Sorry, this is getting extremely long, and it's still not finished! To read the previous parts to this story, click on the links below:
Oh, and just a quick note: The word "sum" that I use in the story is actually the Latin verb for "I am." In this case, I'm using it as a name.
I
rolled onto my back and let out a long sigh. The air smelled fresh
and clean, and not a single cloud dotted the clear blue sky. After
rubbing the sleep from my eyes, I groggily sat up, a thick mantle
falling from my shoulders. I caught brief hint of its smell, a strong
mix of earth and sweat. Gagging, I threw the mantle off and stumbled
to my feet. My foot collided with an empty bowl. It wobbled and
rolled a small distance before settling near the ashes of a dying
fire. Oh no, it couldn't be! How in all Learsi did I end up back at
Hajile's camp? I glanced at the opposite side of the fire where
Hajile had sat the night before. No sign of the strange man. Had he
found me and brought me back? Or did I actually never leave the camp?
I ran my fingers through my greasy hair, trying to decide whether or
not to run. Hajile's warning about the Ring of Fire rushed back to my
head. Perhaps it wasn't a wise idea to go chasing after my brother's
captors, especially alone. Hajile must know more about this group.
Maybe, just maybe he would help me. He seemed to care, but the idea
of spending any more time with the filthy man did not have much
appeal either.
My
stomach growled. I kicked the dusty bowl into the fire. I'd never
gotten the chance to finish my soup last night. My bag of belongings
were nowhere to be seen. Perhaps when I made my run for the woods I
had dropped it, but surely this man had more food somewhere. A small
bag next to a rolled up mat caught my attention. I pulled it open and
rummaged through its meager contents: a few coins, a water canteen, a
rotting potato, and crumbling bread. Was this all the man had? I
slipped the coins into my pocket and nibbled on the dry bread. It
would have to do for now.
“Repent!”
A deep voice boomed. I jumped and swung around, dropping my stolen
morsel in the process. “Your sin is great!” The voice continued.
“But if you repent wholeheartedly the Lord's wrath will be turned
away, and he will bless you.”
My
whole body shook with guilt and fear, and my heart thumped hard
within my chest. I looked up towards the road and saw Hajile standing
in the middle, but his gaze was not directed towards me. Relief
flooded my body. His preaching was directed toward a passerby on the
road, not me. Men, women, and their animals skirted around him,
ignoring his commanding words and condemning stare. As a group of
horsemen approached, Hajile stepped towards them, his arms
outstretched. “Listen,” his voice boomed again, “A day will
come when the Lord will punish Airamas for its wickedness, so
repent!”
The knights atop the horses neither slowed their pace or appeared to
see the crazy man in their road. The horses hooves thundered towards
Hajile. Then I couldn't see him amidst the dust, hooves, and flashing
armor. When the knights finally passed and the dust began to settle,
Hajile's still form lay in the middle of the road. Despite his
apparent craziness, my heart went out to him. I ran for the road. As
I approached, another man also hurried towards Hajile's still form.
“Yes!”
I thought to myself. “At
least there is one kind soul in Learsi.”
But to my disappointment, the man stepped over Hajile and continued
on his way.
“Why..how...
how could you...” I wanted to yell at the man to repent, but I
choked back my angry words, remembering the stolen coins jingling in
my pocket. The stranger briefly turned and stared at me, eyebrows
raised. I ignored him and knelt at Hajile's side.
♥♥♥
Hajile
lay on his mat, his face and arms bruised and scratched; but he was
alive. Neither of us had spoken as I helped him back to his camp, yet
I believed he was grateful. That twinkle in his eyes seemed to
express it. How he had managed to keep that twinkle after such a
beating, I could not understand. He still smiled too, as if almost
being trampled to death by horses was an every day occurrence. Maybe
it was. Hajile still reeked too. How on earth did this man live with
himself? It was no wonder he didn't have friends; but perhaps if he
could get used to the smell, maybe I could too. I desperately needed
his help, and at the moment he needed mine.
“So you decided to stay,”
he finally croaked.
“Did I have a choice?”
I fired back.
Hajile chuckled. “Did you
want me to leave you laying in the forest for the dragons to munch
on?”
“Dragons? Here, in
Learsi?”
“That's what I said.”
“I don't believe you.”
I folded my arms across my chest.
Hajile tilted his head to
the side and raised his eyebrows. “You really don't know anything
about the Ring of Fire, do you?”
I shook my head.
“Hmmm...” Hajile
frowned. At first I was afraid he would become angry like last night,
but he just lay silently on his mat. “Where do you live?” he
finally asked.
“A farm...not too far
from here. Several miles at least; but I'm not going to live there
any more.” I choked back tears.
“Why is that, Dear. Tell
me what's wrong. What happened?” Hajile's face was solemn, but his
concern seemed sincere.
“My new parents...and my
brother...the Ring of Fire...” Tears pooled in my eyes and spilled
down my cheeks. “They murdered them, and I think they stole my
brother.” I shook my head, as if trying to shake off the sorrow and
pain. “B-but what does this have to do with the dragons?” I
asked, trying to change the subject.
Hajile laid his hand on my
shoulder. “The dragons were brought here by a group of new priests,
called the Ring of Fire, whom Lady Isabelle brought with her when she
married our King Adar. The Ring of Fire serves Laab, the supposed
“god” of fire, and dragons are sacred to him. Unfortunately these
priests perform special sacrifices that require the shedding of human
blood. I fear your family may have been victims of one of those
horrid sacrifices.”
“But why?” I sobbed.
“Why my family?”
“Your family has not been
the only one to suffer. Many families have been broken up this way,
including mine.” A far away look replaced the twinkle in Hajile's
eyes.
“Yours?”
A tear rolled down the
man's cheek. “My wife and children...th-they...”
I grabbed Hajile's hand and
squeezed. “It's okay. You don't have to finish. I understand.” My
own tears still soaked my cheeks.
“Leah...She would have
been about your age if she were still alive.” Hajile forced a
smile. “She had dark curls like yours. Benjamin loved his sister.
He would have done anything for her.” Hajile wiped away his tears.
“And my wife...She was the most amazing person in the world.” The
far away look returned to his eyes. This time I didn't bother
him...at least for a little while. I still had lots of questions
tumbling around in my head.
“Hajile?”
“Yes?”
“If the Queen's priests
are so bad, why doesn't the King get rid of them?”
“The King is deceived,
like most everyone else in Airamas. When the priests first arrived,
they seemed perfectly harmless. Most people laughed at their peculiar
worship practices, yet a few found them appealing. Soon the number of
priests doubled, and their number continued to grow. Eventually the
King also became a member. As the hearts of the people were won, the
priests practices grew from odd to horrendous. They began to demand
the sacrifice of human blood. When the King and the people protested,
the dragons appeared in the surrounding woods, the priests claiming
they were a punishment from Laab. Filled with fear and not wanting to
lose the pleasures they believed Laab bestowed upon them, the people
agreed. Now human sacrifice is common place. The one and only true
Lord, Sum, is displeased with the actions of his people, and he has
called me as his prophet to warn the people of his coming wrath.”
“That is what you were
doing earlier?” I asked.
Hajile nodded. “But the
people ignore. I wonder how long it will be before the Lord's
patience wears out.”
My head felt like it would
explode with all its new information. I wanted to know more about
this Sum whom Hajile referred to as Lord and how he knew he was the
only true God. What if Laab was actually the only true lord instead?
Perhaps it was his eyes I felt that day as I had left my house.
Whatever the case, I couldn't ask Hajile anymore questions at the
moment. A gentle snore broke the silence. Perhaps I would go for a
walk, but not too far. I didn't want to run into any dragons.
I gazed at the mountains in
the distance as I wandered into the valley. The morning was still
peaceful, but my heart was caught in turmoil. Then it returned: that
cold, tickling feeling of someone watching my every move. I could
almost feel them breathing down my back. Thump, thump, thump! A
steady beating reached my ears. I looked up, and my heart froze mid-beat. A set of sharp, black claws dove for my head, and I screamed.
No comments:
Post a Comment