Thank you to those that reveiwed the Prologue. Your critiques have been very helpful.
[pre]“Mars get up.” Toshom commanded, shaking his twin brother. “We need to move on today. Two weeks is too long.”
“What’s it matter?” Markali grumbled, rolling onto his side. “They’ll catch us eventually. Just like, they did Rea. Why prolong the inevitable?”
“Not if we move on in decent time. You know we stayed there too long.”
Now seventeen, the twins were still seeking a permanent safe haven from the Braeden Organization. This organization was developed to hunt down and destroy orphans. Particularly orphaned Christians. The loss of their older sister forced the twins to grow up and fend for themselves at the age of seven.
Toshom’s violet eyes were focused and his movements were fluid and calm as he packed the few belongings they had acquired since that fateful day. He wrapped them in the blanket as Reakeda used to do.
“They’d have gotten her anyways. You know they would’ve,” Markali mumbled.
“We don’t have time for this, Markali. We don’t know what would’ve happened if we had left sooner because, the fact is, we didn’t. We stayed too long. What’s done is done, Mars! Move on!”
“How can you just let go of Rea so easily, Toshom?” Markali asked in disbelief.
“I haven’t let go of her, Mars! I've let go of the pain. “
“Tell it to someone stupid enough to believe you. It’s not that easy, Toshom. In order to let go of the pain you have to let go of whatever the pain is associated with.”
“That’s not true and you know it!”
“It is true! Come back and face reality, Toshom!” Markali shook his brother’s shoulder for emphasis.
“Mars. Stop this.”
“Stop what?! Accepting the truth? I can’t do that! Stop pulling you out of your fantasy world? Whatever but stop pushing it on me.” Markali’s words had a ring of finality to them, but that did not keep Toshom from speaking.
“Stop torturing yourself. There was nothing we could’ve done.”
“Yes there was! There had to’ve been!”
“Like what, Markali? We were only seven!”
“We could’ve taken her with us!”
“We were too young and too small to drag or carry her with us. We barely made it out as it was. We’d have been caught too!” Toshom shook his head. “Let God take the pain, Mars.”
“Shut up. Let’s just go.”
Toshom tied the blanket over his back and the two started off. They walked in silence now, paying full attention to the streets around them. If they missed even one detail, it could cost them their lives.
After a while, they relaxed a bit, but they remained alert. It was not much longer when Markali’s arm flew out in front of Toshom to stop him. His eyes shifted to catch Toshom’s. Then he gestured silently to a shadowy area just ahead of them and to the left. Toshom nodded. The two separated.
Markali went left, down an alleyway and climbed a fire escape. Slipped into a window on the second floor and crept through the abandoned halls of the building. His footsteps fell silently on the thin, worn carpet. He came out of another window, which placed him on a second fire escape, just above where he had seen the movement.
Toshom had kept moving forward, but drifted to the right so that the shadows and darkness of the night hid him. His movements blended perfectly as he crept along. He saw the man first. He studied him, trying to determine if this man was friend or foe. Toshom cleared his throat, attracting the man’s attention, as he stepped from the darkness.
Markali chose this moment to jump from the fire escape. As he did so, he pulled a knife from his pocket and flipped out the blade. He landed silently behind the man and caught him off guard. Markali took one of the man’s arms and twisted it behind his back. At the same time, he pressed the knife to the man’s throat.
“Name, rank and code.” Markali hissed.
The man struggled and his eyes caught Toshom’s, pleading silently for help.
“Name, rank and code.” Toshom repeated in a steady voice.
“Karash…” The man said through gritted teeth. “Servant.” His voice broke as he coughed and paused to breathe. “High as the eagles.”
Toshom nodded. “Rank matches code. Release him.”
Markali let go of the man’s arm and withdrew his blade. Clicking it closed, he slid the knife into his pocket. “Karash, is there a safe haven near?”
“‘Fraid not.” Karash said, lowering his head. “They have everything from Metorah to Kemish blocked and secured. I barely escaped with my life.”
“Did anyone come with you or escape that you know of?” Toshom’s voice betrayed no emotion.
“Just my daughter and son. Among the first taken was my wife. I know of no one else escaping.”
“You’ve given us too much information already, Karash. If we were with the organization, we would have all the information we needed to track down the other escapees. You and your children would be dead. Be more careful. Never give vital information without getting name, rank and the code to match that rank.”
“Point taken.” The man looked Toshom in the eye. “So what are yours, then?”
“Toshom, Warrior, Trumpet Call.” Toshom glanced at Markali and gave a nod, indicating for him to give his as well.
“Markali, Worshipper, Sing with the angels.”
“Why are you running from Braeden? They hunt orphans. Not adults.” Toshom asked in the same level voice.
“I grew up as an orphan. If they caught my family or me, they would kill us. Regardless of the fact that we are grown now. Once an orphan always an orphan. Of course, that rule only applies to the Christian orphans. My wife was an orphan as well.”
“How long have you and your children been here?” Toshom asked
“Four weeks.”
“Much too long. Get them, and walk with us, Karash.”
Karash climbed onto the fire escape that Markali had come out of the building onto. He slipped into the window and emerged a few minutes later with a sleepy looking boy clinging to his arm and a little girl already falling back asleep against his shoulder. “Verren, son, you’re going to have to let go of my arm.” Karash murmured to the boy. He was setting the little girl on the fire escape. “Watch your sister.” He said, coaxing the child’s hands loose.
“Okay, dad.” The boy moved next to his sister and pulled the younger child close to him.
Karash watched the children for a moment before he jumped back to the ground. “Okay, Verren, lower her down here.” He called up. They had obviously done this multiple times.
Verren shook his sister awake and took both of her hands as she slipped over the edge. Karash reached up and caught the girl as Verren released her.
“Your turn, Verren.”
The boy gave a slight nod of acknowledgment before he pushed his legs over the edge of the fire escape. He slid halfway off. Then he gripped the very edge. He pushed the rest of the way off and went limp, letting his body hang.
“Let go, son. I’ve got you.” Karash coaxed.
Verren’s eyes clamped shut as he let go. He was soon in his father’s arms.
“Please tell me you have a quicker escape route than that from this building. You would never get the first child to safety let alone yourself or the second if Braeden over took the building.” Markali spat the words out, as if they tasted bitter in his mouth.
“Mars.” Toshom’s voice was commanding. “I’m sorry, Karash, for my brother’s outburst. However, he is correct. If that is your only way out of the building you would all be dead in the case of an attack.”
“Again, point taken. I guess it’s been too long since I’ve had to run. I’d found a safe haven, but it no longer exists. It disappeared along with Kemish’s freedom.” Karash’s eyes shifted downward. His words seemed to pain him.
Toshom nodded. “You’ll need to learn. Travel with us as long as you like.”
“What?!” Markali exclaimed. “No way! We can’t be watching a flakey old man and his little brats as well as trying to keep ourselves safe! Toshom, we just can’t do it!”
“We can’t, but God can. He’s not just some flakey old man and his little brats. He’s a servant of God and his defenseless children.” Toshom’s words and the tone in his voice left no room for questions. The invitation stood.
“Thank you.” Karash said, offering a bow in gratitude.
“Never bow to anyone but our Lord and Savior. Don’t thank me, just contribute what you can.” Toshom said, looking at the boy that Karash had set down. He was clinging to his father’s arm again. The little girl curled up against the wall of the building. She was awake, but staring at the three men in silence. “We’ll watch your children. Go. Get all of your belongings and bring them with you. We will not be returning here.”
Karash nodded and knelt down to remove the boy from his leg once more. Verren hurried to his sister’s side and pulled her close. They huddled together, watching Toshom and Markali with scared eyes. As Karash disappeared onto the fire escape and then into the building Toshom took a step towards the children. They pressed against the wall, as if trying to disappear into it. Toshom took another step forward and then knelt in front of them.
“It’s alright,” he said, gently. He reached into his pocket and pulled out a small paper bag. Reaching into the bag, Toshom pulled out two pieces of candy. “Here, I always liked these when I was younger.” A smile flashed across his face.
They both hesitated, staring longingly at the candy, but too afraid to take it.
“It’s okay. I promise I won’t hurt you.” Toshom’s smile did not falter.
Finally, the boy reached out with a shaking hand. He took both pieces in his hand and then quickly returned to his sister’s side. Verren handed the little girl one piece of candy and pushed the other into his mouth.
“See, now. That wasn’t so bad,” Toshom said in a soft whisper. “What are your names?”
“I… I a… I am V… Verren.” He boy stuttered. “An… and… and sh… she’s Ta... Taishalika.”
“Taishalika. That’s a very pretty name.” Toshom turned his attention to the girl.
“Toshom, what are you doing?” Markali’s voice broke into the conversation. “We should speak as little as possible and the little brats don’t need candy. It’ll only make them hyper. We need them calm and quiet or we could be caught.”
Verren and Taishalika pushed themselves back against the wall. Markali’s voice scared them.
“We need these children to trust us. We can’t have them scared and shuffling away from us all the time. You’re scaring them. So either help or keep your mouth shut.”
As these words left Toshom’s mouth, the little girl started to inch forward. Verren reached out to pull her back, but she shook him off. When she reached Toshom, she tugged on his pants leg.
Toshom looked at the little girl and his smile turned to a grin. “Well, hey there. What can I do for you?”
“Thank you, for the candy, sir. May I have another piece?”
“You are very welcome. When we reach Torem I will give you each another piece as long as you both behave along the way.”
“Okay.” The little girl said, with a bright smile. She looked up, into Toshom’s face and then back to her brother. “Will you carry me?”
At that moment, Karash jumped from the fire escape with a bag slung over his shoulder. The bag had very few things in it.
“She’s a seeker,” Karash said, with a small, sad smile. “Just like her mother.”
“She’s more than a seeker, Karash. She is an example.” Toshom replied, picking the child up. She laid her head against his shoulder.
“As all children are.”
“That’s all nice. Fine and dandy, but we need to move on. Now. If you have been here four weeks than you have been being tracked. They are probably getting ready to enter the town as we speak. This means you put, not only yourself and your children in danger, but any other orphan in this town.” Markali’s words were spoken in a hiss, once again.
“Markali. Stop being so rude and pushy,” Toshom commanded. “But, Karash, we do need to move on.”
“Very well.” Karash reached out to take his daughter, but she clung to Toshom and whined a protest when Karash tried to pry her loose.
“It’s fine. Let her stay.” Toshom said.
Verren was already clinging to his father’s arm again. “Okay. Let’s go.”
Markali shook his head. “I’ll scout ahead,” he mumbled and started out ahead of them.
Toshom looked after his brother. A pain hung in his heart for him, but he made no attempt to call him back. He knew Markali would heal in his own timing. He could not push him.
[/pre]
