Piece for 2/14/17 Talin Chambers

[Stormblessed]

(This is a continuation of the piece I last gave.)

Part 1

Chapter 1

Gideon, Wielder of Death, ran through the woods, his burning village behind him casted a dim light through the woods. Ahlai, his five year old daughter clung tightly to his chest, which was drenched in sweat. The little girl was crying for her mother. Behind him, struggling to keep up through the rough terrain and mud was his older daughter, Chloe. They had to get as far away as possible or they would be quickly cut down, like Deborah. Perhaps he could get his daughters to their auntie’s house. His girls would be safe there. The Tranithlem soldiers wouldn’t look in the Nazelen Mountains where his sister lived. It was too dangerous a journey for them to risk it. But first, if he even planned on getting there, he had to survive the night.

“Hurry up, Chloe!” Gideon shouted. His voice was strained and broken.

“Papa, I can’t!” the girl cried. She collapsed in the mud, sobbing.

Cursing, Gideon set down Ahlai and ran over to Chloe. The fifteen year old girl didn’t acknowledge her father. She was traumatized. She had watched her mother been killed and then her home burnt down. Gideon threw his dazed daughter on his back and ran over to pick up Ahlai. He had been emotionally and physically strained, nearly to death even. He hadn’t the faintest clue where he had gathered the strength to carry his family on his back, but he did it.

If only he could wield life. Perhaps then he would have the strength he needed to run. Unfortunately he had been cursed by the Death God himself. The law he was given from birth was meant to kill and destroy, not protect his family. He would never use his law again, not after what happened to her. He would never ever give into the voices that entered his mind when he used that cursed art. It changed him when he did. Turned him into the man he tried so desperately to hide.

They were almost to the river. When they crossed it they would be reasonably safe. There was a small town up ahead and they would stay in an inn there. He might just make it to the river...

The carpenter’s body ached everywhere. He had no energy left, and yet he still carried his children. It was a miracle. Perhaps the High Gods did give a damn about what happened to him. Gideon could hear the river ahead. Guards would be at the bridge, so he would have to cross through the cold rapids. It would be difficult, but he didn’t have much of a choice.

When Gideon reached the river he set his children down. He couldn’t afford to rest, but if he didn’t, he certainly would not make it. He checked on Ahlai. She was curled up in tears and whimpering. He couldn’t bear to see his little girl like this. It hurt him far more than the running did.

Gideon kneeled next to Chloe. She looked terribly sick. “Baby, Please, I can’t lose you too.”

“Papa,” Her voice sent a pain through Gideon’s body. Her voice was soft and fragile; as if she was still holding on to the same girl she was a few hours ago. He knew she was changed forever though.

“Yes baby?” He said, letting the tears mix with the salty sweat that covered his dirtied face.

“I feel that mum is still with us, even right now.”

“I know, Chloe, I know.” He forced a smile, tears still running down his cheeks. However he didn’t know. He forced himself not to think of her. Not yet anyways. He would think about his dead wife when his children were safe.

“I want to go home, papa.”

Gideon brushed some of her blonde hair from her forehead, staring at his daughter's fragile, beautiful face. “Me too,” he assured her.

She smiled up at him. How could she smile? Perhaps he could force a smile, but her’s seemed so genuine and pure. How? She had just watched her mother bathe in her own blood.

Gideon had stopped next to a part of the river where the rapids weren’t as strong. He grunted picking up his children. Chloe on his back and Ahlai on his side, he stepped into the freezing river.

***

The inn room he stayed in was small but warm. Chloe and Ahlai slept comfortably on the small bed that occupied most of the room. The candle, which was on a miniature table next to the bed, flicked a dim light across Chloe’s face. Gideon had originally wanted an eldest son who would apprentice to him. However it didn’t take long to realize that Chloe could easily marry into a richer family. At an early age it became apparent at how beautiful his daughter was. Her soft face and hazel eyes hypnotized the city lord’s eldest son immediately. Her golden blonde hair fell with slight curls past her shoulders, and her slim figure was envied by other girls her age.

Even covered in mud and crusted in dirt she was beautiful. She was just like her mother. Only her mother chose to marry a poor carpenter. Chloe had such a bright future. That future was crushed by that Aaron’s ‘Grand’ Army.

What did the kid, barely old enough be a soldier, expect when he sent his troops to occupy our land? That we would happily accept a new leader over our people with no violence? People used to speak so highly of him, but because of him, his wife was murdered, his home was destroyed, along with his workshop. His Children’s lives ruined, not to mention his own.

Not much of Nazelen remained that wasn’t ruled by that tyrant Aaron. He invaded our lands and claimed that he was uniting Ethnir! As if that suddenly justified all of his actions. The young warlord didn’t have the faintest clue on how to deliver peace. Men spoke so highly of him. They said that he could hypnotize you with his voice, forcing you to listen to his words. They say he wielded the two laws! It couldn’t be. The High Gods wouldn’t grant a man as corrupted and spoiled as Aaron, to wield the balance of our very lives! But then again, what did the High God's care for anyone but their chosen few in this world?

Gideon leaned against the wall and sunk slowly to the floor. He was still soaked from the freezing river, even though it had been about an hour ago since he crossed. The room was warm. Unfortunately not warm enough to comfort Gideon. Even if he had been warm, nothing would have comforted him. He kept thinking of Deborah, his wife. She made his world exciting and worth living. Nothing could make up for the feeling of being with her. He wanted her in his arms to comfort himself. He loved the feeling of her soft skin against his face. The joy of melting into her body and pressing his lips against hers was almost overwhelming. The gentle way she had touched him, melting away any problems or trials. He had felt whole with her.

Now she was gone, and it was his fault. He wasn’t strong enough to save her, the way she had saved him from himself. He could have killed the soldiers with a black flash in his eye. He could have defended his village, his pride.

No, he told himself. He wouldn’t invite that demon inside him again. What if it had saved Deborah though? Was it worth putting his children at risk of being slaughtered by his own hands? Once he gave into his Death, it seized him, destroyed him from the inside out, twisting his mind and leaving him in utter darkness. He couldn’t risk that. Was that risk worth saving her life though? The question tore him apart. The pain inside him hurt like nothing had ever hurt before. Not even when he had killed that boy.

Tears started to stream down his cheeks, leaving faint lines down his dirtied face. How he longed for her touch. He had killed her by doing nothing to stop the soldiers. Why hadn’t he tried? Why hadn’t he found another way?

Gideon felt the cold handle of his knife tucked away in his small bag. Gideon jumped in surprise, unaware that he had even searched out his knife. Had he? Or was it his law. Was it that small demon that still lived in his mind? He held the knife in front of him. Every part of him wanted to ram the blade right through his heart, and end him of his pain and guilt. Perhaps not all of his demons inside of him came from his law after all.

He pressed the blade, point first against his chest. He slowly pushed, breaking the skin in his chest. He didn’t feel the pain.

Then he saw her. Ahlai sat up in bed staring at her father with confusion and fear in her eyes. “Papa, what are you doing?”

The blade fell from his hands, making a loud thudding noise on the wooden floor. Chloe snapped up, eyes darting around the room, frantically searching for what made the noise. Her eyes stopped when they saw the blade next to her father, blood staining his shirt.

“Papa,” she cried, leaping out of bed and running to his side.

Tears kept streaming down his cheeks, but from different emotions now. “I’m fine baby. I’m fine. Trust me.”

“No! You’re not!” she pulled open his shirt to see what he’d done to himself. Thankfully it wasn’t bad. “What were you thinking? Were you just going to leave us here! Leave us here to wake up with our father’s corpse in the morning!” Tears ran down her face at an alarming rate.

How had Gideon been so selfish? He still had two daughters! Two daughters that needed their father more than ever. That blasted law had clouded his mind so much that he hadn’t even thought of his children sleeping across from him! How had he fallen this far! It was his law’s fault, that terrible demon, not his. Right? He kept pinning every bad thing he did against his law or the High Gods and he knew he did. It was so easy to blame his wrong doings on them though. Was he right to do so? How did he know when he messed up and when his law messed up for him? No, this had to be his law. He would have never forgotten his children if it hadn’t been for the fact that he literally Wielded Death!

Gideon looked at Chloe pleadingly. “I’m sorry… I’m sorry…” was all he could make out.

“Papa, please don’t do that again. Please,” she whimpered quietly. “I know you have secrets; you can tell me if it helps.”

He wanted to tell her that he Wielded Death. The only people who ever knew were dead though. That included Deborah. “Baby… I love you more than anything I can possibly think of but…”

“Considering you just attempted suicide I doubt your mind can think of anything bright right now.” She glared at him, her eyes bloodshot. She climbed back into bed and stared at the ceiling.

Ahlai stared at him, trying to figure out what he had just attempted. Her naive eyes searched for an explanation that would make sense to her. “Papa, you have an owie.”

“Yes baby, I do.” If only she knew how big it was. It tore a hole at him from inside. It was becoming harder to resist his Death law. A constant battle seemed to take place in him now. “Go to sleep, Ahlai. You need to rest.”

“Yes Papa.” She closed her eyes. Chloe rolled on her side, whimpering to herself.

Without realizing it, Gideon clutched the small black stone in his pocket. He slightly jumped, startled. Why did he keep doing this? It’s as if he can’t even control his own body.

The death stone was naturally warm to the touch, and sent small jolts of energy up his arm. This stone was the real reason Gideon was being chased. The real reason Deborah was dead. The real reason that he couldn’t afford to let it win.

***

Chloe woke up. She wished that she hadn’t.

She would have to face her father. The same father that she looked up to, lived her life after his example. No he wasn’t the same man. Could she blame him? Mother was just murdered last night. But then again he almost killed himself! We all feel absolutely terrible. We have all lost everything we ever had, but we aren’t trying to end our lives. What makes his situation worse than ours? He has secrets of course, but how could he think to leave us?

She looked at him on the floor. He was dead asleep. His arm was sprawled out across the wooden panels. His fingers wrapped around something in his palm. It almost looked as if it glowed…

She quietly crept out of bed and studied her father's palm. What was that? It did seem to glow in fact. She carefully pried opened his fingers.
Chloe recognized the gem at once and jumped back screaming. It was a Death Stone. The very thing she had seen in her text books and had been trained to recognize. That was the very thing that gave the wielders of death their powers, and at the same time kept them alive. Her father was a wielder of death. He was a son of the Death God himself.