Rise and Fall (Book 1)

by Joshua P. Simon

  Tobin leaned back and folded his arms.

  “When I traveled with you from Nubinya, you talked a lot about things that obviously needed to be said.” He paused. “Maybe you didn’t realize exactly what you were telling me at the time, but by opening up in such a way, I saw that you trusted me. That meant a great deal to me. You also befriended me and accepted me long before anyone else.” Nachun stopped speaking for a moment and began to pace the room, head down.

  Tobin started to say something in reply but a raw emotion in Nachun’s eyes took him off guard. It looks like he’s barely keeping it together.

  “I wanted to do something in return, to thank you for the kindness you’d shown me. But what could I possibly do? Then I remembered our conversations and I saw the root of all your problems. You never came right out and spoke of it but it could be inferred from almost everything you said or did. I could tell how miserable Kaz made you. I witnessed firsthand how he belittled you at every turn. He hated you.”

  “And so you thought his hatred gave you the right to take matters into your own hands? To remove him from my life?” said Tobin interrupting.

  Nachun shrugged. “The right? No. Rather an obligation.”

  “An obligation?!” asked Tobin, raising his voice. “You have no obligation to me.”

  Nachun cut in. “It has been weeks since Kaz disappeared. At any time you could have turned me in, including the very night of his disappearance. But you didn’t. You helped me cover it up. Why would you do that?”

  Tobin threw up his hands in exasperation. “I’ve told you why. For one, my father would have punished us both. And two, we were friends.”

  “Were? Rest assured, Tobin, our friendship has not changed in my mind.” Nachun waved a hand dismissively, “And though fear of your father may be part of the reason, the truth of the matter is that you hated your brother. Perhaps as much as he hated you. You never would have been able to bring yourself to do anything about it. It isn’t easy for you to be as callous and cold as Kaz. I took care of it so you wouldn’t have to.

  “Now you’re struggling with guilt, and its weight is something you can’t handle. So, you spend most of your time mindlessly training and avoiding anyone who would remind you of that night.”

  “That’s ridiculous,” said Tobin.

  “You’re happier with Kaz gone, whether you agree with the circumstances or not. You don’t feel any remorse for what happened and you think you should. I think you may even feel guilty and ashamed that I had to do your dirty work.”

  “I am not the kind of person….”

  “…who would chop a man’s head off? Who would loose an arrow through another’s eye? Who would sneak up behind a crouching foe and slit his throat?”

  “That’s different. I’m a Kifzo warrior and those acts are part of war. It’s what I’m trained to do.”

  “Since when does war end on the battlefield? War is all around us. Each and every day we make allies and enemies. And like a good warleader, we must strategize to handle each one of them. I’ve learned that the hard way.” He paused. “Being a Kifzo is what you are trained to do. Think of all the things I’ve done for you as my way of providing you with a different sort of training.”

  “Am I an ally rather than the friend you just claimed?”

  Nachun shook his head. “They are not always synonymous but a man can be both and to me you are. And so like a good ally, like a good friend,” he said emphasizing the word, “I eliminated your biggest enemy, your strongest foe.”

  Friend? That word once meant so much to me but now I’m not sure. I never once considered that a friend would act this way for my benefit. After a moment, Tobin responded, his voice tired. “What exactly are you training me for?”

  Nachun grinned, his eyes brightening. “A good strategist does not unveil his intentions until the proper moment, or else his plans may go awry. So, I only ask that you trust me.”

  Tobin snorted. “Why should I trust you, when you keep trying to run my life?”

  Nachun laughed. “Who else would you trust? Who else would help you in the ways I have? Walor? A good acquaintance, yes. But what has he done to truly help you in all the years you’ve spent together? Has he ever stood up for you at the risk of himself?” Nachun took a step closer to Tobin, staring. “I have not given you a reason to do anything other than trust me. Can you deny that your life isn’t better now than before we met?”

  Tobin couldn’t deny any of it. He still had stresses in his life but Kaz’s disappearance had eased many of them.

  I did hate him and I often wished someone would cut him down in battle. If his life meant so little to me then why do I now care how he died?

  He sat for some time thinking. Finally, his mind cleared in a flood of revelation. I don’t.

  “I can see you need time alone. I will see you in the training yard tomorrow. Before dawn, yes?”

  Tobin blinked his eyes. “Why would you be there?”

  “To help with the testing, of course. I would not leave you to do it alone. After you do well with this task, your father will begin to see you through his own eyes and not through the eyes of Kaz.”

  Tobin let out a sigh. “You keep helping me. What can I do to repay you?”

  “Succeed,” said Nachun. His eyes darkened. “I don’t speak of it often, but to you, I will admit that revenge is ever on my mind. I want to repay those that made me suffer. They deserve nothing less. Each victory of the Blue Island Clan inches me closer to my goals.”

  Tobin remembered what Charu had done to Nachun and his family. He walked over and rested a hand on the shaman’s shoulder.

  “I will do everything I can to help you get your revenge,” said Tobin.

  Nachun smiled. “Thank you.”

  Tobin smiled back and shortly after the two parted.

  To his surprise, sleep came easy to him that night.

  * * *

  Weeks had come and gone since Kaz’s disappearance, yet many on the streets of Juanoq still whispered of that night. No one ever imagined it would be possible for someone to break into Bazraki’s own palace, let alone kidnap his first son, their Warleader. But someone did. Or at least that’s what everyone was made to believe.

  Several times on the morning that followed Kaz’s disappearance, Jober almost bungled his story to Bazraki. Nervous, weak from loss of blood, and genuine shame from his deception, left him struggling to keep his thoughts clear. If not for Nachun stepping in at just the right moments, adding bravado to the heroic deeds he was told to convey, he would have lost it. Tobin stood off to the side then, adding only a nod or two as needed, but nothing more.

  Jober had been sure Bazraki would see through their deceit, but somehow, perhaps distracted by the shock of it all, he accepted their story.

  Since then, the retelling of those events had not grown easier. Intruders broke into the palace, drugged Kaz and his sleeping wife, then stole away with him. They delivered him to a second group who then snuck him out of the city. Jober happened to see the two men returning as they passed by the stables, bragging about what they were pulling off, thinking no one was listening. He followed them and acted when he realized they were returning for Lucia.

  Jober couldn’t believe that anyone would believe such a story, even with all the facts laid out and neatly organized by the shaman. Perhaps a peasant, eager to latch onto gossip would, but not Bazraki. He is far too sharp to have fallen for something so simple and full of holes. Jober shook his head. It had to be Nachun. I saw what he can do that night, and I heard the stories of Munai. He must have done something to Bazraki’s mind.

  Even now, weeks after Bazraki had reassigned a small army of shamans and guards to scour the city, he wasn’t any closer to discovering the truth.

  Jober’s stomach lurched. I should have done more for Kaz. But I had to think of my family.

  Lucia had also been in Bazraki’s chambers that morning, tears streaming down her face at every word. Jober would never forget that
raw emotion. Struggling to compose herself, she still had the compassion to extend a hand and rest it on his arm. Wanting to provide him comfort, she had not understood that the weight of her delicate hand only added to the burden of lies resting upon his shoulders.

  To compound matters, she made him her personal bodyguard. So thankful for his bravery that night, she insisted it was the least she could do. At her command his family moved from the rotted-out building they occupied in the old district to several spacious, adjoining rooms next to her own in the palace.

  How is it that when I finally prosper, it is the result of so much pain?

  “Are you ok?” came a soft voice that took Jober away from his thoughts.

  “Oh, yes. I’m sorry. I was just thinking of my family.”

  “They mean much to you, don’t they?” asked Lucia, touching his arm and flashing a warm smile.

  “They mean everything to me.”

  Lucia looked away. “I understand. I feel the same.”

  Jober heard the lump in her throat. She misses him so much. “I’m sorry. I did not mean…”

  “No, please, I asked the question.”

  Jober nodded. Unsure of what else to say, they continued walking the streets of Juanoq in silence. The sun peaked over the city’s walls, a faint orange hue easing into the sky. In an hour, the streets would be alive with workers and merchants, clogging the calm roads with an urgency Jober and Lucia lacked.

  “Are you sure now is the best time to be doing this? He may not even be there yet.” said Jober, interrupting the soft tread of their steps across the cobblestone road.

  “Tobin will be there. Lately, it seems the training ground is the only place he spends his time. He avoids every plea I make to speak with him.”

  “But the training ground is not a place for a woman. Bazraki will not…”

  “He will not be pleased, but when is he ever? I’m willing to bet that he won’t even mention this to me. As always, he is preoccupied with more important things. I am determined to do this,” she said with a tone that said the conversation was over.

  * * *

  “First take a shot with your longbow.” said Nachun.

  Tobin stepped forward and aimed at the target some thirty yards away. With barely any effort, he steadied himself, found his mark, and released the shot. He smiled as the arrow landed dead center.

  “Excellent,” said Nachun. “Now,” he continued, handing over the loaded crossbow, “attempt to do the same with this.”

  Tobin took the heavier object into his hands and, brought the weapon up to his shoulders. He used the crossbow’s sight to find the target as Nachun had instructed. He held his breath and pulled the trigger. A click sounded and the arrow sped across the open ground, hitting the mark’s center again.

  “Wonderful. It looks as though your accuracy was unaffected by the weapon.”

  “It took longer to aim though.”

  “A breath, maybe two at most. But that is only because you are still unfamiliar with it.” The shaman hurried toward the target. “Come. I want you to see the difference in each shot.”

  Nachun approached the target from the front, first examining where each arrow landed. “Very impressive, the second arrow is less than two inches away from the first.” He took a step to the target’s side and pointed. “Ah, but here is what I wanted to show you. Look at how much deeper your second arrow penetrated in comparison to the first.”

  Tobin nodded, surprised. “The weapon is powerful. You are right that with practice I should be able to find my mark just as quickly as I do with the bow,” said Tobin, turning the weapon over in his hands.

  “And the beauty of such a weapon is that someone can learn to wield one in a fraction of the time it takes to master a bow.”

  “Perhaps,” said Tobin. “But first we need to finish the testing. Come.”

  Nachun grabbed his arm. “Wait,” the shaman whispered. “It appears our plans have changed for the moment,” he added with a nod.

  Tobin followed the gesture and saw two figures approaching. The one in front was Lucia who, in Tobin’s mind, was the pinnacle by which all other women were to be judged. Jober lumbered a few steps behind, wide but well muscled. His shaved head reflected the morning light.

  Tobin wheeled around to face Nachun. “Did you set this up?” he hissed.

  Nachun shook his head. “No,” he said, answering back in hushed tones. “This is your own fault. I told you not to ignore her.”

  The shaman let go of Tobin’s arm, stepping forward to greet the two visitors. “Ah, Lucia it is so good to see you,” he said bowing low, adding brightness to his voice. He then turned to her companion. “Jober, I trust you are doing well.” He draped his arm around the man’s thick shoulders. “Come, let us allow these two a moment of privacy and perhaps you can update me on the happenings of that wonderful family of yours.”

  Hesitant to leave, Jober noticeably tensed at the mention of his family. Lucia put him at ease with just a touch of her hand. “I’m fine. Go.” The two left with Nachun babbling away, towering over the former stable hand.

  Tobin and Lucia stood there for some time, neither saying a word. Tobin was first to find his voice. “You shouldn’t be here. You know women aren’t allowed on the training ground,” he said, averting his eyes from her stare.

  “I needed to talk to you.”

  “You could have sent for me and…”

  “Don’t give me that,” said Lucia, voice rising.

  I’ve never heard her speak that way before.

  “I’ve sent for you countless times,” she added. “We haven’t spoken once since Kaz’s disappearance.”

  Tobin shrugged. “I’ve been busy and...”

  Lucia cut him off again. “Busy or not, you’ve been purposefully avoiding me.”

  Tobin snorted. “Nachun said something similar to me just yesterday.”

  “Well it’s good to know that I’m not the only one, even though it does little to make me feel better.”

  “I didn’t realize I had upset you so much.”

  “How could you not?” she said frustrated. “They took my husband from me,” she yelled, voice full of anger, nearly on the verge of crying. “And I needed someone to talk to.”

  “I’m sorry.” He paused, head still down. “Look, I have much to do for Father over the next two days, but I can try to stop by after dinner tonight and maybe we can talk then?”

  Lucia shook her head. “No. Don’t pity me. Not you.” She exhaled a deep breath. “I’m ok. Jober’s wife, Hielle, and I have grown very close since that night. She has been a great support for me. Yes, I was mad at you before, but I understand now what’s going on and why you’ve been avoiding me. That’s why I’m here now.”

  Tobin’s mouth filled with saliva and he swallowed. He was sick. She knows?

  “I know this is your way of coping with your own feelings,” said Lucia.

  “My feelings?” Why is everyone so certain they understand me better than I understand myself?

  “Yes. I know that you and Kaz had your differences, but what brothers don’t? I see now that you miss him, perhaps even more than I do which is why you’ve isolated yourself from everyone.”

  Tobin laughed in disbelief, unable to hold in his shock.

  You think our relationship was some twisted form of brotherly love? How can you be so oblivious to what we are, or what we were to each other? I don’t know if I ever loved Kaz. I know he never loved me.

  “I’m not sure what you want me to say,” he said, collecting himself.

  “You don’t have to say anything. I know Bazraki has brainwashed you so that you believe expressing yourself is some sign of weakness. But I wanted to let you know that it’s ok to have those feelings and if you ever want to talk about Kaz, in any way, I’m here to listen to you. Just you and me, no one else will have to know what is said.” She paused, and smiled. “I would even be ok with you stopping by to talk about trivial matters. I miss our conversatio
ns.”

  Tobin smiled back. “I’ll do my best.”

  “Thank you.”

  She leaned in close, embracing Tobin for a moment. His heart raced. When they parted, Tobin saw her wipe back tears from her cheek.

  “Are you ok?” asked Tobin.

  She laughed as the tears continued to come. “Yes. I’m sorry. I just forget sometimes how much you and Kaz resemble each other. Hugging you reminds me of him and I guess it hit me again.”

  Tobin frowned but said nothing.

  Lucia took a deep breath. “I’ll be on my way. I know you have a lot to do. Don’t forget about me.” Then she turned and left.

  Chapter 13

  Inside the dilapidated fence, a shack sat in the middle of an overgrown yard. Gaping holes covered the roof. The door hung torn away from its hinges. Jonrell assumed it had been abandoned long ago, like the others they had come upon earlier that morning. In the days since he met Kaz, they had passed a dozen such places and all were uninhabited. Although Jonrell had no reason to expect anything different, he needed to confirm his assumption.

  Jonrell assigned Kaz the task of checking each homestead they came upon. He hoped that the rest of the group would be more receptive to the stranger’s presence once they saw him shouldering his share of the work. Kaz set to his assignment without complaint, approaching each dwelling with a meticulous nature that Jonrell admired. The others were less amenable.

  Most seemed intimidated by Kaz’s size and dark skin. Those few able to overlook such things were put off by his quiet nature and the perpetual scowl affixed to his face. In Jonrell’s experience, soldiers tended to be a superstitious lot, and many whispered that the black man had cursed them all with ill luck—assigning him the blame for so many abandoned cottages. Jonrell had put a stop to such ridiculous nonsense, and did what he could to smooth over their insecurities. He worried that Kaz would be able to pick up on all the mutterings behind his back.

  Kaz exited the shack and signaled all was clear. As he made his way over to Jonrell, the ever-present scowl lessened and a look of confusion took its place.