a child, not even old enough to be on an appeasing journey.

  He felt the tears welling up and then suddenly cascading over the rims of his lower lids and down his cheeks. He was too small and insignificant for all of this. He should be dead with his family instead of alive and alone and involved in such grand moments of history. And how would he be remembered? If they did win and songs were sung or stories told, his would be the name that was either forgotten or marked as the person who didn’t so up at all.

  Curling up with his knees close to his chest, he let out all of the pain and sorrow that he’d been holding back for such a long time. Without resisting, he let the utter emptiness and loss of his family take hold of him and he mourned for them, welcoming the convulsions that wrung through his body as the tears soaked his arm. He let the loneliness enshroud him and fill his thoughts with the desire to simply cease to exist, his memory wiped away from the minds of the few who had known him. He lay in that state for what seemed to be hours in torment and agony until sleep finally eased him away from his pain.

  A sudden air gust brought him abruptly to consciousness just in time to roll away from the sharp beak that darted for his midsection. Jumping to his feet, Teek ran a short distance and then turned to meet his attacker who had hopped after him and was once again bearing down on him in an attempt to peck out his innards. Stepping to the right, he escaped the full brunt of the assault but was clipped on the side and sent sprawling into the grass. The sun disappeared as black wings spread, darkening the sky over him, the outstretched talons reaching for him as the giant bird dropped down on him. There was no time for escape. He would be pierced through and eaten in an instant, his previous wish for death coming true.

  There was a sudden flash of white, and Teek was certain he’d moved into the next world where his mother and the rest of his ancestors were sure to be waiting for him. He was somewhat surprised, and grateful, at how painless the crossover had been, having believed that there would at least be some discomfort at being eaten alive. But his thoughts of a quiet passing were quickly interrupted by the sounds of screeches and cries that suddenly invaded his serene death. Sitting up he was surprised to see Tchee and another giant bird locked in a battle of beaks, wings and talons. It was then he realized that the white he’d seen was not death but was actually Tchee assailing his attacker and saving his life.

  Both birds pulled away from each other and backed off a step each eyeing the other as if looking fo
r a mistake or weakness so as to make another attack. The air was filled with their raged squawking. Though Teek could not see any blood there were plenty of loose feathers on the ground and floating in the air to leave out any doubt about the seriousness of their intent. Loading his blowgun, he prepared to assist in the fight should the opportunity present itself. He knew it was not likely, with the way the two bobbed, hopped and moved about, but nonetheless it didn’t hurt to be prepared.

  Tchee settled into a low guttural sound that rumbled in her throat as a warning while the other bird let out another bellowing scream. Though Teek could not understand their exchange, he was certain they were communicating.

  Why do you stop me from killing that sub species? He desecrates the sacred lands by being here. You know the law, Ice Feather. You will be outcast for this.

  I also know the law of life giving, Night Shadow, which puts him under my protection and care. He is part of me now and as such under the law.

  You defile yourself as do those who follow your ways.

  They make their own choices for the better good of all not the selfishness that poisons your thoughts.

  Foolishness! It is I who flies straight and with the wind not counter to it and crooked as you do.

  We shall see, Tchee communicated back, the rumble in her throat still sounding a warning. When the others touch talon to the ground we will get the decision of all.

  A loud cry brought all eyes heavenward followed, is if in answer, by other cries as more rocs suddenly appeared and began landing in the once peaceful meadow. Teek was amazed that so many of the birds existed and that he had never seen any until Tchee. They all looked majestic and noble in their grace of flight and in the manner with which they held themselves when earthbound. Their eyes, as multihued as the many different colored feathers that adorned them, were sharp and intelligent leaving no question as to the higher mental functions that must be occurring within their sleek heads. Many dipped those heads slightly to Teek as they landed, a warm feeling of kindness and respect reflecting off their eyes, while others seemed to scream at him as did the large black roc that had earlier tried to take his life.