Scrolls of the Prophet
Book I
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Myriad of Dismay
When I began to walk from my camp the sun started to creep higher in the horizon and cast its golden glow over the span of the valley. The pathway stretched on and my camp slowly became no more than a small spec in the distance, the rocky peaks of the Edom mountains spreading their massive bodies as they towered protectively in the backdrop of my view.
The air grew warm and it possessed the dry crispness which joins the early morning, soon the day would swing in and eventually grow much more heated as the relentless desert sun would take over control. The sound of my feet spoke out from the cool earth and the faint whisper of the wind called out from the scrub-brush were occasionally small animals would hide.
Despite the weight of my pack, I felt an oncoming lightness within—perhaps it was just the leftover remnants of last night’s visions which still swirled in my mind, or more likely it was from the excitement of the impending barters to come. There was always something invigorating about being prepped for the exchange of goods, the soon to come haggle at the bargaining table. It was in the art of each conversation that made every sale an adventure in itself. But subtly on this journey something felt different. These stone plates, the clay tablets themseles—what great stories they held...
"Could they reveal the truth of my path, my fate..?"
I sensed that these objects were more than mere trade goods. Possibly signs. "Were the gods weaving this journey of mine into a tale that would one day outlast time just like the ancient scrolls which recounted the lives of many kings and the assorted heroes from long ago..?"
I quickened my pace as my arrival to Madaba grew nearer in my thoughts. The bustling market, the rising smell of fresh bread and spices, the clamor of many voices—each element of the place was an intoxicating brew-call to a world much larger than the small one I had. My life in the valley. And yet, I couldn’t shake the feeling that something else was at play—something beyond transactions, beyond the clinking of coins and the trade of small goods. It was as though the dream I had had had opened a door to another reality, one where I stood at the crossroads of an adventure far greater.
“Could Tut-Moses and I have been connected in some way..?” I thought again, this was a belief that clung to my mindset as I walked the familiar pathways toward the town. “Could the gods be calling me to participate in som way more ample than the simple life that I led..?”
The morning air began to heat up as I neared the town's outer markings, and with them came a growing anticipation. Soon, I would find out if good luck would play in my favor. And soon, I would see where this journey was leading.
As I continued toward Madaba town, I had my eyes set on the horizon, the valley behind now slowed its receding and my thoughts became entangled in the mysterious tapestry of what fate lay ahead.
My feet preessed on while the warmth of the sun became even more pronounced as it heated the flesh of my skin, even through my sandals. My mind danced again between the memories of my past adventures and the ever present journey unfolding before me.
One's first great journey, the memory of a find, a coveted silver-fish with its secret hold under-fin—its beauty unmatched. I had bartered it with an old merchant in a far-off desert town, his eyes glinting with the same awe that had struck mine when I first came to see it. The delicate scroll it possessed inside had contained the story of Esther, scribed in the language of the long missing Hebu, a tale of power, betrayal, and their eventual survival, I felt that it mirrored my own life in some way.
The faintest memory of that scroll brought a sudden feeling of nostalgia, the thrill of the hunt, the rush of discovery. I contemplated on the available treasures that still lay buried beneath the sands. So much papyri, so many tablets, so many stories. Each one of them carrying weight. Parts of history, fragments of someone's life from long passed. These thoughts always filled me with a sense of real purpose—of being part of something important, my lifespan a mere moment in the ever-turning wheels of time.
But today, my path would be different. Instead of searching for relics or ancient wisdoms which were buried in forgotten landscapes, my mission was to make my way to Madaba, to barter and trade, to feel the pulse of the market and its fury again. There was a reassuring atmosphere about this so familiar river of commerce, the sounds and the raised voices of trade, the clinking of shekels, the weight of goods being exchanged. There was adventure in it—and unpredictability, this in a world where everything else often felt like it was just fistfulls of sand that was slipping through your fingers.
And yet, even as I walked, my mind kept returning to that dream. "What had it meant..? Those three paths of truth and enlightenment which were swirling together to become the lead of just one. Had the gods sent it for a reason..? Could the ancient tales I carried with me have entailed deeper meaning, a purpose that was embedded in the prophecies of the past..?"
I shook my head gingerly in an effort to clear away such thoughts. I was a practical man. A man of action, not prophecy. But still, the pull of something still lingered at the edges of my consciousness, like a pleading whisper on the winds of tomorrow.
Finally, I reached the outskirts of Madaba as the sun climbed even higher, it created large shadows that separated the dusty streets from the houses in their rows. The town looked exactly as I remembered it—unimpressive, small, a collection of modest stone buildings which were all clustered about and around the outer edges of a quaint central square with a well. The market sat near by, soon to be bustling with the actions of traders from both near and far, they would be at the heart of the scene. It would be there where the real action lay waiting, where the real stories would be written in the exchange of good barters.
I increased my pace, I was eager to get there and to begin the day's business. The bag at my side which I ferried, it also contained several of Master Netramie’s tunics. The pack felt lighter now, and the anticipation of the up and coming trades lifted my spirits further. The bustling market with its calls and its cries, it would soon envelop my being and submerge it into the familiar chaos of haggling and bargaining. There was comfort in the predictability of it all—no visions on hand, no mysteries to follow, just the raw, tangible exchange of one's offerings in battle.
Gradually I entered the market square as the scent of fresh bread, roasted meats, and sweet fruits filled the air all around me. The sight of the day's traders who were early on arrival and setting up their stalls came to view, the colorful cloths of their canvases fluttered in the breeze like waves against the shore, the clapping of polished copper and silver coins in appraisal—all of it was a reminder of the world I knew and the world I had grown up in. But held back deep inside there was a lingering whisper, a focus that remained, an urging to look beyond the visual surface of life's keep and to find something more, something hidden in plain sight.
For now though, the call of the market was too strong to repel. I had to do business and perhaps, just perhaps, if I listened closely enough, I might be able to uncover a tale of god's making which was hidden in the midst of it all...
"In the midst of chaos, the true path is hidden within the heart’s rhythm. To know thy self is to know the world. To know the world is to walk the path of the eternal cycle, where beginnings are endings, and all endings are the birth of new found beginnings."
The words of the ancients were profound in my mind, they danced in my memory as if retorical and alive, they called me to remember something I had so long ago forgot—or perhaps even, something I had just kept hidden inside.
The Ankh was a relic which had arrived to me with its long jade handle by mere happenstance, yet the simple weight of it felt like pure destiny in my hands. Its symbolism was clear—the cross, the raindrop, the Mother Goddess Neit—each one a mere marker of some meaning that was far greater than any treasure or artifact on its own. The message inscribed on its back had contained a beautiful script, the poem of of Neit, its language transcending well beyond the physical embodiment of the object itself. It wasn’t just an ornament of wealth; it was a keepsake, a guidepost in the vastness of one's life and its mysteries.
I had often wondered in the quieter moments when the world around me had grown still, just whether the Ankh and its telling had been sent to me for some reason..? Was it a sign or reminder..?, Or simply a relic of ancient times, an object which had been carried forward through the long pass of time, a pragmatic offering which held both beauty and weight..? Still, I couldn’t shake the feeling that there was more plot in its presence.
It was the rhythm of life's keep that had been etched on its surface, the rendering of enlightenment which flowed through all things, binding the world of man to the unseen forces that governed the heavens. I had always considered myself of a simplistic nature and one who dealt with tangible matters—trade, barter, survival. But in that moment, while I had heldit in my hands, I realized that perhaps there was more to my existence than simply mere survival. There was a stronger purpose, a deeper truth to be observed.
I accepted the familiar sights of Madaba as I tightened the straps of my knap and I continued to walk, the image of the Ankh and its message of life still lingered in my minds-eye like some sacred hymn...
“I am all that has ever been, I am all that is, I am all that ever shall be, yet never have mortal eyes, perceived me as I truly am.”
The pendant was unlike anything I had encountered before. Its circular shape had been hand crafted from the finest gold plating and it seemed to gleam with a radiance which set it apart from the more simple trinkets which I’d found in the past. The charm came framed by eight protruding surfaces, each layered shape appeared like silver-vined leaves that had been meticulously crafted and arranged within an artistry that only the most skilled hands could have achieved. It had slightly larger leaves at the top than the bottom and the body of the pendant came cradled with by a fat rope like clasp, there were three more leaves embedded on each side, and their forms were delicately inlaid with alternating patterns of orange and purple gems, so vibrant was the thing that it almost seemed to pulse into life.
At the heart of the dazzling creation lay pinned a fat garnet, its deep redish hue would draw in the eye and capture one's view within an intensity that seemed to contain the very essence of the earth. But what struck me the most was the Ankh's inspiring inscription—letters etched deep on its surface which ran fully around to the back-outside edges of the garnet, their meanings carried the weight of something profound. All my thoughts fell silent as I deciphered their meanings and I read them aloud, I read...
“To God belongs the kingdom of the Heavens, and also that of the earth; And God has power over all things.”
The meaning of the inscription rang true in my ears as though it were carried to my being from within some divine echo. The etching contained not just a phrase or poem, but a prophetic proclamation—a reminder of the eternal dominion of God, and that of his power over the heavens and the earth. In the craftsmanship of the pendant, in the weight of its garnet, and in the very scribed verse it proclaimed, there arrived a sense of awe, a reverence that was ferried beyond that of any ordinary contemplation. To my point of view, I had stumbled upon something that was more than just jewelry; this was a relic, a holy token of the esteemed.
As I held it, I couldn't help but think of the gods and how they had guided me through the treacherous journeys of my current life's keep. This pendant, this treasure, to me, it was not just a product of human hands—it felt like a gift from the divine, a message from the heavens themselves. "Was this a sign..? A calling..?" My mind raced with the possibilities. Perhaps this was a key to unlock a far greater mystery, one that lay hidden in the forgotten folds of history's great span.
I had gazed at the piece for just a moment longer and had continued to marvel at its beauty before I then carefully placed it back in the pouch that hung from the sash of my belt. The weight of it in my palm had still felt quite relevant and I knew that the importance of the find was to be something not ignored. The scribed verse steadfast and calling.
When I took another step I tripped on a stick, the dust in the air swirled in rhythm to the pulse of my chest. There it was—an object, another item full buried in the dirt but still unmistakably radiant. It was as if the gods had hidden it quite well, only to then reveal it to me at that exact moment, a precisely gifted reward when I was faltered most vulnerable and newly sprawled out on the ground, and yet most receptive to its inevitable discovery.
I moved instantly, but within a caution born of reverence. The hint of dirty gold had caught a spark of sunlight, its sheen almost mocking me in the rough terrain that surrounded it. And as my fingers brushed through the loose dirt to gain hold, the grains of sand shifted away and I fell to the posture of a most reluctant servant who had uncovered a hidden secret which was meant to be unknown. Slowly and methodically the object came into focus.
The first thing I noticed was a small bit of chainmail, the width of it—was solid and mich wider than expected. There was an intricacy to its design, an unmistakable craftsmanship that spoke of far distant lands and long-forgotten artisans who's own sacred efforts had carefully forged it. The gold shimmered into life in the fading light of the day.
Stolen from its rightful author, this tale is not meant to be on Amazon; report any sightings.
"How had such a treasures ended up here..? How were they lost and been buried in the dirt beneath me? And why had it all been revealed to me at this particular time and place as I lay sprawled on the ground face-first in the dirt..?"
The gods had indeed led me here. I could feel it in my bones. They had guided my fall, not as a just punishment, but more as a moment of revelation, a turning point in my life. If not for that slip, that trip, that unexpected tumble, I would have never seen the glimmer. I would have never found the links. The deities of grace and love had granted me favor, a keepsake not just of gold, but one which was also cast in a wealth that was far greater—an affirmation, a sign, a reminder that within the grander scheme of things, I was surely a traveler who was part of a much larger story.
As I held the first section of chainmail in my hand, a wave of gratitude washed over me, a new found mix of desire and purpose.
I rose to my knees to regain my feet while the last of the dust began to settle around me, and that's when I felt the path ahead begin to shift. The journey would continue, but now it was no longer a mere pursuit for greater profits or imbetterments. It had become somewhat more—a pilgrimage of discovery. I leaned my body over slightly and reached out to let the tips of my fingers gently brush through the array of scattered pebbles which still littered the ground below me and obstructed my view. With deliberate care, I swept away the individual stones, and when the dirt had been parted, a new section of gold rope then began to appear. My heart sharply quickened. The labors of the jeweler’s craft grew steadily revealed: not one chain but three, each meticulously spun into delicate loops, their elliptical rounds no wider than a fingernail. I pinched up a small piece between my thumb and forefinger and gave it a gentle tug. The hold of the earth had resisted just slightly when by increasing the pressure, the soil then loosened and more and more lengths of chain broke free to the surface. Their runs gracefully unwinding like a being who was held captive and in need of release.
With each tug and pull there arrived a satisfying “pop-pop-pop..!” each echoed in turn while breaking the silence, the chain gradually unfurled. Shards of hardened earth flew into the air and my eyes, and my nerves were set to tingle as the clods sprinkled across my skin. I was too entranced to care. My view widened even further and with each inch of new glimmer emerged what had risen free from its grave, the thickness of the chains grew heavier in my hands as they continued to come. Finally, after what felt like much time, my efforts to release the chains had abruptly come to a halt. I observed how they had finished at the cap of a clasp. With a final tug and some prying, the attachment gave way, and I was left holding the newly found addition of one's efforts in seeking.
"Twenty golden talents to be sure..!" I exclaimed, as the thrill of the discovery coursed fast through my bones.
Not hesitating, I took the pendant and gave it a quick rinse with some of what remained of my chamomile-tea. I tipped my unfattened water-skin while taking every precaution to be careful and not damage the find's delicate fine details. I took to fast scrubbing while admiring its craftsmanship as I worked the dirt free. Scuff marks appeared on my tunic from the increase of rubbing but I didn’t care or give mind. The object, now abreast in the light, it was surely worth the effort. I paused to reflect and left the three strands of chainmale dangling from my palm as they dried. This was something extraordinary—surely it held a value beyond what I had imagined.
With a satisfied breath I began to raise back to my feet and took a slow step forward, as I progressed each one became lighter. I examined the find. The rounds at each end held the six runs of chainmail and they clipped on easily. With my eyes still pointing down to take in a closer view, the narrow trail I followed began to wind around the narrow ridge-line's edge. Yet, even as I walked, my thoughts lingered on. The gold overlay it possessed was carved through in some places and revealed the bright green jade which lay just beneath. The script, etched into the surface, seemed to contain an ancient energy and I squinted at its reveal as I held the group up to my shoulders to measure their fit. I contemplated it all.
"Persian...", I muttered, when I recognized the elegant, swooping dialect which swirled across the stone. The patterns of the language, though not quite unfamiliar, were not completely unknown to me. The way the letters intertwined was like some puzzled lithograph and I found myself left longing for something unseen. It was in that quiet moment of contemplation, that pause in lost cause, that I felt a warm, coppery splatter of liquid criss-cross my face, a realization which instantly snapped me from my revelrie to go and seek out the reason.
Immediately, there was a sharp, metallic taste which flooded my mouth, just as I felt the sudden stream of warm trickles run fast to my nose. My vision blurred hastily and a dizzying sensation overtook my consciousness. I squinted...tried to clear the haze...but it all came too late as the oncoming darkness took over my mind and all which was in the world around me quickly faltered to a tilt. Everything was spinning. Something was wrong, terribly wrong...I couldn't feel my hands, and there was a new heat which began to rise up inside me. The air that surrounded me grew thin and disappeared.
Inside my mouth, the fresh taste of blood that continued to play was joined by a sharp, rhythmic pulse of pain which slapped at my head. Every tooth I possessed had screemed out in agony, while the beats of my heart just added to the percussions which painged in my skull. I felt multiple swellings begin to rise on each side of my face just as a large welt at the same moment grew out of my fore-head. I longed to reach up and rub at the hurt areas, but my arms and my legs, though outstretched and still fleating, felt heavy and unresponsive. My mind was clouded. And once again, I now found myself, face-down in the dirt.
With great effort I reached out and tried to find the three ropes of chainmale—to retain those same crafted chains with their recursive delicate loops—but my attempts were left futile. My thoughts became muddled, and the urgency to grasp at the pendant no longer seemed relevant. Though I tried to hold on to something, anything, the cold dark of oblivian instantly took over...
A chill throbbed at my temples while an unfamiliar sensation spread in waves towards the corners of my eyes. The warmth of the fading, as the sun from above pressed against my face gracefully and I lost my conception of all waves in color. I fought to maintain focus, but it was like trying to hold back a great rush of a river water with the use of a sieve.
My vision continued to flicker in and out, on and off, and then finally gave way, the world around me quickly melted into a haze of mixed shapes and odd sounds. And with the sense of dread pending, I was forced to take in the vision of the three trees around me—no, not trees, but figures—the ones which now loomed over me and stood there to bare witness to my demise. Silent beings on the prowl, both dreadful and menacing...
I gasped for a breath, my mind grasping for anything to anchor to. "At least my ears still worked..", I thought bitterly, though even this small comfort felt like no more than a fleeting afterthought.
"Nice shot, Sacra, you brought the boy to his knees...or what's left of 'em anyways..", it came from the gruff voice of the tall middle figure, the one who stood nearest. He shifted slightly closer, his words arrived like harsh wind in the air. The omnipresent being to his left then barked out a hearty laugh, the sound echoed strangely. The third figure was slow to move, and he reached out with a thick, gnarled branch which he thrust out like a weapon—"too large to be anything else..." I thought, as the man moved with caution and then suddenly swung his branch like arm in a motion down toward me...
"What have you got there, little pooch..?" the third figure asked in a cold mocking tone. His words, though muffled and distorted to my ears, had pierced through the haze. I could feel a strong tug on my hand as the pendant I held tightly grew more distant with each pull. "Not my hand...Not my arm..", I thought in desperation, but I couldn’t let go. My only realization, "A digger with no hand would certainly be useless..!"
Possessed by some stubborn will, I tightened my grip. And despite the jerking force in opposition, I held firm my grasp. The pain in my head flared, but I had resisted, and refused to surrender the pendant or any part of my arm. I wasn’t going to be reduced to the hold of a one-handed nothing.
But just as I thought things couldn’t get any stranger, I felt a new tree appear and shadow the scene. Slowly it approached in a quiet deliberation. And at first, I thought it was just a fourth tree in coming, a new additional blurry figure which blended into my vision. But this one…yes...it was different...and larger. Its movements more deliberate and seemingly more calculated as it crept up behind the other three figures. My thoughts were thick in a mixed-up delirium, and yet, in the fog of the confusion, it made sense: just another tree, somewhat bigger than the rest, it was part of this forest.
The throbbing in my head reached a complete ebb. The darkness around me deepening while the very air I breathed had become thickened with weight. A wetness began to pool beneath me, and I could feel both my body and spirit slipping away. My breaths grew shallow, and I felt myself drifting further into the abyss. The newest figure—no, the fourth tree—it slowly moved closer up behind the others and towered above them in a fit for control. Its enormous shadow loomed on, and I couldn’t help but notice how absurd it all was, how this new figure sat tall and was perched atop a camel...a strange sort of beast which had been born without humps...the impression, though ludicrous, had almost brought me to laugh, but the heaviness taking over had silenced even that.
"Let go - little pest..!" The gruff voice of the tree closest to me snapped while my subcontious grasped to pull me back in. I tried, with all my will, to hold onto the pendant, but my efforts betrayed me. I was beyond any gift of awakened resistance, and as the world around me slipped into the darkness, I felt my body go limp as it entered the abyss. The pendant was gone. Once a symbol of my triumph, it had now been pulled to freedom. The last thing I remembered was the third tree before me had risen a branch...
"Thwak-thwak-thwak..!" The blows rained down one after another, each strike in its placement an additional jolt of pure agony. The pain exploded in my mind, my will went away, and with it, oblivion took over. The world went silent, and I surrendered to the numbness. A darkness which was much deeper than sleep had swallowed me whole, and the last remnants of consciousness now left had me ungrounded. I drifted away as my embattered form slid within an uncontrolled, and numbing, myriad of dismay...
...Select Next Scroll...
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Thank you valued Rider's Vault Members..!
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CURRENT VOLUME List:
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Scrolls of the Prophet...historical/biblical/adventure/coming of age
- Awakening
- Gathering
- Binding
- Bloodline
- Prophecy
- Phoenicia
- Future Dig
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Scrolls of the Past...historical/adventure/coming of age
- Amen Rey (Egyptian)
- House of the Fawn - (Greek)
- Spice Road - (Persian)
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Dominatrix...sci-fi/thriller/action/space adventure/coming of age/assassin
- Domina
- Bisal
- Alaran
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Terraformation..sci-fi/action/adventure/alien love story/space travel
- Terra-Form
- Terra-Rise
- Terra-Site
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Quest of the Seeker..thriller/murder mystery/afterlife/coming of age
- The Key
- The Clown
- The Seeker
**Hint: The Seeker is the Grim Reeper's brother...:)
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The Cleaner..action/thriller/coming of age/assassin
- The Child
- The Woman
- The Teacher
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Ready The Yeti..children's series/adventure/life lessons
- I Am Ready
- I Am Sassy
- I am Abominable
or
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Follow my load of chapters 1-30 as I edit / proof-read / and post...
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Scrolls of the Prophet - Book Volumes 01 - 07 + all other titles in progress (25 Book Volumes)
Join and continue to chapters 01 - 30 of each volume
Read them as a whole - or read them as I load them...
Thanks for your support....Rider
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◆ all volumes ◆ all titles ◆ unedited ◆ edited ◆
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Or if you feel fishy... -Nano
https://youtu.be/oVDP3mlpniQ -
