In the Silencers’ desert a legendary old man lived. They called him the Hermit. Many years ago, he left the world to occupy one of the caves of the mountain hermitage. People in the vicinity venerated him as if he were a man of God. The Stranger met him by chance: he walked into the Hermit’s dwelling when examining the caves in search of ancient artifacts.
He was met by an austere wrinkled, very tall old man with white beard.
“Peace to Thee, wanderer!” he said. “Go up to mine. I’ve prepared tea for you to give strength and vigor.”
“And peace to you. How could you see me? I’ve come from outside the mountain,” the Stranger was surprised.
“I’ve seen you long before,” and without another word, he threw down a rope ladder…
The Hermit always met the Stranger with sweet-scented tea, in a mysterious way knowing the time when the guest visited him even after several years of absence. And the Stranger had no better place to have a rest, though sometimes he used to stay in expensive hotels. Their meetings were always fruitful. The Hermit showed him hidden caves, masked tunnels, crawlways, helped him to find invaluable artifacts and treasures. In the evenings, the friends lighted fuses of lamps handmade of clay and filled with oil, prayed, discussed sacred books. The Stranger often argued against the Hermit, still holding him in respect. The Hermit always cried when was saying good-by to the guest and asked for visiting more often.
After release from prison, the Stranger came to the Hermit; there were nobody who waited for him. Every day, while imprisoned in a one-man cell, he recollected the old man’s prophecy. “You will be alone for a year, you’ll be speaking to yourself, because you’ll have no person to talk to, still the God hears you and he won’t leave you, and after those days you’ll become a great person. You’ll be a man of spirit to see the Truth. The Stranger of the last way inspired by the God’s breathing will come to the City to implement the ancient destiny. He will be in glory and power to drive away horror and fear”.
For two hours, he was carrying the girl on his back, washed out came up to the cave of his best and, in the event, the only friend.
“Hermit, it’s me! I need your help. Help me!” the Stranger called out.
A familiar form was not slow to emerge in the opening.
“I have been waiting for you, Stranger. I have been waiting… your tea is ready. Climb up!” the old man responded joyfully.
“I’m not alone, I’ve brought a girl, and she feels bad,” the Stranger slapped her slightly in the cheek. “Bird! We must get up.”
She mumbled something in response. The Stranger jumped onto the rope ladder holding the girl’s hand tight. The Hermit threw down the rope with straps to help her get up.
The Stranger, faint with fatigue, laid the Bird onto the wooden bed, and fell down the floor, burying himself in fresh sheepskins emitting sharp odor. His heart was beating frantically, his head swirling. “Now, it’s going to be all right”, he tried to persuade himself.
The old man brought the tea smelling of smoke, cakes, and thick honey. He looked at the girl, sighed heavily, raised slightly her head and gave her to drink the hot tea. The Stranger who came to life recovered his breath and thanked the God for bread (he did not want to offend the man safeguarding blessings jealously) and attacked the food.
The old man looked at him with sympathetic tenderness, then dropped:
“You have changed, Stranger. Much wisdom and much grief in you, man.”
“Waters of life were flowing, Hermit, many things were taken away, many things were brought.”
“I have been waiting for you. Now, you’re a man of spirit.”
“I’m just a leaf in the wind. It is not my coming to be waited for, but our Prince. He is to come. He promised.”
The Hermit’s eyes were dimmed with tears, and he shook his head sadly.
“Can I see him? I wish I would live to see.”
“Sooner or later, you will see him. Do not hurry, my friend, everything is God’s will. I need to get to the City. Your prophecy is coming true. But I go not for fame or greatness. Fame and death go hand in hand, but I want to live. I love life whatever it is. But I’m a servant of God, and my fate is in His hands. I’ll do everything I must… May I leave the girl with you? She shouldn’t go with me until she gains strength. She is scared to death, and, in earnest, I got a fright too.”
“Have seen something?” the old man screwed up his eyes cunningly. “Spirits of the desert? You have never believe in them, and even chaffed with me.”
“They were not spirits, Hermit,” the Stranger stared at one point.
“So, who they were? People? You were frightened by children of bones, haven’t you?” the Hermit looked at him attentively.
“They were not people, Hermit. They were not people, yet, I don’t know who they were,” he shuddered and shook off all stupor.
The old man was gimleting him with gaze, then started back abruptly, turned pale, leaned against the cold wall of the cave, kept silence for a minute, and then uttered in a low voice,
“They’re already here.”
“Who?”
“Alien people. The predictions of great prophets are being fulfilled, which vaticinated invasion of aliens,” the rhetorical language of sacred books confused the Stranger who preferred modern speech patterns. The Hermit often was talking to the characters of ancient scriptures as if they lived in his cave. He admired them, held up as an example, or even reproached some of them.
“What does it mean, Hermit?” the Stranger asked.
“You’ll see this in the City,” the old man answered mystically.
“I’m not strong enough to stand against them. Nobody can withstand them.”
“A man cannot, but God can. You have a gift, you can win with it. But you must know: if you don’t hold power, they’ll destroy you, and the defeat will tell on the result of the coming battle between light and darkness.”
“What dreadful words you say! If I can influence anything, then we’re sure to lose!” the Stranger exclaimed. “I cannot govern this power. I call for it, sometimes it responds to certain words, and manifests itself, but sometimes these words do not work out like an obsolete code. I never know for sure, whether it will come or not. Sometimes, the Wind appears itself, without any apparent reason. If I face them, I have to find the right code instantly, otherwise I’ll be powerless.”
“Code is an idea, word, vision, event, or something else. You have a big choice. Do not be afraid! I believe that the Spirit ought to appear in danger to protect you,” the Hermit said enthusiastically.
The Stranger smiled sadly.
“And what about the girl? I’ve called her the Bird.”
“She lost her wings,” the old man replied. “Do you remember a book of poems you brought to me? I liked some of them very much:
‘And if the building’s in fire,
We’ll die without the wings
The wings so precious to me’.”
“Never mind, Hermit, her wings will grow again, and she’ll fly. Let her stay with you,” the Stranger asked.
“Are you going to the City? I’m ready to follow you. Stay here for a while, at least have a rest, and then, let’s go. For your sake, I’m ready to leave the desert,” the Hermit said.
“No, I’ll go alone. Help the Bird. I’m hunted by the great. I put my trust in the Seer, but he let the dogs loose on me. A friend of mine who had trusted in me helped me, but now he is in their hands”.
“People won’t be able to help you, Stranger. And it’s not people whom you should be afraid of. Our war is not against flesh and blood. Oh, Seer, Seer,” the old man fetched a deep sigh. “There’s something wrong about it, Stranger, something wrong. He wouldn’t do hurt to you.”
“What are you talking about, Hermit? We’re not the enemies with him, not we are kindred, though. What did he want? I couldn’t guess. Is it possible that the Seer got a fright?”
“He didn’t want you to come to the City,” the Hermit answer
ed in an assertive tone.
“Why do you think so?”
The old man glanced at the friend wit reproof.
“Sorry, I’m tired; I’m just being thick today,” the Stranger smiled.
“I’ve discovered the Seer,” the Hermit sighed. “I’ve found a puny boy with fiery eyes, seen his gift and helped him be developed. I was a famous telepathist and healer. I had not to stay in this world amongst people. I could hear thoughts and see the true essence of a person, his past, and felt sick. I could see the future: death and pain, and felt like crying. Such capacity brings grief, and my skin was as thin as letter paper. I perceived else’s pain as if it were mine. The patient has a headache, and I have, he’s hung over, and I have that morning after-feeling. He suffers from loss of his loved one, and my heart is breaking. That’s why I’m here, and long ago. And the Seer was able to find himself in the world of hypocrisy, seeking lucre, and violence. He has adopted somehow, gained fame and respect. Yet, people like him try not to do hurt to righteous people. They know the worth of such a crime. I believe, he’s undertaken to take care of you, in a strange way, though. The Seer has his head in the clouds, but he’s got accustomed to this world, even struck his root deep. Sooner or later, he’ll sober up.”
“Why did the Seer refuse aid?”
“He saw danger for people if you come to the City now.”
“Do you believe that I pose hazard to people?”
“You’re the torch. You give light to kind people while burning malevolent ones. You know, the Prince possessed power that not only saved but killed. Once, when he was hungry and exhausted, he was angered by emptiness and unbelief of people and could not suppress the power that arisen in him. Then he directed it towards a tree so as not to hurt sons of men… the tree burst into flames as straw. Believe me, it is the most difficult thing to possess power but not to resource to. And you’ll also find it difficult to refrain; still it is you who decide.”
“Hermit, who is good? Who is bad one?” the Stranger gave in. “Why are you here, not with good people? Where are they, the good ones? Well, they probably exist, but why are they good, have you an idea of it? The answer is simple: biology, genetics… this is their nature, not merit. But what’s about the bad? After all, they are ill, prisoned, with their mind struck blind, their feelings closed. You cannot burn snakes and scorpions! They are no ways to blame for being born with poison! There is military situation, and there is time of peace, both have their own laws and rules. Sometimes a man does well, sometimes he is wrong, it depends on circumstances. Men of God fight not against people, but against human errors. Anyway, I believe, people can change, but under certain circumstances, and this happens rarely if ever. Mostly, people cannot change, even if they’ll change their clothes, bare essence of them will remain unchanged. What can I do, and for whom? It is not rare that I need help myself, sometimes I feel blue, though, I know it’s too silly of me. I’m nothing alone. It seems to me that I’m just a cheap bottle for expensive wine; the bottle will be cast off no sooner than the wine dries up.”
“My poor friend! Love has cooled down in your heart. I’m afraid you’re not ready yet to go to the City. You’re over the hill. I can see it is not wine to soothe and cheer up that you carry, but a sword, and you are eager to unsheathe the sword. The Prince was not like you.”
The Stranger stood up. He felt sharp rage of the Wind. He didn’t find the reason that drew to power, but noted, “Wine, sword. Remember another code. Maybe, it’ll work one day”.
“The Prince was pierced, and I’m a sword now. The world keeps on killing him every day,” the Stranger was under the influence of the Wind and didn’t understand what he was telling about.
He turned away trying to calm down. Then he came up to the old man who was keeping head down, and offered his hand,
“Thank you for everything, my friend. I’ll be pleased to see you in the City.”
Coming to the edge of the cave, he jumped down, flied over several meters to land softly onto the sound. Then he stood up straight and stepped out not looking back. The Hermit was looking at the Stranger’s figure moving away, heavy tears running down his seamed face to vanish in his white beard.
Part two
The City