Valley of the Shadow by Michael Gardner

Author:Michael Gardner [Gardner, Michael]
Language: eng
Format: epub
Publisher: Page Up Publishing
Published: 2016-05-30T23:00:00+00:00

* * *

The five Khryseoi exchanged stories and spoke of their lives since seeing one another last, which for most of them had been in the final days of the war. Raven prepared a welcome feast of fish stew, slow roasted goat, wild greens and fresh baked flatbreads. They talked for many weeks, all the while learning to read Tak’s gestures. When they tired of conversation, Xi sparred with Klinge, Windsong meditated with Tak, and Raven went fishing. The white sandy beach and lapping waves were also old friends.

Tak meditated by Lilya’s grave. He sat facing the horizon with his eyes closed, while the wind rippling his chiton made it look like the waves far below. Raven returned from fishing to find Tak asleep in the sun, snoring softly. He rubbed his fingers together and wiped his palms on his chiton before he spoke. “Well?” Tak stirred and took a slow breath. She’s gone.

“I know,” he said. “I buried her. If you’d asked, I could have saved you three days of doing whatever it is you’ve been doing.” Tak’s face remained expressionless, as if he hadn’t yet woken from a deep sleep. She wasn’t the only one. In the time it has taken for the five of us to come together, more than a hundred Khryseoi have been unbound by dark spirits. Raven felt the blood drain from his face. He caught a faint, sour note of death on the breeze.

“More than a hundred?”

Fewer than half of the Khryseoi still live.

Raven sat down and picked at his beard. “Can you sense Acabar?”

Tak nodded. His presence, yes, but not exactly where. He could be near to us now or many leagues distant. A flock of gulls landed on the cliff’s edge, squabbling over a fish. One stole it from the owner’s beak and they were off again. Raven watched them circle and dive while he avoided the question that hung on his lips. Tak closed his eyes. Raven drew a deep breath.

“And Phylasso? Can you sense Phylasso?” Tak remained still. “Is he dead?”

Tak flicked his fingers. I don’t know.

Raven stood and walked to the edge of the cliff. The afternoon sun, reflected on the waves, looked stretched and fragmented as if seen through a veil. He walked to the path winding down to the sea and followed it. Hot and breathless, he stripped off his chiton and plunged head first into the surf. The water was cool and invigorating. He stood up and spread his legs to balance himself against the tide. The sunlight stretched across the water, engulfing him in golden light. He cupped the water in his hands but could no more capture the light than he could, for long, hold the water. Closing his eyes and feeling the sun’s warmth on his face, he pictured Wolf and Lilya and spoke their names. He recited the names of as many fallen Khryseoi as he could remember. When he stopped, he wondered how Phylasso had been able to remember thirty thousand names without fail.

Download

Copyright Disclaimer:
This site does not store any files on its server. We only index and link to content provided by other sites. Please contact the content providers to delete copyright contents if any and email us, we'll remove relevant links or contents immediately.