| |
Age of Finality
"It's beginning," Dameneh said. "Their scouts are coming back with information on the warriors."
“Will they attack?”
"No. They come in peace. Prince Anka will summon us soon. I predicted it, and that will scare him. It should scare him."
"Why, if they come in peace?"
"Prince Anka doesn't know peace or cooperation. He knows war. He loves slaughtering his enemies."
They heard footsteps approaching. "Our harbinger of freedom approaches."
***
THE COURT STARED AT Dameneh and Sugriva. Children whispered until parents nudged them to shut up. Even Prince Anka fidgeted on his throne. General Humbari scowled, and from time to time he huffed. It pleased Sugriva immensely.
"I bring this court to session," Prince Anka said. "There are men from the Empire off to the east. They encroach on Bahimatt. Every group—except the desert rats—veered to miss the city, but these warriors head straight for us. Our spies tell us the banner is of the Dian family, a powerful warlord in the Empire. While the Empire cast him out, it is possible this is a ruse."
Prince Anka sighed and rubbed his forehead. "It's impossible to deny Dameneh foresaw this incursion and said we would need Sugriva for it. The Ashtadash guide him, even though he turns his back on them for another spirit. So we will listen to him going forward."
Dameneh said, "Thank you. The One looks over us. The Ashtadash are spirits created by His hand, given no more wisdom than old age awards. My wisdom is found in fear of the One. He shows me the light when darkness surrounds us."
Humbari roared, "He mocks us. He thinks his God protects him? Strike the boy down on the spot and clean him off with a wash cloth. He is nothing."
Prince Anka raised a hand and the general huffed again, but at least he was silent. "I ask that you and Sugriva meet them in the field. If I have someone brave enough, I would ask they go along as a witness."
Divyan stepped forward. "I will watch them."
Prince Anka asked, "Are you sure?"
Divyan nodded. Whispers ripped through the chambers. "He saved all of us. Without him, we would all be enslaved or eaten. As for the boy—" Divyan shrugged.
***
DAMENEH SPENT MOST of the day talking about the One. Sugriva was fairly sure by nightfall they had heard every story there was in the history of the religion. They set up camp at dusk, and Dameneh informed them how important it was they believed. He said it was a great blessing that Sugriva converted. Divyan remained stoic in the face of a heretic.
After the camp was set up, Divyan said, "I'll scout ahead." Divyan went up in his hawk form.
Dameneh said, "You did something to him. But he doesn't seem angry, or you would be dead."
"No." Sugriva collected kindle and started the fire. "I gave his daughter the confidence to disobey him. I think in another life, when we were of the right caste, the idea of me marrying her would excite him."
"Is she still alive?"
Sugriva nodded, staying by the fire as the plains cooled in the night. "She flew off. Her husband died bravely. She rewed shortly after."
"Do you still talk to her?"
Sugriva howled, his eyes crescents from mirth. "Divyan would kill me. That and she strings me along pretty well. I'm outcaste already, so what's it matter?"
"There are strict rules on being outcaste, but here you are. I heard the story of you leaving, but never of you returning."
"That story is a ways off. But I was not accepted back. I forced my way back."
"Your people are harsh." Dameneh poked the fire, his voice somber.
"All people are harsh. Gentle people are rare."
"True. My people nearly turned on me more than once, fickle and faithless. I’d go away to see the One. He tells me what to do. By the time I return, they curse the One, profaning His name with idols and indecent acts. The world is harsh, but one day He will remake it."
Divyan swooped down and landed in the grass. "We should reach them tomorrow," he said.
Sugriva asked, "Do you want to watch over us? We could visit them alone with you acting as a scout to go back if something happens."
"We face this together." Divyan put a hand on Sugriva's shoulder. "They seem more refugees than army, though they are well-armed. It seems Bahimatt is a place for the broken. A humble purpose for a city lifted up as powerful and amazing."
Dameneh pulled out food and warmed it over the fire. "I don't know much about the city. My people aren't meant to stay long, just long enough. We haven't reached our promised land."
Sugriva said, "But Bahimatt is the promised land. It's a place of wonder and knowledge."
"When we leave, you decide. Stay in the city or come with us. You can follow the One either way, but it is much easier when surrounded by believers."
During dinner, Dameneh told his story of arriving in Bahimatt. Divyan taught Dameneh about their faith, which the boy was very interested in. Then Dameneh went to sleep.
Sugriva poked at the fire idly, watching the sparks as they exploded.
Divyan asked, "Why come back?"
"Prisha."
"Makes more sense than what Humbari thinks. He thinks you wanted your dharma back." Another moment of silence. "But why? Prisha betrays you every time. She treats you like dung."
"I love her. I will always love her. We were destined, just not in this life."
"If you are destined for Prisha, Sugriva, you are destined to suffer. Prisha is not a good woman. You deserve better. At the very least, you deserve the sanity you lost for coming back."
"Did I ever tell you about meeting the Ashtadash?"
"No. I heard rumors and saw glimpses of your power when we defended Jaya. Tell me about it."