not from your tribe …and you already know that I am not a man. ”
His statement seemed to hang in the air for an eternity , without a response .
“Do you know what I am?” he asked finally.
“My people tell stories of the Baynor . They used to walk the earth, but not for many years. ”
Children of Light , he translated to himself , smiling at the confident way she presented her opinions, not unlike her father . “It is not far from the truth , ” he admitted. “And what do the rest of your people think I am ? ”
Sariel could almost feel a change in her demeanor. Though he couldn’t see it, he imagined she was smiling. And in that tiny fraction of time, he promised himself that he would give his life to make her smile more often.
“They say that you are an elder without a tribe.”
“This is also not far from the truth,” he replied.
Sheyir’s head lowered for a moment, then came up again. Slowly, her outline backed away until it melded with the darkness.
Sariel listened to the faint sound of her feet retreating, unhurriedly, across the soil. He smiled to himself as he looked up to the night sky, now beginning to sparkle with the appearance of the stars. It seemed that so much had transpired in such a short amount of time. But that was the way of things in the T emporal R ealm. So far, he liked his new home.
* * * *
Through the mist, t he ominous silhouette of Gadol Har - Marah darkened the no rtheast ern horizon. As Enoch moved through the cold, wet grass, a shiver move d through his body. It wasn’t the chill in the air that filled him with fear , but the oppressive aura of the dense forest that loomed overhead, blocking the sky .
With hands tied behind his back, he trudged onward, following the lead of his captors as he had for the last day and a half. No one had said more than a few words and Enoch knew better than to speak to them. Instead, he kept his head down, his feet moving, and his thoughts inclined toward the Holy One.
Then, just as he had settled into this routine, odd shapes began to emerge from the fog and the men began to speak amongst each other. As they drew near, Enoch realized that the conical structures dotting the landscape were dwellings. It was a village. The homes, perhaps a hundred in all, consisted of long, wooden poles leaned against one another and wrapped in the same reptile hide as the sparse clothing his captives wore. From the openings at their peaks, thin lines of smoke rose into the sky.
Almost immediately, the village inhabitants came out to greet the small procession. T he women were naked except for necklaces of long , pointed teeth that radiated about their necks. Around their wrists and ankles, they wore an assortment of bones strung together with strips of hide . Their hair was long, black, and coarse, gathered into a single braid that ran down to the lower back.
Embarrassed by the ir immodest y, Enoch kept his eyes on the ground, wondering if the men would untie him now that they had arrived. Abruptly , something hard gl anced off his leg. Enoch quickly looked up at the gathering crowd of women and noticed that most of them were holding rocks or sticks. As one of the men pushed him forward through the crowd , a nother rock hit him in the cheek and he flinched.
This show of fear was met with a growing chorus of vibrating screeches that cut through the air . T he women appeared to be grow ing more agitated by the second . Then, the stones began to fly through the air. Enoch tucked his face toward his shoulder, but it was no use. He couldn’t stop the rocks from pelting his skin. Between the small, sharp jabs cutting into his flesh, he also felt the heavier impact of the sticks against his arms and legs. Within seconds, the pain was unbearable.
He started to fall and felt a powerful grip on his arm suddenly lift him back to his feet and force him forward. With his eyes
His statement seemed to hang in the air for an eternity , without a response .
“Do you know what I am?” he asked finally.
“My people tell stories of the Baynor . They used to walk the earth, but not for many years. ”
Children of Light , he translated to himself , smiling at the confident way she presented her opinions, not unlike her father . “It is not far from the truth , ” he admitted. “And what do the rest of your people think I am ? ”
Sariel could almost feel a change in her demeanor. Though he couldn’t see it, he imagined she was smiling. And in that tiny fraction of time, he promised himself that he would give his life to make her smile more often.
“They say that you are an elder without a tribe.”
“This is also not far from the truth,” he replied.
Sheyir’s head lowered for a moment, then came up again. Slowly, her outline backed away until it melded with the darkness.
Sariel listened to the faint sound of her feet retreating, unhurriedly, across the soil. He smiled to himself as he looked up to the night sky, now beginning to sparkle with the appearance of the stars. It seemed that so much had transpired in such a short amount of time. But that was the way of things in the T emporal R ealm. So far, he liked his new home.
* * * *
Through the mist, t he ominous silhouette of Gadol Har - Marah darkened the no rtheast ern horizon. As Enoch moved through the cold, wet grass, a shiver move d through his body. It wasn’t the chill in the air that filled him with fear , but the oppressive aura of the dense forest that loomed overhead, blocking the sky .
With hands tied behind his back, he trudged onward, following the lead of his captors as he had for the last day and a half. No one had said more than a few words and Enoch knew better than to speak to them. Instead, he kept his head down, his feet moving, and his thoughts inclined toward the Holy One.
Then, just as he had settled into this routine, odd shapes began to emerge from the fog and the men began to speak amongst each other. As they drew near, Enoch realized that the conical structures dotting the landscape were dwellings. It was a village. The homes, perhaps a hundred in all, consisted of long, wooden poles leaned against one another and wrapped in the same reptile hide as the sparse clothing his captives wore. From the openings at their peaks, thin lines of smoke rose into the sky.
Almost immediately, the village inhabitants came out to greet the small procession. T he women were naked except for necklaces of long , pointed teeth that radiated about their necks. Around their wrists and ankles, they wore an assortment of bones strung together with strips of hide . Their hair was long, black, and coarse, gathered into a single braid that ran down to the lower back.
Embarrassed by the ir immodest y, Enoch kept his eyes on the ground, wondering if the men would untie him now that they had arrived. Abruptly , something hard gl anced off his leg. Enoch quickly looked up at the gathering crowd of women and noticed that most of them were holding rocks or sticks. As one of the men pushed him forward through the crowd , a nother rock hit him in the cheek and he flinched.
This show of fear was met with a growing chorus of vibrating screeches that cut through the air . T he women appeared to be grow ing more agitated by the second . Then, the stones began to fly through the air. Enoch tucked his face toward his shoulder, but it was no use. He couldn’t stop the rocks from pelting his skin. Between the small, sharp jabs cutting into his flesh, he also felt the heavier impact of the sticks against his arms and legs. Within seconds, the pain was unbearable.
He started to fall and felt a powerful grip on his arm suddenly lift him back to his feet and force him forward. With his eyes
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