The jostling and bouncing on Bigbody's shoulder jarred Raymond awake just in time for him to get slammed to the ground as though his rough ride over the fat guy's shoulder wasn't enough. Raymond let out a pained scream as he writhed on the ground.
Bigbody grinned with sadistic pleasure. However, his smile disappeared when he met Fillian's glare. "You said to make sure I don't kill him till we get home, and here he is, alive and screaming," Bigbody sniffed.
"Let's go," said Fillian and he went on. Bigbody locked the door and followed him.
After the pain had subsided, Raymond stood up to inspect his surroundings. He was now in what seemed like a cage built with strong wood. Each wood was the size of his arm. He looked up from the cage to the darkening sky. The moon was high and bright.
A cold breeze wafted into the cage, making Raymond dizzy. He stank of blood - the blood of the man he'd inadvertently murdered in the woods a few hours ago. Wolves howled in the distance, frogs croaked annoyingly, and insects and bird chirps filled the atmosphere.
Raymond knew the fate that awaited him. Even if the people who captured him didn't kill him, no doubt someone or something in the woods would. He laid down on a sandy area in the cage and slept.
"There he is, bring the murderer!"
The yell of a man woke Raymond from his slumber. He uncurled and stood up as he saw one of the men who brought him, opening the cage's door.
Bigbody entered and tied him with a rope. He then pulled him up and dragged him out like he was a sack of trash. The sun was already peeking out through the sky. It was then that Raymond saw the entire people that surrounded him. It appeared he was now in some sort of village.
"Take him to Agithara," Jako said. "She will decide how he will die."
Bigbody dragged Raymond along as he walked for some time. Not long after he stopped in front of a house. Toby was standing beside the door, there was a look of disgust and sadness in his eyes. Fillian, who was standing beside him, patted him on the back before going inside.
A few minutes later he returned, but not alone. An older woman accompanied him. She appeared to be probably in her late 50s. Her silky silver hair was rolled in a single tight bun. She held a long white cane in her hand, which she used to support her body.
"Agithara!" everyone called as they bowed. Except Raymond of course, who was now on his feet. Agithara's eyes roved the crowd until they finally settled on their leader's killer.
"The man that is not from our world!" she exclaimed. She then ran to meet Raymond, her eyes scanning him. "It really is true. The Goddess of Creation never lies." She told Bigbody to untie him. The fat guy glanced at Toby, and then reluctantly set to work the rope.
Toby, annoyed, stepped forward to protest but Fillian stopped him, shaking his head in disapproval. Toby stepped back and gritted his teeth.
"Do I need to remind you that going against Agithara is the same as defying Ava?" Fillian whispered to him. "Do you want your soul to be rejected by your own Goddess?"
"What is the use of that? I'm going to die anyway," Toby seethed.
"At least you shall have a place in the bosom of Ava, rather than having your soul snatched and taken to the Abyss," Fillian whispered. "Agithara has never been wrong, and neither has Ava. Wait for her judgment."
Toby said no more; he simply resumed glowering contemptuously at Raymond, who was now free of bondage.
"Come with me, young man," Agithara said to Raymond and half ambled, half leaped back into her house. Raymond looked around, alarmed. He was uncertain if he was now a guest or a sacrificial animal of some sort.
He didn't have enough time to decide before Jako pushed him forward. Not that he needed it, though; he had no choice but to obey. And if luck was on his side, the supposed priestess would have mercy on him.
Raymond lunged forward toward the door. As he neared the threshold he felt his neck flushed, and he turned to see Toby staring dagger at him. It looked like the young man would lurch at him at any moment's notice.
Finally, Raymond went in and found himself in a wide chamber with a polished hardwood floor. A large dining table was near the center of the room, surrounded by chairs. On the far wall beyond the table, on a dais was a large cauldron with stems and feet.
Even from a distance, Raymond saw the water in the cauldron seemingly glowing. Below the dais stood Agithara, motioning for him to come closer. Once again, Raymond was pushed forward from behind. He glanced and saw Toby and Fillian staring disdainfully at him.
"Do as you're told if you do not want to lose your head, bastard!" Toby growled, his eyes blazing with fury. Raymond assumed he must be a family member of the man he'd murdered considering his special hatred for him.
Raymond hurried across the room and stopped in front of the priestess. Agithara took a small cup on a stool on the dais and used it to scoop some water from the cauldron.
"Drink. It will cleanse your body and mind," she said as she offered the cup to Raymond.
"Agithara!" Toby and Fillian called. But the priestess held her hand up to silence them. But Toby continued anyway. "He murdered Ghansiki in cold blood!"
"If he is who I think he is, he shall survive the Water of Soul. Otherwise, he will be destroyed inside out," Agithara said.
"He does not deserve to die by the holy water. He deserves an even more painful and mundane death!" Fillian hissed but Agithara ignored his comments.
Raymond raised an eyebrow as he put the now empty cup away from his mouth. He was too thirsty earlier to question the source of the water. "I'm going to die now, aren't I?" he whispered.
"We certainly can not know yet," Agithara replied.
"I guess I am who you think I am. Look at me now, NOTHING happened," Raymond said after a moment, smiling as he flexed his body. However, a grimace, apparently, of pain took over his features. "Or am I not?" He fell to the ground and thrashed. "Too much pain! Help!"
"Fool! You think you can survive the Water of Soul? Even the Holy men of Ava are circumspect of it!"
That was the last word Raymond heard before darkness clouded his mind. When he woke up and opened his eyes he found himself on a large bed, with Agithara sitting beside him. When the priestess saw him awake she stood up.
"You're awake!" she exclaimed. "How are you feeling now?"
Raymond clutched his eyes to assess his physical state. No pain. He touched his ribs which he had broken two nights ago during his brushes with death with the horde of shakases. No pain. Indeed, all his injuries and fractures had miraculously healed.
"How… How am I still alive? Am I…"
"Yes, you are," Agithara finished his sentence. "You are who I think you are. A human that is not from our world."
"How did you know that?" Raymond asked, dumbfounded.
"I didn't. Ava did."
"Ava?"
"Yes. The Goddess of Creation. She foresaw your arrival in this world. Everything has been planned by her. Fear not, for you are our hope now."
"Hope? What hope, ma'am?"
"Just call me Agithara," she said. "There was a prophecy about your forthcoming."
"Prophecy? What kind of prophecy was that?" Raymond demanded, his confusion deepening.
The new leader of the Wedge shall come. Not from the Wedge or the Kingdom. Not from this World or the next. You shall know him when you see him, for he shall come not as a warrior, but with the blood of the leader in his hands…
Agithara recited the prophecy to him. "You are our only hope of winning the impending war," she added.
Raymond rose to sit. He peered into the priestess's eyes and shook his head sideways. "You're delusional, aren't you?" he whispered.
Agithara smiled and sat down on the chair next to him. "It is either you accept who you are or face the judgment of the men you murdered their Lord, the option of which I do not suggest for you."