Beyond the Valley of Mist

by Dicksion, William Wayne

  They stopped talking and listened.

  “On the sacrificial night, everyone who is going with us to start a new village must be ready to leave immediately after we rescue Lor and Ren. We have to prepare food to eat and extra skins to sleep under. We’ll be going over mountains, and it will be cold. We must teach the women to ride horses. We’ll be riding at night, and we’ll be riding hard and fast. Lor and Ren will need to ride with someone else until they get used to riding, and then they can ride together, or single, as they wish.

  “Tur, please tell Lor and Ren what to expect. They must be worried. Tell them that everything will be all right, and that we’ll rescue them while they are on the altar of Fire. Again, be sure to tell them they must do exactly as I tell them.”

  “I’ll tell them,” Tur said, “and I’ll also tell them not to be frightened by the horses.”

  Zen then told the fathers what he would be doing on the sacrificial night and what they must do, and then he said to the other men, “Tell your wives not to be afraid of the Fire God. Explain to them that we defied the Fire God and we live. Tell them that our lives have been enriched, and we know that their lives will be enriched also.”

  Dant said, “Don’t worry about my wife; she would kill the priests herself if necessary to save Ren and Lor.”

  “So it is set,” Berk said. “It’s getting late, and we must be getting back to the village before the light comes. We have much to do, so let’s get it done.”

  “We’ll follow you on horses to protect you until you get near the village,” Jok said.

  “Your mother and I are ready to go with you to the new village,” Zarko said, “and we’re looking forward to the journey. This is something we have wanted to do since Lynn was forced to submit to the priest when she was a young girl.”

  “What are we going to do about Negg?” Zen asked.

  “Negg is a priest now,” Zarko answered. “I hope we can save Ren and Lor without harming him, even though he turned against his family long ago. Perhaps some day he’ll understand that he made a bad decision and come back to us. I think that many of the people who come with us may want to come back later to see if any of the rest will want to join us.”

  After the guests all left, Ador remarked, “This has truly been a life-changing night. Now we, too, must get some rest. We have so much to do, and only two days in which to do it.”

  ***

  Chapter 19

  Killing the Fire God

  The moon rose like a ball of light. The time for the sacrifice had come and drums reverberated through the shadows. The Lalocks gathered in front of the broad entrance to the temple and sat in a semicircle around the mouth of the cave to witness the ceremony.

  When everyone was assembled, the drums stopped. The High Priest entered, wearing a long robe made of the finest skins. His cone-shaped hat made him look tall and regal. His garments were adorned with brightly colored shells and bones that rattled as he strode to the center of the altar and stopped, raised his hands to command silence, and then began chanting and making sounds that no one could understand. No one in the audience was supposed to understand--the words were said to be a secret language that the priests used to talk to God.

  After the High Priest completed his chant, the drums beat again. Scantily clad young priestesses came dancing in. One poured water on the hands of the Priest, which, it was said, cleansed his hands to make him pure enough to make the sacrifice.

  The drums stopped. An eerie silence followed, and the High Priest walked to the most elevated spot on the altar and stood beside a tall rock, where he began telling the audience of the sins the young couple had committed. He explained that the Fire God would judge their innocence or guilt. He repeated the ever-spoken claim that the sacred flame would not harm the innocent. He said that if they were innocent, they would rise from flames and walk out unharmed. If they walked out unharmed, the people would be required by their God to forgive them and take them back into their hearts.

  “This flame,” the High Priest repeated, “is the original flame that was given to the tribe by four wise men long ago, before any man can remember, and has been kept burning for many generations, and it is sacred.”

  He recited the names of men who originally brought fire to the village. He then commanded silence by raising both hands and again asked, “Is there anyone here who does not understand that these proceedings are holy?”

  No one spoke.

  He then asked, “Is there anyone who objects to these proceedings being continued to the final judgment of their God?”

  Only silence, so he commanded two soldiers to bring Lor and Ren forward to be judged. Two soldiers carrying long spears and stone knives walked out of the dark, leading the young lovers. Lor and Ren had dark hoods over their heads, and their hands were tied. Ren’s stride was bold, but Lor walked timidly. They were led to the center of the altar and placed side by side just above the sacred Fire. The High Priest made a sudden gesture and the black hoods were ripped from their heads. They were a handsome young couple. Lor’s face showed her fear, but even though she was frightened, her face was beautiful. Her hair was the color of wild hollies that bloomed every spring. The light of the ceremonial fires shone in her blue eyes. Ren stood beside her. His strong, masculine face showed his anger, his gray-green eyes glowed with defiance, and he stood tall and proud. The priest walked toward them.

  “Do not be afraid, Lor,” Ren whispered. “I am beside you.”

  Suddenly, out of the night, a man on a horse rode onto the altar at full speed. The rider, wearing a mask, leaped from the horse, grabbed the High Priest and flung him aside. He then cut the bonds of the accused, turned back to the groveling priest, and dragged him to the edge of the ceremonial Fire.

  The audience sat in shocked silence and stared in disbelief as the rider held the High Priest’s head suspended over the Fire. The rider then removed his mask, and the people saw that it was Zen, one of four young people who had escaped into the Valley of Mist two summers ago. They watched him drag the High Priest to the center of the altar and hold him facing the audience. Zen carried a golden sword in his right hand, and a shield of the same brilliance on his left arm.

  One of the soldiers threw a spear at Zen. He easily deflected the spear into the fire with his shield. The High Priest yelled for the soldiers to kill him. Two soldiers stepped forward, and two arrows flew out of the night, penetrating their hearts. The angry priest called for more soldiers. Two more stepped forward. Again, arrows stopped them dead in their tracks. The priest yelled frantically for others to step forward. The others had seen the results of stepping forward, and none of them responded.

  Zen shifted the strap of his shield to his neck, and while holding the High Priest firmly with his left hand, stood poised, ready to sever his head with the sword in his right hand. He spoke in a loud voice. “All of you know me. I am Zen, son of Zarko. My three companions and I were forced to flee into the Valley of Mist known to everyone as the Valley of Death. You thought we were dead. Well, we are not dead. We are very much alive, and we are here tonight to stop the senseless slaughter of two of your finest young people. We have come to challenge the High Priest and to have him prove that, as he claims, the sacred Fire will not harm the innocent. We are going to allow him to walk into the flames and prove to us that he is telling the truth. If the innocent will not be harmed, as he claims, and if he is innocent, he will rise from the flames. But if what he is telling us is a lie, or if he is not innocent, he will be judged by the sacred Fire. Does that seem fair to you?”

  “Yes, that seems fair to us!” the fathers of Lor and Ren both yelled, and the others shouted in agreement.

  Emboldened by their remarks, a few of the others who had been deprived of loved ones spoke up. “Yes, let the priest prove that what he has been telling us for all these years is true! Throw him into the Fire!”

  The entire audience was yelling, “Throw him into the Fire!”

  “Who among you feel justif
ied to throw this priest into the Fire?” Zen asked.

  Several men stepped forward, grabbed the High Priest, and dragged him to the Fire. The High Priest screamed in fright. The other priests stood by, afraid to help him for fear that they, too, would be tossed into the fire.

  Zen held up his hand and called out, “First, let him tell us the truth.” He turned to the High Priest and asked, “Is this Fire sacred?”

  “Yes!” screamed the High Priest.

  “Is this Fire God?”

  “Yes!” he replied again.

  “Is it true that the Fire will not harm the innocent?”

  “Yes,” he stammered.

  “And are you innocent?” Zen asked.

  “Yes, I am innocent! I am a man of God!”

  “Then you will not mind showing us that what you say is true. We will let you walk into the flames. Go ahead. We are waiting. Perhaps these two young people whom you were going to throw into the Fire would like to help you enter the flames.”

  With that remark, Zen had the men who had come to the altar tie the High Priest with a vine and then hand the ends of the vine to each of the young couple.

  “Ren,” Zen said, “you can walk on one side of the Fire with your end, and Lor can walk on the other side with her end. That way, you can help the unwilling priest to enter the Fire.”

  “Yes! I will help him to enter the Fire,” Ren yelled.

  Lor hesitated. She was reluctant to burn the evil priest who, only moments ago, was going to cast her into the same flames.

  Lor’s father stepped forward. “I will take my daughter’s place,” he said, as he grabbed the end of the vine his daughter was holding. The desire for justice showed plainly in both his and his future son-in-law’s faces. They were ready on command to drag the hated priest into the Fire.

  Zen grasped the High Priest by the hair, ripped the trappings of priesthood from him, and said in a loud voice, “I will ask those men to show you pity, if you will confess that you have been lying, and that you have been using fear to control them. Speak now, or you will be thrown into the Fire!”

  The priest whispered a frightened, “Yes! It is true.”

  “You must say it louder,” Zen said. “Say it loud enough so that the people in the back row can hear you. If one man says he cannot hear you, I will throw you into the Fire myself.”

  The priest yelled, “I have been lying! I have deceived you and played you for fools!”

  A roar came from the people. They yelled, “Throw the pig into the Fire!” The soldiers and underling priests cowered in the background.

  Zen held the priest’s head over the Fire and commanded, “Tell your soldiers to lay down their weapons and proceed to the ceremonial cave. Tell them they will be searched, and if they are carrying weapons, they will be killed on the spot, and then tell your underling priests to remain on stage and watch.”

  The priest said, “I can’t tell them that. They will kill me if I do.”

  “And I will kill you if you don’t,” Zen replied. “Do you want to die now, or do you want to take your chances with your underling priests and soldiers? Make up your mind.”

  Zen again grabbed the priest by the hair and dragged him closer to the pit.

  The High Priest felt the heat from the fire. “Do as he says!” he screamed. “Put down your weapons and walk into the cave.”

  When the soldiers hesitated, Zen pushed the High Priest’s head farther over the flames.

  “Do as he says!” the High Priest screamed again.

  The soldiers began walking into the cave, placing their weapons in a pile in front of the cave. As they walked through the line of men, they were searched. One of the soldiers was trying to conceal a knife under his robes. The man searching him grabbed a stone axe, struck the soldier on the head, and said to the other soldiers, “Now drag him back into the cave with you.”

  As he handed the High Priest to the men who had stepped forward, Zen said, “Tie this priest to the standing rock, and leave him there for the night. Then send the underling priests into the cave with the soldiers. Tomorrow, we will decide what to do with the ones who have been holding you in fear for so long.”

  Then Zen turned to the audience. “Please gather around the mouth of the cave and be seated. Do not be frightened. You will not be harmed.”

  After their excitement subsided enough to pay attention, Zen walked to the center of the sacrificial altar, his shield and sword reflecting the light of the fire. The fathers of Lor and Ren stood behind him. He signaled for silence. The audience sat in silent expectation. On his signal, dirt poured from the roof of the cave, landed on the sacrificial fire, and smothered the flame. Pandemonium ensued. Zen had just killed their God!

  Zen was expecting just such a reaction. He walked back and forth across the stage, urging the people to be calm. When at last he was able to console and reassure them, they settled down.

  On Zen’s signal, a new pile of wood was placed in the pit that had contained the fire; he then held up a firestone. Everyone became quiet. He knelt over the wood and struck the firestone with another stone and a flame burst forth. In only a moment, he had another fire roaring in the same spot. The audience was awestruck. They couldn’t believe what they had just seen! They had seen their God killed, then brought back to life right before their eyes. Is Zen God? Who is this man, performing these miraculous feats? They knew him as the young man who had defied their God and, with three other young Lalocks, had escaped into the Valley of Mist. In all history, no one had ever entered the Valley of Death and returned. Many men had tried, and all had failed. Now, these young people had returned from the awful Valley of Death. They had survived, and came back with wondrous things to show their village.

  The people’s murmurs became louder until a Lalock said, “Be quiet! I want to listen to what Zen has to say.”

  When everyone was quiet, Zen stepped forward. “I will show you one more thing, but first, I want to point out to you what you already know. This fire has been a Fire of Death. This fire is the awful place in which many of you have had your sons, daughters, fathers, mothers, sisters, brothers, and friends burned to death. Let us extinguish this Fire of Death forever, and start with three new fires. These new fires will not be fires of vengeance, fear, and death. They will be fires of love, light, and life.

  “First we shall start three new fires, and then I’ll give each cave a firestone and show you how to make your own fire. You will no longer be required to keep a fire going. You can make a new fire anytime you want one.”

  Zen called for three of the fathers to step forward. He had already shown them how to start fire the new way. They had rehearsed what they would say and do. Zen gave each man a firestone and asked them to dedicate his fire to the new ideals. One by one, they stepped to the piles of wood they had prepared in advance. One by one, they struck their firestones and began a new fire.

  The first one said, “I dedicate this fire to love. The kind of love a man feels for a woman, the kind of love he feels for his family, the kind of love he feels for his village, and the kind of love he feels for his fellow man.”

  The second man said as he lit his fire, “I dedicate this fire to light, the light that lights our way, and the light of knowledge that will shine upon the dark spots of ignorance, superstition, and fear. These things have been put in our minds by evil men, who have controlled us with their greedy lies. Let’s be rid of that.”

  The third said, “I dedicate my fire to life, a life free of fear. A life in which a man and his family can live in peace, prosperity, and happiness. I pledge this fire to the great Giver of Life—the one from which all life comes and to which all life goes.”

  A roar of approval came from the audience.

  “Now,” Zen said, “shall we extinguish this evil Fire of Death forever?”

  “Yes!” they all exclaimed.

  “Then let us pledge that no man, woman or child shall ever again be sacrificed to Fire.”

  In unison, they
shouted back, “We so pledge.”

  “Then let us say farewell to this evil God forever!” Zen waved his sword over the audience and a deluge of water poured onto the ceremonial fire. The fire hissed and smoked, steam rose from it, and then the fire died a final death. Everyone stood up and cheered. The strain of years of brainwashing had come to an end, and the people felt a great relief.

  The village had made its way through the Valley of Mist in their minds. They had overcome their fear of a false God, so they were free to look for a better way.

  A man called Ome stood and asked, “What are we going to do now? We must have a God.”

  Another man asked, “Why must we have a God?”

  Ome replied, “In every person’s life, a time comes when all hope is gone. Every person needs something to believe in and something to look forward to when there is nothing else. Where there is no hope, there is despair.”

  Dant, the father of Ren, said, “I agree with Ome; we must have a God, and we must have rules to live by. Without rules, we would have disagreements and confusion.”

  Ren was disappointed that he did not get to vent his anger at the High Priest. He stepped to the front of the stage and asked, “What are we going to do about the priests and their soldiers? They have caused pain for the people. We cannot just let them go. They might band together and take over again. We must deal with them.”

  “These are all good questions and comments,” Zen said. "I think the Lalocks can find solutions to all the questions, but you must do it together, after you have discussed the problems and decided what the best way is to handle each and every problem.”

  Zen continued, “After we got through the Valley of Mist, we floated on down the river and came to a village by a great body of water. There, we found a village of happy people. They had chosen a man from their village to be their leader. Perhaps you can do the same. I suggest that you go back to your caves, talk to your friends and think about what has happened here tonight. We will return here tomorrow morning and begin solving some of these problems.”