Immortal by A. R. James - HTML preview

CHAPTER 2: The Son

Verse 1:

When daylight came so did the scorching heat. The baby cried and the strength of his mother and father were with him.
Eventually a community of travelers came across the body of the Mortal. A wise man named Papa found the infant in the rock shelter and took him to a woman who had recently given birth. The woman’s name was Mama. Mama nursed him back to health. They knew the child was the son of a great man because the father had died saving him. Because of this, the child was named “Son”.
They buried the body of the father and planted a small cactus over his grave.

Verse 2:

The travelers wandered far and wide selling spices and knowledge to survive. In the years spent traveling with his family Son was educated in the art of music. His sisters taught him to dance to the rhythm of his heart. His brothers taught him to be fearless. His family raised him with love.

When he was old enough to choose his own path in life Son was taken to the wise woman to seek her council. The woman gave Son a peace pipe and told him to breathe in the smoke. She told him that his dream would decide his fate.

Verse 3:

In his dream Son carried a beautiful woman into a room made of sunlight. He could not see her because the light was blinding, yet he felt he knew her. He lay her down in a bed made of starlight and as he did she whispered into his ear, “Welcome home.”

Son closed his eyes and he fell. He fell further and further into darkness until he fell into a forest. He stood up and saw the tall trees. He felt the grass under his feet. When Son turned around there was a ninja with eyes of blood facing him. Son battled the ninja in the forest until the ninja suddenly disappeared.

Son heard the sound of flowing water. He followed the sound until he came to a river. In the river was a beautiful woman wearing a cloak made of moonlight. He could not see her because the light was blinding, yet he felt he knew her. She began to sing a beautiful song. Upon hearing this, Son dropped his sword and waded into the river to meet her. As he drew closer to the woman he heard a dark song. Son heard a splash in the river behind him and he knew it was the ninja.

Verse 4:

Son awoke and told the wise woman his dream. She interpreted his dream. The wise woman told Son, “The room of light is a paradise. You will
meet the daughter of a God and you will know her because her aura will be
as bright as the sun, moon, and stars. Your love can save you, but you will
be blinded by hate. In your blindness you will seek Death, but when you
face Death you will fight. For her, you will fight Death and seek life. The
river is life, and it is in the river where you will find her again. But even
then, Death will follow you.
If you wish to defeat Death you must face Death. You must become
stronger than Death. This is your fate.”
And so it was that Son decided to become a ninja warrior.

Verse 5:

Son was sent to the warrior on the mountaintop. The warrior was called Sensei. Every day Son trained. Every day he bled. Sensei told him, “If you wish to inflict pain on others, you must understand what pain feels like.”

In combat Sons’ first opponent was many times his size. When he saw this, Son began to doubt himself. Sensei told him, “Even the mighty elephant must beware the strike of the deadly cobra.”

Son trained for many years. When Son had grown from a child to a young man, Sensei gave him a bow and arrow and said, “Pull the arrow back into the bow string. Feel your strength. Feel your power. Feel how easy it would be to let the arrow fly from your hand into the heart of your enemy. Feel how difficult it is to hold the arrow back. When you can hold back your arrow for one day on this mountain, your training here will be complete.”

With that, Sensei left Son on the mountain alone to complete his training. Seasons passed and Son grew weary surviving on the mountain, which was now covered in snow. There was no more fruit to be eaten from the trees or bushes. Every time a deer came in sight Son would draw back his arrow in the bow, but the creatures had keen hearing and would run away.

Son knew there was only one way for him to catch his prey. He climbed into a tree as the sun rose and waited with his arrow held back in the bow. The energy he used to hold back the arrow kept him warm as the falling snow began to cover him. Son stayed in the treetop all day using the last of his strength to hold the arrow, but there was no animal to be hunted. As the sun set an elk came to the base of the tree to eat. Son took aim and let his arrow fly. The arrow passed through the creatures’ heart and into the earth beneath it. Son ate his kill and made his way down the mountain back to his family where he would be greeted as a warrior.

Verse 6:

When Son returned to his people a messenger from another tribe asked for his help. A child from the messengers’ tribe who possessed the ability to see into the future, had been kidnapped by a ninja clan. The ninja hoped to use her power for their own purposes. Sons’ mission was to intercept the ninja before they reached their village, and recover the girl. No one was to be killed in the rescue and the enemy could not know who Son was, so Son was given the garments and weapons of a ninja.

Son waited in the swamplands until one night he saw a fire. He went stealthily to observe the situation. From a distant treetop he could see a small child and two ninja. He noticed that the childs’ hands and feet were not bound. As he looked at her she looked back at him.

Suddenly she ran in his direction and the two ninja took chase, laughing as if it were good sport. The girl came to the base of the tree that Son was hiding in. The two ninja approached slowly. As they came closer Son dropped from the tree branch, throwing two ninja spikes into the shoulders of his foes before he landed in front of the girl. The two ninja fell to the ground moments later. Son had dipped the spikes in a sleeping potion so he would not need to kill them to make an escape.

Son told the child to follow him. When she explained to him that she could not follow him because she was blind he asked her, “¿If you are blind, how could you see me in the tree when even the ninja could not?”

She told him, “I felt your presence.” Son carried the child on his back through the swamp as they ran from her captors. She told him there was a third ninja who would be closer than the others. Upon hearing this Son ran even faster. On the second night, Son decided to rest in a tree to regain his strength.
As they rested, the child told Son of her ability to tell the future through dreams. He told her his dream and she told him, “You will be stronger than death before your time is done in this world.”
“I will save you from death as well.” Son promised.
“One day you will be stronger than Death, but you will not save me. I have seen it in a dream.” she said calmly. “I thank you for your efforts and hope that one day you will find peace.”
“¿How much do you know little one?” Son asked the girl.
“More than I speak of.” she answered.
Son realized that they had been resting for too long and needed to keep moving. As he took the little girls’ hand she whispered, “He is here.”
Before Son could respond he felt a burning pain in his shoulder, lost his grip on the tree branch and fell to the ground. He quickly got to his feet and drew his sword in time to block the sword of the ninja that now stood before him.
Seeing that Son was still able to fight, the ninja jumped back and began pacing. Son looked at his own shoulder and saw the ninjas’ throwing star that had hit him.
“The star in your shoulder has been poisoned. Soon you will not be able to fight. Save yourself. Give the child to me and I will not kill you.” the ninja told Son. Son told the ninja, “It is my destiny to be stronger than Death. Leave the child alone, and I will let you live.”
The ninja laughed, “That child has a price on her head. Only those who possess wealth and command armies can protect her. If you pay me I will gladly kill the one who paid me to capture her, but you have no wealth and no army. You are only here because you will be paid for your services, and that pay will only feed your clan. It will not be enough to protect them.”
Upon hearing this Son grew angry. He felt the poison in his veins and knew that he needed to strike soon while he still had strength. Son attacked the ninja. They fought until the ninja knocked the sword from Sons’ hand.
Son fell to his knees and as the ninja pulled back his sword for a killing strike, Son pulled the throwing star from his shoulder and threw it into the ninjas’ throat in one swift, painful motion. The ninja fell to the ground and died in a pool of his-own blood.
The girl climbed down from the tree. “We must move on.” she told Son.
Son could not see because when he killed the ninja, his blood had sprayed into Sons’ eyes.
“We must find clean water to wash my eyes, but I don’t know where to find any.” Son told the child.
“I hear running water.” she replied.
“I hear nothing. But if you can see when others cannot, I trust you.” said Son.
And so it was that the blind prophet girl led Son to the river where he washed the blood from his eyes, and poison from his wound.
Upon returning the girl to her people Son was paid and given medical attention. When Son left the girls’ village his name was praised and the people wished him well.

Verse 7:

When Son returned to his family a message had been delivered by a hawk, which told of the death of the prophet girl and her village. The ninja Son had killed was the leader of his clan. The Ninja Clan avenged the death of their leader by assassinating the prophet girl and slaughtering her family.

Sensei was disappointed with Son because the mission was to rescue, not to kill.
His people understood, but Son could not forgive himself and he could not be comforted. Over and over he thought of what the little girl had told him. Son also pondered what the ninja had said. After much meditation Son decided that he would travel alone into the world in search of riches to build a Kingdom and raise an army large enough to protect those he loved from the evils of this world. When Son told this to his family Mama told him, “Gold and swords will not keep us safe from the evils of the world. Only love has that power.”
Son heard but would not be dissuaded. When the wild horses that raced from land to land galloped across the plain, Son bid his family farewell and rode with the horses. As he rode away Son heard his family singing songs to bless his journey.
“Remember love.” was the last thing he heard his family sing as he rode into the unknown.
The wild horses could not be tamed but they allowed Son to ride with them until they came to the Land of Mirage.

Verse 8:

When the horses stopped to drink at a river Son began to explore the new territory. He saw a mysterious woman gathering water on the other side of the river and decided to approach her. She wore a dark cloak and a diamond necklace around her neck which shone so bright in the sun, Son could not see her face.

The woman looked at Son and told him to follow her. As he followed the woman he heard the neighs of the horses, but he did not look back.
Son walked with the woman through the jungle for many hours and they spoke of many things. Son offered to carry the water for her and was surprised to find how heavy the water jug was. The more he heard her speak the more he loved the sound of her voice.
Eventually they came to a large tree and sat underneath it. Son looked upon the woman in the shade of the tree and could now see her clearly because the necklace no longer reflected the sunlight. As he looked into her eyes, Son felt his heart beating faster and faster until he felt a pain as if his heart would burst. He became light headed and his legs began to feel weak. In that moment Son knew that he loved her and would do anything in his power to have her love.
They looked into each other’s eyes until suddenly without hesitation, Son kissed Lyla.
“I did not give you permission to kiss me.” Lyla told him. “I apologize, yet I regret nothing.” Son said, still looking into her eyes.
“What is your name?” she asked after laughing at his apology.
“I am called Son.” he told her. “Tell me your name or I shall call you Love, or Beautiful, or any other name I think befits you.
“My name is Lyla.” She said. Then she kissed him.
Son asked Lyla to be his queen and return with him to his family. She agreed, but was not free to leave the land because she was a slave to the lord of the land who was a tyrant.
Lyla had been bought into slavery at a very young age but her spirit was as free as the wild horses. Son promised her that he would speak with the lord of the Land of Mirage to negotiate her freedom.

Verse 9:

Lyla took Son to the fortress of the lord of the land. The gates swung open and he was greeted with smiles.
“¡Welcome!” said the lord of the land who sat in his throne. “¿What do you seek in my kingdom?”
“I seek fortune for myself and my family.” Son answered.
“I seek knowledge of the lands beyond my own, for I have never left these lands. If you can draw me a map of all the lands you have seen beyond Mirage, I will give you the fortune you seek.” the lord bargained.
Son agreed to this and because he had traveled so many places he was able to give the lord of Mirage more than enough information.
After a short time Son had completed the map and the lord of the land was pleased. Son told the lord of Mirage that he wished to return to his family as soon as possible. He also told the lord that he wanted to take Lyla with him.
Though the lord of Mirage had many slaves he said he could not afford to let Lyla go. Son told the lord, “You can keep half of the fortune you owe me in exchange for Lyla.”
When the lord of Mirage heard this, he knew Sons’ mind could not be changed so he agreed.
“My women will prepare your horses with food and treasure so that you and Lyla may depart in the morning.” said the lord of Mirage as he embraced Son like one brother embraces another.
Son spent the night drinking with the lord of the land in celebration until he drank so much firewater, he fell asleep before he could tell Lyla that she was free to leave with him.

Verse 10:

When Son awoke, he found that his hands and feet were bound with golden shackles and silver chains. The lords’ guards took Son to the dungeon. Son was sick because he had drank too much firewater the night before so he was not able to fight the guards off as they took him down the spiraling steps deeper and deeper into the dungeon of the fortress. As they went further down into the dungeon Son realized that the dungeon was larger than the royal quarters above it. When they reached the bottom of the stairway a large door was opened and Son was thrown inside a dark room. He landed on sharp stones. As the guards entered behind him with their torches Son could see that the room was filled with diamonds, gold, and silver. Son had been brought to the lords’ treasure chamber.

The lord of the land entered the room with a smile on his face. “This treasure is all yours but I can not let you steal one of my women.” said the lord of Mirage. “Now that you have your fortune I hope you will die in peace.”
And with that the lord of Mirage left Son locked in the treasure chamber.
Son sat with his back against the wall of the treasure chamber. The floor was covered with diamonds so when Son slept the stones cut into his skin. He could hear the other prisoners being tortured and the guard on the other side of the door who taunted him with words to break his spirit.
“¡You are a fool Son!” the guard laughed. “My lord will use the map you gave him to conquer all of the lands you have shown him. All who live in those lands will become his slaves.”
Son thought about his family and what would happen to them when the lord of Mirage followed his map. He thought of Lyla and the promise the lord of Mirage had made. Son had never been lied to by someone who embraced him as a brother before. As he thought about all of these things he began to cry. Then he began to scream as a rage took over him.
The dungeon guards had been ordered not to feed Son so that he would starve. Son survived by eating rats that came into the treasure chamber, and drinking water that dripped from the chamber ceiling when it rained.
Days passed and with each passing day Sons’ heart grew colder. He now thought of nothing but revenge. Eventually Son forgot how long he had been living in his treasure hell. He forgot about his family. He forgot about love. All of his thoughts were of darkness and hate.

Verse 11:

One night as Son sat in his prison he heard the door unlock. His hands and feet were still chained so he remained seated with his back to the wall and waited for his captors. When the door opened the room was filled with light. Sons’ eyes had grown accustomed to the darkness and it hurt to look at the light. As he shielded his eyes with his hand he heard a voice say, “ I have come to free you my love.”

Son knew the beautiful voice belonged to Lyla. “The king of the kingdom of War has come here to join forces with his brother, the lord of Mirage so they may wage war on all the lands they do not control. They have been celebrating all night and have just now retired to their chambers. I gave the dungeon guard a drink that contained a sleeping potion and took his keys when he fell asleep. I would have come for you sooner, but the lord of Mirage has been watching me vigilantly until this night.
There is a tunnel in this dungeon that leads to the river. I will go to the stables and take a horse to the river where we first met. I will tell the stable guards I am going to fetch water for their lord and they will let me pass. By the time the guard of the dungeon wakes we will be gone from this cursed land.” Lyla told Son as she unlocked his shackles.
Son knew her plan would work, but his heart was still cold and he still longed for revenge.
“Go now, and I will follow the dungeon tunnel to the river where we shall make our escape.” Son told Lyla.
But he would not look into her eyes as he spoke. Lyla could sense his anger but she knew she did not have time to comfort him further, for the guard would wake soon. She went back to the royal chambers and made her way to the stables.
Son walked out of the treasure chamber. He looked down the long dark tunnel and knew that he could follow it to the river and leave with Lyla, but his desire for revenge was too great. He looked at the dungeon guard who lay asleep on the floor.
Son knelt down and took the guards’ sword. He then whispered into the guards’ ear, “You will not die peacefully in your sleep. I shall kill you when you wake.”
Son then walked up the spiral staircase that led to the royal chambers. He came to a door at the top of the stairs that led to the middle of a great hallway. At one end of the hallway was the lords’ bedroom. At the other end of the hallway were the guest quarters. A guard was patrolling the hallway and Son could hear his footsteps. He waited at the door as the footsteps of the guard grew louder and louder. As the guard passed by the door, Son rushed behind him, stabbed him in the back through his chest, pulled him back behind the door and threw him down the dungeon steps in one stealthy motion.
Son then walked down the hall toward the lords’ bedroom. As he drew nearer he could hear the laughter of the one who had betrayed him. Son kicked the door open to find the lord of Mirage in his bed wearing a diamond necklace and surrounded by naked women who were chained to each other.
“¿What do you seek?” asked the lord of Mirage. “Retribution.” Son answered.
The lord of Mirage grabbed his sword and Son attacked. Son cut the hand that gripped the sword from the lords’ arm. The lord of Mirage screamed out in pain until Son choked him with the diamond necklace. As he died, the lord of Mirage could feel the diamonds cutting into his throat. Son stood behind the lord and did not loosen his grip on the lords’ necklace until he was sure the lord of Mirage was dead.
The chained women sat on the bed and said nothing. At the other end of the hallway the king of the kingdom of War had heard his brothers’ screams of agony. He had many ninja bodyguards and sent them to his brothers’ bedroom to help.
Son heard the ninja approaching swiftly down the hallway as he stood over the dead lords’ body. One of the women on the bed pointed to a bow next to a quiver full of arrows hanging on the wall under the heads of many beasts the late lord had hunted. Son took the bow and strapped the quiver around his back. He then stepped into the hallway to face the ninja bodyguards.
Son pulled an arrow from the quiver, placed it in the bowstring and pulled it back. As he pulled the arrow back he felt his rage. He then shot the arrow through the heart of a ninja. He pulled another arrow from the quiver and shot it through the heart of another foe. With every arrow Son shot another life was taken. He continued to shoot while walking toward the door that led to the dungeon. When he reached the door Son continued to shoot until his quiver was empty. He then opened the door and went back into the dungeon.
Son waited in the darkness, crouched down on the dungeon stairs. When the first guard came past the door without a torch and started down the stairs it was so dark he did not see Son crouched at his feet.
Son pulled the guards feet up from under him, unsheathed the guards’ sword, and stabbed him through his chest before the guards’ body hit the stairs. Son then took a sack of firewater the guard had carried. The other guards hesitated at the door but the king of the kingdom of War commanded them to move forward. Many guards rushed down the dungeon stairs to kill Son. Son fought them all while walking backwards down the spiraling staircase, which was now red with the blood that streamed down it.
The more guards and ninja Son killed, the more advanced down the stairs. Many carried torches that shone with a brightness that still hurt Sons’ eyes. He cut off one of the guards’ hands and picked up the torch that was dropped. Son then filled his mouth with the firewater and spat it through the fire of the torch and onto his enemies. The firewater ignited when it hit the flames of the torch and the guards screamed in pain as Son spat fire upon them. The guards began to scatter. Some fell down the stairs and some turned to retreat only to be stabbed through their backs by Son, who killed all foes that entered his dungeon that night.
At the bottom of the stairs the guard who had been sleeping woke to see the bloody corpse of another guard at his feet. He looked up and saw Son running down the spiral stairs. The guard began to cry out for help.
“¡A prisoner has escaped!” he cried.
“¡Your lord is dead!¡I have killed him!” Son shouted back to the guard.
The guard ran down the dark tunnel and Son gave chase. The guard could not see in the darkness of the tunnel, but Sons’ eyes were well adjusted to it. When he drew close enough, Son pounced onto the guards’ back and pulled him to the ground. Son then crawled onto the guards’ chest and held his arms down with the weight of his knees. As the guard lay there helpless he begged Son for mercy. Son began to strangle the guard. As he did this, Son thought of how the guard had mocked him in captivity. Son lost himself to rage and did not let go of the guards’ throat until his own hands were soaked in the guards’ blood.
He stood over the corpse of the guard and stared at it. Son looked down at himself and he did not know if the blood that soaked his garments was his, or the blood of his enemies. He then continued to run down the tunnel that led to the river where Lyla waited.

Verse 12:

When Son reached the end of the tunnel he saw Lyla mounted on a horse, waiting in the rain under a tree next to the river. Son ran under the tree, grabbed the horses’ reigns and began to lead it across the river. The horse smelled the blood on Son and became uneasy.
“We must hurry.” Son said to Lyla. “You are late.” she said disappointedly. “I have longed for you to take

me with you from this land as you said you would, but before I go with you I must know… ¿Are you still the man I fell in love with, or did he die in the dungeon?”

Upon hearing this Son turned around and looked into Lylas’ eyes. He looked upon her as she glowed in the moonlight.
Suddenly something struck Son in his chest and he fell into the river, still holding onto the reigns of the horse.
“¡They are here!” Lyla screamed as Son pulled himself back to his feet.
Son looked at his chest and saw the arrow that had struck him. He looked up and saw a ninja on the riverbank.
“¡Son!” Lyla screamed as another arrow hit Sons’ chest and knocked him off his feet.
Son fell into the river and the reigns slipped from his hands. He tried to fight the current as it carried him away but the river only grew stronger as it continued to rain. As the river carried him away, Son could hear Lyla screaming his name in the distance. Son struggled to stay above water for as long as he could. After he had used most of his strength and lost much of his blood, Son closed his eyes and fell asleep as the river carried him through the storming forest.
Son opened his eyes to see a beautiful woman. He heard her quietly singing a lullaby. She was weaving a basket.
“¿Where am I?” Son asked her.
“This land has no name. My name is Song.” She replied. “My husband pulled you from the river and brought you here, where I tended to your wounds. You have slept for many days. At first we thought you would die but your wounds heal faster than any I have seen.”
“It is my destiny to be stronger than death.” Son explained. “Only the Gods are stronger than death.” Song replied. “Then I shall become a God.” said Son.
“When you are a God, remember the mortals who helped you.” Song said with a smile.
“¿What is your name?” she asked. “I am called Son.” he answered. “Rest now Son. You are not fully healed yet.” she said.
Son fell back asleep.
Son awoke to see a man with a long white beard looking down on him.
“I am Elden, Songs’ husband. ¿Where do you come from Son?” “Darkness.” Son answered. “All is darkness.”
“Rest now.” Elden whispered. “All shall come to light.”
Son was still injured, so he slept.
Son dreamt about his childhood. He dreamt about his family. In his dream they were singing together. He did not know the song, but he sang anyway. Then Son realized that his dream was actually a memory from his waking life.

Verse 15:

When Son awoke his wounds had healed. He was stronger than he had been before he was wounded.
He sat up and began to undo his bandages. Elden and Song entered the room.

“¿What do you plan to do with the rest of your life now that your wounds have healed?” asked Elden.
“I shall go to the kingdom of War to kill the brother of my dead enemy.” Son replied.
“You do not think clearly.” Song cautioned. “Pray to the Gods for guidance. Mine is the God of love. ¿Do you have a God?” she asked Son.
“When I was a prisoner in darkness, I prayed to the God of darkness for vengeance. When I was freed from my chains I was granted my vengeance.” Son said.
“¿But who set you free?” Song asked.
“My love.” Son said as if it hurt to remember.
“¿And where is your love?” asked Song.
“I lost her as we were escaping.” Son said as he hung his head.
“So your God of darkness granted your wish for vengeance in exchange for your love. The God of love gives love but you must sacrifice your hate. Your physical wounds have healed but you spirit is still wounded. I can teach you how to heal your wounded spirit.” Song offered.
“Tell us your story and we may be able to help you.” said Elden. Son told his life story to Elden and Song from his childhood to the ambush in the river.
“Song and I once served the old king of War.” Elden confessed. “We were skilled fighters and gifted healers as well. We thought that if we destroyed our enemies the rest of us could live in peace. But soon it became clear that the king of War planned to kill everyone who was not born in the kingdom of War.
After many innocents had been slaughtered, we decided that we had to stop his reign. I was his personal bodyguard and Song was his healer. One night, Song seduced and killed the king of War and we killed his other two bodyguards when they tried to take her prisoner. We fled far from that land, feeling that we had accomplished a great thing until we came to this temple and were allowed to stay with the monks who taught us about the God of love. After we had lived here for many years the monks t