Prologue:
When the Ground lost its fertility, cave dwellers began falling ill. Throughout the cavernous village, the meals were meager. In the Synsii cave, Ala decreased her family's rations so they could eat for another week. She blamed herself for enraging Daeniits, the all powerful one who brought fertility and good health to all Riis.
As she sat down with her family at the dinner table, they grasped hands, praying to Daeniits for a better yield in their crops. Afterward, they ate hungrily, knowing the scraps on their plates would not fill their bellies.
"Mama, please may I have one more slice of bread?" her son, Batu, asked, his sallow eyes pleading with her.
Ala looked away as she spoke so he could not see her tears. Her long dark hair slipped down her face. "And what would you do tomorrow as you watched your sister eat her first meal?"
With obvious compassion, Earon gently patted Ala on the arm before gathering the dishes to wash them. He had once been a strong, proud man. Now he worked less hours farming and tending to the animals and came home enervated, robbed of his manhood.
Ala felt Daeniits' anger swelling around her like a fist squeezing her heart. If Earon knew what she had done, he could by rights denounce her as his wife and exile her out into the enlightened world. Out there she would not escape the demons, the obedient servants of Hazeus, the one who brought hardship, destruction, and nightmares to sleeping children. His demons would surely torture her relentlessly until finally allowing her to die.
So, shamefully, she harbored her secret.
Until the first baby died.
She learned the news of the infant's death when she went to the well to wash her family's clothing. Uneua had seen the afflicted child and had spoken with his mother. Desperately, the mother had tried to nurse him back to health, but he had no longer possessed enough strength to suckle.
Afterward, when Ala brought the news to Earon, he tried to comfort her, but there could be no comfort for Ala. Not until she confessed her sin.
The irony of her situation did not escape Ala. Why should she mourn for the son of a woman she barely knew when she had aborted her own child?
Daeniits had blessed upon her an unborn third child. She did not have the right to choose not to care for that child, not to want it. No one ever discussed not wanting a child. They did not question Daeniits' wisdom in deciding when one should be born and another should die. A baby was Daeniits' gift to the Riis, and one did not abort a gift.
"Earon, I have a confession to make," she said later as they lay in bed. Quickly, stumbling over her words, she told her husband about her abortion. "I went to Torque, because I knew he would end my pregnancy without question and never reveal a word of it to anyone." She went on to tell him every detail of the procedure.
Earon listened silently, his expression changing from concern to horror, and then to anger. Finally, when Ala had finished her story, he spoke. "By the power of Omartu, we will rise above Daeniits' wrath," he vowed.
Ala gasped. Earon was not going to throw her out to Hazeus! He wanted to help her. Omartu was the revered god of darkness. Only HE could rise above Daeniits and end their suffering one way or another.
"But how, Earon?" Ala asked, too ashamed to look her husband in the eyes. "How can I ask for Omartu's forgiveness when I cannot forgive myself?"
"I will go before the counsel leader and offer myself as a sacrifice if I have to."
"You! But I'm-"
"As the one most directly affected by your sin, it is my place," he said, raising his voice. "You know that ending a life in any manner lowers your status below even that of a grunts."
Ala gasped. The grunts were those Riis who did not earn their living honestly. They were scavengers, beggars, even some were thieves, whatever they needed to be to survive.
"There is fertile land out there," Earon continued, ignoring his wife's reaction. "Daeniits surely has not condemned it all. I will search for it, and I will find it for our people, or I will surely die trying. You will not argue with me, woman!" Taking his blanket, Earon left the room to sleep on the sofa.
"There is no forgiveness, after all," Ala said to herself, then laid down to cry herself to sleep.
"O' wise one," Earon said as he genuflected before the counsel leader, Krag, "I seek your blessing, for I am about to embark on a journey."
"You are planning to venture out into the enlightened world?" Krag asked, leaning forward in his chair. "No one has ever braved such an attempt and returned. Why do you wish to leave this safe haven?"
"A child has died."
"So I've heard." Krag slumped back into his chair and the huge throne practically devoured his atrophied body. He showed little concern for the deceased child.
"If someone doesn't go out in search of a new place to start a village, we'll all die."
"Such a journey takes courage, skill, and blessings from Omartu, Himself." Krag suddenly leaned so far forward that he nearly fell out of his chair. "Do you answer only to HIM?"
Earon looked up at the counsel leader, raising his emaciated arm into a fist, a humble salute-partially toward Krag, but mostly toward Omartu. "Yes, O' God of Darkness. I am loyal only to Thee. I seek your wisdom, your blessing, and above all, your protection from whatever awaits me out there in the enlightened world."
Krag tapped Earon with his cane. "It shall be done. You will take one other with you on your journey, so as to keep watch while you sleep."
"Then I shall take my brother, Murten, so we may keep watch for each other."
The counsel leader nodded his approval, and Earon stood, taking three steps backward before turning and leaving Krag's cave.
"How will we protect ourselves, Brother?" Murten asked as he stuffed his cloth bag full of belongings. He closed his dresser drawer and began searching his cave for other items of importance.
"Murten, you must have faith," Earon replied. "Omartu only protects those who believe in HIM."
"But what of Hazeus' demons?" Murten punctuated his words with the comb in his hand. "They possess powerful evils that we know not how to combat."
"Faith, Murten, faith." Earon picked up his bag and stepped out of the cave, hoping his brother would follow.
His daughter greeted him with a flower in her hand. "Papa," Kayte said, "I picked you this poppy flower." She held it up to him, and he accepted it with a smile. "It's suppose to bring you good luck."
"Thank you, Kayte," Earon replied, bending down to kiss her on the forehead. "I shall miss you, little angel." Getting back on his feet, he glanced over at Ala, who was standing outside their cave opening. Her expression pleaded with him, but he chose to ignore her.
Murten stepped outside, and with their bags fully packed and Earon's twelve-inch blade attached firmly to his belt, Earon and Murten headed toward the next mountain range. Earon only prayed to Omartu that they would reach one of the cave openings before first light.
As they ventured into the valley, Earon was astonished by the terrain. Plant life actually thrived in the land of Hazeus! The travelers past many berry-producing plants, but believing that anything touched by Hazeus must be toxic, they did not gather any for food. They would have to survive on the provisions Daeniits had ripened for them from the once moist, fertile cavern floors.
They did not stop for a midnight meal. Earon feared that they wouldn't reach the first cave if they stopped. Though tired, they trudged on. How did Earon ever expect women and children to make it across the valley in a night if two grown men couldn't? Earon thought of his children, their weak, hungry faces, and continued his stride unabated. Failure would mean their deaths.
He cursed Ala for angering Daeniits and fantasized about throwing her out to Hazeus' demons. Yet, he knew that action would accomplish nothing. Daeniits did not reward sacrifices. Ala's untimely death would only result in more suffering for everyone.
And what would his children do without a mother? They needed someone to care for them while he worked in the mines. Maybe he could never look at Ala affectionately again, but his children still loved her. She was their mother.
He continued walking at a steady pace for hours, though his feet ached and spasms of pain frequently shot through his thighs. His throat became dry, but he did not pause long enough to drink from his canteen. He would rest and quench his thirst once they reached the first cave.
"Brother, Brother," Murten shrieked. "It's Hazeus, Brother!" He ran to Earon's side, clinging to him. "He's coming after us!"
Looking over his shoulder, Earon realized that his brother was right. The first light was clawing its way over the mountain tops. "We must hurry," he said, bolting toward the nearest cave opening, now only a few hundred meters away. Murten followed close behind. They reached the cave, taking shelter from the demon light. Murten clung to his brother and without shame Earon also accepted support from his younger brother.
After a few minutes, Earon's racing heart slowed to its normal pace. He released his grip on his younger brother and began examining their surroundings. Murten followed him and they wandered further inside the cave, finding a path opening that led to several inner caverns.
"This would make a perfect home, Brother," Murten said, excitement in his voice.
"No," Earon replied as he knelt down to examine the ground, allowing the dry soil to flow between his fingers. "Daeniits does not smile on this land either."
After eating a meager supper of cold soup and bread, the Synsii brothers unpacked their bedrolls. Earon removed his blade from his belt and placed it underneath his pillow. He wished he had enough faith in Omartu, but felt the need to protect himself. Separation from his family and friends, and the strangeness of this cave heightened his fears of Hazeus' powers. He laid down, keeping his throwing hand on the handle of the blade, and closed his eyes.
Earon spent much of the day sleeping fitfully as he dreamed that one of Hazeus' demons stealthily crept into the dark cavern. In his dream, Earon tried to move, to whip his blade out and hurl it at the demon's throat, but the demon lunged at him, ripping out his throat. Then five minutes later, the dream would repeat itself.
Earon awoke some hours later. Though feeling hardly rested, he was determined to continue their quest for fertile land. Hazeus retreated, and the brothers stepped out of the cave.
"We shall go that way," Earon said, pointing west. "I have a feeling that's where Omartu wants us to go."
"But Earon, we'll never make it that far!"
"We'll climb this mountain," Earon replied as he scanned the terrain for the best route. "It is not steep, and there are cave openings along the way."
"I will follow your lead. I only hope you are not leading me into the clutches of Hazeus."
Shaking his head, Earon began his ascent of the mountain. At this juncture, he did not care if Murten followed him. With their muscles aching from the previous day's journey, Earon and Murten took frequent rests. They exhausted their water supply with no sign of a lake or stream. With no alternatives, they continued until daylight cracked the horizon. They found a small cave, barely ten meters wide by ten meters deep.
"Being so close to Hazeus, we will have to keep watch," Earon said. "Would you like to take the first shift?"
"I don't believe I would get much sleep anyway," Murten said with resignation. He wandered over to the eastern wall and sat down on the largest of the rocks littering the cave. He stared out the opening as the sun brought fire to the sky.
Earon, however, fell asleep almost as soon as he had his bedrolls laid out on the cave floor. The combination of his restless sleep from the day before and the night's tedious climb had worn him out.
"Ahhh! It's Hazeus!" Murten screamed a short while later. "His demons are coming into the darkness after us!"
Earon jumped out of his bedroll and, standing behind Murten, peered out through the cave opening. A beast, weighing about two hundred-fifty pounds, stood no more than twenty meters from the opening. It had mottled fur and a proportionally oversized head and a long tail that it whipped back and forth. Roaring at them, it bared its razor-sharp teeth. With the unexpectedness of the demon's arrival, Earon realized he had forgotten to grab his blade. Any sudden move could bring the demon charging.
"What are we going to do?" Murten mumbled.
"Stay calm," Earon advised, "and don't move. I'm going to slowly return to my bedroll and retrieve my blade." Earon stepped backward, eyeing the beast as it moved forward.
"Brother," Murten said barely above a whisper.
Earon took his gaze off the demon to see his brother's petrified expression. In the next instant, the demon pounced on him. Landing on the edge of his bedroll, Earon nearly lost consciousness. He shielded his face and throat with one arm as he tried to reach for his blade with the other. The beast bit into his jacket sleeve, tearing into the flesh underneath. Excruciating pain shot through his arm as blood flowed from the fresh wound. He managed to inch his way toward his pillow and to grasp the handle of his blade. Dizziness overwhelmed him as the beast again sunk its teeth into him. He brought the blade up over his head and plunged it into the beast's neck. It yelped once before collapsing on top of Earon. Gathering all his strength, Earon managed to pull the beast off of him.
Murten, still standing where Earon had left him, had a huge rock in his hands. Yet, he was shaking so fiercely that had he worked up the courage to throw the rock, he probably would have missed his target. He dropped the rock and staggered toward his brother. "I froze," he said. "I'm so sorry, Brother. You could have been killed! I'm such a coward."
"Murten, calm down!" Earon ordered. "You have to help me now. If we don't find something to use as a tourniquet. . .I'm going to bleed to death." Earon found it increasingly more difficult to speak. He grew lightheaded and had to close his eyes. "Please."
"I know-" Murten said, snapping his fingers, "-I have an extra sheet in my bag, Earon. I'll use your blade to tear it."
To Earon's surprise, Murten worked quickly and efficiently, cutting the sheet in several strips. From his bag, he removed a small bottle of alcohol, which Earon hadn't even known he'd brought. After helping Earon off with his jacket, Murten poured the alcohol onto the wounds. It stung immensely, and Earon bit his lip to keep from screaming. He knew it would prevent any infection from setting in.
Murten then grabbed one of the strips of the sheet to form a tourniquet.
"Tightly," Earon advised.
"I know, I know. Now be still!" Murten used several strips to cut off the circulation to the wounds, and within seconds the bleeding slowed. Murten grabbed his bedroll and wrapped it around his brother. "We must keep you warm."
"Yes, Doctor Synsii," Earon replied jokingly, though he knew his brother was right.
The two gaping wounds would heal in time, leaving Earon with permanent scars. He would wear them proudly as a reminder of the Hazeus demon he had slain. People would look toward him with reverence, perhaps even appoint him as the next counsel leader once Krag passed on.
He looked at the dead demon lying only a few meters away and knew that Omartu smiled upon them.
"Murten, take my blade and cut up the demon," he said. "We shall eat a feast for breakfast and then carry as much of the leftover meat as we can. Omartu wishes it, I'd gather."
"But brother-"
"Omartu gave us the power to slay this beast. His blessing is upon it."
"Yes, Brother," Murten said, grasping the blade.
While his brother cut the beast meat into steaks, Earon closed his eyes and rested. He would need to regain his strength if they hoped to travel during the coming night.
"It is done," Murten said a while later.
"Then rest, Little Brother. We can't have you falling asleep on your feet. Omartu will protect us now."
When they awoke, dusk had just begun to set. Earon perceived the timing as a sign; Hazeus was just as afraid of him. This pleased Daeniits. He would lead them toward fertile land today.
Murten checked Earon's wounds, finding no sign of infection. After pouring more alcohol over them, Murten rebandaged Earon's arm with the remaining strips of the sheet.
"It shall heal nicely now," Murten promised Earon.
"Then let's eat," Earon said, gesturing for his brother to sit across from him.
Hungrily, they devoured several large portions of the raw meat. It had been a long time since their last decent meal. Earon had not realized just how ravenous he was until taking his first bite.
After their bellies were sated, Earon and Murten gathered up their belongings and headed out into the night. When they had stopped the morning before, they had nearly reached the mountaintop, and now Earon eagerly anticipated whatever lay on the other side. The plant life quickly thinned out and large patches of cold, white crystals replaced them. Neither brother had ever experienced such cold and opted to slip on extra shirts and socks. They even placed socks over their hands. This made it increasingly difficult to grab handholds, but luckily the slope of the mountain remained shallow.
As they reached the mountaintop, a loud rumble from above startled them. They looked up to see a huge flying demon many times larger than the one Earon had battled inside the cave. Clinging to one another, the Synsii brothers hid behind a bush. The demon flew directly over them, flashing bright lights across their faces. The brothers screamed in terror. In a matter of seconds, the demon disappeared across the other side of the mountain.
"What was that?" Murten asked.
Slowly, wide-eyed, Earon looked at his brother's ashen face. "I don't know!"
"Maybe we're going the wrong way, Brother. Omartu isn't here! It's so cold and so far away from the village. This must be Hazeus' world. We have to turn back!"
Earon grasped his brother firmly by the shoulders, trying to offer reassurance that he did not feel himself. "It's too late for that! If we turn back now, our whole village is doomed!"
Murten nodded his understanding, and they stepped away from the bush, beginning their descent toward whatever awaited them on the other side. Walking downhill proved much easier than the previous night's journey as they quickly wended their way down the mountain. Soon, they removed their extra garments as the temperature increased.
Before long, lights emerged into Earon's line of sight, and he could see tall buildings towering over several smaller ones. Realizing they could neither go forward nor backward, Earon clung to his brother, as his brother clung to him. Unable to look away from Hazeus' world, Earon watched as several of the flying beasts swept across the sky and disappeared along the backside of the tallest building. Suddenly, one broke formation and swerved toward the mountain, its lights glaring toward the brothers. Earon could not hear himself scream as the beast drew closer. From about ten meters away, it came to a halt, staring at them with its penetrating lights. Accustomed to the dark, Earon shielded his eyes. The beast opened its mouth, and Earon knew they were about to be devoured.
A dark-skinned man emerged from the beast's mouth and spoke to them in an alien language. He waved his hand beckoning for them to come forward. Earon and Murten just stood there, clutching one another. Stood there and prayed to Omartu.
HE didn't answer.