Revenge Song

by C. K. Rieke

  Lilaci, herself, felt on high alert as well— scanning the desert and mountains for anything out of the ordinary. She, luckily, found nothing of concern that day. Roren, more than a handful of times, yelled out at the party to get down, as he thought he saw something. But after careful re-scanning, there was always nothing, and they continued forth. Lilaci and Roren expected the walk to take the better part of two weeks to arrive at the back entrance to the cave. Once they arrived at the Hidden Garden, they’d have a short walk into the cave to the egg. Two weeks was a long time out on the open sands though, yet, so far, Lilaci felt optimistic with the strength they held in their ranks. A pack of Scaethers would be a challenge, there was no doubt about that, but with Kera in possession of the orbs, her greatest concern was for Fewn’s fighting ability with her burned arm. But Fewn was strong, she may have even grown stronger than Lilaci herself. Whatever lay ahead, they’d deal with together— as a team, as a troupe, as a family.

  Chapter Thirty

  A dragonfly buzzed by, zipping past his ear quickly, and then it landed on his shoulder. Along its metallic blue body, white streaks striped its back. Its wings fluttered up and down, and then lay gracefully on the tan linen of his cloak that fell to a cape at his back. He looked inquisitively at the insect, its dead eyes staring off into the desert. He reached up with his left hand up to his right shoulder to touch the dragonfly, but then it buzzed off again, floating off in the wind. He watched it fly off, effortlessly— without boundaries, without rules, without gods.

  She walked up ahead of him, always, she walked ahead. Her walk was elegant, powerful; and she never fatigued. Walking day and night without sleep was as easy to her as drinking cool water on the sands was to any normal man. Her dress of silver trailed back behind her, as she seemed to glide atop the hot sand. Her long golden hair glimmered in the sunlight, and her tan skin relished the bright sun. The silk dress left little covered, as her shoulders, neck and chest were left free, and part of the torso and legs revealed themselves from the cover of its silver fabric.

  Veranor watched her walk often, as there was very little else to look at. The sky held nary a cloud in the sky, and the city of Voru had vanished behind them long ago. Ahead of them would be the Zont-ils, but they were still over a hundred miles off. There were two things that still were unanswered in his mind about the goddess he traveled with; first, why was he needed at all? She was a god, and Veranor was merely mortal, granted he was esteemed as one of the best champions and fighters in all the lands. Secondly, and probably the question that perplexed him the most; was the lack of urgency there was to find the Dragon’s Breath and bring her back to the pyramid. He assumed that he only slowed her down in their hunt, as she would stop with him as he made a fire, ate, and hydrated. She needed none of those things. If this girl was the one thing that brings about the undoing of the Six, why did she spend all that time back in the city? Veranor racked his brain, trying to understand her, but he chocked it up to the fact that he was mortal, and what mortal could fully comprehend the ways of the gods?

  She talked very little to him as they walked the last couple of days, and mostly they were insults veiled in quick comments, or observations. Veranor didn’t dwell on her snide remarks about his slower pace compared to hers, or how his sweat made him ‘unbecoming.’ The Commander felt those remarks slide off him, like butter on freshly baked bread. He cared little for her words, as he assumed that his path was coming to an end, one way or another. He’d either die in battle, even at her hand, perhaps she’d cast a spell of poison on him like he’d seen her do to others before. Or— they accomplished the task at hand, and he fell back into the favor of the gods. If they didn’t kill him for his failure with Lilaci and Fewn, they may even reward him. And when the gods personally rewarded you, life was never the same. When they gave their thanks to a soldier, it came with it vast plots of land, exotic castles, titles of valor and esteem, and most indulgent of all— the favor of the gods themselves. You’d never have to see them again, but in the eyes of every living soul around you— you may as well be a god. For if any one of them thought they fell in a low regard to you after that, they thought the gods themselves looked down on them then. You’d never want for food, water, or a warm body to sleep next to again. Death or the life of a king. Veranor thought those were the only two options left for him, and with his present company, he thought the odds weren’t in his favor.

  “Warm under the midday sun?” she said, not looking back at him. “Don’t you think?”

  “Yes, it is,” he said.

  “I can smell your sweat upwind.”

  He didn’t respond.

  “You know you can tell the wits of a man by his flavor, by his stench.”

  Again, Veranor didn’t respond.

  “The cowards smell of rancid fat and vinegar to me. Do you want to know what you smell of?”

  “I know how I smell. I don’t need you to tell me.”

  “You smell of cat piss,” the Witch Queen laughed a howling cackle at that. Her laughter echoed in the winds. Sands blew softly by at their feet.

  “I believe I have a normal scent. I smell like a man, that is all.”

  She stopped laughing abruptly. “You are only a man, you have no idea what my senses are like.”

  “I know your sense of taste,” he said in a confident tone of voice. “You really seem to enjoy cat piss.”

  Before he could blink, Gorlen was abruptly at his side, staring into his eyes. He was so startled, his first reaction was to grab his sword. He found her hand on his, holding his hand firmly on the hilt of the sword. She was so strong, he couldn’t budge her hand. “If I wanted cat piss, I’d just take it. And with a flick of my wrist I’d toss it onto these sands and leave it to rot under the sun.” She released his hand, her fingers falling back to her side. “I don’t care for this new tone you carry, I suggest changing it.”

  “I thought we were more like lovers than companions now. Lovers can talk with one another.”

  “Ha,” she gave a single burst of forced laughter. “We are not lovers.”

  “Aren’t we?” He winked at her.

  “I’ve had my pleasure,” she gave a wry smile. “If you’re lucky enough, you may feel that pleasure again in your short lifetime.”

  He turned, and with his hood covering the side of his face, he began to walk forth again.

  She, in a quick motion, rallied back to the point again. Walking the sand before him. They walked for not even ten minutes when an eerie wind began to blow through. It started as just a normal gust of wind at their feet but blew in with a strong force moments later. Veranor and Gorlen looked up at the sky, as it began to fade from its bright, cloudless blue, to a murky gray. The sun began to fade, and biting winds whipped through. Veranor dropped to a knee and pulled his hood down to cover his eyes from the rushing sands.

  “Sandstorm,” he yelled out over the storm. “I’m going to have to wait it out here.”

  “This is no sandstorm,” she said. She only had to speak in a normal tone, and her words were still perfectly clear in the storm. As the sky grew darker, it fell to almost the dark of night, and the winds suddenly ceased. Veranor knew then what they were witnessing, and he dropped his head low, so low he could see the sands inches from his eyes. Then he could sense the bright light before them.

  “Welcome,” Gorlen said. “Dânoz, my king.”

  Veranor looked up slowly, and with his hood covering his forehead. Dânoz hovered in the air ten paces in front of Gorlen. Veranor could hardly look up at him, as bright as he was. He wasn’t wearing the same golden robes Veranor had seen him wear the one time he saw him before, he was now in a black and gold armor, finer than anything he’d ever seen. His silver hair flowed down his back, and his blue, piercing eyes glowed on his strong, pale face. Veranor didn’t fear Gorlen as he used to, but he felt like a speck of dust in the presence of the Great God.

  “I wasn’t expecting you to grace our mission,” Gorlen said. “What tidings d
o you bring?”

  “I have information about the girl,” he said. His voice was like thunder.

  “I have sensed her,” she said. “She is out north, curving over back west. We will find her.”

  “I have no doubt you will,” he said. “I come to tell you what it is they seek, and with who she travels.”

  “Lilaci,” Gorlen said. “And the girl Fewn, her inferior from Sorock.”

  “Yes,” the Great God said. “Along with two others. One, a young man of little importance to us. Roren is his name, he is of the Order of Drakon. You will kill him easily. The other . . . A Whiteblade.”

  Gorlen smiled. “Yes— after all of this time. They’re finally creeping out of their holes in the desert.”

  “He came alone,” he said. “He has magics. Old magics.”

  “He has nothing compared to the magic I bring to them,” she said.

  “That is not all,” Dânoz said. “They’ve found one.”

  Veranor’s ears perked up.

  “No,” Gorlen said. “They’re all dead.”

  “Not this one,” he said. His eyes burned in blue flame. “Not yet.”

  “Where is it?”

  “Our vision is blurred, we cannot see where the dragon lies,” he said. “Where they travel, is where the egg lies. She cannot release the dragon. But if she does, if she manages to crack its shell, you have to kill it.” Dânoz looked into Veranor’s eyes. “Either of you. You kill it then and there.”

  “She won’t reach it,” Gorlen said. “I’ll have her back to the palace and I’ll rip the location of the egg from her, whether she wants to or not. I’ve got a special poison in store for her. Her skin will slowly rot off her body. It will crack and burn viciously for weeks.”

  “I’ve no doubt you’ll return her to Erodoran. Finish this and let this blasphemes prophecy die with her. Just know that we are watching, and eagerly waiting for her.” Dânoz looked at Gorlen, and then down to Veranor once more. “You have not told him his role yet?”

  “No,” she said, as she turned and looked at the Commander, kneeling on the sand, this cape tails spread out wide. “I have not.”

  “We cannot reach the girl,” Dânoz said. His booming voice was as serious in tone as Veranor had ever heard in his life. He felt it crawl down his spine. “You will be the one to take her and bring her back to us. Gorlen will handle the rest, but you must take her.”

  “Your will be done,” Veranor said, bowing his head. “Whatever you wish of me, I will do as a service to the Six. I am your blade.”

  Dânoz didn’t respond, he didn’t need to. Then, the winds returned, and quickly Veranor found himself in the middle of a vicious sandstorm again. He had to shield his eyes, yet he was still able to make out the fading bright white light from where the god hovered.

  “Once the breath of the dragon is gone, then let the dragons die,” Danoz’s voice called out loudly in the storm, his words echoing in all directions. “When the dragon dies, then the light of the Six will shine like never before. Bring us the girl, and the light of the Six will shine brightly upon you— once— the Dragon’s Breath breathes no more.”

  The winds faded, and the light of the blue afternoon sky returned with the sun above. Gorlen began to walk forth again, without saying a word.

  “So that’s why you brought me?” Veranor said with a smirk on his face. She didn’t respond.

  Chapter Thirty-One

  Long days of walking passed, and with the help of shade from the rocks of the mountains to their right, the party made their way closer to the cave. Every day without incident, made their hopes grow a little higher that they’d reach the Hidden Garden, and the dragon egg. This day, they even had the luck to have a cloud-filled sky above, raising their spirits even further, now that they wouldn’t have the sun beating down on them, so they pulled their hoods down. Lilaci even caught Kera skipping as she walked occasionally, humming an unfamiliar tune.

  Midday turned to dusk, dusk to dark, and dark to dawn. They pressed on, following the mountain range as it carved its way around the northern border of the desert. Everything seemed to be going as well as could be hoped, and with little surprises. That was until one day when they stumbled upon something quite unfamiliar, and it appeared to have formed since they’d first crossed the desert. Even forming overnight perhaps.

  “That’s a long way down,” Kera said, as she leaned over it to glance at its depth. Lilaci went and pulled her back.

  “This wasn’t here before,” Roren said. “Even with as far south as we were, we’d have noticed this.”

  “It even cuts under and through the mountains,” Burr said.

  Before them was a ravine three hundred yards wide, and half as deep. Its dirt was cracked and dry at the bottom and sidewalls as well. To their right, it seemed to have cracked a great mountain in half, and the gorge ran all the way south, going as far as they could see. They’d never heard of such a ravine in those parts before, and Burr most of all, seemed concerned about its sudden appearance.

  “Let’s get moving across,” Fewn said, bending down and beginning to tighten her boot’s laces. “Kera, you’re going to want to tighten your boots. We’re going to have to climb down.”

  “Now,” Burr said, “let’s just hold up one second and talk about this.”

  “What’s there to talk about?” Fewn said. “There’s only one way across, unless you can fly.”

  “I agree,” Roren said. “This wasn’t supposed to be here.”

  “Well, it’s here now,” Fewn said, and after she finished up tightening her boots, she went over to help Kera with hers. Kera didn’t seem worried about the newly formed gorge. “The quicker we get down and over, the quicker we get to the other side.”

  “She’s right,” Lilaci said, and she went to tightening her boots.

  “Lilaci . . .” Burr said, beckoning her to change her mind.

  “I don’t like it any more than you do,” she said. “But what other option do we have?”

  “Here,” Burr said, bending over to tighten his own boots. “At least let me cross first to check it out.”

  “We should all go together,” Kera said. “We should always stick together.”

  “I hate to disagree with you, young lady,” said Burr. “But I’m going first, and that is that.”

  “I’m going to go with Kera,” Lilaci said. “Fewn, why don’t you go with Burr and check it out first.”

  “Why me?” Fewn said, her temper flaring. “Why don’t you tell Roren to do it. You’re always trying to kick me out. Push me away.”

  “I didn’t ask Roren, because I know he won’t. He incapable of leaving her side,” Lilaci said, and then looked over at him. “Am I wrong?”

  “No, you’re absolutely right,” he said.

  “Come on girlie,” Burr said. “The sooner we start, the sooner we are done. Isn’t that what you said.”

  “Alright,” Fewn said with a spiteful tone. “But I’m getting tired of you all pushing me around. I’m the one who should be leading this outfit, but instead you all treat me like the help.” Burr gave Lilaci an entertained look.

  “You can lead the party once we reach the other side,” he said. “How about that?”

  “Are you serious?” Fewn asked.

  “Sure am,” Burr said. “From now on, you get to pick everyone’s clothing, and how they do their hair. Roren needs some help with that.”

  “Burr needs direction on how not be an Iox’s ass,” Roren said to her. “I’m sure he’d appreciate such a leader.”

  “Yes,” Fewn said. “You could both use help finding brains that work proper.”

  Kera giggled but covered her mouth with her hands to hide her enjoyment. Lilaci looked down at her and smiled.

  “Let’s get this started,” she said. “Shall we?”

  Burr and Fewn began their way down the steep bank into the ravine. It was scattered with loose rocks and sand, which made their way treacherous. They slid and slipped as they wou
nd their way down, zigzagging back and forth. Lilaci wasn’t worried for their safety, she knew they’d make it down fine. She was worried for Kera’s, as she was much smaller, and not a strong.

  The two finally made it down into the bottom of the ravine, and Burr quickly went to inspect the area.

  “See anything down there?” Lilaci yelled down.

  Burr, after looking around for a couple of minutes, looked back up at her and yelled, “Nothing.”

  “Go on to the other side,” Lilaci called down again. “Once you’re on the other side, we’ll make our way down.”

  “We shouldn’t split up like this,” Kera said, pulling at Lilaci’s sleeve.

  “What do you mean?” Lilaci responded. “We’ll be over there shortly after them. Look.” She pointed down at the two as they ran across the gorge. “See, they’re right there. We will be together soon.”

  Kera stared at them as they ran across. “I hope you’re right. I’m tired of losing people I care about and being alone again.”

  “Hey,” Lilaci leaned down and kissed Kera on the head. “I’m still here with you. We are going to go over there together and be all together again soon. I promise.”

  Together they watched the two glide across the bottom of the ravine, and then begin to crawl up the other steep cliff. Roren seemed quite focused on them as well. It was if he was scanning their path across, as well as looking closely for anything that seemed out of the ordinary. Yet— nothing out of the ordinary happened. They both seemed winded from the climb, but as clouds rolled over them again, sending its shade upon them, they stood at the other side of the gorge, at the same level as the other two left with Lilaci.