Khal stared at Rene’s sleeping form, feeling an incredible rush of nostalgia as he did so. His beautiful friend, lover, and soul mate, looked so innocent as he rested. Rene had suggested Ari keep Emory for the night, as he hadn’t been ready to face her again after the long conversation in the car. Khal was pleased since it meant more time for he and Rene to process together, to figure out the future. 

To remember the past, and every wonderful moment. 

Khal watched Rene sleep, as he had watched him a thousand times before, and his mind turned back to the day they had made their way out of their goddesses’ temple, following the sandstorm and their blessings. 

They had climbed up the steep mountain of sand with great effort, out into the blazing sun. 

The heat on Khalid’s face felt incredible. He appreciated it as he never had before. There was no longer an aching pain throughout his body, no longer the weariness of being worn away from his father’s abuse. He looked to Asim, who had reached the top of the dune, breathing heavily from the effort, and Khalid felt a rush of love and gratitude fill him, spreading from his beating heart out to his extremities. 

He had never loved someone as much as he did in that very moment. 

“You saved my life.” Khalid said. “You risked everything, and you saved me from him. And now, now we have our whole futures ahead of us. Yesterday, I was looking beyond the veil, and now the veil cannot touch me. That is thanks to you. I love you, Asim.”

Asim, who had been wiping sweat from his brow, looked at Khalid with a mixture of surprise and amusement. 

“You would have done the same for me.” Asim shrugged. 

“I would.” Khalid nodded. “But you actually did. I will remember that, forever.”

Asim smiled. 

“What now?” Asim asked. 

“Now we find food and water.” Khalid said. He wasn’t feeling thirsty, or hungry. He wasn’t the least bit tired. But he could tell that Asim was struggling. 

It was a strange sensation, feeling nearly invincible. His gift from goddess Aset, fresh and new and incredible, was like a dream. He half wondered if he was dreaming. Khalid subtly pinched himself to figure out if this was all in his head. The pinch hurt, telling him that this was indeed real, but the pain was different than it had been. It was nearly exquisite. Sharp, but immediately dulled to a soothing comforting feeling, as though his body was reminding him that he could not be hurt any longer. Not like he had been when he was mortal. 

They began to walk, Asim stumbling a bit more than Khalid as they made their way across the fresh dunes. They reached the outskirts of Aswan, where Asim spotted a well and hurried over to drink from it, scooping copious amounts water into his mouth. Khalid watched him for a moment, an amused smile on his face. Asim, having finally had his fill, turned to look at Khalid, gesturing toward the water. 

“Were you going to drink?” Asim asked. 

“Hmm? Oh, yes!” Khalid walked up to the water and began to drink. It was delicious, and refreshing, the most incredible water he had ever tasted. And he didn’t need it. At least, he didn’t feel like he did. His body could take it in, of course. Process it. But drinking it was a choice, and not a necessity. 

Asim wiped his mouth with the back of his hand as he looked at the city. 

“We should go north, I think.” Said Asim. “Away from this city. From the masters.”

“Away from my father.” Muttered Khalid. He had half a mind to march back into the city and bury his father deep in the sand, but there was no point. His brothers would just turn on him, and his masters would seek to punish him. They were free now. Aset had given them another chance at life, and he had every intention of taking it. 

Khalid heard the clopping of hooves, and turned to see a man driving a horse-drawn cart. Khalid waved his arms, and the man slowed down as he approached them, pulling on the reigns. 

“What are you boys doing so far out of the city?” The man asked. 

The man looked Khalid in the eye, and a wave of thoughts rushed through Khalid’s mind. With a gasp, Khalid stumbled back as he relived the man’s entire life. Visions of the man, Jabari was his name, flitted through Khalid’s mind in a series of fleeting thoughts. He was a brother, a father, a man just trying to provide for his family. He had lost a son, a boy of twelve, and it had nearly devastated him. Now he did everything he could to make sure that his children were fed and healthy so that they did not waste away from illness.

He had stolen, and done a number of other awful things in moments of desperation. Even now, he looked at Khalid and Asim wondering if they were runaway slaves. If he might return them to their masters for a reward. So desperate was he to help his family, despite being a good man, that he would turn over Khalid and Asim without hesitation.

“What is it? Khalid, what’s wrong?” Asim asked, hurrying over to hold him steady. 

Khalid looked up at Jabari, gestured to him, “He wants to sell us back to our masters, to get a reward to feed his family. He has traveled from the north. From Luxor, to sell his wares. He has a wife, and four children. Two boys, two girls. The oldest boy died, sick from disease. He fears losing his other children to disease, will do anything to keep them safe. Anything.”

“How…” Jabari breathed. “How can you know these things?”

“You told me. Your thoughts told me.” Said Khalid, looking Jabari in the eye. 

“You are special. Someone out there would pay money for a gift such as yours.” Jabari looked between them. “And who are you to him?” He was addressing Asim.

“You won’t be turning him over to anyone.” Said Asim. “We will be on our way.”

A slew of images flitted across Khalid’s mind. Jabari taking the large knife concealed in his tunic, jumping off the cart to grab Asim. To use him against Khalid. 

“No!” Khalid shouted as Jabari moved to unsheath the knife. Jabari froze. Khalid had felt something. A feeling like he had transferred a part of himself to Jabari. A thought, placed into Jabari’s mind. “Drop the knife.” Khalid said. 

Jabari held the knife out and dropped it into the sand. Khalid could sense Asim staring at him. 

A sudden thought came to Khalid, “You will take us north. Offer us shelter until we can get on our feet.”

“Khalid, what…” Asim breathed. 

Jabari nodded, making space on the cart. Khalid snatched up the knife and held onto it as he climbed onto the cart. He reached out to grab Asim’s hand and pull him up as well. They both settled comfortably in the back of the cart as Jabari urged the horses along. 

“Is it…did you use your gift?” Asim asked. 

“I believe so.” Khalid said, grinning at Asim as the little cart moved along with them in it. 

Asim was speechless as Jabari’s cart carried them along to their new life. 

*****

In a month, they found a home with an old farmer who was happy for the help. He didn’t ask many questions, and they were grateful for this. It was the first time in his life that Khalid felt truly hopeful. Spending days with Asim by his side, both of them beholden to no master, was truly special. 

The man for whom they farmed had little land. The work was hard, but it was over quickly. When Asim became too tired to keep going, Khalid took on his portion of the work without issue. The old man once patted Khalid on the back, exclaiming that he had the stamina of a camel. From that day on, he called Khalid ‘Little Camel.’ Khalid didn’t care for the name, but it made Asim laugh, so he put up with it. 

Life was good. Food was plentiful. No one was punished for doing something the wrong way, or simply for existing. Of course, Khalid wouldn’t have allowed punishment regardless. 

He had begun to hone his abilities daily. Every new face he saw, every set of eyes was a dive into a new mind, a whole new world of life and memories. Some minds were sad. Loss, desperation, people struggling to want to survive in a harsh world that was not particularly fond of them. 

The old man they worked for, Mahmoud, had lost everyone he had ever loved. His wife, two children, and all of his siblings had passed away, leaving him very much alone and lonely. Khalid had read all of this from the first moment they had come across him. He had seen within the man a yearning not to be alone, despite his aloof demeanor. Khalid had only to ask and the man had welcomed them into his home with open arms. 

Others that Khalid had come across weren’t so kind. There were people from all different walks of life, and some of them were straight up evil. The first truly evil man that Khalid came across looked him in the eye with a cold and calculated stare, and Khalid shivered as the man’s history rushed through his mind in a haze of manic moments. Murder, rape, a distinct lack of remorse. 

The man was born with something rotten inside of him. He had stopped and asked Mahmoud for food and shelter, and Khalid had immediately seen through him. The man intended to slit Mahmoud’s throat in the night and take off with any valuables he could grab. If Khalid and Asim got in his way, he would not hesitate to end them as well. Mahmoud was about to invite the man to stay, but Khalid stopped him. 

“He is a bad man. A cruel man. He means to kill you.” Said Khalid, not breaking eye contact with the man. “He has killed many on his journey. Victims of his greed. He is dangerous. He has murdered men, women, and children, and never felt a hint of remorse. This man is rotten, and if you let him in, it’ll be the last thing you ever do. His name is not Ali as he has told you, but Abbas. The name given to him by the father who kicked him out for he was too scared of his own son to keep him nearby.”

The man, Abbas, glared at Khalid, “What are you? Are you a sorcerer? You are the dangerous one. A liar.”

Mahmoud spoke up, “This boy has never done me wrong yet, but you, stranger, have a dark look in your eyes. I see it now. The cruelty. Thank you, Khalid, for helping me recognize it. It’s time to be on your way, Abbas.”

Khalid could feel the seething anger burning in Abbas now. And something more. He was scared. Khalid had laid him bare for the world to see, and his perfect mask had been ripped away. Abbas glanced at Asim, and Khalid knew he was sensing that Asim was the weakest of them. Not physically, but in the kind and sweet way that made him an easy target for bullies and monsters.  Khalid watched the disgusting thoughts play across Abbas’ mind as he considered what he wanted to do to Asim as punishment for how they spoke to him, and a single thought came to Khalid. 

Abbas must be stopped.

He pushed a thought into Abbas’ mind, without realizing what he was doing at first. The image of walking into the desert and slitting his own throat was forced into Abbas’ mind. His eyes went blank briefly, and Khalid muttered, “Leave. Now.”

Abbas turned without a word and walked away. Khalid knew he was headed right for the desert, his hand gripping the knife, ready to use it on his own throat. 

Khalid knew this, because it’s what he wanted to happen. Later he felt it happen, watched it happen in his mind’s eye, and it was a strange and surreal feeling, knowing that he did that, that he forced a man to drain the life from his own body. He looked across the room to see Asim sleeping, breathing in and out so slowly, peacefully, blissfully unaware of what had almost transpired, and what Khalid had forced on that man. 

Khalid’s heart swelled with love for Asim. He would do anything, anything to protect him. 

***** 15 years later

Khalid woke Asim up with a delicious breakfast of fruits, vegetables, eggs, and feta cheese. There was also a tall glass of goat’s milk. Their five goats were producing well these days. The chickens were very happy. The fruits and vegetables were flourishing. It was a great growing season. They had both thanked their goddess profusely. 

The farm was theirs now. It had been for nine years since Mahmoud had died and left it to them. He had treated them as his own sons to the very end. Khalid had seen the love in his eyes. His death was bittersweet. 

In those nine years, Khalid and Asim had expanded their little farm by several hectares. Khalid had used quite a bit of persuasion in their expansion, but had hidden the extent of it from Asim, who strove to keep things legitimate. Asim insisted that Khalid only use his abilities for good, and never for personal gain. Khalid felt that making the world better for themselves was what their goddess would want, as their good fortune would allow them to help others. 

They had donated a great amount of crops, eggs, and milk to the less fortunate in the city. There was nothing quite so special as being thanked by a grateful mother who would now be able to feed her children. Khalid prayed to Aset nightly, asking for her guidance, and was driven by the thought that she never told him no when it came to his endeavors in expansion. 

Khalid placed a single turquoise flower on the table beside Asim’s breakfast. Asim smiled and stretched as he reached the table, his hair a delightful mess after having just woken up.  

“What is the occasion?” Asim asked, picking up the flower and smelling it deeply.

“It is the anniversary of our blessing of course.” Said Khalid, noting with glee the turquoise glow in Asim’s eyes this morning. It had been more frequent lately, starting a few years ago. As they had found their peace with one another on their blessed farm, it seemed that Asim had found peace with the idea of immortality. They were thirty now, a perfect age to live eternally as partners, as lovers, as soulmates. Khalid had barely continued to mature until then, but he had the distinct feeling that he would not grow any older. He still appeared incredibly youthful, but thankfully their goddess had given him the ability to mature past the age of fifteen. 

“Of course.” Said Asim, eyeing the flower thoughtfully as he spun it gently in his fingers. “Fifteen years. We’ve been blessed half as long as we have been alive.”

“We have been free too. My dearest Asim, I want to spend eternity with you. I want our lives entwined forever. Will you accept immortality and be with me? We can continue to change the world, for the better.”

Asim looked lovingly at Khalid, those eyes glowing so exquisitely turquoise.

“I want to. I am nearly ready to. Nothing would make me happier. But…” Asim trailed off. 

“But what?” Khalid asked. 

Asim looked back at the flower, “I’m not sure. May I have the day to think on your proposal?”

“Certainly.” Said Khalid. He was ecstatic that Asim was entertaining the idea. 

Asim grinned and gave Khalid a sweet kiss on the lips. “Thank you for the flower, and breakfast, and everything else.”

*****

Khalid was so blissfully happy walking through the city back to his farm that day that he nearly didn’t register what he saw when he entered his home. Asim was talking to someone. He looked anxious, scared even. Khalid frowned as he looked to the stranger in his house, and saw the towering form of his father. The man was not looking at him, much as he would avoid Khalid’s gaze when he was a child to torment him, but it was clear as day that it was him. 

“Khalid, we should leave!” Asim insisted, turning to Khalid and looking at him with panic in his gaze. 

“You live in sin! You sicken Allah!” Growled Khalid’s father. “Having relations with another man! You are an abomination! Allah has guided me to this village to end you! How fortunate that your brothers and I should travel to this city, to spy Asim in the market, to find you living in sin. Allah wanted us to teach you a lesson, as I should have done when you murdered your mother in childbirth, but now I have the chance to set things right!”

It was a nightmare. It had to be. Khalid was frozen in terror from his father’s cruel booming voice. For fifteen years, Khalid had been independent and happy, free of this monster, but as though the beatings were still ongoing, he was frozen in fear, a scared little child once more. 

Asim took a step toward Khalid, there was a sudden movement, and blood was spurting from Asim’s throat. Blood freed by the blade of Khalid’s father.

“Nooooo!” Screamed Khalid, petrified at first in shock as Asim’s blood covered him. Asim collapsed to the floor, and Khalid rushed over to him, placing a hand desperately over Asim’s throat, wishing suddenly that he had asked their goddess for healing powers. What good was persuasion now as his dear Asim lay mortally bleeding on the floor?

“Asim! Asim!” Khalid cried. 

Asim gasped and gurgled horribly as the blood drained from his body. He touched a weak hand to Khalid’s chest, his fingers tracing a trail of blood until his hand went slack, his body slumped, and he was dead. 

Khalid cupped Asim’s face in his hand, hot tears stinging his eyes as he looked upon his deceased lover. A lifetime, gone in a moment, wiped out by a cruel monster. 

A rage built up within Khalid such as he had never felt before. It consumed him from the tip of his toes to the top of his head. He sucked in a deep breath and let out a blood curdling scream. A feral growl of frustration as the reality of his loss consumed him. 

With deep seething breaths, Khalid slowly lay Asim down and stood to face his father. In that moment, he looked into the monster’s eyes and saw years of life flash before him. The monster he had feared all these years peaked out from those eyes as a weak, pathetic, and scared little man. 

He was full of jealousy and rage, self-importance, and a particular hatred of Khalid. Not because of Khalid killing his mother in childbirth, no. That was just the excuse he used to beat him to within an inch of his life. He was actually intimidated by the young man Khalid had been. Better than his father in every way. Khalid’s brothers had been obedient followers of their father, but Khalid had fought his dominance every step of the way. And for that, his father loathed him, feared him. And had now taken everything from him. 

Khalid looked into those eyes, those pathetic weak eyes, and decades of pent up rage spilled forth in his commands. 

“Rip out your eyes.” Khalid hissed, pressing the thought into his father’s mind. “I want you to feel all of the pain and terror as you do it.”

Without hesitation, his father dug his fingers into his eye sockets and forcefully ripped his eyeballs out, screaming as they snapped off from his face. He dropped them to the floor beside Asim. 

“Now, cut out your tongue.” Khalid ordered, watching in amusement as his father took his knife, grabbed hold of his tongue with a shaking hand, and sliced violently away at the muscle and tissue. He was a gurgling screaming mess when he finished. Khalid relished at the pain and horror in his thoughts. Khalid was in his mind now, eyes or no eyes, and he wasn’t going to let go. 

“Now, all of the fingers on your left-no, right hand. Cut them all off.” His father felt around for the table. Once he found it, he pressed his hand down flat and began to cut his fingers off one by one like they were vegetables. Some rolled off of the table and onto the floor. 

Khalid leaned forward with a dark grin, “Finally, father, I want you to take that knife and plunge it into your groin. Tear until you bleed out right here. I will use your blood to feed my fields.”

Just as his father plunged the knife deep into his groin with a scream, Khalid heard someone exclaim behind him. He was so caught up in watching his father bleed to death that he did not notice his brothers enter the room and witness in horror what had happened. 

Something heavy collided with the back of Khalid’s head, and everything went dark. 

When he came to, everything was still dark. Khalid sat up, straining his eyes, his ears, everything was pure darkness and quiet. He could smell stone, could feel stone and sand all around him. He stood up, putting his hands out ahead of him. It soon became clear that he was in a stone room, small enough that he felt around the entire thing in a matter of seconds. Large enough that he could stand. He was bricked in. There wasn’t a seam or door to be found. 

Khalid pushed, kicked, pulled, prodded. There was no escape. 

He was trapped. 

Trapped in a crypt of inky blackness. 

He began to scream, and scream, and scream. 

Chapter 31 https://storiesfrommontana.com/2023/09/03/writing-challenge-2023-chapter-31-a-source-of-light/