Episode 8: Spirits

"My grandfather?" I whispered.

"Yeh, Uln."

I felt my stomach roil. I wished I could see him, smell him, hear him; but no matter how hard I concentrated, I could not.

"What does he say?" I blurted. "Does he want you to come to Orgrimmar?"

I could hear Al'tabin sigh. It must be frustrating to sense what those around you can not.

"'Im say ya kyaan ask mi fi dis."

"What? Why?" I was confused. Why would my grandfather not want me to succeed?

"'Im say y'nuh ready t'ask me, bwoy. Dat y'nuh ready fi start new t'ings." There was a long pause. I thought he might not continue at all. "'Im say... y'mus fin wha y'sta."

"Finish what I started? But what did I start? What haven't I finished? Grandfather? How did I fail you?"

"You brought it with you, my child, this symbol of your failure." I know it sounds insane, but for a moment, it no longer sounded like Al'tabin speaking. For just a moment, I swear it was Huln Thunderhoof. "Ya kyarry dis talisman. Y'keep it a yeh bedrull."

"I carry it in my bedroll? You mean the hair? Kaja's hair?"

"Nah!" Al'tabin shouted. He said a string of words in Zandali. From his tone, I presumed many of them were expletives.

"The necklace?"

"Yeh, dat."

Al'tabin said nothing more. When I could bear it no longer, I had to ask. "Is... is my grandfather... proud of me?"

I don't know why it was so important, so suddenly very important that I received that validation. But I did.

"Ehh..." The pause was long and painful. I wished he would continue.

"'Im will."

# # #

Al'tabin the All-Seeing said no more. I sat there until I had suffered enough. Eventually I had to crawl up the ramp, pull on my clothes, and drink heavily of the water.

I passed the water skin to the old man and let him drink too.

He picked up the necklace from where I had set it, next to Kaja's hair, atop a banana leaf. "Dis?"

I nodded, wearily. "That's the necklace. He wants me to return it?"

"Ya took dis. Y'mus gib it back, sight?"

"Well, yeah, that's why I took it, so that I could give it back."

"Nah. Speak a lie."

"Okay, okay. I took it from Johnny because I didn't want it to be a trophy. I didn't think that killing that girl was something to be proud of. It was only after I took it that I felt the need to return it to her parents."

"Y'fel da spirits!" The old man nodded and stood on shaky legs. "Y'mus gib it back."

"But, I can't!"

"Ya gaan vex dem spirits?"

"No!" I shouted. "I don't refuse. I want to return it. It's just that despite how much I want to, the task itself is impossible. I don't know who her parents are, or how to find them. And even if I knew their names, I couldn't ask anyone. They wouldn't speak my language, and they'd try to kill me on sight."

"If mi 'elp ya dis, y'gwan gib it back, den? Y'gwan ease da spirits?" He studied me with one eye, like a raven. "Caa be done, but 'ard, radda hard. Verra denj'rus."

I thought for a long time. I could tell he really meant it. "Yes, if I knew how to do this, then I would. Even though it is dangerous."