Broadus Conquest

         Broadus found the early morning cooler than usual, it was almost cold. He sat up and stirred the ashes, and added a couple of logs to the dying embers. Adding some dried grass and a few dried leaves helped the fire grow, from smoldering ashes to a usable flame. He was once again hungry, even after gorging himself last night.
         Kisto came from around the nagoha with a small plate of eggs, and some meat. She always seemed to know what he was thinking. She smiled, placed the plate in his hands and left.
         'That was strange,' Broadus thought. Had he offended her in some way last night? If he had he did not know how. Broadus ate the breakfast, and mulled over what had happened. He was sure that he was polite to her, and that he had not crossed any lines, this puzzled him deeply. Almost to the point of angering him. He finished of the meal and took the wooden dish to the washing basin. He saw Kisto standing there, and had to find out what he had done. As he neared the basin she turned and left. Broadus began to think tohimself,'This is beginning to get frustrating.'
         Odious saw Broadus standing there with a confused look on his face and motioned for him to come over.
         "Why the look?"
         "I just can't figure her out, did I do something to make her upset with me?"
         "NO, I believe it is I who upset her. You see she wants to go with you, and I told her that her place was here. Here she could do so much more good, not ot mention she would be safe."
         "Then why is she treating me like she is afraid of me?"
         "She is attracted to you, and does not want to get attached. She knows that if she does it would only make it harder on her when you leave today."
         Broadus smiled, he too knew the sting of caring for someone, only to lose them. He turned to head out of the nagoha but Odious stopped him before he could reach the opening.
         "Broadus, I know why Shia gave you the book. It is a matter of importance to many people. You see, the knowledge that this book leads to will make a person wealthy beyond imagine, however that in itself is a curse. The elders say that it is protected with a curse so evil that it will drive a person insane. I pray for two things, one, that you find this knowledge, and two you have the strength and the wisdom to defeat the curse."
         "Why did Shia not tell me?"
         "I know she would have, had she had the time to train you properly."
         The news frightened Broadus, now not only was Kisto expecting him to come back, but he would have to defeat a curse as well. Broadus felt his knees begin to quiver, a sign that his anticipation was building beyond control. He had never been one to back down from a challenge, and this would not be the first time.
         The rest of the day Broadus spent gathering items he thought he would need. He began with a large sack, which he modified so that he could carry it on his back. He then gathered the essentials, food, sleeping skins, a couple of other clothes, he also talked one of the gatherers into trading his efink for a piece of star stone. Broadus took the efink and began to put an edge on it, it would be of no use dull.
         As the day past Broadus finishe dloading his stuff, he would leave as soon as the sun broke the horizon. At least it would give him a chance to rest before beginning his journey.
         Kisto watched as Broadus retired to his little corner of the village one last time, she knew that tomorrow would bring a long period of worry. No matter what, she decided that she woud not let anyone see how much she cared for Broadus. If she did it would only serve as a device for them to torture her with. The boys always seemed to get a thrill out of seeing her in some sort of turmoil. She would keep a silent vigil for Broadus, pray protection over him. The thought alone brought a smile to her face.
         Broadus curled up in the skins, and drifted off to sleep. His mind filled with thoughts of tomorrows journey. Visions faded in and out, scenes that he had never seen before, place he did not recognize. In one vision a large stone path crossed a large expanse, supported by what appeared to be several large stone columns. The visions came and went all night, and unfortunately it was a short night. Broadus opened his eyes, and saw the dark of the night sky begin to turn into the blue of the morning. He sat up and stretched. He packed the skins into the bag, and loaded it onto his back.
         Broadus opened the book, and read the first page. The ancient words seemed to come easily now.
         The writing on the first page was in Shia's hand, but it was written in the ancient text. The directions said to follow the morning sun for three days. Broadus thought, does that mean walk only as long as the sun is in the morning, or to walk in the direction of the morning sun for three days. It would be a decision of conscience, if he guessed wrong he would surely be lost. He walked on, the morning sun rising higher into the sky, carrying his worry with it. Surely he would not get lost on his first day. He looked at the picture above the writing it was a hand drawn picture of what appeared to be a large crystal square protruding from a large sand dune. He would not have even noticed it if he had not seen the words 'emodoib'.
He placed the book back into the skins, and continued walking. The sun had reached its peak, and now was the time Broadus had to decide, go on, or stop. He stood there, lost in thought. In the distance a bright object caught his attention, a gleam of light that bounced of something. Broadus realized that as he concentrated on the gleam of light he was looking out past the large sand dunes. He knew then that it was three days walk, stopping only to rest at night. Broadus continued on his trek until the sun began to sink, the anticipation was now replaced by excitement. What did the bright gleaming object hold. Would it provide him with some insight as to what happened? Would it give him answers to questions that he now had. As the moon began its nightly journey across the sky Broadus could hardly contain his excitement. He watched as the veils of the spirits dacned across the star laden sky. For as long as he could remember the veils had always been there, they just seemed to get brighter every year. This year they seemed closer than before, and the veils seemed to be more active than ever. This had to be a good omen. Broadus pulled the skins from the pack, and laid them out of the ground. He spent the next bit gathering wood, and descent sized stones so that the night would not be so cold. He arranged the stones, and the wood, then realized he had no way of lighting the fire, surely he had not forgotten ato pack spark stones. He dug through the sack, coming across the star stones, and a small reflecting dish. He remembered that Odious said that you could use them to start a fire.He removed the stones from the piece of hide, and placed the in front of the reflecting dish, the light sattered and brightened a large area. Broadus knew that he had to get the light concentrated into a small line. He found the small piece of curved crystalfirst trying it one direction then another finally getting it right. The star stones became a pointed beam of light that Broadus pointed at the small pile of dead dry leaves. A small line of smoke rose from the pile, followed shortly by a small flickering flame. Broadus piled a few more leaves and sprigs of grass on the pile, then arranged the wood pieces so that they would catch fire. Within a few minutes he had a roaring fire. The chill ws now gone, repalced by the warmth of the fire. He placed a small piece of dried meat on the fire, and let it cook for a short time. When it was finished he ate, then turned in for the night.
         Morning came rapidly, with a howl of the wind to be exact. Broadus gathered his skins, and searched for a place to put things away. He spotted what appeared to be a small cave, and walked hastily toward it. He stopped just inside the opening, out of the wind and blowing dust to let his eyes adjust. The blackness of the cave seemed to envelope him, he suddenly felt short of breath, his chest seemed to tighten up, and he felt dizzy. Broadus dropped the bag, and rifled through it. He found the star stones and the reflecting dish and positioned them to shine into the cave. The light reached the ceiling, and the floor just in front of him. The floor was a mear ledge only about two arms lengths wide. He stood at the edge and pointed the star stones down into the chasm he could see the sides of the ledge, but no bottom. Broadus examined the ledge, something seemed strange. He moved the reflector a fraction, and something glistened in the dark. To his surprise he noticed a piece of metal, it looked like a tree limb, except that it seemed to go on forever, beside the metal appeared a series of smooth carved stone steps. They led up to the ledge where he was standing. He sat the star stones down, and repacked the bag. When he was ready he retrieved the star stones and began to descend the smooth stones. He grab onto the metal, it was smooth and cold. His body shivered at the coolness of the touch. The steps seemed to go on forever, and he felt the anticipation become replaced with fear. He was not sure what was down there, and began to wonder if he even really wanted to know.
         He could hear water dripping form somewhere, and it sound like it was falling into a large pool. Broadus managed to muster the courage to finally continue, and continue he did. The winding steps led on forever it seemed. They ended at the side of an underground river, the water was dripping into the massive ekans of a river. Broadus walked beside the river for a long time, the star stones light reflecting of the crystal clear water. He could hear nothing other than his own foot steps, and the rushing of the water, he began to wonder was the sun still up, or was it already night? How long had he been down here? The darkness seemed to be timeless. Broadus stopped, he could hear a distant ringing, not the simple rings of the the spirit chimes of his people, but a low clang. He sat quietly, and listened he could not be positive, but it seemed to be getting louder, now a different sound was heard mixed in with the clanging of the bell. It sounded like a slow churning of water. A ever growing crescendo of splashing, the sound became intertwined with the sound of voices. Voices, Broadus realized that he now was not alone. He shoved the star stones into the pouch on his hip, and sat in the dark, listening as the sounds grew. A vague light could be seen coming at him from the direction he had been heading. He sat staring into the darkness, and watched as a massive wooden structure came floating down the river. Smoke billowed from two large tubes, and a large wheel churned in the water pushing the thing forward.
          " Ahoy, you there. Are you in need of a ride down river?"
          Broadus sat quietly, hoping that they would just forget about him, but that was not going to happen, not the way everyone now had gathered at the edge of the vessel.
          " If you can get me to a point where I can get a bite to eat and a soft bed, then I would be most greatful."