Throngs of Misfits

QUETZA, YEAR 736 (in the 422nd year of the Falesto reign), 62 YEARS BEFORE JUNE’S ARRIVAL

The chill in the air made the teeth of anyone brave or foolish enough to venture out vibrate, with a chattering and a clanking and cracking sound that may have been the rhythm of a winter song, the music of a freezing night. No moon could be seen in the sky and the ground was blanketed with the hush of darkness; only a squish, squash, scrunch on the soft, freshly-fallen blanket of snow could be heard, sounding even louder in the utter stillness of the night. Birds had long ago migrated to warmer climates and larger animals, like bears, were all hibernating, sleeping the cold away and preparing for the spring to come.

One by one the friends gathered, exchanging salutations and hugs before starting their night’s affairs. For the general population, the legitimate way of selecting a leader was all but forgotten, but there were a remaining few who recalled the true ways. The Falestos were not the rightful rulers. They were the usurpers in the Empire of Quetza, the ones who were bringing about the slow death of the land and the disappearance of magic.

The Koddy and Lavei had both been persecuted for years, but now they were nearing extinction and Emperor Cartaneo had ruled them to be second-class citizens. If a male, female or child Koddy was caught breaking any law, the only sentence was death. They were not even permitted to be transformed into Hagos, as the transformation gave them a chance at life and that was not what Emperor Cartaneo desired. The Lavei hid their villages by using the Blue Trees or through magic, but magic was in high demand and short supply. The people of Quetza were kept in constant ignorance by the sheer arrogance and conniving machinations of the Falestos. The emperor’s motto was: “Keep the people fed, entertained and stupid.” He knew as long as his people went to bed with full tummies and were sated with rum, they would not really want to know what was going on, nor question their Emperor. The Falestos did just that and ensured those who wanted change stayed quiet through fear. The Hagos guaranteed the national state of fear and were the embodiment of all things undesirable: an ever-so-real bogeyman of the people, for the people and sadly, by the people’s approval.

Moreover, playing on the ignorance of the Quetzan general populace, Emperor Cartaneo Falesto carried out a systematic destruction of all the Red Trees (he could not focus on the Blue Trees as they remained hidden during the day). He used the excuse that the trees were causing the blight; they had killed hundreds of people in the southern towns of Vanyan. Thus, the Emperor ensured no Red Companion Judge could step forward to guard the two Gift-Vessels in his or her charge.

But despite this miasma of fear and ignorance, on this cold winter night, under the cover of the Queen Blue Tree in the Forest of the Living Dead, a group of Elders, Gifted and magical beings gathered together to search for a way toward peace and to determine what they could do to bring down the Falestos’ reign. Their gathering was treasonous, and they would probably instigate one or more criminal acts, but they did it for freedom and peace for their people, their families, themselves and for Quetza. The Koddy, Lavei, Athany, Fairies, Humans (including the Warrior Dragon-Keepers with their own unique magic) and one of the last Geners came together to find a way to reach an elusive state of freedom.

They lit no fire, had no hall or cozy room to make merry in before their discussions. They were weary from the cold and the silence of the forest made their tired bodies even more aware of the necessity for brevity. Their only source of light was the soft glow emanating from the Gift-Vessels’ and Athanys’ hands.

In hushed words, they made their thoughts known, with the uncertain anxiety that maybe one of the others might be a traitor to their group. These days you could never relax; there were spies everywhere. The Athany leader Yako Mertano and his right-hand fighter Lady Peneas Ter Kushtaneo presided over the meeting. They were like two walking towers. Peneas had a mass of the most beautiful long pinkish-white braids, left loose down her back, a fierce Amazon-like warrior. The first of the others was the youngest son of the Koddy King Noire. The young Prince Tamon B’Jen Noire had a well-built body and a head well covered. He could not be caught outside the Western Kingdom.

Queen Myla and her right hand and best warrior Jürgen were representing the race of the Vanyan Fairie and the wisest Elder and Gift-Magi Tola of the Lavei, from the Cliff of Tears; all arrived together flying on a well-camouflaged Gurg bird. The Water Gift-Vessel Horatio Tolenko the IV appeared from the mist in the air, along with the Grand Duke of Tilo, Rudstin Laine and his five-year-old son the Viscount of Shine, Yowan Laine. These ladies and gentlemen arrived first and were greeting one another when, from the southern Kingdom of Karkat, the priest, David Von Liebe, walked quietly in among them, almost as if he floated over the ground. He represented the last of the Helathy Priests of Quetza. He brought along his son Davik. Just as they were about to hug each other, the last of the members to complete the group arrived: Qarhentio Visante, Warrior Lord of the mountain Dragon-Keepers appeared, followed last by Bratton Xonui, the only Gener Elder left in Vanyan.

“Despite the danger of meeting like this, I requested all of you to be here for one reason, yet it’s imperative we act now. As you may well know, Emperor Cartaneo has ordered the destruction of all the Red Trees. He has given direct orders to the Athany to help him find and destroy the trees, an order we cannot circumvent. Without the Red Trees, there will be no more Red Companion Judges. Our hopes for a new leader, selected by the Assembly, will be gone with the memory of the trees,” said Yako.

His muscled arms, crossed in front of his chest, revealed his glowing tattoos; scars carved their history into his face, yet his eyes were full of concern. Lady Peneas, looking grim, could only nod in agreement at what Yako was saying. The warrior Athany woman also had scars along the left side of her face. She had seen her fair share of battles and wanted no more wars. Her hair rattled as she walked—one bead was attached to her braids for every war in which she had battled. She had dozens of beads.

“We have the Ring and Box of the Chosen with us. They both must be given to the Miracle-Magi Gift-Vessel and they must leave the Judges’ Castle. The emperor has asked we give him the Ring, but Lady Uhna has told him it wasn’t in the castle; thus, now, it must be out of the castle,” said Peneas.

“Why are the Ring and Box so important?” asked Tola.

“They start the formation of the Blue Companion Judge. The Miracle-Magi is always the keeper of both. She or he chooses the best of the Athany to be the next Blue Companion. In the absence of a Miracle-Magi Gift-Vessel, the Athany keep both the Ring and Box and select among themselves the next Blue Companion Judge. The Queen Blue Tree has selected a Blue Companion Judge but once, maybe twice, that we know of,” said Yako.

“Then why go after the Red Trees? You would think he’d go after the Blue Trees, since the Blue Companion always starts the process,” said Duke Laine.

“Because the Blue Trees are hard to find during the day and they only glow at night when there is a Gift-Vessel or a Companion nearby,” answered David.

“There must be something—anything—we can do to stop this order from Cartaneo,” said Prince Tamon.

“The destruction is already under way. The Fairies that were protecting the blooming of the Red Trees in the northern Kingdom of Tilo have been destroyed with the trees, and the few Fairies that survived are slowly going insane,” said Queen Myla.

“There must be a purpose for this meeting. If there is nothing we can do, then I risked my life to be here for nothing!” said Bratton. His Gener fangs were retracted like the fangs of snakes and his tattoos covered his adult body markings to enable him to blend in society.

“You’re right. There is a way to ensure we have at least one last Red Companion. Although there is still one Red Tree hidden in our land, without the presence of the other trees to commune with, we fear it will soon die. So, for years, we’ve been collecting the fibers of the tree and making clothing. We believe that if a sufficiently powerful Healer-Magi Gift-Vessel is infused with the fibers, then he or she can make a Red Companion. This may just be a myth, but we have always believed it to be true,” said Qarhentio.

“But how can any of this be of use to us?” said Horatio Tolenko.

“It could give us one last chance at having an Assembly with both a Blue and Red Companion,” said Tola.

Her long fingers were caressing the fur of her dog. Tola’s lean body made her stand out from the rest, but her wisdom and peace were evident in her relaxed stance in the midst of this tense gathering.

“What does your family say about the emperor’s orders to destroy the Red Trees? And do they know you are here with us? Do they know of this meeting?” asked Tola.

Duke Laine’s hooded head looked down and he listened intently. He had said little throughout the meeting, heeding what the others had been saying and thinking of ways to help.

“My family knows nothing of this meeting. I gave a vow of fealty to the Helathy God. David here can vouch for me. We need a new Emperor and I want to help,” said Rudstin.

“Tola, leave him be. Rudstin has gained my trust. What none of us have discussed is the fact that once we have the new leader, there will be war. The Falestos will never give up power willingly. They will never give up the throne without a fight,” said David.

Tola heard a sound far away. She raised her hand and made all stay quiet. The forest was in relative silence until she heard noises in the distance. Tola was a Lavei so her hearing was better than most. She climbed a tree to see if anyone was approaching. After looking around thoroughly, she quickly came down.

“It appears there is a large contingent of castle guards heading this way. We don’t have much time,” said Tola.

“I say we make a promise and a vow,” said Bratton in a rushed voice.

“We want and need a new Assembly of Thirteen to come forth. We need a new leader,” said Peneas.

“We all must be willing to give something to present our request to the God of Life and Truth,” said the Helathy priest. David’s six-year-old son Davik was standing quietly next to his father, listening to all that was being said.

“I vouch for the help of the Athany; we will fight next to the Companions when the time comes, and if we die, then so be it. It is about time we do something good,” said Yako.

“I am willing to give my heart and might to this endeavor,” said Peneas.

“I will give the strongest of my descendants to the task. The Gener Priests placed the curse on the Athany. When the time comes to form the Assembly of Thirteen and have unity, I’ll make sure a Gener will be blessing the union,” said Bratton.

“I will give my best warriors, the ones I trust the most, to this quest and when the time comes to fight, the Koddy will be ready,” said Tamon.

“We will give a trunk full of the essence of the Red Trees, but it must not stay with my people. It must be removed from our lands, far from the one remaining Red Tree, in case the Tree dies, and the magic goes with it. But the trunk must be given to a Healer Gift-Vessel within three generations after us. We are not sure whether the magic will last past the third generation. When the time comes to fight, the few dragons still alive will be trained and ready to fight along with their warrior trainers,” said Qarhentio.

“I, and my family after me, will keep the trunk containing the essence of the Red Tree. We will give it to the next Healer Gift-Vessel child we encounter. May the Lord of Truth and Life let us encounter the Healer-Magi, him or her, who will come next. We will also spread the news of the old ways whenever and wherever we can,” said Horatio Tolenko.

“I will vow my race’s allegiance, but in my dreams, I only see this arising if a Gift-Vessel gives us aid when we need it the most. We have lost the most from Humans and no Gift-Vessel has ever been born from my people,” said Queen Myla.

“My Queen, I must give my own promise. I will give all, everything I am, even my life, to make the Assembly of Thirteen happen,” said Jürgen.

“My people guard the entrance to the pit of the Gurg, thus when we hear of the Red Companion’s birth, we will ensure a lover of Quetza will follow the Path of the Righteous. This outcome will bring blessings to our quest. When the time is right, we will bring the Gurg into the fight with us,” said Tola.

“I will keep the Ring and Box of the Chosen safe and my men will fight along with the Athany in the war to dethrone the Falestos. We will not leave without a fight. I will make sure to find a way to give the ring to the next Miracle-Magi,” said Duke Laine. His son Yowan was listening to his father’s promise.

“I will give my son, Davik, as the guardian of this promise,” said David.

Davik heard his father’s promise and in his youthful innocence he said, “May our god grant us all our request and the Lord of Truth and Life place the healer directly in your path, Sir Horatio.”

All in the group were standing near each other when they said their promise and the roots of the Blue Trees began to glow and shine, sending sparks of light to the feet of all making their promise. They all made a cut in their hands and they shook each other’s bloody hands. Then they touched the Queen Blue Tree’s roots to seal their pact.

Once done, they all quickly left, running in the opposite direction to the castle guards. All except Yako and Peneas, who made lots of noise to take the soldiers’ attention away from the tree, drawing them to a nearby practice arena. They pretended they were training. When the soldiers found Yako and Peneas fighting, Peneas told them that she and Yako were practicing what she was to teach her students the next day. The castle guards postured somewhat and ordered them to return to the castle, unknowingly giving the others time to escape, and the Queen Tree began her 62-year-long prayer.



Peneas Ter Kushtaneo returned to the castle with hope for the future and fully believing she was to give her all to The Promise. But twenty years after The Promise, during the next campaign of the Emperor, Peneas lay dying on the battlefield with mortal wounds, bleeding to death. She believed her promise would be lost forever, thereby damning the Athany to servitude forever. Death’s stench was all around her, the sky was dark, and rain fell, making the ground slushy. Mud caked everything, all around, making a hard, cool paste. Just as she was giving up hope, the joy of Penea’s heart came running to her.

“Momma, Momma, get up! Get up! We must move forward. You are not going die today. Open your eyes, now! Warrior, stay with me,” said Kara Ter Kushtaneo.

Peneas touched her daughter’s face with bloody, shaky hands and the love only a mother has for her child. She spoke, in a pain-stricken voice, words from the ancient language of the old magic:

“Nire bihotza eta ahalmena ematen ditut, eman dezakegun onena, nire alaba promesa nire ordez.”

“Momma, what are you saying? Momma, please get up. Please Momma, come with me. Healer Youh will make you better!” cried Kara, trying to lift her mother from the ground and to get her to sit. The ground was wet and slippery, making it impossible for Kara to get a good grip on her mother.

“I love you Kara!” Peneas looked at her daughter with glazed eyes. Her eyes were losing the bright shine of life and a miasma of death engulfed and accompanied her last exhalation, signifying the release coming with death. One more death, but this time it was Kara’s mother. She took her mother in her arms. “I love you too mother,” whispered Kara. In that moment, sobbing and holding her mother’s body, the life ebbing away from it, Kara pleaded with her god and asked him to take her instead of her mother.

Peneas was Kara’s only living relative. Her father had died before she was born and all of Peneas’s family were dead or sleeping. Peneas’s mother, Kara’s grandmother, was one of the Elders who had vowed to sleep until it was time for the Athany to fight for their freedom. Warm tears fell down Kara’s cheeks, falling on her mother’s forehead and Kara’s hands.

As Peneas’s life extinguished a massive storm unleashed, freezing rain falling hard, with drops so heavy they hurt like needles punching into the skin. Thunder and lightning mimicking the tumultuous emotions roiling like a mighty storm raging through Kara’s heart.

Kara’s sorrow and intense sobbing made her entire body shake. They were explosive emotions, all stemming from the pain of watching a mother die slowly from her mortal wounds on the battlefield. Dirt and death made it easy for Kara to consider, for a moment, taking her own life.

There was death and destruction all around Kara. No longer bodies but carcasses of innocent Koddy and Athany, dead because of a mad Emperor. She felt an unbearable pain, only for it to be replaced by anguish and regret and so much hatred for the emperor. But since her god would not let her mother live, then she, Kara Ter Kushtaneo, would live to see the day the Falestos would be overthrown.

Peneas had died in the arms of her daughter. Kara clutched her mother tight in a last embrace; every bone, every patch of her skin covered by clothing and not covered by armor, and every fiber of her being felt the sudden electric pain of loneliness. Kara never knew that her mother’s promise said:

“I give my heart and might, the best I can give, my only daughter to The Promise in my stead.”