Incarnation | Wandering Stars Volume One

Chapter 3

SEDEKIYR

The midmorning sun was bright, making the dew on the grass sparkle. The elders and most of the inhabitants of Sedekiyr were gathered in the center of the village, watching Enoch and his family from a distance.

Zacol slid a leaf-wrapped bundle of nuts and dried berries into an already full animal skin bag. "There," she said as she lifted the bag and hung it across Enoch's shoulders. "That should keep you for a few days. Then you'll have to gather what you can along the way."

"Thank you," Enoch replied, trying to make eye contact with his wife. She was doing her best to ignore the implications of this journey. But he didn't want her to keep silent. He wanted her to voice her frustrations so they wouldn't gnaw at her while he was gone.

"They look more curious than anything," he offered, looking over her shoulder at the rest of their tribe.

Zacol looked up suddenly with her head tilted. "Of course they are. What did you expect?"

Enoch squinted. At least she was talking now. "Nothing, I guess. But I hoped that someone would show concern. They're just standing there."

"Maybe they want to give you some time alone with your family."

Enoch shrugged his shoulders.

"We're making progress," Zacol assured him.

Enoch looked down and rubbed the scars on his wrists, permanent reminders of what he'd endured over the years. How far he'd come. "And now I'm leaving."

Zacol's head dropped. Her voice lowered to a whisper. "When you come back, we'll just have to start over."

Enoch quickly placed his hands on Zacol's shoulders. "I will come back. And we will start over."

Zacol looked up again and her red-rimmed eyes were starting to well up. All she could do was nod her head.

Enoch shifted the weight of his bag and looked over to his son, Methushelak, who was hunched over in the grass nearby. The boy was always fascinated by the creatures crawling through the soil.

"You still haven't told me where you're going."

Enoch grinned and looked back to his wife. "You still haven't asked."

Now it was Zacol who smiled, and tilted her head. "Where are you going?"

"I thought you'd never ask," he continued, enjoying the brief moment of humor amid the heavy circumstances.

Zacol waited with raised eyebrows.

"In my dream, I was above the land, like a bird of the sky. In the distance, I saw a tall mountain. And I could see the land between here and there, and where the water was situated. The mountain was the one I've heard described by people who've passed through the land of Nowd."