The Nomad of Jerusalem
Birth of terror Death of much more, I’m the slave of fear- my captor, Never warnings, Spreading its wings, As I wait for the horror she brings, Loss of interest-question-wonder, Waves of fear they pull me under…
Metallica, Frayed Ends of Sanity
CHAPTER 1: The Curse and a Marvelous Blessing
The nomad pressed on against the elements some of wind and some of rain. He is gaining distance from the upheavals and omen he witnessed in Jerusalem. There are dark clouds of evil in the air. With him he carries trinkets of rings, necklaces and bracelets made of stone and wood , stained by the blood of The Prince, that had been crucified only days before. He understood, in part, the power in the blood of the slain Prince. The nomad’s desire is to present these precious gifts to the Kings of the lands. Like so many before him, he seeks peace and favors these Kings to rule with the same.
The mule he rides pauses in a flurry of rain and sleet. The nomad looks about, scans the terrain and trembles. A few of the trinkets warm his satchel. He opens the satchel and retrieves a glowing necklace. This stone amulet is red and he places it around his neck. In an instant his body is a conduit to the warmth of the stone. His mule feels it too. They continue the journey.
A flash of lightning slices the sky ahead. Moments later thunder cracks and the patter of rain drops are muffled. The mule pauses again. The amulet hovers around his neck and rotates the necklace to the right. He heads the mule in the direction through a small maze of brush and trees, away from the path. A few paces more and the amulet rests itself on his chest and he dismounts. It is a dry and quiet spot.
Suddenly, there is a shadow beside him pacing frantically. Dark and smoke are its raiment. The smell of burnt coals is overwhelming. The shadow paces around the nomad and the mule. Other floating shadows appear all around the area. The nomad squints to get a better view but keeps his distance. It does not approach him. It cannot, there is a barrier and from the paces of the shadow the nomad perceives he is protected within an invisible circle.
“What do you want?” the nomad asks. “I am poor gypsy and have nothing to offer.”
The shadow shrieks and growls and for a moment its language is incoherent. Then it speaks, “The plan failed!” It then whispers, “You sealed your fate when you crafted the power.”
“What power? What plan?” the nomad asks his fear is apparent.
The shadow heckles and continues to pace like a wolf around its prey. “The keys of Hades and Death have been returned to the Most High!” It begins to yell in different voices, repeatedly, each with a distinct tone. It lets out more growls and shrieks and then whispers, “You cast yourself in the war when you crafted those-those weapons,” it stops and a pair of red flame eyes appear staring in the direction of the nomad. “You will lose! Those weapons belong to us!”
“Please, I don’t understand,” the nomad pleads. He is fearful and kneels, “I’ll do anything don’t harm me!”
“Cut your blood and make a line between yourself and us, place the satchel in front of us and we will spare you,” the shadow demands and motions a single line with its dark finger outstretched.
“How can I trust you? I mean no harm, these are gifts for the Kings,” the nomad pleads.”What plan failed? I don’t understand!” he asks.
“The war between darkness and light you fool! The sacrifice of the Prince was unexpected we sealed his eternal reign by killing the innocent Prince! Oh and what a beautiful Prince!”
Other voices begin to clamor the same again and again, “The Prince is dead! No he lives! The prince is dead! No he lives!”
The shadow then speaks, “He is now King and Judge and our time is short! You have weapons that we want and as rulers of this land we cannot allow these to fall into the enemies hands!”
“I am not the enemy! Please spare me!” as the nomad cries the amulet begins to rotate around him, stretching the entire necklace out from his neck and it glows in pulses of red and subtle flashes of white. It brings him to his feet then lifts him off the ground. “What is happening to me?”
“Hurry, do as we say or your allegiance will seal the fate of yourself and your loved ones! Do it now!”
“I can’t! I can’t! I am-I am afraid…” the nomad is terrified.
The dark cloud transforms into a small child resembling the nomad’s niece Selaya, she pleads, “Noni, Noni please draw me some blood and throw me the satchel, please-please draw me some blood and throw me the satchel.” Her eyes glimmer like red rubys.
“No-no, don’t hurt them,” he cries. He tries to move but he frozen and suspended in the air. “They’re innocent, they’ve done nothing! Nothing at all!” he screams.
As the child is begging she shouts a horrid scream and the nomad sees a vision of her head rolling off after the slash of a sword. The shadow reappears with red eyes staring directly at him. “You have sealed your fate,” it bows its head. “We will show no mercy to you. Your bloodline is cursed!”
The necklace emits rays of powerful light striking all the shadows. The shadows vanish as the smoke dissipates into the air . The nomad drifts down to the ground, on his knees again this time he prays in silence; the nomad is drenched in tears and rain. He continues to cry wondering what he must do. In his satchel the trinkets glimmer and shake. The trinkets clatter as he opens the satchel. He notices a ring is glowing brighter than the rest. There is red blood splashed on it and the rest of the trinkets. He places the ring on his finger. It is made of stone. As he looks at the full moon from above, with a glow of white light he shape shifts into a bear.
A large group of assassins appear from the shadows. Some have swords drawn other have spears out. There are also others with bows and arrows. All are aimed at the bear and the mule.
“Where is he?” one of them asks.“The old man said he’d be here.”
“You think the bear ate him?” the assasins stare in wonder.
“He is the bear!” another one of the assassins yells.
As they all start to motion their attack the nomad wills himself to shape shift into a hawk. Some of the spears and arrows miss the bear that stood there a few seconds ago. The arrows and spears penetrate the bushes and some of the men standing across from them. The hawk snatches the satchel and flies away from the area heading North under the light of the moon. As the moon begins to disappear from oncoming cloud cover the nomad shape shifts to himself. He falls down a few yards to the earth with a thud.
“Marvelous!” he whispers to himself as he gazes at the ring. “I need to decipher these trinkets. I have to protect my family and the Kings.” His eyes stare up at the full moon. He is transformed into an eagle and flies away, heading for the home of his sister and his beloved niece Selaya.
Metallica, Frayed Ends of Sanity
CHAPTER 1: The Curse and a Marvelous Blessing
The nomad pressed on against the elements some of wind and some of rain. He is gaining distance from the upheavals and omen he witnessed in Jerusalem. There are dark clouds of evil in the air. With him he carries trinkets of rings, necklaces and bracelets made of stone and wood , stained by the blood of The Prince, that had been crucified only days before. He understood, in part, the power in the blood of the slain Prince. The nomad’s desire is to present these precious gifts to the Kings of the lands. Like so many before him, he seeks peace and favors these Kings to rule with the same.
The mule he rides pauses in a flurry of rain and sleet. The nomad looks about, scans the terrain and trembles. A few of the trinkets warm his satchel. He opens the satchel and retrieves a glowing necklace. This stone amulet is red and he places it around his neck. In an instant his body is a conduit to the warmth of the stone. His mule feels it too. They continue the journey.
A flash of lightning slices the sky ahead. Moments later thunder cracks and the patter of rain drops are muffled. The mule pauses again. The amulet hovers around his neck and rotates the necklace to the right. He heads the mule in the direction through a small maze of brush and trees, away from the path. A few paces more and the amulet rests itself on his chest and he dismounts. It is a dry and quiet spot.
Suddenly, there is a shadow beside him pacing frantically. Dark and smoke are its raiment. The smell of burnt coals is overwhelming. The shadow paces around the nomad and the mule. Other floating shadows appear all around the area. The nomad squints to get a better view but keeps his distance. It does not approach him. It cannot, there is a barrier and from the paces of the shadow the nomad perceives he is protected within an invisible circle.
“What do you want?” the nomad asks. “I am poor gypsy and have nothing to offer.”
The shadow shrieks and growls and for a moment its language is incoherent. Then it speaks, “The plan failed!” It then whispers, “You sealed your fate when you crafted the power.”
“What power? What plan?” the nomad asks his fear is apparent.
The shadow heckles and continues to pace like a wolf around its prey. “The keys of Hades and Death have been returned to the Most High!” It begins to yell in different voices, repeatedly, each with a distinct tone. It lets out more growls and shrieks and then whispers, “You cast yourself in the war when you crafted those-those weapons,” it stops and a pair of red flame eyes appear staring in the direction of the nomad. “You will lose! Those weapons belong to us!”
“Please, I don’t understand,” the nomad pleads. He is fearful and kneels, “I’ll do anything don’t harm me!”
“Cut your blood and make a line between yourself and us, place the satchel in front of us and we will spare you,” the shadow demands and motions a single line with its dark finger outstretched.
“How can I trust you? I mean no harm, these are gifts for the Kings,” the nomad pleads.”What plan failed? I don’t understand!” he asks.
“The war between darkness and light you fool! The sacrifice of the Prince was unexpected we sealed his eternal reign by killing the innocent Prince! Oh and what a beautiful Prince!”
Other voices begin to clamor the same again and again, “The Prince is dead! No he lives! The prince is dead! No he lives!”
The shadow then speaks, “He is now King and Judge and our time is short! You have weapons that we want and as rulers of this land we cannot allow these to fall into the enemies hands!”
“I am not the enemy! Please spare me!” as the nomad cries the amulet begins to rotate around him, stretching the entire necklace out from his neck and it glows in pulses of red and subtle flashes of white. It brings him to his feet then lifts him off the ground. “What is happening to me?”
“Hurry, do as we say or your allegiance will seal the fate of yourself and your loved ones! Do it now!”
“I can’t! I can’t! I am-I am afraid…” the nomad is terrified.
The dark cloud transforms into a small child resembling the nomad’s niece Selaya, she pleads, “Noni, Noni please draw me some blood and throw me the satchel, please-please draw me some blood and throw me the satchel.” Her eyes glimmer like red rubys.
“No-no, don’t hurt them,” he cries. He tries to move but he frozen and suspended in the air. “They’re innocent, they’ve done nothing! Nothing at all!” he screams.
As the child is begging she shouts a horrid scream and the nomad sees a vision of her head rolling off after the slash of a sword. The shadow reappears with red eyes staring directly at him. “You have sealed your fate,” it bows its head. “We will show no mercy to you. Your bloodline is cursed!”
The necklace emits rays of powerful light striking all the shadows. The shadows vanish as the smoke dissipates into the air . The nomad drifts down to the ground, on his knees again this time he prays in silence; the nomad is drenched in tears and rain. He continues to cry wondering what he must do. In his satchel the trinkets glimmer and shake. The trinkets clatter as he opens the satchel. He notices a ring is glowing brighter than the rest. There is red blood splashed on it and the rest of the trinkets. He places the ring on his finger. It is made of stone. As he looks at the full moon from above, with a glow of white light he shape shifts into a bear.
A large group of assassins appear from the shadows. Some have swords drawn other have spears out. There are also others with bows and arrows. All are aimed at the bear and the mule.
“Where is he?” one of them asks.“The old man said he’d be here.”
“You think the bear ate him?” the assasins stare in wonder.
“He is the bear!” another one of the assassins yells.
As they all start to motion their attack the nomad wills himself to shape shift into a hawk. Some of the spears and arrows miss the bear that stood there a few seconds ago. The arrows and spears penetrate the bushes and some of the men standing across from them. The hawk snatches the satchel and flies away from the area heading North under the light of the moon. As the moon begins to disappear from oncoming cloud cover the nomad shape shifts to himself. He falls down a few yards to the earth with a thud.
“Marvelous!” he whispers to himself as he gazes at the ring. “I need to decipher these trinkets. I have to protect my family and the Kings.” His eyes stare up at the full moon. He is transformed into an eagle and flies away, heading for the home of his sister and his beloved niece Selaya.
posted by Big O at
6:33 PM
1 Comments
