Chapter 17
A Death and a Burial
Morgan walked through the shadows; he had searched for his father but had been unable to find him. So making up is mind Morgan went to search out the others, stopping for a moment he stepped out of the shadows and into the waning light of the sun. Its warmth filled him; the sensation had always been something that he loved. Shaking the thought off he went to walk into the shadows once again but was halted as his name was said.
“Prince Morgan?”
Turning to the feminine voice he saw standing before him was a woman he knew well, Damalis being her name. She was one of the few females born of royal blood that his father allowed to roam the territories.
“Damalis.” Turning he went to leave but was halted by a hand on his forearm.
“It is not every day that we get to speak; I had heard that you had taken a Neshar as your chosen.” Morgan cocked his head gazing at her over his shoulder, “I believe that is very common knowledge.”
“But come now my prince, do you really want a Neshar for a bride; I believe that she is not to be trusted.”
Irritation ignited in him and he did not even know why, at Damalis’ remark on Leora’s trustworthiness, he turned so that the two of them were facing each other fully.
Seeing his look she toned it down, “I am only saying what I have heard from those others who whisper in the wind.”
“And what is it that they say?”
“They say that she has long since been close friends with the prince Dryan, and that the two were to be married until your father set up this agreement to unite our kingdoms. They say that her love is for another.” Shaking his head Morgan removed her hand from his arm, “You are a fool Damalis, hope that I get no word that it has been you spreading these lies about my chosen.” His smile was cold, “Or you will in the end regret it.” Taking to the shadows Morgan had a strong feeling that he should turn to the eastern waters, and so he did following a new path to the beach shore.
Having cleaned Amori off Leora put a mud salve on her burns then moved on to the lad. Lifting his head she listened to his breathing, the rasping and his lack of response to her probing told her that there was nothing that she could do for him.
Positioning herself behind him Leora rested the child’s head on her lap, and began to sing her voice carried upon the wind.
All in the region paused as they heard Leora’s lament for the dying boy. Morgan listened following the direction with which the lyrics flowed from, knowing who sang them. Reaching the forest edge he exited the overhanging just as the last of the song faded into the breeze.
The sight before him was not a pleasing one, but keeping his self in check Morgan made his way to Leora to find out what had happened while he was gone.
Leaving the boys head comfortably rested on her lap Leora lifted her gaze to Morgan, “Do you believe that you can bring him back?”
Eyes locked on the almost still lying form, he reached out a hand to the boys’ forehead. Closing his eyes Morgan focused on the task that had just been asked of him. He grunted as he continued trying to bring the lad back out of the darkness that he had sunk into. A bead of sweat rolled down his forehead as he focused.
Morgan steps into the place that is now pulling the child farther from his reach. He runs as he sees a figure in the distance. He calls out to the person hoping to slow their progress to the place where he cannot go. A breath away now he stops his footsteps echoes around him.
He calls out again, as the person turns he sees that it is the boy. The child smiles up at him, “Hello, do you follow His Path also?”
Morgan shakes his head, “I follow no one’s Path, only my own.” He reaches out his hand to the lad, “You have to come back with me.”
The boy looks to the Path at his feet, “I do not wish to go back.” His eyes lock with Morgan’s.
“Believe me the shadows are no place for a child to wander.” He walks closer and rests his hand on the boy’s shoulder.
The child looks at him confused, “But I do not walk in the shadows.”
“We must hurry it is time we go.” The boy shakes his head no.
“That is not where I am supposed to go,” he reaches up and takes off the necklace that is about his neck, and hands it to Morgan, “Please give this gift to the one that saved me from the fire.” He turns away, and is soon engulfed in a light that Morgan had not previously noticed.
Morgan looks to the item that is in his hand, a tremble racks through his body as he finally sees what was given him. He looks once again to where the boy had disappeared, glad that he had not given a promise to deliver this article to the First.
The sun set over the horizon as Morgan’s hand finally fell away from the child’s forehead. Pushing himself to his feet he breathed in deeply, and then exhaled, “I’m sorry.” He turned his attention to Amori next, not locking eyes with Leora, moving to her he placed a hand on her forehead. Relieved when he was able to pull her back without much of a fight, dropping to the floor he closed his eyes his body totally drained.
Amori awoke an hour later to a fire and the sight of a great expanse of sparkling water. Sitting up she rubbed a hand over her face, her mind trying to piece together how she escaped the burning house.
Seeing that Amori was now awake Cody made his way over to her, holding out a cup filled with a crystal clear liquid, Leora had told him to have her drink once she was awake.
Squatting down beside her he handed over the item, “Good to see you awake again.”
She smiled as she took a sip and nearly gagged, “What is this?”
He shrugged, “I have no clue Leora said you need to drink it, so you’ve got to drink it.” Amori made a face, pinching the bridge of her nose she threw back her head and forced the drink down. Finished she handed him the cup. Pulling her knees up to her chest she rested her chin on them, her gaze locked on something in the distance.
Placing the cup down beside him Cody seated himself beside her, crossing his legs out in front of him he leaned back on his hands, his face on Amori. “Why did you leave the clearing?”
“Why did you guys leave me in the clearing, alone?”
“Amori we never left the clearing, we stayed there the whole night.”
Turning she faced him, “No you didn’t I had been left there by myself, with only a blanket. I had thought that something had happened to ya’ll so I went looking, but I ended up lost for the most part.”
“How’d you end up in the burning home?” He asked.
“I’m getting to that, where was I?”
“You got lost.”
“Right, I was worn out so I fell asleep I think I was out for a couple of hours. When I awoke, rather when I was awakened…”
“Who woke you up?” Cody asked interrupting her again.
“The person who led me to the beach, once we were on the shoreline he told me that farther down the beach there was a house, and that I was supposed to find something inside of it. I wish I had listened completely to him.” She shook her head.
Cody said nothing either, now that he understood what had happened; he knew precisely that it had not been an accident that Amori had wandered off. Someone or something had been trying to guide her away from them.
“Who got me out of the fire?”
Cody looked at her confused since he had not heard her question, “What?”
“Who got me out of the fire?”
“Oh, Ryan did, he had spotted the house from up high he got here before the rest of us and plunged straight into the blazing inferno.” Cody watched her through star blue eyes, “Why did you go into that burning building?”
“Because I had been told to, I believe that I would have made it in time if the outgrowth had not gotten in my way. I had to trek through the water since it was too thick.”
A strange expression appeared on Cody’s face that Amori didn’t understand.
“What?”
“There is no vegetation all of it stops at the same point, which is at the forest edge.” Shaking her head to what he was saying Amori turned around ready to point it out to him, but there was nothing. Where there should have been a shadow of where the foliage was there was nothing.
Looking to Cody she said, “When can we go home?”
He gave her a comforting smile, “Soon I hope.” Resting her head on his shoulder Amori listened to the night sounds.
Morgan watched the two talking together, he and Leora being the only one’s along with the young boy body, Dryan having flown off to check the path that they were to take shortly. Moving his gaze from them he looked to the boy whose head was still resting on Leora’s lap. His eyes moved upward until they locked with Leora’s.
Placing her hand on the child’s shoulder Leora asked the question that had been pressing against her thoughts since they had been unable to save the boy, “We should lay to rest his body.”
Morgan looked back to the fire, “The most we can do is place him in the burned ashes of what once was his home.”
“That would be a dishonor to him.” Morgan looked to her again in his hand he clutched hard the necklace, “I believe that we should give him a proper burial.”
“We have enough trouble with the task of watching over the First and getting to Aion; why fritter away our time with the burial of the dead, let the dead bury themselves.”
Leora thought out what she was to say next, though frustration warred within her, she was wise enough not to speak through it. For she knew that a gentle tongue accomplished more than a hot tempered one, so once she had gathered her thoughts she spoke again, “Morgan,” he turned his attention to her, “we both know what is customary when it comes to the matter of burial. We can simply use the time we have with Dryan being gone to give him a proper memorial.” He said nothing so she continued on, “All I ask is that we give him at least that, please.”
He stared hard at her, she was like no Sage that he had ever known, or maybe her being a Neshar had something to do with it. Her heart was tender towards the weak, breaking the direction to where his thoughts were headed. With a nod of his head Morgan agreed to what she had requested.
“It cannot take a long time, for we do not know when Dryan shall return.”
Her eyes lit as a wide smile of gratefulness appeared on her face, “Thank you.”
Ryan arrived as they lowered the body into the hole they had dug. Lifting up her face to the sky Leora began her song of the stars, “’Adôwn kôhên ‘âzan, gâ’al bên lêb en nephesh nâtsal artios.”
Her voice carried on the breeze, her song strong lifting with it the weight of sorrow for those that heard it.
Amori closed her eyes as she listened to Leora voice, beautiful was not the word she could use to describe what it was that she was hearing even though she did not know what the words meant. They brought a peace to her heart, and for moment she forgot about all that had previously happened to her, her mind cleared if only for that moment from the fog that had plagued it from the instant she had opened the Blank Book to now.
Ryan bowed his head in respect to the dead, awaiting Leora’s final verse to float away. He helped Cody and Morgan fill the hole knowing that they had no time left. Once the task was done he faced the others, “Lord Morgadon has heard of our companions, he has sent out his men to find us.”
Morgan shook his head, he there was no possible way that his father could have found out… The thought froze, as it came to him that had been what he had seen the previous night before he had fallen into the deep sleep. It had been one of his father’s many spies, they must have thought better of showing themselves so they had went back and reported it to the king.
“We have lingered here to long, we must leave immediately.”
Understanding the urgency of their new situation they all made quick work of taking down the camp, once they had finished, Ryan changed to unbound form and allowed Cody and Amori up on his back.
Spreading out his wings he shot into the open sky his flight path towards the northeast regions of Addar. They had wasted too much time, it was important that they found the Book of Naba, but also now that the lord Morgadon did not get ahold of Amori, if that were to happen Ryan could only imagine what horrors she would have to endure.