Chapter 2 Truthes and his wings

Grapping both his arms Mara pulled the healed Truthes with all her might, “A council has been prepared and you are going to go!”

Truthes, although he regained most of his strength, slid a little ways forward as he yelled, “I do not want to go! They can’t judge me of this deed it was my own decision! I did nothing wrong!”

Mara’s face reddened in anger and exasperation, “You will go boy if it be the last thing I do!”

As Truthes and her played tug of war with his hands, Mara started to gain the upper hand, but she suddenly jumped in surprise, letting go of his hands and he flew backwards.

Mara looked hard at him with eyes that could ignite his very body as flames danced in her stare, “What did you do!?”

Truthes shook his head, “What do you mean?”

Mara sunk her fingers into his arms and flung him around, her voice dripping with horror, “Where did your wings go?!”

Truthes turned his head and moved his wings into his own view, he could feel them there, and he knew they were there, but when he turned to look, they were gone. Turthes turned in circles looking madly for his missing wings.

Mara hissed at him, “Stop turning like a lunatic, I don’t like games Truthes. Where are your wings?”

Truthes looked at her, “I don’t know, I can feel them there. I didn’t do any thing with them.”

Mara squeezed his arm a little, “No games Truthes, how did this happen!”

Truthes squirmed under her grip, “Mara you’re hurting me. Here feel, they are there. Feel.”

Mara hesitated, the touching of another’s wings was a sign of deep intimacy, but it wouldn’t hurt to merely check if they were really attached to his back, “Fine.” She reached out toward air, feeling slightly silly for grasping at nothing, but unbelievably enough she felt the soft silkiness of feathers under her hand. She stepped back shocked, “What is this magic?”

Truthes shrugged, “I know not.”

Mara believed him; no boy could make wings disappear. “We will discuss it with the council then.”

Truthes retorted, “I don’t see why I must discuss any thing with a council. It was my actions alone. Why should I be judged of them?”

Mara sighed, he had become so much like her, “Truthes, your wings, no matter the trouble they give you, are a blessing. To dishonor and disclaim them as you did is a dishonor and disclaim to all your people. I do not remember something like this happening in any of the history of the winged ones. I don’t know what they will do.”

Truthes put his head down dejected and this time he silently walked out the door toward his doom. As he walked out the door his wings reappeared.

~~~

“Truthes son of Garabo, do you know what you are to be judged for.”

Standing very still, Truthes’s eyes remind on the green grass around this feet, “For the cutting of my wings.”

The chief councilor, a tall skinny man, sitting in the middle of the five council members, spoke clearly and deliberately, pronouncing each syllable carefully, “Do you understand the magnitude of this dishonor, son of Garabo?”

Truthes’s voice trembled, but he defiantly answered, “Yes.”

Preparing to start the trail, the soft rustle of feathers could be heard as the five council members fidgeted slightly on their simple wooden chairs. In the clearing, the bright blue sky could be seen glimmering above and a quite breeze shook the leaves. Truthes stood in the center of the clearing facing the five council members making ready to judge him of his actions. Only the five council members, Truthes, and Mara graced the beautiful clearing.

The tall looming figure started the questioning, “Why did you cut your wings?”

Truthes shuffled his feet, and glanced at the emotionless Mara sitting to the side. He muttered, “I did not want them.”

The first councilor, a kindly looking women sitting directly to the right of the chief, questioned him further, “Why would you not want such a gift?”

Mara held her breath, tucking her wings closer to her back, hoping he would keep his temper, but she was disappointed.

Truthes snapped his head up, flaring his wings slightly and snipped at her, “They are no gift. They are a curse. I am always teased by the non-winged ones for my wings.”

Mara felt a dagger thrust her in the heart, but she did not let her face show it.

The second councilor, a short, stocky built man, placed on the other side of the kindly women, waved his hands and wings as though to shoo away a pesky fly as he asked, “Why should it matter what the non-winged ones should think? They are a trite people, with whom we should not be concerned.”

Truthes put his head back down and murmured something incomprehensible.

The second councilor blurted out, “Speak up, boy.”

Still examining his feet, Truthes spoke a little louder, “I don’t think that they are trite. I think they are interesting.”

Calmly, the chief responded, “You find them an interesting people?”

Truthes merely nodded his head.

Mara’s heart was wrenching in her chest and her head beat wildly with her own pulse. How could this be happening? But she had mastered her expression.

The third councilor, a man three times the size of the others, on the left of the chief spoke with a deep barley voice, “What about them do you find interesting?”

Truthes almost seemed excited to answer, “They have so much more emotion. They are so happy! They don’t have anything to hide. I feel-” Truthes cut himself short as he saw Mara’s eyes grow wide with terror, fortunately none of the trail seemed to notice.

The kind women spoke again, “You have strong views on the non-winged ones and their open show of emotion.”

Truthes started uprooting the grass with his feet.

The stockier second member asked, “But is that any reason to cut off your wings?”

The councilor larger in stature asked, “Truthes do you participate in your age council.”

Truthes nodded.

He continued, “Who do you attend to there?”

Truthes muttered, “I attend to no one.”

The chief councilor chimed in, “Then who attends to you?”

Truthes looked even more solemn, “No one.”

Softly the women concluded, “Then you are an outcast of your own council.”

Concerned, the third councilor said, “You are alienated among your own kind.”

Mara looked around at the council and noticed the silent fourth councilor staring intently at her instead of Truthes as every one else. His bright green eyes pierced her to the core. He seemed to be trying to read her very thoughts. Although she had obviously noticed his incriminating stare, his eyes did not waver. He appeared locked in his gaze till, finally, his tore his eyes away and scanned across to Truthes, but that stare somehow still lingered with Mara.

The second councilor’s distraught voice brought Mara back to the present, “How often do you see the non-winged children?”

Truthes answered hastily, “Only when they come close enough to my house.”

A little sternly the women said, “These encounters must stop. We can’t have the non-winged ones influencing you so much.”

Truthes dropped his shoulders, almost drooping his wings to the ground.

Intensely, the last councilor on the farthest left chair spoke. His voice immediately brought all attention to himself, every eye turned on him and somehow he seemed to return each stare simultaneously, “You do not belong with them.”

Truthes flared, his wings spread wide extending from his shoulders as he yelled, “Then with whom do I belong! Not among my own people, as you have mentioned, nor with the non-winged ones. What am I to do!?”

Truthes turned to each emotionless face. He could have screamed because of the detached, impassive stare they all gave him. But instead he lowered his wings, dejected, knowing he had made a mistake.

Breaking the deathly silence, the largest councilor spoke. He almost seemed to be whispering after Truthes’s yelling, “How have you done this with your wings?”

Truthes looked back at his wings and again they had disappeared. Shyly he answered, “I don’t know.”

With out hesitation, the fourth councilor with the piercing stare said, “One that has his wings cut will always have that ability, it is something that he will have to learn to control.”

The stout man whispered, “This is most unusual.”

Taking control of his shock the chief councilor spoke, “None the less, if this is something that can be control then it should be, however at this age, most have learned to grasp and control their own emotions. I am afraid there may be no hope for this one.”

With a tilt of worry, the women stated, “We can not abandon him at such a young age, not till at least he has reached full man hood.”

The voice that attracted so much attention spoke again, “I don’t think that he should be punished for the crime of his guardian.”

All eyes turned to the silent Mara. Although she worked to master and control her face, a passing glimpse of shock and fear played across her features.

The chief councilor spoke sternly, “Mara is not the one on trail here.”

He did not falter though, “Yes, but it is her views and way of life that have put Truthes in this position.”

The council sat in silence thinking of what was just said. The shorter councilor asked, “What are you suggesting we do?”

Carefully, fourth councilor slid forward in his seat to look at the council, “I suggest that Truthes be found a proper home and Mara be dealt with for her influence.”

Each council member sat deep in thought weighing the proposition.

Unexplainable fear and panic filled Truthes’s chest. He knew that every word this council member had said was true and he often grumbled himself about Mara and her strange ways that had influenced him so much, but the thought to live with someone else was inconceivable. She had raised him all the way through into manhood. A flint of frustration surged through his body; he couldn’t believe that he was standing there waiting for his life to be decided for him. He glanced at Mara whose expression showed more than she intended, that or he just knew how to read her. The slight furrow of her brow and the down ward pull on the edge of her lips could only mean she didn’t like this either.

Truthfully, the fact that losing him would not be pleasant for her brought a twang of pleasure to Truthes. He often thought that Mara’s life would be better if he just left, but it gave him a certain peace to know that she still wanted him.

Finally, the tall chief spoke, “This course of action does seem a bit harsh, but I think that this plan would be the most beneficial. However, Mara is not on trail and no decision should be made about her here.”

The kindly women nodded her head in agreement, along with the short stout councilor who nodded vigorously. The third councilor sat quietly then asked, “Truthes how would you like this change?”

Truthes plainly said, “I would hate it.”

The councilors stirred in their seats except for the fourth councilor. He sat up so far that he was almost out of his seat and spoke firmly, “All the more reason to move him away from her.”

Staring into the fourth councilor’s deep green eyes Mara slowly stood up and spoke, “I would like to say something.”

The councilor squirmed under her gaze, but she turned her attention to the chief councilor and waited. He nodded his head and said, “Proceed.”

Mara’s whole body was tense with anticipation and worry. They could not take him away from her, she could not let this happen. Mara took a deep breath, “I know I have not done very well to teach Truthes about our culture, I will be the first to admit that. But the fact still remains that he was put in my charge. His parents were aware of my strange ways, but still entrusted him to me. I know his father, Garabo, would not want this and his wishes should be attended to.”

She remained standing watching each contemplating face. Her breathing was shallow and anxious. She could barely move a muscle waiting for someone to say something.

The councilor large in stature spoke first, “She does make a legitimate statement.”

The women quietly said, “But is she still to be trusted to care for him?”

The chief councilor responded, “If Truthes’s father trusted Mara I think that we have an obligation to trust his judgment and wishes and therefore must trust Mara.”

The second councilor argued, “The fact still remains that Truthes cut off his wings and he is not getting the proper training at home.”

The third councilor spoke thoughtfully, “Instead of taking Truthes away from his home, he could receive daily training outside of his home from someone in the society we could trust.”

All eyes turned to the fourth councilor as he spoke, “Would that truly be enough to change this behavior?”

The tall chief answered straightly, “Yes, and I believe we know the perfect man to direct his training.”

Inquisitively the fourth councilor asked, “Who?”

With a smile in his eyes the chief answered, “You, councilor Kelep.”

The council all nodded their heads in unanimous approval.

Kelep raised his brows in shock, but lowered them and nodded his head, “Very well, I will take on this challenge.”

The chief concluded the trail, “Then it is settled, Truthes is to remain with Mara, who will work with him to teach him our ways of life, and Truthes will meet daily with Kelep for farther training, unless otherwise disagreed with.” He waited in silence for an opposition. When none came he ended the trial, “Then we will reconvene in five months time to see Truthes’s progress.”