Kadance: Another Tale

6

"I'm sorry Jenk. Your mother hasn't eaten for days, yet she doesn't grow any weaker." Kellan says with a voice asking the question of the statement.

Jenk gives a haunted smile as he looks at his mother, not even looking at Kellan. "No, Dayla sustains her." Now Jenk glances over to Kellan and shakes his head. "You don't believe me, commander. Truly, Dayla sustains Sareen through her earth magic. She's very nearly to her full potential. It won't be much longer now.

"You feel it. Those that remain true are welcoming it. Soon Kellan it will all be over."

No sooner does Jenk finish speaking then Sareen starts speaking and her words bring chills down Kellan's spine. "No invader or traitor may remain alive. The planet will be as poison to all but the true blood. For all others Dayla will be as a desert. Whatever they wish to find will never be found.

"For those of the true blood the planet will be fertile and abundant, giving plentifully for strength, life and joy." As she finishes speaking she collapses.

"And so she seals it with her death." Jenk says in a broken voice. "No, Commander, it's too late. She is already gone. You might force her body to live with your machines, but she is already gone." Jenk says placing a hand on Kellan's arm stopping him from leaving.

Jenk turns his grief stricken face away from the window. Looking at the Commander he nods. "Ah, so that is how she'll fight. Commander I would strongly urge you to begin your withdrawal." Gesturing to the Commander and the Lt. Commander. "Already I detect cancerous growths in you the size of your thumb. For me, she is more merciful, the cancer has already spread throughout my body. I'll be dead with in a week. You and yours within the month." He smiles at them sadly. 

"You still don't believe or understand. This planet will kill any of your kind from now on. The very air has turned from sweet to poison." He shakes his head at their lack of belief. "You'll see. Now if you leave you'll live, if you stay you will die. It's very simple. If you will excuse me, Commander, Lt. Commander, I wish to prepare my mother's body. I can still do that much." Jenk leaves the two astounded warriors behind.

They watch him as he washes his mother's body. He chants as he does so. They are strangely compelled to watch and listen. They hold Sareen in respect. She held to her honor and died for what she believed. The warriors understand that much and respect it. They still didn't get how Jenk and the others betrayed their people. That is what they are having trouble understanding.

"What the hell!" Kellan exclaims. Jenk had finished his chant. When he finished his mother's body turned to dust and Jenk collapses.

Before he loses full consciousness he feels the wind caress his face like his mother used to do. The wind then carries the dust out the window-returning his mother back to Dayla. Jenk blacks out, but a small smile lingers on his face.

Kellan and his underling burst through the door quickly and rush to Jenk. They carry him to the medico section. When the scan shows his body riddled with cancerous growths they look at each other in horror. Two weeks earlier Jenk had been scanned, he'd been in perfect health then.

Jenk awakens to the startled exclamations of the medico's and the blistering oaths of the Commander. "Commander, now do you believe?" Jenk says weakly.

"What happened?" Kellan demands of Jenk.

"Dayla cursed this planet to all but the true blood. Those she blessed." Jenk answers gasping for breath.

Kellan narrows his eyes as he looks at Jenk, "What happened to your mother?"

"I used the last of my power to send her back to Dayla. Actually it took all I had to prepare her body. Dayla had to send the wind to collect it and take it out the window to return her." The pain makes it hard for him to speak.

"What window? The only window is the observation window. There wasn't any wind." The Lt. Commander says with exasperation.

Jenk smirks through his pain, "Dayla created one long enough to retrieve my mother's body. Commander," he gasps. "Please, let the true bloods go. They will be in danger soon if they don't hurry. They have far to go before they are out of danger."

"We must pack. We have to leave in order for the Company to receive treatment. The United Planets can ill afford to lose an entire company." Kellan says angrily.

Jenk shakes his head, "You have time. Once you leave, so will the cancer. But the true bloods must walk far to be away from danger. They have no time to spare," Jenk pleads.

Kellan stills, "How about if I fly them half a day out? Will that get them to safety?"

"Yes, thank you Commander," Jenk falls back on the bed exhausted beyond anything he's ever known.

"What about you and the others? Will you live if you leave?" Kellan asks gently.

"The cancer will leave all who depart Dayla. Only those that remain will die." He stops to fight the pain. "Once my people leave they will have a longing to return." He pants out, "many may die of this longing." Again he stops to pant. "Let their bodies return here. This area is now reserved for the damned." Jenk raises his haunted eyes to his friend. "You must keep all others away or they'll die too."

"And you my friend, will you leave and live? I can have you out of here tomorrow." Kellan says gently.

Jenk smiles through his pain, "No, mother was merciful. The cancer is too great. Nothing can cure me now." Jenk's voice is weak and barely heard over the panting.

"Merciful to kill her son?" The Lt. Commander says incredulous.

"Yes, think of it as the last grace. Would you not do so for a fellow warrior too broken to mend? My mother loved me enough to not make me live for centuries in my guilt and shame. I have no way to expiate my shame. No way to save me, so she kept me from suffering. I am thankful, I was allowed that much."

The warriors nodded in understanding. The last grace was given to the warriors to broken to mend. Either physically or mentally broken. It truly is a gift to those so tormented.