by Logan Jacobs
“Good, thank you,” I replied.
Jorgen, Thom, Carn, Abe, and I returned to the campfire, and I took up a seat beside the priestess as she listened to Evangeline.
“… So, that’s why I decided to swear my allegiance to Sebastian, and only Sebastian,” the duke’s daughter finished.
“Does he ever get wounded or injured?” Sarosh questioned with narrowed gray eyes.
“Never,” Elissa answered for her.
“Not that I have witnessed,” Eva added with a shake of her head.
“The Great One has strength and power beyond human measure,” Mahini explained in a proud tone. “I have seen him perform countless miracles. Why, just before we reached Vallenwood, he saved a lost little girl who was stuck in a mine.”
“Does he violate your mind?” Sarosh asked in a curious tone, and I saw the look of anger flash across the desert goddess’ face.
“The Great One does not violate anything,” Eva cut in. “Your questions are rude.”
“My apologies,” Sarosh said as she tilted her head. “I did not intend to upset you. I just… I wonder how similar your experiences are to mine, and it seems they are quite different.”
“Perhaps you should consider having a different experience,” Elissa suggested with a soft smile. “Your god doesn’t sound very nice to me.”
“He is a strict god, and his expectations of his followers are high,” the priestess explained. Then she raked a hand through her silver tendrils and sighed. “Sometimes the expectations feel too high.”
There it was, a crack in her armor, and I almost whooped for joy.
“My main priority is to save your life, Sarosh,” I said in a soft voice, and I gave her a sympathetic smile. “I wish to free you from the bonds of fear.”
“I will never be free until my soul is reunited with my master,” Sarosh said, and she shook her head to dispel my kind words. “He awaits me on the other side, all I have to do is perform the ritual.”
“The ritual where you kill yourself?” I arched one eyebrow and crossed my arms over my chest. “I’m not buying it. I know it’s fun to call yourself a priestess and to have a powerful master to answer to, but, listen to me, he doesn’t care about you if he wants you to die.”
“We all die someday,” the priestess countered in a haughty tone. “Even you shall eventually disappear from this world. I merely wish to choose the place and time to honor my master and my beliefs.”
“Who is this master guy?” I questioned in a curious tone. “You talk so much about him, but what do you really know of him?”
“He… He would not want me to divulge our encounters with the uninitiated.” Sarosh shook her head.
“How am I supposed to believe in something I know nothing about?” I pressed in an urgent tone. “I’m not going to let you walk to your death without a logical explanation other than someone told you to.”
“Why do you care so much for my life?” Sarosh tilted her head with a confused look on her elven-like face. Her gray eyes seemed full of curiosity, and a small light twinkled inside the smoky depths.
Was that hope?
“I care for all life, Sarosh,” I replied in a gentle voice. “Yours is no less precious than those of my followers, no less valuable than that of the king or all the citizens of Vallenwood. You are special, and important, and you deserve to live.”
Tears immediately sprang to her gray eyes, and her soft, thin lips trembled. I wanted to scoop her up into a hug, but I knew she would reject me instantly. Still, I wished to comfort her in some way, so I moved to the log beside her and gently rubbed her back.
“I-I met him once,” Sarosh said after a long moment of silence, and she cast her eyes down to her lap. Her hands were placed delicately one on top of the other, and she was so still, she could have been a statue. “He came to me in a dream first, and then he appeared before me in the flesh. He claimed me as his own, and… I could not refuse him anything. Then he was gone… and now I just hear him in my sleep, like whispering echoes I can’t ignore.”
The words poured from her mouth in broken flows, but she was opening up.
The other faces around the campfire were motionless and awed, and they listened with rapt fascination but didn’t interrupt the moment with any comments. Mahini’s eyes pierced into Sarosh through the flames between them. I could see the thoughts tumbling through the desert goddess’ mind, and I made a mental note to ask her about them later.
Elissa and Eva sat side by side on one log, and they glanced at each other every so often to gauge the other’s reaction to Sarosh’s words. The two ladies seemed attached at the hip lately, and I could only imagine the kind of mischief they would get into together in the future. Mahini acted like a mother hen to the less experienced women warriors, so she would keep them out of trouble for the most part, but they were just as likely to drag her into their hijinks.
This was not one of those times, though, and I corralled my wandering thoughts to return my attention back to Sarosh.
“So, he can read your mind?” I asked in a cautious tone. I resumed rubbing her back, and I could feel her lean into my touch the slightest bit.
“He owns my mind,” Sarosh sighed. “I fear he is listening to this very conversation.”
“But you’ve seen him in person once,” I noted in a thoughtful voice. “You’re sure it wasn’t some sort of mirage? Or a hallucination?”
“I’m sure,” Sarosh said firmly. “We… connected. There would be no way to create that strong of a hallucination, trust me.”
“You had sex with him,” I assumed as I bit back the urge to laugh.
“Call it what you will,” Sarosh hissed, and her pale cheeks bloomed crimson with embarrassment. “My master has claimed me, body, mind, and soul. I am his, and I will follow his commandments.”
“Other than violating your mind,” I said, and I made sure to use Sarosh’s own words against her, “what other miracles has this master performed to prove his godliness? There are wizards and mages, and they’re not all standup guys.”
“My master can stand on two legs the same as me,” Sarosh countered with a confused scrunch of her eyebrows. “What do you mean by not standing up?”
“Never mind.” I waved my hand. “What else can he do? Like miracle wise, has he saved anyone’s life? Predicted the weather? Anything?”
“Bash,” Elissa interjected in a soft voice, “she looks upset. Maybe we should lay off the questions for a while?”
“No,” Sarosh said in a firm tone. “No, I am fine. I can answer. My master comes from a different plane of existence, he cannot easily maneuver through our world. It was a miracle he came to me in a physical body at all, and I am grateful for it. That was all I needed to trust in him.”
“So, he gives you messages in your dreams?” I asked in a gentle voice. I was curious, but I didn’t want to push her too fast.
“Yes,” the priestess confirmed with a nod. “Not every night, but when it is necessary.”
Could there be mind reading magic in this world? Was this random guy actually a god, or was he some evil wizard?
My head swam with questions, but I knew Sarosh didn’t have the answers I sought. The priestess had bought the guy’s story, hook, line, and sinker, so how was I supposed to convince her otherwise? I had to figure something out, but I didn’t know what to do just yet.
“One more question,” I said softly, and the elven-like older woman nodded in assent. “Why suicide? I don’t get it, why do you have to kill yourself to fix the world?”
“This world is doomed,” Sarosh answered in a solemn tone. “There is no saving it, only ascension into the next. In order to reach the next plane of existence, it has to be done in a specific way. This is the only way I can return to my master once more.”
“I’d like to ask your master a few questions to his face,” I said in a hard tone as my stomach clenched into a knot. This dude was in for a rude awakening very soon. “Think you could arrange that?”
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“My master only speaks to me.” Sarosh shook her head. “I’m afraid it is impossible… Unless…”
“Unless what?” I pressed.
“Unless you join the Purge and release your soul from this life.” Sarosh nodded as though this was the smartest route to take, and she rubbed her hands together like she’d solved some great mystery.
The priestess was truly insane, and I was ill-equipped to battle mental illness. I was going to try, though, and I knew with unlimited time at my disposal that I would succeed.
Hopefully before I went nuts in the process.
“I don’t think that’s going to happen,” I pointed out. “I’m kind of hard to kill.”
“It’s true,” Mahini laughed. “If a griffon can’t even draw blood on him, nothing can kill him.”
“The God of the Purge would accept your lives as sacrifice, too,” Sarosh said to the desert goddess, and Mahini’s face went ghostly pale.
“No, thank you,” the shield maiden murmured with furrowed eyebrows. “I’d rather serve the Great One until my last breath. It would be a dishonor to die outside the battlefield.”
“What is the difference between you following your Great One into deadly battles and me following my master into the next life?” Sarosh smiled like she’d trapped us in a corner, and I resisted the urge to laugh in her face.
Eva answered for me, though, and her voice was full of conviction as it rang out like sweet honey around the campsite. “Because life is the grandest adventure, and what comes next will come in its own time. There is no reason to rush toward the end when there is so much left to experience!”
“You are all truly lost souls,” Sarosh sighed. “I fear for you.”
“You have no reason to fear for the living,” I assured her. “We fear for you who march toward your own death. I grow tired of this debate, Sarosh. How about we call it a night and speak more on this matter in the morning?”
The sun had started to set during our conversation, and it was now dark. The fire in the middle of our campsite made the surrounding trees glow with orange light, and the faces of the two groups were lit up from the flames. Everything else was doused in shadows, and the distant sound of the horses nickering was the only noise to be heard.
“Very well, Sir Sebastian,” Sarosh said with a tilt of her head. “Thank you for your hospitality.”
“Again, don’t worry about it,” I replied as I stood up from the log and dusted off my pants. “We will talk more in the morning, okay?”
“Alright.” The priestess nodded, and then she reached out a hand for me to help her to her feet. I hauled her up, and she mimicked my gesture of dusting off. “Till tomorrow morning.”
“Sleep well.” I nodded to my two ladies. “You two ready for bed?”
“Yes, Great One,” Mahini yawned.
“Absolutely, my love,” Elissa added with a broad smile.
“Get good sleep, Great One,” Eva said.
“You, too,” I said with a wave. I saluted to Riondale and the other men who were still up and nodded to Sarosh’s followers as they leaned sleepily against one another, and then the three of us headed toward our tent.
We climbed into bed with tired yawns, and we quickly assumed our normal cuddling position. The two women each laid their heads on my chest, and I wrapped my arms around their shoulders. Our legs tangled lovingly together, and then we all sighed in unison.
“I hope we always fall asleep like this,” Elissa breathed in a happy tone, and she trailed her fingers down my chest.
“It is the best part of the day,” Mahini sighed as she snuggled her head beneath my chin.
“I wouldn’t have it any other way,” I told them with all the love I felt pressed into my voice.
I was asleep moments later, and I dreamed of an evil wizard hellbent on destroying the world while I stood alone against them. I woke up with the thought that I needed to learn more magic, and then I shook off the uneasy feeling. I kissed the two ladies in my arms on the forehead, and we all stretched and yawned.
It was another bright, beautiful day, and I was eager to get on the road to make up for yesterday’s lost time. First, though, I wanted to take another crack at Sarosh.
I climbed out of my tent, stretched my arms over my head, and relieved myself into a nearby bush. Then I joined the early risers at the campfire with Mahini and Elissa by my side. Sarosh and her followers were already awake, and they huddled near the flames in a bunch.
Sarosh’s gray eyes lit up when she saw me, though, and she stood up to cross the distance between us.
“I’m coming with you,” she announced in a decisive tone. “We will follow you to the dragon, and if you succeed in destroying it, then I will arrange a meeting with my master.”
My eyes widened in shock as I processed her words. I couldn’t say I was disappointed, but it came as a surprise. Now, my company had doubled in size, and I’d added a group of crazed zealots to my party.
I could handle the additional mouths easily enough, though, so I gave Sarosh a wide smile, and I clasped her hands in mine.
“Let’s go kill a dragon,” I said in an excited voice.
The silver-haired priestess tilted back her head and laughed, and the sound was like wind blowing through the softest windchimes.
This was going to be fun.
Chapter Thirteen
We packed up all of our camping gear onto the horses, and then our now medium-sized group went back to the road. It brought me great relief when I turned away from Vallenwood, and Sarosh fell into step beside me, and I was walking since I’d let Thom ride Goliath. Riondale and Jorgen had also given up their steeds to the wounded soldiers, and Elissa and Eva doubled up on Star’s back so one of the widows could ride the duke’s daughter’s horse, and I flashed them all a proud smile as we hit the trail once more.
It was going to be a long day of traveling, but we were up for it, especially since we’d only gone a couple of hours the day before. The timing was perfect, though, since we’d picked up the extra people. The longer they were with us, the further they were from killing themselves in the name of the God of the Purge. I was anxious to convince them to live, but I knew it would take some time. I knew from working at a dead-end call center job that dark thoughts had a deathly grip on the psyche once they were fully accepted, and it could be difficult to make them see the light again.
I’d seen it happen a lot in my co-workers.
It was a task I was up for, but I was grateful to have some wonderful people in my company to help.
The road was wide and well-travelled, so we made excellent progress. The evergreen trees reached for the crystal-blue sky, and a light breeze raked through my hair. It was perfect weather for riding, and I couldn’t have been happier with how the day was turning out.
A few hours later, some of Sarosh’s followers began to flag behind us, and I trotted back to them to see what was going on.
“Just hard to move my old bones,” Zeb wheezed.
“We will catch up, I promise,” Cristal insisted as she took the old man’s arm in hers. “I wanted to stay with Zeb to make sure he was okay.”
“We can take a short lunch break,” I decided, and I signaled to Riondale that we were stopping.
Once we had a small fire burning, rations passed out, and had all taken a seat to eat, I thought over the best way to proceed. No matter how nice the weather was, it would be slow going if we didn’t all have horses. My followers were in better shape than Sarosh’s, but I wasn’t sure they’d all be willing to walk.
“Bash,” Elissa said in a thoughtful tone, and she pulled me from my thoughts. “Why don’t we let the oldest people in our group ride the horses? We might be able to travel faster that way.”
“Really, all of Sarosh’s followers could ride while we walk,” Mahini added.
“We could at least take turns,” Eva pointed out. “Switch out every couple of miles or so.”
“Your people are too generous,” Sarosh
said as she inclined her head. “We are used to walking, but I fear we cannot keep pace with your animals.”
“It would be the most efficient way,” I said with furrowed eyebrows. “If you care not to ride yourself, at least let the people following you have some relief.”
“Very well,” the priestess sighed. “Again, thank you for your generosity.”
“You are most welcome, Sarosh,” I replied with a flourish of my hand, and I thought I spotted the hint of a smile in her bottomless gray eyes, but it was hard to tell since her lips didn’t move at all.
We finished eating, and then we all got back on the road again. There was a little bit more color in Sarosh’s followers’ faces, and they smiled easily at me as I walked past them. They were all mounted on the horses of my companions, and they were obviously grateful to be off their feet.
Riondale and Jorgen walked in front of the group while the rest of the men took up positions on each flank, which left the tail end for me and the women. Then the twenty-six of us headed down the road yet again.
“Little do they know,” Elissa murmured conspiratorially to Eva, “riding horses hurts your butt! I’m grateful for the chance to walk for a while.”
“It will be a nice change of pace,” the duke’s daughter replied with a smile. “Plus, look how happy it made them!”
“It will be nice to see them reject death,” Mahini said to me in a soft voice as we walked behind the horses. “Do you really think you can save them, Great One?”
“Yep.” I grinned. “All they need is a little dose of hope, and I’ve got that in buckets.”
“You certainly speak strangely sometimes,” the desert goddess laughed.
Goliath nickered and swung his head around like he was looking for me, and Sarosh fumbled with his reins like she had no idea what she was doing. Riondale crossed the distance to her in a flash, and he grasped the leather straps beneath the horse’s neck.
“A stallion like Goliath needs a firm hand,” the lieutenant said. “I can walk with him like this if you want, though.”
“That would be helpful,” the priestess replied. “I’ve never ridden a horse before.”