Caravan

Slowly, the forest grew around them. When Its dense foliage blocked the heavy rain, Uli closed his book, and bathed on the now distinguishable sounds that the horses, the men, and the birds and beasts spread through the impenetrable jungle.

He liked to be aware of his surroundings, and the constant sound of water falling on the roof of his wagon disguised the world from his acute hearing.

He could now notice how Jax's horse altered its pace and got closer to his carriage, probably to tell him that Father wanted to talk with him.

They were getting close to Daltar, and this meant that he would soon have to take action.

After two centuries, The Father's health had started to dwindle. His fear of death got him out of the slums of Dorth, his natal city, and into the hunt for a way to cheat death.

Without him as a conductor guiding the infernal orchestra of crime, filth and lust, the slums fell into chaos.

Every lowly gang tried to seize power.

The Father, of course, knew the ways of the world, so he just left a few of his children to murder every mildly promising leader who had a slight chance to restore the balance and become a Father. If the slums weren't under his command, they simply were no more.

Slowly, the authorities of the city took over the slums, the crime rates dropped, and the orchestra of filth turned into the hungry workforce that, today, made Dorth one of the wealthiest cities of the continent.

Of course, The Father had seen that far, as well, and prepared a plan to overthrow order by tempting the masses with a promise of social justice and reasonable wages.

He knew he just had to tilt the balance enough to return the city slums into the shit-pool he was comfortable with.

He just had to pull the trigger for everything to go downhill for the poor whiny oligarchs who were, in fact, just like him, but dumber, weaker, and with a clean backyard and a liking to appearances that he couldn't help but chuckle at.

He would have to wait, though, until his health improved, which was something he knew he would achieve soon enough.

As a hidden child of the Father, Uli's path was to follow the Father around and to complete whatever errands he had in store for him.

They usually involved his sword and absolute discretion. He also suspected The Father end was close. And not necessarily because of his old age or protruding belly. If he did something that just annoyed him enough, he would probably end his life.

He knew, tho, the risk was enormous, so he just tried hard to stay in line for a few more years. His enemies would probably get him sooner or later. He was a cocky motherfucker. He had the power to be one, tho. And sure, he had survived over two centuries with that attitude. If that wasn't meritorious, nothing was.

But alas, he was most of the time hiding in his filthy slums, and no one excessively powerful would be interested in a place like that.

Either way, he had pissed off so many people, he could not move around undisguised. Even beyond the borders of the Doorin jungles, he had fucked with someone. Hell, Uli knew that if he tried hard enough, he could find someone hating The Father in the surrounding continents. He was just that big of a dunce. He thought he had the world in control, and not even his Hidden Children where fully under his command.

When he felt Jax geting close, he picked his grey conic hat from the wooden floor, and put it on. A little lock held a silk veil to the top of the hat. When he released it, the dark veil fell, hanging from the brim of the hat and covering his face. Revealing his facial features would instantly kill him; an unhidden Hidden Child was of no use to the Father. Seconds later, Jax's head comically appeared between the two leather curtains at the back of the wooden car. His face was full of wrinkles, and his big, curved horns hinted about three hundred years of age.

"The Father wants you at the front, child."

Uli got up and started walking towards the entrance. He stood before the curtains, waiting for Jax to let him through. By the look on his eyes, he could tell he was about to lecture him, so he tried to go past him, but when he was about to jump off the car, something grabbed him in mid-air, and brought him back inside the wagon. Jax's pointy tail returned under his robes. Somehow, his gaze penetrated the dark silk covering Sui's face and their eyes met.

"It doesn't matter how many veils you hide yourself with, Sui. We both know you want to live" That was a strange behaviour for a Hidden Child, the desire to live. He emerged from the curtains and pushed him gently "We both know how full of hate your heart is."

"Very nice. Can i go now?"

"I don't care if you kill the fatty. But I've been around this shithole of a world for longer than you and all of your siblings together, and I can assure you. Killing him won't free you. At least right now. Hold it for a bit longer, please."

Uli went past him with a grunt and jumped to Jax's horse, stealing it from him, then, he started moving swiftly along the long line of carriages and soldiers. Jax cursed at him, and walked towards a younger soldier to bully him into giving up his horse.

Every soul that noticed Uli pretended not to. Usually, the sight of that hat meant someone was gonna die. No one knew how many Hidden Children were under The Father's command. A thick mist of rumors, half-truths and exaggerations surrounded them. Either way, they feared them and stood away from them, and they were right in doing so.

Above the road, the giant jungle trees formed a green ceiling that protected them from rain, leaving a faint, verdant light. The jungle raised so suddenly at the sides of the road that it looked like the path had some kind of enchantment that prevented the weeds from invading it.

Uli arrived in front of a big carriage. It was big enough to carry three or four elephants, and its wooden and fancy structure was covered in golden ornaments. The Father was a lot of things, but sumptuous wasn't one of them. He was impersonating a noble man, hence the useless paraphernalia. The guards were part of the costume, too. Everybody knew that no one fucks with the Father. If you are unlucky or dumb enough to confront him head-on, he will just crush you with his stupidly strong elemental powers and feed you to the dogs while you cry and beg and hope he doesn't remember your family and friends. Unfortunately, he remembers everything.

A shiver ran down Uli's spine. It wasn't fear. He just wasn't sure he could hold his hand much longer. He just wanted to live on his own terms and freedom, and he knew he could kill him if he wanted. He knew that his power was a secret only Jax knew. Even Jax, who was over three hundred years old, hadn't seen anything like Uli in his life. He could just move things. He wanted things to move, and things just moved. He didnt have any elemental affinities, though, and while his powers were very strange, they were nowhere as strong and devastating when compared with The Father's. Unfortunately for the fatty, they were the perfect weapon to kill elemental mages, as they couldn't react to something they couldn't expect.

When Uli stepped into the wide room the heavy air punched him like a truck. More than twenty naked women played around a large wooden throne were a fat, and greasy man sat. The disguise was pretty accurate, but the fatness was a coincidence 'Why does he want to live so bad, if he is as bored as he seems to be' Uli thought, as he kneeled and took his hat off. His shoulder long black hair ran in between his horns and fell across his face. Uli put it back behind his ear as his gaze met The Father.

"Hello, child" He said with a strangely warm and caring voice "I hope you are enjoying the ride. As you probably expect, I have a list of people you have to kill, and a list of people you have to bring."