Beyond the Valley of Mist

by Dicksion, William Wayne

  “We have six men,” Jok said. “We need four more to help us guard the priests. Tomorrow, when the sun has reached the halfway point in its climb into the sky, we will meet again and decide what to do with them.”

  Four men stepped forward and said, “We will help guard the priests.”

  Zen said to his father, “Would you and Berk go to the cave where the women are waiting and tell them that everything is all right, that Jok and I will not be back tonight, but we’ll see them tomorrow when we all meet here to discuss what to do about the priests?”

  “Yes, we’ll let the women know, and we’ll see you tomorrow. Guard the priests well. They’ll try to escape.”

  “We’ll guard them well, and they will not escape,” assured the guards.

  ***

  When Lela and the others arrived at the ceremonial cave the next morning, people had already gathered in small groups and were talking excitedly. Zen walked onto the stage and called out, “Jok, Cam, and Ren, please stand by my side.”

  They had helped guard the priests and soldiers all night, but they stood beside Zen while other men guarded the prisoners. Zen spoke loudly and asked everyone to gather around and listen. When everyone was seated, he said, “We want everyone to have an opportunity to speak, because we have decisions to make. We must decide what to do with the soldiers, the priests, and the priestesses. Each of them has done things that were hurtful, but they were born into families of our village. Their families have a right to speak in their defense…. First, we will bring forth the priestesses. Jok, please ask the first one to step forward.”

  A beautiful young woman walked nervously before them. Pen was the name her mother and father had given her, and that is what she was called.

  Zen asked, “Who will tell us of the wrongs done by this woman?”

  A woman stood. Zen said, “Speak.”

  “She is not married to a priest, yet she has entertained them and slept with them. She is as guilty as they are for deceiving us. I say burn her.”

  “No, no,” Pen’s parents yelled plaintively.

  Ome, a strong and stately man with a kind face, said, “It was decided last night that we would never again sacrifice people to the Fire. That was our first law. We cannot sacrifice her to the Fire. We cannot rely upon Fire to make judgments for us. We must decide her innocence or guilt. We can no longer leave that to the Fire God because we know that Fire is not God. Let her speak for herself.”

  He turned to Pen. “Pen, will you tell us why you became a temple priestess?”

  “I did it because I thought I was serving God.”

  Zen said, “She was fooled by the priests the same as we were. I say we should take her back into our village and help her become a useful member.”

  A loud and heated argument began. Some thought she should be punished, and some thought she should be forgiven. Zen gave each a chance to be heard, and then with a show of hands, it was determined that Pen should be taken back into the village. Her mother and father welcomed her warmly.

  The judging continued throughout the morning until all of the priestesses and soldiers had been judged. All but two were taken back into the clan—the crimes of those two were so bad that the people denied their reentry into the clan. They decided to banish them, but not into the Valley of Death; they were banished from the clan forever.

  Then came the time for judging the priests. The first to be judged was Negg.

  Zen asked, “Who will speak for this young priest?”

  “I will speak for him,” Zarko said. “He was not the son of my loins, but he was the son of my hearth. The condition of his birth was not of his choosing. Other than his loyalty to the priests, he has been a good son. He must have been confused as to where his loyalties lay. He knew he was the child of a priest, but not knowing which priest, he was loyal to all of them. By responding to that loyalty, he did a terrible thing. If he will come back into the tribe and try to make amends for the wrongs he has done, I will welcome him back into the family, and I ask everyone to forgive him and welcome him back into the clan.”

  Zen’s mother Lynn added, “Negg’s father was not a man of my choosing, but Negg is a child of my body. I love him as a mother loves her child and I, too, welcome him back. If he should prove unworthy of our love, we can banish him later, but first we should allow him to prove himself either worthy or unworthy. Negg, will you come back into the family and back into the clan? Will you be a good person whom we can trust and respect?”

  “I am sorry for my mistakes,” Negg replied. “Thank you for being willing to take me back. I will try to prove my worthiness.”

  Upon being given a second chance Negg vowed to regain their trust, and with his eagerness and excitement, worked tirelessly and harmoniously. His mother, who had carried her torment silently, was pleased to see all the people showing love and compassion toward him.

  Negg was the first of many priests allowed to return to the village. The judging continued throughout the day and into the night. The people took some of the priests back, but some had committed crimes so terrible that the people decided they should be banished forever.

  At last, they brought forth the High Priest. Without his trappings of high office and without his army of soldiers to carry out his commands, he was nothing but a sniveling coward. He was the vile person who had sacrificed so many people to a frightening and painful death. Many people had members of their family burned to death by this despicable man. They shouted, “Burn him, burn him!” Not one person spoke in his behalf.

  The High Priest was found guilty of heinous crimes and was banished into the Valley of Mist. He had allowed no means of defense to the people he had burned, so he was allowed no weapons, and no one ever saw him again.

  After a long and trying day, the Lalocks were ready to sleep. This had been a historic day. Much was done, but much more was left to be done.

  Zen had started something, and he had to see it through. He said to the Lalocks, “Go home now and then come back again tomorrow. You must choose a leader and select a council to advise him or her. You also need a set of rules for yourselves and your government.”

  ***

  As soon as it was light, the Lalocks started arriving. They wanted Zen to be their leader, but he told them he had already started a new village beyond the Valley of Mist, and welcomed anyone who wanted to join him to come along.

  “I am honored by your request,” Zen said, “but there are many people in this village who are capable of leading, and they would be good leaders. All you have to do is to select one. In addition, I think you should select twelve others to work with your leader. He or she will need advisors. With your help, whomever you select will make your village a happy place for all of you to live.”

  The meeting lasted all day, but before sundown, they had selected Ome as their leader, and six men and six women to serve as his advisors.

  The first thing Ome and his council had to do was to select a God whom the people could call upon when they faced problems beyond their ability to solve. The council asked Zen if he and his father would bring whomever they thought might be helpful and sit with them to make this most important decision.

  Berk, Ador’s father and the village doctor; Dar, the father of Lela; and Gordo, Jok’s father, all agreed to sit in on the conference. One by one, the men spoke. Many good and thoughtful ideas were proposed.

  They asked Zen to speak.

  Zen said, “We, my friends and I, were lucky enough to have had the opportunity to spend time with the Zorians, who lived in the Village by the Sea. Theirs is a happy village. They named their village Zoran, as they followed the teaching of Zor, whom they refer to as the Wise One. He taught them to worship Earth as the Mother God. They believe all life comes from the earth and all life goes back into the earth to be reborn to a new life, like the sun, which goes into earth at the end of each day and is reborn each morning.

  “Zor taught them to never sacrifice people to God. He told them that God makes
everything there is and everything there ever was, so God does not need gifts from men. The people of the Village by the Sea make no sacrifices to God, and they give no gifts to God. They celebrate and give thanks to God for the gifts God gives to them. They have a happy village where everyone works together for the good of all.”

  Having everyone’s attention, Zen reminded them, “Zor was banished from this village many lifetimes ago because he defied the High Priest by making his own fire. It is told that Zor was a man who asked many questions, like where does the sun go at night? Why does the wind blow? Where did we come from, and where do we go when we die? He looked for the answers, and believed that if men would put aside their fears and honestly look for answers, they could, in time, find them.”

  Ome said, “It is true that life does come from the earth. We see it each year as the new plants grow. We see everything going back into the earth when it dies, and it comes back year after year. I think Mother Earth will make a good God. We will meet once each phase of the moon to celebrate life and give thanks to Mother Earth for giving us life.”

  The Lalocks were excited and talked long into the night. They wanted to know more. Now they had people to lead them, and a God that was kind and good whom they could pray to without fear.

  ***

  Chapter 20

  The Journey Home

  “Father,” Zen said, “it’s time to leave. We must journey to the land of the bright, clean river where we have started our village. The Lalocks who want to stay here can live without fear of being sacrificed to any man’s God, so our work here is done.”

  “Yes, son, tomorrow, we will go,” Zarko agreed.

  They invited Negg to join them, and he quickly accepted. More than a few people thought that Negg had been involved in sacrificing members of their families, and it was difficult to put their anger aside. Negg was aware of this and vowed to regain their trust.

  As the sun climbed above the trees, the band of travelers mounted their horses and rode west toward the land of the volcano. Each traveler had a horse to ride. Jok and Ador led the way while leading three packhorses. Zen and Lela brought up the rear to provide assistance for anyone who might need help.

  By the end of the first day, some of the new riders were experiencing pain from the extended time of riding and were ready to rest. Jok and Ador found a beautiful spot in a grove of large trees near a clear stream and suggested they camp for the night. They placed the horses on long tethers so they could graze and get to water. Men were assigned sentry duty to watch over the horses and to warn the campers, should they become aware of danger. All of the men were equipped with bows and arrows to fend off any attack, whether from men or animals.

  The smell of meat cooking brought the sounds of animals roaring in the forest. The travelers sat around the fire discussing their first long ride and asking questions about what to expect tomorrow.

  Zen said, “We should be able to see the roaring mountain by tomorrow evening. It will still be in the distance, but I think we will see it.”

  Cam and Nadd told of how they had been taken captive by the volcano people and of their harrowing experience at the sacrificial ceremony when Den was sacrificed.

  Some travelers showed signs of concern, but Zen assured them that they would stay away from the volcano and do everything possible to prevent coming in contact with the cliff dwellers.

  The next morning they continued west, but in a direction that would keep them about a day’s travel north of the cliff dwellers. Zarko and Gordo relieved Zen from the duty of riding rear guard. As a precaution, Ren and Cam rode parallel paths on each side of the group. When the sun was about midway down, they saw a plume of smoke on the horizon, and before dark, the mountain came into view. The people were frightened and yet fascinated by the sight of smoke coming from the top of a mountain. It was an ominous sight that brought back terrifying memories to Cam and Nadd. Everyone was on the alert.

  Again, Jok and Ador found a good campsite. Some of the women were afraid and thought that they shouldn’t build a fire—some wide-ranging members of the cliff dwellers might see the light of the fire and call their people down on them. Zen placed an extra man on watch, and the night passed without incident.

  By mid-afternoon the following day, they had passed the cliff dwellers, and Zen felt they were far enough west of the volcano to turn south. His plan was to climb the north side of the mountains of snow, and then ride down into the valley of the clear river. They would then follow the river to where they had started their new village. The river would be their guide. When night fell, they built their campfire beneath large trees to prevent the light of the fire from being seen.

  Zen, Cam, and Nadd stood first watch, and after completing his watch, Zen went to bed with Lela, but he couldn’t sleep. He had a feeling of impending danger. He called Jok and Cam aside and confided his feelings. He didn’t want to alarm the rest of the group without good cause.

  Jok said, “I suggest we place a shield here beside the fire where it can be seen by the guards and tell them at the first sign of danger to shoot an arrow into the shield to sound an alarm. The men are all nervous anyway, and they’re sleeping with their weapons, so if we hear an arrow hit the shield, we’ll be able to respond quickly.”

  “That’s a good idea,” Cam said.

  Zen went back to his bed and lay down beside Lela. She felt soft and warm. She cuddled up to him for an instant and then said, “Let me up. I have to answer nature’s call.”

  Zen released her, and watched her walk into the night. Then he must have dozed. He didn’t know how long, but when Lela didn’t return, he began to worry. He didn’t want to violate her privacy, but he was concerned, so he went to his parents and expressed his uneasiness.

  “I’ll help you find her,” his mother said.

  They searched everywhere and soon realized that Lela was not in the camp.

  “Did any of you see Lela?” Zen asked the men on guard.

  “Yes,” one of the men responded. “I saw her enter those trees over there. I didn’t see her come back, but I figured she had returned by another path.”

  “She’s missing,” Zen said, deeply concerned. “We have to awaken the camp so they can help us find her, and soon.”

  The guard alerted the camp by shooting the arrow into the shield. The first light was showing in the eastern sky, but animals still prowled.

  “Lela is missing, and we must find her. Do not go alone into the forest,” Zen warned the searchers. “It’s too dangerous. We must find her trail, or the trail of whatever has taken her. We must search in an organized way. Father, you are the best tracker our village ever had. Do you think you can follow her trail?”

  “I can follow her trail or the trail of whatever has taken her, but first, we must find a trail to follow.”

  One of the guards called out, “Here is a spot that looks as if a scuffle of some sort has taken place. What do you think, Zarko?”

  Zarko looked at the tracks and said, “She was taken by men. Grab your weapons, get your horses, and follow me.”

  Zen knew Lela was in great danger. His heart was pounding as he followed his father’s lead. The trail went in the direction of the volcano. The volcano was still angry and, without a doubt, the cliff dwellers would sacrifice Lela to their Volcano God to appease it.

  “Nothing will stop me from killing anyone who harms Lela,” Zen said, as he called back over his shoulder. “Jok, bring the horses and follow us with the rest of the men. We’re going to take her from them before they can throw her into the volcano!”

  All day, Zen and Zarko followed the trail. Just as it was getting dark, they heard drums beating an ominous rhythm. Jok and Cam rode up on their horses, leading two other horses for Zen and Zarko.

  “The rest of the men are following us,” Cam said, “The women are behind them with packhorses and supplies. You give the signal, and we’ll go in after her. I have a debt to settle with those priests.”

  “Let’s make sur
e she isn’t hurt,” Zen replied, “and then when the time is right, we’ll rush in and rescue her.”

  They stopped outside the cliffs, where they could see what was going on inside the village. They saw Lela being carried up a well-worn path to the sacrificial altar. Molten lava was bubbling from the top of the mountain and running down the other side.

  Ren and his father rode up, and Ren said, “We want to be part of dealing with any priest who would sacrifice people to a Fire God. I know the feeling of being the victim of that kind of behavior. Just give me a chance, and I’ll deal with those sanctimonious rats. I’ll let them know the pain to which they have been subjecting others.”

  “I, too, would like to express my feelings to those self-righteous snakes,” Cam said as he stood up, swinging his sword as if in anticipation of an encounter with the priests.

  “Let’s stay out of sight for now,” Zen cautioned, “but when I give the word, go in swinging.”

  They followed closely enough to see what was going on, but far enough away to prevent being seen. When they arrived at the altar, the cliff dwellers were watching the ceremony so intently they didn’t bother to watch out for anyone who might be intruding upon their hideous religious practice.

  The priests had carried Lela, bound and gagged, to a ceremonial altar at the edge of the volcano. Lela was looking around frantically, trying to see if someone, anyone, might be coming to her aid.

  Zen positioned his shield so the light of the volcano would be reflected at Lela. Her eyes caught the reflected light and she nodded, knowing that Zen was there to rescue her.