Chapter 4 "Fallen Angel"
Two weeks later, Nin wandered through the tree line about a quarter mile behind his home. The black eye his father gave him was almost faded away, just a yellow tinge left. As he went about with little purpose in mind, he thought of his father, who was a personification of the vicious society he lived in. Nin knew a small amount of the history of his people and the country of Rhun.
Hundreds of years ago, the great dark lord controlled much of the east lands. Rhun was at his command and he called often of their warriors to fight the men of the west. Eventually, the dark lord was overcome, and his land destroyed. The western men showed the Easterlings little mercy as they drove the scattered survivors into the Far East. The Easterlings survived in small bands during the renewed reign of the Sea Kings. About 200 years after the Dark Lord's fall, new power arose in the Easterlings, and many re-established their domain in Rhun.
Nin knew nothing of the Men of the West except the stories of the Easterlings, which painted them as cruel enemies, meant to be forever hated. Nin despised eastern culture, and was wise enough to know the stories of these enemies may not be entirely truthful. Over the last year, thoughts of leaving this land had arisen in him, but he knew not where he could go, and he would not leave his mother.
He mentally shook himself from his thoughts, and realized his wandering had brought him near Gin's house. He wished he could walk up and see her, but Gin's parents could have been relatives of his father, and despised Nin. It was getting late so Nin turned towards home. "Nin!" Cried Gin's voice. Nin turned to see her jogging towards him urgently. Her face was fearful, "Nin get home quick, I heard the overseers talking today in the market. Apparently your father owes them something; they are going to attack your family!" "When did you hear this?!" Nin asked in fear. The overseers controlled the village and surrounding area, and were completely ruthless. The stories of their actions against those that wronged them were horrid.
"This morning! I-I tried to get away to warn you, but my father had me doing chores all day!" Nin did not wait any longer, but sprinted away towards home. Gin watched him go in fear, she'd had opportunities earlier that day to go and warn him, but she feared that he would be hurt as well, so she waited over long. When she saw him outside though, she couldn't keep it from him any longer; she knew he loved his mother.
Nin ran like he never had before. He knew that even though his father was who the overseers were after, they would likely kill his mother and brother, or worse. In his haste, he reached the house in half the usual time. As he approached he saw smoke rising from his home. He ran around from behind the house screaming, "MOTHER!" The front room of the house was in on fire, flames licking through the entrance. The fire must have been recently set because it had not reached the rest of the house yet. Nin ran to the well and filled the bucket with water. Going back he doused as much of the fire around the entrance as he could. He went back and filled the bucket again. It took four buckets before the flames died enough for his the go in. He covered his face with his sleeve and ran through the smoke.
"Mother!" he screamed again, "Rin!" "Nin…" A choked voice answered. Nin looked towards the kitchen and saw mother sprawled on the floor. Half her clothing had been torn off, and she was bleeding from a wound in her abdomen. Nin ran to her, lifted her onto his shoulders and carried her out of the blaze. He stumbled, and they both fell to the frozen ground outside.
Nin pulled off his jacket and tried to cover her as best he could. Her face was bruised and pale, and Nin could feel the warm blood pouring onto his legs. He pulled off his shirt and pressed it to the wound. "Mother, where is Rin?" He asked urgently. "Gone…" She answered weakly. "Did they take him?" He asked, but she began to cough violently, blood coming up from her mouth. Nin looked in horror as her chest rose weakly two more times, then went still. "Mother!" Nin screamed shakily. He began to hyperventilate, retching sobs choked from him. He groaned and shook for almost a minute before tears began to flow, and clutched his mother's body and collapsed.
When Nin came to, he was disorientated. He was lying on a straw mattress on his back, and was wearing a fresh shirt and jacket. As the realization returned to him of what had happened, he jumped up and began looking desperately for his mother's body, which was gone. The first thing he saw was Rin, sitting cross legged in front of him. His head was bowed, his face expressionless. When he saw Nin awake he looked at him coldly. "Rin! Are you ok?" Nin asked him. Rin did not answer, simply looked back at the ground. Nin looked around him and saw they were still in front of the house, which was no longer on fire. About a third of it was burnt to the ground, and he could see his father and some other men clearing away burnt debris. "Father!" Nin cried. Taurun looked at his son with a blank expression. "Where is mother?" Asked Nin coldly. Taurun nodded over to a mound next to a tree about fifty yards away.
Nin just stared numbly, not able to feel arms or legs. After a minute, he stumbled over to the fresh grave. There was no marker, and Nin fell to his knees next to it. Reaching with a numb finger, he scratched words into the dirt, I LOVE YOU. Tears formed again in Nin's eyes as waves of agony ripped through him. He heard footsteps approach, and Taurun's shadow appeared from behind him. The sun was just setting casting orange light over the hard ground. "You mustn't be soft boy." Taurun said coldly.
Nin looked up at his father who was eyeing the grave as if he had lost a possession rather than his wife. Furious at his indifference Nin growled, "Where were you." "I took your brother and ran, if I hadn't we would have been dead with her." At this information hot rage burned through Nin. Rising to his feet, he stood nose to nose with Taurun. "You mean you left her here?" Taurun seemed to falter at his son's rage-filled eyes. He stepped back and turned saying, "She was a shitty cook anyway." Nin stood still for a few seconds unable to process what his father had just said. Taurun had begun walking away. Nin had begun shaking and in an instant he roared furiously and charged his father like a bull.
Taurun heard the roar but reacted too late. Nin hit him like a charging bear, and Taurun was planted into the ground. Nin began to punch him with all his might and rage. Taurun covered up as best he could as blows rained down on him. The other men who were there stood by and did nothing, and Rin looked up with a shocked expression. Taurun found a gap in his son's assault and managed to land a punch, knocking Nin off of him. Nin recovered and charged Taurun again, but his father side stepped him, and in his blind rage Nin fell face first into the dirt.
Breathing deeply Nin regained his head as Taurun shouted, "My only regret boy is that you weren't in there with her!" "You sick bastard! I hope those monsters kill you slowly!" Nin bellowed. Taurun glared at his son then returned to work on the house. Nin let him go, panting in exhaustion. He looked up and met Rin's eyes. His brother looked at him in shock and fear, and then turned to look at Taurun. His gaze dodged back and forth several times, before he got up and ran to his father. Nin watched him go coldly, and then stood up. "He's all yours brother…." Nin said under his breath, then turned and stumbled away towards the trees.
