A Paladin's War Ch. 12

Elaina's face darkened as soon as they were alone again. "How long until she realises what you're thinking? I'll wager it isn't long!"

"What would you do in my place?" he countered, his vehemence strange in his weakened state. "I can't protect her anymore. Can't help any of you! I'm a-" he cut off, scrunching his face up tight for a second. "I'm a bloody liability, is what I am now. An extra barrel on an already overloaded wagon."

She had never seen him like this, not in the more than thirty years she'd known him. The pain in his heart dwarfed any of the physical ailments he suffered. "I... cannot..." she managed as fresh tears welled in her eyes. She wished Aran were here; he would talk some sense into the bloody idiot! At that moment, Amina pushed her way into the tent, garbed in the leather tunic and dark breeches she favoured lately, hair tied back from her face, sapphire eyes bright and sharp. They seemed to gather what little light filtered into the tent from outside. The hilts of two swords jutted up behind her shoulders. Elaina had meant to ask her about the second sword, but she had not had the chance yet.

Amina opened her mouth to say something, then paused, studying Henley. "I see," she said thoughtfully. After a moment, she added, "You have a choice to make, Paladin. I suggest you make it wisely." Her gaze fell on Elaina. "Come with me, please." It was not a request. With a regretful - and frustrated! - glance at Henley, Elaina followed the Priestess out into the morning.

Amina was silent for a time as they walked. Elaina wanted to talk about Henley, but speaking first just didn't feel right. She let her eyes wander around the camp, bustling with activity, the air filled with a multitude of noises; the ringing of a farrier's anvil, men and women talking, laughing, shouting, the clashing of steel as soldiers practised their art. Some pointed at the arohim as they passed, others called out in greeting, some whispered in awed tones to their friends. So much for your legendary arohim, she thought bitterly. We fell for the trap just like any fool. Noah, having sensed her movements, appeared a minute or two into their walk, but Elaina shook her head at him as he approached, letting him know not to follow. She softened it with a smile, which he returned before disappearing between the tents.

Amina finally spoke as they passed the edge of the camp and moved out into the rolling grasses of the Sorral Plain. The sun was shielded by high, wispy clouds that streaked the sky as if brushed there by a giant painter, and the air carried the smell of fresh autumn. A beautiful day for such dark feelings. "You cannot help him with this, child," the Priestess said, keeping her gaze straight ahead as they crossed the somewhat trampled grass. "This is his choice, and his alone."

Elaina couldn't tell if Amina cared one way or the other from her tone. She searched the woman's feelings and found a complex tangle, which was quickly shut off before she could discern one from another. "But he can't just-" she began earnestly, but Amina spoke over her.

"What would you want?"

"I would be upset - anyone would! - but I would not just give up!" They walked up a gentle rise, and Elaina looked back at the camp, in the direction Henley would be. "It's as if he's just ready to lie down and..." she couldn't make herself finish. Tears, sad and angry, welled in her eyes. She blinked them away stubbornly.

The camp disappeared as they crested the rise and started down the other side. "Even knowing you must live this way for the rest of your life?" Amina asked evenly. "A life that could go on for a thousand more years?"

Elaina didn't see the point of the question. Why did any of that matter? Frustration and confusion took hold of her tongue. "And what would you do?" There was anger in her tone. One did not speak to a Priestess that way, but her pain needed to go somewhere.

"I would make the right choice, whichever it was." Amina still had not looked at her, nor had her wall lowered. Elaina wished she knew what was in her heart. "You are a warrior, Elaina. You protect others with your strength, lift them up, shield them. Your body and your powers give you that ability. Henley has had much of that taken from him, for reasons known only to Aros. He struggles to see his purpose, now."

"So, he should just die?" Elaina snapped. "What about his knowledge, his skill? There are a hundred things he could do that make a difference! A thousand!"

"Yes," Amina agreed as they made for a stout stand of oak and mahogany. "But he is a warrior first, and all other things second." Elaina could not argue with that, despite her desire to do so. She clenched her fists at her sides. "You are in pain," Amina went on. "That much is clear, child. You are no good to him as you are." They stepped beneath the branches of an old oak, into the shade. She sensed a few rabbits skittering away from the intrusion into their home. About twenty paces into the trees, Amina stopped and turned, finally meeting Elaina's eyes. "I would suggest you meditate, perhaps spend some time in amathani, but I fear that may take too long." As she spoke, she shrugged free of the leather straps across her chest that held her swords on her back. She carefully leaned the weapons against the trunk of a mahogany tree.

What was she doing? Elaina barely had time to register movement before Amina's fist connected with her cheek. It was a sharp strike, but not enough to knock her off her feet. Still, she had to take a good step back to absorb the force. Glaring at the other woman, she opened her mouth to ask what in the Seven Circles she was on about, but the second punch - a nasty left - caught her in the jaw. This one was enough to put her to one knee.

"You cannot fight Henley's fate," Amina said firmly, standing over her. "That is his beast to master. If you must fight something, fight me."

So, Elaina thought darkly. That's the way you want it, Priestess. Fine! She sprung from her back foot and struck out with her right hand, but Amina turned it away and spun around behind her. She was quick, but Elaina was ready for it. Pivoting smoothly, leather boot sliding on the leaf-carpeted ground, she kicked out with her left foot, almost catching Amina in the belly, but the Priestess caught her foot and spun again, sending her into the air. Only a last-minute flip stopped her landing on her back.

Elaina knelt there for the briefest of moments, green eyes hot against Amina's cool blue as she regarded her opponent. She could not beat the Priestess, but she was damn well going to make the woman work for it! Rising, she unhooked Shatter from her belt and tossed her aside, then uttered a furious cry as she launched forward again.

Hours later, Elaina lay on her back on the ground, gasping for air. "Are you finally ready to concede?" Amina asked casually. She stood nearby with arms folded across her chest, looking down at Elaina. Except for a few strands of golden hair that had escaped the leather cord around her forehead, she looked the same as she had when they'd started. She certainly didn't look as if she'd been fighting for hours. Elaina wished she could say the same for herself.

She sat up with a grunt and looked down at herself. Her shirt was torn open down to her navel and stained with dirt and blood. Her hands were dark with dirt, her breeches torn at the knees and soiled worse than her hands. Her mouth tasted of blood, most of which was now dry on her lips and nose. She sat there for a moment, elbows resting on her knees. Her anger had slowly drained away during the fight, despite her best efforts to cling to it. It was better than the alternative.

She had known this journey would be hard. Dangerous, perilous even. But to lose Henley was more terrifying to her than the prospect of dying in battle. He had taken her in when her family cast her away, cared for her, trained her. Made her into who she was today.

Suddenly she was being pulled to her feet. She looked into Amina's eyes, now caring and compassionate where before they had been cold, distant. She cupped Elaina's face in her hands. "I could not show you my heart before," she said gently, wiping some of the dirt from Elaina's cheek with a thumb. "But now I can."

Warmth and light flooded Elaina as Amina opened her vala. She gasped and clutched at the other woman's shoulders as emotions bloomed in her mind, her heart, flowing through her body as if they were her own. A wracking sob escaped her mouth as the Priestess' pain became known to her. For Elaina, the loss of Henley was like losing a lover, a brother, a best friend and a mentor all at once. For Amina, it was like a mother losing a child, a piece of her heart being cut away and never returned.

The two women stood there for long minutes, eyes locked. Tears flowed down their cheeks, but neither woman broke away until it was done. Elaina took a deep, shuddering breath, and then Amina's lips were on hers, comforting, loving, understanding. A fire bloomed in Elaina's belly, a deep ache. She wanted to be touched, loved, soothed. There was a sudden flurry of hands as they undressed, both eager for the touch of skin on skin. They fell to the ground, holding one another close. Their legs interlocked, the heat of Amina's sex bathing Elaina's thigh. Urgency took over as they began to move together, undulating in perfect rhythm. Their hands searched for purchase anywhere and everywhere, squeezing buttocks, breasts, hips.

They came together, fast and hard, shuddering against each other on the leafy ground, their faces close. "Thank you," Elaina whispered against her lover's lips. "For everything."

Amina said nothing, but smiled radiantly. The woman was so beautiful Elaina sometimes thought her heart might stop dead just looking at her. She kissed Elaina, then gently withdrew and got to her feet. Elaina followed, feeling a deep stab of regret that they couldn't stay here like this all day. "Go to him, now," Amina told her with a smile. "Now, you are prepared."

Nodding, Elaina gave her one last, fierce hug before they began to dress. They exited the copse together, Elaina feeling clearer, more focused, though no less sad. Sadness was a good thing; she should feel it at times like this, but now it did not cloud her mind. The two women walked across the plains in silence, though it was a peaceful one. Two women who understood one another more than they had before. Her devotion to Amina had never been in question, but seeing a glimpse - more than a glimpse - of Amina's deepest heart had changed things between them.

The sun at their backs was perhaps halfway to the horizon, casting shadows out before them when Amina stopped and turned to face north. She gave no visible sign, but the feel of her changed to one of readiness. Elaina scanned the landscape quickly, in every direction, but saw or sensed no threat. The camp was maybe another mile away, still too far for her to sense clearly. Between one heartbeat and the next, the Priestess was moving north in a blur. Cursing, Elaina hurried after. A minute later, she found Amina standing on a high rocky ridge - rare on the plains - facing north.

"What is it?" Elaina asked as she stopped beside her. For herself, Elaina could see nothing odd on the rolling plains stretching away before them, a sea of green and brown occasionally broken by a stand of trees or a shallow valley. A hawk wheeled overhead, circling slowly, then suddenly banked south, flapping its wings for more speed. At the same time, a stand of trees not a hundred yards away to the north suddenly came to life as a murder of crows burst from within, cawing madly as they aimed south. Elaina studied them as they flew high over her head. Something was very odd about this.

"I do not know," Amina answered quietly, still staring north. "But something menaces in the north."

"Is it-?" Elaina started to ask but stopped herself. Maloth could not be here already, could he? It was too soon! The horizon began to darken as they watched, storm clouds deep and black, billowing and boiling. Even this far away, the flashing of lightning was visible, silver lances stabbing at the earth, one every two or three heartbeats. "Oh, no." The words came out in a whisper. Out here on the plain, there would be no protection from the storm, not if it was as bad as the ones that had come out of the north before. She was running before she realised, legs pumping as hard as they would go.

Amina came abreast of her. "I will go to command!" she called over the rushing of wind in their ears as they sped along. "You get to the par'vala! Use them to help you alert the whole camp! We must go to ground!" At that, she vanished in a blur, moving faster than Elaina could ever hope to. She was inside the camp less than a minute later, flashing between tents and dodging anyone in her path, leaving confused shouts and curses in her wake. In short order she had the par'vala on task; all five rushing off in different directions to carry out her orders. A glance north showed her the sky darkening further. There wasn't enough time!

"Elaina!" Noah's voice pulled her eyes from the sky. He was running toward her, breathing hard. "What is happening?" he asked as he reached her, his chest heaving.

"There's a storm coming," she said quickly. From the look in his eyes, he knew she didn't mean an ordinary one.

"Shit!" he muttered.

"I need to move Henley," she told him, starting in that direction, but his hand on her arm stopped her short.

"He's gone." Elaina's heart missed a beat, but Noah shook his head. "Not dead. He's gone off somewhere. No one knows where. I followed his trail south for a couple miles, but then it just vanishes."

Oh, Henley, what have you done? There was no time to chase after him, and it would be pointless anyway; if Noah could not track him, nobody could. "We need to secure the camp," she said firmly. "Do what you can. Everyone must go to ground at once. We are vulnerable out here." Noah nodded and ran off into the growing chaos. Everywhere she looked, men, Elves and Dwarves were frantically pulling down tents, hammering stakes deep into the ground to secure horses and rope down wagons against the coming wind. Stiff gusts were already threatening the camp, far ahead of the storm.

"Perhaps I may be of assistance," a lofty Elvish voice said, making Elaina spin around. Solovir stood there calmly, pale eyes bright and deep, long white hair shifting with the wind.

"Anything you can do," Elaina urged him. "We need all the help we can get."

"I see that," he agreed as he eyed the scrambling soldiers and camp workers around them. After a moment, he nodded. "Very well. Come." Faster than she could believe he could move, he dashed away north. She followed him, struggling to keep up. He stopped at the northern edge of the camp. The first rumble of thunder sounded in the distance as he raised his hands, palms forward and slightly up. "Your power," he said, keeping his eyes on the approaching clouds. "Draw on it fully, as strongly as you are able."

Standing beside him, Elaina complied, opening her vala and letting it grow until she could feel everything for almost a mile around. The wind gusted harder as if in answer. How would her vala help Solovir? As far as she knew, his magic was something very different to the vala. But then, she couldn't fill a thimble with what she knew about his magic. She had seen him toss lightning and fire, seen him speak to trees. Who knew what else he could do? She watched the towering mass grow closer, a menace threatening the future of the entire army. So long without the storms. Why were they back now?

Her eyes went to Solovir, standing there with his hands out. As far as she could tell, nothing was happening. "Stand behind me," he said suddenly. She obeyed, and no sooner had her feet settled in place than the wind abruptly changed direction, now blowing toward the storm. Shouts rose in the camp behind them at the sudden change. A loose bucket clattered past Elaina and sped away across the grass, chased by other unsecured items. A pot lid, a helmet, a saddlecloth, and dozens of items of clothing among other things.

The storm loomed ever closer, the sun finally slipping behind the clouds, blanketing the land in shadow. Lightning split the sky in a furious volley of silvery forks, the thunder now crashing instead of rumbling. Were her eyes deceiving her, or was the storm slowing? The foremost clouds were round, like a great giant disc crawling slowly across the sky. Beneath it was a smooth expanse of greenish grey behind a rolling curtain of white cloud. It was beautiful. And terrifying. It was almost on top of them, now, but she was sure it was slowing.

Solovir made no visible change, but she suddenly got the sense he was straining, pushing at the edge of his limits. She had no power left to give him. It was not going to be enough. Suddenly Kedron was beside her, his short dark hair flattened to his head by the wind. At her nod, he opened his vala and turned to face north. To Elaina's eyes, a glowing aura surrounded him. The sense of strain in Solovir lessened a hair. Just a hair, but it was something. The other par'vala came next, all of them doing the same as she and Kedron.

Almost right over their heads, the storm came to a standstill. It seemed to boil with a infinite rage, an eternal malice. Lightning struck not fifty yards away with a deafening bang. Tavish flinched, and Mikel started nervously. "Hold your ground, par'vala!" Elaina roared over the din. Smoke rose from where it had struck, joining the small plumes where other bolts had landed. At least the wind was blowing away from the camp; the last thing they needed now were bloody grass fires. The clouds seemed to groan with urgency, as if fighting to obliterate the people below. That was when the ice began to fall, jagged chunks raining down, some as big as bricks. Panicked shouts came from the camp, no few of them pained. Having the storm sitting up there like this might be even worse than letting it come! Where in the bloody world was Amina?

The Priestess appeared as if the thought had summoned her. She stood behind the par'vala, hands out to either side as if holding them in an invisible bubble while she opened her vala, dwarfing the light the rest of them were giving off. That was when the storm began to split, right down the centre, as if carved by a colossal knife. The clouds swirled and boiled, lightning crashed again and again in defiance, but the divide grew until the storm was split clear down the middle, blue sky shining through the chasm of cloud. The lightning lessened, and the hail stopped falling, replaced by a gentle rain.

Solovir lowered his arms and sagged, holding himself up with hands on knees. The northerly wind ebbed and died. The storm - well, two smaller and much weaker storms now - slowly began to drift southeast and southwest, as if the camp were an island splitting a river. Exhaling, Elaina relaxed, letting her vala diminish. "And so, we survive another day," she murmured to herself. She put a hand on the Alda'rendi's shoulder. "Thank you, brother. We owe you a great debt."

He straightened to his full height and turned to her. "It is my duty to keep the balance, Elaina arohim," he said simply. "Thank you for your aid. I could not have turned that storm on my own."

Behind them, Amina clapped her hands sharply, making the par'vala jump. "Off with you, now," she said briskly. "The camp is a mess after all that. They will need our help. Kedron, see to it everyone is given tasks." Kedron saluted and ushered them all to follow him back into the very dishevelled camp.