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complete the shaman built a fire once again
outside the door.
The two spent their days and nights there
next to the fire listening to the moans and growls emanating
continuously from the hut. The old man instructed the younger on
the secrets and rituals of his trade. Hours were spent discussing
the various worlds and man’s place in those worlds according to the
tribe’s history. The rest of the community left them alone. The
life of a shaman in the tribe was a lonely one.
Often Marik brought up his need for revenge
and the two argued. In all other things the boy acquiesced to the
knowledge of the man, but he did not agree with letting the enemy
get away with the murder of his father. The rage he felt when he
dreamed about it at night blinded all other thought. In his mind it
was not a desire for retaliation, but a need for justice. Being
told he was wrong only made him more confident in his hate-driven
dreams where his father pleaded with him for release.
~ Chapter XV
~
Marik had made his decision the night before
and had not been able to sleep. As dawn approached, he stared up at
the many bottles, weapons and other strange things he could not
identify while the shaman slept soundly on the other side of his
hut. Outside, a light rain fell steadily which had driven them
inside many hours ago.
The previous evening Marik had not had to
wait long for the drug from the green bottle to take effect on his
unsuspecting instructor, and the old man still slept soundly.
Earlier he had discovered and killed one of
the common large spiders hiding under his sleeping mat. This was
not unusual. The spiders were a regular source of food within the
tribe and each night a couple of them could be found roasting in
the various fires. They could also inflict tremendously painful and
dangerous bites, so removing them from the community whenever they
wandered in was imperative.
The boy got off of his cot and snuck quietly
over to the table. After skewering the spider on a long stick, he
snatched up the green bottle and applied a drop of its contents. He
turned around to leave and jumped when he noticed the shaman’s eyes
were open. Tanis was leaning over with obvious effort and was
speaking softly. Marik could see his eyes were glazed through half
closed lids.
“No… can’t get out... must stop.”
The shaman slumped back, once again asleep.
Marik moved quickly out of the hut without paying heed to the
warning. He had been listening to the old man for weeks and knew
his thoughts on the matter.
“He would not have needed to be drugged if he
just agreed with me,” Marik thought to himself.
The full moon was to occur in two days. Tanis
had estimated the pupae would emerge around then and form their
cocoons.
As he approached Marik could hear the moaning
coming from inside the hut. He removed the heavy outer leaves from
the door and opened it. The odor hit him like a club. It assailed
him to the point where he could not move forward. He took a step
back and heaved his last meal into the wet smoking fire pit.
After a few minutes of bearing the stench he
felt he could make another attempt. He was eventually able to enter
the hut. The low moans had become roars as the monster sensed his
presence. Marik could not see, but he could hear the jaws snapping
together and the bindings creak as the starving crazed beast
attempted to reach him.
The boy stayed along the walls where he knew
he could not be reached. He approached the far side of the hut
where he knew the head was and slowly extended the impaled spider
towards the audibly snapping jaws.
Suddenly the stick leapt out of his hands.
The boy stared into the darkness wondering what had happened. He
bent down feeling around the dirt floor, but the stick was not to
be found. He crawled around the outer wall in a panic feeling
everywhere but unable to locate the missing spider. The clacking of
snapping teeth echoed in the small space.
After a few minutes it was obvious the
monster