A Quick Sun Rises (47 page)

“You deserve worse than this,” he whispered as he buried his blade up to the hilt into Zadok’s chest.

Zadok’s eyes widened as he dropped to his knees and then finally crumpled over. Thane’s sword pulled free and he slowly bent down and wiped the blood off on Zadok’s robe. Staring down at the pitiful man that had caused so much death, sorrow and pain he found that it was all he could do not to hack away at his flesh until nothing remained but the awful memory. Turning away, he replaced his sword in its sheath and then tore the heart arrow from his thigh. The pain came back in such a rush as to almost throw him to the ground. Tearing a piece of cloth from his sleeve, he wrapped the wound and then started for the edge of the balcony. Jne was in trouble, he had to find her.

A sudden sense of loss began to build in his heart and he felt a tear break from his eye and travel down his cheek. Peering over the edge, Zadok’s army seemed in disarray as the enemy began turning on itself. A distant howl broke through the rumble far below drawing his attention to the south. Focusing his keen eyes toward the forest, he watched in wonder as hundreds of Kybara raced over the plain toward the enemy, breaking into the lines like a wave of the sea.

Their howls seemed to be answered by another call high in the heavens as a hundred or more rocs dove out of the clouds plunging toward the valley floor. Thane just caught sight of Teek riding Tchee as they lead them down baring claw and beak. Casting his spirit after them, he found Azaforte as he pulled a retreating troll from the ground and drove him into a group of goblins who had cast off their weapons and were running away.

Thane called out in desperation as the feeling of darkness that gripped his heart grew more intense.

* * *

It didn’t take long for Tam to locate Thane as his battle with Zadok lit up the sky with spectacular and frightening light as they hammered at each other back and forth. The air itself almost seemed ignited with energy and power and she found it difficult to maintain a stream of wind as she approached. Ignoring the danger to herself, she pressed forward calling out to Thane with all her might but something seemed to be blocking her. She attempted to draw closer but was met by a wall of power that refused to give her passage.

Calling for as much strength of wind as she dared, she pounded against the invisible barrier again and again, screaming at the top of her lungs but to no avail. She was becoming desperate as she watched them battle, neither gaining the upper hand as they seemed matched in their abilities and power.

She saw the tendril of air that suddenly dispatched from Thane moving like a snake across the ground and then into the dragon’s chest. She wondered at it as she mounted assault after assault against the invisible wall. She gasped as the finger of air suddenly snapped back, the heart arrow clutch in slim fingers that then plunged the arrow into Thane’s thigh. Not understanding the significance at first, she screamed in agony with Thane and then found she was no longer held a bay.

“Thane!” she screamed, “Thane, you must come! She needs you or she will die! You must come now!”

Suddenly she was back in her body looking down at her friend who was now shivering. “Hold on, Jne,” she cried, covering the Tjal woman’s hand with her own over the gaping wound in her chest. “I found him. I found Thane. He is coming to heal you. Just please hold on.”

Jne’s face was pale, too pale, from the tremendous loss of blood. Her lips were tinged blue and her breathing was labored flashing pain across her face with every breath.

“Do not mourn…for me,” she whispered up at Tam. “I have fought with honor. There is no…shame in my death. Thane can stand with his head held…high over me.”

“No, Jne,” Tam balled, her tears running down her cheeks and dripping off of her chin. “You are going to live to marry him. He is coming and will heal you. We can’t go on without you. You two are meant to be together!”

“No, Tam.” Jne said, her voice becoming weaker and harder to hear. “I die with honor…yet, I would trade…it away…and die…in…shame…in my old…age if it could be…with him.” She took a deep, painful breath and then slowly let it out.

Tam screamed into the air, her sobs becoming uncontrollable as she wept over Jne’s body. Suddenly a shadow passed over her face as a great bird landed with a screech in the courtyard. Through her tears she saw Thane as he flew from the bird and raced desperately toward them.

“Tam,” he started to say, but upon seeing Jne, he pulled her hand away from the gaping wound in Jne’s chest and placed his their instead. Calling for his Tane, the QenChe fires pulled at the dead space created by Sireen’s sword, knitting the flesh together anew as it healed it from the inside out. Without pause, he moved his hand along the gash higher up and then finally placed his hand on her arm where the blood flow seemed to have stopped.

Finally looking at her pale face, he realized that she was no long breathing. “No!” he cried, pressing his lips to her ear. “No, Jne! You can’t leave me alone. Please, don’t leave me along.”

Tam placed her hand on his arm, her tears racing in a deluge down her face. “She’s gone, Thane,” she said softly. “It’s too late. You did what you could.”

Thane stared at her for a moment and then looked down at Jne’s lifeless form. She was still, and yet, even in her current condition, his breath caught in his throat at how beautiful she was and how much he loved her. His vision blurred, as the tears began to give form to his emotions, his heart aching in his chest. Was his god so cruel as to insist he be alone his whole life never experiencing the companionship and love of a soulmeet? Was his lot to be always cast amongst the outcast and forgotten, to live a life void of solace and warmth? Raising his face to the sky he screamed out his anguish and rage. “NO!”

Looking back at the woman he loved, the woman he had waited for to give his life and love, he froze as a dim light seemed to gather about her skin. Slowly at first, as if fighting to be free, and then with greater ease, he watched as her spirit released itself from her body and began to rise. “Jne,” he called after her, but her face was lifted upward, seeing something afar off that was beyond his sight. “Wait,” he called after her, but she seemed not to hear as she slowly began to rise into the silent air. Becoming desperate, he looked back down to her body and then over to Tam who was watching him quizzically.

“Air,” he finally said. “She needs air.”

Tam’s face turned to one of concern at Thane’s sudden babbling. “She’s dead, Thane. She’s gone.”

“No!” he insisted. Pointing up he pled, “Can’t you see her, Tam? Don’t you see her spirit? I can call it back. I know I can, but she needs air.”

Tam stared at him, her face changing from a look of concern to fear. “Please, Thane,” she said, “I don’t see anything. She’s gone.”

“No!” Thane shouted at her. “I won’t let her go! She needs air, Tam. Use your Tane. Force air into her lungs while I get her back. She needs to breathe. Please, do this for me. Please.” He was pleading now, the tears pouring out as he begged for Tam to help him.

Fearful that her friend had snapped under the strain, she nonetheless did as he requested, calling the wind in a stream to fill Jne’s lungs and then allowing the natural weight of her chest to force it back out.

“That’s it,” he said, smiling through his tears. “That’s it. Don’t stop.”

Throwing his spirit into the air, he shot upwards quickly becoming even with Jne’s. Reaching for her arm, he felt her skin as they made contact, wrapping his fingers around her wrist and pulling her back. Her head was still raised, ignoring everything around her until she noticed that her progression had halted. Pulling on her arm, her face clouded as she struggled to be set free, but Thane held tight.

“Jne,” he called to her. “Jne, wait.”

At the sound of his voice she dropped her eyes and stared at him, her face blank as if not recognizing who he was.

“Jne,” he begged, “it’s me. It’s Thane. Don’t you know me?”

For a moment she just stared as if confused and then she smiled. “Have you died as well?” she asked.

“No, Jne,” he smiled with relief. “No, and you don’t have to either. Look,” he said pointing down to her body. “Look, I’ve healed your wounds. You don’t have to go. See,” he said, his voice cracking, “you’re still breathing. You have to come back. I need you to come back,” he said pleading.

Jne glanced back at whatever it was she could see overhead and for a brief moment he thought she was going to say no. But then she turned her beautiful blue eyes back to him and simply said, “Thane.” And then she was gone.

Looking around, he became desperate, his heart dying within him as he felt he’d truly lost her when suddenly, Tam cried out. “She spoke! She called your name!”

Thane returned to his body in an instant reaching out and taking Jne’s hand that suddenly felt warm and had less of a grey, waxy hue.

“She said your name,” Tam cried, releasing her Tane and crying with joy as they watched Jne’s chest rise and fall on its own. “You were right,” she said, throwing her arms around Thane’s neck and hugging him. “You were right.”

Epilogue 

With the dragons and Zadok dead, the battle took a quick and easy turn for those defending the keep. No longer did the enemy have Zadok’s controlling magic to keep discipline and order and quickly the inbred hatred the orcs, goblins and trolls had for each other turned the battle against Bedler’s Keep into infighting and brawls amongst themselves. And, with the added help from the Kybara and the rocs, even though they were still grossly outnumbered, the fighters in the keep were able to break through the hold over the secret exit and take, once again to the battlefield. Dwarf, human and Tjal fought individually and together creating a great wedge that forced the enemy away from the keep and then finally sent them fleeing for their lives back to the mountains and forests that were their homes. Detachments were sent after them to insure that they returned to their own lands while taking down any stragglers that might have fallen behind looking for an easy kill at a farm or small village.

Once the fighting was ended, the rocs returned to the skies, splitting off into all directions finding their way back to their homes, wherever they might be. The Kybara did the same, returning to the Underwoods Forest where they promised to await the return of their Chufa lords and guardians. The remaining Tjal gathered their few dead for the funeral pyre, save for Soyak, and then slipped away back toward the plains of Enn without so much as a nod of recognition or farewell. They had come to the aid of their human neighbors, even having fought beside them, but that was the end of their amity.

Helgar sent the majority of his people back to the Dorian Mountains where they were to rebuild Thornen Dar while he and Bardolf stayed behind to help with the clean up and to represent the Dwarf people when the new king was crowned. Rangor also stayed, ignoring Helgar’s ranting about not needing a babysitter.

Ranse dispatched the remaining army to burn the enemy dead and bury their own before sending them back to their old garrisons at Calandra and Aleron. It took six days to complete the task. The warrior healers returned to their original skills and helped their companions minister to the needs of the injured as the keep was turned into a hospital for the rest of the summer until all the wounded had recovered and were able to return to their homes.

When Dor and Erl were finally able to reach Jack, he had long since passed into the next world. Only a trail of blood marked the path that Resdin had taken in an attempt to make an escape but it soon ended with his body slumped over in a nearby closet. Ranse ordered that both bodies be wrapped in royal garments and prepared for burial. Jack would be laid to rest in the tomb of his fathers there at Bedler’s Keep with all the regalia and honor that was befitting a king, while Resdin was burned in a secret ceremony affording him as much honor as possible due to the circumstances. Though he’d fought with the enemy, none of those who knew the situation blamed him too harshly or objected to Ranse’s decree of mercy.

It wasn’t until the next morning when the men were gathering goblin bodies from the courtyard where Soyak had made her valiant stand that they were able to discover her body. Covered by the corpse of a huge troll, it appeared that both had impaled each other with the huge goblin landing on top of Soyak’s withered frame. She still had a smile on her face.

With tears in her eyes, Tam helped Dor gather the Tjal woman’s body, insisting she be the one that cleaned it in preparation for her funeral pyre. It was quickly determined that they would send her off with their respects that very night.

Jne was placed in a palatial room where she could be fussed over by at least two healers at all times. In the brief moments she was awake, she tried to send them away, insisting she was not in need of pampering, but thankfully she would almost just as quickly be overcome by exhaustion and fall back into unconsciousness. Thane had been able to heal up her wounds using his Tane, and he’d used his VerSagn blood to heal her from infection, but even he did not have the power to recreate blood in her body; at least not that he’d been able to discover so far. So, it was a matter of letting her rest and then forcing as much broth and liquid down her as she would allow in those brief and combative moments that she was awake.

Jack was interred that afternoon in a garden area that seemed a nice place to spend the afternoon. Even the tomb in its bright marble surrounded by spring flowers gave off a tranquil and peaceful feeling that didn’t plunge the visitor into the lonely contemplations of death but rather a celebration of the life once lived. Ranse had insisted that Jack’s body be paraded through the nearby town and then up the lonely walk toward his final resting place as was required to show respect when a king died, but he was quickly given over to agreement when the Chufa and Jack’s other close associates asked that only they be allowed at the interment grounds. Jack was not one to make a fuss over proper protocol in life and he certainly wouldn’t want to have to abide it in death either.

Tam, Dor, and Thane had kept to themselves on one side of the procession, walking in silence as Jack’s body was pulled on an extravagant cart through the town by a lone white stallion. Erl followed right behind, his head down and his tail curled deep between his legs. Domis and Teek had been granted the honor of placing the body into its vault where both of them spoke of their love for the man who had shown them such care. When his body was finally sealed behind a marble wall where it would stay for his eternal rest, Erl lifted his head and called out a mournful howl that had all those present drying there eyes as his giant wolg gave his last good-bye. Thane stayed back for a time with Erl, trying their best to comfort one another while everyone else went to enjoy a victory feast that was customary to celebrate the life and deeds of the deceased individual.

Rubbing Erl behind the ears, the wolg turned and licked Thane’s face in understanding and sympathy that brought Thane to tears as he reached out and touched the tomb. “Goodbye my father,” he whispered. “For you are the only one who deserves that name from my lips.”

* * *

A cold wind came up, rustling the cloaks of the three lone figures that stood beneath the clear midnight sky. The courtyard, that on the previous day had been the site of a great battle, had been cleaned of the bodies and blood that had polluted the now sacred ground where Soyak had given her life in defense of a people that were not her own. Ranse had dispatched a company of men to scour the area so that not the slightest evidence remained of what had occurred there. Gardeners had then been sent in to plant flowers and small trees whose beauty was lost on the trio in the darkness of night.

Thousands of stars looked down as if to pay their respects upon the lone pyre that had been put together for this very purpose. Ranse had wanted to build a tomb and monument for the Tjal woman so that people might visit it and remember her valor and deeds but Thane had refused, knowing that Soyak would not be happy, even in death, caged behind rock walls. No, she was to be burned as was customary for her people—for
their
people.

No one spoke a word as each remained comfortable in their own thoughts feeling it a greater sign of respect for her than if they tried to hail a woman all of them barely knew. Finally, feeling they had shown the proper honor, Thane placed his hand on the wood beneath Soyak’s body and called forth fire. The dry limbs erupted into a blaze almost immediately, quickly catching onto the body and consuming it with its heat. Tam threw on sprigs of rosemary to cover the acrid smell and then they all stood back and watched for a moment as Soyak’s body was given over to the flames.

Zadok’s body was never found.

* * *

Teek stepped out of the small hut that hugged the base of the looming peak and looked out across the large, clear lake that had been his home for nearly a whole year. Spring was giving way to summer again but the morning air was still chilled, as it always was, high in the Dorian Mountains. His once sun-bleached hair had taken on a darker hue while, conversely, his skin seemed to lighten some as he lost the tan that once was the badge of those living in the Teague Swamplands. Today he would make the last lonely trip to his natal home and deliver the gifts to the ancestors that would appease his family’s passing. It had not been his original intention to leave them until last but he wanted to give the best gifts to them and it had not been until the previous day that he’d found what he’d been looking for in Helgar’s mines.

A great diamond, bordered by two others just as grand but smaller in size stared back at him in the burlap sack. For the previous eleven months he’d worked deep in the earth along side the dwarf people he now considered his family, stripping the mountain of its precious metals while working to discover its treasures that he had weekly taken to the swamps and dropped in the water near the areas of his people’s homes as best he could remember. All along he waited until his gifts were worthy of the wonderful mother he still missed terribly, and the two siblings whose prattle he could still hear in the deep recesses of his dreams.

Tchee stood ready, a half eaten fish at her feet, as he greeted her with a quick hug before jumping onto her back. “We can’t dawdle today,” he said, stroking the soft feathers on her neck. “We need to get to the swamps and then back so we can get you ready. They will expect to see us in our full battle armor.”

Tchee squawked back at him. He knew she didn’t especially like the dragon scales that he’d fashioned, with Thane’s help, into a protective covering for both of them to wear. He supposed that it was because of the dragon’s scent that still permeated the armor, but it couldn’t be helped. No matter how hard or how often he scrubbed them with the yarrow roots found in plentiful supply around the lake there still remained a slight and distinctive smell that made Tchee murmur in her throat.

“Now, don’t complain,” he said. “I’m wearing mine as well. Plus, you look fearsome in it and everyone will surely make a great fuss when we drop into Calandra for the wedding. I’m sure that Prince Ranse and Master Thane will certainly be impressed. I know that Domis will.”

He smiled at the thought of how his friend would react at seeing them. It had been too long since he’d enjoyed the company of his best friend and comrade in mischief. The thought of spending the entire summer as Prince Ranse’s guest in such a large castle together had already brought to mind some ideas as to what they might do to torture pure Jace or many of the other castle staff that would surely be easy targets for their shenanigans. The idea lifted his spirits some from the sorrowful task he was to complete the following day at the Teague.

Tchee didn’t seemed convinced though as she suddenly spread her great wings lifting them quickly into the morning sky and then turned to the south and the well known journey to Teek’s ancestral homeland.

* * *

Thane didn’t leave Jne’s side for a month until her orneriness at being forced to stay in bed had reached such a level that he knew she was out of physical danger. He sympathized for those unlucky enough to be assigned to care for her. Kat seemed to pull more duty than any of the others. He felt that it was most likely because Kat could be just as cantankerous as Jne and because the Tjal woman’s threats and rantings didn’t faze her. Jne actually grew to like the healer woman, sensing her strength of will and character, something that Jne could respect.

During the afternoons when Jne slept the most, Thane spent his time in the gardens at Jack’s tomb. He missed his old friend terribly and would often wet the marble crypt with his tears. The painful irony that Jack had spent his life searching for his son only to find him at the edge of his sword and then be killed by him as well was almost too awful to contemplate. Too often, he still found his rage building to levels of blind hatred for the man responsible for all of his sorrows in life—Zadok. That they could not find his body was somewhat troubling though he did not put too much thought or worry into the fact. The man was dead and gone. He knew it because it was his sword that had ended it.

Dor and Tam stayed at the keep for an extended period out of love and friendship to Thane and Jne, but also spent great amounts of time in the Underwoods with the Kybara visiting the YeiyeiloBaneesh grove. The keep was too confining for the Chufa, and though the Underwoods again hid the orcs, their numbers were so diminished as to make them almost an afterthought. And, with the Kybara as their companions, the horrors that were the Underwoods forest no longer seemed much of a threat.

When Jne finally showed signs of healing, they at last were able to convince Thane to leave her bedside for almost a week and return to the sacred woods with them. It was then that they returned the heart arrows to the YeiyeiloBaneesh trees and that Dor and Tam asked Thane to join them in the sacred FasiUm ceremony that would wed them for all time. He at first declined, feeling he did not possess the proper authority.

“You should wait until you return home and have the Kinpa do it,” he protested.

Dor looked at Tam, both staring at each other in sad confirmation as if discussing the matter with merely their eyes and then Tam turned to Thane. “We won’t be going back.”

“What?” Thane asked, somewhat surprised.

“There is nothing for us there anymore,” Dor explained. “Plus, we know that you will not be returning and,” he finished with the old twinkle back in his eye, “what fun is there to be had if you are not there to have it with me?”

“With us,” Tam corrected wrapping an arm around Dor’s waist.