Leo glared at her. She looked like a million fireworks exploding off at once into the bright red, the kind of red that made everybody stop what they were doing and stare, the kind of red that immediately struck everyone’s taste buds. Ashera looked like that, a tasteful color of red that made all men quake in their knees, even Leo.
“You are very beautiful,” Leo said, getting lost into her eyes, “but Nile thinks you are too. Give him a few minutes and go talk to him. He may have calmed down by then. It’s hard to have it all one day and then wake up and it’s gone.”
“I’m an orphan, remember?” Ashera turned and walked away. Leo watched her disappear into the crowd of dancers.
Leo turned, and in the distance, a figure caught his eye. Nile was standing on the deck of the Ancrya, his arms resting over the railing, and he was lost in the depths below. Leo knew the pain of Nile, and as he watched him, grief struck him too. The music did not help.
***
The doors slid into the crevasses of the wall, echoing with their sleek metallic ring that reminded Nile of what he had done. Bancroft approached him. Nile glanced back into the water below, focusing on the waterfall that crushed into the pool of the river.
“You seem so sad,” Bancroft said.
“I’m always sad,” Nile said. “I’ve been sad for a few years now.”
Bancroft placed a hand on the center of his back. “Trust me. This morning I woke up the happiest man on the planet, and now I’m the saddest man of the heart. You think it is easy to stand here with you and pretend it’s all right when I lost my family this morning? It’s not! Things happen, Nile, and for whatever reason I do not understand. I have faith though. Faith has carried me through, and faith will carry me out.”
“Faith in what?”
“The Lord,” Bancroft said.
“Some Lord,” Nile mumbled. “I just wish things were back to normal.”
“What’s normal?” Bancroft asked.
“Before all this, when Dywnwen was alive.”
“Oh! Who is Dywnwen?” Bancroft asked.
Nile shook his head. “A girl I was in love with.”
Bancroft chuckled. “She is still with you, Nile.”
Nile looked up at Bancroft, defeated. “Where?”
Bancroft poked him in the center of his chest. “Here, you see, my dear son, there is a forgotten season. A season where we were once young and everything seemed to be great. There was a season when we could laugh and play and sing songs. Now, in this dark hour, everything has been ripped away from us. But the forgotten season is never forgotten as long as you keep it in your memories.”
“Some things I don’t want in my memory.”
“I was nineteen, Nile. I was nineteen and I served with my father. It was my dream to be like him, to fight like him, to love like him. He was a servant to the king and to the king’s people, but he died from a sword. I was on my knees in the battlefield; we had nearly won, and in the last moment a horseman rode through the field, sword steady like a spear and threw it. He didn’t throw it at a knight or at my father; he threw it at me and my father jumped in the way. All I saw then was a back of armor, a steel dragon pierced through it hungry like a wolf. My father fell to his knees and I caught him. The horseman rode off.”
Nile turned to face Bancroft, captivated by his story.
“I pulled my father up into my arms and held him. He told me he was proud of me, and that I was better than he ever was. I cried. I could cry now, my son, but I cried. He passed away on that field. The two months it took me to get home, I thought of him and his servant hood, and that if he were me, he would rejoice in the life that his father had lived. I had to tell my mother and three brothers that he was dead. At first, my mother blamed me and it took months, even years before she would look me in the eye, but the night she passed away, she grabbed my hand and held it over her heart. Nothing was said, but I knew and she knew that this was part of a plan that is greater than you and me.”
“I’m sorry, I had no idea,” Nile said.
Bancroft wiped away a few tears that strolled down his face. “You’re all right. Find that pain that drives you, search it out, and seek the plan that was made for you. A few moments ago you were dancing with the most beautiful woman here, and now you’re on this ship with an old man. What happened?”
“She said something that bothered me. She asked, ‘Who did this’?”
“And what’s wrong with that?”
“It got me thinking, that’s all. It got me thinking of who did this and the truth is—”
“Don’t blame yourself,” Bancroft interrupted.
Nile was relieved. He was about to spill his heart, confess that about Enaya, about what had happened, explain that Bancroft’s family was dead because of him, but Bancroft saved Nile the agony of telling the truth.
“Perhaps she left something great behind,” Bancroft said. “Maybe she had a love, or a little sister or a brother. We all have our pain, but you substitute that pain with joy and laughter and play. Now, you get out there and dance with her and confess how radiant her beauty is, because if you don’t, regardless of how this all plays out, you will regret this moment.”
Nile stared at Bancroft for a second, then lunged at him with his arms wide open. Nile was in tears, but he laughed, even chuckled. He stared into Bancroft’s old, wise eyes and nodded. Then he dashed through the Ancrya, only to come to a stop where he met Ashera standing in the foyer with her arms across her chest, rubbing each elbow.
“She’s beautiful,” Nile whispered to himself, surprised that he could even speak.
“Hey,” Nile asked softly, surprised to see her.
“Hey,” Ashera replied.
Nile approached her.
“I’m sorry for . . .”
Whoosh!
Nile grabbed her arms and pulled her in with such force that Ashera realized just how strong this man of hers might be. Nile kissed her. The music was soft and beautiful and faded through the walls of the Ancrya, but it could still be heard. Nile moved his lips over hers, and as he did, his hands slid down her arms, across her waist, and pulled her close. He kissed her passionately, tasting the paint from her lips.
Ashera’s hands crawled up Nile’s arms, over his shoulders, and played with his hair as she positioned his head for her to nibble on his lower lip. She pulled his head closer and kissed him harder.
The music outside changed.
“Ashera?” Nile asked.
“Yes?”
“Will you dance with me?”
Ashera pulled away and looked into his eyes. Nile stepped to the left, then the right, in small steps. He walked them in circles as he held her. The music outside continued, joining all instruments together for one beautiful melody that almost brought Nile to his knees, as he was letting this moment inspire him.
Nile extended his right arm, catching Ashera in a twirl, and brought her back to him, closely. They shut their eyes and rested their foreheads on each other’s, dancing as the violin outside took over the song for a moment. Nile giggled boyishly, which cause Ashera to burst into laughter.
Then Nile felt as if he was floating. He opened his eyes and look down. To his amazement, he and Ashera were floating several feet above the floor.
“Are you doing this?” Nile asked.
“Yes,” Ashera said, forcing them to spin around in the air. She wrapped an arm around his neck and brought him in for a kiss. Then fireworks went off outside.
A purple haze caught Nile’s attention, and a firework about the size of a ball went off by his head. The fireworks were coming from inside the Ancrya. They continued to dance, and several fireworks exploded around them in the colors of blue, yellow, purple, green, red, and so forth. Ashera rested her head on Nile’s chest and watched.
“Is it hard to do magic?” Nile asked.
“No,” Ashera said. “All you have to do is believe.”
Nile saw the reflections of the purple fire in her eye. She smiled, but did not
notice him staring at her. She was so beautiful. His left hand fell to the side and he grabbed her hand. Nile immediately thought about the forgotten season that Bancroft talked about and he knew that this night would be gone, but this memory would stay in his mind forever. Ashera smiled and rested her head on his shoulder, and together they watched the fireworks.
Chapter 33
We Are Brothers
Nile and everyone gathered over the bridge, talking and laughing as the music continued. Then a beautiful song played only by the violin echoed throughout the town, saddening the hearts of everyone willing to truly listen to what the song meant. It was hard really, to understand the meaning of a song without any lyrics, but it reminded Nile of home. Then, as Nile saw Bancroft chuckle and talk about his family, Locklin about his daughter, Leo about his uncle, Ashera about her foster parents, Nile realized that moving on was an everyday ordeal, no matter if it happened four years ago or five minutes ago.
Tears of joy and tears of pain splashed on the stone beneath them. Ashera cried and Locklin reached over and hugged her tightly, kissing her cheek. Nile smiled. This little group had become more than just strangers and friends the past few days; they had become family. Bancroft hugged Ashera and Locklin, then grabbed Nile and Leo and pulled them into the group for a hug. They all laughed, wrapping their arms around each other. Ashera kissed Nile’s cheek, then Locklin’s, smiling as the tears continued coming.
The song shifted. A piano accompanied the violin, and Leo pulled away from the group. A fire caught the corner of his eye, and he saw a small bowl consumed of fire sitting between two very beautiful peoriallites. One of the two was Charis. They held torches in their hands. Each torch was round with seven wicks at the edge. The grip was in the center, between the spider-web designs. They dipped the wicks into the fire, the torches lit, and Leo pressed through the group. He walked behind the crowd that began to gather around them.
“Is he all right?” Ashera asked.
“Ah, he’ll be fine, eh,” Locklin said.
Nile followed him, realizing he and Leo haven’t had a moment to just talk. He pushed through the peoriallites to see Leo, mesmerized by the fire. An orange glow illuminated his face. “It’s fire, Leo. You’ve seen it before,” he joked.
“Not like this,” Leo replied solemnly.
The two peoriallites danced to the music in the background. Charis spun around, bringing the torches around her body, and the fire moved like the ocean, rippling sparks to follow. Charis then stepped forward, fanning the torches at her side as she were pretending to flap her wings. She moved like an angel.
“Is this not beautiful?” Leo asked.
Nile glanced to Leo. “It is.”
Leo sighed.
Nile could tell he was wrestling with something. “What’s wrong, Leo?”
“It suddenly occurred to me, Nile.”
“What?”
Leo broke from the fire dancing and looked at Nile. “There will be no more nights like this.”
Goosebumps shriveled down Nile’s spine, and he looked back at the dancers, moving the fire around their bodies. “I know.”
“Dywnwen’s gone, Nile. The kingdom is gone. There’s nothing more for us to go home to. We don’t have a home anymore.”
“I know, Leo.”
“There’s no more of it. When my mother and father died,” Leo said, this time tears streaming down his face, “it didn’t hit me until four days after their passin’ when I stood over their graves. It was then that I knew things would never be the same.”
Tears filled Nile’s eyes.
“And all I ever wanted was to just make them proud. Sometimes you can’t laugh off the pain.” Leo looked at Nile. “Sometimes you can’t just get over it in a day, or be willin’ to, like Bancroft.”
Nile looked at the ground. “You did make them proud. Everyday your father delighted in you and your accomplishments.”
“I know he did. The reason I’m tellin’ you this is because you’re all I have.”
“You’re all I have, too.”
“You’re like a brother to me, and sometimes I feel like I’m tryin’ to compete against Isaiah.”
“Don’t,” Nile said. “He was young.”
“I know.”
Nile looked to the night sky. “So what do we do?”
Leo stared at the fire dancers as they spun around each other, entwining their torches together, dancing around the bowl of fire, and laughing. They danced in circles, facing the crowd, spinning their torches around their bodies gallantly, shimmering like a million stars.
“Say, Leo?”
“What can we do, Nile? It’s over. After this, there is no more fire dancin’, climbin’ up the castle, flyin’ around in some airship. It’s over.”
“Bancroft was telling me of the forgotten season in which all our memories go and we remember. He said something about us having faith—faith in ourselves and faith in hope. We can’t give up, Leo; we have to keep going.”
Charis jumped back, throwing her torches up in the air. She caught them, landing on one foot. She spun around until she rested on the ground. She waved the torches across her body, flames wavered after them, and then she spread her arms out again, fanning them like wings. Her partner did the same, their torches consuming the fire.
“I never told my father good-bye. I just watched him leave, and sometimes I wonder if he is alive, or if he thinks of me and my mother and brother. Sometimes I wonder if he thinks about coming home.”
“I’m sorry, Nile.”
“Don’t be,” Nile said. “Don’t be.”
“I don’t know what to say.”
“Nothing, just know that we are the same. We are in this together, Leo. We are in this until the end. We are brothers.”
The dancers fluttered around majestically. Nile and Leo watched in silence. The crowd cheered and the dancers smiled. The music played to a close and they took a bow. Leo clapped first and after a few seconds, everyone joined in, even Nile.
Chapter 34
They’ve Come
Morning fell quickly as the red sun began rising over the mountains, encompassing the city within its warmth and beauty. Locklin took a deep breath and smiled. The grief disappeared for only a moment but settled back in. He flicked some switches and the Ancrya roared awake. He took a deep breath, reached for a cigarette, and leaned back in his chair, rubbing his eyes.
Nile stumbled in and sat beside him. “Did you sleep well?”
“I reckon, did ya?” Locklin asked, placing the cigarette back in his pocket.
“I’ve had better nights,” Nile commented, yawning. “How long have you been awake?”
“Ishmael woke me up, poundin’ on the door, said somethin’ ’bout seein’ us off before we leave,” Locklin explained. “I figured I’d get the airship started, let the sound chamber do its thing, let it juice up a bit, then I’d wake yuns and we would go see what he wanted.”
Ashera staggered into the cockpit, bumping her arm against the doorframe. Nile smiled. “You’re out of the dress.”
“That’s a one-time deal,” Ashera said, rubbing her elbow.
“You were beautiful,” Locklin said. “Ya stole the show.”
“Thank you,” Ashera said, as she stepped behind Nile’s seat. She leaned over, pushing her hands down his chest, and pulling him back in a hug. She kissed his cheek and then released him as Leo walked in shirtless.
“Good morning, sunshine,” Nile said. “Did you sleep well?”
“I did. Bancroft was checking everyone out in the inn,” Leo said.
“So what’s the plan, eh?” Locklin asked.
“Well, we talked about Kalanstar,” Ashera said.
“At the rate we are going, we need to move farther east. We should be safe in Kalanstar for the day, but first we need to warn Ishmael. We have to let him know about this so he can prepare,” Nile explained.
Through the windshield, Ishmael approached the Ancrya. Leo’s eyes widened and with a sar
castic smile, he said, “I hope he isn’t here for me makin’ the moves on his daughter.”
“You didn’t do anything with Charis, did you?” Nile asked.
“We kissed,” Leo replied.
“You kissed her!”
“Yep.”
Nile rolled his eyes and sank deep into his seat. “She is a peoriallite.”
“She is one tough kitty,” Leo said with a smile, and he then pointed his hand at Nile like a gun and pretended to fire it, blowing invisible smoke off his index finger.
“Where the hell did that come from?”
“I don’t know. I saw two soldiers do it to each other back at Woodlands,” Leo replied.
There was a knock on the side of the airship, and Nile rushed to the door. He opened it and stepped outside to greet Ishmael. Locklin and Ashera joined him, but Leo was struggling to put on his shirt. Bancroft stumbled out of the inn and saw the group with Ishmael. He hurried to them.
“We enjoyed your company last night, and my daughter has asked that I give you all gifts to depart with.”
“We appreciate your hospitality, but we don’t need gifts,” Nile said.
“Follow me,” Ishmael said, leading them up a stone staircase and into an oval structure filled with red oak bookshelves that had numerous novels, encyclopedias, and other accessories stacked on them. There was a telescope sticking out of a nearby window and a desk that was covered with papers. Nile noticed that one of the papers was a map to the stars.
“Have you ever traveled the stars?” Nile asked.
“No,” Ishmael replied, “but my father had the pleasure to journey through the stars with a group of Starlites. He came back and told me stories of it when I was a child, and ever since then, I’ve wanted to travel the stars.”
“I’m not going to anytime soon, but how do you get there from here?” Nile asked.
“You can go meet the ferryman that resides in the stars great kingdom, Nehem’s Wake.”
“Nehem’s Wake?” Nile asked.
“There you can catch the ferryman and travel about the stars as you wish. Anyway, I’ve got something for you all,” Ishmael said, walking over to a large bookshelf. He stood beside it, then pulled it open, revealing a wall of swords.
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