Chapter 4, Border 2

(Reskeme)

His heart skipped a beat. Reskeme flailed wildly for his spear. A high-pitched scream tore from near him. Screaming next to the fire, the young boy Alex sat staring at the large Darvan warriors. Spear gripped tightly, Reskeme swiveled, keeping the first warrior in his site looking for the others. There, on the opposite side of the clearing. Were two more large armoured Darva crouching, ready to strike.

Retreating to the fire, Reskeme stood between the two warriors and the crying Alex. Rory stood next to Alex, her arms wrapped protectively around the boy's shoulders, her eyes wide. Shaking his head, Reskeme tried to focus, his exhaustion fading. How did this happen?

Breathing deeply, Reskeme channeled mana. The two Darva in front of him moved apart, approaching from different angles. His veins burned. Grinning, Reskeme formed a single rune under the Darva on the left with a second above the warrior. A pillar of green fire tore from the air to the ground. The Darva yelped, rolling on the ground wildly to put out the fire. The second Darva sprinted towards him, dodging side to side as it ran.

Reskeme created a new rune of green fire, lighting the night. Cursing, he channeled harder, his body vibrating. Holding two runes in front of him and waiting for the leap, Reskeme ready to ambush the Darva. Until the slight pull of someone channeling mana came from behind him, his hair rising on his neck. From ten steps away the rushing Davan warrior lept, its claws glinting in the moonlight..

He staggered, something tripping him. Falling to the ground as the Darva passed through his unfinished runes. Reskeme rolled to his feet, turning to face the tumbling warrior. Crouching where he was standing was Rory, her eyes wide as she turned to face the monster. Reskeme cocked back his arm, gripping the shaft of his spear one handed. Scrambling to its feet, the Darva ran towards Rory, its claws burning rents into the hard stones.

Rory placed herself between Reskeme and the warrior. Over her shoulder, he could only see its side of the small target. Forcing his mana into the spear, Reskeme swallowed, He focused and hurled the weapon towards the warrior. His heart skipped a beat. Oh no! The spear flew slightly off target. Instead of flying over Rory's shoulder, it traveled right at the back of her head.

Again, the subtle draw of a mage channeling mana. " Dodge!" Reskeme yelled.

As though aware of the danger, Rory cocked her head to the side. His shimmering green spear passed a finger span from her cheek and slammed into the Darvas eye. Reskeme breathed deeply gasping, that was way to close. Smoke rose from the Darva, his spear burning stuck in its right eye. Cringing at the scent of burning flesh, Reskeme turned to David. The man swinging his sabre at the two warriors moving in from each side.

Reskeme's anger boiled. He gritted his teeth, the deaths of the Darva causing a lump in his chest. No! He pushed his thoughts to them, his anger and desire to kill. The circling Darva flinched, taking a step back. David stumbled, turning to the side, the man's side drenched in blood as his sabre wobbled in his grip.

In all the excitement, Reskeme hadn't noticed the battle going on between the two warriors and David. Reskeme channel his mana creating three runes in the air. His heart skipped a beat at the thought of injuring himself again. He pushed it from his mind. The fourth rune formed, surrounding the left Darvan warrior.

The ground shook as the dome of mana flashed green. Anger and hate filled his mind. The remaining Darva staring at the humans, snarling. Reskeme collapsed to his knees, his last rune exhausting him. Howling a high pitched mournful sound, the last Darva charged towards Rory and Alex.

Stumbling from the side, the grimacing David put himself between them. David held his long sabre in front of himself towards the Darva. The large canine lept crashing into the outstretched steel. Reskeme could do nothing as the warrior yipped in pain, gouging David's chest. The Darva howled in pain, its movement slowing as the arm length of steel buried in its chest.

Reskeme stagger to the Darva laying on top of David. Leaning against the heavy corpse of the Darva, the green fire behind him lighting up the clearing.

" Help me," Reskeme said, grunting in effort.

Rushing over next to him, Rory placed her hands on the rough armour of the Darvan warrior. The large body rocked and rolled off the blood drenched David. Reskeme glanced around the clearing, searching for any remaining warriors. Panting, he reached for the warrior's chest. Reskeme grasped for the handle of the sabre. Bracing with his foot, he pulled the weapon from the Darvan warrior's chest.

" Dad, wake up, wake up dad. Stop sleeping." said Alex, shaking his father's shoulder.

Rory crouched next to her father, tears streaming from her eyes. Reskeme looked over at the man, at his pale face and the blood pooling beneath him. Not to mention the tear in his side, Reskeme shudder. That wound, three tears in the man's shirt across his side, opening to the inner workings of his body. Leaning down, Reskeme watched closely. Watching for movement, waiting for any signs of life.

Nothing, no breathing. Just the slow leaking of blood as the man's life fluid covered the ground. Reskeme turned to the Two children. What was he going to do, how could he tell them? Staring him in the eyes, tears rolling down their cheeks.

" He is dead, isn't he? I can hear what you 're thinking." said Rory through wrenching sobs.

The faint pull of someone channeling mana faded as Rory cupped her face in her hands. Was that her? Reskeme knelt down next to the two.

" May he rest in the house of the war goddess." Reskeme said, gesturing to the sky.

"Mom, Mom, where is she?" said Rory

Wrapping the girl and the boy in an embrace, Reskeme hugged them fiercely. Unable to contain tears at their loss. He too had suffered like them, loosing his parents, left hungry and alone. That would not happen to these two. Not if he could help it. Reskeme would not let these two suffer his fate. Heart falling, he stares into their watery eyes. A lump rose in his throat. Swallowing back his memories and wiping his eyes, Reskeme stood.

Reskeme dug through David's pockets, finding five silver coins and a blood stained metal symbol. He placed them to the side, not sure what to do.

" I do not know your mother, but I will protect you until she comes to find you." said Reskeme

" Stand back Rory, take Alex to the river to wash off the blood." said Reskeme.

" But Daddy, I do not want to leave daddy." said Alex.

" Go on Rory, I do not want Alex to see this part." said Reskeme smiling at her.

Now came for the messy part, burying the dead. All he had was a sword that wasn't useful. What about flame? Sword in hand, Reskeme took several steps back. The proper funeral was a fire. Reskeme channeled mana, carefully creating one rune after the other, until four runes shimmered in the air, hovering around and above David.

Glancing over his shoulder, the blurry outlines of Rory embracing her younger brother as they watched the shimmering runes, mouths agape. Reskeme poured mana into the runes, the green fire drifting around the corpse sinking in. He made the wall of mana thick. Reskeme didn't want the two to watch as their father's body burned. Body shaking in exhaustion, Reskeme channeled his mana, holding his mana gauge, making sure he stopped before the blue completely emptied from the circle.

There was no explosion, just a whoosh of fire as the heat of the flames washed over them. The ground sizzled, and the odor of burning flesh drifted to his nose. Reskeme pushed away his sorrow, to the back of his mind, to where he kept his own loss. The runes faded, and all that remained from the green fire was ash swirling in the breeze.

" What are we going to do now?" said Rory

" I want Mommy. When is she coming back." said Alex?

Rory whispered in the boy's ear, his sobbing returning in dry sniffles as though he had run out of tears to cry.

" You can come with me to the north, I will keep you safe." said Reskeme.

Reskeme smiled at them, holding the saber up into the air. He was not confident, however, how could he possibly keep these two safe? He couldn't keep himself safe half of the time. Maybe he could find an orphanage across the border to take them in? No! Not If the orphanage was anything like the Orphanage in Drent. That foul place was merely a place to work the kids long hours and feed them very little.

Reskeme decided they should leave. Cleaning the blood from his sword and the scabbard, he gathered the bedrolls of the two children, tying them to his pack. Smiling down at them, he gestured to the road.

Reskeme passed the shiny token of the goddess of war, a yellow sword on a black field in the shape of a shield. He presented the token to the two children, their eyes lighting at the site. Rory took the token, passing it to Alex, who smiled.

" Lets go, when we get to the border we will have a hot meal and a safe place to sleep." said Reskeme.