“I don’t wanna get kicked again. Maybe some other time.”
“Let’s go,” Kari interrupted. “That tower looks close, but it could be a lot farther away that it appears.”
“Hey look,” Michael said, pointing in the opposite direction. “A wagon.”
“Please god,” Jonathan said to the sky, “pretty farm girls for all.”
Kari rolled her eyes in disgust.
“And I suppose a pretty farm boy for Kari,” he added, jumping back so he couldn’t be kicked.
Trundling along, pulled by a donkey that had probably been old at the time of
creation, the wagon was wide enough to take up the whole narrow, hard-packed, dirt road.
Pulling to a halt alongside them, the driver, nearly as ancient as his donkey, eyed them critically. His wide brimmed, straw hat did not quite hide his wild white hair, and his worker’s clothes were worn and dusty. Tipping his hat to Kari, he nodded amiably to the twins.
“Morning,” he said. “You young’uns heard the words of Cain yet?”
Shock bolted through Kari at hearing the name of her father’s oldest and most
dangerous enemy, imprisoned in the furthest reaches of time and space. Overcome, she nearly fell over, clinging to her unstrung bowstave to keep upright. The name could, of course, be a coincidence. She supposed that other people were allowed to bear the name of the enemy of all creation. But what parent would curse their child with the name of the man that had once tried and almost succeeded in destroying all of existence?
“I can’t say as we have,” Michael replied.
“Say, old man,” Jonathan said, pointing to the tower. “Could you tell us what that is?”
Looking toward the massive pillar that reached for the heavens, the old man
smiled warmly.
“The World Tower? Why, who hasn’t never heard of the World Tower? Where
you three from?”
Examining them a bit closer, the old farmer took in the long, thick bowstave,
hefty belt knife, and quiver full of thumb thick arrows that Kari wore. His eyes wandered to the two swords Michael had, one on each hip, and the large broadsword strapped across Jonathan’s back.
“We’re from very far away,” Kari explained. “You mentioned the words of
Cain?”
“You haven’t heard of the Apostle,” the man cried in incredulity.
“Should we have,” the twins asked.
“Hop on up into the back of the cart there,” the old man jerked a thumb to the back of his empty wagon. “I’ll tell you all about the Apostle and the words of Cain that were brought to us from another world. Name’s Max.”
“I’m Kari. That’s Jonathan and Michael.”
Climbing up first the twins each offered her a hand. She handed her stave to one and allowed the other to pull her up. They sat down and looked expectantly to the old man as he flapped the reins to get the ancient donkey moving again.
“Why did you jump when he mentioned Cain,” Michael asked privately.
“Didn’t you pay any attention at all during your lessons,” Kari stared at him.
“Wait. Don’t answer that. Cain is our father’s oldest and most dangerous enemy. He’s the one that trapped dad between worlds forever.”
“Oh, really,” Jonathan asked. “Sounds like a wonderful story, wonder why he
never told us.”
“He did,” Kari rolled her eyes, “you just never pay attention! How could you forget Cain? He only tried to destroy the entire universe! Father imprisoned him for the rest of eternity, but was caught in the trap Cain left for him. Let’s see what this guy has to say about it.”
“If we have to,” the twins said.
“So,” Kari leaned toward Max conversationally, “you say this Apostle person
came from another world to preach about Cain?”
Max nodded emphatically, obviously very devoted.
“Oh, the Apostle is the most holy of Cain’s servants. The Apostle came to teach us the way of the one true god and to destroy our false goddess.”
“Really,” Kari asked.
Slightly worried, she cursed herself for giving up the right to ever return home. If this was the same Cain, then their father had to be warned somehow.
“Cain will destroy all false gods,” Max continued with religious fervor. “He will bring all peoples and all worlds together under him, and we will live forever in peace and harmony, without hunger, sickness or poverty. He created worlds without end, but when the people began to worship false gods he turned his back on us and left. Once his name is spread back to all worlds, and all false gods forsaken, Cain will then return to us and we will bask in his everlasting glory for all eternity.”
“This Apostle,” Kari asked. “You’ve heard him say these things?”
“Of course not. The Apostle is far too important to visit poor old Max on his farm. From the original congregation, the Apostle chose twelve preachers, and each of them chose seventy others. Those missionaries spread through the world two by two, bringing the Gospel of Cain to us all.”
“I would very much like to meet this Apostle,” Kari said.
“Oh, to bask in the glory of the Apostle in person. Poor old Max here can’t leave his farm even to see the Apostle speak. That’s why I asked you if you’d heard the good word. The Apostle is at the World Tower now, asking all those able to bear arms to come and help to destroy our false goddess.”
Sitting forward with interest, Michael’s wolflike ears would have been pricked up to points if they were not hidden by Kari’s illusion.
“A goddess you say? In dire need of rescuing by a handsome hero? At the
tower?”
“Was you raised in a cave your whole life, boy? She’s called the Empress Oracle.
She sees the future and leads the Ten Nations from that tower. How can you not know about the false goddess!”
“How do you know she’s a false goddess,” Jonathan asked.
Max rolled his eyes as if he’d just been asked why water was wet.
“Well of course she’s a false goddess. There can be only one true god, the Apostle says so, and that god is Cain. The Empress Oracle may be a thousand years old like the stories say, and see the future, and perform miracles, but they’re just stories. It’s all lies! She’s deceived us all this time. She selfishly seeks to steal all the glory from Cain.”
“I see,” Kari said. “And you say that this Apostle is at the World Tower now, gathering an army to storm in and kill your Empress Oracle? The woman that has led you, guided you, performed miracles for you, and foretold your future for a thousand years?”
“All false gods must be destroyed before Cain can return to us,” Max did not
appear to have caught the sarcasm in Kari’s voice.
“How far is it to the World Tower from here,” Michael asked.
“Days by foot. Can’t leave my farm for that long, though it’ll be all over before poor Max could even get there. Least I can do is help you on your way a bit. That’s how I’ll help pull down the false goddess. I’ll take anyone that goes to fight against her on my cart as far as I’m able.”
“So,” Michael said, scratching behind where one of his invisible wolflike ears would be, “let me get this straight. Your Goddess has ruled over you for a thousand years?”
“False goddess,” Max corrected.
“Naturally,” Jonathan nodded.
“Has she oppressed you,” Michael asked. “Demanded human sacrifices,
excessive taxes, killed people for no reason, anything like that?”