by C E Keene
> Petravor swipes you for 56 points of damage.
He tried to shake off the blow and get between the Petravor and Zindar again, but it was too late. Time slowed to a crawl as the beast rammed into his friend, the full force of its armored head catching the Pruvari in the chest. He saw Zindar’s eyes widen, his body crushed inward by the impact. The Petravor stopped right after it made contact, but Zindar kept going, forced backward by momentum, slammed into the far wall of a nearby tunnel.
“Zindar!” Arheis’ voice was strained, helplessness overtaking him.
He ignored the Petravor’s claws as it whirled on him, dodging past to get to his companion. But again it felt like he was fighting a deadly swamp, his legs out of his control, all while Zindar’s unconscious form slid down the wall, crumpling to the ground.
A rumble sounded in the cavern, coming from the direction of the hole. In the distance, Arheis heard rocks falling, the sound growing ever closer.
Behind him, Higrem leapt at the beast, driving his sword into an exposed portion of its side. The Petravor turned away from Arheis, but he wouldn’t have noticed even if the beast was barreling down on him.
He had to get to Zindar before—
Rocks began to shake free from the ceiling. Small, pebble-sized chunks at first. But once those were gone, the structure of the tunnel began to bow, more and more weight pressing downward.
Until it all collapsed.
“No!” Arheis cried, his pained voice echoing through the caverns.
Sheer willpower forced him onward, his own safety a distant concern. The entire chamber was coming down around them. He could hear it in the deep rumble that shook the walls, the frightened screech of the Petravor, the yells of his friends.
And then he was being grabbed around the waist, someone holding him back as tightly as they could.
“You can’t help him.” He vaguely recognized Mira’s voice, choked with tears. “We can’t help him.”
Multiple arms came around him, and he realized he was still fighting. Until all of the energy suddenly left his body. Tears sprang to his eyes, blinding his vision as Mira dragged him away.
Leaving Zindar beneath the rubble.
29
They spent what felt like an entire lifetime digging through the rubble.
Even before the cave system stabilized, Arheis begged them to go back. As soon as he had the opportunity, he leaned into his Leadership ability to get Galen to agree.
It was wrong. Arheis knew that. But they were losing time. Every second they delayed was another second Zindar was trapped down there without air. Another second the weight of the cave-in crushed him.
Deep down, Arheis knew the truth. Of course he did. But he was right there digging, his fingers bloodied as he sought purchase in the rubble. He likely did more to hinder the process than help. It would've been easier to just let Galen handle it with his magic, and maybe come in as needed to pry up a particularly stubborn piece of debris.
But Arheis couldn't stand there and do nothing. He needed to be in motion, if only to keep his brain occupied. Otherwise he’d collapse under the weight of his own thoughts. The guilt. The grief. The rage. The barest of threads restrained his emotions.
So he dug right alongside Mira and Higrem while Galen carefully moved rocks over the three of them.
When they finally reached the site of the cave-in, Arheis thought he would feel frantic. But he just felt… numb. Like he was watching it all unfold from somewhere outside of himself. Watching Galen lift the debris piece by piece. Watching Mira's hands fly to her face when Zindar's crumpled, broken body was finally revealed. Watching himself walk over, bend down, and pull the lifeless form of his friend into his arms.
Zindar was gone.
He didn't need to check. He'd known from the moment it happened, and he knew from Mira's reaction that there was nothing she could do about it. Instead of feeling the deep, soul-wrenching sorrow that tried to creep up on him, Arheis felt… nothing. Only shrewdly practical thoughts raced through his mind.
They needed to get him above ground and do something with his body. They needed to make sure the Petravor wasn't an immediate threat, and then they needed to find a way to finish this without losing anyone else. He made an itemized list in his mind, and the first box--recover Zindar's body--was already ticked.
"Can you pick up vibrations through the rocks?" he asked Galen, his voice devoid of emotion.
"I… yes." The elf's face was deathly pale, his gaze fixed on Zindar. "I should be able to."
"See if you can hear the Petravor. If it's anywhere near here, we'll need to cover our tracks."
Galen took a moment to respond to that. Eventually he nodded, closing his eyes and seeming to attune to the world around him. Arheis could feel the charge of magic in the air, but again it was more a secondhand experience. Like feeling something through a glove.
"It's not close," Galen finally said, letting out a huff of breath. "It must have fled when the cave-in happened. Perhaps to heal from its wounds."
"Then let's get him above ground."
He shifted Zindar in his arms, the Pruvari's limp body surprisingly heavy. As he started back the way they came, Mira put a hand on his arm.
"If you need to take a moment…"
She was choking back tears, and Arheis felt the stir of emotion deep in his chest. But his checklist was still incomplete, and so his feelings automatically pushed themselves down.
"We have to get him above ground," he said again.
She didn't fight him on it. Neither did anyone else. He carried Zindar in something resembling a false, numb kind of peace. He wasn't waiting for the Pruvari to twitch or for his rapidly-cooling skin to suddenly warm. He was just focused on doing what needed to be done.
It'd been the same with his mom, he realized. He'd been with his aunt when the hospital told them. She'd collapsed, her gut-wrenching wails filling the waiting room. Simon had just stood there, quietly talking to the doctor about the next steps. He'd signed all the papers. He'd arranged the funeral. He'd worked with the lawyer to see her last wishes carried out.
He'd done all of it because if he hadn't, it just wouldn't have happened. And he did the same now.
Minutes ticked into hours as they made their way to the lift. There were already guards waiting up above when they ascended, and Arheis kept his answers to their many questions brief.
"The Petravor is hurt, but still alive," he said. "We'll finish what we started after we take care of our friend."
"The temple is in the Hall of Scholars," one of the guards said, dipping his head in deference, "if you wish to have his body anointed."
"No." He had no idea what Zindar's religious beliefs were, but he knew where the Pruvari's heart lay, and where he belonged. "We're taking him to De'shal."
Galen stayed in Iskaral to help repair the sinkhole--or at least prevent it from growing any larger. Mira and Higrem accompanied Arheis. They were given horses, but the beasts made the journey only slightly quicker than going on foot. It was still perilously slow as Arheis tried to keep from jostling Zindar too much.
They rode through the night, despite Arheis giving his companions the chance to rest if they needed it. Everyone pushed to get to De'shal, and it was early morning by the time they arrived at the gates.
The Pruvari opened for them immediately, the two manning the gates taking only a moment to realize the news they brought with them.
"Get the Elder," one of them called.
A young Pruvari ran off, returning with the orange-furred one Arheis had met that first day. His face was grim, but his brow tugged upward as he caught sight of Zindar.
"What has happened?" he asked.
"He was killed fighting the Petravor."
It was the first thing Mira had said since they’d left Iskaral. Her voice wavered, but she didn't break into full-on tears. The Pruvari who’d gathered let out a collective gasp.
"When we finally take that thing down, it'll be because of him.
" Higrem's tone was surprisingly humble, and for once he recognized the accomplishment of someone other than himself. "He fought bravely."
Arheis steeled himself, waiting for the leader to make this some cautionary tale; to warn the others that this was why Pruvari shouldn't be in the thick of things. That tale never came, thankfully. He wasn't entirely sure what he would have done if it had.
"Does he have any family here?" he asked the Elder.
The orange-furred Pruvari frowned. "His parents are gone and he had no littermates. But we are all his family."
Arheis had felt a mix of joy and protectiveness when they'd started to accept Zindar after the Petravor attacked De'shal. Now he almost wanted to laugh.
"You have a funny way of showing it," he said, the words touched with more than a little bitterness.
Apparently this was the first crack; the first hints of emotion peeking through the wall he'd quickly erected around his heart.
To Arheis' surprise, the Elder actually agreed. "You are right. Zindar was and will always be a son of the Pruvari. We are the ones who failed him."
"Yeah. You did."
He could feel anger simmering beneath the surface as two Pruvari carefully removed Zindar from Arheis' horse. They carried him as honorably as possible and still it felt like too little, too late.
"We will hold a service this afternoon," the Elder said. "Zindar's body will be prepared for his journey onward."
"Sure. Sounds great." The words sounded callous even to Arheis, but he couldn't stop himself from saying them.
And as the people who'd broken Zindar's heart took him away, he wasn't sure he wanted to.
"We'll have our own service," Mira said, reaching for his hand and giving it a gentle squeeze.
He just nodded, swallowing back a lump of emotion. He couldn't fall apart yet. There were still things that needed to be done.
The Pruvari service was filled with rituals and complicated traditions Arheis didn't understand, and that was probably for the best.
They dressed him in clean armor--a surprising but welcome tribute--and placed his body atop a metal dais. Two robed Pruvari performed rites of some kind, both of them holding metal rods that hummed when they were held over various points of the body.
Something close to ash was rubbed into his fur, giving the silver a more gray look before whatever it was seemed to be absorbed into Zindar's body. Different Pruvari spoke and then one of them held up a torch of pure blue flame.
Arheis' breath caught in his throat, an irrational panic lighting in him. What if he was still alive? They were going to burn his body and he might still be alive. He was going to suffer more than he already had.
He knew those thoughts were absolutely insane, but still his heart pounded. It was so bad at one point that a system message popped up, but Arheis quickly dismissed it.
The Pruvari holding the torch lowered it to the metal panel. Arheis saw a liquid glisten and then catch fire, quickly conveying the blue flames to Zindar's body. But he wasn't burning. The fire enveloped him, bathing his body in unnatural light, yet it never actually did any damage. Fur wasn't singed. Metal wasn't melted. If this was a pyre, it was the most ineffective one Arheis had ever seen.
But apparently it was part of the process, because the fire went out on its own and the Pruvari said something in unison. Then the Elder carefully removed Zindar's bracer--his link to his Fulcorn spirit--and held it out to Arheis.
"It is clear to me that you are the one most deserving of this," the Elder said.
Arheis stared at the device, a flood of emotion rushing past that dam. It hadn't broken yet--not completely--but it wouldn't be long now.
He took the bracer with both hands and somehow resisted the urge to smash it to pieces.
By the time they had their own service, the numbness was almost completely gone.
They stood outside the gates, near a small pond Mira had found earlier. It was just the three of them, with Higrem remaining uncharacteristically quiet and somber throughout.
"I don't know that I can stand here and speak at length about what you meant to me, old friend. I don't think I'd make it through, and I doubt you'd find it all that useful where you are now."
Mira stood at the edge of the pond, a flower in her hand. It was an idea she'd presented to both of them--something her people did to mourn the passing of life--and Arheis and Higrem had both consented. They'd found flowers in a nearby field. Bright, cheery things that seemed oblivious to the mood that had fallen over De'shal.
Or maybe they weren't so oblivious. Zindar had never been oblivious. He'd just chosen to embrace the joy of life. There was something fitting about sending him off with flowers that seemed content to do the same.
"All I will say is what truly matters, and that is that you were a dear friend to me. You were there at my lowest moment, telling me that I would make it through. You always had a kind and hopeful word for me, even when I didn't have any for myself. I don't know that I would have made it through without you, and I thank you for that."
Mira crouched down, the flower cupped in her hands. Dipping them beneath the water, she pulled away and let the flower rest on the surface. Arheis watched it float lazily, the winds of the plains barely touching the mostly still pond.
"Goodbye, my friend," she said, tears glistening on her cheeks as she straightened.
Higrem shifted at Arheis' other side. He was honestly still surprised the man had stuck with them through all of this, but there was something in his expression that seemed almost haunted. He held one of the orange flowers in his gloved hand, his fingers barely grasping the stem as if he was afraid to accidentally crush it.
"I didn't know you very well. I'm not going to stand here and claim otherwise," Higrem began, letting out a breath. "But you were a good Hunter. Solid. Dependable. Smart. Brave. Lacerda wouldn't be standing if it wasn't for you, and I'm willing to bet De'shal and Iskaral would both be destroyed if you hadn't figured out how to beat that Petravor. So…"
He opened his hand, letting the flower fall. It drifted, swaying back and forth until it came to rest on the water's surface, sending ripples outward. Mira's flower began to slowly sink while Higrem's floated merrily along.
"If there's an afterlife in this world, I hope you're enjoying the hell out of it already."
It was Arheis' turn, but he didn't say anything immediately. He held his own flower in one hand, grasping the stem almost as carefully as Higrem. Part of him had considered dropping the bracer into the pond. He was still considering it, but for now the device was stowed in his pack.
He couldn't bear to look at it.
"I suck at eulogies," he finally said, letting out a soft snort of laughter. "I gave the eulogy at my mom's funeral because… well, my aunt wasn't going to give it. She barely knew my mom, despite growing up with her."
Arheis swallowed. He could still remember the small funeral hall that had mostly been filled by people from the hospital where his mom had worked. There were lilies up front by her coffin. His aunt had demanded carnations, but lilies were his mom's favorite. He'd gotten the funeral director to change it last minute.
"I uh…" he used his free hand to rub at the side of his face, "I planned it all out. I spent the week doing that instead of sleeping. But when it was time to actually give the eulogy, I could barely speak. I just looked out at the one family member who barely knew her and all these people from work who only knew one side of her and I lost it. I started bawling."
He felt a hand on his back and was surprised to find it wasn't Mira's, but Higrem's. The man's head was bowed like he was waiting on a prayer, but his touch was sympathetic.
Arheis cleared his throat and continued. "Maybe I'm that person to you. Just someone else who didn't really know you. I hope not, but I can only go off of what I know. And what I know is that you were kind and generous. You gave people second chances even when they might not have deserved them. You saw something in me that was worth knowing and became my friend even w
hen I wasn't looking to make friends. You helped teach me that we're stronger together, and I promise you I won't forget that."
He could feel tears stinging his eyes, but he fought them back. Crouching on the bank of the pond, Arheis touched the flower to the water. It sent ripples outward that rolled over Higrem and Mira's flowers in soft waves. Once the water had calmed, he lay it carefully on the surface.
"I'm sorry," he whispered, his eyes closing, the tears falling freely.
30
Arheis was fully prepared to head back to Iskaral and get this whole thing over with, but a familiar voice stopped him as he was getting his pack together that evening.
"Arheis, my boy. I'm so sorry for your loss."
His jaw set, teeth grinding together as he turned to face Treyous. The man did look appropriately grief-stricken for someone who'd known Zindar all of two minutes, and Arheis vaguely remembered seeing him during the Pruvari funeral rites.
But he was the last person Arheis wanted to see right now.
"Yeah. Thanks. We have to get back and deal with this Petravor, so--"
"I'd like to speak with you for a moment before you do," the Ambassador said.
You'll know when it's time.
Treyous' words rang in his mind and Arheis' hand balled into a fist at his side. He knew. That gut feeling was so strong it was overwhelming.
His "Ambassador" was going to ask him to choose and Arheis wanted no part in it.
"Yeah. Sure. Why not."
Treyous led him to the infirmary where they'd talked last time. Bren was conspicuously absent once again and part of him wondered if she was in on the whole thing too. He would have asked, but he honestly didn't care.
That was the stage he was at in his grief, apparently.
The captain stopped in the middle of the room and turned to face Arheis. His expression was sympathetic, but the rage that had been building since they’d returned Zindar's body to De'shal just bubbled over like a temperamental pot.