Rise of the Red Harbinger

by Khalid Uddin

  Lincan gave Baltaszar a little shove. “That’s why she’s pissed at you. She probably knows that she’s your second option.”

  “It’s not like that. Maybe it is. Anyway, can we save this conversation for later? I don’t feel like explaining this to the whole group.” All of the others were waiting by the main doorway.

  Marshall shook his head, “You girls done getting pretty for the Blind Man?”

  Baltaszar punched him in the arm. “Shut up. Let’s go. We’re here.” With that, Desmond led them out and down the street.

  Cyrus had given them a few torches to carry in case the side streets proved too dark. Before anyone could light a torch, though, Baltaszar flicked his wrists and two fireballs hovered about his open palms. They moved so that both were in front of the group. Baltaszar moved to the front, Horatio assumed for better control.

  They walked on for a short while until Desmond stopped them in front of a porch with a rocking chair on it. “Here.” Lights shone through the windows. Desmond waved for them to follow as he walked up the porch stairs and knocked on the door. Baltaszar’s fireballs fell to the ground and disappeared. A shaggy-haired boy answered the door. Upon seeing Desmond, the boy grinned widely and flung his arms around Desmond’s waist. “Farco! I’m so glad yer still here!” Desmond walked inside with Farco still draped around him. Once everyone crowded inside and Kadoog’han shut the door, Desmond hoisted up Farco with one arm so that Farco was at eye level with the rest of them. “Farco is my cousin. His parents were killed by the King’s men, so I arranged fer him ta be Master Keeramm’s apprentice an’ servant. Munn Keeramm is a good ma. No hesitation ta take him in. Once he’s old enough, Farco’ll go ta the Anonymi fer trainin’.” Desmond set down the boy. “Is he asleep?”

  “Nah, just restin’. I’ll get him.” Farco shuffled off to another room and returned a several moments later leading an elderly man. His appearance surprised Horatio. He’d been expecting someone less frail. Munn Keeramm was a short, bald, old man with spots dotting his skin. He walked slowly, and Horatio suspected that wasn’t just because he was blind. Horatio wondered why he resided here, rather than at the Tower of the Blind. Farco led him to sit down at a table covered in books, varying between open and closed, but all dusty.

  “Welcome, fellas. I don’t normally get visitors after sundown, but I would never turn away a Descendant. Especially ya, Desmond. Oh, an’ nice ta see ya again, Baltaszar.” Keeramm chuckled. Horatio had heard that most Augurs routinely made light of their lack of vision. He wondered if Keeramm actually knew that Desmond and Baltaszar were there on his own, or if Farco had told him. “Obviously ya seek a prophecy. About what?”

  Savaiyon spoke up. “Good evening, Master Keeramm. I am Maven Savaiyon, of the House of Darian. Zin Marlowe has charged us with a mission to find out if there will be an attempt to assassinate him. He has reason to believe that his life is in danger.” Savaiyon looked around at the rest of them sternly. Horatio understood that the details of this meeting would not be discussed beyond the people in this room. So that’s why Vasher was so awkward about the details.

  “I see. Nothin’ comes directly ta mind, but that’s why we’ve got the books, right? Farco, ya know which ones I need. Grab ‘em fer me, dear boy.” Farco walked to the bookshelf behind Keeramm and scanned the dozens of volumes on the shelves. “Fellas, think ya can help me clear this table? I’ll have ta look through more than one volume ta see if anything fits what yer lookin’ for. I don’t usually care ‘bout most people seein’ the mess, but yer all distinguished guests. An’ there’s lotsa ya, so I can put ya ta work!”

  Savaiyon spoke for all of them. “It would be our pleasure, Master Keeramm. Where would you have us put your books?” He waved for the whole group to gather at the table.

  “There’s another table in the corner back there. Ya can just put ‘em on top o’ it. Once I give Farco some free time, he’ll find a good place fer ‘em. Permanent place. Desmond, I thank ya an’ the Orijin every day that ya brought that boy ta me. He is truly a blessin’ an’ I’ll be helpless once he leaves fer his trainin’.” Horatio and the others all started grabbing thick, heavy books from the table and moved them. As they worked, Farco set one volume in front of Keeramm and the man passed his fingers over wordless pages of the book. Horatio had never seen the Blind’s system of words but found it to be remarkable. Farco sat on the floor next to him with another volume. “Don’t be alarmed. I know Augurs don’t allow anyone else ta read their prophecy books, but Farco is an exception. I trust him with my life. Way I see it, that means I can trust him ta read these books an’ keep their secrets.” None of them had an issue with Farco reading the other volume.

  They continued to move the books for several minutes until Farco broke the silence. “Think I found somethin’, Master Keeramm.” The boy stood and placed his volume on the table, then directed Keeramm’s hand to the left page.

  “Hmm. Yes, this is from when I was still in the Tower. Give me a moment ta review it all.” Keeramm slid his hand meticulously across the page. All of them had stopped what they were doing to stare at Keeramm. This was serious. Someone wanted to kill Marlowe? “Yes. Oh dear. I apologize in advance. The prophecy itself doesn’ specifically address yer question. But Farco is quite astute an’ had a keen eye ta notice this one. It says, ‘Zin Marlowe shall be betrayed within the House o’ Darian durin’ his ninetieth year.’ Again I apologize. That’s a vague statement, an’ it doesn’t give ya much ta work with.”

  Horatio was shocked. What? Betrayed? Does that mean one of us will kill him? That’s impossible! No one in the House is that crazy! How could someone kill him just because they don’t like him?

  Lincan scratched his head. “I think ‘betrayed’ is a little vague, no? We train for fighting without his knowledge. Technically that is a betrayal.”

  Baltaszar chimed in as well, “And ninetieth year? That’s not even any time soon! Marlowe has to be what, just around his fortieth year?”

  Savaiyon looked as if he had something to say, but paused for a moment. “I agree that this prophecy does not give us much. However, it still tells us that there is, or will be, a traitor in the House of Darian. That in itself is unsettling. Because if someone among us has the potential to turn to evil, everything we know and understand about Descendants is wrong. It means that the Orijin’s ‘chosen ones’ do not always have pure hearts. Master Keeramm, how much more of those volumes do you need to peruse? Is there a possibility that there is another prophecy pertaining to Marlowe?”

  Horatio couldn’t hold in his curiosity. “How? How could someone even make it to the House and not one of us realize he means any harm? We have to find out if this person is already there!”

  “Oh I’m afraid I barely got through a quarter, Maven Savaiyon. It will take much time if I have ta read through the whole thing. Not that I mind. Farco here is quick with his readin’ as well. Farco, how much o’ yers ya got left?”

  “About the same.”

  “No worries, Master Savaiyon. Ya should all should get comfortable. Farco, go put on tea fer everyone. We could be here fer a while.”

  Savaiyon rubbed his chin, looking back and forth between Keeramm and the group. “No. These boys do not need to stay. Kadoog’han, you and I will stay. The rest of you can return to the inn. However, remember that I am doing this as a favor to you. You will return to the Elephant and enjoy yourselves tonight. Once we separate tomorrow, your first priority is the mission. There will be no time for fun. Understood?”

  They all agreed. Horatio always found it annoying how Savaiyon ended with ‘understood’ so often, as if they were his children. He and the others shook hands with Farco and Keeramm and thanked them for their hospitality. Desmond gave Farco a tight, prolonged hug and tousled his hair before leaving. Horatio could have sworn they all walked a little faster in exiting Keeramm’s house.

  ***

  Baltaszar was sure she was doing it on purpose. They’d returned to the “Elephant” less t
han a half an hour and Anahi had been next to Desmond the entire time. Cyrus had attempted to comfort him by explaining that Desmond and she had known each other for years and were simply catching up. Yeah right. Nobody is that excited to see a person. He’s your nephew, of course you’ll defend him. He gulped more ale and contorted his mouth in frustration. Horatio was no help. He made jokes to lighten the mood, but none of them were funny. Every so often, Anahi would glance over at him, pretending she was scanning the whole room.

  Cyrus came over once more and sat down. “I know you an’ her are havin’ some trouble an’ I’d like ta help ya, Baltaszar, I really would. But she isn’ workin’ right now so I can’t even send her off ta do somethin’. Maybe ya should try talkin’ ta her again. After the ale wears off, though.”

  “Yeah. Maybe.” No matter how smart any advice was, Baltaszar didn’t want to listen. He preferred to sit there and watch her, and feel sorry for himself. He wanted to be annoyed and angry, especially watching the rest of his friends drinking and laughing and telling stories. He wasn’t angry that they were having fun. He was angry that he wasn’t in the mood to. Baltaszar stared at Desmond and Anahi again. They continued swaying and laughing. I bet they’re laughing at me. I bet she’s telling him how naïve I am. Or that I turned her away the first time we met and how stupid I am to have rejected her. Or that I’m still in love with another girl even though I haven’t seen or spoken to her in almost a year, but I swear that there is still hope for us. Maybe I really am as stupid as they’re saying. “Cyrus, can you get me another?” He chugged and emptied his glass.

  Horatio stood. “I’ll get it. I’m getting another anyway. And my attempts to cheer you up so far have been poor, so it’s the least I can do.”

  “Thanks, brother.” Baltaszar felt guilty. Horatio meant well. Truthfully, nothing Horatio could have said would have been enough. “You don’t have to sit here with me. I’m going to head upstairs anyway, so have some fun with the others.”

  “Fair enough. I’ll bring you your drink first. You good on your own?”

  “Yeah, I’ll be fine. I just want to numb myself a little and then fall asleep without any trouble. Thanks.” Horatio returned promptly with another mug. He gripped Baltaszar’s shoulder and nodded, then walked away to the others at the counter. “You don’t have to stay either, Cyrus. I appreciate your advice. But I’d rather just be angry right now. I won’t do anything stupid, don’t worry.”

  Cyrus hesitated, then stood. “I know ya got a good head, boy. Get some sleep an’ in the mornin’ you’ll be in a better mood. You two will work this out before ya leave. I know it. Feel better lad. An’ I know yer not fond o’ Desmond right now, but he’s my nephew. I know him. He wouldn’t do that ta ya.” Cyrus’ countenance looked like he felt just as bad as Baltaszar.

  Baltaszar stared at his glass. Then gulped down half of it. He repeated the process and arose from the table. Anahi glanced over once more, mid-laugh. She is definitely laughing at me. So is he. The hell with them. He took a few steps toward the stairs. No. Damn them. They don’t even feel bad. They don’t care about me. Baltaszar walked to Desmond and Anahi at the end of the counter. He faced Desmond and shoved him off his stool. “This is a shitty thing you’re doing. Friend. You knew I liked her! You knew how I felt! We’re part of a bloody brotherhood! How could you flirt with her while I’m in the same room, you filthy prat!”

  Desmond stood and gripped Baltaszar by the neck of his shirt. “We haven’t friggin even mentioned ya, ya spoiled little bitch! I haven’t seen my friend in a year! Neither of us’ve even thought about ya! Who the hell are ya ta come ta me like that?” Desmond lifted him and threw him toward the front door. Baltaszar hit a table and then crashed to the floor.

  His back hurt in a few places, as well as his elbow, but the ale numbed most of the pain. He stood up and let the manifestation course through him. He flicked his wrists and two fireballs appeared, hovering just about his palms. Cyrus yelled from behind the counter, “Baltaszar, put those away! Put ‘em out right now!”

  Baltaszar barely heard him, his focus solely on Desmond. He flung his fireballs at Desmond, but something was holding them back. Desmond smiled at him. Bastard. He’s stopping them. They stood like that for several moments. The fireballs shifted mere inches back and forth as Desmond returned Baltaszar’s cold stare. As Baltaszar pushed and pushed, the anger slowly dissipated. Damn it. If I don’t extinguish them, I’ll burn down the whole bloody Elephant. He let go of his manifestation and the fireballs blinked out. “I’m…sorry,” he said sheepishly. He put his hands on his hips and stared at the ground. Baltaszar truly felt badly at how reckless he’d acted. He walked to Desmond slowly and clapped his shoulder, “I’m sorry, man.” Desmond just stared at him. He turned to Cyrus, “You too, Cyrus. I’m sorry,” and walked upstairs without waiting for a response. He could feel the eyes of everyone in the room pressing into his back.

  Baltaszar fell into his bed and stared at the ceiling for more than half an hour. He’d never let his anger influence him so severely, and he’d been angry plenty of times. I don’t even care if the rest of them are mad. I just hope Cyrus forgives me. Orijin, please let him forgive me. I’ve ruined any chance with Anahi, but please let Cyrus forgive me. Someone knocked at his door. “Go away!”

  The door opened, despite Baltaszar’s command, and Anahi walked in, a nervous look on her face. She shut the door and laid next to Baltaszar on the bed. She stared up at the ceiling along with him. “Hey.” The sight of her brought the final touches of sobering up. “Still fergettin’ ta lock the door…”

  Well she isn’t yelling. She doesn’t even look mad. “You’re the last person I would have expected to come up here and not yell at me.”

  “I think I deserve more credit than yer givin me.”

  “I’m not complaining. It’s just, I figured that if you did speak to me again, you wouldn’t have nice things to say. I definitely would never have expected you to lay next to me and say ‘Hey’.” He smirked.

  “I could be mad. I could very easily be mad. But I know where all that down there came from, an’ so I figure it’s better ta not focus on what ya probably already know ya did wrong.” She turned her head toward Baltaszar. “Ya did apologize. An’ we all saw ya realized yer mistake.”

  “Cyrus?”

  “Cyrus isn’t mad. He was more concerned about ya. Wanted ta make sure ya weren’t takin’ it out on yerself up here. Look, our conversation earlier. I coulda handled that better. I know. Ye’ve been busy at the House o’ Darian an’ I shoulda understood that ya wouldn’t have time ta talk ta her yet. I guess I just got excited when I saw ya here an’ got selfish. I care fer ya, Baltaszar. I’m still waitin’ fer when yer ready. As long as ya promise that I’m not wastin’ my time.”

  “I’ll be completely honest with you.” He paused and looked at her. “I have feelings for both of you. It’s not that I want her over you, it’s just that I have a history with her and I need to know whether that is definitely over with. We were both emotional when she broke things off and I need to know that that’s how she really felt. I could easily just tell you that I’m done with her and that she doesn’t matter, but that wouldn’t be completely true. If I were to start something with you right now, I would still have Yasaman at the back of my mind, wondering about where we stand. I know that’s not what you want to hear, but that is how it is with me.”

  “Yer right. That’s not what I want ta hear. How long do you expect me ta keep waiting? The past seven months have felt like forever. I can’t wait another seven.”

  “How about a week? Help me sneak out of here tonight and I’ll go back to Haedon immediately.”

  “Are ya mad? Don’t ya have a mission ta worry about?”

  “The mission will still be there when I return. Trust me. I’ll take care of that once I’m done in Haedon.”

  “Why not just tell yer friends what ya want ta do? Doesn’t seem like ya have ta sneak around.”

  “If I ge
t in trouble for this, I don’t want any of them to be associated. It wouldn’t be fair. And Marlowe, our Headmaster at the House, promised me a long time ago that he would allow me to go back home once I finished reading The Book of Orijin. I finished it months ago and I’m still waiting. I need to go back there to tie up more than one loose end. There are at least two people that I need to talk to. Look, I can leave tonight and get there in two to three days. I can handle all of my responsibilities within a few hours, and then I’ll come right back. Five to six days at most. I promise.”

  A tear flowed from her eye to the bed. Baltaszar wasn’t sure if it was genuine or because of the position of her head. “Fine, I can handle that. But if yer not back here within a week, I’m not gonna wait fer ya any longer. Not that the boys are linin’ up ta see me, but I’ll make it a point ta forget ya.”

  “The boys are stupid to not be lining up. You saw how jealous I was down there. I don’t know how anyone else wouldn’t act that way.”

  “Yeah, yeah. So when do ya want my help?”

  “Why not right now? I don’t need much from you. I just need you to tell the others to leave me alone until the morning. That way I am long gone by the time they notice.”

  “How will ya leave?”

  Baltaszar nodded his head, “Window. The jump isn’t far. I’ll grab my horse and ride away.”

  Anahi seemed reluctant. “When do ya want me ta go back downstairs?”

  Baltaszar rose from the bed and pulled Anahi by the hand to do the same. He held her by the waist and once again looked intently at her as she put her arms on his shoulders. He wanted to kiss her. He’d wanted to since he returned to Vandenar, but he was nervous that she’d be mad. The hell with it. Baltaszar took that chance and kissed her deeply. Anahi immediately kissed back. They stood there for several moments before Baltaszar pulled away. “I know you were strict about us waiting to do that, but I think we both needed it.”

  Anahi laughed. “For once, ya did somethin’ smart.”