***
Part Six: In the Town Square
***
Uta and Sankra were outside, gathering snow in a metal bowl, and talking. Sankra had a million questions about Jack. Uta told her what she'd heard and seen: that he was honest, kind, brave, and intelligent. A man from the past, who was trying to save the future.
Sankra's opinion wasn't nearly as philosophical.
"He's handsome!" she said, grinning.
Uta produced a very loud, melodramatic moan.
Sankra laughed, and rubbed it in. "And dreamy and cute and dashing!"
"Oh, no!" her teacher said, playing along. "She's in love! Why me?!"
"Oh, and his name," Sankra said, in mock rapture. "'Jack!' So simple, and pure. How I love it. You can just drag it out. Jaaaaaaaack," she demonstrated, in a goofy sigh.
"Ay ya, you're insane! Come. We have enough snow."
Sankra nodded, picked up the bowl, and started for the door.
"Oh and Sankra," Uta said, stopping her.
"Yes?"
"It is good to have you back."
They shared a smile and went inside. And there they found Jack, unconscious. Sankra gasped. Uta just chuckled and shook her head.
"He didn't believe me. Ten blue beads says this fool tried to sit up and fainted."
"You're on!"
Sankra lifted Jack's leg up, set the metal bowl down, and rested his foot in it. She piled up the snow all around the redness. Uta, meanwhile, was gently slapping him.
"Unnh," he moaned, waking up and blinking.
"You tried to sit up, didn't you?" Uta said sternly, her hands on her hips.
Jack scowled and wouldn't look at her. But he glanced at Sankra, her open face full of concern, and softened.
"Yes," he muttered.
"Ha! I win!" She made a good-natured raspberry at Sankra, who rolled her eyes.
Jack decided the time was ripe. "As soon as I can stand up, I wish to fight," he said.
The women stared at him.
"I want to deal with Iyerogaal, so that not one more woman has to die."
"But Jack, Iyerogaal is enormous! He's over fifty feet tall and covered in the toughest armor in existence!" Sankra cried, coming over to sit near his shoulder. "You would be killed!"
Their eyes met, and her hand was on his shoulder in an instant, as though it belonged there. And a funny thing happened. Jack felt that it *did* belong there. He couldn't say why, or how, but he felt touched by more than her fingers. It made him smile.
"Don't worry about me," he said, reaching for her free hand. He intertwined his callused fingers with her smooth ones, barely aware of what he was doing. "We just have to tell the Ashi, so we can stop the sacrifice."
Half an hour later, Uta and Sankra had Jack on his feet. And soon after, they breathlessly burst into the town square. But they were too late --- the crowd was gathered, and the lottery had started.
The Ashi, a fearsome, fat woman in flowing robes of pink silk, sat on a wooden throne on a scaffold. Her face was painted white, her lips purple, and her cheeks blue. Her black hair was done up in an ornate bun, with gold pins holding it in place.
"And now the results of the lottery," she called out in a booming alto. "Will the following women please step forward: Errol!"
Errol was the town's chief bread baker. She had three children.
"Izara!"
Errol's apprentice.
"Lenikka!"
The designer and caretaker of the town's aqueducts.
"Yena! Joinu! Kleigo!"
The village's three most skilled mud-brick workers.
Since these six women were all essential to the village, everyone was wondering who was going to be unlucky number seven.
"And Kiki!"
Someone cried out "No!" and the crowd began to babble. Jack was confused. He leaned into Uta.
"Who is Kiki?" he hissed in her ear.
"The village idiot," she hissed back. "She came here last year. She is talented --- does marvelous things with beads --- but she can barely form a sentence." She shook her head sadly. "Unessential, and damaged, besides. She is as good as dead."
Uta pointed her out --- a skinny little creature with large, sad eyes, matted hair, and a twitch. Her left eyelid and shoulder drooped unnaturally. She was clutching a beautiful beaded purse and quivering in fear.
Jack couldn't take it anymore.
"WAIT!" he thundered.
The sound of a man's voice surprised everyone. A sea of chalk-white faces spun around to face him. Even the Ashi looked up.
"Who dares interrupt the ceremony?!" she boomed.
"I do," he answered, stepping forward. "My name is Jack, and I insist that this sacrifice not take place. I am here to champion your village against Iyerogaal."
The crowd got very excited at this. The Ashi arched her eyebrows.
"And what do you want from us in return, 'Oh mighty warrior?'" the Ashi asked haughtily.
"Nothing."
This caused an even bigger uproar.
"Nothing! Ha! Men always want *something,* my dear fellow. Name your price."
"I have no price!" Jack replied, deeply insulted, over the yammering crowd.
"Ashi, listen to him!" Uta yelled, coming to the warrior's side. "He is an honest man, and he wants to help us! He has been staying with me until he was ready to fight."
"Lonely for a lover, are we, Uta?" the Ashi taunted.
"Shut up, you cow!"
"SILENCE! Your days are numbered, old woman! You anger me! If this warrior doesn't slay the ogre, you might find yourself the next sacrifice!"
"I await that moment with joy!" Uta spat bitterly. "Death has to be better than living under YOU!" She whirled on her student. "Come, Sankra."
She took the young woman's hand, and they walked away. Jack didn't know what to do.
"Warrior!" the Ashi barked. "The battle will take place tonight, for that is when the ogre comes out, expecting the sacrifice. We will guide you as far as we can to the ogre's cave. Prepare yourself. You have until sunset."
Jack bowed low, even as he cast a sharp look at the Ashi. Then he whipped around and hared off after Uta and Sankra.
END PART SIX.
I will try to have the next part up as soon as I can!
Part Six: In the Town Square
***
Uta and Sankra were outside, gathering snow in a metal bowl, and talking. Sankra had a million questions about Jack. Uta told her what she'd heard and seen: that he was honest, kind, brave, and intelligent. A man from the past, who was trying to save the future.
Sankra's opinion wasn't nearly as philosophical.
"He's handsome!" she said, grinning.
Uta produced a very loud, melodramatic moan.
Sankra laughed, and rubbed it in. "And dreamy and cute and dashing!"
"Oh, no!" her teacher said, playing along. "She's in love! Why me?!"
"Oh, and his name," Sankra said, in mock rapture. "'Jack!' So simple, and pure. How I love it. You can just drag it out. Jaaaaaaaack," she demonstrated, in a goofy sigh.
"Ay ya, you're insane! Come. We have enough snow."
Sankra nodded, picked up the bowl, and started for the door.
"Oh and Sankra," Uta said, stopping her.
"Yes?"
"It is good to have you back."
They shared a smile and went inside. And there they found Jack, unconscious. Sankra gasped. Uta just chuckled and shook her head.
"He didn't believe me. Ten blue beads says this fool tried to sit up and fainted."
"You're on!"
Sankra lifted Jack's leg up, set the metal bowl down, and rested his foot in it. She piled up the snow all around the redness. Uta, meanwhile, was gently slapping him.
"Unnh," he moaned, waking up and blinking.
"You tried to sit up, didn't you?" Uta said sternly, her hands on her hips.
Jack scowled and wouldn't look at her. But he glanced at Sankra, her open face full of concern, and softened.
"Yes," he muttered.
"Ha! I win!" She made a good-natured raspberry at Sankra, who rolled her eyes.
Jack decided the time was ripe. "As soon as I can stand up, I wish to fight," he said.
The women stared at him.
"I want to deal with Iyerogaal, so that not one more woman has to die."
"But Jack, Iyerogaal is enormous! He's over fifty feet tall and covered in the toughest armor in existence!" Sankra cried, coming over to sit near his shoulder. "You would be killed!"
Their eyes met, and her hand was on his shoulder in an instant, as though it belonged there. And a funny thing happened. Jack felt that it *did* belong there. He couldn't say why, or how, but he felt touched by more than her fingers. It made him smile.
"Don't worry about me," he said, reaching for her free hand. He intertwined his callused fingers with her smooth ones, barely aware of what he was doing. "We just have to tell the Ashi, so we can stop the sacrifice."
Half an hour later, Uta and Sankra had Jack on his feet. And soon after, they breathlessly burst into the town square. But they were too late --- the crowd was gathered, and the lottery had started.
The Ashi, a fearsome, fat woman in flowing robes of pink silk, sat on a wooden throne on a scaffold. Her face was painted white, her lips purple, and her cheeks blue. Her black hair was done up in an ornate bun, with gold pins holding it in place.
"And now the results of the lottery," she called out in a booming alto. "Will the following women please step forward: Errol!"
Errol was the town's chief bread baker. She had three children.
"Izara!"
Errol's apprentice.
"Lenikka!"
The designer and caretaker of the town's aqueducts.
"Yena! Joinu! Kleigo!"
The village's three most skilled mud-brick workers.
Since these six women were all essential to the village, everyone was wondering who was going to be unlucky number seven.
"And Kiki!"
Someone cried out "No!" and the crowd began to babble. Jack was confused. He leaned into Uta.
"Who is Kiki?" he hissed in her ear.
"The village idiot," she hissed back. "She came here last year. She is talented --- does marvelous things with beads --- but she can barely form a sentence." She shook her head sadly. "Unessential, and damaged, besides. She is as good as dead."
Uta pointed her out --- a skinny little creature with large, sad eyes, matted hair, and a twitch. Her left eyelid and shoulder drooped unnaturally. She was clutching a beautiful beaded purse and quivering in fear.
Jack couldn't take it anymore.
"WAIT!" he thundered.
The sound of a man's voice surprised everyone. A sea of chalk-white faces spun around to face him. Even the Ashi looked up.
"Who dares interrupt the ceremony?!" she boomed.
"I do," he answered, stepping forward. "My name is Jack, and I insist that this sacrifice not take place. I am here to champion your village against Iyerogaal."
The crowd got very excited at this. The Ashi arched her eyebrows.
"And what do you want from us in return, 'Oh mighty warrior?'" the Ashi asked haughtily.
"Nothing."
This caused an even bigger uproar.
"Nothing! Ha! Men always want *something,* my dear fellow. Name your price."
"I have no price!" Jack replied, deeply insulted, over the yammering crowd.
"Ashi, listen to him!" Uta yelled, coming to the warrior's side. "He is an honest man, and he wants to help us! He has been staying with me until he was ready to fight."
"Lonely for a lover, are we, Uta?" the Ashi taunted.
"Shut up, you cow!"
"SILENCE! Your days are numbered, old woman! You anger me! If this warrior doesn't slay the ogre, you might find yourself the next sacrifice!"
"I await that moment with joy!" Uta spat bitterly. "Death has to be better than living under YOU!" She whirled on her student. "Come, Sankra."
She took the young woman's hand, and they walked away. Jack didn't know what to do.
"Warrior!" the Ashi barked. "The battle will take place tonight, for that is when the ogre comes out, expecting the sacrifice. We will guide you as far as we can to the ogre's cave. Prepare yourself. You have until sunset."
Jack bowed low, even as he cast a sharp look at the Ashi. Then he whipped around and hared off after Uta and Sankra.
END PART SIX.
I will try to have the next part up as soon as I can!