by Jim Melvin
“Behold the rising shadow,” Torg said, gesturing toward the west.
The shadow rose and widened, resembling the arrival of a winter storm from Nirodha. But there was no snow, lightning, or thunder. Only darkness. The sun shrank to just a sliver. And then, as if in surrender, the delicate crescent sparkled and winked out, becoming a black disk surrounded by an irregular circle of quivering light. Stars were visible in the twilight. The far edge of the horizon glowed like the final moments of sunset. Gusts of cool air stroked their faces. A cluster of bats, believing night had arrived, burst from a nearby cave.
The sun remained dark for twenty-five slow breaths before finally emerging from the shadow. Soon after, it was blazing as before. The bats returned to their hideout. The brightness of day resumed.
“I have my sign,” Torg announced. “We leave for Kamupadana tomorrow morning. Beginning now, my name is Hana—to all of you. One slip of the tongue could expose our conspiracy. Thus far, our encounter with the wolves was our only misstep. But wolves cannot talk, so their masters will remain confused over who or what defeated them. We must all be like Ugga and Bard: common wood folk looking to trade skins for food, drink, coins and luxuries.”
“Brounettos!” Ugga shouted.
Rathburt rolled his eyes, but the others laughed. Afterward Elu took Torg’s hand.
“Will we be away for a long time, great one?”
“If you join me, it will be many months before you return . . . if you return. But as I’ve often said, I will force none of you to accompany me. The road I travel will be wrought with peril.”
“Ah . . . I might as well come, anyway,” Rathburt said. “Without Elu around, who will do all the chores? And besides, I’ve stayed in one place for too long. The soil of my garden needs a rest. A little adventure might suit me. Think of all the plants, flowers and trees we’ll see as we wander.”
“Tonight we should have a celebration,” the Svakaran said. “Elu will prepare roasted goat with mushroom gravy and chicken soup with carrots, onions and wild potatoes. Even Ugga will have a full stomach.”
“What a great idea, little guy,” Ugga said. “There’s just enough beer and wine to have one last party. Let’s get started.”
After their feast they went to bed late and got up early, feeling queasy and hung over—except for Torg, who never experienced ill effects from drinking. This time they had the cart and oxen to haul the skins and their supplies. The going would be easier, but still tedious. Though the terrain between the longhouse and the Whore City was traversable on foot, some areas would be difficult. But with Elu, Ugga, and Bard to guide them, it could be done.
As they prepared to leave, the oxen became especially docile, as if pleased to have survived the previous night’s feast. Torg carried the Silver Sword, but now it was strapped onto his back beneath his cloak. The others laid their weapons in the cart next to the skins. Elu packed cooking gear, bowls, cups and spoons along with what remained of their herbs and spices. By midmorning they were ready to depart.
“This was a good home,” the Svakaran said, tears in his eyes. “Elu will miss it.”
“So will I,” Rathburt said. “There are worse places to live.”
“There may come a time when you will return,” Torg said.
“I won’t return,” Rathburt said.
Torg raised an eyebrow. Then he turned, grabbed one of the oxen by its yoke, and pulled. The ox responded, and the cart lurched forward. The others followed on foot, with Elu the last to leave the longhouse behind.
By nightfall they had managed only four leagues. The oxen moved slowly, and the cart was crudely built. Several times they were forced to circle out of their way to avoid deep streams or dense stands of forest. Still, they were pleased. Anything was preferable to hauling the litter.
The first night was chilly. There was just the slightest sliver of moon, and the skies remained clear. They camped inside a cave several times larger than the longhouse, its ceiling towering twenty cubits above a floor covered with crumbled stone.
Ugga became obsessed with bear droppings he discovered deep in its interior, crawling around on his hands and knees and sniffing like an animal. Torg was more interested in drawings he found on the walls, some of which were brightly colored with amazing detail, while others were barely visible. In one scene a hunting party of long-haired men battled a wooly mammoth. The red and yellow ocher used by the artist had faded over the millennia, but large portions of the painting remained intact.
“Mammoths still live in the heart of Nirodha,” Torg said. “The great dragons have eaten most of them, but the decline of the dragons has enabled a few mammoths to survive. They are mighty beasts, twice as large as desert elephants—though not nearly as intelligent. Their hide is covered with shaggy hair, and the males have humps on their backs like camels.”
“And I suppose you’ve seen them and ridden them, and even taught them the ancient tongue,” Rathburt said.
“I wasn’t able to teach them the ancient tongue.”
Elu snorted.
They risked a fire, enjoying a hot meal and some of Rathburt’s excellent black tea. Soon after dark, they curled up and went to sleep. Torg saw no need to post a guard. His senses were such that it was nearly impossible to approach him undetected, even while he slept—although Jord had managed it in broad daylight, which still galled him.
“Where are you now, Jord?” Torg whispered to himself. “Are you watching over us, a bird perched high in the trees? Or a bear crouching in the bushes? Ugga would like that. Wherever and whoever you are, I thank you for removing Vedana’s poison. And I thank you for filling me with the magic of the great pines. I’ll need my strength in the coming months. I hope we’ll meet again, one day.”
Torg meditated for two hundred long breaths before closing his eyes and going to sleep. He dreamt that he straddled the crest of a fossil dune, somewhere deep in the heart of his beloved Tējo. On his right stood his father, Asēkha-Jhana. On his left was a beautiful woman with golden hair and flawless skin. It was midnight, and a full moon glowed as bright as the sun.
Jhana bent over and scooped up a handful of sand. “I have a lesson for you, my son.”
“Tell me, father.”
“The Great Desert extends more than a hundred leagues from where we stand. The grains of sand I hold in my hand represent what you’ve learned thus far in your life. What you still must learn lies beyond.”
Torg pondered the enormity of such words, and a slew of questions leapt to mind. But before he could ask any of them, Jhana transformed from flesh to black stone. This frightened Torg, and he turned to the woman for support.
“What happened to my father?” he asked her.
She did not speak, but her smile burned sweet holes in his heart. For a moment Torg’s fears receded, and he lost himself in the glory of her blue-gray eyes, which sparkled in the moonlight.
But the pleasant reverie was interrupted when—somewhere in the depths of the darkness—a baby began to wail.
Torg was horrified. Who could abandon an infant in such a dangerous place? Surely, only the worst kind of monster would be capable of such cruelty.
He clambered down the side of the dune and charged across the desert, running to and fro in a panic. But the infant was as invisible as a ghost, and try as he might he could not find her anywhere.
As suddenly as it had begun, the wailing stopped.
And was replaced by cackling laughter.
Torg stood still—lost and alone in a vast sea of sand.
So much to learn, he thought.
And so little time.
So . . . little . . . time.
Glossary
Author’s note: Many character and place names are English derivatives of Pali, a Middle Indo-Aryan dialect closely related to Sanskrit but now extinct as a spoken language. Today, Pali is studied mainly to gain access to Theravada Buddhist scriptures and is frequently chanted in religious rituals.
Abhisambodhi (ab-HEE
-sahm-BOH-dee): Highest enlightenment.
Adho Satta (AH-dho SAH tah): Anything or anyone who is neither a dragon nor a powerful supernatural being. Means low one in ancient tongue.
Akanittha (AHK-ah-NEE-tah): A being that is able to feed off the light of the sun. Means Highest Power in the ancient tongue.
Akasa Ocean (ah-KAH-sah): Largest ocean on Triken. Lies west of Dhutanga, Jivita, and Kincara.
Ancient tongue: Ancient language now spoken by only Triken’s most learned beings, as well as most Tugars
Anna: Tent City of Tējo. Home to the Tugars.
Arupa-Loka (ah-ROO-pah-LOH-kah): Home of ghosts, demons, and ghouls. Lies near northern border of the Gap of Gamana. Also called Ghost City.
Asava (ah-SAH-vah): Potent drink brewed by Stone-Eaters.
Asēkha (ah-SEEK-ah): Tugars of highest rank. There always are twenty, not including Death-Knowers. Also known as Viisati (The Twenty).
Asthenolith (ah-STHEN-no-lith): Pool of magma in a large cavern beneath Mount Asubha.
Avici (ah-VEE-chee): Largest city on Triken. Home to Invictus.
Badaalataa (BAD-ah-LAH-tuh): Carnivorous vines from the demon world.
Bakheng (bah-KENG): Central shrine of Dibbu-Loka.
Bard: Partner of Ugga and Jord, trappers who lived in the forest near the foothills of Mount Asubha.
Barranca (bah-RAHN-chuh): Rocky wasteland that partially encircles the Great Desert.
Bell: Measurement of time approximating three hours.
Bhasura (bah-SOOR-ah): One of the large tribes of the Mahaggata Mountains.
Bhayatupa (by-yah-TOO-pah): Most ancient and powerful of dragons. His scales are the color of deep crimson.
Black mountain wolves: Largest and most dangerous of all wolves. Allies of demons, witches, and Mogols.
Catu (chah-TOO): Northernmost mountain on Triken.
Cave monkeys: Small, nameless primates that live in the underworld beneath Asubha.
Chain Man: Another name for Mala.
Chal-Abhinno (Chahl-ahb-HIH-no): Queen of the Warlish witches.
Che-ra (CHEE-ruh): Svakaran name for a fat possum.
Cirāya (ser-AYE-yah): Green cactus that, when chewed, provides large amounts of liquid and nourishment.
Cubit: Length of the arm from elbow to fingertip, which measures approximately eighteen inches, though among Tugars a cubit is considered to be twenty-one inches.
Dakkhinā (dah-KEE-nay): Sensation that brings on the urge to attempt Sammaasamaadhi. Means holy gift in the ancient tongue.
Death-Knower: Any Tugar—almost always an Asēkha—who has successfully achieved Sammaasamaadhi. In the ancient tongue, a Death-Knower is called Maranavidu.
Deathless people: Monks and nuns who inhabit Dibbu-Loka. Called deathless people because some of them live for more than one thousand years. More commonly known as noble ones.
Death Visit: Tugar description of the temporary suicide of a Death-Knower wizard.
Dēsaka (day-SAH-kuh): Famous Vasi master who trained The Torgon.
Dhutanga (doo-TAHNG-uh): Largest forest on Triken. Lies west of the Mahaggata Mountains. Also known as the Great Forest.
Dibbu-Loka (DEE-boo-LOW-kah): Realm of the noble ones. Means Deathless World in the ancient tongue. Originally called Piti-Loka.
Dracools (drah-KOOLS): Winged beasts that walk on hind legs but look like miniature dragons. Taller than a man but shorter than a druid.
Druids (DREW-ids): Seven-cubit-tall beings that dwell in Dhutanga. Ancient enemies of Jivita.
Dukkhatu (doo-KAH-too): Great and ancient spider that spent the last years of her life near the peak of Asubha.
Elu (EE-loo): Miniature Svakaran who is an associate of Rathburt.
Fathom: Approximately eleven cubits.
Gap of Gamana: Northernmost gap of the Mahaggata Mountains.
Gap of Gati: Southern gap that separates the Mahaggata Range from the Kolankold Range.
Golden soldiers: Soldiers of Invictus, mass-bred in his image.
Golden Wall: Oblong wall coated with a special golden metal that surrounds Avici and Kilesa.
Gulah (GOO-lah): Stone-Eater who became warden of Asubha. Son of Slag.
Invictus (in-VICK-tuss): Evil sorcerer who threatens all of Triken and beyond. Also known as Suriya (the Sun God).
Jhana (JAH-nah): Father of Torg.
Jivita (jih-VEE-tuh): Wondrous city that is home to the white horsemen. Located west of the Gap of Gati in the Green Plains. Also called the White City. Known as Jutimantataa (City of Splendor) in the ancient tongue.
Jord: Mysterious partner of Ugga and Bard, trappers who lived in the forest near the foothills of Mount Asubha.
Kamupadana (kuh-MOO-puh-DUH-nah): Home of Warlish witches and their lesser female servants. Also called the Whore City.
Kilesa (kee-LAY-suh): Sister City of Anna.
King Lobha (LOW-bah): Sadistic king who built Piti-Loka.
Kojin (KOH-jin): Enormous ogress with six arms and a bloated female head. Almost as large as a snow giant.
Kolankold Mountains (KO-luhn-kold): Bottom stem of the Mahaggata Mountains, located south of the Gap of Gati.
Kusala (KOO-suh-luh): Second most powerful Tugar in the world next to Torg. Also known as Asēkha-Kusala and Chieftain Kusala.
Lake Hadaya (huh-DUH-yuh): Large freshwater lake that lies west of the Gap of Gati.
Lake Keo (KAY-oh): Large freshwater lake that lies between the Kolankold Mountains and Dibbu-Loka.
Lake Ti-ratana (tee-RAH-tuh-nah): Large freshwater lake that lies west of Avici.
Laylah (LAY-lah): Younger sister of Invictus.
Long breath: Fifteen seconds. Also called slow breath.
Mahaggata Mountains (MAH-hah-GAH-tah): Largest mountain range on Triken. Shaped like a capital Y.
Mala (MAH-lah): Former snow giant who was ruined by Invictus and turned into the sorcerer’s most dangerous servant. Formerly called Yama-Deva.
Majjhe Ghamme (Mah-JEE GAH-mee): Means midsummer in the ancient tongue.
Mogols (MAH-guhls): Warrior race that dwells in Mahaggata Mountains. Longtime worshippers of the dragon Bhayatupa and the demon Vedana. Ancient enemies of Nissaya.
Mount Asubha (ah-SOO-buh): Dreaded mountain in the cold north that housed the prison of Invictus.
Nirodha (nee-ROW-dah): Icy wastelands that lie north of the Mahaggata Mountains.
Nissaya (nee-SIGH-yah): Impenetrable fortress on the east end of the Gap of Gati. Home of the Nissayan knights.
Noble ones: Monks and nuns who inhabit Dibbu-Loka. Also called deathless people.
Obhasa (oh-BHAH-sah): Torg’s magical staff, carved from the ivory of a desert elephant found dead. Means container of light in the ancient tongue.
Ogha River: (OH-guh): Largest river on Triken. Begins in the northern range of Mahaggata and ends in Lake Keo.
Okkanti Mountains (oh-KAHN-tee): Small range with tall, jagged peaks located northeast of Kilesa.
Pabbajja (pah-BAH-jah): Homeless people who live in the plains surrounding Java. Little is known of their habits.
Pace: Approximately 30 inches, though among Tugars a pace is considered 36 inches.
Peta (PAY-tuh): Ghost girl of Arupa-Loka. In life, she was blind.
Piti-Loka (PEE-tee-LOH-kuh): Original name of Dibbu-Loka. Built by King Lobha ten thousand years ago as his burial shrine. Means Rapture World in the ancient tongue.
Podhana (POH-dah-nuh): Asēkha warrior.
Rathburt (RATH-burt): Only other living Death-Knower. Known as a gardener, not a warrior.
Rati (RAH-tee): Asēkha warrior.
Sammaasamaadhi (sam-mah-sah-MAH-dee): Supreme concentration of mind. Temporary suicide.
Sampati (sahm-PAH-tee): Giant condors crossbred with dragons by Invictus. Used to transport people and supplies to the prison on Mount Asubha.
Senasana (SEN-uh-SAHN-ah): Thriving market city that lies north of Dibbu-Loka.
Short breath: Three seconds. Also called quick breath.
Silver Sword: Ancient sword forged by a long-forgotten master from the otherworldly metals found among the shattered remains of a meteorite.
Simōōn (suh-MOON): Magical dust storm that protects Anna from outsiders.
Sister Tathagata (tuh-THUH-guh-tuh): High nun of Dibbu-Loka. More than three thousand years old. Also known as Perfect One.
Sivathika (SEE-vah-TEE-kuh): Ancient Tugar ritual. Dying warrior breathes what remains of his or her Life Energy into a survivor’s lungs, where it is absorbed into the blood.
Slag: Stone-Eater defeated by Torg in ancient battle. Father of Gulah.
Snow giants: Magnificent beings reaching heights of 10 cubits or more that dwell in the Okkanti Mountains.
Sōbhana (SOH-bah-nah): Female Asēkha warrior.
Span: Distance from the end of the thumb to the end of the little finger of a hand spread to full width. Approximately nine inches, though among Tugars a span is considered 12 inches.
Stone: Equal to fourteen pounds.
Stone-Eater: Magical being that gains power by devouring lava rocks.
Svakara (svuh-KUH-ruh): One of the large tribes of the Mahaggata Mountains.
Tanhiiyati (tawn-hee-YAH-tee): Insatiable craving for eternal existence suffered by some long-lived beings.
Tējo (TAY-joh): Great Desert. Home of the Tugars.
Tent City: Largest city in Tējo. Home to the Tugars. Also known as Anna.
The Torgon (TOR-gahn): Torg’s ceremonial name. Also Lord Torgon.
Torg: Thousand-year-old Death-Knower wizard. King of the Tugars. Means Blessed Warrior in the ancient tongue.
Triken (TRY-ken): Name of the world. Also name of the land east and west of the Mahaggata Mountains.
Tugars (TOO-gars): Desert warriors of Tējo. Called Kantaara Yodhas in the ancient tongue.
Uccheda (oo-CHAY-duh): Tower of Invictus in Avici. Means annihilation in the ancient tongue.
Ugga (OO-gah): Human-bear crossbreed who was a partner of Bard and Jord, trappers who lived in the forest near the foothills of Mount Asubha.
Uttara (oo-TUH-ruh): Specially made sword wielded by Tugar warriors and Asēkhas. Single-edged, slightly curved.