Rising from Dust (Light from Aphelion Book 1)

by Carlsson, Martine

  Kilda smiled and went on her way.

  Bertrant remembered the words he had had with Louis. They all wanted to win this war. And who were they? Exhausted soldiers, young boys, wench-looking men, cowards, a revengeful woman, rascals, and an ex-drunk commander. All misfits. No noble court would have lowered its gaze on them. Yet, tomorrow they would write history; they would fight the last battle. “Four years and here we are,” he whispered. He was proud to have escaped his own demons, to be himself again. Still, most of all, he was proud of the Rebellion.

  Bertrant headed back to the headquarters. He had to talk to Pembroke. He had changed his mind.

  CHAPTER 54

  Lissandro, Selen, and Louis had gathered in Louis’s tent. Louis had closed the flaps and hoped that no one would interrupt their discussion. Selen sat on the trunk near the bed. He had exchanged his armour for his plain, green tunic. Louis was on his chair, one elbow on the table. He looked at Lissandro, who sat on his bed, ready to tell his story. His friend was impatient, and his mouth twitched in nervous smiles. Louis wondered if Lissandro was waiting for his permission to speak. This was ridiculous. He was his friend, not a footman.

  “So, Lilo, what have you learned that is so important?” Louis asked with curiosity, breaking the awkward silence.

  “First, I need to know if you both have recovered your memory as well. What I am going to say may be a bit…perturbing,” Lissandro said. Louis and Selen nodded. “When I was in the Ebony Forest, I met an enchanting creature, a dryad. She revealed to me the truth about us.”

  “Are we dead?” Selen asked.

  “No. But we died,” Lissandro replied. “Let me explain. Agroln used blood magic to take over the throne. To be invincible on the battlefield, the wizard needed an army and a dragon. Therefore, he opened portals to hell, which created an imbalance with heaven. We are souls that heaven sent back into this world to fight the darkness.”

  “Is this why we woke up naked in the middle of the wilderness? We materialized from a portal?” Selen asked, confused.

  “I think so, yes,” Lissandro said. “Yet, I still don’t get why it took four years for us to start dreaming.”

  Louis chuckled. “Let me guess. It is because we did what was natural for us. Hide from the world in a place where we felt secure. Maybe heaven grew desperate of our inaction and decided to kick our lazy asses by showing us the way.”

  “It is one thing to show us the way, but are we supposed to fight darkness with our bare hands?” Selen asked.

  “I did not get magical tips. I suppose we are good at fighting, but I know many who would be better than me. Maybe it’s something we have in us, or maybe they needed three fools to do the task,” Lissandro said.

  “And if we kill the dragon?” Louis asked. “What will happen to us?”

  “Even if we kill the dragon and Agroln, we will have to live here until we die. There is no turning back,” Lissandro said. “We have to take it as a second chance.”

  “It is fine with me. I don’t think I have a world to go back to anyway,” Selen said.

  “The dryad also said something quite interesting,” Lissandro carried on, staring at them with curiosity. “She said that we are from the same world but not from the same period. For example, I am an American from the twenty-first century.”

  “You are from the future?” Louis inquired, taken aback.

  “Twenty-first what?” Selen asked, puzzled.

  “Oh! This sounds interesting,” Lissandro said. He turned to Selen. “Don’t say anything. Let me guess. Hmm, you can’t be from the Middle Age… Year of our Lord Jesus Christ?”

  “Of who?” Selen asked, lost.

  “I knew it,” Lissandro said, all excited. “You’re pale as a Swede, but considering your knowledge, you must come from the south. They had contacts with the north anyway… Roman Empire? No, something more exotic and yet European… Greece! You’re from Athens. You’re an Achaean,” Lissandro exclaimed.

  Selen laughed out loud. “Those rustic goat-shaggers! We kicked that scum back into the sea.”

  Louis felt offended to have his references insulted and gazed at Selen with an angry look. “They may have been your rivals, but you should not use such words against a brilliant civilization.” Selen gaped at him, speechless. Louis turned to Lissandro. “Besides, that’s stupid. It has no importance who we were before. You said it was a new start.” He had just gone over his past, he didn’t need Lissandro to twist the knife in the wound.

  “But I’m curious,” Lissandro said. “This is a unique occasion. We could learn from each other’s periods.”

  “I can hardly believe we can learn something from the future,” Louis objected sardonically. “I don’t want to hear you praise the worth of abject physiocracy.”

  Lissandro looked at him now. His friend’s eyes narrowed. “You are definitely special and not that easy to situate. You are at least from the Enlightenment, maybe later… Well, you’re obviously a frog.”

  “At least, I am not the result of a rascal and a prostitute,” Louis snapped back.

  “My mother redeemed herself,” Lissandro grunted.

  “I’m sorry,” Louis said, confused, “I did not mean it literally.”

  “Just tell me when you’re from then,” Lissandro insisted.

  “I can’t. I was…” Famous? Lissandro would probably not know him. Yet, there was still a risk, and Louis did not want Selen to know too much about who he had been, definitely not his name.

  “You were? You mean you were someone?” Lissandro sat on the edge of the bed and hung on Louis’s lips for an answer.

  Louis sighed. “All right, but keep it to yourself.” He walked to Lissandro and whispered his full name in his ear. Selen stared at them puzzled but did not ask.

  “That crazy, bloodthirsty bastard!” Lissandro exclaimed.

  “What?” Louis said, offended. “Oh, yes, scapegoating.” They did drown his name in a lake of blood. “Nice you know about me, though,” he said, half smiling.

  “You’re kidding! I was in your city during the insurrection, some forty years after your death. I was searching for my next butler. I liked them with some style. The man I found told me a lot about you and your…” Lissandro had a quick glance at Selen, “…friend. Not in your favour. He complained you got his family arrested, that he lost a brother and some nephews, something like that. Yet, it awoke my curiosity, and I read a little.” Lissandro stared at him with amazement. “I can’t believe it… You look even better in reality.”

  Louis did not know which details were the most confusing, the insurrection or that his friend had a serious problem with his longevity. He decided he only wanted to know more about the latter. “You said twenty-first century. It would make you around two hundred…”

  “I had an exceptionally long life,” Lissandro answered. “But I can explain it another time.” Lissandro looked at Selen and at him again. “Now, I get it.” Lissandro grinned with a provocative glance. “I’m not the only one to get lucky.”

  Don’t even dare mention it, Louis thought. “I suggest we plan tomorrow’s battle,” Louis said and frowned at Lissandro. He did not want to hear more about their past or Lissandro’s opinion on them.

  “I can stand on the front line as you proposed,” Selen said.

  “Should I stand with the archers?” Lissandro asked.

  “I had thought you could ride in the left front line with Kilda. I want men I can trust behind my back. We will charge directly towards the dragon as soon as it appears,” Louis said.

  “Oh, so you want to launch a suicide mission?” Lissandro chuckled. “Well, at least we will die like heroes. Even if the artifact works, it’s still a dragon.”

  “This is why I want to take care of the beast myself. I can’t ask that from you. However, I would like you to cover my back,” Louis said.

  “No, Louis. This is madness,” Selen objected.

  “You are crazy,” Lissandro said with disapproval. “Besides, the comma
nder will never agree that we launch a separate attack.”

  “This is why I need to get the command of the army before tomorrow,” Louis insisted.

  “To take over the command from two Lord Commanders. How do you plan to manage that? With a lap dance?” Lissandro sneered. “This is mutiny, and it’s not you.”

  His friend was getting on his nerves. How could he even consider that he wanted mutiny? “I mean to talk to the lords. Do you have a better idea, perhaps?” he snarled. Louis knew there was but little hope he could manage to convince the two men, and he trusted none of the commanders to win the battle. If they showed hesitation as he feared, all would be lost.

  “Please, stop. Both of you,” Selen said with a tired voice. “We can’t plan an attack on the dragon. We have no idea where it will appear and how. Louis, he is right. You have to stay at your post. You are second-in-command after Bertrant. The men need your leadership, at least until the melee starts. But you can count on us, whatever happens.”

  “I know,” he said, looking at Selen as if holding on to a buoy. He needed to think about all of this alone. It had been too many emotions lately. “I have to make a last check of the camp. We will see each other tomorrow on the battlefield.”

  Lissandro rose and came towards him. “Whatever happens tomorrow, it will be an honour to fight at your side.” He grabbed Louis’s hand tightly.

  Louis pulled Lissandro to him and hugged him. “We will fight like brothers, my friend.”

  “Lead us to victory. I know you can. You’ve done it once before,” Lissandro whispered, holding him.

  Selen smiled at him. “Can I have some words with you, Lilo?” Selen asked.

  Lissandro let go of Louis and turned to Selen. “Of course,” he grinned.

  They went out of the tent and parted ways.

  Louis walked through the camp, encouraging the men and controlling their materiel. The blades were sharp and the plates glittered. Bertrant had distributed an extra ration of beer, but Louis did not mind. Greasy sausages grilled over braziers, spitting their juices into the fire and spicing the air with the scents of garlic. Louis wondered where the men had found such meat. Yet, as he may have to eat some, he preferred not to know.

  “Would you drink with us, Captain?” a man from a group under a tent hailed him.

  “I think I can take the time,” Louis replied and took the mug the soldier handed him. He walked forward and joined the group. Looking at their seasoned faces, he refused to think of how many would fall during the battle. The men were cheerful and boasted of their success at the dam. A bearded, chubby soldier in a leather armour told the events to a captivated audience.

  “We smashed the orcs and pushed them down towards the third line. I stumbled on one of these filthy creatures. We struggled hard, but I ripped one of his tusks with my bare hand and shoved it in his eye.” The man accompanied his description with explicit gestures. The soldiers laughed. “I got up, and I was hurrying down the hill with Peter when we saw the purple mongoose—”

  Louis choked on his beer.

  “Oh, I’m sorry, Captain. I mean Captain Selen rushed towards that giant orc general! A walking horror. The captain must have balls of steel. The beast was over eight feet tall, with green arms like trunks, and carried an axe large as my chest! But the captain was swift as always. At one point, we thought the orc had him, yet we saw black blood spurt everywhere, and the monster fell down the dam. That was a fight.”

  The soldiers around sighed with awe. Louis regretted he had not seen it himself. He would have to ask his friend for the details.

  “Can you tell us about Mighthorn, Captain? How was it?” a young boy in a grey brigandine asked him.

  Louis was not sure he could make such a vivid description of their story. He glanced around and spotted a man who had been with him that day. He pointed at the soldier. “You can ask him. He was there with us. He will tell you all the details.”

  The soldiers rushed to the man. Louis could hardly believe how much the soldiers had improved in such a few weeks. He was proud of them. He did believe that they could win tomorrow. If the lords did not fail them. He put the empty mug on a table and left the tent.

  He encountered Folc near a brazier. The boy was dressed in his armour.

  “Will you fight well tomorrow, Folc?” he asked.

  “For sure. I asked Bertrant if I could ride on the front line. I want to honour my family name.”

  Louis smiled. The boy was incredibly brave. He was worried to know that Folc would be right behind him at such a dangerous place, but he could not deny him that. “Show Pembroke how a real man can fight.” He hugged the boy. “And don’t get killed.”

  “I won’t. I know you two need me to watch your backs.” The boy smirked.

  Louis laughed. He waved at the boy and returned to his tent.

  When Louis opened the flaps, Selen was waiting for him inside. He smiled. “I knew I would see you a last time.”

  “I have something for you.” Selen came forward. He unfolded a piece of cloth. At the sight of the object, Louis was not sure he understood and did not know what to say. “It’s an earring,” Selen said, blushing. “You have a hole in your earlobe … I had it made with scraps of my armour.” The ring shone white with tints of gold.

  “That is really sweet.” Louis took the earring and looked at it. He felt deeply touched by his friend’s gesture. “I’m sorry. I have nothing …”

  “You know I only need a smile,” Selen said with infinite kindness.

  Blood rushed to his heart. Louis cupped Selen’s face in his hands and kissed him. With his burning lips, he opened Selen’s mouth and plunged his tongue deep as if to suck the life out of his body. Surprised, Selen struggled before his hands tightened on Louis’s shoulders, and he tugged Louis against him.

  “If it wasn’t for the thirty thousand men outside…” Louis whispered. His blood burned with lust.

  “I know,” Selen whispered, kissing him back and tugging on his lips. “I crave it too.” Selen’s hands ran over his body.

  Louis grabbed his friend’s hands before their need became irreversible. “We can’t,” he forced himself to say. Louis did not release his grip. He needed the touch. They breathed deeply and calmed down, their foreheads touching.

  “Do you think we can survive the battle?” Selen asked softly, anxious.

  Louis stared at him. “We have fought so hard for this sacred aim. I know our war is right, and I believe in us, in our men. We will win tomorrow, and we will see a new world rise. A better world. Just don’t lose your smile.”

  “I will watch your back, and we will live together in this new world,” Selen said, moving backwards to leave. “I love you.”

  Louis kept holding his hand. “Please, my love, survive tomorrow.”

  “I am your harsh, trained, fearless warrior. I can’t lose,” Selen teased him.

  Louis smiled, biting his lip. Damn you, Lissandro, he thought. He let go of his friend’s hand. Selen left.

  Louis moved to the table and checked the maps again. At the same time, he fixed the hoop earring in his earlobe.

  “You don’t need such an accessory for the mission we are going to give you,” Bertrant said reproachfully while entering the tent. Pembroke followed him. Louis gazed at the lords with surprise.

  “We have had a change of mind,” the lords told him.

  CHAPTER 55

  Louis stood in front of him. His look was tense as if under great concentration. His full lips were slightly opened, twitching in silence. A lock of hair caressed his cheek. He pushed it back with a toss of the head, revealing a faint sparkle from his left ear. His friend stood alone on his white horse, isolated from the rest of them. The line of riders stretched long on both sides. It curved slightly on the extremities like a crescent. Bertrant was in front of the left wing, Pembroke in front of the right one. Louis stood in the middle.

  At the last moment, the lords had made him Commander of the Rebellion. As he had eage
rly wished, his friend would lead the assault. Selen approved the lords’ decision. Just like them, he considered that Louis deserved this. He had brought them here; he would lead them to victory.

  Selen’s heart raced. He closed his eyes and took deep, long breaths. He felt the throbbing of his horse under him and the slight jolt when it moved its front legs to stomp the ground. The mounts were growing impatient. In the deafening silence, he heard some whinnying in the distance. His horse blew air from its nostrils. Selen sensed the rigidity of the leather between his fingers as the animal tugged on the reins. He patted its neck. Selen took another breath. It smelled iron. He could taste it on his tongue. There was something else, a more acrid odor. The men were sweating. He too was sweating already. It was summer, and the sun was high in the sky. Selen opened his eyes and lifted his head. The sky was blue as the sea. He spotted a line of white birds in the east. His gaze followed them. As he turned his head, the wind blew right in his face. His green eyes narrowed. His long hair swirled high. Selen wondered for an instant if he should have braided it for once. He lowered his head. Further down the row, standing beside Folc and Kilda, Lissandro looked discreetly at him. His friend nodded and smiled. Selen turned his head forward again. He unsheathed his sword and held it in his left hand. With the other hand, he picked up the spear attached to the saddle.

  Selen did not feel fright. He was not afraid of the pain. He felt sorrow. He thought of his journey, of the shack he had left. He wondered if it still stood in one piece. All the lambs should be born by now. He had been so ignorant. Now, he felt as if he had seen too much, too much misery and death. Or not enough, not enough life and love. He yearned for more. He wanted to live. A tear ran down his cheek. He saw Louis’s head tilt. He forced a smile. Behind his friend, Selen saw movement on the horizon to the south. The enemy was approaching.

  The black battalions of orcs drew nearer. They had no cavalry, but they were numerous and threatening nevertheless. Even at such a distance, Selen saw that they were manifold. Some crawled and limped, while others, without being as impressive as Kraalh had been, towered several feet over other orcs with their tall frames. Their red standards floated like rags in the wind. Though of dark metal, their plates glittered in the sun, as well as the blades of their axes and swords. The orcs halted. He heard distant shouts.