The Destroyer (34 page)

"Let's go see what Nadea has for us Paug," Kaiyer looked back to me with his gentle smile. I glanced at the men seated at the table before I left. Their faces were a mixture of uneasiness and speculation. Grandfather nodded to me and I turned to follow Kaiyer and Nadea out of the meeting room.

The army campfires were scattered across the valley like the stars dotted the sky. Sounds of banter, jostling, and jokes created a dull roar of a calm ocean. I felt as if I could almost reach out and touch the moon’s pale green surface, it was low and close tonight, the craters and valleys clearly visible as it reflected bright sunlight. The moonlight illuminated our campgrounds in a gentle wash of luminescent green, highlighting the faces of the gathered troops.

I walked amongst the men and women for some hours. Most of the troops didn't recognize me without my armor. I would pass by their campfires and listen to them recount tales of the earlier battle. They would invite me to sit down, listen, and share their food and drink.

I was handsome, so women would ask me if I cared for more than just a meal. I refused politely. I told myself what I told Shlara, that as the leader I could not show favoritism, and that I had to focus on this war and could not waste energy on romantic entanglements, even if they were purely physical. The truth was that I could not fathom touching another woman while she still existed. I dreamed of her, but even in waking she was always there below the surface, everything I looked at was tinged with the color of her hair and eyes. Every breath scented with the smell of her skin. Everything I did was to rid my mind of her as I rid the world of her entire race. If I were to touch another woman I knew it would bring her back and I feared what I might do to the poor human in my arms.

My generals had all asked to stay and celebrate with me, but I told them to go be with their warriors. We still had many more battles ahead of us and they needed to share this victory with them. Shlara remained after the others had left.

"Come celebrate with me." She smiled at me seductively. She never relented.

"When this war is finished," I replied as I always did. I went back to surveying the map on my war table.

"Kaiyer. We've been doing this for so long. Be with me tonight. You want it as much as I do. You deserve a reward for your accomplishments." She crossed her armored arms over her chest.

"My accomplishments mean nothing. The O'Baarni won this battle."

"Then reward me! Am I not your best general? I have never failed you. I have done whatever you have asked me, including this. There is only one thing I want now.” Her brows knit in concentration as she made her pitch.

"I only want one thing too, Shlara." I looked up at her from the table, my face hard. "To annihilate every last Elven. You are dismissed.”

She marched out of my tent.

The thoughts of her faded as I walked closer to Thayer's tent. Perhaps he would be drinking with his lieutenants and I could converse with them. When I stood within earshot I recognized the sounds of many voices moaning in ecstasy. The flap was latched open and I saw half a dozen oiled and naked bodies writhing on the ground.

"Need something?" A hand grasped my shoulder and I spun around to face the questioner. A muscular man stood behind me. He looked to be one of Thayer's and his lack of attire indicated that his final destination was inside the tent. At one time I knew everyone's name, but when our force grew to twenty thousand I had started to forget. Now that we numbered over five times that, I didn't even bother.

"Sorry friend. I am kind of lost. Can you point me toward the camp of General Malek?" I said as I swayed a little, pretending to be drunk. We had to purposely prevent the Earth from healing our bodies to feel the effects of alcohol, but many tonight would be doing so.

"That way," he pointed east. I nodded and drifted through the crowded campsites in that direction.

Malek's troops celebrated in a more conservative fashion than Thayer's. They were still in a good mood, but I didn't see any public orgies, just gatherings with music, drinking, and various games of thought being played.

I made my way toward the largest meeting circle. I saw Malek laughing with a dozen of his warriors in the middle of it and I smiled. The group passed personal stories around the circle in turn, everyone recounting a memory of the last battle and what they had learned.

I sat down across the fire from Malek after I heard a few of the warriors speak. My general and a few of his lieutenants looked up at me in surprise. I nodded casually to them and they smiled back. The current speaker told of deflecting three fireballs that were intended for Gorbanni's troops.

"I was terrified. This was my first battle. I know we have been through training and I have taken all my studies seriously. When they shot their fires into the air I felt my mind freeze up. I didn't know what to do. This was real now. I was going to die. But then I realized that it wasn't me that would die. It was my brothers and sisters. The Earth and the Air ripped through me. I tossed one, two, and a third aside. I did other things that I am proud of in that battle. But for that brief second, I almost failed." The man, no older than a boy, grew quiet. His friends in the circle nodded and those that sat nearest patted him on the back.

"Hello Stranger," Malek called out to me from the other side of the circle. His face lit up with a sly smile. He wore his hair down around his shoulders and the gray at his temples shined from the light of the fire. His hair was very unique. Most of us were young, or had been when we had been changed, Malek included. Despite the years that had passed and the extreme hardships we had endured, our healing powers kept everyone youthful and vibrant, save Malek, no gray hairs or wrinkles betrayed the true age of anyone in our ranks.

"Greetings," I replied. Everyone in the circle looked over to me. I didn't recognize many of their faces besides Malek and the two that sat next to him. I doubted anyone else knew my identity.

"Get our guest something to drink and we can listen to him tell us a tale," Malek commanded. A woman next to me handed me her near full mug with a charming smile.

"You are recounting the battle earlier today? Or any battle?" I asked him.

"Anything you would like to tell."

I thought about what his warriors needed to hear from me. I took a gulp of the cold beer and began.

"A few years ago I fought in the Holden Ridge battle. Some of you here may have also been there. Some of you have only heard stories of it." A few heads nodded and I continued. "A group of Elvens broke through our lines on the pass and cornered my team. We tried to fall back, but found ourselves on the edge of the cliff, outnumbered ten to one. Reports indicated that other aspects of the battle were going well for us, but I guessed my small group would probably die on the ridge. When I thought it couldn't get any worse, they launched a salvo of fire blasts at us. The explosion forced us off of the edge of the cliff. Nearly all of my companions burned to death or were crushed when they hit the bottom. Somehow I survived. Unfortunately, my legs were shattered almost beyond healing, and I saw the Elvens descending the cliff to finish me."

The newer warriors opened their eyes in shock. This was a popular tale in the army, especially with Malek's men. They had never heard this side of the story though.

"I killed a few of them when they reached the ground, but I kept up the pace of my attackers. Just when I was about to have my head taken off my shoulders by a particularly skilled Elven bastard, a spear of white light pierced his chest. A good looking man, in desperate need of a haircut," the crowd laughed at this. Most of the males in the army shaved their heads every few weeks and Malek's mane was a frequent topic of conversation amongst the troops. "Jumped into the fray. He wielded a long sword in one hand, and a carved club in the other. He screamed at the Elvens, telling them about what he was going to do to them and their mothers. His ferocity drove back the group of twenty like a boulder smashes into a lake."

“I doubt there were that many of them my friend," Malek said from across the circle. His cheeks flushed as he tried to hide a smile.

"There were plenty of them. Seeing my savior's passion spurred my own desire to live. I stood up on my broken legs, found an Elven sword, and tried to assist him. We cut through them with ease but they kept appearing like maggots on a corpse. It wasn't long before we were surrounded by more Elvens than what attacked my team from atop the cliff. It seems that these bastards wanted us exterminated more than they wanted to win the battle that carried on hundreds of feet above us." The crowd laughed and I took another gulp of the beer to lubricate my throat.

"To keep from being surrounded, we stood back to back. I had to lean heavily against him since I could barely stand. The sun shone high in the sky when I fell down the face of the cliff and it gave light to the moon by the time we finished our work. By then their corpses covered the ground like snowflakes. I had never been closer to death than that day. I owe my life to the brothers and sisters that died for me." I finished off the beer and handed the mug back to the woman sitting next to me. Her mouth was agape as she looked at me and then down at the stein. "Thank you for letting me speak." I nodded to Malek before I turned to leave.

"Was that Kaiyer?" a voice in the circle whispered as I moved away. The response didn't make it to my ears.

I thought about visiting Shlara's group of warriors but reconsidered, she would infer that I accepted her offer of sex, when in truth I just wanted to be around people. I felt heartsick for the days when we were a small group pitted against impossible odds, when we all lived, ate, and trained like a family. The growth of the army was needed, and my generals now had their own warriors to oversee, but I missed the time when we could all gather around a single campfire, when there would have been no question as to who I was.

I couldn't really be part of that family until my mind was clear. All that I thought of was her. Everything I ever accomplished was to find her. To end her the way she ended my father and brother.

I was so close now. Sometimes it seemed that she was right next to me, I could feel her breath on my cheek, hear the swish of her thighs brushing against each other in their leather riding pants. I woke up at night after dreaming of our bodies struggling to become one. I felt her silky hair on my face and would wake, brushing the phantom locks away. Our love happened so long ago that the memories should have faded, but I couldn't forget. I still tasted her tongue and body. Her scent lingered on my skin upon waking. Every shadow, every flash of red or glint of sun seen from the corner of my eye would send a small electric jolt of anticipation and fear through my stomach as I turned to look for her. It would never be over until she was dead by my hand. Then I would be free from her and the Elvens.

I walked back to my tent. Let the rest of my army have a break. I would train and plan for them. There was still work to do.

"Are you okay?" Iarin's voice echoed in my ears. I opened my eyes and saw Paug and him looking over me. I was flat on my back on the cold stone floor of my training room. Light from the opened gate filled the space we occupied like an orange blanket. The gate led out to a large courtyard that had been sealed off with wood fencing.

"Absolutely." The smile came easy to my lips as I pushed back the memories and focused on my friends. I must have succeeded in my quest to end her. I no longer felt tormented by her presence, I no longer warred with my desire and repulsion toward her, she was dust, as Malek’s letter had said, along with everyone else I had ever loved or hated. I could pursue my goal now unhindered by emotion. "I am ready to go again." I flipped my legs under my body and sprang to my feet.

"Are you sure?" Iarin asked with concern. "You've been hitting it pretty hard for the last hour. I know you said you wanted to rest for five minutes, but we've been calling your name loudly and you didn't wake up."

"No I am fine. Are you both ready?" They sighed and nodded. "Great! Let’s begin."