The Shaman And The King

Part 1

Far beyond the Rafan Mountains in the east, shamans' drums called to the gods. Kiruha stared into the water in the wooden basin, patiently waiting for the visions to come. Two of his fellow shamans sat across him, drumming, their eyes closed in trance. Shadows moved on the water as if unseen ripples were pushing them. Slowly they twisted and changed, turning into a clear picture.

Small groups of tents and a few large yurts appeared in the water-vision, a nomad village somewhere further east. Women doing chores and children running about, men carrying wood and working on leather, the elderly snoozing or idly chatting with each other.

Suddenly, dozens of riders galloped into the scene like a quick summer storm. They rode forth with long spears in their hands, killing the startled men within the blink of an eye. They turned around, dismounted and moved through the village with a violent rage, a band of them spearing the few women who scrambled about and gave resistance. The rest dragged the girls and women, some by the hair, some by the limbs, killing those who put up a fight. Kiruha sensed the ethereal tendrils of an evil thing radiating from the raiders -a terrible, foreign thing, spreading like a deadly disease.

After the looting was done, the horsemen rounded up the surviving women and bound them hand and foot. They spared the elderly and the children, leaving them to bear witness and spread the tale of their fury.

Kiruha could almost see the screams of the victims lingering in the air. The whole affair was wrong and the wrongness of it hurt. The steppe nomads were a peaceful people, such violence was not their way.

The vision dissolved and two young boys appeared on the water. They were standing under a tree, arguing. One of them was older, about the age of ten. The other one looked seven or eight, a head shorter. The older boy drew his knife from his belt and started stabbing the younger boy, his face twisted in a terrible fury. The victim fell, blood spurting from his belly.

Even though Kiruha heard no sounds, he could tell the older boy was screaming war cries while he kept stabbing the helpless boy writhing on the ground. A sickly wind blew and the little boy lay still on the dry grass now stained red with his blood. The victor raised his knife, pointing towards the sky, his dark hair fluttering in the wind. Tendrils of the nameless evil radiated from his core, making the old shaman flinch.

Even the children! By the gods this should not be happening!

Kiruha dipped his hand inside the basin and stirred the water, clearing away the images. He clapped his hands and the shamans came out of their trance, laying down their drums. Their questioning eyes met Kiruha's.

"Dreadful things," he said, setting his trembling hands on his knees. "A great darkness walks unchecked in the steppe, sickening the spirit of the land and blackening the hearts of men. Even the young children are touched by its evil."

"Is it demons?" asked the shaman sitting across to his left. "Dark spirits escaped from the netherworld?"

"I saw no demons, no spirits" answered Kiruha, shaking his head. "It is something insidious, something far worse, hidden from my senses. Though I saw its mark on the faces of people, the trees, the grass. I do not recognize what it is, there is nothing describing such a thing in any lore I know. It is not a sentient thing, no, it is almost like a disease withering the land. " Then he told them what he saw, and after he finished his tale, the fear reflected in their eyes was stronger than any kind of fear he had seen before. Kiruha was even more scared, but he took pains to keep his face calm.

"I must travel to the spirit realms to seek some answers" he said with the calmest tone he could muster. "In the meantime, you must warn the others and get the word to the chieftains of the clans." The shamans stood up to leave, gathering their drums and staffs. After they walked out of the yurt, Kiruha glanced at the basin. The water was still and clear, as if it didn't show him the dreadful visions mere moments ago.