Chapter 11: The Choices of the Sunriders

  Amos shook his head, bewilderment written across his face. “You…you can’t be serious! How do you know he was telling the truth? Any Athelward could make such a claim!”

  Torun had never looked more serious than he did in this moment.“I know it to be true because the power he gave me is truly incredible. I have…access to knowledge other men do not have. I can access a library within my mind…or perhaps in the kingdom of the Creator, I am not sure. And I can link myself to it to determine the actions of men before they do them. It has made me almost unbeatable in combat and diplomacy. I say almost because I cannot always access this knowledge and, quite often, it is impossible to entirely avoid all blows.”

  “Wait…wait…” Amos raised his hands to his flushed face. “You are serious? You have such power and think it belongs to the Keeper? No one ever knew what the Keepers' powers were.”

  Torun shrugged. “This is true. But I cannot think it’s anything else. I have never experienced power like this before.”

  “And…this vision you saw that says you will die soon…”

  “I obtained it from the library I told you of.”

  “It has information about the future?”

  “To an extent. It has information about the immediate future, such as where an opponent will land his blow or what someone has planned for the next day. But the future is generally muddled and unclear, full of possibilities from the choices of men. Only this…was clear. It is a clear punishment. I don’t know how or when…but I will die very soon.”

  Amos sat back down again, rubbing his head, “This is all too much to take in. How can you be the Keeper? There is a Keeper in the Tower of the Sun!”

  “Or so we are told. No one has seen the Keeper in years.”

  “I know!” Amos shook his head and turned violently on Torun. “And you think I am the best person to give these abilities to? To take on the mantle of…Keeper? You must be insane!”

  Torun raised an eyebrow at him and Amos retracted. “Not…not insane. My apologies! I did not mean it like that. I just…why would you pick me? You know who I am. You know my propensity to be selfish, self-centered, and a coward.”

  “You are no coward, Amos. You are inexperienced…there is a difference. As for selfish and self-centered…it is the curse that all mankind must overcome.”

  Amos shook his head. “You cannot be serious.”

  “And why would you think I am not? Do you think I do not know my own mind? That I didn’t put a great deal of thought into this? I thought, perhaps, I could let the power slip away…that I could pass away and never pass it on to another. But the wrath I feel from the Creator should I do that is too terrible to ignore. I would suffer greatly for it…and in the end, I have no doubt the Creator would find a way to give it to another without my help. I would, at my last moments, make the right choice in my life.”

  Amos stared at him with uncertainty. “You were a guest of my father…did he know who you were?”

  “Yes. He had become secretly involved in the war by trying to search for me. He was certain that he could get me to join the movement and restore the Athelward, thus bringing them to the side of the Independent Houses and helping them win the war. But…I told him I was not interested. I was getting too old and I no longer believed in the order of the Athelward. Your father argued and persisted until we agreed that I should train his son, your brother El’Azar and, if he was worthy when he became a fully grown man, I would transfer the title of Keeper to him and he could do what he wished.”

  “But…why didn’t you give him the power before…everything happened?”

  “It all happened so fast…there was no time. I did not know if he was the one to give it to, your powers hadn’t manifested yet, as most don’t till their sixteenth birthday. And no sooner had the army of the Independent Houses been defeated at the Battle of Green Vale then the Demon arrived with his forces and began purging many of the houses. The Sunriders were of particular note…”

  “Was it because of you?”

  “Partially. There were rumors about my existence there despite your father’s attempts to keep me a secret. The Sunriders were of particular interest to the United Houses because of an old prophecy that hung around their name.”

  “What prophecy is this?” asked Amos, “I have heard of no prophecy before.”

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  “It is old…some say completely fabricated by the Sunriders themselves when they entered the United Houses. Something to do with the Sunriders restoring order to the United Houses by tearing it down and rebuilding it again. Not something the United Houses was fond of on the best of circumstances but, with a war raging and the Sunriders rumored to be against them…you can see why some might be cautious.”

  Amos nodded. “Right. But what now? Even if you give me these powers…what do I do with them? I wouldn’t know how to use them.”

  “That would be entirely up to you,” said Torun. “Restore the Athelward, ignore they exist like I did, or find a way to fulfill prophecy…who knows. All that is up to you.”

  Amos stared at him, frustration and anger building across his features as his body stiffened. He stood up. “You are…the worst mentor I have ever seen. You tell me to do whatever I want with some sacred power and give me no advice on what to do? Do you want to simply pawn this gift off on me? Is that what this is? Ease your guilty conscience in your old age?”

  “I have no advice,” said Torun, smiling. “And the fact that you are taking this more seriously than I did in my youth shows me you are better suited to be the Keeper than I am.”

  “Again, shirking responsibility onto another is not what a good mentor does…I think. Besides, I have not even decided if I want to accept your gift. You cannot force me,” he said with flagging conviction.

  Torun nodded. “You are right. I will not force you to accept it. But then, it will be your choice, not mine. Perhaps some of the blame will fall on you instead.”

  Amos gaped at him. “You are…intolerable! Are you trying to plague my conscience?”

  “Perhaps a bit,” said Torun, smiling. “But that is all for the better. Make sure that consciousness stays active and asks questions. Then, at least, you won’t fall into apathy and complete selfishness.”

  Amos shook his head. “And am I to make this decision right this moment?”

  “No, of course not. Take some time to think about it. Not too long, of course…after all my days are numbered.”

  Amos stood, confused and unable to move until Torun prodded him with his stick. “Well…take yourself home my boy. Do some thinking. I eagerly await your response.”

  *

  The day slipped toward evening when Avner, Haran, and Suti finally spotted the herders returning with the flocks toward the walls of Hatisep. They rose to face the group as they approached. “Suti, did you count the livestock last night?”

  “Of course, I did.”

  One of the herdsmen rode his horse up to the group as he signaled up to the wall for the small posterior gate to be raised. “What are you doing here? Do not think to interfere with our business or our lord will hear of your actions.”

  “Relax,” said Avner. “We aren’t here to interfere with your business. I just have a few questions.”

  “We do not have to listen or respond to the questions of strangers. Begone! You have no business here.”

  “Oh, but we do. We work for your lord, Rim-S…the lord. We are investigating the thefts of the livestock which were under your care.”

  The man appeared startled but he clicked his tongue and the horse trotted beside Avner as the first of the livestock began to enter the small gate, driven by the herdsmen. Suti’s eyes scanned the animals, darting about as she counted under her breath. Avner followed the man, Haran close behind. “Can you tell me anything about these thefts?”

  “No. We watch the sheep and goats throughout the day to ensure no animals or bandits steal them.”

  “Surely that would be a dangerous task for herdsmen alone? There are dangerous creatures out there…raptors for instance. Or lions. Perhaps even razor-gores.”

  The man snorted. “There haven’t been razor-gores here in decades. As for any lions or raptors, our slings keep them at bay. Besides, we always have four guards with us as well with spears to drive them off.”

  “Interesting. So, you have four guards there as well. Where are they now?”

  “They ride toward the main gate as soon as we begin driving the flocks back to their gate.”

  “And the animals aren’t out of your sight during the day? Is there any way you could lose track of them? Perhaps down a gulley?”

  The man shifted on his horse, looking offended. “Sir, we do not allow animals to escape our notice down into a gully. It is our duty to keep a constant eye on them. We do not let them escape under our watch.”

  “I am not accusing you. Simply asking questions.”

  “And do you have any more?”

  “Just one. Where do the guards stay that watch the flock with you? Are they the same every day?”

  “Yes…they are the same. I don’t know where they stay…the guardhouse in the palace most likely…or the gatehouse.”

  “Very good. Thank you for your time.”

  The man didn’t respond but wheeled his horse away. The group of herdsmen rode toward the front gate as soon as the last of the sheep entered the small grated tunnel. As it closed behind the animals, Avner stepped close to Suti. “Well? Are there any missing?”

  “Three are missing.”

  “Are you sure?”

  She gave him a sideways glare, just past her veil. He raised his hands. “Right…you are never wrong.”

  Avner turned to Haran. “So, what do you think? Is it them?”

  “It’s them,” said Haran. The question is, what do we do now?” asked Haran.

  “Question the guards.” said Suti.

  “Exactly,” said Avner. “I think we should question the guards who also watch the flock. If their story remains relatively the same…then they are guilty too. Then we need to do some tracking.”

  “Tracking?”

  “Yes. We need to see if we can find where the tracks are leaving the herd and where they might be heading.”

  “How do we find where they have been?” said Suti.

  “Ask the guards,” said Avner.

  “As if they would tell us,” stated Haran. “And another problem, none of us know how to track.”

  The group stood in silence before Avner spoke up cheerfully. “I guess we will be learning that skill at the same time!”

  Suti shook his head. “Oh, Creator…I can’t wait.”