Legends Lost Tesnayr
Page 12
Chapter VIII
Betrayal
A woman sat by the window watching her husband chop wood. She smiled at him and continued to fold her linen. A baby stirred in its nearby cradle. The woman put her linen down and checked on the infant. She brushed the top of the baby’s head and sang to him, her voice producing a soothing lullaby. At that instant her husband burst through the door yelling at her to grab the baby and leave. In a panic, he snatched items from shelves stuffing them into a bag refusing her inquiries. He shoved the infant into her arms and slung the bag over her shoulder.
“Go,” he ordered.
A pounding noise sounded at the door. The hinges rattled violently with each strike. The woman hugged the baby and kissed her husband as she ran toward the back entrance. The door ruptured as orcs poured into the small interior of the lodge. Throwing himself between them, the man attempted to ward off the beasts. The woman screamed as they killed him. Desperately, she darted through the back exit only to meet the most gruesome creature she had ever seen. It was the last thing she ever saw.
Later that same day Tesnayr and his army passed by the cottage and the carnage that had taken place. Slowly, he steered his horse through the wreckage, his face growing more and more disgusted. “Bury them,” he ordered. “And burn the place.”
“If we linger here much longer King Edrei will have victory in the battle and be riding to our rescue,” argued King Slyamal.
Tesnayr yanked King Slyamal off of his horse and dragged him to where the bodies of a woman and her infant lay. “Look at it! Look at it you pompous fool! This is what remains of your arrogance and selfishness. Look at it! I hope this image burns itself in your memory and haunts your dreams.” Tesnayr chucked the king to the ground and stormed off.
King Slyamal seethed with anger. He did not know what he was most enraged about: Tesnayr’s actions or his words. He dusted himself off and marched away ignoring the stares of those around him.