The Tales of Miriela: Shadowborn

Chapter 29: Tallion

Cold and wet, Tallion's teeth clapped together and his body shivered. His mind was still unsure of what had occurred. Disoriented under the bright light of the sun, he lent his weight to a nearby tree. He ran his fingers through his long dark hair, and wiped the water from his eyes. His breath was labored. Water had nearly filled his lungs full, and the weight of the water drug his heavy body to the ground. Tallion sat, scared and defeated, with his head buried in his cold, wet hands.

His mind raced, aa he attempted to piece together broken memories. The well, the Revolution, the men all ready for attack, the Vanguard approaching. Just when the Vanguard seemed poised to take his life, a rush of water buried them all in a silent grave. He could still feel his heart, pound against his chest, matching the march of the Vanguard soldiers. He could still hear them, their chain mail clanging, their voices echoing. But no march of men or jostle of armor could match the thunderous rush of water.

The power of rushing water, running against the stone walls of the well. It became stronger as it ran through the tunnel, swallowing each man that stood in its path. No armor, no trained soldier was a match for the invincible foe. Tallion had never before seen so many men crushed with such ease. Men's heads thrashed against stone, others drowned.

With all of the memories and realizations that began to fill Tallion's thoughts, his true fear remained in that which he did not know. Ferenor had other wells and his brothers lead attacks of their own. Anxiety filled Tallion's body. Gurthum and Rowland were fixated on his brain. Had he made a mistake allowing them to fight? If they were dead, it was blood on his hands. Tallion ran as fast as his cold damaged feet would take him. He ran for the Stone Well.

Each step became heavier than the last, Tallion's boots were covered in mud. He fought to lift his legs from the ground and battled to escape the mud's heavy pull. The words of Alina Morione haunted him.

Had she been behind this, had she planned for this all along? Surely, Alina had their best interests in mind, how could he ever question her loyalties? She had stood by their side for so many years, she had given them everything they had. Tallion and his brothers owed everything to Alina. Still, question after question continued to fill Tallion's mind as he approached the Stone Well.

The sun beat down across the well's cover. Tallion's stomach dropped as he saw water seep through its cracks. Water rushed out pouring over his feet, as Tallion slid the cover aside. Like steam rising from a boiling pot, the pale flesh of a corpse began to rise to the surface. Out from the well came soldiers of the Vanguard, weighed heavy in their armor, their lungs filled with water. Body after body rose to the top, each face paler than the last.

Finally, a pale face that Tallion knew all too well, Rowland. White skin, like a ghost, and still eyes. Tallion stopped as the world collapsed around him. Death had been unable to capture him in the well, but his little brother had not been so fortunate.

A numbing realization of the truth, of his own failure, sank into Tallion's bones. That which lay before him, the unchangeable present, imprisoned his mind and mocked all that he once believed about himself. Perhaps he never had done what was truly best for his younger brothers. Perhaps he was not the man he claimed to be. Tears flowed from his blank eyes, as he gazed down upon a lifeless body, and wondered if somewhere, Guthrum lay the same.

Suddenly, a strong thud struck Tallion's shoulder. Fingers dug into his skin and gripped him tightly. His tired and hopeless eyes finally experienced a glimpse of hope. "Guthrum," Tallion fell into his younger brother's arms and collapsed in a whirlwind of relief and dismay. It was as if he had risen from the dead. Tallion thought surely that both of his brothers had been taken in the wells. "The waters took him, brother. He's gone," Tallion said.