#third prophet

"Well boy? Speak up, who is it you worship?" Anthony stared at the boy. He was 10 at the most and here Tony was treating him like some demon worshiper. Tony was always so angry.

 "Tony, calm down, I'm sure the boy will learn the proper path in time – " I didn't even finish the sentence before Tony struck him across the face. I winced, but they boy seemed unfazed and took off running, leaving the tavern as fast as he could.

"In time? BAH it is our duty to put people on the path that they must walk. The path, which of course, is our path the path of...of...our lord." Anthony looked confused for a second, I opened my mouth to ask what was wrong but before I could we were....interrupted.  

"Sir, SIR!" 

A man charged into the tavern,  he was dirty like a farmer but.. still cute,  in a sort of rugged way. He barged in screaming, "the boy sir...he has run for the woods!" Tony looked at him perplexed.  I couldn't put my figure on it but something was wrong.

 "What's in the forest?" Tony asked. His face said he wanted a repeat of the statement but that can't be true, he could only mean the boy for just minutes ago … why was Tony so forgetful? I was about to ask when the burly farmer cut me off once more. "There's a demon temple in the forest sir.  There's an old legend in these parts that a rage demon was sealed in his temple unable to inflict pain on most any who come calling. It’s a great honor it is to go and beat on a rage demon, wouldn't you say?"  Yes, Tony would say ....what was this game you play…

 "A DEMON IN THE WOODS... "

Oh no. He was gone now, mentally dead, cut off, removed entirely from rational thinking. "....WELL WE BEST HUNT DOWN THIS DEMON WORSHIPER AND KILL HIM AND THE DEMON THAT RULES HIM WHO WILL RIDE WITH ME."  Oh Zevex, what are you doing Tony? He's a boy! If only I could say it aloud, but you can't argue with him at this point – it’s sad really.

 "Tony wait..."

He gave me the darkest look then ...darker than I've seen before, but there was also confusion ....like he had forgotten me but ....after everything we had....how could he forget...

"Silence knave, a prophet has work to do." A knife. That's what those words felt like, cutting me deep...maybe I'll just tell his wife...

"COME  WARRIORS WE HAVE WORK TO DO" He left the tavern, with most of the by-standing men in tow, out into the jungle to face some demon, and I'm left here alone.

"Hello sir, what are you doing down there?"  The man was tall, with deep blue eyes and messy black hair.  He was shirtless with the chest of a blacksmith and the arms to follow.  I was so caught off guard by his appearance that I hadn't realized I was on the floor. I must have collapsed when I was watching Tony leave me.

"Please, let me help you up." He lowered his hand to help me stand. "Than....thank you .. um...sir?" I asked tentatively. "Oh ,sorry my name is Lachlan. What’s yours?"  His face was full of compassion, like he genuinely wanted to know, not so he could use me, not so he could get what he needed from me, but because he wanted to know me for me.  I opened my mouth to reply but I couldn't recall my name or where I came from. "I don't know I was....sent...here...with Tony...but why...by who?"  I couldn't seem to recall anything before the telling of this tale, and I still don't.  

"Whoa, whoa, calm down there friend. Maybe those memories are lost for a reason. You shouldn’t push yourself." He smiled and I felt calm. I felt safe for the first time in... I don't know how long...."Thank you Lachlan. Why didn't you leave with the rest of the men?" His face grew darker. "Leave to chase down a young boy who has done nothing, with a mad shepherd and his bloodthirsty flock? I'd rather not.  I have a smithy to run and a friend in need." He looked at me with a look that conveyed immense trust.

"Well do you think it's true? That the boy is a demon worshiper?" 

The man lowered his head his long hair blocking my view of his eyes.  "A starving man goes through a market and steals an apple. The guards give chance, only to find a sickly boy holding the apple and the man standing between... should the guards punish the boy? Should they punish the man? Do you believe all rules should be followed to the letter, no matter the circumstance?"

 The last question caught me off guard and I was unable to answer for a moment but then I knew the truth.  "No, they should not be punished for doing what they needed to survive, so long as it's not hurting anyone else, there isn’t a problem" 

Lachlan hugged me then I hugged him back. It wasn't the hug I wanted. It was a hug of friendship – but a friend with compassion is better than an enemy filled with lust. "Um...thank you for the hug, but may I ask why?" He had separated from me with a grin.  "Thank you for not persecuting my choices" he said.  I was taken aback.  I didn't know how to reply, or how to react.

 "YOU’RE A DEMON WORSHIPER?" I screamed with fear as I fell back, bashing my head on a table.

"Did you not understand my question before? My boy was dying. He was in pain, and there was little I could do, so I went to the temple in the woods, and he helped me now my boy and I feel no pain but any who harm us will be hunted down by the demon in the woods and dealt with. That was the deal. My son gets to live and I live with him, but as followers.  We have to send any who harm us to him because he needs to punish them, but he's been locked away. You have to understand, he's not evil he is just born from evil.  The child of a killer is not a killer, he may know how to kill but that doesn't mean he will his only crime was being born of Hell!" He was screaming now and crying.  I couldn't hurt this man ....I couldn't take his boy ...I couldn't argue with his logic, he was right after all what he was saying made perfect sense and...I couldn't leave here, I had to protect them...and any who would try to harm them.  I couldn't let any more Anthony's happen...oh no.

"OH ZEVEX TONY! WHERE IS TONY! HE’S GOING TO DIE IF WE DONT DO SOMETHING!" I ran from the tavern into the woods following the trail of footprints as they went deeper and deeper into the dense woods.  I was running for 10 minutes before I was winded and had to slow down.  It was then that I noticed the number of people walking this trail had decreased, as if people had left the group.  Now there were only 7 where there once stood 20...what happened to the others, I didn't know.

I followed on and after almost half an hour I came across the first body.  His throat was slit, his eyes rolled back, and his hands were missing.  Following the footsteps for about 20 minutes more the trail had dwindled down to 2 people alone for an hour. That's when I found the boy. His neck was broken, his legs crushed, and his ribs smashed. He was a mess.  Tony had clearly lost it on him, but as to why the boy killed the rest of the men, I'm unaware. As much as I wanted to go after Tony, seeing the boy in this condition I realized that Tony deserved whatever we was getting. Strangely, looking further into the tree line, it seemed as if the forest changed drastically ahead, into more of a jungle… but that doesn't make any sense.  I wanted to explore it further but it was more important to bring this boy back to his father.

I ripped the bottom of my robes and banged up what I could, covering over gashes and cuts, stopping bleeding where I could.  After I ran out of fabric I picked him up in my arms and carried him back to the town.  It was a longer walk back because of the boy in my arms but I didn't stop, and I didn't slow.  I needed to believe that this boy could be saved, even if Tony could not.  Upon reaching the town I found the blacksmith standing in front of the trail with 15 of the men who had left with Tony. And that's when I started to realize what had happened.

They had left him. They weren't leaving with him to kill the boy, they were leading him to the temple, ensuring he got what he deserved.  Lachlan looked at me with eyes full of compassion and sorrow, but the other men holding pitchforks and torches had eyes filled with rage.

 "I brought the boy back..... is there any way we can help him? Heal and save him?" Something solid hit me in the back of the head and the world went black.  The last thing I saw was Lachlan holding his boy, who was standing now perfectly fine with no blood or broken bones, and yet Lachlan was still crying. And, then darkness.

I awoke to find myself tied to a chair in what appeared to be a basement, and a dark basement at that. It was hard to see anything, but when my eyes adjusted I saw a man sitting across from me.  His hands were not bound and he seemed to be sleeping. I thought he might be a guard. Perhaps an ineffective one though. I made an attempt to undo the binds on my arms, but the moment I started moving so too did the guard.  I froze. He rose, walked over to me, cut me free, and then sat himself back in the chair. I sat there, still frozen. What was I supposed to do? Was I not a prisoner?

 "Well? You’re untied. Now what?"  The man maintained eye contact with me and it was then that I realized it was Lachlan. "Lachlan? What...what is going on? What did I do wrong?" He dropped his head in defeat, as if my words stung him in some way.  "You learned, now you must choose".

"Choose what? To forsake my faith or die? Are those my options? WELL THOSE ARN’T OPTIONS I CAN CHOOSE! NO MORE THAN YOU CAN CHOOSE ANYTHING OVER YOUR SON!" I don't know when I stood but I was screaming down on him now.

"I know, I'm not forcing that choice on you but......" even in the darkness the sadness was evident." But people don't feel safe."

 I was taken aback. Never have I made someone feel unsafe. I was always just the quiet little queer child that no one ever took notice of, that no one cared for."How am I unsafe to them?"

He looked up, at me his eyes bloodshot. Maybe he hadn't been sleeping like I thought.  "You must choose." There is was again. Why is he pushing this so hard, it’s aggravating.

"ARN’T YOU LISTENING, I CHOSE NETHER."  Lachlan stood. "Then I have to choose for you." He hugged me, well, at least it felt like a hug at first. Then I felt the blade slice open my stomach, straight up to my throat. As I collapsed to the floor into a pool of my own blood I saw Lachlan's face. He looked sad, but not regretful.  Then total darkness.