by Jason Tesar
“So, you’re awake too?”
Kael spun his head around and saw Berit sitting up on his bed. “Yeah, I just woke up,” he lied.
“My head hurts,” Berit grumbled, and turned to look out the porthole situated above his bed.
“Mine too,” Kael lied again. His headache was actually gone, lessening and eventually disappearing over the course of the hours he had been awake.
One by one, the others began to wake up. The only one who seemed to be in the mood for conversation was Coen, who immediately began talking about his amazing experience. As the sluggish mood wore off, everyone began to chime in about this or that incredible feeling or experience. It only took a few minutes to confirm what Kael already knew—he was alone in his experience. Everyone else had done exactly what they were supposed to do, except for him. Suddenly the conversation stopped and Kael realized that someone had asked him a question.
“What?”
“I said,” Arden repeated, “how long before you passed out?”
Kael tried to look mystified to share in their excitement. “I lost all sense of time, so it’s hard to say.”
“I know,” Jorn blurted out. “That’s exactly what happened to me!”
“So you are all awake now?” asked Ukiru, who was standing on the stairs, watching his group of students. “Why don’t you continue your conversation up here and get some fresh air?”
Coen was the first one up the stairs and Kael waited to be the last. The group assembled at the bow of the ship and Kael leaned over the railing to watch the water as it split around the ship in smooth strips of white foam. The chattering continued around him and he was content to just look at the ocean until Ukiru tried to draw him in.
“Kael. What was it like for you?”
Is that skepticism in his voice? Kael wondered if Ukiru knew what happened, and then dismissed the thought because there was no way that he could. “Uh …” he stammered, searching. “I just don’t have the words.”
Ukiru nodded, apparently satisfied. “That’s a good way to describe it.”
* * * *
Saba sat against the door to his cell, with his ear pressed against the wood, straining to hear anything that might be happening outside. There was only silence. He moved slowly to the right and leaned forward again, closing his eyes and placing a hand against the door to adjust his listening position. As soon as his hand touched the door, he felt a strange sensation pass through his body. It lasted only for a second, but in that moment Saba could swear that he felt the inner workings of the lock on the door.
Reeling back in surprise, Saba listened carefully for movement outside while his mind raced with questions. Slowly, he leaned against the door, but nothing happened this time.
Did I imagine it?
He placed his hand near the lock and waited, attempting to recapture the feeling. And when he closed his eyes, it came again. The sensation was dulled somehow, muffled at first. But with concentration, Saba regained the clarity of the first occurrence. And then it was obvious, like looking at a picture, only more interactive. Saba could feel the bolt running through the iron lock on the door and into the housing on the door jam. Just as one might wiggle their finger, Saba knew without even testing his knowledge that he could move the bolt—without touching it.
But his excitement at the discovery was too great to allow him to be satisfied with that knowledge. He had to test it. With his hand on the door and his eyes closed, he simply willed the bolt to move. And just as expected, the bolt slid backward. It screeched slightly, grating on the inside of the door jam, and Saba immediately paused. Seconds passed slowly while he waited for the guard, who was sure to have heard the shrill sound, to react. When nothing happened, he tried again and the bolt slid free of the door jam.
How is this possible? And who am I that I can do such things?
With a deep exhale, he pushed gently on the door and it opened, allowing him an inch of visibility to the courtyard and the wall beyond it. There were no guards to see along his narrow path of sight, but they were out there. They changed positions every night at midnight, or so it seemed to his limited senses. And that had occurred more than an hour ago. Pushing again on the door, he opened it far enough to peek his head out. Just as expected, a guard sat to the left side of the door on a crude chair, slumped back against the building.
Saba eased his head back into his cell. Now his heart was racing.
After years of being held against his will, freedom was within sight. It waited for him, a few hundred feet across a dirt courtyard and a tall climb over a stone wall. But something else waited beyond that, something of much greater importance. Far to the south, in a country where the trees grew so tall and thick that their leaves blocked the sky, was a key that could unlock Saba’s history. Hidden from men in a place where rain was abundant and rivers flowed generously, carving out canyons and cliffs, a scroll waited to be read. To reveal its mysteries. Upon its rough and tattered parchment, a symbol was written that somehow connected Adair’s disappearance to Saba’s forgotten past.
This was the path that lay before him now, and the journey required the courage to take the first step. Saba quietly pushed the door open and crept out of his cell, slipping into the night.
* * * *
As the last male slave came up the steps and out of the dry cellar, he nodded to Zula, then brushed his hands together to clear the grain dust from his palms.
Zula turned to Maeryn. “That’s the last of it, mistress.”
Maeryn pretended to scan the preparations list in her hand while she waited for the man to finish walking out of the kitchen. When he was gone, she looked up from the parchment that she had memorized days ago.
“We’re alone now,” Zula assured her.
Maeryn nodded. “Alright. I’ve received confirmation that twenty-three of Bastul’s founding members will be attending the gala. I had hoped for better participation, but this will do for now.”
“And their servants?” Zula asked.
“I can’t know for sure, but it would be customary for some of their slaves to attend with them. After all, they wouldn’t dare lift a finger for themselves.”
Zula smiled.
“While I’m entertaining them, you’ll need to make contact with the slaves and begin building relationships with them.”
Zula’s forehead creased slightly.
“This is going to be just as uncomfortable for me as it will be for you,” Maeryn assured her. “I haven’t exactly been the most sociable governess over the years. But that will have to change. These founding members and their families are the key to everything. Those in their charge account for the largest part of the slave population in this city. And there’s no more practical way for us to make contact with them than to start participating in their social circles. I can’t stand these parties, but they’re the perfect masquerade for what we’re trying to do.”
“And what will we do beyond the parties?” Zula asked. “You haven’t shared what the next step will be.”
“Oh, I’m sorry,” Maeryn offered. She suddenly realized that she had been so consumed with strategizing that she had forgotten to inform her most trusted friend.
“The parties will help build goodwill between the governorship and the families directly affected by it. But I expect that Lemus will quickly tire of the effort, even as he experiences the benefits of it. Eventually he’ll begin to decline participation, which will give me the opportunity to become more involved—to be his representative at events he’d rather avoid. The goodwill will continue to be nurtured. He’ll continue to reap the benefits, and I’ll gain more opportunities to move through the city without his suspicious eyes looking over my shoulder. And then we’ll have plenty of occasions to visit with the wives. That’s where the real progress will be made. They like to share slaves because it makes them feel generous. That’s when I’ll be able to meet one-on-one with them …”
Zula was squinting but she didn’t look ang
ry.
“What?” Maeryn asked. “Did I say something wrong?”
“I’m proud of you, mistress,” she clarified. “It takes courage to risk your life for the benefit of others.”
Maeryn breathed a sigh. “Thank you. But I don’t have to do this alone, do I?”
“No, mistress,” Zula replied with a smile. “I can talk with other servants at the market every day. We’ll do this together.”
Maeryn stood a little straighter at the comforting words. “Good. Now we only have two days to get ready for the gala. I’m going to see if I can get a few more families to attend.”
Zula simply nodded in response.
CHAPTER 24
Kael had been doing nothing but thinking for days now, and he would have liked to do something else to take his mind off of it. All of the old feelings of mistrust were coming back to him, only stronger this time. His meeting with the All Powerful was not what he had expected it to be. They were always taught that he was a loving and merciful god who was heartbroken when the world turned away from him. But the intense hatred and wretchedness that Kael felt from being in his presence made him think that they had all been lied to. Anyway, he was tired of thinking and just wanted to sleep. When the sun went down, Kael went below deck and lay on his bed. It was quiet with everyone else above deck, talking about their experiences. Kael shut his eyes and let the gentle rock of the ocean soothe him to sleep.
Sometime during the night, he began hearing voices. When he lifted his head, he realized that most of the others were gone. Berit and Horace were still sleeping. The thump of footsteps moved up above, heading for the stairs. Shortly after, Coen peeked his head down.
“You guys better wake up.”
“What’s going on?” Kael asked.
“We’ve reached the island and some of the monks are loading our stuff into the wagons. Ukiru said we could take a few of the horses and ride back to the monastery. If we’re quick, we could be back in our own beds before the sun comes up.”
“Where are the others?” Berit asked.
“Soren and Narian are waiting for us. The rest already left.”
The remainder of the night was a blur for Kael. He felt half-asleep most of the time. Immediately after leaving the small, desolate harbor of their island, the horses began to climb. It was slow going at first, but after the first few hundred feet, the path leveled out and the horses began to pick up speed. The sky was still dark when they got back, and Kael went straight to his room and collapsed on his bed.
~
The next day was unusual compared to their normal routine. They didn’t have to get up at a certain time, nor were they required to do any of the activities to which they had become accustomed. Kael woke up just before noon and wandered down to the kitchen, where one of the monks was starting to prepare the evening meal. He gave Kael something to eat and shooed him out of the kitchen. For a few hours, Kael wandered around the monastery, letting the silence clear his head. He didn’t know where the others were, but he also didn’t care. He eventually found Berit in the library, where he usually spent his free time, but neither one of them was in the mood for conversation, so Kael moved on. Finally, Kael arrived at the top of the cliffs overlooking the ocean and took a seat on his favorite rock.
The past eight years of his life had been quite strange, he realized. How many children grow up in a bustling port city like Bastul, living the life of a privileged few, only to have that life ripped away in an uncontrollable string of events that leaves you to grow up in a monastery?
He stood up suddenly, trying to shake off the questions. He was thinking again and needed to do something else. He walked around looking for rocks to throw over the edge and finally found an area where a boulder was falling apart under the relentless forces of nature, slowly eroding into a pile of rubble. Kael picked up a handful of stones and tossed them, one by one, over the edge. He watched the smaller ones zigzag through the air as the wind moved them. The larger ones fell without any perceptible movement other than straight down. The surface of the ocean was too far down for Kael to see them hit, but it was something to keep his mind occupied.
The hours of daylight diminished, and the sun began to slip behind the mountains. Kael made it back to the monastery just in time for the evening meal. Everyone seemed to be in good spirits and even Kael was happier after a good meal.
“Before we retire for the night, I just want to say a few things.” Ukiru stood up to address the group. “I am proud of you all. We made a difficult and long journey, but it was for a great purpose. The All Powerful has met each of you in a different way and has seen your future. In a short time, I am expecting to hear a message from the High Priest. The message will contain a commission for each one of you. For the next two years, you will continue to train in a more specific manner related directly to your commissioning. Until we receive this message, our days here will look much different. There is cleaning and reorganizing to do, and I’m sure it would be a welcome break from all of the recent traveling, so get your rest tonight. Tomorrow things will begin to change around here in preparation for the coming months. I assure you that the next two years will go quickly, and before you know it, you will be back in the world of men once more.”
Everyone clapped their hands together and cheered at Ukiru’s words, everyone except Kael. The feelings of contentment and gratefulness which used to reside in his heart had vanished, replaced by a sense of uneasiness and doubt. As the others went off to their rooms in high spirits, Kael had to pretend in order to not draw attention to himself. Ukiru had been acting strangely toward him ever since their time at the temple, and Kael was doing his best to appear as normal as everyone else. When he lay down to go to sleep, his mind raced. He tossed and turned in his bed for hours until he couldn’t take it anymore.
I know what I have to do!
Quietly, so as not to disturb anyone, Kael got up and began to lay out a few articles of clothing. He got dressed and wrapped the rest in one of the sheets from his bed. Easing open his door, he peered down the hallway until he was certain that all was clear. As he tiptoed out into the hallway, every sound seemed amplified in the silence. Even the sound of his breathing threatened to wake up the whole monastery. He continued moving cautiously until he found himself outside, heading through the outer wall and along the path that would eventually lead down to the harbor. He wasn’t sure how he was going to get off the island, or what he would do once he did, but it didn’t matter. He just knew he had to leave. The moon was nearly full, illuminating the fields and casting shadows beside trees. Within several minutes the monastery began to disappear into the darkness behind him, and Kael felt better with each step.
Suddenly, a shadow flitted behind a tree at the corner of his vision, and Kael stopped in his tracks. His heart was beating in his ears, making it difficult for him to listen for further signs of movement. He waited for a few seconds, but there were no other noises.
“Who’s there?” he called out, more sure with every passing second that it wasn’t just an animal.
“Where are you going?” came the reply out of the woods.
Kael immediately recognized Ukiru’s voice. Now he was scared. He looked around but wasn’t sure where Ukiru was, and had forgotten exactly where the voice had come from. “I can’t stay here!” he shouted, the panic rising in his voice.
“And I can’t let you leave.”
A figure, silhouetted by the moonlight, walked from the trees and onto the road, fifty feet away. Ukiru was silent, standing sideways as he watched Kael with the careful but relaxed look of someone in complete control.
Kael’s heart was beating powerfully in his throat. But he choked down his fear. “It’s all a lie! This whole … place. You. Your so-called god. Everything!”
“You choose to see it that way,” Ukiru responded calmly.
Kael didn’t know what else to say. He knew the truth, but Ukiru was deceived along with everyone else. Once Kael experienced the true presence
of the All Powerful, felt the hatred and filth of being near him, his fragile faith began to unravel. He was lost now, unsure of anything but the powerful need to leave. Memories flooded his mind and he was suddenly confronted with all that he was prepared to leave behind. As he forced the memories to disappear, pushing them out of his mind to stay focused on the present, one refused to leave. A few choice words from a conversation with Ukiru during his first week at the monastery lingered in his ears.
We hunt a lot where I come from, he heard himself say.
Yes, I know, Ukiru replied.
The memory suddenly coalesced into a question. How did he know where I was from? And the answer suddenly occurred to him, a thought that would have seemed ridiculous until this very moment. In an instant, any trace of gratefulness at being rescued from the prison, cared for, and trained, was swept away by an overwhelming sense of betrayal.
“You didn’t rescue us from that prison, you miserable liar! You put us there. YOU LOCKED US UP LIKE ANIMALS TO SEE WHO WOULD SURVIVE!” Kael was yelling now, his volume a sharp contrast to the silence of the night.
Ukiru turned to face Kael head-on. “Pack animals develop their own hierarchy, especially under threat of extinction. Humans are no different. I had to have a winning team, to see who was capable of survival.”
“You bastard!” Kael spat between gritted teeth. “How could you do such a thing? We were just children.”
The figure before him, who now seemed more like a complete stranger than a friend, crouched slightly into an attack posture.
Kael had seen this many times before, but it was never directed at him. He dropped his bundle of clothes on the ground because he knew that it would only be a hindrance. “If I had a sword, I’d cut you down right here!”
In response, the ring of sharpened steel rang clear as Ukiru pulled his sword from its scabbard, a shaft of reflected moonlight moving down the length of the blade. “The All Powerful was displeased with what he saw in you. It was obvious to him that you were never one of us. I told you time after time that you must let go of your past, but you just wouldn’t listen.”
