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Everything Begins Chapter 87
Kajal started to scoff, but he caught himself just in time. "Enemies, Captain Mistri? What enemies are we supposed to be afraid of?"With a snarl, Frank turned from the man and stood in front of his company. "Starting right now, eight men will stand watch at all times. Four on the ground with swords and four in the trees with bows. Kajal, you will give me a watch schedule by last light. Include the three of us, yourself, and the boys, but do not put us together."Even the boys, Captain? Why them, sir?""Because I said so. That's why. You do not know what threatens this world, Kajal, but I do. I have fought it, and it has killed me. Several times. I did not want the responsibility of the safety of this company, but King Tomas commanded me to take that responsibility, and I will not disobey my king. Zahin will be one in the trees, and Mathi will be on the ground. He will have his staff, though, not a sword. There will be torches staggered around the camp when we stop at night as well. T
Everything Begins Chapter 88
"Yes, sir, I would, too," Kajal said with a return grin as he reached into the pouch at his waist. He pulled out two silvers and handed them to Ga'briyel. "Your boy earned them for you, Captain.""No, he earned them for himself. Zahin, come here.""Yes, Captain Mistri?" The boy was putting his arrows back in his quiver while Ipsit was still trying to pull his from the branches.Frank handed him the silvers. "These are yours. You earned them.""No, sir," the boy said, shocked. "It was your bet, sir, not mine.""Still, they are yours. I do not need them, nor do I want them. Take them, please.""Yes, sir," Zahin said as he slowly took the money, "but it is not right, sir.""Nonsense. Do not argue with me. Kajal, choose your seven men, and I will tell them what I want from them.""Yes, sir. Right away, sir."Moments later, Zahin and seven guardsmen were standing around Ga'briyel, listening to him tell them where he wanted them stationed. When they moved to their positions, Frank walked to
Everything Begins Chapter 89
"Do not talk to me about Yisu, Sekara! He is not the loving, caring Creator everyone says He is! He is vindictive and heartless and unconcerned with what happens to us!""You do not really mean that, do you, Frank?""With every fiber of my being, Dinton," the Anmah sighed. "I no longer believe that the creator of this world cares for its people. He certainly does not care for me.""You told me that you would never turn to the Evil One, Ga'briyel, and yet I feel as if you are halfway there already. Only one whose mind is open to Sayatan's influence would say such things.""Open to his influence? As if I would voluntarily turn to the being who created the creatures who killed me, not once but four times. Soon to be five or six or twenty." Frank let out another sigh and moved to his sword. It was buried in the trunk almost to the crossguard, and he began working it free of the tree. "Do not worry about me, Dinton. I may not blindly accept the stories about Yisu anymore, but I will certai
Everything Begins Chapter 90
Hours later, after more than five leagues through the deeper water, the ground rose gradually until it was again only knee-deep water they were slogging through. Frank heaved a sigh as Kumar shook his head to rid it of the water that clung to it. The Anmah’s relief was short-lived, however. Almost instantly after reaching the shallower water, he looked in front of him and saw something move through the water. A large body, scaled in metallic blue and green, slithered across the path they had to take, and it undulated for its entire length, which looked to be more than six paces. Perhaps even seven or eight paces. At the same time, he felt as if his head would explode with the sudden, severe pressure.“Bride of a troll!” Frank muttered as he waited for both the pressure and the creature to pass. Then he picked up his speed in an attempt to get his company out of the deep water before he had to fight the thing. He knew it was a Sarpa—it could be no other possible creature based on Ma’ik
Everything Begins Chapter 91
Dinton nodded, but he did not look convinced. Then he said, “Tero, we cannot take him back like this.”“No, we cannot, but we can at least get him out of this putrid swamp. Go back and tell Kajal that we will be sleeping outside the camp tonight. We can stay on the outskirts until first light.”“Right away, Tero,” Dinton replied before running back toward the camp that was already set up.Tero looked down at his friend’s body and heaved a sigh. “I am sorry, Ga’briyel,” he said, his voice catching and tears burning his eyes. “I am so sorry you must go through this again and again. I wish I could do something for you, but I cannot.” He reached down into the water, picked up Ga’briyel’s sword, and slid it into its scabbard. Then he hoisted the body over his shoulder and carried it out of the marsh onto dry land. He stopped several paces from the line of guardsmen on watch and gently laid Frank on the ground. Then he sat beside him, his back against a tree, and waited for Dinton to return
Everything Begins Chapter 92
“I will try, Telantes, but right now I need to hit something.”The Debaduta chuckled. “Another gacha tree?”“No,” Frank said with a grin. “I do not wish to break my hand again.”“All right, then, I will spar with you again. No weapons this time. Just hand to hand.”“Agreed.” Unbuckling his sword belt, Frank propped the scabbard against a tree. “Let us fight, Telantes.” He dropped into a low stance and circled the spirit as the other did the same.“I will not hold back, Anmah,” Telantes said with his own grin. “I apologize now for when I hurt you.”“You are very confident, are you not? Remember who wounded whom more last time we fought.”“It will not happen again,” the Debaduta said, and then he swept a foot out, barely missing Ga’briyel’s front foot. The Anmah laughed and danced out of the way.“Nice try, Telantes,” he chuckled, and then he ducked low, rolled to the left, and grabbed Telantes’ left foot as he passed, throwing the spirit to the forest floor. Telantes hit with a grunt,
Everything Begins Chapter 93
Frank turned in that direction and soon saw the man he was looking for. “Captain!” he barked, and Kajal spun toward him.“Yes, Captain Mistri?”“You wanted to talk to me?”“Yes, sir.” Kajal started to walk toward the perimeter of the camp, and Frank followed him. When they were away from everyone, Kajal turned toward the Anmah and frowned when he saw the cuts and bruises on Ga’briyel’s face. “Are you all right, sir?”“I am fine, Captain. What did you want to say?”Taking a deep breath, Kajal dropped his eyes. “I wanted to say that I am sorry for earlier, sir. I thought about what you said, and you were right. We should be grateful for what you did for us last night, and we were not. I have talked to the men, and most agree with me, but some are still afraid of you. They are afraid of what they do not understand.”“They want to understand? I can make them understand if that is what they want. I can make them understand what I saved them from, and if they do not believe me, they can ask
Everything Begins Chapter 94
“Can you dismount without your hands, Captain?” Kajal asked quietly. In answer, Dinton swung his right leg over the pommel and jumped to the ground. He glared at Kajal without speaking as the other man also dismounted. “I am truly sorry, Dinton,” Kajal said in an almost-whisper, “but Captain Mistri insists that you are bound to a tree. Hand and foot.”“Do not worry about it, Kajal. Captain Mistri will soon come to his senses. I hope. Just do what you must.”“Yes, Captain,” Kajal answered, his frown deepening. “He also insists that I put a guardsman on you. To make sure you do not try to run, he says.”“Fine. Just do it.”Kajal shook his head, but he grabbed the rope around Dinton’s wrists and led him to a tree near the center of camp.“The middle, Kajal? Not the outside?”“The middle, Dinton. Captain Mistri wants to make an example of you. I do not know why.”“It is all right. I know why.”“Will you tell me?” Kajal asked as he pushed Dinton to the ground and wrapped the rope around th
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- Everything Begins
Chapter 123
"I am fine, Frank, but I am very hungry." She smiled up at him. "Just like you always are."He frowned and ran his hand over her hair. "Not always, Sophyra. Not after the Dirack." He took her hand and led her out of the room, shutting the door behind them to let his son sleep. They went down to the main room, and Frank eyes went wide when he saw Telantes sitting at the bar talking with Luija."Telantes, my friend. Why are you here?" Frank kept his arm around his wife but walked up to the Debaduta and clasped his forearm."I am here to tell you where you are to go next, Frank."With a skeptical look, Frank eyed his friend and tightened his grip. "Why did Yisu not just tell me Himself like before? Why are you really here?"Grinning sheepishly, Telantes released the Sainika's forearm. "That is one reason, Ga'briyel. I cannot lie; you know this. But there is a second reason. You and your family..." The spirit looked at Sophyra. "I hear congratulations are in order again, Sophyra. Another
- Everything Begins
Chapter 122
"He is dead!" he announced, and the soldiers carried him into the same room as his supposed victim and laid him on the floor. Captain Panakari followed them, shooed them out of the room, and shut the door. "You can get up now, Captain Mistri." Frank opened his eyes, took his sword belt from the other captain, and stretched with a smile before strapping it around his waist. "There is a back way out of this room, Captain, but you must make your way to your inn on your own. Try not to let anyone see you, or they will know I lied, and then I will find myself in the noose."Frank held out his hand, and the other clasped his forearm firmly. "Thank you, Captain. I appreciate everything you have done for me tonight. Please know that everything I did was for the good of your people. They may not understand that, but it was. My family and I will be gone in the morning." He followed Captain Panakari to the door in the back of the room, and after it was unlocked, slipped out into the darkness of
- Everything Begins
Chapter 121
"Benefits of being friends with a Debaduta, daemon!" Then Frank stopped talking, swung his sword, and began the deadliest dance known to man with the daemon in front of him. Dolsaya's eyes went wide, and he tried to flee, but Frank was too quick, and soon the daemon was backed up against his storefront. With a single swipe, Frank removed the daemon's head from his shoulders, and with several others, dismembered it. Then he turned to the daemon behind him and resumed the dance. It seemed as if it only took a few minutes before Kaysaya's head was rolling along the middle of the street, caught in a rut formed by hundreds of carriage wheels, but when Frank had hacked the third daemon to pieces, he realized that it was dark, his muscles ached, and he stank like rubbish that had been sitting in the summer sun for a moon. He looked around and was surprised to see several people standing on the wooden walkways watching him. Most had torches, and he walked to one, grabbed his torch, and applie
- Everything Begins
Chapter 120
Adama grinned and slid out of their bed. He went to the chest of drawers and pulled out a white linen shirt, black breeches, and a red coat. He dressed himself quickly, and then looked at his parents expectantly. "Come, Baba," he said, excitement flowing from him and covering Ga'briyel, as he held out his tiny hand to his father.With a smile, Frank stood, held out his hand to Sophyra, who took it and joined him, and then took his son's hand in his. They went to the main room where Luija already had first meal on the table. The Debaduta was standing by their table, a worried look on his face."Are you sure about this, Ga'briyel? It will be dangerous at the docks. Two of the daemons have shops there, after all.""How did you know?" Sophyra asked him. Luija just looked at her, and she nodded. "Yisu told you, yes?""Of course He did, and I do not think this is a wise move to make, Sainika. The daemons will be waiting for you to bring your family out of the inn. I have a very bad feeling
- Everything Begins
Chapter 119
“Nor should you, my child.” Frank looked at his son, forced his eyes to dim, and smiled. He sat down next to Sophyra on the bench she had chosen, pulled her close, and kissed her softly. “Later, my heart.” He groaned softly when her heat almost smothered him. “Please, Sophyra, stop. Not now.”She rested her hand on his thigh and began to trace small circles on it. “I will try, my love, but it will be difficult knowing what you have planned for later.” She smiled coyly at him as Luija entered the room with a platter full of food. He set it on the table, smiled at Ga’briyel, and spoke softly.“I would love to speak with your son later on, Sainika. I think we could speak together for several hours. You and your wife could retire early to your room, I think, if you would like that.”Grinning and letting his eyes flare once, Frank answered, “I would like that very much, Luija, thank you. I was going to ask you if you would watch him for a while.”“Watch him? There would be no watching, Ga’
- Everything Begins
Chapter 118
“It is, but they know you are here, and they will block your ability to sense them. I will do my best to help you find them, but I am at risk if I leave this building, as well. I do not wish to be banished, and so I generally stay here. They know of me, of course, but there is nothing they can do about it.” Luija came around the bar, gestured over his shoulder, and walked toward the hallway that led off to the right of the main room. “I assume you would prefer a ground-level room, Sainika?”Frank did not move. “Why would you assume that, Debaduta?”The man smiled as he turned to face his newest boarders. “Stairs can slow you down if you need to leave the inn quickly, Sainika.”“Nevertheless, I would prefer a room above ground. Stairs may slow me down a bit, but I do not want anyone to be able to reach our room while we sleep. I will not risk my family like that, Luija. They are my life, and if I lose them, I cannot be responsible for what will happen.”Luija frowned at that last state
- Everything Begins
Chapter 117
There were several villages through which they rode where Frank and Sophyra were given distasteful glares when adults saw the tiny boy riding alone on the large bay, but while Sophyra took each look to heart, Frank ignored them completely. He could not ignore Adama’s innocent question the first time it happened, however.“Baba, why is everyone so angry?”“What do you mean, my son?”“When we enter a town, people stare at me as if they are angry.”Frank smiled. “They are not used to seeing such a small boy riding alone without support. They do not understand that you are not like other boys, Adama, and they disapprove of what they do not understand.”“I could make them understand, Baba. May I try, please?”With a shrug, Frank acquiesced. “You may try, Adama, but I do not believe you will have much success.”They had stopped at the first inn they had come to, having been in the saddle and sleeping on the ground for the past four days and nights, and Frank dropped from his saddle, helped
- Everything Begins
Chapter 116
"A fool am I?" Frank snarled. "And what is it that makes me a fool, Daitya?"The man laughed. "Anyone is a fool who tries to fight Sayatan and his sons."Ga'bryel grinned, but if a human had seen that grin, they would have screamed. "And yet I have killed three of his sons already, Daitya. Dismembered, they are rotting away as we speak, never to come together again. Soon they will be only bones." He shrugged as if it mattered not a bit to him. "I assume their souls are gone as well. That is what Telantes told me."At the name of the Debaduta, every Daitya recoiled. "That interfering spirit!" the spokesman said with a snarl. "He has been far too involved in your life, Sainika. Sayatan will deal with him in time. We may be able to banish him for a year or so, but Sayatan can destroy him as easily as you can destroy us.""Speaking of," Frank said, taking a step closer to the Daitya and readying his sword, "I am going to destroy you all right now.""You would fight unarmed men?""You are
- Everything Begins
Chapter 115
Unknown to the kosmar, Frank was fighting her in his mind. When she stripped him and herself bare, he battled with the vision of her and forced himself not to react. Devina noticed this and growled softly. She tried everything she could to stimulate the Anmah, but he struggled through it all and kept Sophyra in the forefront of his mind. With his wife's face emblazoned on his subconsciousness, he was able to resist everything Devina did to him. She became more and more frustrated as time went on, and then Frank slowly became aware of a voice in his mind.Baba! Wake up! Fight her, Baba!At that, Frank opened his eyes, and Devina jerked away from him. When he slowly stood, she backpedaled until she was against the door of the room. "How?" she asked softly."My family," Frank said quietly. "They protect me. Even from myself sometimes." He walked toward the kosmar until his sword's tip was at her throat, and then he grinned without humor. Devina's eyes went wide, and she raised her hands
