Sealed in Blood

I searched through those caverns for hours.

I didn’t find a single trace of Tarawath or Akeem. Even after the reality of the situation finally sank in, I just couldn’t bring myself to leave those caves without her.

Loss is a devastating thing. Everyone deals with death throughout their lives, but losing Tara was unlike anything else I had ever experienced. She was so much more to me than I ever imagined, and the fact that she was gone now…

Finally forcing myself out of the underground corridors, I eventually found out that the caverns were part of Halvung and the ruins we were in snaked under Mount Zhayolm. I made my way back to Al Zahbi. I stayed there for a few days, waiting and hoping to hear word…of what, I’m not really sure. I just couldn’t go home without her. I found myself losing connection with the reality around me; I’d just drift off thinking about her. All the times we spent together, all the plans we’d made. She was gone and now this was all I had left of her.

That sorrow, that guilt, slowly started to consume me. It wasn’t long before it was all replaced by anger and rage. I had to find Akeem. I knew of only one person who could help me do that. I tucked Tarawath’s Ruby into my pocket and boarded a ship bound for Windurst. It was time to give a visit back to Motai.

Upon returning to Windurst, every single inch of her beautiful landscape reminded me of Tarawath. Everywhere I looked, I could recall some memory. It was too difficult to face anyone; I wasn’t ready to tell the Federation that one of their most beloved stars was extinguished, and that it was all my fault. They trusted me, whether they wanted to or not, and I let them down.

Star Sibyl, especially…she had to have already known.

As I made my way secretly through the back alleys and paths of Windurst, I stopped by the Auction House of Windurst Walls and dropped a small package into the Delivery Box for Doctor Shantotto. Tarawath’s Ruby was inside…she’d know what to do with it. I couldn’t deliver it face-to-face…not now. Not until I had the head of the one who took her life would I offer my own to quell the thirst that I knew the people would have.

After this small detour, I made my way to Motai’s house on the outskirts of Windurst Waters. As far back as his residence was located, there was always some type of citizen wandering near, whether it be some enthused fan of Motai’s magic research, or one of the journalists from the Tarutaru Times. Knowing this, I couldn’t just use the front door, so I snuck in through the back. Motai wasn’t home at the time so I waited.

His place was so neat and nearly empty. He traveled so much that I found it hard to believe he called one single place home. As I walked slowly around, I came to a photo on his desk. It was a picture of two young Elvaan boys and a Tarutaru. One Elvaan was dressed in the trademark green of a Thief, the second from head to toe in the purple mail of the Dragoon. Motai was the Tarutaru, of course, and Akeem and I the Elvaans. The picture was taken so long ago, on the precipice of the La Thiene Plateau cliffs.

“You’ve come to asky-wask me to help you locate Keemie, haven’taru you?” Motai’s voice came floating gently through the air.

I put the picture down. “I didn’t hear you come in.”

“You usually don’taru.”

“I need to know where he is,” I said solemnly. “It’s very important.”

“I just came from Doctor Shantotto’s house.” He spoke quietly as he moved towards me. “…Today’s mail brought some very sad news.”

I thought of nothing at that moment except my revenge. It helped me hold back any tears that I might have left to shed. My entire body was full of flames, but the sadness inside still seemed to quell them. I said nothing.

“Kallo-wallo?” Motai asked as he put his hand on my leg. “…I don’taru…know what to say…”

“Just tell me where he is,” I spoke calmly.

Because of the bond Motai shared with me and my brother, he had formed a very special, magical link with both of us. Though it was stronger in our youth, it has faded since we’ve all parted ways to explore our own worlds and pasts. However, if he tried, he could still discover the general locations of either of us.

“What happened?” he asked.

I clenched my jaw shut tightly and squeezed my eyes closed. I let out a long breath as I remembered to breathe, “…He…he shot her.”

“…No…no Keemie could never…” Motai trailed off for a moment, “…he’d…”

“He did,” I said, as I forced my breathing back to a normal, calm rate. “…He did.”

Motai closed his eyes for a moment; I knew he was concentrating… searching Vana’diel for Akeem’s location. He tilted his head as though he was listening intently to a faint whisper.

“…Where is he?” I asked.

“…He’s waiting for you,” Motai whispered, “in Arrapago Reef.”

I turned swiftly to leave.

“Kallo!” Motai called after me, “…What are you…” He couldn’t bring himself to ask, but I knew what he wanted.

“I’m going to kill him,” I said.

“Thataru won’t bring her back…” I stood still at the back entrance. “…and he’s your brother, Kallo.”

“Not for long… Not anymore,” I said as I vanished into the backwoods of Windurst Waters.

It took another two days before I was back in Aht Urghan. It’s amazing how one strong, overwhelming emotion can dominate your every thought… control your every action and ambition. Even at the time, I think I knew that killing Akeem wouldn’t bring me any satisfaction. I don’t know why I needed it. More than anything, however, I needed…I needed her. He knew where she was. That’s probably the part that ate away at me the most: that he knew where she was. I don’t know if I could’ve saved her, but her last moments should’ve been in my arms… They should’ve been with me. Not with him. He took everything that I had away when he took her. That’s why I needed to find him and that’s why he needed to pay.

I took another boat from Al Zahbi to Nashmau and went straight for the Reef. It didn’t take very long to find him at all. The first dilapidated boat I found, smashed by the rocks of the reef long ago, had a lone figure perched atop it.

“Akeem!” I shouted, the anger in my voice had control of all my extremities.

“I knew you’d find me…Brother.” He spoke without looking at me, “Motai helped you. I told him I was waiting for you.” He stood up and turned to look at me from atop the bow of the ship. “…So how does it feel?” He hopped down onto a large boulder nearly level with the boat and came down closer; he was ground level now but several yards away. “…Not going to talk to me?”

“Where is she?”

“Now that you’ve felt my pain,” he smiled, “we can end this.”

His wrist flicked as he reached for his gun, but my hands were always quicker. Before he could unbuckle the gun strap to pull his sidearm, my hand had already let loose my dagger. Like a blade of grass in the wind it moved quicker than the eye could follow, and with hawk-like precision struck and stuck deep into the shoulder of his trigger-arm. He winced in pain as he grasped the dagger. It took me only a second to close the gap between us. I put one arm on his uninjured shoulder and with my other hand grabbed his hexagun, tossing it over the edge of the reef and shoving him backwards into the hull of the ship.

Akeem wrenched the dagger from his arm and pointed it out towards me; I was prepared though. My other hand flashed my second dagger, quickly lacerating his wrist and disarming the blade. I put my dagger to his throat and he laughed.

“Do it, Brother…” he whispered. “Do it…”

“…Tell me what you did with her…” I spat through my clenched jaw as I pushed the dagger against his neck, drawing a trickle of blood.

“Remember, I said before…” Akeem gasped as the blade pressed against him. “It’s not about winning or losing…” He smiled. “I lied. As much pain as you’ve caused me…” He chuckled. “I’ve done more to you than I ever could have dreamed…”

“Where is she!?” I slammed his body against the hull. He coughed and choked as he laughed at me.

“You’ll never know.” He grinned. “Her death is all your fault…and you’ll never know…and now you’re going to kill your only brother,” he smiled, “the only other person who ever believed in you, who would stand by you until the end…Do it…you’re so goddamn helpless…Do it!!” He tried to push back, but I swatted his arms down, reeled my dagger back and sunk it into his chest. His eyes went wide. I pulled back and then pushed it in again. And again, and again.

Akeem stopped moving after awhile.

I took a few steps backward; the reef was unusually quiet. Akeem’s body lay there broken against the shattered hull of the boat.

At that very moment, as my chest heaved up and down and the adrenaline coursed all through my veins, I had nothing.

My only brother, I had just killed in cold blood.

I couldn’t return to my country – having lost what was most precious to them and to me. They’d want blood.

My love, my reason for living… gone because of my weakness. My failures.

All of this, all of what I had done, all of what I had let unfold – even the death of Faction 5…I was the only one left out of all of it. The fate of so many, sealed in the blood of my dead brother before me.

~ by Kallo on June 22, 2009.