Chapter 14

All Alone

Kaidan sat on the chair, going through the documents on his hands . He had now became the leader of 'The Belgarathian Redemption Army' and the group was now recruiting more younger members. Kaidan was a changed man now. Spending some days with Col. Barnes had refined his thoughts and made him think in a different way. Col. Barnes taught him that rather than seeing the differences in people all over the world, he taught him to see the similarities despite the differences. Redirecting his thoughts made a huge difference in his life and Kaidan was thankful for it. Both the Legate and Kaidan was almost the same age, but colonel Barnes was wise and kind beyond his age and this made Kaidan respect him a lot. On the outside, he was reluctant to talk to the Legate during his stay at his place, but Kaidan secretly admired colonel Barnes and respected him a lot. Sitting inside his room, he remembered his stay with colonel Barnes.

‘ What is this round piece of meat? ‘. Kaidan asked scrutinizing the steak on his plate. Col. Barnes smiled at him.

‘ It’s called a steak. ‘ Col. Barnes said.

‘ Is there nothing else for breakfast, something more native, other than this? ‘. Kaidan asked reluctant to let go of his ego.

‘ Try it. It’s delicious. The cook made it. And there is no poison in it, mate’. Col. Barnes said chuckling and started to eat his food but stopped when he heard a slurping noise. Jacob raised his head to see Kaidan holding the steak with his hands and trying to eat it, slurping the sauce that was dripping from it.

‘ Use your knife and fork, Kaidan. ‘ Col. Barnes advised seeing him.

‘Why, my hands are perfectly fine. ‘ Kaidan ignored him and started biting on the meat and licking his fingers. Col. Barnes shook his head and then put his knife and fork down.

‘ You can just be who you are or you can be better , Kaidan. It’s totally upto you. But if you choose to change for the better, I assure you, things will be much better than this. You know what I mean. I am not talking about the food. ‘Col. Barnes said staring at Kaidan's eyes for a minute and then resumed eating his food. Kaidan stopped for a while and then put down his steak on the plate and wiped his hands on the tissue beside him.

‘ Teach me then. ‘ Kaidan said, his face full of determination. A small smile appeared on Jacob’s face.

Kaidan remembered those moments when colonel Barnes treated him just the same as he treated his countrymen. He never discriminated or prejudiced and was just and wise beyond his age. These were facts and Kaidan, himself was a living proof of it. Kaidan never let down his guard near col. Barnes at first, but slowly they grew to like each other and became friends, more like comrades.

Hearing the news of the protests and the departure of the legates and the soldiers, Kaidan felt uneasy about the situation and was concerned for his land. His thoughts has changed and he no longer sees a foreigner as a threat or with hatred. The same goes for the younger generation of Belgarath who followed him , but the older generation still resented the foreigners and was stuck up on the old concept of keeping the purity of their land by keeping the foreigners out of it. One of the messenger from the Belgarathian redemption army had just delivered the news of the departure of the Legates and Kaidan felt bad for them. The door to his room opened disrupting his thoughts and the members of the group entered the room for the previously scheduled meeting. Once they had settled down, the meeting began.

‘ The foreign countries are calling back their citizens. As per the information from the capital, the Legates and the soldiers had already left the country. The protests will soon reach our land. ‘ One of the members said.

‘ The military hospital, the legation office and the school is being abandoned. The government is not going to do anything about it as the country is in a financial crisis. When we asked the older members, they all wanted to demolish the buildings and built something new there. What’s your thoughts on this, Kaidan?. ‘ Another one asked. Kaidan sat upright on his chair.

‘ Those buildings built by the foreigners are new and very much safe than our own. Instead of demolishing them, why don’t we convert it into something else? ‘. Kaidan asked his fellow members.

‘ I also think so. I mean, why waste all those bricks and cement for the ego of the elders? ‘. One of the younger members said and the others agreed with it.

The decision was soon made considering the thoughts of the majority and the Belgarathians began rejuvenating the buildings left by the foreigners. The Legation office was to be converted into a library, the school was to be restarted again under the Belgarathian redemption army with the natives as it’s employees and for the hospital, they decided to employ the trainee nurses and a doctor from Bayadar, the next village who agreed to visit Belgarath two times a week.

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Tamina was still working on the hospital and it’s been two days since the head nurse Martha had left Belgarath to the capital. She knew that the Legates had left for the capital but she had no idea that they had left the country and was waiting for Jacob to return back to her. It was a mid afternoon and Tamina was at the dorms, taking rest after having her lunch and was waiting for Farah to join her. There were rumours of the antiracist protests everywhere and Tamina was scared for Jacob. What she thought about it was Jacob had left for the capital with his soldiers to help the government with the protests and soon he will be back. She missed him a lot and longed for him very much. Dr. Amir was also not there so she could not ask him about Jacob. She missed him every time she went to market and ended up hoping that he will pop out of the crowd while waiting for him at the entrance of the market, but all to her disappointment. Suddenly Farah bust through the door breaking the chain of her thoughts, her face tensed and eyes full of concern.

‘ Have you heard about it?. About the Legates? ‘. Farah asked, unsure how to talk about what she had heard.

‘ What about them? ‘. Tamina asked seeing her cousin’s face.

‘ This is just a rumour and nobody knows if it’s true. They say that the foreign countries are calling back their citizens from our lands because of the antiracist protests at the capital. It’s also heard that so many foreigners were killed by our own countrymen. It’s just a rumour.‘ Farah said measuring each word. Tamina's face became serious and worry was visible in her eyes.

‘ What about the Legates, then? Are they safe? ‘. Tamina asked concerned.

‘ Mmm. You just have to calm down, okay?. It’s just a rumour. They say that the Legates had left the country with the four hundred soldiers, which I think is a lie. I mean it’s so many people and how can they get all of them out of here in a short interval of time. The Legates just left, like three days ago.’ Farah exclaimed, it was her attempt to keep Tamina from freaking out. Tamina’s body became stiff and she sat there like a statue. Farah shook her cousin to get some reaction out of her.

‘ Tami, this is just a rumour. We don’t know if it’s true. ‘ Farah tried to comfort her cousin. Suddenly her colleague nurses entered the dormitory, including Fatima, Laila and Saya.

‘It’s not just a rumour, it’s true. The Legates had left the country with the soldiers, the day itself they had left our land.’ Fatima said sitting across Tamina.

‘ How are you so sure? ‘. Farah asked.

‘ Didn’t I say I had an uncle who used to work at the Legation office as an interpreter? Well, he lost his job as he received a telegram from the capital saying that the Legates had left the country. Last day, I heard him talking to my father. The Legates are the top priority officers and so there were the first one to leave the country or so. It’s true that Dr. Amir had left and the other two legates along with the soldiers. They are not coming back, I guess. ‘ Fatima said lying down on the bed to relax.

Tamina sat there as she was struck by lightning. Farah pressed Tamina’s hands but they were so cold. Suddenly, Tamina ran out of the dormitory to Dr. Amir's room. The room was left as it was and there was no sign of packing or preparing to leave. His desk was left the same last time she saw it.

‘ Look Farah, look at his desk, look at his coat that he usually wears when going out and look, even his stethoscope is in here. How can he leave without it? No, they have not left the country. They just went to the capital and are coming back. Right, Farah? ‘. Tamina asked unable to believe the truth. Farah stood their contemplating what to say to her cousin.

‘ Tami, I love to believe you, but I also think what Fathima said is true. If they haven’t left the country, and went to the capital without packing their luggage, then they would have come back for their luggage or at least send someone to get it for them. It’s been three days and today it’s the fourth day, but no one had came for their things and it looks like they had left in a hurry'. Farah reasoned out. Farah was the type of friend who would never sugarcoat anything and bury the truth just to make others happy. She always spoke the truth, and urged Tamina to face it instead of hiding from the reality.

‘ No, No, he is coming back. Jacob is coming back'.

Tamina said sobbing on her knees. Farah offered her shoulders to her cousin who wept like she had lost a part of her.

‘Shh….Shh… it’s okay. Let’s hope that he will come back soon. Don’t cry. Tami'. Farah tried her best to comfort her cousin but all in vain.

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The cold was making his teeth chatter, but Major Ibrahim endured it covering his cheeks with his hands. A soldier approached him in the dark and saluted him, his face red under the dim light of the street lamp due to the cold.

‘ How is he?. ‘ Major Ibrahim asked even before the soldier could salute him.

‘ The doctor says he had to amputate his leg. ‘ The soldier said. Major Ibrahim heaved a sigh.

‘ Is there no other ways? ‘. Major Ibrahim asked.

‘ The doctor said it’s too late and the infection had spread and with the available facility, he had to amputate his leg to save his life.‘ The soldier reported. Major Ibrahim nodded slowly as if giving the permission for the surgery and the soldier disappeared again in the dark after saluting him.

Everything around him was making him angry and he sat down on a nearby rock swiping the snow from it. He had lost three of his men and this was his fourth soldier. Out of the three, two of them had lost their lives in the conflict between the Northerners and the refugees, and the third one due to infection from his former wound he got while fighting the Sharias. The fourth one was also like that, but this time, the doctor was able to save his life at the expense of his left leg. Major Ibrahim was frustrated as he felt that the government was not giving the soldiers enough respect they deserve and felt being neglected by them. They suffer a lot, but nobody was there for them and he felt being used. There was not even good medical facilities for the wounded soldiers and the three of his soldiers had lost their lives due to that. Major Ibrahim kicked the ground in anger and frustration.

‘ Hey, it was you who tried to trespass!!! ‘. Somebody shouted in the dark.

‘ This is not your land only, but ours too.’ Another one said,

‘ You and your people are like the foreigners. We don’t share any blood, so leave to where you are from. This is our land and you and your people have no right to it. ‘ The first voice said. Major Ibrahim stood up from the rock and moved towards the voices in the dark. The voices and the yelling got louder as he came closer to the source of the sound. There he saw two groups each consisting of two or three of people arguing among themselves under the street lamp.

‘ Hey, what’s going on here. Don’t you know it’s curfew time?.’ Major Ibrahim shouted in his loud voice which startled the crowd. He approached them with only a pistol on his belt and a whistle hanging on his neck.

‘ Him and his people are trying to sneak into our land in the dark. Thought that we wouldn’t find out. ‘ The person on the right of Ibrahim said.

‘ We are not. We were looking for food as our families are starving and we haven’t eaten for almost two days. There is no water to drink either and it’s freezing cold. ‘ The person on the left side said and the others on his group agreed with him.

‘ You think we are eating three meals a day and our children doesn’t starve? ‘. The person on the right asked again. He was a Northern native.

‘ It’s all because of them. They are stealing everything that belongs to us and our children, our land, our food and water. They are the reason we are starving. ‘ Another native said.

‘We are not stealing anything from you. This land was once ours too, even before your ancestors settled down here. So this land actually belongs to us. ‘ A refugee said.

‘ Who told you these lies? This land is ours and our children’s. You have no right over our soil. Go back to where you come from. ‘ A native northerner said as he shoved one of the refugee on his chest. Soon there was a conflict going on and Major Ibrahim who stayed silent till then came forward and placed himself in between the two groups of the refugees and the natives.

‘ If you don’t stop here, I am gonna call my men and they will resolve your conflict. Do you want that to happen?’. Major Ibrahim asked and the two groups took a step back hearing his threat.

‘ Now I want all of you to disperse from here and stop making a fuzz about this. Leave. ‘ Major Ibrahim commanded.

Slowly the crowd dissolved one by one and major Ibrahim took a deep breath. He turned around to leave but someone got hold of him from behind and he felt a sharp pain on his back. It took him a second to realize that he was being stabbed from behind by an unknown man. The man stabbed him multiple times and Major Ibrahim slowly begin to lose his consciousness. He fell on the ground and with his half closed eyes, he saw a figure approaching him and he felt someone taking his pistol from his waist and then disappearing in the dark. Major Ibrahim searched for the whistle he had on his neck and finding it, he blew it to alert his men with the last bit of life he had in him. The sound of the whistle gradually faded as he lost his consciousness and his warm blood that pooled around him diffused with the snow beside him.

The soldiers arrived at the site ASAP and one of them leaned down to check the pulse of his commanding officer who was on the ground covered in blood. After checking, he stood up and took his cap off from his head and lowered his head in respect for his commander. The other soldiers followed him, lowering their head in respect of their late commanding officer, Major Ibrahim.

‘Have you heard? One of the commanding officer was murdered the previous night at the northern border. I heard his name as Major Ibrahim. He used to serve in Belagarath before that. ‘ One of the members of the Belgarathian army said.

‘ Oh that’s too bad. How did he die?. ‘ Another one asked.

‘ He was stabbed by someone. The northerners says it’s the refugees but the refugees says it’s the natives. We will soon find out. ‘ The first member said.

‘ I heard that they found his pistol at one of the refugee camps. I think they killed him to acquire weapons, I guess. ‘ Another member joined the conversation.

‘Or maybe some native killed him and put his pistol in the refugee camp, too. ‘ The first member said.

‘ Whatever it is, the things in North are worse than before. ‘ Another member said.

‘ Have you heard, the protests had reached Bayadar. It will be soon here, in Belgarath. ‘ A member said.

‘ What will be our stance? I will never join hands with them. Belgarath had bad days due to the foreigners and it’s true. But time had proved that all of them are not bad. The first soldier, Herman wilde and the legates are the greatest examples. Our land suffered just because of two people, Eugene carter and Owais, who was a native. We suffered most because of Owais than Eugene, I had to say. So blaming everything on the foreigners is not going to work as every Belgarathian knows the truth. ‘ One of the member said.

' Me neither. The concept of the purity of our land and bloodline are stupid and are long lost. There is no meaning in it. I still don’t get why the elders hold onto that. ‘ Another member said.

As they were talking, Kaidan entered into the meeting room with some of the other members. After getting seated, he turned to his fellow members of the Belgarathian Redemption Army.

‘ We have to decide whether to join the protest or reject their invitation. I solely cannot decide on that, so I want to to hear your thoughts, my fellow Belgarathians.’ Kaidan said in his booming voice.

‘ We have all came to the conclusion that we shouldn’t join those racist protest. ‘ A young Belgarathian said.

‘ Yes, there is a lot of benefits in allowing the foreigners to stay. First is our economy. Look at our nation now! Since the foreign countries withdraw their financial support, our government is suffering a lot without enough money. Not only that, new inventions, and good education, we don’t have any of these’. Another one said.

‘ Did you all forget what those foreign bastards have done to our land? That soldier, Eugene Carter, he polluted our land and our women. He killed our men and used our resources for his own good. Have you all forgotten that? ‘. An elderly man asked.

‘ He had help from one of our own men. Did all of the elders who support the racist protests don’t remember that?. His name is Owais, our former village chief. We mostly suffered because of him than the foreign soldiers. He was the one who sold our women to them by threatening the men, he even shamelessly sold his on daughter for money. What is more shameful than that?. He is a disgrace to all of us. ‘ A young Belgarathian said.

The meeting went on for several hours. Since the younger population outnumbered the older, the decision was made not to support the racist protests. All the elders were disappointed and left the meeting with a sulking face. Kaidan thought that his land was finally going to improve and develop, but future of Belgarath was totally different from what he thought.