The Voices of Goray

Chapter 6

Tears rolled down Es' cheek, running further down his chin, dropping onto the crib railing.

Izeka just watched him as she cried along before Targan stormed in, watching the sight of them two.

- You need help.

- I need nothing. I… She shouldn't be here. Everything was a mistake… All this? You know what all this is? Worthless.

Eseah flailed wildly around the room, while Targan watched his out of nowhere mental breakdown. In some moments Targan even tried not to grin, whenever Es' lost his words and they all just jumbled through his cries together.

It was such an insignificant thing to Targan while he calmed down Izeka.

- Why are you grinning? You think it's funny?

- Actually, a tiny bit. You look kind of cute.

Es' tried to respond but only ended up with indistinguishable noises as he tried to articulate how uncalled for that was. If he could've stopped time himself, he would do so right now, just to slap Targan across the face. But he couldn't. That wasn't his way of dealing with any of this. Es' wasn't as well put together, as he wanted everyone to believe. Ever since Nao, he was lost. No sense of direction. Forever wandering in hopes for Nao to walk right through the door with his awful mischievous grin as he'd grab him tightly and tell him he missed him.

It was nothing but wishful thinking.

- It's all worthless… Every scripture, every book in here, zero value. And - and the worst thing? Everyone knows. WHICH IS WHY THIS PLACE IS CONSTANTLY EMPTY.

Eseah frantically pulled out drawers from a large dark wooden cabinet, throwing various papers and writings out.

- Eseah, calm down.

- No, no it's here, somewhere.

His hands kept sliding across the drawers as if he knew exactly what he wanted. Tears kept dripping onto scriptures and documents from the drawer. A sudden click of a cog opened a hidden compartment all the way at the back of the cabinet.

With trembling hands he reached in and pulled out a heavy golden inscribed and bound in thick leather book.

- You're going to take me with you. That is the only condition.

Eseah slid his fingertips across the cover.

- That's all I want in exchange for the reading lessons and the book.

Targan stood still for a moment, glancing at Es in disbelief.

- I have to take it to the dunes…

- I don't care. You will only get this book if you let me come with you.

- Look, if my guy finds out I'm taking somebody with me, I might as well be caught dead early.

- There's no negotiation. Either you take me or you can go back without it and tell them it was a lie and that the book never made it to Eray.

- What about Izeka?

- I can have her taken care of.

- No. I'm not taking you with me.

- Then enjoy your short stay. Now put Izeka down and leave.

Es pressed the book of the olden ones close to his chest. He was determined to find out who wanted the book. For his own sake, he needed to know. Who was out there in the dunes, wanting the old Goray scriptures? Only the reincarnation of Goray was supposed to hold it. Eseah feared the worst. If the Goray found out he held their entire history of the universe, he might as well be hung in Rach's town square.

To be continued