The Named

Chapter 8: Revelations

                The glow that had pervaded the dense forest suddenly intensified.  I couldn’t open my eyes without having the painful sensation that they were trying to escape their sockets.  Instinctively I threw my hand up to shield my face from the furious beam.  Peeking out through my dirty fingers, I noticed we had left the cover of the trees, following a dirt-floored tunnel that had a blue roof so high above us the treetops couldn’t even brush it and seemed to contain the mysterious source of light.  Slowly, as Rell and I continued through, the light became less abrasive.

                “Where is that brightness coming from?” I asked.

                “You mean the sun?”  Rell gave me her nearly permanent look of disbelief before pointing at the white hot point of light burning directly overhead.  “Have you never seen the sun before?  Where have you been hiding, in a cave?”

                I shrugged, not wanting to admit that she had guessed so accurately.  Her perceptiveness disturbed me.  It was almost like she could look straight through me and see everything I was trying not to reveal.  Rell could never find out where I came from.  However, I knew very well how different our lives were.  3491 had told me fantastic stories of the world above our tormentors’ lair.  This new world I’d stumbled into held nothing I could relate to.  What kind of story could I come up with that Rell would believe?

                “Hey Quinton.  I have an experiment I want you to help me with.  Will you do it?”

                I nodded.  What else was I going to do?

                “Alright, thanks.  First, I need you to walk about twenty paces down the path facing away from me.  I’ll tell you what to do when you get there, ok?”

                Again I nodded and started walking.  If this was some kind of trap it was an extremely obvious one.  Eyes and ears alert, I started walking down the path.  I was suddenly glad I had been able to learn my numbers from an old guard who used to count how many times he lashed each of his victims.  From there 3491 had explained the relation to the numbers on the cells.  Unfortunately there were not enough letters in the caves to learn them but I had been taught the sounds when none of the guards were close enough to hear us.

                Finally I reached twenty paces and stopped.  Nothing was moving in the trees on either side of me but I remained wary.

                “Ok, now, say your name.  The one that I gave you.”

                Odd, but I was willing to play along.  So far she hadn’t shown any signs of betrayal.

                “Quinton.  Quinton Marine.”

                I felt a few drops of water land on my head and shoulders.  Where had they come from?  I’d only ever seen water in cups or in the ground.  Looking up, I saw nothing but the blue tunnel roof and a little to the right was the sun.  Maybe it was condensation dripping off the far away stalactites.

                “Hm, try again!  This time, I want you to think about everything that has ever made you feel anything in your life.  Think of things that have hurt, things you have loved, things that have brought you to tears!  Then say your name with all the importance of a lifetime.”

                I knew pain.  I knew pain very well.  Love was a new word and I wasn’t sure what tears were but I understood what she was trying to express.  Anger, pain, hurt, despair, suspicion, hope, joy, happiness, confusion and freedom.  I let my mind wander over the emotions I knew and the ones I had just been introduced to.

                Quinton Marine.  It wasn’t my real name but it was the first name I had ever known and I enjoyed the feeling it gave me.

                “Quinton Marine!”

                Water came from everywhere and nowhere all at once.  I was surrounded by it.  Suddenly I was in another pool, bigger than the first one and this flood was vibrant with life.  Spinning and twirling in five sparkling columns of brilliance, the water danced around me.  I laughed along with the musical burbling and rushing of the vertical waves.  Turning, I looked at Rell, who stood watching me with a look of awe and triumph on her face.  Then, as soon as the magnificence had begun, it ended.

                “What – what was that?” I asked breathlessly.

                “That, oh Named One, is the power of your name.  I can’t imagine what it’ll be like when you discover your real name.  Your true power must be incredible!”

                My heart was instantly transformed into a block of ice that dropped into my stomach with a frosty thud.  She had called me a Named One.  3491 said we had been imprisoned because we were Named Ones.  Was Rell really one of those devils?

                “You’ve tricked me.  You’re trying to take me back aren’t you? I won’t go!  I’ll use my new name against you if I have to,” I snarled at her, eyes darting back and forth watching for her cohorts that were sure to be hiding nearby.  Crouching I readied myself to pounce on the girl I thought was my friend.

                “Whoa there, jumpy!  I’m not going to hurt you, I promise!  I just needed to confirm something.  To be honest, if you weren’t a Named One there would be some difficulties when we reached my home.  Here, let me show you.”  Then she closed her eyes and with a voice full of power she spoke her name.

                “Arelliana Sofia Flare!”

                The sudden burst of light left me blinded but silhouettes of writhing flames twisting hungrily toward the sky burned through my eyelids.

                “Do you believe me now?”  Her gentle voice next to me brought me back to the present.  The burning pillars had been extinguished but I still saw spots.  It took me a moment to realize what this meant.  She was the same as me!  Rell was a Named One!

                “What? How?  How can you be a Named One and not have been caught by them?”

                Rell’s face turned gloomy as she responded, “We run, we hide, we make sacrifices.  We have made many sacrifices.  What is one life compared to hundreds?”  She tried to sound convincing but something in me knew she did not believe it herself.

                Coughing and wiping her face, Rell stood, pulling me up with her.  “Come, now that I know you are not a threat you will be welcomed and given a roof to sleep under.  From the sounds of it you haven’t received any education either.  I’ll speak to my mother and have you start school tomorrow.  If you are to remain hidden you have to learn to blend in.”

~~~*~~~

                Walking into the makeshift village Rell called home, I couldn’t comprehend the explosion of life displayed in front of me.  Never before had I seen so much movement and color.  People everywhere cracked their faces open into what I learned to be smiles.  Gurgling laughter bubbled from small children as they ran and played amidst all of the excitement.  Almost instantaneously, my view of freedom evolved once more.

                I stayed amongst Rell’s people for several years, learning and growing.  They made a living as traveling entertainers and called their troupe The Sane Demons.  Every one of them were named ones, or had similarly severe arguments with the Empire and thus they all worked together to keep each other safe and away from evil’s glare.

                For the first time in my life, I learned what happiness was.  Safety, support, and fellowship were introduced to my neglected heart.  I learned to love and I loved them all.