Avalyne Series 02: The Easterling (28 page)

Ninuie was smiling as she walked down the path
leading away from the house and stumbling after her, taking clumsy steps was a child with dark hair and bronzed skin.

Melia felt her heart stop beating when she
realise she was looking at herself as a child. She was very young, not much more than an infant but she was loved by the mother who watched carefully over her. It came to Melia then, that these were Ninuie’s memories, buried deep inside her mind until Melia’s reminder of who she was awakened them. The memories were tumbling forward faster and the kaleidoscope of emotion that came with them were converging in a potent mix that made Melia's head swim.

Blackness swept over them and the sunlight disappeared from the sky. It became cold. So cold that Melia could feel the chill right through her skin. Tendrils of ice wrapped itself around her spine and made her tremble.
She had reached a state of mind where these rapid images no longer disorientated her. There was darkness all around her. The atmosphere was pregnant with sinister intent and the trees that surrounded them no longer comforting but ominous. The thunder of paws were heard in the distance, gaining momentum with each passing second. It grew from a faint distant sound to a loud, pounding thunder that made Melia wince at its impact upon her ears.

Ninuie was running.

She was running on bare feet, her dress trailing behind her as she ran desperately through the tall grass, breathing hard, her face revealing her terror. Dark hair followed her as relentlessly as her unseen pursuers. The scene was visceral. It was primitive with fear and it was happening right before Melia's eyes. Ninuie looked over her shoulder, trying to see if they were behind her but she could not sight them Yet both she and Melia could hear them. She could hear them closing in. Suddenly, Ninuie tripped over the exposed root of a tree, the sudden stop after running so fast ensured she took a nasty tumble.

A cry of anguish escaped her lips as she tried to get to her feet
but realised that her foot was injured. Dirt covered her face as well as scratches and bruises as she hobbled forward unsteadily. She was sobbing pitifully, frustrated by her injury and the growing realisation that she was not going to escape. Melia wanted to help her but she was only an observer to events that were already years in the past. Fate could not be altered, no matter how painful it was to watch.

‘
I went to find my sisters,’ the creature before Melia stunned her by speaking.

The river woman appeared lucid for once, her gaze still fixed on what was happening before them.

‘I was going to tell them goodbye.’

Melia did not speak but her eyes asked the question why.

‘I was going away with him, with my man,’ the creature explained as if she were in a daze. ‘I was going to follow him to his land because I could not be without him. I knew it would not be forever because the man would not last, not him or the daughter I gave him but I loved him so, I would have gone anywhere to be with him.’

‘
What happened?’ Melia found the strength to ask finally.

Ninuie turned her eyes to the scene once more and the
running paws pounding in their ears soon evolved into the explosion of black emerging through the trees. Melia almost screamed herself when she saw them and imagined the horror Ninuie must have felt being hunted by them. Melia had never seen the things that ran her mother down but she knew instantly what they were. The description Arianne had given her and the reputation of these beings left an indelible impression upon the mind.

Armoured from waist up, their fingers tapered into the claws of a wild beast, while their lower half was bare, exposing the powerful legs of their feline bodies. The tail was coiled with a poisoned tip and their human mouth’s revealed serrated teeth. Their eyes glowed red through the eyelets in their helmets and
their breath were snorts of vile grunts. These were Balfure’s most loyal servants, supposedly Syphia’s lesser children. These were the Disciples.

Their prey
screamed at the sight of them and she was running again, despite the injury to her foot though she was not as fast as she could be. The desperation in her eyes was wide and frantic, especially when she knew that she could not escape. They spread out and surrounded the terrified sprite easily, circling her in a ring of doom.

Melia’s despair at being unable to help was devastating
because this was a story already written. She could change nothing.

One of the
Disciples broke the ring and thundered towards the frightened woman, tossing something into the air. Melia had trapped enough animals in her time to know what it was. The net fell over Ninuie and sealed her doom as easily as it sealed her in its meshed confines.

‘
They drove me from the river,’ the creature resumed speaking. ‘They forced me away from my place of power. I was helpless in the Wood, they knew that.’

‘
Mother,’ Melia whispered, finding it strange to say but knew they had bridged an important gulf. ‘We can help you, we can find some way to return you to yourself.’

‘
I had forgotten all of it,’ the River Daughter answered. ‘I forgot until you reminded me. I forgot my name and I forgot the man.

Melia did not know what to say to that.

‘He is dead, is he not?’ Ninuie asked.

‘
Yes,’ Melia nodded slowly.

‘
He died believing I abandoned him,’ Ninuie whispered, her sorrow was inconsolable.

‘
Yes,’ the watch guard answered because there was no avoiding it.

Ninuie was silent for a moment before her eyes rose to meet Melia's again,
‘I am myself here because of you my daughter. You make me remember but I feel the wizard's power growing within me. It makes me want to hurt you, it makes me want to destroy you. I will not be able to endure for long. You feel it do you not?’

Melia was weeping but she understood.
‘Yes, I do.’

‘
I should never have left him,’ Ninuie lamented. ‘I lost him the moment I chose to leave our home, long before the Disciples took me, before the wizard destroyed me.’

‘
There must be some way,’ Melia pleaded. ‘There must be another choice.’

‘
No,’ Ninuie shook her head. ‘The time for my choices is past. All there is left is the end and I must find it. I will remain myself as much as I can when we return but you must do what is necessary.’

‘
I cannot!’ Melia wailed, ‘I cannot do that!.’

‘
Please,’ Ninuie begged her. ‘Send me to the man. Send me to Hezare.’

*****

Aeron felt as if he was dying.

In almost
a thousand years of existence, he had never felt as terrible as he did at this moment. His limbs felt like stone and each effort to move made him reconsider the entire notion as pain coursed through him. It would have been so easy to let go, to let the fatigue claim him and succumb to the inviting numbness that was sweeping over his body. However, he would not yield to anything when he did not know how his Melia fared.

Opening his eyes, he saw her still caught within the grip of the creature that was her mother. She had stopped struggling
but they were both staring at each other as if entranced by each other’s eyes. Aeron suspected something was taking place between them but he could not even begin to guess what that might be. Conserving his strength as much as he could, he crawled towards her across the debris-covered floor.

The air was thick with smoke and he wondered if
Tamsyn still lived. A moment later, his question was answered when he saw Edwyn spinning in the air before the Mage landed hard against the floor, not far away from him. Edwyn's energy seemed to have drained with that final assault and he moved no more. Aeron watched as Tamsyn stepped forward, his eyes wet with tears as he approached his friend. The elf hid his shock for he had never seen Tamsyn weep for anyone and realised how difficult it must have been to put down brother like a rabid animal. Aeron prayed he would never have to make such a choice.

‘
Tamysn!’ Aeron let out a gasp, snapping the wizard out of his grief and returning the remaining Mage's mind back to their present circumstances.

‘
Prince,’ Tamsyn hurried to the Prince and bent down to help him to his feet. ‘Those creatures tried to feed off your life force. You need to rest and recover your strength.’

‘
I care not for that!’ Aeron gasped, ‘Something is happening between Melia and that thing!’

Tamsyn
glanced at the exchange between mother and daughter, trying to determine what was taking place. Placing his hand on Aeron’s chest, he closed his eyes and used some of his own magic to help the Prince recover. Not enough to heal him completely but enough to ensure Aeron could move a little better. The elves had remarkable powers of recuperation and it required only a little jolt for Aeron's natural abilities to exert itself.

When Aeron felt some measure of strength returning to him, he
pushed away from the wizard to approach Melia. However each step forward came at a price and the Prince knew once he had submitted to the will of his exhaustion, he would be quite immobile for some time. His hands grasped tightly the sword in his hand as he strode purposefully towards Melia, ignoring the pull of exhaustion upon his limbs.

‘
Careful Prince,’ Tamsyn warned as he hurried next to Aeron's side. ‘Their minds are linked. You may kill one and harm both.’

Aeron
stared at him in frustration, ‘this cannot go on! Who knows what this link between them is doing to Melia.’

As soon as he said those words, both the creature and Melia returned to life. The
River Daughter relinquished her grip on Melia's arm, causing Melia to stumble backwards a step or two. She was panting as if trying to recover from an extraordinarily strong dizzy spell.

‘
Melia!’ Aeron called out and started towards her, his teeth gritting against the pain.

Melia wanted to answer but her mother's voice kept her from doing so. Ninuie
stared at her, appearing as if she were still herself but the grip was tenuous and the ability to hold back the tide of murderous hatred was waning fast. Even now, Melia could see the darkness creeping into her eyes again. They did not have much time.

‘
Do it,’ Ninuie begged, her voice strained as if she battled even through her words. ‘Do it now before I harm you! I cannot endure any longer!’

‘
No,’ Melia started to sob, crying out against the unimaginable course she had to take. ‘Do not ask me this!’

‘
It must be done!’ Ninuie pleaded. ‘Release me while you still can!’

Melia blinked her tears away
, knowing Aeron was there and spat out the words as if she was expelling bile from her throat.

‘
Finish her Prince. Finish her!’

Aeron
did not understand what had transpired between mother and daughter but he recognised  the anguish he heard in Melia’s voice and was willing to spare her duty demanded of her. Taking a deep breath, Aeron raised the sword in his hand and swung hard and true. The blade sliced through air, making a slight swoosh of sound before the Prince pulled it back with expert handling. For a moment, no one uttered a word and all that could be heard in the room was the crackling fire.

Ninuie's h
ead came away from her neck and tumbled to the ground before her body went slack and followed it to the ground. Melia did not look, she refused to. Aeron sunk to his knees as the last of his strength was dwindled and not even Tamsyn’s efforts on his behalf were able to overcome the effects of the River Daughter’s attacks. He cursed his inability to move because Melia was sobbing uncontrollably into her hands, breaking his heart with each sound she made. He wanted to comfort her but he could not even crawl towards her in this lamentable condition.

‘
Melia,’ Aeron croaked as he rested on all fours, aware that soon he would meet the ground.

She
turned to him, her face filled with sorrow but was moved into action when she realised how badly harmed he was by the battle. She dropped to the floor next to him, wrapping her arms around him in an embrace she never wanted let go. As weak as he was, just feeling him against her was enough to sooth Melia's sorrow. She knew deep in her heart that he had been right all along. Ninuie needed peace and now thanks to him, she was.

‘
Thank you Prince,’ she whispered as she held him in her arms. ‘I could not have done it.’

‘
I would spare you that anguish my love,’ Aeron whispered weakly. ‘I would never have let you bear that burden.’

‘
I love you,’ Melia said softly, holding him even tighter.

‘
I love you Mia,’ he answered with a weak smile. ‘Your mother's soul will find her way to the Stars.’

Melia nodded and hoped that perhaps Ninuie would find Hezare
there too.

Three thousand years ago, at the height of the Primordial Wars, the Celestial God Enphilim created the Order and appointed his most loyal serafs to walk Avalyne as the mages.

Of all of them, it was Edwyn who was the most
passionate about their cause, the one who saw Avalyne as a place of beauty to be saved at all costs. In that he was not so different from Balfure but Edwyn believed in the Creator’s purpose that paradise included the Sacred Three. During those tumultuous years when they spread across Avalyne to fight Mael and his Primordials, Edwyn was Tamsyn’s closest friend and when he was disheartened, it was Edwyn’s voice that gave him hope. When Mael had sent Balfure forward to hunt them down one by one, it was Edwyn who had led the charge to fight back.

However, there came a time when there were too many burials when not even Edwyn’s words could alter the fact that he and Tamsyn were all that was left.
How many times had he and Edwyn presided over the funeral of yet another one of their number, murdered by Balfure or some other member of Mael’s Dark Three? When he had decided to sleep, Tamsyn did so with the knowledge that at least he would be spared burying any more brothers.

Not for the first time, Tamsyn knew he had taken the coward’s way when he chose to hibernate in the tower of the Jagged Teeth
for two millennia. His feelings for Lylea had created confusion and instead of confronting those emotions, Tamysn had chose to hide away and never realised the price for his weakness until now. Alone, Edwyn’s passion had run amok and led him to this terrible end. Instead of remaining at his side to weather the future and temper that passion so easily exploited, Tamsyn had abandoned Edwyn to his fate.

He would never be able to forgive himself for that.

Standing over the ruined and broken body of his friend, Tamsyn wanted to weep as much as Melia was weeping in Aeron’s arms at this moment. He knelt down beside the dead man’s body and brushed a hand across Edwyn's hollowed cheek, knowing he was dead. Edwyn had given him no choice but to deliver that final blow which brought a merciful end to his friend’s tortured life. Although the quality of Tamsyn’s mercy would be a subject to plague the Mage’s nights for many years to come.

‘
I am sorry old friend,’ Tamsyn whispered softly. ‘I failed you.’

There was no time for even a burial because the fire was raging out of control in the hall Edwyn had used for his hatchery.  Tamsyn would have at least like to have given Edwyn the formality of a burial but the smoke and heat gave him no such time.
The cocoons were all ablaze, Aeron’s efforts had succeeded in putting an end to Edwyn’s monstrous creations. The smoke stung his eyes and he could see Aeron struggle to remain conscious because the elf wanted to comfort his lady. Yet even as he held her, Tamsyn could see it was a battle Aeron was losing.

Elves were durable against
most attacks and healed quickly though they could be killed like any mortal.  The creatures attack upon Aeron was severe even for his immortality and Tamsyn knew the wizard would have to aid his recovery or there was every possibility he may not recover. It was the least he could do for Halion's son after failing Edwyn so utterly.

‘
Tamysn,’ Melia cried out when she felt the Prince’s strength give out and he started to slump in her arms. ‘We must get him out of here, now.’

Tamsyn
nodded and rose to his feet. The watch guard seemed more composed than a moment ago but the wizard suspected the urgency of the situation had caused her to shunt away her grief for now. It was as if her heart had hardened against the pain and was allowing nothing to breach it while they were still in jeopardy. He hoped she did not do the same to her Prince. Of the two of them, it seemed that Melia was the one who was the more practically minded and her ability to sacrifice her mother to save Ninuie meant Melia was more than capable of giving up Aeron to save him if necessary.

Whatever the cost to
them both.

Crossing the floor quickly, Tamsyn hurried to her
and helped with Aeron. Melia was unable to continue holding him up and had to set him down so she could collect their things. Aeron was now unconscious to the smoke around him or the flickering shadows of the fire dancing across his face as he lay across the debris covered floor. Melia fastened his bow across her back and retrieved his weapons before Tamsyn joined her and she was able to get him back on his feet.

Both watch guard and
Mage began to cough as they left behind the burning hall with Tamsyn being able to do nothing more for Edwyn's dead form than to give him a farewell glance. They emerged from the hall and left the blazing hatchery behind. Whether or not it would spread to the rest of the city was uncertain but at this point none of them seemed to care. The darkness here needed purging and if it was a cleansing fire did the deed, so much the better.

‘
I am sorry about your friend,’ Melia said sincerely as they moved through the square where the bones of the krisadors were piled.

‘
Thank you,’ Tamsyn answered glancing at him. ‘I know it cannot be easy for you to say that after what he did.’

‘
I do not forgive him for anything,’ Melia said icily, not about to deny that her feelings towards Edwyn would ever be anything but bitter. There were no words for what he had done, no justification she would accept for the lives he had destroyed but she did see how much his death affected Tamsyn and the wizard who saved both their lives deserved her sympathy. ‘I am sorry for your pain. I know that he meant a great deal to you.’

‘
He did,’ Tamsyn nodded. ‘You may not know it after what you have seen of him but there was a time when he had more heart than any of us. He was determined to rid this world of all evil. Perhaps that was his weakness, wanting it too much. I had hoped it was not too late for him.’

‘
I am sorry,’ Melia repeated and once again, her heart could not bring herself to feel sorrow for the dead Mage but she could feel a great deal for the one before her. ‘You did what you could for him. Take comfort in that.’

Tamsyn
did not reply because he knew it was a lie. He had not done enough and certainly not in time. ‘It will be a long time before I am ready to take comfort in anything regarding my brother. I left him because I thought he did not need me and that mistake will follow me for all time.’

Melia nodded
sombrely, unable to say anything that might change that fact for him. At the moment, her heart felt as burnt out as the hall they had left behind them and there was nothing left inside her that wanted to feel. Buried under all her grief was her love for Aeron but she could not see it for the anguish she felt at Ninuie’s loss.

Tamsyn
sensed this within the young woman and it alarmed him greatly for he believed that the watch guard was about to reach a heartbreaking decision driven by pain that was premature and ill advised.

‘
You are leaving him,’ Tamsyn declared. It was more of a statement more than it was a question.

Melia did not reply but she did not need to, h
er eyes spoke for her.

******

Elves were not prone to such black sleep but when awareness finally came up Aeron three days after he had fallen, he was gripped with a great sense of lost time that left him uneasy upon awaking. His dreams were unpleasant and when he awoke to find himself within the same cave that Tamsyn had first offered them refuge, he could not shake the sense of foreboding that took root in his heart.

At least he knew his return to lucidity meant that he was on the road to recovery after the battle with the River Daughters.
Though he felt tired still, there was none of the fatigue or the life draining exhaustion that had threatened his life during the fight.

Upon awaking, his first thought was to sit up and upon doing so,
saw Tamsyn staring at him from across the small cave. A fire was burning in the middle of the space and outside Aeron saw that it was night for the stars brought the twilight alive with its glitter. Tamsyn’s expression was sad and Aeron supposed that it was most likely because the wizard was still suffering the loss of his dear friend. Aeron had seen Edwyn's state after their battle and he doubted that the disgraced Mage survived the combat. However, something else soon dawned upon the Prince of Eden Halas, something that struck cold fear into his heart.

‘
Where is she?’ Aeron demanded for he saw no sign of Melia or her belongings in the cave.

Tamsyn
drew in a long breath and even before he spoke, Aeron knew the answer.

‘
She is gone Aeron.’

‘
Gone,’ Aeron said simply as he absorbed the word.

‘
She said you would understand,’ Tamsyn continued but could tell by the fading sparkle in his friend’s eyes that Aeron did not understand at all. Not one bit. ‘She helped me bring you here and then she departed once she knew you would recover. I believe she was returning to the Baffin.’

Aeron
swallowed thickly, forcing down the bubble of frustration and anguish that was rising up his throat like bile. His mind screamed in betrayal and fury as her departure. He could not believe after all they had endured together, she still did not have faith in their love. Worse yet, she could not even trouble herself to face him, to give her farewell in person. Once again, he was forced to wonder how much of this she had planned before her departure.

After all, she
refused his proposal, using the quest for her mother as an excuse to deny him. Had she ever planned on staying with him? Was everything she said a lie? To ensure that he remained and to help her find Ninuie? Aeron refused to believe Melia could be so calculated and yet he was still furious that once again, he had woken up to find her gone. He swore by his life that she meant everything she said to him and yet she was
still
gone.

How could he not believe
anything else?

‘
Are you alright?’ Tamsyn asked quietly, aware that he was anything but that. Still, the Mage felt compelled to inquire.

‘
Yes,’ Aeron answered using a voice that did not feel quite like his own. Considering what was happening inside his heart, Aeron acquitted himself rather well, showing little sign of grief or his anger as he stared into the fire.

The pain that was coursing through him was beyond belief
but on some level he knew he should have expected this. Hope had blinded him from the reality of the situation. What took place with her mother was further proof of why they should be apart, the unbridgeable differences between mortal and elf. Knowing this, did not make it any easier for Aeron to bear and the emotion that churned through him more than astonishment and anguish was fury. Once again, she had made this decision for the both of them without consultation.

After Eden Halas, had he not learnt how accustomed she was to running whenever she was faced with something she could not cope with?

‘She wished you well,’ Tamsyn offered, knowing what words he offered the Prince was no comfort. Aeron was doing his best to keep his emotions contained but it was obvious that he was hurting badly by his lady's actions. ‘She said you fought bravely and that she will always love you but you know the reasons why she had to depart.’

Aeron
did not speak.

He lay back down on his
bedding and rolled away from the wizard. His eyes were glistening despite his best efforts to contain his sorrow and he wished to be spared the indignity of having
all
his emotions exposed to Tamsyn. With his back to the man, Aeron was grateful when the Mage did not try to console him with words but left him alone to his silent tears.

****
**

Despite the emotional pain he suffered at Melia's abrupt departure,
Aeron recovered quickly and far sooner than Tamsyn gave the elven Prince credit.  In a number of days, they were ready to depart the Gahara Plateau.

Aeron invited Tamsyn to return to Eden Halas with him and as the wizard had no present destination in mind for himself, the suggestion did not disagree with him. Tamsyn decided it would not be so terrible to visit with Halion again as the King was one of the few beings in Avalyne who shared the same longevity as him. Another part of his decision was because Tamsyn was reluctant to let the Prince make the journey alone, despite the facade he presented that he was recovered from Melia’s abandonment.

Particularly after he had saved Avalyne from an unimaginable peril by destroying Edwyn’s creations.

While Tamsyn understood the reasons for Melia's departure, he did not condone it, not when it was bringing them both such heartache. He suspected that much of her desire to leave stemmed from the guilt of being the one to order her mother's death. Even if Ninuie had asked for her life to end, it was no easy thing for any child to see dead the parent she had spent so much time attempting to find.

Once they had
begun the journey towards Eden Halas, Aeron spoke nothing of Melia and seemed to purge all thoughts of her from his mind. Of course, Tamsyn knew that this discard was only skin deep and the lady was never far from Aeron’s heart. However, he respected Aeron’s wishes and made no attempt to broach the subject with the Prince.