by Sam Bowring
He found Fahren sitting on a rock overlooking the place where the Nyul’ya entered the trees, staring out across the shadowy Grass Ocean with a faraway look in his eyes. Loosely dangling from his hand was a golden band that sagged as if melted – and Losara realised it was the Auriel. He formed next to Fahren, who started, then turned his face away.
‘How do you fare, my friend?’ said Losara.
Fahren sniffed and gave a disconsolate flick of his fingers. ‘My magic is gone,’ he said bitterly. ‘I’m just an old man now. I still cannot believe …ah, but I don’t think I ever will.’ Tears welled in his eyes. ‘I didn’t even get to ask her forgiveness.’
Losara watched him sadly. He still loved the man – that he had also inherited from Bel, and other relationships besides, which he hoped might continue in some way. Hiza and M’Meska were still out there somewhere, had probably been slogging their way towards the battle even as it ended without them. Well, he would find them, if they were alive, and ask them for understanding …but he knew that things would never be the same.
‘I’m sorry, Throne.’
Fahren grimaced at the word. ‘I thought we were meant to win,’ he said. ‘I thought we were on the side of right.’
‘If there is a right, Fahren, then everyone thinks they’re on its side. If we shared the same perspective of what it was, we’d never have fought in the first place.’
Fahren sighed.
‘Someone always had to lose,’ said Losara. ‘That is the way of war. It is not your fault. You did all that you could.’
‘Yes indeed, and much that was difficult, or against my own liking …yet I built myself a rich collection of compromises, all for nothing.’
Sunlight found them, for the gap in the Cloud had grown wide enough for the whole wood. Fahren looked up in surprise, then to Losara in question.
‘Corlas asked me for it,’ said Losara, shrugging. ‘I do not mind. The sun is no longer the eye of Arkus.’
Fahren nodded. ‘Nice to feel it again.’
‘You are welcome to stay here as long as you like.’
‘It is strange, you know. I did not expect this …this afterwards . If we had taken Fenvarrow, none of you would have been left alive.’
‘I know,’ said Losara. ‘I have seen it.’
‘Then why?’
Losara rose. ‘The harm I’ve done was to save my people. Well, they are saved. And, in a way, so are yours.’
‘How so?’
‘There is no more war to worry about. We have turned a page and, after a thousand years …’ He paused as, upriver, he saw a man arrive carrying a fishing pole. ‘…there is peace.’
He patted Fahren’s bony shoulder. ‘Take heart, my friend. When your soul is reborn from the Well, you won’t remember any of this. You will be happy again, I promise. In the meantime there’s nothing for you to do …except maybe take some well-earned rest.’
He held out a hand.
‘Come – will you join us for dinner?’
Fahren looked up at him a long moment …and then took his hand. Losara helped the old man up and, together, they walked into the wood.
And so, and so …as for me, sometimes my past deeds bother me still, but a man who would change the world must do great and terrible things. And although a part of me sometimes grows restless, and longs for the old days of battle and adventure …well, we all have butterflies to carry around.
About Author
Sam Bowring is an author, television writer, playwright and stand-up comedian. Soul’s Reckoning is the final book in his Broken Well Trilogy. Sam has also written two books for children, Sir Joshua and the Unprofessional Dragon and The Zoo of Magical and Mythological Creatures . He lives in Sydney, Australia.
sambowring.com
FB2 document info
Document ID: ooofbtools-2013-7-9-12-9-52-366
Document version: 1
Document creation date: 07/09/2013
Created using: OOoFBTools-2.16 (ExportToFB21) software
Document authors :
Boo
About
This file was generated by Lord KiRon's FB2EPUB converter version 1.1.5.0.
(This book might contain copyrighted material, author of the converter bears no responsibility for it's usage)
Этот файл создан при помощи конвертера FB2EPUB версии 1.1.5.0 написанного Lord KiRon.
(Эта книга может содержать материал который защищен авторским правом, автор конвертера не несет ответственности за его использование)
http://www.fb2epub.net
https://code.google.com/p/fb2epub/