by Jeff Gunzel
With her whole body quivering, trembling fingers pulled off her mask. It fluttered down, clacking against the stone below. Tenderly, she touched the newly exposed skin on that side of her face. Red, rough and scaly, it bubbled up in time, pulsing along with the beating red walls. She was scarred with “the mark,” evidence which proved she was one of the chosen. For years her life had been forfeit in servitude to the darkness. Her body, her essence, her very soul belonged to him.
Floating in ecstasy, it never occurred to her what price she had truly paid, what it meant to give up everything that made one human. For now, it was the farthest thing from her mind.
* * *
Off the beaten path, the two rode on in silence while their horses worked their way through the dense brush. Every now and then, shaken leaves would dump their moisture down on Jacob and Kelus, showering them with dew. Neither complained; the sprinkling of water felt good after pushing through the muggy, tropic-like environment. The further they traveled the denser the brush seemed to become. Kelus led the way, guiding his horse as it mashed down the wild shrubbery, following a completely overgrown path. When was the last time a living soul had come this way?
“Still interested in a map?” said Kelus back over his shoulder. “It would have done you no good, my boy. With no intimate knowledge of this wild terrain, you would have been lost in a day.”
“I think we’re already lost,” he said, pushing back against a branch before it swiped his face. Several had whacked him already and he had the marks to prove it.
Kelus chuckled to himself as he bent back another low-hanging branch. “No, we’re not lost. In fact, I’m rather familiar with this area. I used to play down by that creek when I was a child.” He pointed to a small stream off to the north. Hearing Jacob laugh, he glanced back over his shoulder. “Why are you laughing, boy? Is it really that hard to believe? I promise you, I was indeed a child at one point in my life. Although I admit, that was a very long time ago.”
Jacob buried his face in his arm, trying to stifle a second fit of chuckling. “I’m sorry, Kelus,” he spit out through broken laughter. “I guess it’s just that I haven’t know you that long. The way you are now is the only light I can see you in. The stern, determined leader of the Takeri Clan. I know that you must have a thousand stories that lead up to the man you are today, but when I look at you, I just don’t see the innocence of a child playing by a creek. It’s just hard to imagine. Please, don’t take any offense.”
“None taken, my boy,” Kelus said, still gazing forward as they rode. “I suppose the same could be said about you.” He paused a while before speaking again. “Did you always know your childhood friend as the Gate Keeper?” Stunned by the blunt comment, Jacob brought his horse to a halt. Kelus stopped as well, spinning in his saddle and turning to face him. “Was Jade always the Guardian? Did you ever believe you might fall in love with a cursed girl, only to have cruel fate snatch her from your arms? Did you ever believe you might someday partake in a quest that might very well claim your life?”
“Of course not,” Jacob replied hoarsely, his voice barely a whisper. “I never dreamed any of those things were possible, yet alone that they might happen to me.”
“And yet here you are, attempting to do the impossible for a cause not of your own.” Kelus raised an eyebrow, a lopsided smirk turning up the corner of his mouth. “Not exactly the future you envisioned two years ago, is it?”
He spun back, and with a snap of the reins his horse plodded onward. “Sometimes we choose our paths, other times they are chosen for us. You either meet that challenge head-on, or shy away before letting it consume you. In the end it makes no difference whether the challenge was fair or not. The sooner you understand that, the sooner you will find the strength required to face your demons.”
Although Kelus wasn’t looking, Jacob nodded in silent agreement. None of them had chosen any of this, yet here he was risking his own neck for what felt like the hundredth time. How had it come to this? It seemed like just yesterday he and Eric were young boys playing in the streets of Bryer. Their biggest fear in life was getting caught putting frogs down the backs of girls' dresses, or eating sweets before dinner. Was that yesterday? A year ago?
No, that was a lifetime ago. Neither he, nor Eric, nor Jade recognized the world they lived in now. Their own lives had become foreign and strange. Even now when Jacob looked in a mirror, he didn’t recognize the man staring back. Did it even matter anymore? Could the coming darkness really prove to be worse than this foreign life filled with blood and murder?
Kelus stopped, his horse snorting and prancing sideways restlessly. Jacob ripped his staff from his back, twirled it once then held it across his body while doing a visual sweep of the area. Nothing seemed out of place, yet his horse too began nodding nervously.
“What is it?” Jacob whispered, eyes darting about.
Kelus sighed, slowly raising his hands in the air. “Drop your weapon, boy,” he said. “We’ve found what we’re looking for.” With unnerving silence, the outlines of men emerged from the surrounding brush, each holding a bow with an arrow notched. How could they have been surrounded by that many men and be completely unaware of their presence? “Or should I say...they’ve found us,” he corrected.
Jacob dropped his staff behind him and raised his hands. One of the men stepped forward, tall with long red hair and a neatly trimmed beard and mustache. Like the others, he was camouflaged in green from head to toe. Surely, this must be some sort of scouting party. “I’m afraid you men must be lost,” he said in a deep, confident voice. “It would be advisable for you both to turn around and go back the way you came.”
“No, I don’t think we’ll be going anywhere,” Jacob snapped, keeping his hands in the air while holding the man’s gaze. The man’s eyes narrowed, fingering the hilt of his sword unconsciously. There came the subtle creaking of bowstrings tightening, arrows rearing back.
Alarmed, Kelus spoke up immediately. “Stop this at once! I am the leader of the Takeri Cla—”
“We know who you are, Kelus,” the man said, still keeping his dangerous glare fixed on Jacob. “Our scouts reported your approach two hours ago. If we wanted you dead, you would be. Your rank is the only reason we allowed you to get this close. Besides, we only kill for gold, and as far as we know there is no contract out on either of your heads. Bad for business.”
“Very well then,” said Kelus, sitting tall on his mount. Truly, the man didn’t look any different whether seated amongst friends, or surrounded by the famed killers. Jacob saw for the first time how unshakable Kelus really was. “I’ve no doubt you could slaughter us in the blink of an eye if you wanted to. I trust your scouts have already informed you that the two of us are here alone? We pose no threat. We’ve come to speak with the Tryad leader.” Laughter surrounded them, bows lowering to the ground.
“Well then, Kelus” said the man, hands on his hips in a relaxed pose. “You’re a man of the world and I’m sure you already know how this works. Leave your donation of gold here, then you’re free to leave. You will be contacted within the next three months. Even if we don’t take the assignment, the donation stays with the Tryads. However, if we do agree to the task, a contract will be written, signed and sealed. Whoever you want dead...will be dead. Now drop your gold and go.”
“Well, I’m afraid we have no gold for you, and we certainly don’t have three months to wait. I must insist that you take us to your superior right now, or suffer the consequences,” Jacob hissed, slowly lowering his hands. “We offer you the largest contract of your lives, and we have no time for stalling.”
With a deep scowl, the man reached to his back and slipped his bow around to his front, an arrow notched and ready. The movement was so quick and smooth it seemed as if the bow emerged right from his own body. “No gold? Perhaps you two should have thought of that before,” he said, his arrow locked right on Jacob’s chest. Again, tightening bow strings creaked all around them. “Go. Or you will suf
fer the consequences. This is your last warning, I won’t say it again.”
“We’re not leaving, so do what you must,” said Jacob, his whole body tensing. “But now I’m warning you,” he thumped his own chest with an open hand, “hesitate or miss your mark, and it shall mean your life.”
“No! Wait!” Kelus shouted. But it was too late to stop it now. What followed was an explosion of movement, yet seemed to happen in slow motion as he looked on helplessly.
Jacob rolled back off his horse as the man let loose, the arrow sliding up his front, ripping his shirt and leaving a shallow cut up his chest. Completing his backward roll, Jacob landed on all fours right on top of his abandoned staff. He sprung to his feet and surged forward, weapon in hand as it whipped around him in circles. Arrows already in flight exploded into a shower of splinters, each intercepted by his twirling weapon.
Thirty feet away. His feet smashed into the ground as he sprinted towards the man, murder in his eyes.
Twenty feet away. The man let loose a second arrow. It shattered against Jacob’s whirling staff, practically disintegrating into dust.
Ten feet away. Shafts deflected off his twirling staff from all directions. A few got through his whirling defense, whizzing past his ears. Still, he never hesitated. Never slowed...
Five feet away. The man’s eyes went wide with shock. How could anyone have gotten through that onslaught of arrows? No one ever bested a Tryad, yet alone dozens at once. Suddenly, he knew he was going to die.
Knee, knee, groin...Jacob’s staff cracked its targets with pinpoint accuracy, sending the man crumpling forward, but he never hit the ground. Dropping his staff, Jacob grabbed the falling man by the hair, tilting his head back and whirling towards the other Tryads. A flash of silver appeared in Jacob’s hand, then pressed up against the man’s neck.
“Take another step towards me and he dies!” Jacob shouted, twisting about so his prisoner stayed in harm’s way. If anyone fired, they were more likely to hit the wrong man. “I didn’t want it to come to this, but you gave me no choice. You will listen to what I have to say and you will take us to the man in charge.” Shocked at what had just transpired, the men looked at each other in awe. Did that really happen? How had they found themselves at a disadvantage so quickly?
“Leave them to me! I will take them in,” came a call from the back. There was a rustling as men moved aside to let him through. “On my honor, I will take full responsibility for them.”
When the man came into view, Jacob almost dropped his dagger. “It’s you...” said Jacob, so softly only his prisoner could have heard him. A memory flashed through his mind. That face, buried up to his neck in sand and covered with ants. It was the very man Eric insisted be given a chance to live. Despite his failed attempt to kill Eric, he must have been allowed to return to the Tryads.
He marched up to Jacob, then with a single finger gently pushed the blade downward away from his friend’s neck. “I will take you both to see Rheldon. But if I do this, my debt to the Gate Keeper is paid. Do we have an understanding?” The man held out his hand.
Jacob looked at his face covered with divots and scars from the biting ants. How horrible that must have been. Never again would this man go a day without a reminder of the torture suffered at the hands of the Takeri Clan. After a moment Jacob took the offered hand and they shook.
“Very well. Consider your debt paid.”
Chapter 9
Blindfolded, each with their hands bound behind their backs, Jacob and Kelus were led away. Hearing the clopping of their horses nearby, at least they knew their mounts were being brought along as well. Despite being vulnerable, neither of them was particularly concerned about a knife in the back or being led into an ambush. That wasn’t the Tryads’ way. They were professional assassins, not cutthroats with no honor. Besides, senseless killing provided no coin. At its heart, their organization really was just another business.
Driven by curiosity, they had agreed to let these two speak with Rheldon. Were these stories true? When their comrade had returned with tales of this Shantie Rhoe, they were all but certain he had gone mad. But through silent investigations and testimony from a number of anonymous witnesses, the story checked out. This would be a rare opportunity to speak with men who had been intimately involved that fateful day.
Of course, if they were actually going to bring these two back with them, the blindfolds were an absolute necessity. The Tryads were anything but careless, and despite Kelus’s rank, no amount of risk was deemed acceptable.
“Why would you do something like that?” Kelus hissed under his breath, stumbling about while being guided by a rope. He knew Jacob was right in front of him and could hear his every word. “You really do have a death wish, don’t you? You could have been killed.” Jacob shrugged to himself, even though he knew Kelus couldn’t see him. “Please don’t tell me that display of madness was your plan all along.”
“My plan was to do whatever was necessary, no matter the cost,” he replied. “No, it was not my plan, but I found myself in a position where I was forced to improvise.”
“By all rights it’s a miracle you even survived that encounter,” Kelus said, a bit louder than intended.
“I had no choice,” Jacob retorted, his voice emotionless. “Their minds were already made up, and I needed to do something that would change them. Violence seemed to be the one constant they could relate to, so I obliged.” He paused a moment. “Besides, had they killed me, I would have gone to my grave knowing I did everything I could to aid the cause. Tell me, Kelus, can you say the same?”
Kelus missed a step, stumbling to the side before regaining his balance. Was Jacob’s hinted accusation correct? They both knew the dangers of dealing with this notorious group, yet vowed to see it through anyway. Jacob may have risked his neck, but at least he had been thinking on his feet. He showed no fear in his commitment and was indeed willing to die if necessary. Had Kelus been too conservative in his judgment? In his heart, had he truly been as committed as he thought?
“It doesn’t matter anyway,” Jacob said, seeming to read Kelus’s silent thoughts. “The only goal here was to make them listen, and we’ve done that. I just need to know that you’ve still got my back, no matter what happens next. Nothing’s changed, and my resolve is no different than before. This Rheldon will listen to what I have to say. If he’s still not convinced, he will hear me again, and again, until he decides that I must be silenced.”
“You’re going up, watch your steps,” came a voice from the back, interrupting their talk. Titling their heads back, they were just barely able to see underneath the blindfolds. Sure enough, they were approaching a set of steps, white stone covered with cracks and divots. They carefully ascended up the steps and stopped at the top.
They heard the sound of a wooden bolt being lifted from its latches, followed by the slow creak of a very large door opening. In they went, guided along through various rooms, yet all they could see was the hardwood floor beneath their feet. With a firm tug on the rope they came to a halt. In this room they could smell the sweet scent of flowers in the air.
“Remove their blindfolds,” came a soft voice from the front. With a quick jerk the cloths came free, leaving them with blurred vision for the moment. But a bit of rubbing and blinking revealed a sight they had not expected.
Sunk deep in a large plush chair with soft blue cushions and golden tassels ringed around the seat and back was a slender man with long golden hair, a single tight braid hanging down from the side of each temple. Soft light blue eyes, accentuated by bordering dark lines of makeup, gazed up thoughtfully. He wore a white flower in the left side of his hair. With thin red lips and high cheekbones, this was the prettiest man either of them had ever seen. Gorgeous even...if a man could be described in such a way. This was Rheldon?
He leaned up from his deep chair then rose to his feet. Extremely tall, he towered over both Kelus and Jacob. Leaning over a large oak desk, his long, flowing white garments
hung loosely around his wiry, yet rock-hard frame. Long sleeves dragged across the top of the desk as he offered his hand.
“My name is Rheldon, commander of the Tryads,” he said in a most gentle tone. “I welcome you both.”
Jacob grasped the offered hand. Judging by that beautiful face, his grip should have been spongy, his skin soft as silk. But it was neither. His warrior’s grip was an iron vise with calloused skin that felt like gravel. Immediately realizing their strength difference, a mild panic welled up in Jacob. By the gods, this man could throw me right through the wall if he so desired. Rheldon smiled, a warm, fatherly grin that displayed a perfect set of polished white teeth.
Confused by this man’s conflicting physical traits, Jacob released his hand and looked away. A man should not be this pretty, Jacob thought to himself.
“Gentlemen, please have a seat,” said Rheldon, sinking back into his deep, plush chair. “We can talk business here in my office if it suits you.” Not seeing much choice, Jacob and Kelus exchanged glances then each pulled up a chair.
The door swung open and in walked a man wearing a dark blue outfit, pushing a covered cart on wheels. He snapped up the white cloth, revealing a display of sweets, both top and bottom compartments full. “Frosted cakes, cookies, and an assortment of brightly colored puddings. Thank you, Kang,” said Rheldon, in that far too feminine voice. The servant nodded, then left the room. “Please, help yourselves,” said Rheldon, gesturing towards the colorful cart.
Speechless, Jacob just shook his head in disbelief. He’s polite, offers us pastries as if were old friends, and calls his servants by their first name! Jacob gazed around the room in awe. No, not what I envisioned at all. Everywhere he looked there were vases filled with white and yellow flowers. Even portraits of flowers hung from every wall.
“That’s very generous of you,” said Kelus, glancing over at the cart. “But that’s not why we’re here.”
“Of course it’s not,” Rheldon interrupted, his soft eyes suddenly turning hard. “The two of you have tracked through dangerous terrain to get here, defied my men when they presented terms, and all for some insane cause that may or may not be real.” Despite his feminine features and soft voice, there was an undeniable air of command that surrounded Rheldon, the unmistakable confidence of a man who knew he had the final say.