The Descent Into Hell For A Bottle of Milk

Chapter 11 ~ The Graveyard

Chapter 11- The Graveyard

                  “Whoa Tajo,” I called out to my horse. I had trouble giving him a fitting name. At first it was ‘Nesto’ because of his serious attitude he had towards me. He was always looking down upon me like I was living up to his standards. I’ve spent most of the waking hours these past two weeks trying to prove myself worthy to this beast.

                  I renamed him Tajo meaning ‘renowned warrior’ after the first time he let me ride him with out throwing me off. I spent a great deal of time learning every muscle of my slate grey partner. August took us on rides on the Kingdom’s surrounding grounds. We often have mock races and fights. Sometimes Panther Lily would come and watch, when she could get away.

                 “You’ve learned to handle him just fine, like a true warrior. I would be proud to stand by you in battle,” August called out proudly. I had almost questioned what battle he was talking about. I had been off playing a boy and his horse for so long, that it left my mind.

                “Are you a man or aren’t you.” August yelled at me one day when I was still having trouble with Tajo letting me ride him. In some was August was like how my father was when he was home. Telling me to be the man of the house while he was gone.

                 This entire time I had been fight this reality because it was just too unbelievable. But even though part of me still refuses, I have accepted this as my reality and plan to give it my all. Because if I didn’t, I wouldn’t be showing the behavior of a warrior or a man.  

                 I dismounted Tajo and stood tall in front of August. “Me too,” I said and placed a hand on his shoulder. “But August, in all this time that I’ve been here I’ve never been told who this war will be against or when it will happen. Every time I ask the truth is avoided.”

                 August raked his hands through his hair. “Can’t tell the truth about things I don’t know,” he cleared his throat after he spoke. A clear sign that he was lying to me.

                 “A man isn’t one to tell lies, you said that.”

                 “To use my own words against me,” he laughed. August let out a long sigh before he to get serious to tell me what I wanted to know. “The King of Violet Fair, although since he took over people call it by a different name. He wishes to recreate a world the way it was before the rebirth. His people follow him mindlessly. A few years ago the eighth kingdom of Starry Fall joined him. You’re not starting a war, but a battle to end one.”

                 “How? One person can’t be that powerful,” I said under my breath. Self doubt filled through me, I was faced with another wall I had to overcome before I could think to help anyone. Along with this doubt came fear.

                 “I’m sure in your time there has been people that millions followed even though most thought it was wrong. There are now seven kingdoms and twenty three surrounding nations in all the world, Eloi being the largest with six point four million people. Marblewick, the largest nation has only about a million,” August continued on, not noticing my mental break down.

                  If what he says is true then there could be more that sixty five million people on Earth. It couldn’t really be possible to drop from seven billion to less than seventy million.

                 “I know he said that the revolt almost resulted in human extinction, but I didn’t think he really meant it,” I said aloud thinking of what Jinx told me when I first came here. I hadn’t thought about it since then, I hadn’t really thought about anything. I’ve just been following along while fighting this feeling of insanity.