King Jarjees

I shot up from bed and tried to jump out only to find an old grizzled hand on my shoulder.

“Rest, Greatness. You’re still too feeble to get out of bed,” Tir was his name, I remembered.

“Oh Tir, when will the nightmares stop?” I asked.

Tir’s eyes met my own, “Never, love. Never. I am sorry.”

I felt the sting of tears welling up in my eyes. I just wanted the fear to subside after I had given up control of my body to the awesome spirit within me and the spirit had gone on an elemental rampage, killing a group of bandits that had attacked the village in which she was still stuck. Lilith, the spirit called herself..

“What can I do, Tir?” I pleaded.

Tir was silent for a moment, then with a sigh, he said, “There is the King’s garden. Perhaps you could seek some solace there.”

“What is the King’s garden? Who is the King?” I asked.

“King Jarjees. His followers work the lands all around us. Your own homeland lies just beyond his borders. Perhaps that’s why you haven’t heard of him. King Jarjees is known for his great wisdom and fairness to his people. He created the garden so that his people could rest there and gain solace from life. He allows no conflict within its walls. Rich, Poor, Young, Old, it matters not. There is no distinction within the walls,” Tir said.

I rested my head back against my pillow. “That sounds lovely. Will you guide me there, Tir?”

Tir sat back in his chair at my bedside. His natural frown deepened. “I would follow you to the ends of the world, Greatness. I have pledged this since you came under my care.”

Thus it was that I ended up with my carcass in a cart with Tir holding the handrails and dragging us along like a beast of burden. I protested several times that I could walk.

“No you cannot.” Lilith spouted from within my head.

“Well I can try! I feel terrible having you lug me around like this, Tir,” I said.

“No, Greatness,” was all he said.

It took us a day and a half to make it deep into King Jarjees’s lands. Even during the morning of the second day though we could see the walls of what was presumably the garden far off in the distance, looming against the rising sun.

“The walls are gigantic.” I breathed. “They’re the largest thing I’ve ever seen!” I grew quite excited at their sight and the thought of the magical setting that must be nestled within.

Eventually, we reached the large gate and entered without so much as a word from the armored guards standing to either side. The landscape of my and Tir’s homeland was sparsely populated by plants. Its primary residents were large rocks and reddish dirt. It was a barely hospitable desert. The only reason that the village existed at all was that it was a trading hub, hardly anything grew there.

By contrast, inside the walls of the Garden of Jarjees blades of a short, green plant covered nearly all the walkable ground. Where the ground wasn’t walkable, grew tall stalks of wood with marvelous leaves like I’d seen on my mother’s plants back home. The leaves were shaped like an oil lamp, that is, broad at one end and narrowing to a tip at the other. It was marvelous. Tir would later tell me that those plants were called “Trees”.

We rolled along a small path that led through the trees, and it eventually led us to a gigantic well without a cover. It was water just welling up from the ground without any structure dug down to meet it. When I mentioned this to Tir he grunted, “Pond. A small body of water. We don’t get them much in the desert. Over here we can rest.” He pointed to some large chairs that were lined up along the sandy edge of the pond.

The chairs had pillows on them, and it looked absolutely delightful. I hopped down from the cart with Tir’s help, and managed to make my way across to one of the chairs. A stunning woman in the chair next to mine smiled at me briefly before closing her eyes again, and I sat down. It was like what I imagine sitting in a cloud would be. Before long, my eyes closed, and I was lost to the world in relaxation.

I awoke to the gentle touch of a hand upon my shoulder. It was Tir, and we were surrounded by soldiers in plated armor. All of them had swords, but none of them had them drawn. “What is this?” I asked.

“Pardon, Spirit Blessed, we do not wish to disturb your rest, but King Jarjees has requested that you come with us for an audience,” a soldier said. He stood slightly in front of the rest, his hand on the pommel of his sword.

I felt a horrible heat rising in my chest, and I worked to calm myself. I feared a repeat of the burning in the village though no fire was yet present.

I felt Tir’s grip tighten on my shoulder. “Greatness, I fear we have little choice but to entertain the king. Besides, King Jarjees is known as a wise and benevolent leader. There is little chance he would do us harm,” he whispered the rest to me, “that is unless we harm his soldiers.”

His message was clear: don’t burn the soldiers to a crisp. “If King Jarjees is as benevolent as I have heard, I would love an audience with him,” I said.

The soldiers led us to a resplendent palace at the far end of the gardens. It was the largest building I’d ever seen. It made the marketplace in the village seem like a garden of rocks in comparison. Tir and I were led through ornate hallways until we came upon a closed set of wooden doors studded with iron.

Here the head soldier notified us that Tir would have to remain behind, as the King’s meeting chambers were beyond the doors. Tir nodded his head at me in acquiescence.

“Be careful little one,” said a voice from inside me; Lilith.

I entered the chamber, and was struck breathless by the lavishness of its decorations. At the far end stood a modest throne, and the guards just inside the door bade me approach it. My expectation of the man sitting on the throne was of the bearded, robed elder men that had led my tiny village. King Jarjees was nothing of the sort. True, he was simply robed compared to his surroundings, but he wore his face and head shorn to the skin. He had a face neither young nor old, but there was much wisdom in his eyes, a feeling akin to the depths of Lilith whenever she spoke within me. This was no elemental spirit though, this was a man. I couldn’t help myself but bow down on one knee when I arrived before him.

Lilith spoke within me, “This one is a collector of secrets and a player of games, little one, beware his rules, but I daresay he will let you survive once he sees what you truly are.”

Jarjees spoke, he had a light voice full of mirth, “Greetings Spirit Blessed. It is with open arms and awe that I welcome you to my humble palace. I have gathered that you have come seeking rejuvenation in the people’s gardens, but I heard tales of your exploits in the marketplace at the edge of our kingdom, and, I admit, grew too curious. Please pardon my summons, won’t you?”

“It is true that I seek rest, for my exploits, as you call them, have drained me of much of my energy. Yet, your summons are welcome, my King.” I said in return.

“Excellent, I am glad that you have come. I have yet to meet a spirit blessed in all my years, and I could not pass up the opportunity. Tell me, though you lack energy, would you be so kind as to demonstrate a fraction of your power? I have heard maddening tales of the powers held by the spirit blessed, and would so love to see them in action.” He motioned to an attendant then stopped himself, “With your approval of course, Spirit Blessed.”

A prickle of fear rose in my heart as I wondered what trials he would hold me to. Yet, I could not refuse while surrounded by guards.

“Worry not, little one, the old fool thinks there’s a possibility that the stories are untrue. We shall show him a fraction of our power, but nothing more.” Lilith told me, and I felt comforted.

“By all means,” I said.

He motioned again to the attendant, and shortly after, the man returned with a small, golden goblet. He brought this in front of me, and I nearly wet myself before seeing that there was simply a large chunk of sandstone about the size of my fist sitting within the goblet.

“If you would, Spirit Blessed,” Jarjees said with an expectant smile, “I have heard that the spirit blessed are able to control stone due to the stone elementals that inhabit them. Any simple manipulation will sate my curiosity.”

“Surely,” I said. I thought to Lilith, “well, let us show him something, shall we?” and held my hand out toward the stone.

At first, nothing happened. Then the sandstone began to shake and rattle in the curve of the goblet. I thought, necessarily, of what filled goblets, and the sandstone began to turn porous and melted from the top downward into a pool of wine, splashing slightly up the sides of its vessel. Then I felt Lilith’s heat rise within me, I felt her smile though she had no body to speak of. The wine began to rapidly bubble and boil, then almost instantly evaporated in a puff.

I let out a breath and looked to Jarjees. His mouth was agape, and his eyes were wide with surprise. He looked to me and shut his mouth with a click of his teeth. Instantly falling into that mirthful smile again.

“It appears that we’ve shown him more than he bargained for, little one.” I heard Lilith giggle.

“Quite a marvelous display, Spirit Blessed!” Jarjees said. He seemed to calculate for a moment. “Yes, I suppose it might do her some good,” I heard him mumble to himself. “Bring the Object,” he commanded his guards.

“Yes, my King!” a young soldier jogged off through a doorway and returned a moment later with an object covered with an extravagant cloth. He handed it to Jarjees.

“Thank you,” Jarjees said, and held the object covered in cloth up in front of himself gazing at it with a look of puzzlement.

Lilith spoke quietly within me, “he holds a powerful item, little one. It would be of immense use to us. Here comes his game. Be prepared to accept.”

“We found this object in a sacred space far to the west that had been occupied by one of our enemies. We’ve found no practical use for it so far, but everything in the shrine spoke of it once belonging to a powerful Spirit Blessed.” He paused. “We surmise that it might be of some use to you.” He set the object on a small table next to himself and looked at me. “Perhaps you could take care of a minor issue, for someone such as yourself, for us?”

“And what would this issue be, my King?” I asked.

“On the southeastern edge of our territory, there is a single pass that leads through an otherwise unsurmountable range of mountains. Unfortunately, a rather formidable beast has taken up residence near the entrance to this pass and has blocked a major trade route to the eastern Kingdoms. If you were able to…take care of this beast for us, we would gladly reward you with the object.”

A great fear rose within me. I have no idea how to control my powers, I’m still yet a child. How am I supposed to defeat a great beast that a man with armies at his fingertips has yet to dispatch. “I’m glad of your confidence in me, my King, but I don’t know if I am capable of such a feat.” I said, finally.

“Nonsense, Spirit Blessed!” Jarjees waved his hand in dismissal. “With the powers you’ve just displayed, I am sure that you will have no issues with this beast.”

“Okay…in that case, is there any other information that I might know that could perhaps help me in this endeavor?” I asked.

“Surely,” he said, “this is no ordinary beast. I heard reports from the populace about attacks at the beginning of the pass, so I sent a party of men. When they returned, their leathers were scorched. They reported that the beast that attacked them was in the shape of a giant wolf, made entirely of flames. They said that it chased them only far enough to know that they weren’t returning, and then it disappeared suddenly.”

“So, you see,” he continued, “Since this seems to be a purely elemental beast, you should have no trouble snuffing it out.”

“Very well, my King. I will do what you ask of me.” I said and bowed.

“Excellent, I will send a man with you to verify your deeds.” Jarjees snapped his fingers and the man that had brought the object in joined me. “You may take your leave when ready, but I would suggest leaving as soon as possible, Spirit Blessed.”

“Yes, my King,” I said, and the guards began escorting me out of the room.

Outside the room, I met up with Tir again who was playing a game of chance with one of the guards.

“Did all go well, Greatness?” he asked.

“Yes, Tir. The king gave us a quest. We’re to slay a great fire beast that is occupying the mouth of the path leading to the Eastern Kingdoms, and in return he’s offered to give us a relic that belonged to a powerful Spirit Blessed,” I explained.

“A fire beast you say?! Well, after seeing your exploits in the village, I have no doubt that you’ll be able to handle this endeavor,” Tir said.

I spoke to the guard, “Let us gather enough food and water for the trip, and we shall be on our way presently.” My heart beat loudly in my chest, and I couldn’t believe that I was going to set out to face a giant flaming wolf.

“Fear not, little one, you have me and Tir, and I have no doubt that there is a greater tale behind this beast than the King is letting on. Let us go discover the truth of the matter,” Lilith said in my heart.