by H. J. Lawson
“Three years will go fast... It always does.”
Part Two
Chapter One
Trinity
As the morning sun breaks through the trees, playfully turning the dew into crystals, the rays of light illuminate the jungle around me. This is my favorite time of day.
The rest of my tribe is sleeping, leaving me alone with the sounds of nature.
She must’ve slept in—hidden away from the morning light, I think to myself, as I stand by our rock waiting for Zuri. She’s always late.
I trail my finger down the overgrown stone that looks just like the ones our homes in the pyramids are made of. I wonder what it was like when they were first built … at night the elders tell us stories from the colorful murals on the walls, which have crumbled away over the years.
I love hearing about the Great Goddess and the Storm God. If only they lived today, would our world be different?
Our stories are passed down from generation to generation … never letting us forget our history. Once we forget, we allow the past to repeat itself.
The elders tell us about the new drawings, the ones their ancestors drew when they returned to the pyramids, as they fled from the war that was scarring the earth and killing anyone in its path.
The drawings show mushroom-like explosions high above the earth, with men beneath it continuing with their battle—almost as though they were unaware, or perhaps they just didn't care, what they were doing to our planet. Gods were watching down on them, and they allowed the poisons from the explosions to pierce through our only layer of protection from the sun.
As the elders tell us, Death never followed our ancestors here—the Sun and Moon gods protected them. In return we care for and protect their temples, fending off any intruders and sacrificing them to the gods, as the colorful murals and wall carvings tell us.
Over the years, Death visits us as a dark presence. Not to take our lives, but more to show us his power. He has become our guide to intruders. Not everyone can sense his presence.
But I can.
He is strongest with the younger females within our tribe. My mother passed the power on to me three years ago, when I was thirteen. I can remember it like it was yesterday.
*****
The night moon was at its fullest, glowing with pride as it swelled up in the black sky, lighting the pyramids surrounding us. It was ceremony night.
The orange flames around the main square flickered in the evening breeze. I breathed in, allowing the sweet smell of the jungle and the charcoal to enter my lungs.
I remember the deep, thundering sound the drums made, as if they were playing to the rhythm of my heart as it raced each time I drank the bitter, leafy liquid.
There was something about that liquid that made me want to drink more … it took the heaviness away from my body and mind, freeing me to the land and the gods. It’s like they were flowing through my body, taking control as I danced to the mesmerizing sound of the drums.
The thundering beat got louder and faster, as did my movements. The elders swayed around the edges of the circle with their flaming orange torches.
They began to chant, a deep mumbling sound as they called up to the sky.
My mother’s face was clear to see; everything else was a blur of movement, with everyone blending into one another.
She reached out her hands and placed them on my forehead, forcefully pressing down on me. The connection between us was strong, locked together as though we were one, with the glare of orange flickering around us. We were in the center of the elders’ circle.
The air became thin as the pressure increased, and the thundering banging stopped—along with my breath. The transfer was complete … he was part of me now.
My dark shadow was here.
*****
Now I am one of the strongest hunters in the tribe. It’s as though he likes me. Mother says it’s a gift from the gods, and I should protect it as they have protected us. I do as she says. I can no longer wait for Zuri. Bending down, I place my finger in the muddy ground and wipe it across our rock … this way she will know I’ve been here and where I’m heading.
This is my favorite hunting spot in the jungle at this time in the day—dawn—when the white-tailed deer likes to take its first drink of water from the crystal-clear streams without having to fear the larger prey, the big cats.
I weave through the trees and their roots that cover the ground like snakes—which are also down there. The sweet floral scents drift up my nose, but every few moments the scent changes to the damp, musty smell of the leaves rotting on the ground. The birds playfully shake their colorful wings as they stretch them out in preparation for the day’s events, chirping sweet songs as if talking in rhythm.
Like me they are free to go anywhere … to fly around the world and back. But they don’t. We have everything we need all around us—food, and protection from the gods. So they stay here, just like us. We have no reason to leave.
Chapter Two
Trinity
I crouch down behind a fallen tree and some tall grass. After all these years, I’d have thought that the deer would’ve found my hiding place, but they haven’t.
Leaning toward the water, I quickly glance at myself before taking a drink. I look the same as the other girls in my tribe—brown hair falling down my back, with brown eyes to match. My skin is tanned by the sun god; my gold sun tattoo wraps around my arm, glowing in the sun's rays.
All the girls with gifts from the gods have these bands. They are a marking for the rest of our tribe to always protect us, as though we are gods in human form. I brush my hand over my smooth tattoo to feel whether it is, in fact, glowing. I smile at the thought and shake my head.
I scoop up my first drink of the refreshing liquid, and it pours down my throat as a welcome treat after my morning hike.
Suddenly I hear a loud crunching noise behind me. Swiftly and silently, I move behind the fallen tree and peer toward the sound of the snapping twigs.
On the other side of the stream, from behind the green leaves, a young deer appears. It’s staring at me with its huge black eyes bulging.
I stare back at it … the mother must be close by. Glancing over my shoulder, I look toward the same direction as the fawn, but I cannot see anything.
Maybe it’s Zuri.
I hear another sharp snapping of branches, and watch as a beautiful tan mother sprints over to join her baby. She looks toward the stream of fresh water and nudges her head toward the nervous fawn, as though telling her it's safe. Sadly, it's not.
Today I am not here for the baby. Her time will come—just not today.
The young deer lowers her head down to the stream, and her mouth kisses the clear water as she eagerly laps it up.
Now is the time … I raise my arm with my fingers firmly gripped around my wooden spear, handcrafted by my father. From the corner of my eye I can see the silver metal blade at the tip, catching the light as though the sun god is watching over me.
The doe continues to lap up the water, and then her head stops moving—she hears it as well. Something behind me is breaking branches, and it is moving closer toward us.
Their heads jolt up and stare past me once again. Then they turn and bound off, before I even have a chance to throw my spear, disappearing into the unscarred jungle.
I lower my spear and head toward the trees.
Is it Zuri? Has she come to find me?
I can hear the sounds of birds beginning to fly away from the direction of the thing moving through the jungle.
Surely it has to be Zuri; it's too early for the intruders, and they haven’t been coming here for the last few months.
The intruders are from neighboring Sanction Aurum. The Chancellor sends his soldiers in … and they never leave. I make sure of that.
It can’t be them. If it was, they’d be coming in from the north, where their Sanction is. Our lookout would’ve seen them before they knew they were being watched.
>
Maybe it’s a jungle cat … I tightly grip my spear till my knuckles turn white, ready for my attacker to reveal itself.
I listen to the unnatural sounds in the jungle. It’s not a cat … it’s people.
My lungs feel tight, as if the air has been stolen from them.
He is here … my dark shadow is by my side. Death is here.
Do I hide, or do I stand proud in the face of the intruder? My body answers the question for me as I make myself smaller in the overgrown grass. A butterfly catches my gaze as it gracefully takes flight into the sky.
I can just make out Zuri’s petite body appearing between the trees, her eyes wide with fear, and her face full of terror. A large, dirty hand is firmly clasped around her face, covering her mouth. I can tell she’s been struggling with him.
She brought him here, and there may be more of them … it sounds like three sets of footsteps. Only Zuri is quiet, as she has respect for the plants and insects below her bare feet; the other two are louder as they carelessly stomp down on the land beneath them.
The pressure on my chest is tighter now, almost as though the dark shadow is pushing down on my rib cage. I’ve never felt him so strongly before—it is because he’s here for me?
Chapter Three
Trinity
My heart begins to race … is this what the deer feel like when I’m about to kill them?
Here … here is my spot. I spring to my feet as quickly as possible with my eyes firmly fixed on Zuri’s silhouette. I stand by a young tree that has a trunk about the same size as my waist. I hide in its shadows just in time.
Zuri and the two intruders head straight for the river, clearly worn out from the hike. The larger intruder drops down to the edge, cups his hand, and then scoops the water into his mouth frantically, as though it’s the first time he’s tasted it.
He scoops up one serving after another … by the size of him I'm guessing he must eat as quickly as he drinks. He’s an overgrown man, but unlike the usual intruders, he doesn’t have the Aurum Sanction uniform on. Instead of the tan garments they wear, he’s got on old, ripped pants and a dirty top that used to be white.
He then pours water over his short brown hair, and allows it to drip over his bushy eyebrows. He wipes his arm across his face, taking any excess water with it. He looks over toward Zuri and the other man, who still has his hand over Zuri’s mouth.
“Hold her, I need some water,” the second man says with a dry, crusty voice, as he pushes Zuri.
The first man grabs hold of her, firmly wrapping his arms around her face once again. He’s almost double her size, and his hand is muffling her from screaming for help.
The smaller man dives into the water—my stream! He cools himself down and drinks at the same time.
He swipes his hair back, splashing the water.
His greedy eyes look over to Zuri. “Do you want some water?” he asks her in an unpleasant way.
The other man doesn’t release his grip from her mouth. “Come on, we can’t stay here. No one survives the jungles,” he says in a whisper. Then he looks around, making sure no one else is here. I freeze.
“The Chancellor is going to give us a good bounty for this one,” he says greedily, as he looks down toward Zuri. Her body begins to thrash as she tries to get away.
The man who was in the water walks toward Zuri and her captor. “Yceon, the Chancellor will never know,” he says as he strokes Zuri’s hair with his wet hand. She tries to move her head away from him, but the other man is holding her too tightly. His pointy cheekbones rise as he smiles, and Death runs angrily through my veins, burning as it did when it first entered me.
The bigger man, the one referred to as Yceon, slaps the other man’s hand away, loosening his grip on Zuri.
She lifts her leg and kicks him in the groin, and Yceon jolts backwards, doubled over in agony. Zuri quickly wiggles free from his grip and takes off running through the stream. The other man reaches out for her, but slips on the slimy stones in the riverbed and slams down on his backside.
“Get her!” Yceon yells out.
You will not get her! My knuckles turn white, as I grip hold of my spear and pull it back. I aim … then I release.
It flies through the morning light, catching the rays as it goes, landing perfectly into the chest of the man chasing my friend.
A dirty brown patch appears on the man’s shirt, directly over his heart. He looks down toward my spear as his body falls backwards into the stream, creating a rippling wave around it.
The bigger man runs at me, and I pull my blade from my hip and throw it straight at him.
It hits him in the shoulder, but he doesn’t stop charging at me. His eyes are full of hatred, and his mouth is twisted into an angry sneer. He’s not going to stop until he gets me.
“Arh!” he screams, slamming my body to the ground and knocking the wind out of me. “That was my brother!” He grips hold of my hair and beats my head on the ground. The pain bounces from the front to the back, intensifying with every violent slam. I twist my body to try to get free, but he doesn’t even move.
“Get off meeee!” I scream at the top of my lungs.
I’m trapped … Death is finally here for me.
“That was my brother!” he repeats, as his saliva drips onto my face. His eyes glaze over with tears and anger.
I can taste metal in my mouth … it's my own blood. The pain in my head is unbearable. Please, gods, make it stop….
“Help me,” I scream with all my remaining strength.
“Yceon, stop!” a deep voice yells out from behind me.
He slams my head down on the ground once again, and a ringing sound buzzes through my ears, overpowering my ability to think. There are more of them.
The man on top of me turns his heard toward the voice. “Benjamin, she killed my brother!”
“I can see,” the man replies.
Yceon leans back onto his heels, releasing his chokehold on me. I gasp for air … it burns, and one of my ribs is pushing into my lungs. But I can breathe.
The sun beams down on my face. Death has left me. I will live, but what punishment will they inflict upon me? I close my heavy eyes … maybe I would’ve been better off with Death.
A cold shadow appears over me. The intruder swings his arm toward my head, forcing me into darkness.
Goodbye, Sun god.
Chapter Four
Trinity
The jungle looks like silhouettes of people leaning down to stare at me for the last time.
I’m being dragged backwards by two men, one on either side of me, taking me away from my home. Frantically I push my heels into the ground and thrash my body around.
“Looks like we’ve got a live one here!” a male beside me yells. I turn to look at him; his face is smeared with dirt and sweat. His beady eyes stare at me with greed and disgust. He smells like human waste, as if it’s hiding in his matted facial hair.
“About time,” says the other man at my side.
Suddenly they release their grip from me, and my legs buckle from the weight of my body, sending me crashing me toward the grassy ground.
“Arh!” I yell out in pain. I have something around my neck dragging me backwards. Frantically my legs stumble as they try to find the ground and push my body up at the same time.
I reach up and grasp the thing around my neck. It’s metal … they have me in a metal collar.
“Ha ha,” one of the men laughs, as I scramble to my feet before my collar chokes me.
Finally I regain my balance and stand. Each step feels like I’m stepping on hot coals, as the skin has been ripped off my feet. The uneven ground makes it hard to walk backwards, as the neck collar pulls me. It’s connected to another chain.
I glance over my shoulder and see Zuri looking at me tearfully.
Yceon is at the front pulling us both.
“Trinity—” Zuri starts, and chokes up crying.
“Hush.” I shake my head at her. We canno
t look weak. “Where are you taking us?” I yell out to Yceon. He doesn’t answer. He just yanks the chain and speeds up, making me stumble.
“Turn around,” I instruct Zuri. I reach down and take her hand, wrapping my fingers around hers—just as we have done since we were children. Her clammy fingers instantly latch onto mine.
“How much will we get for them?” one of the men asks. I turn and grit my teeth at him. “We've got a feisty one here,” he adds as he tries to prod me. I lean out of the way and into Zuri. Her feet wobble and we grip hold of each other for support.
“Leave them alone. We’ll get nothing for them if they’re dead,” Yceon yells. He's walking next to the man he called Benjamin. It’s clear that they are the leaders of this awful group.
Yceon looks over his shoulder toward me. His greasy black hair is swept over his head, and a white-tinged mustache covers his lip.
His eyes narrow as he scowls at me. “We've lost a lot of good men because of your kin. Times are changing ... we will have all of you soon,” he says darkly. And then he turns away from me and continues walking.
“Whoa!” the hairy man next to me shouts, making me jump. He sounds like a monkey, and he looks like one too, with his lanky arms hanging to his side.
I glance over my shoulder toward the jungle, which is now nothing but a green blur on the horizon.
Please someone, help us ... What happened to the look out?
A soft humming sound breaks the silence. I turn toward it.
“Finally!” the crazy monkey man says.
A black object bounces toward us at a fast speed … it will be here any moment. We all come to a sudden halt, and Benjamin lets go of the metal chain.
Zuri and I drop to the ground and huddle together. “Trinity, I'm scared,” she whispers into my ear.
I want to tell her it will be all right, but the darkness in my stomach tells me it will not be.