Adventures of Jacko the Conjurer by Jamie Ott (drm ebook reader txt) 📖

demon gets your scent, it’s for life. Heaven and hell had an agreement that each would keep to his own side. You started this war when you broke that agreement by wandering into the red lands. This is your war; it started with you and it’ll end with you.”

“Who is the demon that hunts Jacko?” asked Uncle Bally, exhaling a stream of smoke.

“Manik. He’s Jacko’s equal in every way. Young, inexperienced, and to some extent, brave. He’s the son of Caliga, Lucem’s dark godly counterpart.”

He sighed, wondering how he was to fight a tough as leather demon.

“When the time comes, you’ll know what to do,” Oganat said, reading his mind.

“I wish that I could just hide. I don’t wanna do this.”

“Well, there is one safe place that you could go to: the summit. It’s shrouded in mystery. The demons would never find you.”

“It wouldn’t be right, though.”

“Surely, you want to say goodbye to your family, before going to your fate? Now, you’ll find the summit by instinct. When you get close, you’ll settle to the ground, and continue on foot. Like the fig orchard, it can’t be found by will, alone. Once you get to the mount, you’ll find a sacred path.”

They sat in silence for a few moments.

Uncle Bally watched Oganat very intently.

“Well, I think that’s all. I should go.”

He disappeared in a wisp of air without saying goodbye.

“I don’t like him. He gives me a weird feeling,” said Uncle Bally. “Are you sure you can trust him?”

“He’s strange, I know. They’re all strange, the gods.”

“I think he’s right about one thing: We should go to the summit.”

Jacko considered him a moment and said, “As soon as your ankle is better, we will.”

Jacko didn’t sleep that night. He stared at the ceiling, wondering if it would hurt, much, to die. He couldn’t help but contemplate what it must feel like to be stabbed, or to have his body cut in half, which he was sure a powerful demon could easily do.

Thinking these thoughts made him realize that he did, indeed, need to seek the summit. He may have done well at hunting, and shown some ability to fight, but he had not a clue as to how to use the sword and shield.

He rolled over onto his side and stared at their smooth, light yellow shine. They were weapons of war that Manik was sure to be prepared for.

The average demon was as strong as fifty men, one of his brothers told him. After his visit to the fig orchard, his strength had increased, but not that much. Even with divine weapons, would he even have a chance of survival?

And that’s why his fear immobilized him; that’s why he’d been hiding. No matter what advantages the gods said he had, there was no way he could beat a hunter.

Then Jacko remembered something his mother said to him a long time ago. “An angry man is scary but predictable, a scared man is the one you should fear the most.”

She explained this as fear being the only emotion equal to love in power. At the moment of ultimate fear, a man would do extraordinarily, unpredictable things to survive.

Once he was cornered in an alley by a couple guys from school. Joey, Blake, and Young were their names. They were from the poorer part of town, and they were dangerous. Three on one was their favorite game, but Jacko was taller than most kids their age.

When they realized beating down Jacko wasn’t easy, Joey pulled out a red stained, pitted knife. He could tell by the scent that the red was real blood; that he’d used it before.

All he remembered was his heart pounding so hard that he felt it in his stomach. His muscles tensed up so awful that, in a mere moment, his whole body hurt.

He did things he didn’t know he could; things that some would consider hitting below the belt. But mainly, he acted without contemplation, only realizing what he’d done when his primal instinct told him he could have control over his body, now that his enemies were down.

When he’d come to his senses, it was to see that Young was turning blue, with his neck in Jacko’s grip. He released him, immediately.

On the ground, whimpering, Joey’s and Blake’s face was almost unrecognizable, as they were covered in blood. The knife, also bloodied, lay several feet away.

Before that day, he’d never fought, ever, in his life.

The next day at school, both boys had stitches in their faces, yet he still couldn’t exactly remember hurting the boys.

Then he remembered the gods told him that Jove was beaten back so severely, and it was at that moment that he saved the world.

Was that what he looked forward to? Being so physically and emotionally damaged that he’d save the world? As it was, even before his blessing, and after he’d discovered his dead family, he’d had a meltdown that gave him extraordinary strength.

Suddenly, Jacko felt sick. He just didn’t want to think anymore. He rolled onto his belly and tried to sleep.

 

Over the next few days, the storms got worse and worse. His wonderful bush ceiling had finally broken through with rain, making leaks in several spots. At first, they took advantage of the leaks by gathering much water, as they’d need it for when they made their trek to the summit. But that morning, he was woken by the dripping of rain on his forehead.

After a brief breakfast, Jacko put out the fire and pull down a couple sections of brush and banana leaves.

They were just too beaten and needed to be replaced. He went into the forest, setting up traps along the way, until he found what he needed.

On the way back, he spotted Uncle Bally fishing at the river. He was covered with a gray plastic bag to keep out the rain, which hadn’t stopped drizzling all day.

He was doing better, but his ankle was still too hurt to travel. It was healing so slowly. That didn’t stop him; he did as much as he could to provide. However, Jacko was worried that they might be attacked any day. He just hoped Uncle Bally could handle it. The hunters were known to be excellent trackers. If Oganat could find them, certainly the demons could, too.

“What in the world?” he said, walking down the rocky bank.

There, hanging in the tree, was a line with nearly a dozen fat fish.

“Told ya fishin’ is better in the rain,” he said, taking a sip of whiskey. “I’m gonna need some of that pine needle tea later, though. Think you’d could fix up some?”

“Yes, of course, uncle, but how are we to eat all that?”

“We’ll smoke it. It’ll be great for when we go to the summit. Smoking’s the most important thing a man, who lives off the land, should know. This way, we have plenty of protein, and we won’t have to worry about hunting.”

“Well, guess I’d better get back and finish that brush ceiling.”

“Hold on, I’ll come with you.”

Back at their camp, Jacko immediately got to braiding and entwining his new brush while Uncle Bally cleaned the fish.

After he’d done, Uncle Bally went and put the fish guts in the traps, and returned with a possum.

Upon seeing its mask like face, he said, “I’m not eating that.”

“Oh, yes, you will,” he said. “It’s ugly but it’s good eatin’, believe me.”

Jacko clung to a side of the tree, trying to arrange the banana leaves to slope just right.

“Get down, here. I want to show you how smokin’s done.”

He climbed down, pulled off his wet clothes and wrung them. After hanging them close to the fire, he wrapped up in his sleeping bag and watched.

“Now because we don’t have brine or seasoning, we’re gonna do things a little different. Fish has lots of parasites, so you want to get a hot fire going. For extra smoke, you wanna use some wood chips.”

He pulled a little sack from his pocket.

“These are oak. I don’t recommend pine. You want a good filet, and you want to keep them cold, or smoke them right away. Two different methods for smoking: hot and cold. Today, we’re doing the cold method because it’s rainy and windy, and keeping up this fire is hard enough.”

He threw in the chips and set a twine weaved grill above it. Then he layered the top with banana leaves. When it got nice and smokey, he placed several filets under the leaves.

“We left the skin on to give it some flavor, and especially to keep it moist. Often, people make a mistake, discarding the fatty skin, which is actually pretty good. Now, we wait a few hours.”

Immediately, their camp filled with a delicious scent. It drew animals, for which Jacko kept his bow and arrow at the side, just in case they were attacked.

“Here, take a swig,” he said, handing his shoot of pine needle tea. “You’re shivering, and you don’t need to get sick right now. Don’t worry, I’ll make more.”

Pine needles littered the camp. He swept them into a pile, with his hands. As soon as he’d made more room on the fire, he set the metal can to boil.

Occasionally, they heard shuffling in the bushes.

“Probably just hungry animals. Hard to hunt in this weather. Keep your bow and arrows at the ready though.”

He filled a shoot with tea.

“Whoa, not bad,” he said after taking a sip.

He’d used extra pine this time.

The broth was pungent and tasted just like pine should. It wasn’t sweet but quite tart. He relished the way it warmed his chest. After being cold and wet for a while, it was a relief.

They sipped their drinks awhile, and then Uncle Bally said, “So where did you meet that Oganat fellow?”

“In the red lands.”

He sighed.

“Well, I suppose we should get movin’, here, in a day or so.”

Jacko flicked his eyes at his uncle.

“Really? But your ankle?”

“Yeah, my ankle. Look I know what you’ve been thinking, and so have I. I’ve seen you lookin’ at my ankle, and then getting that worried look on your face. You think that if that fellow found us, how long before the others do?”

“Yes, but we shouldn’t go until you’re ready.”

“It doesn’t matter if I’m ready. We hang out too long, and we’ll both be dead, or in worse shape. If we leave now, we can plan a safe trip. One where we can get to the so called summit without further injuring me. We can take our time. If we wait and get attacked, and I further get injured, then we got a problem.”

“What do we do about your ankle? Obviously, a summit is gonna have a hefty incline.”

“We’ll wrap my foot with a bit of cloth. I’ll whittle me a hand comfy walking stick.”

“Alright, but let’s leave tomorrow. What do you think?”

“I think that’s a good idea.”

They sat in silence a few moments.

“Do you really think something’s funny about Oganat?”

“Well, sure, but it’s nothing to worry about. In war, there are always traitors; it’s what you do when you find out you’ve been betrayed that matters.”

“Don’t you think it’s wrong, me ducking out on the fight? Do you think I’m a coward?”

“No, I don’t think you’re a coward. You’re not ready to fight in a war. They don’t understand, but you’re just a kid. You need to be kept safe.”

“Why?”

“Because as much as I’ve taught you, let’s face it, there’s more you need to learn. I’ve seen you, not only staring at my leg, but also at the sword and shield, both which you’ve hardly touched. It’s something I can’t teach you, but I bet someone at the summit could.”

Jacko nodded his head in agreement. Sometimes it was like Uncle Bally could read minds.

He was about to speak but was distracted by the sound of something large splattering in his face. Hand sized pieces of ice, fully enflamed, flew into the fire and sizzled out.

He stood up and walked to the edge of