by Khalid Uddin
What is he talking about? Father never told us about any of that. Bo’az glanced toward Slade for help, who nodded to affirm what Linas had said. “My father never taught…me…about anything you just said. What are you talking about?”
Linas sighed deeply. “The Orijin and his Harbingers? First the Three, then the Five? The Red Harbinger? Not familiar?” Bo’az felt lost. “You’ve never heard of Magnus, Cerys, Taurean, Darian, Jahmash, Abram, Gideon, or Lionel? You have no idea who they are?” The way Linas stared at him dumbfounded, Bo’az swore a second head had grown from his neck. “You asked us if we were taking you to Darian! Why would you mention that name, of all names, but know nothing of him? This is frustrating me, Rhadames. I am beginning to wish that Gibreel pushed him off the mountain instead of the girl.”
Slade responded tacitly. “Calm yourself, Linas. It will be sorted out once we get there.”
Bo’az grew more confused by the moment. “Look, all my father ever taught me about the Orijin was…that there is one and that there are three rings that await us in the afterlife: Omneitria, Oblivion, and Opprobrium, depending on how we live our lives now. None of the extra bunkum that you spoke about. Nobody in my entire village ever mentioned any of it, even once. How do I know that you are not mistaken?”
Linas finally smiled, but it wasn’t one that made Bo’az feel at ease. “Because you are going to see Jahmash, fool!”
Bo’az got the feeling that what he was being told was a great deal more profound than he could grasp. He looked back and forth between Linas and Slade, the latter’s face bearing and expression of guilt and regret. “And obviously that is a bad thing?”
“Maybe Gibreel was that much more intuitive than I. I wonder if this is what he saw in you from the beginning and I was merely too blind. Or stupid. Baltaszar, if Jahmash wants you, then your life is likely over, one way or another. He would not dare tell peons like me and Slade what he truly wants. But I am sure it involves using you, likely for your manifestation.”
“So he needs me for something special. Why is this Jahmash such a bad person?”
Linas shook his head. “Seriously? It angers me that I even have to explain this. Thousands of years ago, Orijin chose five Harbingers to bring order to the world. Mankind had become very corrupt and vain, so these five were charged with the task of fixing things. Once they did set the world aright, Jahmash killed three of them. Darian was the only other, and he forced Jahmash to follow him. This sea was never here before then. Darian could control the water, so he flooded the world and stranded Jahmash on an island so that Jahmash could not harm anyone else.”
“So now you’re talking about magic and a lot of crazy things. And you’re saying that this Jahmash has been alive for thousands of years? But I’m the stupid one?”
Linas palmed his head. “You know what, I am finished talking to you. Jahmash can sort out your idiocy when we get to him in a few days.”
“A few days?! We’ve already been sailing for several days! What are both of you even getting out of this that you would hunt me down, lie to me, drag me along this damned journey, and then tell me that you’re bringing me to a man who just wants to exploit me?” A sense of desperation formed in the back of Bo’az’s mind. “Is your reward so great that you are willing to sacrifice someone else’s life? I know, I know, you get to go home to your family. And in the process, you have destroyed all that is left of mine! My parents are dead and I am all that remains.” He nervously glanced at Slade. “Your whole nonsense story about your daughters and crying and all that—I don’t feel sorry for you, coward. You’re compromising my life because you are too afraid to stand up for your own.”
Linas opened his mouth to respond, but Slade grasped his shoulder and stopped him. “That is enough. You should be the last person to speak of dishonesty and cowardice, boy. You have whined nonstop since leaving your house and the only times you dared abandon your cowardice were when you were worried about the girl. And where did that even get you and her? Despite your efforts, she is dead now. Before you dare judge us for our actions and sins, accept the reality of your own life. We have done nothing but coddle you this whole time.” Bo’az could feel his face redden. He hadn’t expected Slade to be so direct and curt. He looked down at the deck to avoid eye contact. Slade continued, “I see. You dislike the truth, yet demand it from us. Perhaps you will reconsider the next time you question another man’s motives.”
As Slade walked away toward the front of the boat, Linas walked closer to Bo’az. Linas grabbed his torn shirt and lifted him to stand. He loosened Bo’az’s manacles and then punched Bo’az in the jaw, knocking him to the ground. Despite the pain, Bo’az had grown used to it over the past few days. Since they’d gotten to the boat, the routine was to stun Bo’az as soon as the manacles were undone. In truth, Bo’az preferred Slade’s punches to Linas’. Slade had a tendency to only hit hard enough to knock Bo’az down. Every time Linas hit him, the pain lingered.
Linas secured the manacles once more and lifted Bo’az back to his feet. Bo’az forced himself to walk, despite the daze making him clumsy. If he didn’t walk, Linas would drag him the whole way. Linas brought Bo’az below deck to his quarters, which really was only a corner where empty sacks had been laid on the floor for him to sleep. Bo’az knew what came next and almost cringed at the thought. Whenever they brought him down here, they would hit him again, but hard enough to knock him unconscious. The previous morning, Linas hadn’t knocked him out on the first try and Bo’az hadn’t been clever enough to lie still. Instead he smugly moved around, thinking he’d gotten the better of Linas. Linas had responded by hitting him a few more times, even harder. Bo’az had thrown up when he awoke later on. He’d learned quickly and did not make the same mistake last night. It was Linas again who had brought him down and after the first strike Bo’az closed his eyes and lay still, clenching his jaw so hard that he was surprised his teeth hadn’t cracked.
Bo’az lay still with his eyes closed, expecting Linas’ kick or punch to come at any time. By the time Bo’az realized there was no hit coming and opened his eye, Linas was already gone.
***
Bo’az awoke with a startle, not remembering that he had fallen asleep. As he looked around, the long shadows and dim light revealed that the sun was either setting or rising.
He pushed himself up to a sitting position and leaned back against the wall. One thing he was thankful for, and likely the only thing, was that Linas and Slade had always left his hands in front of his body when they manacled him before knocking him out. From the day that he’d killed Gibreel until they reached the boat, Bo’az’s hands had been behind his back the entire time. His shoulders and back ached continually, even when his hands were tied in front. His broken arm still hurt incredibly, but luckily for Bo’az, the manacles did not position his forearm awkwardly. In the past few days, Bo’az somehow had gotten very accustomed to pain.
Bo’az jolted again when he looked up and saw Slade sitting on the ground only a few feet away. “Have you come to break me down even more? I thought at least you were on my side after what you told me in the mountains. But you are no better than Linas, are you?”
Slade put up a hand, gesturing for Bo’az to stop talking, and then whispered, “Quiet. Linas has gone to sleep and he assumes you are sleeping as well. I was harsh with you up top because Linas needs to believe that he and I are no different. Well, truthfully, I was also harsh because it was necessary. You have a habit of talking too much and letting your emotions overrule your sensibility. That is something that you need to control.”
Bo’az whispered back, “Why did you not tell me the truth about where we’re going?”
“Would it have mattered? Would you have known the difference between Jahmash and Darian?” Bo’az reluctantly shook his head. “The night before we found you, I spoke to your brother. He knew nothing of Darian or the other Harbingers. It would have taken too long to explain the whole truth to you. And it was better for your spirits
that you didn’t know.”
“If you are really trying to help me, then why did you agree to bring me to see this man? You said something about owing my father, but from the looks of things, you’re just bringing me off to be killed.”
“None of this was supposed to happen, Baltaszar.”
“Bo’az.” Bo’az wasn’t sure if Slade had even known his real name.
“Bo’az. You were never supposed to come with us. Neither was your brother. I accompanied Linas and Gibreel because I intended to stall them and throw them off. Neither of them, nor Jahmash, knew of my true intentions. All they know is that I am very good at finding people and that I would be able to track down Baltaszar. I brought Linas and Gibreel through all of Ashur looking for your brother.”
“Ashur?”
“Right. If you had ever thought to leave your town, there is a whole continent beyond the forest. It is called Ashur. I brought Linas and Gibreel to every nation in Ashur and nearly every city over the last few years. I knew where your father really lived, so I stayed away for as long as possible. I thought that if I had stalled long enough, Baltaszar would have left for the House of Darian by the time we arrived in Haedon.”
“So Tasz was telling me the truth.” Slade tilted his head at Bo’az. “Baltaszar. I call him Tasz. He told me he was leaving Haedon to search for some House. He wanted me to go with him. I thought he was crazy for believing some stranger, which it turns out was you, wasn’t it?”
“It was. But why did you stay? I came to Haedon at that specific time because I knew your brother had not been in the town in weeks. The plan was for Linas to interrogate the town after I told him of your father’s death. By that time, Baltaszar would have had at least a day’s head start on us. Linas insisted on starting at your house and I agreed because…well, because I had no idea about you. All this time, I thought it was only Baltaszar.”
“What do you mean?”
“The last time I saw your father, your mother was still pregnant with the two of you. Obviously they had no idea they were having twins. They told me then that if they had a girl, she would be named ‘Sarai’. If it was a boy: ‘Baltaszar’. I had gotten word years ago that they’d had a boy, so I knew Baltaszar existed. But when you walked out of that house and there was no line on your face…I knew you were not Baltaszar. By then, it was too late, though. Gibreel would have killed you quickly if he knew you were Baltaszar’s brother, and not actually Baltaszar. The only way to save you was to lie to them.”
“Sooner or later, someone will realize I am not Baltaszar. And when that happens, I am going to die. Yasaman was right, there is no way out of any of this. Coming with you three was a death sentence.” Bo’az said the words more calmly than he’d expected.
“You should have more faith in me than that. I have kept you alive this long despite some bruises and broken bones. And truthfully, the broken arm had nothing to do with me. Once we arrive at Jahmash’s fortress and are brought to him, the best course of action will be to tell him the truth.”
“Fortress? I thought the man lived on a small, remote island. How does he have a fortress?”
“The man has been alive for thousands of years and has the exceptional capability of controlling weak-minded people. You should be very wary of that, actually. If you are not strong-willed and if you lose your focus easily, he will be able to look into your mind and make you do things against your will. That is how he has a fortress. He found other men who could build it for him.”
Bo’az nodded, though the room had become so dark that he doubted Slade could see him. “Very well. But why tell him the truth? Are I not worth more if he thinks I am Baltaszar?”
“That is the part of my plan with which you will likely not agree.” Slade sighed audibly. “The only way to keep you alive is to use you as a bargaining piece. As bait. We have to convince Jahmash that Baltaszar would willingly come to him to save you. If Jahmash believes he can lure Baltaszar by keeping you prisoner, then you will become extremely valuable to him. Although he may kill me and Linas for failing to retrieve your brother.”
“Why? Why is Baltaszar so damn important? You are all so afraid of this Jahmash? Why does he need my brother so badly then if he is capable of all these miraculous things? What is so bloody special about Baltaszar?”
“You likely already know and simply do not realize it. Linas told you that Jahmash is deathly afraid of water. As long as this sea separates Jahmash and Ashur, he cannot follow through on any of his threats and cannot carry out revenge. Baltaszar is the one who can eliminate that threat.”
“But how?”
“All of those fires that occurred throughout Haedon. All of them were caused by Baltaszar.”
Bo’az shook his head, “No. He was in a different room when the Jobens’ kitchen caught fire.”
Slade snickered, “Baltaszar is a Descendant. He does not need to physically start it. He needs only his mind.”
Bo’az grew angry. “Then why did he cause so much trouble? Our father died because he was blamed for them. That goddamned cretin-he did all of it and let our father die for his deeds.”
“Keep your voice down. Joakwin did so willingly. Toward the end of his life, your father knew he was a fool to think he could keep Baltaszar hidden. He accepted death because he knew it was the only way to get Baltaszar to leave Haedon. Believe me, I tried to convince your father otherwise a long time ago. I see where you and Baltaszar get your stubbornness from.”
Tears formed in Bo’az’s eyes and he quickly wiped them away. Anger filled him. Anger at Baltaszar. At his father. At the whole world. He swallowed hard before speaking again. “So what…Baltaszar is supposed to burn away the sea for Jahmash? Is that what he expects my brother to do?”
“Precisely. Jahmash has not told most people of his plan because he wants Baltaszar first. And the only reason I know is because I know what Baltaszar can do. But Jahmash is very powerful. He assumes that once he has Baltaszar, he can control him and force him to eradicate the sea.”
“And what if Baltaszar does not come? What if he decides to be selfish or thinks that I am a worthy sacrifice for the rest of the world? If our roles were switched, it would not be such an easy decision for me.”
“You need to let go of your resentment. Your anger is based on things that are beyond Baltaszar’s control.”
“Beyond his control? Why is he so bloody special and not me? We are twins. What magic do I have?”
“That is the way it works sometimes. I have seen other cases where one sibling bears the Mark while the other does not. It depends on the faith of the person. In Baltaszar’s has borne that Mark since you were barely little boys. Normally a person is not eligible for it until around six years. I would imagine his faith is stronger than yours, especially for him to earn his mark so young. Baltaszar is your only hope to survive. You would do well to keep faith in him and hope that he is a better person than you.”
Bo’az snorted. “Better? If he never had that damn Mark, I would not be here in the first place.”
Slade stood up. “I wonder how he’ll react once he finds out that you pretended to be him, and then laid with the girl he loves, just before she died. Perhaps if he had that knowledge, he might not come for you at all. Like I told you before, consider your own sins before you scrutinize anyone else. You have so much anger. Why? Because of what happened to your father? That night that I met Baltaszar, he found me at your father’s dead body. He had come back to retrieve it so he could bury Joakwin. Where were you then if you cared so much for your father? Why was Baltaszar alone?” Bo’az mumbled as Slade turned and walked away. Slade turned back, “What was that, boy?”
“Nothing. I was talking to myself.” With that, Slade ascended to the boat’s deck. I said ‘Rot in Opprobrium,’ you stupid prat.
***
For the next few days, Bo’az barely moved of his own accord, except to eat and relieve himself. When Linas and Slade wanted to move him, they dragged him below deck or up onto
the deck. The rest of the world could do what it wanted. He was merely a pawn and had no say in how anything turned out.
Bo’az sat against the wall below deck, resting his head against it with his eyes closed. If his death was inevitable, he would find as much peace as he could.
For the first time in days, Slade sat down near him. “We have arrived, Bo’az. Whatever anger, hatred, or ill will you have toward me, or anyone else, you must let it go now.” Slade paused for a response, but Bo’az had had enough of talking. “I imagine they will bring us directly to Jahmash. Our return will mean only one thing for him, that he now has Baltaszar in his possession. No matter what emotions you feel now, let them go before you are brought to Jahmash. You will need all of your focus, all of your strength, to keep your mind from him. And that still may not be enough. Remember that we are telling him who you really are. It is the only chance of keeping you alive.”
Bo’az sniffed a sort of laugh at that. A group of men descended into the room. Before Slade could turn completely, three men forced him onto his back and cuffed his hands behind him. Four more surrounded Bo’az and did the same. Three held him down while the fourth covered Bo’az’s head with a sack. He was helped to his feet and then led to the deck of the boat. None of their captors spoke a word to them or even to each other the whole time. Bo’az instantly wished he’d been nicer to Slade during the past few days. They’d descended down a steep ramp and Bo’az assumed they’d left the boat. Shortly after, he was lifted onto what he assumed was a horse, and the rider sat behind him. He could no longer even be sure that Slade was near him. They rode on for several minutes and then stopped to dismount. Bo’az was lifted horizontally and several arms wrapped around his body. He bounced along in their grasp for another few minutes and finally he was allowed to stand again. The sack was removed from his head and Bo’az looked around to see Linas to his left and Slade to his right, standing in a small wooden room.
