The Wrath

by D Glenn Casey

  He looked to his left and then to his right and could see no openings, no gates of any sort. The more he looked at the wall, the more he realized this wall was meant to keep him out.

  He reached out his hand and placed it on the wall and could feel a power surging through it. It was the power that had constructed the wall and gave it form. It also kept the wall in its place. It was a power that he had felt before. It was familiar to him.

  “Marnell!”

  His voice echoed off the wall and into the distance. He closed his eyes and listened, hoping to hear the sound of his sweet wife’s voice.

  “Marnell!”

  He dropped to his knees, his forehead against the wall. He felt like he had come so far and this wall had been constructed to keep him out and away from the woman that he loved.

  And what was even more disturbing was the source of the wall. He suspected Marnell had built it herself. He was confused as to why it had even been built.

  “Get off your knees, sweetheart. That’s unbecoming of a master wizard.”

  His breath caught in his throat as he rose and slowly turned toward the sound of the voice. He could hardly see through his watery eyes and that only served to make her look even more like an angel.

  “Why have you created this wall to keep me away from you?”

  She smiled, “Believe me, it is one of the hardest things I have done, but I can’t let you stay here.”

  “Then come with me. Let’s leave this place together.”

  “I can’t leave here just yet, and you can’t stay.”

  “I’m not leaving. Not without you.”

  She dropped her head and took a deep breath. The one thing she did not want to do and the one thing she knew she had to do was to send him away.

  He stepped up to her and reached out for her. His hand passed through her shoulder as easily as it had passed through the mist earlier.

  “You’re not really here, are you?”

  “Yes and no. I am using mind sight and giving it form so that you can see me. I’m not sure where my body is. I only stepped out here for a moment to tell you that I still love you more than life itself, but you are needed back in Rosemoor.”

  “Your body is in the cabin in the Land of the Dragons and I’d rather wait there for you.”

  “Garlan, it has been months since Kerrick went quiet. His hold on the lands he has conquered has become weak. But, he is regaining his strength and is full of anger and hatred, even more than before. Something has occurred to him that is twisting him toward even more darkness.”

  “What’s happened to him?”

  “I don’t know, sweetheart. I missed the end of the battle if you remember. But, I believe he wears a mask now and his body is damaged.”

  “It might have something to do with Hilde putting two arrows in him before he fled the battlefield.”

  Marnell laughed, “Oooo, I knew I liked her. That’s what he meant when he said he was going to kill her slowly.”

  “He said that?”

  “Yes, he did. Please give her my love when you see her again.”

  “I will do that. Do you know she and Jarell were joined just before I brought you here?”

  “Oh no,” she sighed, “and I missed it. I guess that means you can stop worrying about Jarell trying to win my affections.”

  “Yes,” said Garlan with a slight laugh, “and I’m reasonably sure he knows that even looking at another woman now could be detrimental to his health.”

  They both enjoyed a laugh about that.

  “You promise me you’re okay?”

  ”I’m fine, sweetie. Kerrick dropped by for a visit and has found I can still do some damage to him whenever he comes here to terrorize me. I think he’s beginning to wish he had never done this to me.”

  “Can you really?”

  “He tried attacking the castle a few weeks ago, with Molly inside, along with the women and children that have taken refuge here and I found my staff still has power, even from here. His dragon won’t be coming back here any time soon.”

  “Are Molly and the others okay?”

  “Yes, they are. They left to take refuge in Rosemoor, but she and some of the others have just recently returned. I don’t think it sat right with her to turn tail and run away from here. That’s why I am still here. To do whatever I can to protect her and the others.”

  She went quiet for a moment, as if she were listening to something.

  “What is it?” he asked.

  “You are about to receive a visitor and I suggest you pay attention to him.”

  “A visitor?”

  “Goodbye, sweetie.”

  She faded from view before he barely had a chance to say goodbye.

  Chapter 21 ~ Time For You To Leave

  “Master Garlan! Come out here!”

  Garlan jerked up in the bed. He recognized the voice. Low and gruff, it could only belong to one being.

  A large, white dragon.

  He looked down at Marnell, still sleeping peacefully next to him. Like she had been doing for the last six months.

  “Come out here or I shall rip the roof off this home!”

  “You don’t do such thing!”

  Garlan could tell by the sound of her voice, Keelee was confronting the big dragon and ready to fight him if necessary.

  “Get off my no …. OW!!”

  Garlan jumped off the bed and headed for the front door. He needed to get outside before Mirroth got injured further by a feisty, little robin.

  As he rushed through the door and into the ragged looking, flower garden, he saw Keelee was perched on Mirroth’s snout and she had pecked him really hard in the nose. Mirroth tried shaking her off, but she wasn’t going anywhere.

  “Hey! You two knock it off!” yelled Garlan.

  Grace and Tilly were sitting on a branch in a nearby tree. Tilly was shivering with terror at the sight before them. Grace saw Garlan and flew to his shoulder.

  “It’s about time wake up.”

  “Keelee, get away from him,” he commanded.

  Keelee flew off Mirroth’s snout and to the tree branch and Grace flew back and joined her sisters.

  “What’s going on out here?” he demanded from the four of them.

  “What’s going on,” said Mirroth, “is that it’s time for you to leave the Land of the Dragons.”

  “I’m not going anywhere until Marnell awakens.”

  “You are leaving and will be gone before the sun goes down.”

  Garlan stood face-to-face with the dragon. His hands were trembling and he was doing everything he could to control his anger.

  “I am here to look after Marnell,” he said, a little quieter this time.

  “She will be well looked after,” said Mirroth as he gestured toward the lake.

  Garlan looked and saw a small boat coming toward the shoreline. There were three people in the boat, one man and two women.

  “These women are healers from Kraeling and they are here to take Marnell back across the water. They will tend to her needs.”

  Garlan watched as the boat got closer, feeling as if his world was about to be snatched away again. Like it had been that afternoon a few months ago, when he saw Sigarick and Marnell taken down by the dark wizard.

  “Garlan, they will take care of her. You are needed elsewhere and I can’t allow you to remain here any longer. My nephew, Golrath, will transport you back to Rosemoor.”

  Garlan looked up when he heard a screech from a dragon and saw a medium-sized, red dragon circling overhead. As he watched the dragon float on the balmy air above, he felt like he was being dismissed.

  The boat had reached the shore and the two women climbed out and came walking toward the cabin. One of the women reminded Garlan of Molly. She looked at Garlan and just shook her head.

  “My, my. We can’t be sending you back to the world looking like that.”

  Garlan ran his fingers through the long, scraggly hair on his head and down through the long
beard hanging from his face. He knew he looked more like a beggar than a wizard at that moment.

  “Take a seat, master,” she said as she led him to the chair near the door.

  The younger woman walked into the cabin and Garlan could hear her getting a pot of water. She came back out and set it on the table and then she produced a jar of soap from her bag. The two women set to work on cleaning his hair.

  Mirroth laid down on his belly, just outside the low wall of the garden and watched. Within a couple of minutes, Golrath landed and laid down next to his uncle.

  As the women worked on his hair, Garlan looked at Mirroth and asked, “How are you feeling, old friend?”

  “I am healing. I still have a bit of mending to do, but I shall be ready to rejoin the fight very soon.”

  “Not if auntie has anything to say about it,” said Golrath.

  Mirroth looked at him and growled.

  “Keep that female out of this conversation.”

  “Hey, you joined with her, uncle.”

  Mirroth just shook his head and looked back at Garlan.

  “I shall return to the battle as soon as I can.”

  It only took about twenty minutes for the women to finish with his hair. They had cleaned it and cut it back to the usual length for him.

  Then the older woman pulled a sharp blade from her bag and proceeded to shave Garlan’s face. When she was finished, the younger woman took some oils and rubbed them into his face. He jumped a little when it stung him.

  “That’s from going so long without taking care of yourself, sire,” she said. “What would Lady Marnell say if she had seen you in this condition?”

  Garlan just closed his eyes and shook his head. He knew chastisement when he heard it. He knew he had been neglecting his duties and it was quite obvious Marnell was in no hurry to exit the prison that Kerrick created for her. If she was able to continue fighting him while in the deep sleep, then it was probably best to let her be and return to his own duties.

  He looked up at the two women.

  “Promise me that you will look after her.”

  “With our very lives, sire,” replied the younger woman.

  The older woman turned and signaled to the man by the boat and he walked up the hill to the cabin. As he got closer, Garlan saw he was a large man. Not quite royal soldier large, but large still. He and the older woman went into the cabin and Garlan followed them.

  Garlan stood back as he watched the woman take the blanket on the foot of the bed and cover Marnell to her shoulders. She gently rolled Marnell to each side and tucked the blanket under her. When she was finished, she looked at Garlan.

  “We’ll give you a minute or two to say goodbye.”

  She led the man out of the bedroom as Garlan sat down on the edge of the bed near his beloved. She reached up and pulled the curtain closed to give him a little more privacy.

  It was everything he could do to keep the tears back. He had pledged to stay by her side and safeguard her until she came back to him and now, he was breaking that promise.

  He looked down at her, wrapped up from shoulders to feet and could still see it after all this time. She was the most beautiful woman in the world. He listened as her breathing was soft and gentle, a sound he had come to cherish every night as they had lain next to each other. Though they had only been joined a few days before she was struck down, he knew the sound of her breathing better than his own.

  He leaned forward and kissed her on the forehead. A tear fell from his eyes and landed on her brow and he wiped it away.

  “I shouldn’t cry. I know you are safe and still fighting, even in your dream world. But, please come back to me. Going on without you seems so pointless.”

  He leaned over and kissed her again, this time on her lips. He almost came undone by the touch of her soft, warm mouth and had to stand up and move away before he lost all control.

  The woman peeked through the curtain and saw him standing away from her, so she pushed the curtain open fully. She motioned to the man and he stepped in to pick Marnell up and carry her out.

  Garlan saw what he was going to do and stopped him.

  “I shall carry her out of here. This may be the last thing I do for her for awhile. Let me at least have that.”

  The man backed away and Garlan stepped to the side of the bed and put his arms under his wife’s body and lifted her off the bed. He told the man to take another blanket and wrap the Staff of Fire in it and follow him to the boat.

  As the three of them exited the cabin, two dragons and three robins stood by and watched. The younger woman had tears streaming down her cheeks as she saw Marnell.

  Garlan looked at her and when she saw his gaze, she said, “She was always so good to me when she was living in the village. She was good to everyone, but she seemed even more so when she was with me.”

  Garlan nodded at her and proceeded to carry Marnell to the boat. When they reached the boat, Garlan could see they had come prepared for her. There was a small platform, covered in cushions and bedding for her to be laid on. The man stepped into the boat and turned and took Marnell from him. He turned and laid her down on the platform, treating her like he would one of his own daughters.

  The women went to step into the boat and the younger one stopped and looked at Garlan. She leaned up and kissed him on the cheek.

  “We shall look after her and protect her. Please master, know she is in good hands.”

  Garlan gave her a half-hearted nod and she turned and stepped into the boat. The man took one of the oars and propelled the boat back away from the shore and then turned the boat, heading it toward Kraeling.

  Garlan watched as they disappeared into the mist and then turned around. He was surprised to see two dragons and three robins standing there, looking at him.

  He looked at the three sisters and said, “Promise you will look after her home.”

  “We not stay here master.” said Tilly.

  “Where are you going?”

  “Grace and me go to Kraeling to watch over Marnell.”

  Garlan nodded and looked at Keelee.

  “And how about you?”

  “I go with master.”

  “Keelee, I am heading back to a war. It is not safe for you there.”

  Keelee lowered her head and looked directly at him.

  “I go with master!”

  Garlan straightened up in shock. Now he was being chastised by a bird.

  “I can’t guarantee your safety.”

  “I ask no guarantee.”

  With that she flew to his shoulder and embedded her claws into the fabric of his robe. She wasn’t going to be pulled away from him without a fight.

  He looked at Mirroth and Golrath, his face asking for their help.

  “Don’t look at me, Master Garlan,” said Mirroth, “I’ll be happy to have some peace and quiet when you take this little troublemaker out of the Land of the Dragons.”

  Keelee started twittering at him.

  “You be nice to sisters. I come back, fight you if not.”

  Mirroth lowered his head and looked into her eyes.

  “You are worse than my wife.”

  “Don’t forget it!”

  “Master Garlan, we should leave.”

  Garlan looked at Golrath and nodded.

  “I’m going to need some time. I need to get cleaned up and get my things. Give me a few minutes.”

  He turned and walked back up the slope to the cabin, with one, rather petulant little robin sitting on his shoulder. He knew he was never going to get rid of her, so he resigned himself to now having a companion on his journey.

  He walked into the bedroom and looked at the vacant bed. Keelee could feel the sadness wash over him and rubbed her head against his cheek.

  “She going to be fine.”

  “I know Keelee, but it still hurts. It’s as if my heart and soul will be remaining in Kraeling while I leave this land.”

  Garlan took off his clothes and stepped out
a second door at the back of the room and to a shower he had built on the back porch. As unhappy as he felt about leaving, he could feel the sadness starting to wash away. Having spent even just a few minutes with Marnell had had a calming effect on his mind. He was starting to feel ready to get back to the war.

  He finished his shower and reentered the bedroom and walked over to the wardrobe and opened the doors. Looking in, he knew it was time to get back into the game.

  Keelee just sat on the bedpost as he began gathering clothes out of the closet. The embroidered lion on the chest of the tunic appeared to start shining, as if it were ready to get back to it, also.

  After putting on his battlewear, he could perceive the power starting to surge through his body again. He put on his boots and then reached into the cabinet and pulled out Blaze. He hadn’t touched his father’s sword in the six months since he put it in the cabinet.

  He looked at the red jewel in the pommel and it glowed with a heat that said it was ready to get back to work. He could hear Keelee twittering softly from the bedpost she was sitting on. Holding the jewel to his forehead, he could feel the power of his father’s blade wash over him. He could feel the warmth connecting with every part of his body, renewing his strength and getting him ready to face the world again.

  He swung the straps over his shoulders and got the sword situated on his back and buckled them.

  He turned and looked at Keelee, who was just looking at him. He reached into the cabinet and picked up a cloth and folded it under the strap going over his left shoulder. Then he looked at her again and tapped the cloth and she flew up to his shoulder and settled down.

  Tossing the rest of his belongings in his travel bag, he walked out the door. When the rest of the group saw him dressed in his battlewear, they were duly impressed.

  “Finally, you look like you’re ready to face the world again,” said Mirroth.

  “I wouldn’t be if I wasn’t being forced out.”

  Mirroth raised up a little, not sure if he had just been rebuked or not. Garlan walked over to him and ran his hand over the dragon’s face. Then he placed his forehead to Mirroth’s face and closed his eyes.

  “Watch over this land, Mirroth. And finish your mending. We need you on the other side of the mountains.”