MrNepathy's Blog

As the night stretched on, Thatus’s strength waned. When the world was at its darkest, his head slumped forward and his breathing grew more shallow. All the while Celia held onto his hand, sometimes lifting it to kiss the back. The warmth of her lips was usually enough to make his head lift again as he woke. He tried to tell her, and Dalen, that it was the fatigue of the journey and not his injuries that made his eyelids so heavy. The weakness of his voice and the dreary slur of his words showed the truth.

At long last Daphne slipped off of her father’s foot and Halford shrank back to a human size. He cupped the back of his daughter’s head and kissed her on the forehead, “I think she would allow me the indulgence just once.”

She smiled softly and nodded to him, “I think she would.”

Halford turned towards the rest of the party, “Good luck in all of your travels. Journey well and know that I am forever in your debt. Should you travel in sunlight you also travel in my gaze. You will forgive my departure, but I have a schedule to keep.” He burst into flames and streaked across the land towards the horizon. As he disappeared over it, the sky began to glow purple.

The return of the sun was heralded with the color of wife of the sun’s eyes. Darkness shrank away from the point of light like a wave going back out into the ocean. A moment later warmth brushed their faces and the sun appeared magnificent over the horizon. Frost began to melt at once, revealing green grass below. Flowers, long dormant, spread their petals as if pursing to kiss the sunlight. Birds took to the sky and a morning dove sang once again.

“Before I depart,” Thatus said to Celia, “Every thought and every deed belong to Dalen. He was the puppeteer and I was merely the puppet. He is the man you love.”

“I know, Lord Thatus,” she said with a smile.

“You knew it was me?”

“I’ve known for a while, it was the only thing that made sense. Who else would know all that you knew?”

Thatus, before you go I… Thatus?

There was a clap throughout the sky. Dalen reached up and touched his aching ribs, “Ow that hurts… Hey, hey, I have control of my hands!” He flexed his fingers, rolling his hands over to bask them in the light. Dalen glanced up at the sky and nodded to the clouds.

He looked over at Celia and smiled, his lips cracked and flaked with blood.

Before he could say a word there was a thud beside him and there stood Thatus. Dalen had never seen Thatus in person, but he recognized him at once. Thatus brushed himself off, “I feel all… tingly.” He looked towards Dalen, “Hantock said he is not ready for you yet, you have more work to be done here. Father says you are to drink this at once.” He handed Dalen a small vial, and for the first time the two that had been one came into true contact.

“Thanks,” Dalen said, then added, “My lord.”

“You never need call me that,” Thatus said as he helped Dalen lift the vial. “The only title I want from you is friend.”

As Dalen drank his bones mended and his wounds healed. He took a deep breath, amazed that it came without pain. When he tried to hand it back to Thatus, Thatus closed his fingers around it, “That is for you to keep. Where is Findred?”

The fire golem looked over, “I am here.” Melinda stood beside him, as close as she dared.

“I cannot make you a man Findred, for that is not my right, but I can do the next best thing.” Thatus pressed his palm to the flames, just as the wraith had done, but cold did not spread from Thatus’s hand. Clay did. It consumed the fire and replaced it, leaving a clay golem where the fire one had once stood. “You will be as soft as a man, move as one and be able to touch as one.”

Findred looked at his hands, then towards his wife. They embraced at once.

Thatus clapped Bend of the World on the shoulder. The giant knelt down to be at eye level with Thatus. “Bend of the World, you have done your people a great service and I have not, but I will live up to my promise. I will listen to their prayers, I will give them magic once more.” He handed Bend of the World the fragments of the axe and placed the broken pieces together. “As you have helped mend my soul, you shall mend this axe, the first spell I will let cast shall be this, proof that what was once broken shall be repaired. I am sorry for the deaf ear I have turned to your people, to the dwarves and to those in my charge. Every angry word said towards me was well-deserved. In time I hope they become words of kindness. Go with my gratitude. Mind your father.”

As he let go of Bend of the World’s hands, the axe handle was mended and the blade transformed into obsidian.

Without another word he turned to the town square and walked towards it. He knelt down beside Dandelion and touched his forehead. “You taught me more than you know, and filled me with hope when I should have had none. You were the heart and soul of this quest, the voice that drove us on.” In a soft tone he began to sing Duriyus’s Prayer as Dandelion had done in mourning near the start of the journey. Thatus’s version mentioned the places they had been, and ones the elf had mentioned fondly. As he sang of each place a statue of Dandelion formed there. The last place was where Dandelion had died. There a statue of Dandelion, sword in hand and his mouth open as if belting in song, stood facing the west.

With the song ended Thatus walked back towards Celia and Dalen, “Thank you both. Dalen, I have given you a small hill so you can build a proper house. The hill is protected by powerful magic, so no one can harm it or take from it except you. Hopefully this will pay back the money I took for the quest. Celia, Dalen is a lucky man. And you are a lucky woman. You should plant the rose that he gave you; there should be a place on the hill where the sun will catch it perfectly.” He watched them for a moment, but they were watching each other. At that, he smiled and thought to give them their space. ” Now if you will forgive my departure, I have prayers to grant and a god to vanquish.” He disappeared into the sky.

Dalen looked over at Celia, leaned in and gently kissed her on the lips. Her warm hands clutched his and for a moment they just stood there, basking in the sun.

In the days that followed, Bend of the World returned to his tribe. He was welcomed as a hero. The giants kept busy fixing their weapons and tools, and praying to Thatus. Findred and Melinda found a quiet place to live. Together they opened a tavern where bards were always welcome. Celia and Dalen found the hill that Thatus had given to Dalen. As Celia was planting the rose in the ground, she found that just under the top layer of soil, the hill was made of gold.

As for the world, from the day the sun returned even on the cloudiest, darkest day, there was always a ray of light somewhere that gave people hope and told them that the sun would be there when the clouds surrendered the day.