Chapter 5
Malachi woke up before the others, as he usually would. The moon was just starting to come up, so he decided to start a small fire for them to light a couple torches with, as well as reheat the venison that was previously cooked last night. He threw the meat into the pan that he had held above the fire, when Josiah woke up,
“Well good morning Josiah,” said Malachi while yawning, but seemingly cheerful. “How did you sleep?”
“Well,” he replied. “When you play your ocarina, it always puts us to sleep. I feel you did it mostly to silence Jezreel, whose claws were extended greatly last night.” They laughed at this, and Malachi gave no reply to his statement, so Josiah was not sure if he was correct or not. However, it did not matter.
“Where are you taking us?” asked Josiah, hopeful that Malachi would actually tell him something since the others were asleep and it was just the two of them. Malachi looked around to see if the others were still sleeping, which after a careful look, he saw that they were all continuing in their slumber.
“Do you believe me?” asked Malachi.
“To be honest, it is hard to do so,” replied Josiah, looking at the ground while poking at the fire. He yawned and continued speaking. “You don’t ever seem to tell us anything, so I have no evidence of you ever lying to us since you’ve never said anything to lie about. However, part of me wants to think that you are just aging more in mind then in body, but the other part of me wants to say that since you’ve been training us for God knows what for years, that you started before you could have gone crazy, so maybe you’re right. The story that you were telling us is hard to believe in itself, but you are easier to believe than the story. As for your question of whether or not I believe you, I can honestly say that I cannot say.” Malachi chuckled as he took the venison off the pan now that it was reheated. Once he moved the pan off the fire, he just stared at the fire deeply, as if he was trying to read the fire.
“You’ve always been the smarter one of the group,” said Malachi as his eyes never left the fire. “Your reasoning for your possible disbelief is understandable. The others think I’m crazy, but you look farther into that. You search the past for answers in the future. Though that’s not always a good thing, it is this time in your reasoning. You asked me where I’m taking you. There is a reason that I told you all to bring your weapons with you.” Just then they heard Jezreel yawn and sit up. Malachi said no more and left Josiah very puzzled, and somewhat scared.
“What was his reason for us to bring weapons?” he thought to himself. “Weapons are for fighting…”
“Morning,” said Jezreel, still slightly half asleep. It would not take her long to wake up though. “I’m going to go behind that tree for a bit. When I’m back, I’ll want some of that meat.” After she said this, she walked behind a nearby tree. She never was private about hardly anything.
“Josiah,” called Malachi. Josiah looked at Malachi and said nothing, just waited.
“You’ve always been the quiet one of the group. As for what I have said to you, I need you to practice your reputation,” ordered Malachi with a serious look in his eye. Josiah understood and nodded.
Jezreel returned as Caiaphas woke up with a yawn. He looked at everyone with a blank stare as he attempted to stand up. His attempt, however, almost failed since he had issues with balance when he would first wake up. He caught his balance though, and walked over toward the fire and plopped himself down beside Malachi.
“Is the meat ready yet?” asked Jezreel. She was always impatient, but when she has just recently woken up, her impatience increases dramatically.
“It will be ready momentarily,” replied Malachi. “When it is ready, we still have to wait for Ezra to wake up. I want us all to eat simultaneously, so we can all leave with a full stomach.”
“Get up Ezra!” shouted Jezreel as she kicked him, trying to wake him up. Ezra, with his quick reflexes, grabbed his staff that was lying right beside him and swung at her, knocking her upside the head. When he realized that he was in no immediate danger, and that it was just Jezreel being irritating, he got up and apologized to her.
“I’m sorry, Jezreel,” he said as he helped her up. He hit her pretty hard, so she was knocked on to the ground.
“I didn’t know who it was,” he tried explaining. “I was dreaming that I was being attacked, and when you kicked me I felt threatened since I was asleep. I didn’t know it was…” He was interrupted by a blow to the gut from Jezreel’s fist. Then she grabbed his clothes from his back and threw him on the ground. She was about to hit his jaw when Malachi interjected.
“Enough!” he cried. “This is not how you need to act toward each other. Jezreel, it was an accident. You have been so moody lately, much more than usual. What is your problem?”
“My problem is you, old man,” she barked. “I’m just really tired of you leading us around aimlessly through the woods. Yea, sure, you’ve provided for us since we were kids, but you’re not even my real father. If you don’t like how I’m acting, then too bad. But as soon as I get to laugh in your face about this so called ‘sun,’ I’ll be gone faster than you can call me back. The only reason I’m still here is to laugh in your face when I finally get the chance.” After she finished ranting, she snatched a piece of the reheated venison from the pan and walked off into the woods and sat on a fallen log, facing away from the others.
“Malachi, I’m sorry,” said Ezra feeling guilty. “She wouldn’t have said those things if I hadn’t have hit her. I should have been more aware.”
“No, Ezra, it is not your fault,” reassured Malachi. “She has always been the most impatient and abrasive of the group. I know you all resent me at least a little bit for keeping you all with me and always training you for reasons you do not even know. But when you do know, you will all look at me much differently, including Jezreel. That is where my mind is set.”
Josiah and Caiaphas wanted no say in this. They didn’t want to say anything wrong, so they just silently ate their venison, pretending that nothing ever happened as they stared into the fire. Josiah looked up into the sky and saw the countless stars and a bright waning moon. He knew it was about nine in the morning. He made Caiaphas and Ezra aware of this, so they all ate faster, knowing that Malachi was probably already aware of the time, and probably wanted to depart soon.
Ezra walked toward Jezreel slowly, hoping that maybe he could get to her before she could hear him and shoo him away. He succeeded with this and stood in front of her. To his surprise she didn’t seem to mind. He knelt down on one knee and looked at her.
“Are you okay?” he asked concerned. He was referring to if she was okay physically since he hit her pretty hard, but an emotional answer would have been welcomed just as warmly.
“I have a bump on the side of my head now,” she replied. You could tell that she was still mad, but that she was also calming down.
“I really am sorry,” apologized Ezra. “I was just having this crazy dream that I was being attacked, and it was just reflex when you kicked me.”
“No, I’m sorry. I shouldn’t have kicked you. I’m just really frustrated with that crazy old man. Why is he taking us out here? He’s never let us out here before. I don’t even know why we listened to him back then.” As she progressed in her speech, her fists clenched and she seemed to regain her anger.
“Calm down, Jezreel,” begged Ezra. “We don’t need you going on another tantrum.” After he said this, she forced her anger to subside. Not for her, not for Malachi, but for Ezra.
“Are the tantrums really necessary?” asked Ezra.
“I don’t mean to have them,” she replied. “I can’t believe that my last tantrum led to me hitting you though. Josiah or Caiaphas I wouldn’t have cared as much if I hit, but you, you’re usually the one that can calm me down and that didn’t even work. I just can’t wait to laugh in his face.” When she said ‘his,’ she looked over at Malachi to see him sitting by the fire. Caiaphas and Josiah were just finishing their venison. They seemed like they were perfectly content with waiting for Ezra and Josiah to finish talking before they took off. They didn’t seem like they were listening; however, Malachi has much better hearing than they think, and has heard every word.
“What if Malachi is right though?” asked Ezra.
“You can’t be seriously thinking that!”
“I’m not saying that he is, but on the off chance that he is, what would you do? You’re so set on leaving as soon as you get your laugh in, but you also promised that if he was right that you would listen to his story and follow him. What if he is right? Will you keep your promise?”
“If he’s right,” she began to say with a laugh in disbelief, “then I’ll do whatever it is that he wants us to do, and I swear that on my own daggers.” She grabbed her daggers in her hands when she said this, feeling proud and mighty. “I am so sure that he’s wrong, that I will swear on this.” Ezra looked a bit disappointed in her strong lack of faith toward Malachi, but couldn’t disagree with her.
“If he is wrong, I’ll leave with you,” said Ezra as he put his hand on her shoulder. She was surprised to hear this.
“Why would you come with me?” she asked feeling immensely curious.
“Do you remember, after I beat Malachi, that kiss you gave me?” Jezreel squirmed feeling a little uncomfortable.
“Yeah, why?” she asked softly.
“I’ve been thinking about that kiss a lot. I’ve always been drawn to you, but I thought it was like a brother and sister kind of attraction. But after that kiss, it’s different now. Why did you kiss me?”
“It was just a simple congratulatory kiss,” she barked. “I was just excited at the moment.” She started to feel very uncomfortable. Malachi was still able to hear every word that was being said, but he did not let that become known to them.
“Was it really, Jezreel?” asked Ezra as he moved closer toward her, staring in her pale green eyes. “Was it really that simple?”
“Yes, I swear,” she insisted, feeling very nervous now.
“Then prove it,” said Ezra simply. “Kiss me, and tell me that you feel absolutely nothing. I can tell when you lie, so don’t try lying.”
“Fine,” she snooted. “If that’s really what you…” she didn’t get a chance to finish her sentence. Ezra grabbed her face with both hands and planted his lips on hers. His coarse hands pressing on her face like he was holding something fragile, but he dared not drop it. His lips did not gently press against her lips. They were almost forced, to the point where they could feel where their lips stopped being pressed because they were stopped by their teeth. Jezreel was at first surprised, but within the first second, she relaxed and let it happen. She grabbed hold on the front of his robe and pulled him closer. After the initial kiss, neither of the two found the ability so stop, so they continued with much more passion. His hands on her face, her hands pulling of his robe, their tongues meeting as a median between each other’s mouths. A warm breath between each kiss intensified the heat between their faces. Then he pulled away and looked at her. Her eyes were still closed, her lips still in the position to kiss, her hands still holding tight to Ezra’s robe. She opened her eyes and looked at him like she had never looked at him before.
“So was it really that simple?” repeated Ezra and he smiled at her. She need not reply. The look on her face said everything he needed to know. She let go of his robe and started to feel like she could never leave his side. She had even forgotten about Malachi and her frustration with him. That is, of course, until he called for them.
“Ezra, Jezreel, we need to leave soon,” he cried toward them. He didn’t want to say anything about their kiss, however he knew about it. He caught a glance for a brief second, and knew that it would happen eventually. He had predicted it since they were kids. He had hoped it would happen soon, so Jezreel could have someone that could definitely calm her down when she went on her tantrums. Ezra and Jezreel stood up and walked towards the others as casually as possible. Caiaphas and Josiah had no idea about their kiss; they just knew that they had had some sort of conversation and that Jezreel seemed much calmer afterwards.
“Well, let’s go,” prodded Jezreel, trying to hide the new found sparkle in her eye. Ezra had no intention of hiding it, but deduced that Jezreel probably want the others to know yet, so he didn’t make a mention of it.
“You took quite a while to talk out there,” commented Caiaphas. “What was the hold up?”
“Just blowing of some steam,” replied Jezreel quickly without making eye contact.
“Yeah, just trying to clear things up,” added Ezra as he looked at Jezreel. Jezreel gave him a smile as she slightly bit her lip. She didn’t want to stop kissing him, but she also didn’t want the others no know, not yet anyways. They all got up and grabbed their stuff, put out the fire, packed everything that needed to be packed, and within five minutes, the entire camp with taken down and they were on their feet ready to go.
“Well, I guess we move onward,” said Josiah.
“Yeah, to only God knows where,” said Jezreel. Even though she was much calmer and even a bit happier after the kiss with Ezra, she was still a bit frustrated with this whole journey.
“Malachi, which way?” asked Ezra.
“Hmm, this way,” he said shortly as he began to walk in the direction he pointed towards without delay. The others followed him eagerly since they all knew that they were close, based on the way Malachi was walking. Ezra looked at Jezreel, and Jezreel knew that by this look, he wanted to talk to her, so she slowed a bit and they two of them walked a short distance behind the others. Ezra and Jezreel were somewhat close even before the kiss, so they had certain looks that they would give each other that said entire sentences that only they could decipher.
“When do we tell the others?” asked Ezra.
“I’m not sure, but not now, that I know for sure,” replied Jezreel.
“Why not now?”
“That way, when I laugh in Malachi’s face and leave, you can come with me, and no one will have to know about it.”
“So if Malachi is right, we can tell them?”
“If, IF he’s right, then we can tell them,” she agreed. After this small talk, they sped up and walked with the others. The woods they were in were pretty thick. There was no path, and there was a smell in the air that seemed warm. The air also seemed thicker, kind of stuffy. The ground was going downhill with a slope that wasn’t very steep, but noticeable. They walked in silence so they could listen to the environment around them. The birds flying about, the squirrels above them in the trees, even an occasional deer could be heard prancing away when they got close to it. They could tell what animal it was just based on the sound of its footsteps. Since it was always dark there, they heavily relied on senses other than sight, such as hearing.
Suddenly, Malachi stopped, and the others mimicked him. He walked toward a tree and started to feel it. He rubbed his hand up and down it for a few seconds, and then he spoke.
“Ah,” he said with a grin. “Here it is.”