by Phoebe Brown
“We’ll need to figure out a way down this mountain.” He said as they walked through the overgrown forest.
“I think that should be easy enough.” She replied, “Helen is pretty good at that.”
He nodded and they continued for a few minutes in silence.
“Why does no-one come here?” She asked.
She’d figured he was hiding something from the others before. She only hoped he trusted her enough to tell her.
“Something to do with the gods.” He replied, “there’s an old story that the gods used this mountain top to sacrifice human beings to increase their powers. It was a sacred place, but if human beings see what really happened here, they’d be terrified.”
She nodded.
“Do you think that’s true?” she asked.
He shrugged.
“I have no reason to doubt them.”
“I see.” she replied, “I doubt everything anyone tells me. I’ve always been the type of person who would rather see for myself than to trust the words of others.”
He looked at her curiously.
“Is this your way of saying you’d like to go see it for yourself?”
She nodded.
“Gaia, are you sure this is what you want? It may be pretty gruesome.”
“I was taught to deal with death and killing at a very young age.” She replied, “Let’s treat this as a lesson in life and death.”
He was hesitant for a moment.
“Please.” She urged. “I promise to let you win a fight against me in the training yard on your first try.”
He chuckled at that.
“We have to be careful,” he said.
She nodded and they turned towards the top of the mountain. The path they took was overgrown with grass and small trees but there were clear signals of a path that would take them upwards. It wasn’t a far walk from their current position.
Along the way, she saw flowers that reminded her of home. Instinctively she began to wonder why it was that there was no sound of other animals on the mountain. In fact, there wasn’t the slightest sound of another living creature aside from the five of them. The further up they went, the eerier it became.
“Do you find it weird that you haven’t heard the sound of another living thing on this mountain?” she asked
He looked at her quizzically.
“How can you tell?” He asked.
“I don’t know,” she replied, “I just can. There’s only the sound of our movements.”
“I thought it was weird.” He replied, “I’m sure it has something to do with this place being deserted.”
As they neared the peak, she could see something afar off that looked like an open hut.
“Look!” she exclaimed.
Kirk’s eyes were in the other direction. She followed his gaze which was fixed on a set of other buildings that looked like houses. They were broken and blackened.
“Must have been a fire.” She concluded.
Kirk said nothing.
They came to what looked like an old overgrown path and began walking until they came to more structures. The farther they went the more burnt homes they saw.
“What could have happened here?” She asked.
“I don’t think the Gods had anything to do with this.” He answered.
“I would think there are easier ways to make a sacrifice.” She joked weakly.
They continued further past hundreds of houses. By the time they got to the summit, it was clear to her that a great tragedy had happened here. The hut she had seen from below was just ahead. It was in the middle of a clearing with nothing surrounding it but stone ground and overgrown grass. The sun above shone bright, and she could tell it was almost midday.
“What do you think is in that building?” she asked.
“How would I know?” he asked.
She shrugged and stepped out from the cover of trees into the clearing. Something in the air instantly shifted and the serpent on her necklace began to throb. Her steps faltered and she almost fell to the ground. Kirk came to her side and wrapped a protective arm around her.
“What’s wrong?” She heard him ask.
His voice sounded so far away it felt like she was underwater. Somehow, she regained her balance and pulled away from him. Her body moved instinctively towards the hollow hut as if controlled by someone other than herself.
“Gaia,” Kirk said.
She was too far gone to register the fear in his voice.
She walked purposefully towards the hut. As she went, a scene began to unfold before her. There was a young man here. She couldn’t see his face or his features, but she could see his eyes. They were as dark as midnight and sinister. The necklace throbbed at her chest and she wanted to cry out in agony but couldn’t. All around her she could hear the engulfing sounds of flames. People were crying out and screaming for mercy. The man she saw looked directly at her with terrified eyes as he surveyed the carnage before him. Another man dressed in full black came to stand by his side.
“They’re all on fire.” The newcomer said, “we rounded up all those of the guild and torched them in the houses to make sure they can’t leave.”
Gaia almost retched as she listened to the man speak. Still, the first man’s eyes never left hers and the other man didn’t seem to notice her.
“Solomon!” the other man insisted when the younger man didn’t respond.
“I thought I saw someone there.” He said, “Good job, make sure no one leaves this mountain.”
The two men walked away, and she turned to watch them as they went. She saw people engulfed in flames screaming and thrashing. A sudden overwhelming desire to dispel the flames filled her.
Raising her hands above her head and squatting into her grounding position, she spread her arms out and down before bringing them together in a loud clap. There was a thundering sound of wind all around her but still, the flames persisted.
“Gaia!”
The sound of her name blurred the image before her.
“Gaia!”
An arm on her shoulder made it disappear completely. She looked around and the scene was gone. Instead, she was looking at an empty hut in a clearing with enormous trees all around. The sun was high in the sky and the man touching her shoulder was someone she knew.
“Kirk?” She asked tentatively before she realised exactly what was happening.
He was looking at her with terror in his eyes.
“Kirk,” she said wondering what could have caused his countenance to become so terrified.
“Gaia,” he said breathlessly, “what did you just do?”
She wasn’t sure why he’d asked the question.
“I, I don’t know.” she said, “I was seeing things. I saw the fire, there was a man, he was burning everything. He talked of setting people on fire. They burnt the entire mountain!”
She could feel tears streaming down her cheeks. She was crying uncontrollably.
“I tried to stop the fires,” she said, “but I couldn’t.”
She watched as realization crossed his face.
“You tried to stop the fires?” He asked, “How?”
She stopped for a second and looked at him.
“I don’t know.” She replied, “I just tried to. I don’t know why I thought it would work.”
Kirk released his grip on her shoulder and let out a heavy sigh.
“Gaia,” he said, “do you even know what you just did?”
She shook her head not understanding his mood.
“You nearly blew me off the top of this mountain.” He said, “I thought you had no powers.”
She flinched.
“I don’t have any powers.” She said, “At least even if I do, I wouldn’t understand how to use them. I was raised a Cenobyte.”
He ran a hand through his hair and looked at her.
“I’ve never seen that type of power before.” He said pacing, “I have no idea what you just did either.”
&
nbsp; “What did I do?” she asked.
He stopped pacing for a moment and looked at her for a few seconds before dropping into a squat. She recognized the movements that followed.
“Then what happened?” she asked
“Then there was a loud noise of winds blowing in the trees. I’m sure the others must be frightened.”
“I was trying to stop the fires,” she said, “but I wasn’t there so the wind blew here.”
“Why did you think you could make wind?” He asked, “If you have no powers then you shouldn’t think you can do any of this.”
“I don’t know what’s happening.” She said, “I don’t understand any of this.”
Kirk squatted down in the grass and sat.
“Come. Sit here” he said.
She walked over and sat next to him. Deep down she feared most of all that he would think she might have been hiding her abilities.
“Has this ever happened before?” he asked
She thought about it and shook her head.
“There are a lot of things you haven’t realised about yourself that I find strange.” He said, “Like the way you can hear and see things others can’t.”
“It was like that back at the temple as well.” She replied.
“And the Templars said nothing?” he asked.
“I’m not sure what they could say.” She said, “I was always very different.”
He was thoughtful for a very long time.
“What did you see here?” he asked.
“I saw fire,” she replied, “lots of it. People were running and screaming, I saw a man dressed in black. I saw them talking to a man they call Solomon. He was responsible for burning these homes.”
“Do you think it was my grandfather?” he asked
“I couldn’t tell, I didn’t see his face clearly, I only saw his eyes and they didn’t look like your grandfather’s.”
Kirk nodded.
“It’s a family name.” He said, “It could easily have been any of my ancestors.”
“I’ve never seen such evil in someone’s eyes.” She said.
“So, the real evil that happened here was a genocide.”
“They killed everyone who lived on this mountain.” She said, “They chained those with powers to the buildings and burnt them.”
Once again, she felt tears well up in her eyes.
Kirk reached over and pulled her in for a hug. Because she was not used to being held like this, it took her a moment to relax before allowing him to hold her as she cried. She was certain that no matter how long she lived, she would never forget the tortured screams she had heard today.
They stayed like this for a long time. As the sun dipped lower, they resolved to search for firewood nearby before going back to the camp. Kirk said nothing more about what had happened and she’d decided to try and figure out what other strange things she could do that no-one could explain.
Chapter 13
The next day they awoke to the rising sun and decided to make their way back to the palace. Kirk said nothing to anyone about what had happened at the top of the mountain. When asked why they’d taken so long, he’d lied and told them that they’d gotten lost. He knew they didn’t believe but she figured he was doing his best to protect her secret.
With Helen’s guide, they made it down the mountain using up half the day. Gaia had suggested they try to get there as late as possible so that whoever was behind the ambush would feel a false sense of accomplishment until the very last minute. They spent the leisurely walk back to the palace talking about their homelands and snacking on the provisions they’d brought.
They arrived at the palace gates just before sundown. The pink and yellow rays lit the skies above them creating one of the most beautiful sunsets she had ever seen. Even so, the events of the last two days weighed heavily on her mind. The path that led into the sea towards the palace had been deserted, devoid of travellers. The water lapped at the side of the thin strip as she walked. The urge to stop walking and wade into the waters almost overwhelmed her. When they arrived at the steps that led up to the main gate, Kirk turned to face them.
“Remember that no one can know what happened with those men?” Kirk said.
They all nodded as a large bearded guard with dark grey eyes swung the gate open for them. As they walked in, Gaia marvelled at the beautiful palace entrance. She had only ever approached it from the skies, so she had never come through the main entrance. There were massive columns that held up the roof of the entryway. The massive wooden doors were the largest she had ever seen, and on either side were matching serpent headed door handles. As soon as they approached the door, it swung open and Lu Radock stepped forward looking surprised to see them. She swallowed hard and lowered her gaze.
“I thought something happened.” He said looking relieved to see them.
“We completed the task,” Kirk said.
“Well, the other students have already arrived.” Lu Radock replied.
Kirk shrugged and stepped past the man. They all followed without hesitation. He was leading them back to the student’s quarters, but Gaia took the opportunity to take in the parts of the palace she had not yet seen.
“Is my father here?” Kirk asked as he continued through the halls.
“Yes, he’s been with the headmaster. They were surprised you didn’t make it back sooner.” Lu Radock replied.
Kirk nodded but said nothing else. He was much more composed than the others and she was impressed. It took years of training to teach patience, but he seemed to possess the quality effortlessly.
As they neared the pavilion, she realised that all the students had been awaiting their return. They all looked up when they walked in, but no one moved. Gaia noticed the pleased looks on their faces.
“You almost missed the deadline.” The headmistress said looking out at the skies.
Kirk said nothing, he only nodded and accepted his chastening. There was no use explaining to her especially when they were, in fact, the losers.
“Well, I’m glad to see you all made it,” Keiron said surveying the students in the room.
Although he spoke in general terms, Gaia could tell they were aimed at his son and him only.
“I need to speak to you,” Kirk said.
Keiron looked a bit surprised.
“After you’ve been dismissed.” He answered.
Kirk nodded and they all watched as Keiron left the room.
“Alright students, stand at attention.” The headmistress said.
They all stood at attention in their teams. Gaia’s legs were protesting but she couldn’t let the others see that she was tired. They had already bested them; the only consolation was that they hadn’t failed their first task and had avoided being killed.
“Today’s task will be repeated at the end of the year.” Master Adilade said looking down at the group, “With all you learn here, I expect you all to do better.”
There was silence.
“After dismissal, you must all go to your rooms and rest because tomorrow your formal classes will begin,” she continued, “You’re dismissed.”
The students began to disperse but Kirk caught her by the hand and stopped her.
“Come with me.” He said.
The others eyed them curiously but continued walking away. They seemed unsure but she could tell they were unwilling to question Kirk’s decision. They had come to trust him as a leader in their short time together.
“Where are we going?” She asked when Kirk wouldn’t release her hand.
“We’ll see my father together.” He replied.
She was surprised at his insistence. They had agreed he would see his father alone while they waited in a hidden place for his return.
“Why?” she whispered as they walked along the corridors.
“Because you pushed me off a cliff.” He said releasing her arm, “I trust only you.”
He looked at her and in his eyes, she could see that he had long sinc
e resolved that he wanted her to be with him when he told his father. He trusted her to be at his side and she wondered if this was his way of letting her know that he would protect her secret as well.
“There’s something I haven’t told you.” She said.
“Same here.” He said interrupting her, “But I’m confident if you wanted to kill me before, you had every opportunity to. My life was in your hands and you saved it. That is the only thing I need to know.”
She didn’t understand why it was so important, but she decided to follow him just the same. The direction he took her was different and it took her some time to realise they weren't going to the throne room. They approached a room with tall wooden doors. With little effort, Kirk gently opened the door and let her in. It was a small office and she was surprised to see the king there with another man.
“Son,” Keiron said looking up from something he had been writing.
The other man also looked up and their eyes locked. His golden eyes began to glow as he looked at her. In her heart, Gaia knew he was pleased to see her there. Unlike the first time, she had seen the old king and felt fear, seeing this man-made her feel at peace.
The king motioned for them to come closer and close the door.
“I need to discuss something with you,” Kirk said
Keiron nodded encouragingly.
“Yesterday, in the mountains.” Kirk began.
Gaia wondered why he was opening up with this stranger in the room. If he wanted this to remain private, he should have at least asked the man to leave.
“We were ambushed by men in masks.” He said, “They tried to kill us. It seems they were after me.”
For some reason, Keiron didn’t seem surprised and she wondered if he was the one who had targeted them.
“I know.” He said, “Abito foresaw it. I was worried the entire day. He said you would be saved by the Cenobyte.”
Everyone in the room turned to look at her and she shrunk back a bit.
“I see.” Kirk replied, “She did. But why didn’t you tell me?”
“It wasn’t for you to know.” The king said, “What he sees must never be revealed to those it concerns unless he is led to do so. I’m confident he’s had visions of me Kirk, but he never tells me everything.”