The half-orc nodded and left Coal’s side. “Leather okay?”
“Yeah, but it’s gotta be clean. NO DIRT, understand?” Lenny looked down at Qyxal’s still form. “Quickly now. We gots to get him back to his people in as whole a piece as we dag-gum can.”
She dug through their packs and pulled out the leather tarp they had brought to sleep on. She dusted it off. “Why no dirt?”
“He’s a dag-gum elf,” Lenny said. “His body’ll stay good forever, unless it’s buried. If dirt’s touchin’ him he’d break down so fast, all we’d have when we got there’d be a pile of bones. His people’re gonna want to plant him in their homeland.”
The dwarf gently prodded the others from their mourning and explained what they needed to do. They walked to the river’s edge and everyone worked in silence. Coal and Samson washed the leather tarp. Fist lifted Qyxal’s body while Justan and Lenny meticulously cleaned the elf of any dirt. Coal cast a spell to dry the tarp and they laid Qyxal on top of it. Bettie retrieved a brush from her pack and gently combed the elf’s remaining hair free of debris, then Lenny wrapped the tarp around the elf and tied the bundle with rope.
They gathered their things and Gwyrtha went to round up Albert and Stanza. As Justan had guessed, they hadn’t wandered too far. Both had burns and Albert had lost a good portion of his mane to the fire, but Master Coal was able to heal them. Lenny tied Qyxal’s bundled body to the back of Stanza’s saddle.
Justan retrieved Qyxal’s journals and the bag of honstule seeds and tucked them into the bundle. He choked back another flood of tears. He had seen far too much death lately, but this was the first time that someone he had been truly close to had been killed.
He walked over to the place where Charz had fought Kenn. A small crater had been left behind by Kenn’s final assault on the giant. The heat had been so intense that the rock had melted and pooled. It was hardened now and veins of glass were scattered throughout.
Justan shook his head at what remained of the rock giant. His body in many places looked fused with the rock and glass around him. His face was a ruin, his features half melted away, his gaping mouth with its white teeth the only part of him that was recognizable.
Master Coal walked up to him. “I did what I could for Qyxal.”
“I know,” Justan said and they stood in silence for a moment.
“That creature that came out of you, was it-?”
“It was the Scralag.” Justan said. He rubbed at the rune on his chest. “And its still here, inside me. I don’t know what to do about it.”
“It’s bonded to you,” Master Coal said. “You will have time to figure it out.”
Justan nodded and thought he saw movement in the ground in front of him. Just to make sure, he switched to mage sight. His breath caught in his throat. “Master Coal . . .”
“Yes?”
“What is it?” Samson trotted over and joined them.
“I think Charz is still alive. L-look at the spirit magic.” Justan could see a long whispy white cord connected to a spot deep within the giant’s chest. “The bond would be gone if he was dead, wouldn’t it?”
Coal sighed. “He would be the one to survive this, wouldn’t he?”
“What do we do?”
“Leave him,” Samson said.
“But he tried to help us,” Justan said. “Shouldn’t we help him?”
The wizard hesitated, but shook his head. “He’s right, Sir Edge. We should just go. This far away from his cave, Charz will heal very slowly, but he will heal. If he wakes up, he may decide to attack.”
“No,” came a pained voice. Justan and the others backed away as Charz’s twisted bulk stirred. His head strained free from the ground and the rock around his ruined face cracked and shattered, some stones and shards of glass still clinging to his rocky flesh. He moved his mouth and spat but the rest of his face remained an unrecognizable lump. “I can’t see . . . Coal, is that you?”
“It’s me, Charz.” Coal said.
The giant let out a pained chuckle and tried to move again, but all he did was crack the ground around him. He grunted. “I . . . didn’t see you when I came out of the forest. You must find it . . . really funny to see me like this.”
“I find it sad, Charz.” Coal said, and there was genuine sadness in his voice. “I always find your condition sad.”
“Is that named warrior here?” the giant asked. “That, Sir Edge?”
“I’m here,” Justan said in surprise.
“Good,” there was relief in the giant’s voice. “I have a favor to ask you.”
“He owes you nothing, Charz,” said Samson.
“It’s okay, Samson,” Justan said. “What do you want?”
“Kill me.”
“Don’t be ridiculous,” Master Coal said. “He’s not going to-.”
Justan drew his right sword and laid it against Charz’s throat. The sword pulsed with the need to expend the energy it had absorbed from Qyxal’s pain and Justan knew that it would only take a thought to remove the giant’s head from his body. “Why, Charz? Tell me why I should kill you?”
“Cuz I’m done,” Charz wheezed. “I’m tired, and you . . . you are a bonding wizard, aren’t you?”
“N- . . . How do you know?”
“Thought about it after you left me here on the river ba-.” The giant coughed hard, then spat out blood and black chunks. “I laid here for two days, you know that? Two days before I healed enough to drag myself back to my cave. You’d beat me. The first time ever . . . I thought about it over and over, played the fight over in my head.”
“The rogue horse didn’t give it away?” Samson snorted.
The giant hacked and spat and gave a pained smile. “Yeah, but I wasn’t thinking about that. It was the way Sir Edge fought that second time when he came back. That’s how I knew they were bonded.”
“So why does that mean I should kill you?” Justan asked.
“Because you’re the one that beat me, why else? And it’s fitting that it’s a bonding wizard.” the giant said. He worked his head around, dislodging one rather large rock that was stuck to his forehead. “Hell, I’m beat twice now. That last fight was a great one though, wasn’t it? I mean, look what it did to me. I never fought something like that.” Charz sighed and coughed again. “Anyway, just do it.”
Justan withdrew his blade. “Before I decide, I want to understand. So you’ve been defeated. Why do you want to die?”
“I’m not worthy to live.” Charz said. “I’ve known it for decades now. All the people I hurt, all the people I killed . . . My master tried to show me, you know. For the longest time, he would track down the families of the people I hurt. He would show them to me. Show me how much pain they were in.”
“He was trying to help them,” Coal said. “He was trying to make amends.”
“Yeah, I laughed in his face. ‘They shouldn’t have fought me,’ I said. But I knew. I knew.”
“Why didn’t you stop, then?” Coal demanded. “He would have forgiven you.”
“There was no stopping. I was damned. I knew it. What was the point of trying? I loved the fight. I loved the challenge. I knew that . . . no matter what, until I found someone better than me, I wouldn’t be able to stop.”
“But that’s over now? You are ready to give up the fight?” Justan said.
“Yes. I’m ready for this to be over.”
Justan shook his head and sheathed his sword. “I can’t help you.”
“Wh-why? Please?” The giant tried to sit up again and this time more glass and rock broke free before he gave up and lay back down. “You don’t understand, there is nothing for me here anymore. I’m ready to pay for what I’ve done. Kill me”
“Sorry. This is not my decision. This is up to your bonding wizard.”
“He’s right, Charz,” Coal said. “You go back to your cave. You talk to him. Tell him what you told us. He’ll look inside of you and if what you are saying is true . . .”
“Let him be the one to kill you,” Justan said. “Or set you free, so that you can rejoin him.”
“Free?” Charz laughed and coughed again. “B-but we haven’t spoken in years. What if he won’t talk?”
“He will,” Coal assured him. “He’s just waiting for you to come to him.”
“Ohh, I can’t. I can’t face him now. Not after everything.”
“The only thing I am willing to do is help bust up that rock around you,” Justan said. “We’ll do that in thanks for you helping us out during the battle.”
Justan and Coal called out. Fist and Bettie arrived moments later dragging a bewildered Lenny along with them.
“And why in the gall-durn, pitch-forkin’ hell are we helpin’ this rock-biter?”
Fist shrugged. “He says he is done fighting.”
“Hello, dwarf.” said Charz. “Is that you I hear?”
Lenny looked down at the giant’s half-melted face and smirked. “Hoo, look at what that thing did to you. I thought you was dag-blamed ugly before.”
Charz snorted. “Too bad I can’t see to check your thieving face for improvements.”
“Thievin’? That dag-blasted hammer was mine to begin with!”
“I won it in battle. By rights, it was mine,” the giant argued.
“It weren’t never yers. Yer the blasted thief that stole it from me!”
“Spoils of war, dwarf. It’s a law as old as time,” Charz argued.
“And I beat you Charz, so it became mine.” Justan reminded him. “I gave it to Lenny, so now it’s his.”
“Dag-gum right,” Lenny said. “I guess . . .”
“Now both of you stop it,” Justan said. “Lenny, you don’t have to help us, but I promised Charz that we would help him break free from the rock.”
“I’ll help, gall-durn it,” Lenny said. “He’s pretty well sealed in there. Maybe I’ll get lucky and hit somethin’ important.”
Lenny, along with Bettie and Fist, broke the rock up around the giant. Despite the dwarf’s threats to the contrary, they were careful and only a few times did they hurt the giant. Once freed from the ground, the extent of the giant’s injuries was evident. One of his arms had been so badly melted he was unable to move it, and bits of rock and glass that remained fused to his skin jutted out of his frame at odd angles. With Fist’s help, the giant was able to stand. Every move he made pained him. He was wobbly on his feet and walked with a pronounced limp, but still he was able to move.
“Can you make it back to your cave?” Coal asked.
He giant nodded his twisted head. “I can feel it pulling at me. Telling me to come back-.” He started coughing and doubled over so hard, he nearly fell over. Fist grabbed his arm to help steady him. Charz spat out a gob of black blood. “Gah! Anyway, I’ve been stuck here so long, I could never get lost. I’ll make it there and the stupid place will heal me up.”
Charz stood for a moment in silence, hunched over, his head hanging low. “I’ll get going then. Maybe I’ll get lucky and he’ll forgive me.” The giant limped to the treeline and then, with one hand grasping a trunk, turned his head back to them. “I . . . well, thank you is all.” With that, he entered the forest.
Coal stood by Justan and shook his head. “I can’t believe it. I tried hard for years to help him, Edge. Years. I felt I owed it to his wizard. When I finally gave up, I never thought this would happen.”
“He’s been humbled,” Justan said with a half smile. He had been humbled before. A vision of Jhonate swam before his eyes. “I know how powerful that can be.”
“I hope you’re right.” Coal said.
“Now before we leave, I have my own bonded to deal with,” Justan said. He called to Fist and Gwyrtha and made sure that they understood what he wanted to do. Then the three of them went to talk to Deathclaw.
Chapter Forty
The raptoid’s pain reached out like a beacon. Without even looking inside his body, Justan knew that Deathclaw’s side was in agony, as was his arm, and for some reason the raptoid’s head was pounding harder than ever. They walked to the forest’s edge and stood under the tree he hid in. To Deathclaw’s irritation, Squirrel was sitting in the branch next to him calmly chewing a nut and ignoring his threatening hisses.
Justan left the bond wide open and linked all his bonded together. Deathclaw, we are here. Let me heal you.
The raptoid didn’t immediately push them away this time. Justan sensed that Deathclaw felt their concern. He was stuck in a state of confusion. These were feelings he had never experienced before. He didn’t understand why they had come back to the river for him. He didn’t understand why they had fought for him.
They stood patiently until Deathclaw responded, You . . . Why?
You are part of our tribe, came Fist’s thoughts.
Deathclaw. Tribe, echoed Gwyrtha.
We are your pack, said Justan.
Each statement was matter of fact. Despite his agony, a hint of understanding entered Deathclaw’s mind. His heart beat faster. A new pack? Could this be true? Human . . . Justan . . . you can fix this?
Yes. I think so. But I’m still learning. I may need some help from Master Coal.
The wizard? Deathclaw recoiled at the thought of a wizard touching him again.
He will observe only, Justan assured him. He sent over soothing feelings regarding Master Coal, but he didn’t push it. Justan wanted Deathclaw to know he could be trusted, but he also understood how intense the fear was. I will not allow him to work his magic on you.
Deathclaw’s mind burned with uncertainty, but the pain was so great that he finally acquiesced. I . . . allow it.
Justan sent Gwyrtha to get Master Coal and dove into the bond. When he switched to mage sight, he was stunned. Deathclaw’s body was alive with magic. Every cell was bound with the elements. His very blood was coursing with it. The magic seemed unstable yet at the same time it held together. The way the magic moved reminded him of Gwyrtha’s body. He didn’t have the same source of intense energy, but the flow of it was very similar.
Justan went to work. He looked at the biggest problem first. A great swath of skin and flesh on the left side of Deathclaw’s body had been eaten away. Fist provided the memory of the acid that the modified orc had spit on him. The damage was deep. Most of his abdominal wall was eaten away in areas. Deathclaw was lucky that his climb into the tree hadn’t caused his internal organs to burst out.
A human would have been crippled for life after such damage, but Deathclaw’s body was already working on the problem. The flesh was being restored at a rapid rate. It was already doing more than Justan knew how to do, so he just pulled some energy from Gwyrtha to help speed it along. He discarded some of the ruined flesh and cleaned out some dirt and debris that had gotten into the wound and left it at that.
Justan looked at Deathclaw’s arm. One of the bones in his forearm had been broken but was partially healed. From Deathclaw’s thoughts, Justan knew that normally it would have healed by now if his magic hadn’t been busy elsewhere. Justan soothed the swollen nerves around the break and stimulated the healing process further. He then moved on to the other minor cuts and bruises, but they had already mostly healed.
Finally he went to find the source of the raptoid’s headache. It wasn’t difficult. All he had to do was follow the pain. A tiny bulge in Deathclaw’s brain was pressing against a major artery. Justan wasn’t sure what could have caused it. Perhaps Ewzad Vriil had been messy when transforming him, or perhaps the additional changes brought about by their bonding had caused the problem. Either way, this wasn’t something Justan knew how to handle. It was Deathclaw’s brain. What if he made it worse?
Deathclaw, I have done what I can from here, but now I need Master Coal’s help. I need you to come down from the tree. Please do it carefully. The wound in your side could get worse.
The raptoid didn’t come down right away. The wizard and his beasts had arrived. How was he supposed to trust them? But Justan had been true to his word
so far. The pain in his wounds had lessened and his body felt revitalized. Despite his instincts crying out against the decision, Deathclaw climbed down the tree.
He stood, watching them, his heart beating fiercely. He kept his back to the tree and made sure that he had an escape route available. If forced to, he was ready to fight.
It’s okay, Deathclaw. There will be no need. Justan sent. “Would the rest of you back away though? He’s not comfortable around everyone.” Bettie and Lenny left and Samson backed away, leaving Justan and Coal standing in front of the Raptoid.
“Is he alright with me getting close?” Coal asked.
Hunt of the Bandham (The Bowl of Souls: Book Three) Page 44
