by Ritu Ghosh
Flynn’s father. Zack, was a blacksmith. He was a big man with dark bushy hair and deep set eyes. He always wore a long black leather vest and a belt with large buckles. Flynn on the other hand, was of a much smaller built like his mother. Flynn was thin, but strong.
“Come, Sit here!” Zack, pointed to the chair next to him.
Aaron sat down and Flynn served him some hot chicken soup, some meat and bread. The dinner was not much, but Aaron always liked it.
“Why are you here at this time? You better get back immediately after dinner” Flynn said in a concerned voice.
After finishing the chicken soup, which he relished as fast as he can, Aaron said “There is something I need to tell you and I couldn’t wait”.
Flynn stopped eating and leaned in to listen with great interest.
“This festival, there are going to be fireworks!!” said Aaron.
“So, the rumors were true?!” Flynn showed the same enthusiasm Aaron did.
“Yes and I have the right information from the right person” said Aaron, full of pride.
Aaron had a long discussion about fireworks with Flynn and his father. Zack told them all about the fireworks that he had seen as a kid.
After finishing the delightful conversation, Aaron got up to leave.
Before Aaron could step out of the door, Flynn came behind him and said “Aaron, be careful. It’s getting dark out there, are you carrying something for protection? Do you want my knife?”
Flynn had been teaching Aaron a trick or two about throwing knives. He always told Aaron that he should throw a knife at whatever frightens him at night in the woods, and it will go away. At least this is what Flynn believed in.
Aaron showed Flynn the knife he was carrying with him and Flynn was happy. Aaron then walked towards his home, slowly crossing the stream. But there was a long way ahead of him.
The darkness was growing fast and night fall was near. Struggling to see his path, Aaron started walking faster. He still had not passed the woods. ‘There could be wild animals out there’, he thought, as he ran with firm feet careful not to make any sounds.
The wind brought a strange smell of some wild animal as he was about to cross the woods. A very unfamiliar smell. Suddenly, he heard a howl far away from deep within the woods. He looked back and his eyes searched everywhere. For a moment, he thought that he saw glowing red eyes looking at him from a distance. He froze for a second and then he ran till he was home.
Sweaty and tired, Aaron returned home. The house was all lit up with beautiful lights. It looked magnificent. The white stone walls and the trees of the garden were clearly seen in the light. There were many voices Aaron could hear inside the house.
‘Mathew!’ Aaron remembered, as he rushed inside the house. Inside, there were many people sitting and talking in the hall. Some were new faces and some old. His eyes searched for Mathew everywhere.
“You are late!” Brandon said, in an angry voice sitting on the couch. “Mathew came many hours ago and all the guests too”.
Then he pulled Aaron by his hands towards the stairs. He didn’t stop until they reached the second floor and then he shouted and ran into Mathew’s bedroom.
“Matt, Matt Aaron is here, and he’s late” Brandon was yelling as they walked in. Aaron quickly followed Brandon into Matt’s bedroom. Mathew seemed to look brighter than ever before. He was wearing long dark brown robes and was looking like a priest.
“Is that what they make you wear at school?!” Aaron mocked Mathew as he walked in.
Mathew smiled and gave Aaron a big hug.
“Hey, no making fun of these clothes” said Mathew.
“They are making Mathew a priest!” Brandon said.
“A priest? But I thought you will come back here and help your father” said Aaron, surprised.
“Yes I thought so too. But I got such beautiful lessons in the school that changed my life forever. I have been chosen to be a priest and help the needy. I want to continue with my studies and help the church” Mathew said. “This is why I came here, to tell all of you about my decision”.
Aaron was not happy about all this, but he nodded. He felt like he was going to lose his big brother.
“Come, let’s go down” said Mathew, as he walked out of the door.
All three of them came downstairs where Mathew greeted the guests. The feast was lovely and it went on for a while. Brandon had all kind of sweets and fell ill. He had to be put to bed before the feast was even over. Aaron sat alone in the corner. He knew that Mathew will not be coming back and this was probably the last time that he was seeing Mathew. Aaron sat near the fire place and sulked.
When everybody left, Mrs. Renn came to Aaron. She said, “Dear, I know about Mathew. He is leaving soon. Go, be with him for some time.” There was sadness in her voice.
Feeling heavy in his heart, Aaron nodded his head and walked towards Mathew’s room. Uncle Sentas was there too. He didn’t look very happy either.
“I am leaving tomorrow. I will be starting my services soon" Mathew announced.
“But you just came today! Stay for at least a few days" Aaron said.
“I can't Aaron. I have to go" Mathew said with a straight face.
By now, Brandon was there too but he did not say much. Even little Brandon knew that Mathew might never come back again. He stood silently near Uncle Sentas. Uncle didn’t seem to make any objections to Mathew leaving. The only thing he ever said was that Mathew has chosen the way of God and nobody should stand in his way. Aaron did not like any of this one bit. He just stood there with folded arms.
Mathew came closer to Aaron and held him by his shoulders.
“Aaron, we are all chosen for something and we must follow our destiny. If we don’t, we will regret it all our life". There was an unusually strange calmness in Mathew’s face. It felt like he had found something he was looking for all his life. Aaron had never seen him like that before.
“I have something for you here" said Mathew and handed him a book. “This is a book of God's calling, read it! It will always show you the right path".
Aaron took the book, hugged Mathew and retired to his room without saying a word.
A weird feeling was creeping in on him. He felt empty. Mathew’s leaving had the same effect on him as did his mother leaving him. Aaron felt lost and confused.
He thought about his mother. The last thing he remembered about her was that she was being chased by someone. She held both Aaron and Brandon in her arms and rode on a horse. Their father wasn’t with them. They came to Brinsar to her brother Sentas. She left Aaron and Brandon with him and then disappeared. She never came back after that. All these memories came rushing back to him.
Aaron was always close to Mathew. Mathew had taught him many things and Aaron had great respect for him.
Aaron sat near the edge of his bed for a long time, then his eyes caught Matt’s sword that he had kept on the table earlier. A part of him did not want to let go of the sword. But, he knew that he had to return it to Mathew, since he was leaving. He picked the sword up with both hands and looked at it carefully. The sharp steel edge glinted in the yellow light of the lamp. The hilt was royal blue. For some reason, the sword felt right in his hands. He felt sad as he kept the sword back on the table.
He then kept the book given to him by Mathew on the shelf with all the other books. He closed his eyes and fell asleep. That night, he had a dream of being chased by the red eyes in the forest. He ran breathlessly with the sword in his hands. The further he tried to get from the eyes, the more closer they got. His sword became heavier and heavier till it was impossible to carry. He then heard the howls in the deep forest.
Chapter 2
The Village Market
Aaron was awakened by a loud knock on his door.
“Aaron, wake up. Mathew is leaving” came Brandon’s voice.
Aaron jumped out of his bed and opened the door. He quickly grabbed the sword and followed Brandon downstairs. Everyone, inc
luding the servants and the helpers of the house had gathered near the door to see Mathew off.
Mathew looked at Aaron, who was grumpy. He said, “Your day will come too Aaron! It is your Destiny”.
“Here is your sword”, said Aaron, presenting the sword to Mathew.
Mathew smiled and said, “I don’t have any use for this anymore. I think it will be of great use to you one day. You should keep it.”
Aaron didn’t think much about what Mathew said. He kept the sword aside and hugged Mathew. He reluctantly said goodbye.
Mathew left and as days passed, things returned to normal at the house. Aaron’s responsibilities at the farm grew even more since Uncle Sentas was not around much. Uncle Sentas kept himself busy with the council’s work to get over his sadness of Mathew leaving.
Weeks passed, the village festival was now only a few days away. Flynn came to see Aaron many times, but Aaron could not find the time to go and see Flynn. As the festival drew nearer, Aaron’s work increased even more. He had to look after many arrangements on his Uncle’s behalf and also handle the preparations for the grand feast at their house.
Aaron stood in the fields with the list his uncle had given him right after breakfast. It was a list of things he had to do for the day. He was a little weary from his early morning sword practice. Aaron went through the list thoroughly; most of the work he had to do was at the market.
After finishing the work in both the farm and the fields, he walked towards the house to collect the things that had to be taken to the market.
“Master Aaron!” Billy said, as he saw Aaron.
“Yes! Billy” said Aaron, still lost in his thoughts.
“Are you going to the market today, sir?”
“Yes! I am. Why do you ask?”
Billy’s expressions changed suddenly. The smile vanished from this long rugged face. He looked at Aaron gravely and said “Be careful out there sir”.
“I will be, thanks for your concern Billy” Aaron said and began to walk away.
But Billy caught Aaron’s hands and stopped him.
“No! You should be really careful, sir! There is something out there and it’s dangerous”.
Aaron looked at Billy confused. He felt uncomfortable at the way Billy was looking at him.
“What is out there?” Aaron asked.
“Something that should not be spoken of even in the daylight, sir. There are evil creatures lurking in the woods” Billy came close to Aaron and whispered.
Aaron had never heard such things from anyone in the village before. The village was the safest place he ever knew. The city of Kantar where Matthew lived had some problems. Mathew had also mentioned something about ‘an Evil Force’ a few times during his visits. But these things were unheard of in the village. After all, Brinsar was a peaceful little place.
“Evil creatures?! What are you saying?” Aaron stared at Billy. “Why would there be any evil creatures here, Billy? Besides, how do you know about it? The council should be informed about this, if it is true.”
Billy was sweating, there was a fear in his eyes. He looked down, trying to avoid Aaron.
“Aaron”, came uncle’s voice from inside the house. Aaron rushed in immediately. But Billy still stood there and watched Aaron.
Uncle Sentas told Aaron about some arrangements that had to be made as per the orders of the village council. Aaron headed to his room to take his cloak. It would be cold outside on the way to the market, he thought. Aaron was also thinking about what Billy had told him earlier. ‘Could it be true or was he just trying to scare me? Billy must be crazy’.
As he stepped out of his room, he took the sword with him and hoped that there was no truth to what Billy said.
He filled his bag and carried it on his back. He had to do a lot of things at the market. Aaron started for the market on foot. The village market was set up in one of the big fields outside the village. The villagers came there, set up their shops and sold their wares at a good price. Sometimes, if they didn’t have enough money, they would even exchange their goods for others. Aaron’s had some old things he had gathered which he thought would fetch a good price from the scrap dealer. He also had a few metal decorations which needed mending.
As he entered the marketplace, he saw many familiar faces. The market was set up on a huge leveled ground. It was like a carnival there. Many vendors even waved at him, to ask him to join them. But he signaled that he was busy.
There were many shops at the market that sold all kinds of things. Aaron waded through crowd and finally found the scrap dealer’s shop. After getting enough money for the scrap, he set out to go to Flynn’s father’s shop for mending the metals. The market place was very crowded and Aaron was inching his way forward slowly. Suddenly, his eyes fell on a tiny shop at the corner. It was a book shop. Aaron had never seen any book shops in the market before. He was curious. He walked towards the shop.
Aaron entered the tiny shop and he couldn’t believe his eyes. From the outside, the shop looked so small like it could hardly fit three people. But on the inside, it was like a big library with a huge collection of books.
“Can I help you dear?” Aaron was startled by a shrill voice.
A woman appeared from nowhere. She had long curly blond hair and her nose was of a peculiar shape. She was standing right behind Aaron.
Aaron turned and he stepped back. “Yes! I.. was wondering… when you opened this shop?”
“Oh! Yes” smiled the strange lady. Her clothes were shabby and she had a pencil tucked behind her ears. “Just today dear…just today”. “Not many readers in this village, not many” she said, disappointed.
She turned to Aaron, grinned and said, “But it looks like you read a lot. So, what can I show you? History? Geography? Maybe Adventure? How about Magic?”
“Magic?!” Aaron said in surprise. He knew that there were some people in the far eastern kingdoms who practiced magic. Aaron’s curiosity grew even more.
“Yes magic! Do you want to learn Magic? I have whole section of books on magic, right here.” She said pointing to one of the book shelves. She then led him to the section of Magic books.
He looked at several books there. There were books like ‘Know your Monsters’, ‘The Big Book of Spells’, ‘Curses – the Worst Kinds’, ‘How to make Fire from Nothing’ and many more. He picked a small book named “How to bring back the Dead”
“Can I have this one?” Aaron handed the book to the lady.
The lady looked at the book and almost shrieked “How did this get in there?”.
She then tucked the book under her long sleeves and said, “No dear, it’s a dangerous book. It is not for the commoners”.
“But I want that book, I will pay you the full price” Aaron offered.
The lady was not convinced. She then started to panic and paced around in the shop. “No! No!, I should not have shown you the Magic section. Why do I do this all the time? Why don’t I learn?”. She then sat on her chair with her head down. Suddenly she leapt towards Aaron and said “This is not good. This is a book of Dark Magic. You don’t know who practices such magic. How did this book get here? This is not good.”
She scared Aaron quite a bit. ‘She surely is mad’, Aaron thought to himself and slowly got out of the shop. The lady sat on the chair mumbling to herself.
The sun began to go down and it was getting dark. Aaron lost track of time. He rushed towards Flynn’s shop. The crowd had died down now and most shops were preparing to close.
Flynn was sitting outside the shop. He spotted Aaron coming towards him.
“Hey! Aaron!” he waved at Aaron.
Aaron kept his bag down on the floor and took a few things out that needed fixing.
“So, how are the festival preparations going?” asked Flynn, looking at the pile of metal Aaron had just taken out of the bag. “Seems like you have a lot of work”
Aaron smiled. He knew he has been busy lately and had hardly enough time for Flynn.
“It was hard, but it’s almost over now”, said Aaron.
“At least your work has brought you here” Flynn said picking up some broken metal and putting them inside his shop.
“I heard the whole village is planning a performance”, Flynn said.
“What kind of performance?” asked Aaron curiously.
“ The girls and boys are preparing dances for the festival”.
“Really?! That sounds like fun.”, said Aaron.
“Fun?! How is that fun? Did anybody tell you about it” Flynn asked irritated.
“Not really” said Aaron.
“Exactly! Let me tell you Aaron, the whole village is jealous of us” Flynn said folding his arms.
“And why would that be?”, Aaron asked calmly.
“Because you are rich and I am friends with you” Flynn said narrowing his eyes.
Aaron didn’t say much after that. He knew that the other youngsters in the village did not like them. Not because Aaron was rich, but because Aaron and Flynn were different. When the youngsters created trouble for the villagers, Aaron and Flynn would step in to help the villagers. This always annoyed the trouble makers.
Flynn liked to help everybody. Listening to the birds sing and collecting fruits is what he enjoyed the most. He dreamt of seeing the world outside of Brinsar one day. And Aaron was his only true friend. Aaron and Flynn had been friends since the first time they met near the big oak tree. This was where Aaron was trying to get a kitten off the tree and Flynn came running out of nowhere to help Aaron. And since then, they were inseparable.
Flynn’s father came out from the shop and greeted Aaron.
“Long time Aaron. Flynn tells me you have been busy lately”.
Aaron smiled and nodded.
“I heard about Mathew. The house is your responsibility now. I know it must be hard, but it will be all yours after your uncle’s time”