only the dead have seen the end of war

The pounding of his hooves and icy wind buffeting his ears drowned out Erthe’s called warning, so it was with absolute surprise that he saw her flash of pearly white above him on the Steppe. And, though the King had seen her hide from Mesec at the meeting, he was still shocked at the vehemence in her voice when she hissed at him. And then questioned the Elephant’s decisions as King. His ears swung forward, eyes creasing slightly at the shocking change in Erthe’s normally cheerful demeanor—

But before the King could either question or explain, the large wolf was brusquely answering her before taking off at a brisk trot. And Tilney, the good Doctor, was reprimanding the young mare—apparently fatherhood had rubbed of on the jovial man. Navy eyes glance from Mesec’s retreating, barely-wagging tail to Erthe’s two-toned eyes. “After we find him, Erthe,” his deep voice echoed the Nightwind’s sentiments, promising that he would both hear and explain after they finished searching.

The quietly frantic feeling that pervaded the search party—or, at least, the two demigod’s words and actions— was impossible to miss. It was nearly palpable as they traveled over the snow; it was seen in the frenzied pawing at snow and . And so the Elephant simply, but firmly, said, “He is alive.” The sentence was said with entire and absolute assurance—because Tembovu knew Mauja could not die. He had tested it, himself; holding the man until his body replaced the blood Tembovu had bled out of it.

He stayed back, despite Mesec’s cry for help to dig at the the hole, because he did not trust the snow with his massive weight and did not want all five of them tumbling down this ice-covered crevasse. But, with the shocking snaps of Ros’s blade, the snow was soon enough breached and Mesec disappeared in a swarm of shadows. Dark brows raised—the Nightwind was full of surprises today, it seemed. And it was punctuated by Rob’s scream, making the King’s head snap towards her, dark eyes watching with concern.

Tilney confirmed the King’s previous statement of Mauja life by calling out the Frozen Light’s breaths. The Elephant strained forward wanting to approach the edge of the crevasse, but not trusting the weakened ice around it to hold him and the others gathered. While Erthe could fly free of collapsing ice, Mesec could shadow-shift away from breaking ice, and Mauja was promised eternal life regardless of caving ice; but he and Roskuld would be trapped beneath the crushing ice if it did fold beneath his weight—except Ros wouldn’t. Because she was turning to trot away.

“Ros, I don’t think you’ve found what you’re looking for, yet,” his low rumble was a strange mixture of stern challenge and soft understanding. Either way, his massive body blocked her from easily exiting the search party. And then, because he knew it would be easier for anyone to stay if they had a concrete reason, he quietly added, “Mauja is still in the crevasse. We may need your help getting him out.”

And, finally, he allowed himself to feel the overwhelming relief that had blossomed in his chest the moment Mesec started pawing at the snow. The King had kept it bottled for these long moments for the sake of commanding the tensions and emotions of this situation. But now, his shoulders sagged in relief and his eyes took prolonged, easy blinks. Warmth filled his veins as his heart pumped out the relief with every beat. Mauja was found. Though the King knew he would be alive, it was still a comfort to have it confirmed.

“What help do you need to get him out, Mesec?” His deep rumble called around Ros and towards the crevasse’s opening.

Tembovu

the elephant king