Tibby woke me the next morning. My face hurting I gently changed the bandage ad smeared on the cream that Zoran had given me for my wound. I then began my stretches. Tibby was waiting patiently while jogging in place. For one so small he was faster than any of us.
I knew that today I had to keep occupied. My usual routine was a must. Tomorrow was going to be hard. I could feel the dread already washing over me all over again. Shino deserved a better funeral than this one. He deserved a parade and everyone to know his name. He was a hero. One that history might never remember.
“Come on Zen.” Tibby surprisingly had been picking up our language quickly. He still had a limited vocabulary. But every day he was working just as hard as the rest of us to learn and expand his mind.
“Okay Tibby. I’m ready let’s get going. We will warm up quickly.” I noticed the chill in the air wasn’t really bothering me.
We set out on our morning run. Soon Zoran joined us halfway through our first lap. To my surprise Sir Thomas joined us on our third lap.
“Sir why are you joining us on our run today?” I dropped back a little to talk with the warrior as we ran.
“Zen call me Thomas for starters. Secondly a morning run energizes a person enough to help the heart. After all the death and destruction a warrior sees a run is important. Helps start the brain in the right direction.”
“Sir Thomas, I thought all warriors were prepared for that.” I gave a little huff as we sped up a little.
“Thomas, Zen. Has Snell not beat that into you yet?” Thomas chuckled. “He’s gotten soft.”
“Thomas that doesn’t answer the question. Does it get any easier at least?” I felt the lump forming in my throat again.
“It never gets easier Zen. You just learn to live with it. As a warrior I have lost people close to me. I can only imagine how you feel over this death.” Thomas’ haunted look told me he had been where I am now. “Just don’t give into the anger that comes with it Zen. Even if they all blame you. Always hold your head high for you brethren.”
Thomas sped up to where we had to quit talking. I knew if I did I would have no breath. I heard Tibby give an excited squeak.
“We go fast now!” Tibby sped up.
Zoran and I were doing all we could to keep up as an unarmored Thomas and a small Tibby started to race to see who was faster. The two of them had a speed that shouldn’t be possible on two legs. It made me wonder if maybe they weren’t mortal.
As we finished running laps I started up a larger fire than usual. Thomas brought over some fresh meat that the group had brought with them. Slowly as the rising sun everyone started to rise. I was working on cooking eggs with some wild onions I had scavenged from the ashen earth. I had realized that all the earth might be scorched but under the dirt was a fertile land that has been unexplored. Not for the first since we had set up camp I wondered what kind of miracles lie in these lands.
Zoran approached me with Snell. Tibby handed then each some food. Snell dug right in but Zoran stared at me for a moment.
“Zen you have to go take care of that crazy woman. I can’t defend you to her.” Zoran pointed over towards my mother. “I see why you wanted to get away from her.”
Zoran took over my spot setting up plates for everyone and finishing the cooking. Tibby decided to hug my leg making my slow walk that much slower so that I didn’t trip him any.
“Mother.” I felt a cold anger starting to rise in me. I took a deep breath. “You wanted to talk?”
“You are coming home with me child. You have done caused to many problems.” She looked at me for the first time that I could remember. Her cold hard green eyes seemed almost lifeless.
“Why? So I can be a forgotten item in a corner again?”
“You weren’t a forgotten item child. You just didn’t deserve my time.” Her stare became even colder. How was this possible? It seemed to suck any warmth out of the air.
“If I wasn’t forgotten then what is my name? Or better yet how long ago did I begin my journey? Or yet still where were you when I left?” I felt my voice raising.
Smack!
“You will not speak to me with such a tone! I am your mother!” She inhaled deeply. “I don’t care about you or Drakon. I don’t care about your name. You are making me look worse than me volunteering to be an outcast. The darkness was supposed to take you. You’re an ungrateful wretch.”
“Me ungrateful? How can you say that when I’m your child? All I ever wanted was for you to even care about me!” I could feel my anger about to burst.
“Why should I care if you were supposed to die?” She chuckled a cold laugh that I remembered well. “You were never wanted. I just want to live in peace. I don’t need you but just know if you ever claim me as family I will kill you. You know the same thing you did to that poor boy. What was his name again? Shino!”
I gripped my hands into balls. I could feel my palms bleeding. I noticed a crowd start to form around us. I knew that I could not make a scene now. I wanted to reach out and hit her. That would accomplish nothing. I took a deep breath.
“I did not kill Shino. Yes I should have died but he decided to save me. I can’t change that no matter how badly I want to. He shoved me out of the way of Yarg’s club. I will never be worthy of his sacrifice.” I took a longer breath. “You know what? I might not have deserved his sacrifice but at least I appreciate him. He was my brother. You aren’t even blood to me. Sometimes blood is not the ones who say they are. Blood is the people you actually care about.”
“See I told all of you he killed Shino!” Joseph came running out of the crowd. “It was all his fault that Shino died!”
I felt tears come to my eyes.
“Child if I ever even see your face after this you will die. Now is not the time to try. I warn you never return to the town of scribes.” My mother had bent over just to whisper in my ear. “Joseph would have made a better child than you ever could have been.”
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“Goodbye mother. I might care but I deserve better than this pain.” Finally the tears started to fall yet again. I knew that yes even though a small victory I had lost.
Lucy emerged from the shadow he was hiding in. He gave me a hug.
“Don’t let this loss make you loose yourself Zen.” He whispered even quieter. “Yes a villain to bystanders, to a hero to those that know. This is harder than I thought it was going to be. I should have intervened.”
Lucy disappeared back into his shadow. The crowd started to disperse. By now all that was left was Tibby, Thomas, and myself.
“That child Joseph. Anyways Zen. We need you to give the accounts of Shino’s death to the council. Well you and the others.” Thomas looked at me.
“Today sir?” I was wiping snot from my nose.
“Yes Zen. I know it’s a hard time but it’s needed. Right now Shino is with the council. Then Zoran. After her will be Lucy. We will come and get you after that. Bring little Tibby there.” Thomas rubbed my shoulder. “You are an amazing group to have grown so close with one another. You all deserve so much better.”
The day wore on. I practiced my sword play with Lucy to help distract me. Today I wound up gaining as many bruises as I had that first week we started sparring. At noon we stopped. As we ate they came for Lucy.
I went off into the tree line to practice listening. Today I couldn’t seem to clear my mind no matter how hard I tried. I could hum the dwarven hum as much as I my vocal cords could. My brain just wouldn’t let anything go. It seemed to be in overdrive.
Soon Elena appeared. She looked a bit frantic. Tibby was with her. Why was Tibby with her?
“Zen. Why are you here? I’ve been looking everywhere for you.” She seemed concerned. “The council told me to summon you.”
“I needed to clear my head. Please lead the way Elena.” I stood up.
I followed Elena into a tent by Shino’s white spire. It was large with intricate patterns. The inside had a small fire burning. Around the fire sat five chairs to one side. On the other there was a mat.
“They said sit on the mat Zen. They should be here soon.” Elena walked out of the tent.
I sat down on the mat and Tibby climbed into my lap. He reverted back to his goblin tongue.
“It will be okay Zen. They done talked to everyone. Even me.” Tibby smiled up at me.
A group of seven entered the tent. An elderly man, a woman, Lucy himself, Thomas, Albert, Joseph, and lastly the other squire who had been with Thomas. The two squires stood in back while the other five all sat down in the chairs.
“Zen you have been summoned for two reasons. One is to give us the accounts that you remember about Shino’s death. The other will be diverged if we think you are worthy after your telling.” The old man looked at me. “Please tell us what happened.”
The sun was setting by the time I finished telling the five of them the encounter. I started from the farmers house and ended with the exit from the cave. I stopped countless times to breath before I broke down into tears.
“It sounds like it has been rough for all of you. Thank you for all the details Zen. The rest just told us of the battle between the ogres. Well that and all the goblins.” The lady was staring so intently that I had to look away. “Please stay sat here with the squires as we go and deliberate Zen.”
They filed out of a flap that was different from the one they came in from. Joseph sat down in the old man’s chair.
“You know Zen? One day this chair will be mine. And from there I will own the throne. The forgotten throne that is. The one the golden king sat in.” Joseph started to laugh. “These old fogies don’t know anything. Times change and people like me become the power. People like you are meant to grovel at our feet.”
The other squire squirmed uncomfortably. "Joseph you know that I have to report that kind of talk still. Enru might be the one over your squire ship but Thomas has been entrusted as your lord for this trip.”
“Enru will put Thomas in his place when we get back to Harbinger. Enru notices the future powers. That’s why he chose me.” Joseph laughed harder. “All this is right now is a chat. Enru will say the same. I’ve already claimed Zen here as my foe. Marked him as a warriors enemy. Nobody can change that scar.”
“You know that is worthless. An old tradition that proved fruitless.” The squire glared at him. “You villainize Zen. Problem is not everyone is fooled by your golden boy act.”
“It’s always been this way sir squire.” I looked at him. “Best thing we can do is let him ramble until he realizes nobody cares.”
“Zen that’s the problem. You shut him up last night that’s why he slashed you. If you survive then you are marked by a warrior.” The squire sighed. “History taught us that unless word is put out that scar is only a battle scar. Everyone whose face was slashed became an enemy of the lands. So warriors stopped marking enemies like that.”
“Quite they’re coming back.” Joseph shot back to the place he had been standing.
They five filed back into their chairs.
“Still craving my position I see Joseph.” The old man glanced at him. “You might be a king someday but first you need to learn people.”
“Zen we now have two questions for you.” Father Albert took a breath. “Tomorrow will you retell your story to all present at the funeral?”
“I will sir." I took a deep breath.
“Last question Zen.” Lucy looked at me. “Will you travel to the tamers forest and visit the tomb of the enchantress?”
“Is the tomb of the enchantress in the tamers forest?” I felt my legs go numb. Sir William had told me I would need to visit her.
“Yes Zen it is.” The old woman stared at me. I could feel her gaze piercing me. “I believe it would be beneficial for you to see her tomb Zen. I declare that you should go.”
“He is but a child though. He is only in his eighth year still. That curse could kill him.” The old man glared at her.
“Zen has already visited one tomb. The tomb of the Black Knight in Stoneroot.” Lucy caught everyone’s attention. “That’s when he was kissed by the spirits. He will have our group for when he awakens. The only question is do we have enough time before the blood moon?”
“I have been doing extensive research on the blood moon. We still have… Let me see here.” Albert stood up and went back out of the tent.
“We still have three years and eight months before the next possible blood moon by these calculations!” Albert entered the tent with a scroll in his hands. “As long as the tomb doesn’t put him into permanent sleep like the golden kings tomb did to her.”
“You know we don’t talk about her Albert.” Thomas sat back in his chair. “Those records are sealed except for the twelve. You shouldn’t even utter that tomb around anyone.”
“The only way to survive the golden kings tomb is to be claimed by the blood moon. Problem is nobody knows the sign that those texts mean.” The lady stood up. “Zen we need to know now. Will you continue your journey of the tombs or will you head back to the town of scribes tonight.”
“I will do anything to stay away from that town. I will visit the tomb of the enchantress.” I still couldn’t feel my legs but somehow I felt that I needed to visit her tomb.
“It has been decided then. You will continue to the tamers forest as soon as the ceremony finishes tomorrow. The library has sent us a scribe to join your journey.” The old man’s forehead wrinkled. The worry was evident.
“Who could those old hags send that would be able to join our journey?” Lucy looked at the other four.
Thomas smirked at me. He gave a high whistle. Into the tent came Elena.
“So I guess I do get to see if I get a familiar then?” Elena looked at the old man inquisitively.
“You will join Lucy’s group here. You will have to take on a tough role. Just as the rest of them. They will teach you to fight, track, and survive almost any situation.” The old man stood up and exited the tent.
“He gets so salty when it doesn’t go how he wants it to.” Thomas gave a boisterous laugh.
“Let’s leave these three to get acquainted. They have a long journey ahead of them.”
“Elena? Why would you want to do this? It’s dangerous.” I started at her as everyone but Lucy, her, and I left.
“History isn’t written by those who sit in a library. Those librarians had their own journeys at one time. They all require a journey to the forest of tamers.” She did a little dance. “I always read about that forest but now I get to actually see it. I’m tired of sitting in a dusty building in Quitar.”
“Elena you should come to our campsite. Bring all you need for this journey. Also see if you can’t find a weapon. We will train more than just your mind on this trip.” Lucy motioned me to follow.
“See you soon Elena.” I waved as we exited the tent.