The Dou-Jin Apprentice of Monsters and Men In the Beginning

Chapter 2 Continued

Inger never remarried and no self-respecting zepher man would have taken her as a wife since she had been defiled by a human male. Inger was considered a weak woman because she had not fought off the multitude of rapists like a good strong Zepherion woman. Any zepherion woman worth her weight in silver would have either killed her attackers or died trying to kill them, but no she had lived and not only that she had kept the bastard child.

The house of the Dragonsbane family was made out of lodge pole pines that extended thirty feet to either side of the front door with a glass window in the center of each side. The structure was twenty feet wide and twenty feet tall. The bedrooms were up stairs and the living area was downstairs. The father had built the house because he had wanted a very large family and hadn't anticipated dying so young.

In the living area there was a sizable library that held about thirty books that Mr. Dragonsbane had collected since he was a child and had received from his father. The Seasons of the Dragon Series, The Adventures of Stephanous "The Lionhearted" Lionel, The Journey's of Aaron "The Brave" Stormblaze, the Dou-Jin Bible of course, that was read out of every night to the family, and many other books that were always ever so captivating.

There was a lengthy porch that ran all along the front of the home and had a comfortable wooden plank porch swing held up by sturdy chains on either side of the pine log house. There was a window behind each swing that held a variety of colored flowers in planters just outside the windows. The roof of the long cabin had wooden shingles upon it that had been bleached out by the sun but still did a wonderful job of keeping rain out of the home. Every now and then there was a shingle or two that appeared fresh as it had been replaced from the wind blowing it off or it let water into the house.

A light cool breeze blew was the only sign that it was early spring in the area. The blankets and sheets on the clothes line billowed out like sails on a ship as the breezes past by. The rest of the laundry danced like puppets upon the line as the breeze drifted by. Pants and shirt appeared as if they were dancing on the clothes line to a whimsical song being played at a barn dance on a Saturnday night.

A tall coal black Zepherion man rode a massive sleek Terran horse. The horse had the height of a Morgan but the build of a thoroughbred. The horse was of the best stock and the man had another horse the same size only it was a earthy brown paint color in tow.

The man gradually dismounted his enormous steed and approached Inger and bowed before her as if she were of royal blood. He had the ebony hair that was braided with beads. He had deep dark black eyes, a broad flat nose, and thick full lips.

"My name is Brady Tunage." He said in a deep voice as he introduced himself. "And I have come from the Dou-Jin Temple. You must be Inger the mother of Stephanous Dragonsbane the one who I seek to join our ranks in the temple."

"You want Steph?" Inger said with a surprised question backing away from the man trying to hide her children. She didn't trust men after her rape and any male strangers were barely tolerated on her property. She held the hoe in her hand like a staff warding off the tall man. "But he's just a boy. Why would the Dou-Jin want him?" She said suspiciously.

Brady pondered for a moment and scratched his goatee as another light breeze caught his beaded hair and made clicking sounds with the beads. He made no advances towards the woman sensing that she was fearful and he wanted to gain her trust.

"The prophets of the Dou-Jin say that Stephanous Dragonsbane must one day face, fight, and defeat Lilith." He said plainly and directly not trying to hide anything from Inger.

"The goddess of destruction?" Inger said in disbelief still not trusting the man. "But she is the mother of the seven deadly sins. Will he have to fight the other gods as well?"

"The prophets have only told me this." Brady answered truthfully. "All I know is that we must train and prepare him for this purpose."

Inger put her thin, but strong fingers, to her mouth as she gazed upon her eldest son. How could this young man have to do such an enormous task when so much of life had already had asked so much of him.

"He is a descendent of Stephanous "The Great" Lionel and the duty is his and has been given to him by The Daughter." Brady added trying to make his argument even stronger for his position for Stephanous. "The Daughter's will be with him. You couldn't ask for any greater power to be with him in this journey."

"But why my son?" Inger pleaded her eye brimming with tears. She didn't want to let her son go and lose him like she had lost her husband. "I've lost my husband, I've been shunned by the village, and we've had one hardship after another, what more must I endure? Why does the Dou-Jin want my precious son?"

"It is the age the Dou-Jin must start their training." Brady Tunage informed Inger. "I'm Sorry but your son must come with me. It is his duty to The Creator."

By then all the children had gathered around their mother and Stephanous had a dismal visage upon his face. He had never spent a day without his mother. His thoughts of leaving her unnerved him and he felt extremely anxious. He didn't want to go with this dark stranger and he had never heard of the Dou-Jin coming out of the temple before. He had only heard that people went there for guidance and help. He had never heard of them recruiting people and this man gave him a horrible feeling of unrest. He could feel maggots crawling beneath his skin with this stranger and a Dou-Jin shouldn't cause that kind of sensation in a person.

"What are the Dou-Jin? I mean we have a bible, but I have never heard of a monk coming out of the temple except to make peace treaties of to settle other disputes." Stephanous asked curiously moving himself in between his mother and the man as though he were going to protect her. His face was determined and stern not letting the man see the fear that was inside him. His uncles had taught him that. "Why are they so important? I've heard people in town talk of you and they say you are trouble at the best of times. Why should I go with you if you could mean my family harm?"

"That is a good question Stephanous." Dou-Jin Tunage answered. "We are the peacekeepers of Theara. We make sure that truth and justice are done. We are not only the peace and justice of the world but we are also the providers of mercy and grace. I don't know where you heard these rumors or even if you actually heard these rumors, but rest assured your family is in good hands."

"Right now the Dou-Jin are in turmoil and we are hoping that you will set things right. I know that's a lot to ask of a young man, but the prophets have foreseen that you are the one to bring peace, order, and respect back to the Dou-Jin throughout the world."

"Lilith is going to try and break the eighteen seals that hold Luciferous in his infernal prison. If she breaks the first six seals then she breaks out and the twelve other demons that helped Luciferous turn a third of the gods against the Creator and is able to unleash the demon armies upon Theara."

"The rulers of Theara have been warned and they are beefing up their armies because the prophets say within the next several years at the most Lilith will break the first six seals.

Stephanous gazed upon the ground as if looking for answers. Then he turned to his mother. He looked at her with his haunted amethyst eyes welling with tears.

"Mom," He started. "I don't want to go, but if the prophets of The Creator has said it is so then I have to go. You have always said that The Creator is the most important being in our lives and he is the one that we should follow."

Stephanous then turned to Brady. "Let me get my clothes and I will go with you."

"There is no need." Brady informed him in a hurried tone. "I have everything you will need."

The sounds of galloping hoof beats were heard approaching. Three men on horseback dressed in the same manner as Brady. They vaulted from their steeds in a roll in the air and landed firmly upon their feet.