What Memory Remains

Alice cringed in fear as the mountain of a man closed the distance between them. A light rain began to come down around her from nowhere, and she stared into the faceless mask of the Rainmaker. She backed up, but the rain formed a hard wall that barred her exit.

“I do so hate this but…” He raised a shaking hand, “It must be done.”

“Stop, or I take your head,” a voice commanded from behind.

The Rainmaker paused, peering over his shoulder at a very serious-looking elf that held a gleaming steel sword to his neck. From the bushes nearby, Captain Darion appeared and joined the elven swordsman.

“Alice, run!” The Captain shouted, and Alice paused. “Go, now!”

She scurried away, and it was only the three along with the unconscious Zenapharr.

“What business do you have with killing an innocent child?”

“Ah, you must be the Captain. My business is no concern of yours.”

“It will be when you are missing a head.”

“Fine. My family is in danger as long as she is alive.”

“Who holds your family in danger?”

“I believe Alice and Sade must have told you already. Krane of NOSRAD. I have been doing services for him in exchange for treatment of my condition. Now he has them under his fateful gaze, and I wouldn’t put it past him to hurt them.”

“Krane. I know of him, and people like him. You are a pawn of his. Do you not understand that he will simply keep using you until you are of no further use? After you kill this girl, that won’t be the end. There will always be more you’ll have to do to keep them safe.”

“How do you know?”

“As I said, I know how men like him think. Schemers and liars. How do you know your family isn’t already dead? Or that he won’t just kill them anyway?”

“I guess I don’t.”

“Then stop this. Use your gifts for something good. Even if your family were to die, you would be doing them justice by simply making the right choice.”

“And who are you to give me such advice?”

“I advise all humans because they need it.”

“And why is that?”

“Because you, all of you are so hollow. Born with holes in your heart that you fill with power and greed. I believe all have the potential for good, even as much as you lean towards wickedness.”

“Oh, well thank you for the lecture. But even so…I just can’t take the chance.”

“So you would take an innocent life on the off-chance it would save your own daughter?”

“Yes.”

“I understand why you would want to protect your family but…not like this. Take him to the dungeon where we can keep an eye on him.”

The soldier tied the Rainmaker’s hands behind his back as Darion kept his own blade close to the large man’s neck. Once tied, the Captain motioned for him to check on Zenapharr.

“What’s under that mask, Rainmaker?”

“A face that I have long forgotten. It is best to keep it on, because it helps me breathe. You wouldn’t want me dying on you, would you now?”

“Somehow I feel that you’re smiling at me.”

“What would make you think that, my friend?”

“I am no friend of yours.”

“Captain, he’s breathing, but hurt badly,” the soldier called. “I cast a spell to maintain his condition and wrapped his ribs. They are broken.”

“Call for some other soldiers to carry him out. There should be some near already form the commotion. There is much to discuss once he has recovered.”

The soldier curtly nodded, and blew a horn three times, one long and two short.

“Once they arrive, we’ll begin our way back. I need as many eyes on this one as possible before we get there.”

“What’s wrong? Don’t trust me, Captain?”

“For someone who tried to kill a child? No.”

The Rainmaker laughed, and Darion gave him a hard stare.

“What’s so funny, human swine?”

“Elves. You don’t even know the half of it. You say we’re all the same, and we say you’re all the same. You live in your little forests, away from the rest of the world. Judging us. Thinking that you’re better. You haven’t been through a fraction of what I’ve had to endure, yet you pretend to know me. No wonder so many of us hate your guts.”

“Unless you want to this to be the last time you have one, I suggest you hold your tongue, Drizzler. Or whatever it is they call you.”

“You jest me? You have no idea what I can do.”

“Novice magicks, I say.”

“Says you, fairy man.”

The Captain lunged forward and jabbed the Rainmaker in the kneecap, and the huge man howled in pain.

“That’s right where the nerve endings are. I studied it in training while you were soiling the ground. Looks like you’ll only be soiling yourself from here on.”

“You’ll be the first to die. Mark my words.”

Thirty minutes later, the Captain and his fellow soldier accompanied by others that carried Zenapharr trudged through the elven village near the castle. Unknown to them, word had quickly spread about the night’s events and a large crowd had amassed near the castle.

“Make way! Make way!” The soldier called, but the crowd begun to get violent.

“Kill him! Child killer! Torture him! Cut out both of his eyes!” Were the various demands from the crowd.

“Back away!” The Captain and his soldiers yelled. As they approached the castle gate, the Elven Guard came out and surrounded the Rainmaker.

“Get us inside, quickly!” The Captain ordered, but the heavily armed guards instead grabbed the Rainmaker themselves.

“What are you doing?” He said.

“The King said he is to be executed immediately. The people are restless.”

“What?! No, we need to get information from him!”

“King’s orders, sire. In his exact words, ‘we cannot enter into the affairs of the humans.’ If you have a problem, take it up with him.”

“We only need a little while, then we can kill him!”

“Sorry, King’s orders.”

At this, the Guard led the Rainmaker towards the center of town. Along the way, one of the guards removed the mask and everything seemed to halt in sight of the man. After the initial gasps and whispers, the crowd resumed it’s bustle. Now, amongst the cries of hatred were remarks of his grotesque face. The Rainmaker’s eyes were filled with loathing, but now there seemed a sadness to them. Darion recognized the look. It seemed the fight, for whatever reason, was gone from the Rainmaker.

Now, rocks were starting to be thrown, hitting the Rainmaker in the face and accidentally hitting guards in the process. This resulted in some backlash, and now many of the crowd began to chant “freak!” over and over.

“STOOOOOOP IT!” A single, solitary cry pierced the crowd in an instant hush. The crowd, without realizing why, suddenly found themselves only able to stare on in silence. A part in the crowd revealed Alice, her eyes wild and face flush. She made her way to the Rainmaker, untied his hands. They were equally shocked at the guards not acting to stop her.

She had in her hands the mask that was ripped off the Rainmaker’s face. Hands shaking, she held out the mask to him. He was speechless, but not because she was controlling him. He simply couldn’t wrap his mind around what she was doing.

Stunned, he looked down at the little girl who kindly offered him his only dignity. A bittersweet smile played across his face, something he felt he hadn’t done in a long time. The image of his own child flashed in his mind, and he knelt down and gently took the offering from her outstretched hand.

“I don’t understand,” he said quietly, choking on his own words. She reached out and touched her hand to his face. He cringed a bit at the touch, and saw her eyes, and the look of acceptance in them made fresh tears form in his own. Then she did something else very unexpected. She uncurled her arm and offered him the most treasured possession a child could have, a teddy bear.

“Why?” He barely got the words out, guilt tearing through his gut.

“You need it more than I do. Please keep it.”

Another wave of guilt smacked into him, and he nodded his head in acceptance. He opened his coat and tucked the teddy bear into it.

“After what I did…how can you be so kind?”

“You’re….like me.” She said slowly, as if understanding as she said it. “Not in the same way but…we’re somehow the same. We’re both…freaks.”

“Yes, I suppose so.”

“You, me….Zenapharr. Yet you would kill us.”

“You can read minds. You know why.”

“I do. You can join us, you know. We can help each other.”

“I…I suppose we can. Just have to get out of here.”

“I can have that arranged. Put your mask on, let’s go.”

The Rainmaker put the mask back on his face, and breathed a sigh of relief. With Alice holding his hand, they began to make their way through the crowd , until the Rainmaker stopped.

“What’s wrong?” She asked.

“There’s something I must do first. You need to get to cover.”

“Wh….”

Suddenly, the clouds overhead began to darken, and within moments a rain began to pour down. It went in every direction, and picked up more and more momentum. A crackle of thunder boomed, and the Rainmaker lifted his hands.

“Stop! What are you doing?!”

“The elven filth will pay for what they tried to do! Get to cover, now! “

Alice ran as fast as her legs could carry her, and the crowd of people began to come to as her hold on then was lifted. A column of water formed underneath the Rainmaker’s feet and lifted him into the air. As he went higher, the sprays of rain intensified and began knocking over waves of people in the crowd. Elves scurried to their bows and sent a flurry of arrows at the Rainmaker, but all were blocked by a thick wall of water surrounding him.

Peering through the crowd, the Rainmaker spotted Captain Darion and started to carry out his promise. He formed a gigantic hand made of water and snatched up the Captain in it and began to squeeze, all the while filing Darion’s mouth and nose with water to add to his agony. Helpless within its grip, Darion choked and sputtered as his body was slowly crushed beneath the grip of the aquatic hand. Once his body went limp in death, the Rainmaker released the Captain from the watery grip which sent him crashing into a house.

Now with his first order of business done, the master of water sent tornadoes of water erupting all around the village. Chaos ensued as people were sent sprawling through the air and others desperately clawed to find their way to safety, trampling many in the process. Shrapnel flew haphazardly, injuring many while others were tossed into buildings.

The Rainmaker motioned with his arms as he manipulated the torrents of water into buildings, a mad conductor of destruction plowing through stone, brick and wood. His gaze finally turned to the castle and he sent huge surges of water into the turrets, knocking them over and shaking the rest of the structure. Screams of terror were heard as pieces of the rock that were knocked away crushed innocent villagers.

Concussive bursts of thunder roared, and it only emblazoned the fury and anger lust within the Rainmaker. Wave after wave of water struck the castle, sending large chucks of it crumbling and remnants plowing into anything nearby. The sight of it all entranced him, and he flew higher into the air.

“I’m a God….” He thought in complete awe of his own power.

This was the last thought he had before there was a flash of light and he felt a jolt course through his body. The lightning bolt was accompanied by a boom of thunder and the people looked on in fright as many still scrambled for cover. In shock, they all began to stop and watched as the Rainmaker came crashing back down to Earth and smacked wetly into the muddy ground.

The once-manipulated water separated and fell in various heaps, and the thunderclouds remained which still ensued rain upon the civilians of the elven village. Amongst the injured and still well villagers, they formed a circle around the still body of the Rainmaker.

“Watch out! Coming through!” A voice called, and Sade shoved his way through the crowd to the Rainmaker.

“Is he….?” An onlooker asked. Sade approached the huge man, removed the mask, and held his fingers to his neck, there was a pulse.

“No,” he called, and jumped back as the Rainmaker shifted uncomfortably on the ground. The movements were sluggish and it was apparent that it took much effort. Luke Everton…The Rainmaker…was soon at his end.

Luke whispered something unintelligible, and Sade leaned in to hear him.

“P-pocket.” Luke whispered, and Sade searched, and pulled out a small envelope.

“M-ma-map inside. Find i-it. G-give to them.”

“You’re….family?”Sade questioned, and was confirmed with a nod. The rain poured on around them as the crowd stared in silence at the two. Suddenly, Luke smiled and laughed.

“What?”

“I’m Icarus,” Luke chuckled again, and Sade looked at him in confusion. After a moment of contemplation, Sade suddenly understood.

“You flew too close to the sun?” Luke nodded his head and smiled.

“Any case…it-it was my, b-best orchestration. It was…q-quite b-beautiful.”

Sade wasn’t sure how to respond and simply looked on in silence. And the man once known as the Rainmaker clapped Sade merrily on the arm, and exhaled one last time before he let go of his own life…