PART ONE
Red Leaves and the Living Token
by Benjamin David Burrell
Copyright 2012 Benjamin David Burrell.
Cover Illustration Copyright 2012 Benjamin David Burrell.
Red Earth Press
www.benburrell.com
To my wife and my children,
You make everything worthwhile.
Table of Contents
Title Page
Prologue
Chapter 1
Chapter 2
Chapter 3
Chapter 4
Chapter 5
Glossary
Back
Click! A metallic noise reverberated through the musty, book-filled room, snapping the School Master out of his thoughts. He lifted his pale green nose from an ancient, over-sized book.
A heavy wooden door creaked behind him as it turned slowly on its rusty hinges. Footsteps clanked into the room.
"Yes, yes, what is it?" he shouted, glaring over his shoulder. Students, for some reason or another, had lost their respect for his private hours.
Not hearing a response, he spun around. As soon as his eye caught sight of the intruder, his heart stopped. His body froze in horror. His jaw refused to open, choking off a cry for help.
In that moment, he realized he had misinterpreted everything. A week ago, a dark mood had settled over him, a sudden awareness of a critical, and yet, unfulfilled responsibility. As though there was something in the Token’s purpose that he didn’t fully understand, and had thus left neglected. He came here to search the ‘Journal of the Reds’, hoping somewhere in its pages he'd gain insight into his apprehension.
Now he understood. It wasn’t a feeling of neglect. It was a warning of imminent danger. A warning he had not heeded. He had just failed in his greatest responsibility - to protect the Token.
-
Nemic sat at a small, but well crafted, wooden table. His green cheek rested in his thin, spindly hand, as he stared into an open book. His light green skin was gnarled and twisted like a piece of driftwood, the unfortunate effect of age. Long stalks grew up from his back, sprouting a halo of decorative leaves behind his head.
Small shelves and tables filled the modest size room with just enough to be comfortable. Tan, leaf-less vines decorated the harsh stone walls with beautiful arcs and spirals.
“Kacha, Kacha!” Frezen, playing on the floor behind Nemic, made an attack sound as he aimed a toy animal up at an older boy’s face.
"Stop it!” the older boy, Bedic, scolded as he snatched the toy from Frezen's hand. "I'm trying to read." He turned back to his book resting open on a child-sized table.
SLAM! The thick wooden door to the room burst open, spilling the elderly School Master, with his flowing yellow and brown robes, into the room. Blood dripped from a saturated red tear on the front of his robes. Open wounds wept from his neck and face, exaggerated against green skin. He stumbled further into the room, holding two objects in his arms; a large book, and a small metal chest with a key hole.
"Master!" Nemic jumped up and rushed to his side to keep him from falling. "What happened?" He pulled at the heavy book and chest, trying to ease the old man’s burden as he led him towards a chair. He turned to the older boy. "Bedic, get some water."
The School Master grabbed Nemic by the arm, and looked him in the eye. "Nemic, stop fussing and listen to me. Someone is coming!"
Nemic glanced back at the door, alarmed.
"I have to ask you to do something for me, and we don't have much time.”
"Of course," Nemic answered.
The School Master stumbled to the table where Nemic had set the book and chest. He looked up at Nemic but didn't speak.
"Tell me!" Nemic demanded.
The School Master shook his head and looked away. "I never wanted to put this on you. I'm so sorry. I should've prepared you."
"Prepared me for what? Who's coming?"
"Valance," the School Master muttered almost to himself as he sat. “He’s come back for the Token."
The School Master picked up the small metal chest from the table and held it in his gaze. "I'm sorry I have to ask...” He grabbed Nemic's wrist. "You must do everything in your power to keep it away from him."
Nemic stared at the metal chest. The School Master put it down and lifted the book. On the cover was an illustration of the Token, a small plant with a round stone holding its roots and a bird wrapped around its trunk. "This book will answer your questions. I'm sorry there isn't more time." He pushed the book and the metal chest over to Nemic.
"Take the children and go through the rear passageway." He got up from the table and shooed Nemic towards the back of the room.
Footsteps clanked in the hallway outside the study. The School Master turned to the now closed door. The footsteps stopped. He turned back to Nemic and yelled, "GO!"
The door crashed in. Two towering Zoen soldiers in full armor charged into the room, long swords drawn. One had an exceptionally long snout, even for a Zo, covered in thin coarse hair. The other was smaller and more hunched. His long neck pushed his head out in front of his furry body.
The School Master threw up his robes and pulled a large dagger from a hidden belt sheath. A burst of blinding white light filled the room from the shimmering dagger’s blade. The larger soldier lunged and struck the School Master before he could block with his dagger. "Aaah!" The School Master cried as the blade sunk deep into his arm.
"Drop your weapon," the soldier commanded.
"Take it and get out of here!" The School Master yelled at Nemic.
The hunched soldier moved around the School Master to intercept Nemic. "Let's not run off just yet, my friend.”
The larger soldier stepped closer to the School Master, lifting his sword again. "I'll tell you what old man. Give us what we want and I promise I'll make this painless for all of you."
Nemic stopped.
"What are you doing? GO!" the School Master shouted.
Without warning, the old man lunged at the soldier with his dagger. The soldier laughed and lifted his sword complacently to block.
His eyes grew wide as the dagger’s blade passed through both sword and armor, stopping up to its hilt in his chest. He gasped and dropped to the floor.
Nemic took advantage of the distraction and slammed a chair over the long, extruded head of the other, sending the soldier forward in an awkward stumble. He regained his composure after a few steps and lifted his sword towards Nemic.
The School Master rushed in from behind and stabbed his dagger through the soldier's armor. The soldier screamed in pain, dropped his sword, then fell.
The School Master, bleeding heavily, collapsed. Nemic rushed to his side.
"How many times do I have to tell you? Take the kids and go!"
"But..."
"Don't argue, just go!"
Nemic reached his arms around his Master and tried to lift him up. "Master, I can get you out of here!"
"I'm already dead. If he gets the Token... We'll be worse than dead!" He grabbed Nemic's arm and put the glowing dagger in his hand. "I'm sorry Nemic, I never prepared you for this."
Nemic stood and backed away reluctantly. His mind spinning, he turned and led the two children to the back. He grabbed a thick vine that spiraled across wall in wide concentric loops. At his touch the vine obeyed, quickly receding to reveal the edge of a door way. He pulled impatiently at the handle, not giving the vine enough time to clear the rest of the door. Snap! Snap! The plant broke in a dozen places at once, releasing the door in a sudden burst.
Nemic pushed the two children through the pass
ageway and down a narrow corridor that dropped into darkness as they turned the first bend.
“I can’t see,” Bedic whimpered.
“Keep a hand on the wall and move quickly.”
Nemic followed the wall around a new corner before his hand found the lever that opened the outer lock. He pulled it quickly then felt for the thick frame of the door. With a solid push, the door opened, flooding the passageway with sunlight.
Nemic peered outside cautiously, looking in both directions. There was no one.
A large garden stretched from one end of the school to the other. Typically at this time of day, before the heat of the afternoon, there’d be at least a few people tending it.
To the east, a wide, well worn path led away from the garden, curved down a slight hill and disappeared behind a patch of trees. It was about five miles to the city, further then the kids had ever traveled on their own before.
Nemic knelt beside his son, Bedic, and handed him the dagger and the Master's book.
"Go find your mother. Tell her something bad has happened and she needs to leave the city. Don't tell anyone where you're going,"
He turned to Frezen, "Stay with Bedic."
"Daddy!" Bedic cried.
Nemic turned his son around by the shoulders and scooted him along. "Go! I'll see you soon."
Beyond the garden to the west, rolling grassy hills extended as far as he could see. They’d make it easy for him to be seen from the school. Which meant they’d follow him instead of his children.
He watched for a moment to make sure they kept going down the path before he crossed the garden and climbed the first hill.