The Elf Thief

Chapter 47: Stained Glass and Shadows

Chapter 47

Stained Glass and Shadows

            A warm spring breeze rustled the budding leaves as Sonya stalked through the trees. Could it be that not so long ago her biggest fear was whether or not she would bring in the most gold for the day? And now she was leading thousands of soldiers, possibly to their deaths. How times had changed.

            Her mind wandered back to what the Seer had told them about Bellada. She couldn’t help but feel her stomach squirm at the thought of having to kill someone that you once loved. But it had to be done. They could not afford to lose this war.

            She noticed that she had unconsciously wandered into a clearing. A small pang in her chest reminded her that this was the clearing where Remaduce and herself used to train. A figure sat on a log in the middle of the clearing, dreaded black hair giving away his identity.

            “Jiner,” the elf whispered, yet her voice seemed to leap upon the wind and gallop across to his ears.

            The dark skinned elf whirled around, but let his shoulders sag when he saw it was she. “Sonya,” he acknowledged, his voice weary. “I don’t think that this would be the best place to think before a battle.”

            Striding over, Sonya plopped down on the log beside him. “This place holds as many of my memories as it does yours. If you are here, I can be here as well.”

            They sat in silence for a while, each lost in memories of the past. Finally, Jiner spoke.

            “It’s like I’m looking through a stained glass window,” he murmured. “I still see everything, all the memories that we shared here, but it’s all distorted. The lighting is to harsh or Molko’s eyes are the wrong color, just a few shades off.” He turned to her, desperation in his own green eyes. “Please tell me it’s happening to you too, Sonya,” he begged. “Please tell me it’s not just me losing my mind. I don’t want to forget them, Molko, Remaduce…and all the others that are sure to die today. I don’t want to forget them!”

            Sonya searched herself for a response. Finally, taking in a shaky breath, she replied, “Perhaps it is the One’s way, that those we have lost slip away from us. The past is the past and it cannot be relived anymore than the rain can be put back into the clouds. Perhaps we only see the past through glass so that we have no choice but to live in the present.”

            Birds chirped happily and the sun hid behind clouds, giving the sky a grey overcast. Heart aching, Sonya allowed herself to peer through the glass into the past. Tears slid down Jiner’s face, staining them with rivers of smeared grime.

            “Molko’s hair always reminded me of feathers,” Sonya managed to whisper.

            “Remaduce could beat an entire battalion in a drinking contest,” Jiner replied.

            “One time Molko and I stole some of the Quarries armor. They had to go back to the castle in nothing but their undergarments.”

            “Remaduce and I put tree sap in your hair once.”

            “So that was you!”

            So they continued for hours, telling stories of those they had lost, recalling memories and pulling laughter through the tears. Finally, as night began to fall, Jiner stood.

            “It is time to kill,” he whispered.

            Sonya gave him a nod before standing and following him. Stopping at the edge of the clearing, she turned one last time. An uncommonly cold wind swept through her, making her shiver. Kneeling down, she pulled out an elven broach and dug a small hole in the ground. After placing the broach in the ground, she filled the small hole with dirt.