“What will you do now?” asked Cloya.
“Nothing that you should be concerned about,” he replied. His tone was kind and his expression yielding. “You and your people are safe. You can remain in this place for as long as you wish. No one will ever come here again.”
“You will return, won’t you?”
“I don’t know,” he said, trying to keep any hint of foreboding or melancholy from his voice. “Perhaps. In the meantime, I would ask that you give my friends some provisions and escort them back through the mountain after I leave. And don’t worry; the Ajagara won’t bother you. I’ve taken care of that.”
Cloya stood and bowed. “I will see to it immediately.”
Once she was gone, Nehrutu fixed his gaze on Gewey. “You are not coming with us?” he asked.
“No. I have things I need to do before I face the Dark Knight. And I must do them alone.”
“Tell me,” said Felsafell, a hint of suspicion in his tone, “Am I speaking to the same man who left this room? Or am I now speaking to Gerath?”
“I'm still me,” Gewey replied. “I have gained my father’s knowledge and experience, along with his power, but I’m not Gerath.”
“Are you certain?” asked Nehrutu, suddenly suspicious as well.
“Yes,” he quickly reassured the elf. “I am no more Gerath than I would be any man just because I knew everything about him.” He paused for a moment. “Think of it like reading a book. If that book tells you every detail about someone's life, that doesn’t mean you've actually become that person. What Gerath did with me is something like that. I know things. I can imagine his experiences – I even see them as clearly in my mind as I do my own memories. But what I do not experience is the flavor of the moment or the subtle nuances. I am unable to feel it in my heart.”
Nehrutu nodded in understanding.
“When will you go?” Felsafell asked.
“Straight away. People are dying in the north. And as I said, I have something I must do before I fulfill my destiny.”
“Then go with our love and prayers,” said Felsafell. “And I hope this is not our final goodbye.”
“Is there nothing we can do to help?” asked Nehrutu.
Gewey smiled warmly. “You have already done more than anyone has the right to expect. And no matter what happens next, I love you both.” He rose calmly to his feet. “All I ask is for you to return to Aaliyah and Basanti…and live well.”
He embraced them both in emotional farewell. Only with great effort were they all able to choke back their tears. After striding purposefully over to the door, Gewey hesitated for an instant longer to take a final look back at his two friends. Then he was gone.
The silence that followed was heavy with a sense of loss.
“Will we see him again?” Nehrutu asked.
Felsafell sighed and gazed thoughtfully at the empty space that Gewey had occupied only seconds ago. “I think we may have seen Darshan for the last time. In this life, anyway.”
Chapter Nineteen
Kaylia woke, unsure at first what had disturbed her. Instinctively, she looked at the crib where Jayden lay sleeping. And there beside it, silhouetted in the pale moonlight, was a familiar form.
“Gewey!” she cried out.
In a single motion she was out of bed, and an instant later her arms were around him. Gewey held her close, bathing in the warmth of her body and the softness of her skin.
Eagerly, Kaylia tried to reach him through their bond, but found she was unable.
“Why are you keeping me from you?” she asked. “Surely the enemy knows you are here if you used the flow to travel.”
He looked into her eyes and brushed the curls away from her face. “He knows.”
“Then why?” Her tone had become nervous.
Gewey looked tenderly at his son and smiled. “He really does look more like you than me, don’t you think?”
“Answer me, damn you!” she demanded. “Why have you not freed our bond?”
Gewey lowered his head and took a step back. “Because there is no bond to be freed. I have severed it completely.”
For several seconds, Kaylia could only stare at him in utter disbelief. She reached out again, but there was still nothing. Her face contorted in fury.
“Why would you do this?”
It was breaking Gewey’s heart to see her in such pain. “There is no other way,” he told her. “When I am gone, the fate of the world will be decided. And the battle I am about to fight would destroy you if you were still bonded to me.”
“None of this makes sense,” she shot back. “I would have felt it. I would have known.”
“I broke our bond in a way that would be painless to you,” he explained. “I could not bear to see you suffer.”
Her hand swung across in a blur to slap his cheek. The sound of the blow landing was like the crack of a whip. Jayden stirred, but to the relief of them both, he did not wake.
“You had no right to do this.” Her voice was now an anguished whisper.
“I am so sorry, my love. I wish there was another way.”
“Don’t call me that,” she hissed. “If you loved me you would have never…” Her words faded away into soft sobs.
Reaching out, Gewey tried to wrap his arms around her. Kaylia struggled at first and began pounding her fists against his chest. But he refused to move back.
“I do love you,” he insisted. “That is why I had to release you. And why I came here.”
Kaylia gradually stopped fighting and allowed him to pull her close, her body shuddering as she continued to weep. Gewey kissed the top of her head repeatedly while the two of them simply held each other for a short while.
“Tell me what happened,” she finally said. After wiping her eyes, she led Gewey to the edge of the bed.
“I can’t,” he replied. “There is no time. I was selfish to come here while so many others are dying. But I had to see you and Jayden once more before…”
“Before what? Before you die? Is that what you think is going to happen?” Her voice was hard and accusing.
“I have the strength to defeat the Dark Knight,” he answered. “But doing so may still destroy me as well.”
“It may?” she scoffed. “Then you aren’t sure.”
“No,” he admitted. “I’m not sure. But even Melek feared him. And the knowledge I now possess tells me that he had good reason to.”
“Then if you are not sure, I will not lose hope,” she stated with stubborn resolve. “And even though we are no longer bonded, you are still my unorem. Do you understand me?”
Gewey smiled. “I understand. I really do.”
He started to get up, but Kaylia pulled him back down.
She cupped his face in her hands. “You say that you have no time to tell me what happened. So be it. But you will not deny me my rights as your wife.”
Even with her face racked with sorrow and anger, she was so beautiful to him. And though the end was looming near, she still made him burn with desire. His heart began to race as she touched his lips with the tips of her fingers.
“Please,” he said. “King Lousis fights...”
“I don’t care who lives and dies anymore,” she declared sharply, yet somehow still not losing her seductive air. “I will have you with me before you go.”
Gewey could no longer resist. He kissed her deep and long. Their love was absolute, and their passion so great that, even without the bond, he could feel her spirit within him. This was a love that the gods could never know or understand: one that only the Creator herself could fathom.
In that moment, he knew that this was the true strength of the mortal world.
* * * * *
Kaylia could hear the buzzing of hummingbirds coming from just outside her window. Jayden was cooing and fussing quietly in his crib. Even so, she knew that he would soon be in a more demanding mood if not fed.
Still she did not want to open her eyes. Gewey was gone, and she was dreading
the sight of the empty space beside her. He had been there only hours before, and though she desperately wanted to cling to hope, she could not escape the fear that last night had been a final goodbye.
Reluctantly, she opened her eyes. She wanted to weep, but her tears would not come. She wanted to cry out, but her voice was gone. All she could do was lay there and stare at the last place that she had been able to touch her unorem.
There was a soft knock at the door. Kaylia wanted to scream at whoever it was to go away, but wasn't able to.
“Kaylia?”
It was Aaliyah. Sensing that something was wrong, she immediately checked on Jayden, then sat down at the bedside. She only needed to glance at Kaylia's face to know what had happened. “How long ago did he leave?” she asked.
“Before dawn.” Her voice was inaudible to all but elf ears.
Aaliyah continued to scrutinize her. “He will return. Whatever he may have told you, and whatever he might believe, I know he will return.”
“I keep telling myself that same thing. And before he came to me I had no doubts. But the look in his eyes and the sorrow in his voice....”
“It was nothing but his own fears,” Aaliyah said, cutting her short. “He is not immune from fear any more than we are.”
Kaylia grasped hold of Aaliyah’s hands. “You don’t understand. He has severed our bond. He told me I would not survive otherwise.” She pulled herself up into a sitting position. “He said that his battle with the Dark Knight would kill me.”
Aaliyah thought for a long moment. Slowly, from the corners of her mouth, a tiny smile began to appear. “Then he did the right thing. Bonds can always be reformed. Besides, your connection to Gewey is far deeper than any bond he could break. Your love for him - and his for you - that is your true bond. And when he is victorious you will see him again.” She glanced over to the crib. “But until then, there are more pressing matters needing attention.”
Kaylia squeezed her eyes tightly shut in an effort to chase away her despair. Aaliyah was right. Gewey would return. She would not lose hope.
Her friend saw the change in her and gave a sharp nod. “That's better.”
She stood and headed for the door. “Oh, by the way, I think there is something you should know.” Her tiny smile grew until her entire face was shining with delight. “Just now, when I was holding your hand, I felt something. You are with child.”
As Kaylia’s eyes shot wide, Aaliyah burst into cheerful laughter and danced from the room.
* * * * *
Gewey gazed down at the vast expanse of the desert. With the power gifted to him by Gerath, he could look upon it with new understanding. He knew why the exiled elves were drawn here, and why they began to reject the flow. He knew so much more now. And yet, for all his strength, he was unable to alter the path set before him.
Gerath had spoken of his anger toward the Creator. I feel it too, father. He could see where he needed to go. And he knew that he was waiting for him. But first he must repay the man who had saved him. What he must do now would break his heart. Only leaving Kaylia and Jayden would hurt him more.
It took just a few minutes to find the one he sought. He was wandering aimlessly a short distance from the Black Oasis. As Gewey reached out and touched the man's mind, his heart sank. He could feel nothing but rage and confusion. His will had been enslaved and his spirit broken. The gathering of the Vrykol was far away to the north, yet still they controlled him – or at least, what was left of him.
He descended about fifty yards from where Lee Starfinder was standing. His friend's skin was pale and riddled with pulsating veins that were filled with corrupted blood. The clothes hanging off him were tattered and covered in dirt and grime. Though he wore no boots, the bare skin on his feet was unaffected by the scorching sands, and his black eyes were utterly devoid of life or intelligence.
The moment he spotted Gewey he charged toward him, screaming maniacally. His speed was beyond belief, and he covered more than half the distance between them in a mere instant. But Gewey was not there to fight.
Using the flow of the earth, he enveloped his mentor in a pillar of sand all the way up to his neck. Lee struggled furiously, but the sand hardened into unyielding stone.
“I am so sorry,” Gewey said. “But there is nothing I can do for you.” He moved closer and touched his face. Lee grunted just once, then became unconscious. “You will join your wife in heaven soon, I promise you.”
So many promises, he thought. How many of them will I be able to keep?
The bells and laughter of the flow of the spirit surrounded him. “Farewell, my good friend,” Gewey said quietly. With that, he ripped Lee’s spirit from his corrupted body.
The foulness of what the Vrykol had done to him wrapped around the light of his soul, strangling and biting into its purity. Before now, Gewey would have simply destroyed it and sent Lee into oblivion. But thanks to his freshly acquired knowledge, he knew a better way. With great care, he reached inside and pulled out the remains of his friend's soul. It was not enough to sustain a living body. But once heaven had been reopened and Lee was taken beyond its gates, he would be whole again.
“Until then, rest and be at peace.”
Gewey willed Lee’s spirit within the borders of the Black Oasis and asked the others waiting there to watch over him. That done, he rose skyward and looked out over the sands.
“I am coming,” he roared. His voice shook the earth and echoed across the desert.
“I am waiting,” came a soft reply.
Chapter Twenty
The First Temple of Valshara -53 years earlier
Aremiel tugged at the collar of his ill-fitting robes, almost dropping his books in the process. They had been made for a much older boy, and his mother had insisted that she hem them herself. Unfortunately, she was an appalling seamstress with no eye for aesthetic detail. Not that she was poorly dressed. But in her exalted position, she had others who attended to such mundane matters.
Since leaving his room that morning he'd been constantly looking down at his feet, praying that the stitching would not come loose and send him tripping face first onto the hard stone floor. He longed to ask for a new robe, but thought it might hurt his mother’s feelings. She seemed to take great pride in the fact that she had attended to his needs herself. Besides, he was by far the smallest boy in Valshara…and the youngest. There probably wasn’t anything that would fit him anyway.
So far his lessons had been easy enough, and his instructors were not as harsh as he'd feared. Even so, he had hoped to have made at least one friend by now. He'd been there a week, and still no one had so much as looked at him.
He turned left down one of the hundreds of hallways, hoping it led to the next lesson. Valshara was so vast and complex that he spent most of his time feeling lost and confused.
Another reason to make a friend as soon as possible, he considered.
From the opposite direction, three boys were walking straight toward him. All of them were several years older and much bigger. They were talking and laughing – something about the ancient languages instructor smelling like rotten cheese.
On catching sight of Aremiel, their laughter stopped and they all went quiet.
Now’s your chance.
He did his best to make room for them, then put on his friendliest smile. “Hello. My name is....”
“We know your name,” the boy closest to him said. He was taller than the other two, and obviously the leader of the group. “And we know why you’re here.”
“What do you mean?” he said. “I’m just here to learn…the same as you.” He tried to remember the boy’s name. Come on. You’re missing your chance. Then it came to him. “You’re Laraad, right?” He held out his hand.
Laraad sneered and folded his arms. “Look here…Aremiel…I had to earn my place in the temple, just like everyone else did. I spent two years in Baltria scrubbing floors and cleaning greasy pots for some stupid historian before they’d let me
come. What did you do to get here?”
“I...I” he stammered. “I’m sorry.”
Laraad gave a mocking laugh and glanced at his friends. “You hear that? He’s sorry.” He took a quick step forward. The considerable size difference made it easy for him to loom over the younger boy. “What are you sorry for? Being the son of the High Lady? Is that it? I bet she wouldn’t want to hear that. You’re not ashamed of your mother, are you?”
This made him angry. But there was nothing he could do. If he fought, not only would he likely take a severe beating, he would also have to face his mother afterward.
“Look boys,” Laraad laughed. “I think the little piglet wants to hit me.”
“Watch what you say,” warned the boy to his right. “He might tell his mother you’re calling him names.”
“Yeah. I bet he would too.” He pressed his face into Aremiel’s. “Look you little runt. You may be the son of the High Lady, but that won’t matter when it’s time for combat training.” He straightened his back, grinning viciously. “And I think today is the first day. Maybe I’ll ask the instructor to match us up. Would you like that?”
“I think you’ll be too busy with me, Laraad,” came a voice from behind them.
“Stay out of this, Orias,” he growled, turning and eying the newcomer.
“Why should I? So you can keep taunting a weaker boy? I don’t remember that lesson when we were being taught about the knight’s code of morality.”
“What are you going to do? You going to tell his mom too?”
“No,” Orias replied, still grinning. “I’m going to wait until combat training this afternoon. Then I’m going to beat you until you can’t move.” He gestured to Aremiel. “Come on. I’ll walk you to your lesson.”
At first Laraad refused to move aside. Orias shrugged. “Or I could say that you attacked me here in the hall, and that’s why I sent you to the healing chamber with a broken nose. Like you said, his mother is the High Lady. I’m sure he will tell her exactly how it happened.”
The Reborn King (Book Six) Page 24