Ized- the Ancestors

by Esther Barvar

  »Have you gone mad?« Kane was shaken. He was also afraid of his only son. The priestesses were dangerous. If the Brown just killed him before he could say what he wanted?

  »Tomorrow, you go with him to the Chief so that he doesn’t get suspicious. Try to gain time. If I ride all night, I can reach the priestess in the morning. At least when she’s in Taishan. In any case, I can leave her a message. Who knows what Jabal is really up to now that he knows who the man is looking for. It would be a possibility for him to prove his devotion to the Red. Do you think he will miss that?«

  Kane shook his head. »No, I must agree with you, my son. However, I am not comfortable with the thought of letting you ride to Taishan alone.«

  »Do you think I am thinking about that? I found him, and we gave him help and hospitality, so we are obliged. He saved us from death, so all the other inhabitants of the village are also required to him. Jabal has no honor. If Jabal acts without honor, bring our family to safety. Adar will undoubtedly help you. I have to do it.«

  Kane nodded. He understood what his son meant and was proud of him. Yes, Jabal had no honor; he always saw his own advantage and believed the Red would show mercy.

  »I get the horse from the pasture. Can you ride without a saddle? Then it will be less noticeable if I don’t have to fetch one from the community stable.«

  Balor smiled. »Without saddle even better than with. Please protect my wife and child.«

  Kane embraced him and lovingly pressed him to himself. »I will. You pack yourself some bread and water for the way. I’ll get the horse behind the house in the meantime.«

  Kane pointed to the house wall behind which he would wait for him with the animal. Then he quietly disappeared through the door. Balor packed bread into a bag, took a filled water hose, and hung it around himself as well as the bag with bread. He left the house just as quietly as his father had. Behind the house, the two men met again and hugged each other one last time. Then Balor wanted to sit up, but Kane suddenly held him by his arm.

  »Why you call the stranger a Lord?« he asked quietly.

  Balor hesitated, conflicted because he had promised Adar not to tell anyone anything. But he had never lied to his father. He didn’t want to start to do it that evening either, so he decided to talk about the conversation in the stable. He looked around thoroughly to see if any ears were listening.

  »Please do not tell Jabal, father. Promise me by the Stone Dagger. You must not tell anyone about it. Especially not Jabal, no matter what.«

  »I promise by the Stone Dagger.«

  »Adar just told me, over there in the stable, something I didn’t want to believe at first. But now I think why he should put himself in such danger and look for the priestess of Brown if it is not the truth? Why else would he come here from a foreign country? He told me he was the husband of the priestess.«

  A sound of astonishment escaped the throat of Kane. »What? By the Stone Dagger and the Holy Silver Cup, is that true, my son? Who is crazy enough to marry one of the two priestesses?«

  »So he told me, and I believe him. He is also a magician. It may well be possible. That is another reason why I have to go to the priestess of Brown. She should know about it. Do you understand me now? What do you think would happen if the priestess of the Red captured Adar or even killed him? Perhaps then the priestess of Brown would take revenge on our village.«

  Balor felt more than he could see his father nodding. »Then ride, as fast as night permits my son. The priestess must know about it in any case. Her husband is here with us. The Red really must not know that. Otherwise, he will destroy everything here.«

  Balor sat on the skinny horse and rode off. Kane looked after him as long as he could see the outlines in the darkness. He was worried about Balor, but his son was right, Jabal could not be trusted. He hoped too much for the mercy of the Red. It was known throughout the country that the Red had never shown mercy. Under no circumstances, Jabal was allowed to know who Adar was. Then he went back to the house and lay down with his family. It took him a long time to finally fall asleep.

  As always, Adar was awake before sunrise. He had discovered a bowl in the stable and had fetched water from the well. Then he undressed and washed. Refreshed and clean, he was dressing when he heard footsteps outside the gate.

  Kane entered while Adar closed the last buttons of the shirt and wrapped the scarf of love around his hip.

  »Oh, you are already awake, Lord, good morning. It’s an exciting belt you’re wearing.«

  Adar nodded but looked at him suspiciously. Balor had called him Lord that evening. Today Kane also called him that. Did his father know anything? »Good morning, Kane. That is not a belt. It is a symbol. In our country, it is called the scarf of love and symbolizes a long and common life with the partner one has chosen. It is my most sacred possession,« he explained, and his gaze gets lost in the distance.

  Kane listened with interest. »This is a wonderful tradition of your country,« he remarked. Then he cleared his throat. »The leader, Jabal, will be waiting for us right away for breakfast.«

  »Only the two of us?« Adar wanted to know and knotted the ends together so that they only hung down a good hand span at his side.

  Kane smiled and bowed his head, confirming. »Since he only named us, only the two of us are invited. It is customary for us to say clearly who such an invitation concerns, and the guests respect it,« he explained. »He only mentioned you and me, not my family.«

  Adar raised his head briefly and attentively. A peculiarity of the country that he would remember.

  Kane didn’t say anything about waking his family up early and sending them to the forest. They were hidden there with enough supplies for several days. Since it was still dark, they had not caught any attention.

  »Come on, let’s not keep Jabal waiting too long.«

  Together they went to the principal’s house. It looks like the other houses in the village. From the outside and the inside, it resembled the house of Kane very much. It also consisted of only one huge room, which was dominated by a central fireplace. Next to it, there was a large table for the family. Some chests stood on the walls where the possessions of the inhabitants were kept. A single large straw bed for the whole family was on the back wall. There was nothing else here either.

  When Adar and Kane entered the house, two women were setting the table. One was very young, the other similar in age to Jabal. Both left the room shortly afterward.

  »I wish you a good morning, Adar! Kane,« Jabal greeted them both with a nod and pointed over to the table. »Please sit down. My wife has made an excellent tea. Various herbs, very tasty. Kane’s wife makes the jam. She is the best cook in the village, and her jam merely is delicious. The women cook and bake together more often,« he said openly, filling three cups with hot tea from the kettle.

  Adar grinned when he saw Kane running red after Jabal praised his wife’s jam. Today the headmaster seemed much more relaxed and friendly than yesterday. The tea had a pleasant aroma.

  »Drink,« Jabal asked them once more in a friendly manner. He went to the fire to put the kettle on a flat stone to keep the tea hot.

  When he came back to the table, he laid the last freshly baked bread on the other flat cakes and also took a seat. He grabbed his cup and lifted it towards the two men. Adar sighed. He loved herbal tea. He smelled it, and the spicy aroma made the water run in his mouth.

  »Eat, drink,« Jabal said again, speaking cheerfully. »Adar, we are deeply indebted to you. The Naga would have killed many of us yesterday if you hadn’t been there. Tell us how we can help you now.«

  »You have already helped me, Jabal. I don’t need more than the direction in which I have to look.« Adar smiled without obligation. He had no intention of telling the leader more than necessary. Even if he seemed much more friendly today. He seemed downright talkative to the young man. Perhaps the day before, he had only been frightened by the Naga.

  Nevertheless, Adar trusted his inner feeling
, which warned him. Moreover, Balor had expressed himself extremely reserved and even warned him. He blew into the cup and took several small sips of the hot tea. It tasted delicious. A little bitter, but very aromatic.

  Kane had also drunk from the hot tea. Now the man trembled, slammed the cup onto the table, and looked up. »By the Stone Dagger and the Holy Silver Cup, Jabal, what have you… ?« That’s as far as he went. Unconscious, he slipped off the stool and fell to the ground. Adar was startled, jumped up worried. But already, he staggered, and his head turned. Inexcusably, he hadn’t checked the tea for poison. The remedy worked fast. Before he could use his healing powers, he sank to the ground, unconscious. Jabal grinned broadly and contentedly. He pushed Adar with his foot. The magician had fallen for his gossip and was sleeping. Because of the strong sleeping pill, he would not wake up for the next few hours. Since he did not know when the Red would appear, they now had enough time to prepare everything for his arrival. Satisfied, the Chief walked to the door and opened it.

  Four men from the village entered hesitantly. They seemed insecure and depressed. »Jabal, do you think the Red will let us and our families live if we give him this man?«

  »Certainly, gentlemen. He is a magician. You have also noticed the fire in his hand. The Red seeks magicians, and he will prove grateful when we give him this one. Tie the guy to the old oak tree in front of the village. The Red will see him there as soon as he arrives. But tie him up properly so he can’t use his hands and arms. The man is dangerous. Yesterday you saw how quickly he destroyed the Naga. He could first free himself with this fire and then slaughter all of us.«

  The men obeyed Jabal’s order, grabbed Adar by the arms and legs, and carried him out. Kane was left lying on the floor of the house. The villagers were not comfortable. Yesterday he had saved their lives, and today they violated the law of hospitality. They were ashamed, but Jabal was the head of the village, and he decided what to do.

  Last night, the leader had sent a mounted man with a message to Hengshan. In the letter, he spoke of a valuable gift for the priestess, that he wanted to give her if the village continued to be spared. The gift was a real magician who stayed with them. It could not be long before the messenger arrived. Soon after, the Red would appear to kill the magician. And the priestess would take care to spare his village. Thus he proved how excellently he protected everyone.

  After disposing of the tea with the anesthetic herbs, he went over to the big oak and checked the shackles. Disfavoring, he yelled at the men how unreasonable they were. The shackles were not tight enough for him. They had tied Adar to the tree with his upper body. But as they had done, he could move his arms and hands. Jabal had an idea of what this man was capable of. His hands were more dangerous than all the weapons he carried in his weapon bag. So he let the ropes open again. There was no danger that Adar could wake up now. The stupefying herb in the tea would let him sleep for a long time.

  Jabal took over the bondage himself. First, he pulled a tight noose around one wrist, led the rope tightly behind the tree, and there over a branch. Then he grabbed the second arm and pulled another tight loop around the other wrist. He tied the rope so firmly around the tree - to fix arms and hands to the trunk - that it was impossible for the magician to cast fire spells. Adar’s hands were attached to the tree far back above the head. Over time they would become painful and deaf. The shoulders were also fixed to the tree. Now he pushed Adar’s feet apart, tied one foot with another rope, walked around the tree, and tied the other. With a third rope, Adar was fixed tightly to the tree. So he was unable to move anything but his head. That was hanging between his shoulders because he was still unconscious of the herb in the tea.

  Jabal didn’t care if the young man was in pain. A stranger! He was just a stranger with whom he could negotiate security for the village!

  With a triumphant smile, the leader walked around the stranger. As strong as the magician had been yesterday, today he was helpless and at his mercy. Even a magician like this one could be defeated.

  When Adar finally awoke, the sun was high in the sky. His hands, arms, and legs hurt, almost felt lifeless. He could not move. He opened his eyes, moaning, and looked Jabal in the face.

  He had just passed by to see if the stranger had awoken again. He grinned maliciously at Adar. »You are the best gift we can give the Red and his priestess. For you, they will spare us for years to come.«

  Adar shook his head resignedly. »Are you foolish enough to rely on the grace of the Red? I’ve only heard of the Red, not granting mercy. Never!«

  His voice sounded rough, by the pain that the shackles caused. Had Balor betrayed him, or Kane? But then Kane staggered over, and Adar remembered. Jabal had also drugged him with tea.

  »Jabal, let go of your plan! What have you done? You disgraced our whole village, disregarded the law of hospitality!«

  »Stay out of this, Kane. His sacrifice will protect our town from the Red for years. The priestess will be grateful and reward us. We are proper subjects of the king and only do what is expected of us. The king, the Red, and his priestess are the law we should follow.«

  »By the Stone Dagger, Jabal, at least give him water to drink, or shall he be dead before the Red is even here?« Kane cried out desperately.

  Jabal laughed bitterly and gloatingly. »If you think he still needs water, give him some. He will die soon anyway. The priestess does not want magicians in her country. But don’t you dare loosen the shackles. If he is released, I will kill your daughter and son.«

  Kane froze, but then he hurried to the well and fetched water in a cup. With him, he returned to Adar. »Forgive me. I really didn’t know what he was going to do. Otherwise, I would have warned you,« he whispered to him sadly. »There are also people among us who respect the law of hospitality.«

  »I know,« Adar returned rough and in pain. »I have seen it. You, too, were stunned by the tea.«

  »Drink, Lord, please drink. You urgently need water« Kane held the cup to his mouth. Adar turned his head to the side. »For what else?« he resigned. »When the Red arrives …« Adar faltered, looking at Kane in horror. The man and his family had to leave the village immediately. He could not help anyone with these shackles. »Kane, you have to leave. Save at least you and your family’s life.«

  Kane looked around. Jabal stood a little further away and spoke with the men who were guarding Adar. So he couldn’t hear him if he spoke quietly enough. He lowered his voice once more so that no one but Adar could hear him. »Balor set off that night and rode to Taishan. Hold through Adar, please, maybe the Brown and the Priestess are fast enough. Your wife will surely come to help you, Lord. She will undoubtedly send the Brown.«

  Kane had hardly been heard, but Adar had understood him and stared hopefully at him. In his eyes, the will to live sparkled wildly again. He took a sip of the offered water and then another. »Bring your family to safety, Kane,« he whispered again.

  »Drink, the water will do you good,« Kane said louder. Quietly he calmed Adar. »They’ve been safe for hours. I sent them into the forest even before we went to Jabal. If only I’d told you what a character the leader has.«

  »Then go and follow them. Save yourselves!«

  Kane shook his head. »I stay with you. I can’t leave you alone now.«

  »Kane, you have helped me much more than you think. Please do not unnecessarily endanger yourself. You are a good man. Go now, I beg you. Otherwise, your children will soon no longer have a father. I know neither the Red nor the Brown. But what I have seen here is an overwhelming fear of them. They must be cruel. He will not spare you, so please, go!«

  Kane looked at him and saw the concern in Adar’s eyes. So he nodded and gave him the last sip of water from the cup. Slowly he stepped back into the village.

  »Kane,« Jabal shouted after him. »I want to see your family here.«

  Kane turned to Jabal and clenched his fists with anger and contempt. »So you can leave them to the Red too, Jabal? I know and respec
t the law of hospitality. You are the one who has betrayed this law. You disgraced our village and all its inhabitants. Just as you are the leader of the village, I am the leader of my family. As such, I tell you here, and now, my family will not continue to support your dishonorable actions. I am the head of my family, and I renounce you. None of us will follow your orders anymore. If we survive today, I will leave the village tomorrow with them. I don’t want to and can’t live here anymore. So leave me alone. We no longer belong to your village. May the Holy Silver Cup and the Holy Stone Dagger be merciful to us. If we survive this cursed day at all, when you have disregarded hospitality, it will be the last day for us here.« So he turned around again and walked on towards his house. He walked in through the door without stopping, knowing that Jabal would certainly watch him after that speech. He did not want to expose his family to the danger of being discovered.

  After some time, however, he left the house with a bucket to scoop water from the well. He pretended that his own were still in the house, and his wife had sent him to fetch water just as she did several times a day.

  There was the screeching that had always been a source of fear and terror to the inhabitants of the villages. The Red came. And he brought many Naga with him. While all the people were focused on the Red and the Naga, Kane left the bucket at the well and hurried to the nearby forest. He tried not to be exposed to the glances of the Naga and the Red. When he finally arrived at the edge of the forest, he took a worried look at Adar, who nodded to him encouragingly. Then he stepped into the shelter of the trees and was gone. He did not go more in-depth, however, and stopped to observe behind a thick trunk. He wanted to be a witness, fearing that no one in his village would survive the Red’s visit. Probably not even the husband of the priestess, since she still had not appeared to free him.

  The Red landed at the entrance to the village and looked around. He discovered the leader, who met him alone and bowed again and again. The villagers withdrew into the shadows of their houses. The Red sensed the fear they had of him. When he now began to speak, he did so with a soft female voice. Adar listened attentively. The Red was a female dragon.