The sloth nodded in agreement and turned away from the gate, with the Mother at side, the gate closing behind them as the sloth spoke in a soft manner. “I’m sure it is as you say, my friend.”
As the sloth and Mother entered the center of the walls and were upon the fruit trees, they found themselves called upon by a young girl, making swift approach of them as she spoke urgently upon them, taking presence before them. The young girl pointed towards the outer wall as she spoke. “Mother, Kheranda, thank goodness I’ve found you! You must come quickly!”
The Mother looked upon the young, blonde-haired girl and spoke as she put an assuring hand on her shoulder, to calm her. “Calm down. Now tell me. What’s going on, Maela?”
The young girl caught her breathe and then spoke return upon the Mother as she held gaze with her. “There’s a girl outside the walls, and she’s wounded!”
Kheranda looked to the Mother as her hand left the shoulder of Maela, the Mother speaking upon the young girl urgently. “Where is she?!”
The young girl led the Mother to the outer wall top and pointed downward as below lay a young girl, crumpled in a bloody heap. The Mother saw the sight and leapt down from the wall top to meet the side of the young girl, Kheranda and Maela watching from above as the Mother knelt beside the young one and held her close, her voice speaking softly to the child as they lay silent but breathing in her arms.
“It’s going to be okay. We’re going to help you. Are you okay?”
The child was indeed alive, and opened her eyes slowly. They were bright blue.
The young girl shifted in the Mother’s grasp and spoke weakly as she blacked out.
“Gelga…my name is Gelga.”
The Mother looked upon the child urgently and called up to Kheranda and Maela.
“See that there is a bed ready for her in the infirmary! Go, now!”
Maela nodded and left the wall top, the sloth leaving with her as the Mother held the child. The Mother’s eyes began to glow a bright and eerie blue as blue sparks began to drift from her fingertips, her touch grazing the many cuts and slits across the young girl’s body to heal her. The young girl had taken a brutal beating and many wounds. It was amazing that she had been able to survive for so long, without bleeding out.
As the sun was rising higher by the moment, the Mother kept her gaze upon the child and applied her gift of healing to seal the child’s wounds, her mind wandering as she was soon to take the child in shelter. Where did the child come from and who did this to her?
As the sun began to fall beyond the horizon, the City of Oomer was still and silent. Sinfus sat within the chamber of the pier and held silent thoughts as none were about the chamber with him, the afflicted one sitting in meditated stance at the center of the chamber as he held thoughts of the dark creatures swarming about the cave, and his father’s death.
As the nightmarish thoughts came, they soon left Sinfus as his attention was brought to the chamber door, it swung open silently, revealing the giant form of Karkor, the four-armed one speaking in a deep manner as he spoke in question of his new leader. “May I enter, lord Sinfus?”
Sinfus nodded slowly in allowance, the giant closing the door behind him as he took a seat upon the outer rim of the encircling form of seating, at the center of the chamber, and spoke upon the obviously distraught figure of the boy. “I thought I would come and check in on you, young friend. You’ve been in here ever since the Dawn Bringers left.”
Sinfus shook his head in silence and then spoke as he looked upon the single-eyed giant.
“I should be going with them. It’s the least I could do. It’s what my father would have done.”
Karkor placed a heavy hand on the shoulder of the young boy and spoke as he blinked his single eye in repetition. “There is a time for fighting and there is a time to stay back and do other things. You have responsbilties here, now, more than ever!”
Sinfus looked away from the giant and spoke as he shook his head in sorry manner.
“I should have fought earlier, and maybe my father would have lived! I have responsibilities to my friends, too, and what if Kaimana falls in battle with the Elushu, would that be my fault, too?”
Karkor shook his head in disappointment and spoke return upon the young leader.
“Your father’s death was not your fault, and he died for what he believed in…you, as will Kaimana. If fate has destined his fall to come by the hand of the Elushu, it will come. They believe in you, as I do. Do not hold fear for them or of your ability to lead. Think only of the faith they have set upon you and you will be strong.”
The young Sinfus nodded upon the giant and spoke thankfully to him as he rose from the chamber floor, Karkor doing the same in accord. “Thank you. I’m sorry for being so dark, my friend. I’ll try harder not to disappoint you and the Council!”
The giant stood tall at the side of the young Sinfus and spoke. “I’m sure you will not disappoint us!”
As the night had come upon the stone form of Oomer, the moon showed its glorious form proudly as bright, beaming shafts of light caressed the stone form of the city. Mastaba sped across the stone bridges and walls, in the darkness, as he made his way in swift motion from across the city and soon to a housing built upon the side of a pier, a balcony swaying off of the stone form as Mastaba clung to the roof of the housing and peered in through the window of a chamber door, his sharp eyes surveying the insides as he soon caught sight of the pretty and young Nalm.
The young girl was rushing about her chamber, within the housing, and packing sacks with necessary clothing, tools and a few keepsakes, her attention brought to the chamber entrance from the balcony as she heard knocking and caught Mastaba’s features peeking in through the window.
As Mastaba stopped knocking to the approach of the young Nalm, he left his place upon the roof and landed upon the balcony with a sack upon his back as Nalm opened the door quietly and spoke in whisper. “Be quiet!”
Mastaba looked upon Nalm lovingly and peered behind her in the room as he held question with her as he spoke. “I will be. I’m as silent as a Khaggey and as deadly as a Nefer. Is your father here?”
Nalm nodded in fear as she looked back to her sacks in the room and spoke. “Yes. He is. What happens if he finds out?”
Mastaba felt the worry coming from Nalm and took her hand in grip as he kissed it and held it tightly, his smile brought upon her heavily as he spoke assuringly. “He won’t. I won’t let him hurt you anymore. Are you ready to go?”
Nalm felt comforted by Mastaba, as she always had been, and nodded as she left his hold, for but a moment, to grab her sacks, the load of her possessions, but a few, filling the sacks as she took one upon her each arm. Straps were hanging about her shoulders as she crept from her room and onto the balcony, aside Mastaba, her voice whispering to him as she spoke, the chamber door closing silently behind her. “Let’s go.”
The two took grip of one another’s hands, Nalm putting her hand to neck as to grip something and finding nothing. Nalm soon stopped in step and tugged Mastaba’s arm for him to stop as she spoke. “Wait! I forgot something.”
Mastaba turned to Nalm and spoke curiously as he looked upon her. “What?”
Nalm pointed to her neck, Mastaba looking upon it and noticing that the charm he had given her was not there anymore, Nalm speaking as she crept back to her room, for but a moment. “I forgot my charm. I’ll be but a moment.”
But it was a moment that would change everything.
As Mastaba stood on the balcony, awaiting the return of Nalm, she entered her chamber and found her charm sitting upon a desk. Taking the charm in hand, Nalm fixed it about her neck as she made for the balcony, but soon found fear bringing pause upon her as a door behind her opened, a tall and fearsome looking man standing in the doorway with scars across his face and a bottle in hand as he leaned on the archway and spoke upon the young girl, his clothing frayed and torn at the seams. “You think you’re going somewhere, Nalm? You wouldn
’t be leaving with that boy, Mastaba, would you?”
As Nalm turned to the figure of speech, she felt her body near frozen and completely overcome by fear as she looked upon her father, the wicked looking figure taking entrance of the chamber and repeating his question as he soon found his question answered.
Mastaba had entered from the balcony and took place between Nalm and her father, the slender boy’s white eyes turning a blazing red as he looked upon the drunk with hate as he spoke. “She is leaving with the boy. But not just leaving, escaping. Escaping the tyranny of a drunken beast that seems to think he can get away with beating her! Well, I won’t allow it anymore! I’m taking her away from you!”
Nalm’s father cut a fear filling grin as the young girl clung to the back of her love. Mastaba had lost his temper at the drunken man and it was not a good move to have made as her father, wild and furious that anyone would talk to him that way, soon thought to correct the boy and swung his bottle in hand at Mastaba, in a wild flail.
Mastaba saw the blow coming and ducked swiftly as Nalm backed away to the chamber entrance of the balcony and watched as soon her father and Mastaba were wrestling about the chamber, knocking furniture and all a manner of objects about as they tossed and ripped at one another.
Nalm watched in still, motionless horror as she was unable to do anything to stop the mess, her father slamming Mastaba heftily in the head, and seemingly unconscious, and rising from the ground to leave the silent form of Mastaba on the floor as he looked upon his daughter and spoke, Nalm backing away onto the balcony as her father made approach.
“Nalm, you’re not leaving here. Do you hear me? You’re not leaving!”
As Nalm backed away in fear, the ferocious form of her father closing in on her, she found her back to the balcony’s ledge and no means of escape as she was not nearly as nimble as Mastaba, and would be unable to escape from the balcony’s confines as her father closed in on her and spoke. “I’m going to have to teach you a lesson!”
Mastaba gave rise from the floor of Nalm’s room and shook his head, as his vision was blurry and his hearing muffled, as he heard his name shouted out in a distant cry, the slender boy hearing the urgency of the call and taking charge onto the balcony, finding Nalm and her father nowhere upon his view as he wandered about and came to the ledge. His eyes caught a vicious horror below as Nalm lay far below, and dead. She had been thrown from the balcony, and died on contact with the ground below, her body in a pool of her own blood as Mastaba backed away from the ledge and fell to the ground, his eyes blood red as he scraped his fingernails across the balcony surface and leaned his head back to shout out a painful cry, the sound of his pain echoing about Oomer as he held the painful tone long and hard, for his love was now dead and had been slain.
Sinfus and Karkor were walking about the higher piers of the city and soon found a painful cry coming to ear as they both spoke upon one another in urgent manner. “What was that?!”
Karkor surveyed the darkness and found the place of origin as he studied the echo in thought, his deep voice speaking upon the young Sinfus as he pointed to the place of interest.
“I don’t know…it came from there! Come with me!”
Before Sinfus could respond, he found himself taken into the grip of Karkor as the giant made a rush from the pier and across the City of Oomer.
Mastaba had stopped screaming and found himself shaking uncontrollably as tears poured in streams down his features. Nalm was gone.
As Mastaba laid in misery, Nalm’s father stood in the darkness, watching, and pulled a knife from his side and crept up behind Mastaba, the sorrowful figure sitting in sadness as the blade drew into the air to soon come down in stabbing motion. It was then that Mastaba felt someone was behind him and turned around swiftly, the blade thrusted down for the flesh of Mastaba and instead found grip within his hold as the young one thrust a deadly glance upon the murderer of Nalm, her father trying to push the blade towards Mastaba’s face, but failing as Mastaba gritted his teeth and slammed his head into that of the drunk. Loosening his hold of the blade and sending him stumbling back, Mastaba stood with the blade in grip and awaited the approach of Nalm’s father.
The murderer shook his head painfully and spoke upon Mastaba as he began to rush towards him in a drunken rage. “You’re going to pay for that, you little bastard!”
Mastaba gritted his teeth in hate and spoke as he dodged a lunge from Nalm’s father’s fist and stabbed his own blade into his ribs. “You’re going to pay for killing Nalm! Here’s the price!”
As Nalm’s father stood pierced by the blade, blood trickling from the wound, he soon found his vision blur as Mastaba pulled his bladed hood over his head and took hold of the killer, Nalm soon avenged as her father found death, his vision bloodied as Mastaba slammed the blade, which sat upon his hood, into the abuser’s face and then tossed his drunken form from the balcony. The pain stricken Mastaba twitched madly as he looked below, Nalm’s dead corpse laying in silence as her father landed in a resounding crack upon the stone.
Mastaba stood in the moonlight as blood ran down the blade from his hood and upon his face. He had avenged Nalm.
Karkor rushed across the city and soon found himself coming upon the place that which he felt the scream had come from, searching high and low about the stone streets as he looked to the pier above and saw a figure running down some steps in a swift manner towards him, the single-eyed one calling Sinfus to his side as he spoke. “Sinfus, get over here!”
The two stood side by side as they found Mastaba coming into their view, the giant speaking upon him, but finding the young slender one passing him in ignorance and running away as Karkor held curiosity with his actions, as did Sinfus, as they both took pursuit of the swift figure.
As Karkor and Sinfus ran after Mastaba, they saw him stop ahead and fall to his knees, the two holding fear as they caught two forms on the ground, besides Mastaba, the two soon finding the bodies to be Nalm and her father, as they had made approach of Mastaba and stood at his side. The pain stricken Mastaba held the dead Nalm in hold as he spoke in an insane manner. “Don’t worry Nalm. He can’t hurt you anymore. We can go away, now!”
Karkor felt a tear come from his single eye as he placed a caring hand upon Mastaba and spoke. “Mastaba…they’re dead. Nalm’s dead!”
Mastaba shook the giant’s hold from his form and spoke as he held Nalm away from Sinfus and Karkor. “Get away! She’s mine. You can’t hurt her.”
Karkor watched in pain and horror as he spoke to Sinfus, the young one standing at his side and watching in accord, his form silent and still as he watched. “Go get Hersei…GO!”
Sinfus was brought to attention from his daze and left the side of Karkor as the giant knelt to the side of Mastaba and placed a caring hold on him as the broken one loosened hold of the dead corpse of Nalm and fell back on the giant, tears streaming down his face as he cried out in loud pain, scratching at his arms with his fingernails to cause his flesh to bleed, the giant taking hold of his arms to stop him as Mastaba spoke. “Let me die! I want to be with her!”
Ignoring the pleas of the pained boy, the giant kept hold of the boy’s arms as he produced tears of his own, from his single eye.
The night was silent and dead as the moon hung high above, producing sorrowful gales of light from above as Karkor and Sinfus stood in the infirmary with Hersei. The scarred one, and the two at his side, looked upon the silent figure of Mastaba as they stood in a dark chamber, the pained one sitting in silence as his entire torso and arms were wrapped in belts. Three pegs, with cords attached to them, were pinned into the stone floor of the chamber to restrict his movement as a window inside the chamber allowed the moonlight to dive in upon the sorrowful figure. Mastaba turned upon the window in silence as Hersei spoke to his companions. “From what you told me, Karkor, It seems he wishes to kill himself and reach the next plain to meet Nalm there.”
Sinfus looked upon the dazed Mastaba and spoke as Karkor stood
at the side of Hersei.
“I’m sorry Mastaba. But this is the only way we can protect you for, now.”
The reddened eyes of Mastaba looked upon Sinfus in a daze as Karkor spoke.
“I can’t believe she’s gone. She deserved an escape. If only she had told us of the abuse.”
Hersei held a hand to his scarred features as he shook his head and spoke in an apologetic manner. “It is a sorry thing, death is. I wish we had the power to prevent such things. What a power that would be.”
Sinfus backed away from Mastaba and spoke as he took the side of the elder two.
“Indeed it would. I would’ve killed him too, for doing that to his own blood! I wish Mastaba didn’t have to be tied up like this, like a prisoner!”
Karkor placed a caring hand on Sinfus and spoke in an assuring manner upon the young leader. “You made the right choice allowing this. If he was not confined in this way, then we would be unable to help him. We can bring him back! But it will take time and patience.”
Sinfus looked upon Karkor and spoke in question upon the four-armed one.
“I hope so. This has been a dark day for us. Could there be darker days ahead?”
The giant spoke return upon Sinfus with an assuring voice. “There will always be dark days, my young friend. But look forward to the bright ones. For every day, no matter how dark, brings a day of great light, closer!”
-Chapter 18-
Present
As the night was silent under the watch of the armored form of Kurlank, the wind grew to rushing motion to scathe his armor smoothly as upon his view, the sleeping forms of Samana and Sen sat in peace.
The Order of Events: The Council of Eight Page 20
