Of Prophecies and Promises

Chapter 2

2

The casps were led to the front of one of the buildings towards the far end of town. A robust shopkeeper, and his equally rotund wife, met the Anadas on the road where the steps from their shop were designed to encourage the passerby to wander in and trade. The wife went directly to the wagon and poked around at what the Anadas had brought. The shopkeeper smiled at the Anadas and offered them entrance to his store where there was refreshment.

Anada Dal handed the casps’ leads to Gage, and the Anadas entered the store. The wife, seemingly satisfied with the cargo, walked up the steps and into the store, leaving Gage alone on the roadway with the casps. He gently stroked the face of one and the neck of the other as his gaze traced the building front, and those of the structures they had passed. Turning to look behind him, he began to read the signs above the doors of the shops, when four children caught his attention.

They were dressed in trousers that didn’t reach their shoes, loose shirts, and a type of cloth hat on their heads. Calling to each other as they darted between two buildings, Gage watched until they disappeared. He stepped back in an attempt to follow their movements, but the leads were not long enough, and he was told to stay with the casps.

Though all the Anadas and children in the Monastery were human, their studies discussed other beings who inhabited the universe. Remembering the picture in one of his texts, Gage was able to identify the pair of beings walking in front of the line of buildings on the other side of the roadway as Vancurelians. Eyes openly staring, Gage memorized their dress of long grey coats over gray, tough skin. Hairless and earless heads with black eyes, the Vancurelians observed each being they passed, noticing and then dismissing the being’s importance. They paused at the narrowed path between the buildings where the children had disappeared. After a moment, they too turned the corner and were lost to Gage’s sight.

Under his breath, Gage whispered words that he wanted to hear what was occurring out of his line of vision, what it was that seemed to attract the attention of the children and the Vancurelians. As soon as the words left his lips, the wind swirled in the roadway, bringing the voices from between the buildings to his ears. It was a cacophony of sound. Voices, accents, the native language of the Vancurelians. Gage was stunned and placed both hands over his ears. The noise stopped. He removed his hands, and again the voices came to him. Staring at the space in front of him, he saw the air vibrate. Clamping his hands again over his ears, he was met with silence. In excited awe, he whispered for the voices to be softer, clearer, then slowly removed his hands. The vibrating air seems to calm itself, and this time Gage could discern the children’s voices, the Vancurelians’, laughter, and a scraping sound.

The opening of the door of the shop where the Anadas had gone with the storeowners startled Gage. With his broken concentration, the sound waves dissipated, and his ears were filled with the ramblings of the shopkeeper and his wife.

“Gage, lead the casps to the side of the store. We’ll need your assistance to unload and then load the trade,” Anada Dal instructed.

Gage nodded and followed the directions. He stopped the wagon at the side door. There were wide steps leading to a storage room that he could see was stacked with crates and barrels. Tying the leads securely to the post in front of the casps, he made his way to the rear of the wagon. From this position, he had a clear view of the action that attracted the beings between the buildings. It appeared that an old man was playing a type of game with inverted cups on the top of a crate. He would move the cups this way and that, then switch them around, finally lifting one, which caused cheers or groans from the small crowd. Everything clamored in his brain for attention. The game, the beings, the sound that danced on the wind. So consumed in his own thoughts, Anada Dal had to call his name three times before he was able to bring his attention to the task at hand.

The exchange of cargo commenced, and between the shop owner, one of their employees, both Anadas, and Gage, with the wife directing, it still took a few hours. Because of his smaller, thinner stature, Gage was relegated to shifting the cargo to the rear of the wagon to be unloaded. Once the wagon was empty, everyone took a break. The wife provided a simple meal and cups of water, as that would be all the Anadas would accept.

Gage found himself unusually hungry. In the few minutes he was left alone, he thought to attempt what had occurred earlier. Instead of asking the wind to bring the sounds from down the road, he mouthed words to bring the smells from the sweet shop they had passed when they entered the village. Being careful with the urgency and strength with which he wanted to smell the scent of baking treats, it wafted to him. He closed his eyes briefly in his excitement, considering his ability to call to the wind to bring him what he wanted.

Just then, the wife stepped out of the storeroom. “That’s odd. The wind rarely blows from the north. And a good thing, too, or I would be at Taylor’s Sweets more often than I am already.”

Gage snapped open his eyes at her voice. He hadn’t thought that what he was doing would be noticed by others. It was something to remember.

Anada Dal stepped outside next to the wife. “Gage, are you ready to load the wagon?”

Eager to do what was asked of him, he hopped off the back of the convenience and made his way up the steps to the storeroom.

“When we’re through with the cargo, you can visit Taylor’s at the end of this row of buildings. He’s usually amenable to a trade. Be sure to take something with you from the wagon that you think he will consider valuable. Otherwise, no trade.”

Gage smiled and nodded, then concentrated on carrying the smaller crates and barrels to the wagon, where Anada Jai rearranged them for transport back to the Monastery. As soon as the last crate was loaded, Gage approached Anada Dal.

“Benevolent One, may I take a kilogram of sugar to trade with Master Taylor?” Gage asked, hands held still at his sides.

“Yes. Be cautious. With the coming of darkness, beings from Malhinda walk the village, and not all are kind. Anada Jai and I will be here, settling the contract. Return soon, as we must begin the journey to the Sanctuary.” Anada Dal gently touched Gage’s head in a blessing.

Gage brought his hands, palms pressed together, in front of his heart, and bowed his head. Turning toward the wagon, he collected the sack of sugar and made his way to the main road of the village.

The darkening sky did bring beings from the city. Gage attempted to keep his eyes from staring at some of the races he had the opportunity to view in person instead of from a text. As he approached a perpendicular roadway, a shadow emerged. Gage stopped, eyes wide, at the feral beast. The hair was long, shaggy, and matted. It limped on one of its front legs, its long tail hung to the ground and was dragged through the dirt that covered the space between the buildings. Each of the three eyes showed hunger and an emptiness that caused a tightening in Gage’s chest. The lips peeled back, showing yellowed teeth, and a rumble emitted from the beast’s throat.

Gage’s initial reaction to offer the beast friendship and sympathy, changed to fear. Mumbling that the beast had nothing to be scared of with Gage, he encouraged it to turn around and travel the way it had come. As he watched, the three eyes blinked, then it lifted its head into the air, as if catching the scent of Gage. Again, he mumbled, and this time made a slight gesture that the beast leave. A moment later, with tail dragging in the dirt, the beast moved back into the shadow cast by the building.

Sighing, Gage continued on his way to Taylor’s Sweets. Looking in the window, his eyes grew round at the delicacies laid out for those strolling the walkway along the side of the road. He knew he couldn’t return to the Monastery without treats for the rest of the children. But how much would Master Taylor be willing to trade for the single kilogram of sugar?

Pushing open the door, Gage stepped into the sweet shop and immediately spotted Master Taylor. If he enjoyed many of his own goods, it didn’t show in his body like it did on the storeowner’s wife. Gage moved to the case where desserts were displayed in rows and groupings. Some were big, some small, others tall, or flat and round. The colors were varied as well, as were the tiny signs displaying the number of credits that a patron would be charged.

Gage walked the length of the case, then returned to the flat, round sweets. Hefting the sack of sugar in one hand, he thought it would be a fair trade, one for each of the other children, and one for Bosley, too. His eyes shifted up to Master Taylor’s and Gage smiled slightly. He was rewarded with an answering smile.

“I can tell by your dress that you are in the care of the Anadas. That means you have no credits and will wish to trade. Very well, what do you have to offer?” Master Taylor asked, his gaze steady on the boy’s.

Gage, having rarely been outside the walls of the Sanctuary, never thought about what he wore. All the children were adorned in the same outfit. He glanced down at the covering of his body, then lifted the sack in his hand.

“Master Taylor, I wish to trade you this kilogram of sugar for twenty of these,” Gage said, pointing at what he believed to be a fair trade.

Taylor raised a brow and shook his head. “Twenty is too many.”

“Ten?”

“How many do you need?”

Gage swallowed. “Fourteen.”

“Then offer for sixteen. If you ask for much more than what is essential, the being you are trading with will discern that you have little experience in commerce and you leave yourself open to be cheated. The Anadas have not raised you to be false with others. Therefore, I can tell you are asking for more than is needed, not purposely attempting to take advantage of our trade, but alerting me to your naivete.”

Gage nodded slightly. “Sixteen.”

“Alright. Now, convince me why I should trade my goods for your material, in this instance, sugar. I have plenty of my own. What is so special about yours?”

Gage thought for a moment, then smiled. “It has been blessed by Anada Dal.” It wasn’t directly blessed, but Gage decided if Anada Dal blessed him, and he carried the sugar, that the sugar was blessed as well.

“Ah. Something a little unusual. Perhaps,” Taylor said and brought one hand to his chin, as if in contemplative thought. “But why would I care? What is in it for me? How will trading for this blessed sugar help me?”

Gage glanced at what he wanted inside the case, then explained, “Because, Master Taylor, the blessed sugar will create holy sweets, and draw more patrons to your store, increasing your sales.” Gage rested his gaze on Taylor’s and saw that he had offered the correct words to make the trade.

“Well done,” Taylor said with a smile.

Gage watched as the proprietor placed sixteen of the small, round sweets into their own sack. Gage set the kilogram of sugar on the counter. Taylor handed him the treats.

“A good trade. Just remember to not give away your goods too soon.”

Gage nodded and bowed slightly. “Thank you, Master Taylor. Both for the lesson, and the treats.”

He turned and left the sweet shop, heading towards the store and the wagon. As he approached the space between the two buildings where the small crowd had gathered earlier, he paused to see if the game continued. An audience stood, grouped around an old man who sat on one crate, with another crate in front of him. Gage glanced over his shoulder and noticed that the Anadas had yet to emerge from the shop. Looking back toward the group in the shadow of the buildings, Gage thought it wouldn’t matter if he was a few minutes late returning to the wagon. He found his feet carrying him in the direction of the crowd.

There were approximately twenty beings standing around the elderly human. Gage saw the two Vancurelians, several humans, a Fostling, and four Tamplians. The Fostling, with his short stature, eyes set wide on an oval-shaped head, with thick whiskers constructed of skin at the edges of his mouth, made him more curious-looking than ferocious. Tamplians, which were the scariest, didn’t have the height of the Vancurelians. Their shaggy hair growing away from their foreheads, being devoid of eyelids, and with two of their lower teeth protruding outside their mouths gave them the appearance of a perpetual snarl. The Vancurelians were tall, with grey, leathery skin, dressed in the uniform that identified them to be in the service of the High Leader. Their warship was probably in port in Malhinda. Gage scanned the humans and found most to be dressed similar, in plain trousers, high boots, and loose-fitting shirts made from various materials. A few wore coats, as the absence of light dipped the temperatures. Gage thought briefly about his robe and sandals and bare head, then moved closer to watch the game.

Three inverted cups rested on the crate in front of the game runner. Wisps of long gray hair stuck out in every direction from the proprietor’s head. His wrinkles were too many to count, and his watery blue eyes didn’t see as well as they once did. The gnarled hands and twisted fingers still moved quickly enough to fool more than half the gamblers.

Gage watched as the old man lifted the middle cup, then stared as some in the crowd cheered, while others grumbled as credits and other valuables changed hands. Again, the cup was replaced. The three cups moved once by the hand of the old man, then all three cups were raised. Beneath the cup on the old man’s right was a piece of rope that had been tied in knot after knot to resemble a cloth ball. All three cups were lowered, voices were raised as wagers were given, then the shuffling began. Slowly at first, then faster. Gage thought he knew which cup hid the ball, but when the old man lifted the cup on the left, the ball was not there. Eyebrows drawn slightly together, Gage mumbled, asking the ball to reveal itself. The cup in the middle became clearer, brighter almost. He smiled slightly as the cup was lifted, revealing the small rope ball.

Again, there were cheers and words of disbelief as wagers were exchanged. Once more the cups were shuffled, and just before the game runner lifted the first cup, Gage asked for the rope ball to show itself to him. The cup on the right became a bit brighter, and he became excited as the old man lifted the cup to reveal the ball. On the next round, Gage voiced his choice before the cup was lifted, and grinned even wider when he was proven accurate.

By the fourth round, those nearest to Gage heard him make correct guesses and placed their wagers when he spoke which cup contained the marker. The old man had heard as well and knew his customers would wander away if one in the crowd proved to be unusually lucky.

“Boy, it seems you’ve a knack for the cups. How ‘bout the cubes?”

When Gage remained silent, not knowing what “cubes” were, the game runner commented to ease the awkwardness, “Perhaps Source speaks directly to you, whispers in your ear which cup hides the marker. Cubes require a bit more skill.” As the old man spoke, there was encouragement from the crowd to bring out the next game.

This was not the only obscure corner in which illegal gambling occurred. Malhinda was full of backroom games, some in posh buildings that rented rooms, others took place on the walkways next to the roads clogged with various transpo. Those who were generally not very lucky, yet were unable to stay away from the games, came to the village. The wagers were smaller, the game runners not as skilled, and there were few law enforcement present to uphold the rules of the games.

The game runner stacked the cups and hid them in the bag at his feet, where he then extracted five cubes. As he laid them out on the crate, he explained the pictures etched on each of the six sides. Gage watched and filed away the information. Each of the symbols represented a character, such as a queen, king, entertainer, pilot, anada, musician, soldier, trader, officer, gambler, and Source. The combination of characters that appeared on the topside of the cube determined the winner, or an extra roll. Gathering the pieces with one hand, the old man cupped his other hand on top of the cubes, then spilled them onto the crate.

Gage watched and listened. The cubes, made from the branch of a tree, danced again and again across the makeshift table. He found he could stop the roll of one cube and ask another to show a particular character. Predicting what would turn up, Gage again drew the attention of those in the crowd, and two men in particular.

“Say, boy, seems you’re fortunate today. How would you like to take that luck and earn some real credits?”

The man who spoke was tall and thin. He had a moustache that attempted to hide his thin lips. Eyes that were set close together bore into Gage. He was cleaner than some of the other humans. His companion was a much larger man, slightly shorter than the first, but with broad shoulders, which were easy to see since his shirt bore no arm coverings. They each carried weapons on their belts.

Gage looked from one to the other and decided that now was the time to retreat to the store. “Thank you, kind sirs, for your offer, but I must return to the wagon. The Anadas will be wondering about my absence.” He nodded to both men, then to the old man who ran the games, and turned to push his way through the crowd to calls of disappointment that their “charm” was returning to the Monastery.

Quite pleased with himself for having learned two games with which to teach the other children at the Sanctuary, Gage didn’t pay attention to the shadows that followed him through the darkness. Just before he reached the main roadway, he was grabbed from behind. He instinctively struggled, opening his mouth to call out to the Anadas he could see standing next to the wagon, when a cloth was placed over his nose and mouth. Held firmly against his attacker, Gage couldn’t fall or turn. His eyes drifted closed, the bag of sweets dropped to the dirt from his limp fingers.