Chapter 37
Falcon gritted his teeth, trying to prevent more tears from escaping. It did not work. At his side, Hiromy embraced Sheridan, sobbing into his shirt. Aya took his hand, trying to comfort him. She was crying as much as he was, and she only made him feel worse. For all intents and purposes, they should be glad. They had won the battle. The Suteckh had been defeated. Albert had even managed to vanquish the crimson Neikan Demon.
The victory had come at a heavy price, though.
Two funeral pyres had been set up in the grassy field. Around the pyres were countless rings of people, paying their respects. Most were people Falcon did not recognize, but he did see Laars, Professor Dunn, Keira and her bears, Captain Redclaw and Captain Armeen staring at the ground somberly.
Moonlight drenched over the attendants, and a low wind coursed through the air as the flames claimed the bodies of the two women, Faith Hemstath and Empress Latiha.
Faith lay peacefully in her white dress. Her hands were crossed over her chest. She looked as if she were sleeping. A part of Falcon was still expecting her to open her eyes. To have her run to him and tell him that she was fine. That it was all a horrible nightmare.
The other, saner, part knew that his childhood friend was not going to wake, regardless of how much he wished it so.
“I love you, Faith,” said Falcon under his breath as his chest tightened. The flames reached her dress and began to consume her. He stared into the stars and, for a flicker of a second, thought he saw Faith smiling back at him in the sky. “Thank you for coming into my life.”
Falcon closed his eyes, drowning himself in the many memories he had of her, as the soft sound of drums rolled in the background.
Chapter 38
“Just let me die,” said Selene. With somber eyes, she stared at Aya from behind the prison cell. It had been six days since the battle had come to an end and, somehow, she was still alive. She should be dead, just like the thousands of people who died at the hands of her bloody attacks on Va’siel.
“No,” said Aya
“I deserve it.” She sat on the rocky floor. It had a few strands of hay scattered about. There was a miserable bed posted to the wall, but Selene never slept on it. She slept on the ground, like the animal that she was. No sane person would have ever orchestrated the mass extinction of lives that she had.
“Quit blaming yourself for what happened. You were brainwashed. You had no control over your actions. It was father’s fault. Not yours.”
Selene looked up, afraid to peer into her sister’s eyes. In those webs of red, she saw a girl who had not slept in days. A girl who was trying to keep a ruthless leader alive, despite the fact that the entire city of Missea wanted her dead. She saw the pain she’d caused. It was too much, and she looked back down, her eyes settling on a slab of gray stone.
“I may have been brainwashed,” murmured Selene, blinking, “but that does not excuse me from the atrocities I committed. I must be punished, and I will be soon enough. I heard the guards talking. It’s only a matter of time before I’m justly executed. Hopefully they burn me at the stake. A slow and painful death is exactly what I deserve.”
“Don’t speak that way,” insisted Aya, pain on her voice. “Father might have disappeared after our battle and left you, but I haven’t given up on you, and I won’t allow you to give up on yourself.”
Selene laid her pounding head on the stone. She closed her eyes. She heard the tormented wails of women and children crying as they were cut down by her soldiers. She saw a woman clutching a baby to her breast. The ragged woman held up her dead child. “Why did you murder my baby?” she demanded. “Why?” Suddenly, the woman was joined by countless other corpses. All limping forward, eagerly reaching for the girl responsible for their misery. A wave of blood flashed in her mind. Her eyes snapped open. She heaved loudly, knowing full well that no matter how much she wished it, that sea of red would never be washed away. The reality of all the pain she’d caused settled over her, falling upon her heart like a hammer.
“Selene!” cried Aya. “Selene, are you okay?”
“Just leave me alone.”
“Selene.”
“I said leave me alone!” Her sister did not say another word. A minute later the sound of footsteps filled her ears, followed by the creaking metal door opening. The footsteps became dull thuds before completely fading away.
Sadly, the dark wielder realized Aya was not going to give up. She would continue to fight to keep her alive. The thought that her sister might actually succeed terrified her.
~~~
With both our holy energies, you will be able to do things before thought impossible.
For the next few days, Falcon mused on those words that Faith had told him in her final moments. It didn’t take him long to figure out what she’d meant. With his newfound holy abilities, he was able to reverse some of the damage done to Hiromy’s brain. Not much but enough so that she would not die from it.
After Falcon healed Hiromy, she, Sheridan, and Dunn headed back to Ladria. Not only did they have to begin rebuilding Ladria in the wake of the Suteckh’s attack, but Hiromy was taking Faith’s death very badly. Like Falcon, she would wake in the middle of the night, drowning in sweat as she cried out her name. It became obvious that being in Missea was only further aggravating her condition. And even though Falcon enjoyed Sheridan and Hiromy’s company, he found himself enjoying the solace the day at the inn provided in their absence. It gave him time to dwell in thoughts. Maybe it wasn’t the best way to deal with his loss, but it helped him cope.
“You have to get out and get some air,” said Aya after she walked into the inn. She appeared more tired today then she had in the past few days. Falcon was certain she’d just come back from seeing her sister.
“I’d rather stay here,” said Falcon, burying his head in the pillow. The room was almost pitch dark, with only a single candle providing a speck of light.
“Falcon. Please. I miss her too, but she would have not wanted you to drown like this. She would have wanted you to be happy and move on. Please promise me you’re going to stop this and go out a bit tomorrow.”
The pleading in her voice compelled Falcon to nod, even though he didn’t actually have any plans of going anywhere.
She looked at him doubtfully. Falcon knew that he hadn’t fooled her. Without saying a word, she took his hand. “C’mon.”
“Where are we going?”
“Shhh… just follow.”
Falcon did not have the energy to argue. In drone-like movements, he allowed Aya to lead him out of the window, up the stairs and onto the roof. She sat down. Falcon took a seat next to her. Something inside him came alive. Maybe it was the companionship, or maybe it was the fresh air, but he felt a sense of life breathe into him. They stared at the stars without saying a word for over an hour.
“Thank you,” said Falcon, finally breaking the silence. “I know you’ve been going through a lot with your sister. You don’t have to go through the trouble of looking over me.”
“Don’t say that. I would do anything for you.”
She spoke with such sincerity that Falcon couldn’t help feeling guilty for not taking an interest in her as of late.
“How is Empress Keira?” he asked, trying to quell some of his guilt.
“She’s gone back to Sugiko. Captain Armeen is taking her home himself.” She managed a small smile. “I think they have a lot to talk about.”
“And your sister? The Bloo–err… I mean…Selene?”
Aya’s facial features stiffened. “Not that well. She doesn’t want my help, and…” She gulped. “Things aren’t going so well with the Missean council. I think…I think…” Her voice became raggedy, cracking and breaking between words. “I think they mean to kill her.”
Falcon settled his vision on the flower constellation at the center of the sky. He couldn’t care less what happened to that monster. He did, however, care too much for Aya to see her suffer like this. He closed his eyes, not believing the next words that came out of his mouth. “I could speak to the council on her behalf.” Ever since Falcon defeated Volcseck, the people of Missea had come to see him as the hero that Aadi once was. They had come to the inn offering everything from food to a position as the general of the Missean army to his own castle. He was certain that a word from him would go far in sparing the Blood Empress’s life.
“You would do that for her?”
“I would do that for you.”
There was a moment of silence. “Thank you. Thank you so much.”
“Don’t mention it,” said Falcon, apprehensively, not sure he’d made the right choice.
When they finally went back into the inn, the candle had burned out into a moldy pile of wax. Falcon did not bother to fire wield. He’d spent so much time in the dark room that he knew exactly where the beds were. He threw himself on the unkempt bed at the far end of the room. Aya did the same on her own bed.
As he had done for the past few days, he tossed and turned in his sleep. The few times his eyes managed to close; they were snapped open with visions of Faith. To his left, he heard Aya rolling in her bed as well, unable to rest. It had been like this for them for the last few nights. Both unable to sleep longer than an hour, yet pretending that they were fine for each other’s sake.
This time the bluff came to an end. Unlike every other night, he heard Aya stand from her bed in the middle of the night. She stumbled over to him, crashing into the other bedposts in the process. His exhales intensified when she sat at the edge of the cushion.
“May I join you?” she breathed softly.
Falcon’s heart raced. “Y… yes.”
The bed groaned under the new weight.
Aya lay down. Both wielders faced each other. Even through the darkness, Falcon made out her blue eyes. A sudden realization came to him. A realization of how fortunate he was to still have Aya with him, guiding him. Before he knew it, he was caressing her. He began with her hair, but then slid his hand down over her cheek and arms. She took his hands into hers. They breathed the same warm air.
She planted a kiss on his forehead and laid her head by his chest, allowing Falcon to hold her close. His heart drummed, but he found himself not caring if she heard it. They’d gone through so much that his nervousness seemed trivial in comparison.
He took in the scent of her strawberry hair. For the first time in a long time, he felt at peace. He didn’t even know when it happened, but before he could register it, he’d fallen into a deep sleep.
~~~
The morning came, but they remained clutched in each other’s embrace long after they had awoken. When they finally got up, Falcon was knew what he had to do. The night with Aya had provided the clarity he had been waiting for.
“You’re leaving, aren’t you?” said Aya. Her voice was free of any form of accusation. Instead it had a tone of understanding. This was something that she knew he had to do.
“Yes. There are places I need to see. People I need to visit.” Mayor Seth (Faith’s father) and Iris came to mind. “Don’t worry, I will stop by the council and have a word with them. Your sister’s life will be spared. I promise.”
“Thank you.” Her chest rose and fell steadily as she fixed her hair into a quick bun. She straightened her skirt. “I will be waiting for you here when you return,” she murmured. “As long as it takes. I’ll be here.”
Without saying another word, Falcon turned and walked away, unsure of when, if ever, he would see her again. All he knew was that if he stared into those sea blue eyes a second longer, he might never leave.
~~~
Like he’d promised Aya, Falcon stopped by the council to speak on the Blood Empress’s behalf. After that unpleasant talk, he visited the pub and shared a drink with his brother. He stuck to water this time.
“I think going on a pilgrimage will be a good thing for you,” said Albert after Falcon had told him of his plans to travel Va’siel. “I recommend that you stop by the swamps of despair.”
“
Swamps of despair
?” repeated Falcon, without much enthusiasm.
Albert smirked. “It’s not as bad as it sounds. I spent two years there with the monks. They live a simple life, away from the temptations of the city. It’s a plain place.”
“Plain may be exactly what I need.”
“It will hopefully help you find some peace, like it did for me.”
It was at this time that Falcon realized just how little he knew of Albert. Most of the time at the pub he had spent speaking about their young lives back at Asturia. No time had been devoted to Albert’s years after the massacre of the Ladrian council. Where had he gone? How had he discovered his ability to space wield? How did he not go crazy out there all by himself all those years?
“You have a lot of questions,” said Albert, as if reading his mind. “Stories for another time, perhaps.”
The young Rohad nodded. “Yes. Another time.” They shook hands and after a quick pat on the back, Falcon made his way out of the bar, through the city streets, and out of Missea.
Not until he reached the top of a grassy field did he finally stop and look back at the grand city.
Years ago, he had left the city of Ladria in similar fashion. So much had happened since that day that it seemed to have occurred eons ago. He was no longer that kid who had left on their maiden mission, erroneously thinking that killing Volcseck and finding his brother would be the solution to all his problems. He knew now that life wasn’t all that simple. Nonetheless, he looked back at those times with a fondness and yearning to retrieve what had been lost.
He clutched at his chest, looking out into the blue sky. Birds flew overhead. A warm breeze brushed his skin. In the pleasant current, he felt Faith’s touch. He caught the scent of peaches and smiled. The green-eyed girl would always be a part of him. He knew that now. Her holy energy would dwell in his chest. Her memories in his heart.
“Thank you, Faith,” he said. The darkness that had threatened to consume him so many times was now non-existent. “You were the light my life had always been searching for.”
He didn’t look back as he began his long trek. He wasn’t entirely sure where his first destination would be. Somehow, it no longer mattered. With Faith’s spirit guiding him, he was certain he would never be lost again.