A Quick Sun Rises

by Thomas Rath

  Jack regarded the tent that was of a size that easily was twice that of his own. Space was not a problem, but he didn’t say anything to contradict his commander. “We’ll be out soon,” he said to the two boys who didn’t seem happy or convinced but who took up positions near the entrance so as to be right there when he returned.

  Jack passed through the tent flap, Wess right behind him and the only other person to enter. Immediately he was struck with the smell of death and the sound of flies that were already buzzing about the carrion was that was giving off the smell. He held his nose while letting his eyes adjust to the dim morning light that passed through the fabric in an eerie reddish hue. It was then that he noticed and remembered that the tent was not made of red material but of yellow to make it easy to see from the outside and also assist in lighting the inside with the filtered sunlight. He looked at the tent walls, trying to decipher what the dim light would not reveal.

  “It’s blood,” Wess said, guessing his confusion. “It’s been sprayed all over the tent walls.”

  Jack’s reply was of shocked horror. “But how and with what?”

  Wess pointed to his left and there Jack finally made out the body of one victim and then another. Small and large mounds were spread out throughout the room making up at least six dead. “There are more in the other chambers and the same in the tent next to us.”

  Jack approached the closest body but then quickly turned away. He was no amateur to death and the horrors of what evil men could do to their fellows, but never had he seen anything so grim as what greeted him here. It was as if the whole chest and stomach cavities had been scooped out and removed. “Who or what did this?” he breathed.

  Wess shook his head. “Nobody knows. Nobody heard or saw anything.”

  Jack turned in shock at his reply. “Not even a scream? Surely there must have been some fight or noise from such a slaughter.”

  Again, Wess shook his head. “Nothing. We’ve asked all those in the immediate area and all claim to have slept without waking, though many spoke of terrible nightmares.”

  Jack’s hand went to his throat. “Who found them?”

  “A young boy, possibly a relative, approached one of the night guards early this morning. He’s in deep shock and mostly just stares off into the distance. The most we could figure out when we could get him to speak was that he had fallen asleep in the tent of one of his friends and had woken early to get back to his family and this is what he found.”

  “Has anyone else seen this or talked to the boy?”

  “No,” Wess replied. “We have him quarantined and none others but the guard he approached and I have been in here.”

  “Good,” Jack said, running a hand through his hair. “Let’s keep it that way. Any idea as to what did this?”

  “Looks like wolg work but there is no way so many could have gotten into the camp without being spotted. Also, no prints.”

  Jack nodded, his mind racing for the answer though staying away from the thought he most feared and figured most likely.

  “What are your orders?” Wess asked, interrupting his thoughts.

  He considered for a moment. It would be obvious to those in the immediate area that something was amiss when the merchant families failed to dismantle their tents when it was time to leave. But removing the bodies in front of everyone would be even worse and they certainly could not lose a day by staying camped until nightfall when the work could be accomplished under cover of night.

  “We will leave a small detachment of guards to keep the people clear as the camp prepares to leave and then when all have passed we will set it to fire. I don’t want word of this spreading. We don’t need panic overtaking the camp now. Though it may hurry them along a bit faster, most likely it will just send them all running pell-mell throughout the countryside in a mass of terror.”

  A horn suddenly called out in the distance followed quickly by others as the camp was called to awaken. “I will stay behind as well in case there is any trouble.”

  Wess gave him a curious look. “We can handle this, Jack. There is no need for you to stay behind.”

  He smiled slightly, thankful for the informal use of his first name while they were alone. “Now that the horns have sounded the likelihood of me getting back to my tent will be next to impossible. Plus, I want to talk to the boy who found this. Where is he now?”

  “In a tent not far from here. Shall I bring him to you?”

  “No,” he countered, “He doesn’t need to be traumatized more by the sight of these tents again.”

  Lifting the flap, Wess escorted the king back into the fresh air that was more than welcome even with the mixture of the myriad of cook fires sprouting up and spitting out their smoke and grease fumes. Domis and Teek eyed him expectantly, waiting to see if they would try to make the trip back to their own tent and the hot breakfast that was sure to be awaiting them. Turning to the closest guard, Jack motioned to the two boys. “Make sure these two get something to eat,” he said to their chagrin. Although they were grateful for the coming meal, they did not relish having to wait to clean up their own camp and prepare for the daily move. The guard saluted and then quickly disappeared into the chaos of the camp. “It can’t be helped,” he said to the boys who didn’t answer but appeared moody about it all the same. “And where is Tryg?”

  Teek shrugged. “Haven’t seen him for a day or so,” Domis answered for them. “He does this. Leaves mostly when there is work to be done and then doesn’t return for long stretches.”

  Jack stared at him blankly, his hand absently rubbing his neck. “When Tchee returns,” he finally said, “I want you two up and checking on the enemy’s progress.”

  Both boys smiled at that. Not only were they finally being trusted with something more important than making sure their area of the tent was cleaned up and their faces were washed, but they welcomed anything that broke up the doldrums of the constant march that seemed to never bring them closer to their destination.

  Jack spent the next hour with the young boy who had stumbled upon the gory remains of his family and their servants. He tried all that he could to get more from the boy but it was obvious that his mind had shut down and that the once innocent child had retreated into an area where such things were never seen or even thought of. For the time, Jack knew that it was the best for the boy to remain locked inside of himself.

  “Find a family to care for him,” he finally instructed Wess who’d sat in with him during his attempt to reach the boy. “The friend’s family he’d been with, if you can find them, would probably be the best choice.”

  The camp was up and starting to move forward when they finally left the tent where the boy had been kept. Though a slow moving march, it wasn’t all that easy to keep people from trampling the tents where the dead bodies still lie decomposing. Luckily the air was still brisk enough that the stench was kept down. The flies though were becoming a greater problem as they swarmed in extreme numbers around the tent and in the immediate vicinity. The guards were forced farther and farther away from the area making it that much more difficult in turning the refugees to either side. It wasn’t until midday that the end of the camp finally split around the tents that were now deluged with flies and giving off a nauseating stench.

  Jack told them to wait still another hour, until the camp stragglers were finally close to a mile away before ordering the tents to be torched. Since it was impossible to get close enough now to ignite them with torches, archers were used with a volley of fire arrows to set the tombs ablaze. The fabric quickly ignited sending up clouds of flies and smoke as the remains were finally given some sort of dignity in burning that they’d been denied in burial. Jack watched the dark column of smoke rising in the air, a beacon to any nearby enemies and a mark of triumph for the perpetrators of the murders. It could not be helped though. In war it was often the least detrimental of two bad choices that was offered and had to be decided upon.

  “Your highness,” Domis’ voice s
uddenly broke through Jack’s dark thoughts. “Your highness, something approaches.”

  Jack followed his pointing finger that marked the two dots in the western sky that approached the small group. At first glimpse he was about to call the alarm but something held him fast as the shapes grew larger and clearer to his view. His immediate reaction had been dragons, but now he could tell that there size was nothing close to the monstrous serpents that had rained death down upon them from the skies. No, these were birds.

  “They’ve returned!” Teek suddenly cried out and instantly all knew of whom he spoke.

  All watched as the birds drew closer and then circled twice before making their final approach and setting down near the small crowd. Thane was the first to drop off of the great bird and was making his way toward Jack before any of the others had yet set foot on the ground.

  “We have failed,” he said darkly. “We were unable to retrieve the arrow. They are a fallen people,” he spat vehemently.

  Jack sighed but did not speak. Hope was quickly draining away as their situation continued to worsen.

  “Begging your pardon, sir,” Teek asked, “but what good is one arrow against so many?”

  Thane looked at the Waseeni boy who in age was no more than a cycle or two younger than himself though the rapid maturing process inherent in the Chufa made Thane appear many years his senior. “It is a special arrow that has the ability to pierce through metal and thus, in all probability, the hide of a dragon. We cannot take down such beasts with what we have now.”

  Dor, Tam and Jne finally approached, Dor and Jne appearing somewhat nauseated from the ride.

  “Can we not just forge another one like it?” Domis asked innocently. “With more than one dragon, we will need more than one arrow anyway won’t we?”

  “One does not just forge such arrows,” Dor stated flatly.

  “Then from where did it come?” Teek asked the obvious question.

  Thane looked around at the eyes that were now locked on him expectantly as they waited to hear the answer. He hesitated, his knowledge almost as limited as there own concerning the arrow save for the small amount of Chufa lore that may or may not hold any truth. “It is said that they come from the heart of the YeiyeiloBaneesh tree.”

  “Which our people destroyed over a thousand years ago,” Jack finished. “It is ironic that such a thing that our ancestors did would be the vehicle to bring about our utter destruction.”

  “What were they like?” Domis asked continuing the questioning. Everyone seemed to move in closer as they waited for his answer. Even the guards found themselves taking some cautious steps forward so as to be certain to catch every word.

  Thane shook his head. “None know any longer. That knowledge has been lost to time.” He suddenly took on a far away look as if seeing them in his mind. “But it is said that they were glorious, that they radiated light and peace. Nothing exists that could ever be compared to them.” Focusing again on the gathered crowd, his expression fell. “We will never know them again.”

  All remained in silence, a pall of dark sadness overtaking each. “And what of the fire?” Thane asked, pointing to the remains of the tents that smoldered in ashen piles, wisps of smoke still rising with the wind and drifting away to the north. “They were an easy and welcome beacon to finding you but would also be the same for our enemy.”

  Jack’s face was grave. “It was necessary.” Motioning to Dor, Tam and Jne as well he said, “Come and we will counsel together.”

  Moving off away from the others Jack spoke in hushed tones so that his voice would not carry. “We were attacked in the night.”

  “Attacked?” Thane asked, somewhat surprised that the enemy was not still upon them.

  “Two merchant families were slaughtered in their sleep but by what no one knows. None heard a sound and there were no tracks to reveal the enemy. The victims were gutted, there innards gone,” Jack paused. “I suspect that they were eaten.”

  “A dragon?” Jne asked.

  Jack nodded his head. “That is what I suspect. I don’t know how anything else could have come into camp without being seen and then cause such a slaughter without so much as a whisper.”

  “But dragons are so enormous,” Tam said. “How would one fit in a tent? Even a merchant sized one?”

  “They can take HuMan form,” Thane answered.

  “Which means there might be one in the camp among us,” Dor said putting voice to what everyone else was thinking but were not willing to speak as if to do so would turn it into reality.

  “And how do we defend against such a threat?” Tam asked.

  “We can’t,” Thane said bluntly.

  “If there is such a creature among us,” Jne offered, “and this is the first that it has attacked, then it could be possible that it did so only because of hunger. It may not do so again for some days.”

  “There is sense to your words,” Jack said. “And we can hope that they prove true. In the meantime we need to do all we can to flush it out, though I don’t know how one would accomplish such a thing. Right now what is of most import is to keep it quiet and among only ourselves and possibly a few others. Should such information reach the ears of the general camp it would only lead to chaos and a scattering of the people.”

  “Like sheep,” Jne said.

  “I’ve got it!” Teek suddenly yelled as he ran toward them. “I’ve got it! The trees! The trees! I know where they are!”

  “What are you talking about boy?” Jack rumbled.

  “I know where we can find some of those special trees!” he said excitedly.

  “Impossible,” Thane said, “they were all destroyed.”

  “No,” Teek countered. “I don’t think so. I remembered a story that old father Twee once told me, the one for whom I left my home to make an appeasing journey.”

  “Yes,” Jack said absently reaching for the royal symbol that now hung from his neck. “I remember him well.”

  “Right,” Teek continued. “He told me that once he had to pass through the Underwoods on an important mission for the king and that as they were deep within the forest they were attacked. All were killed but he was able to escape. It was then that he stumbled upon a small grove of trees like none he’d ever encountered before. They were off the path somewhere to the east, I think.” Teek’s face became serious as he tried to remember but then shook his head. “Anyway, he said that they cared for him and that they were just as Master Thane has described.”

  “Could it really be?” Tam asked, caught up in the growing excitement that was suddenly running through them all. “Could there really be some of them left after all these years?”

  Thane shook his head. “I don’t know. I guess it could be possible.”

  “Even if they are,” Jne asked with a sudden slap of reality, “how will we find them, and if you do, how will you extract the arrows from them?”

  Thane pointed to the two Rocs that preened themselves in the distance. “We will search from the skies. Once we’ve located them, then we can see about getting the arrows.”

  “I hate to be the one to douse the fires of excitement,” Jack said, “but even if you do spot them from the air, the Underwoods forest is too thick and tangled to be able to land there and then retreat again.”

  “Then it is of no hope,” Tam said, the sadness dripping from her voice. “Even if we searched from the ground, the forest is too great to ever discover a few trees at best.”

  “No,” Teek pressed, the excitement suddenly rising in his voice. “No, I remember where he found them. I remember where he left the road and found them!”

  “Where?” Thane and Jack asked in unison.

  “It was just past a great thicket of blackberry bushes. Just beyond that and to the east, I’m certain of it.”

  “That forest is probably full of such bushes,” Jne said flatly.

  “No,” Teek still insisted. “No, I remember he spoke of it as something unusual. He did not mention any others
either. And when he came out of the woods he was just east of Willow Wood.”

  All suddenly fell silent, lost in their own thoughts of this new revelation and what it might possibly mean for their side. It was a long shot, everyone knew it, but it was also the only chance they had left.

  “We must go,” Thane finally said.

  “I agree,” added Dor. “There is no other option left to us.”

  “The Aleron road is days from here,” Jack said, “it will be some trek to get there, find the trees and then return to us at Bedler’s Keep.”

  “We can use the birds,” Tam offered. “They can get us there quickly and then wait for our return to carry us the rest of the way to the keep.”

  “You speak as if you would go,” Thane said.

  “We will,” Dor said before Tam could open her mouth. “Who better suited to find and unlock the mysteries of the YeiyeiloBaneesh than us?”

  Thane nodded his agreement, no longer feeling the need or ability to try and convince his friends to do other than they pleased. They knew the risks as well as he, both having suffered more than he had. It was only proper, as Dor said, for them to go together.

  “Then we fly again,” Jne said, her voice revealing her distaste of the idea.

  “And we will go with you,” Teek offered, including Domis in his assertion. “I am the one who knows best the story,” he added quickly before anyone could counter him. “Plus, I tire of walking.”

  “And Domis?” Jack asked, an eyebrow raised.

  “I know it second best,” Domis replied with a smile.

  Thane regarded to the two young friends and was reminded of himself and Dor in more innocent days. He wanted to deny them, knowing the dangers they faced were great and unknown but he also remembered the fire that once blazed in his belly to be out and doing; to be part of something grander than himself. Jack looked at him as if waiting for him to deny the request but was surprised when he finally said, “We leave at first light, be ready.”