Sentinelspire - Mark Sehestedt [37]
"Is it true, master?"
Berun sighed and began wrapping Lewan's arm in a bandage. "Not anymore," he said. "Years before Chereth and I found you, before you came to live with me, I… I was… reborn."
"Reborn?"
"In my past life, the man I used to be-Kheil-was a killer, a murderer. Kheil served Alaodin, the Old Man of the Mountain who dwells in his fortress on the side of Sentinelspire. Four years before I met you, Kheil was sent to kill an old druid in the Yuirwood."
"Chereth?" said Lewan. "Your master?"
"Yes. Kheil led Sauk and a dozen assassins into the Yuirwood. Why? Didn't much matter. They were there to do a job.
But… the job did them." Berun finished wrapping the arm and tied the bandage. "How's that?" "Tight."
"Good. It'll loosen as we're on the move. Now, let's get you into some dry clothes so you can warm up."
Lewan unhooked the clasp of his cloak and shrugged it off. "What do you mean, 'the job did them?' "
As Lewan got out of his wet clothes and put on dry ones, Berun told his tale. He spoke in a lifeless tone, without detail, of how the Masters of the Yuirwood had killed Kheil upon the Tree of Dhaerow, how Chereth had used Erael'len, calling upon the Oak Father, and raised Kheil to life. The old druid had named him Berun, which meant "hope" in the tongue of Aglarond.
"Why…?" Lewan struggled to find the words. "Why have you never told me this before?"
Berun looked down, and in the dim light cast by their star-stones, his face was hidden in shadow. "I am Berun now. Kheil is dead. Best to let the dead rest. Kheil's life is in the past."
Lewan watched as his master wrapped all of his wet clothes into a tight bundle, tying them with a cord from their supplies. The shirt was probably a loss, but they could use the scraps for other purposes.
"Kheil's past just came hunting us," said Lewan. "Something tells me that half-orc won't give up so easily. What do we do now?"
Berun rubbed his fingers through his beard. "We go into the mountains. Deep into the Khopet-Dag. Sauk might follow us there, but his men won't. Leading so many into the mountains would attract unwelcome attention. He knows that."
"And we won't?" asked Lewan.
"I'll be careful," said Berun. "We're going to the yaqubi." "The yaqubi? Why?"
"Chereth and I lived with them for a couple of seasons." The ghost of a smile flickered over Berun's lips. "It's where I found and bonded Perch. The yaqubi are good people. You'll be safe there."
"Safe?" said Lewan. His heart skipped a beat and started hammering in his chest. "You mean… you're leaving me?" "Lewan-"
"You can't! Please! I-"
"Lewan!" Berun grabbed Lewan's shoulders and shook him.
Lewan closed his mouth with an audible snap. He blinked and stared at Berun, trying to find the words that would convince his master. Berun was the only father he had known since his own father… Lewan clenched his eyes shut and turned away. He could feel a sob building in the back of his throat. I will not cry, he told himself, and he took a deep breath to calm himself.
"Listen to me, Lewan," said Berun. "What Sauk told me… I don't know if any of it is true or not. Chereth, the Old Man… any of it. But I have to know. I have to be sure. If there is even a chance that my master is alive…"
"I'll come with you."
"No."
"I'm ready, master. I am! I can help. I-"
"No, Lewan." Berun did not shout. His voice was low, almost gruff, but there was no room for argument in it. "No. Not to Sentinelspire. You don't know that place. It is…"
"What?"
"It's… hard to see clearly there." "I don't understand."
"I know." Berun offered a smile, but it never touched his eyes, and in the gloom of the forest the expression seemed almost obscene. "You must understand, Lewan. Sentinelspire is a realm built on blood. Murder. Despite what the bards may tell you, murder doesn't come easy. At least not to most people. Killing a man is a hard thing. Killing for no good reason save that you're told