Red's CD Project Story 2: Part 29, Section 4 - Cloud bursts

Note: A few things, one we surpassed 50,000 words here, making it just over 115 single spaced Word pages in 12 pt. font. Can't wait to have to go through and edit all of this someday :). Second, we start painting the house tomorrow, which means we're on the downward side of things. It may leave without a computor or, at least internet, for a time. We'll see. Third, I sitting at 31% to move up after 114 votes. It's be consistently in that range for awhile now. Hope it's enough to get through. One more part after this before we move onto next song.

“Maybe the rain stops following me; dripping the colors; running the daylight; over the cloud burst; hoping they don’t burst”

A horse whinnied from somewhere behind, may have even bucked, as Ewam peered ahead at the sort of cloud formation that his father always called heaven’s fist because the full, rounded clouds where stacked with ridges like knuckles and when they approached it was with a thunderous punch. The clouds were moving fast from the west. Off to the north, a pocket of sun burned a hole in the dark expanse, a half rainbow danced on the glistening golden rays.

“We’ll not be able to ride through it, my lord,” Banik said. The man from Nocnil had rode beside Ewam the entire week since they had left Omet. Behind them were seven thousand strong on horseback, trailed by ten thousand infantry and five thousand archers. Farther back was the endless caravan of supplies that no doubt still reached back to the city. It was a good force for such short notice, but it still lacked the contribution from Stra. Ewam was not surprised that the force from city in the northwest of the kingdom had not made it to Omet in time, but he had been sure they would have met on the road by now. He had sent two riders ahead already, but neither had returned.

“Pull all off the road, spike the tents well and be sure none of the swords and such get wet. We cannot fight with rusted weapons.” Ewam answered Banik, but spoke the words directly to Commander Robare Lews, an aging fellow with a clean face and a rounded stomach. Commander Lews spun his gelding around and barked the orders to the set of generals and lieutenants following them. The long line of the army sprang to life as horsemen galloped down the ranks repeating, and often adding tasks.

Ewam followed Banik off the ancient stone road that led toward Stra and beyond that to Nocnil and the city of Noce. The man from the desert had spoken more about the demon awaiting the army, but even now, Ewam had little idea on how to attack a city controlled by the soulless. “What if it uses the women as shields?” Eden had asked before they left. “What if it uses our own sister?”

Ewam had opened his mouth to answer, but before he could, Eden’s eyes glazed over and he turned away. It was like his brother had forgot he had asked a question or he did not care to hear the answer.

“You are thinking of King Eden again, are you not my Lord?

Banik had already dismounted and his steed was whisked away by a servant. Ewam copied the action, standing before a tent that was already entirely assembled. In the week since leaving, Banik had become Ewam’s closest confidant. Since the man had bathed, trimmed the tangled black hair so that it barely touched his shoulders and shaved clean, he had assumed a new, more trusting look in Ewam’s eyes. Once they started really speaking to one another, it was apparent they were both the kind of men that preferred action, so long as it was for the right cause.

Banik wore the sword Duna, grudglingly at best, at his waist. Every day he asked that Ewam take it as his weapon, but Ewam refused to touch it again. Even without actually holding it, Ewam still felt its pulse of life near. Best to keep it away, he told himself every day when the question came.

“We are twins, Banik, I believe we are always somewhere in each other’s mind,” Ewam said, stopping at the flap of tent. The storm was still several minutes away.

“Then what does his mind tell you?” Banik brushed a strand of hair away from his face.

“He’s disturbed, I can describe it in no other terms,” Ewam lowered his eyes and removed his riding gloves. “He’s not himself, not the man I share everything with.”

“Dark times, my Lord,” Banik shrugged. He always kept up the formalities in public. In private, they both had grown used to calling each other simply by their names.

“Aye,” Ewam agreed, but that did not dismiss the worry from his mind. Eden was the one meant to rule, but Ewam could not shake the fear of leaving him in charge of the city much less the kingdom. They had left him a force of ten thousand strong to defend the city in case Ewam were to fail. It was a sturdy number, but when they left Eden seemed disinterested in preparing the city for siege and Ewam did not think it was from being overconfident about his chances. Eden was distracted by his wife and daughter’s ailments. That had to be it.

Yet he never mentioned them and recoiled anytime that Ewam asked upon their condition. It was like Eden was isolating them completely from the world.

Ewam sighed, and was not surprised that Banik offered a comforting pat on the back. Banik had his own share of guilt and worry weighing him down. That was part of their bond.

Thoughts of Kendra always followed those of his brother. He had stood outside her door nearly an hour the day before he left, but could not muster the courage for a knock. Goodbyes were not things easily said, and for their part, they had said goodbye to one another a long time ago. The words really did not need to be said again. It wasn’t the words he needed to hear. It was her face – the one she wore in private, with no paint, no powder – that he needed to see.

When they were young, her face had been a smooth, firm convass waiting for life to paint the wrinkles from a million smiles at the corners of her eyes and lips. He remembered kissing that spot beside her right eye, thinking it would taste better after a lifetime together. It was a summer night, Old Moon’s pale light glistened in her eyes, the beauty of it all was more than his knees could handle. He was still too young to be so bold as to kiss her lips, but he brushed her face that night and knew then that there was no other face for him. He determined to propose to her the night of Reap Ball, in front of everyone including his father and mother. It was against tradition for the man to ask, but he was not one to bow before tradition. Besides, he sensed that Kendra might have the same idea. Later that very night, when he came scurrying back to the palace, he even told his mother of his intentions when she caught him sneaking in. Kendra was going to be his, he told her. It was the lifetime he was meant to have. Of course, that lifetime had never happened.

He never knocked that day a little over a week ago. The door to her was forever closed. Instead, he scribbled down a letter saying everything that he had always meant to say. He sealed and gave it to Meriam to deliver, when he found the serving woman in the hallway. Meriam had wanted to say more, but Banik arrived and drew him away to another meeting to prepare the army.

Now he carried with him the most lasting image he had of her. It was of her her in that slim, purple gown and starry mask from the Reap Ball. She was dancing and twirling around the room. He had missed the start of that particular dance to retrieve a single purple rose. The flower had been his mother’s idea, a perfect way to seal a proposal she had said. He ran off to the garden before the song began and when he returned she was in his arms, dancing like a petal on a swirling wind. She was never more perfect than at that moment. Then they kissed, and the flower in Ewam’s hand slipped to the floor. It was smashed under his heal when he turned and ran a few seconds later.

“Let’s get inside before this breaks, my Lord,” Banik touched his shoulder again before entering the tent.

Ewam looked back to the north. The sunlight was gone, knocked out by heaven’s fist. The rainbow was receding back up into the clouds. The colors dulling, then draining then disappearing into gray before the black clouds devoured them completely.