ChiarOscuro/Book One/Episode Three - A Snake Eating It's Own Tail

VII - Sanctuary

 VII – Sanctuary

(2,121 Words)

“Ah Gods help me, please save me, I don’t want to die.”

“Dakar, it’s just a shell backed snake” said Dasha as they all turned back to see him cowering as the slithering snake, with a dark yellow-shell that ran down from his eyes down to the point of his tail, rustled through the brown leaves that littered the path up the rocky mountains “They’re harmless, don’t you ever listen to anything you’re taught?”

“Harmless? That thing was two meters long, it didn’t look harmless to me” he said as he dug his walking stick into the ground with some force, hitting the rock which caused his to bounce back and fall on his backside “Those twenty gold pieces aren’t looking like they’re worth it, not for this.”

“Quit complaining, we’re not far now” said Dasha as she turned back round and continued walking up the path.

The trees of the mountain shielded them from the heat of the afternoon as they neared the mountain top. Akello had told Dasha that in the past, when Nephlin still walked the lands, this path was tended for and along it, during the night, would run burning candles placed upon the balls of rock that ran along the path so if you looked up to the mountain, it seemed to glow, hence the nickname of the Lighthouse Mountain.

Now though, the path was broken, roots had cracked the slabs of stone and the balls of rock had either rolled down the mountain or had been overrun by the forest which had started to reclaim the path.

‘To think Sailem used to to do this every week’ she thought to herself as she looked on ahead as the path kept rising before turning right and disappearing behind the mountain side.

“Hey, can we take a break?” called out Manny as he lift Dakar up like a doll with one arm to his feet though Dakar didn’t appreciate it.

“Sure, let’s take a small break, hey Isa” called out Dasha ahead of her “We’re taking a break.”

“Fine” said Isa as she backtracked and joined them as they opened their pouches of water and opened up their bags with their lunch. Several pieces of fruit and vegetables, a loaf of bread and cooked pork. Dakar watched in disgust as Manny wolfed down his food, stuffing more than he could chew in his mouth at once which made Isa giggle and Wex look down at his food with disgust.

“So, who are you Manny? I’ve never seen you about until today and how did you get this task given to you?” said Dakar as Manny took long gulps of water before burping loudly in relief.

“Oh, well, Dasha saw me carrying a few things about so she figured she could use someone like me” he said as he bit into an apple.

‘The nerve’ she thought to herself as Dakar remained unconvinced.

“What about you guys? Are you all Dasha’s Magi friends?” he asked

“Oh, she’s been showing off again has she?” said Dakar looking at Dasha who chucked a peanut at his head.

“I don’t show off and no, I’m the only one” she said as she resumed eating.

“Not many Magi left are there?” he said “They say the Magi have some Demon blood in them, did you know that? Is there something you’re not telling us Dasha?”

“Don’t be stupid” said Isa “That’s not true, it’s just some stupid rumour they started to scare people and there’s no such things as Demons. They’re just a story, a five thousand year old story let me add, to keep dumb people like you scared.”

“I don’t know” said Wex as he chewed and looked through the foliage to the sky before turning his gaze back to the group “The Nephlin texts I’ve read mentioned that they started out as a group to hunt down any demons across the lands. And there are many stories about these Demons.”