Chapter 8
I woke up the next day, not knowing where I am, but then the events of yesterday all came crashing down on me. I sat up, and went to check on him, the stranger who offered me every kindness, I went to his room first and I saw that it was almost exactly the same as mine, with nothing to personalize it, then I checked the green room and did not find him there, instead I found a table with a single log as a chair. Then I went to check the river room and did not find there as well, I began to get concerned that he had left me, without saying anything, so I raced to the entrance to feel the sunlight on my skin in hopes that it calms me down. Instead I found a sleeping raven, that I woke up when I came to the entrance, I sat outside in the sunlight and then the raven studied me, judged me and came and sat in my lap, and when he looked at me it was as if he was telling me, "my friend will come soon, you wait." So I did as he bid, I waited for about an hour and then I saw him climbing the mountain about to reach the cave, and he waved at me, and I waved back. Once he reached the entrance the raven looked at him and he smiled as if they talked to each other, then the boy said to me, "I went out early, it is a few hours past midday and I didn't want to wake you up, you looked so tired, but the good news is that I got you some new clothes. Now I think we have to move to a more important matter, do you want to eat." That made me realize I had not had a full meal since yesterday morning, and that I was starving, when he saw the look at my face, he pulled some salted meat, bread and cheese from that invisible hiding spot of his, and I gave some to the raven still sitting in my lap.
After we finished eating, I started asking, "how often do you see those monsters?" He answered. "when I was younger it was just about every day, and either Murtok, that is the raven, or I deal with them, now every day one or two show up, but once in a while a big group shows up and we can't handle them in an open space, that is why we came to the cave, if any tried to come after me they would have to come through this entrance and we would be able to stop them."
"Murtok, that is a nice name," the raven, Murtok, looked up at me and cawed approvingly, "I am Peruvian, but friends call me Pera, what about you?"
"Nice to meet you Pera, I am David, that is Peruvian as in the lily right?"
"Yes, the I am named after the flower. Back to the monsters…mom…once said she saw one, where I come from they are legends, fairy tales used to scare children, and we call them the Twisted, that is because of how their flesh resembles twisted clothes. But no one has ever seen more than one, and those that see one are very few every generation, so you must be special to see so many of them, you must be very powerful."
"You could say special, I prefer cursed. Before I could walk and talk they would come for me, and they would attack me, I used to shout, but whenever someone came into the room they hid, so I stopped. Finally, I found Murtok when I was young, and he has been protecting me from them since, he taught me how to deal with them, so on the rare occasions that they manage to escape him I take care of them, but I never heard of anyone seeing one, and I have heard no stories about them, so where do you come from Pera? What is this place that might hold answers to some of my powers?"
"My people call ourselves, the Turazwa, it means those who wander in the language of spirits, and you might have guessed we are a nomadic people," with tears in my eyes I continued, "I have no way to find them, they have moved from the current campsite in the forest and dad was supposed to track them. And I do not know if another tribe is going to be coming anytime soon, and even if there is someone out there, I would have to claim kin rights…uhhh… I guess I should explain more about my people." I looked at him and he just looked at me telling me that I could do whatever I wish to do, so I explained, "we are all one people called the Turazwa, but we are split into five tribes, the Nadiv, children of fire, the Amagi, children of air, Farsic, children of earth, Wailic, children of metal, and the Koche, children of water, and that is my tribe. The different tribes have differences, but if someone from any tribe need help, they could go to any of the other tribes and demand kin right. If someone demands kin right and they are refused the entire tribe of the refusers suffers, and if kin right is used for something that is not of the utmost importance, they suffer…Sorry, I got carried away, back to your questions, here I understand you believe in an afterlife, a place beyond death, but you do not possess knowledge of this place, you have faith that it exists. We have shamans, each tribe has an elder, and about 5 to 15 shamans under him, these shamans can look into the spirit realm, that is their gift" removing my pendant and clutching it, I passed it to him, "each shaman has a pendant engraved with their spirit animal, this was my mom's she was training me to take her place, and she saw one of the twisted in the spirit realm, but no one understands what they are, and if you have more gifts I do not think my people can help you understand them. The gift of seeing into the spirit realm was giving to our people by the eldest, a soul so old that it exists outside time, and when it sees someone that need this gift it pierces the veil of time and touches them. So that is all about my people I am sorry I could not be of more help."
"More help, you told me the story of a people I didn't know existed, you told me a story of others with power, it may be different than mine, but at the very least I am not alone in this world. It is only fair that now that you told me your story, that I tell you mine."
What a story he wove, one of rejection and fear, one of love and hope, one of determination and stubbornness, one of power and powerlessness that is what I thought at the time, but how right I was how prophetic this though was to this day I do not believe it, he even showed me his mark. When he finished he said, "you see, I suspect my powers come from him The Banished Lord of Death and Darkness. There is one more thing I didn't mention, but Murtok is saying I should tell you, and I think I should as well. My name is David, that is the name I was born with." I replied when he stopped, "I know that, so what is this thing that you want to say?" I asked. After a moment or two he continued, "you have to understand, I have not even told this to Vos he is the closest thing I have to a father, but you laid your secrets bare for me so I should do the same. The twisted…they talk…I do not understand their language or how I can hear them, but always I understand one word, and I think that is the word they use for me, so I took it as my true name, and have told no one about it, my name the one I prefer to use is Kathinox, or Kath if you wish." I looked at him dumbfounded, he was so clueless, "you do not understand, do you?" when he looked at me as if I am crazy, I continued, "Kathinox is a word of the spirit language the one my mom was teaching me to become a shaman, and it means Child of the Beyond, and dare I say it, it is a fitting name."
He looked at me and all he said was "ha, I guess it does, so now we know what it means, that is good."
He looked at me and then said hesitantly, "if you want to stay here, in the city, we have to do some changes."
"If you will have me I would like to stay with you, I have no way of finding any of the tribes."
"I would love to have you stay, but I was just asking to make sure you want to."
"Good, now what about those changes," and at the look at his face I added, "I am not going to like them am I."
"In the city it is best to go unnoticed, because if you are unique people will remember you, and they would hate you for being different than they are, that is why I use the name David. Both, Peruvian and Pera are rare names, if there are any in the country with that name, so you would have to go by Lily, it is not the most common name, but common enough to pass. And then there is your hair."
Before he could continue the thought, I burst out saying, "Lily I can do, but I will not cut my hair understand, you can say nothing to make me cut it."
He then stood, and that is when I realized that I have stood up and calmly he held by the shoulders and said, "calm down, you can keep it as tall as you like, you would have to tie it up sometime but the length is not the problem, it is the color."
"Oh"
"Oh indeed, no one as purple hair in the city, I do not even know how it is possible, so you will have to dye it, black is the best option, because of your current hair color but we could figure another color if you wish."
"Black is fine by me, and I know a couple plants that could be used to dye it."
"For now you will have to use ash and soot, but as soon as possible we will get you these plants. Now if you are open to the idea, I would also like for you to get a mark, some people only agree to make a deal with you only if you show them your mark. Personally, I cannot reveal my mark, so I avoid these people, so if you want you could not get a mark."
"I would like to get a mark the idea of a being to watch over you is interesting to me so I will do it, are there any more rules, Lord."
Laughing he says, "Lord you say, I am the least likely person to be a lord," then his face, and voice suddenly turned serious, and he said, "never ever go down to the dock, if it is between dying and going to the docks, you choose dying. Understood?" All I could do is nod and he seemed satisfied, I didn't want to know why I should never go to the docks but I trusted him so far, and would continue to do so.
By the time the we finished this talk the sun was setting, so we agreed to wait until the next morning to go get my mark, with the knowledge that no one in this city other than myself didn't go through the rituals at the day of creation."