“And you, my dear,” he replied. “Though I do wish it was more often. This house gets lonely, and I am in dire need of sophisticated company.”
“I hear that the mayor visits you quite often,” joked Linis. He gave Millet’s shoulders a fond squeeze.
Millet huffed. “If only Barty would run for office. Then I wouldn’t mind the…honor...of a mayoral visit.”
“He’s too busy these days,” said Dina. “And that's your fault really. If you hadn’t suggested to King Jacob that he bestow the Nal’Thain fortune to Randson, he would most likely be staying in Sharpstone a lot more.”
“Don’t remind me,” said Millet sourly. “Now we are stuck with that fool Melton Fathing. If ever there was a more annoying man born, I haven’t heard of him.” He grinned at Linis. “Perhaps it is time we had an elf mayor.”
Linis laughed boisterously. “The people here may be accommodating. But I doubt they are ready for that.”
“Perhaps one day,” Millet responded. He gave an elaborate wink. “Perhaps even one day soon. You'd be amazed at how convincing a man of wealth and influence can be in a small town.”
“And you certainly have wealth,” teased Kaylia. “I heard that you brought back ten wagonloads of gold from Baltria.”
“Gossip is unbecoming an elf,” scolded Millet. “You know good and well that it was only two wagonloads.”
This produced a round of laughter from everyone.
Millet led them inside to where wine and fine cheese was already waiting. They each took a seat. Kaylia glared at the empty place beside her.
“What is it, my dear?” asked Millet.
Kaylia shot him an accusing stare. “I think you know. Where is he?”
Millet held up his hands. “I’m sure I have no idea what you mean.”
“Is that right?” She slid her chair back and looked to the open door at the far end of the dining hall. “You had better come out before I drag you out.”
Millet sighed and glanced in the same direction. “Do as she says, Gewey. I don’t want her breaking my things over your thick skull.” He turned back to Kaylia. “I was going to tell you of his return, I promise. But he made me swear to wait so that he could surprise you.”
Gewey appeared, smiling boyishly. His hair was still damp from a recent shower, and his fresh white shirt and brown pants were neatly pressed.
He strode over to the table and kissed her on the cheek. “You have no sense of humor, my love,” he told her.
At first she pretended to resist, but soon her arms were wrapped around his neck. He then embraced both Dina and Linis before sitting down.
“I thought you might miss it this year,” said Dina.
“I thought so too,” he replied. “But I managed to settle things in Gath in time. They’ll be purchasing all of their hay from me next year.”
“That’s no excuse for being late,” chided Kaylia. “You had plenty of time to get home. The children miss you.”
In reality, she knew very well why he had chosen to come directly to Millet’s. As much as Melli was after her to join the Village Mothers, she was twice as adamant that Gewey should take his place on the council. But his hatred for politics was immeasurable. The constant bickering and shouting was far more than he cared to deal with.
“I know,” he said, using his most humble tone. “I’m sorry.”
Kaylia sniffed and gave him a playful pinch on the arm. Just then, the sound of horses arriving at the front of the house reached them.
The group looked at one another in surprise – all but Gewey, who smiled knowingly.
Moments later, the door opened to reveal Aaliyah and Nehrutu. Kaylia flew from her seat and wrapped her arms around them both, nearly weeping with joy.
“Did you not know we were coming?” asked Aaliyah. “I sent a message to Gewey several months ago to say that we could attend this year.
“Another surprise,” he smiled.
Kaylia kissed him lightly. “For this one, you are certainly forgiven.”
After greeting the others, the new arrivals took their places at the table. Soon, the wine was flowing and the time apart melted away.
“So, what news from across the sea?” asked Linis.
“Strange things, actually,” Nehrutu replied. “The Morzhash have vanished. There is not a trace of them to be found. It is as if something has plucked them from the face of the earth.”
“Interesting,” remarked Millet. “As I understand it, they had been raiding your villages for many years.”
“Indeed,” he affirmed. “No one is lamenting their departure. But it is odd, nonetheless. However, it has opened up new space for those coming from this land to settle.”
“Has there been a lot of them?” asked Dina.
“A fair number,” he replied. “Too many for some of my folk's taste. But they will grow accustomed to new people in time.”
Aaliyah turned to Kaylia. “We were hoping that you and Gewey would return west with us when we depart.” She looked to Dina. “The two of you as well. I am certain your mother would be pleased to see you.”
“My mother visits us quite often actually,” she said. “And it’s bad enough hearing Kaylia go on about Linis and I having a child. When she’s here and they join forces…” She shook her head.
“I would love to go,” said Linis. He kissed Dina’s hand. “But there it much to do here, and I simply can’t spare the time.”
“Also, I think Gewey and I returning west might not be the best idea,” said Kaylia.
“No one there even remembers you,” Aaliyah countered. “Which, by the way, still amazes me. You would be safe from notice.”
Gewey shook his head. “When I erased all connection between Darshan and Gewey Stedding, it took every bit of my power to accomplish it. I would not risk someone remembering who I really am. To the world, Darshan is dead and Gewey Stedding spent the war hiding in Hazrah. Neither are connected in any way.”
“Well, at least we still remember you,” said Dina.
“That actually surprised me,” he admitted. “I didn’t intentionally exclude anyone.” He saw the sour expression flash across her face and held up his hand. “Not that I would have wanted any of you to forget me, but I honestly didn’t know how to be that specific. I used the same power that the Dark Knight had used to erase all memory of him. But I knew he’d only partially succeeded. I needed more. Which is why I went to the Chamber of the Maker. It increased my power and hopefully my influence on people’s memory.”
Linis shifted in his seat. Gewey could tell he wanted to say something.
“What is it?” he asked.
“Well,” he began hesitantly. “In all the time we have been living here in Sharpstone, you have never once spoken of what happened in the desert. This is the fourth annual gathering we’ve had, and still you avoid any talk of it when asked.”
Gewey sighed. “I suppose it was too soon…still too fresh in my mind. And there was so much of it that I didn’t really understand.”
“This is the first gathering Aaliyah and I have attended,” said Nehrutu. “So if you are able, I would ask you only one thing. When you met the Creator, what was it like?”
Gewey’s eyes grew distant for a moment. Then Kaylia touched his shoulder and he smiled faintly.
Nehrutu spoke again. “If you cannot answer, I understand.”
“No,” said Gewey. “For a time it was difficult. But not because of the Creator. There were memories I was trying to push from my mind. It has taken me a few years to make peace with what happened. Those who were lost…those that I failed to save.”
Though unspoken, everyone knew he was thinking about Lee.
“No one alive today has caused more death than I have,” he continued. “How do you live in a world with such a burden on your heart?”
“But we were at war,” Linis told him. “You did not kill simply for the joy of it.”
Gewey nodded. “I know this. But knowing something in your mind an
d understanding it in your heart are often very different.”
“And how do you feel now?” asked Dina.
“With Kaylia’s help, I have learned to accept the past,” he replied. He took hold of her hand. “I try to remember that I am truly blessed. And that my family needs me. They get me through the dark times when the guilt I carry becomes too much to bear.” He sat up straight and banished his melancholy. “But as to your question…”
The room went silent.
“When the Dark Knight and I sank into the vortex, I truly thought that was the end. There was no sense at all of my spirit living outside of my body. Only blackness. And even the blackness was fading. I knew I was facing oblivion, and I was terrified. I tried to cry out for help, but I didn’t have a voice. No matter what I did, I knew the end was coming.
“It was in this moment of utter despair that I finally realized there was nothing to be done. This was the sacrifice I had agreed to make. My life for the lives of everyone else. So I accepted it and thanked the Creator for giving me the courage to go through with my task.”
He looked up and shook his head. “I can honestly say that, had I known in advance about the sheer terror of oblivion, I couldn’t have done it.”
Dina cocked her head. “But oblivion is just…nothing. How could you have felt fear?”
“We live in this world secure in the knowledge that there is a life beyond this one,” he explained. “The only reason we fear death is because the spirit world and heaven are mysteries to us. There is always that little bit of doubt. Will I go there when I die, or will something else happen? Is this world everything there is for me, or is there more to come? No matter what we think we know, we can’t help but wonder. But this was different. I knew for certain that the complete end was coming. It would be as if I had never existed. My love for Kaylia and our children, my friends, everyone…all gone. More than that, I wouldn’t care about it because I wouldn't exist.”
He could see that no one aside from Kaylia understood.
“It doesn’t matter. Just know that in that moment, I was more terrified than I ever thought possible. And then there was nothing.”
Now the group truly looked confused.
“Nothing?” said Millet. “You mean you did die?”
“No,” he replied. “I mean I ceased to exist. I have no memory of what happened. I was no longer of this, or any other world.”
“Then how is it you are here now?” asked Aaliyah.
“I’m not,” he replied. There was a long uncomfortable pause. Then Gewey burst out laughing. “I’m sorry. That was a bad joke. But I really was gone. And for how long, I can’t say.
“My first memory was of standing in the middle of the desert, naked as the day I was born, trying to figure out what had happened. It was then that I saw her.” He shook his head. “No. Saw is not the right word. I did see a blinding light, but it was more like I felt her.”
“And how was that feeling?” asked Dina in a half whisper.
“How much do you love Linis?” he asked in return.
“With all of my heart.”
“Try to imagine that love. Then multiply it by the number of drops in the ocean. That is what I felt…and it hurt.”
“It hurt?” repeated Millet incredulously. “How can love hurt?”
“Any strong emotion can cause pain,” he replied. “Love most of all.”
Millet’s eyes grew suddenly distant, as if recalling a memory of long ago. “That is true. But you’re describing this as if it was a physical pain. Not a broken heart.”
“It was,” he replied. “No one, not even a gods is capable of bearing the full force of the Creator’s love. It’s beyond anything we can fathom. I fell to my knees, screaming for it to stop. But it didn’t. It got worse and worse until I was yearning for death. And still the pain continued increasing.”
Gewey leaned back in his chair, a strange little smile on his lips. “And then something remarkable happened. I returned it. I couldn’t tell you why - or how - but in that moment of the most excruciating pain of my life, I loved her back. And then…all at once…the pain went away.”
“So the Creator only wants our love?” asked Aaliyah. “Is that what you are saying?”
Gewey chuckled. “No. And yes. What I began to understand was that I hadn’t really given her anything. I had given my love to her creation. And the more I began to understand this, the angrier I became. Not at the Creator, but at myself for being so stupid and blind. It was all so very simple.”
“What was?” asked Dina.
“That all I ever needed to do was surrender myself,” he replied. “If I had, her true power would have been mine, and I would have become invincible. The Dark Knight could have never stood against me. And as I returned the love I was given, I suddenly knew her will.”
“And what was that?” asked Linis.
“For me, it was to return home and raise my family,” he replied.
Dina obviously expected more. “Yes. But what about me? And Linis? And Aaliyah? Everyone?”
“For you, who knows? But if you listen, you will be able to feel it. It’s simple for each one of us as individuals, but unclear for the world as a whole. It’s one message, while at the same time being many. There may be a single message for everyone…I just don’t know. But I doubt it. I think she has something different in mind for each of us. Otherwise, we would all be the same person.”
“So what happens if we don’t listen?” asked Millet.
“Look around you,” Gewey said. “There is still hatred and mistrust in the world. People still seek vengeance and retribution. That is what happens when we don’t listen. The Creator only wants us to be happy…and that’s all. Nothing more. It’s really that simple. And she doesn’t need us to earn her love. We already have it.”
“What about evil?” asked Nehrutu. “Surely she doesn’t love evil.”
“And why not?” asked Gewey. “Could you stop loving your child for any reason? Even if it did bad things? That’s what we are to her. Children. And naughty children at that. But she still loves us. All of us.”
Dina furled her brow. “Are you saying that the Dark Knight...?”
“She loves him too,” he said, cutting her short. He smirked and rubbed the spot on his chest where the Sword of Truth had pierced his flesh. “All the same, I have to admit I’m glad she didn’t expect me to feel the same way about him.”
“What else did she tell you?” asked Aaliyah.
“Tell me?” He spread his hands. “Nothing in words that I could repeat. But she let me know that I had done well, and that she was proud of me. And when she did, I wept like I have never wept before. I was overjoyed to know that the Creator…my mother... was proud of me. And that she loved me so much that she would bring me back from the depths of oblivion. I felt so much joy that I thought my heart would burst.”
“So did you say anything to her?” asked Millet.
“No,” he replied. He could see the disappointment on their faces. “I couldn’t. Being in her presence was almost more than I was able to stand. I wanted to say thank you...I love you…anything at all. I just couldn’t form the words. And then she was gone. Well, not gone exactly, but the force of her presence had disappeared.
“From there, I just came home. Kaylia was already here waiting for me. And you know the rest.” He folded his hands on the table and watched with a smile on his face as the group absorbed all that he had said.
The reflective silence was broken by the clamor of dishes and footsteps as two young girls entered carrying platters of thinly sliced mint lamb, fresh bread and spiced carrots.
The mood lightened as they ate and talked of their past adventures. Gewey told of his first meeting with Kaylia in the forest, and how it had nearly cost him his life. And Kaylia told about the time she drugged him with jawas tea for asking too many questions.
After the table was cleared, they retired to a small intimate parlor and sat around the hearth. The stories c
ontinued until midnight, on the exact hour of which, Millet poured everyone a glass of plum brandy.
He raised his glass. “I want to thank you all for coming. It’s wonderful to see everyone together again. I only wish it could last forever. I want you to know that I love each and every one of you.” He closed his eyes. “Here’s to friends. Especially those who are no longer with us.”
Everyone bowed their heads.
“Theopolou,” said Kaylia.
“Maybell,” said Dina.
“Lee,” said Linis.
“My fathers Harman and Gerath,” said Gewey.
“My kinsfolk who fought and died bravely so very far from home,” said Aaliyah.
Nehrutu wrapped his arms around her shoulders and kissed her brow.
“And to all the other people who sacrificed their lives so that we can be here on this night and share these simple pleasures as friends,” concluded Millet.
They turned up their glasses and finished every last drop. For another hour they talked and laughed, remembering the people they had lost and missed so dearly. Gewey was telling of when he nearly killed Linis using the flow for the first time.
“I had no idea how to channel it, and when I let it go, the ground exploded right underneath him,” he said. “It must have thrown him twenty feet in the air. I was so scared that I’d killed him, I nearly broke down crying.”
“Do you miss it?” asked Linis
“Miss what?” said Gewey, feigning ignorance.
“You know what. All that power you once had. Now you are just like the rest of us.”
Gewey shrugged. “I still have my strength. And I can still feel the flow. I just can’t use it.”
“Did it affect your bond?” asked Dina.
Gewey shook his head. “Not at all. In fact, after I returned and we reconnected our spirits, it was stronger than ever.”
“Come on,” said Dina with a playful grin. “Are you saying you don’t miss being able to fly off anywhere you want whenever you feel like it?”
“There’s nowhere I’d rather be than here with my family,” he replied. “So no. I really don’t miss it. Losing my power was the price I paid to remain in the mortal realm, and I’d do it again in an instant. Actually, in some ways, I’m happier without it. Powers such as I possessed can be as much a burden as a gift. Aaliyah knows what I mean.”
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