Defenders of Destiny Book One: Conflux

Chapter 19: Parting Ways

The sun was low in the sky as Aragol walked outside along the edge of the piece of land Valthumar's mansion stood on. There should have been hundreds of mangled and destroyed undead bodies but there was nothing. Other than the burned grass from Karmen's dragon flame and the ones shot by the young man he and Boog had battled there was no sign that anything had ever happened. He assumed the swamp itself had simply taken the dead back into the earth, where they belonged. He watched a frog jump into a nearby pool and swim away, kicking its thick back legs and reaching the other side of the pool in moments. When he looked away he saw Ivory sitting cross-legged a short distance ahead, staring down into another pool of water.

"Is something troubling you?" he asked her as he sat down next to her.

Ivory glanced over at Aragol for a moment and shrugged. She wasn't wearing any armour, just the leather tunic and brown leggings she wore beneath it. Her axe was also uncharacteristically nowhere in sight. "The anchor...the nightmare... I was just thinking about it."

Aragol nodded and found himself looking into the pool of water as well. "It felt good to chop apart those undead creatures but...the pain was still there."

"What...what did you see?"

Aragol took a few moments to answer her, his eyes always on the water. "I had killed everyone I had ever loved. I...I was nothing but a murderer. I still wonder if I'm anything but."

Ivory wasn't much for supportive talk and struggled to find words to say. She detested admitting weakness but if the great High General of Tiranor could then she felt safer allowing some of it to reveal. She sighed. "You're not. I don't know how to convince you, Aragol, but you're not a murderer."

Aragol didn't argue the matter but didn't appear to believe her either. "What did you see?"

Ivory looked off to the side. "I'd rather not say..."

"Captain," Aragol said, which made Ivory tense slightly. "Do not make me pull rank on you."

"You're not from my world. Your rank means nothing to me."

"Ivory." Aragol put a hand on her shoulder and she turned her head to look at him. There was a gentle smile on his face. "You can tell me. It will help ease some of the pain."

Ivory looked at the ground and swallowed. It took a few minutes but she did speak. "My dead brother trapped me in his own grave...He blamed me for his death."

"Was it your fault?"

"No. I...I just...I just wished I had been able to do more to help him. I miss him..." Ivory then turned away, her back to Aragol. "I won't say any more..."

Aragol didn't pursue the matter. He stood up and asked if she wanted to walk with him. She shook her head and so he resumed his patrol alone. To his left, coming from the mansion's double doors, Victoria hurried to his side.

"What are you doing, Aragol?" she asked, in high spirits as she usually was. "Any other zombie things to kill?"

Aragol shook his head. "No, I believe they are all gone. There are no traces of them at all."

"What? Really?" Victoria looked around and looked bewildered. "That's weird."

"How are the others?" Aragol asked her as he kept walking and she followed. "Are they still resting?"

"Well, Casandra is trying to teach Celestia about that warawhatever stuff. Graham and Elmar are eating and Boog, Karmen, Zerek and Valthumar are still sleeping. I know Valthumar is probably asleep because it's daytime and he's a vampire and all but those others sure are taking their sweet time to get up. It's boring in there without someone to pick on."