AJ took his time before deciding to head back toward the castle. Everything that the Warrior Goddess had showed him, everything she said, played over and over in his heart. It had been a great gift, what she’d given him. She’d helped him see inside to his heart. Helped him make peace with who he was and what he was going to do.<?xml:namespace prefix = o />
The main motivator at the start of all of this had been to save Kevin and Nick .That motivation was still there, and it was something he would succeed at, but it had morphed into so much more. There were other lives at stake; lives of people he didn’t even know and yet they were people he loved. They were his people. The woman that had been beheaded in the village square had been one of his people; one that he had failed. The others, people who had been ruthlessly slaughtered, they were his people as well.
He grieved for them, as well as the others that were suffering all over Nellador. That was something that he hadn’t been able to fully comprehend before. There were real people with real lives over there right now, suffering every single day. Villages all over were being treated the same way as the village in his vision. People were being slaughtered, their homes torched.
How could he, knowing what he knew now, do anything but fight for them? These people who had done nothing to deserve the horror they’d lived under for thousands of years. If there was a chance, if the Goddess and others were right and AJ was the only one capable of stopping this evil, then how could he not try? He had to. Not just for his friends anymore. But for the people.
In that moment, AJ’s shoulders squared, though he couldn’t see it on himself. His spine straightened and his chin lifted. In that moment, he accepted his destiny and gave up fighting it.
With that new feeling, this new pride, bright inside of him, AJ embraced his magic and shifted his form yet again for the rest of the run home. This time as the wolf ran, he was running to something, not from it. This time, there was peace in his heart.
He felt Brian’s love slide along the bond to fill him up with that bright light he was so familiar with; the light he loved so much. AJ cast his thoughts out, sending them back over the bond to Brian. ‘My heart sings with the joy of your love inside of me, Brian o Littrell. Bright be your day.’
‘May your song sing bright and true, Alyck o Tuian, and may our songs always find the music to share together.’
That reply had AJ smiling to himself as he leapt through the trees. ‘I’m sorry I stormed off that way, song of my heart.’ He told Brian as he leapt over a fallen tree. Brian’s reply was almost instant. ‘I’m too used to your tantrums to be offended if you storm off. Shay says he’s used to them too and that he knew it was coming, so don’t worry about him either. Though he is standing next to me right now rather impatiently waiting for you to come back.’ With that thought came the image of the sea cliffs where they seemed to spend so much time.
AJ snickered slightly. ‘Tell Shay he’s been known for a tantrum or two himself, so he can shove it and just show a little patience.’
‘I can just imagine the response he’d give to something like that, so I think I’ll keep your smart ass remarks to myself for now.’
With a barking laugh, AJ jumped up, landing on a large rock and using it to launch off of. His leap propelled him out of the trees and onto the grass at the edge of the field. Up ahead he saw Brian and Shay standing, staring toward the forest. Love filled AJ, echoed by the same love from his partner. He couldn’t resist howling to the sky, a howl full of the joy he felt, a howl that was a mating call at its most primitive form.
Buoyant with those sensations, AJ launched across the grass, coiling the magic in him so that, when he leapt into the air, he made the shift easily from wolf to man. It was the man that landed in Brian’s open arms. Laughter echoed, theirs and Shay’s, but AJ didn’t care. It felt good to just hold and be held. To kiss him seemed the most natural thing in the world. The instant their lips met, AJ felt his body sigh into Brian’s, melting slightly.
Everything else around them seemed to just fade away. There was only him and Brian, their love and this overpowering lust that was between them, circling back and forth through the bond. It was like fireworks exploding inside of them. The warmth of it filled AJ from head to toe, washing away the last of his exhaustion, the last of his fears. The Goddess in all her infinite wisdom had been right. With this man with him, how could he ever think himself alone?
When he pulled back, AJ looked into those eyes that had become one of the brightest lights in his life. They were windows to the soul beneath. A soul that, as the Goddess had said, was twined around his. They were separate and yet they were one.
A million words passed between them then. Yet not a word was spoken, not a thought shared. In that single kiss, that one glance, they shared everything. Here was his life. Here was his heart. With this man in his life and by his side, AJ knew he could do anything. Accomplish anything. For how could he not when one so great held such love and faith and trust in him?
“So shall it be.” AJ whispered. The words seemed to seal the spell that had gathered around them. This twining of heart, mind, magic, and spirit.
Brian’s answering smile was the sweetest thing AJ had ever seen. “So shall it be.” He responded.
It was with a wide smile that AJ felt his feet touch the ground again. Shay was there, his own lips curved with love and humor, handing AJ clothes to put on. The three of them were silent while AJ pulled on the breeches and tied the sash around his waist. He slipped the baldrics over his shoulders, adjusting the two blades so they were comfortable, making sure they were loose in their scabbards.
Then he reached his hands out. With one hand he took hold of Brian, their tattoos touching, enflaming their bond even more. With the other, he took hold of Shay. It made his heart warm to see Shay and Brian grasp one another’s hands, cementing the circle.
His joy grew to see the comfort with which they held on to one another. There was a friendly love building there that gladdened his heart. Shay was one of his oldest friends, as Howi had been, and it would have broken his heart if Shay and Brian hadn’t got along. But it was obvious they were. There was a bond forged between them now; the kind that comes when two great minds not only share a love for another person, but when they share the worry and stress and responsibility that they all carried.
Because it felt right, AJ spoke in a soft voice, sharing with them everything that the Goddess had shared with him.
With their hands linked, their magic brushing against one another, he felt their heartache when he told them of the vision of Etuur. They shared his grief at the lives lost and the senseless violence. When he was finished, their eyes were as bright as his. Shay’s, those pure white pools sparkling like white lightning. Brian’s, the rings glowing with a furious light.
“They will be made to pay for what they’ve done.” AJ spoke solemnly. The words did not carry fury, but the ring of justice.
Brian nodded. “So shall it be. These crimes will not go unpunished.”
“They will be held accountable for each life they have needlessly taken.” Shay added in his low voice.
The sunlight warmed AJ’s face, a counter to the chill the vision had brought him. “I realized many things when I was with her.” He began. His voice carried a hint of steel and power to it that even he could hear. “When we started this, Brian, it was as a mission to rescue our friends. That is still important. Out of love, out of our duty to them, we will bring them home alive. But this has become so much more.”
He looked from one face to the other. Faces of two people who both meant so much to him. One that he had known long ago and loved deeply. Not a love of the souls, such as he and Brian had, a but love that was warm and that he had only ever shared with Howi before. Shay had been his friend, his lover, his confidant, his brother. There was a bond there that would never be altered, no matter the time that separated them.
The other was the perfect match to his heart and soul. Though he and Brian had known one another for a short time, and it was short in comparison with AJ’s years, there was still nothing stronger than the love and bond that they had. There weren’t words to describe the light and joy and kinship that existed between them. It just, was.
To these two, AJ knew he could bear his heart and trust that it would be safe.
“This has become greater than our friends. Greater than any ties we carry. We do this, not just for Kevin and Nick, not just for the great grandfather of mine that was ruthlessly slaughter. We do this not just for the elves or the dwarves or the humans, or any other being that lives in Nellador. We do this not for one, but for all.”
“These are our people.” Brian said softly. His voice carried that much more power for its softness. “Our people are being hunted and murdered. Enslaved and tortured. They are being chased from their homes, forced to live in hovels. Their spirit has been ripped from them and they’ve been brought down low.”
AJ nodded at him. “I see now how much more this is. I feel, deep in my heart, the righteousness of what we do. This isn’t about anger anymore. This isn’t about you or me or anything like that. This is about justice. This is about doing what is right. We cannot let this evil consume not only our world, but this one here as well. We will go, we will fight, and we will win.”
Together, the three of them smiled. “So shall it be.” They echoed.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
The sun had been up for two hours before AJ sent a young elf to fetch his friends for him. He’d given them plenty of time to sleep in, to take their comfort in the morning and to break their fasts. But now it was time to get down to business. They’d been in the elvish world for a week now, which meant that two weeks had gone by in the mortal world. In only another week here, the full moon would come. They needed to be prepared for when that time came. Preparation meant training.
So it was that AJ was standing in the middle of the field, his training field as he thought of it, when all of them made their way down from the castle. Shay and Brian were on either side of him, a step behind, waiting and watching. They said nothing as the group arrived, one by one.
Only when everyone had gathered did AJ speak. He looked at the faces before him, the expressions ranging from surliness to curiosity to acceptance to respect. Richard and Geoff were both smiling, hand at their sides, bodies standing at ‘attention’. True soldiers, those two. AJ planned to make use of those skills.
“Though some of you may not know, time in the Elven kingdom runs differently than the mortal world.” AJ began. It seemed as good a place as any to start. “A week has passed here since the last full moon, which means two weeks have passed in the mortal world. That leaves us with one week before the next full moon, which is the time we will make our journey to Nellador.”
“A week!” Ubayy exclaimed in surprise. “How the hell are we supposed to be prepared in one week?”
“By listening.” Brian’s voice was a whip, snapping Ubayy back into silence.
It amused AJ to see his lover leap to his assistance there, but he respected that Brian was doing his job. In this moment, AJ was the leader, the general. Order was not a luxury, it was a necessity. Brian was maintaining that order for him.
He looked back out at his rag-tag army. “We will prepare in the next week by training beyond any kind of training you have ever received. We will split into two groups to do this. One led by Shay and one led by Brian. I will go back and forth between groups to check on the progress of this training as well as to input my own.” His gaze grew slightly sharper. “This will not be easy. Any who want out now, we will release you when we leave. After that moment, you’ll be free to go. But if you decide this is not what you want to do, speak up now and you will be escorted to your room and placed under locked guard.”
“Guard?” Bayani asked him. There was no insolence in his tone, just a curiosity.
“Yes, guard. We will not allow someone to leave us before we leave. If you left, or were lured away, the enemy might capture you and you could give away vital information. This possibility cannot be allowed.”
AJ turned to look at his two friends, placing his back to the group. “Select your people.” He told them.
There was a twinkle in Shay’s eyes when he skipped forward. The others looked a little oddly at him. AJ knew the picture that Shay presented; Shay knew it too. Part of it was deliberate. Dressed in bright colors and with his mischievous face, people always mistook him for a bit of a dandy; absentminded and more concerned with looks than anything else. That was to their detriment. Underneath all that was a quick mind, a sharp wit, and quite a bit of talent.
Shay looked the group over, conferring quietly with Brian, before he stepped forward again. “Nura, Bayani and Tao and Geoff.”
“Crisanto, Richard, Donnelly and Ubayy.” Brian called out.
There were almost instant protests. Ubayy was the loudest. “My wife goes with me!” He commanded, and his tone was unmistakably a command. Right behind him, Bayani and Crisanto were protesting their separation.
AJ raised his hands, calling forth air with it, and unashamedly used air to cover the mouth of each and every one that was speaking. That quickly turned all eyes toward him.
“This is your first day, first hour, of your training, and already you show disrespect to those that are set to teach you. You are not learning just how to fight or how to work magic. You are learning discipline and how to follow orders. We will not be a lumped together arm of those that choose to work with one another only when they wish. You will learn order. You will learn respect.” Days of serving in the military came back to AJ as he stood before them. Goddess, they were all green recruits. Well, he’d dealt with enough of those before.
AJ put on his best military face. He scowled as he marched forward, determined to ignore the amusement he felt from Brian.
“You all know how the general idea of military works, do you not?” AJ seethed at them. There were quiet nods. Richard and Geoff simply stood perfectly at attention. This was natural to them. This was normal. “Well,” AJ continued “Think of me as your General. I am the highest ranking official right now to you. Shay and Brian? Lieutenant Generals. The only person they answer to is me. All of you answer to them. Are we clear on this?” He released the bands of air holding their mouths.
Bayani and Crisanto both nodded, saying “Yes” in clear voices. It was obvious they didn’t want to be apart but they respected what they were told. Nura meekly stood to one side, looking to her husband for guidance. Ubayy lifted his chin belligerently. His eyes were hard on AJ’s. “My wife is a woman. In our customs…”
“…in your customs, you do not allow women to fight, nor do anything without your permission.” AJ answered him, switching to Farsi, the language of Ubayy’s homeland. The words and the language seemed to both surprise Ubayy. It just gave AJ more reason to sneer. “Yes, I know your language, as well as your customs. I lived in your home long before it was ever your country. I have spent many, many years traveling. I know your customs and the original texts they came in far better than you ever will. Why do you think I haven’t spoken directly to your wife?”
AJ straightened his spine and switched back to English. “I will not be tolerant any more. Your customs will be respected as best as possible but not at the expense of others. Nura.” AJ turned to look at her, meeting her eye for eye in a stare she could not seem to break. “I ask you, you directly, what your choice is. Serve here with us, become your own person, your own woman, or follow your husband’s orders and remain under guard until we go, at which time you will be set free. This decision is in your hands.”
A world of feelings traveled through Nura’s eyes. But he knew what her decision would be when he saw her spine stiffen slightly and her chin raise just barely. “I will learn this. My family, my people, deserve their freedom and their return to the homeland.”
“Nura!” Ubayy cried out. “Silence! I forbid this.”
She spun to face him. “We have adopted Muslim ways, husband, living in the land we do. But never forget where our people come from. Never forget who we are at heart. I have embraced this lifestyle to keep the peace, though you do not enforce it in our home. I will not embrace it in public any more. I am my own person. I will be Nura, and I will make this evil tremble for what it has done to my homeland.”
That declaration was met with wild cheers all around.
AJ looked over to Shay and Brian and gave them a wink. The two smiled in return. It had begun.