Glimpses at Naherus (3)

By Samuel Sebbowa Bunnya, Uganda

Rohorg’s breathing had slowed down out of his own will. He took one glance at the master and knew that it was all because of the man. The power lying inside of the old body was more than anything he had ever seen. Only the Varyyin who rode the devil beasts had as much magic as the old man. The Eradian Sheyks had no one with as much latent power. The Sabbah, the Emystians and even the Byeanese had none that could rival the magic he was seeing in the man’s eyes.

He could see the thin lines of the master’s mouth moving in slow and steady stance. He was chanting something to the air and the air was moving along with his chants. Rohorg saw the shimmer in the air. He saw the dull flare of sparks and the calm influence of master around them. The pots in the tent start to fly around them as the dark irises turned into a deep golden shade as he looked at them.

“Do you know of the old gods?” asked the master.

Fables long forgotten. “No.”

“Do you know of the fallen gods?”

Legends told to babies on their mother’s teat. “No.”

“What do you know?” The master’s voice had taken on a violent timbre that carried round them, echoing inside his heart.

“I know nothing master.”

“That is an answer for a fool.”

Rohorg looked into the burning eyes of the master. “What should I know master?”

“You know some things,” the master said. “You do not know everything but you know some things. Your power to walk in the dreams of the future is a gift from our fallen savior. They are a key in this great conflict between the followers of Orhóvihir and those that protect Anil’s great steeds.”

“Please master, what more can I know.” Rohorg did not know what else there was that the rumors had not hinted on.

“Trystan was my brother,” the master said.

You lie. “That is impossible.” That would make the master near two millennia. And there was no evidence in the little that was known about the mysterious warlords of the cliffs, that the first of their kind to ride a dragon had a brother.

The master laughed. It was the first time that Rohorg saw such animation in the man’s face. “You do not know anything as regards the power of Orhóvihir. He might have been a fallen god but he had a lot more power than the feeble gods that dot this land. Trystan got rid of my name from the annals. But it was expected of him. My young brother was a vile little creature. That is why Anil chose him and not me all those years ago.”

“Master that would make you older than…”

The master cut Rohorg short. “Older than my brother’s descendants. Yes I am as old as time itself. I was there when the gods blessed us with their presence. I have seen the beings that the world now worships as nothing more than statues. I was there when humans were simple folk that learned from the gods and stayed away from one another. I was there as gods smiled down on the numerous people of the world. I was there when even the gods grew the same failings as we have.

“Oh dear Rohorg, I was there when this all started. I was there when a son sought to become greater than a father. I was there when a son sought to take both gods and men to another realm of superiority of the land. And, I was there when the great lord of the gods was flung down from his throne of clouds by our great master. I was there when Anil gathered the great steeds that hold the keys to freeing our master. I was there when he walked among our people with the other gods.

“I was there when he looked at me and said I was not worthy. I saw him give the gift to my brother and a few others among our people. I saw him breathe magic far more potent than I had dreamed of into Trystan. I saw him hand over the great white dragon to Trystan. It was said that the white dragon was ridden by the greatest god. It was ridden by the god who had fallen from the heavens at the mercy of our master. It was the steed of our great master’s father. All the white dragons are descended from that beast.

“And Anil gave it to my brother. He gave the worst weapon to the worst being. I was there and saw how my brother rose to supplant me in the eyes of our people. I was there as he trained others and ignored me. He refused to grant me a dragon saying I did not have the heart or restraint to ride the great steeds of Anil.

“But Orhóvihir saw me as well. As the great war of the gods tainted the skies red and gold; as the blood of gods rained down on us; as men suffered in the name of Anil’s war of vengeance against Orhóvihir; the great master saw my suffering. He saw my questioning of my powerful brother. He saw me question his new ways. He saw me question our people who had sided with the gods. He came to me and I was the first of his followers.

To be continued…