"Yes, you committed grave acts. God has called to mind your blood guilt, Rhajit. You were raised to know and understand the Holy Writings and the Law given to the First Fathers, your forefathers. It was also noted when you raised your hands against a priest. You are not a judge yet decided to judge one appointed in his position by God. You have led a life of iniquity. Yet God has seen and found something great within you after all these things, so take heart, Rhajit. You can atone for the past and once atoned, do not let it come up into your mind. The dead from the great fires, who did not serve Him shall come to know Him and His justice, might and love. They shall rise again in the far future, in the resurrection after the third rise of the Reshaim. To prove themselves again. Afterward, their hearts will be read and judged."
"Ellah Kaifah." Rhajit said softly, trembling.
"Do not tremble and gaze about. He is with you but he lays one more grave thing upon you to help you on the path to atonement for what you have done and how you have lived. Do not worry about the judgment of the Ainash. Their day has come. You must serve King and Kingdom, serve the realm faithfully all the days of your life. You must keep to the King in what will be called his Red Guard and give your life to righteousness and Light. Do not go to the right or to the left but walk the High Red Path all your days for you will be judged the day you go the way of your forefathers as to whether your life was one of righteousness or wickedness. Do not turn aside from the way. Only then will you have atoned for all that you have done and you will not suffer the judgment of the Ainash. It will be a difficult path to walk. Fear not, for Airend-Ur would not give a man a charge if that one was not worthy and could not walk it. Fulfill it and His arm will be with you."
"I shall do all that He requires of me. All of it."
"Do not vow lightly."
"I do not vow lightly. Ellah Kaifah." The man rose and looked around. He pointed. "The lamb there. You must sacrifice it to re-institute the sacrifice of atonement for wrong deeds. The people have left off worshiping Him the way of their forefathers have done. There, sacrifice it to Airend-Ur and keep going your way praising Him and serving the king." Rhajit went and built a small altar there and he went and got the lamb and sacrificed it. The messenger lay his hand over the altar and the lamb caught fire and became ablaze.
"See! It is done. Do not worry or be afraid anymore. It is done. Go your way in peace and keep the vows you made." And Rhajit was full of joy so incandescent he thought he would burst forth with fire. He began singing on old Karigite song as he made his way back to the camp. The other men, playing hadana looked up.
"Where have you been Rhajit?" Asked Luz. "We have been wondering where you had gone. Soon it will be time to go back and meet with Rapheth."
"I went into the desert to think and pray."
"Why do you sing? What has happened?" Asked one of the Dyrlanders.
"I have been forgiven."
Chapter Twenty-Four
Some doorways serve to simply open a door from one place to another. These are countless. Then there are doorways that become Pan-Dimensional when entered by one allowed in with an exceptionally perceptive and mind. The Cave of Forever is one of these.
- The Book of Nagilla
As the word had gone out from Rhajit it spread like a raging fire among the people on the borders and the outskirts and slowly made its way to the cities.
"Raise your eyes to the sky for the final sign of his coming and your deliverance. The sign of the last blood mark. Raise your eyes and see it when the morning and evening star is red in the morning and red in the evening. When it becomes the Red Eye." Said Rhajit, in the words of Medulla the desert prophetess.
They reached Nachar after a week and they were now in the heart of the Habad. Susamon was next and eight days from this village. They had amassed an even larger following of rootless men, many of those displaced from homes, families destroyed by brutality or the mining operations. All of the men who came with Rapheth from over the snow covered plains had mounts but these men walked on foot. They gladly did, seeing a new hope in this young would-be king. Rapheth made sure that when they hunted enough was given throughout the camp and to the new ones joining. Rapheth felt renewed in his spirit and one day, even full of mischief.
"Rhajit, Parso, Shukala. I have an idea."
"What?" They asked.
"These Nacharites, the Sons of the Mountain. I have read in the Holy Writings that they do not take wine. I want only good men of good heart to join with me. More and more join my cause seeing hope but what if not all men have the right thinking. What if I begin to attract good-for-nothing men?"
"It would seem that you need a way to see into the hearts of men."
"That I cannot do but I can test them and I shall begin with the Nacharites."
"They are tribal men are they not?"
"They are related to the tribes. But not all of the tribes have kept the ways of the Holy Writings."
"It seems good to me. Test them out." Said Parso. When they arrived in the village they were greeted by the villagers. Rapheth spoke up.
"I have food and wine. I shall not stay too long and tax your people. Take me to the chieftain of the village." A man moved forward. He, like all the villagers wore rustic, nearly ragged looking leathers, cloth and furs and his hair was long and braided into thick ropes that were wound around his neck. His beard was long and braided.
"My name is Usif. My uncle Achin had the honor of meeting the one who retrieved the star scepter from the ancient ruins. Now I have the honor of meeting the Red King." He bowed before them.
"The desert prophetess?" Asked Rapheth. Usif nodded and smiled.
"Come." He urged. "The elder chieftain is expecting you. All the older men of the village have heard of your coming. The little desert mother speaks it, the prophet of God speaks it and we have heard the call in the mountains. The cry is now on every man's lips. Come!" Rapheth followed him and bade the others to stay with the villagers who were now crowding around them. Some of the women were throwing desert flowers at their feet.
They were taken to the largest hut in the village, right in the center of Nachar. It was a large mud brick round structure with wooden beams. The man pulled away the goat hair hanging at the doorway.
"Come, come!" He insisted. Rapheth followed him in. The elders of the village were seated around a small fire. One was laying upon a sedan chair.
"This is Rapheth, son of Khalit-Aisu, the son of the king who died by the hand of the snake queen," he said.
"Ah," said the one sitting in the sedan chair. He nodded and motioned for Rapheth to approach. "The one whose great-uncle now rules the land. We are tired of snakes. Let a lion sit the throne of Hybron again." His hair and eyes were white from great age. He was ancient but in his old age and the deference the others gave him he was clearly the head of the village. He was dressed in the finest furs of the jackal and desert lion and he wore a necklace of polished bones set with a large round stone of lapis lazuli. His hair was braided in the customary style of the Sons the Mountain, the braids rounded in coils around his neck.
"I am Sumek. The eldest living man of the Habad, a descendent of Domiah our forefather. Come near, my lord. We seek a blessing from you for we have awaited this day for a long time." Rapheth knelt and bowed before him.
"It is I who seek you and the support of the Sons of the Mountain, if it is your will and theirs."
"You have our support." Said Sumek.
"I bring gifts for the tribe and food. If your valiant mighty men who are able to fight will come with me, when I leave and go down from the mountain the Sons of the Mountain shall have a revered place in my kingdom." Rapheth felt that awe, that feeling that he was not quite touching the ground as spirit moved within him. He felt he was acting out the atavistic role of the old kings. There was a power in those words and in the actions in this meeting. Bonds would be forged and loyalty obtained. This was precious and precarious. He would strive to do all he could to honor these men and their fa
milies. The lines of blood and spirit that would build his kingdom were being tied now. They laid their hands upon him and blessed him and when he emerged there was great rejoicing. The elders came out, Sumek carried along in his chair.
"We shall feast tonight with the king!" They shouted. And the people set about making the cooking fires for the feast. Dung and sparse dried grasses were gathered for the cooking fires. A spicy pufok, spiced and pickled eggs, roasted goat and lamb with herbs, flat breads, dates, and honeyed locusts and a dish of mashed purple potato with paprika, raisin cakes and honey sweetened cactus juice to drink were prepared. Lapirim made of sheep's brains, heart and lungs was dug up and spread with fresh fat. Rapheth had his men get out rugs he had traded, exotic fruits such as quince, oranges and lemons and limes and Rurrian wine and spirits. As they took out the caskets of wine he offered it to all the men and urged them to drink. Some of the noise died down. To this they said:
"We shall drink no wine."
"Why is it that you men do not drink wine?" He asked. One of the younger men spoke up.
"Our long dead ancestor Domiah laid the command upon us not to drink wine as when they broke with their brothers the Petrites. In a fight one night one of the brothers killed the other in a drunken rage and our forefather and all his sons left the tribe. Their brothers, the other tribal men were going to come after them to kill them and raised the threat all throughout their long trek across the plains. They drank no wine so as to not be drunk and unaware when the enemy would fall upon them, so that they could be prepared to fight in an instant. To this day, we follow it most seriously and we drink no wine or spirits, in his honor." Rapheth was deeply moved.
"You men are honorable above many men I have known of my own brethren in that you keep the law of your ancestor who has long passed from the world. Yet, my own people do not obey even the slightest thing from the First One. May He bless you eternally and your children and may your children's children be blessed." And the feast commenced.
Rhajit came and sat down beside him, drinking a cup of wine and tearing at some roasted lamb.
"When I was young I could not conceive of being obedient to such a long lost law from a mere man. I had no respect even for holy laws. It is an amazing thing to see. Still, I am glad there is no law on me not to partake in wine." There was a twinkle in his eye.
"I agree. And about the wine too." Said Rapheth. Rapheth held up his up to Rhajit and they clinked them together and then he raised it to Shukala and all the men in attendance to which they all shouted: "The king!" He tried hard not to think on the fact that one person was not there to enjoy this feast with him.
They celebrated for three days. On the fourth evening Rapheth retired to his tent. Earlier that morning he had once again been studying the star maps and he focused this time on a prayer written on the page near the legend. It was written in old Alharan but no one could decipher it. Parso understood some of it. One of the elders of the village of Nachar knew Old Alharan. He and Rapheth had examined it and he translated it. It was a prayer. (Make up the prayer).
"I recognize this." Said Rapheth. "It is in the Book of the Women. By the prophetess Medella who said it in heartfelt joy in her deliverance from her captors and tormentors."
"Yes. It was echoed by Medella but first said by Ishuye before he took up the sacred sword. According to the Holy words he actually did walk the Cave of Echoes. Perhaps a key in understanding this. . .this what you call, map." Said the elder. "It says:
"Three times I shall shout praises, seven times I shall sing aloud!
My deliverance through darkness my rescue has come.
As I have walked through the Cave of Echoes.
I have looked around, I have gazed about
my disquieting thoughts within me do frighten me.
My heart was boisterous with fear and despair.
A dread came over me and a trembling,
my bones were filled with pain over my wretched condition.
I have cried out: Do hear me, O Airend-Ur, do hear my prayer and answer!
Let me see the way out of the darkness.
Out of the Cave of Echoes, out of my trials.
Give me the strength now to defeat my enemy!"
Later that night he looked around in the dark of his tent but saw nothing. He heard the sounds of light sleeping of the men around him. Then he saw a little light, moving to and fro. He sat up to get a closer look. The soft light floated closer to him and before he could usher a sound it revealed itself. It was a tiny hummingbird. He reached his hand out to touch it but it stayed just out of reach. The bird then flew out of the tent. Rapheth, curious, got up quietly and slipped outside.
The night air was cool but comfortable, a mention of the coming spring. The little bird was just outside his tent and then it flew off toward the outside of the camp. Rapheth remembered some years ago when the prophet Ilim had mentioned being guided by such a tiny creature in a divine dream when he was given a glimpse of Assenna at the Holy Mountain. They had passed by and seen the Holy Mountain far in the distance. The bird climbed higher in the sky. The great city, the holy city you must build. And you must restore it to its former glory. Like Chialis is the jewel of heaven, it must rise again, Assenna must rise again as the light of the world.
"Is this a trick of the wicked one?" But feeling strangely compelled he decided to follow the bird. First he left instructions. He pulled out of one of his packs a slip of paper, he only had a few precious leaves left, and a graphite bar and wrote down that if he did not come back soon that the camp was to move to Susamon and that Omun was to find smiths who could work metal. That they were to gather the falling star rock in the region, the rock that fell to the ground from the heavens, and from this iron to make swords for all the men that were there with them in the camp. He was not sure when he would be back but something told him that this bird was yet another sign from above and that he had more work to do before he could lead the men or gather an army.
"Time slips away from me." He sighed, looking around and then he folded the letter after blowing the stray crumbles and dust of the graphite away. He searched for the hummingbird. The bird's light grew brighter but remained soft to light his path through sharp and jagged rock formations, down small cliffs, across ravines and over boulders. He heard the hiss of a snake somewhere.
They were now far outside the camp. Rapheth turned and surveyed his surroundings. He could not see the camp and turned around suddenly he found himself in the desert. But I did not travel far enough out of the mountains to be here! he heard the ominous cry of hungry jackals far off and wondered if he had made a grave error. The little bird continued on and he followed it, feeling he had already gone too far not to. He was in the middle of nowhere in what seemed an inbetween world.
He felt a strange thrumming in his chest and he tore open his tunic. The wound of the mark had grown and the veins, blackened and leaking fluid had festered but it did not hurt. Still fear gripped him every time he dared to look upon it. Rapheth's apprehension dissipated as he neared what looked like a small cave jutting out of the rocky sand like sea rock out of the ocean. It stood about ten cubits high. Night was passing away into the womb of dawn. Rapheth felt time and the air around him shifting differently. He moved slower, as if through water, yet he did not feel this sensation upon his skin. The air felt heavier as if the very elements were pressing down upon him. He crossed the desert, his legs feeling heavy like long metal ingots, to where the hummingbird waited for him. Then it disappeared into the mouth of the cave. He hoped whatever lay beyond could help him out of this dark state he was in. He felt in-between time and in between Good and Evil forces and the evil within him was growing to claim him.
"Lo! Who is here?" He called. The bird was gone. The brand began hurting again, this time so badly that he collapsed down. He cried out so loudly it seemed to wake the entire desert. But there was only his voice.
"Get up." Said a voice. Rapheth looked around for the source and saw no one. He s
truggled to his feet.
"Where are you?" There was barely perceptible light in the cave. Rapheth followed the path which led downward. There was a cavern at the end of the path. He knew now that this was either a dream or a spiritual journey for the path was far longer than the length and breadth of the cave from outside. In the cavern he saw a man sitting crossed-legged on the ground. He approached slowly. The man was a Jurite by the look of him but Rapheth perceived he was no ordinary man. He recalled the messenger that had come to him in the forests of Dyrland. There was a small stone table with an ewer beside the man.
"You are a messenger."
"I am the guardian of shadow who assists those who wish to pass from darkness to light and from light to darkness. I await patiently for the one who has the legal right to claim the throne. I have been waiting for you, Rapheth."
"I am here, my lord." Rapheth bowed before him.
"Do not do that, as I am not the First One."
"What is your name?"
"I am Saujiah."
"What must I do, Saujiah?"
"You have one more test." The man looked around the cave and then held out a hand. "This is the Cave of Forever. Most men are not able to find this place. Only those whose minds and hearts are prepared. Those who have been chosen by God to walk through it." Rapheth uncovered the mark.
"Is this the look of a man who is prepared?" He asked. The messenger seemed non-plussed by the mark.
"A man may come even when he was demons to fight within or without. If he is willing to walk the High Red Path and is chosen then he may find the Cave of Forever. The First One chooses who may enter. Even then, there is no assurance he will come out alive. Many spiritual men are not chosen to come through this place."
"I am not even a desert father or prophet or priest."
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