Ogom
And so, he rode through the night. Cold, and hard the wind tore at his face. Red, and dried, he dare not turn around. The path before him was amber; glowing and taunting him to do so. Ultimately, he refused; deafening himself to their calls, their cries. He was not yet a man, not permitted to stay, and endure. He knew not of what happened there, he only knew of the darkening road before him, and the uncertainty that awaited him at its end. The fear had not yet entered his body; in fact he had never felt more alive than in this moment.
“You will travel north” his father breathed, panting from exhaustion; hunched low behind the bar that once served the travelers, and locals of his small village.
“You will take Eiriol from the stables, she is already saddled.”
“You will ride north without looking back boy, do you understand?” he stated firmly.
“I wish to remain with you, to save what I can here”
“Your destiny is not here child; you are not meant to be bound to this land, to her people, to me even.” his words rushed, and the tone darkened. “You are free.”
His father grabbed him by the neck, and pulled his face in close.
“Son of mine, your gifts are invaluable. They should not be wasted here, they should be set free in the world before you.”
“Ogom, dream jumper, he who is gifted with the twilight gaze; go forth, and give yourself to the forest. Let her animals fear you, let her rejoice in your return.” He said with a smile.
Behind his father, the wood splintered before he could move. The gurgle, and gasp of his father came not from his mouth, but from the blade tip that pierced through his throat. Blood like wine poured from it as it was retracted, the life left his blue eyes prior. Nauseated immediately, the boy threw himself backwards, and quickly clambered through the window. As his feet met the Earth, his mind went blank, and his legs were moving.
Men fought viscously in the streets of his once quiet town. Their cries, and the sound of metal on metal drove out the vision of what he’d witnessed. He threw himself into the stable doors as footsteps began to close in on him. Eiriol reared before him as he grabbed her reins, and threw himself onto her back. They spun quickly, and galloped through the rear of the stable, back into the amber drenched streets. The fires raged from building to building, some giving way over time, and littering the roads with debris. He kicked Eiriol violently, willing her to gallop faster, and faster, narrowly avoiding the arrows that were chasing him.