Divided (84 page)

“After all, in truth, this book was created so that the
words could only be read by a Hero.”

-A Hero’s Peace v.i

The war was before him.  His eyes were wide with disbelief
as he watched men killing men, children, women—everyone was dying.  And it was
his fault.  Taeru grabbed his head, whimpering against the guilt that
threatened to overpower him.  “No,” he whispered.  “This isn’t real…”

He could see them, though, and he knew that it would not be
long.  He could feel the pounding of the horses, knowing that it had been just
long enough.  He could not let this happen—he had to save Aela, to save Leif—to
save what he had left.  Calis.  Calis, Calis, Calis.  That was the one thing
that Taeru could not lose.  The one thing that Taeru would have done anything
to save. 

Calis, the man who had loved him in spite of everything, had
tried to protect him.  But Taeru knew that everyone who tried to protect him
would eventually die.  His mother had tried, and Juliet had tried—they were
both dead.  He wouldn’t let that happen, not to Calis—because he would truly be
broken if Calis were gone.  The war was approaching, and even as swords danced
before Taeru’s eyes—he knew that.  He knew they would be there soon.  They
would be in Telandus, and he was the one who had to go to stop them. 

Blood seeped along the ground, as he stared at the men who
were dying—the men who would die.  Taeru could feel panic spreading through his
body, and without thought, he sprinted into the battlefield.  He had to find
someone, something—some way to stop this madness.  The darkness was surreal,
and he knew he was dreaming—none of it made sense.  His feet splashed through
puddles of blood too large to be made by men.

“Taeru, where are you going?  You’ve already failed.  Stop
running.”

“No,” he snapped.  The Magister—Aleia.  He had to find a way
to stop this, and that meant that he had to find a way to speak to her.  “No! 
I can still stop this!  You can’t do this yet!” Taeru yelped.  The seedling had
appeared a little bit ahead, in the midst of a battle that would go on forever.

His eyes widened, staggering back from the seedling, though
it begged him to come forward.  He wouldn’t, not now.  “I can stop this!” 
Taeru’s head snapped to the side, and he saw the profile of someone that he
knew.  Ryo!

His feet moved without much command, and he started towards
the figure.  It stood there, as it brought the sword through another man. 
“Ryo!  Stop!” he cried.  Pain lanced through him, never ending, as he saw the
people around him dying. 

Your fault. 

Ryo turned, and his sword cut through another man’s throat. 
Taeru let out a pained cry as he approached his brother, but the ground beneath
him seemed to be growing, and he would never reach Ryo.  “Brother!”  he
shouted.  Still, Ryo’s sword found more men—destroying them, killing them.

And suddenly, there he was, standing not far from Ryo with
his sword drawn—Calis Tsrali.  Taeru’s eyes widened with pain.  “No!  Calis! 
Ryo—don’t hurt him!”  No, Calis didn’t look as though he was going to get
injured.  His eyes were narrowed as he regarded Taeru’s older brother, as
though he was regarding an enemy.

As Taeru continued to run along the never ending path,
swelling with blood—Ryo’s and Calis’s swords met one another in a clang. 
Stumbling, Taeru cried out again, and neither of them looked to him.  Their
swords met again, and again, and he knew with every slash—he was losing time. 
Cut, cut, parry.  They seemed to be at a stalemate.  “Stop!” Taeru choked.  His
feet kept moving, though his body ached with tiredness. 

Ryo’s sword moved downwards, and Calis’s caught it with a
thrust upwards.  Calis pushed Ryo backwards, and the Cathalari stumbled. 
Calis’s sword cut through the air, and Ryo’s cheek was sliced open.  Then, Ryo
retaliated with a stab that sliced through Calis’s side, just missing its
mark.  Calis twisted his body so that he managed to get behind Ryo, and he
forced the Cathalari to the ground with a blunt force from his sword’s hilt. 
Ryo immediately threw his foot backwards, catching Calis’s ankle and knocking
the Telandan off his feet.  At once, Ryo was back on his feet, thrusting
downwards, but Calis rolled out of the way.  “STOP!”  Taeru’s voice was choked.

Using his foot, Calis forced Ryo back a few paces.  He stood,
then, swinging his sword once and catching Ryo across the chest.  Taeru’s
brother staggered, and he parried with a blow of his own, nearly cutting into
Calis’s throat.  Calis responded, though, by slamming his knee into Ryo’s chin.

With the temporary distraction, Calis was able to knock Ryo
to the ground.  He drew his sword back, narrowing his eyes as he prepared to
slam his sword through Ryo’s chest.  “Calis!  Please stop!”

At last, Calis jerked his head so that his eyes met Taeru’s. 
They widened, unsure and lost.  Inevitably, his sword arm dropped to his side,
and he whispered words that Taeru found himself unable to hear.  Then, though,
Ryo pulled himself back up, placing a gash into Calis’s cheek and throwing him
back. 

Just as Ryo moved to stab forward, Taeru found that the
distance had finally become passable.  He sprinted forward, crying out as
desperately as he could.  Just as he reached the battle, moving in front of
Calis, the sword struck and slammed through his chest.  Taeru gasped, choking
as blood bubbled in his throat.  Ryo’s eyes widened for a moment.  “T-Taeru…
why?”

Taeru tried to move to grab the sword in his chest.  It was
lodged there, though, and he was sure that it had punctured something vital. 
Letting out a soft whimper, he dropped to his knees.  Suddenly, Ryo pulled his
sword backwards, and it was wrenched free, sending another jolt of pain through
Taeru’s body . “R-Ryo,” Taeru coughed.

When he looked, though, Ryo was gone.  Rather than his older
brother, there was a strange creature there.  The thing was standing on two
legs, as a human should, but its body seemed to be made of mud.  It had long
claws and three makeshift fingers on either hand.  The sword was on the ground,
as the creature didn’t seem capable of wielding such a thing.  The monster’s face
was twisted, eyes hidden beneath sinking flesh.  Though, its mouth was wide and
filled with teeth far too sharp to be human—dripping with blood. 

Glancing down at him, it let out a wailing sound,
terrifying, threatening.  Taeru tried to move backwards, but his wound
persisted, and the thing grabbed him, bringing him into the air.  Once he was
raised, Taeru realized that the creature had four arms, if they could be called
such.  Its body was thin, consisting of tiny crystals interwoven throughout the
grime, and beneath the folds of flesh, there were yellow, obscene eyes.  As a
whole, though, despite its thin body—the creature was twice the size of Taeru,
able to hold him up without effort.

“You are the master’s now,” the thing hissed, in a voice
that was barely comprehensible.  Taeru flinched, trying to pull out of the
creature’s grip, but its second set of talons held his lower body.

Suddenly, wings exploded from the back of the creature,
larger than its body three times over.  Taeru’s eyes widened, staring at the
black and purple objects.  They wrapped around him, and he screamed for a
moment before his body collapsed into the field—the field where the flowers
dripped blood.

Before him was the massive obelisk, and this time, it shot
up into the sky—extending beyond what he could see.  The seedling was gone, and
this had taken its place.  “You will fail.  I will see you fail.  I see only
what I want to see,” the voice echoed from somewhere in the distance.

The purple crystal had fallen to the side so that the
strange, black crucifix, with the tendrils wrapped around it, was visible.  He
wanted to get away from it, but his chest ached from the stab wound.  This was
a dream, though, and he ought to be able to get away.  As he staggered to his
feet, he turned to see the creature—not one, but thousands.  One of them
reached forward, dragging a talon across the front of his chest. 

He tried to move forward, but another of the creatures
caught him and sunk its teeth into his neck.  He cried out in pain, and his
eyes searched the distance desperately.  There was Calis—far away, but still
somehow within Taeru’s vision.  Then, Taeru realized that Calis was far too
close to the creatures.  “Calis!  Calis—move!  Get away!”

All at once, one of the tendrils wrapped around his waist,
drawing him back against the crucifix.  The tendrils about the black
obstruction sprang forward, tangling his body about its prison—arms pulled
apart, resting against the crucifix.  Still, he saw Calis’s wary eyes. 
“Calis!” he cried. 

Then, a pain shot through him so fierce that it pulled him
from his dream.  He gasped, rather than crying out, as he stared at the ceiling
of the cottage.  Silence was all around him, and he could feel that familiar
sense of dread echoing through him as he lay there—sweating, with an ache in
his chest. 

Time had passed, and most of his injuries were alright.  His
legs were capable of walking, and most of his injuries had healed to the point
of being ignorable.  There was something he had to check, though.  As he sat up,
he glanced down at the blond lying at his side.  Somehow, Calis had fallen
asleep on his knees, head resting on his arms and the bed.  One of his hands
was splayed outwards, and Taeru was sure that it had been holding his before. 
Slowly, warily, Taeru moved his hand to touch Calis’s, savoring its warmth. 
After a few moments, careful not wake Calis, Taeru eased himself from the bed.

A glance across the room revealed Katt, who was leaning on
Lee’s shoulder, sleeping soundly.  Lee’s head was dropped, proving that he too
was asleep.  Lastly, Taeru’s eyes found Alyx.  She was lying on the floor,
curled into a ball, sleeping quietly.  Her eyes were still red with tears. 
Nearly four cycles, he reminded himself, and the pain hadn’t lessened.  He
would never earn Alyx’s forgiveness for what he’d caused, but he would not fail
her again. 

As he made his way to the window, he wondered why he had
been the one to take the bed.  After all, he wasn’t that injured anymore, and
the girls needed it more than him.  When he reached the window, though, all
those thoughts left him.  The sky was dark, though there was no moon.  The sky
was split with the strangest red streak, echoing outwards, towards Telandus,
and towards the obelisk in the grove.

Taeru swallowed, and his dread worsened. 
Stop me,
child.  See if you can stop me. 
The voice from his dreams continued to
play in his mind.  Without looking, he knew that there must be a new bruise on
his chest.  It didn’t matter—he had to stop this—and he would do it without
hurting the others.  The sky was as disturbing as in the dream, but this time,
it was real.  He knew that if he did not hurry, the army would be overtaking
Telandus.  And the creatures—the creatures would be there.  He knew they would.

Taeru exhaled, pushing his way into the front room.  Katt’s
brown bag sat against the wall, and Taeru moved to it.  Only one thing remained
inside, untouched, and Taeru pulled out the black, leather armor.  The suit
that he often wore when Dark Districters had called him the Phantom Blade.  He
would not bother with the disguise, but slowly, he slipped into the greaves,
and the chest piece fit over his undershirt easily.

Pulling on the brown gloves, and then securing the belt
around his waist, he released a shaking breath.  The armor felt familiar, and
he wasn’t sure when the last time was that he had gone so long without it. 
There was no mask or bandana, of course, but that was alright.  This was
enough.  Against the wall, his dual swords sat in their sheaths.  Why had Katt
thought to bring those, he wondered?  He pulled them on, fastening them with
ease.  

But he had to go, and he knew he had to go now—if he didn’t,
then he would have truly failed.  Glancing towards the back room, he frowned,
fighting tears that pricked his eyes.  “I love you, Calis,” Taeru whispered.  And
with that, he left the cottage, careful to close the door softly as he did. 

Outside, he glanced at the cream-colored horse and offered
it an apologetic smile.  Katt had been charged with caring for the horses, and
she appeared to be doing a good job.  The other two horses sat idly, though the
cream-colored one was eyeing him suspiciously.  Grabbing the saddle, Taeru
worked it into place and pulled himself onto the horse.  “Sorry, girl,” he
whispered, “but I’d feel bad if I took Lee’s or Calis’s horse.”

As he untied the horse, he grabbed the reins, moving the
creature easily.  He hadn’t ridden in so long, and yet he felt as though he’d
been riding this horse the sun before.  Snapping the horse’s reins against its
back, there was a burst of energy, and the horse moved towards the city of
Telandus. 

As he ran, he realized just how much he had missed the
horses of Cathalar and the freedom of having the wind blow around him as he
rode.  He’d always been made fun of, mostly by Ryo, for how close he rode to
the horse.  But he did it now, leaning into the ride and pushing the horse as
fast as it was willing to go.  Freedom—unlike any other, and Taeru realized for
the first time that he had truly given up a lot when he’d left his home.  Not
just in his family, but in his life.

The red streak in the sky seemed to be a path, moving him
towards the city that was sure to be overrun.  He kept going, not pausing, not
slowing, and moving with the horse so that the creature could move at nearly
its optimal speed.  “I will do this,” he promised.  The horse sped up a little
for the words.

At last, the city came into view, and he hurried the horse a
little further.  The moon was truly nowhere to be seen, and Taeru thought with
a chill that this was not the beginning of its cycle.  As he neared Telandus,
the gates coming into view—he found his answer.  Though, it wasn’t the moon,
not as it ought to be.  The moon was a pale, red color.  It hung over Telandus,
dangerously close, as though it was pouring terrible energy into the city.