The Rise of Erenthia

The Rise of Erenthia

Published by Alexis Merrick at Smashwords

Copyright 2019 Alexis Merrick

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Acknowledgements

The people I want to say thank you to most are everyone in my high school fiction class. High School was no picnic but the fiction class was great! 

I also want to say thank you to my fiance Matthew Polsgrove. He has been my biggest support.

Thank you Christopher Perry for being my biggest fan and a great friend.

Thank  you to my parents for the crazy amount of printer paper and ink (and support).

Lastly thank you to all my past and future readers. You taking the time to read this means the world to me.

Prologue

There was hope. There would always be hope, thanks to the Great Creator. At least that’s what Grandmother told me, and she’s always right.

Grandmother. I clasped my bearskin pillow tight against my chest, watching as eerie shadows danced against the stone walls of our house. Will you tell me the story?

Grandmother rolled over in her bed and peered over the top of a scroll she was reading. She grinned one of her patented toothless grins and rubbed a hand across her furrowed face. Again, Inessa?

I nodded.

Our two-room stone house was little, but perfect for us. In one of the rooms, there were two chairs, a fireplace, a small desk and a cabinet to keep scrolls in. The other room had two beds and a little chair between them. We stored our things under our beds. I mostly had beads and craft supplies under mine.

Your hunger for the Great Creator grows more every day.  She slowly pushed herself up, her old joints popping as she came over and sat on the edge of my wooden framed bed. I squirmed with excitement.

Once, we all lived in perfect harmony with the Great Creator. The world was perfect. Everyone had big glorious wings. She smiled and made a butterfly shadow on the wall. I laughed. I loved it when she made shadow puppets.

There was no pain, no sorrow of any kind, until Tempest. The Great Creator gave her a new name when she turned away from him: Evil. She seduced an Earth Guardian to cross the wall separating her domain from the Great Creator’s. Grandmother held her right hand horizontal, fingers tight and  her middle and index finger walked up the wall.

The Earth Guardian fell from grace and became human. She held her index finger high then made it fall. He went to live with Tempest in her part of the Earth. More Guardians fell because the allure of power that Tempest promised was too great. Before the Great Creator called the remaining Earth Guardians back to Eternity and surrendered the entire Earth to Tempest, Grandmother made a fist and brought her other hand over it, symbolizing the Earth covered by darkness.

Because they are merciful, the Great Creator left us a book—Life in Text, which outlines how we are to worship him to make it into Eternity. The Great Creator blessed humans with the ability to read and understand language, and that knowledge has been passed down from generation to generation. Now that you are old enough to read, and mature enough to understand such things, I have written you your very own copy of  Life in Text. I transcribed it using mine.

I sucked in a sharp breath and shook with excitement. Grandmother got up and pulled a small brown leather box from under her bed. I was going to wait until your birthday, but now seems like the right time.  

She opened it, took out a large scroll and handed it to me. I held the scroll gently as if it would break in my hands. My heart swelled. Thank you seemed too small, but I said it anyway.

You’re welcome, Grandmother said. 

Okay, enough talking. Please try to get some sleep now, Grandmother said.

I’ll go to sleep after I read a little. Is that ok?

She sighed. I suppose… She paused and looked at me with tenderness. The Great Creator loves you very much, Inessa. Never forget that.

I won’t, I said happily opening the scroll.

That night I didn’t get much sleep. I stayed up until sunrise talking to the Great Creator and reading  Life in Text, taking in every last word.  

The next day Grandmother woke to find me still reading. She shook her head and muttered something to herself. You’re going to need a nap today, she said, slowly getting out of bed.

I gave her a sheepish grin. She chuckled. What am I going to do with you, Inessa, she mused.

In the warm afternoon, after a good nap, Eren, my best friend, and I were down by the lake. We were sitting by the glistening water, and I showed her my new Life in Text.

Wow! She said, looking it over. It was so nice of your grandmother to write this all for you. There was a hint of sadness in her tone.

I looked at her confused. I’m sure someone will write a copy for you too, I said.

She shook her head. My father doesn’t believe it is proper for a woman to learn things that are of a spiritual nature. She paused. Father doesn’t believe it is proper for a woman to learn at all.

I rolled my eyes. Grandmother always encouraged me to learn. Everyone in the village looked down on us for it, especially the elders, but Grandmother continued to hold her head high.

So I did too. Your father is wrong.

She smiled sadly. I know he is, but it does make things difficult.

I decided that I was going to transcribe  Life in Text for her. I was going to start today once I had some time to myself. It would be a surprise.

I’m so sorry, I said hugging her. 

It’s ok. You and your grandmother are my family.

I grinned. Want to study? I asked.

She nodded. I opened the scroll and skimmed it for something to talk about.

What do you think about the part where it says ‘never mourn or be sad because the Great Creator is good’? I asked.

She paused, toying with the white beaded necklace I made her. I think it is very misinterpreted, she said slowly.

Grandmother says the same thing.

It’s stupid because no one can be happy all the time and that’s okay! 

I thought about this and how the other villagers acted. Then why do we pretend? I asked.

Because people are afraid of dealing with difficult things, like emotions, she said flatly.

I smiled. She was one of the smartest people I knew besides Grandmother. I am so glad you understand, I replied.

She hugged me back and said, Of course. 

We giggled but stopped when we heard a rustling noise in the bushes. What was that? Eren asked alarmed, straightening up. 

Probably nothing, I replied, thinking it was some sort of animal. 

She relaxed, but then suddenly we were lifted off the ground and thrown into the lake.

Disoriented, I couldn’t tell which way was up and which was down. I groped around for anything substantial, but all I could feel was an expanse of water. My lungs began to burn. 

Finally, I touched the sandy bottom. I kicked off from the lake bed and clawed my way to the surface. I gasped for air and desperately looked for Eren. She emerged shortly after. 

On the shore Kobar, the son of the village head, and his friends eyes were wide and their mouths hanging open as if horrified. I foolishly thought they felt terrible. Then they burst into cruel laughter and left. 

Are you okay? I asked her, my brow furrowing with concern.

She nodded. Are you?

Yeah.

I splashed Eren. She splashed me back, and we giggled out of sheer relief to be alive.

We climbed out of the lake and made our way back to the village, soaking wet. Kobar and his friends were nowhere to be seen. Villagers stared at us. Grandmother was not going to be pleased to see me soaked. Hopefully, after I explained what happened, she would understand. As for Eren, her father wouldn’t be as understanding. She would probably get beaten. The rest of the village liked to think of her father as holy because he put on a good show.  Grandmother and I thought of him as a bully.

And then it suddenly occurred to me -- we had forgotten my Life in Text! Guilt and shame washed over me. How could I have overlooked something so precious? I slipped away and hurried back to the lake. It was supposed to be a quick trip, but then I heard a quiet sobbing coming from the bushes. I grabbed my Life in Text and went to investigate. To my surprise, I saw Kobar, his face in his hands, rocking back and forth. Are you okay? I asked, hesitantly approaching him.

His face was etched with anguish. Please don’t tell anyone, he begged, his voice hoarse.

I waited for him to explain what secret I was supposed to keep. He just continued to stare at me pleadingly. Tell anyone what? 

That I am weak.

I furrowed my brow in confusion and sat next to him. What are you talking about?

A true leader can never show weakness. A true leader can never cry. Crying is weak. It says so in Life in Text.

I searched my brain for any verses that said so, but none came to mind. I opened my Life in Text and skimmed it as quickly as I could. Still nothing. Where?

It says never to mourn or be sad.

I cocked my head to the side. I thought about this for a moment before speaking. Grandmother and Eren always say it’s healthy to cry when you need to.

Oh, what do they know about being a leader? She’s crazy! Everyone knows that! he scoffed. Besides women are too emotional to lead anyways.

I swallowed my anger at the insult. Life in Text said to love your enemies, and that was what I intended to do. So why are you crying? I asked, changing the topic.

Well, I almost killed you, he said.

When? By pushing us into the lake?

He glared at me, but his expression softened, and he nodded.

I paused. Was Kobar really upset about that? This was the closest thing to kindness I had ever seen from him. I carefully hugged him and said, "I forgive you.

I felt him tense for a moment then relax. He leaned into the hug and said softly, Thank you.

Chapter One

There was hope. There would always be hope, thanks to the Great Creator. That’s what Grandmother always said. She was wrong.

The fire crackled, shooting brilliant embers into the night sky. Wrapped in a deerskin blanket, I was sitting on a log and watched villagers dance joyously around the flames to the uplifting beat of drums and tambourines. They wore the traditional celebratory face paint: white curved lines around the eyes and two dots on either side of the mouth. Children moved in rhythm with the bells as the elderly chanted from  Life in Text. They danced the traditional dance of praise to the Great Creator in celebration of the new lunar cycle. Some believed the Great Creator had deserted us, but many thought if we tried hard enough we could win his favor back by following the Life in Text to the letter. We were known as the Envoys.

The smoky aromas of cooked deer, baked bread and salted fish hung deliciously in the air. If I hadn’t already been so full that I risked bursting, I might have fallen upon the meat then and there. I shivered and pulled my cloak around me, a shield against the unusual chill of the night air. The winds had turned, blowing the cold breeze South from the Outlands. As much as I wanted to join in the festivities, I wasn’t much of a dancer, and I didn’t want to spoil things or dishonor the Great Creator with my lack of coordination. The dance was supposed to be beautiful and pleasing. The lyrics to the song didn't make me feel good, either. They sang, When I fail, you lift me up! When I fail, I hold true to you!

I failed on a daily basis, and I was never lifted up. I wasn’t true to the Great Creator anymore. Envoys were supposed to be fearless and never doubt. They were supposed to be continuously filled with the joy of the Great Creator even in hard times. I tried so hard to be happy, but it was impossible.

I looked at the tattoo on my arm—a black iron key. I had it done when my friend Eren died. Eren liked to collect the strangest things. One of her prized possessions was her key collection. Her keys never unlocked anything, but she had a real fondness for them. Their shape, pattern, even their weight and what they represented gave them a value that far exceeded their price. They represented freedom to her. She would have bought all she found,  had she been able to afford to do so. She was a skilled hunter. The rest of the village disapproved because it was improper for a woman to hunt. She often ventured outside the village so she could trade furs and meat for keys and other things. The village also didn’t like this. Women were discouraged from trading because it was a man’s job. 

My key tattoo was to honor her life. A picture of her came to mind: brown, curly hair, tanned skin, and green eyes. She had been very athletic until the disease stripped all that away, leaving her as feeble as an old woman.

I miss you, I whispered.

I know. I miss you too. How have you been? I imagined her saying back to me.

Awful. Nothing is the same without you. I have been so lonely. No one  talks to me except Kobar and Lauren on occasion.

I pictured her embracing me as she used to when I was upset. Do you want to go down to the lake? We can play dice, and I can show you how to properly catch a fish. She paused. I’m sorry I never got to do that…

I know…me too.

If Eren were here, we would be off in a corner by ourselves playing dice. That’s what we always did at parties.  I still carried the dice made out of animal bone that we used in my pocket. I took them out and looked at them. They were worn from years of use. I had a new pair that was less faded but using them never felt right.

Each side had a different symbol on it. There were 10 sides. The object of Eren’s and my favorite game was to match the symbols. It was fun because there were many other ways to earn and lose points than matching or mismatching symbols.

I slid to the ground and rolled the dice. No match but I got the bear symbol and a snake. I would have gotten two points for them both being predators. I went again. This time I got a match, two wolf symbols. I smiled sadly and whispered, I win.

I could almost hear her laughter as she replied, Good roll! Play again?

I would give up anything to play one last game with you. 

When trouble comes I still hold true to you, the song continued, pulling me from my fantasy. I quickly put the dice away.

I thought I had understood what that line meant, long ago... Now I wasn’t so sure. How did I hold true to the Great Creator? Did that mean I should feel no sadness, hurt or anger? Did it mean going along happily, waiting for the Great Creator to make everything better? On a typical day, I faked it, but when I was looking at how everyone else handled things with such grace, I knew I was a colossal failure.

No no no. It’s all going to be okay because the Great Creator is good right? Right. I had a deep feeling in me that I knew it was going to be okay even if I didn’t believe it.

As I watched close friends mingle, dance and have fun, I ached to have that again. I went from having everything I could ever want in a friend to having nothing at all. I had someone who would be there for me forever, and that was all taken away in a day.

I clung to that deep feeling of hope.

Inessa, someone said, pulling at my skirt. 

I looked down to see Lily, one of the village children. She was adorable with big green eyes and dark blond curls that tumbled to her waist. She was holding a small ragdoll in her pudgy hand. It ripped. she held it up for me to see. 

I took it from her and examined it. I squinted my eyes, so it looked like I was concentrating really hard. There seems to be a tear, I said as if just realizing it.

Lily giggled. That’s what I just said!

Did you! Well, you are very observant! I feigned surprise. We need to get her fixed right away! How would you like to be my assistant? 

She nodded vigorously. 

I went back to my house and grabbed the necessary materials and a branch from the woods with some leaves I ripped into small pieces. I found Lily right where I left her. I took her off to the side and laid the doll on a blanket. I put the supplies next to Lily. I sprinkled the shredded leaves on the toy like a shaman would sprinkle purified herbs