Beyond the Valley of Mist (18 page)

“
No man knows the whole
truth,” Zen continued, “but no man should be so frightened by lies
that he is afraid to protect his children from being thrown into a
sacrificial fire.
The Lalocks must escape
from
that
valley
of mist if they are ever going to raise their children without
fearing the evil God that the priests created.”

Zen asked, “Fathers of Lor
and Ren, are you willing to fight the priests to save your children
from being sacrificed to the Fire God?”

“
Yes,” Tur, the father of
Lor, stood and said, “I am ready to fight to the death if necessary
to save my daughter from being thrown into the fire for something
that she has no control over. She should not be punished for loving
her young man—she should be rewarded.”

“
And I will fight for my
son’s life,” Dant, the father of Ren, said. “I will fight for his
right to be the father of his children. I’m proud of him for being
willing to stand up against the priests and their Fire God to
protect the woman he loves.”

Zen also stood, placed his
hands on their shoulders, and said, “Then let me show you how we
can save them and perhaps save many other young people in the
future. Our time is short, so we must prepare quickly. Come with me
deeper into the cave.”

After relocating, Zen
continued. “I have two piles of wood that we have prepared for this
demonstration. I want to show you that fire did not make
itself
God.
We
made it God, and we
can remove it as our God if it is doing bad things. If the priests,
whom we have allowed to become priests, are molesting and killing
our children, we must remove them from their positions of
authority…. Now watch closely. I will show you that there is no
Fire God. I will make a fire, and then I will destroy that fire,
make another, and destroy it also.”

Zen took a firestone from a
pouch he carried for that purpose and held it up for them to see.
When they were all watching intently, he stooped over the pile of
tinder and struck the firestone with another stone. Sparks flew
from the stones into the tinder. He blew gently on the sparks, and
a tiny flame burst forth.

The fathers jumped back.
They weren’t expecting anything like that! So after they quieted
down, Zen continued. “I have created this fire that you call God,”
Zen said. “Now I will destroy the God I have created.” He took a
handful of dirt, threw it onto the fire, and smothered it. “I have
shown you that I have control over fire. I am stronger than fire.
Dirt is stronger than fire. Now I will make another fire.” He again
used the firestone and soon had another fire blazing. He then took
a bag of water and poured it on the fire. The fire hissed and
smoked, then it died. Again the fathers gasped, but that didn’t
stop Zen. He said, “Fire cannot be my God unless I give it a power
that it does not, by itself, have. Fire doesn’t control me; I
control fire. If dirt and water are stronger than fire, then fire
cannot be God.”

Zen gazed at each man and
continued. “The same is true of the priests who claim to represent
God. The priests have no power unless
you
give them that power.”

A long and heated
discussion erupted. Zen, Jok, Lela, and Ador listened to their
fathers discussing the question of whether or not the fire was
God.

After a time, Zen stood and
held up his hands to indicate that he wanted silence. “For the
first time in the history of this village, men are discussing the
question of whether or not Fire is God. I don’t know who is right,
but I do know that we’ll never know unless we have the curiosity to
ask the question and the courage to look for the answer. Now, let
me tell you what we have planned for rescuing Lor and
Ren.”

They stopped talking and
listened.

“
On the sacrificial night,
everyone who is going with us to start a new village must be ready
to leave immediately after we rescue Lor and Ren. We have to
prepare food to eat and extra skins to sleep under. We’ll be going
over mountains, and it will be cold. We must teach the women to
ride horses. We’ll be riding at night, and we’ll be riding hard and
fast. Lor and Ren will need to ride with someone else until they
get used to riding, and then they can ride together, or single, as
they wish.

“
Tur, please tell Lor and
Ren what to expect. They must be worried. Tell them that everything
will be all right, and that we’ll rescue them while they are on the
altar of Fire. Again, be sure to tell them they must do exactly as
I tell them.”

“
I’ll tell them,” Tur said,
“and I’ll also tell them not to be frightened by the
horses.”

Zen then told the fathers
what he would be doing on the sacrificial night and what they must
do, and then he said to the other men, “Tell your wives not to be
afraid of the Fire God. Explain to them that we defied the Fire God
and we live. Tell them that our lives have been enriched, and we
know that their lives will be enriched also.”

Dant said, “Don’t worry
about my wife; she would kill the priests herself if necessary to
save Ren and Lor.”

“
So it is set,” Berk said.
“It’s getting late, and we must be getting back to the village
before the light comes. We have much to do, so let’s get it
done.”

“
We’ll follow you on horses
to protect you until you get near the village,” Jok
said.

“
Your mother and I are
ready to go with you to the new village,” Zarko said, “and we’re
looking forward to the journey. This is something we have wanted to
do since Lynn was forced to submit to the priest when she was a
young girl.”

“
What are we going to do
about Negg?” Zen asked.

“
Negg is a priest now,”
Zarko answered. “I hope we can save Ren and Lor without harming
him, even though he turned against his family long ago. Perhaps
some day he’ll understand that he made a bad decision and come back
to us. I think that many of the people who come with us may want to
come back later to see if any of the rest will want to join
us.”

After the guests all left,
Ador remarked, “This has truly been a life-changing night. Now we,
too, must get some rest. We have so much to do, and only two days
in which to do it.”

***

Chapter 19

Killing the Fire
God

The moon rose like a ball
of light. The time for the sacrifice had come and drums
reverberated through the shadows. The Lalocks gathered in front of
the broad entrance to the temple and sat in a semicircle around the
mouth of the cave to witness the ceremony.

When everyone was
assembled, the drums stopped. The High Priest entered, wearing a
long robe made of the finest skins. His cone-shaped hat made him
look tall and regal. His garments were adorned with brightly
colored shells and bones that rattled as he strode to the center of
the altar and stopped, raised his hands to command silence, and
then began chanting and making sounds that no one could understand.
No one in the audience was supposed to understand--the words were
said to be a secret language that the priests used to talk to
God.

After the High Priest
completed his chant, the drums beat again. Scantily clad young
priestesses came dancing in. One poured water on the hands of the
Priest, which, it was said, cleansed his hands to make him pure
enough to make the sacrifice.

The drums stopped. An eerie
silence followed, and the High Priest walked to the most elevated
spot on the altar and stood beside a tall rock, where he began
telling the audience of the sins the young couple had committed. He
explained that the Fire God would judge their innocence or guilt.
He repeated the ever-spoken claim that the sacred flame would not
harm the innocent. He said that if they were innocent, they would
rise from flames and walk out unharmed. If they walked out
unharmed, the people would be required by their God to forgive them
and take them back into their hearts.

“
This flame,” the High
Priest repeated, “is the original flame that was given to the tribe
by four wise men long ago, before any man can remember, and has
been kept burning for many generations, and it is
sacred.”

He recited the names of men
who originally brought fire to the village. He then commanded
silence by raising both hands and again asked, “Is there anyone
here who does not understand that these proceedings are
holy?”

No one spoke.

He then asked, “Is there
anyone who objects to these proceedings being continued to the
final judgment of their God?”

Only silence, so he
commanded two soldiers to bring Lor and Ren forward to be judged.
Two soldiers carrying long spears and stone knives walked out of
the dark, leading the young lovers. Lor and Ren had dark hoods over
their heads, and their hands were tied. Ren’s stride was bold, but
Lor walked timidly. They were led to the center of the altar and
placed side by side just above the sacred Fire. The High Priest
made a sudden gesture and the black hoods were ripped from their
heads. They were a handsome young couple. Lor’s face showed her
fear, but even though she was frightened, her face was beautiful.
Her hair was the color of wild hollies that bloomed every spring.
The light of the ceremonial fires shone in her blue eyes. Ren stood
beside her. His strong, masculine face showed his anger, his
gray-green eyes glowed with defiance, and he stood tall and proud.
The priest walked toward them.

“
Do not be afraid, Lor,”
Ren whispered. “I am beside you.”

Suddenly, out of the night,
a man on a horse rode onto the altar at full speed. The rider,
wearing a mask, leaped from the horse, grabbed the High Priest and
flung him aside. He then cut the bonds of the accused, turned back
to the groveling priest, and dragged him to the edge of the
ceremonial Fire.

The audience sat in shocked
silence and stared in disbelief as the rider held the High Priest’s
head suspended over the Fire. The rider then removed his mask, and
the people saw that it was Zen, one of four young people who had
escaped into the Valley of Mist two summers ago. They watched him
drag the High Priest to the center of the altar and hold him facing
the audience. Zen carried a golden sword in his right hand, and a
shield of the same brilliance on his left arm.

One of the soldiers threw a
spear at Zen. He easily deflected the spear into the fire with his
shield. The High Priest yelled for the soldiers to kill him. Two
soldiers stepped forward, and two arrows flew out of the night,
penetrating their hearts. The angry priest called for more
soldiers. Two more stepped forward. Again, arrows stopped them dead
in their tracks. The priest yelled frantically for others to step
forward. The others had seen the results of stepping forward, and
none of them responded.

Zen shifted the strap of
his shield to his neck, and while holding the High Priest firmly
with his left hand, stood poised, ready to sever his head with the
sword in his right hand. He spoke in a loud voice. “All of you know
me. I am Zen, son of Zarko. My three companions and I were forced
to flee into the Valley of Mist known to everyone as the Valley of
Death. You thought we were dead. Well, we are not dead. We are very
much alive, and we are here tonight to stop the senseless slaughter
of two of your finest young people. We have come to challenge the
High Priest and to have him prove that, as he claims, the sacred
Fire will not harm the innocent. We are going to allow him to walk
into the flames and prove to us that he is telling the truth. If
the innocent will not be harmed, as he claims, and if he is
innocent, he will rise from the flames. But if what he is telling
us is a lie, or if he is not innocent, he will be judged by the
sacred Fire. Does that seem fair to you?”

“
Yes, that seems fair to
us!” the fathers of Lor and Ren both yelled, and the others shouted
in agreement.

Emboldened by their
remarks, a few of the others who had been deprived of loved ones
spoke up. “Yes, let the priest prove that what he has been telling
us for all these years is true! Throw him into the
Fire!”

The entire audience was
yelling, “Throw him into the Fire!”

“
Who among you feel
justified to throw this priest into the Fire?” Zen
asked.

Several men stepped
forward, grabbed the High Priest, and dragged him to the Fire. The
High Priest screamed in fright. The other priests stood by, afraid
to help him for fear that they, too, would be tossed into the
fire.

Zen held up his hand and
called out, “First, let him tell us the truth.” He turned to the
High Priest and asked, “Is this Fire sacred?”

“
Yes!” screamed the High
Priest.

“
Is this Fire
God?”

“
Yes!” he replied
again.

“
Is it true that the Fire
will not harm the innocent?”

“
Yes,” he
stammered.

“
And are you innocent?” Zen
asked.

“
Yes, I am innocent! I am a
man of God!”

“
Then you will not mind
showing us that what you say is true. We will let you walk into the
flames. Go ahead. We are waiting. Perhaps these two young people
whom you were going to throw into the Fire would like to help you
enter the flames.”