Chapter 29 - Parting Paths

They stood for some time before the graves. Marus prayed to the Gods, asking for them to look after those who'd been lost. He prayed, also, for the Elar who'd died. They had moved all those bodies inside the cave itself, and Marus had created another rockslide to block off the entrance, so none would disturb the remains.

When he was finished, he looked to the others. Niza was trying not to cry, but tears flowed easily down her cheeks. Jetha wept openly, her sobs being swept away by the wind as it howled past them. Kyla did not weep, but her face showed that she was silently paying respect to the dead. Perhaps, he thought to himself, she is praying for them too.

There had been some discussion about what had happened. Marus had been the one to describe Ullden's death, and how he had managed to defeat one of the demons, despite his wounds. He had done enough damage to the other that Marus had been able to deal with it. Or, at least, it had been his intent. Something, he thought perhaps the Gods themselves, moved his hand after Ullden was lost. He'd fought with more skill than he knew he was capable of. He was quite sure the Gods had moved him then.

Jetha had told the tale of what had happened with the ritual. How nearly all had been in vain until Niza had realized that the scepter could hurt the demon. Jetha had nearly died channeling energy into the scepter to kill the demon, but Narien had saved her life in the end, taking the power into himself and grounding it out. He had pushed Jetha and Niza away at the last minute, to keep them alive. The demon was dead. As were the Elar that had followed them to this place. Those that hadn't died in battle had perished when the demon arrived and took their lives for his own power. The battle was over, but Marus knew there were still legions of Elar out there, fighting a war they never would have begun if it hadn't been for the demon. There was still much to be done.

"It's time we should be going," he said, breaking their silence. He turned away, partly to justify his statement, party because he couldn't bear to look at the graves anymore. He'd said what he needed to say. There was nothing more he could do here.

The others followed in turn, although none seemed eager to either stay or go. Kyla quietly took up her pack and took the lead. The trail leading back down the mountain was easier to travel, now that so many had cleared the way coming up it. They had enough food to get them back to her grasslands, after scrounging through the packs the Elar had brought with them. It would be sparse, but it would be enough.

They didn't talk much until they broke camp that night. There was enough wood for a fire, and they still had blankets. Niza was the one who reminded them of the items they'd left buried along the path they'd taken before. She and Kyla discussed the way back home, arranging a route that would take them by those belongings in case they were still there.

On their way out of the mountains they found more slain Elar. From the severity of the wounds, Kyla suggested they had met the giants.

They did see one of the giants lingering on a the far side of one valley slope. He was too far away to talk to, but he saw them and waved. Kyla had the best eyesight of all of them, and said that he looked sad. Marus silently wished them luck and peace before they moved on.

They found horses, and Kyla rounded them up. Some of them had been Elar mounts, and had been wandering with saddles still on them. Kyla removed saddle and bridle from the one she chose, hopping without difficulty up onto the horse's back.

It was at the end of the mountains that Kyla said she would part ways with them.

"Your lands lay that way," she said. "What is left of my people lie another way. I must find them, help bring them together. They will have been scattered by the Elar."

"I know my people," she added. "If the Elar are not without leadership then my people will be fighting back, resisting them. I must help in any way I can. I have enjoyed your company, but I am needed."

"Go," Niza said, "go help your people. Thank you for everything you have taught me. One day, when I have learned a little more, I will come visit your lands. I will seek you out, Kyla Featherwing." To Marus, she sounded so much more wise and grown than the young thief girl that he had healed--however long ago it had been. He paused for a moment, trying to figure how long it had been. Not very long, really, but it had felt like a year.

"I would like that, Niza of Riverport," Kyla said. "Farewell, my friends. You will all have shelter with our people, if ever you have the need."

"There will always be a place you will be welcome in my church," Marus said. "If ever you have the need."

"Goodbye Kyla," Jetha added. "Thank you for everything. Good luck."

Kyla nodded and smiled at each of them in turn, but said nothing more after that. Instead, she turned the horse and urged it until she was galloping across the grasslands. The three of them watched her go, until she was just a speck on the horizon. Then it was Niza who spoke up.

"We should keep moving," she reminded them. "Without Kyla to help us forage and hunt food, our supplies will not last as long. We still need to cross the grasslands and get back to our own lands. Even then, it may still be some time yet before we find a town we can purchase food from."

"Yes," Marus said, agreeing. Jetha nodded as well, and they continued their course, heading back towards the river. Several days later they were able to cross it in a shallower place than they'd had to before. There was no discussion of freezing it to cross, as they had done the last time. Instead, they spent most of the day looking for the best spot to cross over, before leading the horses through the water to the other side. Marus began to notice that they all knew they needed to get back to help against the Elar, but the sense of urgency they'd felt before was gone. It did not seem to return until they saw the first town in the distance.

There were signs of recent funeral pyres outside the town, along with rows of fresh graves. Some of the crop fields had been burned, but some were still intact. Wary farmers studied the group as they drew closer to the town. Marus held out an open hand, waving to one farmer amid rows of beans. The man looked with a skeptical frown and did not return the wave.

The town itself was not in good shape. Some of the town had burned, but there were also signs of recent repairs. There were no Elar soldiers guarding it. He and Jetha speculated that the Elar had been leaving mostly token forces behind to guard most towns. Their policy of converting locals to their false religion had probably worked for them at keeping peace. Once that had allen apart, it had probably not been hard for most towns to overthrow the Elar.

Niza pointed out that the larger cities might actually fare worse. In those, the Elar kept control with the aid of demons. It was hard to say what the demons might do with the main demon gone. Marus supposed that some would leave, some weaker ones might remain bound by the summoners, but that some would stay, free of control, and cause considerable damage.

"Who're you, then?" the innkeeper demanded once they found the town's small inn.

"I am Father Marus, this is Jetha and Niza. We are travelers looking for a place to rest the night, and perhaps have a meal. We were also hoping to purchase some provisions, if we might have something of value to offer for whatever you might spare."

"Father o' what exactly?" the innkeeper asked, still looking suspicious.

"I am a priest of the Holy Four," Marus replied, smiling, and trying to sound friendly. Niza was tense next to him, her hand at her waist in reach of her sword. However, after a moment of consideration, the innkeeper seemed to relax.

"A week past no 'un in their right frame o' mind would've said that 'round here," the innkeeper said. "Good ta know them Elar ain't killed all of ye, Father. I've got rooms fer the like of you three then. Follow me."

He led them upstairs and showed them to three rooms near the bathing area.

"Y'all look as if ye could use baths," he commented.

"Jetha and I could share a room," Niza told the innkeeper. "We don't have a lot of money -"

"As fer that," the innkeeper interrupted her, growing very somber as he spoke, "We lost quite a few when the Elar were here. Good folk, my sister an' her son included. I know most folks, includin' me would appreciate it if'n you'd pray over them for us, Father. Them Elar were tryin' to make us ferget them who watch over us. Those who died were the ones that fought back against it. Makes the rest of us feel downright cowardly now that the haze of whatever spell they used seems to 'ave lifted."

"There is no cowardice in trying to stay alive, sir," Marus told him gently. "I would be happy to pray for their souls. I could do it right now if you like."

"No, Father," the innkeeper shook his head. "I think the others would like to be there fer it, if'n you don't mind."

"I don't mind at all."

"Then I'll tell the others and we can gather tomorrow mornin', if that'd be alright with ye?"

"Of course," Marus nodded.

"Thank ye, Father," the innkeeper bobbed his head back. "Meanwhile, ye should all take the time ta bathe if ye want. I'll have a meal ready in a couple o' hours."

They all nodded, and the innkeeper took his leave, heading back downstairs at a quick pace.

"Do you think we're going to see a lot of towns like this?" Niza asked.

"I suspect some better, and some worse," he answered. "I'd expect there'll be some areas the Elar hadn't quite gotten to, but I don't know where they might or might not have gotten."

He thought back to the church he had left. He had already assumed that was where he was going, although now he thought to wonder if it was even still there. If it wasn't, he decided, there were still people there that would probably need his help. There was the distinct possibility that the Elar had left few, if any, priests alive there. He wished he knew the extent of it.

"What's the matter?" Jetha asked him.

"Nothing," he said. "Just thinking. Come on, let's get cleaned up before dinner, shall we?"

"Definitely," Jetha said, all but grabbing Niza's hand and leading her into the room they shared.

The inn was also the town's bath house, so there were several tubs, all curtained off from each other. Marus took the opportunity to clean off the one set of proper robes he had left. He had wound up down to that and some traveling clothes worn under his armor. He wondered if he was done wearing the heavy chain.

His body had changed some during the travels. He had put on more muscle--in his arms from sword practice, and some all over from wearing the armor day in and day out. He finished getting cleaned up and dressed. He decided they could afford to stay in the little town tomorrow before moving on the following morning. He would need to ask Niza where the girl wanted to go. It did not seem like she really had a home to go to. Jetha, on the other hand, would be anxious to find out what had happened to her home and to her family.

He took some time to soak in the tub, needing to wash away some of the weariness he felt. While there was a huge burden lifted from his shoulders, knowing that they'd accomplished their quest, the pain of loss and the time spent traveling still weighed him down.

No one even knows what we did, Marus thought to himself. If the priests and any magic-users were the first to be killed by the Elar, then there weren't likely any people left who had any idea that there was more than met the eye to the Elar "crusade." He found it unlikely that most Elar even understood what had been happening to them. It saddened him that few might believe him if Marus told the tale of what they'd done. Ullden and Narien died to secure their freedom and no one will know, he worried.

He quietly resolved to write about all of it. Even if no one believed him, at least there would be an account of it. That decision made, he finished washing up and got dressed. He was far too hungry these days to risk missing a meal.

He'd almost forgotten what the girls looked like with the dirt cleaned off of them. Both looked as tired as he felt, but Niza smiled and Jetha beamed at him when they met in the dining room. There was a collective sigh from all of them when the innkeeper came with steaming hot bowls of a stew that smelled of cooked meat and potatoes. The bread and ale served with it were welcome as well, and the three were silent as they wolfed everything down as if it might vanish before they were done. The innkeeper watched them from across the room for a while before coming over to collect empty bowls and cups. Marus realized that others had filtered into the room while they had been eating. Based on how they were being watched, it seemed that most had come to get a look at them more than for the meal. He began to feel self-conscious, despite the feeling of easiness that the little bit of ale had given him.

It took a little bit before some of the townsfolk came over, but eventually they did. One by one, they came over and asked questions. They asked if the gods were angry, and he assured them that the gods loved them, and watched over them, and had even helped bring an end to the Elar invasion by defeating the demons that led them.

"The Elar were tricked, just like some of you might have been. There was a demon leading them that told convincing lies. But he has been defeated. The gods can help win the war in the rest of the world, and they can help heal the sick and help your crops grow again."

Suddenly there was a woman holding a young girl, only a few years old. The mother explained that the girl had been injured when the Elar first came, and that her wound was not healing.

The next thing he knew, he was healing it, giving them a demonstration that the gods were still there to look out for them. The wound went away, and the child laughed and the mother sobbed gratefully.

Then there were other sick and hurt being brought in. The innkeeper warned the people to give the strangers room, but Marus told them to come. Everyone he healed smiled. It seemed so long since he had seen joyful smiles. For so long it had seemed that healing had been a grim task, and he thought of Ullden, who he had healed several times. Each time Ullden had given him a grim smile, knowing he would be wounded yet again. He wondered if maybe Ullden had known all along what the final outcome would be.

He tended to the little town as best he could. After a while, the little inn room was packed as tightly as it could be. Marus found himself standing on a chair, giving his own little sermon to the town. Some of them came with books clutched tight to their chest--books they had secreted away from the Elar.

"You have the books," he finished. "Read them a little tonight, and maybe a little every day. Teach them to your children. Tomorrow I have been asked to pray for those who are no longer here. I would ask those of you who wish to attend to gather after breakfast. For tonight, go home and rest and sleep well. Go, and walk with grace and health and wisdom and strength, for the Gods walk with you."

The crowd slowly drifted away. Some lingered a while, asking more questions, but it had grown late and eventually they all went home again. Jetha turned in first, when the crowd was more than half gone. Niza, however, had moved off to talk with some men and women at one side of the room. They broke up their conversation as the last few people were starting to leave, and Niza came back to join Marus as the innkeeper moved in to clean up the last couple of tables.

"I think they have more hope now, Father," she said with a smile. "They've been afraid to hope. Fortunately, the Elar hadn't been here long before the demon was destroyed. When his spell broke, there was quite a bit of confusion before they took back the town. Those people were telling me that it's the same in other towns. Some are beginning to fight back. There are more Elar to the south of here though. I guess they left larger groups of units in the more pivotal towns. There's one, larger town where there was one hundred Elar left behind with a demon. The people here worry that if they are not defeated they will still come back to this village and try to reclaim it."

Her eyes were on the floor as she spoke, as if she was making up her mind while the words made their way past her lips. Her hand was on her hip, where her sword usually hung as of late. Her fingers flexed as if looking for the hilt.

"Violence is not the path to peace, Niza," he said gently, though he already suspected where this was going.

"No, Father," she said, meeting his eyes. "But it is too soon yet for peace. First we have to get beyond being at war with them."

"You're only one person," he tried again. A part of him knew it was pointless, her path had been chosen for her. Another part of him still saw her as the young girl who'd come to him broken, needing his guidance and protection.

"If not me, then who, Father?" she said. "If there is a demon there, my sword can hurt it."

"You've only been given a little training with it," he tried, knowing it was his last argument, and a weak one at that.

"I have faith that this is the right path, Father. I don't think that I was brought on this quest just because of the scepter. I think the gods have more for me to do yet."

He knew that most adults would tell her that she was sounding silly, but he knew better. There had been cases in the past of the gods choosing someone, and teaching them whatever they needed to know. The gods would be at their weakest for a while, but he supposed that would not have to stop them.

"Of course. When will you go?" he asked.

"Some of the townsfolk have offered to supply me with some basic gear, including a little bit of armor. They said they'd need a couple of days."

"I will bless you before I leave," he offered.

"I would like that, Father. For tonight, let's both get some well deserved rest--in mattresses, nonetheless!" She smiled a happy and confident smile. He liked seeing it on her face. He nodded and they both headed to their rooms.

It felt strange to him to have the room all to himself, and he felt another pang of sadness as he thought of Ullden and Narien again. He sat quietly at the edge of the bed and prayed for a while before laying down under the covers. The mattress almost seemed too soft to him as he lay there, waiting for sleep. He found himself having a difficult time finding a comfortable position. It seemed to take hours before he felt himself begin to drift off.

The dream came slowly, like an early morning fog slowly rolling over a lake. It sifted across him gently, and yet somehow he knew it to be a dream. Perhaps it was because of what he'd been dreaming just before it, running through the battle in the cave in his mind again. But that dream fell away like sand through his fingers, replaced by the new one. He was sitting on the rooftop of his church. His place. With a sandwich and a cup of something to drink. He took a sip to see what it was, and smiled at the tartness of the lemonade inside.

It took a short while before the dream was anything more than a surreal moment of peace from his past. He knew the moment to be his, something from his memories. He'd been in that moment before, eaten that sandwich, drank that lemonade, watched over the fields from his rooftop nook. Yet he knew that none of it was real. He knew it to all be a dream. He relaxed into it, let it take him where it would. And that was the point when the voice joined him.

Hello, Marus. it was a woman's voice, soft and soothing.

Marus looked around him, but did not see any figures. Nothing of his dream had changed.

"Hello?" he asked of the air around him.

"I am here."

The voice seemed suddenly solid behind him and he turned around quickly to look. He stopped just as quickly upon seeing her face, afraid that if he moved again she might just disappear.

"Kielle?" he breathed, almost afraid to say her name. She appeared to him looking the same as one of the church statues turned flesh, although she stood tall and her hands were empty. A gentle smile spread across her face and she nodded once in reply.

"You thought you would never hear our voices again?" she asked.

"It has been a long time since you answered me."

"Although you understand some of why, don't you?" she said, more as a statement than a question.

"Yes," he replied humbly.

"You were never forsaken, you know that. And you never will be. But for a time our presence here will be less obvious. The people will need help understanding that, Marus. They will need to be reminded that in every beautiful sunrise, in every crop brought in, in every joyous new birth--that we are there. People will need to hear us through less miraculous means than sometimes in the past."

"Prayers will still be heard and answered, but sometimes it will be in more subtle ways. You have still been granted our power, even if it is diminished for a time. It will be up to you to rebuild that for us, so that we can make our presence more plainly known."

"You have always heard us and seen us, even if indirectly. Now we need you to show others to see and hear us the same way. We have been preparing you.

"I will do all I can," Marus said, nodding.

"We know you will, Marus." She smiled at him, taking a step backwards and vanishing.

Marus stood there for a moment, his mind filled with unanswered questions. He looked down at his hands and realized the cup and sandwich had vanished at some point. Instead, he held a book. The cover of it showed it to be a copy of the Holy Book, which had been compiled long before by the most devout priests and bishops who had traveled the lands, spreading the word of the Gods. He opened it, almost out of habit, but found the pages were blank. He gasped, and looked at the cover again. This time the word "new" appeared before the title.

Marus woke suddenly, sitting upright in his bed. He sat there, pondering his dream, and Kielle's words, for a long time, until he heard the sounds of birds waking and singing their morning song. Then he put his robes on, taking care that each fold was in it's place, before heading out of his room to the new day ahead.