Chapter 2 - Promises

Kahzu woke to rays of sunlight falling across his bed. Stretching and groaning, he rolled on his side and shielded his eyes from the wicked light that woke him from slumber. He immediately forgave the sun for its rudeness once he smelled the foods being cooked in the kitchen. Jumping right up, Kahzu barreled through the door and nearly knocked over a drowsy Jaek on the way.

            “Slow down there, Kahz. It’s too early for that.” Jaek rubbed his eyes and slowly walked over to the table.

            “It’s always too early for you! What are we eating?”

            “Nothing special,” said Kyra. She grabbed a pan from over the fire and brought it to the set of plates in front of the brothers. “Layla brought over some extra eggs this morning. Mentioned they were going to go bad but couldn’t possibly eat all of them.”

            “Always glad to help eat someone’s extra food,” Jaek said, rubbing his hands in anticipation as Kyra scooped the eggs onto their plates.

            As they got closer to clearing their food, Shahm walked out from the hallway, clear of soot from the night before. “Aren’t you boys going to be late for school?”

            “Shush. They’re just finishing breakfast.” Kyra flung a bit of egg at Shahm and hit him in the chest with it. Kahzu scooted his chair back and ran over to Shahm, hugging his legs with all of his strength.

            “Jaek was going to eat all of the eggs, but I told him to save some for you. You owe me!”

            “Is that right? I owe you?” Shahm looked at Jaek and smiled.

            “It’s true,” Jaek said with a mouthful of eggs. “He had to fend me off.”

            “Well I guess I do owe you then.” Shahm went down to a knee and spoke to Kahzu. “I promised you I would take you hunting. How about today I take you. After school.”

            “Really?” Kahzu jumped and nearly hit Shahm in the chin in his excitement. “You heard that, right mom?”

            “I did,” she smiled. “I absolutely did.”

            “Now why don’t you and Jaek run off to school and we can talk about it after you get back.”

            “Okay! Jaek, let’s go!” Jaek finished his last bite of egg and walked over to Kahzu. He looked at his father as he chewed his final bite, a look that said You promised him. You better take him. Shahm nodded in acknowledgement. Kahzu rambled about hawks and slings and hunting while walking to the door, his hands emphasizing every word in the air. Once the door shut, Shahm smiled while envisioning Kahzu and himself in the fields, slinging rocks in every direction.

 

            Jaek handed Kahzu a Tran’kin pill and a canteen of water as they left their house. Children were filing out of most houses around where they lived, none quite as excited as Kahzu who continued to wave his hands around in enthusiasm, nearly throwing the canteen with every motion. Once Kahzu swallowed his pill, Jaek took a swig from the canteen and took his own pill, placing the rest of the Tran’kin back in his satchel. Kahzu ran forward to meet his friend Ehric who was waiting for him up at the top of the street. “Slow down, Kahz! What’s the rush in getting to school?” Kahzu, clearly ignoring Jaek, continued to run up the street and stopped right in front of Ehric. Jaek couldn’t fathom how Kahzu’s arms stayed attached to his body with the sheer force of their swinging.

            The houses up the street were a little larger than Jaek and Kahzu’s house. As they neared the center of Cammonar’s common district, the space between each house decreased until they eventually ran together as a single large building, save for the cross streets. On the outskirts where Kahzu and Jaek lived, each house was distinct from the one next to it. Where Ehric lived, the houses began to blend into a singular mass. The sandy brown colors of the merged houses lead to a uniformity that Jaek couldn’t stand. When walking after nightfall, Jaek would often get lost and would require aid in returning home, occasionally finding himself on the completely wrong end of the district by happenstance.

            “Kahzu seems quite excited about something…” Jaek looked away from the houses and locked eyes with Hyasen, Ehric’s older sister. Hyasen was wearing a red dress that put her in direct contrast to the dreary houses behind her. She stepped out of the door and walked over to Jaek, kissing his cheek and wrapping her arms around his waist. “What’s he going on about?”

            “Father promised to go hunting with him today after school.” He returned Hyasen’s embrace.

            “Again?”

            “Yes. I hope this time will be different.”

            Hyasen looked over at Kahzu and saw the smile on his face. “I hope so too. For his sake.”

            Kahzu was breathing heavily at this point, his arms finally slowing in their whirlwind. “I’ll just take him again if he can’t.” Hyasen squeezed him harder.

            “You’re a good brother, Jaek.” She let go and grabbed his hand to pull him along. Once they reached Kahzu and Ehric, the group turned and followed the crowds of children on their way to school. Kahzu would swing his arms around at each child they recognized, some joining him in the revelry, some scowling in annoyance. To Jaek’s surprise, Kahzu kept up his energetic spirit for the next ten minutes, well into reaching the school and walking inside.

            At the end of the school day, Jaek walked outside to find Kahzu jumping in place waiting for him.

            “Come on!” Kahzu ran up to Jaek and grabbed his forearm, tugging him away from the school.

            “Slow down, Kahz! Dad’s not going to get home any sooner if we run.” He started jogging to keep up with Kahzu’s small strides. “How are you still this excited?”

            “How are you not this excited!” Jaek was bordering yelling at his brother. “When’s the last time that Dad went hunting with us?”

            Jaek gave the question some serious thought. “It has been a while. I just,” Jaek paused, unsure if he should continue the thought. “I just don’t want you to get your hopes up.”

            Jaek reached into his satchel and grabbed two Tran’kin pills, handing one to Kahzu with the canteen.

            “Too late for that!” Kahzu grabbed a pill and the canteen, took a gulp, and threw the water back at Jaek as he sprinted down the street. Jaek swallowed his own pill, then began jogging after his brother toward their house.

            As Kahzu neared the house, the door swung open and their father stepped out with his arms wide open. Jaek slowed down in his jog and stared in disbelief. His brother turned his head around, looking at Jaek with eyes that said I told you so, then embraced his father. Jaek smiled and approached while he still held Kahzu in his arms.

            “How did you convince Synn to let you go this early?” Shahm’s smile vanished. “You didn’t, did you?”

            Shahm put Kahzu down. “I’ll work it out tomorrow. I made my boys a promise that I intended to keep.”

            “Dad, you -”

            “I said I’ll figure it out, Jaek.” Shahm clasped his hands together and grinned. “Let’s quit wasting time, eh? We’ve got some hunting to do! Grab your sling, Kahz. You too, Jaek.” Kahzu bolted into the house past his father. Shahm put his hand on Jaek’s shoulder as he walked by.

            “Look, I,” Shahm paused. “I’ll figure it all out tomorrow. Today I just want to spend some time with my boys and forget about everything. Can you give me that?”

            Jaek nodded.

            “Thank you.” The two hugged each other in the doorway for a few moments until a pebble struck Shahm in the back of the head. “Ouch!”

            “Come on, Dad! Quit hugging, let’s go get some dinner!” Kahzu held the sling at his side, not trying to hide the fact that he sent a pebble straight into the back of his father’s head.

            “I’ll quit hugging if you promise to be as accurate with an animal as you were with my head!”

            “I promise! Come o-o-o-on!” Shahm let go of Jaek and walked inside the house to grab his own sling.

            “I kept my promise, now it’s your turn.”

            The three of them left the house, each one with a sling in their hand and a satchel around their shoulders. Kyra leaned her head out the front door and yelled, “If you don’t catch anything, stop by Gillen’s again to grab some meat!”

            “We’ll bring back more than we can eat!” Kahzu screamed back, nearly tripping in his haste.

            Once they left the eastern gates and the cobbles turned to dirt, Kahzu began searching for ammunition. He grabbed a handful of rocks that he found just outside the walls of Cammonar, the dirt spilling from between his fingers as he shoved them into his satchel. Shahm bent down to grab some larger rocks, rocks meant to actually injure game. When Jaek and Kahzu went hunting without their father, it was typically for the sport and not for the sustenance. If Shahm was going to be a better father for Kahzu as he intended, he needed to show his son what it was like to truly kill an animal.

            Shahm leaned over to Jaek and whispered, “If I don’t strike hard enough, could you finish them off for me?” Jaek lifted his right hand with his palm toward the ground and his fingers outstretched. Simultaneously, he turned his wrist and closed his fingers, gripping the air and squeezing it in the palm of his hand. The dirt and rocks directly beneath his outstretched hand rose and coalesced to mimic the motion of Jaek’s display. Jaek nodded to his father and released his grip on the air. The dirt hit the ground, most of the ball staying together save a single pebble from the outside.

            “Thank you.” Shahm never picked up the Arts quite like his son did. Jaek picked up Terrae, the Earth Art, quickly around Kahzu’s age. Proficiency at the Arts wasn’t hereditary, but seeing Jaek practice so gracefully made him wish it were. It didn’t help that Shahm lacked the skill to teach Jaek anything about Terrae, for he so desperately wanted to be able to teach something to him that would make him proud. He did have some skill in Flame art which aided him in smithing, but nothing close to Jaek’s ability with Terrae.

            Hunting would have to do for now.

            They walked out farther so that the eastern gates were just a fragment of the wide horizon, collecting more rocks for most of the walk. Once they were out of sight of Cammonar, it didn’t take long for a few tallay to come into view. “Dad! Over there!” Kahzu pointed to where the tallay grazed in the tall grass. One of them was looking around while the other one was bent over, searching the grass for food. Neither animal was over three feet tall, their muscular legs making up most of their height. They were known for being quick, and therefore difficult for a child of Kahzu’s age to hunt very well. Even if he did manage to hit one of the tallay, the force behind the throw would not be enough to injure it.

            Kahzu swiftly ran toward the tallay, not heeding the calls from his father behind him to slow down, to stay quiet or else they’d see him and flee. He stopped immediately once he felt he was close enough, crouched down and began circling his sling. Shahm reached him soon after and gently grabbed his wrist.

            “Here,” Shahm began, moving Kahzu’s fingers and grip on the ropes, “this will help with accuracy. And this,” he continued, shifting Kahzu’s weight and adjusting his shoulders, “will help with power. Now try.”

            Shahm stepped back and watched as Kahzu spun the sling again, loosing a rock with a grunt. The rock arced toward the tallay, clearly not enough power to do any true damage to the animals. Right as that thought occurred to Shahm, his eye caught a blur off to the side that came from behind. Soon after, one of the tallay fell to the ground, the second jumping in surprise and running off. Shahm turned around to see Jaek’s outstretched arm returning to his side.

Jaek winked at Shahm as Kahzu began shouting triumphantly, throwing his sling into the air. “You saw that, right Jaek? First try and everything! Thanks Dad!” Once again, Kahzu sprinted off to where the tallay fell, jumping and shouting the entire way.

“I am Xiil! No one can beat me!”

The ball of earth that Jaek threw wouldn’t be enough to kill the tallay, but would be enough to at least incapacitate it. Shahm spoke to Jaek as he reached down to grab the sling. “That was perfect, Jaek. That will make him extremely happy.”

            “I hope so,” Jaek said. “I don’t want him relying on me, but I think he needed that. With you out here, and all.” Shahm smiled and nodded.

            Kahzu’s scream startled the two of them. Shahm assumed the tallay was kicking back to life, but saw how wrong he was when he looked over to where Kahzu ran. A shape, vaguely human in form and taller than Jaek by a few heads, was picking Kahzu up with arms nearly twice the length of any man’s. It had dark, splotchy skin, clearly caused by long stays in the sun without protection. Its arms ended with large hands and gangly fingers that wrapped around Kahzu’s face and midsection, muffling screams from the boy.

            “Drop him!” yelled Jaek, his fists already in motion and stirring up dirt and rocks, lifting large chunks of dry earth around him. The thing turned to face Jaek, its face half obscured by the setting sun. The half of the face that Jaek could see was no different than seeing a stranger, save for the glowing purple eyes and the damaged skin. It had long, black hair that fell over its face as it screamed and hissed at him, then turned its back with Kahzu underneath one arm. Shahm dropped his sling and stared at it with an open jaw.

            “It…what is a Khar’nor doing out here?”

            “Not now, dad!” Jaek threw his arms out at the Khar’nor, opening his fists as they extended to his full reach. The chunks of earth that swirled around him flew off toward the Khar’nor’s back, striking it between the shoulder blades and sending Kahzu flying forward as it collapsed and rolled to a halt. “You alright, Kahz?” Jaek yelled as he sped off toward them.

            “Jaek, no!” Jaek turned to see what Shahm was yelling about and came face to face with another Khar’nor, its claw already coming down at him. He tried pulling his head away at the last minute, but the Khar’nor’s claw connected with his forehead and dug straight through to his chin. Jaek screamed at the pain behind his eye and fell to the ground, instinctually putting his hands over his face and eye. His hands were slick with blood, now mixing with the dirt as he rolled in the ground. He tried opening his good eye to prevent the Khar’nor from doing any more damage, although the tears that began to form morphed the creature into a hazy blob. As it came nearer it stopped, then retreated as a red hot flame shot toward it from Shahm’s direction. Jaek could only assumed it missed, considering he didn’t hear screams from the Khar’nor’s direction.

            The last thing that Jaek heard before passing out was footsteps running past his head, then Shahm yelling for Kahzu and threatening the remaining Khar’nor’s life.

            Jaek’s body slackened, then all went black.