Crimson Tears

I realize I haven't put a short story up in a while.

The domineering blast of noise that came from all around was almost enough to make the ear drums burst.  Crimson tears fell from the legend's eyes as he grasped his chest with the hand that wasn't limp.  His other arm stubbornly held his blade as he looked up at the other standing over him.  Was this it?  What could be done?  There was nothing that he could do to deterr this man's onslought, even given how much he'd adapted to fighting those of equal power.

Is this the end of my terribly long life?  At last?  Will the gods finally let me have peace?  The elder being though lividly, closing his eyes tight, not wanting to open them for the world.  To look at the one that was about to destroy him would just make it a bitter end.  To think after all these long years, someone was finally strong enough to bring him down for good was...horrid.  It sickened him and made him want to vomit the blood that had already gathered in the organs it wasn't supposed to be in.

"This is the end, Fyrethil."

The voice echoed in his ears as the thousands around babbled and panicked, waiting to see what would befall the kind phoenix that was about to be soul-broken for the fifth time in his life.

Gods...I beg of you, grant me the sweet solace of death!  He cried with his mind, actually catching his enemy off guard, causing his hands to go to his ears.

A whisper, the smallest of thoughts, touched the phoenix's mind, so softly he suddenly felt new resolve.  Not yet...your time...has not come...

Almost as if rejuvinated, he took advantage of what had happened, and everything around him seemed to slow down.  Wings snapping up, eyes flashing open with a brilliant display of flaming light, his limp arm lifted and moved out to the right forcing the blade it held to sail through the air and bury itself blade first inside his enemy's chest.

Before the steel slid inside the flesh, Fyrethil had leaped up and now stood atop the being's chest, his hand on the hilt of his blade.  The celestial man lifted his head to look at the immortal with eyes widened with fear.

"It's not my time..." Fyre whispered and pulled vertically toward the man's head.  The blade ripped through flesh and bone, rending the heart and snapping the vertibrae, finally slicing through the skull and taking it into two equal halves.

The body finally crumbled under the elder phoenix' weight and fell.  Fyrethil looked from his blade, dripping with the crimson of his enemy's veins, to the body and sighed, closing his eyes as the crimson tears continued to fall.

Slowly, he lurched backward and landed unconscious on his back.


I feel...warm... came a groggy and bitter thought.  There was pain, and a lot of it.  Apparently, his body's self healing was not enough to close all the wounds he'd sustained.  The rest had to be closed the old fashioned way, considering he had used up all of his energy in the battle.  He could even use magic for the last two hours of it.

A cool hand on his forehead made his breathing suddenly become slightly unsteady.  Convalescence would come slowly with this one.  At least he wasn't killed.

The hand moved from his forehead to his cheek and he finally dared open his eyes.  Slowly, his vision came to him, first blurry, then it became more fine, sharper, clearly defining his excellent sight.  Standing over him was a woman.

"Kumi..." he whispered softly, allowing yet another crimson tear to fall from his eye.

"Hush, my love...don't move too much, you'll open your wounds again," Kumi whispered to him, carefully laying down next to him on the bed he was laying upon.  "Your lucky I got there when I did...you would have bled to death, then that would have been another few days before you were back up again."

"That," he paused for a moment, sighing, knowing full well that he didn't want to start an argument with her.  She won everytime,  simple as that, there was never a thing he could do about it.  "May have been better...at least then I wouldn't be in this much pain."  Gritting his teeth, he clenched his eyes shut again as he felt her cool hand tracing circles in his chest.  All his senses were enhanced at the moment, and each time her fingers gently crossed over a healing wound, pain would erupt.

He knew what she was really doing, however.  She only used it with him, but it was a tender healing spell, simple but powerful.  It worked in accordance to one's emotions toward the one they're healing.  The particular technique she was using could only have been used on a lover.

"I'm sorry."  He heard her whisper and slowly opened his eyes again, looking at her with a slightly surprised expression on his battered face.

"Sorry?  What for?"

"I should have been there sooner."

"Kumi there was nothing you could have done..."

"You always say that, and you're always wrong!  When are you going to accept the fact that you don't always have to fight!  If you're trying to continue to show me your love then you don't have to do it by nearly getting yourself killed everytime someone inults your people or me!"  Her voice softened suddenly and she rested her head in the crook of his neck.  "If you had just chosen to walk away...I would love you just the same, it wouldn't make a difference to me whether or not you ran cowardly or over the unwillingness to fight.  I love you because of who you are, not because of your power or how you fight."

"Kumi..."

"I know...it's been a while since you had a lover whose told you that.  The rest of them were attracted to your power.  And I know it's in your heart and in your nature to want to fight, to protect your honor.  But those days are over, Fyrethil!  Your people are happy the way they are now, you are holding onto dying and dead traditions of faith..."

There was no way in the world he could be mad.  She was right, as was usual.  The days that he had been brought up in and the days that made him who he originally was were gone.  His father was gone, his mother defeated, his elder brother still soul broken ever since that day two thousand years ago, his younger brother married with a family and living somewhere in Kethraka.  His son still ruled the kingdom and his daughters were always training to be just like him.

A small smile made its was across Fyrethil's lips and he closed his eyes happily.  "You're right, Kumi...you're always right," he whispered softly.  He felt her shift after that, and shortly afterward felt her lips brush across his own.  Without reluctance or second thought, he responded to her motion, claiming her lips as well.  If he could move them, he'd put his arms around her, and hold her.

Kumi finally pulled her lips away from his own and resumed her previous position.  A hand on his chest, her head in the crook of his neck.  "I love  you anyway...even if you ran from the world..." she  whispered.

Fyrethil let out a shakey breath as another tear fell, staining his face with crimson.  I haven't felt this way...in a very long time...

Reviews

[Dani California]

This is the first story I think I've read of yours Brandon. You are skilled at imagery. This was a good read and definitely worth taking a little further, or fine tuning what you have. I think if you cropped a few words and commas here and there, it would add more impact to the story. An example would be:

" It sickened him and made him want to vomit the blood that had already gathered in the organs it wasn't supposed to be in" >>>> I would cut out "already" and change "the" to "his" and then cut out the rest of it. So it would read like this: "It sickened him and made him want to vomit the blood that had gathered in his organs". Or something like that. Just fine tuning here and there.

Great story, and a pleasure to read. You have some really good dialogue and like I said, the imagery is great. I could envision the entire scene with ease.

I need to read more of your stories/books. Please resend me requests -- most of my old requests have unfortunately been erased.

Nice work my friend :)

[Bella]

Its beauitful and inspiring story, I only wished you wrote more, or the man was at aleast found peace in the end so he my rest in peace, sad how he must suffer though it.