by R Corona
I hugged my knees together when the wind picked up. The leaves shook and a silky fabric flowed lightly behind Dez. I noticed his feet next, an accomplished smile brightened the man’s face.
“Dez!”
Not having noticed the guard, Dez replied. “Almost got it, dear.” Still working on the fire calling.
Taking advantage of his distraction the guard pressed a spear against Dez’ back. “One move and you are dead.” He quickly clasped Dez’ hands with silver shackles.
“How dare you?” Dez yelled and mumbled some words under his breath.
To answer Dez’ dumbfounded expression, the guard responded in chuckles, “Those,” he pointed to the shackles on Dez’ hands, “are called to suppress the callings of overly-energized beings, such as the Great Dez.”
“You shouldn’t have wasted them on him.” My response took them both by surprise. The guard pulled Dez by the long chain into the ground and stepped closer towards me, pointing his spear upwards. Out of the guard’s sight, Dez signaled to run but I wouldn’t leave him. “I am June Corpelle; Granddaughter of the Great Dez and you haven’t brought shackles to suppress energy such as mine.” The guard was around my age and I thought a few strong words would convince him quickly. It was hard to concentrate, having Dez in the background making hand signals. The spear frightened him, his eyes were fixed on it, trying to figure out what kind of weapon it was. Dez pulled the chain connecting him and the guard.
“Run now, June.” But running would cause the guard to follow me and it was an action taken by prey. I wasn’t his prey. The spear glimmered under the flickering from the tower. While the guard acknowledged Dez’ comments, I pulled it from underneath him and pushed him with its back. The spear diminished in size and fell to the ground. After losing his balance the guard laughed; capturing me would be easy. Now I was his prey and my only option was to run. A higher grace was with me because running was my weapon and of that, he was unaware of. After a few turns I had lost him.
A small mount of rocks offered a better vintage point. If I could locate Dez before the guard, we had a chance of escaping and reaching the city. We were too close to let a single man stop us. A sudden pull on my leg caused my balance to shake. The weight of my body crashed against one of the rocks, shattering the bones of my wrist into pieces. A loud, agonizing scream escaped me as I felt the guard approach. “Now you can feel special too.” He knelt down, close to me on the ground and whispered smugly, “I brought shackles for you as well, lady June. Hopefully, they are of your likeness.”
Without concern for my pain he yanked the wrist from under my body and clasped both my hands with the shackles. “Come on, stand.” As he tried to raise me up, I kicked one of his legs and he fell on the ground. With my elbows, I crawled a few feet away on the harsh, rocky path. Trying was of no use. He grabbed my foot and dragged it towards him. The sharp rocks ripped the skin of my arms, neck and chest. “If you do not wish to walk, I will drag you through the ground. Of something you must be sure, Lady June, under my watch and by the rule of the Council, you and your grandfather will be brought back to the Halls of Existence—Stand or I will drag you!” The guard pulled my arm and brought me to stand. I stared like a wild animal in captivity, trying everything and anything to reach freedom, knowing that the start of our quest could be steps away. “Walk, in front.” He moved behind me at a quick pace. I lowered my head in search of something to hit him with. There was a stone up ahead, about the size of a fist. “Keep moving.” Startled by his yell, I missed the chance to grab it. The guard turned his head to grab the large chain connecting my shackles to his body. Distracted from the ground, I knew he would trip on the same rock. As he stumbled to gain his balance, I tried to get away, still shackled.
The guard ran behind me and pressed me against a trunk. “Nice try. Ah you were so close.” After having fastened the chain to his belt, the guard laughed. “Let’s go.” He bent his back and threw my body over his shoulder.
“Don’t touch me! Put me down, now.” I kicked my legs. “Put me down.”
“This is the only way. My patience is running out and I would hate to hurt you any further.” He carried me as the night darkened. The guard took a couple of turns in the direction towards Dez and the tower. We saw the light extinguish and were left blind.
“Where are we going?” I felt the tiredness of his body. “Maybe we should stop and rest.”
“Once we find Dez, we can stop.”
“We passed that way long ago.” Alone, given the time, Dez could maybe manage to escape. If the guard couldn't find him, we couldn't return to the Council. He would not risk showing up without him.
“Glad you’re trying to help, but I know the way.” He adjusted me and kept moving.
“If you put me down, I promise to do as you say. My legs are numb.”
“No.” He answered, dryly. Unable to resist any more, sleep overcame me. The pain of my wrist pounded through the length of my body and kept me from a deep rest. I felt his hands move to my neck and hips as he placed me on the ground when we reached Dez’ location. After that, I can only remember leaving both men arguing.
***
A rushing sound of water resumed my sleep when the morning arrived. The sight of a shallow river surprised me and the absence of both men dawned on me. The guard’s red robe had been laid to cover my body from the morning dew. I took it with me and walked closer to the river bank. The current of the river flowed slowly, washing away the dirt covering the guard’s skin. He seemed to enjoy the coolness of the clear water, a few feet away from the shore, unaware of my presence.
“Hey!” I yelled. “Where’s Dez?” My voice startled him.
“Good morning to you too. Did you have a nice rest?” His attempt at seeming caring infuriated me. I had been chased, handcuffed, my wrist had been broken and my skin scratched. How could someone rest with a broken body? The guard was taunting me, that’s what it was. While I slept, he had killed Dez and now he wanted to rub his victory in my wounded face. “He went to pick us some food.” While answering, he moved closer to the shore. “Seeds, berries, anything.” The water reached at his waist. I scanned the area for Dez but all I could see was the guard’s shoes along with the rest of his clothes, thrown at the foot of the river. As he continued to exit the water I turned my body away, allowing him to get dressed.
“Dez went to gather some food? Am I supposed to believe that you let Dez go on by himself?”
“We had an understanding—your…shoes are on my shirt.”
“Excuse me?” In trying to look away, my feet had firmly, stepped over his shirt, leaving muddy prints. I bent quickly and tried to wipe them off, but the mud only spread. I felt embarrassed but not sorry, not after all he had done, and considering the cuffs were still on my hands. “Here.” A drop of water and blood ran down the side of his torso from a shallow wound. “So why the change in attitude?” Dez had brainwashed him and for once Dez had made me proud. “Are we still your prisoners?”
“You were never my prisoners. But we are all prisoners now, or are soon to be, if Dez doesn’t find a way quickly. The Fexorrous militia knows of our arrival and is probably searching for us. Yesterday while you slept, we heard noises of a woman screaming. Close to the gate by the tower, men in uniform guarded the entrance. The old woman was bent before them, one of the men pulled her hair, making her head move upwards. They all laughed as they looked into her terrified eyes. June, she was defenseless. She could barely stand on her own. ‘Save me.’ The woman called out to the birds circling around the men.
A man carrying a metal box, replied with disgust, 'No one will save you. No one will save any of you. Kneel to Seb Creat and you will be repaid beyond your dreams.' The words struck my thoughts.” The guard confessed. “One of the men, picked up a branch and drove it into the side of her eye. The eyeball popped from her skull and the guard pulled it into the metal box. They said Lord Creat would be happy to have the eye of a Seer. 'Save me.' She called again and this time,
the calling was directed to me; she could feel my presence. One of the other men debated whether to carve the remaining eye out, but decided against it, since the 'Lord' had only asked for one.
'Tell those you know, Seb Creat was merciful in saving the pureness of the remaining eye, for your left eye was poisoning your spirit. Truly, you should thank him forever.’ Afterwards, the old woman was carried inside the gates. Her cries of agony, revolted my stomach. While the doors closed, she yelled loudly, 'praised be Lord Seb Creat. The Lord allowed me to keep my vision.’ Upon returning, Dez asked what I had seen, and watched me puke. Sarcastically, he welcomed me to Fexorrous, and my heart dropped as the name flowed from his mouth. Certainly, Existence was punishing me for being a mediocre Council Guard. My fate as a guard has been murdered and my post will be no more.” The guard looked away, disappointed. “During our time of training, Controller Hed prepares us to recite and sign a document of purification. If a guard ever enters Fexorrous and by the power of Existence he returns to serve in the Council, he must be purified by death.” The man explained, trying to keep his composure. “The corruption in Fexorrous lives in the air and a corrupt guard cannot serve the Council. In the minds of all, entering Fexorrous is the greatest unlikely event but everything is unlikely until it comes to pass, right?” He chuckled and noticed my eyes had fixed on his wound. “Admiring your work? Looks better now.”
“What?”
“The gash on my ribcage, I bet you never thought you could stab a man.”
“I didn’t.”
“June, don’t be modest. It was a nice, big one, and took me by surprise too. My complements.” The guard smiled and bowed. “Come on, tell me, how did you override my command? The spear only works under my hand.” The spear had only knocked him to the ground because I had only used the back end of it, stabbing him wasn’t possible.
“—Brox!” Dez appeared from the trees behind the guard, caring my hat, which he had filled with large, round-like, purple fruits. “Did the potion ease the pain, Brox?”
“Yes, thank you Dez. I cleansed it along the river rocks, like you said.” The guard responded.
“—June! You’ve awakened.”
“To find, yet, more craziness — not to worry, I don’t feel left out at all. Also, my wrist doesn’t hurt because the guard, or your best friend, Brox, is it? Well, he never smashed it against a rock. Oh and more good news, we aren’t in Fexorrous and an army of guards isn’t trying to kill us.”
“Brox,” Dez mocked. “June is jealous because you fancy me more than her.”
“Dez!” I pinched his arm.
“Now you’ve made her mad.” Brox laughed. “She's blushing, how lovely.” Both men laughed and their amusement angered me.
While still laughing, Dez wished the last part wasn’t true, but the Fexorrian guards were searching for us. “I almost ran into their squad while picking these.” After grabbing one of the purple fruits, he tossed it in his mouth. “They said they had heard strange commotions and the energy detectors in the forest had picked up unusual activity.”
“They are tracking us then?” Brox asked. “It will just be a matter of time before they trace our energy signatures.”
“Not by the river.” Dez replied, passing along the hat so that we could eat. “The detectors don’t work by the river. The water current purifies the air around and the signal is lost. Failure of the system.” He smirked, feeling certain. “Eventually they will reach the river, so we cannot stay here forever. There’s a lot of ground to cover so we should head out as soon as possible.” Dez placed a few river rocks in a sack and walked away to keep watch while Brox and I ate. The purple fruits were bitter and had a slimy texture. I picked one or two and left the rest alone.
Brox seemed to enjoy them and insisted I should eat more, since we had a long journey ahead. “The water was nice and cool. At least clean your face while there’s flowing water, also you smell funny.”
“Excuse me? I do not!”
He laughed, the purple fruits had stained his lips. “At least wash the dirt on your face, the scratches might get infected.” The guard helped me up and noticing the weakness he offered to help. His help wasn’t necessary and if it hadn’t been because of his thirst to be acknowledged as a great Council Guard, Dez and I could have reached the city already.
“I can do it myself.”
“Not properly.” He answered, and gathered water on a piece of fabric torn from his red robe. As he carefully pressed the cloth along my cuts, he whispered, “I'm sorry.” Then he fixed my neck still to dry my face on the rest of the robe. That day had been the most frightening of my life. No one had ever, physically, shown how much they desired to hurt me. “It wasn't my intention to be so rough. I thought if I brought you both back, Controller Hed would praise me and present my family with Life Rights Certificates. There’s no use now, I’m damaged.” His semblance saddened. “Corruption surrounds me, I’ve been stripped of my Incorruptibility.” It was hard for him to accept the new fate. Brox’s life at the Council was no more. He feared that his brothers would now have to become guards immediately, in order to receive their Certificates or else they would be sent to the concentration school. Those uncertified to live, competed to receive Certificates of lower levels. Only twenty qualified out of five hundred: ten women and ten men. At the age of sixteen, children were encouraged to enroll in preparation classes. Any who reached age twenty without certification would be sent to the concentration school. Those stamped as irreparable would be given a day to be with their family. When the day was over, the irreparables would be executed. Brox explained that the reasoning for the Certificates was a revolution for the wellness of the race of the being. “Some should not be allowed to live, because they tarnish our image.”
“Do you honestly believe that?” Certificates granting the right to live didn’t exist in my world. I remember the Controller had asked for mine when I arrived at the Council. I imagined being Dez’ granddaughter granted me the right to live, else they would have sent me to the concentration school.
“Usually those executed are murderers, thieves, liars, those with high potential of becoming criminals, and those serving no purpose. It is a qualification system that works well, plenty of tests and analysis are run before a person is executed.”
“Then if the system is so perfect, why are you worried about your family?”
“I’m not,” he responded. “I just wanted to provide them rights to mine. So they could be proud.” The right to live of a guard was passed on to any of his choosing. The guard trials extracted fear and greed through training. The trials enhanced their perceptions and converted them to an incorruptible league, therefore their judgment wasn’t questioned. “The Controller holds all of the guards’ Certificates. Outside the Halls of Existence, land leaders are responsible for keeping citizens’ Certificates.”
“June, Brox! Come, hurry!” Dez yelled from a distance. Thinking that he had been captured, we sprinted towards the sound of his voice. “Isn’t it beautiful?”
On the ground, surrounded by the river rocks, Dez had created a flame, burning like a halo.
“What is that?” Brox asked.
Dez dismissed his question. “Quickly, dip your hand in. We don’t have much time!”
“In the flame, the burning, fiery flame?”
“Yes...” He was serious, insanely serious.
“Will this serve a purpose, besides burning our skin?” Brox hesitated before crouching to approach the flame.
“Don’t do it.” I whispered, bending down next to the flame.
“Be quiet, June. Both of you, dip your hand in! It won’t hurt one bit.” He yelled. “Listen to me well and keep this encrusted in your brains: everything I do has a purpose.”
“You first!” Brox gave my shoulder a soft push.
“Nah uh,” I shook my head.
“Oh for the love of Existence.” Dez crouched next to us, grabbing our hands, he pushed the three of them inside the flame. An exp
losion of light blinded me. The flame entered beneath my nails and dragged the fiery sensation upwards, exiting through my ears. The three of us fell backwards after.
Brox recovered first and yelled, complaining, “You said it wouldn’t hurt!”
“I hoped it wouldn’t. No worries now, it’s over.” Dez stood and called to follow. “Our energies are proofed now, they cannot track us as long as the flame burns. We walked along his side while he explained the process. He thanked Existence for having remembered to write down an untracking calling. “There was a book in my library which contained my callings as reference. The page containing the untracking flame was bent at the side. Can you imagine one of the members dared to read my books and tried my callings! I questioned each member to find Grant as the culprit.”
“Grant Gilcome?”
“Yes,” Dez confirmed. “I guess there’s plenty he forgot to disclose.” Unaware of the sensitivity of the subject, Dez continued, hurting me with every word. “He always seemed mysterious to me, but I thought you guys were close enough.” The mention of Gilcome’s name stunned me. Before Dez’ arrival, he had obsessed over Dez’ work. The night when he created the potion that allowed us to leave the House, played vividly in my mind; it was the last time I had visited the Plains. “Gilcome confessed he had worked on my untracking callings. It made me furious. How dare he look in my books? Especially my Book of Callings, the members were not supposed to look through my callings; not the untracking flame or any of them. Why would they need it when the House provided an extensive barrier? Unless of course, he wanted to leave the House and that’s what he had planned. But his calling to my spell never worked. Anyways thanks to him, I was able to remember the flame calling. So, thanks are due, wherever his spirit exits.” Dez bowed.