AJ, Shay and Brian all took seats in the field that had been their earlier sparring ground. Flreu and Tadhg sat down as well, smiling at the trio. The others took a seat, stretching out in the sun but still staying close enough to be a part of any conversation. Or hear it.<?xml:namespace prefix = o />
“Grandfather, Uncle, let me formally introduce you. This is my friend, Xshayarshan, who likes to go by Shay.” AJ looked over at Shay, who sat on his right. “Shay, this is my Grandfather, King Flreu, and my Uncle, Tadhg.”
Shay performed an elaborate seated bow. “It is an honor, your majesty, Elf Tadhg, to meet men of your stature.”
Unable to help himself, AJ snorted. Shay elbowed him as he sat back up. Amusement was on both Flreu and Tadhg’s faces. “Your reputation precedes you, Seer.” Flreu said formally. “We know of you and of your quest. The Goddess works in wonderful and mysterious ways.”
“That she does, Sire.”
“Wait, wait.” AJ held his hands up, looking from one to the other. His gaze settled on his Grandfather. “You knew he was alive? That he was on some kind of quest?” The implications of that staggered him. When Flreu nodded, AJ sat back, gaping at them all. “Well, hell.” He finally managed to stammer out. “Everyone but me knew.”
Shay’s hand came up to rest gently on his shoulder. “You were not ready yet, Alyck. One of the reasons I’ve come is that you are ready now. But, my story will wait. I know there’s much you want to know and I do have plenty to tell you. But not here. Not now.”
The meaning to those words was very clear. AJ’s eyes slanted toward the newest additions to their group as understanding washed over him. “Ok, Shay. Ok. But I expect a full accounting later on, mind you.”
“So shall it be.” The somber look vanished from Shay’s face. “Now, tell me how life has been for you since I’ve been gone. There’s much I already saw, but I imagine there’s much I don’t know. I want to know everything!”
“Everything would take a long time to tell.” AJ said teasingly. He reached to his left, taking Brian’s hand in his. “There’s a hell of a lot that’s happened just in the past year.”
‘Alex.’ Brian’s mind voice slid in, warm and full of love. ‘You could make it go faster. We know how fast thought travels. Use our new powers, enter his mind and show him what’s happened. It’ll be faster. As a Seer, I imagine he’s used to getting information from images.’
AJ nodded his head. He looked at Brian and gave him a quick kiss. “Good idea, song of my heart.” He said appreciatively. That would save his voice and endless hours of time. He turned back to face Shay again. “Ok, so, let me sum a few things up real fast. Bri and I were visited by the Goddess recently…”
“What? The Goddess herself spoke to you? I saw something bright in your future but it was so blinding I knew not what it was.” Shay exclaimed.
“Yes.” AJ glared him into silence. “Anyways, if I can continue now…” He paused and Shay made a small gesture for him to keep going. “While she was with us, she opened up the full extent of our powers, one of which is the ability to enter the mind of others and speak to them mentally or hear their thoughts. Brian suggested that I go in your mind and show you what’s gone on since you left, at least the highlights, instead of taking hours trying to tell you. You have my word I will not willingly go seeking any of your thoughts.”
Shay didn’t even hesitate. “No kidding? I know you too well to think that. Well, come on, let’s do this. This ought to be good!”
First, AJ centered and grounded himself. For a task as big as this, and that would take this long, he preferred to be grounded to the earth. Then he closed his eyes, raising his hands to touch his fingers to Shay’s temples, not needing the contact but using it to help him anchor for such a long sending. He felt Shay’s warm presence, the humor that tinged his thoughts. ‘You ready, Xshayarshan?’
‘Ready as ever, Alyck. Show me.’
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian watched as the two friends sat, facing one another, eyes closed. He could feel AJ in the back of his mind, feel the transfer of images. If he concentrated, he could see flashes of what AJ was sending to Shay. But the main part of him didn’t even bother looking. This was a moment that was private, he felt. Two friends catching up after two thousand years apart.
“Grandson.” Flreu’s voice interrupted Brian’s thoughts. He instantly looked up. “Yes Grandfather?”
“Your Uncle and I must attend to some business with Tripha. We bid you enjoy your time with your guests and to relax. There has been enough stress for one day. Let the rest of the day be a joy to us all.” Flreu rose, bending to kiss the top of Brian’s head. “Peace, Grandson.”
Tadhg repeated the gesture, following behind Flreu. Within moments Tripha had eased his bulk from the ground and the three were setting off toward the castle.
Well, that left him with all these new people, as well as Richard and Geoff. They all were looking curiously at AJ and Shay, but no one was saying anything. Ever the host, Brian sought to ease their tension a little. “It was good to see you all laughing today.” He said. Shifting, he angled his body toward them and reclined back on his arms. “No matter what goes on around us, we need to remember not to forget the happiness in life. It’s what we’re fighting for.”
Obvious curiosity was written all over Donnelly. He squirmed on the ground for a moment before his questions exploded out of him. “Did I hear right? Did they say this guy’s a Seer? Like, a prophet or something?”
“Something like that.” Brian answered vaguely. He didn’t want to answer too much about a person he didn’t know.
A female voice spoke up. “They’re both truly almost five thousand years old?” Tao asked him. The look on her face said she believed it, but it was beyond her comprehension.
“One year away, from the sounds of it.”
“And you’re dating him? How old are you?” Her voice was both surprised and curious.
Unable to help himself, Brian laughed. If he hadn’t hashed it out with AJ already then this question might have upset him. But he knew now, knew without a doubt in his heart, that their age difference didn’t matter a single bit to AJ. Amazingly, he didn’t mind how young Brian was. Nor did Brian mind how old AJ was. “I’m twenty eight, now. I was only turned immortal in the past year. Since then, my elvish heritage came out, replacing the magical immortality with the natural immortality of my blood.” He grinned at the shock on her face. “Oh, and Alex and I aren’t technically dating. We’ve had a joining ceremony here. I guess that equals to marriage on mortal terms.”
Crisanto leaned forward, looking around his brother. For a moment, Brian wondered to himself if those two weren’t just brothers, but twins. They sure moved as a unit. “You are with someone who is four thousand, nine hundred and seventy one years older than you?” He chuckled softly. “This cradle robbing, yes?”
Laugher echoed around the field. It seemed to ease the tension a little and allow the others to feel more comfortable asking questions.
“What’s a joining ceremony?” Tao asked him, smiling shyly at him.
To better answer, Brian shifted so that he was facing them all. He held out his tattooed hand and foot, letting them see the tattoos there. “These are from our ceremony. A vine that was wound around our ankle and our hands and fingers, binding us together.” He folded his legs under him and rested his hands in his lap. “The thorns pressed into our skin, drawing blood, and we had to prove that we could walk and move as one without breaking these bonds. There was magic performed by my Uncle and Grandfather, making the vines a part of our skin, a tattoo if you will. By doing that, it bonded Alex and I even closer than we already were.”
Even Ubayy looked interested. “Bonded?” he asked.
“Yeah. Alex and I share a bond between us that was present even before this ceremony. The tattoos just made it stronger. Our minds and hearts, our souls, are linked together. We can share thoughts and feelings and images with one another without the use of a weave. No matter how near or far he is, I could point to him and know he’s in that direction. I can speak to him without saying a word, and vice versa.”
Donnelly nodded at his friends. “That’s what that conversation was before. Half in their heads, half out loud. They do it a lot, so I suggest you get used to it.” He said. A teasing light was in his eyes when he smiled hesitantly at Brian. An answering smile lit Brian’s face. Things between him and Donnelly were going to take a little work, but they were on the road toward being better.
Closing his eyes, Brian looked inward, along his bond with AJ. In his mind flashed an image of what AJ was currently showing and he automatically cringed back from it. Just as quickly, he sent love flowing over to AJ. He was showing Shay what they’d gone through with Roth. That was a memory that, though it wasn’t part of their every waking moment, never failed to sting when it came up.
While the others talked, Brian let his thoughts wander, It wouldn’t be long now before AJ was done. As fast as he was sending his thoughts it should only take another moment. Sure enough, a moment later AJ’s hand slipped over, wrapping around his. The gesture was one that sought comfort. Brian automatically gave it. Wordlessly he sent AJ love and reassurance. Some of the things that AJ had shown wouldn’t be easy for him to relive.
Shay seemed to have the same thought. He reached out, resting a hand on AJ’s knee. “Thank you.” He whispered simply.
Shrugging, AJ looked off into the distance. “It was easier that way.”
“More convenient, yes, but not easier.” The way Shay spoke showed he understood the sacrifice that AJ had given by replaying those images. You couldn’t share images with someone without letting yourself see and feel them as well. To tell all to Shay had required AJ to relive it as well.
Suddenly Shay seemed to go completely stiff. Even with his eyes being solely white there was no trouble in seeing the distant look in them. Brian felt himself tense in response. He had no idea what was going on, but he doubted it was good, especially since AJ was just as tense beside him.
Just as suddenly as he’d froze, Shay now leapt to his feet. AJ and Brian rose just as quickly. The others around them startled at the sudden movement.
The worry in Brian grew stronger when he saw Shay pull two daggers from his belt, spinning them into his hands with a move so fast it was barely visible. “North east.” He snapped out, turning to face that way, his body shifting into a fighting stance. “Small fist, three generals. We’ve got a minute and twenty five seconds before they break the trees. Damn! How did they blind me for so long?”
For a single instant the world seemed frozen. Then everything snapped into action.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
AJ looked over to Richard, who was standing alert. “Go to the castle, alert the elves. You heard what he said. Pass the message along, tell them to secure the castle. We’ll run defense out here. Go!” he ordered. In a flash Richard was off, running to the castle entrance.
God, they weren’t prepared for this! But they would have to make do with what they had. Like a general marshaling troops, AJ took control of the situation. “There’s an attack coming from the north east. Prepare yourself to fight. Take no captives. Aim to kill, I promise you that they will be. Donnelly, you’re in charge of your friends here. Keep them together, work as a unit to dispatch those that you can. Geoff, I want you with Brian and I until Richard and the warriors return, then I want you joining them. Everyone, weapons out! We won’t let them take us!”
“Sixty seconds, Alyck!” Shay called.
AJ drew his swords, letting the weight settle into his hands. He saw that Brian already had his claymore out and had bound a wrap around his head to hold his hair back. He was still barefoot, as was AJ. When they’d come out of the water they’d only bothered to throw on breeches. There was no need to direct his partner; Brian knew where he would be. By his own heart and by his position, he would stick by AJ and play the role of baka.
“How on earth do you know an attack is coming?” Ubayy demanded furiously. His hand was fingering his sword. “On the word of this newcomer?”
“Forty!” Shay yelled.
Cursing, AJ moved to the front of the group. Everyone was on their feet now. “Shay’s a Seer, I said that before. He can see things and he is never wrong. He said a small fist, then a small fist.”
“What is a ‘fist’?”
“Couple hundred troops.” AJ answered him. He stood with Shay on one side, Brian on the other, and the others at his back. He heard the gasp his words brought on. Belatedly he realized that to them, a couple hundred wasn’t small. To him, who had seen war, he knew it was. This was a cut and dash mission, meant to hurt them as much as possible and retreat, lowering their morale. Well, he’d be damned if he’d let them. “Remember, no prisoners!”
The count of forty reached zero and AJ saw them burst from the trees. He tightened his grip on his swords, furious that they would think to attack him here. Three groups of one hundred burst from the forest, each led by a general. They thought they would attack him here? He would show them!
Ignoring the sounds of horror from the people behind him, AJ concentrated on his magic, gathering earth and fire. As the troops rushed out of the trees, AJ lay down a sheet of fire directly in front of them. It was deflected from the front, though it managed to burn some further back. Shit. “The generals are mages!” AJ shouted. He drew harder on earth, felt Brian doing the same beside him, and Shay added his magic in. They each took a set of troops as their own and grabbed the earth on either side, slamming it up and over them. They were met with resistance, though it couldn’t stop it all.
“Fine, they want to play like this?” AJ murmured. “Let’s play.”
Power ran undiluted through his veins. A primal cry of war slipped past his lips. With the battle cry ringing in the air, he ran head on for the group directly in front of him, heading straight for the general. He felt more than heard the elves join the battle behind him. Sword raised, AJ met the first general head on, their swords flash in the sunlight.
The sounds of war raged on around AJ. The cries of hundreds of voices, raised in battle calls or echoing in pain. He blocked them out, locking them away in a part of his mind that filtered out necessary sounds. The rest of his attention was focused on the general in front of him. They twisted and spun, swords dancing. The man was general for a reason, it seemed. His skill was high.
But AJ had been training for longer than this man had been alive. In a few short moments he finally broke through the man’s guard and moved his scimitars like scissors, sending the general’s head falling to the ground. AJ didn’t even pause to look at him. The man was dead. He was of no more concern.
A large jet of fire erupted from the sky. Glancing up, AJ saw the dragons soaring overhead, their colors glittering like jewels in the sky.
Swords slicing through the air, AJ faced the soldiers before him. The sight of them made his heart ache. They were human. Mortal. Every single one of them. Whoever had sent this attack hadn’t wanted to just hurt them. They had wanted to throw them off balance, weaken them by forcing them to duel their own kind. The very people they hoped to protect.
AJ forced his mind not to think of them like that, but to think of them as what they were. Enemies. He had been in war before. He had killed others, countless others. In a battle where it was his life or theirs, he would show no mercy. As each soldier rushed to him, he took them down, one by one, his swords glowing red in the light. He became as the dwarves had named him long ago. Alyck Redblade. Swiftfeet. He was death.
The elves had evened out their numbers, but AJ could see that Donnelly and his friends were fighting to keep their lives and not doing well. With a curse he dropped down, dodging a blow meant for his head, and he shot down the line. “Cover me!” He shouted to Brian. Instantly a stream of fire went between AJ and the troops that rushed toward him.
Magic overflowed in AJ, making his eyes and his skin glow. It drew the attention of the fighters, just as he’d wanted. Without hesitation AJ cut them down as he came to them. At the same time, he whipped up earth, trapping the feet of those that were closest, forcing the others to run into them. He tried to attack with fire and found his attacks deflected.
Using the fallen body of a dead soldier, AJ planted his foot in the man’s back and launched up and into the circle that had surrounded Donnelly and his friends. They were almost totally surrounded. AJ wasted no time in calling up earth, bringing stone shooting up from the ground in a perfect circle around them, raising them as high as walls until nothing was visible. These others may be resistant to magic, he thought, but they could still be hurt by it. With a mighty blast, split the walls and sent them flying out, shoving troops back.
He spared Donnelly and the others a short glance. “They’re human, which means they can die. It’s either them or you. Magic directly against them won’t hurt, but as you see, it can still be used to hurt them.”
“But they’re humans, just like us!” Nura cried out. It was the first time AJ had heard her speak.
He leveled her with a serious look. “It’s kill or be killed. If you can’t bring yourself to stab them, then use your magic. We have no mercy on the enemy. This is war. This is what we’re going toward. We take them down, or they kill us. Take your pick.”
That said, AJ checked the sky until he found Tripha, then sent a thought to his friend. The next instant he had air wrapped around himself, propelling him upward and onto Tripha’s back. “Let’s show them who they’re up against, my friend!” He cried, patting Tripha’s neck. Together, the two flew through the sky.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Brian spun, his sword coming up to protect himself just in time to stop a soldier from planting their sword in him. He parried the blow, using the man’s momentum to twist their blades and knock him to the ground. Without mercy, Brian stabbed his sword straight into the man’s back and through him, to his heart. He’d lost track of those that he’d killed.
Raising his head, he looked around and saw a surprisingly empty field. Corpses littered the ground everywhere. Was it over? Was it really over? He saw a few stragglers rushing toward the forest, trying to escape. Some made it, dodging behind trees.
All around them the elves began to shout, their voices rose in joy at being alive. Still other voices echoed sounds of grief as loved ones were discovered, injured or slain. They had won, but at a cost. Lives had been lost. How many, it would take time to know.
Though he could feel AJ in the back of his mind and knew that he was safe, Brian scanned for him until he found him on Tripha’s back, the two of them just landing on the ground. AJ slid down, his swords dripping with blood, splatters of it staining his skin and his hair. Relief washed over Brian. Then he scanned again, looking for others that were important. There was Flreu, proud and regal. Tadhg, assisting some wounded.
Shay was with Donnelly and his friends, all of them alive, one injured. Tao, it looked like. She was cradling her arm to her chest.
“Did we get them all?” AJ called out. He and Brian met halfway, just needing to be near one another. In unison they turned to walk to Shay, who was joined by Flreu.
Shay looked up at AJ, that distant look on his face. “Five total live.” He said, his voice flat. “If they live, disaster. If they die, a safety. A chance.” He shook his head, then turned to AJ. “There can be no survivors, Alyck.”
For a moment AJ stared at him, lost in thoughts so deep that Brian dared not try to read them. Then AJ nodded. He turned to Brian and handed him his blades. “Guard these for me. For this, I need speed. They have a head start.”
Brian knew it was useless to protest. So he leaned in and pressed a hard kiss to AJ’s lips. “Be safe.” He whispered when they broke apart.
The grin AJ gave him was sharp and lethal. A moment later he was stepping back, turning toward the forest. With those long legs he started to run. Halfway there his body leapt, changing in mid-leap so that, when he landed, he landed on four feet. The form of the jaguar disappeared into the woods.
All Brian could do was send a quick prayer that AJ would stay safe. That done, he turned to the others. There were wounded everywhere, littered among the corpses. Ok, first things first. “Geoff!” He called, seeing his friend walk to him. A group of elves walked with him. “Would you help organize a group to start gathering the enemy corpses? I want a pile, over there.” He pointed to the edge of the cliff. “Don’t drop them over, just pile them. We’ll burn them when we’re done.”
Without AJ there, Brian did his job and took charge. He organized people to gather their dead, another group to help gather the wounded. Any that were too injured to heal, he set up a system to alert the best healers. Then he plunged headfirst into the mix and helped to heal.
He moved among the elves, bringing healing where he could, blessings where he couldn’t. He stopped by Tao, putting his hands to her head. “Let me look, child.” He told her softly. She waved her good hand at him. “I am fine. There are others who need this more than I do.”
“Hush.” Brian closed his eyes, slid inside himself and his magic. He delved into her, searching for the most severe injuries. Her forearm was broken, split clean in half, and her shoulder had been severely burned. As AJ had taught him, Brian put up a shield, blocking off her pain, taking it into himself. He felt her gasp at the relief. Then he set about healing, starting with the bone, realigning it and using earth to join it back together. From there he moved to the burn, starting deep and working his way out to the skin.
When he finally pulled back, removing the block and bringing his magic back into himself, her arm was as good as new. She flexed it, looking in amazement before turning her eyes to him. “Thank you.” She murmured something else in Chinese. The words, he didn’t understand. But the gratitude behind them was unmistakable.
Smiling, Brian nodded at her. Then he moved off to heal the others.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
It was almost an hour later when AJ came back out of the forest. He looked at the field in front of him in amazement. Blood still stained the grass, but the bodies were gone. If it wasn’t for the blood, no one would know that there had been a bloody war fought here.
Belatedly he saw the pile of bodies burning on the cliff. Ah. That would explain that. He shook his head. The battle had fogged his mind. That, and the pain. Looking down, he looked to his front right paw. He was still in jaguar form. A broken part of a dagger was still lodged in there. He didn’t have the ability to pull it out on his own, not without shifting form, and he didn’t trust shifting while that kind of injury was there. What damage that might do, he had no idea, but it wasn’t a theory he wanted to test.
So he limped his way out of the woods, the small, broken piece of metal sending jolts of pain through his paw with each move he made.
Up ahead he saw Brian. Saw when his lover noticed him coming back. AJ had blocked off their bond earlier, not wanting Brian to feel his pain and rush in to try to save him. Not wanting to force Brian to help him slaughter these people as they ran. That had been what it was, too. A slaughter.
After the dagger had gone through his paw and snapped, AJ hadn’t thought about releasing that block on their bond. His entire being had focused simply on returning back home.
AJ breathed a sigh of relief as Brian started to rush toward him. He was so tired. Goddess, it would feel good to rest.
“Alex!” Brian cried when he reached him. The others had rushed forward too, but AJ paid them no mind. Now that he was by Brian he knew he didn’t have to force himself to walk anymore. He let his body collapse into the grass. Brian was already taking hold of his paw, swearing lightly. The familiar feel of Brian’s magic slid into AJ, blocking his pain in just enough time for him to yank the broken blade out. Then AJ felt the healing waves spread through him, washing away the pain and knitting back up his foot.
Tadhg squatted down, inspecting Brian’s work. “Good job, nephew.” He praised him with a smile. Then his eyes turned toward AJ. “With the magic it takes to shift your form, I would recommend that you not shift back quite yet. Let your body replenish from this healing and the wound that was there before you do anything else. Rest as you are for now. Do you think you can do this?”
Now that he was pain free, AJ removed the block on the bond and let Brian spill back into. He passed his answer to Brian, who smiled as he said “Alex says it’s no hardship to stretch out as a cat in the sun. Saves him from being on cleaning detail.”
The others laughed around him. Safe, comfortable, AJ let his eyes close. He felt Brian shift him, felt his head being lifted and laid into a familiar lap. Another presence moved near him, curling up by his stomach. Peeking open an eye, AJ watched as Shay stretched out, letting his head rest on AJ’s side. The three of them said nothing to one another. For now, it was enough that they were all alive.