The Society - Part 2

This is Part 2 of Clever’s short story, “The Society”. If you haven’t read Part 1, you can find it on our profile.

...

Myla woke up in her own home to the sound of too many voices. When she tried to sit up, she noticed her hands and feet are bound. That’s when it all came flooding back.

She tried to twist free of the ropes, but it was no use. A man in a black cloak noticed her struggling. He pointed a sword to the other side of the living quarters, where Alainn and her family are also tied up.

“I wouldn’t try to escape. Your family will pay the price, girl,” he says.

“Momma, Poppa, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault,” Myla tells them.

“Hush now. We’re just glad you’re alright,” her father replies.

Another sinister-looking man walked into the room. His eyes scan Myla, and she holds her breath. He pulled the necklace from his cloak and holds it up.

“How many wishes have you made?” he asks.

“Just one,” she replies.

“I’m willing to be kind,” the man says. “I’ll let you make two more wishes. Then, I will take the necklace and leave you be. All I ask is that you don’t try to stop me.”

Myla laughed. “I know you don’t have a choice but to let me make my last wishes. The genie won’t answer to you until I do. You’re doing me no favors. Besides,” she continued, “how do I know you won’t harm us, once you have the genie?”

“Clever girl,” the man says with a smirk. “Since we’ve done away with the pretense, you will make those wishes, or I will start killing your family one-by-one. As for how you can ensure your safety, you can simply wish that no harm comes to you all by me or my men. Use your other wish for a fortune or a handsome suitor for all I care.”

Alainn snorted.

The man ignored her and squats in front of Myla. “Just make those wishes. Now.”

“Just give me a moment to think of what I want most,” Myla says. “Then, I’ll do as you say.”

Satisfied, the man stepped back. Myla’s head swirled. She needed a way out of this that didn’t leave this man with the power of a genie. She doesn’t know what happened to the woman from the market, but she clearly went to great lengths to keep the necklace from him.

“I’m ready,” says Myla.

The man handed her the necklace. His men grab her parents and hold knives to their throats.

“Try anything funny and they will die,” he told her.

Myla gulped and nodded her head. “I wish for myself and my family, and Alainn and her family, to be safe from these people… in a place far from here,” Myla rushed out the last bit before the men can act.

The necklace flared to life. Myla saw a flash of rage on the man’s face, and then they are gone.

...

Zynia picked her way through the market feeling a pull to the north. She stayed aware of her surroundings, knowing the Black Cloaks could be searching this very place. She swiped a few provisions since her coin purse is now gone.

Exiting the market, Zynia found a secluded spot by a stream to eat and fill up a waterskin that she took from the market. She will need strength if she runs into the Black Cloaks which seems likely. She is about to rise when a pulse thrums through her body.

Someone has made another wish. She hopes it is the girl.

A moment later, the feeling that had been pulling her to the north shifted directions. Interesting. The wish must have transported the bearer.

Zynia chugged the last of her water and refills the skin. She turned southwest and began walking. She grinned. It appeared the girl had made an escape.

...

Myla appeared in a small cabin with a crackling fireplace. Everyone started talking at once and asking questions. Alainn calms everyone and gathered them on comfy couches around the fire. They told their tale as their families listen with wide eyes, interjecting with questions now and then.

When they are done, silence fills the cabin. They have all been transported far from their homes, with no idea when it will be safe to return. Myla can think of only one thing to do.

“I wish we had precisely everything we will need to make the trip to The Society,” Myla says.

The necklace glowed brightly. At first, it appeared nothing had happened and Myla wondered if this wish was also forbidden. But then, there is a whinny from outside.

They rushed out the door to see two horses loaded with provisions. Myla turned to Alainn and placed the amulet around her neck. It pulsed once more.

“Are you ready for an adventure?” she asked her friend. “Or would you rather stay here with a husband and mounds of gold?”

Alainn opened up one of the saddlebags and peered inside. “I’m sure there’s gold in here somewhere.”

Myla laughed and linked arms with Alainn. “And I bet there are plenty of dashing men along our path.”

“It’s settled then,” replied Alainn.

“Now,” says Myla, “let’s see what we can learn from these supplies.”

Alainn rose her eyebrows as Myla started sorting through the items. She carefully inventories the food.

“For two people, this is about three days' worth of food. Since we have horses, wherever we are going must be a three days ride from here,” Myla says.

“Oh, that’s brilliant, Myla,” Alainn says, as she understood the purpose behind Myla’s last wish.

She began looking through the provisions. She held up a head-wrap that is used in the south to protect from sun and sand. “It looks like our journey takes us through the desert.”

Myla pulled out a map and laid it on the ground. The map had a star on a spot in some foothills outside of a small town no more than two days from the desert. She looked at her surroundings for the first time. The cabin sat in the hilly countryside. She drew a large circle around the star, encompassing the area within a three-day ride. She then sectioned off the area that would take them through the desert before continuing to look for more clues.

“Why would we need three bed rolls?” Alainn asks.

“Maybe one of us sets ours on fire,” Myla replies, as she held up a firestarter.

“Ah-ha!” Alainn says as she held up a handful of coins.

“You found your gold,” Myla said with a laugh.

“Not just any gold,” Alainn replied. “Usoyan currency.”

Myla returned to the map. She sectioned off the path to the eastern desert kingdom.

“We head to the south-east, and see what awaits us.”

...

Zynia will need a horse if she is to stay ahead of the Black Cloaks. They will likely head back to their fortress to regroup, which will take them in the direction she must travel. As dusk approached, she found an unoccupied stable on the outskirts of town.

She made off with a strong black stallion and rode down the main road until it’s fully dark. She searches by moonlight for a spot to camp. She makes sure she’s a good way into the woods before tying the horse to a tree and building a campfire. Just before she drifted off to sleep, she hears voices.

Bolting upright, she doused the campfire. Zynia crept through the woods toward the noise. She saw the shadows moving ahead but it was too dark to see them well without getting close. A fire flared to life, lighting up the group. Black Cloaks.

Zynia crept back from the camp, choosing every step with care. She reached her horse and untied him, willing the mount not to make a sound. She led the horse through the woods, away from the Black Cloaks. Once she is a good distance away she hops into the saddle.

Now that her adrenaline is pumping, she raced through the night, putting as much distance as she could between her and the Black Cloaks.

...

After a night’s rest at the cabin, Myla and Alainn depart on their quest. All they have is a general direction in which to look for The Society, but it will have to do. Myla tracked their course with a compass and the map, and Alainn made good company. Before they know it, they are nearing the desert.

They decide to stop for the night at the last river before entering the wastelands. At the first light of dawn, they rise. Making sure they drink plenty and fill their waterskins to the brim, they mount their horses and ride on.

When they reached the sands, they pause only to wrap their heads in the silk cloth. The heat is nearly unbearable but they try to conserve water. Even the horses are showing signs of exhaustion by the time they reach Usoya.

They stopped at the first town they saw, built around an oasis. They roamed through the streets, nearly overwhelmed by the colorful silks and spicy aromas after a day in the desert. They turned down a side street in search of an inn when Alainn felt a tug on her arm.

“Lost, are you?” a man says, never letting go of her arm. Another man sneered beside him.

Alainn tried to yank her arm free and the pendant slips from beneath her shirt.

“Ooh, what do we have here? I think you should hand that pretty necklace over, girl.”

Shaking, Alainn grasped the necklace and starts to pull it over her head. “I wish someone would save us from these men,” she says.

Their chuckles are cut short by a flash of light. Two more men turned onto the street and taking in the scene, pulled scimitars from their belts. After a brief clash, the would-be thieves runoff, only to be hauled away by two more men.

“Don’t worry about them anymore. They’ll get what they deserve,” one of the rescuers says. “Are you alright?”

“We’ll be fine, but do you know the way to the inn?” Myla asks.

“I rather think we should escort you,” the other man says.

The kind strangers led them to an inn where they inquire after a room. The price of a room, stable for the horses, and two meals added up to the exact amount of Usoyan coins in their possession.

“It looks like this is the final town before we reach our destination,” Alainn says.

“But where do we go from here?” asked Myla.

Neither of them had an answer, so they took their supplies to their room and headed back down to the tavern for their meal. They are served lamb kebabs with yogurt sauce and mint rice. They are nearly finished eating when another customer walks into the tavern. Myla’s jaw dropped and she elbowed Alainn.

“That’s her,” Myla says. “The lady that left me with the necklace.”

...

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Thanks so much for reading!

-Clever & WTF