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PopeAlessandrosXVIII
Arts and Poetry Mod
Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Topics: 122
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men
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 Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:24 am Post subject: Destruction to the False Gods |
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This here is another RP I'm playing on another site. I really like it so I'd like to share it with my fellow IFians. Perhaps I can get some suggestions on thist world Dexter Morgan are trying to build. I am posting this with his permission, and he agrees that he'd love to hear what you guys think!
I'm going to be posting what we have thus far all in the first post, changing the color of his posts to this color as he prefers it when posting.
Well, enjoy all! Here are our characters!
Mine:
Name: Liendo Morea
Age: 14
Gender: Male
Ht: 4'11"
Wt: 104lbs
Race: Human
Eyes: Silvery Grey/Green
Hair: Messy, Down to butt, Light hazel brown, Tends to fall into his face.
Skin: Fairly light due to lack of sun
Build: Thin, but not sickly. Not very strong.
Preferred Power: A slicing wind spell. Can be blunted into an impact rather then a cutting spell.
Basic Personality: Sheltered, and a bit fearful, with a mind filled with grand adventures. Always tires to seek out new and interesting things. Lacks discipline when it comes to magic due to his parent's aversion to the subject, so is a little wild when it comes to his magic.
Background: Liendo, his parents part of a group rebelling against the controlling influences of magic, was raised not knowing of his powers. Through his childhood, he was kept hidden away, his only friends books that his parents would bring him every few days. After a time, he began to realize that once in a while, the pages would turn themselves. He would feel a breeze without his door being opened. Soon, he began using and honing his control of air, and created a few little spells for fun. Not long after turning 14, the small village he lived in was attacked, and most of it's inhabitants killed. All save for him. His parents had cast only one spell in their lives, and that was one to hide their son from the eyes of ones seeking to hurt him. The spell was cast upon his hiding place, but as soon as the battle was over, Liendo left his hole. . . . .
Dexter Morgan:
Full Name: Ceriss
Age (actual or approximate): Actual age unknown, appears twenty-five
Sex: Male
Height: Six foot, three inches
Body Structure: Appears thin and easily breakable, but sturdy and well-built
Skin Tone: Very light tan
Hair Color/Style: Pure white, waist-length and very messy, usually held back in a randomly-tied pony tail at the base of his neck.
Eye Color: Bright yellow-gold
Race: Son of Lumiere (the sun god)
Preferred Magic-Based Ability: The generation of light from complete darkness, which can be used as a barrier or as projectiles, and carries faint traces of life energy.
Personality: Strong-willed and independent, preferring usually to be alone. He can take care of himself, but hates to see others hurt for no reason, and has quite a protective side for anyone he calls a friend. Quizzical, he loves to learn and read when he can.
Biography: Ceriss makes his life alone, not really having any friends, living in a tree house he had built himself. He is a gifted artist, drawing moving three-dimensional maps of stars and galaxies he normally sells to shops in the nearby town. He has no idea who his parents are, going from home to home all his life, finally breaking free when he got tired of it. He decided to learn what he could about anything he could, mastering his light power for all it was worth to him. Sometimes, he hears a voice in the back of his head, as though someone tries to speak to him, but dismisses it as it's so faint. Watching the world under siege by the false gods, he wants to do something, but has no idea where to begin.
_________________
To Be A Knight
And my first Finished work Death Day
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PopeAlessandrosXVIII
Arts and Poetry Mod
Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Topics: 122
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men
Items
Legends
Fables
Strata-gems
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| Posted: Sun Sep 11, 2011 5:38 am Post subject: Destruction to the False Gods |
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In the beginning, the world was no more than a dark, blank rock, devoid of life and light. From a realm of beauty, a spark of hope began to fill the world. The sun god, Lumiere, lifted his life into the sky, giving the world its first breath of air, its first glimpse of the universe. Grass sprouted, trees grew, rain fell to feed the rivers and seas and the moon offered its light even when the sun hid away for the night. The sun god, smiling from his perch, began creating life, animals and people, flowers, breathing love and hate, dark and light, good and bad, into the lungs of those he made. Balance started working its way through the world, a balance between the good and bad, life and death and light and dark. With fear that he would become consumed with his nearly-infinite power, Lumiere created the gods of the elements, the gods of fire, water, air, earth and life, death and dark, spirit, and moon. Distributing his powers to the gods, they turned their gaze to the people below, creating cities, villages, a society that stretched through land and water, building temples dedicated to the sun god and his children gods.
They began bestowing their power upon the people of the world below, to give them better survival chances, to help the gods if need be. But they were inexperienced, and sometimes granted too much of their power. As these men and women grew, their powers became so strong they felt they could be the gods themselves. The magic running through their veins rendered them immortal, and as they came together in a rebellion against the benevolent gods above, they found a way to the gods’ home, which only appears once a year, when the moon is black in the sky. At this time, the gods are at their weakest, and the rebellion ripped their powers away, causing the gods to fall to earth. Hiding the gods away in their temples, the humans sealed them away using the gods’ own powers, contained in an amulet they hung on the door of their temples.
These false gods forced their powers on every newborn child, regardless of whether their parents wanted them. But some were birthed in secret, sparing them from the influence of the god-like humans. As they grew, though, they were able to wield the magic their parents had, in limited amounts.
The gods sealed away, the dark false gods watching over the world with an iron fist, balance began to falter…
***
Ceriss considered it his best work. Every planet was in its place, and with a small wave of his hand over the paper, the map of the stars moved with him, altering the angle of what he could see. It had taken him twenty days, working all night, sometimes cursing the clouds as they drifted across the areas he had to focus on. But after so long of straining his eyes, watching the stars and planets move through the sparkling dust clouds all around the nighttime sky. He had finally made his star map come to life, something only he could do, something so rare. Ceriss always sold his maps to the little shops in the town just outside the forest he called home, but never for anything over a single piece of gold, which could spare him from hunting for at least a week.
When he rolled up the parchment he had drawn the map on, the map itself folded away as well. Brushing back his hair, he untied the lot of it and used the string to bound the paper tight, stowing it in the chest near the trunk of the tree, which he had built his simple house around. Locking it, Ceriss stood, stretching his legs and going to the edge of his tree-house, peering over the edge of the gate he had crafted so he would not accidentally fall the twenty feet to the grass. He could see light from the town just behind a veil of trees that blocked him from the rest of the people. It was peaceful most of the time, with its fair share of problems and disputes. A quiet-enough place, but Ceriss had always hated being among a large group. Whether from anxiety or a general dislike of crowds, Ceriss didn’t know, nor did he care. He preferred living alone, being a map-maker like no other, and being friends with only those passersby who don't have anyone else, though they eventually moved on.
With a half-content, half-lonely sigh, Ceriss turned to his left and crawled up the ladder that led to the second floor of his tree-home, which made a circle all the way around the tree itself. On the second level, he had separated his bed from his writing and eating table with a heavy dark red wool blanket. Taking up one of his lamps, cupping his hand over the flame, he took it to the short table and set it down, opening the stone larder behind the table and pulling out a strip of dried venison. He sat cross-legged on one of his cushions on the floor, and while he ate, he studied the paper on the table by the lamp. It was a map he had started several years before, but halfway through he had lost sight of the odd formation that had been floating like an island far above the world. It had never come back, though, as much as he searched the sky every night, and occasionally during the day. Not once did he see it again. He forgot about it as he focused on other galaxies, other worlds. But every time he came back for dinner, he had to look at the unfinished map, dull on its paper, with no chance of becoming a moving thing.
Smiling half-heartedly at it, Ceriss turned the half-finished drawing of a floating bit of land over. Chewing the last bit of meat, he stood, brushing his hands on his shirt and waving the lamp out. Its flame dimmed down, fizzling, so only the light of the moon could be seen. As he moved aside his curtain, he felt something was moving near the tree. Pausing, listening, he heard nothing more than a rustle, and came to the conclusion that it was a deer, or bird settling for the night. Especially as it stopped moving quickly. With a shake of the head, he stepped onto the makeshift mattress of cloth and bird feathers he had made himself, and pulled the curtain closed once more. His bed area was the only one that had actual walls around it, with a rectangular window so he could see outside. Settling onto the bed, curling up, he only just realized how sleepy he was. It was only a moment before he had drifted off.
+++++++++++
Liendo looks about at the piles of rubble that was once his village. The bodies of people he'd never met, of children he's never known strewn about like papers tossed on the floor by a stray breeze. Raising a pale hand to his lips, they young teen does his best not to puke. The smell of burning flesh and hair clogging his lungs, and he loses the battle with his stomach, emptying it's contents on the ash covered ground. As he stands, he tries to avert his eyes from the bodies and instead looks towards the woods. “I...I can't stay here...gotta...” He begins mumbling to himself as a distraction. His steps are slow, his toes dragging, causing him to trip and stumble every few paces. The further he gets from the devastation, the clearer his mind becomes. 'The men, I could hear them through the ceiling. They were looking for something. Something kept in the village. They called my parents traitors, but who did they betray? I don't understand!' The boy clutches his head, his breath hitching.
The sounds of his family's cries echo around his head. His mother, pleading for his father's life before they both scream, followed by a rush of heat. When Liendo had left his room to investigate, leaving his hole for the first time, all he had found of his parents were piles of ash. Tears pour down his face as he remembers so many objects he'd only read about now here before him, but unable to admire them due to circumstance. He sniffles a few times before continuing to move away from the village. The crackle of fire gives way to the soft sounds of the breeze through leaves and branches. The crunch of hard earth gives way to the near silent sound of dead foliage underfoot. Liendo can feel his body relaxing as the sounds move through his mind. Everything about him, so new and different, fills the boy with wonder despite earlier events.
With a few deep breaths, he reaches out to touch a nearby bush. The soft greenery makes his fingers tingle. He moves closer, reaching past the leaves to the branches underneath. In his haste, he fails to notice the danger within. “Owa!” he yelps, pulling his hands back as the thorns growing along the twigs jab and scratch his arms and hands. “I wanna go back home...” he sniffles to himself. The thought brings back the images of the dead villagers, causing his stomach to roll over. Clutching his now scratched arms to his chest, he begins running. As fast as he can, he sprints along. Falling over rock and log, he slowly becomes dirtier and dirtier. His light brown hair becomes even messier as it tangles in bushes and low hanging tree limbs. Is tears flow freely as each new jab and tug brings new pain, something he's rarely ever felt before. In his hole, he'd been safe. Nothing could hurt him there, and even knowing what awaits him back at the village, he can't stop his heart from longing for it. For his books, his windows to adventure, his way to live an exciting life in complete safety.
When he can finally run no longer, he crashes through a patch of brush and collapses against the large tree before him. His breaths come swiftly but softly, his will to live overriding his desperate need for air. 'I can't let them find me. They'll kill me too. That's how it always is in books. Bad guys kill everyone, I need to....need to....' Forcing himself to relax a bit, he looks about at all the things around him, naming each off to regain his focus. His parents had brought him many books, several of which were on subjects such as herb lore, and nature. The pouring of knowledge rushing through his head brings his focus back to the matter at hand. 'I'm all alone, in a world I've only read about. The two people I've ever known are dead, and I'm bleeding' The boy looks at his arms, wondering just what to do about the collection of cuts and scrapes.
Sniffing a few times, he brings them into his shirt and out of the cooling night air. He suppresses a hiss of pain as the sweat on his chest gets into the wounds making them sting. 'I'll be able to think better tomorrow, when the sun is out. The books all say it's better to do things during the day, because it is easier to see. That's what I'll do, I'll wait for tomorrow, I'll....I'll....' The thoughts slowly drift around his head as the exhaustion from the stress filled evening hits Leindo like a large weight. His head begins to nod, dropping his chin to his chest. Soon, light sound of breathing is the only noise coming from the boy. The wind ruffles his tangled hair, brushing it across the ground beside him. His legs are sprawled out before his seated form, arms crossed beneath a thin layer of cloth. The moon shines down upon his sleeping figure, causing his pale skin to glow.
+++++++++++++++
Ceriss rose before the sun, as he did every morning. He felt it necessary to wake in the dark, to get more done in a short amount of time and have as much to himself as possible. Ceriss manipulated his homemade bed, returning it to its original form. Leaning out the window beside it, he looked at the sky, very slowly forming a deep blue, the stars beginning to fade. He looked at the trees, all in darkness, their heavy branches bowing with the weight of their leaves and the dew that had settled overnight. The ground was pure, shadowy in the midst of the trees, but here and there dark spots could be seen. The scent of early morning always chased away the grogginess of sleep, cleared Ceriss’ head. He was always in awe of nature, despite his living within it for years, the beauty, the danger, the strength of it all. Sometimes he wondered why he made star maps, because maps of the forests would suit him better. Waving his left hand in a circular motion through the air, he created a bobbing orb of yellowish light which, as he moved, followed him.
Disregarding his thoughts, he pulled down the dark red wool blanket from its hooks on the ceiling. Folding it, draping it over his arm, he went to his short-legged table and turned over the unfinished map again. No matter how many times he told himself to throw it out, to get rid of it somehow, or to finish the drawing his own way, Ceriss could not do it. There was something about the paper that seemed bound to him. Sighing, he finally threw it in the chest with his finished star map on the level below, and laid out the blanket on the floor. Returning upstairs, he collected his clothes, dirty ones from several days ago that he had worn already, all in darker colors to resemble the earth and forest. He would wash them in the stream not far away, while the sun was still down and the world was cool.
He bundled up the blanket and heaved it out of the square hole in the floor, taking to the ladder below with his source of light showing him the way. Nearly falling the last three feet to the forest floor, he shook his hair out of his eyes and grabbed the bundle again. Before he could move, though, he heard something along the other side of the tree. Any other time of day, he would not have caught it, but the silence was so nearly complete, it came to his ears very clearly. Stepping carefully around the tree, nudging the ball of light ahead to show him the way, he noted the figure he had possibly heard while the night was still young, before he went to sleep. A boy.
He looked so young, thin and frail. And dirty. As though he had run headlong through a farm yard. His arms were crossed under his shirt as he sat back, sleeping quietly under the fading moon. Biting his lip, Ceriss went to his knee on the ground, unwrapping the clothes he had intended to wash. Fishing something out, he unfurled it: A rough, but very warm blanket he normally used for especially cold nights. It was clean, but he had intended to wash it just in case. Moving close, he laid the blanket over the boy, settling it up to his shoulders, and backing away slowly. He did not move as he grabbed his haul, and, counting his blessings, Ceriss ushered the orb along with him. After he returned home, he would drape the clothes over the banisters for the wind to dry, and go to town to sell his newest star maps.
++++++++++
The small figure beneath the large tree begins to stir. The bright sun draws him from his dark dreams. With a few stifled groans, his eyes slowly crack open. 'Did mom leave the trap door open? Why is it all so bright....' A light breeze tosses the boy's hair about, tickling his face. The cool feeling snaps him fully awake. Sitting bolt upright, he cries out as the still fresh wounds on his arms scrape and rub under his shirt. With a few soft sobs, he pulls his arms out. Looking them over, it takes him several seconds to realize something is different from when he fell asleep. Spreading his arms, he stares dumbfounded at the thick blanket that had fallen into a pile on his lap when he'd sat up so suddenly. 'What, where? Distracted from the pain for the moment, Liendo looks about, trying to spot who had left the blanket. The light shining down from the sun cast more cheerful shadows then the moon had the night before. The greens and yellow hues of the surrounding vegetation hold the boy's fascination for some time. 'So beautiful...'
His eyes finally land on the ground around him. In the soft dirt beside him, Liendo recognizes the shape of a foot print. 'Someone was here....Well, of coarse someone was. The blanket didn't appear on it's own. But, who? They're not bad, right? A bad person wouldn't leave me alive, let alone leave me something to keep me warm with...' Tumbling the thoughts over and over in his head, the boy tries to pull himself to his feet. His muscles and joints ache and protest, still not recovered from the abuse they'd suffered the day before. “Owaa.....” he groans. “Perhaps I should have ask mother and father to let me jog around inside the house. Trained my body a bit more.....But, I guess they never considered I'd need to use it that much....” He leans his head over tot he trees so his forehead rests on the bark. The rough surface creates little distraction from the visions that fill his mind as he recalls the last time he's seen his parents alive.
Smiling and happy, his mother came down with a large tome. He had almost jumped out of his skin at the sight. She'd told him it was a history book, one about the very land they lived in. He had been so excited that when his father had come down a few hours later, the child had hardly acknowledged as he'd set a bowl of hot soup beside him. The memory of the soup brings Liendo's attention back to the present. Looking down, his midsection gurgles and squeaks at him, demanding attention. “Guess I'd better put all that herb and plant lore to use...” Wandering around the area, he slowly moves away from the large tree. Picking a leaf here, a tuber there, he slowly gathers together a decently sized collection of what he believes are edible plants. “That should do it!” He proclaims semi triumphantly. Wandering back towards the tree, he stops as he notices a plant that had been under the header -Medicinal Plants-. Juggling his load slightly, he reaches down carefully and pulls up a few handfuls. “Alright, now back to the tree.”
Hearing his own voice helps him to remain calm, and to stave off the loneliness. Sliding down besides the blanket, he spreads his collection out before him before pulling the blanket back over his legs. He begins to hum lightly, using his fingers to rub the dirt off the tubers best he can. “This white one will last a while, seeing as you shouldn't eat too much of the uncooked flesh all at once. And these leaves will help to calm the flavor.” Picking up the next root, he continues to rattle off everything he knows about each. For a time, the talking helps with the distraction, but after several long winded speeches to himself, the boy finds himself getting choked up. “A-and i-if y-you don't m-make s-s-sure t-to...” He begins sniffing uncontrollably, dropping the leafy plant he'd been talking about to press his hands over his eyes. “Mom.....dad....w-why.....” the tears and snot begin to flow freely as the images from his village rise up from beneath his palms.
The smells, the sounds, the very feeling in the air around the desolate village come rushing back making the boy lose his appetite. His whales and sobs echo through the forest around him, bouncing off of rock and tree, spooking many a small animal. Rocking lightly, he tries desperately to comfort himself. His hands finally fall to clutch his shoulders, revealing his tear streaked face. Still rocking, he begins humming again. On nights where the hole was cold, the wind whistling in causing strange sounds to echo about the room, his mother would come and sit by his side until he could fall asleep. She always hummed the same song, and in truth, it's the only song he's ever heard. The tune slowly calms his nerves, allowing him to shift his focus back to the food laid out before him. Picking up another tuber with shaking hands, he continues to clean his soon to be meal.
++++++++++
Crouched under a large, sad-looking tree, Ceriss wrung out a bundle of cloth. His mind kept wandering to the boy he had left, an odd little thing, incredibly thin and pale, as though he had never seen the outside of his home. But, Ceriss considered, he could have been one of the few who had escaped being given a power by the dark gods, hidden away by his family and kept a secret. It took so much vigilance to keep newborn children secret, to keep them isolated. But Ceriss considered it a bad idea. He didn’t know which was worse: To be given a power, and therefore, under constant moderation by the dark gods, or to be sheltered forever, or at least until one’s family is gone and they have no idea of how to exist outside their home. To be spared their power, or to understand the world? Ceriss shook his head, twisting the water out of his brown shirt and setting it in the pile on a smooth boulder half-buried in the ground by him.
Ceriss had of course not been hidden away. He had been given all the powers, in what he could only consider very small amounts. And not by the dark gods, either. He had never been approached by the dark gods, but he had power. Power of earth and life, dark and death, of water and air, spirit, moon, and of course, light. The power of light was the power he always used. It was what showed him the way in the dark, what helped him hunt when he needed food but had no money. It was what gave him the ability to see what he was doing as he crouched over the swift stream, listening to its beautiful song in the hushed early air. But his family didn’t appreciate his abilities. His mother gave him away to a traveling merchant, who soon got tired of him, stranding him in group homes until he tired of them, and forever moving on and on.
He had always been alone, in a way, Ceriss. Fending for himself even when he had others to help him along. He learned his own way. He learned of the plants of the forests, which berries and fruits were poisonous and which were not, which could cure pain and help heal wounds, which plants gave tough material if dried, perfect for making clothes and blankets when cloth was low. He learned to kill and skin animals, use their leather and fur and bones when the meat seemed the only worthy prize. He learned to build his house, away from ground predators and sturdy even halfway up a tree. Yet Ceriss had learned over many years, many decades. And he never seemed to age any more after he had been considered a man by the elder of the nearby town.
Wringing out the last pair of pants, a dark purple tone he had dyed several years before, he untied something from his waist. It was made of a deer’s skin, laid out in the sun to dry and toughen, but not crack when it was bent. He had shaped it into the form of a pear, and used it to transport a good amount of water at a time. Dipping it into the stream with his right hand, he used his left to slow the stream’s flow, direct water faster into the skin. It was heavy when he tied the neck, but not so much as to hinder his gait. Fastening it to his braided cloth belt, he stood, gathering the clothes back into the blanket he had, and threw it over his back. With one more trip to his tree-house to go before the sun came up, he would lay out his clothes to dry, grab his star maps, and get to town just as the shops began to open. He ushered his orb of light from the ground and it bobbed in front of him, leading the way.
The sound of the stream was quickly lost among the waking and shifting of birds in the trees. Among the songs they sang, the cracks and snaps of animals passing by, arranging and rearranging the foliage and leaves, chittering to one another in their animal-speak. It was beautiful to Ceriss, something humans could never understand, the creations of the original gods. But as he drew nearer to his home, he heard something new. Some melody he could not directly understand, identify, sung by a small voice that could only be classified as human.
++++++++++
After a slow and careful assessment of the foods laid out before him, Liendo waist no time in sedating his hunger. After consuming all the food he deemed safe, he lay back in relaxed comfort. Pulling up the blanket, he takes a deep whiff. The scent on the cloth is one he's never smelt before. 'It smells nice. Kind of like the leaves that use to find their way into my hole. But different' Holding the material close to his face for several minutes, Liendo comes to a decision. Standing slowly, his body still protesting it's overuse, he brings the blanket up with him. 'If this person is kind enough to leave me this, perhaps they are kind enough to help me a little bit more. If I can just find them....' With that thought in mind, he begins wandering back and forth, looking for any sign of human life. Several paths lead out of the small clearing, but most seem animal made. After making a full circle around the tree, he tuns back towards it with a huff. 'What am I suppose to even be looking for? It's not like there are going to be signs saying “Here there be people” I really am usele-' His thoughts are cut of as his eyes fall on what appears to be a ladder.
'What in the?' His gaze travels upwards, looking for the top of this very out of place looking climbing aid. His mouth falls open, eye bugging at the sight of a large tree house built on the side of the tree he'd spent the night against. “Wow...That's so neat...I wonder if....” After several minutes of arguing with himself, he decides on the more adventurous route. Approaching the ladder carefully, he looks up to the place where it vanishes into the house above. With slow measured movements, he begins climbing. About half way up, he glances over his shoulder and nearly falls to the ground. “Oh, bad idea. Baaaaad idea.” he mutters to himself. Having spent most of his life underground, seeing the ground so far away causes his head to spin and stomach to churn.
After a few calming breaths, he manages to turn his gaze back to the square hole above his head. With shaking hands, he forces his body to move higher and higher until he finally breaches the lip of the tree house floor. Climbing fully inside, he takes several minutes to calm down after the exciting climb. Taking a deep breaths, he glances around, looking for any signs of life. Seeing non, he uses the wall behind him to shuffle into a standing position. His eyes travel over the various drawing and scribing materials strewn about the area. Papers, pens, pencils, scrolls, all of which look well taken care of. “Kind of reminds me of my hole...” he murmurs. After a quick inspection he finds nothing of real interest save for another ladder, leading further up. Taking a hard gulp, he ascends to the higher deck. A lightness comes over him as he looks over the simple design of the home. Clean and fresh, the sight of all the things about him fill the boy with a warm feeling.
Deciding to leave everything alone, for fear of upsetting the resident, or residents, he instead just looks. “Looks so nice. A lot cleaner than my hole, that's for sure. I wonder who lives here? Maybe it's an elf. Or, could be a fey! Heheh, I'm being silly now.” Moving out to the balcony, Liendo is careful to not look down. Before him the trees and other vegetation look alive. A soft breeze rustles through the leaves as small creatures run about their branches. A pair of small brown things with long fluffy tails chase one another around the trunk of a tree, bringing a smile to the filthy boy's lips. The thoughts of his destroyed home get pushed to the back of his mind as the beauty of the living world around him fill his senses. From the small creatures to the flowers he can see blooming on a distant tree, they all scrub his heart and mind clean, even if it's only for a short time. The beauty brings a song to his lips. The same one his mother had always hummed. Letting it flow, he begins to sing it, but without words. “~La la, la la la, la laaaa. La la la, la laaaa la laaaa~”
++++++++++++++
Ceriss rounded the bend, coming out of the shadow of a rather large tree to his home, but finding the area devoid of life. The boy was gone, but had left the blanket. Ceriss felt a bit happy; he had helped someone, if only a bit, recover from a rough night and move on. With a faint smile, he picked up the blanket and folded it in half, tossing it over the arm that held onto the bundle of damp clothes. Rearranging the bundle, the blanket, and the water on his waist, he leapt up the ladder, grabbing on with one hand and climbing easily, used to the twenty or so years he had been doing it. Holding on to a weight of clothes or a recent kill was second nature to him then, muscling it into the house and setting it on the floor, hoisting himself up with a sigh, untying the water from his waist and hanging it from a hook on the ceiling in the corner. With a wave of the hand, he dismissed the lighted orb.
Grabbing his clothes, he started lying them across banisters, closing his eyes when he felt the wind flow through the house. Its scent was sweet, from the stream and the flowers that hung from some of the trees and crowded the ground in places. The feel of the wind made him seem free, almost as though he could fly away and see the world from above, find the gods of old and put an end to the dark gods’ rule. But he sighed with a glance at the red long-sleeved shirt in his hands. He was one person. He had no idea where the gods of old could be, where the dark gods even were. Setting the final pair of pants on the banister and arranging them so the wind would hit them right, he turned back to his house. His recent star maps were upstairs, and he would have to get them after he cleaned up the scraps of parchment and the brushes he used to draw with.
Gathering a handful of pens and brushes, setting them in the chest against the tree, he paused to observe what he had already made and refused to sell. Some of the images were distorted, some planets and stars in the wrong place, and others were never able to make a deep image. Most he drew had such depth they seemed to be drawn in endless space, as though one were really looking at the objects portrayed. But those flat paintings and drawings were no more than his failed beginning, a beginning that had always frustrated him. Ceriss closed the trunk and locked it again. He kept them around to remind him of where he started, and where he was now. Looking around, he tried to find the maps he had intended to sell, but they were nowhere to be seen. For a moment, he stood among the sweet breeze and the fluttering of his drying clothes, and recalled his leaving them on the table upstairs.
He grabbed the water from its hook, wrapping its cord around his wrist, and started up the ladder. Halfway up, he paused. Hooking his arm around the wooden step, he listened. That same tune, sung in a small voice, wordless and carried a bit on the wind. They had made it into his house; Ceriss was certain it was the boy he had found, but worried that it was someone else. He reached into the pouch on the side of his pants leg, extracting a sharp, black-stone knife edged with silver, keeping it tightly held in one hand and dragging the water with him. He climbed the rest of the way rather clumsily, letting his eyes move up before allowing himself leverage. He saw someone, standing on the far balcony. Though his back was turned away, Ceriss could recognize the old, dirty clothes for the boy he had found before. His arms, which rested on the banister in front of him, were cut up and just as filthy as his clothes. It appeared as though he had reached into a thorn plant and flailed about.
Ceriss, quietly, lifted the skin of water up and set it on the floor, pocketing his knife and crawled the rest of the way up, clicking his fingers on the floor to get the boy’s attention without startling him.
++++++++++
Falling silent, Liendo watches a cloud of birds take off, his heart soaring along with them. The beauty and fresh air keeps him smiling for a time, until his mind wanders. His smile slowly falls as he begins worrying again. 'What am I going to do? What if the person or people here don't want me around. They may have left the blanket, but....' Shivering slightly at a sudden chill, he watches a large bird begin dive bombing the mass of smaller birds. The sight hold his attention, his heart racing with each dive and dip of the majestic creature's attempts to catch a meal. 'Maybe I can learn to hunt. I mean, I've read about it in my books. A-and if I can get back to them, I could...' His thought are interrupted by a clicking sound behind him.
Whipping around, he spots what made the noise. Crouched next to the hole he had come through to get up here is a man. Older than he, but not that much, the figure's thin form and fine clothes seem to fit well together. Liendo's eye travel up to the honey colored eyes gazing at him beneath a sheet of pure white hair. 'So beautiful...' his mind thinks before the reality of the situation hits him. Stumbling backwards into the railing, he clings tightly to the smooth wood. Without thinking, he begins babbling. “Hi, um, I-I'm sorry for j-just coming in without asking. I just wanted to thank whoever gave me that blanket, it was a real nice gesture. This place is so beautiful, and, um, I didn't touch anything I promise. A-again, I'm real sorry for coming in without asking!” With that, he falls to his knees, pressing his hands to the ground and placing his forehead on top of them. 'Please please please don't be angry!' his mind pleads silently.
++++++++++
Ceriss feared he had startled the boy more than he had intended, but he had no idea how else to get his attention. When he spun around, Ceriss could finally see his face; indeed the boy was who he had left earlier, his eyes large, a pure silvery and greenish tone, like the shallow, grassy parts of the river, halfway hidden under a long but messy mop of earthy toned hazel-brown hair. What Ceriss caught most of all was the gaze that appeared scared, the staggering backward that nearly made his own heart leap into his throat for fear the boy would fall. He only halfway listened to his nearly incoherent string of words, understanding them enough to realize just how much he had startled the boy. When he fell and put his head down, Ceriss stood.
He stepped forward and took a handful of the boy’s hair and shirt at the base of his neck, careful to release his hair for worry of hurting him before hoisting him up and onto his feet. “Don’t you worry about that.” Ceriss said calmly. “You don’t have to apologize, and anything that is worth something is hidden away under lock and key.” He shook his head at the poor appearance of his previously-unintended guest. “You look terrible. Did you run through the dirtiest part of the forest before falling into a thorn plant?” He indicated the scrapes and cuts all over the boy’s arms. The answer was obvious, he had run without paying attention to where he was going.
++++++++++
Liendo can feel his body tremble when the man approaches. 'Oh please please don't be angry!' Feeling the hand on his hair and neck sends a shock through his system. His whole body jolts as he's brought to his feet. Coughing lightly from the collar of his shirt cutting into his neck, the boy listens closely to the man's words, keeping an ear out for an angry tone or hidden meaning. Hearing none, he thinks hard before answering. 'How much should I tell him? My parents kept me hidden for a reason. Perhaps not just the men who killed them would hate one such as I....I....I'll just answer the questions asked. Yes, that is what 'll do' Glancing up for a moment, he lets his gazes settle somewhere around the man's shoulder as he speaks.
“I-I fell over several times when I was running. I can not say if it is the dirtiest part of the wood, for it is the only part I have seen.” He takes a deep breath, letting his eyes wander out over the balcony to the forest below. Remembering his encounter with the thorny bush, his voice softens. “The leaves were so beautiful. I'd never seen anything like them. So lush and full of life. When I touched them, they felt so nice on my fingers. I wanted to feel more, so I pushed my arms deeper within. It was then that I felt the stinging.” He sobs lightly, realizing just how much his arms ache. Reaching inside his tunic, he pulls out a small gray leaf and begins sucking on it. Speaking around the leaf he adds, “It was not just the bush that harmed me. Branches, rocks, sticks, and other things I've only read about, all cut and bruised my arms face and feet....” His voice trails off as he continues sucking on the leaf. It only take a few seconds for it to take effect, soothing the pain and warming his blood.
++++++++++
He listened carefully, the boy’s words almost confirming what he thought in the beginning. “So, you are one of the children who avoided elemental powers.” He said. “I had a feeling.” He smiled a bit, softening his gaze. But what the boy said next had surprised him. “You have to be careful,” he said. “Even the most beautiful of things can be dangerous and leave you hurt.” He stepped away as the newcomer searched his shirt, retrieving his water and setting it at the boy’s feet. “Here, use this to clean yourself up.” He untied one of his cloth belts from his waist and handed it to the boy. “I’ve got some extractions that can help heal cuts, and take away what pain might linger after the effects of your cure wear off.”
He stepped around the table to the left and pulled a wooden box from on top of the larder against one of the only walls in the house, setting it on the table and lifting the lid. There were bottles inside, labeled and stacked neatly, and rolls of clean white cloth beside them. “Your feet are probably the worst off, for holding your weight and seeing the most danger. It’s best to make sure you get all the dirt out of the way, for risk of illness.” He studied one of the bottles, one containing a deep blue extract of several plants he discovered had amazing pain relief aspects. “What name do you go by?” He asked.
+++++++++
His mind a little hazy from the leaf, Liendo has to concentrate hard to understand what the beautiful one says. He nods silently, taking the offered cloth. Looking himself over, he wonders where to begin. 'I'm filthy all over, where? Maybe the injured areas so that they don't get infected. I read that when stuff gets into wounds, sometimes, they rot.' With another nod, he begins wiping at his arms. The cloth is soft, but that does little to sooth the pain caused when he accidentally brushes over the wounds themselves. He can't hold back whimpers each time this happens. Glancing over, he watches the being pull down a wooden box from atop a large stone. It seems to click as it's moved. 'I wonder why he has a stone up here....And how he got it up here!' At the beings words about cleaning his wounded areas, a small smile of pride finds it's way to his lips.
Sitting down gently, he starts in around his feet. The pain is much greater, and even with the leaf, Liendo finds it hard to clean the areas. Whimpering, a few tears manage to find their way out of squinted eyes. 'If only I could have gone outside, of something to train my feet...' At the man's question, the boy looks up. “Um, uh, m-my name? It's Liendo.....Liendo Morea. I, um, I prefer Lien though...” His eye dart back to his feet. After several seconds his voice rings out quietly, “A-and what may I call you sir?” His voice shakes slightly. Still unsure of just how to act around the other person, Liendo finds making conversation difficult.
++++++++++
Ceriss could hear the sounds of pain that managed to escape the boy. It hit him powerfully, reminding him of the children he often saw in the group orphan’s homes who were usually abused by the adults who had no patience for them. He quashed the memories with a swift shake of the head that made his hair fall into his eyes, but Ceriss simply rummaged through the box once more and found a bottle of clear, slightly thick liquid. It was the result of crushing various tree roots, bringing the sappy liquid out and heating it on a fire. It made for a nice protective coating over an injury before wrapping it. He set it on the table and pulled the white cloth bundle out after it, closing up the box and sliding it to the foot of the larder.
When he glanced up again, the boy had sat and was working on his feet, though it seemed much more painful to him. Ceriss gathered the two bottles and cloth and moved forward, kneeling in front of the boy who called himself Liendo. He almost smiled at the shake in his voice, reminding Ceriss of himself at that age. “You may call me Ceriss.” He said. “It’s all I’ve ever been called. And you certainly don‘t have to be uncomfortable around me.” Taking the cloth from Liendo, he soaked it from the water skin. “I saw an impressive display of firelight quite a ways away during the night.” He continued, taking the boy’s mind off the injuries. “I thought it was from the little village. Am I correct to assume you came from that particular area?”
Quite a few jagged cuts had assaulted the boy’s feet, his skin not quite as protective as it should be. Ceriss was careful to follow the lines of each wound, both deep and shallow, wiping away what remained of dangerous dirt and tiny insects that seemed to love wriggling their way into an unsuspecting injured human or animal to make them ill. After a quick inspection, Ceriss nodded at the careful, meticulous cleaning, and chose the bottle of blue liquid and another clean cloth from his series of tied belts. “This might sting a bit.” He admitted. “Tell me a bit about yourself, Lien, to take your mind off it, and I’ll do the same.” With that, he tipped the bottle into the cloth, holding onto Liendo’s foot to keep it steady as he worked the medicinal concoction into each cut.
++++++++++
The boy leans back as the golden man kneels before him. His nerves are soothed slightly at his words. 'Ceriss...I like that name' Liendo just nods at the man's question, his throat suddenly tight at the thought. Liendo cringes at the sight of the small insects being extracted from his cut feet. 'His hands are so soft and gentle. Like my mothers. He seems so kind' Taking a deep breath, he braces for the pain. A hiss and slight sob escape his at the stinging pain. Taking another deep breath, he begins talking.
“I was born in that small village, yes. Even as a baby, I spent most of my time in a special room my parents had designed for me under the floor. I do not regret it. I love that room.” Turning to look outside over the balcony, his voice get a far away tone to it. “In that room I traveled all over the world. To islands with exotic food, so mountain filled with dragons! I saw them all...” Looking back at Ceriss he adds sheepishly, “Well, I read about them at least. If there was one thing I never wanted for, it was new reading material.” He watches the man work in silence for several minutes before speaking up again.
“Not all the books were so nice. Several were strange, and seemed to speak of the world around us right now. It sounded so frightening...” Reaching up, he scratches a few of the cuts on his arm, inadvertently peeling back several scabs. Whimpering at the new pain, Liendo grasps his hands together to keep from further injuring himself.
++++++++++
Ceriss had brought blood out of the cuts, intending to get what he could of it out, and with the thicker liquid, he rubbed a thin layer over every injury, blowing on it to make sure it dried before using the clean clothes to wrap the boy’s feet in a protective layer. Liendo seemed attached to the room and his parents, Ceriss heard it from the tone of his voice, how it changed when he thought a little harder on the subject. And reading. It was how he got his information on the world, how he imagined the world looked like, the creatures and plantlife. He had quite a collection in the little crawlspace above them, but his focus was on protecting Liendo’s feet from more pain. Until he heard of the books Lien deemed ‘strange.’
Without pausing, Ceriss tied the cloth well and took up the boy’s other foot, starting the same process over. “I’ve heard of those types of books.” He said, glancing up only occasionally, blowing the hair out of his face. “The sun god wrote them in an ink not found in this world. It changes and adds information as the world changes around it, to be accurate and without false or outdated messages. There aren’t many in the world.” When he looked up again, he saw Liendo reach up to scratch at some of the worse cuts on his arms, and cringed. “Careful.” He said too late, beginning a wrap on his other foot. “They might itch, but it’s not worth it.” With that, he knotted the final wrapping and pulled something out of his pocket.
“Some of the cuts on your arms are only shallow scratches.” He said, holding up a bottle smaller than the two he had been using. It was filled with a pale tan liquid. “It’s best to let them stay, and heal in their own time. This will numb any lingering pain from the scratches themselves, while the deeper cuts will be protected.” He uncorked the bottle and patted a bit of the tan liquid onto the thinner scrapes waving it dry. Then, with a new cloth from his series of belts, began the same process on the deeper wounds as he had done with Liendo’s feet. “I was always a wanderer.” He said, recalling he had promised to tell Liendo a bit about himself. “When I showed the ability to control all the godly powers, rather than simply be given one, my family became fearful, and gave me to a man who traveled from village to city to town with his wares, selling them. When he grew tired of me, I was old enough to figure out how to get to group homes, yet I was always cast aside. So, when I grew into my teen years, I escaped into the forests, finally settling on this place. It’s near enough to a town I can sell what I draw, while far enough away to let me live my own life.” He ripped some of the remaining white cloth into sections and started a careful wrap on Liendo’s arm.
++++++++++
Liendo listens silently to Ceriss speak. He heart skips a beat at the knowledge that he owns such rare books. 'By the sun god himself? I guess that's why they always felt warm. . . .' The numbing sensation from the tan liquid pulls a sigh from the small boy. “Y-your parents got rid of you for your powers? That, that's awful. I mean....I, well I....” His voice trail off, contemplating weather or not to tell Ceriss of his own powers. Suddenly, Leindo's brows furrow and his head tilts to the side. “You said something about given powers. I, I was never given powers, but I, well, I can. . .” Fumbling around with his fingers for a few seconds, he decides to speak up about his abilities. “, well, a while ago, I noticed I could do things. It was little things. Like, moving a paper or flipping a page without touching it. Eventually, I worked out a way to make a breeze to cool me on hot day.” His fingers begin trembling slightly. Feeling nervous even after Ceriss's reassurances, Liendo begins speaking rather quickly.
“I mean, living underground, it was never all that hot, but some days were really bad, and on those days, it was nice to feel a breeze.” Looking around in all directions, he continues rambling. “Well, you say you wander a lot, so I guess you have no idea how strange it felt at first. It was cooling but a little frightening. You've lived with breezes and the sounds they make. I almost fell off my chair when heard a few pages rustling.” Looking out over the trees, his voice lowers and slows down a bit. “I bet you've seen so many things. Just in this short time I have been out I believe I have seem the worst of things this world has to offer. . . .I pray to one day see the best.” When his excited chattering finally dies away, Liendo can feel his heart bursting. The faces of the dead rise again into his thoughts. Paying no mind to the one wrapping his arms, the boy pulls his legs up and hugs them tightly, tears once again springing to his eyes. Sobbing gently, he tries hard to forget the sight.
+++++++++
Ceriss nodded when Liendo mentioned his parents, but said nothing on the subject. He decided it would be best not to bring the boy down any more than he already did. But the mention of their powers brought his gaze up from his work. “Your parents were given powers. That means you will be able to have limited control over them, depending on which ones your parents were given. You must have been given limited power of air.” With that, he knotted the cloth around the worst of the boy’s cuts, listening intently to his sudden outpour of chatter.
When Liendo pulled away to make himself smaller, Ceriss sat back on his knees and shook his head. The boy had seen more than what he should have, more than what was necessary for someone so young and at the same time, someone who had never known the world before that terrible day. “I wish I could say the world is all good.” He said, putting a reassuring hand on Liendo’s head and smoothing down his hair. “Really, it’s not all good, as you’ve seen. There are some breathtaking views out there, where beauty cannot even be described. But at the same time, the world is a dangerous and unpredictable place. I’m sure you know about that in a way from your books.”
Giving the boy some space, he stood and went to the small chest that normally held his clothes, mostly ones from his past that were too small. Sorting through, he found almost immediately what he was searching for: Cloth shoes he had made when he was younger. They tied at the top with strips of leather, and thicker, easily-bendable leather lined the bottoms to spare feet from danger. At that moment, he glanced at Liendo. The boy had lost everything in a single night, and was alone in a world he had only read about. It was a loneliness Ceriss had never felt, because he had no one to care about in the past. Glancing back, he watched Liendo for a moment.
Returning to the boy, he set the shoes beside him and crouched. “I don’t know where you could go, if you leave here.” He said. “You have yet to learn the ways of the world, how a diverse group of people think. I would hate to see you hurt, or shunned in any way. If you feel safe, you can stay here with me and I can show you the world and its upsides .”
++++++++++++
The feeling of the warm hand on his head comforts the boy slightly. 'So kind and gentle...I wish all the world was this kind' The low voice of Ceriss relaxes Liendo allowing him to begin getting control of his sobbing. Toying with the edge of a bandage he glances up when he hears the man stand. Following his movement, he watches him rummage through his chest. Small brightly colored fabrics and other things are glimpsed by the boy on the balcony. His eyes wander around the entire house, so open and free feeling, it causes a warm feeling to settle deep within the child's stomach. 'I's so unlike my hole. I loved my hole, but this I love in a different way....It's so calming and fresh. The air in my room was always warm and musty....but it comforted me... Liendo spots Ceriss looking at him and he blushes slightly, burying his face back into his knees.
The quiet sound of the man coming over to him causes Liendo to tighten slightly. 'I guess he'll want me to go now. I've been enough of a bother. Maybe I can head back to the village and find so-' His thoughts are cut off by Ceriss's voice. With every word his head comes up ever so slightly. At the man's final words, the boy's head snaps up to meet the man's gaze. 'Is this true? Am I dreaming? I-I can't... Speechless, Liendo scoots up to the man, slipping between his parted knees and wraps his thin arms around Ceriss's firm back. Tears begin to flow once again, but they feel not bitter as they had before. Pressing his forehead to the pale haired one's shoulder and sits there quietly for a time.
Pulling back he keeps his hands clenched against the taller one's chest and whispers. “I would be more grateful then you can imagine if you would do this for me.” Looking up with damp eyes into the man's he continues. “If there is anything I can do for you. I mean, I know how to clean, and I know a lot from books about cooking and herbs and other things. I swear, I shall do all I can not to be a burden.” Liendo hiccups slightly, letting his tears fall freely he finally says, “You say you will show me the world and its upsides, but I think...you have already shown me one of the greatest ones. Your kindness...” With that, all the stress pent up from the past day couples with the immense relief of having found a place where he is safe crashes into him like an ocean wave and he passes out in the man's arms with a sigh.
+++++++
Ceriss had never been hugged before. He had been given a word of thanks, a nod, a smile, sometimes a bow, all of which he would return. But no one had ever hugged him. For a moment Ceriss had no idea what to do, tensing without thinking about it, but it was the recollection of the children in some of those group homes who looked up to him, ones he helped so many times before, that calmed him instead of putting him on guard. He said nothing, finding no more words at that point.
Liendo’s silvery gaze was powerfully intent, his words carrying a weight Ceriss would have struggled to carry had they been placed in his hands. He could not get a word in edgewise, though he tried through Liendo’s offers and promises. But he was winded quickly, it seemed, and as his eyes dulled in the apparent sign of impending loss of consciousness, he raised his hands to steady the boy. Ceriss felt a weight settle behind his eyes at Liendo’s faltering words, a weight that threatened to become a tear. He had helped many people, but none who were so grateful for it as Lucian was. He grabbed Liendo before he hit the floor, shaking the sting from his eyes. Liendo had gone through too much in such a short time, it was no doubt to Ceriss that he would be tired, stressed, worn down. Ceriss stood with the boy, surprisingly light in his arms, and stepped carefully to the thick pallet of blankets he usually called a bed. Setting him down there, he went back for the shoes and tied them onto the boy’s injured feet, tightening them enough to be snug, but not painfully so. They fit almost perfectly.
Returning to the main room, Ceriss gathered the old blanket that normally hung to hide away the area where Liendo was. Hooking it onto the ceiling, he let it stay halfway open. With an almost dazed movement, he went to the balcony he had found Liendo standing at, and knelt, resting his arms on the banister. It was getting warmer, the sun rising a little higher. Ceriss wanted to take his star maps to town as he had intended to, but he worried for the boy. The dark gods disliked finding children or adults who had managed to escape being given a power, and he feared if he left, they would take advantage of Liendo’s lapse of consciousness. Instead, he resolved to try to wake him when the town’s clock tower read noon, perhaps take him to town with him. With that, he nodded to himself and stood, creeping to the larder to find a simple breakfast and put away his box of medicines.
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-The faint sound of screaming, followed bu the sound of hooves on packed earth. Rising from his bed the boy finds his way over to hi trap door. “Mother? Father? What is going on. I hear things” No answer. The sounds grow louder, both men and womens' voices. Shouting, yelling, crying and sudden ends to the voices. The boy's heart pounds. Confused, he calls again. “Mother, Father, answer me!” A voice comes this time. His father's voice. Harsh and tight, it whispers to him. “Stay silent Liendo. Not a sound!” The boy moves up the steps towards the trap door, sitting just beneath it. His heart pound in his ears.-
********
Liendo tosses in his sleep, a small whimper tumbling from his tight lips. Silent tears begin prickling in the corners of his eyes.
********
-A sudden crash from above followed by his mother's scream causes the boy to cower low beneath the wooden surface leading to the world above. “Leave us be you fiends! We have nothing for you here!” His father's voice, strong and angry. “I will not tolerate this!” His mother, shrill and commanding. A chill runs through the boy's body at the next voice. “For crimes against the Gods, you will burn heathens.” The voice is calm, soft, and filled with malice. The woman’s voice makes the boy's stomach turn. His mother's voice now, one final time. “May the true Gods reign forever, and your wicked deeds be put to an end” Then comes the heat. A fire so strong and so bright it lights a square around the crouching child.-
********
Liendo turns on his side, curling into himself, the tears now flowing freely down his face. Flowing down, the quickly soak the pillow beneath his head.
********
-The heat is intolerable, forcing the boy away from the door. Falling to the ground, he remains silent. His eyes watch as swiftly the light fades until it's only a low orange glow. He waits and watches. Unmoving, he doesn't know how long. When the glow finally fades away, he finds the will to move. His room lay untouched by smoke or fire, and when he touches the door, it has cooled. His small muscles have to work hard, but eventually the trapdoor creaks open. Falling over on to the floor , the hinges give out screeching objections. Climbing slowly upwards, he looks about at the smoldering remnants of his parents' home. The smell gags him. He brings a hand to his mouth to try and block out the smell. It doesn't help. Looking down he sees two piles of white ash, side-by-side, and in his heart he knows....It's his parents.-
********
Liendo bursts awake, breathing hard. Tears still stream down his cheeks creating wet streams from his eyes to his chin. Covering his mouth with his hand, he continues to cry freely.
+++++++
Ceriss busied himself beneath the tree for a while, quickly forcing a fire to come into existence with a snap of the fingers between several small logs. Placing a shallow metal pot on top of the fire, he found good use for the remaining water and dried meat, several large orchid roots and a wild carrot he had discovered only the previous morning. Absentmindedly, he stirred the concoction with the handle of one of his paintbrushes, the scent of burning wood bringing back past thoughts of his traveling years. The merchant was an old man, but able. He had a strict way of life and always kept Ceriss under a tight restriction. The only thing he kept from the time he spent with the man was a small axe that had been with him through the many group homes, and it had helped him in building his home.
Snapping himself back to reality, Ceriss took the pot off its fire and extinguished it with dirt, and carried it with a rope tied around two rungs on the edges of the pot back up the ladder and to the second floor, scooping the soup out into several hollowed-out wooden bowls. One would be his, one for Liendo if he woke hungry, and the last he would take to town for shop owner who often bought his maps. Using a disk of rubber he had found in town, he set it over the top of the last bowl, tying it down with several scraps of cloth.
When he checked on the boy, Ceriss was disheartened to see his dreams were disturbed. He hoped it would help him deal with it a little easier, but by the tears and frustrated movement, peace of mind would be a long way off. Silently, he returned to the table, sitting with a rectangle of paper and several sized paintbrushes, a collection of colored bottles being pulled from under the table. Daylight was still in the sky, and would be for quite some time, but as he kept close to the boy and waited for the clock in town to strike its noontime bell, he considered practicing his general painting. His idea was of the Sun God, Lumiere, the one who had created everything in and around the world. As he mixed colors in the bottom of a copper plate, he considered where to start and picked at the contents of the bowl at his side.
Ceriss let himself get absorbed in the work, bent close to the paper and moving a thin brush in random, curled swirls of pale yellow-gold to create hair. Though he considered himself more skilled with the complexity and perfection of all the galaxies that he could see, the human form seemed so strange to him. Spinning the paintbrush upside down to fix a slight error, he heard a gasp, sudden movement from behind the half-closed curtain. Shutting up the bottles and putting the brushes and paints away, he crawled to it, sliding it aside. Liendo was awake. Ceriss stepped a bit closer, putting what he hoped was a reassuring hand on his shoulder.
“Liendo, calm down. It was just a memory recreated in a dream. Don’t dwell on it while you go through the day, or the hurt will never lessen.” He was lost for words, actions, but he knew sometimes words and actions could not say as much as silence.
++++++++
Hand still firmly clamped over his mouth, Liendo looks around. Before he can get his bearings there is a sudden light. Bringing up his other hand to shield his eyes he doesn't see whose hand touches his shoulder. For one still moment in time he envisions his father. Warm hand and firm grip, but then he hears the voice. Sobbing lightly, he brings his hand down slowly. Ceriss's words wash over him. 'They make sense but... How? How do I simply forget?' Drawing his hand away from his mouth, it moves to lightly cover the one on his shoulder. He can feel how much bigger that man's hand is compared to his own and it makes him both sad and content. 'My parents did what they did, and through their action, perhaps one day, I'll have hands this big too' Comforting himself with the thought, he shlowly sits up, causing the hand to fall away from his shoulder.
Looking about, he realizes that he must be in the man's bed. The covers are soft and cool beneath his touch. Looking up at Ceriss he gives him a wet smile. “Thank you so much for taking me in. I'm sorry for taking over your bed. I didn't mean to pass out like that, I hope I wasn't too much trouble. . .” His voice trails off as his stomach lets them both know of it's present state of emptiness. Clutching a hand over it embarrassed he looks up and Ceriss sheepishly. “Perhaps I should go down and look for something to fill this bottomless pit, no?” He tries to joke, but it is evident in his eyes just how hungry he is.
_________________
To Be A Knight
And my first Finished work Death Day
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PopeAlessandrosXVIII
Arts and Poetry Mod
Joined: 10 Oct 2010
Topics: 122
Posts: 1858
Location: Surrounded by many beautiful naked men
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| Posted: Mon Sep 12, 2011 7:06 am Post subject: Destruction to the False Gods |
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As Liendo sat up, Ceriss let himself sit back in his crouch and folded his arms on his knees. The boy’s small frame reminded him of himself when he was so small, passed between adults with their large hands, strong in grip, so sure of themselves. His own were always so tiny and fragile, until he had reached his teenage years, sixteen and seventeen years and managed to grow into his age. Liendo seemed slightly confused as he came to realize where he was, but it was only to be expected. After a moment, Ceriss found himself returning the smile Liendo gave.
“You were no trouble at all.” He said, creeping back to the table and rolling up the paper he had been painting. “You will never have to worry about that.” He seemed so much more worried about being a burden than anything else, and Ceriss had to shake his head. It made his hair fall back into his face, and without brushing it back, he slid the uncovered bowl of soup to the other side of the table, closer to Liendo. “I tend to overcompensate,” he said with a look in Liendo’s direction. “I can see no problem with that anymore. Eat this, my boy; don’t worry about searching the forest for half the day just to find a few scraps.”
With that, he found the star map he had drawn for town. Unrolling it to give it one last look-over, he said “I do hope those shoes fit well and will not hurt your feet. It’s the best option to protect them while they heal.”
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Liendo smile converts to a look of hungry longing at the bowl presented to him. Looking between the bowl and the man a few times, his stomach finally decides for him whether or not to take the charitable donation. Hopping from the bed intent on scuttling over and devouring the food, he startles slightly at a strange feeling upon in feet. Looking down he spots the leather contraptions tied to his feet. 'When did?' His thoughts trail off as Ceriss speaks. 'Oh, shoes. I know about these. Mother and Father wore them...but they looked a lot tighter. I like these, they are nice and loose.' Smiling up at the man he nods. “Thank you so much. They do not hurt at all. You are so kind...” Taking a few steps, he gives a little twirl to test the shoe’s grip. So use to his own bare feet the little tug of the sole causes him to stumble slightly. Catching himself gently on the edge of the table, he giggle as himself. 'These are so amazing. I know my feet are injured, but with these between me and the floor I hardly feel it!' Crouching down he crawls on to one of the cushions beside the table and glances over at the paper laid out on it's surface.
His eyes widen at the beautiful drawing. “Hwwaaaaa! That is so beautiful!” He exclaims. Looking up at the man he asks, “Did...Did you draw this?” Liendo leans back, ducking his head. “Sorry, I didn't mean to pry, it's just...so lovely....” His heart beats rapidly as he stares down at his bowl. Deciding he's too hungry to ignore any longer he starts in on his meal. The flavor is strange, dancing about his tongue. 'I've never had anything like this before...I wonder where he learned to make it....But I don't want to pester him with meaningless questions.' Staring into his bowl he tries to eat quietly as to not bother his host.
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Ceriss watched Liendo out of the corner of his eye, a little clumsy in the shoes he was obviously not used to. He gave a small smile. “You will get used to them soon enough.” He said. “And we will have to check up on those cuts by day’s end.” As he spoke, he turned his gaze down again, waving a hand over the images on the paper. It shifted to the left, revealing a new area of the star system he had drawn out. He twitched at the sudden movement of Liendo’s near fall, but shook away the sudden shot of paranoia and relaxed again, looking toward the boy just as he caught sight of the map. His face brightened quickly, but as quickly as a candle being blown out, it faded into apology.
“You keep using that word.” Ceriss leaned forward and put an elbow on the table. “And you should not. You have no reason for saying sorry, Liendo. Yes, I did draw it, but I’ve had a lot of practice and the means to make it come to life the way it does. I sell the good ones to merchants and shop owners in the nearby town.” With that, he rolled it up, finding no problems with it, and bound it with a bit of string. Liendo seemed misplaced, Ceriss noted as he stood. “You never have to keep questions to yourself.” He said. “If you want to know something, just ask. It’s nice to have someone else to talk to, other than myself.” He set the parchment scroll where he had been sitting and started across the room. “If you want to come with me to town when I go, just let me know. I’ll be setting off after I collect a few things from below.”
The ‘few things’ he was talking about were the clothes he had set out to dry in the wind. They were certainly dry by now, and if he didn’t get them, some mischievous animal would first. He sat on the floor and jumped to the one below, disregarding the ladder.
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Liendo listens silently to Ceriss's words. His mouth opens to apologize but the word dies on his lips. Watching the man move away, his heart begins dancing lightly beneath a tight chest. 'I guess that is one less worry. I hope I don't start to become a bother. I have so many questions! I can think of ten just looking about his home. So much I want to know' He quickly finishes his meal and stands. Looking about he spots other dishes sitting nearby and decides to put his with them. Grabbing up the bowl he slowly shuffles over, still getting use to the feel of something between his feet and the ground. Setting the dish down he runs his fingers over it a few times before letting them fall to the counter like protuberance. Running his fingers along the surface he follows it along the wall admiring the feel. 'I've never had much to touch other then the floor walls and books. Mother and Father of coarse, but this is different' Running his fingers over the stone larder it reminds him of his hole. The sensation causes him to move quickly on to the next item.
So many things to touch he almost forgets the man's offer to go into town. Moving swiftly towards where the man had disappeared over the edge he doesn't spot the cushion in time. Tripping over the plush thing he falls hard on his knees. The sharp stinging sensation pulls a sharp cry from Liendo. Sitting back he rubs the new sore spots on his legs and sniffles slightly. The sound of his own sobs brings back a line from a book he once read. It was one of his favorites. -Crying does not solve anything. If you have time to cry, you have time to change what made you cry- Wiping away the few tears that had spilled in his pain, he gets to his feet. 'I can't just sit around crying over such little things. Ceriss may have taken me in, but I need to live my own life too. I don't need to be wasting it on useless things' With that new resolve in mind he makes his way carefully over the the railing.
Glancing over the edge he sees no movement. The boy lets out a small sigh and looks out over the forest. The sun now high in the sky gives the leaves a much brighter tint. Liendo can't hold back a smile as some small something goes running past a nearby branch carrying something in it's teeth. 'I think that is a Horuk.' His mind slowly flips through the pages of one of his books, pulling up what it said about the creature.-Small furry rodent that likes nuts and berries. Often times found with nests made of a mixture of both natural and human items do to their curious nature.- Looking carefully he realizes that the item seems to be some sort of clothing. Eyes widening slightly the boy sinks down to the floor. Lowing himself on to his stomach he scoots forward so that he can hang his head low enough to see the lower floor of the tree house. Watching the light haired man move about the room for several seconds, Liendo finally breaks the silence. “Ceriss. I think there is a Horuk out here with something of yours.” he says loud enough for the man to hear.
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Ceriss moved along the railing, feeling no real need to hurry at that moment as the wind directed a piney, earthy scent up and through the air, leaving its faint traces in the cloth draped all along the rails. Lifting them one at a time, he shook out the wrinkles and folded the cloth over once, then again, making the shirts and pants and so on into crude squares and setting them in little piles on the floor. Halfway through, he heard Liendo moving about above, with slow scrapes, then careful, quiet thuds. Others would have called Ceriss a fool for trusting the boy alone, for being so blind to all the situations that could unfold for leaving him there. Why, he could steal from Ceriss, having already taken advantage of his trust! Or, perhaps he could have feigned the amount of pain his injuries had caused, and make off with a nice haul of anything Ceriss had not tied down. But he was not one to be so paranoid, not one to believe all the world’s people to have only greed in mind. Ceriss chuckled quietly, scoffing at how full of blame and hate others could be.
He started at the sudden thump from above, the quick cry. For a moment he paused, debating whether to see if he was all right, but the law of nature won in his mind. If he were there every moment for the boy, Liendo would not learn to take care of himself, or to withstand some lesser scrapes and bruises. At that, though, he worked a bit quieter, stepping lightly as he listened for anything else. Only that of Liendo’s movements picking up once again, obviously recovered from his fall. Taking up the clothes in the floor, he stowed them all away in one of the larger chests. When he started toward the ladder to retrieve his extra bowl of soup and his star map, Liendo’s voice came to him as clearly as a black bird’s call. That bothersome Horuk.
Sprinting to the railing below the second story, he looked up to where Liendo was and beyond, at that furry rodent hurrying along with one of his better-made belts. It took a moment, but with a lift of the hand, the tree branch seemed to sprout new, smaller branches, one of which caught the edge of the belt and snagged it. The Horuk halted, and tried to pull it back, but the branch twitched and snatched it loose from its teeth. A sudden breeze picked up the cloth and tore it from the tree, and leaning to where he almost fell out of the balcony, Ceriss caught it. “Many thanks, Liendo.” He said, tying it around his waist. “That bothersome rat keeps taking my best clothes!” He grabbed onto the lip of the balcony above him and hoisted himself up, under the rail and onto the solid floor. Picking up the makeshift handle on the covered bowl, he retrieved his star map and pushed the cushion under the table. “Come now, Liendo. The sun is rather high in the sky, and I heard the clock tower’s bell not long before.” Keeping the covered bowl from tipping too much, he slipped the scroll into his belt and jumped onto the first floor of the tree house once again.
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Liendo pulls back slightly as the man runs forward. Frightened for a moment that he's disturbed him, the boy ducks back so that only his eyes are visible over the edge of the balcony. He relaxes slightly when Ceriss looks towards the small rodent rather then up at him. His eye grow unbelievably wide as the very branches before him seem to conspire against the little Horuk to retrieve the item of clothing. 'How? What is he?' His mind whirls as his gaze remains transfixed on the scene before him. He can feel his amazement and wonder begin running rampant through his system at the sight of the branches growing so quickly and with purpose, but most of all at the thought of the man being the one to do it all. A sudden breeze bursts from the boy causing the item to fall from the branches. Startled at the suddenness of it, Liendo remains still as he watches the thing fall. Seeing Ceriss leaning out so far, his heart skips a beat. 'No no, he can't fall!' The breeze returns for a split second and blows the item towards the man's outstretched hand.
With a deep sigh, Liendo shifts backwards and props himself up against the frame leading to the balcony. His body thrumming, he hardly hears the man thanking him. All he can muster is a nod in response. His eyes watch closely as Ceriss hauls himself up on to the second story. 'He is so strong. Maybe he can teach me how to get stronger! I mean, that had to be magic. I have heard of it, and from what he tells me I can use it. Maybe, he will teach me....If I ask...' Watching the man move around his home, the boy smiles as he spots the object rescued from the Horuk around Ceriss's waist. 'So it was a belt huh? It looks nothing like my Father's leather ones....' Nodding once again when Ceriss addresses him, he pulls himself up quickly. Cocking his head, he tries to recall whether or not he too had heard the bell. Shrugging away the though he follows the pale haired one swiftly to the balcony. Not ready to try the jumping off thing quite yet, he moves over to the ladder.
Going past the second floor he makes his way to the ground and looks about. Things on the forest floor don't seem to have changed, but then again, it had only been a day. Looking up to where Ceriss is, Liendo finally works up the courage to ask a few questions. “Um, you said I could ask some things, so um... well....” Taking a deep breath a string of questions tumble out of the small boy. “Was that magic just now? How did you do it? What is that soup you made? Why are you bringing a bowl with? We are going to town to sell that thing you drew right? What is the town called? What does that drawing cost?” Bringing a hand up to his mouth, Liendo physically restrains himself from asking any more questions. Shuffling his feet from side-to-side, he waits, ready to follow Ceriss to town.
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Ceriss had scoffed at the indignant chatter of the Horuk at being robbed of his spoils, but he had lost too many clothes to that miniature beast. Now he turned his attention to the boy, and what Ceriss himself held in his hand. He would have to go halfway down the ladder with one hand, and jump the rest of the way. Many twisted ankles and painful limping spells had taught him not to keep his legs straight when he hit the ground. Checking the scroll in his belt to make sure it was secure, he glanced at Liendo as he studied the forest floor. Setting the bowl on the floor, he prepared to put himself halfway out and grasp onto the ladder, until Liendo’s curiosity almost flooded the bottom floor of the house.
He could only laugh, a genuine laugh that was rather rare for him. “Liendo, I’m not opposed to answering your questions, but one at a time would be most helpful, no?” Crouching on the side of the door in the floor, he nodded to himself. “But for the time being, I’ll say yes, that was indeed magic. Power over wind, earth, light, and so on. Although it’s the ownership of all the elementals that made my early years into quiet, solitary ones. I can answer the rest once we start to town, which is named Mayao.” With that, he let his legs fall into open air, and grabbing the bowl, he swung to the ladder, grabbing it with his left hand and right foot. Clinging to it, he let his feet lead the way rather than his eyes, moving himself to the middle of the ladder and let go, bending his legs when he hit the ground to distribute his weight evenly. He looked around to see the boy, his silvery eyes notable as the first feature to be seen. He seemed too thin for a boy his age. Ceriss hoped to teach Liendo much of how he survived when he was left on his own, just like Liendo.
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Watching the man climb down so graceful and coordinated, he hangs his head peeking at Ceriss through messy bangs. 'Mayao huh? I think I heard my parents talking about it before. I wonder what it's like....' His body jumps at the final fall to the ground and smiles at the man when he looks over. Shuffling over, careful of anything he could trip over, Liendo stops just short of the taller one. “So-, I mean, I did not mean to bombard you like that. The things just rushed into my head, and before I knew it, they just tumbled out of my mouth.” Still hanging his head, Liendo reaches out and latches a finger around Ceriss's belt. Fearful of asking yet another question, Liendo's voice is almost a low whisper when he speaks next. Head still down he mutters, “Is it alright if I hold on here? I don't want to fall down again....or fall behind and get lost....” His fingers tremble where they hang from the soft cloth.
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Ceriss rearranged his shirt and grabbed onto the scroll, keeping a grasp on it with the bowl. “Do whatever you feel safest doing.” He said, “although there is a small dirt path just this way.” He moved to the left of the tree with Liendo, making sure to walk slower than usual for him to keep a grasp on where his feet landed. “This little road was made by me, going back and forth so much.” He added. “It leads right to the main road into town, and as long as you find it, you will never get lost.” He smiled a reassuring smile. “I’m patient, Lien. I will not get annoyed in any way if you want to ask those questions, one at a time this time.” It was surprising to Ceriss, in a way, that the boy was less of a bother and more of an interesting young man, someone to take his mind off always drawing the universe, the endless universe, trying to figure everything out. The questions, the presence of Liendo, was settling to his always-playing mind.
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Liendo's finger curls more firmly around the smooth cloth in it's grasp at Ceriss's words. The comfort of being connected to him in this small way was all he really wanted, and the man was granting him that. The action pulls a small smile on to his lips. He listens closely about the path leading to the main road, and how he is still free to ask questions. His mind wanders over the questions he asked, and the ones answered, trying to figure out which he wants to ask first. 'I suppose I should start with the most important at the moment, but I also want to learn more about him. . . . . Maybe I can do both?' Working his mind over a few times he finally asks, “You said it was magic, and you named multiple elements. From what I have read, people are only suppose to be able to use one. How is it you can use more then one, and how do they work?” Biting his lip, Liendo waits patiently for an answer, plodding along silently at the larger one's side.
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Ceriss opened his mouth, but paused before speaking. Certainly the question was easy, in a way, but difficult to answer in another. He glanced down, rearranging the bowl and scroll in his hand to a better position. “Hm. True, people have been given only one element in life, and it’s only when they are born. My family hid me away, like your parents did with you, but even with that caution, I started showing signs of elemental possession. It started simply, with the ability to both make a plant bloom, exist when nothing used to be before, or to kill it. And then came the incidents with water and ice. I made water freeze, or ice thaw to water, and sometimes when I was allowed out of the house, I made fire explode into massive columns with a wave of the hand in its direction. My parents got scared, and sold me off to a merchant. And in his company, I learned about the rest of my powers. I'm not sure how I came to own them all, but... I do.”
He lifted his empty hand and laid it flat, and a spark of pale golden light appeared. “The power of light is my favored ability, though I have no idea how I got the rest. This power lets me see in the dark, and since light itself is derived from the power of life, I have power over life as well. Although, I also have the dark elemental power.” He closed his hand on the spark of light, and a deep violet mist leaked from between his fingers. “With dark, comes power over death. I’ve not got absolute control, and I never use them for personal gain.” With that, he opened his hand, and the mist faded into the air. “You have control over wind and air, Lien. Surely, even without realizing, you have controlled the flow of air in the past, both inside and outside your haven. Air lets you control the air flow, while also forcing it to stop. Since sound flows on the air, you can stop the movement of sound as well. If you have influence over it, you can create cyclones of varying size and power.”
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Liendo listens quietly to how his powers began manifesting. It truly fascinates him to think of all the things that can be done with magic, but when he reaches the part about making a columns of fire the boy finds himself shivering slightly. When Ceriss brings his hand off cupping what seems to be pure light, Liendo shies away slightly, it's brilliance stinging his eyes. Still not quite use to anything more then candle light, these new levels of light cause a stinging irritation to his eyes. Every time the sun peeks down through the trees and hits his face directly, Liendo finds himself flinching. When the light turns to the deep purple mist, the boy finds himself drawn in. 'It's so beautiful. And somehow, I feel so connected to it. . . .' He reaches a hand out to touch it, despite the fact that Ceriss associated it with death, but before he can touch it the mist vanishes. A feeling of loss and disappointment settles low in his stomach at it's disappearance. 'I just wish I could have touched it once. . .'
Turning his face up to listen to Ceriss describing his own abilities, Liendo's eye widen. 'Sound and cyclones? I never knew. . . . I always thought my power was meant to be small, maybe he's wrong. I bet I could never do anything like that. Not like him!' Shaking his head slowly, he mutters, “No way. I am not that strong. I could never do stuff as amazing as you can. . . .” Taking a deep breath, he presses on to his next question quickly. “Um, what can you tell me about the town we're going to? DO they like you there? Where do you sell your drawings?” With a start Liendo realizes he rambling again and snaps his mouth shut. “Sorry, I was asking too many at once again was I not?” Liendo scuffs his shoes against the hard packed ground, staring at them as he shuffles along beside the man.
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Ceriss had not wanted to blind the boy. It was only to be expected he would not be used to bright light, even if it were a small spark. But he noted the small motions as he got rid of the mist, before Liendo could reach for it. He would have to bring it back sometime, perhaps let him feel the cold way the mist went by, like an icy shower that curled around one’s fingers. The presence of its power over death was notable, but it was not only the ability to take life that made the power of darkness its name. Its properties were much more, much more interesting. Not many people were level-headed enough to understand that much.
“I don’t expect you to be very strong at first.” He said, a reassuring smile turned toward Liendo as he apologized for the thousandth time. “You will get stronger, and if need be, I can help you master what power you have over the air. Even a small trace of the power lends great control over it.” He thought for a moment, of the town of Mayao. He could see it, to the right as the dirt path turned that way to breech into the main road leading through the front gate. “It’s not as large as a city, not as small as a simple town.” He said. “Over the years I’ve made quite a few friends there, with my coming and going. I sell my drawings at a mapmaker’s shop. He and I are good friends, and I find I love to see the brightening of people’s faces when they see what I can do with a simple brush and access to the undisturbed skies.” He nodded to him. “Lien, you can stop saying sorry. The questions were all related. Believe me, boy, you will not bother me with questions.” He nodded in an assured way.
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Liendo smiles as Ceriss speaks of how happy people are to buy his drawings. 'I wish I had one too. They are so beautiful, but I can not afford one. . . But, if I am to stay for a while perhaps I can earn one? Until then I will be content to just look.' The boy casts his eyes down thinking of the drawing he saw this very morning and how it seemed so alive. So different from the bland dry drawing from the books his mother and father brought home for him. Suddenly an idea pops into Liendo's mind, and his head comes up slowly. He watches his hand sway back and forth as it hangs from Ceriss's belt. 'He said that some of those books I have are rare, perhaps they are worth something. . . Either way, I would like them. They were my favorites. Maybe Ceriss will bring me to retrieve them.' His mind wanders for a short time until his eyes come to rest on the slowly approaching town ahead. 'Mayao. . .Sounds peaceful. I hope none of those bad people are there.' Roofs of blue and gray clay stand upon rough looking brick buildings. Liendo can see people crowding the cobble stone streets around small wood structures with things dangling off of them. Some cloths, some with light glittering objects.
All things seem so new and wonderful Liendo doesn't notice the ever growing tension in the pit of his stomach. Evert time a person passes, the feeling grows stronger, but he takes no notice. A low stone wall runs around the edge of the town. The moss growing fresh and green between the cracks make interesting patterns upon the bumpy surface. A sudden noise behind him causes Liendo jump and move forward until he can grab hold of Ceriss's arm. Turning his head to try and find what made the noise, the boy spots a cart filled with some sort of greenery being pulled by a pair of four legged beasts with a man in the driver's seat. Clinging closely to Ceriss he watches the cart approach. When it comes even with the two boys the man pulls the cart to a stop. Raising a hand he greets Ceriss. Standing as close as he can to the pale haired one, Liendo barely hears their conversation. All the tension that had been building finally comes to his attention and he has to fight not to run. 'Ceriss is talking to him, so he can't be bad, right? I mean, they sound friendly. . .' Unable to quell his fears, Liendo just stands silently beside Ceriss, his body trembling, eyes squeezed shut.
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Ceriss called a hello to the driver of the cart, reaching to pat the nearer of the shaggy beasts as they came to a halt. Their long faces turned toward him and, as he felt Liendo back toward him, he stooped to speak. “I know it’s new for you, and a lot to take in.” He said. “Just stay calm. No one around here wants to hurt you. Just stay close so you will not get swept away in the crowd, right?” He looked back up to the driver of the cart. “I might come around to buy some of these,” he noted, nodding to the haul being pulled. “Trade for a few medicinal remedies, pain-reducers?”
“Perfect!” The driver raised an arm. “See you soon, my boy!” He called to the shaggy creatures and snapped the reins, and they jolted off to the entrance of the town. Other called to him, yelling as he sped in front of them. Ceriss nodded to Liendo and moved him forward to join the ones on foot, walking to the entrance. Its entrance was tall, a part of the wall, and its gates were swung open permanently. Ceriss kept Liendo to the outside of the bulk of the group, moving through the gate and to the side of the road, onto the raised cobblestone sidewalk. “We’ll not be long if you don’t want to stay.” Ceriss told Liendo as they moved down the sidewalk and past various vendors and open markets. “We’ll get to traders, sell my map and get a few herbs, and get back out if you like. I know it’s not something you are used to, and it’s no problem for me.” He looked to Liendo and smiled warmly.
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Liendo's eyes creek open slowly as the pair begin moving again. Attached firmly to Ceriss's arm, the words the man had said to him earlier slowly sink in. 'I trust him. I will be alright is I stay with Ceriss. I will be fine.' The assurances tumble over and over in his mind as he tries to go back to enjoying the sights around him. The press f people slowly coming together around them makes him shake slightly, but the feeling of Ceriss's warm arm beneath his fingers quells the urge to run. Liendo smiles slightly as they walk beneath the town gate. Unable to resist the rough looking metal that makes up the bars, his small hand darts out and runs across one of the cross bars. His fingertips tingle with the new sensation. 'So scratchy, and hard. I wonder if there is anything else like it in town?' Liendo clings closely to Ceriss, but from time to time, his hand flies out to touch something as they pass it. So many different sensations keep him amused and distracted as they walk.
Liendo feels warmth spreading through him at how considerate Ceriss is being. Smiling back, his eye wander longingly over the area at all the thing he has as of your to touch. Glancing back up at Ceriss his eyes swiftly fall to his feet. “I, um, I am doing alright. It is true that the people bring fear to my heart, but my body longs for more new things to experience.” He turns his eye back up to the man's face. “All these new things to touch, and hear, and smell! I-I would like to stay here as long as you need. I promise to stay by your side, and out of your way.” Keeping one hand firmly upon Ceriss's arm, the other snakes out to the wall of a nearby building. Liendo grins as his soft fingers find little imperfections in the surface. “I do not want to be a bother, but I would like to feel more things. . . .”
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“You can feel all kinds of things, just keep your hand flat to dissuade people from thinking you are trying to steal.” Ceriss noted the wandering eyes of the merchants, keeping their gaze on the boy as he passed their booths. “Here, see? The shop is just ahead.” He nodded to the end of the road, and just across the one that crossed over the main road. On the corner was a small, gray-roofed shop with two wide windows flanking a heavy, arched door. Maps, pictures, and various metal house items sat or hung in the windows, lit by large, dark-toned candles. Ceriss hurried Liendo across the street as a break in the flow of people allowed crossing, and Ceriss opened the door, ushering Liendo through and into the darkly lit room.
The room had a tall, domed ceiling, the rafters crossing to form a twelve-spired star pattern that held the chandelier, a large, iron thing hanging from a thick chain. Shelves lined the walls, while barrels and tables were grouped around the center of the room. The barrels were overflowing with various trinkets, things from other parts of the world, curiosities and commons. On the shelves, silver and bronze pots, jugs, animal figurines, wooden flutes and lanterns, candles, scrolls. Many things, mostly scrolls that were collected by others or drawn by those in town, some that were drawn by Ceriss himself. He looked to Liendo. “Do not take anything without asking, right?” He said. “I generally gather quite a bit of money for the selling of my maps, so if you find something of interest, just bring it over.” He glanced up, catching sight of the shop owner behind his counter. A big man, but with a soft, kind face and graying short black hair. He stepped off and left Liendo to study the place.
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Liendo nods at the cautionary warning from Ceriss. Running his fingers over some fine sheets of cloth hanging from a stall the urge to grab hold tugs slightly at the back of his mind, but then his eye find those of the shopkeeper. The keen eye and sharp look make the boy flinch back, holding Ceriss's arm tighter. He clings to the man as they rush through the crowd, but when his eye fall upon their destination his grip slackens. Staring at all the strange and wonderful looking things through the window, his movements slow. 'I wonder if it would be too much to ask Ceriss about all of these...I mean I recognize many of them from books, but the others. . . .' He jumps slightly, pulled from his musings when Ceriss ushers him inside the shop.
Liendo listens closely to Ceriss's words before wandering over to the nearest object. Running his hand over the smooth rounded surface of the ball shaped object, he smiles all the wider at the new feeling of well tempered metal. Moving over to a barrel he fondles item after item, identifying it when he can, and wondering about it when he can't. Glancing over towards where the pale haired man is he sees that he's still engaged in conversation. Moving towards a rack with tubed on it he picks one of them up. Looking it over for several seconds, he suddenly realizes what it is. 'It's a reed flute! The hero from Grims Gargoyle Tales used one to summon his fairy. I wonder. . . .' Bringing the instrument to his lips, Liendo blows gently. The low haunting note coming from it seems to rattle through the shop, causing several things nearby to shudder gently.
Liendo immediately drops his hands down, looking over to where the two men are standing. The older looking man is looking about as if something had flown past his ear. Ceriss however is looking in his direction. Putting the flute down, Liendo drops his head. Standing still for several seconds, he thinks hard. 'I wonder if he's angry. Was I not suppose to play with that? And why did things move? Maybe it's a magic flute. I hope he's not too upset. . . . .' With a shuddering breath, Liendo moves away from the instruments and towards a rack filled with things dangling on strings. Making sure to avoid looking towards Ceriss, he begins examining one thing after another. Suddenly his finger brush again something that feels almost icy cold. Instead of drawing away, his head moves to grasp the object. Pulling it's strap slowly off the rack, Liendo opens his hand to look at it. In his palm rests a shiny silver whistle. No longer then his middle finger, the polished surface seems to reflect the entire room. 'I. . .I want it. . .It's so beautiful and. . .Something feels so strange about it. . .So alluring'
Grasping the object tightly, Liendo wander over to the counter where Ceriss is standing. Waiting until the two are finished talking, Liendo catches Ceriss's eye and holds his hands up. Cupping one hand with the other, he slowly opens his fingers so that the man can see what he's holding. “Um, I, well, I w-would like this, if it isn't too much to ask. . . .” Liendo's voice fades in and out as he speaks, trying hard to be confident, even if only a little bit. 'I hope he's not too angry at what I did before. . . .' Looking up into Ceriss's eyes, Liendo tries his best to be brave and not look away.
+++++++++
Ceriss leaned on the counter with a friendly hello to the shopkeeper. Trosi, was his name, and his age was obvious in the way he leaned and spoke, a husky voice that carried deep. “Ceriss!” He held out a heavy, deeply-tanned hand and Ceriss grasped it in a swift greeting. He set the bowl and paper on the counter. “How goes your life, my boy?” Trosi asked. His bright green-yellow eyes were always so friendly, warmly sparkling in the thick glow of the candles and chandelier. “A good day, isn’t it? Clear nights, help you see that sky from the tree, eh?” He laughed, a loving, sincere laugh that always made Ceriss feel at ease. The man was like a father to him, and he could never hold back a smile when he was in Trosi’s presence.
“My days have fared well, Trosi.” Ceriss noted. “Rather interesting this past morning, might I say. A newcomer, a boy who escaped from the destruction of his village, the little settlement out past the forest wall. I found the boy lying under my tree. He was one who escaped the gift of the dark gods.”
“He escaped being granted powers?” Trosi’s bright eyes widened. “He must have spent his entire life in hiding. I’ve never known one to get through their entire lives without being caught in the end, or even killed!” He kept his voice low, a quick glance toward Liendo noting he had not startled the boy. “You had better know what you are doing, Ceriss.”
“I’m never certain.” Ceriss shook his head in admission. “But enough now, Trosi, I bought you two things!” He uncovered the bowl, letting the scent of steeped meats and several different herbs fill the air in a small cloud around them. Trosi sniffed gladly, but seemed more interested in the paper in Ceriss’ hand. “This I consider my best work.” Ceriss unrolled the map, and Trosi’s face lit up in a shocked gasp. He looked to Ceriss, resting his hands on the edges of the parchment. “Ceriss.” He noted. “This is the best… the best map I’ve ever seen from you!” He shook his head, as though trying to wake from a dream. “Really, you could do better with yourself.”
“I want to stay where I am. I prefer my quiet life.” Ceriss gave the map to Trosi. “Now, my large friend, I’ve given you dinner, and I’ve given you my best map. If…”
A shuddering breeze flitted past them as some loose items around the shelves rattled in place. Trosi and Ceriss glanced at Liendo, but Ceriss didn’t let his gaze become hard. Trosi chuckled and, with a wave of his hand, the candle that had blown out flared back to life. “He’s got an curiosity as deep as the sea.” Trosi noted with a grin. “Hope you can answer his questions!” He stretched, standing straight. “Anyway, Ceriss, I know what you want. Go ahead and get it.”
Ceriss smiled as Liendo started to approach. “I’m fine, for the time being.” He said. He glanced at Liendo and what he held. A silver whistle. So well made it shined even in the dark of the shop, as though it gave off its own light. It seemed so familiar, the very presence almost drew him in. It was small, though. Trosi, looking over the counter at what the boy held, nodded to Ceriss as he glanced up. “Sure, Lien. You can have that.” He said. He disregarded what had happened before, the note of the reed that had made Trosi startle and one of the candles go out. No use in badgering the boy. “Come now, Lien. A stop to that herb dealer and we can get out of the town, right?” He stepped forward, motioning for the boy to follow.
+++++++
Liendo draws his clasped hands close to his chest. The cool metal of the whistle slowly warms to his touch. 'I am glad. For some reason, I really like this. . . .This is my first gift that isn't a book. I hope that I can do something for him in return' Following close behind Ceriss, his eyes take one last look about the room at all the different objects that glisten and gleam in the low light. Glancing back over his shoulder he watches the man behind the counter taking a deep whiff of the soup Ceriss brought him. The bell above the door jingles as the two exit back on to the street. Working up his courage, Liendo takes a few deep breaths. Still clutching the silver whistle, the boy glances up at the man beside him and asks, “I have read many books on herbs. From all over the world. Some even had pictures. What are we doing at the herb dealer? Have you some for them, or are you getting some for yourself? Perhaps I could gather some when we return as a way to help. . . .”
Trailing off, Liendo finally relaxes his grip on the whistle, gazing down upon it once again. Letting the strap slide through his fingers, the whistle drops down until it dangles at full length. Lifting the leather slowly over his head, he pulls it down until it rests upon the hair laying across the back of his neck. With a quick flip Liendo pulls his hair out so that it rest directly on his flesh. Fiddling with the whistle, the boy listens closely to Ceriss.
++++++++
Ceriss kept to Liendo’s right, on the side of the cobblestone walkway that was present to most of the foot traffic. He glanced down as the boy spoke. “I’ve done quite a bit of research myself, on every aspect of the herb and how to mix and boil them, to extract their essence and make various healing assistances and protective coverings. Much I learned form the herb dealer you met before we got into town, who goes by the name of Zei. He has been quite a distance, finding even the most rare of creations. Zei cannot make anything from the herbs he collects, so he trades them for the elixirs and medicines that can be made from them. I tend to trade often, sometimes finding new, rare herbs that are rather difficult to find.”
They had to turn down a narrow, dirt-paved road, which was crowded with open-air market stalls. Some held fruits and vegetables, hanging in baskets and pouring out of barrels and boxes, while others held furs and glass beads, pots, fresh meats. They closed in on Zei and his little stall, laden with green and brown, red and blue and many more tones of herbs and berries used specifically for medicine and aroma-based cures. “You can take a look at some of the others,” Ceriss told Liendo. “But stay close. If you see anything you like, just let me know, right?”
+++++++++
Liendo looks around at the various herbs and berries for a time, naming off all the ones he recognizes in his head, and memorizing what the ones he doesn't so he can ask about them later. His eyes wander over nearby stalls, and his finger begin itch to go touch all the things on them. 'They all look so nice and beautiful. So many colors and textures. I wonder what each color is called. . . . All my books assumed that the colors were known to the reader.' Glancing at Ceriss, the boy wanders slowly and carefully to the closest stall the the herbalist's. The cloth hanging from racks and hooks sway with even the slightest breeze creating a shimmering rainbow of colors. His hands dart out of their own accord to feel them. The shiny ones seem smooth and soft, whole the thicker ones feel coarse to the touch, much like the clothes Liendo is use to wearing.
“Well hello there young lad. Do you like that one? I can sell you some for a decent price if you're interested.” The sound of the vendor talking shocks Liendo so much that he squeaks and runs back to Ceriss's side. Clinging to the man's arm, he looks back at the vendor, eyes wide. The man chuckles, his big round belly jiggling. Brushing back his short brown hair, the man slides over to a customer that seems to be admiring a shock of red fabric, the boy forgotten. Taking a few deep breaths, Liendo manages to relax enough to relax his strangle hold on Ceriss's arm. Muttering a low apology, the boy moves towards a different stall on the far side of the herb stall. Looking back, he can barely see Ceriss, but his curiosity overruns his caution as he turns back to the new stall.
The stall is covered in cages in which many animals are squawking and bleating and various other sounds. Checking to make sure the vendor is distracted, Liendo approaches a cage filled with large birds. Each one over half his height, their dark blue eyes gaze up at him in a cold manner. 'These are nelians. Mother use to cook them once a year for a special occasion. I could always hear her telling Father how they are getting more and more expensive. . .' Liendo smiles slightly as he recalls the time his mother let him see the bird before she slaughtered it. The bird's eyes had been wide and frightened, and the boy had begged his mother to let it live. It was then his father had sat down with him to explain how “that's just what animals are there for”. It had taken a long time for Liendo to be able to eat meat again after that.
Suddenly a wave of panic races through the boy's body. “I'll need four of those for my men.” The voice is cold as ice. Liendo begins shaking violently, his gaze traveling to the other side of the stall. He can just barely see the top of a helmet over the piles of cages, but there is no mistaking that voice. 'It him, it's the one, he will kill me, I have to run, I have to. . . .' His legs suddenly unfreeze and the boy stumbles backwards. Just barely avoiding running head first into the herbalist's stall, Liendo runs right past Ceriss and heads for a nearby alley. Tripping over a small crate, the boy tumbles over it and into a pile of trash just inside the alley. Too frightened to move to bring any more attention to himself, he stills. The smells asulting his nose fade as he slowly fades into darkness.
+++++++
Ceriss made sure to keep one eye on the boy as he went tentatively off to the nearest cloth vendor. Zei bent over his stall’s wall to get closer to Ceriss. “So, boy. What you got for me today?” He watched Ceriss carefully as the young man recovered several bottles from his various pockets, one of a honey-colored liquid, one of pure colorlessness, and a third half-full with a watery red substance. “Oh, looks like a good pack.” Zei chuckled. “Never did see the red before. What does it?”
“It’s a healing assistance.” Ceriss noted. “But not of the general healer serums. This is extracted from the Bleeding Soul plants, which only bloom in bushes at the edge of a forest facing the sunset. In the bloody red glow of evening, the flowers begin leaking a deep red, very potent nectar, and when kept in a bottle for a month, it becomes very strong, and will heal a deep cut in less than a week.” He tilted the bottle, letting it catch the light. “Lovely color, isn’t it? But I’ve not much. You have to have something interesting to get this.”
Ceriss almost gasped as Liendo flew back to him, and looked around for an offender that may have struck out at the boy. Only the owner of the cloth stall was near, laughing a bit at Liendo’s sudden reaction, and Ceriss relaxed quickly. He let Liendo stay near as Zei rummaged through the pile of various herbs, flowers, and roots, even as his hand went numb in the boy’s surprisingly powerful grasp. “Ah, here is!” Zei seemed proud of himself as he pulled something yellow into view, and Liendo had gone off in a return of bravery. “Lookit this,” Zei held it up. “Only read ‘bout it in books. Called Sun’s Gaze.” Lying the flower and its stem on the bed of green and red and blue, it seemed to give off a light of its own. The petals were large and thick, rounded around what seemed to be the source of the light within, and the dark green leaves seemed to reach up to the flower as though to protect it. “I’ll give it to you for the essence of the Bleeding Souls.”
Ceriss nodded. “Of course.” He said, handing it over. “I’ll not hesitate! And for the rest, just give me the usual. A few Dragon Claws, some Deadroot, Angelwing, and Blue Ash.” As Zei went to gather a burlap bag, placing the requested items inside in trade for the bottles, Ceriss leapt as Liendo flailed back, shock and fear seeming to fuel his actions. “Liendo!” Ceriss grabbed for him, but he had already gone. Leaving Zei to continue his work, he followed through the maze of people and caught the boy vanishing into the nearest alley. Before he got there, he heard a crash of wood on stone and silence. His heart leapt, for fear that the boy had hurt himself, and heading halfway down the alley, found him lying among boxes and garbage, some insects flitting away in terror. Something, or someone, had obviously struck a blind fear into Liendo, and he had lost consciousness.
Feeling a tug at his heart, Ceriss scooped the boy up. He seemed lighter than Ceriss remembered, as he went back through the alley, into the throngs of people, and looked about. No one seemed interested in the boy, or Ceriss. No one even gave them a second look. With a nod to Zei, he took the bag and slung it around his shoulder, careful to maneuver Liendo as gently as possible. With his items all gathered, and a new discovery protected in his bag, Ceriss felt it best to leave the town. A part of him felt that Liendo had been exposed to more than enough for one day aboveground, and whatever had scared him so badly would not be present at his treetop refuge.
++++++++
Liendo wakes with a start some time later. His mind rushes back to the voice he heard and he begins thrashing. The warm limbs holding him fall away as the squirming figure wriggles it's way out of their grip. Disoriented and frighted the boy looks about wildly for something familiar. Seeking out anything to calm his nerves and make him feel safe. The bright light of the sun above feels blinding as it comes out from behind a thick cloud. The shock causes Liendo to retreat to the nearest dark place. This just so happens to be a large bush. Darting under it's heavily leaf laden branches, the boy curls up tight and begins sobbing.
'That voice, I know it was the one. I know it, he hurt them. He k-killed them! He will kill me too! I can n- I can not breath. . . .' Liendo gasps loudly, gulping down air like a drowning victim. He raises his head, his tear blurred eye glancing around the area. Finally his eyes fall on Ceriss. The man's gaze is kind and Liendo settles quickly under it's caress. Hiccuping a few times, he manages to gasp out, “I heard him. The o-one who d-did it. Th-the one who hurt them. . . I. . . .I. . .” The boy falls silent, watching Ceriss. A feeling of deep guilt settles in his stomach as he spots a few scratches on the man that hadn’t been there before. Letting out another loud sob he begins stumbling over and over an apology. Finally he falls silent, curling into a ball and shaking.
_________________
To Be A Knight
And my first Finished work Death Day
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