Chapter 3

3

         The horses suddenly came to a halt. Ari and Alak peered around in excitement. Perhaps the Prayermakers had returned, or they had come to the end of their journey. Alak tried to jump out, but was slammed back in again. He groaned as he rubbed his neck,

         "There's nothing here! And we can't get out of the wagon! What are those lazy animals doing? Why are we stopped?"

         Ari was silent. He still had not told Alak about the food. Alak had been complaining for hours about how hungry he was, but Ari could not bring himself to show him the secret box. After all, the Prayermaker had left a note saying not to. But if they were stranded, he couldn't just let Alak starve, could he?

         Several hours passed. The horses had not moved an inch. Ari was feeling hungry and Alak had not stopped complaining long enough for Ari to sneak away to get more food. Finally, he decided that he would rather face the wrath of the Prayermaker than listen to Alak whine for one more second so he murmured,

         "I know where there is some food."

Alak pounced on him.

         "Where is it? Why didn't you mention it before? Show me where it is you little..."

         Ari shoved the boy off of him and crawled to the secret box. He yanked off the lid, and scrambled out of the way just as Alak dove towards the food. The greedy boy shoved handfuls into his mouth with wild determination, when he suddenly gagged and turned green. A few seconds later, what he had eaten was spewed all over the floor of the wagon.

         "YOU! You tricked me!" Alak spluttered accusingly, "You told me that was food!"

         "Well, it was when I ate some," Ari said anxiously.

         "That was horse manure!" Alak yelled. "You made me eat HORSE MANURE!!!" He looked as if he were about to say more, but instead, got sick again.

         Ari closed the lid, seeing mounds of food still stacked inside, and backed away. He stayed as far away from Alak and the stench of the vomit as he could and wished he was back home with all his heart.

         After several more hours had passed, Ari realized that the horses were most likely not going to start walking again. He thought about this for a while. They must have stopped for a reason. But what reason? This could not be the destination could it? After all, they could not get out of the wagon, and there was nothing here exept miles of trees! Wait, they had thought that there was no food in the wagon either. Maybe there was a way out hidden somewhere! Ari began to search through the hay once again. After a few minutes, he came to the food box. Being hungry, he opened it, planning to eat a snack and return to the search. He thrust his hand into the hole and nearly fell. Instead of a compartment full of food, there was an opening leading to a tunnel that went down further than Ari could see. He stared for a few minutes, closed the lid, then opened it again. The tunnel was still there. There was no note, so he assumed it was alright to tell Alak and yelled,

         "Alak! I think I found a way out of here!"

         Alak just glared at him, rolled over, and began to snore again.

         Ari shrugged and slipped into the hole. He wriggled, twisted, and squirmed until finally he was through. He fell for what seemed like hours (but was really only a few minutes), his stomach jumping like a grasshopper, until he landed with a thud in somethin warm and soft. He crawled out of it with some difficulty and jumped to the ground. Whatever it was, Ari thought it was alive, because it moved up and down as if it were breathing and it was warm and furry.

         He left the Thing and crawled through the only opening in the chamber, a hole in the wall, into a dark chamber. As soon as he reached the center of the room, there was a flash and the whole chamber was filled with light. Ari felt as if he had jumped ten feet into the air, and his heart was jumping like a trapped rabbit. When his eyes adjusted to the light, he saw that the chamber was really a huge hall filled with Prayermakers in bright, red robes. There was something strange about them, but he could not think of what it was. He peeered around the room in confusion, a look of bewilderment upon his face. He suddenly realized that the reason the Prayermakers looked strange to him was because none of them were wearing masks. One Prayermaker, bent and grayed with age, and the only one wearing a black and gold robe, stood and spoke.

         "Arinyamand Alothkamond, where is your companion? The boy called Alakshim Derobiyey?"

         Ari answered nervously, "Please, sir, he would not come. I tried to tell him that I had found a way out of the wagon, but he would not believe me. Sir."

         The old Prayermaker smiled.

         "You are to call me "Lord". I am the Prayerlord of our country. Do you know what that is?"

         "No, my Lord."

"I am the master of all of our ceremonies here in the Temple of Prayers. And I am the Prayermaker for the King. Do you know what we Prayermakers do?"

         "No, my Lord."

         "We pray for, and sometimes create, miracles for the people and the land. Without us, our land would have fallen long ago. We are what separates our people from all others and makes her great. That is why we are such a great secret. You were brought here to replace one of the Prayermakers. You were chosen by him from your village because he was born there and you were either related to him, or he saw qualities in you that are desired in a Prayermaker. Today, you will perform your first duty as a Prayerboy. It is not an easy task, nor is it always enjoyable. How you perform today will affect the rest of your life. Do you have any questions before you begin?"

         "Yes, my Lord. What happened to the two Prayermakers that came to my village?"

         "They are here, but you will not meet them until you graduate to Prayerkeeper. Your instruction will be carried out by Prayerkeepers and books until then."

         Ari felt a lump rise in his throat. He had hoped that the old Prayermaker would be here to help him as he began his new life. Instead, he must begin his life completely alone. His thoughts were interrupted by the PrayerLord.

         "Arinyamand, your first trial awaits. Are you ready?"

         Ari swallowed as he realized what an important journey he was beginning, and nodded. The Prayerlord motioned to some young men standing nearby who approached Ari and put him into a new, white robe and fitted his wrists and ankles with silver bands. The Prayerlord then gestured grandly and a huge door at the end of the hall swung open heavily.

         "Your task is to find your way to the place meant for you. Follow your instincts and never hesitate. Go now."

         As he moved toward the great door, Ari clenched his fists to keep his hand from shaking and lifted his chin in defiance to his nervousness. The door boomed shut as he passed through it's arch and he shivered in spite of himself.

         His life had begun.