The Trials of Hallac- Part II: The Dead

At this did he end
His tale of that kingdom of old
And Hallac did nod
In his approval.
Sat Socestrian
Back in his throne then
And looked expectantly again at his royal nephew.
“So tell me true, Hallac, do you still
Claim that this dead place to which you came,
This city of ghosts, is Ounceireile,
Which fell before even thy father’s
Grandfather’s grandfather’s grandfather
First mewed his birth cries? Tell now the truth.”

Replied Prince Hallac,
“‘Tis the truth all told, mine uncle,
And did I hear this same story
From the lips of the ghostly king.
More details he had, which he imparted to me as he did tell:
‘Came we then to another chosen warfield,
Expecting to find there an opposing force,
The army of another king I’d challenged,
Come to defend his territory from me.
Such surprise was there when all we saw standing
Was a single man, weaponless, poorly clothed.
Thinking he was all that stood in our pathway,
My general looked to me for his command.
That I did not give, but instead went forward,
Alone to meet with this strangest of all men.
Asked I who he was and how dared challenge
The might of Ounceireile alone, without aid.
Calmly-eyed, replied this man simply to me,
‘A man of the gods am I,
Follower of Feraketh,
Whom thee have long abandoned
For thyselves.
So much fault
Have thy people in thy faith,
For you only give worship to yourselves,
To thy works,
And in only yourselves have you trust.
Abandoned the gods have you,
Men of kingdom Ounceireile!
For this err,
Grievous fault,
Fatal flaw,
This horrendous grave mistake,
Will you fall.
So says the god Feraketh!’
Scoffed I at the foolishness of this madman
At the gall he had to stand up to my force
And denounce us all as unbelieving men!
Rode I back to my general, gave order,
Setting my soldiers to ride the madman down.
Stood the fellow his ground, moving not an inch
Even as my bloodthirsty soldiers neared him.
In a breath’s length, the man raised his arms and called,
Naming Feraketh again as his patron.
The skies opened up at his call to the god,
Raining down some awesome power of firelight,
Solid golden sunlight that fell upon us,
Devastating my men, killing what it touched,
Man and horse alike, ruining our machines,
‘Til all that was left on the field were bodies,
Corpses of the men who had followed my rule.
As the golden light came nearer to my place,
Did I feel its warmth, then a feeling of air
And I found myself back here, in my palace,
Among the dead bodies of those who had stayed,
Women and children who dwelled in my city.
Even the walls had fallen, like as you see
They are now, tumbled and broken, in ruins.
Noticed I then that though the bodies were still,
Hazy forms of the people stood near their flesh,
Looking down at the bodies they were wrenched from
And looking at mine own hands, saw them like this:
Ghostly and only half-formed, as I am now.
Said the priestly man to me at that moment,
‘Punishment
Has been set,
One that you all well deserve.
Thy city
In ruins,
Thy bodies
Ripped away.
Here is thy holy sentence:
Every day will the wind and the sand
Break it down
Into pieces, bits, and shards
Which you will need replace
With the strength of your own hands and your backs.
Rebuild your shameful ruins.
When whole they are once again,
Will you have learned of true humility.
That way will you earn your peace.’

Set we about our tasks now, every night
We replace what has been moved from its right spot
By wind or by sand or by live hands like yours.
Still have we not earned that peace we were promised.’
The King of Ounceireile did end
His narration with that statement.
Then did he tell me he believed
That he and all of his people
Believed they had learned their lesson.
Humility was no longer
Stranger to the ghostly people.
Begged me then he did, as service
To take word of their lesson learned
To the priest who had condemned them.
For no doubt did the man still live,
So favored was he by the gods.
Bid me to take those words to him,
And of course I made agreement,
Since I had offered my service
And the King had accepted it.
The priest, they thought, lived in forest
That bordered on the desert’s edge.
If I made my way north, doubtless would I find the priest there somewhere.