The day
for their departure had come; every possible preparation had been made. Water skins had been filled, tested for
leaks, and filled again. Dried fish and
plants were wrapped tightly in seal skin and placed in their leather
satchels. A second pair of sandals, some
blankets, and a skinning knife also joined these items. Besides that, were their weapons: long knives
that weren’t quite as long as a real sword, and fishing spears. One of the men had even insisted on bringing
his fishing club.
As Zarek surveyed the men which had gathered
in front of his lodge, he noticed the excitement, the fear, and the eagerness
in which they faced this new adventure.
It was all beginning to affect him too, though he was careful to keep
his face impassive. He was not foolish
enough to think that this journey would be without hardship. The change for glory was much slimmer and
less probably than death on a distant battlefield.
Sargon
appeared and walked over to stand next to him.
This at least brought some measure of comfort to Zarek. He had decided to leave Sargon in charge of
the village in his absence. The man had
been evasive, stating that he much rather go with his chieftain, but at last
agreed to remain. Since he was to stay,
he had given Zarek as much advice as possible on warfare and military tactics,
which he could draw on for personal knowledge.
Zarek listened
carefully, mentally filing it all away in his memory. He knew that all of Sargon’s life experiences
could not accurately be relayed over the course of a couple days, and couldn’t
help but wish that they had more time.
Forcing a
smile, he bid Sargon farewell and they clasped forearms before Zarek went to
join the men that were saying good-bye to their families. To his dismay, he noticed his father standing
nearby with several pouches of food and water skins slung over his shoulder.
Arrod stepped forward and with a haughty look
which challenged any of the men to breathe a word against his being there, said,
“I have journeyed to Nineveh many time.
Since I know the best roads, I will be your guide.”
The men
stared at him for a moment, and then shrugged their shoulders. If their chief had appointed Arrod as such, they
would not disagree with their chief.
Grinding
his teeth in irritation, Zarek turned away.
There was little else he could do since the other men had appeared to
accept Arrod’s presence among them. He
forced his shoulders to relax. Perhaps
his father did know the best traveling routes and where the safe watering holes
were. He grudgingly remained silent and
allowed it to be so.
They didn’t
have many horses in the village. The
ones they had were old, and Zarek decided they would make better time on
foot. None of the men had argued though
they had suggested he at least have a mount.
He had refused them, stating that he would walk beside them and they had
relented.
The
coolness of the morning could still be felt as the men gave their final
farewells and began their march. It was
a long route that would take them to Nineveh.
Zarek
worried over the length of the journey, the shortage of time, and the lack of preparations. Most of all, he agonized over the unknown, he
was leaving behind the only world he had known.
His agony
eased when Natan fell into step beside him and the two walked in companionable
silence. Natan’s calm presence was
reassuring and helped Zarek to ground his own spirits. At least until he caught sight of the arrogant
figure of Arrod leading the procession as if he was in charge of the expedition
himself. Zarek fully hoped that the man did
not intent to remain in Nineveh once they arrived.
Inwardly
he doubted this. It was already evident
in Arrod’s presence among them that he ready to turn Zarek free just yet; he
would continue to try to influence and manipulate him. Zarek knew this, and dreaded it. Whatever Arrod was planning for his future,
Zarek felt sure that his father would find some way to put his plan into
action.
His dark
thoughts were interrupted at the distant roar of a lion. The sound made the hair on Zarek’s neck stand
on end and he felt ache of his collar bone flare up. Still, as the lion roared again, Zarek felt
no fear. The lion’s call ignited a
challenge in his soul and he reared his head back and looked at the stars that
were fading from the graying sky of morning.
A lion would bide it’s time to attack, and he would too.
The
End
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