He gazed at their surroundings. “The town where you dwelled has long been devoured. They knew, you see. They made the Pact, that in exchange for the leisure and ease of living, their firstborn children would be sent to serve the Faelon. Some were deluded, thinking they sent their children to a better life, yet that did not excuse their betrayal. And they paid the price, for when their resources were spent, they wasted away as the City moved on. A fate they deserved, no doubt.”
Talan turned away as the tears fell unchecked. Skye lay at his feet, cold and still.
“Can you… do something for her?”
Sorrow graced Reynar’s face when he looked at her. “Death is beyond my reach, Talan. I am sorry.”
Talan nodded, almost choking on a sob. “It was my fault. I chose to fight the Queen when I could have saved Skye. He placed a hand over his face. “I could have saved her. I would do anything to have that moment back.”
Reynar laid a gentle hand upon his shoulder. “You must not destroy yourself over what you cannot undo. Skye is gone, but the other children live. You are the one who brought them out. Now you have the chance to live a life for yourself. I cannot say how your captivity has changed you. That you must find out for yourself. Your life is your own, now. I leave you to it, young Talan.” He turned toward the forest, the wolf at his heels.
“Wait,” Talan said.
Reynar paused.
“What must I do?”
“Watch over the children, Talan. They are your people, now. Find the color that was once in your eyes. Dream of what was lost, but be content in the present. Bury Skye, but never forget the sound of her voice. Live, Talan. Live, and be at peace.”
Reynar’s voice floated from the shadows of the wood. The man himself vanished like mist.
Talan turned and beheld the crowd of children who looked to him with the future in their faces. He realized that Reynar spoke the simple truth. They would have to be looked after. He was the only one they had.
They helped him bury Skye on a hilltop, planting an apple sapling as a marker where the wind rustled the grasses. Talan stood there a long after they departed, remembering the shimmering blue of her eyes, the comforting softness of her touch.
“I’ll come back for you.” He knew how hollow his words were, but his voice hardened with resolve. “I’ll come back for you. Whatever powers I have… I will master them. I’ll use them to change our fate. To change what happened to you. I swear it by the sun above, Skye.
“I swear I won’t let it end like this.”
He turned away to where his people waited and led them away. To the lands by the Sea they traveled, far away from Skye’s burial mound where only sorrow lingered. In time orchards of apples were all that remained of the great and terrible city of Albriktan.
Somewhere in those groves of fruit-bearing trees Muse patiently waited, whispering future tragedies to the wind until Talan’s inevitable return.
About the Author
Bard Constantine was found in a wicker basket by a blind samurai who trained him in the ways of honor and martial arts expertise. After wandering the earth for wisdom and saving many lives, Bard settled down in the USA and fought for the disadvantaged while posing under the cover of a fiction writer. In time writing became second nature to him and he decided to pursue it on a more earnest basis. When not fighting for truth and justice, he can be found in his fortress of solitude tapping away on his laptop, churning out tales of gritty futures and far-flung fantasy for your enjoyment.
Some of the above may be exaggeration or outright lies, but Bard prefers to call it ‘storytelling’. More info can be found at his official website, http://bardwritesbooks.com