Ch. 6 - Lament to Lothar

She sat with his broken body as the sun slithered beneath the horizon. Her face rested on his chest, no longer moving with the breath of life. Her sobs ceased, and she could cry no more for her tears were spent. The blood pooling around her legs was going cool, but she did not notice. As if frozen in time, she could not move.

The moon glistened against the black velvet sky speckled with stars twinkling like flecks of ice, but she did not look up.

“We must return to the safety of our camp,” Adnaan whispered to his brother.

“I will go to her,” Addai replied.

He approached her torpid body silently, walking around Lothar to face her. He knelt next to the fallen warrior.

“Saga,” he whispered. She did respond. “Saga,” he said again. “The night is full of perils, more so than the day. We can mourn the passing of Lothar safely from our encampment.” He gently ran his fingers through her mane of yellow hair. “Please. Let us take him back.”

Addai motioned for Adnaan and the others to come. As they approached Lothar’s lifeless body, panic filled Saga’s eyes. She lashed out at Addai, pushing him backward.

“No!” She yelled, now crouching over Lothar’s body. Adnaan and the others stopped. Addai pulled himself back up to face Saga.

“Let us take him back. We will honor him there, I promise,” he said. He stared into her icy blue eyes as they began to fill again with tears. He touched her chin with his fingertips. Even in the night, the difference was obvious. His dark, cinnamon colored skin stood out against her porcelain complexion. “Do you trust me?”

Saga squeezed her eyes shut.

“Yes,” she whispered.

He pulled her off of Lothar’s body and into his own, pressing her face into the crook of his neck. He motioned for the others to carry Lothar back to their camp. They picked up the body with the utmost care, as if Lothar was a newborn who needn’t be dropped. They moved slowly through the sands as they headed back to the safety of their camp.

Addai removed his cloth head wrap and gently pulled Saga from his shoulder. She stared off into nothingness as he delicately wiped blood and tears from her face.

“Are you hurt?” he asked, checking her for wounds. “You are,” he said, finding a deep gash on her arm, just below her shoulder.

“He asked me to be his,” she said, softly.

“What?” Addai asked.

“Lothar,” she replied. “Before our ship crashed, he asked me to be his. I laughed at him and pushed him overboard. He didn’t know, but I would’ve. My father had already given his permission. I never got the chance to tell him yes. The last thing he remembered of me was me laughing at him.” She choked as the last few words left her lips, breaking into a gut wrenching cry.

“The last thing he remembered was you freeing him from bondage and fighting by his side,” Addai said, holding her in place by her shoulders.

“He never knew,” she wailed. “He never knew.”

“A man does not forfeit his life for a woman whom he does not love,” Addai said. “He knew.”

“He did?” she asked, finally breaking her trance and looking him in the eyes.

“He knew.”

Saga nodded, and they fell silent.

“We really need to get back,”Addai said, abruptly. “It’s dangerous.” He stood and extended his hand. Saga grasped it and pulled herself up. They held hands as they walked back to the camp.

“We are unaware of your burial customs,” Manalia, matron of the tribe, said, as Addai and Saga emerged from the darkness.

“I require a pyre,” Saga said, releasing Addai’s hand.

“A pyre?” Adnaan asked. “What for?”

“To send his spirit to the stars,” Saga replied.

“We cannot build a fire of that size,”Adnaan said. Manalia shook her head at him. “No, mother, we cannot build a fire. We were lucky that the Emperians didn’t locate our grounds during the battle. If we light a fire, they will surely see it.” The group fell silent.

“I will build the pyre,” Saga said. “Far from here. I will clean his body. I will only require assistance in carrying him to the site.”

Adnaan nodded, hesitantly. “Make sure it is far enough away.” Saga nodded. “He is in there.” Adnaan pointed to a smaller tent.

“Shouldn’t you let the men do it?” Dinah asked, approaching Saga. “Don’t you think it inappropriate for a woman to see a naked man to whom she is not married?” Saga ignored her and continued walking toward the tent. “At least allow the mature women to perform the task.” Saga ignored her still. Dinah grabbed Saga’s arm. “You can’t see a naked man...”

Dinah’s words were cut short by a sharp, stinging slap across the face. She yelped and covered the spreading red whelp with her hands.

“She can’t,” Dinah whimpered, looking back at her husband and the family. No one moved to support her.

Saga turned and marched to the entrance of the preparation tent. She paused at the opening, then entered slowly, as if not to disturb Lothar’s sleep. She stood beside his body and slipped her fingers into his. She leaned down and whispered in his ear, “I would have been yours.” She kissed his lips for the first time, then rested her cheek against his for a moment. She lightly kissed his eyelids, and then stood up straight, wiping the tears from her face.

Slowly and gently, she pulled the torn pieces of clothing from his body. What once were tan pieces of cloth were then stained a deep shade of red. Pieces stuck to his flesh and resisted being taken away. Once naked, she stared at him for a moment. His muscles were tense as his lifeless body continued to grow stiff. Seven arrows and one large spear head penetrated his flesh and stuck there. She grasped the arrow embedded in his right thigh. She jerked it out quickly and looked at him to see if he flinched. He did not. Dried trails of blood decorated each wound, but none bled as she pulled the pieces from his body. She removed the arrow from his shoulder, three from his chest, and another from his stomach. The spearhead proved to be more difficult. During the battle, Lothar had snapped the pole of the spear in half once it had penetrated his body. The remainder had been pushed almost entirely through his torso. Saga reached inside Lothar’s abdomen and grasped ahold of the jagged end of wood. It took several minutes before she was able to wriggle the killer free. She tossed the bloodied spear head aside and dampened cloths in a bowl of water. She cleaned the wounds as gently and as best as she could. She brushed his long dark hair and wrapped his waist in white cloth. She knew the sight of a man’s bare chest would offend Dinah, but she cared not. 

She stuck her head out of the tent and nodded for them to help her move him. Addai, Adnaan, Niv, Aharon, Samum, and Shai all helped carry Lothar’s body on a makeshift gurney. As the exited the tent, Dinah gasped at the sight of Lothar’s bare chest. Saga glared at her.

“Should you not cover...his open wounds?” Dinah asked, carefully.

Saga ignored her.

“Wait for me,” Humusi yelled, running toward the men. “I can help!”

“No, cousin,” Shenbar called from the shadows. They don’t want you. You’re a disaster.”

Humusi stood still and looked down at his feet. Saga felt sorry for him, but more sympathy was felt for her fallen warrior. She did not come to the aid of Humusi this time. She walked away, following the men carrying Lothar.

They walked a long distance before finally settling on a place to perform the ceremony. They built the pyre in silence, laid Lothar’s body on top, and lit it. The blaze quickly consumed Lothar’s body, and Saga watched the smoke trails ascend into the sky.