Beyond Doubt: Whispers of the Unseen - Chapter 51
Welcome to my seemingly endless journey.
A trip that will take you to places I might have visited many moons ago.
It´s a tale that came back to me when I meditated on one of my past lives. A life I told you about in my unbelievable true story.
As promised in that story I will now share this story with you.
Chapter 51
We are all impressed by this huge change in the way we see Cabilah. We had probably all felt her power, but I had never seen it like this. Her fire had flared, and there was no trace of tears left. Although her eyes still told the story of a woman who had never known a light existence.
We shared what we knew about the people who wore this symbol and what we had heard from Kosa. We were curious about any possible additions that Cabilah could provide. As I unfold the paper, I hope she can decipher this text, but she too stares at the mysterious characters.
“I know almost nothing more than you do. They came at night, made no sound until they reached the village. They hunted anything that moved. They burned down all the huts and spoke a language that we almost did not understand," she sighs.
"All I know is that they came from the north, and they ride the most beautiful beasts. They shout short words to each other, then everyone knows what to do. They work together like a machine. Once done they assault the women and steal the treasures of those who own anything of value.”
Cabilah points out the remains of barns and fences just outside the village. They were not burned, but apparently, there was no one left to try to maintain them.
Cabilah had said that morning that she was afraid that all the bodies would still be in the streets. Just as they were left that night.
By now the flesh would have been eaten away and the dried skeletons would provide a macabre spectacle, especially to those who knew how lively this village had once been.
As we walk into the village, prepared for the worst, I feel watched. I don't know who or where from. But I am being watched. As a precaution, I take my bow in hand. Little is left of what must have once been a prosperous village.
Here and there there are still some poles standing, on which rests of blackened reeds rest. Pots and wooden utensils lie here and there. The streets are overgrown with weeds.
In the middle of the village, where there must have once been a square, there is a pole with something on it. Once there, it turns out that a dried piece of skin has been nailed to the pole. Cabilah shows Retsj where her parents' hut once stood, while Numico and I look at the skin.
When I hold it in my hands I realize that this is not animal skin. There is something on the skin, it cannot be written. When my fingers run over the text I feel small pieces come loose, it is charred.
“This skin was treated with a glowing object while it was still around a body. Which madmen are capable of this kind of horror,” I ask.
“I have an idea,” says Numico, pointing to the symbol behind the three words that are again written in that strange script.
Then I hear creeping footsteps behind us. Since I can see Retsj and Cabilah standing still on my right side and Numico standing next to me, I quickly turn around and aim my bow.
I'm face to face with a huge dog. The dog is startled by my sudden movement. He runs towards Cabilah and Rechmana.
“Watch out,” I shout! While my bow tries to follow the animal during its sprint.
Cabilah looks startled in the direction of the dog, which is now close to her. He drops his front legs and prepares to go to her throat. Cabilah's big eyes turn to me, she raises her arms. “Don't shoot,” she shouts as my finger pulls the trigger and the arrow leaves the bow.
The dog jumps up on Cabilah and starts licking her whole face with his big tongue. The arrow pierces the wood meters away from them. Numico looks at me somewhat guiltily.
“How did you know that,” I ask him before I have even thought about it.
“He didn't feel like the other. This one has no evil in it, so there had to be some other reason for that apparent attack. It should soon be clear which.”
“Monta,” Cabilah exclaims.
“Crazy animal, have you stayed here all these years? You didn't wait for me, did you? Guys, this is Monta, he was a puppy when I had to leave him behind but look." She points to a colossus of a dog, who is running madly in circles around his former owner.
I'm not feeling well. It was almost my fault that I killed a friend of one of ours. Partly because of the dog from the previous day, but certainly also because of that rider.
How much responsibility do I bear for the well-being of my friends, only to endanger the well-being of others? Should I be more careful, or would that also pose a danger? I am unable to find a clear answer.
Numico understands what's going on in me.
“Martio you are doing well, you are the only one of us who is armed. The only one who is able to protect someone else. I owe my life to you. And you can see that if it is not the intention, one of us will be able to warn you in time. Or push,” he jokes.
“Thanks,” I say. “It's quite a responsibility,” he looks at me understandingly.
“I'm glad your sandals don't fit me, I wouldn't like to be in your shoes. I would rather talk to creatures than have to kill them, but it's a good thing we have you.”
He may be right, but I hope I don't have to experience situations like this much more often. I grab the skin from the pole and put it in my baby carrier, there is no point in Cabilah having to deal with this now.
Then I walk up to the dog, he looks at me askance. I throw myself to the side and drop to my knees. “Come on boy, I won't bite,” I tell him while showing my open hands.
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