The Exodus Sagas: Book IV - Of Moons and Myth (80 page)

Tubrey fell back into the arms of Angeline, and she held him tight. He cried, hand over his own mouth, and dared not look again.
Angeline stroked his curly hair, far above, on the lost and mythical Soujan Temple.

“Enough now, enough. We can still save them. We can.” Angeline drew Charity, and looked to the hilt. The little angels were winking, their feathers were glowing, and she felt in her pouch.
Something there they wanted her to see.

“How? Gwenneth is…she is…she’s dead. There are one hundred men there still, and they are going to kill them. Lord Cristoff is back with the---“ Tubrey shook his head and wiped his face.

“They will come. Can you get those chains off, were I to get you close enough?” Angeline felt the feather, the one Annar had left her with when he disappeared into Hyrastrian, to go to the heavens. It was throbbing with a pulse, with a heartbeat
, and she took a deep breath then
looked to Tubrey.

“Yes, I have these.” He produced some small files, a little chisel, and some small picks in a folding leather pouch with straps. Tubrey looked up, his big brown eyes puffy with tears, and saw the disapproving gaze of Angeline. “
What? W
e minstrels get stiffed on coin so often, since we be small and all.
I have to make sure fair is fair, once in awhile, just on those that don’t pay, mind you. I am no thief, not by trade anyway.”

“Very well.” Angeline smiled.

Shrieks of screaming demons shot through the clouds, right above them, and then from the doors to the mines, and even from the mountains behind them. Black horned horrors on wings, hundreds upon hundreds of them, all swarmed the skies. Angeline pulled Tubrey against a pillar and readied her sacred blade. Th
en, they turned to ash and dust
, black powder laced the air. The demons sizzled and screamed, as if whatever they were fleeing was destroying them, whatever held them here
,
was gone.

“I do not like this place.” Tubrey commented after the last of the demons turned to dust on the wind.

“When I drop, you hold on tight. It will not be like before, nice and slow. I need to surprise them, so we will fall very fast. When---“

“Whoa, hold on. There are one hundred men down there, we need to go get help. You cannot---“ Tubrey was cut off.

“There is no time. When we land, you get them free. I will handle the soldiers.” Angeline smiled and reached into her puch for the feather. “Do you love them, truly, Tubrey o’ Tarnobb?”

“With all my heart, Saberrak the most, but all of them, yes. They saved our lives in the Misathi Mountains. They are the bravest heroes ever.” Tubrey wiped his eyes and walked toward the edge.

“Who do you pray to, may I ask.”

“Alden, God of Heaven, the father of mankind. Why?”

“I cannot keep something, without giving it away. So, here, take this.” She handed him the feather, it was glowing, humming with golden radiance.
She knew it was one of Alden
’s, for Annar had stood over his brother
and protected him, and was imprisoned for it so many thousands of years ago. He had kept one
feather
, in his hand, all this time. She knew it, for Charity told her of its origin
with sweet songs to her heart.

“What is this for?”

“For Gwenneth,
just pray to Alden, with his feather. P
lace it upon h
er, and hold her tight. For me, Tubrey.” Angeline wiped her eyes and stood, blade in hand.

“This is one of Alden’s feathers I---“

“
Sssshhhh. Yes.”

Angeline walked to the edge and looked over. The black masks of shadow were gone from the eyes of Ja
mes and Shinayne, yet the soldiers
were beating them as they cried and pointed to Gwenneth. Saberrak was jerking the chains so hard that dust flew from the ground. Then, they began beating him with the blunt ends of their weapons as well. The red circle was pulsing, flames began to dance up from the center, and men in dark prayer hummed loudly toward it as if something were to rise through any moment.
She heard singing, faint as it was, from Shinayne. Though Angeline did not speak elven, she felt the words. It was a eulogy, poetic and placed to song, and both she and Charity felt tears coming from the words they did not understand.

The lady of the Knights Soujan took a deep breath, wrapped Tubrey in her arm, and said a silent prayer to her brothers far away. She looked up, and a single faint beam of sunlight broke the clouds and fell on the side of the temple.
She hummed and thought pleasant thoughts to the air. Many faint whispers answered, though she could see nothing in the sky. She waited for the right moment, she would know, the Mother would tell her.
Angeline smiled to Tubrey, looked down, and breathed out.

“
Are you ready?”
She whispered softly.

“
Yes, m’lady.”
Tubrey gulped and whispered back.

Kaki Mountains

“Come on, Azenairk, ye’ still walk too slow.”

Zen felt the pat on his shoulder, he blinked and looked up. He was walking, though he did not feel his steps. The tunnel was filled with light, the light of thousands of dwarven spirits passing him by. He looked behind him. They flooded from the forges and into this tunnel, the one that Mudren Sheldathain had sent his family
out
, so long ago.
It was blinding white light, and even brighter as he turned and looked to where they were headed.

“Hurry up me boy, by Vundren ye’ be standin’ round all
dazed.” Kimmarik Thalanaxe stood before him, his own father, yet he was young and full of life.

“Father? Father
, how are you, what is…oh by Vundren’s holy hammer, I see the Mountain.” He walked forward, trembling, and then he looked at his hands. They were white, glowing, as was the rest of him. Just like every other dwarf that he saw.
“I’m dead then.”

He walked with his father, out the tunnel, and up the side of the Kaki Mountains, following the tens of thousands of dwarven spirits that were now free. He looked up, Mount Maonell glistened like a spike of silver from the clouds. The dead spirits smiled as they passed him, giving thanks as heavenly winds drifted them up the side of the Kaki, and then up into the gray skies above.

“Ye’ done good, me little agrvund, ye’ done made us all proud up here, Vundren’s certaintly on that.” Kimmarik sniffled, a few ghostly tears fell, and he put his arm around Zen as they walked up the mountain.

“I did it, I promised ye’ I would, father.” Zen held him tight as they walked, father and son, together. “
Sorry I done died
, but that Arabashiel was a bit powerful then.”

He looked up, and fell to his knees on the side of the cloud covered mountains. His ghostly lips trembled, and he pointed ahead. Tears rolled down his cheeks into his beard.

“Tad….Gead…Papi…Mum? Is that you then?” He waved
to his family
, and they waved back
from the clouds of Vundren’s heaven
.

“Aye, yer family be all here, all of us. They be so proud o’ ye’ son, ye’ have no idea. Ye’
did what no army, no dwarven kings,
no one but you coulda’ done. The whole entire Halls o’ Vundren be talkin’ o’
me boy, Azenairk Thalanaxe.” Kimmarik held Zen tight, holding him back from walking
toward his mother and brothers on Mount Maonell

Another pat came from behind, this one hard and strong. He turned around, and was face to face with the spirit of Mudren Sheldathain. Zen bowed, wiped his face, and smiled.
Dwarven songs of praise chanted throughout the skies, from countless dwarven spirits, and he even heard his name being sung of.

“Yer boy fought like hell, Kimmarik Thalanaxe, I never seen nothin’ like it. Ye must be the proudest father in Mount Maonell, and I am proud to say I fought alongside ye’, Azenairk. See ye’ soon then. Vundren’s blessings upon ye’.” Mudren drifted up, waving his thanks to the Thalanaxe men, and disappeared into the heavenly clouds. Thousands still followed and drifted past, all being greeted by their families, long gone from the world.

“Me friends, are they allright then?” Zen drifted up a bit more, then Kimmarik pulled him back with his ghostly hand.

“That is why the heavenly father, Vundren, had me come to ye’ first, son. They be in trouble then.” Kimmarik let his tears fall, hard and constant, and hugged his son.
He missed him more than anything in the world.

“Can Vundren help em’, what can we do then?” Zen felt something tickle his neck, something wet and warm. He looked around, nothing.

“Aye, aye, he can. Look there, look hard.” Kimmarik pointed through the clouds, down along a beam of sunshine, and into the ring of temples. “See there?”

Zen saw it, he saw the red circle, the wicked men, and his friends. He gasped, though he felt no need to breath
e
. He saw Gwenneth laying dead, Saberrak and Shinayne, and James all chained. It looked like a sacrifice and he turned his head back to his father.

“Stop it, can we go down there
!
? Make him stop it, I need to speak to Vundren!” He struggled, but his father held him tight.

“Hold on me boy, hold on now.” Kimmarik wiped his eyes, kissed his son on the forehead, and looked him in the brown eyes with his sky blues. His voice trembled when he spoke. “Ye’ know that tunnel, one we just came out of?”

“Aye, the one Sheldathain used to send out the box and his family and things, aye.” Zen turned to look again, then felt his father grab his jaw and turn him back by the beard to face him.
“Why?”

“Ye gonna go out that there secret tunnel, head a bit north, ye’ gonna have help
waiting
.
I’m sorry son, but ye have to go now, it’s not yer time.
Just let ..go
…now…”
Kimmarik Thalanaxe began to fade
up to the clouds of heaven
.

Zen reached for him, his hands slipping through as if he was not there. He felt something wet on his face, more tickling, and his was falling now. He fell from the clouds, yelling for his father, faster and faster he fell.

“
Father!”
Zen yelled up as loud as he could. “
I love ye’, what’s happening, don’t let me fall!”

“
Fight…like…hell…son….
see …ye’..soon…
!
”
Kimmarik shouted from Mount Maonell, as loud as he could, and then he was gone.

It went from white clouds to sandstone rock to darkness all in one second. Pain ripped through his neck and back, he gasped, yet it was grovelly and full of blood when he did. The cold stone floor was wet with his blood. He covered his hands over his throat, and then he felt the tickle again, and something wet on his face. It was lifting him, dragging him, and now carrying him. He tried to talk, but could not, the air just came and went. Suddenly, the forges lit with golden light, the braziers hummed and glowed white, and Azenairk Thalanaxe felt the healing touch of prayer close his wounds.
His hand was on his neck, his other on his hammer and moons, just like when he had died
.
He still could not talk, just a faint whisper, and he was exhausted beyond anything he felt before.

“
Wh..o…wh…o….
w
….
ho
…..
a
….
re
…?”
His voice would not come, his throat was torn inside, yet he could breath
e
and the blood had stopped pouring.

“
Whoilli darrnii ierri uossiil?”
Dalliunn Cloudwatcher carried Zen out of the forges, all the weapons of those he had tracked by smell, were across his back. The lewirja licked his face again, the whiskers tickled, and he bounded down the secret tu
n
nel he had found
in the mountains
.
He knew he had to get his
dwarven
friend out of this place.

Dalliunn , by what grace o’ God is he doin’ here?

Zen patted him on the head of rough coarse black hair, and smiled. He looked up and saw Dalliun was with watery eyes, and he held on tight as they ran out of the Kakisteele mines. Zen grabbed his Thalanaxe warhammer from the lion-man’s side, and lifted it up to his nose. He made a sniffing sound, pointed, and nodded. Dalliunn nodded back and growled
,
a
feline
grin
came
across his face.
The light at the end of the tunnel was getting bigger, gray it was, the gray of the outside light. It blinded him for a few moments.

Zen looked up, searching the sky for the Mountain of God,
for
Vundren, but all he saw was clouds. There was an encampment ahead, hundreds, thousands there, and he was confused.
Dalliunn carried him, faster across the hills.