Of the fifty men that entered the camp that night, only ten arrived at the designated meeting place a few miles away. Kendrake waited expectantly for Tenan throughout the day. He never came. Finally, he heard a crashing through the trees, and he relaxed, sure that his son would appear, but it was Talhan. Kendrake continued to wait, but no others came. He stared at the line of trees, fighting back the panic, when Tenan's words of years ago washed over him. 'Many of the men I trained joined the army because their entire family was killed or enslaved. Their homes are gone. There's nothing to rebuild.'
Tears flowed down Kendrake's face and he angrily wiped at them. He'd never thought Tenan's words would become his life. He'd lost his sweet wife, then his home, and finally his son. He still had Ara, but perhaps her death was only a matter of time too. Kendrake's will to live was replaced by desperateness; he had to know! Fighting to control the sobs that threatened to burst inside him, he jumped atop his horse.
Talhan snatched the reins. "If you go back, they'll kill you."
Drawing his sword, Kendrake brought it to bear on the Dwarve.
Talhan must have seen the madness in Kendrake's eyes, for he dropped the reins and stepped back.
Kendrake dug his heels into his mare's sides and didn't stop kicking until he reached the encampment. Despair filled him when he discovered the entire camp deserted. He jumped from his horse, who shied and darted away. He didn't try to stop her. His eyes darted frantically around the scene. The Kanovians had once again left the bodies of the dead where they lay.
Kendrake began looking for Tenan, convinced that he would find him unconscious under an overturned tent. He searched for what seemed like hours, overturning men and looking into their faces. He found many of his fellow Nonaeans, and he paused to close their eyes. As he wandered among the vast grounds, he suddenly noticed his fellow companions watching him from among the trees. He stared brokenly at them for a while. Then Talhan motioned for them, and they dispersed to help him look. They'd found all of the men except Tenan, when Kendrake wandered near the center of the encampment. He'd just passed a thatch of grass, when he happened to look down.
The moment he saw Tenan's grey face, Kendrake knew he was dead. He fell to his knees and crawled weakly to Tenan. Animal like wails escaped from his throat as he cradled his son's stiff head in his lap. Caressing Tenan's face, his hands flew back in surprise at the coldness of his son's skin. Moaning, he stroked at his blonde hair and gently tried to close his eyes, but the lids were too stiff. He wailed pitifully then clumsily pawed at his head again.
Bending down, he kissed hard at Tenan's forehead, tears streaming from Kendrake's eyes to land on his son's face. His whole body shook as convulsions overtook him. Memories of Tenan's childhood flooded him, as he wrapped his hands under Tenan's arms and lifted his bulk so he could cradle him.
Holding his son's face next to his own, he sang softly the song Tessa had sung to him as a baby.
All must leave the land of birth
To return to home or mother earth
We all must leave our families side
To choose the same life
Those before us tried
To end an Age filled with strife
An enemy whose hate burns keen
To make us slaves to evils will
Victory or death the only options seem
Those we love they may kill
His voice faltered then, and he wasn't sure he could go on, but then his voice again caught the melody, though it shook with the effort.
But our courage . . . they never will.
For what keeps us strong is the moment of return
Return of peace and of free will
Return of soldiers whose lives were spurned
The next age we'll fill
With memories of the moment of return.
When he'd finished the song, he turned to see Talhan standing a little ways off, tears running into his bushy beard. Looking away, Kendrake continued rocking his only son, the last of his line, while Talhan waited patiently. Finally, he gently undid the necklace around his son's neck and carefully placed it in his pocket, dreading the day he would have to return it to its owner. The others wandered away. Using their swords and bare hands, they began digging graves for their forty fallen comrades.
ओह! यह छवि हमारे सामग्री दिशानिर्देशों का पालन नहीं करती है। प्रकाशन जारी रखने के लिए, कृपया इसे हटा दें या कोई भिन्न छवि अपलोड करें।
