Beyond the Valley of Mist Read Online Free PDF Page B

you are going
through. I, too, suffered that same torture when your mother first
became a woman. She begged me to help her. I considered many
things, but I couldn’t find a way. If I tried to hide her and we
were caught, we would have suffered a terrible death. I also
considered trying to escape into the Valley of Mist. One day,
without letting anybody know, I ventured into the edge of that
mist. The odors and sounds coming from that mist were the most
terrifying things I had ever encountered. Floating down the river
looked like the best possible way to escape, but I didn’t want to
subject your mother to such a terrible ordeal.
    “ I know there is another
side to the valley,” Zarko continued. “At times, when the light is
just right, I can see snow-capped mountains on the horizon. Those
mountains would have to be on the other side of the valley. If a
group of people went together, they could help one another, and
they might find a way to cross the valley.”
    “ Father, Jok and I want to
try,” Zen interrupted. “We have discussed it with Lela and Ador. We
are all aware of the dangers and are willing to deal with them in
an effort to escape from the priests. We do not believe that Fire is God. The
girls have already had the time of the moon, and we’re afraid the
priests might come for them at any time.” He looked anxiously at
his father. “Will you help me to build a raft?”
     
    ***

Chapter 7
    The Escape
     
    “Son, as your father it is
my duty to advise you, and my advice is, don’t try it. The danger
is too great. Young women have been undergoing the rite of
womanhood for hundreds of years. Most of them conceive and survive
the ordeal. You will have to be strong and understand it will not
be the choice of Lela to have a baby that has been fathered by a
priest. You must put the event out of your mind and raise that
child just as though it were your own. It is not the fault of the
child that it is the product of religious rape.”
    “ We understand, Father, but
we have decided to take the risk. Will you help us?”
    “ All right, son. I’ll help
you. We’ll build the raft tonight in a secluded spot, at the base
of the cliff where no one will know what we are doing. We’ll load
it with a supply of food and weapons and hide the raft. Your mother
and I will come with you. We agree that Fire is not God. We’ve been
looking for an opportunity to escape for a long time.”
    Zarko put his hand on Zen’s
shoulder. “Don’t tell Negg, and don’t speak of it where he or any
of his friends might hear. He has been accepted as an apprentice
priest. Being a firstborn, Negg knows that one of the priests is
his natural father, and he feels drawn to the priests. He does not
feel that he is being disloyal to his mother or me by telling the
priests about any actions we take, or anything we say. I hate to
think this, but he might divulge our plans. If he does, we will be
killed before we can even get the raft built.”
     
    ***
     
    On the pretense of going
fishing, Zen and his father went to the river and worked. They were
concealed while they gathered big logs from piles of driftwood on
the side of the river. Since there would be three couples on the
raft, it had to be big enough and float high enough to protect them
from the predators in the river. As soon as it was dark, they tied
the logs together with heavy vines and built a sturdy raft. In it
they placed food to eat, skins for shelter, and weapons to use in
case they needed to. They included a big supply of stone axes and
knives, as they were sure to encounter man-eating animals in the
valley. They were prepared to leave the following morning at
sunrise, knowing it would be too dangerous to enter the dreaded
Valley while it was dark.
    Zen and Zarko fervently
hoped that they could float down the river, cross the valley to the
other side, and start new lives where they could be free from the
oppressive God of Fire who controlled every facet of their lives.
They