Prologue
The Departure
Sydney slept in the pile of torn cloths pushed into the corner of the shack. His breaths were even and calm as he dreamed peacefully. A pendent clenched tightly in his fist, a simple piece of skyglass that glowed in the moon’s light. The fire in the pit glowed warmly as mother and father spoke boisterously and drunkenly. Their clothes were once vibrant, clean, and maintained now were stained with earth, torn, and ragged from abuse. Despite the noise, Sydney’s dreams drifted before his mind’s eye.
“You can stay with me child, you don’t have to leave,” the calm voice of the temple priest echoed within the darkened temple.
The lunar pool sat quietly and reflected the oculus at the center of the dome and glowed with the moon’s light. The sensation of the cool breeze that flowed through the temple tickled his innocent flesh as he held the priest’s hands tightly like he used to do with his father. Sydney’s shook his head in reply to the priests comment before he looked up the taller man with a smile that exposed his bestial grin.
“I can’t, my family needs my smile in their lives.” The priest chuckled with a reserved smirk.
“I can’t deny they don’t, but just because we are asking them to leave does not mean they can’t visit you once they flourish and prosper outside of city walls. Lhavit has nothing for them, the city is only hindering them.” The priest knew the true implications of his words flew past the young boy’s head.
His parents were once followers of Leth and considered themselves as his children. Sydney was raised in that same light. But ever since his adoption into his family mother and father began to lose their way in the world. Their faith grew lighter in Leth as their vice of gambling and the drink began to consume them.
“They can change with me around, you haven’t been around them when they are alone with me. They just need another chance,” Sydney looked down at the ground as they continued to walk through the temple. “I’ve seen them alone, they want to do better for themselves desperately. They just need me to support them,” Sydney felt a small tear form at the corner of his eyes. “Can’t you do anything to keep this from happening?”
The priest remained quiet for a moment as the gentle tap of their sandals hit against the stone floor. “I’m afraid,” another pause, “I have no say in changing what has already been decided. Not even I can escape fate, just like everyone who lives here.”
Sydney took in a long breath and let it out as a sigh as they both stopped at the temple’s exit. The arched sky glass and stone doorway stood tall and ornamental. Reliefs and statues told Leth’s journey to balance along the arch in scenes as the struggle for something he loved was found.
“Then fate has no place for me here, only with my family.” The young boy turned to face the priest who knelt down to be eye level with the mixed blood’s eyes.
A strong glint of determination lay just behind the saddened and glossy eyes of youth, “then fate has taken away something special from us.”
Sydney’s eyes shut as another bead of a tear rolled down his cheek. Sydney moved his head to let his forehead rest on the priest, “no, as long as Leth guides us all you’ll never lose me.”
A bell chimed in the tower and then chimed once more, with each heavy ring of the bell Sydney’s arms moved to the priest’s torso. They wrapped around his advisor before they clasped tightly in an embrace. The priest knew it once just a hug of heart the tightness was almost like a man as he clutched for the last bit of breath. Someone who sought salvation, the priest pulled the boy in to comfort Sydney.
“There is still a chance if you want to change your mind,” another bell tolled.
Gentle sobs could be heard muffled by the white fabric of the priest’s garb, “no, I love you like my own father but I can’t abandon them.”
The embrace finally loosened as the boy disengaged from the priests body and moved away. The priests own eyes were now glossy as he moved to his neck and untied the leather cord around it. He pulled the pendent from beneath his robe and extended it toward Sydney’s neck.
“I can’t talk you out of this, but please take this in remembrance that their is always a home here.” Sydney held back more tears as he attempted to still his nerves and stand by his family as they are lead out of the gates of Lhavit.
“No, no I can’t. Thank you for everything,” Sydney’s hand grabbed the priest’s own as he clutched it firmly. “I, I have to be the reminder for them. The reminder that someone still loves them and has faith in them. I have to do this to save them,” Sydney closed his eyes and moved to grab his pack left at the temple’s entrance. “I will never forget all you have done for us Ezekiel, thank you.”
Sydney remembered as Ezekiel remained where he left him and entered in the darkness of night. Sydney’s feet felt heavy as he passed the locations of fond memories, each one seemed to add more weight to his body as he passed through each peak and toward the exit of the city. By the time he arrived to the gate he felt as if his body had been lowered into mud and forced to walk through it.
His father, drunk, and mother, quiet, stood as the Shinya surrounded them in an arch. “The city of Lhavit has come to a decision to peacefully request that you leave the city walls and seek out purpose in this world.”
“Peacefully? Surrounding us by armed Shinyas is peaceful?” The slurred words of the older man seemed to echo off the peaks themselves.
“This is what I think of this city!” Sydney’s father yelled with a drunken grin as he pulled himself from his pants and began to urinate on the clean stone ground.
This caused an uproar of the crowd that gathered, which only made Father laugh like a maniac. “Your continued disrespect will have to force us to remove you with force,” the overseer of the dispatch chimed in with anger.
“Don’t bother, we aren’t worth your fancy spears and blades.” The older woman chimed in, “besides I wasn’t worth your spear wasn’t I? Half of you Shinyan have split my wound for coin with no repeat customers. Did your genitals fall off when you felt guilt when you returned to your family? Dogs! Filthy animals the lot of you.”
The woman grunted as an invisible force seemed to slap her across her face with enough force to push her into Sydney’s father. She clutched her cheek as the father wrapped his arms around her.
They huddled close as father’s face was in a snarl of anger, “who hit my wife? I’ll tear the throat out of each one of you if I find out.
“He is threatening us! We need to do something, the filthy man will kill our family.” The gates began to grow loud with commotion.
Sydney remembered the deafening chants of hate and uproar uncharacteristic for the Lhavitian. He had to push his way through an armored Shinya until he entered the increasingly shrinking space between the crowd and his parents.
His arms fell on his mother and father in a deep hug, “stop please. Don’t provoke them further.”
“But they hit your mother,” the father protested.
“Could you blame them though?” Sydney rationalized and made his father mumble.
“Why did you come here? I thought you were going to stay with your other father.” Sydney’s eyes widened.
“How could you say that? I’m coming with you because I love you both and can not bring myself to leave your sides. Can’t you see that?” The couple remained silent clutched in each others embrace.
Sydney adjusted his pack on his back as his family did the same, “we’re going to a better life together,” Sydney stated with that same hopeful smile. They began to walk toward the gate as the overseer shouted.
“We’re not done here!” the family continued to walk out of the gate and into the winding path along the peaks.
All three held hands as they left the city behind and began to journey out into the darkness. The moon’s light was bright that night and Sydney could see two genuine smiles on each of his parent’s faces. It was the first genuine sensation of warmth in his body and felt their bonds grow between them.
Serenity was shattered.
Sydney’s eyes opened as his pupil’s adjusted to the dim fire’s light. Men howled commands as the wooden door to the shack was kicked off its rusted hinges. It fell with a deep thud and kicked up the loose soil into his eyes. A thick man stepped through the door followed by two others who quickly moved to grab Sydney’s father and mother both. His hands scrambled in the loose rags to wipe the dirt from his eyes as the blurred figures moved about in the shack. One drew the curtains as another drew a dagger.
The rough dirt and grit was smeared out of his eyes just in time to feel one of the men grab his hair and pull him out of the comfort of the harsh cloth.
“Alright then, seems we got the whole family, let's talk business.” The brawniest of the trio spoke with a harsh accent.
Sydney grunted as he was thrown toward his family who caught him and held him close. The men circled with their blades drawn. He studied the strangers in his home and did not recognize any of the men but did notice a fourth had quietly entered as well. The gaze was imposing and intimidating, though not as bulked as the others, his stance and face scared the teen. A bow had been strapped across his back and a quiver of black feathered arrows sat quietly behind him.
“What do you want? We are nothing but beggars here,” Sid’s mother cried as he clutched her son to her.
“Aye, seems the wife doesn’t know about the debt. Isn’t that just ripe Edna? Seems your loving and devote pig has kept secrets from you.” One of the thinner men mocked.
“Seems that way, Jacob isn’t as honest as he should be ain’t that right pops,” another added before his foot landed on the chest of Sid’s father.
The force was enough to knock Sid closer to the rest of his family.
“I thought I had one more day to pay back what I owe Slaid,” the father asked with concern.
“Boss wants to see how close you are to paying it off, now show us coin or we will be forced to find it ourselves among your corpses.” The Slaid stated with a hint of malice.
Jacob grumbled to himself as reached into his ragged clothing and pulled out a small pouch full of mizas. He flicked it toward the brute’s feet where it landed on the soil with a dull thud. Slaid eyed the pouch for a moment before he leaned down to grab the pouch up and open it up.
“What is this?” He said with a bit of a chuckle.
The thick hands tipped out the contents and let the bronze rimmed coin collect in his hand and spill onto the floor. “These are all bronze, you’ve gotta be fooling. Where is the rest, you owe five gold!”
“You mean to say we came all this way to leave empty handed?” Charlie with the dagger asked facetiously. “I’m not sure I like that much maybe I’ll find more worth in this visit with a bit of blade practice.”
“Oi, we’re here to collect and not to slaughter,” the archer in the corner stated flatly before he peered out a window and kept watch.
“Tsk, you’re a kill joy Rorry,” Ralph retorted as Slaid kicked the soil and coin toward the family.
“You’re right but we still have to collect something,” Slaid stated angrily as he looked around the room at what little garbage was in the shack. “You,” he pointed at Edna, “whatever coin you have same with the kid.”
Edna reached into her pocket and similarly threw the pouch onto the ground, “here just take it and leave.”
“Oh we will when we have all that we need, now you boy what is in your hand?” Charlie stepped closer to Sydney as he brandished his blade.
“No you can’t have this, it is all I have,” Sydney held his pendent close to his body and began to press farther away from the man who approached.
A hand grabbed his hair again which made Sydney growl in pain and anger. His legs kicked as another strong hand grabbed his wrists and pried apart the strained fingers. The skyglass pendent glowed unnaturally as the moon’s light shined through the window. Charlie stumbled back as his eyes narrowed in on Sydney.
“The boy is a witch,” he proclaimed.
The men in the room went silent as they dropped the coin to the ground. Tense silences thickened the house as Rory left the house followed by Charlie and Ralph.
Slaid remained in the home with a uncomfortably wide smile, “we’re going to leave and report this but will be back. If anyone of you is to leave this house you will be met with an arrow and a swift death.”
The man began to leave but not before he picked up the door and wedged it tightly back into the frame. Once in place the sounds of heavy thuds could be heard before the tip of a thick nail pierced the inside wall. Soon it was followed by another as the wood of the door splintered.
“No!” The father shouted, “he is just a boy you ignorant shits. He has not caused harm to anyone,” Jacob stood and ran toward the door.
His shoulder landed sharply against the surface and rammed his shoulder against the door. The barrier didn’t budge even as he continued to blow his body against it.
Sydney remained on the ground in shock as Edna darted for a window and started to cry for help.
“What is going on?” Sydney shouted as he stood.
“They are going to burn us down,” shouted his father.
Sydney’s brow raised as his mother’s voice cracked from her wails.
“Burn us down? Why? We didn’t do anything wrong.” Sydney collapsed back to his knees as the orange glow of fire manifested behind the shades of a window.
“They saw your pendent and believe that it is witchcraft,” smoke began to fill the room as the ceiling began to vanish in thick, white smoke.
“They saw my,” Sydney clasped his hands together and began to breath deeply in panic. He cried as he remained on the ground. “Merciful Leth, hear me please. Protect my family and not let this be our end.”
It was all Sydney could think to do as the heat of flame could be felt but not seen. the thick smoke grew closer to the ground and began to burn Sydney’s throat and lungs. Edna coughed between her cries for help as like a fog the smoke lowered with more intensity. Jacob’s thuds could be heard with less and less consistency as his tired body began to give up.
“I’ve asked much from you, but please do not let me fail in saving my family’s souls. With all faults they are good people,” Sydney’s prayers were cut short as his father broke through the door finally.
There was a sudden rush of air into the house and an intense heat along Sydney’s back. The howl of air in his ear was soon accompanied by a woosh as flame filled the room. Sydney collapsed forward as in an instant his home was thrown into an inferno. He could smell his flesh scorched and blistered from the flashover.
His eyes opened as he watched his father stumble into the darkness of the outside. He coughed and even vomited onto the ground before he straightened out. A deep yell pierced the roar of flame as Jacob’s body twisted. An arrow’s shaft projected from his chest before he collapsed. Edna’s screams were no longer heard as Sydney looked over to where she last was. Flame licked at her clothing and flesh as she remained on the ground motionless and saved from the pain of flames.
Sydney cried and writhed in pain as his hands landed in emberes that glowed brightly. His nails dug into the soil as he began to drag himself toward the door. The heat and smoke singed his throat with each breath so close to the door. Rafters began to collapse around him and sprayed balls of coal over his body.
Still he continued to fight for the door, another rafter fell in front of Sydney and blocked his escape with fire. Sydey’s tears dried instantly as they were produced he coughed and choked as he rolled onto his back and looked up at the flame covered ceiling.
“Why have I failed you,” Sydney choked out as more of the ceiling began to flex and soon fall completely. Sydney’s eyes looked at the flames that fell like rain over his body but caught a glimpse of the exposed sky and the full moon above.
He heard a loud snap before he felt nothing.
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![[Work in progress]](./images/wip.png "[Work in progress]")
Sydney 
by Sydney on October 9th, 2013, 6:52 pm