JASH
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Sleep didn't come easy.
Jash tossed and turned on his bedroll as he had the same nightmare he did every night.
The nightmare always began with him reciting his vows in front of the Night. Then, his Elder's voice echoed behind closed eyes. Finally, the real nightmare replayed over and over each time he reached deep sleep. In this nightmare, only a year after his induction night, he witnessed the murder of his family.
In the calm night, the first of many long ones, fourteen year old Jash walked in a single line with his brothers-in-arms under the peaceful sky.
Chill winds grazed the nakedness of the boys as they stomped through the woods. Spirited chanting bellowed throughout the forest. The fast beat of drums pounded the same tune as Jash's heart. The spirits from the Sacred Forest channeled themselves from the ground and poured themselves inside of Jash. That night was his to become the warrior every tribesman wanted to be.
Side by side, the younglings stood next to each other, Jash the first one in line. A tall darker skinned boy with big biceps leaned to Jash's left. He stared vacantly into the darkness.
Only a year older than himself with Tenjuian blood, Jash only saw the boy during hunting lessons. Jash didn't know his name. On Jash's right, the village's he village's self-proclaimed protector, Voesis, huffed with defiance. The boy ran rampant through the village just minutes before the induction ceremony. Jash made a mental note to stay away from that particular kid. The rest of the seven selected were other younglings found throughout Gaia. Even the tribe's chieftess allowed the Mothi child to join.
Although this year's batch of younglings seemed rough around the edges, Jash welcomed his new brothers anyhow. No matter who they were, Jash would be devoted to each and every one of them. That was the Gaian way. The thought of fighting in honor alongside his brothers gave Jash a sense of title.
Duty. Honor. The only two things that truly matter to the Jash—most importantly to Elder Andr.
Elder Andr sat on the forest floor with his legs crossed, just like the others. Each Elder being a mentor to the upcoming wolf in the Night. Kazikosi, shuffled horizontally with a mortar and a small hunting knife in her hands. The sap from the Whisper Willows glistened in the mortal. Kazikosi first stopped at Jash. She handed Jash the hunting knife.
"Jashiya, son of strength. Please recite your vows."
Jash used the hunting knife to cut a slit into the palm of his hand. Kazikosi held the mortar out for Jash. Crimson red blood dripped from his wrist as he poured the blood over the sap. The wound ached, but in a good way. He stood with his chest upright, making direct eye contact with his Elder. Jash recited the vows he'd practiced since birth:
"...ay Andr yi mi wit, Ai cleansi mi bloo ani mi heart thi warrior wai. Shalyi ai forge m'wai, Andr shalyi bi m'judgi..."
(As Andr is my witness, I cleanse my blood and open my heart to the warrior way. Shall I forget my way, Andr shall be my judge).
Jash's Elder nodded his head in approval.
"Son of strength, what is your reborn name?"
"Patfindi." Pathfinder
"Remember it."
Pride swelled within Jash's heart. The road to warriorship had just begun.
He heard their screams before he saw their bodies. He ran as fast as he could, but when he got there, it was already too late. The hut, silent as a mouse, seemed rather normal. When he opened the hut, red streaks flowed from the walls as they painted vivid scenes of death. The scent of metal made him gag. A large shadow—a man with a wicked grin lurked in the small home.
Jash never forgot that face.
Patfindi. The old Tenjuian word caused unnecessary turmoil in Jash's life.
"Remember the name."
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Jash stirred in his sleep.
The confrontation between the Night Warriors and the pirati left a bad taste in Jash's mouth. Trying his hand at justice gave him the strength he needed to keep surviving the Night. Yet, worry still sat in the back of his mind.
How could it not?
Leviathan, a ruthless killer—the man that Jash had been searching for his entire life, happened to be at the bottom of the ocean. All at the hands of the current pirati captain. For a while, Jash didn't believe the pirate. The pirati captainess didn't seem to have the qualifications for killing anybody. Her demeanor said so. Something about the pirati captainess screamed trouble the minute she touched Jash.
Especially if they were running amok with the Drylarians.
PATFINDI!
Elder Andr?
PATFINDI!
No, this is someone else.
"FOR FUCK'S SAKE, PATFINDI WAKE UP!"!
A forceful shake awakened Jash. He blinked, blinded by orange bright orange flames. He propped himself on his elbow to get to get a better view. Jash took a few kicks to the back as he watched Voe run towards the middle of the desert, running side to side, trying to wake the others.
"Come on, Alkini, not you too." Jash heard him say. He raised an eyebrow and wondered why Voe, who usually didn't care to be present vocally, clucked like a chicken getting his head chopped off by his own axe.
A woman crouched to Jash's level. Her red plump lips were the first thing he noticed as she smiled. Her scarlet hair blew in the acrid desert like a never-ending flame. Trouble. Not again.
His gut was right.
Meeting the pirates was only a set up.
Jash jolted from his bedroll to the other side of the ground. He quickly scooped up his pair of khophesh. He raised his weapon and pointed it at the face of the woman. The woman smirked. Another woman with white hair and white eyes stepped beneath the shadows. The white haired woman reached out to touch Jash. Before she reached him, the scarlet-haired woman stopped her. The red-haired woman licked her lips like a lioness waiting for her prey.
"He's mine," she said to the other woman.
The two women exchange a few more words before Jash's head began to feel funny. A chill crept down his spine and he stumbled a bit. He clenched his jaw and seethed as pain shot up to the nape of his neck and pierced the back of his head. The chill swam through his brain like silk as it wrapped around its grooves. Jash gripped the handle of his weapon tighter to find grounding in the hot sand. He bent over and closed his eyes shut.
Jash did everything in his power to concentrate—something that he found rather easy during any high stressful situation, but this time, he could feel that his instincts were off. Wrinkles formed in forehead as he used every ounce of his being to locate his brethren. He crinkled his nose to sniff them out, only to be meet with the scent of drunken fish burning over ashwood—his favorite past time meal.
Right in front of him, he saw plainly clear skies and sunny days, with cattle prancing in green fields. He seen himself and Myles run rampant through the Sacred Woods laughing happily about causing mischief in the camp once again. His heart thumped loudly against his chest as he seen the moment of the worst day of his first life, then to the moments in fell in love. Good. Bad. Despair. Triumph. Jash seen all of the vivid memories and moments of time throughout his entire life.
What's happening to me? Jash thought to himself.
He groaned under the control of the chill as it found its way deeper inside his head. Jash strained himself in failed attempts to locate the rest of his group. Thought transference was weak under the mind control. Everyone was silent, except for Voe, who sat bounded across from Jash, hoarsely spat out more curses than any respectable tribes folk would say.
Where is the youngling? Myles?
Jash sensed him. But, this wasn't his instinct. The youngling laid unconscious near the southern border he was ordered to ride back to. How could he see the boy so clearly after thinking about him? Normal thought transference wouldn't reach the boy at their current reach, but he could tell he was still alive. The younglings heart told him too. Most importantly, what did these witches do to the youngling? Myles looked far worse in condition. His face was so swollen and littered with puncture wounds that he was barely unrecognizable. There was no heartbeat coming from Myles. Jash gritted his teeth. He'd knew better to send the boy and Myles alone, but he did and it will sure haunt him for the rest of his life.
He mentally cursed himself for letting the Kazikosi persuade him into riding head first into a trap against his better judgment. Jash didn't want to be in the desert, searching for zealots and criminals of the state. No. And he certainly didn't pleasure being held hostage by witches. Jash shook his head. No. This was his duty as a Night Warrior. He swore an blood oath. He couldn't fail his elders now.
This is not what I want.
Death seemed to be drawing in sooner than he thought. There was no way he was getting into the Heavens now, especially after dishonoring his warrior ship status.
You should've run away when you had the chance.
The white witch spoke lowly. "Lady Seraphine, I'm afraid I've reached my limit. This one has a strength so mighty its almost god-like. She was right. Jash had felt the unwelcoming chill in his mind slowly fade, but it still lingered like a bad cold.
'Fun," the scarlet witch licked her lip. Her voice was laced with the poison of seduction.
The claws of a monster clutched his jaw softly. The fingers moved along his jaw to the base of his chin and Jash was met with red again. The woman dragged her tongue up and down Jash's cheek seductively. He shut his eyes close again, recoiling in the inside. The wetness of the kiss reminded him of young wolves in heat. Warm and full of excitement.
A slight squeeze brought Jash's attention to his wrists. Serpents crawled their way around his appendages. The serpents flexed their jaw and penetrated their sharp fangs in his soft flesh, repeatedly. The venom glowed as it coursed through his veins. A guttural scream forced its way from the base of Jash's throat. The pace of his heart thumped madly against his chest wall. Crimson ichor pooled in droplets in the sand. The serpents became rigid as the finished forming their out ring.
Voe spat on the ground in front of the scarlet-haired hair woman.
"YOUKEEPYOURFILTHYFUCKINGHANDSOFFOFHIM!" Voe panted in one breath. His wrists and ankles were bound too. The serpents struck him too. Even weakened, Voe still ignited like fire. Jash admired his spunk, he truly did, but at times, he wished someone would snuff that same spark out of Voe.
The scarlet witch released her grasp of Jash's chin. She twisted her hips and turned towards Voe, ready to unleash more malice. The sound of sand crunching under her heels made Jash's ears hurt. The red-haired woman roughly grabbed Voe's dark hair and brought him to his knees. He squirmed under her grip and without hesitation, he spit in the red-haired woman's face. The woman tilted her head back and wiped Voe's saliva off of her brow with just a single finger. She stuck that same finger in her mouth, sucked slowly, then gave another wide grin showing all of her pearly white teeth. Jash couldn't believe it when she laughed. It was full of wickedness and her eyes glistened with euphoria.
Hani, Jash said to himself as he reached out towards Voe.
Jash's grip on his weapons loosened. Numbness grew and spread throughout his body like wildfire, forcing him to stay put. Jash couldn't stand watching her tease his fellow soldier.
"Loyal one you are, " the scarlet woman said referring to Voe. She circled around Voe tapping a finger on her chin. After a while she squatted down to Voe's level again and whispered. "Oh, what I would give to see you row me off," she coiled two fingers around Voe's front braidlocks and pulled him towards her cleavage, then she kicked him back with the point of her black heel. He fell to his side and grunted.
The witch turned her attention back to Jash. She murmured a few words. The serpents surrounding Jash's wrists vanished. "There's no need to keep these horrendous things on you," she said sweetly. Of course, she had a hidden agenda.
Jash coughed. He felt faint from the poison in his system. The serpent venom made his blood boil. "What have you done to me?"
The woman in red smiled—again.
"I'm going to break you..."
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