A tale of darkness, p.9
A Tale of Darkness, page 9
Both thoughts ran through my mind and caused me to become distracted. If I did run away, I wouldn’t have too much to pack. I wouldn’t run into any guards or clan members, so it would be a relatively quiet transit. It might be a day's travel to get to the forest, but how would I find him after that? How could I even know for certain that he is still alive?
I looked at the emerald necklace Forset had given me. I thought of its importance and knew that he was serious about returning to me. I drew it back under my clothes. There was nothing here for me. I would be married off and have no voice for the rest of my life, and I couldn’t do that. My father would understand. He would want me to do what was best for me. I knew that I made him ashamed, I knew that I was different. But maybe I could leave all of that behind. Nobody needed to know that I was a member of the high healing clan, that I was destined to be the queen of the clan before my lack of power betrayed me. Who was to replace me, now that my father had been killed?
I didn’t know many people in my clan. They never paid much attention to me. Somebody would take my position, my life, and that made me jealous beyond belief. I also knew that with my father gone, I could start over. I could be anyone. I could be Forset's love. Or I could be myself. I hoped to find Forset, I did, but I would be lying to say I was leaving just for him. I began to pack a light bag, and I was going to take off.
A guard opened my door and said, “Oh,” with genuine shock on his face. “You are already beginning to pack? Well that makes my life easier,” he laughed.
“What?” I asked, frustrated at his intruding on the big, perfect scene that I imagined this moment to be. Were they going to ask me to leave the city?
“You are being called to the front lines, and you are to leave with King Kosta right away,” he replied.
“Oh,” I said, this time in shock. “For how long?” I asked.
“Well I am not sure about this, but it looks like most people are doing three weeks on and one week off to support the war effort. You should be back here in three weeks.”
I looked around, how ironic that I was going to run away today and instead was now being pushed towards the very thing I was trying to run from. If I had left just a little bit earlier, I might have been found out and they might have searched for me. That would have been no good whatsoever. I had too much emotion reeling in my heart to feel anything, my father's funeral was just this afternoon and they already wanted me to return to the battlefield.
“Can I have some time to myself, please?” I asked the guard kindly.
He nodded with understanding and backed away. I slowly packed my things as tears hit the floor. This was not what I was hoping for, this was not freedom. This was not what I wanted. I wanted Forset more than ever. I wanted to find myself more than ever. I wanted to escape and be free. I would escape the moment I got a chance. I only had three weeks to push through.
Chapter 12
Forset
I had spent a month and a half training, working from sun up to sun down constantly, and it showed. The summer had been productive so far, more than any before it by far. I could finally keep up with Fenrir on my runs, not as long as hers of course, but I could hold my own. I had finally put on some weight and it felt good to be able to eat. I felt confident coming into my body. Confident that I could handle myself when push came to shove. My close combatant course was good, and once in a blue moon, I would force Ray to the ground in surprise as crowds gathered around us. I had finally honed into the tracking and was as deadly as any of the others in the art of pursuit—prey and predator. We were not afraid of either. We were the hunters.
My bonds grew with the people, my people, and I knew it was almost time for me to head back. We sat around the fire almost every night telling stories. The elders told of animals that I had never even heard of. Legends were passed down from the days of old. They not only cared for each other, they cared for everything around them. The way they saw it, the earth was their responsibility to take care of and they were trying their best. I knew what had to be done. I would finish the training Ray was putting me through, and then I would go ask Lakner where he thought I was from. Little would he know that Vona and I loved each other and that we would run back off to this clan, to be a part of this family. Oh how Vona would love my family.
We laughed and joked every night, and after dinner, I would sneak off to practice throwing my seax. Ray would come sometimes, and he was impressed at my ability to pull back the tied seax. I had almost mastered it and had discovered different moves for different occasions. I found circling one over my head using the string allowed me to get space from enemies as well as provide force to hit a target when I was ready. I knew it all too well, unlike my swordsmanship. We had practiced that just as much, and I had blisters on my hands from the constant sparring, but still to no avail.
It was determined that I could just not master a sword. It didn’t make sense to me, the movements and thought process didn’t line up as easily as wielding seaxes did for me. Nonetheless, I felt my training coming to an end, and with that my idea came to fruition. We were sitting after dinner, sharpening our seaxes.
“Hey Ray, is my training almost done?”
“You will never be finished with training,” he replied as he concentrated on the blade he was sharpening.
“Yes, but do you see me as almost done with my initial training?”
“Well, sure,” Ray said, puzzled. “What is the rush?” I looked to the sky, trying to figure out how I would word it.
“I need to go back to Bjart.''
Ray put down his seax, his attention fixed on me. Not out of frustration or anger, but out of consideration for the matter at hand. I continued, “I need to ask Lakner what he saw and who I am. There is no way my family was there for generations, so I want to access the archives. I want to learn where I came from.” I looked for approval or disapproval but he just waited for me to continue, sensing more on my mind. “I also always miss Vona. I want to bring her back with me.” She was a constant topic of conversation between Ray and me, as I saw how happy he was with Fenrir and described that want with Vona.
Relationship topics were easy to bring up with Ray and he provided me with a lot of wisdom and life experiences about the times he tried to win Fenrir over. He was a good mentor to learn from, and I soaked up his words to become the best I could be for Vona.
He sat considering what I said and replied, “I can’t lie and say I think it's a good idea to return to the city of light. But if Fenrir was trapped in the enemy's city, there would be nothing stopping me from getting over that wall.” I nodded, happy that he understood where I was at with it. We went back to silence as we continued to sharpen our blades. I thought of my mother for the first time in months. I looked up at the forested area and was curious if she would be proud of me. She died when I was so young, and I had such few memories. But I remembered her sharpening her knife before making dinner and how good the smell used to be. How comforting that feeling of home was. I felt at home now, and I was so lucky to be surrounded by these people.
Ray snapped me out of my daydream, “There is one final test you must pass if you want to say you completed your training. One test that would allow you to become one of us,” Ray said quietly. “You must wrestle with the wolves.”
I thought he was being figurative, so I asked, “What does that mean?”
“They say that long ago, the people of Myker lived in harmony with the beasts around us. That we were their protectors and masters.” Ray said, “Ever since the war and the destruction of our people, our families have proven themselves to their clan by wrestling a wolf. If proven worthy, the wolf will submit and allow you to touch it. If not, then it will be shown that you were not worthy and you will be killed or kicked out.” I sat back and looked at Ray in surprise.
“You guys would let the wolves decide who should be killed and who wouldn’t?”
“Yes, not all of our people go through this training. Not all of them want to. There is a reason Fenrir is my wife and my leader. She was one of the females chosen.”
“How long can the fights last?” I asked.
“Sometimes the fight goes for hours, sometimes the wolf finds you worthy in two days. Mine was only half a day.” He lifted the shirt under his cloak and a claw mark went down his left peck to his right abdomen.
These wolves were no laughing matter. They were huge.
“There is no way I could take down a wolf,” I said in disbelief, looking at Ray.
“You don’t have to kill it or take it down, you have to show it that you are worthy. Wolves don’t fight just for fun or to win. They fight for survival.” I recognized what Ray was saying, and the chance to prove myself filled my heart.
“Okay, I want to try it. I am ready.” Ray looked taken aback by the excitement and grinned.
“Then let's get you ready.”
I stood surrounded by the villagers as they wrapped me in cloth. They wrapped my arms up to my shoulder, my chest, and my legs with a white cloth that would dampen the bleeding if struck. Then they laid on me armor that went under my cloak. It was thick but light and I knew that it wouldn’t do much good after looking at Ray’s chest, but it was comforting nonetheless. They clothed me and added to my seax. The belt went around my waist and the additional seax went from the right side of my neck and attached to the belt on the left side. I was going to try to bring the additional ammunition to the fight. Lastly, they covered me with the cloak. An elder woman came and smeared a black liquid under my eyes and my nose. The smell was potent and awoke my senses in a way they had never been awoken before.
There was a group of about twelve of us heading out. We would locate a wolf and they would back off to let me complete the ritual. There were different guidelines and ways to initiate it, but for the most part, people said that the wolf would know what to do. Some of them were ancient creatures. No one knew how long they lived. Maybe in the old days, but no longer. We headed out behind Ray. The adrenaline rushed through me. I entered not so long ago as a skinny boy, and I knew that I was almost the same. But I felt different. I felt confident, and that confidence made me stronger than I could ever realize. We journeyed for roughly two hours. We took constant breaks so that I could drink water and refresh. Who knew what would happen, the battle could go on for days. I chose not to think about that or that I might be torn to shreds. Hopefully, I would just be proven worthy. After the two-hour trek, we finally found what we were looking for.
He was rummaging through the bushes as if he was on the hunt. He pretended not to notice us but wisdom reflected in his eyes. The only time I had ever actually seen one was when it broke through the wall, but it was massive and it made me exhilarated and afraid. He might even be big enough to climb a tree in three leaps. There was no escaping him. He had to be roughly 10 feet long and 300 pounds at the least. He was massive, and I could feel the blood circulate within me. Each cell of my body asked if I was worthy. The wolf perked up and looked at our pack, recognizing what the warriors came to ask of him. He noticed Ray as the leader of the party and Ray walked toward him and lifted his hand. When one was indoctrinated, the wolf bit them, and that left a permanent scent and mark. One that any wolf would recognize. A sign of the pact and the becoming of one pack. The wolf accepted Ray’s hand and Ray backed off. The other warriors did not draw their weapons.
They stepped back from the clearing and left me and my opponent by ourselves. The trees surrounded us and there was nowhere I could run or hide that he couldn’t find me. It was fight or be killed. The wolf lifted its head to smell the air as if to predict my move. I braced my legs for anything and my hand reached inside my cloak. My goal was not to injure the wolf but I would if it was deemed necessary. We had brought with us medics that would patch him up. I merely put my hand there to intimidate my opponent, and it didn’t seem to work. He continued to sniff around, and by this point, the warriors surrounded us in a decently sized circle. He stopped and howled. It echoed throughout the forests and Ray seemed to turn pale, as with the other warriors that surrounded us. It was a call to those around us. They appeared out of the forest. There were roughly 12 of them and the Warriors broke the circle to allow them through. They walked behind their leader and stopped as if to stare me down and see if I was worthy.
“Ray, what is going on?” I was confused, trembling. He shook his face with a fear that told me this had never happened before.
The leader passed the others and walked towards me until he was a breath away. The others followed suit, staying a step behind to clearly show who the leader was. The alpha curled his forward leg and bowed to me. Surprise overtook me. The other eleven wolves followed suit and there I was, surrounded by a half-circle of my tribe and another half of the wolves that bowed at the sight of me.
I held out my hand. No sniff was needed. He pulled his head to the left allowing my hand to scratch behind his right ear. Darkness extended from my hand and proceeded to guide itself over the wolf’s fur. It was as if my very being was made for this. I was chosen, and I was accepted. I turned around and every warrior held disbelief in their eyes. I did not pass the trial, I did not experience it to begin with. No one had ever seen a wolf bow. No one had ever passed so quickly. I was confused and afraid. What if I would become an outcast? What if this was a sign of something I could not handle? Suddenly I had become the man who wolves bowed down to.
Chapter 13
We headed back to camp in silence. I walked with disbelief and the others gave me my space. Ray led us back to camp and seemed to be in as deep of thought as I was. No one knew what to do, and I knew that it would be a point of discussion when we arrived. Who was I? I wasn’t part of their tribe. I didn’t grow up hearing the stories or going through the training. I was just a poor worker from the country of light. Was this a blessing or a curse? I thought to myself as we broke the tall hedges and pulled into camp. People surrounded us, congratulating me, and Fenrir hugged Ray.
“We missed you. I am assuming that Forset passed?” She looked at me worryingly, making sure that I didn’t have any bruises. She met my eyes with surprise that I was unscathed. She seemed skeptical, like she didn’t want to tell me congratulations. As if she knew that we ran into a problem and didn’t complete the ritual. The crowd began to die down, recognizing that Fenrir not only didn’t approve but seemed concerned.
“We ran into some… issues,” Ray said carefully, “and we need to discuss them.” Ray softly guided Fenrir by her hip and motioned to the surrounding elders to join him in his tent. They did so promptly, curious about what their leader was going to ask them about. There was a chair pulled out for me, and I sat, drank, and waited. The commotion inside the tent seemed to hush with occasional gentle gasps and arguments.
After a little while, the elders emerged. Each went to stand next to me and the clan also surrounded me. We all waited for what Fenrir and Ray were going to say about me. To see if I had passed the trial, had to do a different one, or would be exiled. They walked out hand in hand. He looked at her, a look of pure love but also of asking permission to speak for the both of them, as if they were of one mind.
“Forset has passed his test by his ability to subdue the wolf as was the requirement of our ancestors.” A cheer erupted and some grabbed my shoulders and shook me as a means to congratulate me. “But we also acknowledge that Forset is not one of us.” A hush fell over the crowd and not one person made a sound in anticipation. I scooted to the edge of my seat, like it would help me hear any better.
“Forset is not a member of this tribe, but of the kingdom of Myker. His blood appears to be pure, and it leaves only one conclusion. He is from a family of seers.” A mixed reaction from the crowd erupted. Some had no idea what to say or do. I had no idea what to say or do.
“What does that even mean?” I asked.
“Different seers can communicate with different animals. With this communication, you can gather information on your enemies,” Fenrir replied.
“But how do I communicate with them?”
“That is something none of us can teach you. You must figure it out on your own.” An elder who I didn’t know well came to my side and shared, “If you wanted to learn more about your past, you would have to visit the ruins of Draum, the capital of Myker.” I knew I wanted to learn more. I wanted to figure out who I was. I needed to know.
“What about the myths?” I asked curiously, not just about the myth of Draum but surrounding the whole chronicle of the Myker clan.
The elder looked at me and asked, “What do you mean, son?”
“I mean, what about the prophecy I have heard about and the justice your people speak about in hushed tones? What about all the other myths I hear so little about?” I wanted to know more about these people. The elder went silent as if thinking over how best to respond.
“A long time ago we had our last King. He failed to get guidance from the wise and his pride cost his people their lives. Out of shame, he ran away. He was from generations and generations ago. He was there when the Mykers truly fell and became small clans of hunters. But there was talk of a return. A justice that would make up for this. Our people deserve to have their homes again. We deserve to not live in fear that our light would again be extinguished.”
I sat confused. “So what does justice have to do with me?”
The elder looked at me. “Your name was used in the time before the fall of Myker. They were called Forsets and they reigned over the court and brought peace through the land.” I laughed, since it had to have been pure coincidence. I couldn’t even begin to imagine what might happen if it wasn’t.
