Chapter Thirty
Kassen sat on the bank of the river. His knees pulled up and his head in his hands, tears falling between them and joining the evening dew on the grass.
Dergen was dead.
After Raliena had fallen, the only one quick enough to recover from the shock was Princess Sherin, who had launched herself at Dergen and stabbed him through the heart while he was still in disbelief at what had happened.
Sitnen had carefully taken her hands from the sword once Dergen had fallen to his knees and they watched the light fade from his eyes, his mouth opened as if to say something, then his body crumpled on the bridge.
Sherin had turned her face away and sobbed into Sitnen’s chest, while Derio placed a hand on Kassen’s shoulder. The weight of it and everything else, seemed to make him fall to his knees in anguish, but here by the river, where he sat now, was the first time he had cried.
They had been looking for days for Raliena’s body. Kassen had long accepted that not even she would have survived a fall like that, though he wanted desperately to be wrong.
He needed closure and the opportunity to put her to rest.
It was peaceful here, listening to the sound of the river. The full moon was just appearing on the horizon, the departing sun still warming his back.
Kassen had paid very little attention to the commotion of what happened after Raliena fell. Attashar’s army defeated the army from Namare. They had been on the move to Verxia when they received the letter from the messenger.
Verxia was now without a ruler or even some semblance of one. The leaders of the Lagania explained everything to the King of Attashar about what Dergen had been planning and the extent of his manipulation over the King. They even revealed Raliena’s gift to him now that she had gone.
They said it was time for them to come out of hiding and rebuild their Kingdom once more. They were searching for Raliena almost as much as Kassen was.
Kassen finally dragged his body from the floor and washed his unshaven, tearstained face in the river. He barely noticed a silver mane head, drink from the river next to him.
When he did he patted its neck, unperturbed by it being a Unisayan. He had become numb to unexpected things of nature.
When he stood the Unisayan nuzzled his neck. Kassen stroked its elegant neck.
“I can see why she could not do it...” He choked and fought the tears that threatened to surface again.
He began walking the length of the river once more. He had lost count of how many times he had done so already, but it was nice having the Unisayan for company this time. It stayed by his side as the sun disappeared and the stars were the only light.
He travelled in a haze much further down the river than he had before. The full moon lit up the route almost as well as the sun, making the ripples of the river dance downstream, as if joining him on the journey.
Eventually his tired feet could take him no further, and he just stood staring at nothing. He had had very little sleep and it was catching up with him.
The Unisayan paused in front of him and Kassen held onto it for support. A light caught his eye and he looked into the creature’s horn. The crystal reflected the light and he almost thought he could see through it. He briefly remembered what Raliena had told him about how the King had seen his departed wife through the crystal on the Unisayan statue and found himself staring harder at the horn, willing it to show him something, but it did not reveal its secrets to him.
Kassen closed his eyes and patted the Unisayan on the nose, his finger brushing past the horn. An image of the river flashed through his mind and he opened his eyes again.
He stared up at the animal beside him. It almost seemed to nod its head at him and Kassen tentatively reached out and placed one hand on the Unisayan’s horn. The animal closed its eyes, and the General followed suit.
Find her. His own voice said in his head without him thinking the words.
An image flew through his mind of the river where he was now, then it moved further downstream to where a figure lay on the bank, its body lying half out the water facedown, the river lapping at its feet trying to call it back to them.
Come...
Kassen opened his eyes as he let go of the Unisayan, then ran without hesitation onwards, to where he knew Raliena would be. He spotted the figure and knew at once it was her. She was lying exactly as he had seen it from the Unisayan and her long curly hair made her unmistakeable, even dark as it was, from the wet of the river.
The General ran to her and grabbed her up in his arms sobbing like a baby. He knew she was dead. Her skin was ice cold and her chest did not move. She would have been in the river for too long to revive her.
Kassen pulled her hair away from her face and caressed her cheek. He tried to wash the muck from her face with his sleeve. Tears from him traced lines in the mud on the cheek she had been laying on.
He cradled her in his arms so long he did not notice the Unisayan had left and returned again with a group of the Lagania who had been searching for Raliena with him.
Kassen looked up when a woman he had learnt was called Yaline, touched his arm. She had tears in her eyes, as did the rest of the Lagania.
He looked around him then back down at Raliena’s lifeless body. It was not her anymore.
The General allowed her to be removed from his grasp and placed on the Unisayan that had helped him. The Lagania laid her carefully on its back and they all walked with him in silence. Kassen holding onto its mane.
They reached a place in the forest that had been laced with flowers and lanterns that hung from the trees.
They must have prepared it ready for when they found her, Kassen thought but felt nothing, he had noticed so little about what had been happeing around him.
He lifted Raliena down from the Unisayan and placed her carefully on the wood altar in the centre of the clearing, but did not leave her side, even as people placed more flowers around her, white ones for the colour of the Lagania.
The short journey here had dried her and her hair looked almost arranged in the way it framed her face. Her peaceful looking face.
All remained silent in the dark. A few sobs could be heard now and then until another sound reach the clearing. One of hooves.
Kassen looked up to see a Unisayan stood opposite him next to Raliena’s head. It was the same one that had shown him to her and he was soon joined by many other males, all with horns.
Kassen stared at them all and felt someone gently pull him away from the altar. Too bereaved to resist, he watched from a distance as all the Unisayan surrounding Raliena’s body, graciously bent their heads to her and presented their horns.
All together, their horns turned from solid silver colour to translucent crystal, which began to shine multicoloured lights around the clearing, and dance on the faces of the people watching in awe, as Raliena’s body was filled with the light, and she looked almost as crystal.
Her face gradually became pinker and her skin cleared of the grime from the river and looked like silk, as did her clothes.
Kassen shielded his eyes at the sound of shattering glass echoing round the clearing and the coloured lights disappeared. When he looked again he saw that the Unisayan’s horns had broken into a thousand pieces of crystal that still floated around the Araman.
The hornless Unisayan’s stepped back, their heads still bowed and missing the one thing that marked them as what they were. The crystals one by one began to change into water droplets, and fell to the ground slowly. Most of the Lagania sank to their knees in prayer.
Kassen stepped forward to look at Raliena once the droplets had all fallen and lay as a glittering carpet around the altar.
Kassen took in the change in Raliena. She looked clean and angelic, her clothes had somehow remained white once the Unisayan had left and she had glinting silver streaks in her hair that made her look even more
like an angel than she had the first precious time they had met.
Kassen sighed at the sight of her and traced his fingers over her perfect red lips relished the feeling of her warmth over his fingers before he registered what it meant.
“She is warm.” Kassen wondered, turning to the Lagania. They looked blankly at him, even apologetic.
“They have preserved her body from aging.” The leader of the Lagania said quietly and came to stand beside him. His expression was so sorrowful. “The nature that the Unisayan and the Armon are made from cannot take her, nor will she wake.”
“If that is possible then there must be a way to revive her.” Kassen pleaded desperately.
“Only she would be able to do that herself, but her ability died when Dergen did. The bond they made is unbreakable. Without her powers she cannot be revived.” Jaya placed a hand on Kassen’s shoulder. “They have given a great gift to her by sacrificing their horns. She will not be forgotten.”
Kassen bowed his head over Raliena’s body. Jaya stepped away so he could be alone and slowly the Lagania left him to grieve in peace.
The sun was beginning to rise when Kassen finally looked up. He was alone in the forest except for one pure white horse stood opposite him, the stump on its head the only indication that it was once more than just an animal.
“A great gift...” Kassen whispered to no one in particular. He was not even sure why he had said it, till he remembered something that had happened on the bridge. The days since had been so heartbreaking, he had forgotten all about hearing Raliena’s voice in his head, just before she fell and a shiver had run through him.
It had not made any sense to him and still did not now. What could she give him? The only thing she had to give at that time?
Kassen looked down at his hands, barely believing the possibility of it. He had no wounds from the battle, no cuts or bruises from being beaten and attacked by Lishini’s men. Was it possible? Was that all it would take?
He looked back at the horse and then down at Raliena and placed one hand carefully on the side of her still cold face, then bent down close and whispered lovingly in her ear.
“I give you what is mine to give...”