War of the Fathers
Read War of the Fathers Online
Authors: Dan Decker
WAR OF THE FATHERS
DAN DECKER
Text
Copyright © 2014 Dan Decker
All
rights reserved
Published
by Xander Revolutions LC
Cover
image © diversepixel / Fotolia.com
This
is a work of fiction. Names, characters, places, and incidents either are the
product of the author’s imagination or are used fictitiously, and any
resemblance to actual persons, living or dead, events, or locales is entirely
coincidental.
For
my wife and family.
C
ONTENTS
TWO YEARS BEFORE THE SEVERING
“Melyah take my eyes!” Rend Rahid shifted on the loose
terrain, uncertain if he could trust his vision as another ship departed from
the valley below. He could feel heat from the glow of the engines and the roar
was deafening, forcing him to let go of his rifle so that he could shield his
ears. The belly of the Hunwei destroyer that was capable of holding over five
hundred people was soon overhead and he resisted the urge to try to scoot
deeper into the bushes where he was hiding. He'd spent several minutes picking
his position so that he couldn't be seen from the air. If he'd messed up the
selection of his hiding place, moving now wouldn't do him any good.
Out of instinct and old habit, Rend aimed his rifle at
the ship, preparing to fire but the ship had already begun its ascent. After it
was clear that the ship hadn't zeroed in on their position he lowered his
rifle. It was the tenth ship he'd seen leave during the last two hours. He and
his team had arrived in the late hours of the evening, intending to raid one of
the Hunwei encampments. They'd been hoping to rescue some of the captives but
instead they were witnessing an unprecedented event. As he watched the ship
disappear into the sky, he wondered how many captive men, women, and children
it held.
The thought made him think of his youngest son. How
many years had it been since little Lief had disappeared? He felt moisture
forming in his eyes. He didn’t think about the rest. It had been long enough
that he’d been able to accept the deaths of his wife and two other sons, but he’d
never been able to put Lief’s memory to rest. Lief's body hadn’t been with the
others and there hadn’t been anybody left to answer questions.
Tira, who lay next to Rend, let out a sigh as the ship
disappeared. She had pulled her brown hair into a ponytail to keep it out of
the way. She'd refused to cut it short like many of the other women. Perhaps
that was the reason why he'd been so drawn to her. Call Rend old fashioned, but
he liked a woman with hair.
The others in their group murmured and Rend resisted
the urge to tell them to be quiet. The noise from the ships in the valley more
than covered the noise they were making. One of the nearby metalmen—Rend hadn't
bothered to learn its name—reported that this was happening all over the world.
The Hunwei were leaving.
“It’s true then.” Tira leaned over, shifting her
blaster so she could put her mouth to his ear. “We’ll live.” She was always
cautious. That was part of why he loved her. It was hard enough to find a good
woman when the world wasn't being torn apart by war. Most people didn't bother
to form attachments these days. Rend couldn't blame them, given the present
mortality rate of humanity. He'd fought his feelings for Tira for a long time
before he'd succumbed.
“They’re quitting,” Rend whispered. In a way, he was
almost disappointed. When he'd set out on this mission, he’d been convinced
they wouldn’t survive. The rescue attempt had been a fool's errand from the
beginning. Rather than cower in Rarbon waiting for the inevitable end, he'd
decided to face it head on. The unfilled expectation left him baffled; surely,
he’d prefer to live? He wasn't ready to give up on life.
Rend thought of his only living child Arile, who he'd
left behind in Rarbon, the last remaining stronghold of their people. The hope
that he'd had for her future had kept him fighting all these years. Once the
hope had all but faded, he'd fought on still. He'd never have been able to live
with himself if he hadn't. A man has to protect his own, even if he knows it's
futile. He imagined the look of joy on his daughter's face when she saw him
again and it filled his heart with hope.
“The war’s over.” Tira’s breath felt warm and moist against
his ear, then after a pause. “Some are saying we won.” The last statement held
the hint of a question. Rend didn’t bother to answer. Tira knew the truth.
The others could no longer restrain themselves and
broke into cries of gratitude. They left the forest where they'd been hiding
and congregated in a little clearing. Rend could make out a prayer as an older
woman he didn't know by name chanted “Praise Melyah.”
Rend held his breath, expecting the Hunwei to come.
They didn't. Tira began tugging on his hand and he let himself be pulled out
with the others. He kept looking back down at the valley. There were still
several ships, but they were preparing to leave as well.
Tira put her hand around his waist and he realized
that he’d have to make good on his promise to her now. He felt too old to be
starting over. At the time, he hadn’t given it much thought. It had been
impossible until today, but had made Tira happy. Happiness had been in such
small supply that he couldn't have possibly denied her.
There was a roar as another ship shot into the sky and
even more voices joined the celebration. Rend was caught off guard as Tira
embraced him. It was a struggle to get her off, but she stopped when she
realized that he hadn’t been caught up in the moment. He touched her face to soothe
her hurt look and gazed into the valley. The excitement of the others failed to
touch him. Tira, sensing his mood, sobered a bit.
When the final ship lifted off the ground, the cheers
became deafening. Nobody else seemed bothered by the fact that there had been
little between them and death only a few hours before. Rend made out the word
victory and shuddered as the call was taken up by others. Before long, it was
on everybody’s lips.
He was reminded of the ocean surf pounding the beach.
The last time he'd taken joy in the sound had been many years ago. Their world
had changed shortly after that with the coming of the Hunwei.
The sun had just gone behind the clouds when he’d
heard Lief shriek. Rend had looked up alarmed but relaxed when he noticed that
the water had begun to wash away the small buildings Lief had been fashioning
in the sand.
Rend had smiled down at his son. “Don’t worry, you can
build again, let me help you.” He offered Lief a hand and pulled him back out
of the surf. It wasn’t long before the others had joined in, the whole family
came over to help and Lief was soon laughing.
“Victory! Victory! Victory!” The call broke into his revelry,
ripping away the memory, and it took several seconds before he could rejoin the
present. Rend relaxed his grip when he realized he’d been crushing Tira’s hand.
A glance her way showed she was too happy to notice. As he watched the last
ship disappear, he couldn’t decide if he hoped that somewhere up there Lief was
still alive or that he’d died that day as well. His words to Lief seemed to
echo in his mind.
Don’t worry you can build again
. Rend didn't relish
the idea of having to start anew, but he knew that he would. If only for Tira
and Arile.
He didn’t raise his voice with the others, he knew
better. This hadn’t been a victory. It wasn’t even an act of mercy. More than
twenty years of fighting taught him that the Hunwei always had a reason for
their actions, but he was at a loss to explain the sudden departure.
Shadows of Bloodshed
1,192 YEARS SINCE THE SEVERING
The Neberan town square had been decorated with every
imaginable color. Strips of red cloth covered the ground before the sacred
boulder where the couple had sworn their oaths to Veri—the local god—and then
cut each other. The red strips represented blood and life. To Adar Rahid blood
always represented death, and not because of a religious ceremony.
“Thing is, you look familiar,” Neare Paler said, his
face barely visible in the setting sun. He'd approached Adar from behind while
Adar had been watching the wedding celebration. Adar had chosen to ignore
Neare's approach because he didn't like the man and had hoped that Neare would
just move on.
Neare wiped a small amount of sweat from his brow with
the back of his hand. The heat of the day was dissipating with the evening and
Adar welcomed the chill. Before long, it would become cold enough that most
would head home. He'd stayed on the outskirts of the celebration for a reason.
He wasn't big on social gatherings and had hoped to avoid speaking to anybody.
He'd only come to check up on Jorad.
“Can’t quite recall from where,” Neare continued. “A
poster perhaps?” He had a cup in hand that he looked ready to drop so he could
grab the gaudy sword that hung from his belt. It wasn’t as fine of a sword as
Neare supposed. Adar could see that without having to handle it, but no doubt,
the blade was sharp.
Poster?
Adar thought.
That shouldn't have
followed us here
. He turned his full attention to Neare. As usual, Neare
was dressed in clothing more suited for a big city than that of a small town
like Neberan. His shirt alone had probably cost Neare half a gold piece and his
sword was the ugliest weapon that Adar had ever seen. Adar wondered how much
Neare had paid for the travesty but he wasn't worried about the threat Neare
posed. Should Neare move to draw his sword, Adar could have his sword out of
its sheath before Neare's was halfway. Adar wore his blade on his back in true
Radim fashion, it wasn't his favorite weapon, but it wasn't as recognizable as
his Radim sword.
Surely, Neare wasn't brazen enough to draw his sword
at a wedding. If the rumors around town were true, he knew how to use it. Adar
had almost been forced to learn firsthand when he'd come across Neare roughly
evicting a man and his family. The spat had ended with Neare leaving for the
mayor. Neare was a fool, perhaps a moderately dangerous one, but a fool
nonetheless.
“Hear you’re doing a lot of business with Polaer
recently,” Adar said, turning back to the celebration. He had figured that the
rumors about Neare and Polaer's wife were just that, rumors. However, if Neare
was going to imply accusations, Adar would make some of his own.
Neare’s face tightened and it looked as though he was going
to drop his cup. Adar kept his arms folded and resisted the urge to reach for
his sword. If Neare reacted, it would be as good as an admission. Neare must
have known the stories that were told of him. There was similar gossip about
his son Erro.
Neare bared his teeth. “Hard to keep track. I’d have
to ask one of my overseers.”
Adar didn't respond and scanned the crowd. Where was
Jorad? Adar had come to observe Jorad and Soret in public, but to his chagrin,
he hadn’t spotted them yet. The wedding and cutting—barbaric ritual that!—had
taken place earlier in the afternoon and the celebration would carry on until
late. Adar had noticed an angry look from Barc Tedenhel, Soret’s father, so
perhaps he’d seen them running off.
Ah, the boy was like Adar at that age. Couldn’t keep
his thoughts but on one thing. Nelion drifted to mind and Adar reluctantly
ignored her memory. He didn't want to let the pain touch him now. Not when he
was exchanging barely veiled threats with Neare.
Adar felt a light touch on his arm and he tensed as
Ginne Haer hooked her arm around his. He chastised himself for being taken off
his guard. He'd been so distracted by Neare that he'd forgotten to pay close
attention to his surroundings.
Melyah!
That was something hard to do at
a party anyway. Just another reason he avoided these things.
Why did she look so comfortable, hadn’t she noticed
his reaction? Both of the people that he preferred to avoid at the celebration
had converged on him at the same time. Part of him felt the fool for not
playing along with Ginne's flirtations because of how attracted he was to her.
The other part knew that she would only be trouble.
“Adar,” Ginne said. “It’s been too long.” Her eyes
went back to Neare quick enough that Adar almost missed it. Her shoulder length
blonde hair was twisted into braids with strands of red and purple ribbon
interwoven. The smell of her perfume and the blue dress that accented her
figure caused Adar to reconsider his decision regarding the woman. It reminded
him of a desire that he hadn’t succumbed to in years.
“Has it?” Adar asked as he tried to think of a way to
extricate himself without pushing her. There were rumors about Neare and Ginne
as well.
Probably true,
Adar thought as he noted another look between
the two.
“Merchant Haer,” Neare said, “I may need a new coat
before winter, mine’s getting worn.” A fleeting frown crossed Ginne’s face.
What was her game? It would have been amusing to watch these two go back and
forth, if Adar could figure out his part in it. Was he the bait or the goal?
The bait, he decided. She was eying Neare way too much.
“Oh Neare,” Ginne said, “You’re always about business.
Can’t you set it aside? It’s a party.”
“Indeed it is.” Neare took a gulp from his cup. “The
most exciting cutting since Debie stabbed old Han, remember him squealing like
a pig at slaughter?”
“Nothing like a good wedding to liven things up.”
Ginne moved closer to Adar but kept her eyes on Neare. “It’s rare the boy cries
as well.”
“Bad sign that,” Neare said. “When the man cries it
shows that he’s not ready. Too young for the knife, too young for marriage.”
“It’s cruel.” Adar shifted, but Ginne held him tight.
“Brides and grooms cutting each other on their wedding day? Just encouraging
trouble.”
“Bound by blood,” Neare said. “An outsider wouldn’t
understand,”
“The sting of their love's blade,” Adar said, “will be
remembered longer than the oath.”
“It’s not like that at all,” Ginne said. “A blood bind
impresses the importance of marriage.”
“Doesn’t make a difference,” Adar said. “Neberan
carries on like any other town. Blood oaths don’t change the heart.” Adar
looked at Neare as he spoke. The meaning of his words hadn't been lost on
Neare, who suppressed a scowl.
“They don’t,” Ginne said laughing; reminding Adar of a
young girl’s laugh he’d heard earlier in the week. The girl had been flitting
back and forth between several boys. That’s not how a woman of Ginne’s age
should be acting, but perhaps he was being too harsh. It hadn’t been long since
her husband had passed away and he knew how it took time to come back from
something like that.
“Careful Adar,” Neare said, “sometimes you cause more
trouble than you’re worth.” He left, headed towards a table covered with food.
“I’ve always found men like you to be worth the
trouble they cause.” With a light but firm touch, Ginne brought Adar's face
back to hers. “It’s been weeks since I saw you last.” Adar hesitated; she was
taking this too far.
“Once. I came by once.” Friendliness had given her the
wrong idea. Adar broke from her grip on his arm but his actions hadn’t fazed
her in the slightest. The time he’d been to her tailor shop, he’d left without
ordering. He’d never expected her to take liberties when getting his
measurements.
Ginne’s confident smile reached her eyes. She was
pretty and had a self-possession that he rarely saw in other, he’d give her
that. Perhaps if she hadn’t made her interest known so quickly or been so
assuming. How long had it been since he’d held a woman? The thought of Nelion
surfaced unbidden, the blood surrounding her and running into her hair.
“Eventually you’ll stop fighting it but by then I
might not be available. I see the way men look at me. I’ve even caught you
noticing.” Ginne’s words startled him from the memory and he responded without
thinking.
“I won’t and I don’t.” Adar winced as he turned away
but not before he noticed her leaving as well. Somehow, she made it seem as if
she’d turned her back on him. How was she able to do that? Was she trying to
annoy him? He couldn’t remember the last time he’d treated a woman so badly.
What an infuriating woman.
No wonder why Adar hated weddings. He hadn’t attended
one in years. He still wasn’t quite sure why he had bothered to come. He should
have guessed Jorad and Soret would skip it. He didn’t have a problem with them
as long as it didn’t keep Jorad from going to Rarbon.
Jorad was needed there and his escort was long
overdue. Adar had been feeling uneasy for the last several months and he was
beginning to wish that he'd paid attention to his discomfort. It felt to him
like there was a storm just over the horizon but he had decided long ago that
he would refuse to act on his fears because if he always paid attention to the
little voice in the back of his head that was saying something was wrong, he'd
go insane. He just prayed that he wouldn’t later regret blocking out the
feeling.
Adar turned to leave and almost knocked over Wes.
“Trying to run me over like you did her?” Wes asked.
“If you broke my leg, it’d still be better to be me. Wow, you were rude and to
a pretty lady no less!”
Wes was scrawny for seventeen, enough to be mistaken
for a kid years younger and easily overlooked. His ears poked out from the side
of his head. That together with his too wide mouth probably kept the girls
away. He was dressed in his finest clothing as well, but for him that wasn't
saying much. Adar felt a stab of sympathy for the kid.
The lad laughed. “Course, it could just be your game.
A woman like that gets what she wants. She’ll just try harder now.”
“How long have you been standing there?” Adar
demanded. Wes had a point. Ginne might become more forward. Confound it, what
else could Adar do?
“And ripping on the wedding? People already don’t like
you as it is.”
“I’m not here to make friends.”
“Jorad’s nice enough, what’s wrong with you? Ginne has
managed to overlook that and you push her away. Is there a bad love affair that
you’re still bitter about?” Wes paused. “You do like women don’t you?”
Adar glared at Wes until he looked away.
“I guess it can’t be that since you fathered Jorad,
but still, things can change.”
“You talk too much.” Adar had been rude, but he
couldn’t think of a way to apologize that wouldn’t encourage Ginne further.
Despite the kid’s brash words, Adar regarded him with care. A recently orphaned
kid could be given some deference. Given all the kid had been through, Adar
couldn’t figure out how he was always smiling. His laugh was often heard around
Neberan.
“I don’t speak enough,” Wes said. “If I did, I’d get
trampled less.”
“But you’d get kicked more.” Adar couldn’t help but
smile and Wes unfortunately took that as a cue to keep talking.
“Ginne’s a nice lady. Not many men would chase her
away. Afraid she has the plague? Or maybe it’s been so long since you’ve been
with a woman you’ve forgotten how to act. It’s easy. Just relax, it comes
naturally.”
“I trust you know.” The kid had a way about him. The easygoing
attitude, the constant ribbing, it was hard not to like him. Maybe Wes would
have a chance with the ladies after all. “Where’s your woman?”
Wes didn’t miss a step. “At the moment I’m playing the
field, you see? Can’t do that with a date chattering away on my arm. Course, if
I was your age, I’d take what was offered to me. Before long your hair will all
be gray.”
“Would you now?” Right at that moment Ginne caught
Adar looking at her and he winced. He hated it when somebody had him pegged,
especially when he went to great lengths to give them a different impression.
“Not natural you know, ignoring your feelings like
this.” Wes turned and looked admiringly after Ginne who noticed and winked at
him. “Ah, if I were an older man.”
“Give it a shot anyway,” Adar said as he walked away.
“Maybe she’d be up for a kid like you.”
Wes laughed. “She’s almost as old as my mother.” His
voice cracked. The pain of her death was evidently still fresh for him. Adar
glanced back but Wes had disappeared.
A few minutes later Adar spotted him chatting with a
girl close to his own age on the other side of the square. Always with a smile
and up to something. It was good to see somebody enjoying themselves.
Adar continued to scan the crowd from a little bit
further away, hoping this time to avoid unwanted conversations. He was
concerned about the poster that Neare had mentioned. If that poster had made it
here, the bounty hunters wouldn't be too far behind. If that was the case, it
was time to leave.
Confound it. He hated having to wait. Jorad's escort
should have been here months ago. When Adar was satisfied that Jorad wasn't at
the celebration, he left feeling like it had been a waste of time. He needed to
know how far along things were with Soret. Adar couldn't let her stop Jorad
from fulfilling his duty to Rarbon.