Approaching the human house, Rust felt his normal instincts begin to tell him to get away, run back into the forest. He was not used to being so close to human dwellings, and he didn’t like it at all. Blaze’s mother still lay next to her son. Rust was unsure of what to do about her. It would be best, he had tentatively thought, to leave her be and let the other humans take her. Unfortunately, her house was not close to many others, and nobody had come to find her just yet.
As expected, Rust found his prophet sitting exactly where she had been for the past three days, still muttering her prayers under her breath. Rust noticed that the acorns he had left for her the day before were undisturbed. He was tempted to ask her about Blaze’s state, but knew better than to interrupt her. It turned out, though, that he didn’t need to wait as Faith finally stood up and turned to look at him.
“Will he be okay?” Rust asked.
“Yes, he will live, but it will most likely be another day before he wakes up. He was at the very brink of death when I began to pray, and I did not think I could have saved him.”
“What happened?”
Faith looked her chief in the eye, the epitome of severity. “Valde Abbas called him back.”
Rust’s stomach began to do flip flops inside of him. First Blaze turns out to be a human, and then he is snatched away from death by Valde Abbas himself? He could see clearly now that he was not dealing with just any saloli here. Blaze had a special destiny, one that the creator himself would not allow to pass unrecognized.
“Rust,” Faith said, reading her chief’s expression, “The time has come.”
Chapter Twenty Two
When Blaze began to regain his senses, the first thing he realized was that his head felt as if it had been split open down the middle. Forcing his eyes open, he was surprised to find himself, not in Faith’s tree, but on soft, grassy ground. Why? He tried to think back to what had happened, but his head throbbed painfully and his mind turned up nothing but darkness. Turning his head backwards, he saw that he was lying in front of a human’s house. He was momentarily overcome by panic, but his attention was then diverted by another saloli’s voice.
“Ah, Blaze, you’re awake!” Faith said, walking up to him out of the woods.
“What happened, Faith?” Blaze asked, “How did I get here?”
Faith paused, a look of concern crossing her face, “Do you truly not remember?” she asked.
Again, Blaze thought back, but still nothing came of it. He shook his head. “Why am I so close to a human house?” he asked, “Is it safe here?”
This time, genuine shock was portrayed on the prophet’s face. She paused midstride, and furrowed her brow in confusion. She looked away for a moment, and then turned back towards him.
“Blaze, where did you come from?”
“What?” Blaze asked, now even more confused.
“Were you born in Icefire?” Faith asked.
“No,” Blaze answered immediately, “I was born as a pet in a human family. My father died before I was born, and my mother still lives with the humans. I escaped and was scavenging for food on Icefire’s territory, and you caught me and brought me back to Icefire’s camp. Rust then accepted me into Icefire. Why do you ask?”
Faith turned to look a little to Blaze’s left, and gasped! Blaze followed her gaze, but saw nothing but grass, green and healthy. No, at a second glance it seemed flattened a bit, as if something had lain there only moments before. He could not think what it might have been, though. Turning back to look at Faith, Blaze saw a new look of understanding in her eyes.
“Blaze, do you remember Mordred?” she asked. Blaze nodded his confirmation. “He gave you a challenge to catch him after Darkcover attacked our camp. He promised that they would leave us in peace if you caught him. Of course, you gave chase. He brought you here, and you managed to tackle him. It was then that he cast a lightning bolt at you, and escaped.”
“So… I was struck by lightning? How did I survive?”
“By the will of Valde Abbas alone. He brought you back from the brink of death. It is he you have to thank for your life. Now come, we must get you back to camp. There are things you need to hear.”
The two set off at a run towards Icefire’s camp. The entire way there, Faith was lost in thought.
Blaze does not remember who he is, or where he came from. Valde Abbas, I do not understand. Why have you taken his memory? I trust you, though. Not my will, but yours be done.
When they finally reached the camp, Faith slowed to a walk, as did Blaze. Rust noticed them enter, and made his way over.
How are you, Blaze?” he asked.
“I have a headache, but I think I’m okay.”
Rust gave a visible sigh of relief. “Thank Valde Abbas for that. You are a great asset to our tribe, and we would very likely be lost without you.”
Hearing his chief praise him made Blaze’s chest swell up in pride.
“Blaze, you are dismissed.” Faith said, “Go and check on your friends.”
Nodding, Blaze turned and ran away.
“Rust,” Faith said, a note of urgency in her voice, “he remembers nothing.”
“Nothing?” Rust repeated.
“He does not remember his past. He doesn’t know that he used to be human, or even that his mother has just died. Valde Abbas has changed his entire memory so that he actually believes that he used to be a pet.”
“Why?”
“I don’t know. Perhaps to keep his attention from being diverted by mourning. Whatever we do, we must not remind him.” Again, her eyes shown with a fierceness that Rust could almost feel. “Rust, the time has come. You must tell him. You must tell the tribe.”
Rust’s heart began to beat faster. “Now? But how? I’ve never done anything like this before. I don’t know what to say!”
“Valde Abbas will guide your words.”
“But…”
“Rust, we do not have time to argue! It has been made clear to me that the Dragon Tree has been revealed to Sol’s Heir. It is only a matter of time before the Black Legion is upon us. Only the Sword can save us now!”
Rust’s eyes lit up instantly. “You’re right. I won’t let my tribe fall before scum like the Black Legion without a fight! If the Sword does not save us, then we will battle them ourselves until the last one is dead!”
<><><><><>
After leaving Rust and Faith, Blaze saw Smallthorn and Sunbeam standing together at the far edge of camp. Making his way to them, he called out. Their eyes wide with amazement and happiness, the two ran to greet him.
“Blaze, I can’t believe you’re all right!” Smallthorn exclaimed, “You were struck by lightning, how did you survive?”
“Faith said that Valde Abbas saved me.” Blaze answered. He turned to look at Sunbeam, and saw that her eyes were leaking tears. “What’s wrong?” he asked.
Immediately, Sunbeam lunged forward and rubbed the side of her face with Blaze’s, a sign of strong affection between saloli. Blaze was shocked at first, but his heart slowly melted, and he rubbed his face against her’s as well.
“I was so worried that I had lost you!” Sunbeam said, “I’m so glad you’re all right!”
Blaze marveled at the feelings that coursed through his veins from such intimate contact with Sunbeam. He felt alive, more alive than he had ever felt before. Leaning back, he looked at her. Her shining, golden fur was so smooth. Her rich, brown eyes were so exotic, so full of life. The way her tail fur was fluffed made his head spin in appreciation. Sunbeam was beautiful, and he loved her. Why had he never stopped to appreciate these feelings before? He had no idea.
“Sunbeam?” he asked tentatively, suddenly more nervous than he could ever remember being, “Will you…” He faltered.
Sunbeam drew in her breath, eyes widening in excitement. “What?” she asked, breathless with anticipation, “Will I what?”
Blaze swallowed his fear, looked her in the eye, and said, “Sunbeam, I love you. Will you be my mate?”
For a moment, it seemed that Sunbeam would faint. She simply stared at Blaze, her mouth hanging open slightly. “Yes.” She said, faintly, then, eyes glowing brighter, said louder, “Yes. Yes! Yes I will!” Her face burst into the biggest smile that Blaze had ever seen, and she leapt forward, tackling her chosen husband in pure, unadulterated joy. Blaze noticed that she was crying again. He was too, he realized. Tears of joy.
“Come on, let’s go tell Rust!” Sunbeam suggested, climbing off of him “I want our wedding to be held as soon as possible!” Getting off of the ground, Blaze followed her to where Rust and Faith were still conversing.
“Guess what?” Sunbeam said, almost literally bouncing up and down in excitement.
“What?” Rust asked, obviously having no clue as to what could bring her so much joy at a time like this.
“Blaze has asked me to be his mate!” she exclaimed.
For a moment, Rust stared at the two of them. Slowly he began to nod, and a smile broke out on his face. “Good!” he said, “Excellent! It’s about time!”
Faith stood behind her chief, and now tears were rolling from her eyes as well. She rushed forward and pressed her forehead against Sunbeam’s, and then Blaze’s.
“Wonderful!” she exclaimed, “This just goes to show that Valde Abbas can bring happiness in any situation! You two are perfect for one another, you’ll be so happy together!”
Blaze had no words to say, simply being happy to think about Sunbeam, and the future they would soon have together. Would they have children? For the first time that he could remember, the thought of being a father actually sounded good to Blaze. No, not good, amazing.
Rust looked at the two of them once more, and said, “Icefire needs to know about this. A little good news will brighten their spirits!”
With that, he leapt upon the speaking stone, and called out to his tribe, “Icefire, gather around!”
The tribe slowly massed around the speaking stone, some curious as to what their chief had to say, others afraid of bad news.
“Icefire, today we have cause for a great celebration! Not only has Blaze been brought back from the brink of death, he has also asked the beautiful Sunbeam to join him in marriage!” There was a moment’s hesitation, and then Icefire roared with happiness! Rust had been right, a little good news delivered at the right time could do wonders for weakened spirits. He continued, “They will be married in three days time. May Valde Abbas bless the two of them with long and happy lives!” Icefire cheered again, many saloli surging forward to congratulate the two of them, but their chief was not finished yet. “There is one other thing that needs to be revealed tonight. My friends, brave saloli of Icefire, our deliverance has come! Our victory is assured this night! Valde Abbas has sent us the greatest blessing that we could ever hope for! His strongest warrior has been brought to us so that he may destroy the evil that stalks these woods.” An eerie silence now hung over the camp. “The stakes have been raised far higher than we could ever imagine. The outcome of this war will not only affect this forest, but the entire earth. Faith has spoken to Valde Abbas, and the creator has told her that the time we have dreaded for thousands of years is nearly upon us. The Black Legion will soon be released!”
A collective gasp rang out from Icefire’s camp. Horror was evident in every saloli’s eyes. Before panic could break out, though, Rust shouted, “But Valde Abbas has not forsaken us! He has given us the Sword!”
Again, a Icefire gasped, and the saloli all began to speak at once. “The Sword was destroyed!” could be heard above all the others.
“Yes, the original Sword was destroyed.” Rust confirmed, “but Valde Abbas has recognized our need, and created a new one. He is here among us now.”
“Who?” someone shouted from the crowd.
“I will tell you soon.” Rust promised, “First, though, I must make known the life he will have. The Sword will be a creature created for battle. He will know no peace, nor will he ever be free of his burden until death. The protection of those weaker than himself will be his task, as well as the eradication of evil. He will be Valde Abbas’ chosen warrior, and his title will remain with him all his life. Do not envy him, my friends, because his destiny is not a desirable one.”
Icefire remained silent.
“Very well,” Rust said.
The air thickened. The next words that came out of Rust’s mouth would change one saloli’s life forever. They would change the world forever. Blaze leaned forward, both anxious and eager for the mystery of the Sword to finally be put to rest.
“Blaze, please come forward.”
Chapter Twenty Three
Stunned silence permeated the Icefire camp. Blaze stood where he was, unable to comprehend what Rust had just said. Surely he had misheard! There was no way Rust had just named him the Sword! No, there must be another reason. His chief must want him for another reason. Yes, that had to be it!
Blaze could feel every eye in Icefire on him as he slowly made his way to the speaking stone. When he got there, he looked up at Rust, silently begging him not to say what he feared would come out of his mouth. Rust’s gaze had changed, though. He no longer looked at Blaze as an underling to be commanded, or even as an equal, but as something more. Something that was beyond his control. Something that could bring his tribe the hope they needed. Something more important that Rust could ever hope to be.
“Icefire!” the chief crowed, “The Sword has come!”
“What? No!” Blaze argued, terror seizing his mind, “It’s not me! It can’t be me!”
“But you are!” Rust insisted.
Blaze desperately looked back at the rest of Icefire, hoping that they would back him up in his denial. Instead, he found them all staring at him with the same look of awe as Rust had.
“Think about it,” Faith encouraged him, “Remember everything you’ve done since you came here.”
The crowd began to shout to him now, “You killed Flame!” “You stopped Razor!” “You defeated an eagle!” “You broke an entire tribe out of prison!”
“And don’t forget,” Rust added, “That you were brought back from the very brink of death by Valde Abbas himself. The creator would not do that for just anyone.”
Blaze could not look at his chief. He desperately tried to think of an excuse that Rust’s claims were false, that he wasn’t the hero everyone thought he was. None came to mind.
“Blaze,” Rust continued, “you are this tribe’s only hope. You may be the only hope for the entire world. But I can not force this decision upon you. I warn you, if you accept, it will end the life you have now, and a new one will begin. Nothing will be the same. If you accept, the weight of the world will be carried upon your shoulders. So I ask you: will you help us? Will you become the Sword?”
Thoughts began to whirl around Blaze’s mind like a tornado. He didn’t have to do this! He could run away now, return to his life as an outsider, and never have to think about the Black Legion again. On the other hand, would he be able to live with himself if he did that? Would he be able to exist knowing that he had allowed this entire tribe to die because of his own fear? He turned and looked out into the crowd and immediately spotted Sunbeam. His soon-to-be mate. Could he really leave her behind to die? He winced, feeling as if someone had driven a nail through his heart. He looked up at his chief, a new, fiery determination almost making his eyes glow.
“Yes, I will do it.” He said.
Icefire cheered, nearly deafening Blaze. The red saloli knew that he should be honored that they thought so highly of him, but could only feel fear for them. What if he failed? What if he wasn’t everything they thought he was? If he didn’t live up to their expectations, they would all die! The entire scenario was too much for him to comprehend.
“I understand how you feel,” Faith told him in a hushed voice, “It all feels like it’s too much. I felt the same way when I became prophet. I wondered how I could ever do everything that was expected of me.”
“
But you weren’t asked to take down an entire army single handedly, were you?”
“No, I wasn’t. Still, I know the feeling of inadequacy you feel now. Don’t worry. Valde Abbas would not have chosen you for no reason. You have what it takes, you just need to trust in him.”
Comforted slightly, Blaze let out his breath. He still had one question, though, “So, what do I do now?”
“I don’t know,” Faith admitted, “I’ve never done anything like this before.”
Legends of the Saloli: Vengeance and Mercy Page 9
