The Girl Born of Smoke (21 page)

Although she didn't feel nearly as excited
as her fellow soldiers acted, it still took Tarana a long time to
fall asleep that night. After what seemed only like a couple
minutes of sleep, she awoke groggily to the sound of someone
pounding on all the doors down the hallway. She winced as they got
to her door and the sound echoed noisily around her room. Sliding
out of bed, she slowly pulled on her armor and sword in the cold,
gray light.

The crowded dining hall was surprisingly
quiet that morning. After a quick breakfast of stale bread and
overripe fruit, they got into groups according to their squad, as
ordered. After another long period of reviewing battle strategies
and plans, of which Tarana paid absolutely no attention, they
finally filed outside.

Roxanne's group was near the front as they
massed through the shadowy town. The ground was still muddy from
the rains, although the sky was clear that morning. The low sun
reflected off their armor, sending spots of light bouncing across
the buildings they passed. Very few townspeople were out, but the
ones they did pass simply stared at the army, staying well out of
the way.

Finally passing through the final sections
of town where the shelters were made of tarps, they entered the
wide, open valley, where they halted. Several of the other groups,
continued on, climbing up the dull, rock-strewn hills that
surrounded them. There, at the mouth of Ralinos, they waited,
watching everyone get into position. Kendall travelled between each
group periodically, occasionally shifting groups around. As the
morning passed and the sun gradually rose higher in the sky, they
stood attentively, watching the other groups at the perimeter.

Before midday, they heard a yell.

All heads turning toward the sound, they saw
one of the groups draw their swords, their yells carried clearly on
the breath of the wind. In one massive hiss, the rest of the army
drew their swords, waiting. Looking like a landslide of green and
gold, the hill began to move as Citizens' soldiers spilled over the
crest, meeting with the Wizard's soldiers. Half of the Wizard's
army in the valley began to run toward the action, including
Roxanne's group. Soon losing track of Roxanne in the rush, Tarana
met the clash of soldiers.

She strode through the battlefield,
half-heartedly striking away anyone who came near her. The roar of
the battle surrounded her; yelling, screaming, and the clanging of
swords all meshed together into one loud drone. Her eyes darted
back and forth underneath her helm as she searched the crowd.
Bellowing, one man dressed in bright green and gold armor came
hurtling toward her from the side. Tarana sighed and methodically
fended him off until he raised his sword, preparing to hack her in
two. She nearly stabbed him through the middle, but hesitated and
sliced into his leg instead, leaving him screaming on the ground,
but alive.

As the fighting continued unabated, Tarana
continued her search. The soldiers had spread out throughout the
valley and she wondered just how long it would go on and if any
wizard would really show up. Wherever she walked, there was still
plenty of fighting. All around her, the loose dirt had been kicked
up into the air and a slight haze obstructed her view. Below her,
the ground had been beaten into a muddy pulp mixed with blood. A
shadow passed over the soldiers as the sun took refuge behind a
puffy cloud lazily floating overhead.

Finally, she caught sight of a young man
with curly black hair. He seemed taller than she remembered, and
more muscular as well. She stood and watched him from a distance as
he fended off one of her fellow soldiers. As he finally ended the
struggle with a rapid succession of slices, she smiled contentedly.
Her smile broadened as she noticed another man nearby with dark
brown hair pulled back in a short ponytail. He turned to say
something to the first man, but she was too far away to hear the
words over the roar of battle. Against her better judgment, she
continued to walk closer to the two men, curious.

As she drew nearer, Tarana lost sight of
them as a group of battling soldiers stepped into her line of
sight. Irritated, she picked her way around the mob, searching for
the men. Passing the group, she looked around and was confused to
see no trace of them. She stood for a moment, searching the crowd
when she suddenly heard footsteps come up quickly from behind her.
Spinning around, she raised her sword instinctively, just in time
to block an oncoming attack. The swords rang as they clashed
together. Tarana froze as she looked into the face of her attacker.
His deep brown eyes were cold and unfriendly, but familiar
nonetheless. It was Djerr. She stepped back, dropping her sword arm
to her side.

Confused, Djerr stepped back as well, his
head cocked to the side. He looked at the small soldier, a helm
hiding everything but the eyes. Looking into those eyes, he tried
to understand why the soldier had lowered the sword and with a
flash of realization, his mouth dropped open slightly as he
recognized her light blue eyes. He lowered his sword as well,
searching for something to say, when a forceful hand pushed him
aside.

“What the hell do you think you’re doing?”
Kirian’s rough voice asked crossly, as he took Djerr’s place.

“Kirian, wait-“ Djerr shook his head, unable
to find the right words.

Tarana narrowed her eyes and stepped
forward, raising her sword. The two paused for a moment before
their swords collided in a swift dance of arcs. Tarana’s grim smile
was hidden by the helm as she effortlessly warded off Kirian’s
attack. After several moments of fierce fighting, he stepped back,
breathing hard. “Why don’t you attack?” he growled.

Tarana didn’t answer. She stepped backwards,
preparing to leave, but Kirian advanced upon her once again. After
another short burst of fighting, she had had enough. Using the flat
of her sword, she smacked Kirian on the side of the head, stunning
him. As he knelt to the ground, trying to recover his balance, she
gave Djerr one last glance, sheathed her sword, and turned to dash
off. Before she had taken more than a couple steps, Djerr finally
overcame his shock and ran after her. Quickly overtaking her, he
grabbed her arm and whipped her around. Startled, Tarana pulled
away, but his firm grasp held her in place.

“What are you doing here?” he asked in a
broken voice.

Sweat tricked down Aurora’s nose and she
itched to be able to wipe it off. Pulling off her helm with her
free hand, she dropped it on the ground and rubbed her nose. The
breeze ruffled her short hair as she tried to think of a reply.
“Djerr, do you think we could go somewhere else if you insist on
talking to me?” She gestured at the surrounding battle.

Seeing her point, he dragged her behind a
large formation of rocks at the base of the hill. The tall
weathered stones leaned against each other, creating an archway
that blocked out the harsh light of the sun. Standing in the
shadows, Tarana shifted uncomfortably as he looked at her with a
clearly pained expression on his face.

“Aura…” he finally began.

“My name’s Tarana. You know that,” she
interrupted coldly.

He shook his head. “Don’t give me that.
You’ll always be Aurora to me.”

She glared furiously at him. “Don’t be
ridiculous. Aurora was my sister. I killed her years ago.”

“Do you really believe that?”

“Believe that? I was there.” Tarana gritted
her teeth in anger. “Why can’t you accept who I am?”

Djerr sighed. “Aurora, you were only a kid.
You didn’t mean to do that and you know it.”

She shook her head, her hair flipping out of
place. “I knew perfectly well what I was doing.” She brushed her
hair back out of her face. “You think too much of me.”

He put a hand on her shoulder. “Aurora, I
know you better than that.”

“You don’t know me, you know Aurora!” She
pulled away from him.

“I know your memory of Aurora,” he replied
sadly. “You can’t run from yourself forever. Eventually, you need
to forgive yourself.”

She blinked. “Just leave me alone, Djerr,”
she said tiredly. “You have no idea what I’ve done.” Trying not to
think about what he had said, Tarana turned and began to walk away.
This time, Djerr didn’t try to stop her. As she took the last step
back into the battlefield, she paused for a moment, realizing she
would probably never see him again.

She stepped out of the archway, into the
sunlight.

And heard a commotion erupt from behind her.
Whirling around, she peered back at where she had left Djerr, just
in time to see one of the Wizard's soldiers charge through the
rocky landscape toward him. Coming from behind, the man let out a
yell as he closed the short distance. Djerr turned toward the
attacker, sword in hand, but not quickly enough. Watching in
horror, Tarana began running back toward him, drawing her own sword
in the process.

All her previous thoughts vanished as she
realized she couldn’t reach him in time. She flew across the
ground, desperately trying to move faster. Tripping over the loose
rocks and trying to keep her footing, she screamed at the man,
trying to stop him, but he was focused on his victim. Djerr turned
around just in time for the soldier to plunge his blade into
Djerr's middle. The thin armor gave way and he stumbled backwards,
his own sword dropping from his fingers.

Still screaming, Tarana slashed at the
soldier, tears of anger inhibiting her vision. Caught up in his
previous kill, the man was unable to pull his sword from Djerr's
body in time to defend himself. His lifeless body dropped to the
ground. Sobbing, she fell to her knees next to Djerr, who knelt on
all fours. Blood spilled through his armor and he slowly toppled
onto his side as his arms gave way. Struggling to breathe, he gave
her a scared look before he closed his eyes.

Roughly wiping the tears from her face,
Tarana took a deep breath and ripped the damaged armor from his
body, throwing it aside. The blood streamed down his bare chest,
creating red rivers over the tan skin of his body. Focusing, she
took a deep breath and tensed every muscle in her body. A buzzing
sound grew louder in her ears until it was the only thing she could
hear. She squeezed her eyes shut, focused on only one thing:
Djerr.

She saw him eating a pear, the sweet juice
dripping down his chin, as he grinned and offered to show her
around Kain. She saw him running just ahead of her, weaving through
the meadow, arms outstretched as he glanced back at her and
grinned. She felt his head resting against hers as they lay on the
forest floor, looking up at the trees swaying overhead. She heard
the soft tapping on her window as he peered through, seeing if she
wanted to come out. But over it all, she heard the sound of him
gasping for breath, the life bleeding out of him.

Every ounce of strength draining from her
body, Tarana groaned. Doubly exhausted from the fighting and what
she had just done, her limbs abruptly gave way and she collapsed
over Djerr. She struggled to open her eyes, but found she was too
weak. She let herself relax and still thinking of him, passed
out.

Outside, the battle had come to a sudden
halt. Soldiers from both sides paused, their eyes turned toward the
pile of rocks where Djerr and Tarana lay hidden. The fight had been
raging when a dim glow of light began emanating from the rocks.
Confused, the soldiers nearest the stone formation had paused in
their battle, looking for the cause of the sudden burst of
light.

Growing slowly brighter, the light soon
became too bright to look at. The soldiers nearest the rocks soon
had to retreat from the source as it grew so bright that it shone
right through their eyelids, temporarily blinding. Soon, even
soldiers at the farthest reaches of the battlefield shielded their
eyes from the white light. As the battle ground to a halt, the
armies regrouped, confused and bewildered. The valley shone like a
sea of pure glimmering light.

Shading their eyes and squinting, the
soldiers nervously discussed what was happening while they waited.
After several moments, the light suddenly grew to a blinding
intensity, overwhelming everyone in the area. When their vision
finally began to return, the swirls and speckles of color fading
back into the gray landscape, there was a mad rush toward the rocky
outcrop where the light had begun. Soldiers from both sides ran in
the same direction, trying to be the first to see what had
happened.

Djerr awoke to the sound of shouts echoing
off the stone faces on either side of him. Confused, he realized
his armor had been thrown to the side and Tarana's head was resting
on his chest, her eyes closed. Sitting quickly upright, he saw the
ground around them was covered in sticky red blood, slowly soaking
into the loose dirt.

Fearfully, he brushed Tarana’s hair back
from her face, but she smiled slightly and he saw she was breathing
deeply, seemingly asleep. “What'd you do to your hair?” he murmured
softly, running the choppy ends between his fingers. Hearing the
voices grow closer, he slid out from underneath her, carefully
setting her head down on the ground.

Stepping out from the shadowed archway,
Djerr was met by all the remaining members of the Wizard's and
Citizens' armies. When they saw him, the Wizard's soldiers
immediately let out a deafening cheer and surrounded him, lifting
him up. Speechless and overwhelmed with confusion, he tried to
squirm away, back toward Tarana, but they swiftly carried him away,
their many arms lifting him as one.

From his vantage point, he saw the hordes of
Citizens' soldiers looking at each other in hesitation, slowly
backing off. As he finally managed to get his feet back down on the
ground, the crowd continued to engulf him, sweeping him toward the
nearby town. With a final glance in the direction he had come from,
all he saw were the exuberant faces of the Wizard's soldiers. Their
voices overwhelmed his protests as they pushed and urged him
forward. As they walked across the ground littered with the dead
and dying people, Djerr finally began to understand what it was the
Wizard's soldiers were shouting: