“Have
you ever thought of building the roofs out of something a bit sturdier?” asked
Jacob holding up one of the fronds they were using to patch the hole.
“Why?”
“Well,
so we wouldn’t have to come up here and fix them every time we had a heavy
rain.”
“Don’t
you enjoy working out here?”
“Yes,
but...but we could be doing other things.”
“Like
what?”
It
took Jacob a moment before he admitted defeat and answered, “I guess there
really isn’t too much else to do. I’m
still not used to how quiet it is around here.”
“So
what would you be doing on a day like today if you were back in that city where
you used to live?”
Nobi
was one of the two people in the village with whom Jacob was able to discuss
his past life. He was not quite sure
what it was about him that made him not feel defensive around Nobi. The best theory he was able to come up with
was that Nobi’s questions always seemed to be motivated by genuine curiosity
rather than by some desire to help him by exploring the source of his
pain. None of them could know what he
had experienced, and any presumption of an ability to help struck him as arrogance.
“Me,”
answered Jacob, “I would have spent most of it training--trying to make myself
a better soldier. But there were plenty
of other things to do. There were many
beautiful gardens, street performers from all over the Empire, plays in the Imperial
Theater...even during all the years I spent there I wasn’t able to see it all.”
“Could
you take me there some time? I should
like to see it.”
This
question was asked so innocently that it did not stir up any of the feelings of
sorrow that Jacob would have expected it to.
He answered calmly, “No. I don’t
think I would be welcome there any more.
Besides, I’m sure they’ve changed things a great deal.”
Excited
murmurings from below suddenly interrupted their conversation. The two men looked up from their work and saw
Dinah running into the village, flushed and out of breath. Jacob leapt down from the roof and ran to her
while Nobi climbed down behind him.
“What’s
wrong?” asked Jacob as soon as he reached her.
“We
were attacked,” she answered frantically, trying to organize the mess of
thoughts and emotions churning through her head as she spoke. “The others are dead...or maybe just
kidnapped, but they’re gone.”
“Who
attacked you?”
“I
couldn’t see clearly. I was at the top
of a tall tree--that’s why they didn’t take me too--but I couldn’t see them
from up there. Dark shapes moving
through the jungle. Maybe human. Maybe animal.
I don’t know.”
Nobi
had joined them in the middle of this last sentence and now asked Jacob, “Do
you have any idea what they are?”
“No. Wait, maybe...when I was a child I remember
hearing stories about such things.”
#
“It’s
so hot, sir. Why are we still here?”
“As
long as we’ve come this far,” replied Abar, “there’s something I’d like to see
before returning.”
For
the past several months Abar had been traveling throughout the southern half of
the continent trying to convince the leaders of the various houses to join his
fledgling confederation. This endeavor
had been largely successful, with many people becoming excited about his vision
of sharing the resources of the land, believing that it would do much to
increase their own prosperity. However,
in this southernmost region of Yailt where he now was, the leaders of the larger
cities had been quite antagonistic, fearful of losing the power they
wielded. This had discouraged Abar
somewhat, but he could understand their apprehensions. As optimistic as he was about his
confederation, he himself was often attacked by doubts as to whether or not it
would actually work. How could he then
criticize others for being skeptical?
All that was left to him was to earn their trust by actually getting it
to work and showing them that it would indeed make life better for them
all. This monstrous task could wait a
little, though. Having journeyed all
this way, there was one indulgence he simply could not resist. He wanted to see the very edge of the
habitable world.
The
farther south they had traveled, the more rumors they had heard. They all stemmed from ancient legends and
contained only vague, and sometimes contradictory, details. However, the common theme of a jungle
possessed by an impenetrable evil persisted in all of them. Only a handful of the people with whom he had
spoken said that they had actually seen this jungle with their own eyes. Most were terrified of traveling anywhere
near it. Throughout that time several
years earlier when Abar had first left his home to explore the world, he had
found that many of the people he had encountered were very superstitious,
attributing every unexplained phenomenon to the work of spirits. He had not taken any of their stories
seriously, and had even been annoyed at the lack of sophistication in their
reasoning; yet, there was something about the stories of the jungle that he
found irresistibly intriguing.
When
it came into view, Abar understood the reason for the mythologies. Its border was abrupt, with the plains
running straight into a wall of trees.
One could not see more than a few yards into it, which gave the disembodied
sounds emanating from it an eerie quality.
Abar knew that they were produced by everyday birds and insects, but
even so, it was difficult to completely dismiss the idea that the unseen
creators of those noises did not belong to the physical world. Looking over at the seven men he had brought
with him as escorts, Abar could see that they shared his feeling of uneasiness
in its presence.
Then
he noticed smoke rising up from a point off in the distance along the jungle’s
edge. Curious as to its source, he rode
off with his men to investigate. As they
drew nearer, they saw that it was coming from a village built not more than a
hundred yards away from where the trees began.
It was surrounded by fields of crops in which several men were
working. Abar rode up to one of them,
hoping to discover why these people would choose to live so near a place that
had been deemed cursed by everyone else.
“Greetings,”
said the man who had stopped his work and been staring at the group of men as
they approached.
“Greetings,”
replied Abar. “My men and I have come
from the north and are just traveling through.”
“Through
to where? I’m afraid there’s not much
farther to go.”
“Why
not? What’s to prevent us from
continuing on into jungle?” asked Abar.
“There
are evils living there that you’d best avoid.
Whatever your business in these parts may be, I hope it’s not to go in
there.”
“No. I’ve been seeking men who are willing to join
with my confederation--a union where people can exchange goods as needed so
that no one would have to suffer any more.”
“An
alliance to end suffering?” laughed the man bitterly. “And will you offer protection to those in
your alliance?”
“We
have an army to maintain the peace, if that’s what you’re asking.”
“You
have heard the legends about the jungle, have you?”
“Yes,
some of them.”
“Do
you believe them?”
“I...I’m
not sure. There may have been some truth
in them at some point.”
“Three
nights ago they came--men of supernatural strength--and broke into our homes,
kidnapping over twenty people. I lost
two of my children to them myself. Do
you think your confederation can protect us from that?”
Abar
stared into the jungle, thinking over something he had read years ago but not
remembered until just now. “Perhaps.”
#
It
was the middle of the night, yet no one in the village was asleep. Instead they were all lying in their huts
worrying about the horrific events of the past week. Since the day Dinah had come running back
with reports of the attack by the dark ones, eight more people had
disappeared. They had all last been seen
heading out from the village in groups of twos or threes, but none had returned
since Dinah to provide any further details on the attackers. The villagers had begun keeping closer to
their huts, venturing out into the jungle only when necessary and only in large
groups. No new incidents had occurred in
the last few days, but this did little to put their minds at ease.
For
Jacob it was not fear that kept him awake but curiosity. What were these mysterious creatures? Could they really be demons, as so many of
the villagers suspected, or were they simply savage humans? Most importantly, why had they suddenly
started these attacks? Then the
stillness around him was shattered by the sounds of something crashing through
the underbrush followed soon after by terrified screams. Jacob leapt up from his bed and ran straight
to Dinah’s hut. There was no one inside. He next ran to Nobi’s hut, bursting through
the door without consideration of what might be in there. A loud cry caused him to jump as he entered,
but he saw that it was only his surprised friend shooting up from his bed.
“What’s
happening? Are they in the village?”
asked Nobi frantically.
“They
took Dinah and maybe some of the others,” replied Jacob. “Come on, let’s track them down before they
get too far.”
“What
could we do even if we found them?” Nobi
asked unsteadily. “We can’t stand up to
spirits.”
“Maybe
you’re right, but that’s not for us to worry about. We need to find them quickly. Come on!”
Nobi
lowered his head to avoid eye contact as he answered, “I can’t.”
Anxious
that he had already wasted too much time, Jacob ran back out of the hut without
another word. He was relieved to find
that even in the darkness it was not difficult to locate the trampled
underbrush that marked the invaders’ escape route. They obviously had not been worried about
being followed. Whether this was because
they had thought that fear would be a sufficient deterrent or whether they were
hoping someone would stumble along after them into an ambush was irrelevant to
Jacob as he rushed heedlessly along their path.
All that mattered was finding Dinah.
He
was beginning to think that he would lose them when he heard something moving
up ahead. This deep in the jungle in the
middle of the night, it was difficult to see anything more than a few feet
away, but from the sound of it they were now quite close and not making any
effort to hurry. Jacob continued running
with unchecked speed until he came up behind a humanoid shape. It turned quickly at the sound of Jacob
crashing up behind him, but found itself tackled to the ground before it could
react.
“Dinah!”
called out Jacob as he dispatched of this first foe and sprang to his feet.
“Jacob...”
he heard her voice call back, but was unable to make out anything else as five
more tall shapes closed in on him.
They
attempted to encircle him, but Jacob dashed toward the end of their line before
they could close the gap, grabbing the arm that was swung at him and pulling it
forward to throw its owner off balance.
Then, out of the corner of his eye, he noticed one of them coming around
from the left. They were quick. As the attacker swiped at him, Jacob brought
up his left arm to block the blow. The
impact caused pain to shoot out from the wound that still lingered in his
shoulder despite being nearly two years old.
Jacob recoiled at this unexpected shock, allowing three of them to
envelop him in their arms. Rather than
struggling, he allowed his legs to give way, causing the entire pile to be
carried back by their momentum. Caught
off guard by this maneuver, the assailants could not stop themselves before
Jacob steered one of them straight into a tree.
His grip loosened for a second, giving Jacob the opportunity to free one
of his arms. This was all the advantage
he needed. In an instant he had cast off
his attackers and was throwing himself at the remaining two. Seconds later they had succumbed to Jacob’s
might.
“Dinah,
are you all right?” he called out as soon as the battle was over.
“Yes,
I think we all are,” she replied.
Following
the voice, he found her lying between two other villagers, all with their hands
and feet bound. He quickly undid their
bonds and inspected them for injuries, finding nothing more than a few bruises.
“Thank
you,” said Dinah. “I seem to have picked
up the unfortunate habit of getting myself into trouble these past couple of
weeks.”
“You’re
quite welcome. Next time, though, you
should try getting yourself into something a bit more dangerous--this one was
barely enough of a challenge to make it interesting.”
#
Panic
filled the council room. Even Horace,
who was held in high esteem by everyone and always seemed in control, was
visibly agitated. The mysterious savages
from the southern jungle had continued their march north, destroying every
village in their path and not allowing themselves to be turned aside. Unless some miracle occurred, it appeared
that they would reach the capital in a little over a week. The newly resurrected army, which now even
Horace had to admit had been a good idea, had been completely ineffective in
stopping them. As the other councilors
were anxiously milling about exchanging their opinions about the current crisis,
Horace walked to the central platform to address them.
“Ladies
and gentlemen, please be seated,” he called out and then waited for the
commotion to die down. “So far we have
been completely unable to do anything about this threat. Ideas have been short in coming, and
unfortunately I have been just as unable as the rest of you to devise some
magic plan that will ensure our safety.
Still, something must be done, so I propose that we gather the entire
army and concentrate them here at the capital for one final battle. It may not be enough, but at least we’ll know
we threw everything at them that we could.”
“What
about all the towns and villages that still lie between them and us?” asked one
of the other councilors. “Shouldn’t we
do something to try to help them?”
Horace
answered solemnly, “I agree that we should help them, but the reality is that
we can’t. It will take us a few days to
bring our troops together, and we can’t risk engaging them with anything less
than our full power. Besides, a battle
at the capital gives us our only chance for victory. Out in the plains, they can easily maneuver
around any defenses we might set up.
Here, we can dig ourselves in and the mountains will force them to us.”
The
debate continued along these lines for some time, but in the end no one could
come up with any way to save the southern towns without jeopardizing the
capital. Horace’s plan was approved by a
unanimous vote and messengers were sent out to all the military outposts.
#
“What’s
going to happen to us?” asked Dinah.
“I
think we’ll be all right,” answered Jacob.
They
were lying next to each other in the dewy grass staring up at the sky as the
light of the morning sun gently washed away the darkness. When Jacob and the three abductees had
returned during the night, they had found the entire village up waiting for
them. After welcoming them back they had
all returned to their huts to try to find the sleep that had been eluding them
all for the past few days. Dinah and
Jacob, however, had not even been able to pretend that they could find rest
that night--the excitement of their adventure was still burning too intensely
inside them. Instead they had stayed up
talking, watching the stars drift by overhead.
“But
they’ll come back. I’m sure of it,”
continued Dinah.
“So
what? They’re only human. There’s no reason we can’t fight them off.”
“Maybe,
but there’s something unnatural about them.
Like...I don’t know, but it makes me uneasy.”
“I
was a captain in the most powerful army every assembled on this continent. I refuse to be beaten by a handful of crazy
guys running around in the jungle, trying to scare people by jumping out of the
shadows at them.”
“Is
that where you got that medallion you wear, from your army?”
“No,
well at least not directly. They gave
this to my father and it was given to me from him. I used to have one of my own as well, but
I’ve always preferred wearing his. It
helps to remind me that everything I achieve is only because of all that he did
for me.”
“Tell
me about him.”
“Life
seemed so simple for him. He always knew
what the right thing to do was and he did it.
He sacrificed so much for my mother and me, but never thought anything
of it because to him it was just the proper thing to do, and doing anything
else was inconceivable. I’m afraid that
I’m never going to be able to see things as clearly as he did. I wish that he were still alive so that he
could teach me how he did it.”
“Well
I’m sure he was a great man if he managed to raise such an amazing son. He must have been so proud of you.”
“I
was still young when he died, but yes, I think he was.”
“I
don’t see how he couldn’t have been.”
They
continued lying there watching the sky.
It had now turned deep blue without a trace of cloud to mar its
perfection. It was going to be a fine
day.
“Good
morning,” they heard Nobi’s voice addressing them.
Jacob
sat up to look at him, “Hey there.”
“Good morning,” said Dinah, sitting
up as well.
“I
didn’t get a chance to ask you last night, Jacob, but I’ve been dying to find
out from you what they were like,” said Nobi.
“They
were horrible,” burst out Dinah before Jacob could respond, “dark and cold and
strong, but they weren’t any problem for Jacob.
He thinks we can fight them.”
Nobi
laughed, “Perhaps you can, but the rest of us are far too weak to stand up
against them.”
“You
don’t have to be,” replied Jacob. “I
could train you, if you’re willing to put in the effort to learn.”
“Of
course!” answered Nobi. “I’d do anything
to be as strong as you, and I’m sure there are plenty of other men in the village
who feel the same way.”
“Great,”
said Jacob. “Gather them and we can
start right away.”
#
They
had been sitting in their positions with nothing to do but wait for two days
straight, but they would not have to wait much longer. Two scouts had just returned on their weary
steeds to report that the savages would arrive within the hour. The thousands of soldiers arranged in neat
rows formed a formidable wall in front of the southern gate to the city, their
guns trained on the vast open space before them ready to release a ferocious
barrage onto anything that dared approach.
They seemed impervious to any attack--particularly from an enemy with
fewer than one tenth their men and armed with nothing but big sticks. Yet this was exactly the enemy they were
expecting, and there was not a man there who was not terrified.
No
one dared say a word as the savages came into view. Silently, they watched the black mass sweep
irresistibly toward them, each man fighting the desire to fire early or break
ranks and flee. If they were to fend off
this foe, it would only be through superior discipline and organization. The savages were now close enough for the
individual bodies to be distinguishable, and they appeared even more horrible
than the reports had described them. It
was the way they looked right through the army set up against them that made
them so terrifying. Those distant, but
intense, gazes conveyed a sense that they viewed the rows of guns before them
as nothing more than a minor detail on the path to their ultimate goal.
“First
wave, prepare to fire!” called out one of the captains.
The
savages did not seem to notice as the thousands of guns were pointed at them.
“First
wave, fire!”
The
eruption of gunfire was deafening. The
first wave was followed immediately by the second, with each of the five groups
firing as the group ahead of them reloaded, allowing them to keep the area in
front of them covered with a continuous blanket of bullets. Soon the air was so filled with smoke that it
was impossible for them to see their targets.
Unable to aim, they hoped that the sheer volume of firepower would make
accuracy unimportant. It was a full five
minutes before the command to cease fire was given.
When
the smoke finally dissipated, it revealed the ground to be littered with small
craters, but not a single body. In fact,
there was no sign of the savages, either living or dead. The army looked about themselves in panicked
confusion until at last a single voice called out, “Over there, fleeing into
the mountains!”
They
had split themselves in two, half going to the east and half to the west. How they had managed to cover so much ground
in five minutes was a mystery, but now the more important question was what to
do about it. It only took a moment for the
commanders to organize themselves and send half the divisions to pursue one
group and half to pursue the other.
Fleeing enemies were always incapable of instilling fear, and so the
soldiers quickly found their courage and began running after them with all
haste. Even after they reached the lower
foothills, where the terrain offered many opportunities to set ambushes, they
continued their pursuit at a reckless pace.
The ground rapidly became more rugged, but they refused to allow
themselves to be slowed down, for their quarry had already disappeared amongst
the hills and they were afraid of losing them.
Soon, however, they were encountering sheer rock faces that had to be
climbed in order to be crossed. After
having ventured only a little ways into this area, the commanders realized the
futility of continuing and gave the order to break off the hunt. The savages obviously possessed superior
physical strength and would easily be able to increase the distance between
them in terrain such as this. Besides,
nothing lived in the mountains. They
would soon be forced either to come down on their own or to die of cold and
malnutrition in those hostile heights.
#
Even
though Dinah had set out to collect herbs just after sunrise, by midday her
basket still only contained a meager sampling of the more common leaves. She was too happy to concentrate on her
work. Her entire being was infused with
a sensation of such splendor that devoting thought to anything else seemed like
an act of idolatry. It was so much
greater than any other emotion she had ever encountered that she felt the need
to free her mind from all other occupations so that it could focus on trying to
appreciate it fully. Yet, at the same
time, she had a lingering fear that if she stopped moving it would
disappear. Fate always seemed to have a
way of punishing those who let her gifts lead to idleness.
With
regret she realized that it was time to return to the village. Slowly she began making her way back,
dreading the possibility of being drawn into conversations about the mundane
happenings in the other villagers’ lives.
How could she be interested in any of that now? Her life had changed in a way that none had
ever experienced before her. She was
sure of this. This happiness was too
powerful and too real to ever be tarnished by the sorrows of the world.
Her
joy blazed forth with renewed strength, incinerating the thin residue of gloom
that had settled on her, when the first person she saw upon entering the
village was Jacob. Here was someone who
would understand her. She rushed over to
him, her face glowing so brilliantly with elation that it caused his to
suddenly light up in a smile as well.
“Jacob,
I’m so glad to see you. I have something
absolutely wonderful to tell you. Last
night, Nobi asked me to be his wife!”
#
How
could they all be cheering? What madness
had caused them to greet their own destruction with such enthusiasm? It was like watching a man applaud the
efforts of a bandit who was beating his body and stealing his gold. Jacob alone remained silent in the crowded
street in front of the capital after Kathryn had finished her speech declaring
the end of the Empire. It struck him as
unfair that an institution like the Empire, which had done so much good for so
many people, could be undone by the words of a single person. How could she claim that right? Although, it was now apparent that it was not
just a single person who was behind this tragedy. In fact, by the way the other soldiers around
him were reacting, it seemed as if he might be the only one in the entire
Empire who had been left uninformed of this revolt.
It
had to be stopped. Whatever divine
powers were responsible for ensuring justice in the world had clearly abandoned
them, but Jacob refused to suffer for their lapse. Order would be restored if he had to take on
every living being, natural or unnatural, on the continent by himself to do it.
“Who
will stand up with me and fight for the Empire?” he cried out over the
triumphant shouts of celebration.
The
men of his division surrounding him were suddenly struck with shame. They all worshipped their captain for both
his god-like skill and the unmatched discipline with which it had been forged. Now they had allowed the emotion of the
moment to sweep away their own discipline and cause them to forget their
loyalties. With one cry they drew their
weapons and fell in behind Jacob. Then
following their captain’s lead, the twenty men plunged into the sea of
thousands. Their ultimate goal was to
reach the emperor and secure his safety.
Only Jacob believed that they had any hope of succeeding.
At
first the other soldiers gave way before them, caught completely off guard by
the sudden attack. It was not long,
however, before they regrouped themselves and began swarming in on Jacob and
his men. The small band of
counter-revolutionaries soon found their forward progress halted by the
overwhelming force that stood in their path.
Despite the valor with which they fought, they were all quickly subdued
and bound by their fellow soldiers. Only
Jacob managed to escape capture. A
continuous stream of men poured in on him from all sides, but he dispatched
them as rapidly as they came in. Jacob
eventually accepted the fact that he had no hope of gaining ground against
them, but at the same time they were just as powerless to defeat him. He knew that fatigue would inevitably cause
him to succumb to their virtually limitless numbers, but until that moment was
reached, he was determined to make as many of them share in his suffering as he
could.
Then
he heard a familiar voice call out his name.
Ignoring everything else around him, he looked up and saw Jorim. Had he come to help? No, there was something funny about the way
he was looking at him. Although if he
had not come to help, then what other purpose could Jorim have had in seeking
him out? Surely he had not joined
them. Jacob walked out to him, only
dimly aware of the weak blows he was instinctively parrying as he did so. He stopped in front of his friend, considering
him calmly in an attempt to discern his motives. Then he saw it, so subtle yet betraying
everything. Jorim’s right hand had
reached around to grab his pole-axe as soon as Jacob had approached. After all they had shared with one another
over the years--urging each other on during the harsh training at the academy,
fighting side by side in so many battles, joking around together as they
recuperated from their missions in the capital--Jorim now considered him to be
an enemy. The futility of the battle he
was fighting suddenly fell on Jacob with a weight too oppressive to bear. If even his most beloved friend had been
taken from him, what else was left to fight for? He let his pole-axe fall from his hand as he
turned to walk away.
#
All
morning as he went about his chores, Jacob was preoccupied with thoughts about
the strange course his life had taken.
He had been in that village for just over two years now--long enough
that he no longer considered his life there as some bizarre, backward ordeal,
but rather as the norm. It was only on
rare occasions such as this when he would think back to his former life in the
Empire. Without his realizing it, he had
finally been able to let go of his grief over the loss of that world. What had allowed him to do that which he had
once thought could never be done?
The
answer seemed obvious to him now that he had finally realized the
question. When the world had taken one
joy from him it had given him another, although he had not fully grasped what
it was until just now. Dinah had been so
faithful to him, always trying to bring happiness into his life despite the way
he had continually pushed her away. In
the past few months he had begun to open up more, but still he had held
back. It was her devotion to him that
had mended the wounds left by the revolution, so why had he been so reluctant
to show her that same devotion in return?
Had he been so scared of rejection, of finding out that her feelings
were not as strong as he desperately hoped them to be? What did that matter? Even if she would laugh at him for the rest
of his life for his feelings, surely she had earned that right through her
kindness and dedication. His heart belonged
to her more certainly than it had ever belonged to the Empire. It was his duty to offer it to her
willingly. What she chose to do with it
was her own business.
He
had been told that she had left very early in the morning to gather herbs. It was just after midday now, so he figured
that she would be returning soon to eat.
Jacob walked along one of the paths that led to the outskirts of the
village, hoping to be able to catch her as soon as she returned. He was pleased by his good fortune to see her
entering the clearing almost as soon as he had reached its edge. Her entire body was alight with a joy that
filled him with an intense pleasure as well.
He had not noticed before how important her happiness was to him.
“Jacob, I’m so glad to
see you. I have something absolutely
wonderful to tell you,” she said before he had a chance to greet her. “Last night, Nobi asked me to be his wife!”
“Oh,” he said flatly.
Without seeming to
notice the lack of enthusiasm in his response she continued, “Isn’t that great
news! He’s such a wonderful man! I feel so lucky!”
A myriad of things he
wanted to say stormed into Jacob’s mind.
How could she say that she felt lucky?
It was certainly no miracle that Nobi should have fallen in love with
her. With beauty such as hers, to see
her was to love her. Yet her physical
splendor appeared almost repulsive when compared to that which came from
within. Her limitless kindness, her
ability to find joy in every object and situation, the humility which gave her
such courage to face her own faults--and these were only the basest of her
attributes that his feeble mind was able to grasp. If he were permitted to devote the rest of
his life to the task, he would not be able even to begin to appreciate or
describe her greatness in a way that did not dishonor it with its
inadequacy. Did Nobi see it too? It would be so easy to miss the spiritual for
the physical, and yet doing so would be the most tragic act a man could
commit. No, she was not the lucky
one. For her to give her love even to
the greatest of men would be to soil the stuff of heaven with the mire of the
terrestrial.
All he managed to say
was, “Congratulations,” through a smile that Dinah was too happy to notice was
forced.
#
Jacob had stopped
checking over his shoulder, for even if any of the rebels had decided to follow
him, they would have given up by now.
What concern was he to them anyway?
They had toppled the Empire and controlled the capital. One escaped loyalist meant nothing. Nevertheless, he continued choosing the most
difficult path straight up the side of the mountain. At this height the ground was covered in
snow, which was constantly being stirred up by the swirling winds, degrading
both the footing and the visibility. The
strain of the climb was already causing his muscles to burn beneath his numbed
skin, but rather than slowing him, the pain angered him and caused him to
quicken his pace out of contempt for it.
Physical pain was such a trivial thing with which to deal.
He was afraid to
stop. Not from fear of the hypothermia
that would quickly set in once his body came to rest, but from fear of having
to face the despair he had left below.
Although he had witnessed many minor exceptions, Jacob had always
considered the world to be a more or less just place where people eventually
received what they deserved. This was
not a formal belief that he would have ever put into words. He did not believe in the pagan gods of old
who could manipulate a man’s fate in accordance with his actions. It was more of an assumption that he made
without ever realizing it. Now that he
had experienced a loss that was both undeserved and irreparable, he found that
he was faced with the choice of either disbelieving something that had been
almost axiomatic to him, or disbelieving events that he had witnessed
firsthand. This had set up a conflict
within him that he had only understood well enough to know that he would prefer
to suffer anything else rather than face it.
Suddenly the wind died
down, and for a moment the snow settled so that he was able to see the summit
now only a few hundred feet away. He
could also see the land stretching out beneath him for miles in every
direction. Never before had he been
struck so acutely by what a big place the world was. He had climbed as high as he could, and now
he had no choice but to descend back into it.
#
As he plunged further
into the jungle, Jacob did not know where he was going, only that he needed to
get away from the village. All the
ground he had gained in his recovery from the loss of the Empire had been wiped
out by the loss of Dinah. Actually, he
now realized that he had in fact chosen a deliberate course. He was pushing south along the path Dinah’s
kidnappers had taken about two months earlier.
Even in such a short span of time, the jungle had grown back so as
almost completely to hide the wounds inflicted by those fell creatures, but now
Jacob was certain that this was the same track he had followed then. He also realized that his subconscious hope
had been to find more of those dark men so that his torment might inflict
itself on others and thus leave him.
The vegetation was
packed tight, and he had not brought a machete.
Each foot he traveled was bought only with an intense battle against the
plant-life, but he pressed through it ferociously, leaving an unmistakable path
behind him. Then the jungle suddenly
gave way and Jacob found himself staring at a small hill covered in deep green
grass and bathed in golden sunlight. It
rose perhaps thirty feet into the air and was about fifty in diameter. Standing in a circle around its crown were
thirteen tall, jagged rocks, each twice the height of a man. Jacob stood for a moment wondering at the
sort of people who might have erected them there before he began walking
cautiously up the slope. As he entered
the ring of stone pillars, he noticed a wide hole in the center reaching deep
into the hill. He peered over its edge,
and was straining unsuccessfully to see its bottom through the darkness when a
low rumbling sound began emanating from it, causing him to step back. The sound gradually grew in volume until it
developed into a deafening roar that made the ground tremble. Fearful that the stones around him might
fall, Jacob retreated to the base of the hill.
Then something very
large shot up out of the hill and into the air.
It moved so quickly that Jacob was not able to get a good look at it
until it had fallen back to the ground and come to rest amid the pillars. Even then it took a moment for his mind to
determine what it was--it was so unlike anything he had ever seen before. It was a dragon. The familiar creature it most resembled to
Jacob was a snake, only one that was at least fifty feet in length. It presently sat with the lower two thirds of
its body coiled beneath it and the rest sticking rigidly straight up. A set of folded-up wings hung down its sides,
with a pair of long slender arms extending from beneath them. Its great eyes had slit pupils like those of
any common reptile, but somehow they seemed to convey a sense of intelligence. They had a hypnotic effect as well, causing
Jacob to lose track of how long he was caught staring into them. Then, without any prior betrayal of its
intentions, it sprang toward him with a quickness that hardly seemed possible
for a creature of its size. It took
Jacob a moment to react and try to fling himself clear of the beast’s
path. This hesitation prevented him from
completely avoiding it, and the dragon’s swiping arm gave him a glancing blow
along one side. Although he was spared
the larger part of its power, the impact still sent him flying into the
jungle. Branches snapped free as his
body crashed through them until at last he smashed into a thick tree trunk and
fell to the ground. Instantly he was
back on his feet walking toward the clearing.
Without breaking his stride, he bent down and picked up one of the
larger branches that were now strewn about the ground. When he once more reached the clearing, he
saw the dragon some twenty feet away towering high above him.
“If you had run off
into the jungle and never returned, I might have let you live,” it hissed at
him in an unctuous voice.
The fact that such a
creature even existed was a shock enough to Jacob that the additional surprise
of its ability to speak added nothing to it.
Jacob had been searching for an object for his wrath--someone whom he
could hold responsible for all the grief he had ever suffered. Now, confronted by a creature that could
easily have been the inspiration for men centuries ago to believe in gods that
played games with their lives, he had found it.
“If you had killed me
when I had been off my guard, you might have survived this encounter,” Jacob
replied.
The beast stared back
at him with a visible rage in its eyes as a fire that had lain dormant for
centuries was rekindled in its belly.
Throwing its mouth open wide, it spat forth this flame toward the
insolent creature standing before it.
This time, however, Jacob was ready.
He leapt to the side, easily avoiding the attack. Again and again, the dragon shot its searing
flames at him, but it found nothing but the grass around the outer edge of the
clearing. The intense heat caused the
blades instantly to ignite, but the fires were quickly overcome by the
ever-present dampness and potent life of the greenery, leaving only the
charred, naked ground as a testament to its wrath.
At last admitting to
itself that its prey was too quick for such tactics, the dragon lunged toward
him. Jacob stood his ground as its
gaping jaw flew ever closer, not moving until it was just about to snap shut
upon him. Then he ducked under the
dragon’s head and drove the jagged end of the branch he had picked up straight
into the soft area directly beneath where the jaw bone was attached. As it connected with the dragon’s tough hide,
the old wound in Jacob’s left shoulder screamed with pain, causing him to
flinch. Nevertheless, the branch had
still been thrust with sufficient power to break through the creature’s skin
and become lodged in its throat. The dragon
recoiled violently and thrashed wildly for a few seconds, while Jacob fell to
his knees clutching his throbbing shoulder.
He had endured the
loss of the institution that had been his only link to the man he had loved
more than any other. He had endured the
loss of the woman who was the only source of joy left to him in. He had even endured the shock of being
confronted by a creature that had no right existing in the real world. All these trials with which fate had attacked
him he had faced, but now fate was cheating.
He should have slain the beast with that blow but had been prevented
from doing so by a wound that by all rights should have healed months ago. It was impossible for Jacob to accept that he
had simply been a victim of bad luck. Chance
could not be so malicious. Some power,
he knew little of its nature, was manipulating his life to bring about his
destruction; and when he had met its challenge, it had resorted to bending the
rules. Although he felt he was likely
facing an omnipotent foe, Jacob vowed not to succumb to this treachery.
The dragon had
recovered somewhat and was preparing for another strike. Jacob thought that the best strategy for him
would be to use his smaller size and superior speed to continue avoiding its
attacks until he found an opening in which he could counter. This was what the rules of logic and reality
dictated. Jacob did not care. Fate had already thrown out these rules in
its assault on him, and now he would not be bound by them either. With all his anger, all his hatred, and all
his pain he charged the dragon.
Delighted by this foolish maneuver, the creature once more thrust its
head toward this now apparently vulnerable target, again opening its jaws to
show its long fangs. As the two met,
Jacob forced the great head aside with a swing of his right arm and proceeded
to drive his good shoulder into its exposed underside. He then reached his arms as far around its
body as he could and gripped it with all the strength he could summon. Not caring that he was smaller and weaker
than his opponent, not caring that his entire left arm had gone numb from the
reaggravated wound, not caring that his tactics had no chance for success,
Jacob began wrestling the beast over onto its back. He was too close to its head for it to reach
him with either its teeth or its deadly flames, so instead it clawed at him
with its arms and lashed at him frantically with its tail.
For hours the two
grappled like this, both their bodies suffering merciless beatings, but neither
letting up in the ferocity of their attacks.
The dragon’s goal was to rip Jacob free from its body so that it could
get at him with its powerful jaws and deliver a decisive blow. Meanwhile, Jacob was struggling to find his
way back to where the branch was still stuck in the monster’s body and to
finish the task he had started there.
Both knew the other’s strategy and both fought feverishly to defend
against it. At last it was Jacob who
reached his goal first, grabbing the wooden shaft with both hands and plunging
it further in. The dragon let out a
terrible roar as it was forced once more over onto its back. Still clutching the branch, Jacob straddled
the beast with his legs and clung on tightly.
It began thrashing its tail wildly, beating Jacob in an attempt to knock
him off. Jacob, however, did not let his
grip with either his legs or his hands slacken.
He ignored the heavy blows that were being landed upon him, focusing
only on the old wound in his left shoulder.
This he continuously cursed for not allowing him to bring the vulnerable
creature’s life to a swift end. Gradually
the writhing lost its intensity until it stopped all together and the monster
lay still beneath Jacob. Only then did
he allow himself to acknowledge the battered state of his body and let go,
slipping off onto the ground.
There he lay, his thoughts suddenly turning to
Dinah. He shuddered at the thought that
she had unknowingly been sharing the jungle with that hideous creature for all
that time. It was gone now, and although
news of his deed may never reach her, he found some comfort in the fact that he
had succeeded in making the world a safer place for her. With this duty completed, he did not resist
as his strength left him completely and he drew his last breath. It was not until several hours after he had
died that the dragon began to stir again.
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