Chapter 37. Aftermath

bony awakened to a shrill scream in the womb of night. Both of her cats were curled beside her head, shuddering and silent, their sleek muscles tensed to run. She had grown accustomed to Sheba staying with Pendaran until morning when she trotted back with a yawn and a nonchalant shrug of her rump against Ebony’s shin as if to say she had done her duty and now expected her reward of fish or chicken. That she had come back early was the second sign something was terribly wrong.

“Smells like smoke, darlings,” she murmured, as much to reassure herself as her precious cats. She rolled out of the high bed with a low moan of pain as her knees protested the sudden return of her weight. Someone was banging on her door and the sounds of panicked voices fluttered through the corridor outside her rooms. Ebony staggered into her little sitting room and fumbled with the lock until she discovered Mai’s stricken form awaiting her outside.

“Fire, Mistress Starfall. Come!”

“Oh dear,” she murmured, moving instinctively toward the wardrobe where she had put the two leather-bound carrying cages for Sheba and Abbas.

“Come!” Mai cried, her eyes round with fear.

“Not without my cats,” she protested, shuffling back toward her bedroom and dreading that her cats would give her the run around. To her surprise, they remained docile and did not complain over much when she thrust each inside their cage and closed the clasp. Mai hurriedly filled a wicker basket with clothes as Ebony threw her weathered shoulder pouch over her chest and heard the comforting rattle of her potions and tinctures. She grabbed her staff on the way out, barely able to juggle it while holding the cages containing her now terrified cats.

By that time, the narrow corridor was already thick with choking smoke and people were scrambling past her carrying valuables and clothing. She noted with horror that one of the warriors was carrying Pendaran wrapped in blankets. What in the name of the five gods had happened to him? He looked terrible. She rushed after them but it was a losing proposition old and weighed down with cats as she was. Mai was struggling behind her but they reached the broad entry hall and the door at last.

Once outside in the courtyard she could see the extent of the flames darting like greedy tongues through the ruined windows of the second floor. Only then did she hear the lamentations of many of the servants and saw that several of them were being restrained by the others. They were calling Bei’s name as if imploring him to come out and she realized, to her dismay, that it must be his rooms that were alight.

Pendaran’s wife, Teleri, stood sobbing on her own in the far corner of the yard amid a cluster of servants. Sweet little Mabane as pressed against her, forlorn and frightened as his mother was lost to grief.

“Where is Pendaran!” she cried, her voice shrill and panicked as she cast around the crowded yard. There were so many milling about in confusion.

“I saw him,” Ebony said gently, hobbling toward the young woman, “One of the warriors was carrying him.”

Teleri swallowed, her tear-streaked face glistening in the firelight as she gazed upon Ebony.

“Oh gods,” she whimpered, “Master Bei’s rooms are up there. Has anyone seen him?”

Ebony shook her head, deciding to stay with Teleri. She seemed so alone, almost childlike in her grief and fear. Not understanding the local language must have made her feel isolated now that she and Pendaran had separated.

There was a bucket brigade working frantically to fight the fire but it was too little, too late. By the time they had broken the crust of ice in the well and drawn the first water into the open, the entire upper floor was ablaze. The fire had gotten a healthy start and was now blossoming upon the rooftop, the ornamental dragons perched above the sweep of the eaves were now melting in the heat of the blaze. The best they could do was try to protect the neighboring buildings and pray the fire did not leap to one of them.

Mai found Ebony again and tugged on her arm, then waved to someone else in the yard. Xiang Yi, the monk she had seen at Master Bei’s side, came forth, his face lined with pain and concern. The two of them conversed briefly in Canthan, then the monk nodded and bowed to Ebony and Teleri.

“We will gather your items onto a handcart. It is not safe here, we must leave now. Please stay here until we come for you.”

“Has there been any sign of Master Bei?”

“I fear he is dead,” the monk said quietly, “The fire started in his room and it burned too violently for any of us to venture within. We were lucky to get everyone else out safely.”

“Pendaran?” Teleri cried, “Where is he?”

Xiang Yi nodded to a nearby cluster of servants and guild members. The same warrior that had borne him past Ebony now held the man’s limp form in his arms.

“Is he alright?” Teleri demanded.

“Yes, I saw to him. He had a rough night and I sedated him. It is probably just as well that he sleeps now. The morning will dawn harsh for him.”

Xiang Yi then nodded and hurried toward another cluster of survivors. Ebony glanced at Teleri and saw that she and her son were staring tearfully at Pendaran. Setting down the two howling cats in their cages, she braced herself with her staff and hobbled over to the warrior.

“Hello,” she announced and the large muscular figure turned his head to regard her. She pointed toward Teleri and Mabane and the man’s features brightened with recognition. He strode slowly toward them, careful not to disturb Pendaran’s slumber. Teleri fell upon him tenderly, her hands stroking the damp hair from his face before she kissed him upon the forehead. He showed no sign of waking and the low sough of his breath indicated that whatever Xiang Yi had administered to him, he had not intended Pendaran to wake up for several hours.

A half dozen servants arrived with a hand cart drawn in their midst. They immediately loaded the cats and clothes Mai had gathered as well as the baskets of items perched around Teleri. When they were done, they indicated the back section was meant for them to sit upon and, given the state of her knees, Ebony decided not to protest this time. There was such urgency in the way they moved it was best to follow along, she decided. Mabane was curled between the packages and his mother’s back, his pale eyes repeatedly flicking toward Pendaran. The two adults sat facing backwards, their legs dangling above the icy cobbles as the servants dutifully trotted along. In no time at all they had left behind the polished buildings around Crystal Palm and were threading through dark alleys and between the grim walls of slum tenements. She was glad to see the warrior that carried Pendaran had come along as well as four of his equally muscular friends.

She realized that she was holding her breath as the blackened streets swallowed them. No one stirred and she prayed it would stay that way until they reached wherever it was they were going. To her immense relief they emerged into another yard, passing beneath a wide gateway, another compound. Before she could express her gratitude, however, she realized the place was a ruin. It had been burned and demolished some time ago and all that remained were the tattered skeletons of buildings and trees that had once brought beauty to a courtyard.

The ground became too rough for the cart to continue. The servants drew it to a halt and began unloading everything at once. Ebony bit her lip against a cry of surprise as one of the more burly men scooped her into his arms and carried her through the uneven remains of the structures toward the faint glow of a lantern. She heard the faint murmur of voices and saw a pair of Tyrians she did not recognize but whom Teleri clearly knew. The young woman immediately rushed into the man’s arms and embraced him tightly as she wept into his long jacket. Ebony was grateful when she was carefully set back on her feet and heard the familiar howl of her cats nearby.

“Come with me,” the woman standing beside the gangling figure said. She had sharp features and lustrous black hair bound up like a regal crown upon her proud head. Mabane was at his mother’s side once more as their things were unloaded onto an ornate pattern of stonework that shimmered faintly.

“Stand here, please,” the woman said to Ebony as her things were set down beside her.

“Uriel, I am going to stay with my sister when we get back. I’ll send Mog or Lemony in my place.”

“Mog. From what I’ve heard, Lemony is not going to take the news well.”

“I want Pen with me,” Teleri wept, “Murdi, will you make sure he comes with us?”

The man nodded his head grudgingly but the look on his weathered face as he guided the warrior holding Pendaran onto the stonework revealed his contempt for the mesmer. Ebony frowned, wondering what the story was there.

“Geetha, come now,” Teleri called, her voice weak with exhaustion and pain. Ebony nearly jumped out of her skin when an enormous wild cat of a variety she did not know moved silently from the shadows and came to sit obediently at the woman’s feet. Sheba and Abbas grew suddenly silent, their fear palpable.

“We’re going to travel to the location of the new guild hall,” said Uriel, “Please do not break contact with me or Morisedd until we are safely arrived.”

Uriel absently took Ebony’s hand and when Morisedd gave the word, a blinding flash of white light encircled them and it seemed the ground shifted under Ebony’s feet. Then, barely a moment later, sunlight dazzled her eyes and they stood in an overgrown garden in the shadow of an immense building and the protective embrace of high walls.

“Come this way,” said Morisedd. There were people waiting for their arrival and they immediately came forward to gather up the baskets and crates leaving Ebony free to walk unencumbered. They moved past the long wall of the great hall and heard the sounds of hammering and chiseling ringing from the building’s rooftop. Emerging into a wide courtyard, she was struck by the sound of children’s laughter and saw them skipping and romping over the mossy cobbles like a flock of carefree birds. The outer walls were lined with rows of tents and colorful pavilions of varying sizes and shapes. There was an almost carnival atmosphere to the place.

“Do you have any preference where you would like to stay?” asked the one called Morisedd.

“Master Bei asked me to look after Pendaran. I will go where he goes for the nonce.”

Morisedd nodded and turned to regard Teleri.

“Uriel and I are in that tent. There is room enough for both you and Mabane, but not for Pendaran and his guardian. The tent beside it has room for four currently. Where do you wish to stay?”

“If Pen can be in the tent next door, I will stay with you.”

Ebony was stunned, but she said nothing as Morisedd guided them toward their new homes. She silently followed the warrior into the tent she would now share with Pendaran and thanked the man as he helped lay him out on the bedding that awaited him there. For the next hour she huddled on her low cot staring at the closed door flap while her cats paced and panted within the small enclosure. Finally they curled up beside her and slept.

“Where am I?” came a thin voice. Ebony had nodded off and awakened abruptly, her head bobbing up with a painful pop of her neck. Pendaran had rolled onto his side and was trying to get up.

“The new guild hall in Kryta somewhere,” Ebony replied, “At least that’s what I gather from things I can overhear outside. Would you like me to get you some water?”

“Where is Zhou?” he rasped, an edge of fear in his voice. How could he have guessed something was amiss? He had slept through everything.

“At this time, no one knows for sure,” she replied, dancing around the truth for the sake of keeping him calm. Whatever the monk had given him, he had awakened in a bad state and was only half-conscious, “I’ll get some water, alright? Just relax.”

Ebony rose stiffly, glancing back at him as she stepped outside and pegged the cloth flap back in place. She scanned the yard and saw a long pavilion with one side open to the air. Many people were milling about and the smell of cooking food drifted from within. She strode boldly toward the crowd and asked about for a bowl of water until someone fulfilled her wish and three pillowy rounds of warm flatbread were placed in her hand. There were some advantages to being old.

She ambled back to her tent and found Pendaran sitting curled over around his bundled legs, his face pressed into his hands and knees and his body racked with sobs. The blankets that he had come wrapped in had fallen away but modesty was currently the furthest thing from his mind. Poor tormented soul. Setting the bread and water aside, she took up one of her shawls and draped it gently around his shoulders.

“I’m here if you need anything,” she murmured, placing a hand upon his back.

“I can’t find him,” Pendaran sobbed, “Where is he. Tell me.”

“Give me your hands.”

“No,” he moaned.

His was a pose of utter desolation, a body so wracked with anguish he had no choice but to curl into a ball and try desperately to hold himself together. Ebony had seen it before and it broke her heart to see it again in this poor sweet man. The low hacking cries coming from his throat cut into her like knives. It was terrible.

She considered asking him if it was okay to hold him. Another pair of arms always helped to hold one together in times of loss. He was proud and he would reject it but his need was great. Despite the pain in her old body, she knelt on the ground beside him and gathered him against her. What little semblance of man he had been able to maintain now crumbled into a frightened boy. He was lost to grief now and he cried for his parents and all those he had lost whose comfort he craved and had gone too long without.

Eventually he grew silent and clung to her, his only witness. She dried the tears from his face and rocked him until it seemed he was asleep once more, escaping now from the pain of his existence into oblivion.

“How did he die?”

Ebony stroked his crown, not sure how to answer.

“There was a fire. It was too hot for anyone to go in after him and he did not come out.”

“He was murdered,” Pendaran replied, his voice low and raspy, “I will not rest until he is avenged.”

“We do not know that. Grief and exhaustion are not friends of good decisions. Set aside your need for vengeance for a little while.”

“Did he tell you to look after me?”

“Yes, he did.”

Pendaran smiled faintly, his eyes still closed as he shut the world out.

“I’m glad.”

Poor man, she thought as new tears poured silently down his face. Wearied by grief, he eventually grew slack in her arms and she laid him out to sleep once more. She drew a blanket over him and clasped his hand as she resolved to keep an eye on him. Hopefully someone would stop by and check in on them. She needed to attend to her own body but she was afraid to leave Pendaran alone.