The Tomes of the Hallowed Dead
Death goes by many names; to the humans he is Thanatos the grim reaper, To the Kaire he is Ramshagroth the Great Death, To the Luy’cain Namsrato the Deliverer, to the Earthen Urogalan the Protector, the Sidhe call him Ceannladir the Eternal Shadow, the Tresios call him Shhardir the Great Sleeper, the Sslevic call him Janous the Silent, the Sanguine call him Valkek the Severer, the Ramgir call him Yurtrus the Rotting One, The Aquifar refer to him as Asgir the Keeper of the Falls, the Draconic call him Chronepsis The Watcher, both the Agleo and Decona have no name for him they only refer to him as The Final Dance. But in the end he is just simply The Eternal Death. He is neither good nor evil, he has no bias. Everyone should hope that it should be kept that way for if death were to become bias. Woe be unto us for nothing would ever be the same.
Damlir – the Record Keeper 1845 UC

I took my time returning home. I had spent a couple days in the forest staying away for “people”. But I had been gone long enough. I slowly approach the house wondering how my mother will react when she finds out. I step into the clearing and see her waiting. Watching me walk up I see her eyes and several reactions pass over her face. I hear her whisper “Is that your blood or someone else’s? Please tell me you’re not a ghost come to say goodbye. Please Jair say something, anything.”

I look up at her “Some of it is mine but most is the others blood.” My eyes slowly find the ground as I wait for her to start yelling or screaming at me.

All of a sudden I hear running footsteps and her arms surround me holding me tightly. “Oh thank the gods. I don’t know what I would have done without you.” Holding me tightly we stand there for a few minutes before she steps back and waves her hands at me. “Go get cleaned up we will talk when you get back.”

Confused I start to open my mouth but close it quickly when I see her looking at me with that look that mothers only give you, the one that says do what I say now. I walk around the back of the house to the bathhouse. I strip out of my blood caked clothes and slip into the bathroom. The pool in the old style combination roman and Japanese bath is steaming already and I am glad that I don’t have to wait for it to warm up. I move over to the side and the shower before starting the water and washing myself all over. The steam slowly builds in the room. Clean I finally turn off the shower and move over to the pool before slipping in and laying back to soak. The events of the night playing fresh in my mind. What had happened? What was the voice? How do I explain this to my mother?

‘Tell her the truth’ the whisper comes ‘I start to fade. I can’t stay much longer I have been asleep too long. You must find my relics it is the only way you will find what you are’

“Don’t you mean who?” I ask

‘No I meant what you are. You are who you are. You are me but not me. I can’t change that I am the past and you are the future for both of us. I am sad that I come to my end but happy that I can pass on knowing you will take my place. I go now. Remember these two things first don’t trust any of those called gods trust only the Eternals. Second you will become stronger the more strings you take. Take only those who deserve release or should be released. Never give into fear and always walk tall. You will is not to be questioned. Make your own mark on time. Goodbye Jair and … Live.’

I felt the presence disappear and I was left sitting there with many questions. Close my eyes and soak for a while. The door opens and I hear a rustling I look and see Darklis sitting by the shower washing herself.

I quickly sit up and look away “Dari, what are you doing? What if my mother or your brother catch you in here?” I start to move across the pool to my towel.

I hear her musical laugh behind me I can hear hshutting off the shower and stepping into the pool. “I have always loved this bathroom.” I feel her fingers on my back tracing my scars. “Lireal knows I am here and so does my father he is in the house with your mother talking about what is going on. You know my family they think highly of you and your mother and he has always been asking your mother to travel with us. I think he has feelings for your mother and wants to add her to the family so he can show her how he feels.”

I nod “Mother has feelings for him too I think that she is just scared of betraying my father’s memory. But that doesn’t answer the question of why you are here in this room with me.”

I feel her head lean against me as she reaches around my stomach to hug me. “Jair I am here for you I always have been. You need someone to talk to and let it out and to relieve some stress. Jair I will always be here for you.”

“Ok then why are you naked?” I ask trying to wrap a towel around my waist.

I hear her giggle some more then she turns me around. “Jair I am yours. I told my father last week as we started the trip here. I didn’t care if I was a lesser wife or a concubine. I would be yours there isn’t anyone else that I want to touch me. We had a small argument about it but in the end I convinced him. He is in talking with your mother about it and seeing if I will be staying here or if you would travel with us? But either way I am yours. I knew that you had feelings for Rena and I felt lost. When we left last time I didn’t know what to do. My mother had a long talk with me about it.”

I slowly look down at her noticing that she was wearing a towel but it clung to her curves delightfully. “And what did your mother say?”

“I don’t know how much you have figured out how our family … and many of the gypsy families work. But when a child is born they are betrothed to child from a different family. Once they come of age they are married. If there are any un-attached females in his family or another they can be courted. Then he can have multiple wives. He is allowed as many wives as he can provide for. The families believe that you must be able to provide for you and the family any extra wives mean extra work. But it is allowed and my mother talked to me after she saw me constantly looking back this direction. Asked me if I could handle that if I could share you. Many long talks led me to the realization that yes I can I will do whatever it takes to have you in my life I want to stand by your side forever. Besides I kind of found Rena” She Starts to blush deeply “Attractive.”

The coldness starts to return a mist starts to fill the room as the cold air and hot water meet. I slowly let out “Well we don’t have to worry about Rena. After what happened and the threats I made I am sure the Prime won’t let me take the clan test.”

“That’s why I left the clan.” We both look at the door and see Rena standing there “My father can’t take action against you it was a fair duel. Not that he would want to. There have been some questions about what went down my brother is in a heap of trouble if he can be found. There have been a lot of weird people seen around town lately. Yesterday a bunch of men claiming to be priests of the god Rydel, show up and they don’t look like priests more like warriors. They came into the den without permission and talked to Loken. Now they are asking all kinds of questions about you everyone is trying to keep quiet. I told my mother I was leaving the clan to come to you and she gave her blessing but my father wanted none of it so I told him I was leaving the clan and walked out now I am clan-less” I see the tears in her eyes being clan-less was a great dishonor. It meant that no one in her clan or any other would see her.

I start moving to her but Dari is quicker. I climb out of the pool and start to dry off. Looking at them I say “Come we need to talk to my mother.” They both look at me and start to blush deeply. Looking down I see that in my effort to dry myself I left myself uncovered. I quickly cover myself and move behind the partition.

Chapter Eight

Because I could not stop for death
Because I could not stop for Death,
He kindly stopped for me;
The carriage held but just ourselves
And Immortality.

An Excerpt from Emily Dickinson (Old Earth Poet)

Finally all dressed the three of us walk into the house and I can hear my mother in with Dari’s dad. I stopped them and made them back up into the kitchen. Dari looked at me questioningly “Why did you stop us I thought we needed to talk to your mother.”

I look at her and cough “Well your dad and my mom are . . . “Talking”. So let’s give them a little time.”

I see Rena’s Ears twitching as she starts to blush heavily. Dari looks confused “But I thought this was important what could they be talking about?”

I look at her and sigh “That “talking” that you wanted to do with my in the bath that’s what they are “talking” about.”

Her eyes widen then she starts to blush. “I am guessing that they thought we would be “talking” and decided to give in to their feelings too.” I say softly

I look at Rena “How long were you standing there while we were talking?”

She blushes more and looks at Dari and says “I think Dari is attractive too”

They both blush and I turn hearing my mother call out in her peak followed closely by Dari’s dad. I smile at them and motion for them to follow me. We start walking into the front room and I call out like I was looking for her. “Mom?”

There is a lot of rustling and as I walk in both are trying to straighten their clothes. So being a little joker I say “Oh good you two are done.”

My mother immediately comes to me and says “Jair it isn’t what you think”

I softly smile and say “so it wasn’t two people making love to each other? From what I was told a man can have more than one wife as long as he can take care of her. It is probably why Dari’s mom agreed to this.”

Nolen looks at me and nods. “She knows and she told me to. She likes Lireal and thought she would make a great wife and addition to the family.”

My mom is looking back and forth. “Are you ok with this Jair?”

I laugh and nod “Mom I love you and I want you happy. I have seen you making doe eyes at Nolen for a while now. Dad is gone but I am sure that he would want you to be happy too.”

“This would mean we would have to leave our home. Are you sure I mean Rena and the Clan are here. All your friends. . .” she says looking at me.

“Lasret is dead, Sage is on the run, and Rena walked away from the clan. She will be joining our clan. But we have a bigger problem there is a plot by the viscount and since I ruined it I think he may not be very happy about that. And then there are some Priests looking for me.” My mother stops me looking startled.

“Priests of who?”

Rena pipes up at that point “Rydel though they don’t look like Priests.”

Nolen quickly strides to the front window and looks around “the Hound Priests of Rydel. They are his Hunters for things he wants taken care of.”

My mother is moving around quickly. “Jair head up stairs and pack we are leaving we have to hurry.”

I look at them. “What aren’t you telling me? The moment I mentioned priests you got all funny. Why wouldn’t we wait to find out what they want?”

“Jair there is no time we will talk about this later we need to leave and get a good head start to make sure they can’t find us.” She says hurriedly

Nolen stops and says “Too late they are here.”