Legends of the Saloli: Vengeance and Mercy (16 page)

“Would you like a bit more light, Blaze?”

Blaze spun around, claws bared, to find none other than Gentletide, chief of HeartTribe, standing before him. She closed her eyes in concentration, and her fur slowly began to shine, as if the sun lay hidden within her body. Her light filled the cave, and Blaze could see clearly.

That must be her power,
he thought.

Gentletide drew closer to him so she could see the wall better, “Legend has it that this picture prophesies the return of the Sword. Have you ever heard the story of Rascom?” Blaze nodded, “It was a terrible tragedy that he turned to the dark side. There was no greater force on earth to fight the Black Legion.”

She must have not gotten a good look at Blaze’s forehead yet. He felt it best to play ignorant for now, “And why do you think that the Sword will ever return?”

“There is only one situation that I can think of that would demand his power,” Gentletide explained. “The Black Legion promised that they would return someday. That was why the formed in the first place. When that happens, I can think of no other creature capable of destroying them once and for all.”

She shifted her body so that her light shined on another part of the wall, on another picture directly to the left of the sword. Blaze almost gasped when he saw what it was. A red saloli.

“I believe that this means that the new Sword will be a saloli.” Gentletide went on, “It would only be natural, since the saloli are to be the ones who will defend the earth from the Black Legion.”

Blaze decided to change the subject now, “How is Scratch?”

Gentletide smiled fondly, “He is doing very well. He is learning how to control his powers like he never knew he could before. Would you like to see him?”

“Yes.” Blaze answered, “Where, though? You can’t possibly fit an entire tribe into this tiny cave.”

“You underestimate us, Blaze.” Gentletide turned away from him and walked to the back of the cave. Blaze followed her, holding his head high. For some reason, he felt as if he shouldn’t reveal his new status just yet. With a flick of Gentletide’s tail, the entire back wall of the cave dissolved, revealing a large room filled with saloli. “This is where HeartTribe lives, separated from the fearful ones who would destroy us.”

“Blaze!” He turned to see Scratch running up to him, a huge smile on his face. He ran to meet him halfway.

“Scratch! How are you?” Blaze could see that, like his sister, Scratch was now full grown. He had matured into a handsome young saloli, and if the way his eyes shined was any indication, his confidence had grown as well.

“I’m great! Faith was right, I’m way happier here than in Icefire. These saloli understand me! They’ve been teaching me how to control my powers. Want to see what I can do now?”

“Sure!” Blaze answered without hesitation.

Scratch squeezed his eyes shut in concentration. Suddenly, Blaze felt vines grow out of the stone underneath him. They slowly crawled up his body, entwining themselves around his legs, neck, and torso. Blaze’s first reaction was to panic and tear himself away, but he kept reminding himself that it was Scratch controlling them. He could trust Scratch. After Blaze was completely tied up, unable to move a muscle, the vines slowly receded, sinking back into the stone floor.

“Scratch, that was amazing!” He exclaimed. His former trainee beamed with pride.

“You should see him when he makes them grow thorns.” Gentletide added, “He could do some serious damage with them.” She turned to look at Blaze, “Now, tell me why you came. Surely you didn’t just come to admire the cave?”

Blaze nodded, “Actually, I was wondering if it would be all right for me to bring Scratch’s sister, Ink, here. She misses him and would like to see him again.”

“Yeah!” Scratch exclaimed, hope shining in his eyes.

“Absolutely not.” Gentletide asserted, “It’s too much of a risk to reveal our location to anyone.”

“But she’s my sister!” Scratch argued.

“And what would happen if someone with bad intentions got ahold of her? Her knowing where we are could make her a target, Scratch. They could torture her until they got the information out of her.”

Scratch hung his head in defeat. Blaze was tempted to feel sorry for him, but he had other things to discuss while he was here.

“Actually, Gentletide, you may not remain hidden for a whole lot longer.” He told her.

Gentletide eyed him with suspicion, “Why not?”

“Because Faith believes it’s time for you to be revealed.”

Immediately, Gentletide’s eyes lit up with fury, “What? Who is she to decide what is best for HeartTribe?” She turned away, scowling, “I should have known she couldn’t be trusted any more than her treacherous brother!”

Blaze ignored the revelation that Faith had a brother, and continued on the course he had set, “She means no harm to you. In fact, she’s probably doing you a kindness. If you were to wait too long, you may be revealed in a less desirable way.”

“What on earth are you talking about, Blaze?”

“The Black Legion is preparing to be released, Gentletide. HeartTribe has a responsibility to help us fight them. To do so, you must come out of hiding.”

Gentletide scoffed, “And how could you possibly know this?”

“Shine your light on my forehead.”

Gentletide obliged, and all of HeartTribe gasped collectively. Blaze stood tall, displaying his mark for all to see. “I am the Sword. I am the creature gifted by Valde Abbas with the power to destroy the Black Legion. I stand before you today, HeartTribe, to warn you that the Black Legion is, indeed, about to be unleashed. I ask you to reveal yourselves to the world and fight beside Icefire against the evil that has laid siege on this forest.”

Gentletide was too stunned to speak. She blinked twice, and then averted her eyes in thought. “So it’s true, then.” She muttered, “History is about to be altered in an unimaginable way.”

Raising her head to look at her tribe, she called out, “I have made my decision! HeartTribe will leave the forest!”

Another gasp rang out, and this time Blaze was included in it. “How can you say that?” he demanded, “You were Valde Abbas’ original plan to battle against the Black Legion! How can you just run away?”

“The lives of my tribe come before the lives of anyone else,” Gentletide explained, “I will not let them die fighting an impossible battle.”

“But it’s your legacy! Melody…”

Gentletide interrupted him, “Yes, Melody fought the Legion, and look at what happened to her! I will not follow her path. I will live! We will all live!”

Fury boiled inside Blaze’s chest, “Where will you run? Do you think the Black Legion will stop at taking our forest? The entire world will be covered in darkness if they succeed!”

Ignoring him, Gentletide continued, “We will leave in the morning. Prepare yourselves for a long journey.”

Blaze could take no more, “Not even ten minutes ago you told me that you believed that the Sword was the key to defeating the Black Legion. Was that a lie? Did you not believe a single word you were saying? Is your faith in Valde Abbas so weak that you would run from your own legacy at the first sign of danger? You’re no HeartTribe saloli, Gentletide, you’re a coward and a disgrace to Melody’s memory!”

Shocked silence filled the cave. Gentletide’s face distorted in anger, and she bared her claws, putting herself into a battle stance. Before either saloli could move, though, Scratch put himself between them.

“Gentletide, think about who you’re about to attack!” he urged her.

Gentletide grudgingly sheathed her claws, but the hatred in her eyes remained. Glaring at Blaze, she said, “HeartTribe will be leaving in the morning. Blaze, you are no longer welcome in our camp. Leave.”

Without another word, Blaze turned his back on Gentletide and HeartTribe, and left the cave.

Chapter Twenty Seven

Blaze paced back and forth, anxiety freezing his heart with every beat. It was noon, a day after Blaze’s confrontation with HeartTribe. He had told Faith about it, and both had decided that it would be best to keep their existence a secret after all. At the moment, though, Blaze was not worried about HeartTribe, Darkcover, or the Black Legion. Today was the day he would be wed to Sunbeam. His breathing became shallow with anticipation. The entire Tribe was already gathered in front of the Speaking Stone. In just a matter of minutes, he would walk out there to meet his bride, and their lives would be changed forever.

“Stop worrying so much,” Smallthorn admonished him. Despite his heartbreak two days earlier, he had managed to find happiness within himself for his best friend’s marriage. Blaze had chosen him to be his second.

“I can’t!” Blaze snapped, “I’m too nervous. What if something goes wrong? What if I’m too scared? What if I have to back out?”

“Do you want to back out?” Smallthorn asked.

“Of course not! This is more important to me than anything else in the world.”

“Well, then you won’t back out. I know how important today is for you, Blaze. Trust me, once you’re standing out there and you see Sunbeam walking towards you, all your fears will be gone, and you’ll be happier than you’ve ever felt for being brave enough to do this.”

Blaze was about to reply when Faith approached them. “It’s time.” She said, a warm smile on her face.

A pit formed in Blaze’s stomach, but it was overpowered by the overwhelming desire to see Sunbeam again. To finally see her as more than a secret admirer. To see her as his own mate, his wife, the one he would love forever more. He walked slowly towards the Speaking Stone, Smallthorn only two steps behind him. The crowd of Icefire saloli parted before him. His head swam with disbelief.

I’m doing this,
he thought,
I’m really doing this!

He stood below the stone, on which Rust stood, looking down at him with pride. A few saloli began to mutter appreciatively, and Blaze turned to see Sunbeam now walking through the crowd. Though he couldn’t identify anything that was different about her, he believed that he had never seen her look more beautiful than she did in that moment. His heart beat faster, but in a happy way this time. Smallthorn was right. Now that he was standing up here, watching his gorgeous bride walk towards him, he wouldn’t rather be anywhere else in the world. She gave him a smile that radiated all the happiness on earth, and took her place opposite him.

Rust stood tall and called out to his tribe, “Icefire! Today we join together to see the eternal bonding of Blaze, the Sword of Icefire, and Sunbeam! Blaze, please come forward.” He did. “Blaze, you mean more to this tribe than words could possibly express. You are brave, strong, and loyal, yet you are also gentle, just, and loving. Do you hereby swear to use these qualities to protect and care for Sunbeam?”

“I do.” Blaze answered.

“Sunbeam, please come forward.” She did. “Sunbeam, you are one of the most caring saloli in this tribe. When times looked dark, you protected those weaker than yourself, even though you were endangered in the process. In the coming days, Blaze will need your love and support more than you can imagine. Do you hereby swear to give him this support, even at the risk of your own sacrifice?”

“I do.” Sunbeam answered.

“Blaze, do you take Sunbeam to be your mate from now until the day you die?”

“I do.” Blaze said again.

“Sunbeam, do you take Blaze to be your mate from now until the day you die?”

“I do.” Sunbeam promised.

Rust raised his head to gaze at the rest of his tribe, “Is there any among you who would object to this marriage?” Nobody spoke up. “Then let Blaze and Sunbeam be forever bonded together as mates! So says the chief of Icefire.”

Rust stepped back, and Faith came forward and placed a paw on both of the newlyweds
, “
As prophet of the tribe of Icefire, I hereby ask Valde Abbas to place his blessing upon these two saloli. Please protect them and provide for them. May they spend their lives together in happiness and contentment.” Removing her paws, she retreated back into the crowd.

Rust came forward again, and said, “As is custom, the two of you shall now receive new names to commemorate this day. Blaze, from now on you will be known as Vengeance, for you are, indeed, Valde Abbas’ vengeance on those who would harm us. Sunbeam, from now on you will be known as Mercy, for though you are strong in battle, you will be the balance to Vengeance’s wrath. Vengeance, Mercy, you may now take your leave for the night.”