Looking back for the last time, Kendall was surprised to see how far away the farm looked. He must have travelled some distance in a short time, as the sun had only just cleared the horizon. His horse would need drink soon.
As he put more distance between himself and the home he had loved these many years, a weight hung heavy on his heart, as he fully realised, perhaps for the first time, the fact that what he had committed himself to may be a one way ticket....
When the high church elders had announced the initiation of a holy quest, all peoples in the land of Feryn knew that the time had come for the Joining. Four Crusaders Of Light were to be chosen by the high church council, to undertake a quest anticipated for thousands of years: The mystery of the Seven Realms was soon to be unlocked.
The thought that he might not be one of the Four, comforted him. He might be back with his parents, on their farm, sooner than he had dared to hope. While his combat training was complete, his experience in actual conflict was practically nothing. He had fought many poachers away from the animals on the farm with a variety of make-shift weapons, but the closest he had come to true warrior weaponry was his father's old short sword, now well beyond service.
Armed only with his bare hands and his raw training, he was sure to make a poor Crusader Of Light. The priests would surely send him away. He began to feel apprehensive at the prospect of rejection, and considered turning back, but his Feather of Pledge had been burned at the chapel, and he was committed to present himself before the high church council.
On the second day of his trek, as he reached the edge of a slope which yawned down into the valley below him, he spotted trouble. Two bandits were circling a yellow skinned fawn-like gentleman, whose donkey was evidently not up to the present action.
Kendall spurred his horse into action, and at once he was pounding down the hillside, with little thought as to how he would engage two armed bandits. Thanks to the noise the bandits were making, jeering and yelling threats at their victim, and also due to Kendall's rapidly increasing speed, Kendall was upon the first one before he had time to look around.
Kendall leapt from his horse at the first bandit, pushing him off his horse, and crashing down with him to the floor. The fall seemed to have knocked the bandit unconscious, while Kendall himself recovered just in time to avoid having his skull smashed in by the second bandit's bo-staff.
The staff squelched into the moist ground next to him. With his left hand, Kendall quickly pulled himself up using the bandit's staff, and with his right, landed a heavy punch squarely into the bandits's face. The bandit fell off his horse, letting go of the staff and leaving Kendall in possession.
As he got back up, the bandit pulled a crossbow from somewhere in the bags mounted on his horse, and levelled the weapon at Kendall. Kendall swung the staff, knocking the crossbow off target just as the bandit pulled the trigger.
The bolt landed, with a thud, in the hindquarters of the second bandit's horse, which reared up suddenly in pain and surprise, knocking the second bandit to the floor. Avoiding the angry horse, Kendall gave the second bandit a swift crack around the head, rendering him unconscious as well.
Kendall and Elonem, the fawn-like creature he had rescued, had decided that hanging around for the bandits to recover was a bad idea, to say the least, so they arranged to travel together for safety.
"Thank you for saving me," said Elonem eventually. "You fight well." Elonem turned, and pulled a piece of animal meat from one of his saddlebags, which Kendall couldn't see. He took several small brisk bites, not offering any to Kendall. "I suppose you're going to the temple to volunteer for this fool's quest."
"I thought offering my services as a warrior would be a help." Kendall replied, trying to hide the growing contempt he felt.
"You'd be better off praying that you don't get chosen," Elonem said, chomping on.
"How do you figure that?"
"The realms are rumoured to be increasingly magical, right? Well, the way I see it, is that you, as a mortal, are unlikely to make it through the last realm. And if you don't even make it as far as the last realm, that will only be because you are dead. And as far as my experience goes, being dead never helped anybody, not least yourself."
Kendall turned away slowly, to face the path, to avoid prompting further conversation which would only lead him into fury. Also, the sight of the creature disgusting tearing off strips of meat from a bone was not a pretty sight.
After a while, Kendall could hold back the challenge he'd been with-holding any longer. He ventured "do you never feel that you have to do something for another person, no matter what the risk to yourself?"
"What good would it do?" Elonem shrugged, "the amount of evil in our world today, the only productive thing in the world is to keep to yourself. If you bend over backwards for someone, the chances are they'll stab you while your off-balance. Take those two back there, they're hardly in business for my health."
Kendall's face flushed red, "I wouldn't like to see you now if I hadn't taken a chance for you. These are hard times, and those bandits are probably hungry. I doubt they'd have just robbed, raped and murdered you. They'd probably have kept you alive and just cut bits off you." Kendall leaned closer, "living flesh keeps longer."
Elonem blanched and looked down at the piece of leg he was chewing. He slung it over his shoulder.
Elonem attempted to retort,"the best, wisest warriors are staying away."
Kendall replied, "like who exactly?"
Elonem struggled, fingering the buckles on his saddle, "Kinoe's rumoured to be hiding out in the mountains. And even Tathi is supposed to have dropped out of this selection."
"I'm sure they'll be there," Kendall defended, as much to his own fears as Elonem's cynicism. "Nefian will be there."
"Really? No-one's seen him for years." Elonem paused, "but then who would go to the swamps these days?"
Kendall turned away again. They were not far from the temple, and further conversation would bring no joy to either party.
The encounter with Elonem had surprised and worried Kendall far more than the fight with the bandits. While many priests in the town of Trask were busying themselves with preparations for the rite of selection and the rite of purification for the chosen, Kendall managed to find an old priest, by the name of Mellin, who Kendall found easy to talk to. Mellin had finished his duties for the time being and had agreed to talk with Kendall about his concerns.
Mellin led Kendall into a small antechamber in the Temple, which smelt of dust and old books. Mellin offered a chair, but Kendall, feeling restless in anticipation of the approaching ceremony, preferred to stand.
"The trouble is, I feel I'm loosing my faith in people," Kendall explained, "I saved a man's life and more on my way here yesterday, and he seemed so selfish, so callous towards the needs of the weak of this world that it makes me wonder - what is the point of the quest? For who are we doing it all?" Kendall gripped the hilt of his sword in frustration. "I suppose I had been spurred on by ideals of saving an innocent people from rapacious evil, but when I met one of the `innocents', I just felt so..." He couldn't find the words to express himself further, but Mellin seemed to know his feelings well enough.
"Do you know," the old priest said, lowering himself gingerly into a seat behind a large gnarled oak desk, littered with pieces of manuscript, showing depictions of fire and demons, fighting to break through walls, "you're not the first person to bring these feelings to me this week." Kendall looked up, curious.
Mellin seemed lost for words briefly, and eventually gestured to the scattered parchments on his desk. "Ever since we realised that the Time Of Absoluteness was upon us, we have been poring over the old books, making copies, so as to be forced to look in more detail."
The old priest leaned back, "you see, Kendall, the Time of Absoluteness is about the universe, and the laws of nature having to make up it's mind whether it is evil or good, as it cannot support the conflict. But it isn't about good people being forced to live in a bad world. The evil encroachment permeates all people. Its sound like a cliche, but you're too young to remember what people were like in the past. If you were an old man like me, you have seen the evil filling the hearts of your people." Mellin fixed Kendall eyes with an intent gaze. "This quest isn't about you saving people from highwaymen and thieves. It's about liberated people from an evil force. It's about turning the hearts of the highwaymen, and turning the hearts of men and women who care about nothing but carnal pleasures and money. You should undertake this quest as much for the good of the murderers and robbers, as the good of your friends and neighbours. That is the spirit of a pure heart, and that is the only purity which will protect you on this quest."
Kendall nodded, "I think I understand."
"You must understand. If you are not prepared to fight for the freedom of the fallen, you would be better to stand down from selection." Mellin paused, letting Kendall consider this. "What say you?"
Kendall thought hard about the farms he'd seen burned, the wrongs that went unpunished, and the men who lived off other's misery. He remembered them all, and then, much to his own surprise, he felt as much pity for them as he had for their victims.
"I will stand."
While the hollow chants of the Holy Men echoed around the voluminous hallways and balconies of the temple, Kendall stood watching, transfixed, as the priests, with Mellin among them, prayed and worked their spiritual mysteries. Kendall could not have pretended to have understood the significance of half of what they were doing, but he recognised that this was a grand occasion; this was the time when his people were showing their force and their resolve.
Kendall took another brief glance around him. The temple was full of people, all as dwarfed by the huge pillars that roared up to the sky as he was. He was almost certain he wouldn't get picked, as they were many trained soldiers and mercenaries here, as well as some formidable hunters. There were smaller people too, some of which wore the unmistakable robes of members of the guild of Mages. While some of the little guys didn't look strong, Kendall didn't doubt their agility. He'd once seen a four-foot tall Delinite cut an Orc to pieces in a knife-fight.
The priests were burning incense, filling the air with sweet nose-stinging mist, which whirled around the priests flowing garments, giving them an unearthly quality.
Kendall made a start as these smoke wreathed denizens of the temple began to make their way along the row towards him. At each person they stopped, and held up a pot with a yellowing smoke gently drifting out and parting the incense. They were burning a herb called Cal'Zein, which only grows at the peaks of mountains. It is said that the smoke from burning Cal'Zein is drawn to and will settle on people of a true heart.
Kendall pulse quickened as the priests made their way slowly but steadily toward him. The smoke-filled air, combined with the stern, intent faces of the priests, and the ear-ringing, rising, swelling chanting instilled a not insignificant amount of fear in Kendall: fear for being chosen; fear for being left behind, left to wait in faith while others fought for your fate; fear of what lay beyond today, no matter what the outcome. While the priests footfalls remained slow and firm, Kendall could feel his heart pumping more and more violently, until he though his chest would burst. He could feel a cold sweat break his brow and his eyes ached. He realised he was withholding his breath only when the ache in his chest forced to exhale violently. No-body heard, due to the singing and their own fear.
Eventually, the moment came, as Kendall had finally realised it must. The brown-robed hooded priests stood in front of him. Kendall looked into where he imagined the priests eyes to be under the shadow of the cowl. As the yellow smoke poured off the ember glowing leaves of the Cal'Zein, Kendall watched. He watched the smoke swirling through the air, turning this way and that. He watched and waited. Waited for it to make its decision.
