Tanis the shadow years

24

"If you try to turn around," said Kishpa in a voice as sharp as his knife, "I will plunge this blade so deep into your back that the tip will come out your stomach." Tanis did not move. Brandella whirled, however, and darted toward Kishpa. "You don't understand," she pleaded, reaching for her lover. Kishpa pushed her away. "I understand enough," he snarled. "The half-elf has filled your head with clever lies, and you were foolish enough to listen to them." "They're not lies," said Tanis, taking care not to move. "You're standing in the way of your own last wish."

"I think not," Kishpa spat out. "I think there is no such 'magic.' Rather, my strange friend, you're standing in the way of your own last breath!"

"No, Kishpa!" cried Brandella. She lunged for his arm.

Tanis immediately jumped away from the mage, and the blade jabbed into air. But Kishpa was quick on his feet, too. He pounced forward as Tanis spun around, and the half-elf saw the knife slash down at him.

Tanis's right hand shot up to grab the wrist of the knife-wielding arm, and the two were momentarily locked in a test of strength.

It did not last long. Tanis was, by far, the stronger of the two, and he not only pushed the knife away, he sent the mage flying backward off his feet.

"I could kill you with my magic," shouted Kishpa, scrambling upright, his face dark with rage, "but I would rather do it with my bare hands. You're a traitor and a thief. You betrayed my trust, and you have stolen my woman."

As Kishpa rushed Tanis with his knife outstretched, Brandella ran between the two of them, yelling, "Stop this!"

Kishpa did not stop. Tanis elbowed her out of the way, leaving himself wide open to the mage's attack. Before Tanis could move, though, a small figure leaped out of the darkness, smashing into Kishpa's shoulder, spinning him around, and sending him sprawling to the ground.

It was Scowarr.

The mage was more startled than stunned. He recovered quickly, scrambling back to his feet. Little Shoulders, however, did not fare so well. He hit the ground head-first and lay still, blood oozing from his nose.

Enraged, Kishpa lunged at Scowarr with the apparent intention of slicing Little Shoulders open like a melon.

Tanis drew his own blade, the broadsword gleaming red in the night. "Leave him be!" ordered the half-elf. "He is not your enemy. His only crime is that he is my friend."

'That is crime enough!" declared Kishpa.

"Then you must kill me, tool" Brandella said defiantly. "I am his friend, as well. Just as you should be." She stepped in front of Kishpa, blocking his path to the stalwart human who lay stunned on the forest clearing floor.

'This is madness," shouted the mage. He turned away from Scowarr and advanced upon Tanis, sword waving menacingly in his hand. "Who sent you here?" demanded Kishpa. "What evil wizardry is behind all of this?"

"I tell you, there is nothing evil here," insisted Tanis, keeping his enchanted sword at the ready. "It was you who sent me here!"

"Pah! I don't believe it!"

With that, Kishpa whipped his knife in an arc toward Tanis's head. The half-elf instinctively tried to lift his own sword to block the dagger. But he couldn't. The red glow had disappeared, and the sword was too heavy to lift. At the last possible instant, Tanis jumped out of the way, his leather tunic slashed by Kishpa's blade.

The mage laughed bitterly. "Your sword cannot be used against the one who enchanted it. You are going to die."

Tanis dropped his blade but stood his ground. He would not run.

"He is defenseless," shouted Brandella, darting before Kishpa. "You cannot kill an unarmed man. It is not your way. Can this be the Kishpa whom I have loved? Whom I still Iove7"

She reached for him, but he shook her off again. "Is this the Brandella who ran from me7 Who betrayed me7" the mage cried.

With the grace of a cat, the weaver took long, purposeful strides to stand next to Tanis. She held the flaming torch in one hand, and with her other she took Tanis's arm. Then she lifted her eyes to the starry sky and called out, "Kishpa! Wizard of wisdom and love, hear me now in your mind's eye. Forgive yourself for your callow, jealous, youthful ways. I know you for the kind and generous man you have always been. And so shall I always remember you. Free me now to remember you as you have remembered me."

No one moved. Not even Kishpa. They waited for thunder. For lightning. For a puff of smoke.

Nothing happened.

The mage came forward. "Let go of him," he said quietly.

She began to loosen her grip, but Tanis would not let her hand go free. The air no longer carried the sweet scent of a woodland; it had no smell at all. The wind no longer caressed him; it had ceased to blow. The stars were no longer mysterious; they had vanished into a void of black. Something was happening…

Tanis started to speak, to warn them, but he didn't get the chance. The world vanished. There was no light, no dark; there were no shades of gray. No warmth, no chill, no feeling at all. Nothing existed except the void… and the slow, irregular beating of a heart… and Brandella. She floated in this netherworld with him, holding his arm, yet seemingly miles away. It looked as if she were trying to say something, but he couldn't understand her in the oppressive gloom. Despite his elvensight, he could barely see her. When he tried to pull her closer, he discovered that he couldn't move his limbs. When he tried to call to her, he found that the sound of his voice was drowned out by the dull pounding of the unseen heart.

Then, without any warning, the heart began to beat faster. And stronger. The gloom slowly lifted. Colors, sounds, and familiar sights returned. But not the familiar sight of Kishpa in a jealous rage. The old wizard's memory had shifted-perhaps intentionally, Tanis thought- and the half-elf now found himself walking with his head turned, looking at Brandella. She was about to speak to him when he stumbled into something and nearly lost his balance.

"Are you all right?" "Uh… I guess so," he said, swinging his torch over the object that had stood in his way. It was a tree stump. "I didn't mean that. I meant what happened when everything went dark… when Kishpa nearly"-her voice caught in her throat-"when he nearly… nearly died." "Were you frightened?" Tanis took her other hand. "Not for myself," she said. "For Kishpa. I sensed him, his closeness, in a way I have never experienced before. I spoke to him. He knew it was me, and I felt his joy. Did you hear his heart begin to pound? He wants so much to live!" Tanis countered, "And he wants so much to help you live. Look!" The half-elf indicated the stump. "Don't you see? He brought us back in time to where I tripped on this hollow tree trunk. He doesn't want us to get caught by his younger self again. He's given us a chance, and we've got to make the most of it." His mind swirled with ideas.' "Give me three long strips of cloth," Tanis demanded. "What for?" "There's no time to explain. Just give me the cloth." She ripped the bottom of her hip-length blouse three times and handed him the strips of woven green cloth. "Now what?" she asked, her face serious. Tanis took the pieces and said, "Climb inside the tree trunk, and take the torch with you." She looked uncertain. "What about you?" "Just get down there!"