by Richard Wood
As he passes the first hut, a friendly smile covers is face. Finally he can relax. All he needs to do now is find the village Elders and explain who he is, and why he’s on this journey. They will do their best to help him all they can. As he walks through the village, the villagers are all oddly quiet and very disconnected. They pass him but no one responds to his presence at all. Then from some were from behind him, Jesse here’s a familiar gravelly voice, “I have you now Jesse, son of Eli!” Jesse closes his eyes as a cold shiver runs the full length of his body. His heart shutters as he realizes, it’s Quygon. The Secret Guardians are nowhere to be found. It’s been years since he’s heard him, but Quygon’s voice and spirit is totally unmistakable. Slowly Jesse turns to see the lord of darkness. There are a few villagers moving around but none of them are looking his way. Nervously, Jesse continues toward the center of the village. There is sure to be at least one Elder there but as he reaches the square, it is empty. Slowly villagers begin to emerge from their huts and soon Jesse is surrounded by a village full of onlookers. Someone shouts out, “The killer of Eli from Payne, attack!” Suddenly villagers rush forward bursting violent screams of anger. A huge man reaches Jesse and swings a thick limb into his stomach. Jesse drops his pack and staff and grabs his stomach. As he falls to the ground, a torrent of kicks and punches cover his body. The next thing Jesse remembers, he wakes up in what must be a cave. It’s pitch black, cold, damp, and full of mildew. It would’ve been a scary place to wake up for someone who is in good condition, but for a man whose every bone aches and who has open wounds, it was frightening. He slowly reaches up to his face. It’s swollen and oozing and one eye is completely closed. His hair is pasty and sticky, obviously covered in blood and beginning to dry. He tries to stand but pain makes it impossible so he decides to take a relaxed position. As he lays there in the darkness on cold, damp stone, he remembers the words shouted by village elder, “The killer of Eli from Payne!” Tears pour down Jesse’s face. He shouts out in the darkness, “I didn’t kill my father!” It echoes throughout the dark chambers. Deep groans of bitterness pour from Jesse and bounce back from the walls. The pain in his body is nothing compared to the break in his heart. He beats on his chest, trying somehow to make his broken heart stop feeling but he only hurts his already aching bones. For the first time in his life, Jesse is totally alone. Elamor is gone, he’ll never see his father again, and he can’t recall the scent of lavender that always flowed from his mother. Now he’s falsely accused of killing his own father. As he lays there agonizing on the rocks, he falls into a bitter sleep, hoping to never wake again.
Time in the darkness passes and Jesse wakes with a jerk. His prison has lost none of its dreary bitterness but a muffled sound is heard in the distance. Although he can’t tell which direction it’s coming from, it is definitely a Terra-Covian. Soon, there is the sound of moving stones and a tiny beam of light pierces the darkness, then another beam hits Jesse in the face. Jesse screams out as searing pain bursts into his skull. He covers his face with his hands and listens as the voices get louder and clearer as the stones continue to be removed. Minutes pass and people grab his hands and force them to his sides. He is yanked into a standing position and a cloth bag is forced over his head. He is pushed forward. Even though his legs are still very sore from the village beating and the bitter cold, he manages to walk without help. As he leaves the cave, he is pushed into a screaming crowd. They shout violently, slapping and punching him as he passes. Jesse feels the thrust of a large object against his back and he falls to his knees. The crowd takes advantage of his weakened fall and punches him violently. Jesse rises back to his feet, his mouth is full of the taste of blood. As he spits the red mass from his lips, someone shouts, “It’s time for you die now!” Jesse’s faced turns toward the sound of the shout and screams, “Die? Why are you people doing this to me? Eli was my father, I’m his son Jesse”. But the crowd continues their attack. Walking for a distance, Jesse hears a door slam behind him and the shouts of the crowd are reduced to a mass of muffled hum. From directly in front of him he hears a deep, raspy voice, “Keep your mouth shut! When this is all over, I’ll kill you quickly and painlessly. Start trouble and I’ll kill you slowly and make the villagers outside very happy”.
With his head still covered, Jesse hears a voice in the distance saying, “Ok everyone quiet down. Someone tell me who this is and why he deserves death”. Another voice is heard shouting, “He killed the blacksmith of Payne, the Elder Eli!” Instantly dread filled the air as the voice toward the front said, “What? This is the man who killed Eli?” As Jesse stood there, the full weight of hopelessness hit him like a thunderous bolt from the stars. For the first time in his life, Jesse realizes that for him life is going to have a bitter end. As he stands there, he thinks only about his mother. How can she possibly live with his death? She will fade away into her lost world forever and die of heartache and despair.
Again the voice at a distance speaks, “I know Eli of Payne. If this man killed them, I will order his death and the death of his whole family. Bring him forward”. Jesse’s shirt is yanked and he is led forward about twenty steps. Again the voice speaks, “Ok, let’s see what the killer of Eli looks like”. As the cloth bag is yanked from his head, Jesse’s eyes are again pierced by the light. He clenches them tightly. “Ok”, the voice says, “Who do we have as a witness to the murder of Eli, the blacksmith of Payne?” Jesse hears a voice from the crowd shout, “Me magistrate! I saw the killing. I was across the street when it happened. This man killed Eli, I saw it”. “Come forward”, the magistrate orders. As the man walks forward, he points over to Jesse and shouts, “That’s him, he’s the one I saw kill the blacksmith!” Jesse drops his head and tears begin to fall from his eyes. His knees grow weak, his mind becomes blurred. He almost falls but catches himself. The last time he blacked out, his family was brutalized. He will never let that happen again.
As the witness stand before the magistrate, he is asked, “And what were you doing in the village of Payne the day Eli was killed?” The witness answers back, “I’m a cobbler, sir. I was there to do repairs for some of the villagers”. The magistrate says, “And what did you see?” The man replies, “That man over there took an axe and took off the head of the blacksmith then started after his mother but I stopped him”. “Wait a minute”, the magistrate shouted, “Did you say he went after his mother?” “Yes sir”, the witness replied. The magistrate raised from his chair and walked around the table and made his way over to Jesse and forced one of his eyes open. The magistrate lowered his head and whispered, “Hazel-green”. In a compassionate voice the magistrate asked, “What is your name?” Jesse says calmly, “I am Jesse, the son of Eli and Shaira of Payne”. The magistrate asked Jesse, “Who killed the jaw less Ancient of Duesburg?” Jesse answers cautiously, “One of his choir sir”. The magistrate puts his hand on Jesse’s shoulder and asks, “How is Pala and your mother?” Jesse slowly opens his eyes, as his vision clears, he sees standing in front of him his friend, the Emissary. They are both speechless.
A few seconds pass and the Emissary spins around, points at the witness and shouts, “Get that man!” Two confused village Elders order their people to obey the magistrate. Two men run toward the witness, one wraps his arms around the man and the other puts his cloth bag over his head. The magistrate orders the village Elders to his table. They speak quietly amongst themselves. The group breaks and the Elders filter into the crowd and begin to give orders. One by one, villagers leave the room. A comfortable chair is brought to Jesse. As he sits down, ladies from the village begin washing the blood and dirt from his skin. Food is brought to him as well as cups of hot tea. The ladies of the village slowly begin to feed Jesse fresh warm bread, roasted goat, and ripe fruit. After this, oil is applied to his wounds and new clothes are laid in his lap. The witness is stood before the magistrate table for questioning.
The Emissary grabs a chair and sits face to face with Jesse. After washing him, Jesse’s body sho
ws many open wounds, deep bruises, and welts. The Emissary looks at him and does his very best to subdue his vicious anger toward the people of Dreadston. Putting his hand on Jesse’s shoulder, he begins to speak, “I am so sorry about your father. He was one of the best man I ever knew. Your father did a lot of good things for these people. Most of them still owe him for the work he did but he never requested payment. When the people thought they had the killer of Eli, well, they did what they thought was right. But they all should be very ashamed of what they have done to you. I’m sure the witness here, is trying to get a reward but I’ll find out for sure later”. Jesse nods his head agreeably then responds to the Emissary, “The villagers aren’t the real problem sir. It’s Quygon, the dark lord. Just before I was attacked, he spoke to me. He’s probably still here”. The Emissary turns and scans the crowd but sees nothing unusual. He knows that Quygon is an expert at being the unseen. Quygon could be standing right in front of you and you wouldn’t know it.
The Emissary shouts to a local villagers standing by the exit, “Hey you, go get my son Valcor. He’s watching guard over my horse and wagon”. Turning back to Jesse he says, “I’m going to have my son Valcor watch over you. He is very trustworthy and a powerful man. If anyone can keep you safe, it will be Valcor. He’s as strong as a full grown bull but smarter than a fox”. The Emissary walks back to his table and begins questioning the witness. Soon, the door opens again and the villager returns. “I found your son”, he shouted. After entering the building, the lights suddenly became dim. The Emissary’s son Valcor is so powerfully built that as he enters the doorway, his huge body blocks the outside light from entering the room. As he passes the threshold, the light once again shines in. Valcor walks over to his father and begins to speak, “His body shows a powerful frame but his heart shows a powerful peace. The kind of man who could easily impose his will on others but too respectful to do so”. The Emissary points toward Jesse and begins to speak to Valcor privately. Valcor listens closely as he nods his head. Several times as his father spoke, Valcor would get a surprised look on his face then glance over to Jesse. When the Emissary finished talking to Valcor, he returned to the witness and Valcor starts toward Jesse. When Valcor reaches Jesse, he extends his hand with a smile and says, “Hello, my name is Valcor. The magistrate is my father”. Jesse reaches out to shake Valcor’s hand and sees that it is as solid as bedrock and his skin is as rough as a dry land lizard. Smiling Jesse replies, “Your father just saved my life”. Valcor giggles slightly and says with a smile, “Yeah, my father seems to end up and all the right places. My father told me about all the things that have happened to you here and has asked me to watch over you. As long as I am around, I will do all I can to keep you safe. I promise sir”. “Thank you”, Jesse replies as he continues to eat. “Please sit Valcor, help yourself to the food and tea”. “No, thank you”, Valcor replied, “I need to just stand here and watch the crowd, just in case for some reason these people rise against you again”. Jesse looks up at the large frame of Valcor and says, “You’re as good a man as your father!”
After speaking for a while with the witness and the Elders, the Emissary returns and again sits down next to Jesse. “Jesse”, he says, “It’s going to be awhile before you’re able to travel again. I have made arrangements for Valcor and me to stay in the village. As long as you’re recovering, you will stay with us under louder protection. As long as you are in this village, these people have agreed to give you food, warmth, and shelter. I can promise you, Jesse, this village will always be a resting place for you as they are all very sorry for what they have done. That evening, as the sun set, the three were escorted to the village guest house. There was a fire in the middle and food sitting next to it. They were all given fur lined bed mats and spiced tea to help them sleep.
After a week passed, Jesse’s sores and begin to heal. His joints and muscles began to loosen and relax and his strength started to return. On his morning stroll, he would walk through the village and into the dry lands. During one walk through the silence of the sand and sun, he began to relive the confused events of his father’s death. “Who was the killer? Why was his mother covered in his blood? And what is my punishment for not protecting them?” All of the sudden, a revelation struck him. The Emissary is a man of wisdom and reason. If a man like the Emissary knows he didn’t kill his father, then that must be the truth. Jesse whispers to himself, “I didn’t kill my father”. His own heart assures him that it’s true. He speaks it a little louder, “I didn’t kill my father”. Then a little louder, “I didn’t kill my father!” Suddenly a rush of confidence flows over him and the sick feeling of guilt is instantly washed away. For the first time since his father’s murder, Jesse feels like a son again. Innocent of harm to either his father or his mother. Jesse smiles, then giggles a bit. What happened to him in this village has left him scarred but if the reward of that pain was the revelation that he is guilt free, then the pain and scars are well worth it. Peace of mind is the reward of the innocent. From this point on, accusations may come but none of them will ever succeed in destroying him.
After entering the village guest house, Jesse sees Valcor and his father talking. He walks over to the table and pulls up a chair next to them. The Emissary looks over to Jesse and says, “I’ve been talking to my son about you and your family. I have told him stories about all of you for years now. He might even know you better than your own villagers do. Let me tell you a little about Valcor. I always knew he would be a leader of people so I used my position to get him a job as a mine officer. He ran the King’s western copper mine. I knew the position would build his physical strength and teach him commitment and leadership skills. I believe the time has come for Valcor to take his place in this world. I know Jesse, that you have destiny. Valcor understands your greatness as well. I have left the choice up to him, but I’ve asked him to follow you on your journey and then continue with you from that point on. He has chosen the right thing, my son Valcor we’ll go with you on your journey and be with you from then on no matter what your challenges may be. I knew my son would someday be connected to great promise”. Jesse is amazed at the gesture of faith the Emissary has put in him. Willing to offer the services of his own son, knowing very well that Jesse is in constant danger of death from Quygon and the Horde. But Jesse’s mind is on the safety of his family. His mother may have the protection of Pala and the village, but if Quygon were to attack with the Horde, the whole village could be trampled in minutes.
Jesse looks at the mighty Valcor and then over to his father and says, “I thank you my friends, but my concern is for my mother. I will be Ok. Like you said yourself, I have destiny but my mother has only Pala. I am Ok. I can’t explain why the Secret Guardians have allowed these attacks to happen to me or why my family has been treated so brutally. I can’t explain or understand any of it. But I know that I will make it to my father’s family, reports his death, and make it back to my own village. This I know for sure. As for Valcor, I welcome him wholly into our family. He has proved himself to be a good man. Having him and my side is going to make our group so much stronger. He is going to be my right hand but right now I need him with my mother to watch over and protect her”.
The Emissary smiles and shakes his head, “So be it”, he says. Patting the tabletop with the palms of his hands, “When you start back on your journey, I’ll take Valcor to your village to watch over your mother Shaira”. Valcor smiles and stretches out his hand to shake with Jesse’s. He shakes gently as he remembers the soreness of Jesse’s body. “Thank you Jesse”, he says, “Thank you for trusting me to take care of your mother. I will not let you down”. Jesse smiles back and says, “I’m sure of that”.
A week later, Jesse is still a little sore but ready to continue his journey. Some of the local villagers want to accompany him but he refuses, knowing they would be more work to protect than the help he would receive from them. Valcor and his father said their goodbyes and headed toward Jesse’s village of Pa
yne. Jesse took his pack and staff and left the village of Dreadston for his father’s original village of Genisville.
As Jesse walks the dry lands, his mind goes back to the vicious death of his father and the image of his mother standing there motionless, covered in his father’s blood. He will never again feel guilt or shame for the events of that day but the pain is still rooted deep into every piece of his life. To see his mother, days after her husband’s death, still sitting motionless staring out at nothing makes him feel hopeless. He has always been able to do for his family but there’s no way to get into his mother’s world. None of his past experiences prepared him for what his wonderful mother was dealing with now. Women of the village were taking turns feeding her, sometimes she would make a sound but they were always meaningless groans. As Jesse’s anger burned and his frustration increased, he found himself walking directionless through the dry lands.