The Apes of Wrath
The boy hid in the underbrush and peered out at the smoke and flames that consumed what used to be a village. His violet eyes reflected the flames that devoured thatch huts and wooden fences, the stench of burnt hair and flesh assaulted his senses as the pyre in the center of town grew in size. His eyes watered and his nostrils burned.
He could see the silhouettes of warriors carrying bodies out of the houses and to the fire. These warriors were adorned with war paint, depicting horrible images of death and sacrifice. Their flesh was pierced with what appeared to be pieces of bone, animal or human, the boy could not tell from this distance. On their backs were crude bows and quivers filled with lethal arrows, the heads of which were undoubtedly coated in poison. These men strode with a confidence that was only found in the most brutal of men. Men who wouldn’t hesitate to kill a young boy, such as himself. Not even a young boy who was sheltering an even younger girl, just as he was.
His sister was not more than five winters old. She had seen war though, she knew to keep quiet at times like this. She was too young when their father was slain protecting them, but she was old enough to see their mother fall to the same fate. Since then he was her only guardian. He remembered his mother’s words clearly, when they were still together, away from this madness.
“They will come for you both, but you must run and hide. Don’t fight them, run, survive. Keep hiding.”
“But why mama?” He would reply.
“They seek power.” As his mother said this he would catch her eyes drift between him and his sister’s cradle. “Power in any form.”
“Mama, I have no power to give. I’m scared.”
“Shh...shhh...child.” she stooped down to his level and cupped her hands around his face and looked at him with those same sad violet eyes. “As long as we are together, we are powerful. A family like ours...they are the ones who should be afraid.”
But she was wrong, men from the sea came and found their secluded home in the forests, his mother bundled her children up and sent them running into the forests. They hid in the brush, just like this night, and watched their mother fall to men more vicious and brutal than any they’d ever seen. Until tonight. These warriors and their leader made short work of this small village and its inhabitants.
The old man who took them in was in there somewhere, amongst the dead or the suffering. There was no one else now. He was a kind soul, an old man with nothing to give but compassion and patience. He was exactly what the siblings needed, but now he was gone.
The boy was filled with anger and the lust to prove himself in battle. To become what he was meant to be. But what he felt over all of those things was stronger and even more powerful. The overwhelming and incapacitating sense of terror. There was a phoenixborn amongst those warriors. A being of power so immense that it was nauseating, he could feel it pulsing through him. She was out there, looking for him and his sister.
“Jason…” A whimper broke the silence from behind the boy. “She’s coming. I can hear her. We have to run, like mama said.”
“I know...I feel her too.” Jason turned back to look at his sister, she was huddled in the opening at the base of a massive tree. Her eyes could be seen in the shadows, they shared the same violet shade as her brother’s but her irises were lighter. They had a glow that matched the moss that grew on the trees of their homeland. They were beautiful, but right now Jason saw the fear within them. The witch was coming.
“Jason we have to go. She’s too big.” His sister was pleading now. He knew he should listen, but something kept him there, watching the flames.
“I’m just tired of running Claire, I want to rest. I want to find a home.”
“Mama said..”
“Yes, mama said we will never have a home, I remember.” At that Jason hung his head in defeat. “Alright, we will leave. Can you call them again?”
“I’m tired Jason, but I can try.” The poor girl looked exhausted, Jason knew it was too much to ask of her, but he had to know she would help. Jason knelt next to his sister, he put his hands onto hers and squeezed just for a second.
“Thank you sister. Are you ready?”
A sniffle escaped and Claire’s small hand wiped away the fluids from her nose “Ok Jason, stay close.”
“I will.” As the two children stood and gathered their small collection of things a voice rang out over the din of the slaughter, it was foreign, Jason could not understand its words but he understood its tone. The warriors were coming, they sensed the siblings and were making their way towards the forest. The warriors crept through the dark underbrush cautiously, their forms hidden in the gloom. Jason took one last glance over his shoulder and spotted the witch. Two massive horns and a feathered headdress adorned her head like a crown, her face covered in dark warpaint making it seem as if it were a disembodied skull. Jessa. The one from my nightmares. Then, she spoke.
“Come out little ones… no need to hide any more… no need to run.” She spoke his tongue but Jason could tell her mastery of the language was weak, she struggled with pronunciation but her message was clear. She knew they were out there. “My warriors surround you even now, come out quick and your death will be painless.”
Claire whimpered behind Jason, she clutched his hand and squeezed it tightly.
“We are not going out there Claire, don’t worry.” He turned to go, away from the witch, but suddenly he found that it was hard to move, his feet felt heavy. His sister screamed out, they were sinking, the earth at their feet turned to sludge, as if soaked by a rainstorm, but the mud was heavy and unnatural. When Jason tried to lift his boot out of the slop he stared in horror, they were sinking in a patch of earth that was turning into blood. Jason took off his backpack and threw it to the nearest patch of dry earth. He helped Claire remove hers as well and did the same.
“Those powers are just a burden little ones, let me take them from you. You were too young to fight the chimera, you did not earn these gifts, these curses.” She paused and whispered in her language, no doubt to her warriors that accompanied her. Jason could hear the bones that hung from the witch rattle and clink against one another as she moved towards them. “Even if you run, more will come for you.”
“You have to call them now Claire, we need help.” Claire was weeping, the poor girl was keeping it together as well as she could, but Jason could see she did not have it in her for much longer. “They will keep us safe.” She did not responded verbally but a tearful nod indicated that she had heard her brother.
The air around Claire began to shimmer, her eyes pulsed a brilliant purple and she said the words, the words her mama had taught her before they were forced to run. Two warriors emerged from the vegetation to find the two children slowly sinking into the earth, the men chuckled and looked at each other for a moment too long. For as they reached for their weapons the trees on the opposite side of the clearing erupted in an explosion of wood and grass. Two massive forms leapt across the space, over the children and onto the unsuspecting warriors.
The creatures resembled the great apes of the highlands, they were a head taller than a normal man and their arms were massive. Their meaty fists rained down blow after blow onto the savages as others nearby cried out in alarm. Arrows flew towards Claire’s conjurations but the stone tipped arrows glanced harmlessly off the hides of the apes.
Natural apes were covered with a dense fur and tough skin, Claire’s were so much more. Their body was covered with scales, as large and as tough as a drake’s, along their spines were thicker scales with high ridges. These scales served as an armor almost and it struck fear into the witch’s warriors. Some shrieked out while others pushed forward, eager to prove themselves, albeit foolishly.
One of the conjurations turned and faced the warriors, beating its chest in challenge and slamming its fists against the earth with a primal fury. It roared its challenge and displayed a set of yellow teeth, massive fangs protruding from its bestial mouth. The other ape turned to the siblings, and with a gentle grace it lifted both out of the summoned blood swamp.
The witch stood stunned at the arrival of these massive creatures, her eyes wide. She mouthed something but it could not be heard, she gathered herself quickly and issued orders to those who still remained. Jessa’s warriors regained control of their fears. The apes had caught them off guard but the phoenixborn was experienced, she was not to be frightened easily.
“You are impressive for ones so young. But the time has come, I will have your ashes.” Claire and Jason stood behind the ape that rescued them, Jason could see that Claire was shaking.
“She’s too big Jason, I can’t… I can’t.”
“Listen to me Claire, we can get out of this, Keep them here, ok, just keep them here.”
“You have to help him Jason, he can’t keep going.” She motioned towards the ape that was fighting the warriors. Jessa was assaulting him with black magics as well, golden blood leaked from under his scales.
“I will Claire, you stay here ok?”
“Ok”
With that Jason charged off in the direction of the fight, as he drew closer he pulled a small scroll from a pouch on his belt, he read the words, and repeated the phrase. Around the ape the warriors drew in closer, they could tell their prey was weakening, but soon the air shimmered to life and the wounds on the apes side began to seal. In front of the great creature a massive spiked mace appeared. Jessa wailed with frustration as the ape hefted the giant weapon and spun with a renewed ferocity into its assailants.
As the ape pushed towards the witch, Jason locked eyes with her, she grinned just briefly and drove a knife down into the earth. Jason shrieked with pain as blood blossomed underneath his shirt. Warrior after warrior fell from the massive ape’s assault but for each one that fell the pain Jason felt intensified. He twisted and writhed in pain, looking up at a cloud filled night, the glow of the burning village was the only light to be seen as he stared up into that cold and unforgiving sky.
“This game of yours is unfair…” He said it to no one but everyone at the same time.
Jason could feel the life draining out of him, he was growing weak and the pain grew only stronger. He hoped his sister would not suffer. He hoped she could make it out of this nightmare. Suddenly the pain lifted, Jason was completely numb and he heard the frustrated cry of Jessa Na Ni once more. He raised his head with what strength he had left and saw that a rogue arrow had found the witch and it pierced her side, below her ribs and escaping part way through her back. A single archer stood at the edge of the burning village. His bow in his ancient hands, his weathered eyes glinting in the darkness. The flames behind kept his face hidden in shadow, but Jason knew that it was him, the old man who saved Jason and his sister.
It was enough to save Jason again, the ape continued its massacre of the savage warriors and pushed towards Jessa which forced her to stumble away in defeat. She shouted a curse in her own tongue and limped off into the darkness, her surviving warriors gathering close around her in protection.
The old man moved as fast as one his age could to the spot that Jason lay, he lifted the boy and hobbled towards the place Claire was last seen. She sat in the lap of her guardian ape resting against its massive belly, the ape gently patted the child’s hair. The action was kind, motherly, it was a scene Jason hadn’t seen in what felt like a long time. Jason laughed to himself for he could tell, his sister was fast asleep.
“Rest well little sister, rest well.” He turned and looked upon his saviour once more. “We are done running. It is time we made this place our home.” The old man nodded and smiled.
Wow excellent story
ReplyDelete