Induction
Filed under Fiction on June 19, 2009
Tagged: Chronicles of Jord, Keldon's War Journal
“We’re here.” Pelban halted before the unlit porch of the old house and turned to face me. The play of shadows cast his weathered features in ominous planes. I frowned, my brow furrowing for just a moment before I smoothed my features. Pelban’s smile told me he saw anyway. “Trust me, Keldon,” he said. I nodded. He walked up to the door and knocked once, twice, and four times. I heard the sliding of a bolt thrown open and the click of a key turning in a lock. The door swung open with a creak and a dark-haired, middle-aged aylar woman poked her head out.
“Can I help you, sirs?”
Pelban held out his hand to the woman, and I saw a flash of silver in the moonlight. The woman stepped back to let us in. She shut and secured the door behind us then shuffled past and lead us through the dark halls of the house to the basement. She lit a lamp, handed it to Pelban, and bade us good night.
“Now what?” I asked.
“Give me a moment, little brother.” Pelban crossed the room and set the lantern down. He moved his hands over the wall, searching. I watched as he paused, pushed, and a section of the wall swung open to reveal a tunnel carved into the earth. Pelban picked up the lantern and entered.
The tunnel twisted and turned its way down into darkness. The soft glow of torchlight appeared and we soon stood in a small antechamber carved out of the rock. Four men sat around a rough-hewn table in the center of the room, three of them waiting to continue their game while the fourth eyed us with suspicion. I could see a great cavern full of other figures through the opening in the rock beyond the men.
“You’re late, Pelban. This him?” the man asked in a gruff voice.
“Yes,” Pelban answered.
“Well, you better get in there. They’ve already started,” the man said.
Pelban led the way into the cavern and found us a place among the crowd. I counted at least twenty others present, a mix of aylar and durkar, men and women. They all watched and listened to the aylar speaking from a crude wooden stage opposite the entrance we came through.
“All the races suffer for the arrogance of Erolei. Her hunger for power allowed her to be deceived by the dragons’ promises. Now they rule our cities and their abominations walk our streets. Our mothers and fathers, sisters and brothers, sons and daughters, are subjected to the whims of these cruel masters with no recourse or relief.
“Jord has heard the cries of His suffering children, and He is moved. To a select few, He has revealed His plan for salvation, and we have been sent to spread this message of hope. In the fullness of time, He will raise a hero to lead the races against the dragons.
“Until then, He expects us to prepare the way. We must do what we can to make straight the paths, to remove as many obstacles as we can. We are not an army, our numbers are few, but it only takes a single arrow to pierce the enemy’s heart and they will fall. Will you be that arrow, shooting through the dark to strike a mortal wound?”
The crowd cheered, and I felt myself caught up in it. I turned to look at my brother, and he grinned back. The man on the stage raised his hands and the crowd quieted.
“Some of you are here for the first time, brought by friend or relative who thought you shared the same belief that joins us together here. We welcome you, and have something for you–a symbol to signify your commitment to our cause.” Ripples in the crowd identified where individuals weaved their way through the group, passing out something. A woman appeared in front of me and handed me a small, silver pin shaped like an arrow. She moved on and the man on the stage started speaking again.
“An opportunity to deal our first blow has been presented to us. The details are being finalized and we will soon be asking for–”
“Raid!”
Someone burst in from one of the other tunnels that emptied into the cavern, shrieking in alarm. Panicked cries rose from the crowd and everyone scrambled to escape.
