"Odhas..." The man's voice broke with pain as he raised a hand to wipe away his tears. "Your father... your father has... passed away." A sob escaped his lips, but he forced himself to go on. "We believe that your mother couldn't bear the news and fainted. We found them both lying by the road just now. It was too late for Odhas, but perhaps Sharia... Still, we fear she may not have much time left. She just regained consciousness and asked us to come find you..."
An invisible weight pressed against her heart, and for a moment, she thought it would burst, leaving those words as the last she would ever hear. Had her mother felt this when she saw her father fall? Another deep pain flooded her chest, but she pushed all thoughts and suffering from her mind, steeling herself with the resolve she needed.
"Are they with Khada?" she asked, receiving a nod in response. "We mustn't wait any longer. Let's go," she said quickly, stepping outside without looking back, least of all at the man crumbling behind her.
Her eyes blurred with worry, but she had to be strong and waste no more time; there was still hope her mother might recover. So she ran to the stable, saddled Krystal, and rode swiftly toward Jade, leaving the messenger huddled by her door, silently weeping. When she reached the cluster of houses, she dismounted, ran to the healer's dwelling and knocked impatiently. After what felt like an eternity, the door opened, and a pungent smell of boiled herbs met her senses. Through the rising steam, Khada's face emerged, sad and solemn, as he looked at the young woman and said in a muffled voice:
"Your mother wants to speak with you."
Tári did not answer, but entered the house, her heart pounding against her ribs. She had barely taken a few steps when she saw her mother lying on a bed, her face pale and damp with sweat, her breathing labored. Sharia, upon seeing her, whispered through her sobs:
"Oh, Tári! My sweetheart..."
She lifted her arms as much as she could, and her daughter responded with a hug full of warmth and affection.
"Mum!" She stroked her mother's fragile hair and inhaled the familiar, comforting scent of her clothes, though her tears flowed freely. Gently helping her mother lie back down, she took her hand and knelt beside her, asking, "What happened? Why...?"
"Tári, listen to me... I'm sorry to leave you like this, and even more so that you have to see me this way, but you must know the truth about who you are." Her voice wavered, frail and broken by pain and exhaustion, yet she reached up to tuck her daughter's hair behind her ear, gazing at the face that filled her every memory. "We... we weren't allowed to tell you until the day your father or I passed, but..." A tear ran cold down her temple, and she bit her lip, trying to stay composed. "At least I am comforted, knowing I'll have company in the other world." She smiled weakly.
"Don't say that, Mum. You can still fight," Tári moaned, gently squeezing her hand. "I know Dad... Dad is gone," she choked on a sob, "but you and I can still..."
"Tári... you're in danger," her mother hesitated, her weak fingers wrapping around Tári's hand. "Staying with you is what I want most in this world, even if Odhas is g-gone. But I couldn't fight for my life, even with the youth and strength of a hundred men. The drow killed Odhas and left me alive just enough to tell you of their existence. They want to awaken in y..." A whimper. She closed her eyes, exhausted from the effort.
"K-killed, Mum? The drow?" Tári asked, horrified by her inability to grasp her mother's final words. "What do they want to awaken? I don't understand..."
"I can't tell you more, darling." She reached a trembling hand to her daughter's face and wiped away one of her many tears. Their eyes met. "Everyone will think I've fallen ill from the grief of losing your father and that Odhas died of old age, but... you know that's not true." Seeing that Tári was about to respond, she gently covered her mouth with her warm hand and added, "Don't tell anyone about the drow, and remember that hatred is neither the best company nor the most effective weapon. Don't give them what they want. Go home, and look inside the chest in your room. In it, you'll find some answers," she concluded. With her final breath, she whispered, "I love you, my precious elf. Your eyes are beautiful, and that earring makes them shine with their own light. Your parents would be proud of you..." Her words faded into a faint murmur, and finally, into silence.
YOU ARE READING
Tári Anárion: The Loyalty Trials
FantasiTári grew up as an ordinary girl, until, on her adoptive family's deathbed, the existence of a letter urging her to return to her homeland was revealed to her. To do so, however, she must prove her loyalty by completing a series of trials. On her jo...
