Going Home: Part 8
The darkness ahead
Welcome to my little corner of the internet! I’m so glad you’re here. Below you’ll find part eight of my fantasy short story Going Home. It’s about a young girl named Nani who gets tangled up in fate, tradition, and a giant hole in the ground that leads… somewhere else.
Want to start at the beginning? Here you go:
It would have been easy to stay home. No one would have missed Nani, or her family. Most probably expected them to not show up for the ceremony.
It would have been easy, but it would have been wrong.
Nani needed everyone to see that she would not break so easily, like glass dropped onto the floor. If she was cursed to live in the shadow of what might have been, then so be it. She would not shy away from those shadows. She would meet the shame and sorrow head on.
It did not mean she had to be happy about it, however. She walked alongside her family toward N’Uata, all of them wearing emotionless masks to hide the turmoil inside. All of them except Talun, of course, who marched forward as innocent as ever. The ceremony in general had a somber feel to it, unlike past years. Normally, the procession to The Hungry One would be accompanied by singing and dancing, with small children running here and there and musicians ushering the crowd forward. There was still music, but it lacked the joy that Nani remembered from ceremonies past. Instead, it was a serious, down-tempo march that matched the listless steps of the villagers.
Suli, to her credit, presented herself well. She was at the back of the procession, resplendent in a green dress. It swished prettily as she walked. A fine necklace covered her neck and had a small teardrop diamond at the end. Her hair was done up in a traditional adult style; no braids or pigtails, it was allowed to flow free except for where it was held in place by a silver comb. Nani saw no trace of the scared little girl that had visited her only two days before.
Havrik walked near his daughter, slightly behind and to the side. He had shaved and wore his nicest clothes, and looked like a preening peacock to Nani. She had no problem with the animosity she felt toward him, and didn’t try to tamp it down or excuse it away. He had attempted to ruin her life and was forcing his daughter to do something she was terrified of. She saw her father looking at Havrik with a dangerous glint in his eye.
“Papa?” she asked. “Are you going to be ok?”
“Eventually, perhaps,” Ru’an said. “Though I can think of a few things that would make me feel better immediately.” He looked down at Nani, seeing the concerned look on her face. “Do not worry, my daughter. I will not do anything… unwise.” Nani put her hand on his arm then nodded.
The walk to N’Uata was less than a mile, but the size of the group made the trip take far longer than usual. Chief Liatu was there already, along with a few attendants and the Steps of Heaven, a twenty foot tall wooden ladder that the chosen would leap from. It had been wheeled out the night before, requiring a dozen strong men to move it into position.
The townspeople spread out on either side of the Steps as they arrived, small children sitting upon the shoulders of parents or older siblings. Nani and her family were given plenty of space, so she would be able to see everything. The dress Suli wore looked good on her; it would have looked good on Nani, too. She couldn’t stop herself from imagining how it would have felt to be walking toward the steps, her father walking proudly behind her. She had been so close!
Suli looked in her direction and paused. Nani wanted to run away. She wanted to scream. Instead, she waved. Suli waved back, then walked up to the Chief at the base of the Steps of Heaven. He clasped her hands, pushing something firmly into her left palm. This was the same every year. Nani had never learned what the chosen were given, but it was obviously of some importance to the ceremony. The music had died down, reduced to a low rumble of drums.
Chief Liatu turned to the crowd, giving the same speech he had recited each year since becoming chief before Nani was born. She tuned out most of it, only catching snippets like “sacred duty” and “one for many”. Her thoughts were dark as a moonless night; both for herself and for her friend.
Suli slowly climbed the steps, her confidence faltering slightly as the mouth of N’Uata loomed large before her. She looked back to her father, who urged her forward. Higher she climbed, a green beacon of hope and protection for the entire village. They were getting swept up into the moment now. What Suli and her father had done was distasteful, awful even, but that would all be washed away shortly. As Suli climbed, the music swelled with its own crescendo. Even Nani felt her heart beat faster. Thin beads of sweat trickled down her back as they watched under the midday sun. Her hand found her father’s, grasping it tightly.
At the top of the stairs, Suli stopped. Her eyes were closed, and her head was tilted to one side, as though she were listening to something no one else could hear. Nani strained, but she couldn’t hear anything above the thundering beat of the drums. Suli moved closer to the edge, spreading her arms wide. Her face looked peaceful, content. Then, something changed.
Her eyes sprang open, and she looked down into the hole with horror. Nani saw her mouth move, but she was too far away to make anything out. Seconds later Suli started screaming. “I can see it!” she shrieked. “Ki’Kiri save us, I can see it climbing!” She turned and started running back down the steps, taking them two at a time. Her father met her at the bottom, his face confused and worried. Chief Liatu was there as well.
“What did you see, Suli?” the Chief asked.
“It was…” Suli was sobbing. “It was horrible… I, I…” her eyes rolled back into her head and she fell unconscious into her father’s arms. A white feather slipped from her hands as her grip loosened.
A nervous murmur ran through the crowd. What had she seen? What would happen now? Nani had the same questions. She had never seen anything like this before. She looked to her father, then her mother. Both of them shook their heads, as confused as she was.
Nani took several steps toward the small group of people at the base of the Steps, worried about her friend. Havrik and Chief Liatu were speaking to each other in low voices. She saw movement from the corner of her eye, but dismissed it as someone else checking on Suli. Another scream, this time from behind her, drew her attention back to N’Uata. Something was climbing out of it.
Two hands gripped the edge of the hole. They were a deep red, the color of blood as it welled up from a fresh wound. The most disturbing part, however, was that the hands ended in sharp claws instead of fingers. The claws scrabbled against the rock, pulling the rest of the nightmare onto the dirt.
It was a full head taller than Ru’an, who was himself taller than almost everyone in the village. The claws were connected to long, muscular arms, and a barbed tail, ending in a sharp point, moved lazily behind it. The creature stood on two feet, like a man, but Nani would never have described it that way. To her, it looked like a giant lizard. Two small, red eyes were set into its head, taking in the scene. There was intelligence behind those eyes, and that made the creature even more terrifying.
Talun was standing near the hole. He had wandered over during the ceremony, having grown bored. He turned now, trying to move away from the creature, and tripped, falling onto his hands and knees. The demon stepped forward and picked him up with a single clawed hand, holding him upside down in front of its face. It cocked its head slightly, as though studying the boy. Talun began to scream.
Most people froze, or ran. Some fainted, like Suli. Still others prayed, dropping to their knees and looking upward. Nani’s brain urged her to do all of these things at once. Shut down, close your eyes, run away. She was close to running when she looked up, toward the Steps of Heaven. Perched at the top, regal and reserved, was a crane. It met her eyes, studying her. “Are you the one?” it seemed to say.
And then she knew.
One of Liatu’s guards ran up to the lizard thing, swinging an axe as he approached it. The creature ducked casually, then rammed its tail through the man’s chest. He fell to the ground, dead before he landed. Several other guards fanned out in a semi circle, but were reluctant to move closer.
Ru’an had moved in front of Nani, putting himself between her and the creature. She stepped around him, her heart threatening to burst from her chest.
“Nani,” Ru’an shouted. “Get behind me.”
“I can’t,” she said. “Suli was right. Ki’Kiri isn’t done with me.”
“What are you talking…” he cut off as Nani ran over to where Suli was lying on the ground, still unconscious. She picked up the feather her friend had dropped, then met Chief Liatu’s eyes. She nodded once, and he returned the gesture.
“Ki’Kiri guide and protect us all,” he said. She moved back to her parents, more confident now than she had been in her entire life.
“Nani, what are you doing?” her mother asked.
“What I was meant to do. N’Uata chose me. I don’t mean to let him down.” She paused, looking over her shoulder to where the guards were still holding their distance from the demon. It opened its mouth to reveal rows of knife sharp teeth. Nani turned back to her parents.
“This is the command he gave to me:
Fly, little warrior. Fly and be free.”
She repeated the end of the poem she’d learned so many years ago. “I love you both. Be strong. Take care of Suli.” Ru’an looked like he would try and grab her, but Annali put her hand on his shoulder.
“Be strong, my love,” her mother said. Nani smiled, then turned toward the lizard and started running. She held the feather in front of her, like a shield. She wasn’t sure what it would do, but this felt right. She passed the row of guards, who called out in surprise. The demon looked at her, widening its claws expectantly. It swung at her, but she batted the hand away with the feather. There was a searing noise where the two met. The creature moved back in surprise, and Nani used the opportunity to push the feather into the arm holding Talun. He fell to the ground as the demon opened its hand with a yell, then scrambled away to safety. Nani took two steps back, then charged, lowering her shoulder and ramming it into the lizard’s midsection. It hissed with fury as her momentum sent them both over the edge, tumbling into the abyss below.
Suggested music for Part 8: I Will Not Bow by Breaking Benjamin
Keep reading! Part 9 is ready, for you!
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