by Donald Brown
The place was mostly silent, except for a leak in the ceiling that oozed tiny droplets of water into a steel bucket in the corner. Every now and then, one of the pairs of hands would twitch on the table, as the individual would turn to glare at the direction where the sound was coming from, annoyed. Everyone around the table were wearing dark robes with hoods, disguising them even further. It seemed clear that they were waiting for something or someone, since nobody was initiating a conversation.
Finally, a door in the southern wall burst open and none other than the Servant Vladimir marched in. He was furious and descended on them like a bat on its prey.
“The last enemy that shall be defeated is life!” the Council chanted.
Vladimir waved them off with an irritated hand. “They have escaped!” his raspy voice managed to exclaim, sounding like someone with the Jacobites. “Both brothers!” He slapped the intelligence report down onto the table. Nobody bothered to check it. Why would he lie?
Even though there were no revealed faces, the shock was palpable. Many hands disappeared into sleeves as the men leaned back against their chairs.
“How is that possible?” a soft voice asked from out of the darkness. It was the Spiritual Leader. “Were there not guards posted everywhere inside the Mountain?”
“Yes, there were,” a second irritated voice mentioned. Next to him, someone shuffled. This person leaned forward and the fearless face of the Spymaster appeared in the faint light of the torch. “But they had help from the Outsider,” he clarified.
A moment of unnerving silence followed while the group of men absorbed the news.
“We never should have done business with him,” another gruff voice replied. His walrus moustache indicated that it was Storm’s former teacher.
“How could we have trusted an Outsider?” the Spiritual Leader asked.
“If we recall correctly,” the Spymaster snapped, “it was the Servant Vladimir who introduced the idea that we should trade with him.”
“For Sanctuary,” Vladimir said, trying to defend himself. “For the weapons he provided to us.”
The Spymaster lifted his nose in dismay. “Look how well that worked out now.” Then he rubbed the back of his neck and added, “Come to think of it, how do we know those weapons are not jammed or malfunctioning?”
The Council around the table voiced their agreement.
“Well, it is too late to worry about that now!” Vladimir said, smashing his fist onto the table. “We have more pressing matters to attend to. They have seen our productions facilities. They could share this information with the Outsiders.”
“We will have to hunt them beyond the mountain.” Mr. Walrus concluded.
“Precisely,” Vladimir said, visibly relieved that the conversation was now going in the direction he wanted. “What we have to do is to –”
He was interrupted by the unmistakable sound of a cane hitting the floor, followed by a loud cackle at the door. He whipped around and there stood the witch in the doorway. The usual stoic Servant Vladimir watched in terror as she strolled into the room.
“How the–” he began, but the witch interjected.
“You should have realized by now that you cannot keep me out forever,” she told them. “And it is no use calling the guards.” She gave a sinister grin. “Let us just say they are indisposed at the moment.”
Vladimir beheld the witch for a moment, appalled, then said, “How can you still be alive?”
The witch cackled once more. “I could ask the same of you. It seems that you have done a fine job of killing a lot of people in this godforsaken place.” She focused her attention on the room at large. “You have not yet grasped the full impact of the boys’ disappearance. Boy-150’s name is Storm.”
“What?” a number of voices chorused.
Smiling at the surprised reaction, the witch lowered her voice. “Yes, she had a child and now you will have to find them if you don’t want your sacred Sanctuary to perish. All you have to know is that I will do everything in my power to help the boys succeed.” This brought about a few heavy intakes of air. “Then I will use the weapon on you pathetic lot,” she added, beckoning with her hand across the room, “and reclaim my rightful place.” the witch concluded, saving her finger for the person who was sitting at the head of the table.
It was the Guardian and he had remained silent so far, but he now stirred. “Do what you must do,” he retorted. “We have beaten you before.”
She grinned again. “Sure, but this time I have a champion; a boy whom I have molded in secrecy for a while now. He will help me gain power over you.”
“You are simply using him then,” the Spiritual Leader spat. He stood up and walked into the light of the torch, staring at the witch.
She gawked at him for a moment before saying, “I will do what is necessary.”
“Are you really going to take that route?” the Spiritual Leader continued. “After what you have done to Zion?”
The witch considered him for a few seconds and then spoke again. “That was not all my fault.”
“We’ve had a trial, remember?” the Spiritual reminded her. “You were found guilty.”
“And all your trials are fair?” the Witch wanted to know. Then she turned to face Vladimir. “Even if I was guilty, do you really think this current predicament is because of me?”
“You are helping the Outsiders,” the Spiritual Leader stated.
“Of course I am,” she replied, shifting her gaze back to him. “Why shouldn’t I? They are doing a far better job than you are.” With nothing more to say, she turned around and walked towards the doorway.
Before she could make her exit, Vladimir called after her. “Why have you told us this? Why bother to divulge your entire plan?”
She looked over her shoulder and smiled. “Because I want a fair fight. I want you to be prepared, to be ready, and I want it to be fun. I am not concerned about the intelligence I provide you with. I will still win, you’ll see.” And with that, she left the room. At least she had the dignity to close the door on her way out.
“Bar the gates and do now allow her to escape!” the Servant Vladimir ordered and the Blood Captain, who had until then remained silent, promptly stood up to relay the order. “If anyone finds her, kill her on sight,” the Servant added, making a slicing movement across his throat with his finger.
Vladimir walked up to spot where the Guardian was sitting at the head of the table and said, “Well, this certainly complicates things. If the weapon is in her hands…”
“That can never be allowed to happen,” the Guardian replied. He had a deep voice that resonated authority. All the heads whipped and bowed slightly in his direction.
The Spiritual Leader nodded and then the Spymaster spoke once more. “Lord Guardian, this can actually work to our advantage,” he began. The others noticed that he was addressing the Guardian in a calm voice for the first time.
The Guardian’s voice crackled from out of the darkness. “What makes us say that?”
“We could call for a Cruhad now,” the Spymaster suggested.
“But what about the boys, what about the curse?” the Spiritual Leader chipped in.
“We can pick them up on the way,” the Spymaster said.
“It is way too risky,” Vladimir mentioned. “What if we can’t find them? The outside world is massive.”
“Listen to us, Servant!” the Spymaster snapped. “As far as we know, the last time we followed that kind of advice we got ourselves into this dire situation.”
This statement left Vladimir fuming. Everyone considered what had been said, while glancing back to the Guardian every now and again. He was the only one who would make final the call.
After a minute’s silence, the Guardian finally spoke. “We will call for a Cruhad.”
Both the Spiritual Leader and Vladimir seemed unhappy at this.
“Lord Guardian, the risks involved in such a decision–” Vladimir started.
T
he Guardian’s ancient hand appeared to interrupt him. “The decision has been made. We will capture the boys. The time has come to unleash every soul in Sanctuary and show the world our might! No more will there be Outsiders tormenting us. For the last enemy that shall be destroyed is life!”
“The last enemy that shall be destroyed is life!” the Council echoed.
Most of the men around the table nodded and started to thump their fists in delight at the prospect, praising the fact that all their hard work will at last be revealed to the outside world.
36
Storm felt someone nudging him.
Of course…It must be Hadrian! he thought with a muffled mind.
He had completely forgotten about the Initiation ceremony! Suddenly his heart filled with dread.
They are going to sentence me to death in my absence!
He opened his eyes and lurched upright, but only found himself facing the now familiar dessert of the wasteland. The light once again blinded him momentarily and he instinctively raised his hands to protect his eyes.
“Morning, sunshine,” a raspy voice said and then Storm saw Jasper walking past him, kicking at Hadrian’s feet. “Wakey-wakey!” Jasper added.
Storm exhaled slowly and felt a wonderful feeling of joy that the previous day had not just been a vivid dream. He heard a groan and turned around to see Hadrian rising with a smile slowly spreading across his face. But it fell quickly when he realized where he was. Clearly he had just experienced the complete opposite sensation.
“Well, you two look like a monkey’s behind,” Jasper said, gazing at them in aversion.
Storm didn’t know what a monkey was or what its behind looked like, but it obviously couldn’t be pretty. He suspected their few hours of sleep were showing. He examined himself and noticed that he was covered in sand. Brushing it off, he saw something flashing before him. Startled, he tried to shove it away at first, but then he realized that Jasper was holding out some kind of a soft bar. It appeared edible and alongside it came the canteen of water.
“Well, come on, take it!” Jasper insisted, brandishing the items in front of Storm’s face, until he finally took the bar with one hand and the water with the other. Jasper rummaged through his bag and then moved to Hadrian, who immediately grabbed the food with a quick “Thank you”, afraid of antagonizing Jasper any further.
“After you’ve had your breakfast you need to help me clean up,” Jasper said, indicating their surroundings. “We have to reach the town of Brill today. It is situated on the crossroads and I know a friend who owns a tavern there. Perhaps he would be willing to take the prisoner off our hands.”
Storm was slightly upset at this. Taverns back in Sanctuary represented a miserable business.
“Not the ones you frequented back over the mountain,” Jasper added, noticing the look of dismay on Storm’s face. “This is a nice tavern, you’ll see.”
“Right,” Storm replied, frowning. He once again didn’t understand, but he had gathered by now that he should simply wait to find out what Jasper meant when he was planning something. Jasper wasn’t going to explain everything to him.
After they had devoured the delicious caramel-flavored bars, Storm and Hadrian began to bustle about, folding up blankets and throwing away rubbish in a bag while Jasper put out the fire. The water he poured over it created a sizzling sound, which made Storm swirl around to consider the fire’s remains.
Why did the Sanctuarians ban fire? he wondered.
It seemed so easy to make and to put out, and would certainly help a lot with the icy weather.
Is there a different kind of fire on that side of the mountain? Perhaps a fire that is actually dangerous?
The subject was something he didn’t know anything about and couldn’t for the life of him figure out, so he decided to drop it. He and Hadrian took the bags to Jenny and stacked it neatly on her saddle. Then they heard a grunt which made them whip around in alarm.
“It’s only Jamie,” Jasper told them.
Hadrian walked over to where Jamie was still tied against the tree trunk and slapped him across the face. This made Jamie sit upright and look around in bewilderment.
“Don’t do that,” Jasper warned, watching Hadrian’s grin.
Hadrian dropped his grin. His cheeks flushed and he appeared slightly annoyed at being reprimanded. Jasper approached Jamie and pulled back his hood to reveal his face.
“Aaagh!” Jamie exclaimed as the sunlight blinded him. He yanked his eyes shut and then desperately tried to hide behind the hood once more.
Storm noted with satisfaction that Jamie had not enjoyed his first night beyond the Mountain. His eyes had deep black circles around them and his lips were dry and crusted.
Jasper held up a canteen of water to Jamie, which he stared at through almost closed eyelids. Then he shook his head with a note of desperation, as if begging Jasper to stop tempting him.
Jasper sighed. “Very well,” he said and pulled the hood over Jamie’s head again. He untied him from the tree and then loosened the ropes around his ankles slightly, allowing Jamie to walk in a shuffle. Finally, he tied the prisoner’s hands to Jenny’s saddle, so that he simply had to follow them. Jamie fought mildly but he was clearly too weak to do anything about his situation. Jasper scanned the now deserted camp spot for any leftovers and once he was satisfied, he slapped Jenny on the back and they were on the road again, still heading north.
The scenery appeared pretty much the same as when they had left the Mountain the previous day. Nothing could be seen except the shifting sand, now and again being scooped around by the warm breeze. Storm had to admit that he was slightly disappointed. He had expected much more excitement on this side of the Mountain, but perhaps the calmness was a good thing.
The sun was now beginning to climb sharply in the east and Storm could feel it starting to burn his face already. It was going to be another scorcher. He now understood why Jasper chose to wear headgear that protected most of his face. Storm and Hadrian tried in vain to protect their already burnt faces from the sun by using their hands as shields. This time Jasper noticed their plight and tossed a few wet rags to them, so that they could cover their heads with it.
Jasper had warned them not to talk about Sanctuary if they wanted to blend in and as they travelled, he taught and corrected them on how to use the correct pronouns, forcing them to drop the “Us” and “We”.
***
At long last they saw a few flat-roofed houses appearing before them on a crossroad.
Brill was situated on a hill, and on the highest point of the mound stood a magnificent building. As they eventually entered the town, Storm could see a sign that read “Welcome to Brill”. Apparently they still spoke the same language as the Sanctuarians.
Other than Jasper, this was the first time Storm saw people outside of Sanctuary and they looked perfectly normal to him. He had expected crazed and impoverished human beings, but he couldn’t deny that these people were doing a lot better than the Sanctuarians.
The animals (cows and horses and a range of others he’d never seen before) were better cared for and the citizens wore more astute clothes. Storm was also struck by the diversity of both color and options. In Sanctuary everyone wore a certain array of the same type of clothes but here it was almost the complete opposite. The same went for the houses, which were all of different shapes and sizes.
People smiled at them as they went past and some walked over to the fences of their houses.
“Greetings, Jasper. Have a place to stay for the night?” one particular man said, tapping the side of his fence.
“Thanks for the offer, Gert,” Jasper replied, “but we will be staying at the tavern tonight.”
Gert nodded. “Send my greetings to Dan then.”
A couple of small boys suddenly appeared in front of them. “Hey, Jasper! Hey, Jasper!” one of them shouted. “Who did you kill today?”
“Nobody,” Jasper replied, half smiling. He rubbed the boy’s h
ead.
“Ah, no, man!” came the disappointed reply.
“What have you rascals been up to?” Jasper asked, motioning for the party to continue walking. “Dan will have your hides again for that drink,” he added as he saw that one of the boys was carrying an alcoholic beverage in his hand.
The boys ran in circles around them, but stopped at the mention of the drink. “We did nothing,” one of them said. “We are allowed to drink juice in Brill.”
Jasper rolled his eyes. “Yeah, right. If that is juice, then I am a Jogisort.”
They ran away laughing and chanting: “Jasper is a Jogisort! Jasper is a Jogisort!”
Jasper ignored them and continued on.
Within four minutes they stopped in front of the Tavern. The place was fenced off and a beautiful green lawn led up to a double-storey building. There was a signboard announcing THE BLUE DRAGON – with a matching figurine underneath it – hanging above the blue-painted door.
“Are you guys ready to meet Brill?” Jasper asked, glancing at each one of them in turn. Before anyone could provide an answer, he opened the gate and walked inside the perimeter.
They continued on a paved path to the tavern building.
“Can I take your horse?” a voice suddenly said.
Storm’s stomach made a backflip and Hadrian let out a small squeak. A man had sneaked up to them, unintentionally, and was now startled that he had frightened them. “Sorry,” he said, running a hand through his brush cut blond hair and clenching his square jaw.
“Sure. Thanks.” Jasper said, handing him a few gold coins. This made Storm and Hadrian gasp in perplexity. They would never be allowed to have gold on them in Sanctuary.