Prologue to The Sin Cloud

PROLOGUE

Darius rounded the corner in a full sprint and excitedly stopped near Hayden, who was sitting near the eastern most wall. As usual, he was alone, staring into the distance. They all wondered why he did it.

The same time everyday.

Same place.

Same faraway stare.

Almost reminiscent, but not quite recollecting. Deep intuitive searching, but not ever able to conjure up the memories. If only they could have read his thoughts. He was more bitter than before. His animosity toward God was burning brighter than ever. He had mentioned those feelings to the Timekeeper, but those days seemed so long ago. He had progressed in his attitude toward this God he vaguely remembered. He used to hate Him, but now, he barely even believed that such a God could exist.

Because of the sullenness of his expression, they'd chosen to never interrupt him, until today. Darius reached him out of breath.

"Sir Hayden, you're being summoned by the ruler of the city. He wishes to speak with you at once."

Hayden continued to gaze ahead, his features unchanged.

"I'm sorry, Sir Hayden. I told him you wouldn’t like to be interrupted, but he said it's important and you'd want to hear it immediately."

No response.

"Sir, please. I don’t know what to tell him."

No answer.

Darius worriedly touched Hayden's shoulders and shook him. "Sir Hayden, are you okay?"

Hayden's hypnotic trance was broken. "Darius, what's wrong? You know I don’t like to be bothered here."

"I apologize, sir, but you must come with me at once. The high counsel is calling for you. The man himself wants to see you."

"Why?"

"I don’t know. Maybe to see for themselves the giant who has caused so many problems among the Babylonians. Perhaps they want to look upon the man who has garnered so much attention from the Captain of the King's command, to see the feared warrior who shoots lightning bolts from his eyes and topples legions with his tenacity," he said with a laugh.

Hayden wasn’t amused, "Those days are over, Darius. Abaddon Dearth must have bigger things to worry about now. It's been weeks."

Darius shook his head. "He's not the kind of man to let things go. Not him. He'll be coming until one of you are dead and probably murder the rest of us just for spite."

"Well, as long as we're here, we're safe. We could make out just fine here for a while."

"I dunno," Darius disheartenly answered. "Maybe if I can send for my family, perhaps I'd be okay. It's been weeks since I held my wife and children. Do you know how hard that is on a man?"

Something within Hayden instinctively cried out that he knew exactly what Darius was feeling, but where had that thought come from? There was no way he could know. He wasn’t a father. He had no wife for that matter. Why had he suddenly felt the strange detachment Darius described?

He calmly cleared his head. "No, and you're right, Darius. You should take some time to be with your family. I'll have Amarsin send word to Marcus to have them escorted here at once. You've earned it."

Hayden stood and walked back toward the inner city. "Let's go see what they want. Hopefully they've granted you permanency. We could work on your family once they arrive, but that would be primarily procedural once yours gets done."

Darius smiled. "I appreciate all you've done for me. You've truly proven a brother.

 

.     .     .

 

Hayden stepped before the counsel with Darius at his side. Two guards stepped forward as they entered, their swords falling to form an impenetrable wall. The man in the center of the council stood. He wore a golden crown on his head, and a white silk robe over his body. A golden sash hung loosely around his waist.

He motioned his hand forward in a welcoming wave. "We wish to speak to you alone, Sir Hayden, of supposed Babylonian heritage. We have no need to speak to your servant."

Hayden scoffed. "He's no servant, Your Honor. He's my brother. One would do well to note the difference."

"And what's the difference, so I might make further note of it in the future?"

Hayden detected the arrogance in the man's tone but decided to humor him anyway.

"Well Your Honor, he walks beside me and not behind me, speaks to me whenever he pleases, has sacrificed much to be on my journey, and-"

"He's sacrificed much for you. That can be said for most slaves. They all sacrifice for those they serve. It's why we have them," he said with a laugh.

Hayden paused to allow the room's laughter to cease. He took a deep breath to stifle the anger rising inside. The greatest intolerance he had in life was toward ignorance, and this was it in its purest form.

"Yes, that's true. But I've also sacrificed for him, and would again many times over. Therein lies the difference, Your Honor, between slavery and family. This man is family to me."

The spokesman agitatedly nodded. "Well, Sir Hayden, he's no family to us, as he's only been granted temporary protection, not permanence. Therefore, he's still under our jurisdiction. We wish to speak with only you."

"Anything you can say to me, you can say in front of him," Hayden indignantly proposed.

The man was growing agitated, and motioned for the guards to escort Darius away.

"Don't bother arguing with me, Sir Hayden. We have our ways here. He's protected because it's the law, but we don’t have to like it. Likewise, you don’t have to like our views, but you do have to tolerate them... Toleration, now there's a strong concept. The world would be a better place if we'd all just learn to be a bit more understanding."

Hayden smiled, almost arrogantly. "There's a fine line between toleration and compromise, Your Honor. I have no problem tolerating the opinions of others. However, I won't surrender my integrity or convictions on the altar of someone else's pretenses. Ultimately, I must live with the choices I've made; and I'd rather die than compromise myself."

The man in the white robe stepped down the first step and sat down. He made sure that Darius had been removed.

"You speak as a man who has nothing to lose." He briefly paused before moving on. "And we have a problem, Sir Hayden. One we think you can help us with."

"What's the dilemma?"

The judge flashed an expression of fear. "Abaddon Dearth is dead. He was found near his childhood home just days after our battle outside the Fortress. It was obvious that he'd been ambushed. The King of Babylon is demanding that someone show for an official inquiry into Abaddon's death."

"And you want me to be that voice?" Hayden incredulously asked. "You expect me to leave the safety of the city and return to Babylon where I was on trial just a few weeks ago? The king's man has been murdered, and you want me to appear before him on the city's behalf? Why?"

"No, Sir Hayden. I'm afraid you misunderstand my request. We don’t want you to appear before the magistrates of Babylon. We want you to convince Amarsin Shamash that he needs to. We need him to leave the city and speak for us."

Hayden was appalled. "Why? If he does that, those loyal to Captain Dearth would seek him out. He'd be killed before he met with the king."

"Perhaps, but at least the king's quest for justice would be realized. We'd both benefit from this. The king would forget about you… and us."

Hayden was wroth. "I won't betray a friend to save myself. I certainly wouldn’t entertain the thought to save you."

"Sir Hayden, it could come down to one life verses thousands," he said, almost pleading. "You'd let the future of our city be jeopardized for refusing to sacrifice one man?"

"It's not my position to make such a choice. I'm not god or king."

"Well, then perhaps you'll do it because the only person the king would listen to from your group is a delegation made up of Amarsin Shamash and his grandfather, Marcus."

"Ah," Hayden replied, the Court's intentions becoming clear. "You want to use Babylonian authority against the king. If the king respects the representative of the city, you think you'll be spared."

"Sir Hayden, we did nothing wrong. The only reason we must worry about defending ourselves is because the blood of an elitist Babylonian was spilled outside the gates of this grand city because of the antics of your group. If you hadn't barged into my city, none of this would have occurred. You owe us this much. Please, just grant us an opportunity for peace."

Hayden seemed disappointed. "Have you forgotten that this city was created to serve people in trouble? It's your duty. When the strong stop protecting the weak, humanity is in trouble. Sometimes helping people has a price. It can jeopardize one's pretty little notions about peace. But you must remain willing to pay that price, or this city has already become like every other city in the world. Are you so willing to sacrifice what has set you apart?"

"What's set us apart has been our leniency toward others concerning their mistakes. We boldly blink at the transgressions of people's pasts and allow them the opportunity to begin again without scrutiny."

"A noble gesture indeed, but forgiveness doesn’t give you the right to hold the guilty hostage. True forgiveness means the atrocities of the past have been permanently removed. There's no longer anything to be lenient about. Everyone in the city stands on equal footing, because all men are free from the weight of their past."

"But we must still-"

"There is no but, Your Honor. You either forgive or you don't. It's that simple. In this case, it appears that you've been most unforgiving. You've only granted one of us permanent citizenship, and you're now asking him to sacrifice himself on the altar of obligation. I find no honor in this."

The leader turned without saying a word and walked back up the step toward the council members. They spoke for several seconds, leaving Hayden out of their conversation. He could see the tenseness with which they talked. There was urgency in the members' faces. He knew that look all too well. They were apprehensive.

He calmly approached the platform and climbed the few steps upward toward their small group. One of them motioned to the leader as he drew near. The leader whirled around and found Hayden standing face to face with him.

"I'm afraid you have us at a disadvantage, Sir Hayden. The veracity of your words has been razor sharp. You've opened our eyes to the error of our own logic. We mustn’t use our goodness to manipulate people into our desires. True forgiveness means presenting each man with the opportunity to choose his own fate, even if his choice isn’t the one we'd make for him… At times, he may even choose to bite the hand that feeds him or hurt the ones who've given him new life. Our duty, as the officers of this city, is to uphold our integrity regardless of the feelings and actions of those around us. We understand that now. Sorry to have inconvenienced you, Sir Hayden, and thank you for helping us see the light again."

Hayden politely smiled. "Grace is always given to those who equally bestow it… Besides, I may have an alternative solution."

"Good, because we weren't done with you yet either."

"You first then?"

"No, sir. It can wait. Please share your idea."

Hayden moved right in, "If the King of Babylon wishes to speak with Amarsin, you could welcome him with open arms. Present him with the niceties of your city. Let him witness first hand your hospitality and learn how many guilty Babylonians have benefited from your existence. It could be an eye-opener, as well as a safe place for Amarsin to lead this delegation."

The judge smiled. "A wise suggestion indeed. This committee shall ponder it and probably put it into practice if the king would be willing… and Sir Amarsin."

Hayden winked in their direction. "I think he could be thus persuaded… Now, what of the other business you have with me?"

The leader showed concern. "We're extremely worried about your man… Darius. It's why we didn’t want him in here. He-"

"I assure you, that man is honorable. I'd lay my life on the line to vouch for his credentials."

"It's not that we're concerned about him. We're concerned for him."

Hayden was confused. "I'm afraid I don’t understand."

"He's an Aksumite, is he not? That’s what he reported on the papers he filed requesting permanency. I assume those reports are accurate."

"Yes. He's from Aksum."           

"Well, we do our due diligence before granting anyone permanent residence… What he didn’t report is that he's Aksumite royalty. Were you also aware of that?"

Hayden's lips pursed at the corners. "Yes. I'm aware, but that shouldn’t be a problem. If anything, it further proves his honor. He doesn’t gloat in the fact that he's the son of a king."

"His honors not in question, Sir Hayden. We just thought you should know, Darius of Aksum, son of King Adollion of Aksum, is in trouble."

"What? Why?"

"His family is under attack. His country is in shambles. Many of his siblings have already been killed or captured."

"By whom?"

"There's been an uprising from within the Ethiopian province. Most of these uprisings are quickly dealt with, but someone influential is funding the coup. We aren’t aware whom. Some say the Romans. Some say the Jews. We aren’t sure if it's either."

"Why are you telling me this?"

"Respect, sir."

"Respect?"

"Yes, sir. You've come here and combated the great Babylon with higher principles than we've ever witnessed. King Adollion was known as a fair man among the world's noble alliance. Because it's only Aksum where the war spreads, many of the allies pretend not to notice… We don’t have much to offer, but we can at least make you aware."

"Was?"

"Excuse me?"

"You said the king was known. Has something happened to King Adollion?"

"I'm afraid so… He's been murdered. His last remaining factions are trying to raise support to keep the fight alive. This civil war will be over within months if no new hope is given."

"A civil war? Someone from the inside is fighting to destroy the Aksumite Kingdom?"

"Yes, sir. It is bad, sir."

"Who is it?"

"It's Prince Demsas, Darius' younger brother. He's leading the rebellion from inside. No one has been able to trace his external allies yet."

Hayden was stunned. "Are you certain?"

"Yes. The fact that someone powerful is funding this means the rebel leader is someone influential in the Aksumite culture. King Adollion was always well protected. His guard was one of the best in the business. No one could have gotten close to him. We knew it had to either be one of the elite guardsmen or someone close enough to the king to be granted private access. The king's own guardsmen have indicated that Demsas has blood on his hands."

"And why make Darius aware now? What's in it for you?"

"Nothing at all, but having men like King Adollion made the world a better place. Besides, Darius is in danger whether he stays here or goes there. Demsas has hired assassins to hunt his brother down."

"Why would he do that? Why not just let his brother find out about this months later, when he's ruler and there's nothing Darius can do?"

The leader shook his head. "Because, Sir Hayden, Darius is the rightful heir to the Aksumite throne. If he ever returns to Aksum, he'll be the ruler by Aksumite law. You must protect your friend, Sir Hayden, and we're afraid that the only way to do so is to escort him across the great watery divide so he can present himself as the new Aksumite King. If he's as honorable as you believe, then he's exactly what Aksum needs."