Mighty Hammer Down (41 page)

"Why did you tell him all that? How
could you trust him with that information?"

"What information do you
mean?"

"You told him about the Medoran army
coming to aid the Vindyri. You told him about the sword you
stole."

Rommus grinned at her and turned his
gaze to the street before them. "I wasn’t ‘telling’ him anything
Alana. I was testing him."

"What do you mean?" she asked as she
flipped her hair over a shoulder.

"I knew that Soterus and his men would
get here before we did, although I didn’t think they would be more
than a week ahead of us. I also know that Silas would be aware of
the approximate number of soldiers. When he knew the name of the
Commander, I knew that he had dealt with him, and since he is still
alive, Soterus must have trusted him.

"As far as the sword goes, I answered
his question truthfully so that I could gauge his response. He did
not appear to desire the sword, and only looked at it twice. If he
was really concerned about it, he would have done something or said
something to get closer to it. I wanted to know if his intentions
were to take it from me, and I was prepared to cut him down if he
made a move for it. I needed to find out through him if the Silver
Mages here can be trusted or not. So far, like my dreams have shown
me, they can be trusted."

Vohl cleared his throat. "What good
does that do us, Master Rommus? Do you intend to stay here and
fight in this war? Why does it matter to you if these Mages can be
trusted?"

"Because Vohl, this war is more
important than my own agenda. I don’t intend to fight in it, but if
he had said something that I thought was suspicious, I would stop
what I was doing and find Soterus to warn him. It’s also in our
best interest to know if we have to be on guard the whole time we
are here, wondering if a Silver Mage will attack us or not. On a
personal level, it also matters to me because I am trying to
interpret what my dreams are trying to tell me, and Silver Mages
always bow to be in my dreams."

"I understand Master Rommus. But I am
still confused about why you follow the path you see in your
dreams. Even if they are more realistic than others, what do you
hope to accomplish?"

"It’s hard to explain Vohl. I feel
like I have done nothing in this world. It’s like I blinked and
suddenly I was no longer a boy, and life rushed past me before I
was ready. I never found any purpose. I never found anything to
believe in. Everywhere I look I see only darkness and failure. No
one seems to like me. I feel like the only way I can affect the
world is if I die. Then maybe people will be affected by things I
have said."

"Rommus," Alana said in surprise,
"that’s no way to talk."

"I don’t mean that I want to die
Alana. I just think that people stop listening to people after a
while, and it sometimes takes tragedy to put things back in
perspective. But I don’t mean to sound so bleak; my point is
actually an optimistic one. Something is finally pulling me. I can
finally see a light in the darkness. I know my reasons are little
vague, even to me, but what really baffles me is why you two are
coming with me."

Vohl ran his fingers through his hair,
obviously finding it difficult to come up with the words he needed.
"I have not wanted to tell you why I am going to the Land of the
Gods. I feared that you would treat me differently if you knew my
intentions, but judging from what you just said, perhaps you will
understand after all.

"I am on my way to the Land of the
Gods to demand that the gods kill me. I do not really want to die,
but living a life away from the people I loved is not my idea of
happiness. I wish to be with them in the world beyond this one, for
I too have no purpose in this world. With the gift of immortality
comes the terrible price of being alone. I have nothing left to
fight for, and I have grown tired of looking for such a
purpose."

"I think I understand Vohl. Maybe we
are more alike than we thought. I don’t judge you for wanting to be
with your loved ones, although if you were gone, Alana and I would
surely miss you. I hope that between here and the Land of the Gods,
we all find our purpose, and there will be no need to let the gods
take you--at least not yet."

"Thank you Master Rommus," he said as
he turned his head away from them to hide his emotions.

"What about you Alana? Why have you
come all this way? Why do you still travel north when you could go
home and be done with this mess?"

"Because of you," she said without
hesitation.

"What do you mean?"

"There was a time when I wasn’t sure
what was making me follow you. I felt like we needed each other for
protection, but we have not had any trouble in a long time. I think
we are past the danger now, but I still felt like coming with you
was the right thing to do. It’s a feeling I have deep inside me
that I can’t ignore. You always talk about finding your light, your
purpose. Well Rommus Tirinius, you are my light. I follow you now
because I can not imagine it being any other way."

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Clouds had moved in and a light fog
fell on the land since their visit to Burnhamheade earlier in the
day. The temperature had dropped and it was actually quite cool.
Rommus could see that the leaves of the trees were beginning to
fall to the ground and some were even slowly changing color. It
would not be long before the whole land was painted in reds and
yellows as fall would turn the last few pages of summer and prepare
to open winter’s door.

The Vindyri capital could still be
seen in the valley beneath them, but they were far from any
habitable civilization, and in fact the only manmade thing nearby
was the paved road beneath them. Since the overcast sky was
bringing darkness a little earlier than expected, they decided to
camp in the woods and not try to make it to the next town. None of
them knew much about horses, and they were afraid that forcing the
horses to walk in the dark might lead to some kind of
injury.

The road meandered through the forest
in a somewhat haphazard fashion. While the Medorans removed
obstacles from the path before paving a road, the Vindyri seemed to
be content with just paving around rocks and trees. This method of
paving winding roads made the forest seem denser because of the
lack of a well-defined open area. But even if the road was straight
and clear, Rommus figured it would be hard to see through the fog
that seemed to mute the colors as well as the ambient
sounds.

Rommus saw Vohl tense. He turned
around but remained seated, looking for whatever it was that caught
Vohl’s attention. Soon he saw the two figures walking down the road
towards their campsite. Knowing that the men were aware of them, he
didn’t hesitate to call out Alana’s name to warn her. She sat up
and came closer to the campfire when she saw the men coming. Rommus
rested his hand on his hilt, but kept the sword hidden beneath his
cape.

"Good evening," one of the men called
out in a friendly voice. "We mean you no harm. May we speak with
you a moment?"

Rommus stared into the strange eyes of
the man as he came closer. He and his companion looked very much
the same, with long dark beards, narrow faces and long rounded
teeth. He knew at once that for the first time, he was looking upon
men from Bhoor-Rahn.

Vohl answered before Rommus thought of
what to say. "We mean you no harm either, travelers, but it is best
that you be on your way."

"But we want nothing but conversation.
We will stand here at a distance if it makes you more comfortable.
I am Jrad, and this is Euza."

"You wander the roads at dusk looking
for people who will speak to you? I find that odd," Rommus said as
he stood slowly. "You are Bhoors, are you not?"

"Yes my friend, we are Bhoors,
although we have lived here in this land for most of our lives.
What is your name?"

"My name is not of consequence. Why
are you not on the other side of Burnhamheade with the rest of your
army?"

Jrad threw his head back and laughed.
"My friend, we are not with the army. I told you we have lived here
in Vindyrion most of our lives."

"Regardless of where you live, I do
not trust strange men who wander around while a dangerous army
makes camp so close to us."

"My friend, the army of the Bhoors is
not dangerous. They come to spread the word of Rohni. Theirs is a
message of peace."

"Is that right?" Alana broke in. "What
kind of peaceful army attacks their ally to the east?"

"The men who have fallen to that army
were chosen by Rohni my friends. They are a special group of people
selected to spread his word."

Rommus felt his anger rise and his
eyebrows lower. "We are not your friends. And are you saying that
the people that the Bhoors slaughtered are helping spread the word
of your god?"

"Well, yes. But Rohni is not our god;
he is god of us all. He is your god as well, and we have come to
teach you about him so that you may worship him and know
peace."

"None of us are interested in your
teachings," Rommus said. "Be on your way."

"But my friend, we must show you the
truth and the light of our god. He will bring you blessings and
peace. Without hearing his message, you will be doomed."

He tightened his grip on his sword.
"Is that a threat?"

"It is no threat my friend, but part
of the message we have been chosen to spread. If you do not learn
our ways, the true word of Rohni, then your soul will be lost
forever. You must give us this chance to save your spirit from
destruction."

Vohl stood up and straightened to his
full height. "And if we refuse?"

"If you refuse to hear the word then
you become marked by Rohni. Once you are marked you are chosen by
him to spread his word in the manner he sees fit."

Alana finally stood too, a look of
anger growing on her face. "And how do you suppose that we can
spread the word that we refuse to hear in the first
place?"

The man ran his hands over his tan
robes in a nervous fashion, but his voice was strong and full of
resolve. "Rohni might choose to have those who are unwilling to
listen killed in order to send a message to the next group of
people. But that is not our intention. Our dream is a peaceful
world where all mankind lives in harmony, forever in the light of
our god."

Vohl drew his sword, its blade
catching the dark blue light of the cloudy sky along with some of
the harsh orange firelight. "You men have worn out your welcome.
You have now threatened us, and we will not stand for such a thing.
Arm yourselves."

"My friend, we carry no swords. Our
weapon is the word of our god and the glory of his eternal truth.
We do not threaten you, we wish to save you."

Rommus followed Vohl’s lead and drew
his own sword in the fading light. "You wish to save us by killing
us if we refuse to follow your ridiculous religion. I can’t believe
you can actually say that and take your religion
seriously."

"It is not the word of man, my friend;
it is the word of god. He commands such things, we only do his
bidding. We will not harm you, but Rohni will ensure that you die
so that others will see the folly in refusing his word. You must
hear our message if you are to be rewarded in the next world, and
not suffer here in this one."

Rommus took a step toward the two men.
They took a step back. "And how can you say that the god I worship
is not the correct god? How can you tell me you are right and I am
wrong?"

"Your god is not god. He is nothing
but a false god. There is only one god and that is Rohni," the man
said as he nervously took another step backwards.

"How dare you? How can you say that to
someone when no man is provided with any knowledge about any god?
How dare you be so bold as to threaten innocent people with death
if they do not convert to your religion? How dare you mock
another’s beliefs by telling him that his god is not real, when you
have no more proof than him that your god is real?"

"Please my friend," the man said as he
held up a hand, "we do not want you to die. We want you to be happy
with Rohni forever. We want you to be rewarded for spreading his
word in this lifetime. We were sent to save you."

"I grow bored of this," Rommus said.
"I will hear no more about your twisted ideology. Leave us now or
we will kill you; not for any god, but because you are despicable,
dangerous people who do not deserve to live."

Jrad took a bold step forward, anger
finally showing in his eyes. "Then I mark you! I mark all of you in
the name of Rohni. He will make sure that you die in his name so
that his word may spread."

In a blink Rommus grabbed the man by
his robes at his neck, catching some of his long beard as well. "If
I put this sword through your neck, you won’t be able to speak any
words, let alone the word of your god. Your religion may have been
forced upon you, but it will not be forced on me. I will kill any
man who stands in the way of my freedom. Man is free to do as he
wishes so long as he does not harm another in the process. Freedoms
do have their limits, and sometimes it’s difficult to determine the
right thing to do, but right now I cast all of that aside. If you
say one more word, I will run this blade through you and send you
to whatever god you wish."