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

Chapter 3 The Dou-Jin Temple

Chapter 3

The Dou-Jin Temple

After Brady was shackled and secured J.D. went over to Stephanous. "Whet do yuh thenk yuh wes doen?

"Helping." Stephanous said a bit sheepishly. "But my stick caught on fire so I threw it at him. I don't know how it happened, but that stick just burst into flame! I'm surprised I didn't get burnt by it!" He said more excitedly as he talked on.

"Yuh could 've gotten yerself killed." J.D. spat with a grave look upon his face. "e's a seasoned Roda-Ki uh fallen Dou-Jin turned, real bad. 'e now follows the dark magic's of the Roda-Ki instead of the Daughter or the Spirit of the Dou-Jin."

"I hit him." Stephanous said with a slight grin that was forced as he shrugged. "That's something isn't it? It allowed you guys to capture him. Now you have a prisoner."

"Well 's fer thet, yuh were lucky." J.D. Growled his brow furrowed not sure what to make of Stephanous. "Now go back tuh bed!"

J.D. went over to Michale with a bit of fire in his step. "Did yuh see thet? 'e 'as th' violet powers uf uh Dou-Jin. 'e 'asn't even been trained yet!"

"He's more powerful than we had first thought." Michale whispered as he tried to make sure that Stephanous didn't over hear him talking to J.D.. "The boy doesn't know what he wields and that's dangerous. If he doesn't stay humble he could become Roda-Ki and we'll have to kill him."

"'e's just a wee lad." J.D. said turning a sympathetic glance towards Stephanous who was getting back down to go to sleep. "'e 'as plenty uf time tuh train ''nd learn our ways. The prophets say 'e 'as a good 'eart. Let's just 'ope thet it stays thet way."

"Yes let's pray that the Creator stays in his heart and mind." Michale agreed with his partner. "I would hate to have us to kill such a young promising apprentice. He like an untapped volcano just getting ready to explode. We have to tread cautiously with him or were going to make a grievous error and send him down the wrong path."

Stephanous sat quietly not quite sure what to do except stare into the fire while he lay on his side. "How'd that stick catch on fire?" He thought to himself. "I could've burned my hands. There's something wrong with me. Sticks don't just light themselves on fire for no reason. Maybe J.D. is right I'm too dangerous to be around people. Maybe I should run away in the middle of the night and solve everyone's problems. I can't hurt anyone if I'm not around anyone."

"I'm gonna kill you kid." Brady said through gritted teeth in a whisper so as not to attract attention while J.D. and Michale were talking secretively. "I'm going to gut you like a trout. I'll cut you from your throat to your privates and let your insides spill out onto the ground and you'll still be able watch because you won't be dead yet. That's how quick it will happen."

Stephanous swallowed a hard lump in his throat and tried to look away hoping that Brady would disappear, but he could still hear Brady's voice as he threatened him more and more. He felt as though he were going to wet his pants or soil them in another minute he was so frightened.

"And kid you might even live long enough for the coyotes, buzzards, and ravens to come around and feed on your flesh. Just think of them tearing at your flesh with their claws, teeth, and beaks."

THUMP!

Brady was knocked sideways. His Roda-Ki abilities hadn't warned him about J.D.'s boot kicking him in the side. Brady groaned at the solid blow an air was expelled from his lungs. The Roda-Ki was seeing tiny sparkling lights from the blow and he could barely breathe.

"Sorry 'bout thet lad." J.D. said apologetically rubbing his hands together. "Fergot tuh gag the bastage. 'e won't be given yuh anymoor trouble thes trip. Don't yuh pay no nevermind tuh 'is threats either. 'e's 'eaded to a Dou-Jin prison and nobody escapes those." He ended with pride. "Nobody's ever escaped th' Dou-Jin prison in th' temple!"

Stephanous took little comfort in that fact as he swallowed an apple sized lump in his throat again. J.D. didn't just have his life threatened by having his innards exposed to be eaten by animals. Brady scared Stephanous to no end. Stephanous was going to sleep far away from Brady if he slept at all. Stephanous didn't think that Michale or J.D. could keep an eye on Brady all the time and the time they took their eyes off of him would be the time Brady would gut him!

Brady rode the rest of the day with his hands and feet tied and slung over the back of the horse like a rug. Whenever he had the chance he glared in Stephanous's direction, but the boy was never looking at him. In fact Stephanous made it a point not to gaze in Brady's direction at all. Stephanous didn't want to chance that Brady would threaten him again with some other sort of violence.

The party broke for camp and made a fire and put on a pot of beans with a little bit of day old rabbit and some turnips and something that looked like potatoes but they were all dried up.

"Now lessen 'ere Brady." J.D. said in an irritated tone that bore no nonsense. His fiery orange eyes seemed to glow with heat as he spoke to the Roda-Ki in a deep gravelly voice. "I'm gona untie yuh but ifen you go 'nd act up and taunt the boy yuh won't get nothen tuh eat and you'll ride th' same way tomorrow."

Brady just glared at the dwarf, but he kept quiet. Brady didn't want the indignity of having to ride the way he had that day.

Stephanous was amazed at how well behaved Brady was. The man wasn't even tied up and he didn't even try to make a break for it. What the boy didn't know was that Michale and J.D. had bound Brady with the element of air and there was nothing that Brady could do but sit there and eat his meal or sleep where they told him too.

Stephanous didn't like it that Brady was loose and had a fit trying to get to sleep, but he eventually drifted off to sleep.

Stephanous stood in a large empty chamber. Sconces hung on the wall and illuminated the place but just barely. The lights flickered and the cast shadows danced upon the floor, walls, and ceiling like specters that looked as if they were looking for someone to haunt. Stephanous glanced around and realized he was dreaming again, but it wasn't going to be a pleasant dream it was going to be a nightmare. He needed to wake up and do it right then.

"Well aren't you a young one." A purring voice came from the shadows. "The voice was calm, but it wasn't friendly. It had the sound of evil to it. The young lad could feel his skin begin to be riddled with goose bumps and it felt like spiders were crawling beneath his skin.

Stephanous strained to see who it was but his eyes couldn't pierce the darkness, but it was no use there just wasn't enough light. He backed away from where the voice had come from but he found that he had backed into a wall and in a corner at that.

"Hmmmmm." Came the voice as sultry as any flirtatious tavern wench. "I like them young, but you're barely a man, but you've got such power within you. I haven't seen power like this since... Well since the beginning of time."

"Who's out there?" Stephanous said in a timid voice trying to be as brave as possible. Where were Michale and J.D.? "Who are you? Why are you in my dream? Get out of my head!!!"

"I'm the one that's going to make you famous." She said teasingly and tauntingly to the young man.

"Famous?" Stephanous said confused. "Famous for what?"

"Famous for being the strongest Roda-Ki to bring down the Dou-Jin Empire!" She laughed maniacally, but there was no mirth in her laughter. The only thing in her laughter was pure hatred and loathing. "I've been whittling them down for years with temptation of various sorts. Some I turn Roda-Ki, others I forced out of the Dou-Jin order, others I set up as a disgrace to the Dou-Jin Temple, You and I did it to them."

"They are falling apart and they think that you are going to bring them back together. To give them back the strength they once had over the world of Theara, but I