For two days, I fasted- the only thing I was given was a water mixed with herbs from a dragon horn. It tasted like nothing I had never had before and it left me with vivid memories that were of Iblis before he had died mixed with mine.
Bane- the shorter of the two shaman- came over to my pile of blankets and offered a piece of dried meat. I looked at it surprised and shoved it in my mouth, barely stopping to chew. It was desert boar meat- I could tell by the gamy taste of it.
"Thank you," I whispered after I had finished.
I shivered slightly. The eternal ones lived in a large damp cave and the fire was the only warmth available and they only lit that for meals or when they were helping me to connect to Iblis.
"Cold?" asked the ageless voice of Bane that always left me with a feeling of death lingering.
"Aye," I answered.
All I wanted to do was go home and be in my father's palace. How long was I meant to stay here and suffer at the hands of the ageless ones? Why had I been exiled here?
Bane handed me a blanket and I wrapped up in it quickly. "May I sit?"
I nodded and he sat pulling back his hood. His hair was cut short and black as mine with blood red highlights through it. His skin was more ashen and his eyes were a silver- almost translucent but held a slight blue hue that was hard to look at. There were three silver studs in each of his ears. He looked to be in his older twenties. You could tell he wasn't human.
"Not what you were expecting?" he said, smirking.
I shook my head.
"We are still trying to understand how Iblis is connected to you."
I sighed. "Is the reason why he picked me still unknown?"
Bane looked over at Rentook.
"Tell the boy."
I looked at them both.
"Iblis is one of the sons of Ander. You bear the mark of Ander, my father," said Rentook.
I looked at Rentook surprised. I had been just joking about being handpicked by Ander.
"What do you mean 'the mark of Ander'?"
"Take off your shirt," said Rentook. "And I'll show you."
"Wouldn't you have the same mark?" I asked.
"No."
I sighed and unwrapped myself from my blanket and stripped off the light shirt Bane had allowed me to borrow.
"Turn," he said.
I did and watched him out of the corner of my eye as he grabbed a mirror and also tossed back his hood.
His hair was grown out long and held back in a braid and the color of copper with sheen of gold or red when it caught the firelight. His skin was a tanned bronze. His face was chiseled. His eyes were the color of the last dying embers of a fire- constantly changing between red, yellow, orange, and all three mixed together. Under his eyes were tattoos of red triangles. If Bane didn't scare you, Rentook would. He was a head taller than Bane and loomed over me when he approached.
"Take the mirror," he said. "And go stand over there."
He pointed to a bigger mirror and I obliged. I heard him walking slightly behind me. "Where is it? And how do you know I had this mark anyhow?"
He sighed, losing his patience.
"It's on your shoulder. Stand facing me."
I did and Rentook positioned the mirror and pointed to the mark in the mirror. What he was pointing to was a part of my swirling tattoos that looked like a flame.
"That is the mark of Ander," he said.
I looked at it, trying to see it clearer. Rentook placed his hand on the mark and it turned from black to a royal purple before my eyes. It always took me a moment to get used to the power of these two.
"It has to be a fluke in my tattoo."
Rentook shook his head. "No, my father, for whatever reason, as well as the other gods will pick a Raksheesh or demon from time to time."
"Why Ander?" I asked. "Why me?"
Rentook shrugged. "Why did he make me an eternal one? He's the God of Chaos, Jaspen, there is no rhyme to what he does."
It made sense, but even the God of Chaos had to have reasons behind some things didn't he? Possibly had talked to the fates about what they saw in our future? Obviously Rentook had been chosen for a purpose. Had I?
"Did he ever hint at it?"
"My father?" said Rentook with a hint of anger. "No, just the usual 'you're destined for greatness.'"
"Oh," was all I managed.
"Just because we are the half children of gods, does not put us above others. If anything we're ignored more than the rest. We are hated more by the gods more than the Raksheesh."
How was that possible?
"When was the last time you saw Zanti, Bane?" asked Rentook. "I know it's been at least what, a century now?"
"I heard from Zanti awhile ago…" whispered Bane. "But, yes, it was nothing special." Rentook glared at him. "Oh really?"
Bane cleared his throat. It was obvious that Rentook had anger towards the gods. "We could try getting Ander to see if he could possibly remove Iblis…"
"My father… the God of Chaos, is going to remove something that causes a rift in the world? I have a better chance of Uncle Temille walking into this cave," said Rentook bitterly.
Bane sighed and I handed the mirror back to Rentook before going back over to my pile of furs. Just then I heard a loud clap of thunder followed by a big strike of lightning and a figure appeared at the entrance to the cave.
"Oh my bitter, bitter hearted son," came a voice.
His voice was dark and ominous one that demanded your attention. Rentook straightened. "Father."
Taking a closer look, it was possible to see a faint glow come off his skin as he advanced further into the cave. He was a tall man- taller than his son- with black hair streaked with gray, but you could see faint highlights of maroon mixed into his mid-length hair he had pinned back. As he came closer, I could see he was wearing black breeches with metal and leather boots with no shirt. He was all ripped muscle and had the same skin color as a desert nomad.
I bowed my head in respect and Bane did the same. "Jaspen," I heard him say slightly cheerfully.
I didn't know how to address a god.
"You may call me, Ander," he said, as if reading my thoughts. "Look at me."
I did as he said. His eyes were the color of liquid quicksilver and had crow's feet at the edges. This was not at all how I expected the God of Chaos to look. I was expecting a slight hint of madness to him- not for him to be looking so collected.
"I'll talk to you in a second Rentook, for now, I need to steal the prince."
Rentook nodded and I stood.
"Follow me."
As I did, I heard Rentook mutter something and Bane moved to comfort him. For the first time, it hit me that perhaps they were in love.
I followed Ander outside where it was raining and he had me walk a short distance down the mountain to a cave I'd failed to notice before.
"I thought it was about time I met the boy I marked," he said.
The small cave was dark and damp until purple fire jumped from Ander's hand and lit a pile of kindling in the back of the cave. It stayed lit purple for a moment before turning to the normal colors of a fire.
"How long have I been marked?"
Asher smiled. "Since the beginning."
I couldn't bring myself to look at him.
"I took possession of the king's thoughts that night- it wasn't hard. He had been lusting after Sari for months and I hoped it would bring a child into the equation. I wasn't expecting you to be so strong that you killed Sari and brought Hassan deep sadness… but it was worth it all. You were worth all this- other than Iblis. Iblis was more chaos than I meant to create in your life."
I didn't know what to say.
"Then again, Iblis was also one of my marked one, which is, most likely, why he chose you- though I was trying to will another to you until the Fates interfered."
"Who?" I finally asked in the middle of Asher's rambling. "Who were you trying to get to pick me instead?"
"One of my sons- Rowan."
I tried to think if I had heard that name before.
"Rowan was known to show his enemies their worst nightmares before he killed them. He was marked by Reve."
He wanted Rowan the nightmare to be my companion? How was Iblis worse? Rowan and Iblis had been best friends in life. I remember glimpses of Rowan and sometimes he made Iblis look tame.
I sat there staring at the fire. I could see the glow of his skin beside me and I still couldn't bring myself to look at him. How often could a Raksheesh say they had met a god in their lifetime and here I was blowing it.
"Anyhow, I am done rambling."
"Why did you choose me, Ander?" I asked, finally daring to look at him.
"I had a feeling you would of great use to me," he said. "And you needed someone to choose you for once."
It was true. I wasn't really ever chosen for anything- I just somehow stumbled into something and it opened multiple doors causing a ripple effect. I nodded, not knowing what else to say.
"Also being chosen by me, there's a power you've yet to tap into."
"Don't I already have enough, Ander? I can read people's minds and now Iblis…"
He chuckled. "The first time I have ever heard a Raksheesh complain about too many powers."
"What is this power?" I asked mildly worried.
Ander smirked. "I knew I picked well. You don't even cringe or cower from me. Even my own son tends to cower from me."
By not looking at him, I had some backbone.
"Fire."
"Fire?" I asked surprised.
"You have to be angry to use it."
Why hadn't Hassan burst into flames several times?
"I don't understand."
"I don't have to be angry to use it because I invented fire. Now you … you need an emotion to spark it. Most likely anger. Stand. What emotion would you like it linked to?"
I stood awkwardly, not understanding what was happening. He placed his hand on his mark. "What emotion, Jaspen?"
"Fear… Anger doesn't come easily for me."
Ander didn't say anything and I felt my skin prickle and grow in warmth and my knees buckled in surprise.
"You are an odd one, Jaspen, but that is why I wanted to claim you under my mark."
I said nothing as I gasped for air. I felt as if my whole body was on fire.
"Water," I heaved.
Ander knelt, handing me a flask, and I swallowed, not caring what it was.
"It's linked to fear Jaspen, even your own fear of it engulfing you. You need to lose that fear or it might very well do so."
I focused my mind on closing doors until the heat was lost from my skin- the same as I did when there were too many voices in my head. I heaved a heavy breath.
"You learn quickly," he said, surprised.
I got up shakily. "I used the same trick the queen taught me to control my mind reading." Ander looked at me mildly curious. "Your life is tightly linked with the gods. You are a
strange Raksheesh."
"What do you mean by that?"
"That is one of Temille's gifts."
The head god… I had one of his gifts?
"But then again, your mother's life was touched by the hand of Temille."
Why did so many gods have their hand in my life? How many of my kind were touched by the gods? My birth mother and the queen? What powers did the king possibly have?
"Would you like to meet your mother, Sari?"
I thought about it for a moment. I had always wanted to, deep down, at least see a painting of my mother, but she had only been a handmaid to the king and a soldier's mortal wife. There was no way to ever know how she looked.
"Only if you show her to Hassan as well."
Ander looked at me curiously and with understanding.
"Very well."
I was surprised. "Really?"
Ander nodded. "I'll have Bane fetch him."
"Thank you."
"You're likely to give the old man a heart attack you know," he said with a bit of a smile. "He isn't a big believer in the gods."