The Brothers; Enoch's Children Book 9

Brothers Part 44

Chapter 44

Cory left the conference with a sense of foreboding. He didn't want to be in the forefront of the coming revolution. He wished he could find Russell and go home. That seemed a long way away. So much depended on him, and he felt like he was failing. The thought about going home and telling his mother he couldn't find Russell disturbed him.

He wandered through the woods near the village. One of the spiders rested on his shoulder clicking quietly. He was careful not to go too far. He didn't know what dangers these woods would offer. The silence of the trees filled him with a sense of calmness that didn't quite override the dread that filled him.

"What will come," a soft contralto filled the air, "will come."

Cory felt a surge of joy run through him, knowing, even before he turned toward the speaker that it couldn't possibly be his mother.

"Hello," he exclaimed feeling the joy drain away.

A woman stood near the center of a small clearing. The tall trees that surrounded the clearing seemed to be in a perfect circle, defining the space. She wore a long cloth dress dyed black. Her grey hair hung down her back, tied back to fall in a frothy cataract. Her face was furrowed, lines of age creeping into the corners of her eyes. Her smile was slight, but warm. She held out her arms, and Cory stood back. He couldn't believe he wanted to run into them and let the woman hold him.

"You are troubled," the woman said. "Come. Tell me about it."

"I came to find my brother," Cory said. "I've failed."

"You stopped searching, then?"

"No, but I can't find him. I failed."

"If you haven't stopped searching, then you cannot possibly have failed," the woman said.

"Who are you?" Cory asked.

"My name is Nomiah," the woman said. "You are one of the youngsters from a faraway land. What is your name?"

"My name is Cory."

"Welcome to my village, Cory. You have some rare pets."

She stepped forward and stroked the spider on his shoulder. The spider purred at her touch.

"You weren't afraid," Cory said.

"Of course not," the woman said. "I've seen one before. It was many years ago, when I was younger. It belonged to a great leader. His was much larger. He talked to his spider. Do you talk to your pet?"

"I cannot," Cory said sadly. "Not here. Virgil can, though."

"Virgil is your friend," Nomiah said. "He talks to the spiders."

"He does."

"Is he the one who glows in the dark?"

Cory stepped back.

"How do you know that?"

Nomiah laughed, a musical sound that filled the clearing.

"I came back from the city. The whole village wanted my advice about the three of you, the pets you brought with you, and, of course, your friend, the demon."

"He's not a demon," Cory said.

The woman laughed again.

"Of course not," she said. "But the villagers tend to be superstitious. They call me a witch. It doesn't make it so. I've learned herbs and plant lore from women like me. I teach others what I know. What I do seems like magic to the children in the village."

"Oh," Cory said simply.

"Tell me about your journeys to find your brother, child," Nomiah said.

"I'm not a child," Cory said.

"And your friend is not a demon," Nomiah laughed. "Youngster, to me everyone is a child."

Cory smiled weakly and said, "When my brother went missing we searched the whole town, our village. Then we found out he came here. We've been searching for him ever since. I thought we could come here, find him and take him home, but we couldn't find him."

"You haven't found him yet," Nomiah corrected.

"We haven't found him yet," Cory relented.

"That's better."

"We thought the witch had him, but she didn't," Cory said. "I don't know what to do."

"Life can be frustrating," Nomiah said, "or it can make you stronger."

"I don't want to be stronger. I just want to find my brother."

"Do not refuse life's gifts, youngster," the woman said. "Tell me about the witch."

"The witch was cruel. She was trying her drugs on the children."

"I'm sorry to hear that," Nomiah said sadly. "I knew her, Cory. Her name was Lillian. It was a long time ago. She was bent toward evil even then. I chose to believe she would grow out of it. I taught her many of the things I knew. Please continue."

"We followed her, to kill her," Cory said. "I didn't want to kill anyone. I just wanted my brother back. We didn't kill her, of course. The ghost, Keegan, did that. He freed himself from her drugs, and we let him live."

"You let him live," the Nomiah said.

"I don't believe in killing," Cory said. "It wasn't my decision. Aaron didn't want Toblah to kill him. That man is taller by a head than anyone else, but Toblah had wounded him. Toblah would have killed him, I think."

"Perhaps," Nomiah said. "We should kill only when necessary. Wars should not be entered into lightly."

"I'm tired of wars, Nomiah. I'm tired of everything here. I just want to go home with my brother. I want to sleep in my own bed and know he's in the next room. Is that too much to ask?"

"Tell me, little one. Do you want to go home to be hailed as a hero for rescuing your brother?"

"I don't need to be a hero. I promised my brother I would always be there for him. I have to find him."

"And you shall," the woman said.

"You know?"

"I know," Nomiah said softly. "Trust me."

A man broke through the trees.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, Nomiah," the man said. "You should come and see this. This boy glows in the dark! We've been looking for the other one. I see you have him."

"Thank you," Nomiah said. "We'll be along."

The man turned and left. Cory looked around. It had grown dark as they talked.

"I suppose we have to go back now."

"Only if you're ready," Nomiah said, placing a hand on the back of his neck. "I cannot promise things will get better. But don't give up on your brother. You will find him."

Cory took a deep breath and said, "Thank you."

"Are you ready?"

"I think I am," Cory said.

"Then, let's go back to your friends."