A Quick Sun Rises (23 page)

“Good. If Teek does get here soon, send him after us. As agreed, we will get supplies in Aleron and then start into the forest. If he does not reach us before hand then he should return to you. From what I have heard of the Underwoods he should not go in there alone. We will make our search and then return as quickly as possible to you at Bedler’s Keep.”

Jack nodded and then smiled sadly. “We have come a long way in such a short time we two.”

Thane smiled back, the love he felt for this man equal to that he would have happily given to a worthy and deserving father. Absently he looked to his side where Jne had always been and a feeling of deep sorrow and loss quickly swept over him to not find her there.

“You have forgotten one thing, Master Thane.”

All eyes turned to see Prince Ranse and his constant companion, Jace, approaching them. “We need the men stationed at Aleron.”

Thane bowed slightly in greeting but countered the once prince’s argument. “I haven’t time to try and convince the people there that a Tjal-Dihn warrior is on a mission from the king to pull them away from their posts.”

Ranse smiled. “You will not need to. I and Jace will be coming with you.”

“Impossible,” Jack countered. “They take the sky road on the backs of the giant birds,” he said, pointing to the winging creatures overhead.

Ranse did not look up, but instead stared at Thane. “We will go with them.” Then, turning back to Jack he included, “with your permission, my liege. We need those men and like Thane has so aptly accounted, they will not answer to his call. That is why I have volunteered myself to go in his place.”

Jack considered the offer. It was true what all of them had said. And though he appreciated Ranse’s candor and experience when dealing with the daily responsibilities with court matters, it was essential to gather as many to them as could carry arms. “Can they carry you all?” Jack asked.

Thane shrugged. “I can’t say but it would appear that we will find out very quickly.”

Jack nodded, his hand still held fast to his gray beard. “Apparently we will.”

Chapter Eighteen 

The wind pressed against him with increasing force and Teek could not help the scream of excitement that dribbled from his lips. No longer was he taken by the sickness that had made his rides with Tchee almost unbearable. Replacing the nauseated stomach was now one that thrilled at the altitude, speed, and maneuvering that was the giant bird. Gone too was the depressing boredom of camp that had been chipping away at the wall of emotions that he’d been building to keep back the emptiness that was still his burden to carry at the loss of his family. Tryg had not been the lifting spirit he’d originally thought he would be. The knowledge that he was not the only Waseeni still in existence was a sort of comfort in some sense, but Tryg’s lack of any social skills in the least made him almost more of a burden than a relief. Luckily he had found a good friend in Domis and wished now that he were there with him enjoying the ride.

Tchee dipped left and then rose with a current of air as she sought for greater altitude so they could spy out Zadok’s army without getting too close to Calandra or becoming an obvious target for his pet dragons. Though Tchee’s size made her much quicker and agile in flying, they still did not relish an encounter with the death breathing serpents. Trying to concentrate on his duty and purpose for being in the air, Teek scanned the area between the capital and the fleeing refugees. The long swath they had cut in their escape from the great city was clear but still remained empty of any pursuit. He shuttered to think of what had kept the enemy within Calandra for such a long period of time while their ultimate quarry inched farther away.

* * *

Quickly pulling his sword from his opponent’s chest cavity, he splattered the dead man’s blood on the approaching guard just before burying it into his chest. Three others came at him from the side but the blood lust that fueled his strength was just beginning to rage as he quickly dispatched the first and then attacked the remaining two. It was obvious from the start that though they outnumbered him, neither had a chance except to run if they desired to extend their lives a few moments more. He did give them credit for at least making an effort to protect their employer to the end as she cowered in the corner, her gasps at the violence making him even hungrier for the death that came at the end of his blade. Though the floor was slick from all of the freely spilt blood, he was an expert at such play and could not be counted on to falter in his movements or his steps. Feigning such a mistake drew the other two in for what they assumed would be his demise but both were surprised to find themselves slashed to the ground awash in their own gore.

Scanning the room for any others who thought to play, Resdin finally found himself alone with the Dona of the house, her husband having fled the residence earlier to find his death on the slow roasting spit of a troll somewhere.

“Well, my dear,” he smiled wickedly while wiping the blood from his blade in the hair of the still breathing guard that lie at his feet anxiously awaiting death’s reprieve. “Alone at last.”

Sheathing his sword, he approached the woman who put on her best airs of defiance though her trembling lip gave her away to panic. “How dare you, sir,” she snapped. Resdin found himself somewhat impressed that her voice at least held firm without quivering. “You will pay for such audacity.”

“Actually,” he sneered, grabbing a handful of her hair and pulling her head back, “I figured I would be rewarded.” Leaning close, he forced a kiss to her lips and though she struggled to extricate herself from such a vile murderer, he was too strong for her. Finally pulling away, Resdin gave her his most evil grin. “Now tell the truth,” he slithered. “That was better than you thought it would be.”

The woman, whose face was now wet with tears, spat in Resdin’s face hoping it would earn her a quick death. Resdin’s hand cocked but was stayed by a soft voice calling his name from the doorway.

“Resdin. That is not how you were taught to treat a woman.”

Dragging his shirtsleeve across his face, he turned and bowed slightly to the old man that glided across the marble floor, careful to avoid the puddles of blood without seeming to even notice them. “My lord,” Resdin offered.

Zadok sighed as he surveyed the carnage. “With such a fine home as this, you would think they could afford decent servants to clean up the messes. What is the report?” he demanded, his voice taking on an icy tone.

Resdin looked at the woman and whispered, “We will continue our discussion later, my love,” before releasing her and turning his full attention back to Zadok. “It would appear that they flee for the stronghold that is Bedler’s Keep.”

Zadok laughed, his chilling cackles echoing through the large hall. “What irony, my son, that this should end where it began so many centuries ago. I cherish the taste of it in my mouth.”

“But the keep will pose a greater defense,” Resdin offered.

“That it will,” Zadok smiled. “But you forget I have the memory of the place. Its secrets were given up to me long ago and I have not let them slip away. And what is it to me that more trolls should find their deaths as we assail it to take it? The promise of even greater treasure will be more than enough to keep them under foot until I am through with them.” His voice took on a tone of mocking grandeur. “Have I not already given them the spoils of Haykon and now the grand capital of Calandra? Their natural lusts for blood and death will press them on to the very gates of hell before they even recognize the leash by which they are held. It will not be so difficult as you might fear.”

Resdin watched the woman in the corner of his eye slowly and deliberately move toward the closest guard who still begged for elusive death to finally take him. “But would it not be grander to rob them of their safe haven and cut them down with the very gates in sight?”

“That is your problem,” Zadok snapped. “You are too much like the foul creatures at my command; always anxious for the next quick death found at the end of a blade.” His voice soothed to a near whisper. “You must learn the intoxicating delicacy to be had in taking in each delicious course, each nuance of pain and suffering that comes from the long, slow, calculated sapping of another’s hope as you move to end his life. The sheer ecstasy and rapture as you slowly draw it out, devouring every last portion as it drips from your victim.”

Resdin felt a cold shiver running up his neck as he listened to Zadok’s words, suddenly feeling revolted by them even in the face of such butchery as littered the floor. Even he was not so sick as that. Yes, he enjoyed the powerful rush that came from holding the power of another’s life and then taking it from him, but even he would not go so far as Zadok suggested. His words placed him in lower degeneracy than even the goblins or trolls.

“And what of the dragons?” Resdin asked, knowing all too well that the leviathans were not so easily controlled as the rest of the army. “They grow tired of the wait.”

Zadok smiled a wicked grin that seemed to draw the heat from the room. “Yes. I think that perhaps the time has finally arrived to introduce ourselves to the rest of the people, don’t you think?”

Even Resdin felt a slight tremor at the lust for death that dripped from his Lord’s voice. “As you say, milord,” he answered with another bow.

“We move as soon as this rabble is convinced that they have had their fill,” Zadok suddenly stated and then turned without further comment and exited the room.

Resdin watched him leave and then turned back to the woman who now held the guard’s sword in her hand. Resdin grinned. “Decided to play have we?” he chuckled wickedly.

She turned, almost startled by his voice, the resolute mixture of defiance and fear gone from her face. Now all he saw was the chilling, blank stare of the dead. Turning the sword point to her breast, and without hesitation, she fell upon it and added her life to those taken by Resdin, robbing him of his foul intent.

Without the slightest look of pity, he stared blankly at the woman and then turned for the door after his master.

* * *

It wasn’t until Tchee had passed the sprawling camp below that Teek realized she wasn’t stopping. The sun was waning quickly in the west, making its final farewells as night grew in strength on the horizon and the roc carried forth toward the mountains. “Tchee,” he screamed above the rush of the wind. “Tchee, you’ve passed it. We are going past the camp.”

But the giant bird seemed not to hear, her wings’ steady beat continued as they flew further away from the others. “Tchee!” Teek called out, this time patting her back to try and get her attention. But she ignored him still, save for a loud screech of annoyance at his pounding hand. Teek looked back at the fading camp as its mass slowly grew smaller in the distance. “But I have to be there in the morning,” he said, mostly to himself, a small tear building in his eye. “I will miss helping the others if we don’t return.” This time his banging was more desperate but Tchee seemed either not to feel it or not to care about his desperation. “Please,” he finally said, halting his barrage. “Please.”

Tchee belted out a loud roar but her course remained straight and true. Teek leaned forward and rested his head in the down feathers against her neck knowing he had no choice as to their destination. He comforted himself in the fact that he trusted the large bird with his life. Never before had she ever done anything to harm him or allowed harm to come to him. Maybe wherever it was she was taking them would still permit time for them to be back to the camp in the morning.

He watched as the miles seemed to rush away in the blur that was the ground below until night quickly overtook their flight, bathing him in darkness of sight and mood. He now knew in his heart that wherever it was that Tchee was taking them would not allow him to return to Thane and the others by morning. The guilt of failing them washed over him like an icy tide that bathed him in tears. How would they find the trees without him? He felt a sudden flash of hot anger toward Tchee for stealing him away and the thought came to just leap from her back to his doom. He could then be with his family again, he told himself, building his courage with his rising anger that would give him the strength to follow through with it. His rage carried him to point of gloating at the pain that Tchee would surely feel for causing his death. She would be sorry for robbing him and the others of such an important trek as that of finding the old trees that seemed so important. He let his thoughts dwell on how satisfied he would feel at her sorrow as payment for the pain she was causing him now but soon the bitter taste of his revenge lost its appeal as he knew he would not do something so foolish as take his own life just to try and make a bird sad over it. Though he was certain she loved him, maybe it would make her happier to have him gone. Then she would not be tied to him as she was.

He sighed heavily as if clearing his mind of the poison that had been clouding his thoughts. Tchee had been nothing but helpful thus far, and he couldn’t fathom her being anything else in what she was taking him to do right then. Her timing was just not what he felt was the most efficient or advantageous. Pressing his body as far into the soft, warm feathers as he could, He was finally able to fight off the annoying rumblings of an empty stomach and drift off to sleep.

It was morning when he was awakened by the loud roar that was Tchee’s mighty call. The air was chilled in the early dawn as the sun was again reaching for the skies above. He was surprised that he had slept the whole night and was even more shocked to find they were flying over what could only be the Dorian Mountains. Was she taking him back to his empty home in the Teague swamplands? Was this her way of trying to protect him? Though he knew that the war would likely claim his life, he didn’t want to return to the swamps. There was nothing but sorrow for him there now.

Looking in all directions he was surprised that all he could see were mountains. They were flying lower now so his vision of the world was not so broad yet he knew he would be able to see the edges of the Underwoods if she were flying him home. But if not home then where?

Tchee suddenly banked left avoiding an extremely high peak before circling back to the right as they passed as if she sought the far side. Making a long, lazy arch, she swept around and then dropped quickly into what appeared to be a naturally forming bowl protected on all sides by large, jagged peaks. Teek was overcome by the beauty of the place realizing that he was most likely the first person to ever set eyes there.

As Tchee dropped further in he got a better view of the forest of trees that clung to the area fed by the multiple streams and falls that dripped from the ice capped peaks and fed a large lake toward the center. Deeper in he could see the carpeted meadows dotted with a burst of color from the hundreds of different types of plants and flowers that were almost too much for him to take in at once.

Passing low across the lake, he could see large bodies racing through the water just below the surface but far enough down that he wasn’t able to clearly make out what they were. He assumed fish, but some of the shapes seemed too long or too large to be any type of fish he’d ever seen or heard about in the most generous of storytelling. He felt Tchee dip slightly and then heard the gentle splash of her talons touch the water before pulling up again just as the lake ended into one of the large meadows that dotted the area.

Slowing quickly, Tchee flapped her wings and settled them down into the soft grass whereupon, dropping from her back, Teek discovered a fish that she dropped from her right foot. He was about to thank her and ask why and where they were going when her wings suddenly stretched out again and quickly lifted her skyward.