I’ll Take You There

“This doesn’t make any sense.”

Toyo’s head began to swirl. Not a single thought could explain how she was staring at something so far from reason. She felt like the pawn of someone’s sick game. A doll made to dance on the palm of a sadist.

“I’ve never seen a death certificate that looked anything remotely like that,” Zida targeted, “Make it make sense.”

His words remained as cold as ever. Driven by the need accomplish his goal, and untouched by sentiment. Standing beside Toyo, Sina placed a gently hand on her shoulder, calmly asking if there was anything that could help everyone know what was going on.

Sina was well aware of how crazy it sounded to consider that a relic from hundreds of years ago at the very least could possibly be her mother’s death certificate. The timeline just didn’t make sense. But the look in Toyo’s eyes felt real, and the shock painting her face was impossible to ignore.

“I honestly don’t know what to think,” Toyo whispered, “I don’t even know if I can trust my own eyes anymore.”

The rawness of Toyo’s words was felt by everyone. Almost confirming that all they would walk away with was more confusion than answers.

“How is it so well preserved?” Zida asked to the shop owner.

“That, son, is a simple script, but one that only a few people can do well.” The shop owner craned his neck back, brushing his hand down his scruffy bard that stretched from his chin down to the collarbone. “Hmm… My grandfather casted it. To think it has preserved that paper for over 500 years.”

The number that fell from his mouth was shocking to Toyo. It was the first time that the physical disparity between her and the inhabitants of the world was laid bare. If his grandfather casted the script over 500 years ago, then that would make this man likely well over a hundred years old. She couldn’t grasp the concept, yet no one but herself seemed to be as bothered.

The shop owner gradually tilted his head farther back, just enough to get a line of sight towards the back of the shop. “Lugal,” he called, “come to the front of the store.”

Amidst a ruckus of items rattling and tumbling to the floor, a young-looking man emerged. Upon noticing Zida, he clasped one hand in the other just below his diaphragm and offered a fully engaged bow.

“My grandson has a better memory than me,” the owner prefaced as he gestured for Lugal to come closer, clearly less drawn to formalities than his grandson was.

“Did your father ever mention anything about this relic to you?”

Lugal took a good look at the paper in Toyo’s hand, but the wrinkles penetrating his forehead made it clear he was unlikely to come up with anything of use.

“You know my father doesn’t know much about these things, grandad.”

“That’s because he’s a lazy bastard!”

“Grandad…”

The owner fanned Lugal off, diverting the group’s attention back to the relic. “I don’t remember where my grandfather said he got a hold of that thing, but back then our family never left the mausoleum. It only makes sense that he found it there somehow.”

Zida stepped in closer, famished for what the shop owner had to offer. “What mausoleum?”

“It’s in the Ontsu Village, a land farther west from here. A bit off the grid but still within the borders of the Adikos Empire. Me and Lugal here were both born there. It has a long history.”

Zida began to pick up the pace, quickly asking how to get there and how much it would cost to purchase the relic from him. “That is a very long trip,” the owner eerily replied, “You won’t arrive until tomorrow morning. And that’s if you travel at night. Which even you, Your Highness, shouldn’t risk.”

“We can make the trip,” Zida urged, once again pushing to know the location. But the shop owner was unenthused by Zida, a fact that Lugal appeared to also catch on to.

“I think what my grandad is failing to mention is that even if you go, you likely wouldn’t be allowed in regardless.”

“And why is that?” Sina asked.

“It’s not open to visitors and the warden at the gate is very strict.”

The owner then added, “A native resident of the village would have to accompany you and negotiate your passage. Which you know won’t be an easy thing to pull off.”

Amidst the back and forth it had become clear to Toyo that perhaps the odd standoff between them stemmed from something far deeper than just the plight of a strict old man. For a while now she’d come to recognize that much of the glory that was put on display within the Central Region just simply did not extend to the outer regions. And the locals seemed to not be too upbeat about any of their presence either.

“I’ll take them.”

Lugal’s sudden offer came as a surprise. After all, he had only shown his face a few moments ago yet was already willing to act against his grandfather’s clear objections. It was obvious that he respected Zida more than the shop owner did, but willingly taking a trip a day’s travel away on a whim felt a bit too keen of him.

“That’s too damn dangerous you foolish child!” the owner lamented. Yet, despite his urges, Lugal was unwavering.

“Grandad, you’ve kept me outside of my home for long enough. It’s time I go back and finally make the decision for myself whether moving away was the right choice.”

“It was the right choice!”

“For you, maybe. But I can barely remember what life in the village was like. How can I be so sure?”

Moving to fight back, the shop owner’s anger doused expression suddenly deflated. His habit was to push back as much as possible, but deep down his heart seemed tired of fighting against the world. With his eyes diverting and his hand tensely tapping away at the counter, he took a single deep breath. “So be it.”

Lugal’s face began to glow and in one fell swoop, he latched onto his grandfather, thanking him for his blessings. After a brief embrace, the owner brushed Lugal away and then tersely told Zida, “That relic will be five refined urumar crystals.”

Daku’s gasp rang aloud as her jaw nearly dropped to the floor.

“I’ll give you two now and have the rest brought to you via messenger.”

Zida then pulled the paper from Toyo’s hands and hastily asked Lugal to follow him, to which he then gave his grandfather a final glance, who sent him off with a faint hand wave. Although the gesture didn’t appear as much, it was certainly more than he could ask for.

As they made their way back down the road, Nertu, nearly forgotten in his silence, suddenly gave a voice to the thought that everyone hesitated to say aloud.

“How are we all supposed to fit in that carriage?”

Clunk!

Daku plunged her fist into the top of Nertu’s head. “You shouldn’t be the one to talk!”