Shadows at the Dawn - Part 11
The next couple of days passed like a numb blur or most people in the house. They saw little of Kalah, and even less of Zornah, and once again Zeeda found herself in charge of everything. Though she was not left to the task completely alone. Lady Dreenal and Queen Saturn did as much as they could - directing the household and making the needed arrangements to accommodate those that would be arriving for the ceremony of parting. To King Saturn, when he arrived two days after his wife, went the task of Remmus and Kullah.
Like any good 'uncle', he was simply there for the two of them when they did or did not want to deal with the situation. On the rare occasion Zornah left her rooms, she wandered the house like a zombie - her face blank and uncaring. Turna knew the look well, and it made her heart ache. At the same time though, she found herself growing angry with her friend when it seemed Zornah had forgotten she had four other children. The depths of such mindless separation became painfully obvious to everyone else the day of the ceremony.
Friends and family were assembled in a small loose group in the transport chamber, all come to say farewell to a life lost too soon. Last to enter were Kalah and Zornah, with their surviving children behind them. Before Marshant's body was even brought to the room, Zornah had collapsed to her knees, arms wrapped tightly around herself, sobbing and rocking gently. Many in the room had been where she was, knew the full measure of such pain, and looked upon the scene with silent empathy. They trusted that with her family around her, she would recover soon.
Remmus, Kullah and Husel had all rushed to their mother's side when she had collapsed, only to have her shove them away with more force than anyone would have expected. Remmus sat staring at her in horror, Husel's trembling frame clutching to him. Kullah stood looking at his father in pained confusion. Only a few people took the time to look at Zeeda, and they watched as her face turned to stone, her steel gray eyes hard and dark. It felt like time had frozen in that instant, the only sounds were Zornah's quiet sobs and Husel's faint whimpers. Kalah stood there, blinded by numbness and shock.
Everyone jumped when the silence was finally broken. A voice, dull and cracked started the funeral chant. All eyes turned towards the doorway to see Zeeda, her brother's shrouded body held gently in her arms. She slowly made her way towards the transport pad, eyes cold and distant. Getting to his feet, Remmus fell in behind her, Husel held tightly in his arms. Kullah followed not far behind. Her stony exterior never cracked, never wavered as she proceeded across the room. The only hint of emotion from her was the way she carefully and gently laid the body down.
"May your journey bear you ever onward. May your soul find the peace of evermore."
Zeeda's words seemed to hang in the air, and even Zornah went silent. Head bowed, Zeeda stepped back off the transport pad to stand with her brothers. They all watched as the light surrounded Marshant's body, transporting his remains into the emptiness of space, where his essence would drift through eternity as faint glowing embers.
The guests had slowly left the chamber and reassembled in the main hall. Zeeda was still silent and stony, returning their kinds words with an absent nod. Inside, her mind was anything but still. Part of her wanted to simply run and hide, to avoid dealing with all the people in the house. Yet another part of her wanted nothing more than to rush back into the transport chamber and knock some sense into her mother. Trailing behind her, Remmus and the others looked lost - betrayed.
Kalah stood looking down at his wife. He knew she was in pain - they all were. But for her to have shoved the boys away like she had, he almost did not recognize the woman hunched before him on the floor.
"Zornah, please." he knelt in front of her. "Please, we need you. Our children need you."
She sat staring at nothing, and he had no idea if she had even actually heard him.
"Marshant..." She flinched as he said the name. "Marshant is gone, and we can't bring him back. But if you don't snap out of this, you'll lose the others as well."
Kalah had not realized he had been shouting at her until she was blinking up at him in confusion. He gripped her shoulders, resisting the urge to shake her.
"Our boys! They came to comfort you and you shoved them away. Our daughter walked out of here like a statue. Do you want to lose all of them too?" His voice broke. "Please, love, come back to us."
A horrified look flashed across her face, and she collapsed against his chest, a constant stream of tears and apologies tumbling forth from both of them. It took some time for her to calm, but Kalah stayed with her.
"They must hate me now." Zornah mumbled in a small voice.
While Kalah was sure it would not take long for the boys to bounce back, he was not so sure Zeeda would. He kept these thoughts to himself as he helped his wife to her feet and gently led her towards the hall.
The guests had decided to leave early, not wanting to intrude further on the shattered family. So the only faces there to greet Kalah and Zornah as they entered the main hall were their children, Lienta, Dreenal, and King and Queen Saturn. Zornah froze briefly faced with the cold hard eyes of her daughter, but she made herself slowly move towards them. Remmus and Kullah returned her searching look blankly, with Husel beside them, scared but hopeful.
"Mama?" Husel whispered.
"Oh," Zornah slipped to her knees. "Oh, my baby."
Husel ran to her waiting arms.
"Mama's so sorry" she murmured into his hair, tear filled eyes on her three oldest.
Remmus and Kullah appeared to relax slightly, but Zeeda remained hard and cold. The boys hesitated a moment, turning towards their sister as she gently placed a hand on their arms.
"Go to your mother." Zeeda said quietly before she turned and left the room.
Zornah's eyes never left her retreating figure.
Though Zeeda avoided her mother relatively well over the next few months, the atmosphere in the house was not quite as strained as the others expected. Though not happy at the idea of leaving before all was healed, Remmus made ready to return with King Saturn a month after the ceremony. Turna and Dreenal stayed, both unwilling to leave just yet. Though they all desired to speak with Zeeda about her continued indifference towards her mother, the only one willing to initiate the battle was Lienta. He did wait until a couple months after Remmus had left, and made sure no sharp objects were directly available. He finally cornered her in the garden one evening.
"No." Zeeda's voice was low and quiet.
Lienta stopped. He had not even opened his mouth to say anything. Squaring his shoulders, he knew he could be just as stubborn when the situation called for it.
"Zee...don't you think it's time to end this?"
She only glowered at him.
"You can't keep going like this love. They need you as much as they need her."
"And where was she when it all happened?" Zeeda hissed. "Was she the one trying to shove aside her own grief to comfort everyone else?"
"Come now, you're just being selfish." The words were out before he realized what he had said.
Zeeda exploded.
"Selfish!" she fumed. "Tell me exactly when I have ever put myself first. Even now I do as much as I can to make the rest of them comfortable. There are things that cannot be forgiven, and they sure as hell should not be forgotten. And if you think I'll ever do either, you're a damn blind fool!"
"Better a blind fool than a frigid, bitter, lonely one."
Lienta paused, why was he yelling at his wife? How had the situation taken such a turn? It was not supposed to go this way...they were not supposed to suddenly be mad at each other.
"Is that - is that what you think of me?" Zeeda's voice was rough, and she took a few steps backing away from him.
"Zee, of course not." his voice softened. "Dammit, you just about drive me crazy sometimes."
Mind still reeling from their earlier comments, Zeeda continued to back away. Neither of them realized how close they were to the edge of the pool until she suddenly toppled over backwards and disappeared behind a large splash.
"Zeeda!"
Lienta dropped to his knees at the edge of the pool just as she surfaced. Zeeda's eyes were wide with shock and anger. He braced himself for what was coming next, seeing her sucking in a deep breath. The scream she released was feral, deep, and filled with the emotions she had been keeping bottled up the past few months.
"Feel better now?" Lienta asked gently when she had finished.
"No." came the hoarse reply.
"Come on, give me your hand."
Lienta missed the glint in her eyes, and instead of him pulling her out, he soon found himself in the pool next to her.
"What the..." he sputtered as soon as he surfaced.
"Now - now I'm happy." Zeeda growled as she climbed out of the pool.
Those in the house had heard the scream coming from the garden, and they met Zeeda as she entered the house. Zornah rushed ahead of the rest.
"Are you okay?" she held back the hand that had started to move towards her daughter.
"I'm fine mother. Just fell into the pool is all."
Zeeda answered her without stopping, leaving a trail of drips behind her as she made her way through the house.
"Did she..." a shocked Zornah whispered - those had been the first words Zeeda had spoken to her in over three months.
All heads turned as Lienta reached the door, standing dripping in the doorway. His face was dark, but his amber eyes glowed. A hint of a determined smile played about his lips.
"Lienta, is everything alright?" Dreenal asked him.
"I'll let you know in the morning." He set off after his wife in grim determination.
It started first with Zornah, a small giggle escaping before she could stop it. Soon, the whole group joined her, laughing until they burst. Well, everyone except Husel who stood looking up at the adults around him as if they had all gone crazy.
"What's so funny?" he asked.
"You'll understand when you're older dear." Zornah answered, scooping him into a hug.
Only slightly mollified, Husel did not question the warm comfort of his mother's arms.
Down the hall, Lienta burst into their bedroom, and stopped frozen in his tracks. Zeeda was still flushed with anger, and her wet hair clung to her in wild disarray. Her eyes were bright and clear - and he finally realized she did not have anything on. Before he could sort out his now jumbled thoughts, Lienta found himself pressed up against the closed door. Her lips were hungry and demanding.
"Wha.." he mumbled breathlessly when she finally pulled back.
"I intend to show you just how selfish I can be."
Lienta decided that it was best not to argue. Besides, was this kind of selfish behavior really all that bad?