Fate Bound

part 3 chpt 10

Somewhere else, at the same spot, yet not at the same place, a secret became a not-so secret anymore.

A poor peasant boy had been lost in the desert for days. By sheer luck he survived the sweltering heat and freezing nights. He had been on the verge of collapsing, when he literally stumbled onto the tunnel opening. The moment he fell through the entrance, he was immediately rejuvenated; fully hydrated and well rested.

Ordinary men would have been overwhelmed and maybe even terrified by the abrupt revitalization, claiming malevolent forces at work. This young boy took it in stride, sprang up, rubbed his little brown nose and set about exploring – like any logical child would. He took turns left and right at random, till he reached a gigantic cave with nowhere else to go. The entire cavern was bathed in soft blue light, with great big arches reaching far up. The source of the strange light was a giant oval orb hovering high above ground.

Inside that orb, there was a person. That person had very long white hair, and seemed to be curled up asleep.

The boy cupped his hands around his mouth and shouted up to the strange person.

“Hellooo? Are you a person? Hey.” With each question, he took a step closer. “Why are you so high up? Wha – Hey!”

He gave a little exclamation of annoyance when he bumped into an invisible wall. He placed his palms flat on the wall, and followed it all the way round the floating orb. He stared dismayed.

“Humph. Fine if you don’t want to talk.”

The boy’s disgruntlement did not last long. A glint in a corner caught his eye.

The table held only three things: an old parchment, a dull coin-sized stone, and a little silver key that shone in the light from the orb above. The key looked like the kind his Momma used to lock her money chest, but this one was especially shiny, not a bit old or rusty at all. It was silvery, almost white. Even though his hands were dusty and grimy, the key never dirtied. He clutched it. Finders’ keepers.

A wave of sleepiness rushed over the young boy; he felt so so tired. The rock floor looked extremely comfortable. As he curled down against the not-there wall, he did not notice as the strange key glowed, and fell asleep wishing to be home in his Momma’s warm arms.

The next thing he knew, he heard an ear-piercing neigh and his heart nearly leapt out of his chest as he looked up at the hoofs of a rearing horse. The stallion, fortunately, missed him, but the rider did not. And apparently the rider, with eyes narrowed and glowing like a cat’s from under the hood, did not miss the shiny little key in his hand either.  

So the boy had been hoisted along on horseback, fed more food than he had ever seen in his life, furiously scrubbed clean by many women much like his Momma, and then brought before the rider.

The strange man had asked him questions after questions, till the boy started to feel like he had answered the same question four times already. He was whining as the man inquired yet again.

“Can I go home now?” The boy glanced at the man’s impassive yellow lamp-like eyes, gulped, and quickly added, “Please?”

The man stared once more into the boy’s eyes, digging through his memories for one last time, just in case. He reluctantly admitted that he was being unreasonable to such a young child.

The heavy wooden door behind the boy clicked unlocked and swung open, seemingly on its own. Sunlight shone in and the street sounds of the town of Glassea filtered in. The boy gave a happy shout and scampered to freedom.

“Boy.” He half-turned, and froze. Glowing eyes pinned him to place. The air seemed to thicken and stretch and press in on him. The depths of those yellow eyes seemed to swirl with golden light.

“You will not remember anything of the cave, nor its contents. You chanced upon some kind-hearted travelers, who fed and cleaned you up out of pity. We never met.”

The man’s hypnotic voice grew and echoed once more.

“Forget, and remember not.”

Left alone in the stale air of the dim room, the man sighed. His eyes were closed, but faint light shone from behind his eyelids, flickering along with his thoughts. He reviewed the child’s memories over and over, trying to siphon out any more details he hoped he’d missed.

He frowned as he turned up nothing. These new happenings answered few questions and brought about even more. He stood up and held his arms out as his dark coat flew to him and fitted itself on his body. He checked his pocket watch and nodded; he would make it in time for tea.

He was going to meet the General.

(I'm going on a short hiatus - exams are up in a few days. I have to cram it all and give it my all; this will be O's and i can't afford any thing more than 10 points. Wish me luck! :) )

(BTW that pic is what i drew of Jos once. have another more 3/4 body. will post another time :) )