jalana-rain-blog

[jalana-rain-blog]

Town of Failures

That day started off so well. I got up, I bathed, I prayed to Sangus, I made our morning meal before even Andy woke up. Everything was going smoothly, the way I liked things to go. Why I was even in such a good mood I was humming a little tune as I finished my meal, checked off my list of preparations for the events of the day with the mayor and Andy. I hummed myself all they way over to the goat herder, Goatie. We chatted briefly, I counted out his goats, enough for what the priests had demanded. Ten goats. Everything was going fine.

“We have come for the blood sacrifice to our lord and master Sangus.” the high priest said, terrifying to most to gaze upon she stood there in her robes, once white now stained with dried and fresh blood, a long whip in one hand and a rod in the other. The mayor stepped forward, he smiled and bowed towards her, “Yes, we have prepared ten goats as you requested, glory to thee, our god Sangus.” 

Such a wicked smile, I remember it, like a cat about to scoop up the mice she’d cornered. “Ten? No...no we sent for twenty goats.” The mayors smiled faltered, “I...your... Ma’am I have the order here,” his hand reached towards me, I pulled out the letter, written on flesh with blood from its own victim a warning in of itself, “right here, it says ten goats for sacrifice to Sangus.” The priest shrugged her thin shoulders, “That’s outdated, this village has been slacking on blood sacrifices, you will bring me twenty goats.” I turned to Goatie, dragging him away from where the village had gathered. “Please tell me you have 10 other goats, somewhere.” Goatie was pale, his eyes wide he laughed softly “I only had 12, I could maybe get us 10 more from another village but it would take me a day and cost...” it was too late the priest had grown tired of standing under the hot burning sun of Sangus. “Enough, load the goats.” the servants of Sangus began loading the goats, I felt the knot in my gut untie, we were being spared her wrath, we’d have to start over on a goat herd but we could recover! “And everyone here.” the priest said with a wicked grin. 

The knot was back again, I thought about running like the rat catcher and Goatie were doing. I thought about screaming as the protesting Mayors throat was slit by the priestess. I thought about all my work I had yet to do, I thought about the hidden book of songs, of the lute I’d been saving for. I thought back to my Father, his proud smile when I’d tested so well and gotten into the school. How proud he was I’d been so smart. I thought back to my Mother, how she’d always tuck my hair just right to hide my stubby pointed ears. I thought of running again as Goatie and the rat man were tossed into the cart next to Andy and I. I stared down at them, they’d been brave enough to try. I was not.

The town was rounded up, no one had escaped, not even the cats who chased the mice. The carts pulled by flesh golems moved outside of the village, and as they left the servants of Sangus lit the huts on fire. The village was gone not even an hour later, the only sign a village had ever been there was the well in the middle. Off the carts went through the blistering desert, towards the capital.