From the Ashes (The Elder Blood Chronicles, #3)(124)

“It’s possible that some of them lived,” Victory countered without much hope in his voice.

“I’m going to ride ahead and see. Keep them back if you can,” Havoc said and spurred his horse forward before Victory had time to object. He knew what the objections would be without hearing them. There might still be enemies. It might not be safe. Either was fine with him at this point. Let there still be some Rivasans in the camp. He would gladly help them on their way to the Darklands.

The cawing of the ravens increased as he drew closer and Razor snorted in displeasure. The flame steed hated the carrion birds almost as much as his rider did. A raven was never a good sign as far as Havoc was concerned. It meant one of three things: a battle was over before he had arrived, Seth was somewhere nearby, or the bloody spooks of Seravae had landed. Though in the latter case, the raven was no more than a sigil on their banners.

He slowed his horse to a walk as they entered the small clearing where the scouts had chosen to wait for them. Dismounting slowly, he took in the burnt tents and corpses with a single glance, his eyes searching for Kes. At the very least he could spare the boy the sight of his mother if he could simply find her and cover the body before they arrived.

His search slowed as he noticed a depression in the ground near the edge of camp. The track was far too large to be made by any animal. Moving closer Havoc kicked the torn remainder of a tent back for a better look and let out a deep sigh. “Dragon,” he muttered with disgust. That was it then. The war was as good as over with Nerathane involved. The only hope the Delvay had for survival now was retreat. Rivana already had them on numbers, and now with the added strength of Nerathane there was nothing for it.

“Jani.” The voice was weak and he barely caught the single word through the noise of the approaching riders.

Turning quickly, Havoc scanned the area frantically looking for the only person in Delvay that called him by that name. “Kes, where are you?” Havoc called loudly, sending the Ravens back into the sky, squawking in protest.

“The tree, Jani,” Kes called, her voice choked and filled with pain.

Havoc spun in a full circle his eyes scanning every tree surrounding the camp until he noticed a knotted rope tied around the middle of a large oak near the edge of the camp. He moved swiftly around the tree and nearly choked when he found what remained of her. There were few wounds more terrible to look upon than a burn, from what he had seen over the years, and her body was one large burn. Not a trace of flesh remained on her that wasn’t black or blistered. Her hair was burned away, leaving her scalp raw and bloody. Her eyes were the only part of her that seemed unscathed and they were locked on him with a look of such agony that he felt his breath catch in his throat.

“Kes,” he managed at last, the single word holding more emotion in it than he thought possible. Grief, anger, sadness, and doubt all rivaled for dominance in his mind. He didn’t know how to help her, let alone how to save her life. The ropes they had tied her with had cut into her cooked flesh until the hemp was almost part of her arm. There was no way he could remove the bonds without causing her excruciating pain. Not that she wasn’t already in pain, but the shock of adding more might very well kill her. “Kes, I don’t know how to help you,” Havoc whispered, his voice thick with grief.

“Listen to me. That is all you can do Havoc. I don’t have enough strength to last much longer.” Kes coughed and her eyes welled with tears. “Nerathane has joined the fight, Jani, and they have Magebreakers with them. You have to tell Kadan. We didn’t have a chance here.” Kes managed the words through her broken lips but the effort it was taking was obvious. She was spending the last of her strength to try to save them all.

“Havoc?” Victory called from the campsite and Havoc could hear the sound of the other horses.

“Momma?” The higher pitched voice of her son sent the tears Kes had been holding back spilling down her cheeks.

“Keep him back, Jani. Don’t let him see me like this. Make him stay away and tell Kadan,” Kes pleaded, the tears pouring down her face.

“I’m sorry Kes,” Havoc whispered as he drew his dagger from his belt. “If we still had healers, Hun, I would do everything I could to get them to you. I can’t leave you like this though,” he whispered softly, his head bowed beside hers.

“Do it Jani. I’d rather die to a friend’s mercy than continue in this pain,” Kes whispered back, her voice hoarse.

“Tell me the color of the dragon before you go, Kes, please,” Havoc pleaded softly. Dragons were unique in their appearance. Each bore a separate pattern of colors to their scales making each one an individual. If he knew the color, he could avenge her death.

“Red with pale yellow tracing, Jani,” Kes mumbled, her voice hoarse and choked.

“I’ll skin it for you, Kes, and I’ll kill every Magebreaker I see. I swear it by the flames and the Divine alike,” Havoc promised as he pushed the dagger hard into her chest until it pierced her heart. She gasped once and let out a soft sob before her body fell limp against the tree once more suspended by the ropes.

“Havoc?” Victory called again this time closer.

“Keep him back, Vic,” Havoc called loudly trying desperately to keep his voice level. Stepping back slowly he wiped the unshed tears from his eyes and glanced toward the camp. Not only did he not want the child to see his mother dead, he didn’t want the Delvay to see him grieving. They were much the same as the Firym in most of their beliefs and for him to shed tears in front of them was the same to verbally announcing he was weak. “I’ll miss you, Kes. May your journey through the life stream be a swift one,” Havoc whispered once more as he wiped the blood from his dagger.