by Jason Tesar
“Shoe” Kael repeated, receiving a smile from the man.
“Come,” he said, motioning for Kael to follow him as he left the room.
The tall doorframe opened into a long hallway that reminded Kael of the one in Bastul. The man turned to the left and walked down the hallway, and Kael quickly fell into step behind him. Their footsteps plodded softly on the wooden plank floor, with the slight hollow sound of being above the ground. As they walked, Kael noticed that everything about this place was foreign. Not only were the ceilings constructed differently, but the stone walls were a dark gray color and seemed to be fitted together without mortar. Everything in Bastul was built from a white stone and covered with plaster on the inside.
“Where am I?”
The man slowed his pace and looked back over his shoulder, then shook his head.
Doesn’t he know? Or maybe he can’t say.
“Far away,” the man replied, and continued walking as if the answer was sufficient.
“Where are we going?”
“They tell me, ‘Wake child. Bring him here.’”
The hallway ended at a cylindrical room with stairs curving down to the first floor. At the bottom, another hallway led underneath the one outside Kael’s room, heading in the opposite direction. The hall terminated at a doorway, leading to a spacious circular room lit with many torches. A crackling noise drew Kael’s attention to the right, where he saw a stone fireplace that jutted out from the wall. He could feel the heat on his face even though it was twenty feet away. The walls of the room were stone, like the rest of the building. The ceiling was vaulted toward the center of the room, with thick beams that radiated from the highest point, angling down to where they were embedded in holes at the top of the wall.
At the center of the room was a long, wooden table set with an assortment of foods. There were plates of steaming meats arranged in groups of colors from dark to pale brown, plates of cheeses, fruits and vegetables, and an assortment of breads. Two large pitchers sat at one end of the table next to a grouping of cups. The whole room was filled with a mixture of aromas from the feast before his eyes. It was so much to take in all at once that Kael almost failed to realize most of the other boys were already present and seated at the table.
Kael counted eleven chairs, eight of which were filled. Each boy’s head had been shaved, just like his own. Standing behind the chair at the head of the table was the kind stranger who had rescued them. That left two open chairs, and Kael assumed that one was for himself.
“Please have a seat,” spoke the man at the head of the table.
As Kael sat down, he saw another robed man entering the room from the same place he had entered, followed by the boy who had been their leader during the attack on the boar. He seemed even more stunned than Kael by the surroundings. He was ushered to the table as well, and when they had both taken their seats, the man at the head of the table pushed in his chair and remained standing.
“Now that you are all here, let us begin.”
Suddenly, a door on the other side of the room opened and several men in robes came out. They surrounded the table and began to serve the food onto plates and pass them out, as if they had been waiting for a signal. As they worked, the man at the head of the table continued to speak.
“My name is Ukiru, and I have a few things to say before we share our first meal together. The ten of you have been rescued from certain death. When I found you, you were naked, starving, and killing each other just to stay alive. It is no way for a person to live. But just as you were rescued, you were also redeemed for a purpose. You see, the world has cast you out like refuse. Yet I believe that you have a great deal of worth. Each one of you had a different beginning, but that is no longer relevant. Your former life was a breath away from ending. And that is how you should think of it. Dead. What is important now is that your lives are not your own. You have been rescued and given a wondrous gift. A new beginning.”
His speech halted momentarily as he began to walk around the table. He was shorter than most men Kael had met and had a steady, careful gait, like the acrobats who used to perform in Bastul during the festivals.
“I worship a god who is powerful beyond any human comprehension. He used to rule this world until its inhabitants stopped worshiping him and became distracted with other, less important things. He left this world and its people to their own interests for a time. This was many, many years ago. But the time is coming soon when he will return and claim this world once again. He will drive out all those who oppose him and those who worship other gods, bringing justice to this unjust world.”
Kael looked around the table and could sense that the other boys were just as confused as he was. In Bastul, talk of such things usually involved many gods, as most families had several in particular that they worshiped and prayed to throughout the day. Mother and Father weren’t very religious people, but Saba once told him of a group of people far to the east who believed in one god who had created everything. But he was still confused.
What does this have to do with us?
After making several passes around the room, the man had reached the head of the table again and paused behind his chair. “I know that this sounds strange. And right now you are probably wondering why you are here and what all of this has to do with you.”
A few of the boys nodded, but Kael didn’t move. It seemed like the man had just read his mind.
“I will try to be as plain as possible. A short while ago, the god whom we worship spoke to our High Priest.”
Several murmurs could be heard around the room from the robed attendants.
“The High Priest told me that the time of our god’s return is at hand. He appointed me to a task. ‘From the farthest reaches of the Orud Empire, choose ten children. Boys. Choose from among those who have been cast out by the world, and bring them to this place to be raised in the order of an ancient and forgotten priesthood, the priesthood of the All Powerful.’ Once you reach the age of adulthood, you will present yourselves as gifts to our god … warrior-priests. He will then return and you will become his instruments of justice to reclaim his kingdom. And so I searched, and that is when I found you, caged like animals. There were only ten of you left and I don’t believe it was a coincidence. I believe the All Powerful himself preserved you for this task.”
At this, the boys shifted in their seats.
Ukiru raised a hand in protest. “Now, I know what you are thinking. This all sounds so strange, and is too great a responsibility for mere children. I will not lie to you. It is perhaps the greatest responsibility that has ever been entrusted to mankind, and I am jealous of you all. It is a responsibility that I would have for myself, but I will have to be content with serving as your instructor. I assure you this will not be as difficult as it seems to you now. You will all be given the finest education. Your training as priests will be balanced by your training as warriors. You will make a steady transition from the boys you are now to the men you will become—the most powerful men this world has ever seen.”
“What if we don’t want to?” came a voice from across the table. It was the child who had led the attack on the boar.
“There is always one who must question,” replied the man with a smile. “But it is a good question. Why would you not want to do this? You will be fed and clothed. You will do more, see more, and learn more than any other child in this world. It will also be a lot of fun. And when it comes time for you to present yourself to the All Powerful, you will know that you are the most fortunate person in all the world.”
“They can’t keep me here,” the boy said to himself, his voice almost a whisper.
“My dear son, there is nowhere for you to go. The world has cast you out. Even if you did try to leave, you are weeks away from the nearest city, and you would starve before you reached it. That is, if you didn’t freeze to death first. But of course, I could not let that happen. And I hope that you will come to love your new home.”
&nb
sp; Kael wished the boy would keep quiet. He didn’t see any reason to argue with the Ukiru. Although Kael missed his home and family, he figured that this was much better than the fate that awaited them in prison. He, for one, felt fortunate already.
“Now that I have told you why you are here, I welcome you and consider it an honor to be entrusted with your safety. Let us eat, and afterward I will show you around your new home. There will be no further introductions tonight; we will get to that tomorrow morning. For now, enjoy the feast.”
The food was delicious, but Kael found it difficult to eat very much. Several of the other boys didn’t have as much trouble, however, and refilled their plates more than once. For the duration of the meal, the robed attendants stood around the perimeter of the room with their hands behind their backs. When one of the children cleared their plate or finished the last sip of water or tea, the attendants quickly came forward to offer more.
When everyone had eaten as much as they could, Ukiru rose to his feet and announced that it was time to show them around their new home. Some of the other boys stood up as well, and Kael followed their lead. As soon as the chairs were empty, the men around the room began to clear the table. Ukiru beckoned for the boys to gather around him so that he could begin the tour. When the group was assembled, Ukiru pointed at the door through which Kael had entered the room.
“I assume that you are already familiar with your living quarters? All of you have separate rooms on the upper level of this hall.” Turning to the right, Ukiru walked to the next door along the wall, which was bigger than any other in the room. He slid back a large bolt and pushed open the door. “This is the main entrance.”
Kael tried to see out the door, but most of the view was blocked by the other boys, who were standing in the way. He moved around to get a better look and saw tapered stone columns along a stone path that began at the door and extended through a courtyard area before reaching an open gate. Beyond that, the path continued for a short distance before curving out of sight.
Ukiru shepherded the boys back inside and shut the door, sliding the bolt into place once again. “This next door,” he continued, “leads to the other living quarters; it is where the rest of us sleep. The hall itself looks identical to yours.”
Ukiru then led the group through another door positioned to the left of the fireplace, which opened to the outside beneath a covered walkway. Large round beams were set into the ground on either side of the walkway, supporting an elaborate roof much like the one in the dining room. Each support beam had a torch mounted to it. Ukiru led the group down the path where it turned left and entered another building. He waited until all of the boys were inside of the first room before explaining.
“This is our classroom, where our studies will take place. Each morning you will assemble here for instruction in a number of subjects.”
The room was shallow but wide, with a number of chairs and desks arranged in a semicircle, all facing toward the back wall. As he spoke, Ukiru wove through the line of desks and made his way to the back of the room, opening one of two doors along the back wall. The boys followed him into a room filled with books. Some were arranged in piles on tables, others were set on end inside of shelves.
“This is our library. We have assembled together all of the writings that will be needed for our instruction, as well as many others that you may find informative.”
Ukiru walked back through the classroom and out the front door, waiting under the covered walkway for the children to file out of the building. When they were ready, he continued along the path to where it ended at a huge circular building with a conical roof, raised at the center and gently sloping to the perimeter. The path stopped at two wide doors, which Ukiru slid to each side.
“We call this place the arena. It is where most of your weapons and combat training will take place.”
Kael was stunned at the size of the building. It was hundreds of feet across and he couldn’t imagine why all of this space would be necessary. It looked like a barn. At the center of the room was a bundle of support columns stretching up to the ceiling. The room was divided into pie-shaped sections that radiated from this point. The section where they were standing was completely bare, with a soft, sand-covered floor. Some of the other sections had raised floors, while others had wooden structures either hanging from the ceiling or sprouting from the ground. It all seemed confusing to Kael, but he was sure that it would be properly explained at some point.
The boys followed Ukiru to the left as he walked around the perimeter of the building and through another set of wide doors and into the stables. The smell of livestock had already reached Kael’s nose, and it was obvious where they were headed even before Ukiru explained.
“Some of your training will occur on horseback, and as you can see, we have plenty for everyone.”
As they moved down the center aisle, horses shifted in their stalls on either side. The aisle eventually became an intersection, with one path leading straight ahead and another leading between two stalls on the left side of the room. Ukiru chose the left path and slid open another set of wide doors. A robed man waited on the other side of the door.
Turning around to address the group, Ukiru spread his hands wide. “This is the lawn, where our outdoor training will take place.”
It was an enormous grass-covered field, hundreds of yards across. The large field was lined with iron torches at the perimeter, huge structures that were set into the ground like trees.
As they made their way across the field, Kael was amazed at the softness of the grass. He even stopped and bent down, running his palms across the lush blades. The way that it was carefully maintained reminded him of his mother’s garden in their courtyard back home. When he looked up again, the group was already across the lawn and heading for a path on the other side. Kael had to run to catch up.
At the edge of the lawn was a gravel path that wound its way through low walls of sculpted shrubs. Ukiru was in the process of explaining something to the group when Kael reached them.
“… they take care of all of this. In fact, there are many places throughout the monastery where the monks have created tranquil surroundings for meditation.”
It sounded to Kael like Ukiru was answering someone’s question. After glancing around, he saw what must have prompted it. On one side of the path, the shrubbery opened to form a circle, twenty feet across. Boulders were placed randomly throughout the meditation spot, with rings drawn into the sand around each one, as if the sand were actually water. In the center of the circle was a short platform of polished wood.
Ukiru led the group farther along the path until they reached the dining hall where the tour had started. “This concludes the tour and our time together today. While you were away, your rooms were prepared for you. Your servant will help you get acquainted with your new home. He will be your escort for the remainder of the week and answer any questions that you may have. I will see you all tomorrow morning in the arena, where your training as warrior-priests begins. Rest well. You will need your energy.” With that, Ukiru walked across the room and through the doorway to his living quarters, his blue robes fluttering as he walked.
CHAPTER 14
Kael awoke before sunrise and dressed himself with the clothing he found in the chest at the end of his bed. Just as he finished lacing his shoes, a knock came at his door and he opened it to find his servant standing in the hall.
“It is time,” the man said in his strange accent.
Kael left his room and followed the man down the hallway. “What’s your name?” Kael asked when they reached the stairs.
“No name. Only one who serves All Powerful.”
“Why don’t you have a name?”
“Cannot talk of this,” he said, shaking his head and quickening his pace down the stairs.
Kael wrinkled his eyebrows, as he took the stairs at a rapid pace to keep up with the servant. “Well, my name is Kael.”
They retraced their ste
ps from the night before, taking them outside through the dining hall. The sky was growing brighter in the east as the pair moved down the covered walkway toward the arena. The air was incredibly cold, and Kael crossed his arms in front of his chest in an attempt to keep in his body heat. As soon as they entered the arena, the air was warm, and Kael got the shivers as his body readjusted to the new temperature. He was only the third one to arrive. The other two boys were looking out the windows along the far wall. In the few minutes it had taken to walk to this building, the sun had just started to peek above the horizon. The view was majestic, overlooking a valley of rolling hills with grass that had turned a pale yellow from the cold air. The sky was awash with orange and pink light reflecting off the thin wisps of high clouds hanging in the air.
Kael expected to see Ukiru, but he was not in the building. The servant led Kael over to the far side of the room, where the others were standing. The floor of this pie-shaped section of the arena was a raised platform covered in canvas. Ten square mats were arranged on the floor in a double line, and Kael could only assume that they would be part of the morning’s event.
“He will be here soon,” the monk announced. “I will go now.”
The other boys turned around from the windows and Kael suddenly felt awkward being in this strange place without an escort. Even though he was supposed to think of it as his new home, he still felt like a visitor. One of the boys walked toward Kael with a smile on his face.
“My name is Coen,” he said with an outstretched hand.
Kael was so surprised by his joyful manner that he almost forgot to respond. “I’m Kael,” was all he said, shaking the boy’s hand. Then the thought occurred to him that in all their time together in that prison, no one had introduced themselves. They hardly talked at all. It was like they had turned into animals while trying to survive.
Things are different now.
Coen was short, like Kael, though a few years older. His shaved head was just starting to grow thin black hair. He had a large nose and full lips that almost looked like a girl’s.
