Rojuun Page 4

  Chapter 4

  Liselle jerked awake and sat up. Looking around, she realized she was on a cot in the barn. It was dark except for a torch on one of the pillars. Her heart raced and she gasped for air remembering the events of the evening. Her family couldn’t be dead. Tears streamed down her cheeks as she began to sob.

  She cried for a good long time, hoping her father and mother would come through the door, but knowing they wouldn’t. After a while, the tears subsided and she wiped her face the best she could. She wondered if Tathan had brought her to the barn.

  Tathan. Her cousin had shown up the morning before, followed by warriors the next night. She wondered for a moment if he had brought them or if he was even her cousin.

  Aunt Ellin had known him as her son. He had killed all the warriors . . . all except the one who had come into the room. That one she had killed with magic.

  Did Tathan notice? He had been right there. He must have.

  She had never told her parents. They didn’t like magic. Liselle didn’t understand how it worked or why she had the ability to perform it, but it felt good when she used it . . . usually. She had never killed a man with it . . .

  Fresh sobbing began and she hunched over, rocking back and forth. Her heart tightened as she realized that she was responsible for a man’s death.

  It was a while until she recovered somewhat and stood to look around the barn. There was no sign of Tathan or anyone else. She was afraid to go outside, but knew she must.

  Liselle opened the door a crack. The back of the house was visible. Torches and candles were lit in the kitchen and living room windows as well as upstairs. She could tell from the glow that torches were lit in front of the house as well.

  The flowers around the house opened and turned to her.

  Liselle told them to go back to sleep.

  They ignored the command.

  Stars covered most of the sky. The mists of magic swayed in peaceful motions that clashed with the turmoil of Liselle’s heart. A few clouds were in the way, but it didn’t look like it was going to rain again. The air was fresh except for a terrible stench similar to dead animals, only more terrifying.

  She walked toward the kitchen door at the back of the house, pausing every few steps to strengthen her resolve. Upon reaching the door, she turned the knob and entered cautiously. There was a pot with fresh stew in the fire pit. Liselle went over to it, stomach rumbling in hunger at the aroma. The kitchen was warm and welcoming, but she felt the absence of her mother and Aunt Ellin. Tears started to flow again.

  “Enough!” The sound of her own voice startled Liselle. She froze to see if anything happened. The room was calm with only the bubbling of the stew and the occasional pop of an ember in the fire breaking the silence. Liselle wondered where her cousin was.

  Crouching, she tiptoed to the entryway of the dining room. Dishes were still set on the table for dinner, which the family had never eaten. She continued even more slowly to the entryway of the main room.

  The bodies were gone, but the blood was not. Liselle took a deep breath to get control of her emotions. She shook her hands trying to get out the bad feelings welling up. Once again, her cousin was nowhere to be seen. She moved to the stairs

  “Tathan?” she called tentatively up the stairs. “Hello? . . .”

  There was no answer. Surely, he would have heard if he was upstairs. She moved to the front door, doing her best not to step in the bloodstains.

  She opened the door and poked her head outside, ready to slam it shut again should anything jump out of the dark. It appeared as though there might be dark stains in the grass, but Liselle ignored them. Stepping out, she was able to see torches attached to each of the four posts of the porch. The yard was lit by more torches on wooden torch stands that must have been in one of the other houses.

  Four of the warrior’s horses were tethered to a railing. A dark shiver ran down her spine. She had seen Tathan kill the leader of the warriors and fight the others. She had assumed they were all slain, but one man couldn’t possibly kill thirty or so riders all by himself. Her wide eyes scanned for the warriors she was now certain must be out there.

  A sound came from beyond the torchlight. Someone approached.

  Liselle realized she crouched in the middle of the torchlight, having come off the porch onto the path in front of the house. She dashed toward the brook, hiding behind a bush a short distance away. The flowers there opened with concern for her and did their best to keep her shielded though they didn’t have the height to do so.

  After a moment, she saw Tathan coming toward the house with a shovel in his hand and his head bowed. In a moment of clarity, Liselle realized he had lost his family too. “Tathan.”

  He startled, holding the shovel like a sword.

  She rose from behind the bush so he could see her. The look on his face when he realized there was a shovel in his hand instead of a sword made her giggle involuntarily in spite of the horrors of the day.

  “Liselle! How did you get over there?” He looked toward the barn behind the house, then to the bush, puzzled. They walked toward each other, meeting beside one of the torch stands in the yard.

  “I woke up and went looking for you. When I saw the horses, I thought the riders had killed you and were still here. Where were you and where? . . .” She trailed off, afraid to ask about their family.

  “I was taking care of the bodies. The warriors are off in the distance to be burned. I’ve buried . . .” he also trailed off.

  Liselle nodded in understanding, barely managing to keep from falling back into grief. “What do you need me to do to help?” she asked weakly.

  “Well . . . I’m about to burn the bodies of the warriors. I want to get it done before more come into the valley.”

  “More?! What do you mean more?” She looked to the south, expecting to see riders galloping toward them.

  He put a comforting hand on her shoulder. “Peace, Cousin. They’ll not be here this night.” He pointed toward where he had taken the bodies. “Those were scouts. They lead the way and find places for their armies to rest and supply. This valley will be an excellent place for supplies and secluded training.”

  “Army? What army are you talking about?” She wrapped her arms around herself. There were no armies here. It was a peaceful place. “Did you bring this army? Are they following you, Tathan?”

  “Me?” He took a step back. “Why would an army follow me? Liselle . . . listen, I . . .” He sighed and put a comforting arm around her shoulder. “I didn’t bring the army. I’ve been chased by people before, but never an entire army! . . . Well . . . there was that one time . . .”

  “You arrived and then the warriors showed up and killed everyone. They all died, Tathan.” Tears streamed down her face again. She didn’t want to cry anymore, but couldn’t help it.

  Tears rolled down his cheeks too. “I came from the west, through a pass which couldn't handle an army. I have . . . my own things I’m running from, but no army.”

  Liselle looked at the tears on his face and wiped away her own. “I’m sorry. I know they didn’t follow you, but . . . I’m just so frightened and confused.”

  Tathan took his cousin by the shoulders. “I understand. You’re right to be frightened. What happened tonight is terrible. It’ll be difficult to overcome. Many people wouldn’t be able to.”

  She stared at him. “That’s . . . that’s not at all comforting.”

  “I’m sorry. I just can’t tell you that everything will be all right. I visited many lands in my travels and sometimes things aren’t good. There are countless evils and injustices in the world.” His cheeks puffed as he exhaled. “I wish it were different.”

  “Then . . . what do we do now? Do we have no hope?” She flung her arms in the air. “Do we just give into the evils and injustices you speak of?” Despair touched her soul. If the rest of the world were as
terrible as today . . . The flowers closed their petals at the thought.

  He shrugged. “Well . . . I don’t think we can solve all the problems of the world. I’ve never really tried to solve . . . any of them, I guess.”

  Liselle crossed her arms and tapped her foot. “You tell me everything is terrible, I’m going to suffer, the world has problems and . . . what? We should all just lie down and die?” Her hands moved to her hips. “How do you keep going? Why bother living at all?”

  A sob came out of his body. “I . . . I don’t . . . know.” He held his arms out to his sides and stared at her helplessly.

  That wasn’t the answer she expected. Liselle reached out, drew her cousin into a hug and let him cry on her shoulder. He needed her right now as much as she needed him.

  Once Tathan was able to regain his poise, Liselle stepped back and collected her thoughts. “All right, I’ve burned bodies of sheep with father and Uncle Laremy when sickness went through the flocks. Doing it to people scares me, but I’m ready.”

  “All right. I was just coming back to check on you and the stew. I think we should get the fire going right away before . . .”

  “Before what?”

  “Before I lose my nerve. I don’t want to do this.” He looked back toward where the bodies were.

  “Oh . . . Why are we burning them? Aren’t people supposed to be buried?” She considered. “Why do we bury people when they die? I know that’s what we’re supposed to do, but I don’t know why.”

  Tathan shrugged again. “It’s different throughout the world. Some cultures put the bodies on a small boat and cast it out to sea. That’s hard to do when you don’t have an ocean nearby though.”

  “I’ve never been to the ocean,” she said wistfully. Then she grew somber, realizing the reality of their situation once more. “I suppose I’ll have the chance . . .”

  “Yes, well . . . We may at that. Some cultures and religions say it’s best to bury the body to return to the earth. Others say it’s best to burn the body to free the soul to the heavens. I don’t know which is best.”

  “And the warriors? What do they believe?”

  “They believe in releasing their souls to the heavens through fire.”

  She frowned and opened her mouth to protest.

  He held up a hand to stop her before she could speak her mind. “Listen, I handle the bodies of the dead as they would have wished. I don’t like to offend the gods regardless of what their followers may do to me.”

  She stared at him, unconvinced. She wanted the riders to be destroyed and suffer even more at this point, but she said nothing and glared at him instead.

  Another deep sigh escaped. “Well, shall we?”

  “Very well.” They walked toward the bodies. As they came closer, Liselle saw the pile. There were two torches on either side of it and Tathan had added a fair amount of wood to the pile.

  “I set them in an area where there were no flowers,” Tathan said. “It seemed important, but I don’t know why.”

  “Thank you.” Liselle gave a gentle touch on his arm.

  When he moved to light the pyre, she stopped him. “Let me do this please.”

  “Yes, of course.”

  Liselle breathed evenly as she focused. Her fingers stretched in front of her. She crouched to brace herself while gathering in energy to create the fire.

  Tathan took several steps back.

  The magic gathered around her. Casting wind affecting only her whipped her hair and dress.

  She focused it into the fire she wanted.

  The spell was heavy on both her mind and her body.

  She used mind and body to keep it controlled. Blue fire grew into a ball in front of her. She made it bigger than she had ever done before.

  When she couldn’t build it anymore, she heaved it toward the pile.

  The casting wind and the force of the spell dragged Liselle forward a few yards, lifted her off her feet and slammed her back to the ground. She fell to her hands and knees.

  The fireball hit in a blazing blue explosion.

  Bodies and wood flew into the air. Bright flames licked the bodies, engulfing them whether they flew a hundred paces or stayed where they were.

  Tathan flung his arm over his eyes and held up a hand to shield himself.

  Liselle gazed in awe. A large, but simple fire was all she had wanted. The fireball was something she had never seen before.

  Fire-encased bodies became stars as her vision darkened. She lost consciousness.