Aiduels sin, p.64
Aiduel's Sin, page 64
He turned towards her, smiled, then walked to the bed. ‘Mena.’
He lifted a cup to her mouth, and she took a sip of the cool water within. He then leaned forwards and kissed her softly on the lips.
Over sixty-five years had passed since they had first kissed, and then had lain together. That first night, under the desert stars, they had both been tanned, young and beautiful, and the promise of their future had seemed to stretch into eternity. And although such promises had proven to be a deception, and nothing could be eternal for her as it was for him, they had lived a life of meaning, and of happiness, for the many decades since then.
And they had accomplished deeds that would endure far beyond the mortal span of her years.
But, alas, time was both a liar and a thief. In those intervening years, she had aged and withered. She had become the tired, wrinkled crone who languished in this bed today, counting her final moments. He, on the other hand, still looked to be a man no older than thirty. His skin was unlined, and his smile was as captivating as it had ever been.
A man who had always been true to her. A good man.
‘It will be soon,’ she said, her voice a whisper. ‘I have days. Possibly hours. That’s all.’
She witnessed him grimacing, and she could see a redness in his eyes which suggested that he had been crying.
‘I don’t accept that,’ he said. ‘Let me try-’
‘Be at peace with this, Aiduel.’
He reached out and took her hand, not meeting her eyes.
‘You’re troubled, my love,’ she said. ‘It’s the dream, isn’t it?’
He sighed, and replied, ‘I’m trying to accept that you’ll be gone, Mena. Trying to ready myself for what I know is coming. It’s all that should matter.’
‘But you’re dreaming again, aren’t you? Speak honestly.’
‘Yes,’ he said, quietly. ‘I’ve dreamt it again. Over and over, as I kill them. It grows stronger.’
She pressed weak fingers against his palm and said, ‘Please… try to put it aside, Aiduel. I’ve forgiven you. And if they’d seen the things that you’ve done, all the good you’ve done, they would forgive you, too.’
He did not answer, and his silence told her that yet again he had not truly accepted her absolution. He had confessed his sin to her many years before, but she worried that his guilt would endure long after she was gone.
‘Please,’ she continued, despite the words suddenly becoming harder to form. ‘In the years ahead… think of the good that you can still do. Cherish the memories of… our life. But put that memory aside. Please.’
She saw then that he was weeping. She opened her arms, and he moved onto the bed, resting his head lightly against her chest. She began to stroke his hair, feeling worried for him.
‘I don’t know how I’ll carry on without you, Mena.’
‘Don’t say that. You will. And it will be a great life.’
‘I fear, though…’
‘What do you fear, my love?’
‘I fear… if I go on, without you beside me… my grief and my shame and my loneliness will drive me to… change, for the worse. You are the last of my Disciples, Mena. What if I cannot cope when you’re gone, and I descend towards tyranny?’
‘Don’t say that, Aiduel. Please. No more of that, not now.’ Her mouth and throat felt parched, and speech was becoming more difficult.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Let me talk of other things… of that day, beside the stream in the meadow. Let’s remember…’
For a while longer, she listened as he talked of experiences from days long gone. She could feel her eyelids growing heavy as he did so.
However, she could sense that there was something else. Something unsaid.
‘What… is… it?’ She had to strain to form the words and to force the sound out.
‘What?’ he replied.
‘What…?’ Her mouth was too dry, and the sentence that she wanted to speak was unattainable.
What aren’t you telling me? she thought. Say it, please, before it’s too late, and there’s no one else to tell.
There was silence for a number of seconds.
‘I’ve found a way,’ he murmured into her chest.
A way?
‘A way to bring them back, Mena. To let them live again, if I surrender myself and my power to the Gate.’
To bring them back?
‘I’ve seen it in a vision.’
What have you seen?
For a brief moment, an image flashed into her mind, and she knew that he was sharing his thoughts. A familiar place, the city renamed Sen Aiduel. Above it, the sun was disappearing and the sky was turning black…
‘When the sky darkens above Sen Aiduel,’ he whispered, his head resting against her weakening heart, ‘the five of us shall return, born anew into woman without man, and blessed by the powers of the Gate. And next time, if I can gather them together, I think that…’
Amena did not hear the rest of his words. Sleep’s doors had drifted open to her with an enticing welcome which could not be refused, and she slipped through gracefully and gratefully.
She would never again awaken.
THE ILLBORN SAGA WILL CONTINUE IN BOOK THREE OF THE SERIES…
Acknowledgements
Thank you for reading my two novels, and thank you to everyone who has supported The Illborn Saga so far.
If you have enjoyed reading my books (which I truly hope that you have), please leave reviews or ratings on Amazon and Goodreads, and please recommend my series to other people. Every single positive review, rating and recommendation makes an enormous contribution to growing the readership of Illborn and Aiduel’s Sin, and is massively appreciated.
Thank you in particular to the wonderful group of readers and reviewers across the Instagram, Twitter and Booktube communities who have become ardent supporters of Illborn, and who have helped to lift an unknown self-published debut novel out of obscurity. You are too many to name individually, but I hope that you will know who you are and how grateful I am.
I would also like to thank the kind people who have acted as beta readers for the two books, including; Ben, Mark, Pat, Jennie, Dave, Jeremy, Tom and Caoimhe. Your input has been invaluable in improving both books significantly.
I also must say a massive thank you to my wonderful sister Kate (my personal cheerleader whenever I need my spirits lifting) and to my lovely wife Elaine, who has patiently edited every chapter in both enormous tomes (sometimes more than once!), and who can now confidently claim to have made me both a better person and a better writer.
Thank you again for reading my novels, and I hope that you will continue with the journey of the Illborn onto book three of The Illborn Saga.
Daniel T. Jackson, Aiduel's Sin
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He lifted a cup to her mouth, and she took a sip of the cool water within. He then leaned forwards and kissed her softly on the lips.
Over sixty-five years had passed since they had first kissed, and then had lain together. That first night, under the desert stars, they had both been tanned, young and beautiful, and the promise of their future had seemed to stretch into eternity. And although such promises had proven to be a deception, and nothing could be eternal for her as it was for him, they had lived a life of meaning, and of happiness, for the many decades since then.
And they had accomplished deeds that would endure far beyond the mortal span of her years.
But, alas, time was both a liar and a thief. In those intervening years, she had aged and withered. She had become the tired, wrinkled crone who languished in this bed today, counting her final moments. He, on the other hand, still looked to be a man no older than thirty. His skin was unlined, and his smile was as captivating as it had ever been.
A man who had always been true to her. A good man.
‘It will be soon,’ she said, her voice a whisper. ‘I have days. Possibly hours. That’s all.’
She witnessed him grimacing, and she could see a redness in his eyes which suggested that he had been crying.
‘I don’t accept that,’ he said. ‘Let me try-’
‘Be at peace with this, Aiduel.’
He reached out and took her hand, not meeting her eyes.
‘You’re troubled, my love,’ she said. ‘It’s the dream, isn’t it?’
He sighed, and replied, ‘I’m trying to accept that you’ll be gone, Mena. Trying to ready myself for what I know is coming. It’s all that should matter.’
‘But you’re dreaming again, aren’t you? Speak honestly.’
‘Yes,’ he said, quietly. ‘I’ve dreamt it again. Over and over, as I kill them. It grows stronger.’
She pressed weak fingers against his palm and said, ‘Please… try to put it aside, Aiduel. I’ve forgiven you. And if they’d seen the things that you’ve done, all the good you’ve done, they would forgive you, too.’
He did not answer, and his silence told her that yet again he had not truly accepted her absolution. He had confessed his sin to her many years before, but she worried that his guilt would endure long after she was gone.
‘Please,’ she continued, despite the words suddenly becoming harder to form. ‘In the years ahead… think of the good that you can still do. Cherish the memories of… our life. But put that memory aside. Please.’
She saw then that he was weeping. She opened her arms, and he moved onto the bed, resting his head lightly against her chest. She began to stroke his hair, feeling worried for him.
‘I don’t know how I’ll carry on without you, Mena.’
‘Don’t say that. You will. And it will be a great life.’
‘I fear, though…’
‘What do you fear, my love?’
‘I fear… if I go on, without you beside me… my grief and my shame and my loneliness will drive me to… change, for the worse. You are the last of my Disciples, Mena. What if I cannot cope when you’re gone, and I descend towards tyranny?’
‘Don’t say that, Aiduel. Please. No more of that, not now.’ Her mouth and throat felt parched, and speech was becoming more difficult.
‘I’m sorry,’ he said. ‘Let me talk of other things… of that day, beside the stream in the meadow. Let’s remember…’
For a while longer, she listened as he talked of experiences from days long gone. She could feel her eyelids growing heavy as he did so.
However, she could sense that there was something else. Something unsaid.
‘What… is… it?’ She had to strain to form the words and to force the sound out.
‘What?’ he replied.
‘What…?’ Her mouth was too dry, and the sentence that she wanted to speak was unattainable.
What aren’t you telling me? she thought. Say it, please, before it’s too late, and there’s no one else to tell.
There was silence for a number of seconds.
‘I’ve found a way,’ he murmured into her chest.
A way?
‘A way to bring them back, Mena. To let them live again, if I surrender myself and my power to the Gate.’
To bring them back?
‘I’ve seen it in a vision.’
What have you seen?
For a brief moment, an image flashed into her mind, and she knew that he was sharing his thoughts. A familiar place, the city renamed Sen Aiduel. Above it, the sun was disappearing and the sky was turning black…
‘When the sky darkens above Sen Aiduel,’ he whispered, his head resting against her weakening heart, ‘the five of us shall return, born anew into woman without man, and blessed by the powers of the Gate. And next time, if I can gather them together, I think that…’
Amena did not hear the rest of his words. Sleep’s doors had drifted open to her with an enticing welcome which could not be refused, and she slipped through gracefully and gratefully.
She would never again awaken.
THE ILLBORN SAGA WILL CONTINUE IN BOOK THREE OF THE SERIES…
Acknowledgements
Thank you for reading my two novels, and thank you to everyone who has supported The Illborn Saga so far.
If you have enjoyed reading my books (which I truly hope that you have), please leave reviews or ratings on Amazon and Goodreads, and please recommend my series to other people. Every single positive review, rating and recommendation makes an enormous contribution to growing the readership of Illborn and Aiduel’s Sin, and is massively appreciated.
Thank you in particular to the wonderful group of readers and reviewers across the Instagram, Twitter and Booktube communities who have become ardent supporters of Illborn, and who have helped to lift an unknown self-published debut novel out of obscurity. You are too many to name individually, but I hope that you will know who you are and how grateful I am.
I would also like to thank the kind people who have acted as beta readers for the two books, including; Ben, Mark, Pat, Jennie, Dave, Jeremy, Tom and Caoimhe. Your input has been invaluable in improving both books significantly.
I also must say a massive thank you to my wonderful sister Kate (my personal cheerleader whenever I need my spirits lifting) and to my lovely wife Elaine, who has patiently edited every chapter in both enormous tomes (sometimes more than once!), and who can now confidently claim to have made me both a better person and a better writer.
Thank you again for reading my novels, and I hope that you will continue with the journey of the Illborn onto book three of The Illborn Saga.
Daniel T. Jackson, Aiduel's Sin
