The cobbled streets were black with the grime and filth of years of neglect, ruin, and decay. The wooden structures that housed the many businesses were falling apart systematically. Loose boards hung by single nails as the owners of shops glared at passersby, maliciously awaiting to catch anyone stealing from their shops.
Missing shingles dotted the rooftops, bricks were lying among the debris and litter in the streets, presumably belonging to many of the chimneys that were barely fit to be recognized as remnants of a time long past. Clouds slowly crept across the pale gray sky, citizens huddled in what had been warm shelters, houses, and stables.
Now most were missing walls, floors, and in some cases roofs. children stared with envious eyes as a contingent of soldier escorted a large cart piled high with meats vegetables, and fruits of every kind was taken to the sorcerer kings palace. the sky grew darker as the procession passed awaiting the sorcerers verdict,a long line of men stood outside the palace gates when the cart reached the palace it stopped the soldiers unloaded the cart of the rotted food and took it to the front of the line of hungry men, the sorcerer appeared he was in his late fifties he had a gray beard and mustache but was bald he was short quite round and his clothing was ill fitting.
"This is all that you have brought?" the sorcerer asked in a quiet, commanding voice. Each man nervously looked around, looking for anywhere to look that wasn't the sorcerers eyes. Those eyes. Those eyes that haunt the dreams and waking thoughts of the citizens. "This is not enough. In your folly you seem to think that I can be dissuaded with meagre meat and plants. " The sorcerer looked from the cart to the foremost man, the man looked nervous and had a look that said he really didn't want to be there. The sorcerer walked slowly towards the man, and spoke quietly in the man's ear “Lieutenant, you know as well as I that this is unsatisfactory. Have the years of drinking softened your mind? What happened to the 'traditional' cartload that you usually bring me?” The lieutenant nervously licked his lips. He looked to the sky for some help. Any help. The sky frowned back darkly with the promise of a night of rain. Lightning forked across with the slow rumble of thunder immediately after. “Well...there was complications. She, ah, she put up a bit more of a fight than they usually do.” The sorcerers face widened in incredulity. “There are always complications, but you have a score of men at your command, so why is the girl not in the cart”
At this, a few men in the back of the line shifted nervously, the sorcerers sight moved towards them. As his eyes passed over each man a small shiver ran through them. One of them near the back of the line dropped to one knee with his head bowed. “Alas, powerful leader, she ran when she seen us, we gave chase at your prior command. She jumped” at this the man choked on his words “she took her life at the Southern Cliffs” The man face went from sorrow and loss to pain, physical pain. He fell from his one knee and lay writhing in agony before the sorcerer had turned back to the lieutenant. The men around the fallen man tried not to look at him, many tried to hide the fear and tears in their eyes. The man stopped moving.
“Is this true lieutenant?” The lieutenant was stumbling over his words even more so now “ah, yes that is true powerful leader. We recovered her body but it was, ah, too broken for your needs sire. We returned it to her family” A flash of anger crossed the sorcerers face. “And you thought that meat and vegetables would be enough for me?” the sorcerers voice never rose from his calm tone but the anger could still be seen in his eyes “Remind me lieutenant, who was it that put you in charge of this 'operation'?” The lieutenant was visibly shaking when the sorcerer asked. “Ah, it was you, sire” the lieutenant replied. “Yes, it was. And I rue the choice now” With this the lieutenant fell to the floor writhing, mouth opened in a silent scream, limbs contorted in a futile to stop the fire that raged within him.
The sorcerer pointed at the first man in the line he seen. “You there, take his list” he gestured to the still lieutenant at his feet “and bring me the next name on it. Burn the food” at this each mans face changed from fear to horror, the sorcerer knew these people were hungry, but hungry people were easier to control, to frighten and to rule “If you don't, you will wish I had set afire in your heart. ” The crowd around bowed to one knee, rose and left without a sound. The sorcerer turned to go back to his palace, two bodies lay in the dirt. Faces contorted in a lasting agony, limbs contracted in a sickening fetal position with their eyes now misting over as their life left them.
The new lieutenant pulled the small piece of parchment from the dead lieutenants pocket. Reading down the list of names, some crossed out some left, he ordered the food be burned, cart and all. Two men rolled the cart away to a safe place to burn it or at least that was the story. He knew they would share it out with the people of the town. That was the one rule of this town. Food is worth its weight in gold, even rotten food. The sorcerer wouldn't know about the small infractions of his iron-fisted laws.
The next name on the list was one he didn't recognize. Which puzzled the lieutenant as he knew every sad face in this town. .” Gaining the attention of a passing soldier he asked if he knew the name on the list. The man just pointed to a cave on the darkening hillside. “Surely not, no one has spoke to him in years, decades even” the lieutenat exclaimed. The man just shrugged and continued on his way. How could he have been so stupid, of course the only name he wouldn't recognize would be the only man he hadn't spoken to in years. The one that no one had spoke to in decades. As he looked back up at the cave, now fading into night, rain started to fall, making the familiar sound on his armour and shield on his back. With a sigh he summoned ten of his men and started the trek up to the mountain. Darkness and rain wouldn't stop him from getting this horrible job done as soon as possible.
The cave entrance seemed to be darker than the surrounding night, the rain was falling in sheets now. Lightning forked in the sky, illuminating the surrounding hillside with its scree and bracken grass but this only made the cave look darker. With a glance back at the tiny lights of the town he took a step towards the cave entrance. The lieutenant expected either to find a madman hermit inside the cave or for it to be empty. . “Jae Al'Enn!” He shouted into the cave in what he thought was his most commanding voice, “You are hereby summoned to the Sorcerer Kings feet, we are to take you alive. Whether by your choice or our force is your choice, choose quickly” He had heard these words before from his predecessors lips (flashes of his captains eyes fear and pain in them filled his mind, he quickly pushed them out), but they sounded like an empty threat from his own.
The lieutenant remembered the day when Jae left the town, leaving behind a wife. He just announced in the town square, when there was a town square, that he had to go and wouldn't know when he would be back. His eyes had a glow in them no one had seen before. He went straight to the mountain and was never heard of again. It was on a night similar to this, rain and thunder. Seemed to be a recurring thing in this town. 'Bad times begets bad weather' his mother always said. Jae's wife had come looking for him many a time but never caught sight of him. She always assumed he was just hiding from her, it broke her heart
Another flash of lightning brought the lieutenant back to the present. There was silence from emmenating from the cave. The storm continued outside. The lieutenant let out another sigh, he knew he would have to go inside the cave and no doubt find the body of a starved Jae. As he took another step towards the cave another flash of lightning lit up the hillside. There was no thunder. This flash came from the cave. The lieutenant stopped, he looked round at his mean who were wide eyed with shock. As he looked back at the cave another flash blinded him. Suddenly the whole hillside was afire with unholy light. A great wind from the cave and a tremendous noise. The lieutenant rose his sword and shouted above the noise “Jae Al'Enn you will come to the feet of the king lest you die upon my blade acting as the blade of your peers” the wind whipped his hair and cloak into a frenzy, his men could only see a silhouette against the blinding light holding his sword high and commanding Jae to relent. “Jae Al'Enn, I command you in His name to cease!” the words sounded hollow and dirty in his mouth but anything to stop this light and wind and noise from overwhelming him.
Suddenly everything was silent and dull. The lieutenant could not see the dark hillside, he was aware of steps towards him as he fell. The world was dark.
With a great gasping of breath his eyes shot open. Standing above him was Jae, except not. He was wearing a long cloak with weather beaten clothes underneath it. It looked like he hadn't aged a day, he still had the same unshaven look and long hair as the day he left. Except his eyes, his eyes were like looking into the past and the future, he had old yet young eyes. Older than he should have looked. The lieutenant just looked up at him in amazement. It was like looking at the pictures in the great tale scrolls he owned before the sorcerer burned them. Jae offered his hand to the lieutenant and pulled him to his feet. He stood swaying a little. He glanced around for his men who were on both knees with heads bowed at Jae. Confused, he looked back at Jae who looked the lieutenant in the eye and said. “My name is Jae Al'Enn and by my blade acting as the blade of my peers I will destroy the Deamon and return this town to its former splendour. “
![[send message]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/mail.png){kind=small}
![[befriend]](https://www.writerscafe.org/images/friend.png){kind=small}
Share This
Email
Facebook
Twitter
Read Request
My Library
Flag Writing
