by B. T. Narro
Desil couldn’t figure out what that would be exactly. Was it finding Leida’s parents yet being unable to stop them? Or was it not finding them at all? The former was likely to get everyone killed, but Desil couldn’t bring himself to wish for Leida to remain separated from them.
As they left the cave, he hoped to run into Basen’s party as soon as possible. Hopefully there would be enough time to convince them to give up their mission.
There were miles of mountains stretching ahead on Desil’s right. His group passed several paths that looked as if they might cut through and give his group passage north, but all came to an impassable end eventually. The process of walking through these twisting fissures just to have to double back soon wore down what little spirit Desil had left. They couldn’t afford to fall farther behind than they already were, and yet that’s exactly what they were doing. When Leida started to go down the next crevice between the mountains, Wade called out to stop her.
“There isn’t much more mountain. If we keep going, we’ll be able to turn soon.”
No doubt expecting someone to say something like that, Leida was quick to return to their route along the base of the mountains. She seemed lost on what to do, possibly numb. Desil didn’t know how else she was supposed to handle this. He’d succumbed to the same mindset when he thought his father had been killed by the king’s staff.
“They told me it was poison,” he told Wade now.
“What was?”
“The way they executed you.”
Wade slowed to separate the two of them from the group. He spoke in a low voice. “I’ve been needing to talk to you, but I don’t know if we’ll have a moment to ourselves.”
“What is it?”
“Desil, I’ve wanted to tell you something for a long time now.” Wade’s eyes glistened as he seemed to be holding back tears. “I don’t know how to describe how sorry I am.”
“We are, too.”
“You shouldn’t say that. You and your mother did nothing wrong by forcing me out that night. I had been troubled for weeks.”
It was actually months, but Desil didn’t want to remind his father. Desil already felt enough pain looking at his father’s anguished expression. Desil couldn’t take anymore without bursting into tears himself.
“Father, it’s all right. We haven’t held a grudge.”
“You should. I don’t mean to tell you what to do, but anyone, even good people, would hold a grudge against their father or husband after what I did.”
“But we don’t. We’ve only missed you.”
Wade laughed, then a weep slipped out before he caught himself. “Somehow I knew. But do you blame yourselves for what happened? You shouldn’t, not even the slightest bit.”
Desil swallowed a few times to clear what felt like a boulder caught in his throat. “Of course we do. There are better ways we could’ve…we should’ve handled…we…”
“The last I remember of that night was you forcing me out, and I know it was the right thing to do. I had lost control many nights, hadn’t I?”
Desil nodded. “Do you know now why you allowed it to continue to happen?”
Wade wiped his eyes. “I’m two different people, Desil. That other man…” He shook his head. “He sees the world through distorted glass. Only when he drinks does he see what’s hidden behind all the routines, all the people…what the king and his followers are actually doing. Drinking sets this version of me on a quest for truth, and the more I drink, the more everything makes sense. It feels like progress. So why stop?”
Wade shrugged. “I wish I’d realized all of this a long time ago, but the drink didn’t always bring out this other person. I don’t know where he came from. If I had expected him, I could’ve been more prepared to take responsibility to stop him. Instead, I put the responsibility on you and your mother. I will forever regret that. But I promise that never again will you see that conceited madman.”
“That’s truly wonderful to hear!” Desil believed his father wholeheartedly. “So do you remember what you would say when you would lose control?”
“Oh, I rambled on and on about the kings of Kyrro and Tenred planning to manipulate the minds of everyone. I said everything we do gives those rulers more control and no one realizes it. It’s worthless talk, Desil, as the kings are in no way working together. Even if they were, getting so drunk I can barely stand wasn’t going to change anything.”
“You always had no trouble staying on your feet, though. There were some days where it seemed like you were trying to see how much you could drink before it knocked you over, and it never did. Mother would try to get you to go to bed…”
Wade looked down, clearly ashamed. Why was Desil bringing this up?
“I’m sorry,” Desil said. “It’s not my intention—”
“No, it’s good to remind me. I’ve had a long time to think about the actions that brought me here, including what I can remember of my ramblings, but there was a lot I’d forgotten as well. Seeing your face has brought much of it back, and I still don’t know how to apologize for it.”
“Coming home would be a start.” Desil grinned.
His father’s face brightened. “There’s nothing I want more.” But he fell silent as he looked ahead at Beatrix. As if feeling his stare, she looked back over her shoulder. She stopped to allow them to catch up. But then Kirnich stopped as well. Soon Adriya noticed and said something to Leida. As the last one to turn, Leida looked as if she was in a trance. Only after Desil and his father had caught up did she seem to realize where she was as she glanced around somewhat curiously. Had she even slept an hour?
“What will be required of me when we get back?” Wade asked Beatrix.
“You are to fight until Tenred belongs to us.”
She spoke the last word as if talking about everyone in Kyrro, when clearly it was just her family she had in mind.
“Will we be defending or attacking?”
“Both, until the war is done.”
Wade scowled. “Are you intending to be vague or you just don’t have the answers I’m looking for?”
“I don’t have the answers. You will have to wait until you speak with my father.”
“What about when I’m done fighting?”
“I don’t know what he’ll want you to do, but I’m sure he’ll let you live.”
Desil asked, “What if…those people find out about him?”
“Who?” Beatrix asked.
It was difficult for Desil to be more specific, so he was thankful when his father answered.
“The friends and family of my victims.”
“My father will deal with any conflicts as he sees fit,” Beatrix replied.
Silence hung in the air for a long while.
“You can just tell us you don’t know,” Desil said.
More silence. “I don’t know,” Beatrix finally admitted.
Desil caught sight of movement along the ground, a shadow. Panic came over him as he looked up to find a Marro high above.
“Everyone stop,” he said. “Don’t move a step.”
They all looked around until they spotted the beast. Desil could feel some of them itching to run for cover before they were seen. There was a fissure just ahead, but running would only make them easier to be noticed. They were already in the shadows and standing where the creature would have to look back to see them. They should be safe unless it had noticed them already.
“It’s scouting,” Wade said.
No one moved as they watched the Marro continue east toward the village.
“Will it come back this way?” Desil asked.
“No, they circle back to return to the center. But we should pick up our pace just in case I’m wrong.”
They broke into a jog.
Beatrix slowed to fall in line with Wade and Desil. “You said the Marros didn’t come south of the Dead River.”
“They don’t unless they haven’t captured anyone yet. They must be preparing an explosion so
on. They don’t usually wait this long between blasts, but I suppose all of you and Basen’s group have caused a disturbance. Now the time has come for them to look for anyone easy to grab. The scout will go back to the Lmar with his report.”
“What’s an Lmar?” Beatrix asked.
“Have you seen any of those large Marros yet?”
“Yes,” Desil said. One nearly took off with Leida. She was giving Wade a nervous look when he glanced at her.
“That’s an Lmar: L for large, mar for Marro. We have only ever seen two at a time, but that doesn’t make them any less of a threat. They are strong enough to carry any of us all the way to the center.” Wade grimaced as if in pain. “But any Marro can carry off a small child. It makes them easier targets.”
CHAPTER THIRTY-SIX
Leida fell behind. It was as clear to Desil as it was to everyone else how hard she was pushing herself to keep up, but even Beatrix was sticking with the group better than Leida was. They slowed so she could match their pace. Desil’s cuts had healed to the point of only causing him pain when he touched them. He forgot about the gash down his forehead until he rubbed sweat off with his arm and felt a sting.
They rounded the mountains and finally headed north. The Dead River was at least a few miles ahead. As soon as everyone caught sight of it, they stopped to gulp water from their pouches. Desil shared with his father while keeping one eye on Leida.
She sat on her heels the moment she was done drinking. She looked as if she’d been beaten into submission. Desil hardly felt better than she looked, the ache of fatigue swelling behind his forehead, but he knew he could press on. Leida, he wasn’t so sure.
Adriya helped her up. She looked as if she wanted to tell Leida something encouraging, but with eight more miles to go just to reach the forest, there was nothing to say that would be helpful.
They began to jog again, their boots thudding against the dirt. No one spoke for miles.
“Wait,” Beatrix said as she stopped and put up her hands as if trying to grab something for balance. She stumbled around then fell backward into Kirnich’s arms. She groaned as she shut her eyes. “The mountains are spinning.”
Kirnich half carried, half dragged her into the shade provided by some nearby trees. “We’ll rest.”
“It could be infection,” Desil said as he offered his water pouch to Beatrix. “We need to check your cuts after you drink.”
“My arms and back,” she muttered, then had a sip.
“You can finish it,” Desil told her.
She did with gusto. They carefully rolled up her sleeves when she was done. There was one long gash down her left arm and a smaller cut above her right wrist, but both looked to be healing properly. Then they checked her back. There were many small cuts, but all were thin. Desil felt a little jealousy, knowing his back must look much worse.
“No infection,” Desil said.
Beatrix struggled to stand without Kirnich’s help. His hands hovered nearby as she straightened.
“It’s all right,” she said, still panting from exhaustion. “I just needed a little rest.”
Leida was on her knees, Adriya down next to her. “Are you able to keep going?” Adriya asked.
“Yes,” Leida whispered. But when she stood up, she stumbled violently. Adriya grabbed her arm and managed to keep her from falling. She pulled Leida in and wrapped her arms around her.
“It’s all right,” Adriya said. “We’ll walk the rest of the way to the forest.”
“I’m sorry,” Leida said. “I’m not trained for covering such a distance.”
There was a loud chirp above them, jolting everyone into looking up. It was just a small bird perched on a branch as it sang. It flew off after just a moment.
Hunger tore through Desil’s stomach as they walked all the way to the Dead River in silence. When they got there, he filled his belly with water to quench his thirst but also to abate the hunger pains.
No one seemed willing to be the first across the river. There was nothing but empty sky around them, but the mountains to the north and west would give the Marros cover if the monstrous birds were waiting to ambush any trespassers, as they’d done when Captain Mmzaza’s ship had approached the island.
“Come on, Desil,” Kirnich said. “We’ll be the first.”
Considering it an honor, Desil nodded as he swallowed his fear, forgetting until then that there was a more immediate danger than the Marros. The rapids of the Dead River were too fast here for Desil to see the bottom. There was a large rock near the center, mostly flat on top. His target. He supposed they could spend a while walking down the river until they came to an easier place to cross, but the more time they spent out in the open, the riskier it was. So he took Kirnich’s hand as he stepped down into the river. His foot came down onto slippery rocks but the water was shallow enough for his knees to stay above it. Kirnich went right after him.
They let go of each other as they waded through, each step lower than the last. Nearing the rock at the center, Desil reached out to grab hold of it, but his next step didn’t come down onto anything. His heart jumped as he sank, the water closing in over his head.
He surfaced to find himself moving with it. Remembering another rock not too far from here, he swam hard toward the other side, but never had he experienced such a swift current. He had little control over his movements. All he could do was turn to face the oncoming boulder.
Desil heard his group shouting as he got his feet out in front of him and collided with stone, jarring him hard enough to rattle his teeth. Extending his limbs, he hugged the rock for his life. The water beat against his back and gushed into his mouth and eyes. He could hear his father above everyone else yelling instructions, but the roaring river was too loud to make out the words. Desil struggled for breath. Half the time he inhaled, it drew more water into his lungs.
He carefully maneuvered up the rock, his hands slipping. He pulled his chest onto the small apex to at least get his head out of the river. He felt as if a lung might come up as he coughed hard.
Kirnich had retreated back to the southern side of the river. Everyone had come down to get closer to Desil. He could finally understand them.
“Don’t move. I’ll come for you,” Wade said.
“Wait.” Desil noticed that the river was narrower here, the water rushing even faster. No one would be able to swim over to help him.
Kirnich cursed as he pointed east. “Look!”
Thirty or forty men were running up the riverbank toward them. They were close enough for Desil to see some had bows. It wouldn’t be more than a minute before Desil’s group would be in range.
Desil didn’t think. He stuck out his hand in his father’s direction and bent the will of the water toward ice as hard as he could. The water slowed between him and Wade as it lightened in color, but the river compensated by rushing around it and shooting a stream into Desil’s back, nearly making him lose his grip on the rock. He let go of his hold on the water, and the river evened out.
He didn’t see any other options. He was going to have to swim to the closer edge, away from his father and comrades. He squirmed his way up the rock until his feet were on it.
“Run from them until you can cross!” Desil told his party as they still seemed to be figuring out how to get to him. “I will meet you in the forest!” He turned and bent his legs to jump.
“Don’t!” his father yelled. “The river will take you straight to them.”
Desil leapt as far as he could from the slick surface, which was regrettably short. He fell into the current with his arms stretched out toward the tall grass, his fingertips grazing it. The water closed over him, but he was prepared and had his mouth closed. He tried to ignore the desperate need to go up for air and swam hard toward the side instead. He could see nothing but flashes of sky as water filled his ears and nostrils. It flipped him around so much that he lost track of his direction.
He finally succumbed to his urge to breathe and pushed him
self up to surface with a flap of his arms. He sucked in a deep breath and was fortunate not to get a mouthful of water. He was even more fortunate not to collide with a rock shooting past him the other way.
The river eventually began to slow, but not by much. He thrashed his feet until his toes reached the bottom. The river pushed him along a few more feet until he swung his arms hard enough to steady himself. It was an easy and quick scamper to the other side of the river from there, but it would be just as easy for the Kanoans.
Desil looked over his shoulder as he ran. All of them had come for him! The men with swords were cutting across the water as those with bows set up for a shot.
Why hadn’t they continued onward in pursuit of the rest of his group? They’d come searching for blood. Any would suffice. But he realized his mistake when two arrows missed to the right of his soaked pants. They were shooting low at him. They wanted to wound him so they could capture him.
He felt as if he’d taken half the river with him as he tried to run. He checked his party. They were still running up the river looking for a place to cross, except for Wade, who had run the opposite way, toward him and the Kanoans.
Damn. It was Wade the Kanoans wanted most. Desil tried to focus on speed as he ran but couldn’t tear his eyes away from the river as his father jumped into the water. Fortunately Wade started to cross without it reaching past his waist.
Something slammed into the side of Desil’s leg and knocked one ankle against the other. He cried out in pain as he tumbled. His pants had ripped halfway down his leg, the opening already stained with blood.
He forced himself up against the weight of his soaked clothing and sprinted again. His leg ached, but he was able to ignore it. He’d already lost his bag in the river, he realized, or he would’ve shed it at that moment.
The wind came gusting into him, trying to push him back toward the Kanoans. His father had made it out of the river while the rest of Desil’s party jumped in farther upstream. He checked the forest ahead. No, he wouldn’t make it with his cut leg and soaked clothing. He was about to try anyway, as it might save the rest of his party, but then his father changed his mind with a shout.
