Miri pursed her lips. “Let me suggest this. Give Rion the oath of sanctuary, and I will protect him. We can use the black algae to darken his hair and alter the rest of his appearance. We can also hide him if more of the Magi do come.”
“Have you not been listening, Miri?” Oro said. “Many of the people here do not want the boy. If we are to defend him, then we might all as well go to the tombs right now.”
Zedne was appalled. “So what are your plans then? You wish to murder the boy?”
“The child must be put down, or he is to be given back to the citadel,” Brar said. “We must abide by our ancient treaties. We live in precarious times. What the gods have given us, they can easily take away. We have to do what we can in order to ensure the continued existence of this tribe, or we will go by the way of the others that have been lost in the dust.”
“I cannot believe I am hearing this,” Devos said. “He is a boy, and he was subjected to untold horrors that the Magi inflicted upon him. We cannot send him back to them!”
Miri looked into the eyes of the other elders. She didn’t even need to use her mindsense to know what they were thinking. She stood up. “If this is the wish of the tribe, then I will do my duty. I will be the one to bring Rion back to the citadel.”
Brar conferred with the others, then he looked up at her and nodded. “You must take the boy and leave at first light by morrow.”
The pain in Miri’s arm had settled into a dull, but constant ache while she walked towards the healer’s house. Devos and Zedne were by her side. All three remained silent until they entered the main room. Rion was sitting near the unused firepit as he was playing a game of rocks with Nyx. Jinn sat by the doorway rubbing his bone spear and he instantly stood up as soon as Miri stepped inside. Nyx and the boy looked up at them.
Miri looked at the youth. “You may go, Jinn.”
Jinn nodded and opened the entrance flap once more. “I will see you later, Nyx,” he said before exiting the hut.
Zedne smiled as she crouched down beside the boy. “Do the bruises on your arms and legs still hurt?”
Rion smiled and shook his head. “Not anymore, healer, thanks.”
Zedne helped the boy up. “You may go ahead and play outside, Rion. I shall prepare something for us to eat.”
As the boy happily ran towards the exit, Miri glanced over to Nyx. “Stay by his side at all times.”
Nyx nodded as she got up and followed Rion outside. She wanted desperately to know what had occurred during the assembly, but she felt that it was better to speak about it later.
The three of them sat by the fire pit as Zedne took out some dried manure from a leather sack and used some flint to ignite it. The healer then placed two pots near the glowing flames while a pungent smell from the burning wafted through the air.
Devos looked at the protector, but Miri’s face was a mask of stone. “Surely you do not intend to deliver the boy back to those beasts in that accursed citadel.”
Miri stared into the fire for a long minute before she answered. “No, I do not. I am merely thinking of the consequences when my decision is known to all.”
Zedne said nothing while she continued to stroke the fire. Her own mindsense was communicating mentally with Miri and she already knew what the protector’s intentions were. The hard choices that would now be made saddened her greatly, for she knew that this was the last time she would be with the daughter that she considered as her own. Her lips trembled a little bit as she silently kept her emotions in check.
Devos could tell that the two women were communicating telepathically. “If there is any way I could help you,” he said to Miri. “Just say the word.”
Miri looked back at him. “There is. Can you tell me about the stories of the lands beyond the Great Silt Sea?”
Devos let out a deep breath while trying to recall some of the more obscure tales he had committed to memory. “Let me see. Ah, you have to realize that it has been ages since I have been required to recall these stories. Most of them are but legends now, for no one has travelled across the Silt Sea for hundreds of cycles.”
“I remember some of the stories told to me when I was but a child. The most vivid that I can recall was the tale of the last great city,” Miri said.
“Yes, the tales of Lethe, the city of sanctuary,” Devos said. “It is said that all men who seek true refuge must face a long journey of temptation across the Great Silt Sea. The spires of Lethe are said to be so tall, they reach up into the sky, and if one walks up the steps for days and days, then they may reach out and touch the burning sun above us.”
“Did the tales give any specific directions on where this city was?” Miri asked.
“There was one tale that I distinctly remember that tells of a Magus who had fought the Gorgons for many cycles until he had tired of all the blood and killing. While wandering in the wastes, he had a dream of the goddess Karma, and it was she who led him to the city. It took many cycles, but when he finally reached the gates of Lethe, he dropped dead with but a smile on his face.”
“So he was guided merely by dreams?” Miri asked.
Zedne smiled as she sat beside them. “Did I not tell you once that our mindsense sometimes takes the forms of dreams, child?”
Miri had a quizzical look on her face as she turned and stared at the healer. “Are you telling me that the Magus in that tale was led there by a Striga?”
Devos nodded. “These tales that are told are passed down from generation to generation. For the past several hundred cycles our traditions have been an oral one, that is why tellers like me are the ones who have been chosen by the people to teach the young. As each tale is told, some tellers begin to add their own views into them and these stories soon become even more extravagant. Now these fables may have a basis in the truth, but you must sort through the more fantastical of the tales until you arrive at the facts.”
“If it was a Striga that leads people using dreams from across the wastes, then it must be a very powerful one,” Miri mused. “If it was that long ago, it most probably would be dead by now.”
Devos rubbed his shoulder. Last night’s battle left some bruises on his back. “I may need Rion’s help, but there may be some glyphs about the last city in my collection of telling stones. Are you planning what I think you are doing?”
Miri bit her lip. “I cannot take the boy back to the citadel. The only other path is to the Silt Sea. I need to know what lies beyond, even if what will guide me will be mere legends.”
Devos scratched his beard. “But if you disobey the direct will of the elders, you will violate your oath as protector.”
Miri looked down on the bare floor. “This is my last day as protector of this tribe. Someone else will take over. I cannot send that child back to the Magi.”
“If you do not bring Rion back to the Magi, they may come here looking for him,” Devos said. “Once the tribe knows the truth, they may hunt you down as well.”
“It is a chance I will take,” Miri said. “I can no longer be ruled by the politics of the elders.”
Zedne placed a gentle hand on her arm. “I believe that the tribe lost any remaining honor in that last assembly. You have my full support. I will give you as much salves and medicines as you wish. You and the boy will need it for your long journey.”
Miri gave her foster mother a sad look. “I was hoping that you would come with us.”
Zedne smirked. “I am far too old for traveling, child. I will only slow you down.”
Miri blinked a few times, trying to hold back the tears. “Are you sure? If you do not want me to do this, you just have to say the word. I will always abide with whatever you decide.”
“No,” Zedne said. “You must make this journey. Since the people here do not want the child, you have every right to reject them. Their selfishness has doomed them and you must look out to the safety of the boy. Even though I cannot fully sense Rion’s memories, my feelings have indicated that there is something deeper wit
hin him, one that could give hope to this decaying world. As of this moment, you have ceased to be the protector of this tribe, you are now the protector of the boy- do all you can to keep him safe.”
Miri stood up and hugged the old woman. A few tears came down her cheeks. “You have always been good to me. I cannot bear the thought of leaving you behind.”
Zedne’s forehead touched hers. “Worry not, child. There is nothing they could do to me. I still remember the time when my sister first found you as a baby out in the wastes. When I looked into your eyes, I knew there was something special about you. Elipe and I have taught you everything we knew, and you are far more powerful than I ever was. Let this goodbye not end in sadness, but in a hope for the future.”
Miri wiped away her tears using her wrist. “I will never forget you or Elipe. I never had a father, but I had two great mothers. I will pass on your values to the boy, so that your memories will never be forgotten.”
For a long minute, neither said anything. Finally, Zedne smiled and pulled away. “Now I need to make us dinner and prepare additional food for your journey. You will need to talk to Rion, but knowing the boy, I am sure he is willing to travel with you.”
Miri smiled and sat back down while Zedne went over to the fireplace and tended the stew. Devos had closed his eyes while trying to remember the old legends. “Ah, I think I remember now,” the teller said, opening his eyes. “The name of the Magus who travelled the wastes was Kaelr, and he was a formidable warrior. I do recall that the first place he had come upon was the Black Redoubt. Even though we do not know the location of the city of Lethe, I do recall that the Redoubt is a hundred leagues east of us. There is a tale in one of the stones that may give us a clue as to finding it.”
“If you cannot give me directions to that Black Redoubt by this eventide, then I am afraid I shall have to wander blindly across the wastes until I stumble upon it,” Miri said.
“You shall indeed have additional eyes out there,” Devos said. “For I shall be accompanying you and the boy.”
Zedne smiled while Miri was pleasantly surprised. “This is unprecedented, but a welcome opportunity,” the protector said. “Can you survive the rigors of travelling out there in the wastes with us?”
Devos snorted as he leaned back and puffed his chest. “I may be sixty-three cycles of age, but I am sure I can at least keep up with the boy. Do not worry, I will not slow you down.”
Miri nodded. “That makes three of us then. Good, we can carry more supplies.”
“I am afraid that I cannot carry too much,” Devos said. “My back gives me problems.”
Miri rolled her eyes. “I guess that I will be doing most of the carrying then.”
Chapter 11
Night had fallen, and the settlement was calm once more. After they had eaten, Miri had taken Rion aside and spoke to him about their plans. The boy was saddened because the healer would not be accompanying them, but he understood the necessity of it. Devos spent the next few hours rummaging through his hut for any telling stones that gave a hint as to the whereabouts of the city of sanctuary. Since he could read the stones, Rion helped out the teller, but he ended up just glancing at the entries before falling asleep. Devos gathered up the most likely stones that might have the answers into his fur pouch so that they could decipher the writings during their journey.
When the moon was at its full height and with most of the tribe asleep, Miri walked over to Nyx’s hut and stood just outside of the entrance. She had hoped that the teen girl was still awake. “This is Miri, I would ask to enter the house of Nyx.”
There was a brief pause and then the reply came. “Yes, enter and be welcome.”
Miri flipped open the leather flap in the entryway and went inside. There was a small fire in the pit and it looked like Nyx was just about to get ready for bed. The teen girl quickly stood up and bowed slightly before suddenly letting out a gasp as she realized what the protector was wearing. Nyx saw that Miri was fully dressed, wearing a leather breastplate with matching pauldrons, high boots and cloak. The protector had thick leather bracers on her forearms and the black spear was in her right hand.
Nyx’s eyes were as large as the full moon. “Protector Miri, I-I was about to ask you what had occurred at the assembly earlier today until one of the elders told me. They said you were to take the boy back to the Magi, is that true?”
Miri let out a deep breath. It was better that she tell the truth to her protégé. “I am leaving with the boy now, but we will not be going to the Magi.”
Nyx’s mouth was wide open. “What? Why?”
“I cannot bring the child back to those monsters,” Miri said. “As of right now, I am no longer protector of this tribe. That position will no doubt fall to you once he elders decide on it. Remember the things that I have taught you, and I am sure you will truly be well and good.”
Nyx blinked rapidly as her mind was still trying to make sense of all the revelations. “Miri, if you disobey the orders of the elders, then y-you will bring dishonor to your name. You will never be allowed to return here!”
Miri looked down at the dying embers of the fire pit. “I will not be coming back here.”
Nyx was so agitated that her whole body shook with nervous energy. “W-why are you doing this? You were the greatest protector that this tribe ever had!”
“I cannot willingly send a child back to the horrors from whence he escaped,” Miri said softly. “My conscience and honor compels me to bring the boy to a place of safety.”
“Where would that be?”
“Old legends tell of a city called Lethe, far out there in the forgotten wastes,” Miri said. “It will be a long and dangerous journey, but I must try.”
Nyx held her breath. Her own world was shattered as well. The one person she looked up to in the entire tribe was leaving. All that she had ever wanted was to become like Miri. When the elders told her that the protector was ordered to return the child to the Magi, she didn’t like it, but she knew there was nothing that she, as an apprentice, could do to stop it. All day she had been wondering as to whether Miri would actually agree with the elders. Now she had her answer.
Miri placed a reassuring hand on her protégé’s shoulder. “Keep training your Vis. Elder Zedne will help you with that. I sense that you will be as good a protector as I have been.”
Nyx looked straight into her eyes. She quickly made her decision. “I am coming with you.”
It was Miri’s turn to be surprised. “What?”
Nyx nodded. “You are right, Miri. The elders have dishonored you, and the rest of the tribe are nothing but cowards. I do not feel I belong here anymore as well. You will need an additional Striga by your side if you are to get to that city.”
Miri shook her head. “I do not think you should go with us. The tribe needs a protector.”
Nyx frowned. “Why not? I could learn far more by traveling with you than by just staying here! I have always wanted to know what is really out there in the far wastelands and this is my best chance to do it! They can choose somebody else to be a protector here, any hunter can do the task.”
Miri sighed. The girl was too young and naïve. “This is not a wondrous journey. It will be hard, and we may lose our lives doing it. Lethe may prove to be nothing but a legend, and it may not even exist anymore. We could all end up dead out there.”
“It is a challenge that I accept,” Nyx said. “If you do not take me with you then I shall murder myself at the edge of dawn.”
“Nyx…”
The teen girl fell on her knees. “Please! I must go with you!”
Miri bit her lip. “You still have family here. What about your brother?”
“Jinn is now a man,” Nyx said. “He will soon be married. We have already drifted apart these past few moons anyway. I need to move on and make my own way in life too.”
“He has been very protective of you since you were both children. Are you sure you want to leave him behind like this?”
“Very well,” Miri said. “Prepare your possessions. I will give you a little time while I head over to the house of the healer and get Rion. Bring what you brought in the last hunt and anything that you cannot leave behind. Make sure that you are light enough to be able to move quickly. We will meet you by the edge of the silt bank, beside the old well.”
Nyx immediately turned around and brought out her fur pouches as she started picking through the items she would need. “Thank you Miri! I shall see you in a little while.”
Miri gave her a nod of acknowledgment and then left the hut. The only ones that were awake would be the sentries near the perimeter, but she knew a gap existed close to the edge of the Silt Sea. That would be the place where they would make their escape from. She walked noiselessly as her soft boots treaded lightly on the sandy ground until she reached the healer’s house. Opening the flap, she walked inside.
The three of them were waiting for her. Rion was wearing a new pair of leather boots and a cloak covered his body while Devos added a thick leather tunic to the one he was already wearing. The teller also had an old floppy leather hat that he wore over his bald head. Two backpacks, a war shield and numerous waterskins were laid out on a nearby stone table.
Zedne walked up to Miri and smiled. “Everything is prepared.”
Devos sensed a final goodbye as he picked up one of the backpacks and slung several waterskins over his shoulders. “Come on, Rion, let us get to where the old well is.”
The boy ran up the healer and hugged her tightly. “Goodbye, Elder Zedne. My thanks for everything that you have done for me,” he said softly. “I-I will never forget your kindness.”
Zedne kissed Rion’s forehead while cradling him in her arms. “Take good care of them, Rion.”
The boy let out a sob as Devos took him by the hand. The two of them walked out through the open flap and disappeared into the night. A tear slid down Miri’s cheek as she once more stood in front of the healer and hugged her. The protector wanted to say something, but the words couldn’t form in her mouth. Miri held her head down as she rested her cheek on the healer’s shoulder.
Lands of Dust (The Dying World Book 1) Page 13