Neriam

This story is a work of fiction, which you are not supposed to read if you are underage in your area. Personally, I don't think that ideas should EVER be censored or restricted, but as long as you're sure you want to read this, feel free. This work is copyrighted, as usual. Any questions, comments, ideas or concerns, e-mail Faradhi269@aol.com.

Neriam awoke in the pre-light of dawn and quickly rose to check the small camp he shared with his friend Alsuin. Alsuin still slept, his breach coming slowly and evenly. He continued to check around the camp, noting nothing of interest until about twenty feet out. There he saw a large snake lying without eyes, its fangs still exposed from its death throes.

He leaned forward to examine it. The eyes had been removed, and the snake lay in a posture of pain. He picked up a small twig and, like a little child, began poking the serpent. The charred scales around the eyes offered incontrovertible proof that they had been burned out, but he saw nothing to have caused such a result. Shivering as a chill ran down his spine, he lifted the heavy thing and flung it as far away as he could.

He sat next to Alsuin, closing his eyes and meditating until the bright light of dawn woke his companion. "Neriam?"

He opened his eyes. "Good morning, Alsuin. Sleep well?"

"Fine. Are you all right?"

"I'm fine. Let's get moving."

"Sure."

The two boys picked up their packs and continued walking.

"Uh, Neriam," Alsuin began, "I know you don't like a lot of questions, but something has been nagging at me."

"All right."

"Did-did they train you to kill like that at the monastery?"

"Yes. We don't like to kill, but we know how to do it."

"And you've never killed before?"

Neriam closed his eyes for a moment. "No."

"So, why, I mean, how are you so unaffected by it?"

Neriam took a deep breath, calming himself. "I am no longer a monk, so I have no cause to feel the same kinds of remorse they might. I have to live on the skills I have left to me. If I start undervaluing what they are and what I can do with them, even by letting my emotions hamper my choices, then I don't know how long I'll go on."

Alsuin heard the naked emotion behind Neriam's words, realizing how much pain lay beyond the surface. "Why are you no longer a monk? You're too young to have committed any major offense that is unforgivable, even to them."

"Do you know how many trails go through these mountains?"

Alsuin sighed as his friend changed the subject yet again. "No I don't. Some parts of them are supposed to be almost impassable."

"Great. Well, I guess we follow the road then, don't we?"

"Why not?"

For the next two days, the boys trudged slowly up a continuously steeper road.

"Can we stop yet," panted Alsuin, whose pack had begun to weigh heavily upon him.

"No. We need to make this next pass by nightfall," replied Neriam. Though the packs were quite lighter than when they began the journey, the weight of their food, clothing and cooking gear weighed the boys down for the steep road. Each night, they barely spoke to each other, collapsing in exhaustion to sleep immediately. Soon enough, they had passed the snow line and, despite it being summer froze to their marrow every night. Neither had tinder or other fuel to burn, so they frequently buried themselves under snowdrifts and hugged tight under shared cloaks and blankets. While in the snow, the two boys heard a hideous, high-pitched howl every night as they dug their burrow. In the morning, they would search for any tracks in the snow, never to find any but theirs. It came as a shock when a large, white-furred ape-like creature burst out of the snow in front of them one morning. It reached for Alsuin, who hadn't had time yet to draw his rapier, and enfolded him in a crushing bear hug as it growled and muttered at Neriam.

Neriam saw a wicked intelligence in its cold blue eyes and flew into motion, leaping out of the snow to land a sharp snap kick to the monster's wrist. It flinched slightly, but did not release its hold on the wildly struggling Alsuin. Neriam tried to kick at its knees, but found himself hampered by the snow. With a loud kiai, he jumped nearly five feet vertically and spun, driving his heel into the side of the long jaw. The monster's grunt became a scream as Alsuin's heel struck between the monster's furry legs.

Both boys flopped to the snow simultaneously, and Alsuin drew his rapier while Neriam tried to figure out what to do next. Alsuin stepped in quickly and thrust into the snow-ape's shoulder, causing a small spot of red to appear amongst the white.

The monster roared in fury and retaliated with flesh-tearing great claws. Alsuin flung himself out of the way, only to land square on his back in the snow. He sunk into the deep drift as he tried to struggle back up.

Neriam jumped onto the monster's back and wrapped his arms around is neck, trying to at the very least distract it and keep it from his friend. Themonster pulled its long arms over its head and flung Neriam away. Neriam stood quickly and struck with some rabbit punches to the gut of the monster.

The beast didn't seem to notice. Neriam dodged its claws, getting tired very quickly in the deep snow. Alsuin had finally stood and charged the beast with a yell. The monster seemed almost contemptuous as one of the long hairy arms pulled back and slammed into Alsuin just above his left temple.

The boy dropped to the snow, a drizzle of blood oozing from his ear. Neriam froze. His rage and his desperation fused together as he saw the triumph in the yeti's eyes. With a scream, he thrust his hands out before him and fire burst from his palms and fingertips. The monster screeched as the long dry hair flared up instantly and refused to be extinguished. Neriam stumbled to his knees, exhausted. His thoughts were jumbled, but one clear word stood out in his head. "Burn." The flames intensified and the monster's shriek rose an octave higher, continuing even higher to levels beyond Neriam's hearing. Then it fell, an acrid pillar of smoke rising from the charred corpse. Sloshing through to Alsuin, Neriam thought clearly enough to check on his friend and, seeing that he would be all right, to wrap his cloak around them both as the pain hit him and he collapsed next to the injured boy. He shuddered and moaned as his body rebelled against him, screaming at him that something was wrong before darkness overtook him.

"Oh, my child, my child. When will you stop fighting?"

Neriam searched for the source of this voice, but the darkness remained around him. "Child, you have begun so well. Why must you always struggle?" The voice seemed to sigh. It was a kind voice, a male one that did not belie any age, yet seemed full of affection. "Come to me, my child. Come to me."

Neriam awoke with a start. Alsuin's blood flow had stopped, and he was resting peacefully. He drowsily looked at the featureless snow around him and drifted back into sleep.

They both woke the next day. Alsuin had a headache, but otherwise he was all right. He approached the charred form of the yeti, curious. Almost nothing remained but a big, smelly black pile of ash, which crumbled to a fine powder the moment Alsuin poked it with his rapier. Neriam pointedly avoided looking at the beast, and Alsuin tried several times to bring it to his attention. Alsuin's large dark eyes narrowed and hardened, but he said nothing. After they shrugged on their packs, they continued through the snow, feeling the slope beneath them gradually decline.

They were unmolested through the rest of their journey through the mountains, and soon saw the smoke of a smithy rising ahead of them.

"That should be Angel's Fist," Alsuin exclaimed. "I'm almost home!"

Neriam smiled at his friend's enthusiasm and looked forward to having a soft bed and a hot meal. "OK, so want to tell me about what to expect here?"

"Well, Angel's fist is a fairly small city. The people here trade with the rest of the continent, and for its size, it's a very rich community."

"All right."

"All of the Good Land has a sense of beauty, and this place will probably be no different. I don't remember which Noble family rules the land around the city, but if we play our cards right, we may be able to stay at their villa."

"All right."

"Don't worry about the Children of Namarah, since we don't have enough money anyway," he added with a grin. "But if we stay at the villa, you are free to indulge."

"What do you mean?"

"Didn't I tell you about the Children?"

"Not really."

"Well, Namarah, as you know, is the goddess of love. But not only love, but physical pleasure too. So her initiates are trained-I know I've told you this before."

"That part you have."

"What else do you need to know?"

"What do you mean, 'feel free to indulge'?"

"You do know what you can do with that thing between your legs, right?"

"Huh?"

Alsuin gave a long-suffering sigh and Neriam had to stifle a laugh. It looked so out of place on his young face. "Have you ever seen a bull mounting a calf or a pair of dogs or something?"

"Of course."

"People do it, too. It's supposed to be one of the best feelings you can feel-better than sweetmeats, better than being drunk. The Children of Namarah are trained to make that feeling even better."

"Oh. But, doesn't it hurt?"

"How should I know? I've never done it!" He gave a conspiratorial wink. "But I've heard that no one complains except about the cost."

"I get it. How do you know all this?"

"Because I am going to be entering Namarah's service when we get back. Don't you remember anything? I know we've gone through this before."

"Sorry. Had a lot on my mind."

"Apparently," he grinned. "I don't even think it'll be a problem. Just follow my lead and you'll be fine."

"No problem," Neriam replied with a grin of his own. "I'm really looking forward to some real food, too!"

Alsuin feigned outrage. "You don't call my cooking real food? YOU'RE the one who eats it all anyway!"

Neriam shrugged. "That or starvation."

Alsuin spluttered and he laughed. "Let's get going or we won't be there before dark."

It was just before dusk when the two boys reached the eastern gate of the city. The merchants had full-fledged shops, rather than canopies and many of them still blazed with light. Women in gowns and men in doublets walked the streets, which, Neriam noted in surprise, were all paved. Many of them wore jewelry and gold: more than he had ever seen before. He walked in wide-eyed amazement.

"I thought I'd been to a city before," he murmured to Alsuin in wonder.

"Bah, this isn't even a city." Alsuin grinned in amusement. "Wait until you see the capital!"

Alsuin stepped into a merchant's shop and spoke quietly with the man at the counter while Neriam waited outside. "Sir, which is the Lord of this city, again? I'm just visiting, and my Master will be angry if he learns that I forgot!" He let his large eyes widen slightly, causing his beautiful face to soften even more, and affected a face of fear.

The dark-haired man answered, "That would be Lord Nikides, as all know."

Alsuin nodded. "Thank you. Lord Nikides of House Norbrin. Thank you." He reached into the purse at his side and threw a small golden disk to the merchant, who stared at it.

Alsuin grabbed his friend. "Excellent. Lord Nikides is a friend of my Master. Let's get cleaned up."

"Huh?"

"We'll be going to dinner with nobility tonight, so we need to be ready."

"I-I wouldn't know what to do!"

"Follow my lead. Don't you worry. Nikides is a good man."

Alsuin dragged Neriam to a bathhouse and paid the cost of four gold coins. "Alsuin," Neriam complained, "you're spending all our money! We could get a bath for a few silver co-by the gods," he exclaimed when they entered the large, steam-filled tiled room. A large pool sat in the center of the floor and the steam wafted gently off the water. Several smaller pools surrounded the main one, some of which were the base of pillars of white steam. Nude men and women of all ages rested in the center tub, while others dipped into the hot or cold pools.

Some low tables had been set aside and some attendants were massaging some young men who lay in front of them. A few attendants took their clothes when they disrobed and they slid into the tepid water of the large pool. "It gets hotter as you go deeper," Alsuin explained. "Personally, I like to find a good temperature and just soak, but do what you like."

"Alsuin," Neriam hissed, "There are girls here!

"So?"

"SO? I've never been naked around girls before!"

"Like what you see," he smirked.

"LIKE IT? WHAT ARE YOU TALKING ABOUT?"

"No? Why ever not," he asked with a sarcastic half-smile.

"I've never seen them before. This is so strange!" He peered more closely at the nude women.

"We've got about an hour or so-that reminds me." He rose, dripping from the pool and wrapped a towel around his waist. He walked to an attendant and the attendant returned with some paper. He scribbled something quickly and handed it back. He returned with a smile. "Well, I've asked old Nikides if we can infringe on his hospitality for a day or so. Once I get the response, we'll get what we need. Neriam? Neriam?"

He searched for his friend but didn't find him anywhere in the large pool. He jumped out of the pool, forgetting to wrap a towel around himself in his haste, and started looking.

"NERIAM!!!"

"What?"

Alsuin whipped around but couldn't see his friend. "Where are you?"

"I'm in the little pool over here."

Walking closer, Alsuin found himself in a cloud of steam. He could barely see but followed his friend's voice to the edge of one of the smallest pools in the building. It was large enough for two people to sit, although no one ever did, as the water was nearly boiling. Alsuin felt as though his face was burning from his proximity to the water.

"How in the name of all the gods did you get in there?!"

"I didn't want the women to see me naked, so I started looking for a decent bit of steam. But they were in the deep end of the big one, too, so I thought I'd try one of these. Everyone was avoiding this one, so I jumped right in." Alsuin couldn't see his face, but Neriam's voice sounded wry. "It was hotter than I thought."

"How can you stand it?!"

"It's not so bad, once you get used to it."

"You're absolutely crazy!"

"It feels good. I was more sore than I thought. I'll just stay here for a while. No one can see me."

"Suit yourself," Alsuin said with a sigh. He returned to the main pool only to find the attendant waiting for him.

"Sir, Lord Nikides wants to see you now."

"Now?"

"Yes, sir," the young man replied, obviously irritated at having to call a boy several years his junior sir.

"Well then, let me get a robe."

"Of course."

After donning the robe, Alsuin followed the attendant to a small office, where Lord Nikides sat waiting. The man was in his mid-thirties with dark hair and startlingly green eyes. He was already beginning to show the faintest hint of white at the temples, but it made him look more distinguished. His eyes had many crinkles around them, and they glistened when he smiled, which he was doing when Alsuin entered. "Alsuin, it IS you! What happened?! Do you know how long your Master was looking for you? He's sent couriers to half the known world!"

Alsuin bowed. As he did so, he realized how long it had been sine he'd needed to do so. "I'm sorry to have you all worried, my lord. I was taken while Elmar was helping Lady Criol with her festivities."

"Ah. He was frantic when he got home and you weren't there."

"I understand. I'll make it up to him."

The man smiled. "Somehow, I doubt that will be necessary."

"Anyway, I and a companion were hoping to partake of your hospitality while arrangements are made for my return to Reardon. I know my Master would gladly pay you recompense-"

"Nonsense, my boy," Nikides interrupted. "Elmar and I are great friends. I would be doing him a disservice if I didn't bring you and your friend in. I'll send word to him by a fast rider immediately."

"Thank you, my lord." Alsuin bowed again.

"Well, I wanted to be certain that it was you. Come to my manor in about three hours, all right? Bring all your things: you'll be staying for a while."

"And my companion?"

"Him as well, of course."

"Again, thank you."

Lord Nikides rose. "I expect you would like to finish your bath. In three hours, then."

Alsuin watched him leave and jumped exultantly. Once returned to the main pool, he was able to relax much more and soon went to one of the massage tables. The young man didn't seem all that much older than he-perhaps fifteen or sixteen-but he didn't care. As the tension was rubbed from his shoulders, he groaned in appreciation. He groaned more as the hands moved their way down to his nether regions. -This one's staying there a little much, I think-he thought to himself with an amused smirk. But he allowed the hands to linger, enjoying the feeling of looseness that followed.

His legs felt like rubber when he was done, but he went to find Neriam so they could get some decent clothing and be ready to go to Nikides' house. Neriam still sat in the pool of water, and the steam still half-blinded Alsuin.

"Neriam, come on! It's time to leave."

"Really?" Alsuin heard a splashing sound and gasped as a glowing figure approached him through the fog.

"Ner-neriam?"

"Of course." The glowing form stepped closer, and Alsuin saw his friend's face clearly enough through the fog. His body radiated an aura of light blue light that seemed brightest around his eyes. In the cloud of steam, he looked ghostly. -Or heavenly-Alsuin amended the thought. When he left the steam bank, the aura seemed to fade.

"We need to talk."

Neriam shrugged and followed his friend to a small alcove where water cascaded from the mouths of mermaids and children playing in a musical tinkle. "No one can hear us now. What are you," Alsuin asked directly.

"What are you talking about," he asked with alarm.

"Look, Neriam, I'm not an idiot. You claim to have been in a monastery, and I've seen you fight, so I believe it, but that's not all of it. Not at all. So I think it's time that you told me the truth."

"I have," Neriam protested weakly.

Alsuin closed his eyes and sat weakly down on the edge of the pool. "Look, you saved me, and you've been a good friend and guide, so I will respect your privacy out of gratitude. But if you're not going to be more careful about...about GLOWING! then people are going to ask a lot of questions, and you won't be able to hide out from them."

"I was glowing? When? I haven't done anything since-" he stopped abruptly.

"I KNEW it! What's going on?"

"OK, I guess it's fair." Neriam went on to explain his story. He told Alsuin of his expulsion from the monastery, and of their battle with the yeti. "But I don't know what I was doing just now if I was glowing," he finished.

Alsuin's eyes had progressively gotten wider throughout the story and when Neriam moved to sit next to him, he leapt to his feet, backing away. "You're a Ghul!"

"I am not!"

"You are! You have magic! You're a Ghul!"

"I am not! I don't know what is going on, but I am not a Ghul! I'm telling you the truth," he pleaded.

"Get away from me," Alsuin hissed. "I thought I knew you!" He turned and fled. Neriam, tears in his eyes, watched him go.