by J D Abbas
Celdorn stepped forward and embraced Elena. “He’s confused. We were all confused,” he corrected himself. “We thought the body Keymar carried was yours.” He squeezed her tighter. “I’m so relieved it was not.”
Shimmering tracks etched Elbrion’s dusty cheeks as he wrapped his cloak around her shoulders, kissing the top of her head. She hadn’t noticed until then how badly her body was trembling beneath the insufficient tunic that left her half-exposed.
Her eyes followed Mikaelin long after he was out of sight. “When did he awaken?”
“Just a short time ago,” Elbrion said. “He had some sort of dream or vision that you were in trouble, and it roused him from his stupor. The wounds suddenly started passing through him, and he raced off to find you before it was too late.”
“That is the second time he knew you were in danger before the rest of us,” Silvandir said. “He seems to have some ability to hear your cries.”
Elena was pondering this when her attention was suddenly drawn to Lillianna. Keymar knelt beside the young girl, gently covering her body with a cloak. Before he did so, Elena noticed the holes in her chest where the arrows had pierced through. A violent sob erupted. She fell to her knees next to the lifeless form and lifted the girl’s head into her lap. As she gazed into her face, a smile formed on Elena’s trembling lips. Lillianna looked at peace.
Elena told Keymar, “When you yelled ‘archers,’ Lillianna looked toward the cliffs and must have seen the Zakad.” Elena paused for a moment as tears choked her voice. “She yelled for me to dive under the water and then, before I could even move, she shoved me down. Her body stood between me and the arrows. She... she saved my life.” Elena stroked Lillianna’s brow. “I hope you are enjoying your reunion with your parents, my friend. I know that’s what you longed for most.” She laid her head on the girl’s chest and wept.
Keymar punched the sand. “How I hate the Zakad. They’ve destroyed yet another innocent life, another one dear to me.”
The men and Ilqazar stood in silence for a time, honoring Lillianna’s life.
Finally, Celdorn knelt next to Elena and whispered, “Little one, we need to go back to the cave and get you warmed up. You’re still blue from the chill of the water.”
She nodded lifelessly and leaned into his shoulder. He helped her to her feet while Silvandir gathered her things and called for Windam. Celdorn held out his interlaced hands to give Elena a lift onto Windam’s back, then Silvandir mounted behind her. He wrapped his arms around her and kissed the top of her head as he urged Windam to move out. Celdorn and Elbrion followed.
Elena glanced back toward Lillianna one last time and wondered who was next to die. She pressed into the warmth of Celdorn’s chest to chase away the chill of death.
Chapter 49
Later that day, the men gave a warrior’s tribute to Lillianna for her heroism and burned her body along with the three Guardians who died in battle with the Zakad, not wanting to leave their remains for an enemy to find or desecrate.
Elena excused herself from the ceremony, choosing to grieve in her own way. Mikaelin and Silvandir stayed in the cave with her.
“You gave her a great gift, Mikaelin,” Elena said through her tears. “She had a few hours of peace before she died.”
Mikaelin, who was sitting in the shadows, didn’t reply.
“I’ll miss her,” she continued. “It was nice to have another girl to be with, even for a short time. We had so much fun playing together today. We were like little children. I don’t think she’s played since her mother died.” She heaved a sigh. “Though now I can’t help but regret that we brought her with us. Lillianna would have been safer apart from me. She would still be alive.”
“But with what kind of existence?” Silvandir asked, taking her hand in his. “She was bent on destroying herself before you took her in and made her your friend. I heard your laughter today. She enjoyed being with you.”
Elena glanced sideways at the unmoving Mikaelin. “Perhaps a few days of being loved and cared for were worth it to her. At least that is my hope.”
~
When Celdorn returned after the tribute, he told them they would move out the next morning, now that Mikaelin was conscious again and learning to manage his impaired left side.
At Mikaelin’s request, Elbrion spent most of the day designing a cloth covering for the side of Mikaelin’s face that carried Lillianna’s scars. It completely concealed his left eye, which was no longer of use, obstructed as it was by the sagging flesh from his brow. Dalgo said he might be able to excise some of the tissue and allow him to see again, but it would have to wait until they reached Queyon. The special mask also hid his burned scalp with its charred hair and the stubble of a beard which would no longer grow on the scarred flesh. His regular clothing concealed the scars on his torso and limbs, and he wore a glove to hide his gnarled hand.
Elena approached him that evening after Elbrion had completed his covering. He was sitting in the shadows, his mask on and hood pulled up.
“I understand you had some sort of vision that I was in trouble,” Elena said, sitting next to him.
“I saw a woman’s body with three arrows in her back floating in water.” His voice was flat, devoid of emotion, his gaze fixed on the ground. “I thought it was you.”
Elena studied him. “Were you still in the stupor when you saw it?”
“I suppose so.” He hunched over, rubbing his hands. “My memory isn’t clear.”
“Celdorn said the wounds started healing rapidly just before you told them about your vision.”
“They didn’t heal well enough, did they?” he snapped, pulling the cloak more tightly over his left side.
“Are you in pain?”
“You know what that girl went through; what do you think?”
“I think you must be in great pain,” she replied quietly, working not to react to his anger. “And yet you hurried off to help me. Did you think you could prevent what you’d seen?”
“What is it you want from me, Elena?” he snarled, keeping his voice low. “I don’t have answers for you. I have nothing for you.” With that, he struggled to his feet, took a moment to get his balance, then limped outside.
Elena stared at the mouth of the cave, not sure what she had done wrong.
Silvandir sat beside her. “Are you all right?”
“Yes.” Unbidden tears slid down her cheeks. “But I upset him.”
“It doesn’t take much these days.” Silvandir wrapped his arm around her shoulders and pulled her close, resting his chin on her head.
“I can’t imagine what it must be like for him. To have to relive all the horrific experiences of those he’s healed, to carry them in his body—it seems so unfair, almost cruel.”
“I agree. When I watched the process after he touched Braiden, I was appalled. It was as if I were watching the original attacks. He was being thrown around and brutalized just like Braiden. I don’t understand. What could be the purpose in all that?”
“He had already endured so much. Wasn’t that enough?” Elena murmured. Her heart throbbed in empathy. How many times had she said that very thing about her own suffering?
~
That night Elena struggled with sleep. She couldn’t shake the Zakad from her mind nor the picture of Lillianna’s pale form, chest riven with holes that should have been in Elena’s. Silent tears slid onto her makeshift pillow. She rolled to her side so she could focus on the throbbing light coming from Elbrion, who lay next to her, a most comforting sight.
A hunched silhouette sat near the mouth of the cave. She knew it was Mikaelin. He rarely slept anymore. She was well aware of the nightmares that must haunt him; she had lived many of them. Elena couldn’t blame him for avoiding the nebulous world where they lay in wait, ready to pounce as soon as the slumberer’s guard dropped.
Mikaelin rose and stumbled out of the cave. She heard him groan then curse as he pounded the ground. The pain must have been severe. Soon
he returned and took up his post again. Her heart agonized for him, but there was nothing she could do. He no longer seemed interested in her friendship. More tears wet her pillow.
Elena tried to find something pleasant on which to focus. She couldn’t come up with anything. Aside from her worry for Mikaelin, she was also experiencing an increasing dread the closer they moved to Queyon. She forced herself to watch Elbrion’s light and imagine his soothing voice singing her to sleep. Finally, she drifted off into a fitful slumber.
A few hours later, she sat bolt upright, screaming. Celdorn, who slept on her other side, was immediately awake and kneeling next to her. “What is it?”
She curled into his arms sobbing.
“A dream?”
Elena nodded but left her face buried in his chest, didn’t want to move away from the protection. Elbrion knelt behind her and sang over her, laying his hand on the back of her head. Her breathing slowed, and the tears subsided. Finally, she pulled back from Celdorn and wiped her eyes.
“What was it that frightened you so?” Celdorn asked.
“Anakh,” she whispered.
“Anakh was in your dream?”
Elena’s head bobbed. “I heard her calling me.” She paused and shuddered. “Over and over she called to me in this hauntingly sweet tone, ‘Giara, come home.’ I was all alone. I tried hiding. I covered my ears. I tried to find someone to help me. There was no one. Just her voice calling to me.” Elena stopped and stared off into the night.
“Then I couldn’t resist her any longer. My body started moving toward her voice. I had no control. I couldn’t stop myself. I called out for you, Ada,” she said, gazing up at Celdorn. “And you, Ada.” She looked at Elbrion. “But you weren’t there. You didn’t come. Where were you? Why didn’t you come?”
“It was a dream, little one. We were right here next to you,” Celdorn said, stroking her hair.
Elbrion’s warm hands gripped her shoulders. “I told you, we will never abandon you, Sheyshon. Rest assured.”
She stared up at them, trying to fit their words into the images in her mind, then forced herself to continue.
“I saw the void, stretching across the horizon. It was huge. It looked as if half of Qabara was gone, enveloped by it. As I drew near I felt it pulsating, throbbing, tugging at me with almost a... a hunger.” Elena stopped. It hurt to breathe. The darkness of the cave grew denser. Elbrion sang again.
“When I ...when I stepped into the void it felt as if my flesh were being peeled off of my bones. Invisible forces surrounded me like...like after we opened the third door... malevolent, hateful beings, longing to devour me. And though I couldn’t see them, I knew they danced around me as they poked and jabbed and reveled in my torment. A pressure grew in my chest. Then there was a massive explosion.” She paused. “It... it came from within me,” she whispered. “Everything was destroyed. Everything. Only black emptiness remained.”
Silence filled the cave. Elena looked at Celdorn. Even in the dim light, she could see he’d turned ashen. She gazed at Elbrion, who continued to sing, undaunted.
“No matter what we do, this will be my end.” Elena felt the hopelessness consuming her.
“No, Sheya, that is your fear, not the truth.” Elbrion spoke with an authority that startled her. “Dreams come in many forms. Some are visions, but even those are fluid and changeable. Think of the many visions you have had while with us. They have given you glimpses of the future but never an exact representation, like when you saw Celdorn’s arm and chest riven by a sword. In your dream, he died, but when the event actually happened, he was only injured. Or when you saw me pierced with an arrow and falling to my death.” Elena’s head bobbed. He was right. Her dreams were only part of the picture.
Elbrion put his large hands on either side of her face and gazed deeply into her eyes. “You are being led to life, not death. I am certain of it, Sheyshon. I am certain of it.”
“How can you be so sure?”
“I have repeatedly seen something in you that I cannot quite comprehend, something that is as yet elusive to me—but it tugs at my heart, pulling me toward hope, toward life. All I can say is that even as you related this vision of evil and deep darkness, I sensed something greater.”
A voice spoke from the shadows on the far side of the cave. “I know darkness and am all too familiar with evil. It’s not in you, Elena. Like Elbrion said, life flows from you.” He paused. “It... it gives me the courage I need to continue when everything in me wants to give up,” Mikaelin said in a hollow monotone.
Elena stared in his direction, surprised by his words. He said no more and lapsed back into his brooding silence, but his words reverberated in her soul.
“Y-y-you inspire me, as w-well,” a voice whispered from far to her left. “I have c-caught a glimpse of what Elbrion speaks. There’s no d-doubt in my m-mind that the Jhadhela is-is drawing you—d-drawing us toward s-something grand,” Braiden added, his voice growing almost ethereal as he spoke. “S-something that will m-make everything we have endured w-worth it.”
Elena’s eyes immediately filled with tears. What could possibly make what Braiden and Mikaelin had endured worth it? This was beyond her.
Celdorn glanced around the cave. All of the men were awake now, listening, observing. “It is time we return to sleep. We need rest and strength for this journey.”
Elena lay back, certain she wouldn’t be able to sleep again. Elbrion sang softly, placing his hand on her forehead. She found herself swept away into fields of wildflowers under cloud-strewn skies. The wind wrapped itself around her and together they danced among the flowers. Within a dozen heartbeats, she was asleep.
Elbrion’s song had the same effect on the others, except for Mikaelin, who remained unmoved.
Chapter 50
While the men prepared to resume their journey, Dalgo examined both Mikaelin and Elena and declared them fit to travel with the additional good news that Elena could again mount up. She was thrilled, though the joy was short-lived as the thought of Lillianna clouded her mind.
Elena had looked forward to sharing this first ride with her new friend. She had wanted Lillianna to meet the Ilqazar and find one that would befriend the girl as Nakhona had her. Lillianna’s eyes had been bright with anticipation as they talked about it in the cart before ...
Elena swallowed hard and tried to take a deep breath. She fought the tears, exhausted from those already shed.
Lillianna’s form was vivid in her mind, as she lay on the beach, nothing to hide, her flawless body freed from its scars, just blossoming into womanhood, desecrated by three arrow holes. Three arrow holes that she did not deserve. Three arrow holes that did not belong to her.
It should have been me. They were aiming for me.
She had seen hope in Lillianna’s eyes that morning. She had seen a glimmer of life, a stirring in the girl. Those beautiful, emerald eyes now still, lifeless, unseeing.
Because of me.
“I’m sorry,” she whispered into the air. “So sorry.” Her tears came steadily now. Her feet moved with an empty, hollowness.
Now your life will bring death to all those around you. Destruction, devastation, and ruin—that is your future and the future of all who choose to assist you. Anakh’s words came back to her with a vengeance.
Then another voice spoke. Come out, my lady! She lifted her head at the familiar and welcomed voice. Now, my friend.
Elena emerged from the cave, swiping at her eyes, and looked for Nakhona. The filly was immediately at her side. She’d been waiting. Elena hugged her neck, burying her face in her silken mane.
We are reunited, my lady. Nakhona stepped away from her embrace, bowed her head and leaned it into Elena’s.
The star on the filly’s forehead burst with illumination the moment their flesh touched. Elena jumped back in surprise as a powerful surge moved through her body. She stared at Nakhona trying to understand something that was whispering in her head.
“What are y
ou telling me?” Elena asked. “I can’t hear clearly.”
The filly’s ears pricked forward. It was not I, my lady. What were you hearing?
“When you touched me, I felt power move through me and a voice whispering. I no longer hear it,” Elena replied, her brow scrunched.
Zhalor stepped forward. You will hear clearly when the time has come. The stallion’s language was veiled.
Elena turned to him with a mixture of curiosity and fear. “You know of what I speak? You heard it? Can you explain it to me?”
No, my lady, it is not my place. He bowed his head respectfully.
“I’m weary of that phrase,” she snapped. “Can no one tell me anything? Why all the secrets?”
I do not fully understand myself, Elena. Zhalor came alongside Nakhona. I know that you must be protected, and it is for that very purpose that some things must remain a mystery for now. At her frown, he added, When you are in a safer place, more will be revealed. I assure you. He nuzzled her cheek. For now, rejoice that you have been set free to be with my Nakhona once again.
Elena smiled. Yes, there was that to celebrate. She squeezed Zhalor’s neck and kissed his fuzzy cheek. “You’re right. I must focus on what few positives can be found in this journey.”
Nakhona lowered herself to the ground so Elena could mount. Her hip objected to the movement, and she bit her lip to keep from grunting. She didn’t want to be denied this freedom. As the filly rose, Elena was so filled with exhilaration, all discomfort waned. Atop this beautiful creature, she felt every bit the lord’s daughter, though she never would have admitted that to anyone. She immediately encouraged Nakhona to trot around the clearing. She would have released her to her a full gallop but was prevented by Celdorn, who called her to return.