"I am not the judge of these men. They must face the Great Father for that. But believe me in this, if any of these men becomes a threat to the people that have fought beside me today. I will cut them down myself."
Lucian turned to the prisoners, not giving the Lieutenant a chance to answer. "Most of you men, if not all of you, were probably taken from your families, forced to fight in a war that you knew nothing about. A war waged by a madman who took you from your homes with promises of treasure, backed by brutal threats."
Many of the prisoners were nodding their heads slightly.
"And did you see any of these riches?" Lucian shook his head along with the captives, knowing the answer before he asked it. "But the threats were all too real, were they not? Thaluzont would not offer anyone that which he might take for himself. Now you sit here, abandoned by your fellow soldiers, and your families wait all alone at your homes. Tell me, how long before those who fled and left you here, will turn their eyes to your farms, your crops, your wives?" He paused to let his words sink in.
"I offer you this one chance. You may join us here and now, and gain the chance to take back your homes and rescue your families from the corruption that is sure to befall them. If you choose not to take up the banner of the just, you will not die here in this place. I will allow you to leave. But know this, I will pursue Thaluzont to the ends of Los until I have pushed him and all that fight along his side into the great Tarnithian Sea. If you are among those in my wake, I will not grant you mercy a second time. If you choose to leave here this day, remember my words."
The captives looked back and forth to each other, none wanting to take the first step in their decision having gone so long under dominion of Thaluzont. Finally one of the men stepped forward and bowed to Lucian. He was a large man, heavily muscled, with intelligent eyes. Lucian guessed that he may have been an officer in Thaluzont’s army.
"My name is Genithor. Thaluzont came to my village and demanded that all the men, young and old, enlist into his army. My wife and two daughters were left alone to tend our farm by themselves. I do not know if they still live. I have not seen my son, who was dragooned along with me into the army, for two years. I offer myself to you, to do with me as you see fit. My only desire is to know if my family is well."
Others stepped forward, following this man’s lead, and gave a similar tale along with a similar pledge. All told, nearly two thirds of the five thousand enemy soldiers that were captured swore themselves to Lucian. Once they were separated, Lucian told those that wished to return to the north to go. They wasted no time in starting off.
Commander Nenghao came along side Lucian. "If you truly wish to pursue Thaluzont to the north, you will most likely find yourself fighting the same men you released here today."
"That is a chance that I will risk."
"And would you so willingly risk the lives of those that may die at the hands of the enemy that you allowed to live."
Lucian looked to the ground and after a moment his glare shifted up to look piercingly into Nenghao's eyes. "Not all who commit a wicked act are wicked beings. Many of those men may very well return to Thaluzont. But some may return and decide that they will not live under the yoke of his rule. Some may decide that their families have suffered enough. I believe that one of those men will be the catalyst to the beginning flames of revolution. That is why I allowed them to leave."
Commander Nenghao saw the faith behind Lucian's eyes and said nothing else, only nodded in agreement to the man who had been the savior of Vorea. He would follow Lucian to the ends of the world if he asked it.
The Weight of Responsibility
That evening, thousands of tents were erected all around Vorea and a celebration unlike anything that Los had seen since the times of Drahvanael began within the city walls. Warriors clasped wrists with other warriors, some of them never having seen their distant neighbors. Translators were sought out within the city so that groups might communicate but where none could be found, expressions and hand signals seemed well enough for such a high spirited moment. Among the greatest of reunions was that of Kaheendra and Vorea, so long the two cousins had fought and harbored hatred for one another, but no longer. Brought together by a common threat and a single man, the two peoples acted as though they were long lost siblings.
Far away from the city, where the celebration could only slightly be heard, Lucian walked with Kyrianna along the bank of the Huerothi River. After waking from her unconscious state with a pounding head and aching body, she found Lucian waiting by her bedside. His warm smile brought her more comfort than even the tale of victory could. She asked him to walk with her out of the city, saying that the music and singing was making her headache worse. Lucian happily agreed to go. When they arrived at the place she had taken him, Lucian stared in awe at the beauty of the scene.
A tall waterfall poured into a deep tranquil pool surrounded by the most colorful flowers he had ever seen. The sound of the water cascading off the cliff completely drowned out the celebration within and around Vorea. Lucian looked up through the break in the orange and yellow forest canopy to a sky filled with bright stars. He was shocked that both moons were in view and the night was so clear that they gave everything around them a soft beautiful glow. Lucian’s gaze dropped to Kyrianna who was staring at him, a small smile pulled at her lips.
"This is the place my father used to take me when I was a little girl. I have not seen much of the world outside Vorea, but I believe that there is no place more beautiful than this."
Lucian could not take his eyes off her. Her skin looked ethereal from the way the moonlight softened her face. Her emerald eyes seemed to pull in the soft light and hold it, causing them to shimmer. She was captivating.
"I think you may be right,” said Lucian. ”This is truly a most beautiful place. I feel as if we are intruding on some holy spot that the Great Father himself would come."
Kyrianna smiled at the thought and a tear ran down her cheek. "If that is so, then maybe my family will be with him when he comes here now."
Lucian wiped the tear from her cheek. "I too lost my family to this war, in the same way as you lost yours."
Kyrianna knew what he meant. Eliath had told her that his parents had been murdered as well, but she did not speak of it. "Then perhaps your family is with mine, watching over us in this beautiful place."
Lucian gave her that smile that always seemed to warm her heart. She looked into his golden eyes and wished to ask him so many questions, but this was not the place or the time. They sat atop a flat rock for a long time without speaking, looking around at the splendor that surrounded them. This place would not tolerate burdens, worries, or fears, and Kyrianna would not violate that. Her questions could wait.
A shriek high in the clouds pulled Kyrianna from her thoughts and she jumped off the rock and ran out to the clearing away from the waterfall. Had she not been nearly skipping in apparent joy, Lucian would have thought something was wrong.
She strapped on a thick leather bracer and smiled widely at Lucian. "There is someone who I want you to meet," she said, beaming like a child after her first bite of sweetroot. She held out her arm and out of the clouds loomed a large white bird.
Lucian was astonished to see what could only be a Roneeria, a great white bird of prey from the Vashtu Mountains. Their snow white feathers were speckled with black and brown and the tips of its wings seemed to be dipped in gold, the same hue that colored the crest like plume that ran down the birds large head. With a powerful curved beak and sharp talons, the majestic creature could grow to be nearly forty pounds with a wingspan up to ten feet wide. Judging from the look on Kyrianna's face and the straining of her shoulder muscle when the bird landed on her forearm, Lucian judged that the bird must weigh close to thirty. He approached slowly, not wanting to scare the magnificent animal away or even worse, spur it into attacking him. The Roneeria were known to be very aggressive.
Kyrianna waved him closer. "Fear not, she won’t attac
k you unless I wish it."
Lucian stared into the sharp eyes of the creature as he neared. He could see the intelligence in those large eyes as well as the warning. Slowly he reached out and left his hand to hover in front of the great bird, letting her inspect it, showing that he meant no harm. Kyrianna whispered something to it and before Lucian could react, the bird leapt onto his forearm. Luckily he was still wearing his gauntlets or the birds claws would have buried deep into his flesh.
"It understands you?" asked Lucian, mystified.
"Of course she does, and her name is Laiszha."
Lucian looked into the large intelligent orbs of the beautiful bird and introduced himself.
Laiszha threw her head back and squawked then leapt into the air and with several powerful thrusts of her wings, carried herself high into the clouds, a piercing shriek sounding out again, as if a departing call.
Lucian looked to Kyrianna who was grinning widely and shook his head. "You continue to amaze me."
"I could say the same thing about you, Lucian."
They stared into each other’s eyes for a moment before Lucian broke the silence. "We should get back to the city, there is much to discuss. Thank you for showing me this beautiful place, I will never forget it."
He didn’t really want to leave. He wished he could stay with Kyrianna next to the waterfall forever and forget about everything else. But his responsibilities nagged at him, as well as the challenge from Thaluzont. He wouldn’t be able to fully concentrate on anything else while that evil man still lived.
Kyrianna nodded with a resigned look on her face. She sighed at the thought of returning. She never liked to leave this place that was so special to her, but she knew that there were urgent matters that she needed to attend to. As they walked back toward the city in silence, a storm of thoughts and emotions raged within her mind. She was now the Empress of Vorea and was responsible for her people. She looked over to Lucian and wanted to tell him to stay with her in Vorea. Her feelings for him were burning inside her like a raging fire. But she knew of his desire to head north after Thaluzont. Could she ask her kingdom to follow him after all they had lost? Would they follow him? There was much to consider, much to rebuild. She wanted nothing more than to be with Lucian, to abandon the city and follow him to the ends of the earth.
Lucian had decided on his course and there was no doubt in that. But how many of these tribes would wish to venture out further from their lands? Would any of them? All he could do was hope and have faith that the Great Father who he believed had set him on this path, would provide. As he walked back to the city alongside Kyrianna, his emotions for her pulled at his resolve. She was the most beautiful and amazing woman he had ever met, and since that fateful moment, his feelings for her had grown beyond mere friendship. But she was the Empress of Vorea and that was a heavy load to bear. He was not so foolish as to think that she would abandon her responsibilities and follow him. And he had his own purpose, the vision passed on to him by Ijon. What time was there for such peaceful desires? He was not even sure if Kyrianna felt the same way as he did.
As if she had read Lucian’s thoughts, Kyrianna stopped, then and pulled him in close to her. She could not repress her feelings any longer and did not know what the future held for her. All she knew is that she wanted to feel his lips against hers. Her heart swelled as he squeezed her tight and kissed her. It was as though they had both wanted this since the moment they set eyes on each other. The passion of the kiss burned like wildfire through their bodies.
Many of the warriors and soldiers from the united clans were asking themselves similar questions as Lucian and Kyrianna. Despite the singing and dancing, the music and the mead, the shadow of a question hung in the back of their minds. What now? The words of Lucian had spread quickly throughout the city and into the camps outside her walls, words that spoke of a crusade to the north, to pursue Thaluzont and his broken horde. Their numbers were still great and if nothing was done, would they attack again, or was his defeat enough of a sting to quell the fires of war? That much was doubtful, for nothing was more easily fanned than the flames of hatred. So the question remained. What now? In the morning all the leaders of the southern tribes would meet. Only then would the future of Los be decided.
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Keep an eye out for the next volume of The Light Warden series, “Where Only Shadows Roam”.
About the Author
JEDIDIAH BEHE lives in NC with his wife Lennie. As an artist since his youth he would draw characters and worlds and then write out short stories about them. After years of telling Lennie about all of the ideas in his head she finally encouraged him to write a book. Always the avid reader, Jedidiah had never considered writing until then, and decided to take his wife’s advice and put pen to paper, or finger to keyboard. He quickly found a new love in creating Revelations of Doom. He still works full time as a Police Officer but whenever time permits, he writes. Where Only Shadows Roam, book two of The Light Warden series is now underway.
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