by Cheree Alsop
“Is your leg broken?” he asked, holding my arm in case my leg gave way.
My knee twinged when I put weight on it, but the pain was minimal. “I'm alright,” I replied. I motioned toward the empty long boats. “Light them on fire. Leave two for the Lysus soldiers to use for retreat, and burn the rest as an example to any others who might choose to join the battle from their ships.”
He nodded, a smile touching his lips, and motioned for the other Duskies to join us. We ran to the boats and had several up in flames before the Lysus soldiers noticed what was happening.
It didn’t take long for most of the Lysus Luminos to either lay dying on the docks or fleeing wounded and weak across the bay to the ships. Duskies pulled the oars and helped their Luminos back onboard, but showed no motivation to arm themselves and fight back. Our own Luminos had returned to the castle long before. Though I hadn’t had the chance to talk to Axon, the pride in his eyes when he left was enough.
“We could send a troop out to burn their ships,” a Duskie beside me urged, the heat of battle in his eyes and blood smeared across his face from a cut by his eye.
My heart clenched at the thought, remembering the terror of being adrift at sea. A shiver ran down my spine at the image of dark creatures lurking beneath the surface.
I shook my head. “No, never. They will be allowed to return to Lysus, hopefully with a change of heart about our weakness.”
“And hopefully not to arm their Duskies and come back,” another Duskie said.
I shook my head. “They don’t show any will to fight, and I don’t think the Lysus will trust them if they did.”
Pyth ran to my side, his chest heaving and face beaming. “Commander Nexa, the last of the Lysus are fleeing. Should we pursue?”
I shook my head. “No; send your men through the city and make sure any remaining pockets of Lysus soldiers are told of the retreat and escorted back to the docks.”
“And if they refuse to be escorted?” he pressed.
“Then fight steel with steel. Their battle tactics showed no mercy, and neither will ours if they press our patience,” I replied. I had seen too much cruelty to trust an enemy soldier with the lives of the Lumini people. “But with the sun pretty much set, they’d be foolish to think they have any advantage over us.” Pyth saluted and ran off, several others following close behind.
I turned to the two dozen Duskies that waited at the edge of the docks. “Make sure the retreating Luminos reach their ships, and send warning if you see any sign of Nathos coming back to fight.”
I caught up the reins of a black horse that one of the Duskies brought over, then swung into the saddle with a sad pang at the horse I had allowed to get killed. I turned my horse’s head and followed the path the Duskies had taken to make sure the Lysus Luminos knew better than to resist.
Chapter 22
“It’s imperative that we disarm the Duskies.”
The angry voice echoed down the palace hallway I followed to the war room. Weariness flowed through every muscle of my body and I wanted more than anything to sleep instead of reconvene to review the battle, but an order was an order and I wasn't about to miss an opportunity to hear their thoughts on the fighting.
“A little ridiculous, don’t you think? They make our weapons,” a calmer voice pointed out.
“But what if they retaliate?”
I pushed the door open. “Retaliate against what?”
King Adexo, his head commanders, and Axon turned at my entrance. Commander Jashen filled me in. “Commander Tiben is afraid the Duskies will take certain liberties now that they’ve had a chance to fight.”
I took the empty seat next to Axon and frowned. “What liberties have they been denied?”
“The palace, for one,” Commander Tiben, a very skinny, overly pale Luminos stated abruptly.
I glanced at Axon. “Why would they want to come in the palace?”
He shrugged, but Commander Tiben said, “To take over, of course! If they attack us at our weakest, we couldn’t defend ourselves.”
“Couldn’t the Luminos do the same to the Nathos and Duskies when you’re at your full sunstrength?” I asked, curious.
Commander Tiben’s mouth flapped for a moment, but he couldn’t come up with a reply.
I turned back to Axon and King Adexo. “The Duskies are happy. Their families and homes are safe, and they can go back to their normal lives. They’re content with the trade and markets. It’s what they know and what they like to do. They have no reason to ‘take over’.”
The King met my eyes. “We can trust them?” he asked with all seriousness.
I nodded. “With a surety. They’re your people, too, and you’ve treated them well. It would perhaps help to acknowledge their bravery in rising to fight without any training, and I suggest creating a Duskie battalion in case something like this happens again-“
“A battalion?” one of the other commanders sputtered.
I pressed on without acknowledging him. “The sense of home comes from the ability to defend it, from knowing that you are doing all you can to keep your families safe from harm. The Duskies can be your biggest asset or your greatest weakness. They want to protect their homes, which means protecting you. Regardless of what you may think, they are grateful for their lives here and for what you’ve done for them.”
When I fell silent, Commander Jashen cleared his throat. “It would be pertinent to point out that the Duskies need the Luminos and Nathos to protect them from Lysus. They couldn’t have stopped the army by themselves.”
I nodded. “The truth is that the races combine to make one solid family. You all need each other, and you can trust each other to defend Lumini, or you can continue with doubt and suspicion, causing a greater rift in your relationships and leaving Lumini exposed to danger.”
King Adexo fell silent for a few moments, his face thoughtful. When he spoke again, it was in a voice of command. “Commander Jashen, get a recommendation for a Duskie Commander from Nexa and let him choose five hundred men to train up alongside our soldiers.”
“But my King-“ Commander Tiben tried to argue.
King Adexo held up a hand. “This is not a suggestion, Commander.” Commander Tiben fell silent and King Adexo continued, “We were fortunate this time. Had King Raden been the first to allow Duskies into his militia, we would be the ones running with our tails between our legs. We will not be caught unprepared again.”
“Yes, my King,” Commander Jashen said. He threw a triumphant smile at Commander Tiben, who turned away with a look of disgust and outrage.
The King motioned for the maps on the table to be gathered up. “For now,” he said, rising. “Let’s get a good night’s sleep while Commander Thursten collects the bodies. We’ll hold a burning by the docks tomorrow and give tribute to those who died to protect our city.”
The others rose and followed him out, a few of the Commanders still muttering to each other. Signs of weariness from the day's battle and the setting sun showed in their slumped shoulders and dragging steps. Axon put an arm around my shoulders and we walked down the hall and up the flight of stairs to our rooms. He stopped at my door and turned with a sigh. “What a day.”
I leaned against his chest and he put his chin on top of my head. “I have a feeling you’re always going to surprise me, Nexa,” he said into my hair.
“Is that a good thing?”
“Most definitely,” he replied and I smiled at the softness of his tone.
I watched Axon walk slowly to his own rooms and he turned with a weary smile. He paused a moment, a thoughtful expression crossing his face. “Promise me something, Nexa.”
“Anything,” I said, caught by the way his light blue eyes held mine with trust and honesty.
“Promise me you're done fighting so I won't have to worry about you anymore.”
My heart leaped at the thought that he worried about me, but I knew I had to tell him the truth. “If you fight, I fight,” I said, my voice solem
n but a smile in my eyes.
He opened his mouth to argue, then sighed with a shake of his head. “You are a feisty little minx, you know. You did all of Lumini proud today.” He turned and went into his room.
“There's only one heart in Lumini I care about,” I said softly. I watched his closed door for a minute, then went into my room. My eyes locked on an enormous cast-iron bathtub with clawed feet and steam rising from the water. My armor was already back in the armory getting repaired in case the Lysus decided to regroup and attack again, but the clothes I had worn underneath smelled of metal, blood, and dirty sweat, all things a proper girl shouldn't smell like.
A laugh escaped me and I stared at my reflection in the bathtub water. When did I start thinking of myself as a proper girl? I was in a palace, yes, but I was a Duskie without parents, a family, or a place to call my home. I led soldiers into war and fought against Sathen, I knew the best places to find water in a desert and what creatures could be eaten there, and I knew how to repair and maintain weaponry, and recently, how to ride a horse.
My gaze tightened. None of those things made me a proper girl. If anything, they did the opposite. I doubted any of the royalty Axon courted could even lift a sword, let alone use it to defend her loved ones. I dashed my hand through my reflection and turned away from the bathtub.
I crossed to the beautifully carved white wood table next to the wall. A dark green velvet cloth lay along the top of the table and held six different brushes, a variety of powders and pastes similar to those I assumed had helped Princess Tiseria of Lysus maintain her rosy cheeks and bright red lips, and several bottles of scented water. A small tray of jewelry, necklaces, earrings, bracelets, and a beautiful green ring sat near the brushes. I didn't dare touch them for fear that I would break something.
I eased down slowly on the chair and stretched my right leg out in front of me. My knee was swollen and stiff from when the horse had landed on it. Loss touched the edges of my thoughts when I pictured the horse, beautiful with her gray coat and black mane and tail, fearless in battle, and keen in defending us against our attackers. I felt responsible for her death. I shouldn't have let her rush headlong, but she was brave and I had been foolhardy. I told myself it was for my own good that my knee hurt. The horse would still be alive if it wasn't for me.
The battle between Lysus and Lumini would still continue if it wasn't for me, a small voice in the back of my mind whispered. I shook my head. King Adexo and Axon were brilliant and had smart, capable commanders underneath them. They would have figured out something.
But at what cost?
I closed my eyes and saw the marketplace again, mothers and fathers, Duskies with children running about them and jobs to do, smiles and love in their eyes. If the Lysus had broken through, the Duskies would have paid as dearly as the Luminos and Nathos.
I pulled off my clothes and limped back to the side of the bathtub. I eyed the water dubiously. I had never had a bath, and I wasn't sure it was such a good idea. So much water seemed like a waste, especially considering that after I had bathed in it, the quality would no longer be suitable to even water a lamak. Still, it was warm. The steam rising from the calm surface beckoned to me.
I gritted my teeth and stepped over the side, then eased my throbbing knee over, too. Bruises and a myriad of minor cuts and scrapes I hadn't realized I had blossomed with the heat as I lowered into the water, then faded to a dull ache. A scent touched my nose, peppermint and lavender. I tipped my head back against the metal side and let the oils ease the soreness from my muscles. Tension drifted out of my body until I felt so calm and at ease it felt as though my body floated in a warm cloud. The throbbing in my knee lessened and I dozed off thinking that a bath might be the best thing in the entire world.
I woke up in darkness, my head under water, and for a second I thought I was back in the cage in the ship, trying to hold the air in my lungs until Axon could reach me. Then I realized that there were no bars and I shot up from the bathtub sputtering and cursing my stupidity. The sun had set and dim moonlight showed through the glass windows of my room. The water in the tub was cold and I shook as I climbed out, wondering why I hadn't thought to set out clothes so that I wouldn't have to search through the closets dripping and naked.
I found a pair of thick, cottony pants and a long-sleeved shirt, slipped some socks over my feet for the first time in my life, then crawled into the big bed. I pulled all the blankets around me and huddled in the middle until the shivering stopped. The ache in my knee had eased considerably, but I definitely needed to either rethink my opinion of bathtubs, or the way I took them.
The fear of dark ships and darker water nudged at the edges of my mind and it was a long time before sleep stole me away again.
Chapter 23
Someone knocked on my door the next morning. I had already pulled on a new set of clothes, a black shirt with soft light leather pants, a black braided belt, and the ring Dathien had given me for my sword. It felt strange to not have a sword swinging against my side, and it also felt odd to miss it. I hurried to the door, the limp from my swollen knee almost gone, my socks off, and only a mild unease remaining toward the bathtub that still sat in the middle of the floor.
“Good morning, Nexa,” Axon said with a warm smile. He brought something from behind his back and my heart skipped a beat at the sight of a beautiful deep purple flower with a dozen petals that lightened to white at the tips.
I took it and a delicate scent whispered through the air. “It's the most beautiful thing I've ever seen,” I breathed, touching the petals softly with one finger.
“Then it was a good choice,” Axon replied, his tone strange. I looked up and found him watching me. “A flower should match the one it is given to.”
I blushed and focused my attention back on the flower to avoid his eyes. They told more than I had words to match. “Thank you,” I whispered.
“Unfortunately, I'm not here for pleasantries,” Axon continued, his voice heavier than before. I looked up again to find his eyes dark and solemn. “We're holding the funeral for my men this evening and I wanted to request your company, if you didn't find it too hard . . .” his voice caught and he swallowed, then pushed forward. “If you don't want to go, I completely understand. You've been through a lot and-”
I cut him off with a hand on his arm. “I would be honored to attend,” I reassured him, grateful that he would think of me. His face showed his relief, then his eyes darkened and filled. He looked away.
I took a step closer and put a hand to his cheek, gently turning his face to mine like he had done to me so many times. “Axon, it's not your fault they died.”
“I was a fool,” he replied, bitterness thick in his voice. “If I hadn't fallen for King Raden's trap, they would still be here.”
“And you wouldn't have been able to send a warning to your father in time to prevent Lysus from causing more damage to Lumini,” I reminded him. “You protected their families and for that I know they would do it all over again in a heartbeat.”
His eyes searched mine as if he needed to believe my words. He finally sighed and pulled me against him. “What would I do without you, Nexa?”
“Probably be very bored.”
“That's for certain,” he said with a laugh.
I smiled and leaned against his chest.
The funeral for the fallen Luminos was like nothing I had ever seen. They held the ceremony when the sun was at its peak. The bodies of those who had died at the Battle of Lumini were wrapped in pure white cloth made of threads that caught the sun and glittered like spider webs laced with dew. They were carried with deep reverence to a pier that stood next to the ocean.
A small, separate pier at the front held six long, white wooden boxes which contained the memories of Axon's men. Each family put in items that reminded them of their fathers, sons, and brothers, and then friends and acquaintances were also given the chance until the boxes were so full they were difficult to shut.
I went to the pier when the others were occupied and put my own items in each box, a small pink flower as a reminder of Dathien’s baby daughter, a bird feather to symbolize Dyloth’s music that haunted me like the sweetest birdsong, a small rock the same dark blue color as Rasa’s searching eyes, a single stalk of wheat as a reminder of Marken’s wonderful cooking, a seashell that caught the sun with the brightness of Jatha’s smile, and a leaf from a wise, old tree, dependable and steadfast as Staden had been. The gesture felt so miniscule compared to what they had done for me, but it felt better to do something, even so small.
Another pier was built a short distance away for the few Duskies who had been killed in the battle. It warmed my heart to see Luminos and Duskies alike mourning the wrapped bodies and bowing their heads in reverence for the dead.
The boxes for Axon’s men were then decorated in beautiful white flowers, some as small as the tip of my little finger, and others bigger than my head. The same flowers were then spread across the rest of the bodies until it looked like a sacred, floating garden on top of the piers.
Men, women, and children wept for the fallen men. Several children came forward and sang a song of gratitude so sweet and loving tears rolled down my cheeks. The simple phrases trickled through my mind like the patter of mineral-laced water droplets that fell from the vast ceiling of the pool room at the Caves. I used to sneak into the room late at night and close my eyes and listen to the hidden melodies beneath the drops, a song that spoke to the very middle of my being and echoed through my bones.
The reverent words of the children's song surrounded my heart in the same way and stayed with me long after the children dispersed back to their loved ones in the crowd.
You are not the bodies that we see,
wrapped in love and memory;
