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Foreword: The parts that are in italic are foretold by Stark (the blind one) as a story in third person but its his life and how he was clutched in by Cohen Family

41 – Rabbit

The carriages in the front were transporting people, while the wagon’s that were following them were transporting clothing, water, foods and spare parts for carriages and wagons.

This wagon was the biggest transportation within the caravan pulled by six Raging Red Bulls. Spare wheels and other equipment were stored in this wagon.

There was no rain so the back door of the wagon was wide open for dry air to circulate within the wagon so that spare metal parts don’t get rusty.

Its been some time that we had left Neft city. Maybe a week, maybe more than that. I have lost track of time.

I was sitting by Stark’s side on the open end of the wagon facing the naked environment that lacked single trace of life.

On our left, Sea of the Dead was residing. It was far away from us but eyes could detect its presence on the horizon. On the right side there was nothing but desert. I was mesmerized by the steam that came off the ground each and every time I looked to my right.

“Tak”, “Tak”, “Tak”...

I was lost in thought. “If I was alone it would be much more easier to leave”. “How can I betray her?”. “There has to be a way for me to arrange a safe place for them to live...”. “There is nothing impossible”

“Bump”. The last sound ‘awakened’ me from daydreaming. The wagon’s wheel tripped over a small rock which made unconscious me to almost fall over.

“It’s impossible as you are now”, the ‘blind’ Stark spoke up as if reading my mind. It didn’t mean that he saw through me, nevertheless I followed with a question “Why you say so?”.

“Hah”, he made a deep sigh. For sometime he stayed as if he was not just blind but mute too. My head was already facing him for the last few minutes waiting for his reply.

“It must be because of the loyalty”, Stark said.

“There are others like us too. Not many maybe even less than number of fingers in both hands... But they exist. Do you know what is the common bond that all of us share?”, he ended up with a question.

“Exceptional martial artists and magicians?”, I replied with another question.

“Those are qualities... I’m talking about the bond, its not material', he told. I didn’t flinch or move. I was facing Stark in silence for him to talk more.

“All of us were separated from our families from young age. One way or the other we were kept away from them for long time”, he stopped for a while as if to find right words, “The head of the family is smart. All of them were smart. There is experience of hundred of years helping them out too...”

I was puzzled “I still don’t get the connection... The link I mean... Something is amiss”.

He took a deep breath. “It’s all about what’s in here”, Stark pushed his finger to his head and continued

“A young kid separated from his or her family gets thrown into circumstances where he thinks that as he achieves more his family will have better life..

So he tries hard...

He learns..

He practices...

He becomes more powerful than his masters.. So the growing kid comes to a decision... Why should I kill? Why should I rape? Why should I live the life what I live?

IF.. If I’m more powerful than them... So the kid elaborates more on his decision... I only have one older sister. I could take her away and live a peaceful life. Why should I continue?”, he stopped.

“It’s the same thing that may happen to me”, passed my mind.

“So what the kid does?”, I asked in an anxious tone.

“Don’t get me wrong. Earlier when I mention about loyalty you misunderstood me. I was not talking about the loyalty to THE family, I’m talking about the loyalty to your family”,

he continued

“The kid who is 16 years of age goes back to the family mansion after doing a mission. He asks about his sister.

Master tells him that he had planned everything ahead...

Everything...

In a week kid’s elder sister is getting married to a wealthy family’s only son.. She is going to be a concubine..

But master can not bend rules of centuries to make his sister the official wife... She is a beautiful girl but not of noble descent.

Nevertheless master keeps his word...

His sister shall not taste the bitterness of life... The kid knows that the master is making his sister part of the scheme...

However the kid does not get distracted... It is what he has expected...

So the kid leaves the mansion to meet his sister... After three days of travel he reaches his beloved sister...

She is going to marry son of a city governor... Second concubine, she will be in few days...

At night he sneaks into her room. Both of them hug each other... Its been long time... Tears flow from kids eyes...

She talks about how happy she is.

She talks about her beautiful life..

The kid says the thing which he wanted to tell for a long time...’let’s leave... let’s go to a place where both of us shall be free to live the life what we want’...

But...

But...

The girl does not want to leave...

‘This is the best that can happen to me? Why should I go to be peasant again? I have everything that I want’... She argues with him about his loyalty to the family and his love towards her... How can they go against THE family?

The kid can not talk anymore... He does not understand her... But wasn’t this what he wanted when he agreed to master’s proposal?...

It was...

It was for his sister to live a better life...

But what about him?... Does not the kid deserve a better life? He does but it was not part of the deal to being with...

Sister looks at him and says ‘there is a condition’... What condition?... Now there are two choices... First he kills his sister and gets his freedom... Second one is for her sister to "kill" him...

The kid’s sister burns kids eyes with a hot metal rod...

The kid has forsaken everything...

If sister does not want to live with him, then there was no point in trying to change her views...

He didn’t want her to hate him either... He loved her, in sense she loved him too...

But her love of the world was much more bigger in comparison to her love for her younger brother...

She was enchanted with this life so much that there was no return for her...

Neither for him...

At least he could make her dreams come true...”

Stark sniffed... There were no tears coming from his eyes. He remembered something that he tried hard to forget for long time. The betrayal. He sniffed few more times so the fluids won’t flow out of his nose.

“How many people in your family?”, he asked.

“Three more, at least for now”, I smiled.

“You will change. They will change too. Unrequited love and loyalty won’t bring any good to you”, he said and never spoke to me until we reached Pheim.

Late 4031. Pheim City. Capital of the House of the Byron.

Caravan entered the Pheim in the early morning. A city official met us which showed the importance put on the ‘Lightening Lily Troupe’ by the House of Byron.

The plan was that Stark would follow the troupe to the south-east towards the Lyth lands while I would depart the troupe after two months.

The mission details was secret to me even if we had already arrived at Pheim.

Pheim was a magnificent city with nothing alike which we had seen in Byron territory. It had massive walls that were more than 15 meters tall covering it. There was an artificial water channel almost 10 meters wide covering all along the walls.

There were three bridges connecting the city to the rest of world. One third of the lands within the city were used only for farming of vegetables and livestock. Pheim was a massive, self-sustaining city.

The main resource of the Byron family which made them rulers of this territory was that somehow they had connection with the Nekyia people. I learnt that Nekyia people were the source of the potions that were sold within the Pyrr Continent.

Knowledge of the alchemy of that caliber was only known to them and was not shared with anyone else. A hundred years ago, they had selected Byron family to be the merchants to sell their potions. That was why there were lots of caravans traveling to Pheim to buy the potions directly from the source from all over the continent.

The only other direct receiver of the potions was Palace of the Kings and Queens. Byron family was the monopolist in the most important business of the continent.

We were not leaving the troupe headquarters so I was not able to see the Pheim city in detail. Knowledge of their culture, economy and life-style was interesting although unreachable to observe even though I was living in it.

Few days later a girl called Sia came to pick me up. She was one of the dancers in Lily’s close entourage. The boy that was supposed to accompany them to the palace was sick so they were urgently in need of a boy around my age.

My torn clothes were thrown away and I was given new pair of clothing. After a long time I was given a chance to take a hot bath. I was cleaned from head to toe and Sia checked me for any possible physical deficiencies.

Two days after I joined the main team we moved the equipment for stage to the palace. By the sunset everything was ready to go.

Head of the Byron family was accompanied with his close relatives to the show. There were more than 100 attendees, half of them being his direct family members. Head of the House of Byron was a lewd and lusty man to have so many concubines and kids.

His white hair and long front teeth made him look similar to a rabbit. “He ain’t a rabbit just in appearance”, I mumbled.