by Davis Ashura
“Let me have the knife,” Jessira requested of Rukh. He handed it to her. She frowned in concentration.
Serena’s stomach hollowed. Oh, no.
Jessira slid the knife into Jake’s chest. Another hole, and she quickly withdrew it. “Hold him,” she said. Again came the golden glow and lightning.
Jake trembled and convulsed. He shook like the last leaf on an otherwise winter-bare tree limb. Blood spurted out of the knife wound Jessira had created.
“You got the last of the bleeding vessels,” Rukh noted.
“Three healings is all he can take for now,” Jessira said. She sat back and sighed. Her eyes had grown puffy and her face sagged. Sweat poured down her face. She looked like she’d run a marathon through mud.
“It’s in Devesh’s hands now,” Rukh said.
“What did you do to him?” Mr. Zeus asked.
“His color’s better,” Mr. Karllson noted.
Serena shot her gaze downward at Jake’s face. It was true. While Jake could only manage shallow breaths, the blue hue had left his lips.
“They’ve saved him,” Travail rumbled.
William's features cleared with dawning hope, while Jason’s held stunned disbelief.
“He’s alive for now,” Rukh said, “but he has a long way to go before he’s fully healed.”
“We should leave,” Jessira said. “More mahavans might be on their way.”
“And none of us are in any shape to fight them,” Rukh said.
Their group became a beehive of activity as they prepared to flee the ruined saha’asra.
The saha’asra had become a dystopian realm of massive holes, burning fires, smoking dirt dirt, and bubbling mud that lay in smelly masses. The wind blew intermittently and wafted the stench of ash, blood, and over-heated clay.
The vehicles had been tossed about as well. On first impression, Serena thought for sure that they’d been wrecked. The bus was missing part of its roof and most of its windows, while many of the Jackaroo’s door panels were caved in.
Miraculously, though, both vehicles ran.
Travail gently carried Jake to the bus and laid him flat on the floor. William wanted to stay, but Mr. Zeus wouldn’t let him. “I need you to drive the Jackaroo. I’ll watch out for Jake.”
“What about Mr. Karllson? He can—”
Mr. Zeus shook his head. “He and I can’t heal like Rukh and Jessira, but we can help. Take the Jackaroo. I’ll phone the Village Council. They’ll have quarters ready for Jake when we get home.”
Serena watched as William retreated to the Jackaroo. Bloody swatches covered his clothing. Everywhere else he was coated in mud or dirt, and his face bore a strange landscape of soot and bruises. His jaw was swollen, and he walked with a pronounced limp.
Everyone else appeared every bit as ragged and torn up.
“Want some company?” Serena asked William.
He nodded.
“I’ll go with you, too,” Jason said.
Fiona stood nearby. “Do you mind if I join you?”
Serena smiled. “Of course not. We’d love to have your company.” She had to show Fiona how to operate the door handle Jackaroo. Her grandmother hadn’t ridden in a car in more than sixty years.
After Jason and Fiona had climbed into the middle row, Serena slid into the passenger seat. The bus lurched into gear as smoke billowed from its tailpipe, and William pulled in behind it.
“Does anyone want to talk about what happened back there?” Jason asked.
Serena shook her head. “It was a miracle. That’s enough for me.”
William sighed. “Can we talk about it later? We’ve got a ten-hour drive ahead of us, and I’m already worn out.”
The Jackaroo’s passengers remained quiet after that.
Several hours later they stopped for a quick supper.
Fiona cleared her throat before they disembarked. “My life isn’t worth the risk to Jake’s,” she said. “None of you should have risked yourselves. I would rather you all stayed safe. Nevertheless, I’m grateful that you came after me.”
A part of Serena remained ecstatic over Fiona and Travail’s freedom, but Jake’s condition stole her joy. “We promised we’d free you,” she said. “It’s why Jake fought.”
“He had his doubts and his fears,” William said, “but he never doubted saving you.”
After eating, they checked on Jake. His chest lay wrapped in bandages, and his breaths still came quick and shallow. A sheen of sweat covered his forehead, but his face remained pink.
“Is he any better?” Serena asked Jessira.
“For now the best we can hope to do is keep him alive,” Jessira said.
“Can’t you do the lightning thing again?” William asked.
Jessira shook her head. “He’s too weak to risk it. His lorethasra is utterly drained. Another healing could kill him.”
At least Daniel was up and awake, although his balance was off. He lay in the bus with his eyes closed. “If I don’t move my head too much, it only throbs instead of feeling like someone’s trying to squeeze it to death.”
“He needs rest,” Rukh told them.
“Can’t Daniel take the lightning?” William asked.
“He can,” Rukh said, “but we have to save our strength for Jake.”
Soon after they resumed their journey.
Jason drove. “You look like hell,” he said to William. “Get some rest.”
Serena slid in next to Fiona while William took the passenger seat. She rested her head against the window and slept, waking briefly when Fiona wrapped a blanket around her.
Minutes or hours later—Serena couldn’t tell—she woke. The Jackaroo had come to a stop.
“Where are we?” she mumbled as she sat up. Night had fallen, and she couldn’t see their surroundings beyond a few feet.
“We’re going to pull over for a bit and get some rest,” Jason answered with a yawn.
Serena sighed and went back to sleep.
Several hours later they pressed on. William drove again, and Serena roused enough to hear him and Jason talking, but she couldn’t raise the interest to listen. She slept on, waking when the Jackaroo halted.
They’d reached the saha’asra to Arylyn. William parked the Jackaroo in a cave, pulling in next to the bus, and they disembarked. Travail carefully carried Jake to where Mr. Zeus and the others, a shell-shocked, weary group, waited by the anchor line. The world remained as quiet and dark as their somber group. Stars shone, cold and distant, and the wind whined along the lonesome valley of the saha’asra.
“Let’s go home,” Mr. Zeus said. He sourced his lorethasra, and a hint of vanilla drifted on the breeze. A moment later, the anchor line rotated into view. “You should go first,” he said to Travail.
One by one they traversed the rainbow bridge, until it was Serena’s turn.
She stepped onto the bridge and disregarded the pain of traveling. It didn’t bother her. She exited the anchor line, and Arylyn’s glory spread out before her.
The day was new, with the morning sun shining amongst cotton-candy clouds. Rainbows decorated the escarpment, rising off the endless, aqua-blue Pacific Ocean while the floral fragrances of honeysuckles planted at the base of Linchpin Knoll, floated on a gentle breeze. A hawk wheeled in the sky and cried out.
A perfect day.
As usual, William stumbled when he stepped off the anchor line, and he cursed loudly. Serena reached out to steady him, and he nodded his thanks before searching for Jake.
There.
Travail held him, and Rukh, Jessira, and the others stood nearby. William had been the last one to exit the saha’asra in Australia.
The Village Council waited at the base of the hill. Some of them wore smiles of welcome for Travail and Fiona, but their expressions of joy fell away when they saw Jake’s body. William’s group went down to meet them.
“Is he alive?” Mayor Care asked. Her face was creased with worry.
“He’s alive,” William a
nswered. “Rukh and Jessira managed to save him.” He still couldn’t understand how, nor could he comprehend the complexity of the braids they’d used to create their healing lightning.
“But he’s not out of danger,” Rukh said. “He’s still weak, and his life remains in the balance.”
Mayor Care nodded, and her gaze went to Travail and Fiona. “I’m Mayor Lilian Care,” she said. “We’ll talk more when you’ve had a chance to rest.”
“We need to get Jake settled into a bed,” Jessira said.
“Of course,” Mayor Care said. “We’ve already arranged for one at the hospice clinic in Clifftop.”
Selene stepped forward. “I can show you the way,” she offered.
“I’ll take care of it, child,” Councilor Duba said.
“I don’t mind,” Selene replied. She stood straight and stiff, and her face and tone held the flat affect of a drone.
William could tell how much the effort cost her to remain strong.
Serena bent and faced her sister at eye-level. “Crying isn’t a weakness.”
“I’ll cry when Jake gets better,” Selene replied. She withdrew from Serena, and a single tear tracked down her face, putting a lie to her vow.
“Follow me,” Councilor Duba addressed Travail.
“A moment,” Travail said. He faced Serena. “I misjudged when first you came to me and asked me to take over William and Jake’s training.”
Serena shook her head. “No, you didn’t. I was exactly—”
“No, you weren’t,” Travail interrupted. “On Sinskrill, your heart remained pure despite the evil of Shet’s lorasra. You came back to that island, to save me and Fiona, even though you didn’t have to. You risked your happiness on the behalf of others. Those actions may never wash away your guilt, but they help balance the scale.” He tapped Serena’s chest. “You are a good person, Serena Paradiso. This is my judgment.”
The world quieted. The wind paused. A rush of energy, a deep-noted sound felt only in the heart, passed from the troll and into the world. The grass on Linchpin Knoll bent and trees shuddered in the wake of Travail’s power. He’d made a true judgment.
William smiled at Serena. He’d come to trust her as much as he did Jake or Jason, but he knew she’d never fully forgiven herself. With Travail’s revealed truth, hopefully she could let the last of her guilt wash away. She deserved some solace.
Everyone else seemed to eye her with far greater respect as well.
Good.
“Come,” Councilor Duba said to Travail.
The troll nodded and led a somber group, consisting of Rukh, Jessira, Jason, and Mr. Zeus, to follow after the large councilor.
William was about to follow, but Mr. Karllson’s voice halted him. “I know I spoke harshly to you about this plan,” the large man said, “but understand I said those words out of fear for Daniel and Lien. I meant no disrespect to you or Jake.”
William gave a tight-lipped head-bob. “I understand.” He watched Lien approach. She had her splinted arm cradled against her side. “You okay?” he asked.
Lien nodded. “Hardly hurts after Rukh poured his lightning into it.” She yawned. “Sure makes a person tired, though.”
“Let’s get you home,” Mrs. Karllson said. “We can all use some rest.”
“I’ll check on Jake in a bit,” Daniel said. He squeezed William’s shoulder in passing, but stumbled a bit. His balance hadn’t entirely returned.
Fiona stood nearby. She twisted her hands in obvious uncertainty.
William took Selene’s hand. “I want you to meet someone,” he told her. He gestured, and Fiona stepped closer. “This is Fiona, your grandmother. You remember her from Sinskrill? She’s the reason all of us are free. Even you.”
“It is good to fully meet you, dear child,” Fiona said as they shook hands. “You look so much like your mother.”
“Thank you,” Selene said in a dull voice.
William could tell she was still worried about Jake.
“I was Jake’s instructor in Sinskrill, and I love him, too,” Fiona said. “If you like, I can tell you about him some time.”
“I’d like that,” Selene said softly.
Fiona smiled. “Whenever you’re ready.”
William sighed. “We should get you home,” he said to Selene and led them down the hill.
Fiona paced beside them. She whispered in astonishment as they drew nearer to Clifftop. William caught many references to beauty, glory, and heavenly. He smiled when he imagined her response to the terraces and cataracts.
However, they stopped first at the hospice clinic to check on Jake.
As they tried to enter, Jessira promptly pushed them out. “Let him rest,” she said. “We’ll send word if there’s any change.”
“But I only want—” William began.
“Out,” Jessira said, in a tone that brooked no argument.
William retreated.
On their way to the Village Green, they ran across Travail. Councilor Duba stood beside him, and a large audience had gathered about the two of them. The people of Arylyn—young and old alike—gawked at Travail in curiosity and wonder, and he shifted about, clearly uncomfortable by the attention.
“William,” Travail called, sounding relieved. “I thank you for all you did, for what Jake did, but had I suspected the cost of my freedom might be his life, I would have gladly spent the rest of my years on Sinskrill.”
William infused certainty into his voice. “I know you would,” he said, “but we couldn’t leave you in bondage. Saving you was worth the risk. Jake will tell you the same when he wakes up.”
Jake would wake up. He wouldn’t die.
Travail's mouth tightened. “I love him as deeply as I have ever loved anyone—like a son perhaps,” he said, “but for now, I have to go.”
William frowned in confusion. “Why? Where do you have to go?”
Councilor Duba appeared confused as well. “Yes. Where do you have to go?”
“Trolls weren't woven for cities and villages,” Travail said. “I need to find a place in the mountains. I need to heal.”
“You can’t stay a few days and wait for Jake . . .” William began, but Travail started shaking his head in the middle of his words.
“I will know if Jake dies, and if he recovers I will return,” Travail said. “For now, I need solace and solitude. I need to grieve in my own fashion, if that is what is required. Do you understand?”
“I understand,” William said, hugging the troll and barely able to get his arms around Travail’s waist. He rested his head against the troll’s muscular torso, the fine fur there tickling his nose. “Come back when Jake wakes up.”
“Are you certain?” Councilor Duba asked. “We could find you a place closer to Lilith.”
Travail shook his head. “I will see you all soon enough. Goodbye for now.” He loped off in the direction of Janaki Valley, his huge form scattering people out of his way.
William soon lost sight of him, and when he did, he sighed. They’d won an impossible victory, so why did it feel like a defeat?
“Come on,” Serena urged. She tugged on his hand.
They descended the Main Stairs and soon arrived at Mr. Zeus’ home. He was waiting for them on the porch. William pushed open the gate and paused under the arbor.
“We’ll see you later?” Serena asked him.
“I’ll stop by in a little while,” William responded.
Mr. Zeus approached, slow and obviously tired. He somehow managed a welcoming smile. “Why don’t you stay with us?” he offered Serena. “Fiona also. We have plenty of space, and I don’t want you isolated and alone at your cottage. You should be with friends.”
Serena smiled in gratitude. “We’ll gather some clothes and come back in a bit.”
Several weeks after the battle in Sinskrill, Serena climbed the Main Stairs of Cliff Spirit. When she reached Mr. Zeus’ terrace, she took the cobblestone path leading to his home. She pushed open the gate and e
ntered his yard.
William and Jake sat on the front porch, along with Rukh and Jessira. They laughed at something, and their smiles lingered as she approached.
“Come to visit me?” Jake asked.
Serena ascended the stairs. “Only checking to see if William needs a break from babying you.”
William grinned. “Then how about a foot-rub? Jake has me running up and down the stairs and all over the place.” His voice took on a toddler’s tone. “I’m thirsty. I’m hungry. Waah! I’m sleepy.”
Serena chuckled, and her heart lifted. The easy laughter of friendship between the three of them had been hard-earned. She might not deserve it, but fate or grace had given it to her anyway.
“We’ll see how you do if you ever get stabbed in the chest,” Jake said to William. “It hurts real bad.” He coughed, and a rictus of pain flashed across his face.
“Yes. You’re very brave,” Jessira said. She moved to stand closer to him.
“I’m fine,” Jake said. “Only a little twinge when I breathe.”
Jessira didn’t respond. She seemed to be inspecting Jake. Rukh peered at him as well, his face filled with intense focus.
“He doesn’t need any more healing,” Jessira said after a moment of silence.
Rukh settled on his heels. “He’s come far, but he has a much farther distance to travel.”
“I’m alive,” Jake said with a grin. “I’d say that’s pretty far already.”
Serena silently agreed. The wound in Jake’s chest should have killed him. Only by the barest of margins had his heart not been punctured. But here he sat, several weeks after nearly dying. While he might be wan, wasted, and weak, at least he still lived. It was the only thing that mattered as far as Serena was concerned.
“When you poured that lightning into me,” Jake began.
“Healing,” Jessira said.
“Right,” Jake agreed. “When you Healed me, I could sense part of you. Both of you. If I could stand up, I’d—”
Jessira cut him off with a raised hand. “We Healed you. It’s what’s expected amongst friends.”
“And amongst brothers, nothing more need be said,” Rukh added.
Jake eyed them with a frown. “I saw something. A scene with people kneeling in prayer in front of you.”
