The waking of storm and.., p.21
The Waking of Storm and Flame, page 21
What could he have to say? ‘Sorry for locking you in the dungeon until your mortal enemy shows up, Zahra?’ A mocking tone, he deserves no less. She picked up the unopened letter and threw it into the fire. Only when she turned to leave did Zahra realize what he intended. Those words, they were meant to be his farewell. He knew I’d come here. This is a trap!
She ran to the door and looked out. Thank the goddess, no one’s coming. She stepped into the hall to escape back out of the atrium. As her eyes readjusted to the dark, at the end of the hall Zahra saw a sight she didn’t expect to see. Her little, white fur ball of a cat, Ace, sat there as if he beckoned her toward the exit. Of course you’re no worse for wear in all of this aren’t you little buddy. She tried to walk toward Ace, but torches flickered, and voices shouted in the stairwell from below. Ace turned to look and ran off back up the stairs. I’ll see you again soon. Stay safe!
Zahra realized she would have to find a new escape plan but as she turned to head for the battlement, another sight greeted her. In his stone-grey armor and black cape was Rygar. The trap is sprung. “I will offer you one chance, get out of my way or you will pay for it with your life!” Zahra threatened. He refused and drew Eclipse against her. She drew Talon and stared him down while the footsteps behind her drew closer.
“Is this it, Zahra? Is this how we end? After many years of raising you as my daughter and teaching you to become the fiercest warrior I’ve ever known, now you raise your sword against me?” He looked at the blade of his own as if he reacquainted himself with its weight in his hand.
“You’ve already made your decision. You are nothing more than a treasonous serpent who courts death.” She raised her sword and pointed it toward him. “Every memory we’ve created is tarnished by the man you’ve become. The father I knew is lost, for before me stands a monster. Nothing more than the shadow of a better man.”
Her words stung him, his voice was pained, and she knew he didn’t want to fight her but was prepared for what he must. “Did you read my letter, Zahra? Do you even care why I chose the course that I did?”
She felt the anger in her boil up as the sheyde took her. I could slip this ring on and bring an end to you, yet it would be an end to everything. She looked down at Talon. What relics can’t be used to finish, a sword can. “No, I cast it into the fire.” She saw it disturbed him that she hadn’t read it. “Your secrets are known only to the flames now.” Anger, betrayal, distrust. The sheyde within her used and manipulated it all.
Across from him, Rygar saw the girl he had forsaken—his daughter, whom he had lost. The green of the sheyde flickered in her eyes, casting a devilish light that cut through the darkness of the night. Illuminated by the glow from his chamber, he saw a dark aura surrounding her, then a flash of silver steel thrusting outward from it.
Zahra followed through and pressed her attack in the narrow corridor. Steel met steel under the light of the moon and, as swords caught the stone of the wall, sparks flew. Zahra fought, wild, with a reckless abandon, matched equally by Rygar’s decades of swordsmanship and a stout defense. She was fast, spurred on by the sheyde and every bit the fighter he trained for more than a decade.
“Stop this, Zahra. I need you to understand.” He tried to reach her, but she continued the attack. She pushed him back past her exit but pressed on. Zahra paid no attention to his repeated attempts to bring this to an end. She didn’t want diplomacy, she wanted his head.
Rygar’s sword sliced across Zahra’s left shoulder, reopening an old wound from the Heaven’s Fall. Blood streamed down her arm, staining her hand. She grabbed him by the throat and kicked him backward to the ground, then placed Talon’s blade against his throat.
“I trusted you. My brother and sister trusted you and you failed us.” The Lucian Company’s soldiers reached the top of the stairs and, when they saw Zahra with her sword to Rygar’s throat they sprinted down the corridor toward her. She looked back at him and gritted her teeth. “This isn’t over, coward. I have you so marked for death, and you will beg for me to give it to you before the end.”
As the bells of Namelle tolled outside, Zahra ran onto the battlement. She sprinted to the end and could go no further. In the distance of the road to the north she made out two riders. Good, Hikari is safe. You did it, Lin. The sheyde subsided and Zahra turned to fight. Two Lucians, brave or stupid by her judgment, charged her from the ranks. She reminded them why the legend of Zahra Ke’elle was real, having parried one strike, and side stepped another. Zahra drove Talon into one soldier’s back and sent him down into a puddle of his own blood.
The other turned back toward her and swung with a heavy slash. She blocked it and pushed the soldier’s sword to the side. She cut across his stomach and spun around to push Talon through his armor into his side. As he bent over, she withdrew her sword and sliced downward to remove his head. More Lucians ran down the battlement with Rygar in their midst. She jumped up to the edge, peaked over and looked back at him. Rygar shook his head.
But what option do I have.
“Don’t try it! You know nothing but death awaits you there.” Rygar tried to reason with her, and hoped the unyielded Zahra might listen. “Please, come down and let’s talk through this.”
She put Talon back into its sheath and leapt from the wall. As she fell towards certain death, Zahra closed her eyes and accepted the brief moment of peace. Whump! She landed on something soft she hadn’t expected.
What is this? If this is the simplicity of death, then everyone should try it... at least once.
“Let’s go, Zahra. We have to get out of here!” Avery pulled her out of the cart of hay positioned at the bottom of the wall. She grabbed his hand and hopped over the side. “Here, get on.” He passed her the reins of a horse while he mounted another.
“Heads up!” Taren Sere exclaimed from atop a third horse as the Lucians fired crossbow bolts down on them. Avery held up his shield to protect Zahra and deflected one bound for her chest. “Let’s go, we can’t linger here.”
The three riders galloped away from the wall as fast as their horses could carry them. As Zahra looked back, she saw Rygar watch her and then turn away. The gates of Namelle didn’t open and no pursuit was mounted. Zahra, Avery, and Taren had ridden less than twenty minutes before they arrived at the old port on the north-western beaches of Aenne Aelle.
The few docks left were dilapidated, but they hosted a large ship with another unmanned vessel opposite it. On the dock were Lin and Hikari, who waited in the light rain that fell from above, relieved to see the others were safe. After they dismounted, the group embraced one another. Everything that needed to be said was felt in those moments between them, there at the harbor.
“To Shiun then?” Zahra asked Lin and Hikari.
“Back to the halls of my father, the three of us,” Hikari replied, running her hands over her stomach. In the chaos of everything that happened, Zahra forgot that Hikari carried her brother’s child. She smiled, knowing her brother’s heir was safe and that a part of him still existed.
“Find her, Zahra,” Hikari said. “If Alira’s alive, you have to bring her home.”
Zahra hugged both Hikari and Lin and saw them onboard the ship. The three stayed on the dock until the Shiunese vessel slipped away from the dock. It sailed for the open ocean, fighting the swells brought on by the heavy, storm winds that created white-capped waves.
“Well, what now?” Avery asked. “We can’t go back to Namelle. Can’t say we’d be welcomed.”
Taren looked across the water. “We sail for Port d’Espoir, to Talliers. We’ll be welcome there. The Verbrandt family and Riennes family share a close history.”
“In this weather? Are you crazy? The storm will swallow us whole!” Avery had no desire to entertain putting the small fishing boat out left at the dock into the bay.
“What choice do we have, Avery?” Zahra asked. “Lead on Taren, to Talliers it is.”
The three walked down the dock and boarded the boat as Taren cast it off the side and opened the sail. Under the cover of clouds and rain the world was dark and the ocean fierce. Thunder crashed and lightning illuminated the clouds as wind howled, ripping through their boat’s sail.
“We need to row as hard as we can or the wind will push us off course,” Taren ordered as the others sat down to row. Each swell grew greater, and their oars contended with the white capped waves. “It’s only a short distance. Keep this up and we can make it by morning mes amis!”
Was that... Amienne?
Fatigue set in quickly. The ship was tossed relentlessly by the unforgiving ocean. A rogue wave struck, sending half the oars into the sea. The three voyagers clung to the sides of the boat as another wave smashed into them. Soaked and shivering, they huddled together near the rudder.
A third wave hit with such force that Zahra was thrown headfirst into the mast. Her head struck hard and split open. Dazed and unsteady, she could barely stay upright. Avery grabbed her to keep her from collapsing. Over her shoulder, he saw a towering wave rise up and crash over the boat, plunging them beneath the surface.
When he surfaced, he realized the boat had capsized and sank to the bottom of the bay. Clinging to Zahra, Avery tried to call out for Taren, but he was nowhere in sight. Adrift in the storm’s fury, Avery held Zahra tightly and prayed for dawn’s arrival.
* * *
Rygar sat at his desk, twirling a cup of wine as he stared into the fire. Alira and Cael were deceased, Hikari escaped, and his own daughter wanted his head. The wood in the fire crackled and spit its hot embers into the air above where they faded into nothingness.
Over his shoulder he heard it, a sound he had dreaded for so long. A dark rift opened in his chamber and sapped all but the last embers of his fire. Out of the blackness, Calos came through. In the dark of the chamber, the demon’s yellow eyes watched him. The moment of Rygar’s reckoning had come. He tipped up his cup and finished the last of his wine, letting the empty vessel drop from his hand and roll to a stop on the floor.
“If you’ve come to end my life, just do it. You can’t take from me any more than that which I’ve already lost.”
Calos’s laughter echoed through the chamber. “You will answer to him when he arrives. Rest assured, now is not your time. You still have a purpose to serve us. The Imperator has sent me to ensure it.”
“What purpose could I have left? I’m finished, just end it already.”
“Not yet.” Calos’s gaze drifted to a painting of Zahra on the wall. He extended a clawed finger to trace her face. “When she returns, she will come looking for you.” Calos turned his eyes back to Rygar’s. “And when she does, we’ll be waiting.”
Chapter XIII
The Flame of Talliers
The torches flickered against the darkness of the night sky, burning as though the stars had descended from the Embrace and danced among the crowd. The chill of fresh blood–his blood–against my throat. I resigned myself to the inevitable, ready to join my brother. I was close, feeling as if he waited for me just beyond my sight. Afraid for me to cross over alone. Then came the sword of fire, and the brave warrior pushed on by someone...else. Kaata, he called it.
It has been too long since the language of Amienne graced my ears. ‘Lend me your flame. Burn away the darkness.’ He held back the dark one and drove it from sight. That’s when I saw it. The face of my rescuer-
“Emile!” Alira shouted across an empty room as she sat up in bed. It took a few moments for the beating of her heart to slow as she held a hand to her head. It’s... fine? Her right hand was mended, with no evidence of an invasive procedure and no binding to keep it together. As she looked around, Alira noticed the beautiful, white marble flooring give way to grey stone walls decorated with intricate, woven tapestries and painted works of art. Underneath her she felt the comfort of the bed she laid on. I can’t quite remember the last time I slept in a bed this comfortable, for it is a greater luxury than even Namelle can boast. She felt the dryness of her mouth, barren as she traversed the sand wastes of Reyvia. Reaching for a cup on the table next to her, Alira tilted it back toward her mouth. It didn’t go down easy and wasn’t the drink of water she expected. The taste of wine hit her throat, and she coughed. It gave off an unrefined air as she spilled some on the white night dress she wore. Thank the stars no one was around to see that. Ugh, what a mess you’ve made.
“You know,” a voice came from her left, soft and endearing. Alira snapped backward against her pillow and pulled the blanket over her head. “You should have been better, uh– ‘Quest-ce que c’est–ah! Here, take this one.” Alira felt ashamed that someone had witnessed her spectacle, but she was thirsty, and thrust out her hand from beneath the blanket. The stranger offered her the cup and Alira pulled it back beneath the covers. This is much, much, better. The tepid water tasted clean, unlike the stale, warm water from the army’s waterskins she had recently become accustomed to. The after taste of the dryness that washed away was horrid, but she was much better off.
She passed the cup back out and it was taken by the helpful person who was obscured by her linen cover, but the voice called to her again.
“I am happy you are–uh–well, my lady. Will you come out today?”
Oh how I missed the accent of Amienne. So soft, so graceful. She pulled the blankets down over her eyes. So romant- Alira’s eyes met those of, by the gown and headdress she wore, the young nurse who helped her recuperate. Her beauty struck Alira, the way strands of her sandy hair cascaded down her face, highlighting her strong jaw line and punctuating her supple body. “My lady? Are you okay?”
It took Alira a moment to clear her head and wind her jaw off the floor, but she managed to smile and bumble out whatever words she could. “You, um. You... Ahem! I uh. I’m... I’m Alira.” What is this? Breathe, Alira. Just breathe. As hard of a time as this poor girl must have had to put Alira back together, she would have a greater struggle to clean up the melted puddle Alira turned into.
“I apologize–où sont mes manières? I am Amélie Duval, your chosen nurse by the charity of sa Majesté, Emile Riennes.”
“Emile...Riennes...” Alira hung on every word Amélie spoke and repeated it under her breath. The unstressed words flowed out from the most beautiful person Alira had ever seen. They were a melody which cast the world’s worries aside and drew her in. A voice I could listen to every moment for the rest of my life.
“I’m pleased to see you’re finally awake.” The girls stopped staring at one another and turned to see Emile in the doorway. “I thought you might never come back.” The man’s version of her voice. Ugh! Why can’t my voice sound like this?
“Ah, Sire. Excusez-moi!” Amélie curtsied to show her respect. “I had not seen you there. Oh I do apologize for-”
“Ce n’est pas un problème, Amélie. Please, I am happy to see you’ve taken such wonderful care of our guest. I am in your gratitude.” He bowed his head to her, a true honor in Talliers and a sign of change. The old king bowed before no one. “If you’ll excuse us, we have the matter of state to discuss.”
“Of course your highness.” Amélie gave a subtle smile to Alira out the corner of her mouth and departed the room. As Emile closed over the door Alira hollered out, “farewell Amélie!” Her voice trailed off as Emile lowered the latch.
Emile watched Alira, seeing her face flush red and her eyes trying their hardest to see through the wooden obstruction as Amélie passed by on the other side. As her eyes shifted to Emile, she saw his arms were folded and the silliest grin was on his face.
“What?”
“I know that look, Alira. You can’t hide it from me.”
“Listen, you. I don’t know what you think you saw-”
“C’est l’amour.”
“No! It isn’t.” She shook her head in denial of the accusation. “Don’t go there.”
“Have we put the cat into a corner? How you guard the shame for your emotions. Feel them, and all that they bring.” Alira refused to touch on a topic as sensitive as love. “She is beautiful though, no?”
“No.” She’s stunning.
“No?”
“No!” Admit it, Alira. “Okay, fine... she’s pretty.”
“Is that all?”
Alira tapped her leg and bit the tip of her tongue to try and hold the truth back; it was no use. “Okay, she’s the most beautiful person I’ve ever seen, Emile. There, I said it. Is that what you wanted?” Alira was annoyed she had to acknowledge her feelings in front of him. He always knows. Why does he always know? Comforting to see he hasn’t lost his touch, but annoying all the same.
“That is exactly what I hoped for, the Alira I remember. How I’ve missed you my old friend.” He pulled a chair next to her bed and Alira moved over to sit on the edge. As the smile left his face, Alira sensed that this next conversation wasn’t going to be easy.
“I need to know what happened.” A great flood of memories and horrific images filled her mind. A million little doors that locked away unimaginable horrors, were thrown open at once. “Start from the beginning.”
She breathed deep and closed her eyes. She pushed the air out of her lungs with a deep sigh as her foot tapped on the floor. An involuntary release of energy, but no matter what she did, nothing would tell the story for her. She had to find a way to lighten it, if only for herself. “It was sunny that morning. I had just picked up Zahra, who I bested as we sparred in the courtyard the day before we departed.”
He dropped his head and shook it. “Do you want to start over? Don’t lie to me again.”
“Emile...”
“Alira...”
“...ugh, fine.”
* * *
“That’s it. That’s everything.” The ebb and flow of emotion that Alira had been through in the last hour exhausted her. Having told the story and been forced to relive each moment of that nightmarish menagerie again was trying.
