The Lore Adventure: Book Two: Kintu: the Discovery of One

By James D. Fletcher

Noctumba has to be stopped. His unbridled powers and quest to control the earth are altering the world's energies and upsetting nature's balance. Only one can challenge Noctumba and prevent the ruin. Kintu is the chosen one but he is just beginning to learn about the Regions of Influencethe forces of nature. The Inner Kingdom is desperate and the Lore elders must guide Kintu through his time of Moltahis time of maturing, and help him realize his special powers and abilities. Kintu must draw his strength from the Influence, confront Noctumba and take away his power. But Noctumba is not alone; he has recruited others and Kintu is lost as to whom he can trust. The young Lore, alone, faces a challenge beyond his imagination.Noctumba has to be stopped. His unbridled powers and quest to control the earth are altering the world's energies and upsetting nature's balance. Only one can challenge Noctumba and prevent the ruin. Kintu is the chosen one but he is just beginning to learn about the Regions of Influencethe forces of nature. The Inner Kingdom is desperate and the Lore elders must guide Kintu through his time of Moltahis time of maturing, and help him realize his special powers and abilities. Kintu must draw his strength from the Influence, confront Noctumba and take away his power. But Noctumba is not alone; he has recruited others and Kintu is lost as to whom he can trust. The young Lore, alone, faces a challenge beyond his imagination.

• Language: English
• Publisher: iUniverse
• Release date: Jul 14, 2002
• ISBN: 9781469733296

James D. Fletcher

Jim Fletcher grew up in the forest-covered mountains of Connecticut. Fletcher, a writer and artist, has exhibited his artwork around the country. He has also hidden his art in wilderness areas throughout the United States and Canada. He and his wife, Dee, reside in the lakes country of Minnesota.

Book preview

P A R T I

KALON A LONG TIME AGO

C H A P T E R 1

Kintu scaled to the top of the precipice that overlooked the hidden forest passage to Kalon. He clung tightly to its brink and without looking down asked his father who clambered quietly below, Father, is Makai close?

Koto replied softly, He’s close, Kintu, but we’re safe here. Wait for me at the top.

We’re safe here, Kintu breathed with relief. The youth reached an arm over the top of the crag, seized a fistful of thick grass and hoisted his body onto level ground. He rolled onto his back and quietly waited for his father to join him.

The early sun blazed and set sparkle to the tiny droplets of dew clinging to the grass. The blanket of mist near the base of the crag began to dissipate and reveal the twisted undergrowth that shrouded the forest floor and the long secret passage that had led them to this place. Cicadas were already buzzing and locusts busied themselves gnawing on leaves. Things unseen moved through the grass and made scratchy sounds that caused Kintu to perk. We’re safe here, he reminded himself. Safe here.

The musty odor of forest hung heavily in the air and the shadows from the rocks and trees slept silently and still along the waking ground. From out of sight a crow sang a shrilly note to dawn and its grating squawk whirled Kintu into deeper anxiety. Makai was near, and he was dangerous; life threateningly dangerous! But we’re safe here, he whispered to the invisible crow. We’re safe here.

Makai was a web dweller, a predator and stealth hunter. He lurked in the darkness of his web trap and laid in ambush for unsuspecting victims. His sufferers became his food and he displayed what remained of their empty carcasses as trophies for everyone to see; hung them from his web in neat rows where they dangled motionless in taunting silence. Stories of his existence were haunting. Many gory tales about his dismal ways had passed among the members of Kintu’s clan.

The stories about Makai were meant to be frightening, Kintu knew. They were meant to be frightening as part of a clan ritual for the young. Makai had long ago become a symbol of ritual for the young members of the Forest Lore clan and today Kintu was going to participate in this peculiar custom. Today he was going to meet Makai face to face.

This meeting with Makai was a ceremony that Kintu had long and anxiously waited for. It was an initiation into adulthood; a first glimpse into the adult world of the Forest Lore. It was an exciting and frightening inauguration for the uncertain young; an ordeal kept secret and never talked about or revealed by those who had formerly participated. One could always tell, however, the youths that had completed the ritual by the signs they wore proudly around their necks.

The signs of fulfillment were necklaces made of small pebbles. The pebbles were joined together and fashioned in the likeness of the mysterious, balanced rock formations common throughout the forests and meadows of the region. The rock formations rose from the earth like steeples, constructed of huge boulders stacked and balanced one atop another. The mysterious structures would often disappear from one area in the forest and suddenly reappear elsewhere. The necklace pebbles were fastened to a braided hem of vine that looped around the neck so the pebbles would hang above the heart. Kintu, while lying quietly waiting for his father to join him, dreamed of returning home this evening with his own necklace suspended from his neck.

As he watched the dewdrops glisten on the blades of grass around him, Kintu’s thoughts meandered from Makai to yet another ominous predator the young Lore greatly feared. The predator was known as Slaglit, or underground ruler, as legend had it. This evil monster lived in slimy chambers beneath the surface of the earth and slithered through its network of strategic tunnels in search of innocent intruders. The Slaglit consumed its prey whole, and as they squirmed, trapped inside the creature’s bile innards, they witnessed their own harsh deaths while being slowly digested.

Gruesome stories, Kintu grimaced, but he knew the stories were somehow significant to the conventions of the clan. There were so many stories...so many traditions.

The clan of the Forest Lore held many secrets, but something inside Kintu made him feel as though these mysteries were going to soon unravel and expose themselves to him. Something inside the youth was changing, that was certain. His body was even changing; he felt himself becoming stronger, becoming more alert and more aware of everything around him. Makai was somehow very important to the clan and his meeting with this ominous predator was somehow linked to the mysterious changes taking place inside him.

Kintu returned his thoughts to his meeting with Makai and bubbled with anticipation. He took in a deep breath of forest air and again listened to the crow sing and the cicadas buzz and the locusts chomp on leaves. He tilted his head toward a scuffling sound at the edge of the precipice and watched with a quick heart as Koto, his father, pried himself up and over the top.

You climb well, Kintu, said Koto, pulling his way toward his son. Few could claim such speed and agility, even among the adults.

Kintu rose and sat; his long, black hair tumbled gracefully over his bare, dark shoulders. How far to Makai, Father? he asked.

Just beyond the dwelling of Kalon. We’re very close. Koto sat beside his son and brushed the climb’s grit from his hard forearms and

legs. He was a head taller than Kintu and wore the same handsome, chiseled face, shiny black eyes and shoulder length hair.

What is Kalon, Father?

Kalon is a place in the Inner Kingdom that is named after a great teacher. Kalon has returned to the Regions of Influence and has become One. He was before your time.

Did he return to our ancestors? asked the youth.

Yes, a long time ago. You will soon learn more about Kalon and many other things after your meeting with Makai today. Are you ready to meet him?

I’m ready.

Koto stood and adjusted the tendril of vine and leaves wrapped around his waist. He turned to the dense forest leaning over them. Come then, he said, it’s time.

Kintu rose to his feet, altered his own tendril and followed his father through the waist-high grass. The dew washed his soiled legs as he brushed behind and he could feel little beads of sweat forming on his forehead and brow. His heart drummed inside his ears as the cloudy chambers between the trees swallowed them from the sunlight. His skin danced to the intensifying, chilling buzz of cicadas and the screechy calls from the unseen crow. Neither Kintu nor Koto spoke as they tramped through the dim light. It was time for silence—time for Kintu to build his confidence and courage.

The trail they were on meandered like a snake. It wove through dense thickets of underbrush, zigzagged around bogs, and switch-backed along the contours of steep, rocky inclines. All the while they walked, it seemed as though the shrieking crow and buzzing cicadas followed, keeping a constant distance from them while remaining hidden someplace overhead. It was a distraction for Kintu. The buzzing seemed continuous and every time the crow cawed, its screech sent a rapid ripple across his back. He couldn’t wait for the trail to end and for his new life as a young adult to begin.

The trail finally straightened and moved downward along a gradual slope toward a clearing in the trees. As they approached the clearing, Kintu noticed that the trail disappeared, and just beyond the opening in the trees, the ground dropped abruptly out of sight. The quiet duo entered the clearing made their way to the edge of the drop off.

At the edge of the sharp embankment, Kintu looked down and followed with his eyes a band of bright sunlight that splashed across the top of an imposing form in the shape of a hideous skull. Kintu knew it was the dwelling of Kalon. It was the place in the stories he had been told throughout his youth. His eyes roamed past the skull to a white, fluffy cloud of silk that seemed to float just above ground. The edges of the silk sloped inward toward its center and formed into a funnel that tapered and disappeared into darkness. This was the Makai trap.

Koto, without speaking, stepped down the embankment and turned to face Kintu when he reached the bottom. The youth stood still for a while, examining the skull and the cloud of silk. The noisy buzzing of cicadas seemed appropriate here. The crow, he realized, had silenced, but other birds began filling the air with their songs. The ambiance of this new melody seemed to help settle his nerves. Kintu relaxed enough to evaluate the area bordering Kalon.

The skull and silk were nestled in a small hollow, and just beyond, a modest hill rose upward, dotted with large boulders. Just off to the left stood a large bitternut or oak tree whose sprawling branches blocked out most of the sunlight except for the single band spilling over the skull. It appeared to Kintu as though the skull and white cloud were deliberately designed to fit into the pocket, as though they grew there naturally with the surroundings. The cloud of silk looked to be attached to the back of the skull, as though they were a part of one another. It was an unusual sight, unlike anything Kintu had ever seen. The youth, while keeping his eyes fixed on the skull, knelt and eased down the embankment and joined his father.

Koto turned and quietly guided Kintu toward the skull. As they approached, the uncertain youth studied the impending mass. The structure was fashioned out of clay blocks, similar to those used in Kintu’s lodge, precisely cut and intricately laced together. Thick green moss surrounded the structure and twisted vines crawled upward along the walls. Cracked adobe stairs led to a gruesome looking entrance that was designed as a gaping mouth with fearsome fangs. The frightening opening yielded to a bleak, lifeless cavity that smelled damp and of mildew.

This is Kalon, Koto finally spoke softly. He paused at the base of the stairs. This is the place of legend.

It looks evil, Kintu replied. Was Kalon from the Darkness?

Kalon was a descendant of Ur.

Ur was a seeker, wasn’t he Father? One of the giants?

As legend tells. Ur was one of the early seekers, or giants, that entered our regions. He was a leader of many. A chief. Many of the seekers were possessed with the dark ways, possessed with greed and the lust for power. Ur was different, however, as he was kind and good and he and his tribe lived in harmony with the land. Lore favored Ur and presented him with a precious gem known as the Ulambent. Over time, others heard stories about the Ulambent’s beauty and special powers and sought to find it. One night, while Ur lay sleeping, a seeker found him and stole the Ulambent. He struck Ur and left him for dead. Lore found the chiefbadly wounded and took him to safety and nursed him back to health. Once he was well again, Lore made him one of us.

And that’s when it all began, isn’t it, Father? The Darkness?

That’s when it began for us, Kintu.

Kintu gazed upward toward the skull’s hollow, aimless eyes. This is such an eerie place, he said softly.

Koto smiled and said to the youth, It is eerie only in your mind. The forbidding lies in the shadows behind your eyes, in those dark places you don’t yet understand. He placed a gentle hand on his son’s shoulder. Come, we must first enter and pass through Kalon before we reach the site of Makai.

The warm weight ofhis father’s hand was uplifting for the moment, but when he removed it and started up the stairs, Kintu felt his body suddenly quaver and he shrunk again to the buzzing of the cicadas. The crow cawed from someplace close and startled Kintu into his first step up the stairway toward the precarious opening. With sweat now trickling down his face, Kintu turned sideways and shadowed his father through the drooping fangs and into the hollow mouth. The cool, moist cavity opened into a large chamber with a staircase winding upward along its circular walls. Misty daylight oozed through Kalon’s hollow eyes and illuminated a large support column in the center of the room. Decorating the massive column were several relief sculptures of faces that seemed to jeer at them with wordless taunts. More faces or masks with the same sneers dangled from an open loft overhead. From each of these masks hung long stone chimes, suspended in a sort of mysterious silence.

Kalon, Koto’s voice suddenly echoed in the room. We pass in friendship.

Kintu shriveled. Is Kalon here? he whispered sharply.

Kalon is One, Kintu. We must pass with respect to Kalon.

The youth tilted back and wove his eyes from mask to mask. What are all these faces? he asked.

They are called Windtickler Spirit masks. They were made in honor of the Windtickler, the spirit of the wind.

Windtickler, repeated Kintu softly, recalling some of the legend. Isn’t Windtickler the sound of the wind whistling through the forest?

Yes, and the music of the chimes. Windtickler touches the air with his magic fingers and turns the air into melody. Windtickler is the spirit of life; the spirit of the walk within all of us.

Why the scoffing look on all the faces? asked Kintu.

Koto smiled. They scoff only at fear. If you eliminate the fear within you and the fear you have of the singing wind, then you would see that the masks are actually smiling and not jeering at you.

I’m not afraid of the wind, Father.

The stone chimes suddenly clinked and Kintu felt a warm breath of air drift across his cheek. He withered and spun toward his father.

I can see that you’re not afraid, chortled Koto, offering a grin that mirrored the masks above them. Come, let’s continue.

Quietly they walked through the dingy chamber toward a trickle of daylight seeping through the opposite wall. As they approached the light, Kintu spotted a thick vine filled with leaves that concealed a rear exit. While following his father, he couldn’t help noticing the coldness of the damp floor on the bottoms ofhis bare feet. The damp stickiness again brought to mind the stories of Slaglit, the underground ruler, and he stepped quickly to shoulder up against his father as he shook away the repulsive image.

Koto, upon reaching the doorway, parted the vines with his hands and motioned for Kintu to exit. He did, gladly, and Koto followed. Outside, they descended another staircase that again led them into the gathered darkness of the bitternut tree. Thin, white silky lines, attached to the stair railings, stretched downward into the valley.

Just ahead, in the shaded hollow, awaits Makai, said Koto, slowing his pace. From here we must be very careful.

Kintu didn’t speak. He inched cautiously forward through the tall grass and between the lines of silk in the direction of the shady hollow. His shiny black eyes scoured the cloudy expanse as Koto let his son resume the lead. He moved silently behind.

Kintu paused for a moment to scrutinize his path of entrance into the hollow and the white cloud of silk. The Makai netting thickens here, Father, he said, pointing toward a tall, thorny plant. The thistle, which adorned pink, spiked blossoms, towered above young Kintu three times and leaned lazily toward the valley. More sticky white threads spiraled around the highest pink blossom and wove downward into the hollow, where they attached themselves to the magnificent white net hovering toward the bottom. The funnel in the center of the net seemed to disappear into the earth.

There will be other threads, informed Koto. You mustn’t disturb them or make unnecessary contact with them, as movement of the thread will alert Makai.

Kintu studied the terrain and blades of grass before continuing his descent. The threads are all over the place, he said under his breath, realizing strands also sprawled in intricate patterns along the ground by his feet. He had never before seen such a massive and magnificent web as this one. Makai must be a giant among the web crawlers, he whispered.

Kintu moved cautiously toward the net, not bothering to look back for his father, for he knew he was no longer there. This was Kintu’s trial. He, alone, had to approach the Makai trap. The youth recalled the words his father had spoken as they journeyed through the twilight to reach this place. You are a part of the Regions ofInfluence, my son. You are part of everything around you. You are even One with Makai. Respect Makai this day and understand his ways. Do not fear him. Realize your Oneness with him as you travel through his realm and do not attempt to alter the Regions between you. Command his respect, as he will command yours.

This is my test, Kintu reminded himself, as he carefully stepped over the milky threads. This is the ritual of the clan of the Forest Lore. I, alone, must cross over the net. After I meet Makai, I will again join Father, and together we will continue to the place of the Obelisk, where we will unite with other members of the clan to complete the ritual.

Kintu approached the expanse of white mesh and sensed the ghastly stench of decay lingering before him. Determined to conquer his fear, the youth raised his right foot and placed it gently on the fringe of the soft white cushion. A dewy, sticky substance clung to his toes. Slowly he raised his left foot and drew it to his right. He stood still for a moment on the outer edge of the net and gazed toward the ominous funnel in the center. It seemed distant, but Kintu knew he was but a blink of an eye from his doom, should the creature decide to attack.

Being especially careful not to bounce as he walked, Kintu again eased his right foot forward. The sticky substance pulled at the bottom of his foot and he could feel the net quiver beneath him. He waited a moment before completing his step.

No longer could Kintu feel the solid ground below the net. The mesh sagged under his weight and folded around his ankles. He took each new step with greater caution. His body sank further into the cloud and its stickiness now clung to his calves. Walking turned to wading and Kintu knew it was becoming more and more dangerous. Surely Makai knew he was here by this time. Ifhe were to tangle in the net, or suddenly drop through, it would be to his death. He cringed at the thought of that, took a deep breath, and slowly forded toward the funnel.

A strange entanglement hanging from a thread above Kintu’s head drew his eyes upward. He halted with a shallow sigh. Bound tightly in thread and spun like a cocoon dangled a Makai trophy—a dried carcass of a four-winged swampflyer. Its two, large globular eyes stared lifelessly into space, and its long, slender body, obviously emptied of its internal stuff, dangled in withered, motionless suspension. A wave of apprehension curled around the young Lore.

Above the swampflyer hung other lifeless forms, all wrapped and secured by thread and lined in neat rows. The eyes of the dead retained the same fixed stare as the swampflyer’s and all were withered dry and emptied of their life’s stuff. This was the middle of Makai’s feeding grounds.

Kintu pried his eyes away from the nauseating scene and eased himself into the opening of the funnel. The filmy white net closed in on him and gathered around his body. A musty odor prickled his nostrils and made him queasy. The young Lore lingered quietly as he reflected again on his father’s words: You are part of everything around you. You are even One with Makai.

A sudden jerk on the net knocked Kintu off balance. He caught himself quickly and froze. A tug from deep within the dark funnel had jolted the net and made it sway, and as the youth bobbed, he felt the gooey white mesh tighten around his body and pull at his bare feet. Makai was coming through the funnel!

A scratching noise below the net caused the hair along Kintu’s neck to rise. He strained his eyes into the dingy cavity, certain he had seen something move. Two black spiny twigs had emerged into the dim light and now clung to the matted mesh below his feet. Did my weight force the net to the ground? he wondered. The prickly twigs seemed to be locked tightly into the entanglement. The youth stood frozen and let the net settle around him. I mustn’t be hasty, he thought. I must be one with the net.

The youth’s uncertain eyes again fell to the strange twigs near the bottom of the funnel. It was dark at the bottom and everything looked hazy. Is Makai here? Is he lurking and watching me from the haze? Kintu wondered. He lowered his head for a better look.

The bristly twigs exploded suddenly from their entanglement and lashed out toward Kintu’s feet. The thorny tips clawed and pulled at the net by his toes, then came to rest. The frozen youth swayed with the net and he fought back his desperate urge to cry out. These weren’t twigs at all...these were the thorny legs of Makai!

Kintu’s eyes bugged at the long, black barbed legs ofMakai clinging to the net below his toes. The bottom of the funnel was now filled with a cluster of dark prickly fur, and two, large cold looking eyes glared directly at him. A pair ofblack deadly fangs protruded from the predator’s stubby mouth and glistened slightly in a sprinkle of sunlight filtering through the net.

The young Lore remained still, knowing that if he tried to flee he would entangle himself in the net and become one with the swamp- flyer suspended above him. He knew he could show no fear to Makai, and that he had to remain undaunted. As his father had told him on their journey, he had to command Makai’s respect, just as Makai commanded his. Biting his lower lip, he returned Makai’s stare.

Makai tore away a portion of net by Kintu’s feet and raised a barbed leg toward the frightened youth. The extended leg rose slowly and brushed its dagger barbs over Kintu’s thighs. The youth froze, felt his heart pounding in his chest and his skin twitching against Makai’s prickly touch. Makai extended his other leg and fastened it around Kintu’s feet. The buzzing of the cicadas blared in his ears.

The petrified youth restrained from his despairing urge to twist away and make a run for it. Knowing such an attempt would only be futile and would bring him closer to the swampflyer hanging above him, he remained still and choked down his terror as Makai dug his bristly barbs deeper into his flesh. For several moments Makai held the youth’s legs and feet in its thorny grip and scrutinized him with his paralyzing glare.

An eternity seemed to have passed before Makai finally released his grip on the youth and settled again into the net. Kintu remained frozen. He watched perplexed as Makai slowly backed away. As the predator slunk into the darkness, Kintu felt the net twitch with each of his heartbeats. He stared into the ominous depths of the funnel and anxiously anticipated another sudden lunge from Makai. The buzzing of cicadas became less intense.

Should I make a run for it? Kintu wondered. He looked nervously toward the hill with the scattered boulders rising on the other side of the net. IfI can pull myself out of this funnel, I might be able to make it across to safety.

Kintu tried to raise his foot but the sticky net clung securely to it. When he moved even the slightest, the net twisted and bobbed, and seemed to entangle him more tightly into its gluey lock.

Carefully, the young Lore turned his body and tried to pull his right hand free from the gummy entanglement. The more he pulled, however, the more the net closed in around him.

I’m trapped here! Kintu realized. He yanked his right hand swiftly toward his chest in a desperate attempt to free it from its gooey grip. The net caved in with the sudden motion and coiled around his shoulder, wrapping him securely within. The youth gasped, choked back his cry.

The net gave slightly to something tugging below the entangled Lore. He rolled his eyes downward and caught sight of Makai’s two barbed legs extending through the bottom of the funnel.

Kintu clinched his jaw and squeezed his eyes shut as the prickly legs brushed past his knees and reached toward his heaving chest. The youth squirmed to avoid contact, but the legs settled over him and folded around his shoulders. The barbs tugged at his flesh, and he could feel his body being rolled in the net. He kept his eyes squeezed shut and trembled, realizing again the dismal buzzing of cicadas blaring in his ears.

Something thick and spongy pressed against Kintu’s thighs. Two more prickly legs closed in on the youth and entwined his body. The legs tightened around him and pulled his body free from the sticky net.

Kintu, trying with all his might to control his fear, popped open his eyes. Makai clung to him and, with his bulging eyes, devoured the youth’s horrified stare. The creature’s fangs rested on his heaving chest and he could feel the power of the beast’s fleshy abdomen squashing against him. He felt more unseen legs clinging to his ankles and feet. The young Lore gawked at the creature’s thorny mouth and he cringed to a nasty breath that carried the stench of rotten meat. His stomach rolled, and he felt the sudden urge to vomit.

Am I going to become One with my ancestors? he wondered. One with the swampflyer hanging above me? His foggy eyes left the beast’s repulsive jaws and returned to its searing stare.

Kintu winced at his own image reflecting offMakai’s shiny, bugging eyes. He stared stupidly at himself staring back, and saw his own torment in the reflection. The fearless beast seemed to be sneering at him through his growing glare, sneering at him, as did the masks of Kalon!

You are One with Makai, Kintu remembered his father telling him. Do not fear him. Realize your oneness with him as you travel through his realm. Command his respect, as he will command yours.

Yes! Kintu realized. This is my trial! I must conquer my fears!

The buzzing of the cicadas suddenly stopped. From someplace far deeper than Kintu’s consciousness came a rush of new energy and confidence. This energy and confidence came upon him like a river out of nowhere, from behind some mental dike that had suddenly burst away with a flood of reliance that washed away his fears. He took command of his emotions and returned Makai’s sneering glare.

Kintu watched transfixed at his reflection off the glaring eyes of Makai. His horror had dissipated. He saw something new in his face reflecting back—a look of confidence. His own eyes seemed more mature and certain. He was no longer feeling fear for Makai—he was feeling respect for him. Makai’s eyes seemed to roll and scrutinize this transformation also, and for just a brief moment, Kintu thought he saw in them a hint of respect in return. As their eyes locked, Kintu felt the creature’s grip on him loosen as his body was being lowered back into the net.

Makai backed slowly away from Kintu and lightly dragged his long prickly legs down and away from his body. The young Lore sprawled quietly in the soft net and looked up at the dead swampflyer hanging above him. For a long while Kintu lay motionless. He waited for Makai to return again and threaten him but the funnel remained quiet and still.

As the youth gazed upward, he noticed, too, that the sun had already passed the apex of the sky and was now easing into afternoon. He had been in the net a long time. Kintu eased his body upright and searched deeply into the funnel. Below his body and the sagging net, an obscure image slipped quietly away and disappeared. He sat very still for several moments. The encounter was over. At length, he exhaled with a sigh of relief.

The young Lore remained motionless and stared into the empty funnel. He could have taken me, he thought. "In an instant Makai could have paralyzed me with his venomous bite and rolled me into a

listless trophy. Within a heartbeat, I, too, could have been on display along with the swampflyer and the others suspended above me."

For some reason, that thought didn’t frighten him. For some reason, the net folded around him no longer threatened. Something had happened during the encounter with Makai that caused Kintu to change. Something had happened inside him to take away his fears. What was it? Why am I no longer afraid? he wondered. The youth contemplated his ordeal.

I came looking for Makai, Kintu thought. He didn’t seek me out. I entered his domain without invite and tramped through his feeding grounds. I entered his realm aimlessly and without respect. He attacked me and I withered. Then I showed him respect and he let me go. And that was my trial! the young one realized. Respect! Understanding the ways of others and being respectful! That was it, surely.

Kintu smiled broadly. "I didn’t