Aftermath (16)

The boy from the bandits' camp had followed me all the way back here. He had crept closer and still remained on his knees looking up without fear at the blade aimed for his head. He placed his hands in his back straightening to expose his neck to Sert. His eyes slide slowly from Sert to his blade where my hand arrested its movement as blood dripped from it.

“Look into his eyes Sertian.” I whispered. “He is not the same as those that were here.” I continued. Sert eyes were locked on the boy but he did not release tension on his sword. “You should have followed my instruction boy.” I added quickly.

“Brothers caused harm, my life is forfeit to redeem them.” the boy answered. He pointed toward the sleeping girls emphatically. “Let judgement be served.” he added. The begging tone in his voice finally touched Sert as I felt his sword go limp in my hand. I felt the tremor at that moment that others were watching this.

“You did die.” I said softly. “You did not notice your corpse laying next to you when you awoke?” I asked with a sickly grin. Sert glanced at me before stepping back leaving his sword in my bleeding grip. The boy stared at me with haunted eyes as he nodded slowly. “Others gave you a chance to followed a new path set for you.” I continued easily. “Now rush off and take that path before the Nomad sails from Aqaba.” I added hastily.

I turned my back at him but noted the sounds of him rushing off into the glow insect lit darkness. I held Sert's sword out to him as he stared at me in confusion. He took the sword gently before pulling out linen scraps to tend to my hand. I had closed my hand and was healing it myself before he pried it open to check on the wound.

“You should know that I can heal myself Sert.” I stated. He examined the palm of my hand where a sealed cut remained as the only sign of my actions. “Could not let you kill an innocent even if he wished to die.” I continued. Sert nodded in silence. I could tell he had caught something in my words that felt important for him to remember. “Little Sindbad has a very exciting life ahead of him with his new family on board the Nomad.” I added in a half whisper. This earned me knowing nod before Sert returned to sleep position at this end of the light area.

I walked slowly around the outer edge of the patients back toward the pyre that burned brightly. With but a thought, I made the flames shift from white to the blue of the hottest stars in my mother's corpse and in my liquid night sky body. The wood, flesh, and bones turned to ashes instantly that burned away leaving nothing but the blue flames a sign of where the pyre stood. A movement across the flames caught my eyes as our guests from higher up showed themselves. I glanced around to assure myself that the others all slept. I walked casually across the flames letting them lap around my form without causing any damage to this frail human body I lived in.

“Mother? Gaia?” I interjected quickly. I stood before beings that claimed unable to visit this plane. “Must be something important to have you two breaking your lied exile from here.” I continued. They gave each other a mischievous glance before sombreness returned to their eyes. “Or is it my visit with those animals you wish I undo?”

“We will not interfere with what has happened here.” Ishtar stated mollified. I stiffed instantly at this unnatural tone in her voice. “But even as the Ancient of Destruction Alal, you have gone beyond your rights in the thieves' encampment.” she continued in an empty voice.

“Do you know what the repercussions of your actions will cause on my world?” Gaia asked violently. She stood wringing her hands together next to my supposed mother.

“Their remains will feed the fauna and flora making them stronger.” I returned calmly. I turned to Ishtar with a soft smile. “I will not allow that dishonour to persist along my path Mother.” I told her directly. “Your lack of emotion, Great Lady of Passion,” shows that my act did not truly displease you.” I concluded bluntly.

“True my son, but the Osirian may not see it that way since it is their people you have played with.” she retorted. An edge of anger and defiance slide into her words as she continued. “If they petition against you again, all the old petitions from them and the other pantheons will come back upon your shoulders.”

“Then I shall earn my Ancient title by destroyed all of them in the name of honour, decency, and the humans they abuse.” I returned darkly. Her eyes drew wide knowing that my words were truthful because of the glare I levelled at her. I felt Gaia's soft touch to my arm. My head snapped to glare at her while in my heart I remembered this touch from before my supposed birth from Ishtar.

“The blood of the dishonourable will harm as well as feed the flora and fauna.” she whispered slowly. “No one knows what changes it may cause in them Alal.” she added sadly. I saw the tears forming in her eyes unshed but could not resist explaining to her why that minor infection was better than the cancer of those evils left living.

“And what of letting a being of the Old Ones' bloodline living among the Ancients?” I retorted with a sneer. “Your world has already been corrupted with the Ancients sitting in their hall debating what to do instead of taking action to stop it.” I growled at her mercilessly. “Because I am the only one that most of your rules cannot touch, I come to try to remove the sickness here with neither your blessings or curses on my back.” I concluded harshly.

“Your passion has always made me trust your motives even if your actions have been akin to our beaten enemy.” Ishtar stated calmly.

“It is my honour that fuels my righteous rage forcing me to act while others would rather turn away and ignore the darkness that eventually will stalk them.” I explained. “Though most see it as the madness I inherited from my father.” I added with a shy smirk. I felt the memory flash entering Gaia with the great heart wrenching pain it caused her and I idly plucked it from her mind to dispose of it.

She had remembered the birth of her twin daughters as the war between the Ancients and the Old Ones had begun. The first was a perfect likeness to every other Ancient Ones but the second had shown the taint of what was assumed the Old Ones upon her being. My birth had occurred later but they had forgone the rules with me unlike Galeä who was spirited away to to a sealed jail. I only discovered the truth of where their cell was after sealing away a vile creature in a outer chamber before their only door. All the other children born tainted by the Old Ones had been sent there in a great pocket between the planes sealed away with others that had been born for ages immemorial. I could have saved them but cursed the world to a monster feeding on their very souls. It was too late now and my constant vigil to reinforce the seal placed upon that creatures door made it impossible to free them now.

“Thank you Alal, but I wish to remember her even if it hurts me for eternity.” Gaia told me gently. I nodded as I replaced the memories in her mind. I saw little Galeä born with a liquid night sky form froze me in place and evaporated my anger from me. “Do not speak now that you understand why they sent her away.” she ordered to me quietly. I heard her mentally whisper “Genin my lover” . Everything became clear in my mind as a slow growl formed in my throat.

I turned from them to prowl back across the blue flames that shot up around me reach for the farthest stars because of my anger. I heard Gaia sobbing at my back with Ishtar consoling her. I felt the tremor of them blinking out of this existence. I reached the other side of the pyre area, the flames died showing nothing left behind as the first drops of rain fell. Gaia's tears for her lost daughter rained over the world she had created. Isis could not stop this gentle rain of tears from touching her land as it touched the Earth, even Atlantis' technological magic could not stop it.

I sat with my back to the softly smoking pyre as my tears flowed freely. All slept around me as I cried silently the silence in my mind proved that none would send consolatory words to me. I was pulled from this body by the only force I would ever knell to. I moved along the path within the nothingness that was the void. The temple older than time itself rose before me and I began reading the words once more like I had when I was but a child. My eyes wept being drawn to the one word magicked to be understandable to all beings by the Ley'ä'Luna.

“Protect!” I read as sickness filled my heart. The buzzing of locust began softly but grew as I heard their words. They spoke to each other before turning to me as I entered the Temple of True Light.

“First and only son of our greatest creation,” they called to me, “walk the path you must since only you know why it must be done this way.” I closed my eyes as the power of their combined mind made my segregated self reel. “You will do what must be done as your mother Universe has done.” they told me. “As we have done by giving them freedom.” one lone voice added in a final whisper to me. I barely felt myself returning to my body as I felt a hand on my shoulder shaking me gently.

“You spoke in that unearthly tongue again rousing me from my sleep.” my niece whispered to me. I felt the worry in her. I slowly looked around noticing Sert and Meli had risen to verify on the other girls before returning to their sleeping spot. “They heard nothing.” she assured me quickly. “You spoke in your mind with others.” she explained.

“Sorry, but I was given news that angered me and something very old was the only ones that would try to help me find peace.” I answered her truthfully. She nodded then looked closely into my eyes and in my the open parts of my mind.

“You did not know they were yours?” she asked suddenly. “I have cousins on high?” she continued excited. She beamed at me as I slowly nodded with a half grin on my face. “When can I meet with them?” she exclaimed. Her face contorted to petulant anger and sadness. “Why can I not see my cousins?” she sputtered at me.

“Stop that!” I ordered calmly. I refocused to close my mind to her. “It is not polite to pull answers from a person's mind without letting them try to answer first.” I concluded.

“But we always talk directly mind to mind Uncle.” she returned pouting.

“Except you keep talking both in my mind and out loud my niece.” I stated. I slow brought down my mental barrier so we could speak without being heard.

“Sorry.” she answered mentally. I smiled as it took much less time with this link to explain the story in it's entirety.

“I will see if it possible for your Ancient cousin to visit but I cannot promise that it will happen.” I told her mentally.

“Thank you.” she replied quickly. “But who are those who speak with you that sound like ...” she began mentally but ended out loud with “the locust swarming the fields.”

“I cannot explain who they are my niece since I learn so little about them when they reach out to me like this.” I lied directly to her. She nodded in acceptance and blissful ignorance of my deceit. “But you need sleep before morning.” I reprimanded softly. I scooped her in my arms to place her back upon her make-shift bed close to my post. She kissed both my cheeks and then kissed my lips as in familial custom in this part of the world. I knelt by her bed until she drifted back to sleep dreaming of meeting her cousin among the Ancient Ones.

I returned to sit at my post drifting into a light sleep without any more higher powers interfering with my night. I did dream of half forgotten memories from my youth with true mother and my sister Genia glaring meanly at me. The night remained calm and quiet in part because of the gentle rain of Gaia's tears.