I Know How to Save You

Chpt. 2

 I realized the mistake that I had made as soon as I had stepped into that tent. The putrid scent of dead amphibians and burnt hair filled the room, instantly making me noxious. In the center of the tent was a man, dressed in colorful robes and a ridiculously high hat. In front of him, was a fire pit, which explained the overwhelming heat that was filling the tent. Atop the angry fire was a makeshift spit, holding a small cauldron of boiling, green liquid. He sat cross-legged, breathing steadily, with closed eyes. I could tell that he was meditating. I looked around the enclosure more. Behind him were stacks upon stacks of old leather-bound books. Part of me wondered if any of those were the book that I was looking for, but the thought left my head as I continued to scan the room. There were jars of rabbit feet, dead lizards, and herbs. This man was hardly a fortuneteller—he was practically a healer.

I looked at the box that sat next to my feet. I dug around within my bag, pulled out my money pouch, and dropped three zates into the box’s mouth. They made a dull clanging sound as they hit the wood. The box had obviously been empty.

“Why, hello!” The raspy voice of the fortuneteller startled me. I turned around to face him. “Can I help you? A palm reading? Perhaps a look in my magic mirror? The crystal ball?”

I instantly began to feel uncomfortable. “Uh… no. I was just curious.”

“About what? Oh, pardon me. Please, sit! Sit!” He motioned to the pillow directly across from him, on the other side of his small fire pit. I took a few steps and sat slowly. “Good… good… Now! Tell me..”

“What? What do you want me to tell you?”

“Why, what you’re curious about, of course! I mean, one as young and as beautiful as you does not just walk into my tent and not have a reason. What are you here for?”

“ I told you,” I said, fiddling with my hair, “I was just curious.”

The fortuneteller smirked, causing his wrinkly face to scrunch up even more than it already did, “You want to know your future, don’t you?”

“Not really…” I replied. “The future is a foggy concept. It’s shrouded with the possible choices that can be made or not made. It all depends on the individual…”

The fortuneteller’s smirk dropped from his face. He stared at me for a long time.” You’re The Nameless One, aren’t you?”

I seemed taken aback. “Of course not! I’ve never heard of such a thing. Not having a name?! Ridiculous!” I let go of the piece of hair that I’d been playing with.

“You know not of The Nameless One?” He stared at me with utter disbelief.

“Uh… no?” I answered, unsure.

The fortuneteller made quick clucking sounds with his tongue, trying to show his astonishment. He reached behind him and grabbed a skin pouch. He emptied the powder that was inside of it into his bubbling concoction. “Well,” he said, as he stirred the liquid with a crude wooden spoon, “The Nameless One is more of a myth. Legend has it that years and years ago a woman had a baby, but died in childbirth. This is common for a lot of women, especially outside of Batinelle, which is where The Nameless One is said to have been born. However, what made this case so very, very peculiar was the fact that the mother requested her child never be given a name. She said that she  had plans for her… that the baby was to achieve great things—but she must not have a name. And so, her people listened.

“You see, because the woman that died during childbirth, was in fact, a queen. Savages had captured the king only six months before The Nameless One was born. It is said that the savages brought the king to Batinelle so that he may never return to rule his home country… And after the queen died, the queen’s uncle took over. He was only under rule until The Nameless One was old enough to rule the country on her own—but that would never happen. The new king shipped off the baby princess. He sent her to an orphanage in Batinelle so that she may never return to take his throne.

“The Nameless One apparently grew up in several orphanages… but everyone lost track of the girl’s whereabouts after she became a woman. Apparently that was almost two or three years ago. The girl is said to have the powers to defeat the voice of Batinelle and free us all.” The fortuneteller chuckled a bit while he stirred. A purple-ish gas was billowing off of the top of the potion. “Of course, this is only a child’s tale. I’m not sure how true it could be. I mean, there are many children who never get named because they’re bastard children and their mothers die in childbirth..”

I began to choke on the smoke in the room. I got very lightheaded. I heard a faint scream…

And then everything went black.