Amendments (15 page)

Chapter 16

Retribution

              It had been six short weeks since Grandel went undercover to help the people who called themselves Returners.  In that time, Grandel helped make two blacksmith forges, seven men who were becoming better and better at blacksmithing every day, over forty spears with metal tips, ten swords, and two metal shields.  He had also recruited a total of ninety-three men and women in his army.

              Isis soared overhead and sent images of Grandel's small army practicing in the field south of the Returner's settlement.  About one third of the population of the Returners were part of Grandel's army in some way or another.  Most of them were still fresh recruits, but Grandel was getting more and more confident that these people would be able to survive in this harsh world on their own.

              Grandel had done most everything he had come to do and he was proud of his work.  Even though Grandel knew he could never redeem himself, he was doing what he could..

              “The reason you put your non-dominant hand farther back,” Grandel explained to a new recruit while fixing his hold on a spear, “is because it not only gives you greater thrusting power, but if you must release your dominant hand, you can lunge forward from the back of the weapon and gain even more reach.”

              “I see, Octavius”  The man adjusted his grip and performed another thrust.”

              “Yes.  Just don't twist your wrists.  The simplest motion is usually the--”

              Grandel's brain suddenly exploded with emotions from the sye connection with Isis.  Pain, fear, confusion, and a sense of falling made Grandel collapse to the ground.  Instinctively, he looked up to where Isis had been circling the training field in lazy circles.  He caught sight of the hawk plummeting from the sky with an arrow shaft sticking from her breast.

              “No!” Grandel yelled and started a mad sprint to where the animal was falling.  He dashed between startled recruits and pushed aside stray Returners going about their daily duties to get to where the animal was plummeting.

              Grandel almost made it in time to catch the hawk, but she landed with an earthy thump.  She screeched in pain and flopped on the ground.  Her beautiful wings were sadly useless splayed on the ground.  Grandel scooped her up into his arms.  Terror and pain came through the sye connection.  Grandel felt as if he had been shot as well.

              “Luxin Adeel!” he screamed!  He looked wildly around at the people staring.  “Send for Luxin Adeel at once!”

              A frightened woman that Grandel recognized as a helper from the healer's tent said, “She's not here today.  She's up in New Talik.”

              “Then send for Luxin Solrius!  She will be able to help.”

              “I am here,” came the deep, soothing woman's voice.  Grandel turned to see the facade that Fafnir had given herself to blend in with Talik and the Returners.

              “Luxin... please....” was all Grandel could say as he handed Fafnir the now silent and still hawk.

              “I will try to help.”  Fafnir placed the hawk down tenderly on her back and spread out her wings.  The arrow stuck out from the hawk's breast toward Fafnir.

              A crowd was forming around Grandel, Fafnir, and Isis.  They were innocently curious about what was happening, but Grandel suddenly realized these people could blow his cover if they gossiped.  They, or others, might put the pieces together.  However, Grandel didn't care at that moment.  He watched Fafnir work with anxiousness.

              Fafnir pressed her hands against Isis' breast in a circle around the arrow wound.  The arrow slowly backed out from the wound as if the body was pushing it away as it healed.  After a long moment, the arrow teetered, and then fell harmlessly on the ground.  Fafnir pressed her right hand flat over the wound for another moment, then suddenly Isis started flapping and moving with fervor.

              Fafnir stood up and Isis instantly righted herself and took flight above the crowd's heads.  Through the sye connection, Grandel sensed confusion but relief.  There was no pain or terror.  Grandel bowed deeply to Fafnir.  “Luxin Solrius.  You have my eternal gratitude.”

              Before Fafnir could respond, the crowd erupted in questions and complaints.  “It's just a hawk.  Why does he care?”

              “That bird could have been a meal!”

              “Why heal a hawk?”

              Grandel stood erect and looked at the people around him.  He realized just how suspicious this story would seem.  Word would spread through the settlement in no time.  Fafnir receded into the crowd of people.

              Grandel's eyes fell on Menoh emerging from the crowd.  The man now wore a white and purple robe with a large Lumin symbol on the front and back.  The two wings that sprouted from a single, vertical line showed brightly in the afternoon sun.  Grandel saw with shock that the man was holding a bow in one hand and several arrows in the other.

              Menoh put up his hands to silence the crowd.  After the crowd became silent, Menoh said in a malevolent way, “Sir Octavius, why do you care for that hawk so much?  It is just a bird.”

              Grandel squared off with the man and tried to hide his hatred as much as he could, though he was pretty sure he was doing an inadequate job of it.  “She is my pet.  I raised her from a chick.”

              “Interesting,” Menoh said calmly.  He started to circle Grandel in a slow, confident walk.  “I know of another man who has a pet hawk exactly like that one.  Tell me,
Octavius
,” he hissed, “do you think it an odd coincidence that General Grandel of Talik—the murderer of our people and cause for our slavery—has a pet hawk?  Also, no one has seen General Grandel or his pet in New Talik since you showed up here.”

              Grandel couldn't help but grit his teeth.  It was obvious the man had figured him out.  There was a chance the people nearby wouldn't believe such a thing was possible, so he continued to deny it.  “I don't know anything about this Grandel person or his hawk.  What's it got to do with me?”

              Menoh continued to walk in a large, lazy circle around Grandel.  The crowd had sensed something strange was happening and had receded back in a larger circle to watch.  “It is common knowledge in Talik that General Grandel and Luxin Adeel have a relationship.  Can you explain to me, Octavius
,
why you were seen being close with her in the healing tent just a few weeks ago?  Either you are actually Grandel, or Adeel has multiple partners.  Is Adeel a--”

              “Shut it, Menoh!” Grandel spat out.  The man had successfully enraged him.  Menoh had figured him out and had enough proof to convince the other people of it as well.  There was no more need for the ruse.  “Yes, I am Grandel!”  The crowd gasped.  Many stepped back, but some stepped forward as though they wanted to strike the man in front of them.  “I am the man responsible for many evils against your people years ago!  I am eternally sorrowful for my past, but I have done
nothing
but try to redeem myself to your people since.”

              Menoh finally stopped circling Grandel and now stood in front of him.  “
Redeem
yourself?”  Menoh took a step forward and looked Grandel in the eyes with hatred.  “We were
enslaved
because of you!  All of us lost years of our lives in a fog of abuse because of you.  Many of us had family members slain by your very own hand, and you speak of redemption!”  Menoh turned to the audience and pointed at Grandel.  “If Grandel wants redemption, he should give us back all the years that we were slaves!  How many collective years of our lives were wasted in that state?  Thousands?  Tens of thousands?”  Menoh turned back to Grandel.  “If you want redemption, you should suffer as much as each of us has suffered.  You should pay us back the time we lost.  You should rot in a cell for all the years that are owed to us.”

              Many in the crowd cheered.  Some still looked skeptical.  Others flung curses Grandel's way.  However, the ones that hurt Grandel the most were the people who looked at him as though a friend had betrayed them.  He had been foolish to think he could ever begin to repay these people for what he did.

              “Take him!” Menoh called.  Men swarmed around Grandel.  In desperation, Grandel looked where Fafnir had gone, but she had disappeared.  Grasping hands gripped Grandel's arms and a blow came down on his head sending him into darkness.

~~~

              “Isis, I'm fine,” Grandel blurted out.  Realizing he'd actually spoken the words pulled Grandel out of his slumber.  The hawk had been repeatedly sending him queries of his well-being.  Grandel sat up with a start when he remembered the previous events.  He instantly cried out from pain.  He looked down at his body and studied it.  He had bruises, scratch marks on his arms and blood on his shirt.  His head ached fiercely.  They had beaten him after he'd passed out.

              Isis again sent a frightened, wordless question.  He could sense she was nearby in a tree on the edge of the forest.  Grandel sent back a feeling of comfort and safety in return.  In response he received an image of her clawing at Menoh's face with her talons.  Grandel chuckled and sent back a negative reaction mixed with happiness which would translate to something like, “No, but I appreciate the sentiment,” for the hawk.  The realization of how close he'd come to losing the companion terrified Grandel.

              Grandel groaned and lay back down.  He looked at his surroundings.  It was night, but he could only see the sky through wooden beams.  Looking around farther revealed he was enclosed in a wooden prison of thin beams.

              Grandel sent a question to Isis.  He sent images of the sun setting and rising again over and over.  She responded with only one sunset and one moon rising.  It was still the same day that Menoh had discovered him.  But Grandel realized that couldn't be right.  This cage would have taken more time than that to build.  Menoh must have known for a while about the ruse and built the cage beforehand.  Also, Menoh let Grandel continue to train his men while knowing who he was.  The man was shrewd.  He'd used Grandel like a tool until Menoh had no need of him anymore.

              “Grandel.  Are you awake?”

              Grandel turned to Adeel's voice but didn't see her.  He squinted through the bars.  “Adeel?  Where are you?” he whispered.

              “You can't see me.  I'm bending light around me with lux.  I'm glad you're alright.”

              “You were right, Adeel.  I'm a fool.  I will never redeem myself.  These people don't want my help.”

              “Yeah, I know I'm always right, but let's talk about that later.  Come to the bars and I can heal you.  I would have done it while you were asleep, but you were in the middle of--”

              “No.  I do not want to be healed.  I deserve--”

              Adeel scoffed.  “More of this 'what you deserve' crap?  Grandel, you've done amazing things for these people over and over.  When will you stop this?”

              “When they are truly free.”

              “Grandel, they
are
!  You've done everything possible for them.  Now stop being ridiculous and let me heal you.  Then we can talk about breaking you out.”

              “N--”

              “And don't say 'no'!”

              “Adeel, I am sorry but this is my choice, not yours.  I need to do this or I will never be able to move on.  I need to let these people do to me what they want.  I
need
it, Adeel.”

              Adeel paused for a long moment.  Grandel heard the woman sniff and realized she was crying.  Eventually, through sobs she said, “What about
my
needs.  I
need
you
, Grandel!”

              “Adeel,” Grandel said as he painfully pushed himself up again.  “I'm sorry.  I never want to hurt you.”

              She didn't respond.  Grandel heard the faint sound of feet retreating north toward New Talik.  Grandel stood slowly and found that his legs were fine, but his head swam with pain.  Bruises and scratches would heal, but he was worried about his head.

              Grandel surveyed the cage once more.  The moonlight was adequate to see his surroundings.  Hand-made nails held boards together.  The nails were bent at the tip for extra stability.  He wouldn't be able to get out on his own.

              Grandel did some painful stretches and exercises to test his body.  It made his head pound more, but his body seemed fine.  Eventually, Grandel sat in the middle of his cage to think.

              Some people were still out doing their daily chores.  Since it was winter, the night came on early.  He guessed the time was around seven or eight.

              “Um, Octavius?” a young boy's voice whispered.  Grandel sighed.  He recognized Jarek's voice.  The boy seemed scared.

              “You know what my real name is now, Jarek.  Call me Grandel.”

              “Um, okay.  Grandel, I... I'm sorry.  It's my fault.”