The King of Saminu

Chapter 29

 "He's waking up," Brann whispered, and I shifted my attention from Ellsk's chest back up to his face. It was easy now to heal him without my eyes training on the area, and Brann was right. As much as it seemed to pain him to do so, Ellsk looked like he was trying to wake up. However, when his eyes eventually opened, I jumped so far that I almost lost contact with him.

His eyes were a solid white, his pupils nowhere to be found. Anger was clear in his face. Anger and pain. A shocking amount of pain for what his tiny, fragile body should ever experience. It forced me to attempt to heal him even faster, but everyone currently present knew that my efforts were only hurting both of us.

"Three years is not long," Ellsk croaked, his voice resembling a faint memory of one of our grandparents. Even though he looked the very same as he had for the past couple of weeks, Ellsk appeared older. The wrinkles of his expression formed in the same area as wrinkles of age, and his frail body seemed to be one of someone who had lived out their life. I didn't want to admit it. I wasn't going to admit that Ellsk was dying.

"Ellsk, save your voice. You-"
"Rensker. You must persevere. Three years is a short span in the grand scheme of things," He wasn't making any semblance of sense. Brann looked to me, just as confused as I was.
"T-the child. You remember what you promised?" Ellsk asked, his hand moving to grip mine with an incredible force. I didn't know he had it in him. A faint memory crept its way to the forefront of my mind. Another time, when Ellsk had been sick before.

"You made me promise to name the baby Eluti," I whispered. Ellsk sighed, falling back down in a crumbling pile of skin and bone. He nodded, blind eyes staring at the ceiling.
"You remember. That is good. I want you to come closer to me. Bring the boy here," Ellsk beckoned me to him, and I took a step closer to his hands. He reached out once more, underneath my grasp on his bare chest, and smiled a pained smile as he made contact with my growing stomach.

"He is strong. He needs to be. Rensker, your son will be the bridge between worlds. It is a necessity that you do not give up. Persevere. He may never be alone, but he needs his mother," Ellsk closed his eyes, and to my surprise, his hands glowed in a similar manner to my own. My mouth dropped. Ellsk's hands moved higher up, following the length of my arms until he rested his hands atop mine on his own chest. His hands continued to glow. They were warm, but cooler than the rest of his feverish body.

"Ellsk, what are y-"
"You are blessed now, sister. You and your child both. We will always be with you. Remember to pray," Ellsk's hands lost their glow, and the pressure he placed on me grew fainter, until his head rolled back and his hands relaxed, falling to his side. Panic rushed through me, but his heart still beat.

I worked faster, the glow of my hands growing larger than it had ever been before. It was starting to grow blinding, my skin growing warmer from the heat it was producing. I could physically feel the calories burning, my arms and legs shaking. I had been running on empty to begin with, and now I was forcing myself to go further than I ever had before. Brann wrapped his hand around my arm, forcing my attention to him.
"You're going to end up with him if you don't stop this, Rensker. You'll burn up. Power has its limits," My husband warned. I shook my head. The anger I felt at his statement made it easier for my hands to glow brighter.

"Rensker!" Brann yelled, pulling my arm away from Ellsk with a force I wasn't expecting. My right hand lost contact for less than a second, but my left hand felt his heart stop. I pulled my arm back, using all of my energy to heal my younger brother. My vision had long been blurry, but the black dots that I had been familiar with during my childhood made an appearance. It was almost comforting. But at the same time, it wasn't. I was doing everything within my power, and Ellsk was still dying.

"Rensker?" Ellsk stiffened underneath me, then groaned a low sound of pain. I shed a tear, his grey eyes returning. Maybe he was getting better. "Brann, can you fetch Gamm for me? I need to talk to my family," There was a knowingness to the pained croak in Ellsk's voice. Instead of looking old like he had before, he looked incredibly young.
"Ellsk, stop it. You're going to get better," I argued. Brann winced in the corner of the room, then quickly left. Ellsk reached up a shaky hand and wiped the tear away from his bare chest.

"Rensker, you should know by now that I am not afraid of dying," Ellsk smiled through the pain, then winced. "Although, it hurts a lot more than I ever expected it to," He laughed, as if dying meant nothing to him. This was a joke, a cruel game that he wanted to play.
"Ellsk, you can't die. I can't lose you. I love you," I begged, my tears obscuring my vision. I couldn't wipe them away.

"Rensker, I have known the day I would die since the moment I was born. Everyone is sent to this world for a reason. It tends to be up to them to figure it out, but I was granted the knowledge upon my birth. You do not need me anymore. You are strong. You are growing a family of your own. You do not need to take care of me anymore - you need to take care of your baby. Death has never scared me. It should not scare you. It is wonderful over there. The gods gave me memories. When I was younger, I would always pray to be brought back home. The gods never let me leave early.

"It is going to be okay Rensker. You are going to be okay. You have been such a wonderful sister. I do not fear death, but I am saddened by the temporary loss of communication between us," Ellsk smiled at me, and a single tear fell from his eye. I shook my head, trying to rid myself of the tears that were blocking my vision. Ellsk was no long incredibly hot. He was cooling down. Most would think his fever was broken. From Ellsk's words, I knew it wasn't. He was giving up the fight. I took his effort instead, working even harder to prevent the inevitable.

Gamm burst through the door and ran as fast as he could to Ellsk's side.
"Hey buddy. Brann told me you asked for me, and I came as fast as I could. Do you need anything? Food, water?" Gamm asked, but he looked at me. I shook my head. Ellsk beckoned him closer, and Gamm grew close enough to where Ellsk had the chance to whisper a private goodbye in his ear. Gamm burst away, his fists clenched. My tears stopped out of shock.

"How are you so calm! You're dying, fucker, and you're going to tell me to take care of Mams and Pappy? To try and take care of Ren? Wh-what are they going to say? Did you even say goodbye to them, or did you leave in the middle of the night like the coward you've always been?"
"Gamm!" He looked at me like an angry bull, and it didn't take much imagination to see smoke coming off of him. Ellsk shook his head.
"I wished Mother and Father a farewell. They are not as attached to me as they are you two. I have made sure of that. It pains me to leave you here, alone with them. But there is nothing I can do. When the sun rises, I will take my last breath, and be at peace," Ellsk closed his eyes, relaxing further into the pillow. His breathing was growing shallow.

Brann's hands grasped my shoulders, trying to comfort me in the moment. Ellsk opened his eyes once more, looking atop of my head to see my husband, his brother-in-law.
"You will win the war, Brann. You are worthy. Your father wishes you luck in the coming years. You need it. Remain strong. Keep fighting. Do not let go," Ellsk coughed, a light spray of red leaving his mouth. My tears continued as long as they could.

"I promise I will continue to look after all of you. Stay strong. I love you," Ellsk continued to cough until he couldn't any longer. He fell back into the pillow, losing consciousness once more. I shook my head, my hands growing even hotter.
"No. No, no, no, no, no, no, no! Stay with me!" I shouted, my voice hoarse as I sobbed. I shook Brann's hands off of me. "Get him a daytime healer! Get all of them! Every last one!" I screamed. Brann moved away, but at the small shake of Gamm's hung head, he stopped.

"What are you doing? Get him help! The sun is going to start coming any minute now! I can't... I can't do this by myself!" I screamed, shaking Brann off of me the best I could without dislodging my hands from Ellsk's chest. His heartbeat was slower, more erratic. He was dying, and I could do nothing to stop it. The sun came faster than expected. I felt his heart stop underneath me, and no healers came to replace me. That didn't stop me.

I pulled him from the bed, doing as best as I could to gently land him on the hard floor. Chest compressions. A breath for him. All of the mechanical things I could do. Meanwhile, my sobs made it difficult.
"It's been an hour Rensker. He's not coming back," Brann picked me up and I did a pathetic attempt of fighting him off. Gamm was crying silently over the bed.

Everyone in Maeri could hear my sobbing for the next few days.