The next morning, 7th day of the 3rd Cycle, year 495
Kallen woke up first; his sleep was cut short by a nightmare. Short of breath, he couldn’t exactly remember the details, but his sweaty body and the vivid reptilian images were enough to connect the dots.
His heart was beating fast. Struggled to fall asleep and woke up in a hurry. However, resting wasn’t within his plans anymore, today was just too important to waste any more time in bed.
Even shut, the gentle light of the sun could seep through the small wooden trap that served as their bedroom’s only window. It was early enough.
The birthday boy took a moment before leaving his bed. He needed to take in every moment. This might be his last morning here with them.
He stared at his corner of the ceiling. Its stone bricks, their texture, the cracks, and the wall supports made of old pine. That was their room, the one he had slept in since the day he was born, the one he shared with everyone, even his late mother.
As his gaze shifted to scan the other side of the room, he could see the thin sun rays that managed to sneak inside, highlighting his sister’s bed with their warmth. She was sleeping peacefully. In this state, her temperamental nature seemed like a dream too.
Where the light was concentrated, her brown skin looked golden, and so did her dark blonde braided hair. According to the endless messages he had to deliver from grown men, he figured it was probably how they saw her. Rare were those who were able to get close to Kara, Flower of Melhem. One who managed to bloom even on rotten soil.
The way they looked at her, those weren’t the eyes of people who could take care of a flower. While the reasons behind her popularity went right over his head, he was grateful they hadn't experienced the wrong kind of attention yet.
Father Lark was their benefactor. How did their mother earn his affection? He never knew. Even after her passing, they were still under his protection. But until when?
As one of the maze’s many errand boys, his innocence was mostly gone long ago. He was familiar with the vice of men. If the old priest was ever to disappear...
He frowned. Against them, what could he do? He was just a child. The streets of Melhem weren’t known for their mercy, even for Striga’s son.
Especially if he was gone.
Right under the window, low enough to be spared by the light, was a small body bowled up under an ancient but well-crafted red bed cover. Its subtle twitches caught Kal’s attention. This was his other sibling, Alm.
The 8-year-old boy was feeling the last faint winter breeze making its way into the room. In the past, his older siblings kept pestering him about sleeping under the window, but he wouldn’t budge.
This was where their mother used to sleep; She chose this spot to keep them away from the cold when the weather got harsh. Every child of hers got to sleep in it before eventually getting their own bed, but it came to a brutal stop a year ago. The two oldest managed to grow out of it, but Alm couldn't.
Take care of each other, Kal.
As his emotions swelled up, Kallen finally got up and quietly left the place. As he gently closed the door behind him, he turned away to walk toward the window of their living space and the only other room. As he pushed its wooden flaps, the wind and the orange glow from dawn took over the space. He liked that feeling.
He knew he would miss this view of the bay. From up the hill, the chaotic mess of houses and towers meshed together in a way that made the maze look like one of those paintings from the temple. The only advantage of the crumbling Hollow Tower and its many residents. Unlike those who lived down below, here, the air that saturated his lungs was free of any aroma.
Even the sea hadn't woken up yet. The soothing bronze shade of the clouds, the tall habitation spires shading the streets, even Melhem could be beautiful from the right angle. He admired the sunlight dressing the Thorn in darkness with its soft touch over the horizon.
As he turned his head eastward, he could see the rest of the tentacular New Gates city sprawling as far as he could see. The mostly white and beige well-organized buildings highly contrasted with his end of the town. They were outcasts – “unofficial” citizens. They couldn’t afford to be.
But the reason he lingered for quite some time around the window was to observe the second highlight of the area, Naar-Aje.
Like another small town inside the city, dominated by the largest edifice he had ever seen in his short life, this was where the Swans were made, where they lived—their monastery.
While being more ancient, the sophisticated, almost otherworldly structures behind the forbidden walls always stimulated his imagination. From the colors to the style, It had nothing in common with the slums he lived in or even the more dignified habitations of the city. Who built it? Where are they now? Why does the Eternal Flame never die?
On top of Naar-Aje’s main temple, a tower was standing strong, the city's tallest. He could see the blue lights escaping from its highest windows, subtly illuminating the side that couldn't bathe in sunlight yet—the lord’s flame.
Ever since he received the mark, he never missed the occasion to catch a glimpse of the symbol that was engraved on the cloaks he admired so much. He felt drawn to it. Tonight, he would be closer to it than ever. Full of apprehension, he clutched his pendant almost to the point of hurting himself.
Watch for me.
“Your neck will hurt if you keep twisting it like this.”
Once again interrupted during his inner monologue, he abruptly pushed his body away from the window and turned his head around, surprised by his sister’s voice. She continued.
“Staring at it won’t make time go faster you know. Not afraid anymore? I thought you wanted to spend the day with us.” She said with a smirk, hands on her hips.
Slightly embarrassed, Kal finally turned around but couldn’t look his sister in the eyes.
“Sorry, I was just curious… It’s weird, all this. I didn’t mean to—”
“I know, I’m just toying with you, don’t apologize.” Amused by her brother’s now annoyed face, she turned around in the direction of their food reserve. “Go fetch some water and come back to eat. Today will be a long day.”
Somehow feeling defeated, without a word, he walked towards the large water jar sitting next to the door, grabbing his winter cloak that was hanging by a chair on the way.
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Facing the exit, as he sat down to put his boots on, he felt Kara’s gentle embrace from behind. She buried the lower part of her face in his wavy hair, he could feel a sigh. A sigh of longing, even though he was still among them.
It felt warm. Warm enough to forget the cold wind that infiltrated their home a moment ago. Just like that, a smile appeared on his face.
“Happy Birthday Kallen.”
*** Sometime later ***
Their worn-out wooden door creased, and Kal made his entrance, a full jar in his hands. While going up the ancient ruin’s many stairs, the familiar scent of boiling soup reached him before he could even step in. As he tried to close the door with his back, a familiar childish voice reached his ear.
“Happy Birthday Kal!”
As he stretched his head to look over the container, the boy who was hiding under his bed cover some time ago was now standing before him. His unkempt honey-blond hair, his runny nose, and the mark of bed folds imprinted on his tan cheek indicated that he had just woken up from a much-needed slumber.
“Thanks Alm. Grab a bowl and wait for me at the table, I’ll pour some water so you can clean that face of yours.”
Now embarrassed, the boy tries to awkwardly swipe his face with his sleeve. Then he continued.
“You need help?”
“I got it, thanks. Don’t worry, you will have lots of trips to the well once I’m gone.”
The instant Kal finished his sentence, his younger brother’s expression turned sour. A sharp stare from the eldest cutting some vegetables on the other side of the room prompted him to carry on with a forced smile.
“But as soon as I come back, you will need to be an expert if you want to impress a Swan.” Alm’s golden eyes regained their shine almost immediately.
Kallen knew how much he looked up to him. His brother always watched him in awe as he overcame the many hurdles the maze imposed on its inhabitants daily. A role model, that’s how he was perceived.
He can’t lose.
Kal could read his mind through his eyes, almost like it was written on his forehead. Only this time, he wasn't sure he could live up to the expectations.
“I still can’t believe you’re gonna be like Aren. You will come to visit us often too, right?”
“Maybe I could even bring you around on some hunts.” He responded full of overblown pride. “Just don’t go brag about it until I come back.”
“Alright boys, time to eat, got a store to run.” Said Kara as she came around them to pick up the jar. “Save your strength, I’m going to need those extra hands later, birthday boy.”
And a few moments later, they proceeded to eat their first meal of the day. Maybe it was because of the situation, but it tasted better than usual. He originally wasn't a fan of his sister’s vegetable stew; it grew on him.
Left by herself to run the household, Kallen saw his sister slowly embrace the mother’s role. She even took over the family’s shop in the city. And as he glanced at her reflection through the old mirror behind her, he could see the feint shadow of its previous owner.
Still staring, he reminisced about how his siblings' personalities were similar to their mother’s, but he was clearly the one who resembled her the most.
His pitch-black hair, darker skin, fiery amber eyes, and his slightly more striking face contrasted heavily with the other two. Those were the traits of the lady from the south, why people were weary around him.
“No errands for you today, you’re going to stay with me and Salma behind the counter. I want you for myself; Mikhal will take over for you”. Kara twirled her spoon in her stew as she looked at his almost full bowl. “I hope your little arms are ready to get active. And you better finish your plate, last time you got tired even before the Mid-day march.”
“It was a month ago! I’ve been training you know. If you can do it all day, so can I.”
“Are you talking about those little push-ups you do before sleeping?” She smiled as her brother started eating as fast as a beast. ”Real men do it in the morning when no one sees them.”
Wanting to be included, Alm swallowed his food promptly to speak.
“Aren told me he does hundreds of them to warm up.”
“Come on man, you know he’s a show off.” Said Kal with his mouth slightly dripping with soup. ”Maybe that’s not even true at all, he's just tryna score some points.”
“You think so? We weren’t playing any games though…”
“Someone’s jealous.” Said the eldest with a smirk as she handed Kal a cloth to wipe his face.
Finally noticing the mess he made while eating, he reluctantly grabbed the cloth and fixed himself up.
“I’m not! I just don’t see how he is different from the others besides… looking cleaner...”
“Cleaner than you, that’s for sure. He is willing to assist you during your sealing ceremony, what more do you want from him? Kids are so ungrateful these days.”
“You’re barely an adult.”
Shortly, the table banter came to an end, it was time to rally the city. As the bowls emptied and the conversations came to an end, a part of Kallen’s day already belonged to the past. An uneasiness started to build up within him, but he decided to ignore it. It was time to work.
*** Shortly after***
The Maze. A labyrinth for the outsiders, home for its dwellers. The streets were often so narrow that you couldn’t even see the sky. This was where the outcasts of New Gates were born and also where they tended to die. The siblings were used to the filth, they knew who was who, what was what, and where they should or shouldn’t go.
As they navigated down the hill, snaking their way between the makeshift homes and a few tower ruins, Kal anxiously looked around like it was his first time. He took this route more times than he could count. However, today, he wanted to immortalize it in his memory.
He looked at every house in his way, the few trees that managed to grow through them to become part of the landscape, every person that entered his line of sight, the way they dressed or stood. His eyes followed a few rats moving around the path’s old stone tiles buried in the mud, a vestige of a brighter past. They stopped around the hands of a man lying down against a wall. The foul smell emanating from what could look like a corpse from afar was something he was used to. This was the state many were subjected to in this place. Comfortable in his rags riddled with holes and a straw hat to cover his face from the sun, the man was waiting to die.
After lingering a moment, his focus went right back to the rest of his surroundings. He observed everything to the smallest detail. He was in a trance and nothing could pull him out of it. After being ignored a few times, even the other two stopped trying to talk to him—they understood. It went on until they reached Church Alley.
As they arrived, the sight of the most important tower in the district wasn't Kallen’s priority. He directly gazed upon the scene that was, for a short moment, his late-night entertainment. The widest and longest street of Melhem was in a poor state, even by its standards. Crushed stalls, bent lamp posts, broken walls, all tainted by splashes of red and gore.
Even though the believers were wandering around, taking care of whatever remained of the victims, the morbid scene wasn’t able to move him for once. His attention was on the pile of ashes lying in plain sight. The monster’s corpse was gone, purified, but to him, its presence remained. He had to cover his brother’s eyes but his were wide open.
The Cloak or the torch…
“Miss Kara, I will be on duty today, I’m ready to go. Father Lark salutes you all.”
This deep voice behind him belonged to Solman, a member of the armed militia of the church. He and the siblings all knew each other, but every time they met, it was almost like it was the first. Solman was a man of duty beyond reason. Tall and well-built, his pale inexpressive hairy face and the scars carved on it made him one of the most effective street pacifiers and the boys always felt a mix of fear and awe in his presence. As Kal glanced up, he was met with a dark and cold gaze he could not forget.
Ah… He remembers…
“Thank you, Sol. I know it can be tiring to station in the city. I heard you were hurt …Are you feeling better? We can hold the goods if needed.” Replied Kara with an unusually worried tone.
“It was nothing too serious. If I am here today, it means I’m able. Ready when you are.”
As his coldness practically matched the wind surrounding them, they silently marched along the street, toward the city gates.
Their bodyguard’s heavy footsteps lead the group. They advanced, but Kallen’s eyes were following another trail—the trail of blood left by last night’s monster. Like carriage marks on mud, its slithers drew a lengthy red path on its way to its demise. As they walked along, he knew the traces would stop at some point. He was patiently waiting for that point to come.
He looked at every broken door, wall, stall, and shelter. The bloody stream seemed to never end.
Until it did.
As soon as he laid his eyes on the scene, they dropped right back to the ground. Deep down he knew, he was sure even, but his young heart wasn’t strong enough to face it. He tightened his fist hard enough for his unkempt nails to almost pierce his own skin as he heard the shattering cries of the tailor.
His instincts were right, Meryl was truly gone. His father was spared, but his voice didn't sound like it. Muffled by the many people trying to console the grief-stricken man, Kallen could hear his helpless voice mumbling about how his son didn't do anything wrong, how he took his medication on time, how he even spared his own father and their shop.
While Stone Lilies pollen was quite effective, even the boy knew that he wasn’t completely safe from Beastification. Its mark-warding properties weren't guaranteed and if he was not careful, he could turn too. The optimistic mindset he had earlier, disappeared before he could realize it.
He started to regret his sister's decision not to send him in isolation. He had better immunity, but what about the people? Beyond that, what if he turned on his siblings? Could he be as strong as Meryl if the curse took him away?
“You told me you ain’t no snake right?”
Only now he felt his sister's hand resting on his defeated shoulder as she whispered words of encouragement, like she could read his mind. Walking behind him, she softly grabbed his head, making him face in front of him as they walked. His built-up anxiety slowly cooled down as they advanced toward the city gates.
I’m happy you didn’t let him down in the end Ryl.
Chapter end