Hassan

The following morning, I woke with a weight on my heart. The sensation was strange even now. Sari had really changed me.

I got out of my cot with a groan and walked the short distance to the well and drew a bucket of water taking a small sip to get the dryness from my mouth before taking it back to my hut to wash myself. I couldn't believe I had let Thekros talk me into becoming his Blood Kin. For a blacksmith, he knew more than how to press steel and metal to form to his need. Thekros was the closet person I had to a brother since my brother had died in battle so I wasn't sure why we hadn't done this already other than I didn't believe much in religion and Thekros did. The gods had never done anything for me but strip me of land, family, and everything I held dear. No, I had no love for the gods if they did exist.

The sun was barely above the mountains and the city was already bustling with businesses for during the hottest parts of the day everyone would be seeking the coolness of their huts. You could hear merchants bellowing from their tents on the light wind and Thekros already hard at work at the anvil as well as the chanting of the shaman's from the temple that was faint and eerie that carried on the breeze. Their was the smell of fresh cooked bread in the air mixed with the smell of roasting meat.

The temple sat on an enforced cliff with sandstone steps leading up to the dark obsidian marble walls and gleaming copper upside down onion roof that made up the large temple. It was one of the few places I didn't visit in the tribe just to my non belief in our deity's, but for Thekros I would make an exception just this once.

The steps were meant for you to use to ponder the gods and turn your focus inward as you climbed them, but all it showed me was how out of practice I was for conditioning. As I climbed, several people passed me in easy strides. At the top of the stairs, I took a break looking up at the grand archways of the temple that were carved out showing the myth of our creation. The pitch black walls glimmered in the sunlight along with the gold and precious stones that were placed with the utmost care into the carvings of the gods.

I took a deep heavy breath feeling my resentment towards this task to pass not even my own child on to Thekros, but a child that wasn't even mine, grow as I willed myself into the entrance of the grand temple. The chanting was now more audible and eerie as ever. It took me a moment for my eyes to adjust to the faint torchlight in the windowless building. The floor was made of white marble slabs that were swirled with grays and polished to a high sheen to try to manipulate the light that was coming from the torches placed around the surrounding walls. In the center reaching to the beginning of the dome were thirteen ivory columns- one to represent each of our deity's. Along the walls were alters made to represent each god and goddess that were made to please each ones specific needs.

I walked silently looking for the alter to Namiah who was the goddess used to call upon for the Blood Relations ceremony. When I finally found it, there was a slim figure in a heavy blue robe kneeling bowed in prayer in front of the alter.

"Shaman," I whispered touching her shoulder.

At once I realized my mistake. The slim figure in front of me was a young girl. Probably ten which would make her the lowest rank in the shaman. How I could tell is the robe didn't do much to hide her thin frame. She swam in it and hand the sash tied tight right at her petite waist. She stopped her prayers and moved her hands back to lower her hood. A mane of dark black hair braided with care fell over her shoulder as her warm heart shaped face looked at me.

"I am the bringer of things. I can fetch a Shaman of Namiah for you."

A bringer of things was a virgin woman, or man who had not moved up to the second rank withing the shamans known as a Ancillary Shaman. They usually didn't rise in rank for five years due to being encouraged to marry instead of continue in their teachings to become shaman. A bringer of things was in charge of tending to sacred relics and ceremonial instruments. An Ancillary Shaman was a scribe and recorded our history as well as transcribing old demonic texts from our ancestors. After completing another five years as an Ancillary Shaman one could move on to the third class of shamans known as Eminent Shamans that were in charge of purifying ceremonies. After five more years or the head shaman known as the King's Physician, allowed it, they would ascend to the level of Fire Shaman which were the shamans that oversaw all blood sacrifice rituals. Only a Fire Shaman could be chosen to be an apprentice to the King's Physician who is the highest rank within the shamans. The King's Physician is a shaman that is also trained in the art of practical medicine and was also the King's councilor.

"Aye if you would."

"For what reasons do you seek help today?"

"A Blood Kin Ceremony."

She stood gracefully and walked over to the chanting shaman's in the center of the pillars and whispered something in the ear of one dressed in a similar colored robe that rose and walked away from the circle to over where I was. By now the chanting had become part of the background and wasn't as over bearing as I had thought it when I first came in.

"I can perform what you wish. You and the other person will need to spend the rest of the day till sunset in the steam hut and then meet me back here."

The steam hut was meant to purify our blood so that the ceremony was more likely to be accepted by the deity we were invoking to help us.

"Thank you," I said before leaving on the turn of my heel to fetch Thekros.

*****

The steam hut was dark except for the embers from the stones. Neither Thekros or I had spoke since we entered. The only thing we had drank to not pass out from dehydration was water mixed with lavender and honey out of a horn from a white oxen.

This time was meant to think on the Goddess Namiah, but my thoughts were only on Sari.

( start of memory) It was our wedding day. I was facing Sari in her beautiful white dress she had sewn herself. The only people in attendance besides the Shaman of Sharlek overseeing the ceremony was Thekros and his wife and daughter, and my best friend in arms Demni of the King's Guard.

It was a gorgeous sunset that lit up the sky in beautiful shades of pink, purple, and blue hues and it was one of the rare times in my life, I was completely happy. Sari had taught me emotions- true mortal emotions and for that I could never repay her.

The shaman cleared his throat bringing my thoughts back to the present.

"I, Hassan ap Threck, with this band," I said placing the thin obsidian band on her ring finger with shaky hands,"take you as my wife and ask for Sharlek and Zanti to bless our marriage now and in death. As your husband I will be the candle to the darkness in your life. I vow to always protect and love you."

Sari had a few tears in her eyes as she guided the thick obsidian band onto my large ring finger with care.

"I, Sari, a free woman, with this band take you as my husband and ask Sharlek and Zanti to bless our marriage now and in death. As your wife, I vow to keep your hut smelling of fresh food. I will be the rock of your life anchoring and encouraging you. I vow to always love and trust you."

Her vows were slightly changed as she would not bare me any children for over half the mortal woman that bare Raksheesh children died in child birth. The Shaman had agreed to the changes in our vows.

"By the blessing of Goddess Namiah, I pronounce you demon and wife."

Two other Sharlek shamans came forward with black tattoo ink and began marking Sari and I in an old demonic text ruin of marriage on the inside of our left wrists binding us together in life and in death. The pain hurt, but I wouldn't let it effect me. Nothing could dull the best day of the beginning of my marriage with Sari- not even an old fashion ritual. (end of memory)

"It is time," came the voice of the Eminent Shaman that had attended to us all day.

He opened the door completely revealing the darkening sky that was still hard for my eyes to adjust to. The first few steps out, Thekros and I were both unsteady on our feet from not moving from the bench all day. My sweat cooled sending a chill over my body as we ascended the temple steps in nothing more than a thick linen cloth knotted around or waists. By the time we reached the top of the steps, the sun had just dipped behind the mountains.

The Namiah Shaman stood in the middle of the pillars by an alter with only a ceremonial knife and a gold bowl holding a bandage dipped in oils. He ushered us forward making me face Thekros.

"As Namiah as my witness to this blessing of Blood Relations, I take this knife and tie you together as family through blood."

I felt the sting of razor fine steel cut into my flesh revealing my dark black blood on the inner part of my right palm that oozed out in a thick stream. I watched as he did the same to Thekros before pressing our palms together.

"With this bandage I make you family."

He tied the oil dripping cloth around both of our right hands making us interlock our fingers in a simple show of family to the end. We stood there beaming at each other for a few moments before the Shaman untied our hands and re-wrapped them in clean strips of white cloth and sent us on our way after paying him a few rubies.