O Saga: Part One: Book of Origins

Malum had been distracted by a hungry belly and reached for some left-out fruit. He did not notice the rope that he stepped over. The rope closed around his foot and knocked him off his feet, cutting the circulation off from his ankle.

There was a dilapidated-looking barn, and the Farmer was staring at Malum. The Farmer stared at what he had caught in his trap. Neither of them spoke for a while. Malum shouted to let him go, but the Farmer walked away.

Malum was left alone for some time, and he didn’t know if the Farmer was leaving him to starve or die. Malum tried to escape the ropes with his powers, but he didn’t master them yet. The Farmer came back with a shovel in his hand. Malum felt something painful and fell asleep.

Behind him, Malum heard new voices getting closer. He had been a confused, desperate man since fleeing his home village. He could still hear his father’s voice whispering, “Run!”

That’s what he’s been doing ever since. He didn’t know how he survived the jump off the bridge, but he did. He didn’t know how he kept finding enough to eat or sufficient warmth and shelter, but he did.

Malum didn’t know where he should go or where not to go. He had never been outside of his village, Jyoti. He couldn’t go back there as a wanted murderer. It wouldn’t matter to anyone that he was innocent, that he tried to save Lalit’s life, not take it. The life he had there was over. For all he knew, these people might try to take him back to his village; that is something he cannot let them do. He must escape.

“Finally, Kiron, I’ve been stuck here with this thief. I didn’t know if he’d try to kill me. I caught him trying to get at my chickens, and I lured him with some fruit,” The Farmer said.

“Why not round up some soldier or someone? Why did you send for us?” The Oldman asked.

“Tried to escape his ropes by using devilry. I had to hit him with my shovel. Everyone knows you’re the only one who knows how to handle this stuff.”

“Well, Herm, that stuff isn’t real. It’s just witchcraft. That’s what everyone believes around here.” Said the older man, now looking at Malum. The older man had a young woman companion who looked to be around Malum’s age. They spoke in Ishvaran, but the older man had a slight accent Malum didn’t recognize.

“That’s what others say. I’ve lived long enough to know there are witches out there.”

“Either way, Herm, we can handle it from here.” Said the younger female.

“Did he steal anything or owe anything to you?” Asked the older man.

“No, my traps kept him from that.”

“If you don’t want us to take him to the soldiers, we can handle it from here. Does that satisfy you?”

“I’m satisfied. I see that thief again, and it will be straight to the soldiers.”

And with that, they let him out of the trap and led him to a horse-drawn wagon.

“I’d suggest getting in the back. If you want something to eat, we’ll get you something.” The girl said. She could see his face was searching for trust. “We’re not taking you to the soldiers.”

Malum sensed he could trust her well enough. It helped her cause that he already noticed her beauty. So he took a spot in the back of the wagon, heading to parts unknown.

It didn’t take long before they were at another farm, but this one was much better kept. It was modest enough, but you could tell that the owner took pride in it.

The fences were all mended, the wood on the buildings showed almost no wear, and the fields were well-manicured. Malum hadn’t taken notice of the other’s conversation yet as he was still sleeping off his head wound. He thought about running because they didn’t put any shackles or even make an attempt to guard him. The only thing that kept him from running was that he would feel guilty about their generosity so far. The promise of food was also appealing.

They were people of their word as they fed him, even letting him stay in the barn overnight if he wanted it. Malum had been sleeping in caves, hard ground, and mud. He was almost emotional at the chance to get a decent night’s sleep.

He didn’t eat with them; they just brought the food and showed him where to make a bed. Nobody introduced themselves; the less you know, the easier it is to deny later.

The Sun hadn’t even fully set, and Malum was already sleeping. He had spent too many nights on the run, tossing and turning as he froze. Here, Malum had a warm blanket and some soft straw; he had immediately sunken into a comfortable spot.

——-—-

Malum woke up to the older man shaking him. He lingered in that haze of reality where you don’t know if you’re dreaming or awake. The older man shook him again.

“I’m awake,” Malum shouted.

“Good, because you’ll help with some chores this morning. The price for that straw bed.”

Malum’s host keeps horses for riding, pulling carriages, and heavy labor. Malum helped put hay for the horses and threw some chicken feed to the ground. He helped the young girl pull weeds out of their small vegetable garden, mended some of the fences with the older man, and cleaned the stables of manure. The farm wasn’t large, but it provided the needs of these Farmers. With Malum’s help, it didn’t take long to go through the chore list, but it was enough to make Malum thirsty.

Malum took a break at the well. He drew up the bucket and guzzled his fill. The older man came over to join him.

“I suppose I‘ve been rude all this time; I haven’t introduced myself. I’m Kiron Itzia, and my daughter, whom you’ve met, is Thea. We weren’t sure if you’d be here in the morning. Thea even bet me that you’d run away in the night.”

“Still here for now. Thanks, by the way, for the food and place to stay. I needed it.”

“Yes, we figured.”

“Malum. Malum is my name.” He felt he could trust them with his real name as they hadn’t turned him in. His daughter Thea was joining them, holding something wrapped in a blanket.

“Malum, my intuition tells me that you’re hiding something.” A bead of sweat formed on Malum’s brow at Kiron’s words. Kiron must have sensed his unease. Relax, Thea, and I are hiding something as well.”

Thea put what she held on the ground and unfolded it. It was two unique swords. Malum recognized that both swords had the same strange amber rock that he had found in the mine. The rock made Malum more connected to his powers, but he wasn’t quite sure of what it meant. Did their swords have strange powers, too?

“What’s their significance? Why are you revealing this to me?” Asked Malum.

“I sense you know why. I sense you have the power to connect to the O element like us. Farmer Herm said you tried to escape your ropes with magic, or he implied it.”

Malum pulled the amber rock from his pocket.

“I thought you told the Farmer that you didn’t believe in magic. That it was all witchcraft.” Malum said.

“Yes, that’s what I told the Farmer. But that is what we tell everyone around here. They think it is sinful or evil, so we lie to them about the truth,” Kiron said.

“The truth. You mean that you are a demon.”

“No, that we have powers. You don’t know anything about the O element, do you?”

“No, never heard of it. I grew up in a mining town in the foothills of the mountains. They’ve always accused me of being a demon for my abilities. For most of my life, I’ve agreed with them. I don’t understand these powers. I didn’t ask for them.”

“No one does, my friend. Only The Source of All Things knows the truth of it all. But you can trained to control and understand it better. Would you like to learn?”

“No! I want to find somewhere quiet to live my days and be left alone.” Malum retorted.

“That’s certainly a choice. I showed you our weapons so that you might trust me. I’ll tell you my secrets if you tell me yours. Maybe then, you might change your mind. If not, I can point you in the right direction to find your solitude. Is that fair?”

“I suppose. Why help me to learn? You don’t know me.”

“That is complicated. There is a certain kind of intuition that channelers have.”

“Channelers?”

“Those like you and me who are sensitive to the element. It tells me that I should train you, look past your rough exterior, and see the possibilities inside of you. Ones that you don’t even see yet.”

“You think I have possibilities?”

“My intuition does. Are you willing to share your past with us?”

“Let me think about it.”

“While you think, let me tell you ours. My daughter and I are not originally from these lands. I was born on The Isle of Wicca and raised by the women there. The main town is Orisa, but I trained in the Hagar Coven.”

“Isn’t that where the Witches live? But that’s not a real place; that’s just a story.”

“Oh, it’s genuine and not just a story.”

“Now, are you going to tell me about fairies and goblins? Are they your godparents?” Malum mocked Kiron.

“I don’t know anything about fairies and goblins, but I know the Witches are very much real. Only they don’t consider themselves witches. Like many others, they are an Order dedicated to the Source of All Things. They have different beliefs about connecting to the O element. They use the dark arts and manipulate the element for selfish gains, making them dangerous.”

“What is this O element?”

“It’s what allows you to channel your powers. The amber material in that rock you carry and in our swords.”

“It gives me my powers, then?”

“No. The Source of all things gives us our powers. The element only allows or helps us to focus that power. It is like an amplifier of your power. Everything in the universe can connect to the Source of all things because everything is from it. That is why it is the Source—chosen people to have more ability to connect, which is the only difference. But it still requires training or can be dangerous to the user and the world.”

“How do I channel it? How does it connect to me?”

“Well, it is an element not from our planet. It comes here from outside our universe; no one knows exactly where. They say it comes directly from heaven or is a chunk of land from which the Gods live. It depends greatly on the school of thought.”

“Do you believe it comes from the heavens?” I don’t believe in Gods or Hell.” Malum said, disbelieving.

“No, I don’t believe in those things either. I know it is here, and its connection can be rewarding. It was given to you by fate.”

“You think I have a special fate? Why me?”

“That is up to you to find your path. It came to you for a reason.”

“How do I control my connection?”

“It is pure energy. When your mind is clear, you can connect your thoughts and actions to it. It is like a partnership. Through this partnership, you can wield infinite amounts of skills and powers. You can levitate mountains. Send energy blasts that disintegrate an object to dust. You can control minds; it is endless. The only limitation is you.”

“And you can teach me this?”

“Yes, but it requires discipline and hard work. A serious and dedicated mind. Can you do that?”

“I can try. I don’t know, to be honest.”

“If you don’t believe, then you have failed already. I will let you think it over. If you decide to leave, there is no shame in it. If you decide to learn, you must understand that this life isn’t easy. It is a gift but can also be a heavy burden for some. Some lose themselves to their darkness, and their lives become a living Hell. I have some chores to do. My daughter Thea will tell you the rest of our story.”

Kiron left with the swords, and Thea invited Malum to sit with her at the table. She had maps that displayed many names and places Malum had never heard of. He was overwhelmed by the world opening up to him, and he didn’t realize how big it was.

“Where are you from? We live here.” She pointed to a spot on a map between the mountains and the sea. It took Malum a moment to get a sense of direction, and he found his town to the Southwest.

“Here, this is Jyoti. I spent my whole life there.”

“What made you leave?” Thea asked.

Malum looked across the table and got lost in her dark brown eyes. He regrouped his thoughts quickly.

“I was accused of a crime. The other miners accused me of killing someone, but I didn’t do it. The whole town worked in the local mine. We were in the mineshafts when the mountain began to shake. It caused some rocks to come loose, and I tried to save someone from the rocks.”

“Using your power?”

“I guess. A second tremor made me lose control, and the rocks crushed Lalit. People thought I was getting revenge on him.”

“Revenge, you had a past with this person?”

“He and his friends often bullied me since I was little. They called me a freak.”

“Yes, I know what that can be like.” Malum was surprised that she was so understanding.

“They were going to arrest me. They would have hung me if I stayed. So I ran. Been running ever since.”

“Until you met us,” Thea said.

Malum just shook his head in confirmation.

“My father and I ran away once too.”

Malum was a little shocked by this.

“You see, my father didn’t just live at the Coven. He was a Warlock.”

“A Warlock? What’s that?”

“The Witches are opposed to men. They tolerate them as soldiers and other things but dislike sharing their power and knowledge with men, except for one chosen boy. They search to find a child with exceptional and rare power. They raise the male child in the Coven and bestow part of their powers onto him. This way, they can control and use the child for their selfish purposes. They call this child a Warlock.”

“And your father was one? Does that mean he is powerful? He doesn’t use the Witch’s dark magic, does he?”

“Not anymore. You see, my Mother was a part of their Coven. Soror Decima was the name they gave her. Soror is just another name for a sister. My father was forbidden to have relationships with women, but it didn’t stop him and my Mother from falling in love. When my Mother became pregnant, they ran away together. The Coven tracked them down, but my Mother didn’t make it. My father escaped with me, but at a cost.”

“What’s the cost?”

“A poisoned blade stabbed him. He knew someone who could extract the poison. By the time they did, the poison had already done damage. He’s made it a long time, but his health has been failing him more and more.”

“So the power he can teach me is the dark arts?”

“He can, but he and my Mother found a different way, guided by love. He has never taught me any of the dark arts. Afraid of his past, I assume.”

“Why did he settle here in Ishvara knowing they don’t believe in such things? We’ve burned people in this country thought to be witches.”

“Yes, but the Witches don’t want to come to these lands either. It is because no one uses magic that brought us here. It is a secret we’ve managed to keep until you.”

“Aren’t you worried it might slip out and have to go on the run again? What would happen if the witches found out about you?”

“They’d kill us for breaking their laws like they killed my Mother. My father will not speak of what they did to her. I never got to know her.”

“I never knew my Mother either. Nothing so dramatic as how your Mother died. She didn’t survive giving birth to me. My father blamed me for it. He thinks my demon powers killed her. I don’t know if he’s wrong.”

“He’s wrong, it wasn’t you.”

“How do you know?” Malum asked, slightly annoyed.

“I can sense it.” Malum looked at her with slight confusion about how to react to that. He tried to change subjects.

“So I’m guessing you and your father aren’t going to take the Tsar up on his offer to move North and find farmland?”

“No, that would take us closer to the Witches.”

“How did you manage to own a farm in the first place? Don’t the Boyars own most of the lands?”

“Yes, but when the Tsar was young, circumstances were different. My father helped a Boyar. They wanted to give him lots of money, but he said to give him some land instead.”

“I see. I’ve never known anyone who owns land. Everyone I know rented their property.”

“I don’t know much about the outside world. My father limits who we interact with, as you can imagine.”

“I think I know even less about the world. My father didn’t teach me anything. You said your Mother was a Soror? Are the witches all related? Also, if Warlocks are so powerful, does that mean men are stronger than women?”

“No, and no. Warlocks are more powerful because the witches make them so. It’s kind of like their monster to control. Gender doesn’t determine power; it’s individual. As for Soror, it’s my understanding that these are women who take an oath. They have Oblates who serve them. Postulants are women they are considering or testing to see if they have power. Novitiates or apprentices, are the ones they deem worthy of teaching. When they can master their powers, they become Soror or fellow sisters. The Mother Superior is the leader. You may know her as the Witch of Hagar. I don’t know her real name. It isn’t all that different than the Squire and Knight relationship of many Orders.”

“Knights and Squires? What is that?”

“Many schools and orders have their own rules and systems. Most have a Master who teaches a pupil or Knight and Squire. I don’t know more than that about them. Because my father was a Warlock, Knights would see him as an enemy.”

“Why?”

“Those who use the dark arts are considered dangerous, and many of the knights seek to fight those who practice them.”

“But you said he doesn’t do that anymore.”

“They don’t know that.”

Thea’s father, Kiron, was walking back from his chores and rejoined them.

“Have you made any decisions, young Malum?” Kiron asked.

“No, not yet.”

“Well, the first big decision will be what to eat; the rest can wait. I’m sure Thea told you all our secrets.” He looked over to her, and she shook her head yes. “And you told her yours?” Thea again confirms. “Good, she can tell me about it later. How about we all head to the kitchen? I am starving.”

Malum was surprised at how this day had turned out. He had hardly known these people for a day, and they already treated him with more kindness than anyone had in his entire life. He was afraid to say yes to the training out of fear. He knew he had darkness, but Kiron had overcome it. Malum wasn’t as sure he’d be as able to defeat his darkness. Malum believed in Kiron. He wanted to train.