In Harmony We Trust, Ryan Matthew Harker [rooftoppers .txt] 📗

her head and closed her eyes as tears soaked her fur.

As she approached the shallow crater in the middle of the street Absinthe could just make out two forms through the slowly settling dust. She approached cautiously through the debris that had been scattered over the area by the impact, careful not to cut the pads of her paws on a sharp piece of shattered cobble. She reached the crater and could see that Candlelite had landed mostly on top of Harmony. He covered a large portion of the magician’s body with his bulk, only Harmony’s arms and head were visible from under the werewolf. Both ‘wolf and man’s eyes were closed and their features were serene with the peace of death.
The huge bear picked her way down to Candlelite’s side, lay her head on her lover’s back and made a mournful sound in the back of her throat. She had no way of knowing exactly how long she stayed that way when she was surprised by movement under her. Absinthe jerked back and watched in amazement as Candlelite began to breathe stuttering gasps. With a final shudder his breathing steadied and his eyes fluttered open. Planting his hands in the rubble on either side of Harmony he heaved himself off of the dead sorcerer and rose unsteadily to his clawed feet. He turned, looked at Absinthe and let out a small yip of greeting.
Absinthe rose on her hind legs, wrapped Candlelite in a crushing bear hug and started to lick his face excitedly. He licked her back and with a mighty heave pushed her off of him.
Climbing out of the crater Candlelite sent out a mental command and then settled heavily to the ground to await its answer. He did not have to wait long before two werewolves loped in from the distance. They ran straight to their master and began prancing around him happily.
Candlelite rose, made his way back into the crater and went to where Harmony laid shattered and broken much the same as the street around him. Looking down at the sorcerer Candlelite could scarcely believe that he was dead and it was all over. He reached out with both hands, grasped both sides of Harmony’s head, gave it a twist, and pulled it from his shoulders with a sickening squelch. Candlelite held the dismembered head in one hand and raised it high over his own head before he let out a long howl of triumph and tossed it out of the crater to the waiting werewolves.
Without wasting a second one of the werewolves picked up the gruesome trophy and the two of them loped off back in the direction they had come from.
Climbing back out of the crater Candlelite looked over at Absinthe before he headed toward the building he had recently fallen from. With a final look at Harmony’s headless corpse Absinthe followed him.


In the weeks that followed the death of Harmony McAriicoys and General Kahill, with help from the other lords of AnEerth, pushed the minions of the Dark Sorcerer beyond the walls of the capital and scattered them to the far corners of the globe. Mega’N once again assumed the mantle of High Queen, although reluctantly, and began organizing a joint funeral to honor both the Lord Regent Jeshux and the High King Zakeriah who had passed into Death’s waiting arms mere hours after the Chosen Ones victory over the forces of evil. Repairs to the many damaged portions of the city were begun and volunteers from all over AnEerth flocked to participate in its restoration. During all of this time Candlelite kept himself secluded as he mourned day and night over his role in Jeshux death. Absinthe was seen more frequently but mostly she stayed at her lover’s side offering whatever comfort he would allow her to give him.
It was a week after the night of the final battle against Harmony when Dirsellia, capital city of AnEerth held the funeral for both its lost king and regent, both hero’s beholden of the type of honor that legends are made of. It seemed as if half the planet had turned out for the funerals. Not only was the city packed nigh to overflowing but the blasted plains around it were littered with tents and campfires. Individuals from every country had arrived to pay their respects until they had amassed in numbers that far exceeded those of even Harmony’s far stretched army.
The funeral was a short affair with many speeches about the many virtues of those who had passed made by those who had known and loved them. While officially a funeral for King Zakeriah and Regent Jeshux it was also a celebration for all who had fought and perished so that good and freedom may triumph against evil and tyranny.
After the bodies of the king and regent were laid to rest in the national cemetery Candlelite begged leave of those around him and headed back to the palace and the rooms that he shared with Absinthe. He was almost to the palace when his keen sense of smell told him that he was being followed so he stopped to wait for whoever it was to catch up to him.
“Ah, there you are!” A female voice caused Candlelite to turn and he saw the black clad form of Sefu Atarle approaching him.
“What do you want?” Candlelite snarled.
“Hey now, watch the hostility,” Sefu raised her palms in a gesture of peace. “The queen sent me to find you.”
“Oh,” Candlelite’s tone softened a bit. “Well here I am.”
“Yeah, anyway she sent me to tell you that she would like you to visit her chambers tonight around midnight.”
“And if I say no?” Candlelite asked.
“I took it to be more of a request than an invitation,” Sefu told him.
Candlelite’s shoulders drooped in defeat; he just did not have the energy to sustain his defiance any longer. “Ok, tell her I’ll be there.”
“Look I know we’ve had a rocky past and I don’t blame you for not wanting to be friends,” Sefu said. “But I want you to know that although I may not be a nice person this whole war and my involvement in it have made me start to question the way I live.” Sefu kind of shuffled her feet and she cast her eyes to the ground before she looked back at him. “I guess what I’m trying to say is, for what it’s worth, I’m sorry.”
Candlelite continued to stare at the assassin for long seconds after her apology before he nodded his head and said, “Thank you Sefu, I thought you smelled different.” Without another word he turned and strode into the palace while Sefu frowned after him.

It was a quarter ‘til midnight when Candlelite rose from the chair that he had been sitting in since he had returned from the funeral. Absinthe had gone to bed a few hours before and slept soundly. Both of them were in their human forms thanks to personal stasis spells that the queen had ordered cast over them. Mega’N’s reasoning was that they would be more comfortable traversing the palace at night if they did not have to destroy every door they might encounter. Candlelite had to admit it was sound logic and both he and Absinthe had agreed to have the spells cast.
Absinthe, Candlelite’s thoughts suddenly shifted gears as he quietly closed the door behind him and headed to the queen’s sleeping chamber, oh sweet Absinthe. He had barely spoke a half a dozen words to her since she had returned from the funeral and although he felt bad about it Candlelite was still too caught up in his grief to do anything to close the rift that had grown between them. Absinthe was completely understanding about his feelings though and did not push him. She only gave him unconditional love and patience while she waited for him to sort through his confusion and come to terms with his warring emotions.
Candlelite’s thoughts were brought up short as he found himself in front of the two imperial guards who flanked the door to the queen’s chamber.
“She’s expecting you,” one of the guards told him as the other opened the door so that he may pass through.
“Your majesty!” he called as the door was shut behind him.
“Hello Candlelite,” Mega’N greeted as she emerged from the inner chamber that had been her bedroom in the days since the king’s death. “How have you been? We have all missed you of late.”
“As well as can be expected,” Candlelite shrugged. “I’m sorry I haven’t been much help this last week. I haven’t felt up to being around many people.”
“No need for explanations,” the queen said with a dismissive wave of her hand. “Everyone understands everything you’ve been through.”
“Thank you, your majesty.” Candlelite bowed his head.
“Now, now, dear,” Mega’N chided as she grabbed his hand and patted it. “There’s no need to be so formal here. It’s after hours and we’re friends. Please, would you like to sit down?”
“Yes. Thank you…Mega’N.” Candlelite sat in the seat opposite the queen.
“There, that’s better.” Mega’N sighed as she reached for a bottle of wine. “Would you like a drink?”
“No, thank you.”
“It’s been such a busy week,” Mega’N admitted and took a sip of wine. “Mmm, that is good.” She swished the wine around in the glass and savored another drink. “I imagine you’re wondering why I asked you to come and see me tonight.”
“Not really,” Candlelite answered honestly. “I’ve had other things on my mind.”
Mega’N laughed softly. “I’m sorry dear, I don’t mean to laugh it’s just surprising to hear you say that. Most people would have said yes even if they hadn’t.”
“I believe honesty in all things is very important,” Candlelite stated gravely. “They say on my world that ‘The Truth Will Set You Free’.”
“Indeed it will,” Mega’N said. “My husband believed the same thing. He was a very honest man.” A momentary look of sadness crossed her face. “You have to know that it tore him apart inside to treat Absinthe and you the way he did when you first came here. He felt that he had betrayed your trust and it ate away at him. He was actually somewhat relieved that Jeshux broke you out the way he did.” Mega’N laughed and took another drink of wine.
“We understood,” Candlelite told her. “We came to anyway and we never really held it against him. Neither of us can say that we wouldn’t have done the same thing in his position. I mean, he was weighing the safety of his entire planet against the happiness of two people.”
“The scale was only barely in favor of the planet,” Mega’N confided. “Never did Zakeriah undervalue human happiness.” She leaned forward and whispered conspiratorially, “It’s good to hear you say these things. It works well with what I’m about to reveal to you.”
“Ok,” Candlelite said uncertainly.
“Nobody knows this,” Mega’N began. “But Zakeriah came out of his coma and spoke to me before he died.”
“He did? What did he say?” Candlelite blurted and his eyes went as wide as saucers. He was more interested in what the Queen was about to reveal than he had been about anything all week.
“It was just before I named Jeshux as regent. He told me he knew how the war would end and though he could not reveal it to me he was ready to pass,” Mega’N whispered. “And he asked me to talk to you, to ask you to do something for him.”
“Really? What? I’ll do it. Anything.”
Mega’N laughed at the young man’s eagerness. “Such enthusiasm. But you had better hear me out before you agree to anything. Zakeriah said that while he was in his coma he had