by Orr, Krystal
Lying next to Arizira, wrapped around her body and inhaling her calming scent, was all Talliea needed to create a feeling of normalcy. "Just lie here with me. Let your mind find rest until the morning," Talliea whispered back, her voice already slurring and becoming heavier.
Another few moments passed as Arizira attempted to calm her racing mind. "Tah-li, please do not leave me like you did before. Do not go where I am unable." The words were a broken plea, hoarse and rough.
Arizira waited for a response, but none was forthcoming. Talliea had already fallen asleep, safe and secure next to her love. Sighing one more time, Arizira intertwined her fingers with Talliea's, which rested on her stomach, and quickly feel asleep.
Chapter 26: A Red Haze
"Your delay in action will only cause further pain to the tribes!"
"It was action, haste and harsh, that brought about devastation before! How can you speak of another bloody assault so soon in the dusk of past events?"
Zy'nilur and Talyn faced one another, each flushed with anger at the other. The two of them had been in one heated argument or discussion for most of the last night. Aitla had passed from the sky long ago and still the two tribal leaders had remained, each seeking to sway the other to her point of view.
Talyn did not wish to engage the Esu so soon after their last battle. It was her belief that too much blood had been spilled already. Her plan was to fortify defenses to give Bela'luin a chance to succeed and to use scouts to keep track of the Esu clan’s movements, if any. She did not desire to take an offensive stance unless she had no other choice.
Zy'nilur, on the other hand, had no use for sitting and waiting. She had not marched across the Menderway with her best archers so they could do nothing but remain idle. She believed Talyn's delays were what had caused matters to be as they currently were. If Talyn had just eradicated the Esu at the first sign of trouble, perhaps the Child of Whispers would yet be alive and well.
No, waiting was not the answer. The Esu, according to legend and myth, were a ruthless enemy. They would not hesitate in their attack, nor would they offer mercy or show compassion. Their assault would be brutal, yet efficient. They could attack during the day and gain the full advantage of their god's powers.
Zy'nilur wished to exact revenge upon those who had murdered Arizira. She wished to do her spirit one last honor. By going to battle in Arizira's name, the Arnira could avenge her and, mayhap, allow her spirit to find Aitla.
"I will not allow idle hands to dictate matters. My sisters and I are going to march on the Esu. Today. The Child of Whispers will be remembered and avenged."
Talyn exhaled and her shoulders slumped, giving her a defeated appearance. Once again, it appeared that she was to be overruled. None wished to even consider peace. Zy'nilur was under the belief that the Esu had killed Arizira. Talyn had not told her anything different. Apart from M'kesei, Bela'luin's second, only she knew the truth surrounding Arizira's death. Everyone else assumed she had fallen at the hands of one of the Esu.
That was how Talyn wished to keep things, for the time being. Her people were facing enough adversity without adding such sorrow needlessly. Bela'luin was paying for her act, just as she was also trying to atone for it by seeking Arizira's love.
"Are you truly to stand in my way when the spirit of Arizira Ahmanae is at stake? My sisters will grieve at the knowledge of her death. They will despair, but from those dark feelings shall come a fury the Esu can not match. Once this battle is over we shall celebrate, but not for our victory. We shall celebrate the Child of Whispers’ life and these forests shall sing with her memory."
Talyn shook her head slowly, but held Zy'nilur's deep purple eyes. The other leader was correct. She could not stand in the way, not without revealing the truth of who had killed Arizira. There was little she could do except accept matters. Zy'nilur was going to assault the Esu with or without her and her hunters.
She could not allow others to die because of her failure to act. Despite not wanting to admit such, Talyn found herself suddenly realizing the cold and hard truth: There was to be no peace nor any hope for it. Before she could respond to Zy'nilur, a new presence caught her attention. Adesriel stood near the entrance of Rae’kir.
"Yes?" Talyn asked in a tired voice.
Adesriel bowed and saluted to both women. "Nai'iris, I bring news from one of our scouts. The Esu have been spotted a half day's march from here. They move like a sickness across the forest, soon to be before us."
Zy'nilur looked to Talyn. Her eyes were hard and her face resolute. "How many?" she asked Adesriel.
Adesriel stood on the sides of her feet in a nervous gesture. She licked her dry lips before saying, "Several score. A comparable force to our own. Nearly the whole of their camp has emptied."
Talyn visibly paled before looking at Zy'nilur. She had not been expecting such a move by the Esu. At least not so soon. What were they hoping to accomplish? Did they truly believe they could win against her people?
Unless...
Talyn stepped around Zy'nilur and looked straight into Adesriel's unsure eyes. "Was a woman glanced among their numbers?"
"A w-woman, Nai'iris?" Adesriel asked.
"Yes! The Esu woman from the clearing! Is she among them? Does she march into battle against us?
Adesriel shook her head. "No, Nai'iris. The scout did not report such."
Talyn sighed heavily and closed her eyes, thanking Aitla for small miracles. A moment later, Adesriel cleared her throat. "Nai'iris, what shall I tell the hunters? Do we prepare for war and assemble to meet them, or do we tighten defenses against a siege?"
The question caused a heavy feeling to settle in the air. Zy'nilur watched Talyn carefully while Adesriel waited expectantly for an answer. All grew quiet, so much so that Talyn could hear every beat of her heart. It seemed to be the only sound she was capable of hearing.
Loud. Pronounced. Emphasized.
The thumping cadence was as if a lament, a portent to what awaited.
Talyn attempted to breathe normally. The sound of the act was drowned by the pounding of her heart inside her ears. She had never desired to be the one to make such decisions. Her people were peaceful. They were trackers and hunters and they believed in the spirits of nature and of an eternal cycle of life and death. They did not believe in war and bloodshed. Such things presented themselves, of course, but the Arnira were a people who tried to avoid violence.
Talyn wished Arizira was alive. The younger woman always had a way of bringing clarity to any situation. She was as wise as she was kind and Talyn found herself greatly desiring her long lost company. She wondered where Cynra was. Was the Dream Speaker still alive? Had she been caught in the battle, killed by the Esu woman's power?
It did not matter. Neither of those two women--those friends--were able to help her now. She alone had to make the difficult decisions. She finally looked up and held Adesriel's gaze. "Tell the hunters to prepare for immediate departure. We are going to engage the Esu."
"We are to assemble during the reign of the sun?" Adesriel questioned, looking as if she had heard Talyn incorrectly.
"Yes. They move quickly. Our time is spent. Gather our warriors. Tell them we march to avenge the Child of Whispers."
* * * * *
The smell of smoke, acrid and irritating, caught Tareya before she and Ir'ra came before the Arniran tribe they had been so desperately trying to reach. The heat was caustic. Heavy plumes could be eyed seeking escape in the dark sky above. As Tareya slowed her pace, Ir'ra lying still in her arms, she could vaguely make out the sounds of voices coming from the burned remains of the tribe.
Ir'ra moaned in her arms. Stark streaks of orange, blue, and yellow danced on blackened pieces of wood and the crackling sounds of several fires were loud in Tareya's ears. She looked down into her love's face, managing to tear her eyes away from the horrific scene before her. "Stay with me, love," she pleaded with Ir'ra. "Help is near."
Tareya could feel herself beginni
ng to panic. The Arnira in this part of the forest were the only ones for several more days' walking. They were the only hope Ir'ra had of healing. Since the two of them had decided to seek such aid, Ir'ra's condition had only declined. She had lost the strength to walk on her own, resulting in Tareya having to carry her the rest of the way.
The previous day, Ir'ra had stopped eating and drinking. Despite Tareya's pleas for her to look after herself, Ir'ra had refused, stating that she felt too sick to eat. Her breathing was shallow and short, her color pallid, and her body heated and flushed.
The many bruises and cuts marring her body were still vivid and harsh against her skin. Dark purples and deep blues marked her pale and nearly lifeless flesh. Since Tareya had been forced to carry her, all Ir'ra had done was moan and mumble incoherently.
Tareya was beside herself with grief. She was stricken with a sickness of her spirit. Her love was sick, possibly dying, and there was nothing she could personally do to help her. She had walked, nonstop, for more than a day with only one thought in mind: Get Ir'ra to an Arniran healer.
Having to try to avoid the Esu settlement some distance to the south had only added to the time Tareya already did not possess. Now having finally come to her destination, the place where all her hopes lay, Tareya found the Arnira in ruins. Their homes were burning, their crops and fields ravished. Everywhere she looked, she saw signs of a recent battle. Weapons lay here and there, foodstuffs were scattered in the dirt, and torn bits of clothing were spied in the chaos.
"Failira..."
Tareya started and looked back down at Ir'ra. "I am here, my love. I brought you to your people. Rest now. All will be well soon."
Ir'ra struggled to open her eyes. Even in the dark, they did not shine as brightly as they normally did. She coughed several times before she was finally able to get her body to cooperate with her. "I love you," Ir'ra whispered hoarsely.
The truth cut into Tareya like a blade. She tightened her throat in an effort to keep herself from crying. Smiling, what she hoped was her most reassuring smile, she replied, "And I, you."
Ir'ra attempted a smile before losing consciousness again. Tareya remained standing where she was for another moment. Her heart was pounding in her chest. Her emotions were frayed, thin. She felt as if the world were soon to cave in on top of her. Nothing made sense. She could not understand what was happening. Why had a group of her people attacked and imprisoned her and Ir'ra? What were the powers she could still feel seething beneath the surface of her mind, waiting for her command to seek restitution? Who had attacked the Arniran village before her?
Tareya shuddered. She could venture a guess, but her heart refused to believe such. She had prayed that the last Esu settlement she and Ir'ra had been to was an isolated incident. However, looking at the smoking remains before her, she began to doubt.
"Halt!" A sudden voice split into the silence.
Tareya stiffened and looked toward the sound. Three Arnira stood to her right. Each bore the evidence of battle. Blood seeped from various wounds. Soot and ash covered normally green and brown armors. Weapons were held in each woman's hands, and bright shining eyes looked upon Tareya with suspicion.
"Identify yourself!" a strong looking woman in the front of the other two demanded.
Tareya turned toward them to do as they had asked, but before she could speak her name, the women raised their weapons and pointed them at her. "An Esu!" one woman cried.
Tareya could feel an anger burning deep inside of herself. She did not have time for this! Ir'ra was dying! She had seen enough of her surroundings to deduce that another group of Esu, possibly very much like the one that had captured her and Ir'ra, had attacked the tribe of Arnira before her. She could understand their pain and their feelings of betrayal, but she was not responsible! She was only responsible for Ir'ra, her love. Despite feeling for the women before her and what they had obviously suffered, Tareya needed them to help Ir'ra, not point accusing fingers at her.
"I am not your enemy," she said in a slow and strained voice.
She could feel the anger inside of her growing. It was the power from before and it was akin to a rage. It felt powerful and unstoppable. Tareya felt its righteous fury and reveled in it. It was violence, the kind that often followed a gruesome attack and was justified by most accounts.
"That remains to be seen," the lead Arnira said.
"She carries a sister with her, an acolyte from her clothing," the third Arnira said to the first. The lead Arnira stepped forward, her long, blood covered blade still in her hand. "Lower the woman in your arms to the ground. We will take care of our own."
Tareya turned her head pointedly and looked at the Arnira. She was powerfully built with toned muscled arms and shoulders. Her eyes were purple, her hair silver, and her features both beautiful and commanding.
"She is not your own. Her care is mine. We were attacked and seek a healer."
All three Arnira exchanged glances, their weapons still at the ready. One woman held a bow, its notched arrow aimed directly at Tareya. "No Esu will enter our tribe, not after the assault they led against us! The bodies of your people are soon to be burned and released to whatever god you now believe in. We will care for our sister, but you are to leave this place. Now. We shall not suffer your kind to walk amongst us. Your people have broken the pact. There is no friendship between us any longer."
Tareya's breathing became more pronounced. Her body practically hummed with power. She could feel the shocking electricity in her muscles and deep inside her bones. A red rage covered her other senses. Time and space became meaningless as she felt the power inside of her continue to pulse.
"I am not your enemy," she stated again. Her body crackled with a reddish-yellow glow. "I only come before you to seek your aid. We were att--"
The lead Arnira stepped forward and shoved Tareya back. "We will help our own, but you we shall not allow to pass. Your people have brought a blemish to these once pristine lands. Even now, we receive word of other tribes under assault at the hands of your people. Leave the acolyte with us, then depart from our borders."
"No, I will not leave her. You shall treat her and then we shall both be on our way."
As Tareya spoke, her voice sounded as if many persons' speech were overlapping with her own. The power around her became visible and warped the space around her. Ir'ra, still held in her arms, remained oblivious to what was happening. Thunder sounded in the sky and a chill took to the air.
"What is happening?" the second Arnira asked, her glowing olive colored eyes looking in shock around her.
The lead Arnira noticed the energy around Tareya. She noticed the dark hue of her eyes and the way she appeared to be the focal point for whatever was occurring around them. Wind picked up behind her and began to swirl the debris at her feet.
"It is the Esu! She attempts to finish what her people started!" she yelled.
At her words, the Arnira with the bow released her arrow. The projectile sailed through the air in a rush. It never met its mark. Before connecting with Tareya, the arrow changed trajectory, mid-air, and flew back in the direction of the shooter. It landed in the center of the Arnira's chest.
"No!" the lead Arnira screamed. Seeing her companion fall to the ground incited a madness in her. She turned on Tareya and raised her blade. The other Arnira twirled two short blades in her hands and rushed forward to help her sister.
Tareya watched them come. Ir'ra remained in her arms, her head lolling against her love's arms. "I do not wish to hurt you," Tareya said. Her eyes were pitch black and the reddish crackling energy coursing across her body continued to coil around her.
The lead Arnira yelled a warrior cry, her blade raised and ready to make a killing strike. Tareya looked at her, their eyes meeting, and jerked her head to the side. The woman was sent flying in the same direction where she fell against a small collection of rocks. She attempted to stand back up, blood spilling from her mouth, but Tareya kept her down. She was soon to be gone
from this life regardless.
"I only wish to save my love,” Tareya said. “Please."
Her words were not heard by the remaining Arnira. In the chaos, she had managed to get close enough to strike Tareya in the shoulder. Her blade cut deep, nicking bone and skin alike. Tareya screamed in rage, the blow nearly causing her to drop Ir'ra.
Her power consumed her then. She did not allow mercy or compassion to play any part in her actions. The Esu and the Arnira both were her enemy. They each sought to attack, imprison, or harm her or Ir'ra. All she desired was a way to help Ir'ra. That was all. She had not asked for her people to become senseless murderers and sadists. She had not asked for them to attack the Arnira and break a generations-old pact.
Yet, they had and now the Arnira, once friends and allies, could not see her as anything other than a killer. They were her last hope to save Ir'ra and they could not look past recent events and see that she was not their enemy. She had never been so. She and Ir'ra had seen past the physical and cultural differences that marked each of their peoples and, through that, had come to see the spirit of one another. They had found love and been happy.
Long had they traveled together, seeing the world, and enjoying each other. Now that was soon to end. Ir'ra was slipping from her. She could feel it. Yet, she could do nothing to stop it. Ir'ra had told her that they shared a spirit, that she had never felt the kind of connection that she experienced with Tareya with any other.
Tareya had always taken heart in that. She, too, had never known the connection she shared with Ir'ra. But all of that mattered for very little. She did not know how to save Ir'ra. She did not know how to make things right in the world again. Everywhere she turned, there was nothing but conflict and enemies. Where before her world had been peace and happiness and friendship, now it was tarnished and ugly and full of hate.