The Mountain
The mountain loomed over the island, darkness gathering overhead…
"Come to us…"
The whispers, always the whispers. Whispering the same thing over and over again…
"Come to us…"
The path, leading up the mountain as they sky above rumbled…
"We wait for you…"
The dark pool at the peak…
"Before it's too late…"
Ravenna woke.
The sun was still down, only a distant glow over the horizon when he emerged out of his hut, stretching his aching back. The night's fires had already dwindled down to embers, but everyone else were likely still asleep. In the distance, Ravenna could make out the mast of the raft that had been built.
Despite his fears, the men had fully committed to helping him and Hayreddin build the raft once he had given them his blessing on their intention to stay on the island. The work had gone smoothly, and the raft had been built and supplies had been prepared.
They would be able to leave in a matter of days.
But Hayreddin and Ravenna had barely exchanged words in that time; Hayreddin was upset with Ravenna's criticism of his leadership, and Ravenna with Hayreddin's leadership. The few exchanges they did have was terse and short, only to confirm updates on the work in progress. The situation had soured Ravenna's mood even worse than usual.
That and the damned dreams.
Ravenna had been dreaming of the island's lone mountain every single time he slept since his argument with Hayreddin. It was always the same, he'd see the path through the jungle, the mountain path, and what looked like a pool at the peak. The sky would always be dark and thunderous.
And the whispers, always the whispers.
"Come to us…"
"Come to us…"
"We wait for you…"
"Before it's too late…"
Ravenna rubbed his temples, his head had been hurting ever since the dreams started. He remembered Hayreddin had once told him that he would have dreams from time to time; a dream of giant warriors, death and destruction, a world covered in a storm and a corpse screaming on a golden throne.
Ravenna shivered; he was not a man given to superstition but something about Hayreddin's descriptions would sent chills down his spine.
Shaking it off, Ravenna made his way towards the raft, intending to load more supplies.
XI XI XI
The raft was a huge thing, nearly twenty feet wide and long. Under Hayreddin's instructions, they had even managed to erect a crude shed for supplies as well as shelter for both him and Ravenna. The mast rose from the center, fixed with a sail that had come from the sunken ship they had found washed up on the beach, the holes patched with woven leaves.
For food, they had dried fruit and meat, as well as water kept in crude jars fashion from coconuts.
Ravenna continued to load more water onto the raft as the sun began its rise over the horizon. So intent he was on his task, he didn't notice Hayreddin walking up to him.
When he did, he stopped short, looking up at the younger man.
Hayreddin said nothing, but took a set of empty jars and headed for the river. Ravenna followed suit. Together, they worked in silence, stocking up the water supply until the sun had finally risen clear of the horizon and the other men had woken up and began to bustle about with their duties.
Hayreddin and Ravenna stopped to watch them work, the older man wiping the sweat from his brow and breathing a little heavily.
"We'll be able to leave by tomorrow, I think. If the weather is favourable," said Hayreddin softly.
Ravenna grunted in agreement.
"You'll see Isan and Kazan again soon," said Hayreddin after a moment of silence.
"I know," answered Ravenna, his harsh voice softening a little. "It's been too long."
Hayreddin nodded. "Ravenna, I…"
"Hayreddin," interrupted Ravenna. "I know I don't always agree with your methods. But you have to understand this, I might not always agree with you, but I respect what you're trying to do. I've lived a long life, and from what I've seen, the only way to get ahead in life is to be willing to stab someone in the back; to lie, cheat and deceive. It's all I've known."
He looked at Hayreddin. "But then you come along, and you genuinely try to do what's best for everyone, try to take everyone's view into consideration. You discuss, you talk, you convince, you compromise…in a world where everyone expects the worse from one another, you believe in the best."
"I've learned to respect your way of doing things, Hayreddin…but don't expect other people to. Just because you wouldn't betray people, doesn't mean they won't betray you. You have to be ready for it. You can't always expect the best in everyone, you have to always be ready for the ugly too. That's what I've been trying to tell you all these years."
Hayreddin looked at Ravenna for a long moment. "Aren't you tired?" he asked at last.
Ravenna blinked.
"Aren't you tired of always having to look over your shoulder? Expecting to be betrayed? Always having to wonder if someone always has an ulterior motive?" continued Hayreddin. "Is it too much to hope that deep down, everyone wants what's best for their people? That people are willing to put aside all selfish notions for the sake of the greater good?"
Ravenna sighed and shook his grizzled head. "That's a noble thought, Hayreddin. But that's all it is: a thought. What might be best for one people may not be what's best for others. It's the fundamental curse of mankind; we are all inherently selfish. We do what's best for ourselves."
The older man looked Hayreddin in the eye. "I would gladly kill a thousand tribesman or pirates if it meant keeping Isan, Kazan and you safe. They might have family, friends but it doesn't matter to me. I'd still kill them all for those I care about. Selfish of me, I know, and I'm fine with that."
Ravenna reached out and clasped Hayreddin's arm. "You want to believe in the best of people, I know. But I think deep down, you don't. Not after everything you've seen."
Hayreddin looked as though he wanted to say something, but he couldn't seem to find the words. There was pain in his eyes, and Ravenna knew his words had rung truthfully with the young man.
Ravenna squeezed Hayreddin's arm gently and let go. "Come on, we have work to do."
"Ravenna."
Hayreddin's voice was quiet. The older man paused.
"Do you think people can change, do you think people can change their nature?"
Ravenna shook his head. "You might be able to change the little things, but in the end, you can't change what we are."
XI XI XI
The day wore on, and the mountain seemed to weigh more heavily on Ravenna's mind. He kept looking towards it, noting its steepness, the possible paths leading to its peak. He had no appetite, thinking instead of the trek through the jungle that would take him to the foot of the mountain.
And the voices kept whispering.
"We wait for you…"
"Hurry…"
"Before it's too late…"
"Before all is lost…"
By the time the sun reached its zenith in the sky, Ravenna could bear it no longer. Making some excuse to the men as they settled down for the mid-day meal, he made his way into the jungle, taking nothing but his sword with him.
At first, he made his way to stream. He drank the cool refreshing water and washed his face. He meant to head back to the beach, but instead found himself staring at the path that he knew would take him to the mountain, despite never having walked it before.
"Come…"
Ravenna felt as though a fog was settling in his mind, and he was vague aware that his feet had begun to walk, not towards the beach, but towards the path. One foot stepped in front of the other, in an almost mechanical manner, and even as he walked, Ravenna couldn't help but think it was madness, but he couldn't turn back.
"Hurry…"
Ravenna walked on.
The journey must have taken several hours, but the fog in Ravenna's mind grew heavier, and he barely registered it. He barely noticed as the lush jungle gave way to more desolate rocky terrain, barely noticed the increasing steepness of the ground beneath his feet. He barely felt the cuts on his hands as he was eventually forced to use them to climb. He barely felt the ache in his back, hardly noticed the weight of his sword strapped to it.
Before he realized it, he was at the top of the mountain, and the sun was making its descent into the ocean. Abruptly, the fog lifted from his mind and all the aches and pain came flooding back. With a groan, Ravenna sat himself down on the ground, trying to breath in the thin mountain air.
"What the bloody hell…" he muttered, unstrapping his sword.
As his breathing evened out, Ravenna started to notice his surroundings. From the ground, the mountain's peak looked ordinary, but it was actually curved like a bowl, smooth and its measurements perfect as though shaped by an artisan. At the centre of it, was a pool.
Ravenna's eyes widened. It was the pool from his dreams.
But now that he saw it with his own eyes, he noticed something else.
At the centre of the pool was a rock, its white surface at odds with its grey surroundings. The dying light of the sun was reflected of its surface, making it seem to glow. Ravenna's eyes were drawn to it.
"Come to us…"
Ravenna slowly walked towards the rock, wading waist-deep into the pool. Now he could hear other whispers.
"Are you alright, Ravenna?"
"The heat's got to the stubborn old goat…"
"If only all men were like that…"
"One wrong move, one misstep and thousands of lives will be lost…"
"…do nothing and those lives will be lost anyway…"
"…you can't save everyone…"
"…I hate it when people tell me that I can't…"
As Ravenna neared the rock, to his shock, it rose.
No, not rose, it opened. Like a giant clam or oyster.
Ravenna saw what awaited within.
And he screamed.