All for them…eventually…
17
Although given only an instant, Uldyssian yet managed to devise a plan to readily explain the scene before his followers. Most of it involved the truth, the rest a necessary twisting of it.
But Achilios gave him no chance to even begin it. The archer threw himself toward the gathered edyrem who, stunned, reacted as people and cleared a path for the dead man. Achilios made good use of their reaction, bolting outside before any could recover.
“Achilios!” Uldyssian shouted. “Wait!”
He rushed after his childhood friend, ignoring the clamoring that began among those gathered. To them he ordered, “Get those bodies out of there and see to her! Don’t move her any more than necessary but make her comfortable! Do it!”
Outside, more edyrem stood in shock, most of them still looking west. Uldyssian ran in that direction, trying to locate the incredibly swift Achilios by both eyesight and higher senses. Yet, the archer was invisible to both.
As he neared the edge of camp, Uldyssian saw a sentry turn his way. The man, a Parthan, gaped. Uldyssian seized the guard and demanded, “A pale figure! Did he run by here?”
“No, no one’s come this way—Master Uldyssian?”
He could explain his miraculous return to the guard when he did so to the rest. Shoving aside the Parthan, Uldyssian entered the jungle. Achilios had to have gone this way, but try as he might, Uldyssian could not sense him at all.
Defeated, he finally returned to the encampment. By that time, a great mob had gathered near the sentry, who was animatedly describing his encounter with their lost leader. Everyone grew silent when Uldyssian approached, but he had no time for them yet.
Still, he had to say something. “I’ll tell all later. Return to your rest.”
It was very doubtful that any of them would sleep, but Uldyssian could only hope. For now, he had to concern himself with Serenthia.
Those still surrounding the ancient building scattered out of his way as he neared. Without a glance to any of them, Uldyssian entered.
Serenthia still lay on the floor, but someone had had the presence of mind to set a blanket under her head and another over her torso. Her breathing was regular, for which Uldyssian thanked the stars. Then, he recalled particular stars, those that made up the dragon, and nearly took back his silent gratitude.
Going down on one knee, Uldyssian touched Serenthia’s face. It was pleasantly warm.
A slight moan escaped her. Her eyes flashed open and she attempted to rise.
“Achilios! Achilios! Don’t—don’t leave—” Her strength failed her. Serenthia had to lay her head down again. Despite that, though, she kept her eyes open and repeated over and over the same thing. “Achilios…don’t leave…don’t leave…”
Uldyssian was caught between relief and jealousy. Serenthia seemed mentally intact and physically unharmed, for which he was grateful, but that her first cries had been for the archer…
Silently berating himself for his extreme selfishness, Uldyssian leaned nearer. “Serenthia…Serry…do you hear me? How do you feel?”
“Uldyssian?” Her eyes finally focused on him. “I—I think I’m all right.” She stiffened. “No! That thing! I know it! She’s coming for me! It was—” The merchant’s daughter clutched his arm. “Uldyssian! Lilith! Lilith was coming for me—”
“I know. I know. Hush, Serenthia! Lilith’s been sent away again—”
But she was finally beginning to register her unsettling surroundings. “Where—where are we? The last I recall, I was by the river! I sensed her nearness too late! And then it was as if—as if she were inside me! Where are we, Uldyssian? Tell me the truth!”
There was no way he could keep the truth from her. If Uldyssian even tried, Serenthia was certain to eventually learn everything from the others.
“Listen to me carefully, Serry,” he murmured. “We will talk about this later—”
The fire began to return to her. “No, Uldyssian. I need to know now. Tell me.”
He looked back at the others. “Leave us.”
They obeyed without protest. Uldyssian used his power to seal the doors behind him, then also blocked those outside from hearing. They would know enough when the time came, but there were some things he felt should remain only between the two of them.
Someone had wisely left a water pouch near Serenthia and Uldyssian bade her drink first. She willingly swallowed a good portion of the contents, then gave him a look that suggested he stall no longer.
And so, with a deep breath, Uldyssian told her what he could and what he dared, cutting matters to the bare facts as much as possible. Serenthia listened without interruption save for the occasional gasp. Her face, though, more than once nearly caused Uldyssian to stop, especially when he had to tell the merchant’s daughter what he knew of Lilith’s activities. Revulsion filled Serenthia, but to her credit, she did not lose control.
Then, Uldyssian came to the moment when Achilios had reentered the situation. Here he finally stopped short, not at all certain just how to go on. Was it better to let her believe that he had been no more than a dream?
She knew that he was trying to leave something significant out of the story and so pressed him.
Surrendering to the inevitable, Uldyssian chose a different tact. “Serry,” he began in his kindest tone. “Serry, do you remember what you said when you first awoke here? Do you remember at all?”
“You keep calling me ’Serry,’” she countered, her gaze narrowing. “That can only mean you’ve got something terrible to tell me. What can be worse than what I’ve heard so far and what has it to do with what I said?”
He could not turn back. “Serry. Think. What did you say? It’s vital.”
Her brow wrinkled. “Let me think. I was…I was having a dream…or nightmare, I can’t say which. I thought I saw…I thought I saw Achilios. I must’ve still been dreaming when I believed I awoke, because I think what I was doing was calling out his name and…and…” Tears suddenly rolled down her cheeks. “Oh, Uldyssian…I thought he’d come back to me! I thought I’d been blessed with a miracle! But—but it was nothing but my imagination…”
Uldyssian swallowed. “No.”
“What—what was that?”
“Serry…Serenthia…he was here. You didn’t imagine him. Achilios was here.”
She frowned at him. “Don’t make a jest like that! There’s nothing funny about it at all, Uldyssian! How could you do that?”
“I never would. It’s not a jest. He was—”
Pulling back from Uldyssian, Serenthia covered her ears. “Stop! Stop that! Don’t say such things! Achilios is dead! Dead!”
The building started to quake. Small bits of stone rained down on them. Driven by her grief, Serenthia’s power was affecting their surroundings.
Uldyssian quickly worked to counter her. The tremor subsided, albeit reluctantly. Serenthia was nearly as strong as him.
She had not even noticed what she had done. Cyrus’s daughter shook her head back and forth and tears stained her cheeks. Over and over she repeated the archer’s name.
Mouth set, Uldyssian took hold of her wrists and forced her to listen. “Serenthia! It was Achilios you saw! It was no dream!” He could not bring himself to say that it was no nightmare. Even he had not quite recovered from the shock of seeing his friend. “It was Achilios!”
Her eyes widened and the tears lessened. Hope filled her expression. “You mean that he’s—he’s—alive?”
“I…Serenthia…I don’t know what to call what he was…but at least he was still the Achilios we knew and loved. He charged in here when all was lost and managed somehow to stir you to waking. Only because of him, not me, were you able to force Lilith from your body.”