Soul of the Prophet: The Elder of Edon Book I

by David Angelo

  “You’ve got to be kidding me,” one of the guards said. “That couldn’t be it.”

  “What else could it have been?” Elk-Jun said. “It wasn’t there when we got here.” He walked over toward the tree, pulled it out of the bark, and examined the head.

  “Tec, your blood is all over this thing,” Elk-Jun said. “Had it gone a few inches lower, you’d be history.”

  “Ah, but that was never what it was meant to do,” Tec-Nan said. “The one who let that arrow fly could have easily killed me, but she chose not to.”

  “She?” Elk-Jun asked.

  “I know of only one dragon,” Tec-Nan said, “who could have pulled off a shot like that.”

  “Step away from my man,” Kaw-Ki ordered. She stood just outside of the clearing, an arrow trained directly on Tec-Nan. “Unless you want your leader to die, I suggest you back away, slowly.”

  The other Faranchilldons moved to the edges of the circle, leaving Tec-Nan alone with Black-Tooth, who turned to look in Kaw-Ki’s direction.

  “Babe, what the hell are you doing here?” Black-Tooth asked.

  “I’m saving your ass,” Kaw-Ki replied. “You’re welcome.”

  “I told you to stay back at the—” Black-Tooth started.

  “I know what you said. But I knew something like this would happen, so I tailed your wagon.”

  “You came all the way here by yourself?” Black-Tooth said.

  “I could have if I wanted to,” Kaw-Ki said.

  “Kaw-Ki!” Chok called from somewhere in the forest. “Where’d you go?”

  “I’m over here,” Kaw-Ki said.

  He approached the clearing, panting. “Why the hell’d you just run off and leave me back there like that?”

  “I told you to keep up,” Kaw-Ki said.

  “I was taking a piss, and I hardly began when you just decided to up an’ take off in a mad sprint. You know a fella just can’t stop in the middle of somethin’ like that an’ start runnin’ like he’s in an Elder-damn marathon.”

  “Chok, I told you to keep an eye on her,” Black-Tooth said.

  “I know, Black-Tooth, but she’s just so strong-willed she downright scared me.”

  “You, afraid of a woman?” Kyu asked.

  “She’s bigger than me! Besides, Kaw-Ki gets all scary when she’s mad. You ain’t never seen her when she’s mad, but lemme tell ya, it ain’t pretty.”

  Chok glanced over to where Tec-Nan stood and was visibly taken aback by his extensive body modifications.

  “Damn,” Chok said, looking him up and down, “you are butt-ugly.”

  “I beg your pardon?” Tec-Nan asked.

  “What the hell happened to your eye?” Chok asked. “Did you bump it or somethin’? And you gotta lay off the ink, buddy. I ain’t seen tattoos like yours since I was in prison, and even they didn’t touch the face much, unless the guy was on death row, and…hold up, you tattooed your eye, didn’t you? Black-Tooth was right when he said you were a crazy mother—”

  He was interrupted by the sound of a branch crunching under the foot of a knife-wielding henchman who, during Chok’s tirade, had snuck around the back of the clearing in an attempt to get him from behind. But Chok was faster; he shouldered his gun and whirled around before the henchman was in stabbing range.

  “Oh no, not so fast, Bub.” Chok aimed the barrel of his ax cannon at his attacker’s chest, prompting him to drop the knife and raise his hands in surrender.

  “Come any closer and you’ll have two new holes to shit out of by the time the night’s over.”

  “Calm down, Chok,” Kaw-Ki said. “No one’s getting a new orifice tonight if we can manage it.”

  She crossed over into the circle of torches, never once taking her aim off Tec-Nan.

  “You wouldn’t kill me,” Tec-Nan said. “Even if I did kill your love, you still wouldn’t be able to bring yourself to do it.”

  “Don’t bet on it,” Kaw-Ki replied. “I can put an arrow in your heart before you even have time to plead for your life.”

  “Which is exactly how I taught you,” Tec-Nan said. “You do realize the only reason why you were able to pull something like that off was because I told you how.”

  “What difference does that make?” Kaw-Ki asked, inching closer to the chopping block. “It’s irrelevant who taught me, as long as I’m able to use those skills to my own advantage.”

  “I see you’re not wearing the cloth,” Tec-Nan said, motioning to Kaw-Ki’s waist.

  “I burned that thing long ago,” Kaw-Ki said. “It’s what’s expected of ex-members, no?”

  “That I can concede.” Tec-Nan sighed. “It would’ve brought shame upon our whole tribe should you have continued to wear the cloth. But alas, I think I would have preferred to see you in it, no matter how disrespectful it may be, if only so I can see you as you were before the purebreds corrupted your mind, polluted your morals, and made you turn your back on your roots.”

  “That’s not true,” Kaw-Ki said. “I’ll always be your daughter, but my years as a permanent member of this tribe are over.”

  “Did Wahsmit tell you to say that?” Tec-Nan said. “Did he give you a script to read from before you came here today? Does he pull your strings even now?”

  “I told her not to come—” Black-Tooth started.

  “Babe, I’ve got this,” Kaw-Ki replied, “and to answer your question, Tec, no, Black-Tooth is not pulling my strings right now. Why can’t you just accept that I have an opinion and that I can make decisions for myself?”

  “But I taught you better than this,” Tec-Nan said, this time in the Faranchilldon language. Again, Fin understood every word perfectly. “I taught you to be responsible and wise, to care for your peers and the people you love.”

  “You did,” Kaw-Ki said in the tribal tongue. “But there comes a time in a Faranchilldon’s life when a decision must be made as to whether living in the tribe is in one’s best interest. You told me that, and I never forgot it, just like I haven’t forgotten how to speak in our people’s code.”

  “I’m glad you haven’t become that corrupted,” Tec-Nan said. “It’s comforting to know that there is still some of my old baby girl hidden inside, screaming to get out.”

  “She’s not screaming,” Kaw-Ki said. “But it pains her to know that you cannot accept her choice, despite having once taught her to think for herself, and that all you wish to do is bring harm to the man she loves.”

  “Listen to yourself speak,” Tec-Nan said, as though the words hurt him. “How can you love a purebred, after all they’ve done to our people over the eons? What did that Faranchie do to you to turn you away from your own morals?”

  “He opened my eyes,” Kaw-Ki said, “and showed me a bigger world that I wanted to explore for myself. He made me understand that not all purebreds are the same and that there was a whole community of them who accepted me for who I was. But most of all, he gave me the love that I lacked and craved, a deeper love that I did not have.”

  “Elk-Jun wasn’t enough for you?”

  “We didn’t love each other. I told you time and time again, but you wouldn’t listen to a word I said. You were so obsessed with merging the two tribes that my personal feelings meant nothing to you.”

  “Lies!” Tec-Nan hissed. He grabbed the tomahawk and lifted it over his head.

  “If you even think of bringing that down…” Kaw-Ki said, adjusting her aim.

  “What?” Tec-Nan asked. “You’ll kill me? I wish you could. I wish you could run an arrow through my heart and spare me the pain of watching you in this state. But I know you don’t have the willpower to bring me down, just like when you failed to defend yourself from Wahsmit when he dragged you kicking and screaming into the night.”

  “Wait…” Kaw-Ki said. “What did you just say?”

  “You don’t think I know?” Tec-Nan said. “The morning after I awoke to find that you were gone, Elk-Jun told me that Wahsmit broke into the tent the two of you shared, coldcock
ed him, and took you away. You could have defended yourself, just like I taught you to, but you didn’t, because Wahsmit had already made you his slave, and you were unable to resist his urges.”

  “That’s not what happened,” Kaw-Ki replied. “Elk-Jun knows the truth.” She turned to where he stood. “Elk, tell us what really happened that night.”

  But Elk-Jun remained stoic, unable or unwilling to speak up. He averted his eyes from his former lover and stared down at his feet. He looked, Fin felt, like a man with something heavy weighing on his conscience, like the truth was on the tip of his tongue, but his lips held it back like a dam.

  Fin strained against his restraints. “Tell them, Elk,” he begged. But all Elk-Jun did was flash him an angry glare, his eyes searing Fin with reproach. He didn’t seem to realize Fin was somehow able to understand what they were saying, or he just didn’t care. But in the brief moment when their eyes locked, Fin could sense that something had softened in Elk-Jun’s stony gaze, as if the dam was finally close to breaking.

  “He has nothing to admit,” Tec-Nan said.

  Without warning, Tec-Nan brought the ax down. But before the blade could connect with flesh, Elk-Jun dove into the circle and placed his hand over Black-Tooth’s neck. Tec-Nan stopped before he could slice Elk-Jun’s knuckles off.

  “Wait,” Elk-Jun panted. “There’s something I need to explain.”

  “What are you doing?” Tec-Nan asked. “And what do you need to explain?”

  “Take the ax away from the purebred’s neck, and I’ll tell you.”

  “Then drop it on the ground,” Kaw-Ki added.

  Tec-Nan did as he was told, dropping the ax, and Kaw-Ki came up and kicked it out of the way.

  “You guys mind explaining what’s happening to me?” a very confused Black-Tooth asked. “Preferably in a language I can understand.”

  “Shush,” Elk-Jun said, standing up. “This is not meant for your ears.”

  Elk-Jun turned to Tec-Nan, and then to Kaw-Ki, unsure who to address first.

  “Tec,” Elk-Jun said in their language, “the story I told you was just that, a story. Black-Tooth didn’t break into our tent and steal her away when I was sleeping. She slipped out on her own, and I let her go.”

  All the Faranchilldons around the clearing were visibly confused by this revelation and began talking among themselves. Tec-Nan stood motionless in a silent state of shock.

  Elk-Jun continued, “I woke up that night to find Kaw-Ki packing a bag of her belongings. When I asked her what she was doing, she told me that she had learned of your plans to kill Black-Tooth and that she was going to warn him. But she also said she was not coming back. I begged her to stay, but she refused. I could’ve said more, but I knew it was worthless to do so, and in the end, I let her go.”

  Elk-Jun turned to Kaw-Ki.

  “I know you didn’t love me, but I still wanted you to be happy, and…I never told anyone this before, but I saw you and Black-Tooth in the pumpkin patch a few weeks before you left.”

  “You…saw us?” Kaw-Ki asked

  Elk-Jun nodded. “I was looking for something, I forget what it was, but I accidentally stumbled upon you and Black-Tooth making love. At first I was furious, and with my bow in hand, I was ready to shoot both of you. But then I saw how happy he made you, and how much he loved you, and I couldn’t bring myself to let the arrow go. Because in that moment, you were happier than any of the times you were with me, and I wanted you to stay that way. I’ve loved you, Kaw, ever since we were little, but I knew you didn’t love me back, and I couldn’t bear to see you miserable any longer. Which is why I let you go in the end.”

  “Why didn’t you tell me?” Tec-Nan asked, twitching a little as his patience eroded.

  “Because in my tribe,” Elk-Jun replied, “we believe that when a woman leaves her man, it is his fault, because he could not please her. I feared the humiliation I would have faced from my tribe, especially from the leaders, who could’ve had me killed for bringing shame upon them. I knew that such a revelation would’ve destroyed the union both of our tribes had worked so hard to achieve, so I lied. I planned to take that lie to my grave, until tonight.”

  Elk-Jun retrieved Tec-Nan’s tomahawk and handed it to him.

  “Elk, what are you doing?” Kaw-Ki said.

  “Do it, Tec,” he said, ignoring her. “Do as you would’ve done to Black-Tooth. It is I who am behind your pain, not he. Cut him free, then place me upon the chopping block.” He fell to his knees and lowered his head.

  Tec-Nan took the ax, trembling as he held it in his hands. “For twelve years,” Tec-Nan said, “I believed a lie, a lie that destroyed my life and made me turn against my own daughter.”

  “Don’t do it, Tec,” Kaw-Ki pleaded. “Please…”

  Again, her words fell on deaf ears. “Had you told the truth, I could’ve vouched for you, made sure that your dignity remained intact. But your silence has brought me more pain than any enemy could ever have dealt me.”

  “Don’t kill him!” Kaw-Ki cried. “It doesn’t have to end this way.”

  “No, Kaw,” Elk-Jun said. “Let him do what he needs to do.”

  Tec-Nan placed the blade against Elk-Jun’s neck, scowling as he did, the years of needless pain contorting his face. He lifted the tomahawk over his head, then spun around and chucked it into the side of a nearby tree, where it landed with a thwack. Elk-Jun looked up, Kaw-Ki lowered her bow, and everyone stood there in complete disbelief at what had just transpired. Even Black-Tooth got up on his knees, and not a single guard moved forward to push him back down.

  “Those lies would never have been told,” Tec-Nan said, in a language everyone could understand, “had I not acted so thoughtlessly. You were right, Kaw-Ki. I wasn’t thinking about you when I paired you with Elk-Jun. I knew that while you two were good friends, you did not love him, and your union was doomed to fail from the start. But all I could think of was tribal politics, and I was desperate to find you a mate in Elk’s tribe. It wasn’t even necessary for me to do so, as our bonds with his tribe were already unbreakable. I just noticed that you and Elk were close and went with it, not thinking about either of your feelings.

  “In all honesty, had I let you go with Wahsmit, it wouldn’t have made much of a difference. But I hated purebreds so much, and I couldn’t bear to think that my daughter was in love with one. I refuse to pass blame onto you, Elk-Jun, nor do I blame you, or Wahsmit, for a problem that I started.”

  Kaw-Ki lowered her bow, tears forming in her eyes.

  “I want to make it all up to my baby girl right now,” Tec-Nan said, giving Kaw-Ki a kiss on the forehead. “Release them, all of them.”

  The guards slashed the ropes and freed Fin and his comrades. As they did, Kaw-Ki dropped her bow and hugged Tec-Nan tightly.

  “Thank you, Papa,” Kaw-Ki whimpered.

  “It’s okay,” Tec-Nan said, patting her on the back. “You’re a strong girl, and I’m proud to have you as my daughter.”

  Black-Tooth stood up, and Fin and his comrades gathered in the center of the circle. Kaw-Ki hugged Black-Tooth and kissed him, burying her head into his shoulder.

  “I told you I should have come,” Kaw-Ki said.

  “I know,” Black-Tooth replied. “You were right all along. Next time you insist on something so strongly, I’ll take it a little more seriously.” But then Black-Tooth’s eyes widened, panic-stricken.

  “Oh, shit,” Black-Tooth said.

  “What’s wrong?” Fin asked.

  “I just remembered,” Black-Tooth replied, “I told the troops to converge on the camp if we weren’t back by midnight. There’s a whole army of soldiers coming this way in a few hours. We have to stop them before—”

  “Hon,” Kaw-Ki said, placing a hand on Black-Tooth’s chest. “I told them to stay put just before Chok and I left. I knew negotiations were going to fall apart, and I didn’t want us to start a purebred–Faranchilldon war.”

  “Oh, thank Blizzard,” Black-Tooth ga
sped, nearly collapsing into Kaw-Ki’s arms in relief.

  “Yeah, well, I think it wouldn’t have mattered much,” Chok said. He was using the ax on the barrel of his gun as a back scratcher. “Most of our new recruits aren’t good with maps yet. They probably would’ve gotten lost on the way here and not arrived until after the sun was well an’ up.”

  “Before we get too far off topic,” Rocklier said, “could we please inquire about the grain?”

  Tec-Nan sighed. “I don’t want to dash your hopes, but we have reason to believe that the grain is being kept at Fort Titan.”

  “The Fort Titan?” Black-Tooth asked.

  “I’m afraid so,” Tec-Nan said, nodding slowly.

  Fin looked around at the consternation on everyone’s faces. “What’s so special about this fort?”

  “It’s one of the most advanced forts in the Edonion military,” Rocklier said. “The soldiers there have some of the finest armor and weapons that parliament can provide. But Titan’s biggest features are perhaps the stone vaults that lay beneath it, which are used to store everything from gunpowder to whale oil and now, I would assume, grain.”

  Tec-Nan nodded his head. “You’re exactly right,” he said. “My scouts and I saw them pour the grain into the vaults ourselves, under the orders of the biggest Cullidon I have ever seen. He was covered from head to toe in black armor, and he sported a claymore that was bigger than many of our own men.”

  “It sounds like you’re talking about General Tyrannous,” Black-Tooth said, “the single most decorated warrior in Edon’s cavalry.”

  “Is that his name?” Tec-Nan said meekly. “I wish I could give you better news, but I cannot lie about what I saw, and unfortunately, I don’t think my tribe is able to assist you in any attempt to capture it. I cannot risk the lives of my tribesmen, and I feel that our input would be more of a hindrance than a benefit. Forgive me, Wahsmit, but I fear this is the only help I can provide.”

  “Don’t worry about it,” Black-Tooth said, extending his hand to Tec-Nan. “You need to worry about your people. Let us take it from here.”

  Tec-Nan and Black-Tooth shook hands, their allegiance finally sealed.