Inadvertently, you were still holding your father’s dagger when you stepped out from behind the boulder. The sun’s reflection gave it a menacing appearance. The coarsest man draws his sword and levels it at you
– Drop the knife, – he commands, and you comply — your father’s dagger hitting the ground with a weight that sinks into your heart.
– Who are you? – he asks.
– A lost traveler, – you answer.
– Aren’t we all?
– Except for those of us who wander aimlessly, – the second man interjects, lowering the first man’s sword. – I apologize for my friend’s rudeness. He doesn’t take kindly to people springing out of boulders.
– I’m sorry, you reply. – I’ve been trapped in this desert so long, I’ve lost myself in it. I’m only looking for safe passage.
– Where do you come from?
– From a long, arduous journey. I was abandoned in the middle of nowhere, with no resources and no idea how to find safety.
– Who would do something like that to you?
– That’s a question that parches my mind more than this merciless sun—a question more unquenchable than my thirst in this desert.
– Say no more, my dear friend. We’ll get you to safety.
They help you onto the back of one of their animals, and you ride along with them, following an invisible road that seems to stretch into eternity.
Your eyelids fall, then your head, then your body.
You drift into peaceful slumber, resigned to whatever fate these two men have in store for you.
You’re stirred by the urban murmur surrounding you. You’ve arrived in a city.
– Where are we? – you ask.
– We’re here — our final destination. This is the city of Zahrabad.
You don’t recognize the name, but the sheer joy of safety floods your mind. You don’t question it—nor the fact that these men were involved in another man’s death. A man who, if your suspicions are correct, was none other than Theodore, leader of the insurrection against Emperor Claudius. But at this moment, you couldn’t care less about politics. You just focus on regaining control over your body, sliding off the warm animal to rush toward the nearest well—to quench your thirst and drench yourself in cold relief.
— This is my cousin’s humble abode, — the older man says. — She can give you shelter and food to ease your hardships and give your heart time to heal and grow strong again.
Your eyes brimming with tears at the first token of kindness you’ve received in a long time, you stare the man in the eye and resolutely say:
***
— I’d gladly accept your offer and be forever in your debt, kind sir. You enter the house and are led to a modest room, where you collapse onto the bed, sinking into a deep, mesmerized sleep as if all your weariness has been lifted at last. – go to this page
***
— I thank you with all my heart, kind sir, but I must continue my journey.
They gift you a dromedary and some food and water and ask you where you’re headed to. You mention the city of Zalenica, to which they answer by raising their eyebrows in disbelief.– go to this page
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