Chapter 4
It was sunset when Yokig reached the brotherhood's den in Grenlov city. As a boy, on his grandfather's weekly trips into the city, Yokig would be made to stand outside the wood and stone house.
Yokig took a moment to let it all in. The house was wedged in between two similar looking houses, one painted a dull blue and the other painted a dull white. It was about three stories high and built of a solid wooden frame with tightly packed stone walls. Its windows were all boarded shut with wooden shutters, cut to the exact dimensions of the window.
Yokig tried to clean himself up a bit, or as much as he could anyway. He wanted to make a good impression for the brotherhood because he was always taught by his grandfather that first impressions are important. 'They shape the way people think of you.' He could hear his grandfather say in his mind. But his tunic was regrettably covered in soot. The fire had begun to burn holes in the woolen fabric, and dark patches had formed where the fire didn't make it all the way through, creating black spots that were unsightly and painfully visible.
During his walk to the house, he could feel the judgemental stares of every single passer by. Thankfully they had not heard what had happened in the town just outside their city walls, so they kept their distance and didn't bother him.
Yokig thought the fire would kill him, he thought he was as good as dead. He could still feel the flames surrounding him and he shivered from the thought. Who was the woman in the flames that saved his life? Yokigs world had been flipped upside down. Before a couple of days ago he was a baker's grandson who had never seen anything beyond what he was told was normal. He had not experienced anything magical. But within the span of a few short hours his world opened up to talking cats, and women appearing out of flame. It was all very unnerving for him and his brain hadnt had the time to fully process it. Yokig was beginning to feel like he was going insane. He didnt know what was real anymore and what wasn't, the line between the two had become blurred.
Yokig stared at the wooden door of the house. He didn't know what would await him on the other side, so he just stood there on the narrow cobblestone street. Would the brotherhood even accept him? Would they know where he was supposed to go next? And the dream, what about the dream? Questions with no answers raced through his mind.
Just as he was preparing to knock, the door swung open . Yokig felt his feet lifting off the ground and found himself trapped between two sturdy arms.
"You came!" His assailant proclaimed.
As Yokig was set back on the ground he looked up to see Redbeard smiling at him with a grin that seemed to reach from one ear to the other.
"Come in, come in, my boy!" Redbeard cleared out of the doorway making room for Yokig to enter.
As Yokig entered the home he noticed a woman cooking over a firepit in the center of the room. The woman looked up from the claudren hanging above the flames and smiled at Yokig. Her smile was warm and friendly and made yokig feel like he had finally come home again after a long time being away.
"Is this the boy you were yappin' about?"she joyfully exclaimed, gently stirring what was in the pot.
"The very same my love!" Redbeard took Yokig by the shoulders and led him to a wooden table by the window.
The table was crafted expertly out of oak and was surrounded by three matching chairs made from the same wood. Beside the table stood a wooden counter, whose surface was littered with a cutting board, knives and scrapes of vegetables that had escaped while the vegetables were being lifted up and thrown into the pot.
The woman cooking over the fire was a very fair skinned woman. Her hair was a shimmering golden blond and her eyes were as blue as the sky on a clear day.
Redbeard had pulled a chair out for yokig, "Sit, sit my boy! Super will be ready soon!"
Yokig did what he was instructed to do and sat down.
"Pardon my manners my boy, I failed to introduce the lovely woman over there" Redbeard motioned to his wife like he was showing off his greatest treasure to a beloved friend. "This is my wife Grenalda!" His smile at the thought of his wife lit up the room.
"Oh, you poor thing! Look at you all covered in soot!" Grenalda gave Yokig a loving look as she walked away from the claudren and took the boy's face gently into her hands, giving him a look over. "My love, can you check on the soup while I draw a bath for this poor boy?"
"Most certainly." Redbeard gave Grenalda a gentle kiss on the forehead and took her place by the kitchen's flames.
When Grenalda released Yokigs face, she disappeared up the wooden staircase into one of the rooms above.
Finally Yokig whispered, "This is a lovely house you have, I always wondered what it would look like on the inside." Suddenly Yokig was afraid that he might have been followed again, the last time he was with Redbeard they were eavesdropped on and an angry mob burned his house down with him inside. He had learned from the harrowing experience that he had to be careful when he spoke.
"Oh thanks my boy! You can be as loud as you want in here. Nobody from the outside is going to hear you on account of this place being protected by my wifes magic!" Redbeard beamed.
Yokig relaxed a little, this was welcome news. More questions entered his mind about Redbeards wife and her magic but he decided that he better let them stay inside of his head. He didn't want to come off as rude especially since Redbeard had let him into what appeared to be his own house.
"I kind of thought there would be more people here, where's blackpaw?" Yokig had noticed that the black cat was nowhere to be seen.
"Blackpaw?" Redbeard tasted the soup with a wooden spoon. "Mmm, thats delicious, Grenalda sure knows how to make a mean supper!" "Blackpaw?" He thought for a second before continuing. "If my memory serves me, She's upstairs sleeping. My house is the meeting place for the brotherhood in Grenlov you see. And we haven't met this week yet. You'll get to meet them soon enough young lad."
"Someone followed us!" Tears erupted from Yokigs eyes as he thought about everything he lost. "Someone followed us last night! They told everyone about our meeting! They heard everything!"
Redbeards smile quickly disappeared, becoming replaced with a somber sorrowful stare. He put down the wooden spoon and walked the length of the room to console Yokig in another warm embrace. "I know, young one, they followed us from the square"
Rebeard let go and slumped into the seat next to yokig. "We would have abandoned the mission, but retrieving you was too important, even at the risk of someone finding out. What did they do to you young one?"
The memory was painful, it was fresh in the boy's mind. "They burned the bakery down with me inside." Yokigs cheeks were drenched in tears.
"I'm sorry to hear that lad, humans can be so mean to each other." Redbeard placed his heavy hand on Yokigs shoulder. "I hope you don't mind if I asked my wife to ask her fae friends to look after you. I had a hunch something like this would happen."
"Fae? I thought I was a goner, there was fire everywhere and I couldn't escape! But then a woman came from the flames and saved me"
"Yes lad, that woman was the queen of the fire spirits. And it's a good thing she got to you in time."
Footsteps came from the staircase interrupting the flow of the conversation as Grenalda reappeared drying her hands off with a wool cloth. "The bath is ready and I put a clean tunic next to the tub on the counter. You're going to feel so much better once you're all cleaned up"
Yokig didn't have to be told twice. He looked dirty and he felt dirty. He was overwhelmed with gratitude at Redbeard and Grenaldas hospitality and generosity. The had not judged him not even once since they opened up their door to greet him. In fact, they had been nothing but kind. He stood up and politely bowed. "Thank you so much, I am indebted to your kindness" Yokig turned around and headed up the stairs to his waiting bath.
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The bathwater was filled with herbs, spices and lilac petals that danced calmly on the warm waters surface. Yokig disrobed and placed his foot into the still water. He felt a deep sense of peace take over his body the moment his foot touched the liquid. He sank beneath its gentle waves, his worries and stress melted away and his muscles relaxed deeper than they have ever relaxed before.
A noise brought him out of his relaxed state for a brief second. "You've arrived." Two green eyes attached to a tiny black body affixed to his gaze as he noticed a cat staring at him from the side of the metal tub.
"Blackpaw?" His muscles calmed down again.
"In the flesh" Yokig could sense the cats sarcasm and humor. Blackpaw stood up and walked on all four of her tiny feet to the mouth of the stairs, slowly descending them, leaving Yokig alone again in his warm bath.
Yokig took a second to look around the bathroom. The room was located on the highest floor of the house with the bedroom being on the second floor. It consisted of a metal tub, of which he was currently in, a chamberpot, and a bowl of water located on a wooden counter next to a clean set of green clothing. The room is rather homely looking, Yokig mused. He finally let the peaceful sensation of the bath take control again as he closed his eyes and let go of all his worries.
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An hour must have come and gone before Yokig came down the stairs again. The tunic that was left for him had fit him so perfectly almost as if it was made specifically for him.
He came down the stairs to see Redbeard and his wife stuffing their mouths with soup, while the black cat ate squares of cut meat out of a small bowl that sat on the table.
An untouched fresh bowl of the soup sat next to Redbeard, in front of the table's only remaining empty chair. "Come my boy! Sit and eat, there's enough of this stuff for everyone!" Redbeard motioned wildly at the free chair with his free hand, while he chugged his bowl of soup with his other.
Yokig was famished and he was all too willing to obey. He quickly sat down and joined them in wolfing down the delicious supper.
Yokig ate until he couldn't possibly eat another bite. He pushed the bowl away and with a heavy sigh, and with a moan of satisfaction, he slumped deep into the wooden chair and closed his eyes.
When he finally gained the courage to open them again he found all three of his comrades' eyes fixed on him.
"We were talking while you were in the bath." Redbeard put his hand on his belly. "We decided to call an emergency meeting for the brotherhood tomorrow night to discuss what to do next. You're welcome to stay here for as long as you like"
In his near brush with death and the hospitality of his new hosts, Yokig had completely forgotten about why they came to him in the first place. Yokig didn't know why his dreams were so important to them, but he had put enough pieces together in his mind to realize that it was important enough to them to protect his life. As if on cue, the boy had an urge to ask them about it.
"About my dreams, what's so important about them?" Yokig found the courage to ask. His curiosity had reached its breaking point.
Redbeard fished a pipe out of the pockets of his tunic and lit it, taking a long drag of the grey smoke. With a long breath he released the smoke from his lungs, like a dragon releasing its fire, and let out a small cough. "Do you know how rare it is for a human to have dreams?"
Yokig had to think about this question. The truth was that he never asked anybody he knew if they dreamed so he didn't know. But he could remember that before he started having the dream there was only darkness waiting for him when he closed his eyes to sleep at night. "No"
Redbeards face said it all, this was a very serious topic, and not something the giant took lightly. "How much do you know about the history of Abahlon?"
Yokigs mind raced as he struggled to remember. The only thing he could think of was the tiny school building in the town where he would go to learn. He remembered the teacher coming into class one afternoon with the priest of the new religion in tow. He remembered how the priest taught that the one god created all of Abahlon, and how he appointed the pope king and his line to be his mouthpiece; but beyond that he didn't know much about the history of Abahlon. This was simply because he wasn't taught much beyond that. "Well they told us that the one god created everything and that the pope king spoke for him, they also taught that Abahlon used to be filled with heathens and that it was our duty to the one god to destroy them without mercy."
"Of course they did." Redbeard rolled his eyes.
"Senseless propaganda." The black cat chimed in. "We should tell him, he has the right to know."
Redbeard nodded at Blackpaw in agreement as he took another long inhale of his tobacco and exhaled it in another long stream of smoke. "Truth is young Yokig. We don't know alot about how we got into the predicament that we find ourselves in. Due mostly to all of our information being given to us from the last old one before he went into hiding twelve hundred years ago. Since then the informations become a bit muddled from decades of being passed down from one ear to the other."
"But what we do know is that the old ones were the first to be created. One for each of the continents of Abahlon, totaling twelve. They were given twelve seats of witch gave them near unlimited power, and they were instructed to look after and guide what was created after them, teaching them in the ways of truth and oneness"
Yokig was on the edge of his seat, his ears focused on every word that came out of Redbeards mouth.
With another puff Redbeard continued, "you see, after the old ones came, the magical folks like myself and my wife were created, and after that, the humans"
"Now while the old ones had great power and knowledge they also had the responsibility of teaching everyone that everything is one energy and therefore equal, because nothing was truly separate."
"Everything had its own unique purpose within that oneness, you see, including the humans. For a while, everything was balanced and the world was at peace."
"Well, that was until the humans grew jealous. They started seeing things as separate and thereby unequal. They desired to be gods amongst themselves, so they started the New Religion and began hunting us magical creatures down, labeling us as heathens to their new One God. They knew their numbers were great and they far outnumbered us magical folks, even then. They were smart, they found a way to even overpower and kill the old ones themselves."
"What followed was a war on everything magical that still continues to this very day. We honestly don't know how many of us magic folk remain." Redbeard looked away, his eyes filling up with sorrow as a tear slid down his chiseled cheek. "They killed my family young Yokig."
"The humans, and their one god, tried to destroy and erase as much of the old world as they could. Before they killed the old one Ethrill, he revealed to them the prophecy."
"The prophecy?" Yokig piped up, his voice cracking from lack of use. "What prophecy?"
Blackbeard's eyes widened, Yokig could see a sense of hope wash though the man's body. "The prophecy of the boy king, my boy! The one who will destroy the Pope King and end his line, restoring balance to all of Abahlon!"
"So what does all of this have to do with my dream?"
This was a history he was never taught, something that was hidden from him he couldn't understand. Why would his race do something this terrible. Why did his race desire power and control so much, that they would suppress this truth from their own people. But most importantly, he couldn't understand how he fit into all of this.
Blackbeard spoke slowly so that Yokig could understand, "You're one of the only four humans that have ever dreamed. And only one other, so far, has had that specific dream you have. And that's all within the past twelve hundred years." Redbeards stare was intense. "Yokig, there's an extremely high chance that you, my boy, might be the boy king!"
Yokig was at a loss for words. How could he be the boy king. Up until a couple of days ago he was just a bakers grandson, struggling to make his grandfather and the town's people proud. "What happened to the others?" Yokig had a feeling that he already knew, but he had to ask the question anyway.
It was so silent, one could hear a pin drop. Finally, after the long absence of sound, Redbeard spoke a single word, "Dead".
That one word sent shivers down Yokigs spine and filled him with an overwhelming sense of dread. Every single person in the room looked at the boy as he finally understood the gravity of the situation.
"Now do you see?" Redbeard took another puff from his pipe. "How important it is for us to keep you safe, and why we need to keep you secret?"
"I...I…" Yokigs words struggled to come out of his mouth.
"Its ok, you're safe here for now. We'll figure out what to do at tomorrow's meeting, you'll see." Grenaldas voice soothed Yokig. "I'll have Redbeard set out a few blankets for you."
" I think you broke him," Blackpaw chuckled as she cleaned her paw.
Yokig had no choice but to trust them, he felt like he was safe, but what bothered him was that the others were killed. He wanted to get up from the chair, but the more he tried the more he was stuck in place. He had wanted to speak, but when he opened his mouth, no words came out.
"Let's clear the table and give him some space hun." Grenalda started picking up the bowls on one side of the table while Redbeard gathered the bowls from the other. All the while Yokig sat in place, processing the things he had just been told.
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On the morning of the meeting, as Yokig was having a delicious breakfast of ham and cheese, a soft knock came from the door. Grenalda rushed to open it to reveal a girl around Yokigs age, with green eyes and short brown hair. She carried a satchel around her tiny waist and walked with an air of uncertainty, but Yokig felt as though it was a ruse, he felt great power and great potential within her. Grenalda introduced the girl as Dresmael, her apprentice, before rushing out of the house in haste for her daily training. Yokig liked the way Dresmael looked, he was quite attracted to her.
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The house was filled with men and women in dark tunics. Each face in the room, hidden by a mask. The chatter of the crowd filled the small space permeating even the smallest of crevices.
Yokig was told the masks were to protect the identity of the members in case one of them got caught. Because the secrecy of the group outweighed its individual members, so it was better not to know who anyone was.
Yokig had helped Redbeard clear out the table and chairs and place them in the upstairs room before the members of the brotherhood started arriving one by one. Balckpaw slept, stretched out on the wooden counter, oblivious to the goings on and happenings surrounding her. Before the first member arrived, Redbeard and his wife, freshly returned from teaching her understudy, slipped into their black robes and masks. Redbeard had told Yokig that it was not necessary for the boy to be in disguise, the brotherhood had to know what he looked like so that they could protect him. Blackpaw didn't need to hide who she was either, Yokig had assumed that this was simply because she couldn't fit into a human sized robe.
The mask Redbeard wore covered his entire face. It had an expertly painted scenic scene of a lonely mountain range surrounded by a low hanging mist. The peaks of the mountain puncturing the gaseous cloud of moisture.
Grenalda wore a mask that only covered half her face, from her forehead to her nose. The mask had held a golden yellow sunflower, its bright petals covering the woman's skin on a background of a cool blue sky.
Blackpaw sat patiently on the counter, cleaning herself with her sandpaper like tongue as if she were alone in the room.
About twenty or so members filled the room. Yokig looked around at each of their masks. One particular member stood out to Yokig. They were around his height and their mask was covered with a wonderfully painted red rosebud. Yokigs couldn't tear his eyes away, behind the mask sat a pair of gorgeous green eyes.
The members were given enough time to gather into the brotherhood's den before Redbeard called the meeting into order.
"Excuse me! My fellow menfolk and womenfolk," the room fell silent as all ears focused on Redbeards words.
Redbeard cleared his throat, " Now I can imagine you must be asking yourselves why we brought all of you here on this fine night, after all, it's only a sunday."
The members mumbled amongst themselves and quieted after Redbeard continued talking. "Well, I promise that this sudden gathering won't be a waste of you lovely folks time. Here before you this evenin stands a boy with dreams!" Redbeard carried himself with pride as he set his hand on yokigs shoulder.
The members were alive with excitement at this revelation.
"Settle down! Settle down!" The crowd quieted once more. "Yokig, why don't you share your dream with the brotherhood!?"
Yokig recounted his dream, he told them of the clearing in the forest, the twelve trees, and the horrible man and his horrid axe. He told them about the fall of the last great tree and filled their hearts with hope as he recollected the new tree that grew to take its place, eventually filling up the entire clearing and bringing with it new life. When he finished the room fell silent for a few minutes as the members took in everything Yokig had said.
"Menfolk and womanfolk of the brotherhood! I'm sure I don't have to remind you about how serious this situation is." Redbeards voice echoed throughout the small room. "I will now open the floor to questions"
A member in a wolf masks hand quickly shot into the air.
I would like to ask the brotherhood what they think the last part of the dream means?" The deep male voice behind the mask filled the gathering space.
"We think it means he's the boy king." Redbeard revealed to the group.
"But how do we know for sure? There have been others and the pope king has caught and killed every one. And still no boy king. Why should we believe this boy who dreams is the one?" The man with the deep voice was clearly nervous and uneasy. His body shook a little from his anxious tension.
This question was on everyone's mind. How could they know Yokig was the boy king that had been foretold, when all the other dreamers that came before him left them nothing but disappointment.
"We don't," Redbeard confessed. The uneasy crowd muttered amongst themselves until Redbeard raised his hands high in the air.
"Ladyfolk and menfolk, hear me out!" His voice was loud enough to shake the glass on the windows in the room. "Yes, the truth is that we don't know for sure. But what if this young man is? Is it not the right, no, the honor, of every member in here to protect this boy with our lives? Because he has dreams, his life is at risk, and I for one am not going to stand idling by, twiddling my thumbs, soaking in the disappointment from the past, while the chance that he is the boy king slips from our hands."
A member in a mask painted with a luminous full moon spoke up. "So what do we do?"
"I have no clue, suggestions?" Redbeard truly had no idea and Yokig felt that he was genuinely searching for an answer.
The members pondered Redbeards question for a little while. Yokig kept his mouth shut and scanned the room with his eyes, waiting on any answer that came.
"The last old one will know!?" The girl in the rose mask finally filled the air with noise only to be met with the laughter and dismissal of her fellow brotherhood members.
"Nobody knows where he is, girl! He has been missing for 1200 years!" Somebody roared. Yokig was still too focused on the girl to turn around and look to see where the mean spirited comment came from.
Redbeards powerful voice commanded the room's attention. "DO NOT LAUGH! NOBODY LAUGH AT THIS FELLOW BROTHERHOOD MEMBER! IF ANY OF YOU HAVE A BETTER IDEA, NOW IS THE TIME TO SPEAK! IF NOT, SHUT THE FUCK UP AND LISTEN TO THE GIRL!"
The girl regained her confidence. "Well, before the last old one went into hiding he gifted Ismeal the wise a silver compass, right?
"Yes, he did my girl."
Redbeards reassurance filled the girl up with confidence despite the stares of disapproval the rest of the members flung in her direction.
"The compass is said to point directly to the old one, in case we ever needed to seek him out. I bet he would know whether or not the boy with dreams is the boy king promised in the prophecy."
"So let me get this straight," the man in the wolf mask heckled the girl. " You want to march into Negathor, straight into the brotherhoods den, right up to the head brother and demand for him to relinquish a priceless ancient artifact to you simply because we need it to find the old one so we can ask him a silly question as to weather or not this boy is the boy king?" The man made a sport out of her words, "yeah, a lot of good that will do ya!"
The room roared with laughter despite Redbeards orders not to.
"I SAID QUIET! THE LOT OF YOU!" Redbeard was furious, this was not the way to treat fellow brotherhood members. "EVERY SINGLE LAST ONE OF YOU SHOULD BE ASHAMED OF YOURSELVES, THIS IS NOT HOW WE TREAT MEMBERS OF OUR OWN GROUP!"
Yokig stood up and addressed the room. "I think it's a great idea!"
"My boy, at least you see reason. Yes, I agree too!" Redbeard looked around the room.
Blackpaw stretched and yawned from her perch on the counter. "Me too!"
"Same!" Grenaldas voice calmed the crowd.
"From the silence I'll assume that nobody else has anything constructive to suggest, so we'll go with the girl's plan. Are any of you men brave enough to escort the boy on his quest to Negathor?"
The room remained silent. Most of the group thought that this quest was silly and a waste of their time. They didn't want to go at the behest of a child.
"I will go!" The girl in the rose mask volunteered. "I will go, the boy with the dreams must have at least one brotherhood member with him to enter the den in Negathor so I volunteer to go!"
"I will go too!" Grenalda coed.
"Sunflower, as my second in command, I must insist that you stay here to watch after this spineless group of cowards. I will also go to assist the boy with dreams." Redbeard didn't want Grenalda to go, how could he. He didn't want to put his wife in danger and it was true, he didn't trust anybody else to lead the brotherhood in Grenlov city in his place.
"Lone mountain, It will be my honor to stay in your stead."
No one else, besides Blackpaw, agreed to accompany the girl and Yokig on their journey. So after a short while Redbeard returned the attention of the group back to himself. "It is settled then, Rose mask, Yokig, Blackpaw and I will go with Yokig on his journey. My wife, sunflower, will stay here and lead until I get back. She is my eyes, she is my ears, She is my mouth until I return. And if I hear Any of you give her any trouble I'll tear your hearts out and feed them to the first dragon I find! Do you understand?"
The crowd muttered in agreement amongst themselves.
When the meeting was adjourned, the members, except for Grenalda, the girl in the rose mask, blackpaw and Redbeard, cleared out. The girl slipped off her mask to reveal her face.
It was Dresmael, Grenalda the peacefuls apprentice. Grenalda wrapped her arms proudly around her, embracing her like a long lost daughter.
"Me dear, I am proud! I am so, so proud of you" Grenalda cried tears of joy. Her touch relaxing every muscle in the young girl's body.
"I'm scared, I don't feel ready" Dresmael needed comfort and validation from her mentor.
"I know, but you are ready my sweet girl. You always have been" Grenalda kissed Dresmaels cheek.
Redbeard trapped all three of them in between his strong and sturdy hands in a very long bearhug. He was proud that Dresmael made the right choice. She stood up for her convictions and she showed courage in the face of everyone's mockery.
After a delicious supper Blackpaw, Redbeard and Grenalda retired to the upstairs bedroom. Yokig and Dresmael stayed up talking late into the night. They chatted about their past. She told him how she met Grenalda and how Grenalda chose to take her under her wing. Yokig revealed to her his memories of his parents and his life in the bakery until she had to go home for the night to prepare for the journey they were to embark on the very next day. Yokig fell asleep to thoughts and fantasies of the grand adventure that lay ahead of him. Where would this go? Where would this lead? Where would this take him? He closed his eyes and fell asleep, only to find himself in that clearing in the forest once again.