The Sorceress of Alois
Disclaimer: as for previous chappies!
AN: Mistake in the last chappie – At the end, I asked if any of you lovely reviewers knew if Ali Mukhtab was around when the Sorceress was. I should have asked you about Halef Seif, not Ali Mukhtab! Sorry! (And if anyone knows if they were childhood friends, please let me know ASAP!)
Chapter Three
Garat stumbled to his knees in front of his little cook fire outside his tent. His voice broke as he began the ritual that allowed him to commune with the Voice of the Tribes.
Once in contact, he broke down.
"Voice," he began. "Voice, he is gone. Hiran Falah is gone."
"I know, Bazhir son. I am one with all Bazhir. It was his time; he had served his purpose in the Eternal Balance."
"But Voice, I am to blame. I caused his death. If I had not been dishonest about my past, if he had only known . . . . ." the big Bazhir's face crumpled.
"My son, you must listen to me. There will be a new headman, and he will be as wise as Hiran Falah. He will understand you. Go with my blessing, son of the Bazhir, your destiny is coming to you soon. Look after your family, and remember that I am always here, you only need look inside yourself."
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"Sari, you must wear your veil!" exclaimed her mother. "The men of the tribe already think you are disrespectful, what will the new headman think?"
Sari sighed, and pinned her veil back on to her billowing burnoose, holding back her glossy black hair. The young Bazhir maiden had put her veils on only two years before, but still held the rebellious streak in her that pulled it from her face at any opportunity.
At that moment, Garat entered the tent, having spent his morning trying to escape the questioning from the men of the tribe about the unfortunate death of Hiran Falah. He shook his head and as he did, an image began to form before his eyes.
Flashback
The Demon Lord had appeared suddenly, taking hold of Garat's mind before he could blink his eyes.
"Now I have you, Garat," he hissed in Garat's mind. "Now you're going back to your hell."
"I don't think so, Demon Lord."
The Demon Lord wrenched himself from Garat's mind suddenly, and began to materialise in front of Garat.
"Time to go."
The Demon Lord vanished in a puff of mist, and appeared next to Hiran Falah at the fire. Garat stood suddenly,
"NO!"
The Demon Lord laughed at Garat's feeble attempts to warn the tribe, to tell them what was happening, and then drove his long sharp fingernails into Hiran Falah's heart. The Headman stopped mid word, and fell backwards, dead in an instant. Garat fell to the ground, as the tribe stared, half at Garat, half at the fallen headman. The Demon Lord laughed his manic laugh, then vanished.
End Flashback
He shook his head again and the image disappeared. He smiled at his wife and daughter, and then said,
"Let us meet this new headman, then, shall we?"
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Halef Seif was as understanding as the Voice had said he was. A young man of the tribe, recently accelerated to the role of Headman, he brought new ideas and understanding to the Bazhir's old ways. When Garat asked for a private audience, he accepted at once.
The Headman and Garat entered the Headman's tent, and sat on the embroidered mat on the floor.
"How can I assist you, Garat?" the new Headman asked.
"I must tell you my truth, Halef Seif," he replied.
The Headman smiled. "Ah, yes, the Voice told me you'd want to tell me about that. Speak, Garat."
Garat smiled weakly back at his Headman. "I was born 30 summers ago, in a tribe to the far north of this one. My mother died giving me birth. I was born with a Gift, and the Sight. My Gift is tied to the desert, and is quite powerful. My mother's death caused my village to believe I may be cursed, but the Headman forced their belief out of them. Unfortunately, he was then caught and killed by a band of raiders.
The new Headman was not as open minded, and ordered my father to tell him all of my secrets, about my Gift, and my Sight. My father refused, and died accidentally in a brief battle with raiders shortly after. I believe he was murdered."
Halef Seif closed his eyes. "My sympathies, Garat. To lose both parents at such a young age is a terrible tragedy."
Garat nodded and continued his story. "After he died, my emotional state worsened, and my Gift, tied to the land as it were, went with it. I began to tear up the land, my Gift ran rampant. The village Shaman believed I was mad, not Gifted, and convinced the village that I needed to be cast out. I refused to go, the Shaman lost his temper, and I was killed."
Halef Seif's eyebrows knitted together. "Killed?" he asked.
"Yes. Killed. I know, it is a lot to comprehend, but after I reached the Afterlife, I was approached by a woman of Divinity, who convinced me I had yet to achieve my full potential and placed me back in this world. However, she did so at terrible cost, and I am now followed by demon Lord's, masters of their art, who only I can see, but who can affect everyone around me."
He hung his head. "This is why Hiran Falah is no longer with us. The Demon Lord appeared, and murdered him in cold blood. I am not supposed to be here, it should have been me."
"Garat, what happened to Hiran Falah was not your fault. You can't have known. Continue, please."
Garat took a deep breath, and continued with his story. "But I was not returned back to Tortall. I was returned to a land in the north, where I soon met with a woman who had the Sight enough to see the future. She told me I would father a child who would have my gifts, and have the power to change the fate of the land, and unite it to save it from destruction. I returned to Tortall, where I met Nardi, and moved to the Bloody Hawk, where we were soon happy to be graced with Sari's presence.
Sari, however, has my gifts, she can see the Demons who curse my life. She doesn't know this yet, and I won't tell her, but we must move on. We cannot remain here and continue to curse this tribe with our ill luck. We must move on."
"I too, have a Gift, small as it might be," Halef Seif. "Is it not enough for you to stay here and be protected?"
"No, we must move. We have caused enough hurt to the tribe already. It is enough that you know, use the knowledge as you wish, but we must leave, and leave now."
"Very well," said Halef Seif. "Good luck in your travels, Garat."
Garat left the tent, and went to his own, to inform Nardi and Sari of their departure.
In the moments after his departure, Halef Seif pondered the circumstances that had introduced him to Sari and her family. They had grown up together, although he was 8 summers her senior. He had known there was something not right about her, and had been told she was 'mad' because of her visions, but now he realised with a sickening feeling, that she and her family would be running for their lives, because of the prophecy, made by a northern seer. He would wish that life on no-one. Looking up at the sky, he began to prepare himself to join with the Voice. They had a lot to discuss.
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The sun set as Garat, Nardi and Sari bid farewell to the village of the Bloody Hawk that had been their home for 16 summers. They and their meagre belongings began the walk across the desert, towards a new home.
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AN: There you have it folks. Please Read and Review – that's it, hit that little 'review button'. You may not get another chappie for a while, I'm in exams, and then I'm on holidays, but I may be able to update again soon! Enjoy!