Sword in the Heart

Aurei deals with her loss of two of her daughters to Redburr's forces

4.

Sword in the Heart

 

 

It was a somber, cold, and weary group of people that rolled into Westmark in the late afternoon.   The town had already been alerted to the threat from Earl Redburr’s forces, and to Aurei and Eleazar’s amazement, aid had come from all around.

Surrounding the town were nearly 8,000 of their militia and ducal forces, including 300 of the master archers of Dullerm.   More were coming, they were told, and it was known that Redburr’s forces were about a day and a half away.  This was due to what was said to have been sabotage against the Gorge Bridge that had spanned the Fallow River at the border of the Dwarven Kingdom at Forge Gate.

The bridge had been destroyed, their scouts had told the Duke and Duchess, and that destruction had prevented Redburr’s army from advancing upon Westmark far sooner.

There was even greater news given to them; that the Sylvan King Travin had led 1,000 Sylvan archers to their aid after his wife, Queen Mathlyn had received a vision telling him to do so.    The Wood Elves were camped to the East of town and Eleazar stopped to greet their old friend and thank King Travin for his assistance, while Aurei and the convoy went on into town.

 

But despite the hopefulness of the homecoming, Aurei Dullerm was far from happy.    As she dismounted the wagon, clutching baby Aidan tightly to her chest, none of her servants spoke to her and instead bowed their heads in shared grief.   They knew of course of the loss of Sirya and Aranthi, for due to the autocaster rings she had given all of her daughters to protect them from harm and death, Sirya had automatically been teleported back to Westmark upon receiving serious injuries.

 

It had been a fireball spell, cast by one of Redburr’s wizards, that had done it, and though the autocaster ring had held a healing spell as well, it had been used up earlier in the battle. So to the horror of the ducal servants, Sirya’s charred body had been teleported back home.  

They had used a crystal ball to contact the Duchess and tell her of the loss of another daughter, and Aurei had simply lost her mind for two days.

She had screamed and screamed, much like Snoe had done when she had witnessed Leah and Joila’s deaths, and had kept screaming until Zeatt had tranquilized her with a spell.

 

The passage of several days had not eased her horrible pain and grief or lifted the thick cloud of bitterness and depression that covered her.   She functioned, but just barely, and Eleazar was torn between deep concern for his wife and the sheer necessity of preparing for war.

 

Aurei didn’t wait for anything to be unpacked from the wagons.   Instead she went immediately into the Ducal Keep and locked herself with her baby, into her bedroom.   Zeatt was busy making her rounds among the injured that they had taken with them from King’s Reach, so she was truly alone - accept for Aidan- for the first time in many days.

 

Her mind burned as her thoughts went for the millionth time, to her children.   Leah, so long ago, the young, energetic, happy young lady that everyone loved and who loved everyone.   Sirya, so relaxed and kind; friendly to everyone and down-to-earth.   She so loved her family and her sisters and brother.    Aranthi, the petite, beautiful girl, who was always stylish and loved parties and dancing.  All three of them dead; taken from her forever by Yesh.

 

She was left with only four of her precious children.   Amala, the tall, pretty tom-boy who had mastered weaponry and was so protective of her family, though she was still very much a lone wolf.

Snoe, who had been so shy and quiet, self-conscious and almost awkward until she had met Aedric.   Now she suddenly seemed rebellious and almost as independent as Amala; who she had always been closest to, and whom she almost matched in skill of arms.

Gamel, her only son, who was his father’s boy through and through.   Kind and gentle, but brave and also a master of weapons, just like his father.

 

All three of these children were off somewhere.   Snoe had run off after Aedric and could be dead.   Amala and Gamel had rode to find them and had yet to return.   What if they had met the same fate?

 

Aurei hugged baby Aidan tightly and looked down at her little face.   She would be a beauty like all of her children.   Her large eyes were a lovely orange-red color that was rather rare in Drow, but she would be very, very lovely.   If Yesh didn’t take her away as well.

Aurei found herself blinking back tears, though her eyes were terribly painful from days of crying and mourning.   Little Aidan smiled up at her mother and that did little to ease the pain, for Aurei immediately thought of each of her other children when they had looked at her in similar ways.

How could Yesh have let this happen to her?   To Eleazar?   They had served him for years, always trying to do what was right!

When Leah had died, they had stayed faithful, though they ached inside.   Now her next two oldest children were gone!

Sirya, who had always been her mother’s best helper, who always was willing to watch her younger brother or sisters and who loved to work at the Muddy Boot around the people of Westmark who she dearly loved.

Aranthi, who was a master of style and decorating, highly sought after by suitors, who dreamed of fairytale weddings and happy ever after lives.

Both gone; cut down for no reason other than for their loyalty to the Queen and their parents.

 

Her thoughts turned to her dear friend, Queen Eioldth - also gone, joining her daughter and husband in the great beyond and leaving Northmarch in turmoil.   Never again would she be encouraged by her sweet smile and laugh.

 

Then there was Thorm - dear, old Thorm, whom she had known her whole life.   Loyal to the end; he had died as a proper dwarf should, in battle, but Aurei could not help but feel it was so wrong.

She blamed Yesh for it.

Aurei wouldn’t admit it verbally, but she knew she was angry at her God.   Very angry.   Dangerously angry.   Why had only Snoe and Amala inherited her resistance to spells?   Why had both girls’ autocaster rings not saved them?   Why would a loving God take the lives of two precious and lovely girls, after so brutally taking their older sister years ago?

Why did He punish her and Eleazar so?   What good was to come from all of this?   Was she supposed to just bravely push forward in life as her children and dear friends died around her?   She wanted to scream and curse Yesh, to chastise Him for her loss and pain.

Yet she couldn’t do that.   Not because she was afraid of defying God, but because she knew He had delivered her out of difficulties before, and she wouldn’t disrespect Him with any show of anger or frustration.

But it was something she certainly felt.

So Aurei sat on her bed and stared blankly at the wall, rocking her baby quietly, as she struggled with her faith and perhaps her sanity.

 

***

 

Eioldth’s fingers were moving faster than she had moved them in years, and to her great satisfaction, the text on the computer screen was spelled properly and flowed quickly.

Sitting on the desk next to her, Joila held a stopwatch which she was watching closely, “And…stop!”

Eioldth sighed deeply and smiled at her daughter, who was grinning as well.

“Well?”  She asked the redheaded girl.

“Hold on,”   Joila leaned over and clicked on the mouse next to the keyboard, “Let’s see:   112 Words per minute!   Accuracy is… 99.7%!   Wow, Mom, that’s incredible!   My best was 105 and that was after several months of practice runs!”

Eioldth leaned back in the chair and held up her fingers, wiggling them, “Elven dexterity, my dear!”

Joila laughed, “I guess so!   I think you’ve mastered typing.   Sophia will be amazed.   She had scheduled two weeks of practices on the planner, so she’ll be thrilled.”  She looked at her watch, “Um, I’ve got to get moving, Mom; the museum will open in 20 minutes.”

“"And you want to have a smoke break first.”  Eioldth frowned, but Joila shrugged.

“I admit it, Mom.   Sorry.”

“I just hate it, sweetheart.   I know it is Dart’loxinchu, but it just seems wrong for a lady to smoke.”

“Mom-“

“Don’t worry; I’m not going to nag you again.   We’ve argued about it for the past two days and I know when I’m defeated.”

“Uh huh,” Joila said with a slight smile.

“Well, I will just keep my comments to disapproving frowns.”

“You’ll get used to it, Mom; especially around Sophia.   I wouldn’t be surprised to see you take it up too.”

“Not a chance, child.” She held up a thermos, “See this?   Faesidhe Leaf tea.   The anti-toxin.”

“If you say so, Mom.   Do you want me to go into the break room or will it bother you if I smoke here?”

Before Eioldth could answer, they were surprised by a flash of blue light.   Through a portal stepped Sophia and Khord, both seeming very pleased.

 

“Well?”   Eioldth asked, hopeful as Sophia rather urgently pulled her duplicating case from her pocket.

“Good news!” She said, pausing to light a Dart’loxinchu cigarette with a flame cantrip.   She took several deep drags to counter her craving, and then continued, “Yesh agreed!”

 

Eioldth grinned, waving away the smoke, “Really?!   On both points?”

“Yep.”   Sophia rather awkwardly eased herself down onto a stool, holding her pregnant belly while still puffing on the Dart’loxinchu.   Eioldth couldn’t help but be bothered by the sight of the heavily pregnant Drow woman smoking during her pregnancy.

But she seemed to be the only one bothered by it, for even Khord, who had hated her addiction for years, seemed unconcerned as he leaned against the desk behind his wife and began casually braiding her hair.

 

Sophia seemed to be aware of the Elven lady’s discomfort, “Sorry, Eioldth, but after nearly two hours of meeting with Yesh, I really needed one.”

“I’m sure he could cure you of that addiction.”

“I’m sure he could, if I wanted him to do so.   But let’s not get started on that again.   How is your typing coming?”

Joila told her employer of her mother’s incredible score and then, so as to not cause her mother any more frustration, slipped out to the break room to smoke before she began her work day.

“Wonderful, Eioldth!”  Sophia replied to the news as Joila left, “You’re fitting in here incredibly fast.   I’ve never seen someone so quickly embrace technology.   I’m very pleased.”

“So Yesh approved of our request?   Was there much debate?”

“None at all.   In fact he was going to suggest it, which surprised me, though it shouldn’t, really.   He always puts compassion first.”

“So when do we leave?”   The Elven lady asked eagerly.

“As soon as I finish my smoke break and we go over a few rules.”

 

Reviews

[Elina]

"Eioldth couldn’t help but being bothered..." It would work better either "...couldn't help but be bothered..." or "...couldn't help being bothered..."

The first portion of this chapter...words can't even begin to express how much those words touched my heart and really hit close to home, so to speak. I kept finding myself tearing up...beautiful.

[Eddie Davis]

Thank you.