Read Online Brother Thief (Song of the Aura, Book One) by Gregory J. Downs - Free Book Online
Authors: Gregory J. Downs
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He turned and saw… what did he see? He wasn’t sure for a minute. Was it a bird? A snake? A man? The whatever-it-was seemed unsure what shape to be. Finally it became a man and stayed that way; a young man in a long, gray traveler’s cloak and scarf, with a faded blue-gray cap so long that it hung down his back. A knotted, wooden staff was in his hand, and a pair of worn, brown sandals was on his feet. “Well done, indeed,” the man said again. “You have passed your first test.”
The sight was so strange that Gribly could only mumble, “Test?”
“Test,” the man-thing repeated. “Today you met the first of your many enemies.”
“Enemies?” Gribly felt like a parrot, repeating everything his master said. He’d never even seen a parrot.
“Yes, enemies,” said the man cheerily. The idea didn’t seem to phase him. “Because you are who you are, you will always have enemies. Today you encountered one of the worst, but more will come. You escaped one Pit Strider, but what about the next? Or the next?”
Bewildered, Gribly interrupted the babble. “Pit Strider? What’s that? And why is it- or them- after me? What did I do?”
“You were born,” the stranger answered simply, and sauntered over to take a seat on a large, flat rock nearby. He motioned for Gribly to sit next to him, which the lad did hesitantly. He sensed the man was a friend, but his mind was confused and blurry. The stranger gestured with his staff out into the sea of clouds circling the mountaintop. “You are alone in the world, Gribly, much like you are now, up on this mountain in the sky. But just as I am with you here, I am with you there , down below, and you are never really alone.”
The thief absorbed it all without complaint, wondering… and thinking. Finally he spoke.
“You must be one of the gods, then, to be giving me this vision.” Truth be told, he had never thought much of gods or visions, but then again- he hadn’t thought much of sorcerers before today, and he’d met one anyway…
“No.” The stranger’s cap swiveled as he shook his head. “There are no such things as gods. I am part of the Aura, and the Aura serves only the Creator.”
“The Aura!” exclaimed Gribly. “But… that’s just a myth! And besides, in all the old stories, the Aura is just a word to mean the earth, or, you know, the things the earth is made out of.”
“More correctly, the beings behind the earth’s creation.”
“Yes…” Gribly decided. “That’s what the stories said. I couldn’t put it into words.”
“Well,” said the Aura, or whatever he was, “The old myths were partly true. The Aura were the tools the Creator used to create .”
“My head hurts,” Gribly mumbled, “Even though I’m just dreaming this, and none of it’s real.”
“Dreams are always real, when we haven’t woken up from them yet,” smiled the stranger.
“I’m not going to pretend to know what that means. But if you serve the Creator... is he a god?”
“There are no gods,” he continued, “The Creator is the One who made this world, and every other world. He bows to none, and if there were gods they would serve him. He is, well… He Is. Do you understand?”
“I don’t think I do.” Gribly shifted in his seat, wondering where this dream was taking him. “Why haven’t I ever heard of the Creator before? He’s not in the old stories.”
“Have you ever been inside a Shrine, Gribly?” There, the Aura knew his name. And why not? He might as well tell the truth.
“No. The only one I’ve ever heard of is part of the Dunelord’s palace. No one goes there but the Dunelord himself. They say there’s a cleric inside- some sort of magician- but who can tell? I’ve never gone there.”
“The land you live in is harsh,” commented
The sight was so strange that Gribly could only mumble, “Test?”
“Test,” the man-thing repeated. “Today you met the first of your many enemies.”
“Enemies?” Gribly felt like a parrot, repeating everything his master said. He’d never even seen a parrot.
“Yes, enemies,” said the man cheerily. The idea didn’t seem to phase him. “Because you are who you are, you will always have enemies. Today you encountered one of the worst, but more will come. You escaped one Pit Strider, but what about the next? Or the next?”
Bewildered, Gribly interrupted the babble. “Pit Strider? What’s that? And why is it- or them- after me? What did I do?”
“You were born,” the stranger answered simply, and sauntered over to take a seat on a large, flat rock nearby. He motioned for Gribly to sit next to him, which the lad did hesitantly. He sensed the man was a friend, but his mind was confused and blurry. The stranger gestured with his staff out into the sea of clouds circling the mountaintop. “You are alone in the world, Gribly, much like you are now, up on this mountain in the sky. But just as I am with you here, I am with you there , down below, and you are never really alone.”
The thief absorbed it all without complaint, wondering… and thinking. Finally he spoke.
“You must be one of the gods, then, to be giving me this vision.” Truth be told, he had never thought much of gods or visions, but then again- he hadn’t thought much of sorcerers before today, and he’d met one anyway…
“No.” The stranger’s cap swiveled as he shook his head. “There are no such things as gods. I am part of the Aura, and the Aura serves only the Creator.”
“The Aura!” exclaimed Gribly. “But… that’s just a myth! And besides, in all the old stories, the Aura is just a word to mean the earth, or, you know, the things the earth is made out of.”
“More correctly, the beings behind the earth’s creation.”
“Yes…” Gribly decided. “That’s what the stories said. I couldn’t put it into words.”
“Well,” said the Aura, or whatever he was, “The old myths were partly true. The Aura were the tools the Creator used to create .”
“My head hurts,” Gribly mumbled, “Even though I’m just dreaming this, and none of it’s real.”
“Dreams are always real, when we haven’t woken up from them yet,” smiled the stranger.
“I’m not going to pretend to know what that means. But if you serve the Creator... is he a god?”
“There are no gods,” he continued, “The Creator is the One who made this world, and every other world. He bows to none, and if there were gods they would serve him. He is, well… He Is. Do you understand?”
“I don’t think I do.” Gribly shifted in his seat, wondering where this dream was taking him. “Why haven’t I ever heard of the Creator before? He’s not in the old stories.”
“Have you ever been inside a Shrine, Gribly?” There, the Aura knew his name. And why not? He might as well tell the truth.
“No. The only one I’ve ever heard of is part of the Dunelord’s palace. No one goes there but the Dunelord himself. They say there’s a cleric inside- some sort of magician- but who can tell? I’ve never gone there.”
“The land you live in is harsh,” commented
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