Fires of Prophecy: The Morcyth Saga Book Two (16 page)

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The following morning when James wakes up,
his first thought is on Jiron and how he’s making out.
Hope he
makes it back soon,
he thinks to himself. Getting up, he walks
over and looks at the small pond that has developed over night. A
small stream has begun to run the excess water off into the desert.
It doesn’t get far before being reabsorbed back into the
ground.

Waking everyone up, he then gets grain for
the horses while the others have a quick meal before getting on the
road.

“Wonder how Jiron’s doing?” Cassie asks.

“I’m sure he’ll be alright,” Tinok assures
her. Looking over to the pond, he says, “Pretty impressive!”

“Yeah,” agrees James with satisfaction and
pride. He’s created a new oasis here in this desolate land. Once
the horses are fed, he takes some rations for himself and eats them
quickly.

After everyone is finished eating he begins
to get the horses harnessed to the wagons with help from Delia,
while Tinok fills all the water bottles from the newly formed pond.
By the time the sun has completely topped the horizon, all is ready
and they begin to roll down the road. This time Tinok rides point,
while James drives the lead wagon, with Delia and Cassie bringing
up the rear with the other.

They travel for about two hours before they
begin to make out a green oasis with several palm-type trees and
bushes surrounding it ahead of them. A small town has grown in the
vicinity, from the apparent age of some of the buildings, the town
must have been here for a very long time. As they draw closer, they
see a large gathering of people at the edge of the oasis.

It soon becomes apparent that all is not
well here, people are heard crying and wailing. The group by the
oasis has their attention focused on a man in robes speaking
animatedly to them. As they pull closer to the town, James asks
someone what’s going on but no one understands him, they speak the
Empire’s language.

“Something’s obviously got them upset,”
Delia comments as she pulls her wagon closer to James’.

“Wonder what?” he replies as he watches
those gathered over by the oasis.

Tinok pulls up close to them and says, “That
guy they’re listening to seems to be some kind of priest or leader
or something.”

“I think you’re right,” agrees James.

As they enter the town, a man comes out of a
store and stops when he sees them. Gesturing animatedly, he tries
to tell them something but no one understands him.

“We don’t understand what you’re saying,”
James explains to the man.

The man pauses a moment and then continues
in their tongue, “You must leave this place!”

“Why?” James asks.

“We are cursed,” the man says tragically.
“We have lost the favor of the gods and bad things are
happening.”

“What do you mean?” Delia interjects.

“At first, we thought nothing about it,” the
man explains. “One of Azrahn’s ewes went dry and several people
took sick, but we just thought they were normal occurrences, these
things happen from time to time you see. Then last night, our
oasis, the oasis that has sustained our people here for a hundred
generations, went dry.”

James feels a shiver go up his spine as he
remembers tapping the underground water the day before.

“Zalim, one of our town leaders has sought
the counsel of our clerics but they all say the gods are not doing
this, that we have not displeased them.” He stands there, wringing
his hands as he continues, “But most of our people feel an
atonement of some sort will bring back the water, I fear what they
may do in their fear.”

“James…” Tinok starts to say when James
shushes him quickly, shaking his head indicating he should say
nothing.

“I must go,” the man says. “Please leave
before anything should befall you!” With that, he turns and hurries
over to where all the people have gathered by the oasis.

When they are once more left alone in the
street, Tinok asks James, “Did you do this?”

Nodding his head miserably, he replies,
“Most likely.” Feeling ashamed for the pride he felt earlier at his
accomplishment, he looks to the people whose lives he’s ruined.

“Can we do anything to help these people?”
Delia asks from her wagon.

“I wouldn’t even know how to fix this,”
admits James. “This is what happens when you use magic on the
natural order, people suffer. Trying to quench our thirst, I have
inadvertently destroyed this village and hundreds of lives. We
weren’t even that bad off. Had we simply continued down the road
another few hours, we would’ve come to this town and had enough
water. No one would’ve been hurt.”

“Don’t blame yourself,” Delia says, trying
to console him. “You didn’t know this would happen.”

“That’s right,” adds Cassie. “You were
trying to do what you believed was right.”

“They may find the other water down the road
and move their town there,” suggests Tinok.

“Maybe,” says James, not feeling any better
about the situation.

From near the oasis, James suddenly hears a
woman begin to wail, while at the same time, several others begin
shouting. Jumping down from the wagon, he runs over to see what is
happening.

“James!” Delia shouts to him. “Come
back!”

But he pays her no heed, as he continues on
toward the oasis.

Everyone gets down, except Cassie who stays
with the wagons, and follows behind him.

As he draws near the gathered crowd, he can
see the same man is still addressing the people. In front of the
speaker, kneeling on the ground, is a man whose hands are tied
behind his back. A woman at the front of the crowd looks to be
crying and pleading as she attempts to go to his side. Two men hold
her arms tightly to prevent her from reaching the bound man.

Seeing the man he talked to earlier, James
works his way through the crowd to his side. “What’s going on?” he
asks him.

Glancing at who is addressing him, the man
says, “Roland there,” indicating the man being held, “is going to
be sacrificed to the gods come sunset.”

“Why?” James cries incredulously.

“To appease them,” the man explains. “He’s
an outsider that came to live with us a year ago. He took a wife,”
he says as he indicates the wailing woman, “and now has a son, very
sad.”

“Why are they sacrificing him?” he asks.
Looking over his shoulder, he sees Tinok and Delia are moving
through the crowd toward him.

“Because he is odd,” the man says. “Always
has strange notions and makes the weirdest things you ever saw.
When the oasis went dry, people began talking and have come to the
conclusion that a lot of unusual things have happened since his
coming. So they believe his presence among us has angered one of
the gods and that his sacrifice will bring back the water.”

“What do your clerics say?” James asks.

“They say it will make little difference,
that the gods aren’t angry,” he explains. “But the people are
scared, they must do something.” The speaker continues talking and
James watches the crowd around him as they hang on every word that
he is saying. “Hassin there,” the man says, pointing to the
speaker, “has been the one convincing everyone to sacrifice
Roland.” He leans closer to James and quietly says, “There’s been
little love lost between those two.”

“I see,” says James, understanding coming to
him.

“The people here,” he says, gesturing to
those around him, “are really a quiet, peaceful lot. But they’re
scared and need an outlet for their fear, and I’m afraid Roland
will be that outlet.” James can see a tear begin to roll down his
cheek.

James stands there a moment and looks at
Roland, then at his wife who’s beside herself with grief. He then
comes to a decision and says, “Thank you for explaining things to
me.”

“You’re welcome,” the man replies.

Turning, James heads back toward the wagons
just as Tinok and Delia reach his side. Moving to follow him, they
ask what’s going on but he tells them to wait until they’re back at
the wagons.

Upon reaching the wagons, he gathers them
all together and explains to them what the man told him. “They’re
going to sacrifice that man for something I did. I can’t allow that
to happen,” he says with determination.

“What are you going to do?” Delia asks.

“At sunset, they’re going to kill him. I
mean to stop it,” he explains. “I can’t let his death be on my
hands.”

“How?” asks Tinok, as he once again mounts
his horse.

“Let’s go down the road a ways,” James says
as he takes his seat on the wagon, taking the reins. “Then I’ll
tell you.” With a flick of the reins, he gets the wagon rolling and
soon they’re past the town and heading south down the road
again.

Once they’re a mile out of town, James calls
a halt and everyone gathers around him once again. “I plan for us
to travel until a couple hours before sunset. Then I’ll return on
horseback in an attempt to rescue him while the rest of you make
camp for the night.”

“I’m coming too,” Tinok says.

“You need to stay with the girls,” James
tells him, “in case there are bandits or something.”

“I’m sure we’re going to be alright,” Delia
says. “Besides, we need you to make it back. We should be okay for
a few hours.”

“Alright,” James agrees, “I definitely could
use the help in this venture.”

Grinning, Tinok says, “Better than just
riding guard on a bunch of wagons.”

“We’ll see,” he says as he flicks the reins
to get the horses moving once more. For the next several hours they
roll on down the road until the sun begins to descend to the
horizon and it’s time for them to head back. They pull off the road
and while the girls set about making camp, James saddles one of the
spare horses. With a quick goodbye, he and Tinok are off as they
race back toward the oasis.

They get to the town just as the sun nears
the horizon. The town is eerily quiet as they pass the first couple
of buildings. At the oasis, they find the entire town assembled to
watch Roland’s sacrifice.

They tie their horses to a post at the edge
of town and walk the remainder of the way to the oasis. They see
Hassin in front of the crowd and his voice can be heard loudly and
clearly as he speaks to the people. Though they’re unable to
understand what is being said, the meaning is unmistakable as they
lead Roland over to stand before Hassin.

The crowd becomes even quieter as they make
him kneel before Hassin. James looks for the woman who had been
making the scene earlier but she’s nowhere to be found. They
must’ve removed her so she wouldn’t spoil the proceedings.

James whispers to Tinok, “Make your way as
close to the front as you can. I’ll create a distraction and you
get him out of there.” As Tinok nods and begins to make his way
closer to where Roland is kneeling, James grabs him by the arm and
says, “Don’t kill anyone.”

Tinok winks at him as he pulls away and
enters the crowd.

James skirts the edge of the crowd until he
comes near the now dry oasis. Looking over to Hassin, he sees him
draw a long knife and approach closer to Roland. Holding the knife
high, he begins speaking loudly to the gathered people. James
begins to concentrate…

“…now, with the spilling of the cursed one’s
blood, our gods will be appeased and life will flow back into our
oasis!” Hassin, exuberant and ecstatic, raises the knife high as
every eye in the crowd is upon him.

Suddenly, the mood of the crowd alters and
they begin to murmur. He looks to them and their eyes are no longer
on him but are looking at something behind him. Irritated at being
interrupted in his moment of retribution on the man who had wronged
him, he turns his head to see what they’re all looking at and his
eyes grow wide at what he sees.

Lights, many lights are glowing above the
oasis. Pulsating, they begin moving in an intricate pattern over
the oasis, as if they’re dancing to the beat of unheard music.

Tinok is amazed by the dancing lights, and
then he looks over and sees James’ eyes closed as he concentrates
on maintaining the spell. Knowing this is his friend’s work, he
begins to edge closer to Roland.

The murmuring begins to grow as the crowd
continues watching the beautiful pattern of lights. As the lights
continue to swirl, their pattern begins to tighten as their dance
brings them closer and closer together. The lights begin to change
from their brilliant colors, turning a darker, foreboding color.
Suddenly there’s a brilliant flash as all the lights come together,
and where many lights once stood, now only one remains, a dark
sphere that pulsates a red, purplish glow.

Tinok hears the crowd’s murmur of wonder
begin to change to one of fear and uncertainty. He shoves his way
to the front of the crowd, now only feet from where Roland kneels.
He sees Hassin has turned toward the sphere, intent on what it’s
doing. The two men who are guarding Roland have also turned to
watch it, Roland momentarily forgotten. Glancing over, he sees
James staring at him and then he sees his head nod before closing
his eyes once more.

This is it! he thinks to himself. Suddenly
the sphere begins to bulge and change shape, the people in the
crowd gasping at the sight. He runs the few feet to Roland and
quickly severs his bonds with his knife.

Roland looks at him, fear in his eyes. “Come
with me if you want to survive,” Tinok whispers to him. With sudden
understanding that he may not die, he nods and quickly gets to his
feet.

Over at the oasis, the sphere has begun to
form into the shape of a humanoid creature, with glowing red eyes
and two foot long horns sprouting from its forehead. The crowd has
begun shouting in fear as panic erupts. All thought of Roland’s
sacrifice is abandoned as the people begin to flee the area.