Zealot

by Joshua David Smith

  Salius nodded his gratitude for the compliment before giving reply, “I had a good teacher.”

  At that, Planter began walking toward his sword which he had left resting on a nearby tree. He glanced at Salius before speaking, “Well, I imagine you want to be on your way presently, and we have our agreement... You will find what you are looking for just a little way southeast of the Leodician southern port city, Castia. If I were you I would head to to the capital city, and there in Paleo you should find a captain willing to take you all the way to Castia; that is, if you have the coin of course.”

  They paused turning toward each other as Salius responded, “Thank you, for everything.”

  “You're welcome, although I would be remiss to say it was entirely for you. I am labored somewhat by the realization that I must now be, yet again, without company.”

  There was another pause before Planter went on toward his sword while Salius followed closely behind. A moment went by before Planter was close enough to grab the weapon.

  Salius found it unusual, as he also bent down to retrieve his worn satchel that currently held all of his belongings which included the dagger he still kept a secret from Planter, that the man had brought with him the sword which Salius had never, until this point, seen removed from the manikin's side.

  As Salius glanced again at the weapon he noticed its finely forged, steel, wrapped handle, smooth, and curved slightly forward, a hilt style that was well suited for the duelist.

  Then, turning toward Salius, Planter handed out the fine weapon saying, “A gift for the one who slays the Empress.”

  Salius, pleasantly surprised, nodded his appreciation before taking the weapon. He then drew it out of the scabbard, and as the steel sang while it was drawn, Salius noticed the runic engravings on either side of the blade. He immediately understood the inscriptions as if it were written in his own native tongue; this no doubt was due to the old and blackened steel ring that he always wore which had been given to him by Claudius. On one side the ancient writing read “Ear for Ear” and on the other “Eye for eye”.

  As Planter noticed Salius reading the two inscriptions, he immediately spoke up in reference to them, “The Law of Founding is spoken many ways but has only one meaning. It is fair justice in its simplest form. It is that which all intelligent life knows by instinct. It protects and avenges, but it is more accurately that which brings all life back into balance once it is unbalanced, once it malfunctions. The elder races who were once the caretakers of this world ruled according to this truth. But that was a very long time ago, and this age has shown us that to forsake this truth is to invite cruelty, war, slavery, or in essence, simply, death,” Planter then stopped, letting a brief moment pass before he continued, “I have known you only a short time Salius, but still I sense that a great destiny calls you. So, if there is one thing that I would like you to take away from this awful place, it is this final lesson. Use what you have, and what I have given you to restore that which has been forgotten, that which once gave all men, rich or poor, high or lowly; peace, safety... freedom.”

  Again Salius nodded, this time in understanding as he sheathed the sword and slung his satchel around his shoulder. Before turning to leave, Salius began, “Thank you again, and be assured that I will see it done. I hope we meet again friend.”

  Planter then gave reply before leaving toward his tree home, “I have a feeling we will. Good luck.”

  After their parting, Salius waited until the man was out of sight before reaching for his dagger. Then, with the sword in his left hand, and right index finger on the trigger of his other weapon, Salius faced in the approximate direction of a road, which, upon exiting the forest, would take him all the way to Paleo. Finally, after one more glance back and a deep sigh, he pulled the trigger.

  Chapter 22

  Day 28

  Eleven, after reaching for his sword, suddenly paused as the creature spoke in a language that he had not heard in many years; it was the language of the Faceless.

  “I saw, foreigner. Now, if you promise to leave that blade where it is you will most likely not be harmed.”

  Not having any other option, Eleven moved his hand away from his blade as he saw many more come out of what seemed to be a nearby hole in the ground. All of them appeared to be men, except for one bizarre feature which clearly stood out; they neither had eyes or eye sockets on their faces, nor did they have any sign of anything which would indicate that they had the ability to see.

  Eleven was very puzzled by the unusual feature which most certainly separated these creatures from the races of men. But then, something immediately occurred to Eleven. Of course, it makes sense... So this... this is the home of the Ungassii; the Ungassii from which I am half descended.

  Eleven, after a brief moment, spoke, “I am one of your kind.”

  The Ungassii man responded inquisitively, “If that is true then remove your mask.”

  “Doing such will not reveal my truth for I am born from one of the stolen.”

  Immediately after Eleven spoke the men drew their swords, anxious and fearful. Then, one coming up from the side started to charge toward Eleven, sword raised. But, he was quickly knocked down by the one who had first spoken, obviously their leader. It was a move purposed to regain control of the startled group.

  The leader, with sword raised toward the fallen Eleven, then spoke with certain anxiety which was easy for the listener to ascertain, “You are not one of us.”

  “Then what am I,” responded Eleven with a sinister chuckle.

  The group's leader, regaining a bit of composure, spoke in return, slightly altering the subject, “Answer truthfully or I will let them gut you right here, right now. How many are here with you? What is your name, if Faceless have one? And have you come to steal those we love?”

  Eleven could see no reason or benefit in lying to these people, nor did he really care if they thought him a monster or hero for what he had done, “No one will come to steal from you your wives or your children anymore. I am the last of my kind, and my name, is Eleven.”

  The man paused, puzzled by the unexpected answer before waving over a man who was standing nearby. After whispering something to his companion the leader turned back toward Eleven, “Why should I trust you? And even if you speak the truth how do you know that you are the last?”

  “You are right to hate me, but I have no reason to deceive, in fact, kill me if you like, however it is the truth; they are survived only by me, I know because I am the one who killed them.”

  More than a few moments later after discussing it with his comrades the leader then turned his attention back to the masked man who still lay on the ground in the same place he had fallen. The leader, following another brief moment, spoke, “If you are truly Faceless as you claim, then it is impossible for you to break your word, correct?”

  “That's correct.”

  Following Eleven's response the leader went on, “Very well, it is therefore the group's consensus that we will allow you to enter our city, and we will provide you with treatment for your injury, but only on the condition that you give us your word to not harm any of our people for the time that you are among us. If you should break your oath then clearly you are not what you claim to be, and therefore we should have no problem killing you.”

  Eleven, in agreement to this offer, gave answer, “I give you my word that no harm shall come to you or your people by my hand, from this time until the time that I depart from your city.”

  The leader, now satisfied, unlike some in the group, waved to the others before saying, “Very well then, we are agreed.”

  The Ungassii after sheathing their swords carefully picked up Eleven to place him on a wide wooden plank, a plank which someone whom Eleven had seen recently emerge from the hole, had brought up with him. Then, after being carried toward what the masked man now knew was some sort of entrance to what must be an underground city, Eleven subsequently entered what he would soon discover to be, the world
below.

  Chapter 23

  348 Days before day 1

  Paleo was an exuberant place by Salius' observation, vast and lively. To be here, in the city, was a very new experience for Salius in every way, and even more so as this city just happened to be the second largest city within the Empire.

  Even though Kingsgate was said to be at least twice the size of its runner up, Paleo was still nothing short of impressive. It hosted many shops and venders. Also, due to the slight slope upon which the city was built, one could often have a lovely view of the ocean while going about one's business. Many things added to the pleasant atmosphere of the city, but, that being said, the city was still a very busy place, far different from the peaceful calm of nature which Salius had always known. And, as Salius strolled the bustling streets of the market section he found himself intimidated, awkward, and uneasy due to the sheer number of people alone.

  It was a beautiful sunny, but breezy, day, and, despite the season's chill, it seemed to be even warmer here than it had been in Lituss; not a surprise, but welcomed just the same.

  Upon admiring the weather after exiting a high class clothing shop, Salius took the road heading east, toward the docks; on the way seeing, performers, many different types of street venders, slave traders, and anything in Salius' estimation that one could ever want to purchase.

  During his time in the shop, Salius had bought what he was told to be the finest in male fashion these days, an outfit which included a green knee length coat with stylized white decorative stitching, a fine pair of leather trousers, boots, and a fashionable shirt to be worn under the coat. Salius also purchased a sturdy leather belt, fashioned to carry the sword on his left side, and the dagger also on his left behind the sword. After everything had been purchased, Salius figured he had just enough of the, no longer recently deceased, centurion's coin left to barter passage to Castia.

  Salius, as he walked along the cobblestone streets, chuckled at the thought that while the Centurion might have been a horrific man, his money was serving a good cause.

  Some time had passed before Salius stopped as he came near a slave auction. He had never seen a slave auction before, and even though many accepted it as part of day to day life, Salius always thought the concept of slavery, at the least, to be rather distasteful. Maybe something like a bond servant would be acceptable according to Salius, but pure slavery without any choice in the matter or hope of freedom, by his account, was an injustice akin to kidnapping. What was worse is that the Empire allowed and encouraged the enslavement of its own.

  As Salius moved closer to the auction, watching people in the crowd claim one slave after the other as the downtrodden men and women stood in a line waiting to be purchased by yet another abusive master, he grew even more disgusted by the event than he had been previously.

  Salius being closer now, gazed into the desperate faces of those who had no hope of peace or freedom, but those who were bartered would not dare to look him in the eye. Not one dared to return his gaze.

  Salius' attention was then suddenly captured by a commotion on the other end of the line up. The situation was immediately clear to Salius, as two slavers reacted quickly to regain control of their sold property. It was a case of something which, although he had known was not uncommon, still remained gut wrenching to witness.

  Upon witnessing the result of the separation of a slave family, due to the slavers allowing the man, woman, and child, to be bought separately for more potential profit; Salius' left hand, which was resting on the hilt of his weapon, began to clench the sword tightly as the slave wife's screams of anguish drowned out the desperate war cries of her husband. Then, after watching the man be beaten down mercilessly until the fight left his eyes, leaving nothing but silent tears, Salius winced while averting his gaze.

  A moment later, following the perfect restraint of the disobedient slave, all three family members were then carted off separately. As Salius had returned his gaze to see the broken family leave, he saw something which he would never forget; while the woman continued her shrill screams as she reached out for her son, the young child of the two slaves waved goodbye to his father, who out of his own shame could not even bear to return his son's gaze. Then, as the moments passed, the son turned away, clearly feeling the true sting of ultimate rejection and loss. It was no doubt then that the boy realized he would never again see his family, he was alone, completely forsaken by any hope of justice.

  Salius, after the incident was completely over, immediately bolted from the scene. Moments later, after finding a more private place in an alleyway, Salius, not being able to hold it in any longer, vomited.

  He had not vomited after killing the soldiers, but here and now he vomited for this. Salius found that strange at first, but after considering it, he decided that it was far easier to watch evil men die, than to be helpless to save an innocent, desperate, family, which was torn apart right in front of his eyes by the injustice of cruel men; cruel men who he now hated nearly as much as those whom he had slaughtered over two months past.

  It took all he could not to rush in and attempt to heroically save the family who had just recently been carted away. Perhaps he could save them, but even so, where would the family go afterward, they were already branded. Even if he chose to rescue them, Salius could think of nowhere they could go which would protect them from discovery and re-enslavement, or death as a result of their escape attempt. Salius, should he choose that foolhardy, but just, course of action, would need to keep them close at all times, and this was simply not possible; maybe if it was just one person, but man, woman, and child, no, that could not be done. He had an important mission to complete, and Salius would see it through. Considering this hard wisdom, he remained, leaning against the back wall of a home, staring down at his own vomit, repeating over and over in his mind; Keep to the mission Salius, there's nothing you can do, just keep to the mission.

  After hardening himself to the cruel reality of slavery which he had just witnessed for the first time, Salius exited the alleyway before again making his way toward the docks.

  Salius passed more slave auctions along the way but he choose not to stop, not to give the events anything but a cold shoulder as he passed by. It was better this way for now, as Salius had a task to complete, and since there was nothing he could do at this time anyway, watching the men, women, and children as they suffered, would only serve to bring him more agony. Salius discerned that while this course of action might not be the right thing to do, it was the wise thing to do. So, now being disgusted by what the city had to offer, Salius vied to leave as quickly as possible, because truthfully, his wisdom had limits.

  While walking the streets of Paleo, Salius chose to avoid the places considered lowborn as he had been advised to do earlier at the clothing shop. Therefore, sticking mostly to the market districts, he eventually found his way down to the docks.

  Once there, after emerging from the shadow of the buildings and onto a sandy beach, Salius saw it, really for the first time. He had of course seen it from inside the city, but it was not the same as being within a stones throw away.

  Salius smiled as he took it all in before removing his boots and charging down into the water, all the way giddy like a child. It was exactly what his mother had described it to be, it was magnificent, and yet somehow subtle, but in all ways, beautiful. The ocean was so vast, more so than even the fields, and Salius could only marvel at how it was possible that a single body of water could be so endless. He had seen water in wells, streams, and even small lake ponds, but Salius could never have imagined, even with his mother's wonderful description, what he now saw, and fully realized.

  Salius, after splashing around a little upon entering the sea, now stood with the water level just below his knees as he closed his eyes to take in the memorable salty smell. Then, upon re-opening his vision, Salius stared out at the water which reflected the noon sunlight off of many, near and distant, tiny swells. He followed by turning his attention
to the hundreds of merchant ships which carried cargo to and from Paleo. He considered heading immediately toward a long nearby dock where many men, clearly serving aboard one of the anchored ships which waited off in the distance, could be seen moving cargo off of a few row boats; but decided against it in favor of simply lounging on the sand for a few moments.

  Salius had heard that it was common for people to sit in the sand while observing the ocean, and he decided to partake in this apparent tradition considering the fact that one only gets to experience the ocean for the first time, but once. So, after heading back onto the beach, he found a place to sit. Then, as Salius delighted in the breeze which blew through his now constantly lengthening hair, and after fiddling with the sand a little, finding the sand a pleasurable form of earth, he leaned back while thinking of his mother and her delightful stories, stories which she had taken just as much enjoyment in telling as he had in listening. Salius, then closed his eyes while basking in the warmth of the sun as he whispered, “You were right mother; it's inexpressibly beautiful.”

  Chapter 24

  311 Days Before Day 1

  The rain, cold and unpleasant, poured relentlessly upon Salius and all who dwelled within Castia, and the wilderness which surrounded the once significant city.

  Castia was said to be, at one time, a stronghold of the Golgaleth, called Gollekan, evidenced by the ruin of a once majestic castle which still lies in Castia's center. And, while at one time the city was a prosperous place, it was now little more than a ruin itself. Many people still dwell within Castia, but the overwhelming majority of its occupants are now peasants, and due to the city's current state of being, along with many other reasons, it's population had been steadily dwindling over the past fifty years. Such is often the result of devastating natural phenomena when it clashes with a city, although Salius supposed that if such an earthshaking event struck a place like Kingsgate, or Paleo, the Empire would, no doubt, fund massive reconstruction efforts and the city would be rebuilt. But, after the earth shook Castia, most who suffered loss, instead of remaining to rebuild, simply left, choosing to move on. And, apparently, the Empire didn't think Castia was worth the effort or cost to repair, so it remained, not deserted, but hopeless.