Left of Midnight Section Three: Micro-Chapter 3.8

Greetings and salutations, faithful followers of this blog! I’m Timothy Scott Purvis and, yes, I’m back with another entry into Left of Midnight. This one will be shorter as I’m still trying to put the finishing touches on the final section of Left of Midnight the Rough Draft. If you’ve been following along with this book, you’ll know that we’re now deep within the conflict between those supposed to be guarding Midnight (aka, the Voija) and those seeking to unleash them from their imprisonment. It’s been taking me a while to get this one done. It didn’t help that I had some medical issues and that I have an infant who is in constant need of attention. That and housework keep slowing me down. But, hopefully, I’ll be able to finish this all up by the fall and set up a release date for my Kindle page then. I’ll keep you informed as I move along on the WIP.

Anyhow, thank you for your continued support on this blog and I hope you’ll check out my author’s page and maybe support the cause here and there, eh? Read to you all again soon!

3.08

THE CROWDS WERE growing more dense. Yet, their voices more muted in the process. Shōtō couldn’t say what that disquieting voice in the back of his mind truly meant, but he kept hearing, ‘Don’t let them take you, my son…’ And he kept feeling his own voice reply, ‘I won’t, okasan.’ It was if a part of him despised this new role of his even while his own mind was giddy with the excitement that the True Word brought. A peace he’d never known.

  And still…

  ‘Just voices in the dark, Voijin. Merely voices… in the dark. The darkness of a past that was never kind to you. Never cared who you were. Now, here, you can become who you were truly meant to be.’

  He smiled. The throng of the masses moved forward. The low murmuring of the crowd was an unsettling thing. Too unsettling.

  ‘Just the people coming to accept who you are and your role in it, Voijin. Just the people loving this new world we’re creating.’

  His smile broadened. They had all come to the Grand Praetorium Pavilion. The extant center of lower Farediin where the beginning of the new city of Farediin Prime began. They were marching towards the Grand Odjemir Chamber, the hub of all of the olden connections of the new government with the ancient past. Where music was played, elaborate pageants were displayed, and primitive grudges raged. There, they would pick up the preaching. There, Shōtō would do as the Prefect Nindemus requested and continue speaking in the ancient tongue of the Voija. Speak to the masses and share the good word of the Godhand directly with those who had become lost and no longer understood sacrifice for the greater good.

  ‘And then all suffering will end, Voijin.’

  Shōtō’s smile lit up his face as he followed his congregation towards the gateways leading up into the city prime. He was eager to continue his mission. Eager to continue preaching the True Word. Eager to see his final commitments brought to fruition.

  “Why have we stopped?” Nindemus’ voice cut across the empty space surrounding them all.

  Shōtō frowned, his peace being slightly disrupted.

  Why shouldn’t we stop? This is madness. We need to go back! The thought came to him unbidden and his frown deepened. Why should I think such a thing?

  ‘Worry not, Voijin. We—’

  “My dear, sweet Shōtōsan,” a voice cooed from the left of Shōtō’s shoulder.

  Shōtō turned and saw Nindemus standing over him. The tall reptilian suddenly sent a chill up his spine and a strong sense of nausea struck his stomach. All at once, he despised everything about the man. And a strange sense told him he wasn’t alone in the sentiment. Shōtō’s stare held for a moment before he blinked away his revulsion and forced the smile back.

  “Prefect. What news have you? Are we to settle here temporarily? I was under the impression time was of the essence.”

  Nindemus clicked his tongue against his teeth and tilted his head slightly. “It would seem Farediin Prime has entered lockdown. A bit of tit for tat by our favorite adjudicant. As consequence, we’re going to change up tactics and, together, you and I shall enter upper Farediin via other means.”

  “Our congregation will not be joining us, prefect?”

  “It would be impossible for them to do so at this moment. However, they will not be separated from us for long. We have only to start the machinations of change and, soon enough, these gates will open to us all. We must go, though.”

  Shōtō furrowed his brow. “Should we not address them directly, though? Allowing those who follow us to know we will not part for long?”

  “Trust me, Shōtōsan, they will be taken care of. I have it from the highest power that they will remain here and obey the wishes of the Godhand. For now, let us make our way.”

  “As you say, prefect.”

  Nindemus turned from him and walked down a pathway towards a corridor off the pavilion. Shōtō remained standing for a moment, two guards behind him waiting for him to continue on.

  ‘They will remain. Worry not about their fates. The time to spread the good word to the rest of Farediin has come. Follow the prefect. …For now.’

  Shōtō felt the tense knot at the center of his being growing tighter. The voices of the past continued to haunt him and he certainly no longer wished to be preaching. In fact, watching Nindemus enter the small opening to the corridor beyond reminded him of the cave he and Avery had shared. And he wanted nothing more then and there than to return to that cavern and never emerge again.

Alright, there we go. The end of another entry into Left of Midnight. I will have a couple more to share in the coming weeks. I’m still working on the work and I hope to have more soon. See you all again soon and be sure to check out my Story Time With Tim postings on Fridays! Towards the fall, they’ll turn into Poetry Time With Tim for a bit as I’m running out of short stories to share. But, I’ll solve that next year with some offerings with some of my other books I’ve written. One is a fanfic the other is already available for purchase up on my author’s page.

Until next week, everyone! Read to you again soon!

~Timothy S Purvis

Since you’re here, why not go ahead and head on over to my author’s page? It has a lot on there on offer. Everything you can read on this site for free, is available there. I mean, if you enjoy my writing, why not buy a story or two? I try to keep it all as reasonably priced as possible. Though Amazon won’t let me go any cheaper than a buck, it would seem. Still, I think my work is worth at least a buck here and there, eh? Just click my name and the link will take you there straight away–> Timothy S Purvis

Here’s another of my works now on sale over on my page. Check it out:

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