Doira'Liim (The Beautiful Whisper of the Goddess Saga) (51 page)

     Now, Lao'dahn was not a man skilled in tracking. He was not a man skilled with a bow or with swords. Among his peers, his abilities were fair, but nothing spectacular. The one thing Lao'dahn was skilled in was staves. He had trained with them since he was old enough to hold one. Seeing two blades flying through the air toward his body, Lao'dahn's years of training took a hold of him. He acted on instinct.

     The staff in his hands, despite the pain in his shoulder and on his arm, came up and out deflecting the blow from Arizira's left sabre. Quickly, he twirled the staff down and around in a masterful display and blocked the attack from the right sabre. Adrenaline pumped through his veins and made it easy for him to ignore the pain he felt.

     Arizira landed on the ground and jumped back away from Lao'dahn. So, the man had
some
skill after all. She smirked. Her eyes scanned the area around her and looked for anything advantageous. She noticed Talliea huddled on the ground behind Lao'dahn. Blood marred the left side of her face and a nasty bruise colored her jaw. The sight brought her pain and a greater determination.

     How dare this being bring harm to her beloved! This was the man who had haunted Talliea's dreams! This was the man who had walked in the shadows of her footsteps! This man had assaulted Talliea and caused her panic and grief and terror and now, he sought to destroy what she and Talliea had made together.

     Talliea's eyes found Arizira's and the two of them shared a silent moment. "Here to save the day, savage?" Lao'dahn taunted. Arizira turned her eyes to his and she hissed at him again. "Can you not speak? No matter. Talliea is returning to her people. There is no need for you to interfere."

     Arizira advanced on him, taking the offensive, and the next several minutes were a blur to any onlookers. Arizira's blades moved at such speeds it was hard for even Talliea to keep track of them. To his credit, Lao'dahn managed to deflect or block most of the attacks, but was unable to form any of his own. The wound in his shoulder was beginning to wear him down. It was starting to get harder to bring his staff up. He managed a quick thrust when he saw an opening.

     Arizira jerked to the side and avoided a glancing blow from the end of Lao'dahn's staff. She brought both of her sabres up and over her back to block an opportunistic strike meant to disable her. Rolling forward she came up swiftly again and, as she was turning back toward Lao'dahn, swung her left arm out behind her. The end of her sabre grazed Lao'dahn's hands and ripped his skin open. The staff fell to the ground as a startled and pained cry came from its owner's lips.

     Lao'dahn, furious now and even more pressed for time, screamed and launched himself at his attacker. He hoped his greater bulk would work in his favor. Arizira smirked at him again, leaped to the side, and slammed the pommel of her left blade into Lao'dahn's back. She kicked him in the side of the face as he landed in the dirt. Lao'dahn managed to back away from her before she could do any further harm to him.

     Arizira stood and watched him. Sweat was heavy upon her brow and her hair was wild around her angelic face. She sheathed her left sabre and walked toward Lao'dahn where he sat upon the snow covered ground nursing his wounds. She brought the tip of her right sabre to the soft skin underneath his chin.

     "The animal speaks," she said, her accent heavier in her exerted state. "Back away from your weapon." Lao'dahn looked up into her eyes with all the defiance he could muster. He could not believe he had been bested by a woman and that that same woman was now giving him orders. "How many more of you are there?" he asked as he backed away.

     Arizira kept her sabre under his chin as the two of them moved. She chanced a quick glance in Talliea's direction and noticed her exhausted face. "That is a concern that is not yours," she answered. "Tah-li, come."

     Talliea struggled to her feet. Her body groaned in protest at such movement. The blood on her face was now dry and she could feel the cold and moist snow clinging to her clothing. She took a step toward Arizira when the sound of many voices came from the forest.

     "This way! The lights came from this direction!" a masculine voice declared.

  
  Lat'sa'val.
There were others looking for her. They must have noticed the lights from Lao'dahn's attacks and were now heading in their direction! Talliea shook her head as new tears formed in her brown eyes. Arizira had beat Lao'dahn, but how would she fare against several of the
Lat'sa'val
? Talliea could not risk it. Arizira had to leave! She had to get away before the others noticed her!

     "Go!" Talliea said suddenly. Her voice was thick with her emotions. Arizira turned her head in that curious manner Talliea loved so much. "Not without you," she replied simply.

     "There is no time, love! You must make haste! Go!" Looking back into Lao'dahn's hateful eyes, Arizira pressed the blade of the sabre into the skin of his neck until it drew blood. "I can end his life and we can both escape, Tah-li! I am not leaving here without you!"

     The voices of the
Lat'sa'val
grew closer. It was only a matter of minutes now. "You are not a killer, Ari!" Talliea pressed. "You must go! For me!"

     Tears, matching Talliea's, came to life in Arizira's eyes. This could not be the end for them. They could both escape! They could get away! Together! Arizira held Lao'dahn's eyes before withdrawing her blade, turning it in her hand, and slamming the butt of the sabre into the side of the man’s head. The blow knocked him unconscious.

     "We are leaving, Tah-li. Your people will not catch us," she said grabbing Talliea's wrist and pulling her away from Lao'dahn with the intent of them both fleeing.  They took only a few steps when they were spotted by one of the approaching men. "There!" the man cried out. "I see her, but she is not alone!"

     Arizira pulled on Talliea's wrist again, this time more frantically, and they were moving again. "Quickly!" she cried, "We must be away from here." A bolt of light slammed into a nearby tree, blasting its bark to pieces, and barely missed hitting Arizira's shoulder. The sounds of pursuit grew and were now coming from many different directions. The men were spreading out in an attempt to close in on them.

     Arizira searched for a safe route of escape. She heard a yell of excitement behind her and knew Lao'dahn had been discovered. "Faster, Tah-li!" she said and continued to pull on her love's wrist. "No," Talliea said slowing their trek. "I am a weight upon your heels, love."

     Arizira could feel herself losing her composure. Her tears were blurring her vision and her body was beginning to shake. The sounds of Talliea's people were easily picked up by her keen ears. They were close. Too close. There wasn't enough time. No. No.
No
.

    "
Failira
..." she cried in a choked sob. Talliea grabbed Arizira's face in her hands and caressed her lips with her thumbs. "You told me if I asked it of you, it was done. I am asking this of you: Live, Ari. Live for me, please. Go before my people find you here."

     Crying now, Arizira fought to make herself understood over her emotions. She felt as if she was being ripped apart from the inside out. "I can not live without you, Tah-li. I need you. This will destroy me, destroy us. Come with me.
Please
."

     Talliea finally let her own sobs take over her body. She cried with Arizira before pulling her into a tight hug. This was the last time she was going to touch Arizira. She tried to make it count, tried to burn into her memory every smell, every taste, every caress.

     "I love you, too. I love you so much," she whispered before kissing Arizira's lips softly. "I will come for you,
failira
," Arizira promised against her lips. "I will take you from them ere you reach your camp." As soon as they moved away from each other, four men burst through the trees around them. One was to their left with two on their right. They quickly moved in together when a fourth man came up from behind. Talliea instantly recognized the man and her heart sank.

     Markahn.

      Each man was well armed. Markahn looked into Talliea's face, both stunned and happy, before reaching for her and yanking her body away from Arizira. The other men raised their weapons and looked upon the Arniran woman with unbelieving eyes. None of them knew what to make of her. Talliea felt Markahn's arms around her waist pulling her farther away from the fray.

     "Pai'sis! Liraj!"
she screamed in the Arniran language, the words coming to her from Arizira's memories and telling her love to go and to run.

     Arizira whirled around and faced the other three men preparing to attack her. She ran toward them, the sabre still in her hand brushing away the first blow aimed at her. As she passed the man, she kicked him in the back and sent him falling to the ground. The next man raised a two-handed hammer in her direction, but she dived out of the way, coming up gracefully in time to raise her sabre to block an attack by the third man.

     She did not offer a return strike. Instead, she kept running, quickly picking up her bow and quiver and making her way into denser forest.

    
"Esulan yir Ahmanae! Mir'el Tahlet Vallah!"
were the last words she heard from Talliea as she put more and more distance between herself and her attackers. Everything in her desired to turn around and face the men. She could fight them and rescue Talliea and the two of them could run away, but she did not stop.

     Her thoughts were too chaotic. Talliea had begged her to run, to save herself. She had seemed certain that Arizira was in danger. Could Arizira risk being harmed by the men and have Talliea be witness to it? No, she had to gather their supplies and track the party from the trees. That was her best chance. It alone lowered the risks involved.

     As she ran, Arizira replayed Talliea's words to her again. They had been in Arniran and their meaning was peculiar.
'Esulan yir Ahmanae! Mir'el Tahlet Vallah!'

    
Ahmanae is Esulan. Like Tahlet Vahllah.