Three Years Later

The last thing that I saw that left me in tears was seeing aunt Calla’s body being taken to the spirited grounds where all the other markets peoples relatives were buried, I wanted to go to her grave but something in me stopped me, I didn’t want to be afraid anymore. My birthday was just yesterday so I guess I'm now an adult being 16 now. I made a few friends since we were forced here, yeah, we weren't the only village forced here. Over 1000 people here in the rural market and like 600 of them were forced here by the I.P.L.

Making armor, weapons, and anything that they ask for, it makes us sick but we’ve gotten used to it, we get good meals and nobody seems to be disappearing randomly like from our village, which is a mystery yet to be solved. I managed to make a few friends while I was here, but nothing could still stop me thinking about Terity and Odd, I haven’t seen them since I saw them get taken away by the I.P.L. to some unknown place, maybe they could be in jail, or worse, executed. If aunt Calla hadn’t died, I would of just sat here and grieved for them until I saw them again. But now, things have changed, Ive been working out for about a year now and it seems I can lift up my own weight, I used to be weak and scrawny, now I can jump across top of buildings and climb on the sides like what Terity and Odd did. For the past three years I have not seen Tajjit or that hooded man, but I think its time for me and Tajjit to have a reunion. I’ve been walking around the city looking for a weak spot, sadly, there is non, but there are a few entrances with a few guards, seems easy, and I have a plan.

Ever since I saw the word magic, I just put my mind on it and just researched it. A couple of people lent me some books to look at, I found some sort of way to make myself invisible, but it’ll be tricky, and I think I know who to help.

“No way,” says my friend Gash as he puts a book back infront of his face. “I made you silly magic potions that made us sound funny and made us some pretty good magic candy, but you want me to make you invisible so you can sneak in and see the most dangerous general out there, and want me to distract the guards so you have an easy advantage?”

“Well yeah, what’s so hard about that? When they ask you what you were doing, just say you were having a walk and you hurt your ankle.”

“They wouldn’t care about my ankle cause once they catch you, then they would arrest you and me, or, they would kill me and stake my head on a stick! I am not leaving this world like that man!”

I pinch the bridge on my nose and grab his book to rest it on the table. “Please, I really need to do this, you have no idea what I been through!”

“Oh yes I have, you spent a good 5 hours explaining everything in good detail, remember?”

God Gash could be mouthy, but he reminds me of a lot like me back then, except the talking back part.

“Ok, what if I do help you, what’s in it for me?”

I sat back and thought for a moment, I do remember telling him about the shrimstone and he got interested in that, and I remember Odd having a piece with him when we got here.

“Ok, what if I told you, I could get you a piece of that shrimstone.”

“Oh cut it out, how could you get one if were stuck here?”

“Cause I know a way to find some.”

“Hmmmm.”

“C’mon, please help me, you’re the only one in this market who knows how to create magic so smoothly!”

“Aargh, fine. . . but you better not get caught.”

“Don’t worry, it’ll work.”

. . .

I stand in a hallway inside a huge building with Gash at my side with 3 guards grabbing us from behind.

“I told you this wouldn’t work! I TOLD YOU I TOLD YOU!” he rambles on as I turn to face one of the guards.

“Hey, could you shut him up for a second.” Then one of the guards hit him in the head with the back of a gun, making Gash limp.

“So, where are you taking us?”

“Silence, General Tajjit will decide your fate.”

Hearing the word fate gives me a disgusted look on my face, we turn around a corner in the hallway as we make our way to a big door as the guards open it. I see a desk with many papers on it with animal fur on the ground, I see a chair being turned to see Tajjit sitting in it, he appears to be not wearing his hat, making me see his shiny bald head.

“What’s going on here?”

“Sir, these two tried to sneak in, expecialy this one.” He says pointing to me while I just keep my eyes narrowed with a bleak smile on me. “We caught him with an invisiblility potion on, but it appears to not have worked on his cloths making them appear in thin air.” Tajjit looks at me as I look embarrassed, I turn my head to look at Gash who seems to be bleeding from that gun blunt.

“I see.” Tajjit says as he walks up to me and studies me as he turns his head to my friend. “Whos he?”

“I-um just a friend.”

“What were you trying to accomplish?”

I took a big gulp and speak clearly. “I wanted to speak to you.”

“He opens his eyes a little bit then makes a little laugh as he shakes his head.

“I see, well then, gentlemen.”

“Sir!” say the soldiers as they clench us tighter. I really feel unedge for what might happen.

“Take this broken man to the infirmiry and get his head patched, after that send him back to the market, and for this young man,” looking at me, “I want to speak to him so could you please leave us alone for a bit.

“Yes, sir.” Say the soldiers looking at each other as they carry Gash out with a trail of blood leading out. Tajjit goes back to his chair as I just stand there looking at him.

“Sit Kodath sit, its been a while.” He says with a smile as he grabs a cigar from his desk as he puffs it, its smells rotten of strawberries. “Your looking good for your age Kodath, I wish I had a body back then when I excercised but I just simply had no motive, what was your motive for doing so?”

“Lets- not talk about that now?”

“Ok then, whatever suits you.” He takes a puff of smoke and blows it at the open window. He pops his back as if trying to relax. He acts different around me, way more friendly, more laid back and so on.

“I need to ask you some questions.”

“Yep, was afraid that this day would come.” He puts his cigar out in a metal tin and walks over to the window and stares outside. “I probably know one of your questions, how do I know your father?”

“Yes, is he some important man? Is he some secret person brought on by the I.P.L.?

He looks at me and then bursts out laughing. “Oh no, no.” He then sits down and puts the papers on his desk away. “Your father was just an ordinary person, just a regular miner, but back then when he was alive, I would be in the mine looking for some resources myself and between me, you and your father, I just love looking at the style of underground caves.”

His moods seem out of place for scary looking person like Tajjit, but he seems so peaceful speaking as he leans back on his chair.

“Whenever I was down there, your father would come down late night and do some night work, he would just do his thing while I did my own stuff. After a while when he was taking a break I thought it was getting boring so we started talking and talking, he told me some things about the village, about him, and of course, about you.”

Hearing this makes me feel... nostalgic, cause I wanted to hear the truth for a long time, and now here it is.

“For a week or two, your father and I have been talking and playing a few games, getting to know each other, those times it felt like I wasn't a general, a simple man talking with a close friend, just us sitting there existed and nothing else. Until it happened.”

“What?”

“It was a regular day, everyone was working in the mine gathering some resources, until we were getting noises from all over the island. Then there was an earthquake, we were both deep in the mine, we were rushing out to safety but we were trapped by some rocks, we tried to dig our way out but as soon as we saw the ceiling collapsing, he lifted a rock to make a path, I made it through and held the other end for him to escape, but it was too small from the rock build up.”

Tajjit looks at his hands, his fingers interlocking.

“Behind the wall of rocks, he told me to watch over you and protect your family, and then he was gone, I managed to get out before the mine collapsed.” He wipes a tear away before getting a bottle of rum from his desk and takes a drink. “I hope you understand, he saved me, I’m sorry for not saving your aunt in time, she was just too ill, I at least tried to stabilized her when she got here.”

When he looks down he pulls out a small paper with a picture on it and hands it to me. I unfold it to reveal a picture of me and my dad when I was nine years old.

“He gave that to me the day before he died, that’s how I recognized you. I forgot to give it back before he went home.”

“You kept this all this time?”

"The day he gave it to me was the day before he died, I never got the change to give it back. It is quite impossible to break reality down to try to have a good time, but it is quite possible for reality to break you down, piece by piece.”

He takes one more drink before putting the bottle away. He grabs his hat and puts it on his head.

“Though, that was a time ago, and I like to keep things in the past.”

“Well that’s quite impossible for me sir, for I have more questions.”

“Oh?”

“Tell me about the shrimstone.” My voice echoes the room as he stares at me. He then pinches the bridge between his eyes before saying anything.

“I wish I could know all the answers, to tell you the truth, I don’t know what to say.” After that we heard a random voice from across the room.

“I may have an answer.” I turn around to see the hooded man standing in the corner of the room.

“What the. . . how long have you been there?” I ask him as he slowly walks up to the giant desk infront of me.

“Well, its been a while since I saw you in my office Null.” Says Tajjit as he pulls out a cigar for the hooded man but he rejects it. His hood now has a strange red stripe on the side of it. The last time I saw him was when I first arrived here, I try not to look at him as he looks at me.

“How did you get in here? I would of heard the door?” I say to him even though it was a stupid question for I know the answer to.

“Teleportation magic, I thought you should have known that since you tried to sneak in here with a simple invisible potion, but lack the ingredients to make the clothes invisible as well, heh.” He laughs a little before patting my head. He raises his hand toward the other side of the room where a couple of chairs stay motionless. His hand then glowed as one of the chairs glided along the floor and moved right in his hand, he then spins it right before stopping it to sit in it.

“Spot me a shot of that?” The hooded man says as he wiggles his finger to the bottle of rum. The hooded man then takes off his hood to reveal his black handkerchief and black goggles. He then pats off some dust from his shoulders as he messes with his hair making it stand up.

“You going to take off that silly thing when you drink this?” Tajjit mumbling at the hooded man with a shot of rum.

“I’m getting to it, I’m getting to it.” Says the hooded man as he takes off his goggles and handkerchief and sets them in his giant pocket on his coat. He reveals his face showing a face with a small beard on his chin, and a small scar on the tip of his nose. Strange, he looks so familiar. He opens his eyes to reveal them being so purely white, strange for him wearing all black. At first he looks angry then he wrinkles his face as he cracks his neck with such terrible noise.

“Oh god that felt great, been up for days doing work for Et’dra.”

“Yeah, he’s been getting everyone organized for the celebration.”

“No kidding, I’m going to take a nap when Im done with my chores.” Says the hooded man as he takes a drink of the rum. As he swooshes it in his mouth, taking a gulp, he pops his back before leaning back on the chair. I start to feel very awkward as I speak up.

“Um, uh . . . heh um.”

“How’s Kirra Kodath” says the hooded man, he was talking about my mother, saying her name.

“Um. . . well and. . . I guess.”

“Why are you being nervous? Im not some girl you like am I? All though Im flattered but you’re not my type.” Says the hooded man as he takes a sip of rum and laughs to himself. I narrow my eyes as I focus in on the subject.

“Who are you?”

“Sometimes I wonder that? I think during night and day on what I am, just a person serving for the Lord of North hollow or just a messenger who-“ he stops as I cut him off with my hand.

“Just tell me your name.”

“I have many, the punisher, the heartless, the black magician, but people call me Null cause im Noisy, Unkind, Little-minded, and Likable cause I like to joke around.” What he said at the end made me think of that time he made that soldier disappear in the ground, but I just drop it from my mind at the moment.

“What’s your real name?”

“Don’t know, I never knew my name, people kept calling me nicknames like rug, mud, jitter legs cause I was an energetic child, so basically the opposite of what you are Kodath.” He smiles before taking a third shot of the rum before setting the cup down. "Oh do you have any snacks?"

"This ain't a damn buffet Null, enjoy your drink and finish your conversation," says Tajjit.

“How do you know my name, my mother, please explain.” says Kodath.

“Uh I hate talking with my head being dizzy so Ill just blurt it out, I'm your long lost uncle!” 

The words echo in my mind as I see a smirk on his face.