The Fallen

by R. L. Drummond

  “Can’t be mad about something if it’s true, sweetheart.” He replied and within the joviality of that voice, Reya smiled happily at the name he had inadvertently let slip, comforted by the admission of his affection.

  Another thought occurred to her then and it was with quiet timidity when she asked, “And Uncle Tellan? What is his fault?”

  Jenko was silent before he answered at a low mumble Reya could barely hear, “He cares too much.”

  The timbre of his voice left Reya’s brow with a furrow of concern and she asked hesitantly, “About…me, you mean?”

  Again he was silent before he answered darkly, “About everything.”

  Reya’s response died in her throat at the seriousness within his voice and as they continued to follow the threadbare back of Tellan’s overcoat, she contemplated on the truth in Jenko’s words. He did care too much, she realised with a shock; she had never noticed it before, for it had slotted in perfectly with her own outlook on life and it made him the beloved uncle she had always known. But here, in this world of demons and angels, eternal war and different worlds, Reya couldn’t help but feel the cold stab of comprehension that Tellan’s compassion was a hindrance he couldn’t afford to keep. She found herself wondering then if he had always been so caring, even up in Asgard? Or was it a symptom of her birth, a debilitating habit that had formed insidiously over the years of his guardianship?

  So lost was she in her heartbroken musings that she didn’t even realise Tellan had stopped until Jenko kneeled on the ground and shrugged her off his back. She looked upon them both then as they crouched low with faces stony in concentration; two different men who looked so similar…the same brown hair and blue eyes as her father, but all of them so wildly different that it made her head spin. Tellan had deeper lines along his brow than Jenko did, his hair a little greyer, but the creases at Jenko’s eyes spoke of a history of laughter and in that moment Reya wondered how truly happy Tellan had been since they had…Fallen.

  Fallen…how strange its meaning has been changed forever. She thought and her heart was heavy with the burden of its new definition.

  “Wait.” Tellan muttered for Reya’s benefit and as he clasped her hand, he led his companions to the cover of a large, craggy boulder that rested in a bed of long grass. As one they crouched behind the back of the stony sentinel and stared at the woodland that stood so silently beyond. Jenko’s eyes darted about furtively and he frowned in concentration for the ubiquitous birdsong that was ominously absent.

  “It’s quiet.” He murmured meaningfully.

  “Hmm.” Tellan affirmed and he flashed a series of hand signals that Jenko nodded at with comprehension, but confused Reya greatly. Without further words Jenko sneaked away into the hushing fronds of long grass nearby and within the blink of an eye, Reya lost all sight of him.

  “Uncle Tellan what–” She began urgently.

  But Tellan hushed her with a finger pressed against his lips and the silence electrified Reya’s ears as she stared across the serene field before her. All she could see were the hushing fronds of wild grass that brushed the light breeze and the wildflowers that swayed to the melody of the distant waves…but Tellan stared unblinkingly into all the hidden corners her eyes could not see, and within his glare was a granite declaration of a greater instinct.

  When the sudden, sharp ring of steel shattered the fragile serenity of the wood, Tellan swore under his breath and released his bastard sword from its sheath. “Reya no matter what happens, you stay by my side, alright?” He commanded.

  “Yes, Uncle.” She whispered back, already trembling in fear of that hideous ringing noise she had come to dread.

  Tellan’s head snapped upwards at the rustling within the long grass by his side and as he swung his bastard sword instinctually, silver eyes flashed within a fountain of dark blood.

  “Reya! To me!” Tellan barked as he held a hand out.

  Reya gasped in fright as she seized his hand and leapt up to her feet, pressing herself against his hip with a thrill of survival instinct that scalded her with its intensity. He held her behind the protection of his back and as he glared ferociously at his surroundings, he waited for the hidden enemy he knew was afoot.

  They came at him with flashing blades and raging battle cries, six of them hidden by the grasses and bushes until they had spotted their prize. Tellan cursed himself for overestimating the safety of their distance from Ilema, and as he brought his bastard sword into an unwavering guard, he readied himself for combat. Steel flashed with the felling of the first soldier and as he met the second’s strike with a solid parry, his periphery flared at the sight of reinforcements coming from the left flank. He grasped his immediate opponent with a snarl, pivoting with him, and as Reya followed his motion, as flat against him as she could manage, she gasped at the closeness of this fight. Tellan’s knee soared upwards into the soldier’s stomach and Reya jumped backwards when he seized the dagger from the small of his back. Tellan shouted aggression as he rammed the dagger deeply into his opponent’s neck and as he turned and dispatched yet another enemy, a throwing knife screeched across the sky. One of the enemy tumbled lifelessly to the ground and as the knife that had claimed him shuddered from deep between shoulder blades, Tellan’s head snapped up in relief.

  “We’re exposed out here. Reya, follow me closely.” Tellan ordered and Reya gripped onto his overcoat instinctually.

  When Tellan surged forward, Reya followed in his wake and closed her eyes tightly against the horrendous slicing of flesh with every intruder that rushed their path. Tellan doggedly forged onward as more soldiers poured out of nothing and when a bellowed war cry scorched the air, Reya gasped at the soldier that thundered through the field at a deadly sprint. His long black hair flowed as he hefted a mighty two handed sword overhead and as he dove through the grasses towards the path Tellan and Reya travelled, Tellan readied himself for combat.

  “On you, Tellan!” Jenko yelled as he erupted from the cover of long grasses nearby and met the soldier’s rush with a cocked shoulder. He rammed the force of his strength into the chest of the barrelling soldier with such astonishing power, Reya could hear the impact from where she stood. Tellan continued his path, accompanied by the tremendous prowess of Jenko as he spun and wove like a deadly serpent in the grass, and as Reya was buffeted by the hurried rush of Tellan’s own strikes, more soldiers screamed from beyond the woodland. Reya shrieked when Tellan hurriedly spun her without warning and with the screaming of metal in her ear, came a separate deadly whirr from a throwing knife that tore the air.

  “They’re thinning, Lord!” Jenko yelled as he leapt forward to join his commander, his face glistening with thick blood.

  “Protect Reya! On me!!” Tellan roared and with that order that held such resolute command, Jenko flourished his twin sabres into a ferocious guard and stepped neatly before Reya.

  Tellan powered on in front of Jenko and Reya, and she gasped at the enormity of his strength as he pushed back at the line of soldiers that had surged forward in claim of their prize. Reya lifted squinted eyes when the sunlight blinked out suddenly, and she gaped at the two figures that had leapt fearlessly into the fray with deadly oaths, metal shining fearsomely with the eagle swoop of their attack. Tellan’s bastard sword was stained dark with blood as he raised his blade in an attacking guard, thwarting the deadly leaps of his foes with fearsome aggression. Blood sprayed his face and overcoat as he tirelessly battled a path and Jenko pushed Reya onwards inches at a time, covering Tellan’s back with economic slashes and stabs of his deadly sabres. Tellan roared aggression at the foes that opposed him and Reya was astonished at the pure synergy in which her guardians flowed through the last of the soldiers.

  The Line of Baldur…She thought with a shock. She had seen this deadly display so many times, in her dreams from behind her father’s eyes, but never had she expected such a display of efficient fighting skill. Reya watched on between the space of Jenko’s arm and back, agape at how her uncle
danced around each enemy sinuously, so familiar in its ferociously graceful structure, yet so strange.

  Tellan’s head whipped to the side when a flurry of activity in the long grasses seized his attention and even as the black haired soldier from before exploded from cover, Tellan’s bastard sword swept up in a guard. Steel rang as Tellan’s blade thwarted the cleaving strike of the black haired man, but the blow had still been powerful and Tellan staggered back. Snarl met snarl as the soldier pushed forward on the immediate offensive, pushing against Tellan’s weapon with a grunt of exertion, and an opportunistic knee caught Tellan squarely in the stomach. Tellan hopped back as he gasped for breath, again sweeping his weapon up in a hasty guard from the following strike and as he glanced into his enemy’s eyes, he glared at the sheen of silver beneath the man’s pupils.

  “Get ready, Reya!” Jenko shouted with a tight grasp upon her wrist, her eyes squeezed tight as she clung onto him with every economic manoeuvre he made. He swung her before him and guided her closer towards the safety of the woodland, desperate to remove her from the violence that still spilled across the once peaceful valley behind.

  The black haired man made to follow his quarry, until Tellan darted forward with a ferocious thrust of his bastard sword and the soldier’s weak guard was cast aside with a grunt of surprise. But the borrowed Dark that wriggled deeply in his soul like a fat maggot gave the soldier unnatural speed and he turned to face the onward swipe of Tellan’s blade with a scowl of anger. Tellan’s blow was parried and even as the soldier’s two handed sword was raised for a devastating blow, Tellan’s off–hand came up and under with his wicked dagger drawn.

  In the blinking moment before the blade pierced the soldier’s chest, his eyes bulged in shock and Tellan guided his killing strike even further with a forceful push that brought him shouting into the soldier’s face. The glazed mirror of dull silver shone briefly in the soldier’s eyes, yet the vacant stare of death remained and as Tellan pushed him unceremoniously off his blade, he flashed his glare up at the long grasses around him.

  The sudden silence that descended after the battle’s shrieking cries screamed through Reya’s ears and as the three stood there breathless and wary, she became aware of how exposed she felt, in spite of the security of Jenko’s strong back inches from her body. Tellan stood still and ever strong in his ferocious guard, his face and clothing awash with sweat and blood, and Jenko’s stoic stance never wavered as blood dripped thickly from the tips of his sabres. And within that moment, Reya trembled at the insidious knowledge that they were far from safe, in spite of how many lives the soldiers had senselessly flung at her stalwart guardians.

  Her fear was horrifically confirmed when a roaring call of ferocious challenge filled the air and the two men readied their weapons once more with grim determination.

  “They’ve caught our trail now.” Jenko said as he glared at the direction the challenge had come from. His eyes flashed dangerously across the sweeping fronds of long grass and added, “There’s no way we can get her somewhere hidden with them clawing at our backs.”

  Tellan nodded resolutely, his eyes ever on the sea of grasses before them. “Agreed.”

  “Wait, what if I just open a gateway?” Reya asked, her eyes wide in fright.

  “Out of the question.” Tellan responded and when he registered the harsh edge of his voice, his eyes softened in apology, “It’s too dangerous for you.”

  Jenko inhaled wearily then and cleared his throat with a flick of his head, “Right then, off you go.”

  “Jenko?” Reya began, apprehensive of his suddenly flippant manner.

  “Humans are like children: if you don’t tire them out they won’t stop.” He then grinned wickedly at her, “Don’t worry, I’ll catch up.”

  Tellan nodded his approval. “There’s a mining village not too far from here, if memory serves. About twenty minutes from the edge of the valley river. Do you know it?”

  “Aye, I reckon so.”

  “Make your way there. We’ll wait a day.”

  “Yes, my Lord.” Jenko responded calmly as he flicked the blood from his weapons and stalked forward, his eyes ablaze with fearless duty. But Reya was dismayed at the notion of abandoning him and so she turned towards Tellan with a heartfelt plea in her eyes.

  “You can’t be serious, Uncle? We’re going to just leave him?” She gasped in astonishment.

  “Jenko knows what needs to be done.” Tellan began as he turned and grasped her upper arm protectively and as he led her away, he realised how cruel she must have though him to be. “It’s alright, Reya. You remember I told you I’m your father’s second?”

  “Yes?”

  Tellan’s eyes blazed into the woodland beyond as he maintained his purposeful stride and finished resolutely, “Jenko is mine.”

  There was a great deal of confusion all around her, a convoluted myriad of sounds and voices that left Reya’s head spinning. Her father’s heart squeezed so tightly in his chest that Reya could scarcely breathe and as she watched the unfolding of events from behind her father’s eyes, Reya resolved herself to the familiar sensation of her dreams. He was rushing, she realised, pushing past people with such haste that she could feel the disapproving stares that followed his path. As she watched him surge past people that clustered in the streets of Fieldhaven, she realised with a shock that his great axe wasn’t in his hands. It was such an unexpected realisation that Reya gasped, shocked at how strange such a sight was to her eyes; only a matter of weeks ago did she wish she wouldn’t wield that weapon again. But she was very much aware of the absence of its weight as he strode onward and, when she saw a glimpse of Tellan ahead, she couldn’t ignore the convulsion of her father’s heart.

  Tellan’s face was drawn as he looked up at Baldur’s approach and when recognition flared within his eyes, he reached out for his commander with a hurried gesture. Baldur nodded firmly at Tellan as he rushed on, accompanied by his second in command and Reya noticed with a great confusion that Tellan was also without his weapon. What is happening? Reya thought from within her dream and watched on bemusedly as the two men pushed and rushed through the marketplace. She smiled in happy recognition when the men turned down the path that would have led them to her home, so blissfully undamaged and free from the soldiers that had ravaged it. Baldur looked up suddenly and Reya was unsurprised when she saw another two men rushing towards her, Jenko and Timran, both of them looking harassed as though they had travelled for long. The men briefly spoke as they joined in one group and hurried on, Baldur not once breaking his stride with what Reya could only describe as concerned resolve. When the house came in sight, Reya’s breath hitched in her throat at the screams from within and Baldur sprinted forward with a gasp. The men stayed behind as he all but threw the front door open in his haste and as his eyes scoured the achingly familiar rooms, a woman came rushing through from the kitchen with a bowl and cloth.

  Her face was grave when she saw Baldur and as he rushed to her side, she escorted him towards the awful screams that ripped so painfully from a feminine throat. Baldur gulped at the scene before him: Ana, his beloved wife upon the bed, screaming as she clawed at the sweat soaked bed sheets under her. Another woman was before her hitched knees and comprehension flooded into Reya like a tsunami when she realised she was about to witness her own birth.

  Reya instinctually shrank away; she didn’t want to see this, the moment that would ultimately bring her mother’s death. It had been a complicated birth, her father had divulged to her in years to come, but Reya hadn’t truly understood until she looked down now with her father’s eyes. Ana, her mother, stared up at Baldur with such agony in her eyes that Reya couldn’t bear it and she watched on as her father placed a hand upon her slick brow. She gasped at him briefly in gratitude that he had come and as her back arched with a terrifying shriek of pain, Baldur clasped her hand tightly. Reya watched as her father ushered her mother through what must have been such agony and as he flashed his eyes up to the midwife,
Reya’s heart stopped at the grim shake of the woman’s head. Reya suddenly became all too aware of the blood that soaked the bed, that coated the midwife’s chest and arms, and with this realisation came a sob of desperation from Baldur. She watched from outside her father as he clutched Ana’s hand for dear life and kissed her forehead desperately and, as he pulled back to look deeply into the face of his beloved, his chest constricted at the look of knowing that already filled her violet eyes.

  Ana gasped a terrible sob as she squeezed Baldur’s hand so tightly and bore down, such grim determination in her face that Reya could feel the apprehensive sorrow within her father’s heart. Suddenly Ana gasped with incredible joy and Reya’s eyes flashed dark within her father’s vision, an oppressive darkness that only the desperate sobbing of her mother and father could break through.

  Reya opened her eyes blearily, overwhelmed at how fragile she was and when she started crying through her own mouth, she realised that she had finally been born. She was lifted then, swaddled in cloth that was soaked with the blood that poured so thickly from her mother and she struggled against the sensation of something on her face. When the sensation stopped she realised she could see far clearer than before and as she was lifted yet again, she could see hands held out eagerly in wait for her. Reya was placed upon Ana’s chest and as she stared up at those violet eyes that held such sorrowful joy, she knew that she had only seconds left before her mother died. There was so much Reya wanted to say and ask her, but her infant mouth could only cry and gurgle, and she wailed within her own dream at the awful infuriation of such unfairness. She stared at her mother then, comforted at the sensation that even newly born, Reya had known exactly who this woman was, this wonderful being who had brought her life.

  And as Ana raised her as best she could, she pressed trembling lips upon her daughter’s forehead and cried with such adoring joy that it broke Reya’s heart. She wept for her mother then, more than she had ever done and as Ana passed her into her father’s waiting arms, a tiny, infant hand stretched out for a last moment with her. Reya stared up at her father as he cried freely, such wonder in his face that he held his daughter and as he turned to Ana, his face trembled with confliction. From outside her infant body, Reya watched as her father tenderly kissed Ana’s brow and together, they stared down at Reya with blissful adoration.