WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 14 Bride To Be Of A Hundred Men

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WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE FOURTEEN

BRIDE TO BE OF A HUNDRED MEN





       We both stood frozen where we were and then the man motioned for me to get up into the bunk and hide myself, but I had no intention of doing anything of the sort. They were asking, nay, demanding, me, were they not? Why should I hide and wait for them to come get me? I shook my head and the man grimaced and motioned again. Again, I shook my head. He threw up his hands and began to make his way toward the arbor. I stood defiantly with sword drawn, back straight and eyes blazing. "Vaangeli....." he hoarsely whispered, and I threw my hair back and challenged him, "I am not afraid to fight! I have fought many men and conquered quite a few." He looked at me with a mix of admiration and frustration and put out a hand to me but I stepped back. "Did you not hear them? They have come for me, not you! They want to take and kill me, not you! Dost thou think I will stand still and let them do that?" "I will not allow them to do that, Little Flower but I think you do not understand." "I understand!" I said angrily, though not at him, but at the intruders. "Are these the WereMen you spoke of?" He shook his head. "I'm afraid not. Would that they were! I have silver daggers and fire to keep them at bay! No, these sound like....men. When they show themselves, I will recognize them, I'm certain, but for now, you must hide yourself in the skins under the arbor here by the pale trees. You will be safe here."


      For a moment, I was tempted to do as he asked but my pride would not allow it. "Art thou afraid?" I asked, locking my eyes on his. He did not answer so I surmised the worst. "Then I shall defend you!" I cried and readied my bow and sword. The man gave a sigh then cried out and made to pick me up and throw me into the bunk. I resisted and fortified myself against the ledge and he could not budge me. "Please......" he begged but I would not be moved. "Your time of decision has come to a close, Blue Eyes!" the deep voice boomed again and I faltered for a split second and then encouraged myself. "It is only one man." I whispered but the man shook his head. "One man with a hundred horses?" 


     We stood there silently, each wondering what we should do and totally divided in thought and plan. We had no idea where the intruder was and could not determine his whereabouts by the direction of his shouts, for they echoed around the camp and off every rock and boulder. My heart raced crazily but I was determined not to show any fear. I was a skilled warrior and intended to prove that to our foe and to my companion, for I was still reeling from my defeat at the brook. Pride sometimes makes us do foolish things, I knew, but pride also makes us do things to ensure our survival. I had learned that from the shepherd boy in the village. My pride burned in me now and I calmed myself with words from my teacher and lessons taught in the training fields. The man tried again. "Listen, little warrior, you do not know what you are up against! Let me defend you! I have much experience in these situations." "So do I!" I insisted, "You do not know the things....." But we were interrupted by the unmistakable sounds of many men on horseback riding through the dark forest, shouting unintelligible words and making more noise than any army I had ever witnessed. My knees threatened to buckle at the sound but I held myself up and tried to think of a strategy. "Stay here!" the man hissed and ran away from me towards the boulders and the horses. 


     Throwing a saddle on Redemption's back, he mounted the silver horse and stood in the middle of the camp, sword and bow at the ready. Keeping my eyes on the opening in the forest some distance away, I threw on my garnet cloak, adjusted my weaponry and made to advance towards the campfire and to my new horse, as yet unridden. Before I had made three steps forward, the man waved me back and shook his head violently. Out of the black trees came a sight I never dreamed I'd see, not even in a nightmare. A huge man sat on a huge black horse, legs as large as tree trunks, red eyes flashing and snorting what seemed to be smoke from it's nostrils. Behind the first, rode so many more that I could not count them and did not try. Fast as lightning, they issued forth and filled our camp and lined themselves up on either side of the man and his horse in front of the tall gray stones. They were hideous. My stomach churned and I tried to look away but could not. 


     Wordless, they remained there in formation, looking toward the forest in anticipation, and despite my courage, I drew myself back into the shadows of the waning daylight. The man with sky-colored eyes showed no fear and gave no indication that he had noted the fact that he was surrounded. "What is his plan?" I murmured to myself, hoping that he did, indeed, have a plan for I surely had none. Would he give me over to these creatures in return for his own safety? That had been the bargain put forth. Let them take me and ride off on his journey none the worse for wear? I became furious at the thought even though my heart knew that he would never agree to that. One minute I trusted him with my life, the next, I thought he was probably the one to take it! Why could I not feel totally comfortable with him or trust his words? Was it because of his eyes? 

      Before I could formulate an answer for myself, there rode out of the forest, the largest and most fearsome looking beast I had ever seen. Black as midnight and garbed in black and silver studded bridle and saddle and over-blanket. He wore silver studded decorations on tail and mane and had horrible blazing eyes and steam issuing out of gigantic nostrils. A man, (if he could be called that,) a man larger than the Hajvonis and proceeded by a cloud of pure evil, sat upon his back. Bald, he was and clothed only in a loincloth, with bows strapped around his back and swords as big as me hanging from his waist. A studded choker encircled his huge neck and spiked bracelets enclosed his wrists. Black knee length boots and dangling silver earrings that hung from nose and ear completed his wardrobe. Huge black eyes he had, and a mustache and pointed van dyke beard. Silver rings flashed on every finger and tattoos covered his shoulders and legs and a large stone the color of a ruby protruded from the middle of his forehead like a unicorn's horn. 


      I swallowed loudly and tried to still my trembling. But that was not the most terrible thing about the gigantic man on the gigantic horse. His appearance by itself would have been fearsome enough but that devil from a dream presented itself in a form no man could ever have made me believe in the telling! My very mind reeled at the sight and I fought to regain my senses. For there, perched upon the giant man's shoulders, nay, growing out of the man's very shoulders, with little arms and hands and bald head and earrings and tattoos of his own, grew a little man, almost identical to the other! A twin being! Without legs or lower body but emanating the same kind of evil and to my eyes, almost more frightening than his larger counterpart. I shook my head to clear it and then looked back but alas, the vision was still there! "How can this be?" I groaned within my heart. "Oh, please, tell me this is not real!"


      At the approach of the monstrous man, the other men bowed their heads and their horses bowed unto his horse. He acknowledged them with a laugh and the small man on his shoulders laughed a hollow laugh that sounded childlike but rang out in the growing darkness. I shivered and hid myself farther back into the shrubbery. "Where is the pretty maiden, Blue Eyes?" the leader growled and the small man growled, "Yeah! Where is she, Small Man?"  Redemption's rider made no sound and kept his eyes upon the ground. "He's afraid!" I observed and my heart began to sink at the observance. "Give us the woman!" the giant demanded and shook his mighty fist holding a long silver sword. The twin man shook his own fist and sword then the other men shook their fists into the sky and brandished many long silver swords. They began to scream loud, obnoxious screams and their horses stamped their powerful feet and it seemed the very earth shook. 


      Redemption backed up and bravely issued a warning to the demonic horses there, sensing, I am sure, that these horses did not belong to his equine brotherhood. They blew their smoke and steam at him and made threatening motions with their huge black heads. Redemption moved forward again and reared up on his hind legs and kicked at them with his front legs, shouting loudly in horse tongue. The black horses all took a step back until their riders urged them forward again with whips and chains. But Redemption stood his ground. Never had I witnessed such a brave act! My heart burst with pride for the horse. I heard Snow call out from behind the boulders and I wondered if she would free herself and rush to Redemption's defense. I wished with all my heart that I could be upon her back at that moment, for I  had always felt safer on a horse. It gave me leverage, gave me more courage than I could exhibit standing on two small feet, no matter how big my sword. And if that horse was my Starshine, then I felt no fear at all, for he was the bravest, most cunning animal I had ever known. He knew how to dodge and defend and sway and persuade the enemy, pursue and defeat and lead me into victory every time an adversary had presented itself. How I needed his courage and cunning now!


     I did not know Snow's mindset yet or how she carried herself in battle or defended herself in danger. There had been no time for that. And the battle was here upon us. "Why don't you ride back into the forest and back up to your Meerjok Mountain and leave us be?" the man with blue eyes said at last and lifted his eyes unto the giant with no fear showing in them. The two stared at one another for a long time and then the giant sneered and turned his head to look at the twin upon his shoulders, "Do you hear that, Little Brother? He wants us to ride away!" The small man sneered and laughed and beat his little hands upon the huge man's head. "But we won't do that, will we, Skaarkap, will we? We've come for the pretty girl and we'll have her, won't we?" And all the men shouted their affirmations and roared and pumped their dirty fists. "Ot-tay, what do you suggest we do to this obstacle? Shall we tear him limb from limb or hang him from the black trees? Shall we cage him in the forest for the WereMen or burn him with his own campfire? What say you, Little Brother? Hmm?" "He doesn't look like he'd be much sport, BrotherKing, why don't we just kill him and take the maiden and be gone before the Wolf Men awaken and chase us through the darkness?" 


     The bare chested twin looked darkly toward the forest and I detected that he was afraid of the creatures that lived there despite the fact that his brother was the size of a tree.  Playing with a chain around his neck, he said, "Remember when the werewolf grabbed Ot-tay's head as we rode through the forest on our way home that night of the full moon? He took you by surprise and hurt Ot-tay's little...." "Silence!" ordered the king and the twin cowered and hid behind his brother's head. "We are the men of Meerjok! We fear nothing! The wolves howl and run from us in terror! Never forget that, Brother Ot-tay! Now, hush your whimpering and tell me what to do with this puny example of a man!" At his words, I noticed a change come over the man and a fear come into his eyes and a paleness to his face. I went pale myself but I watched as my companion held up his black and silver sword and shouted, "You will never take the maiden! I will kill you all! Now be gone!" And the camp exploded into riotous laughter and jeers and the men began to ride around the man on the silver horse, enjoying their sport and reaching out to touch him with their hands and swords. He did not move but stared stonily ahead, grasping Redemption's reins tightly in his hand. I did not see a way of escape. He was totally surrounded. 


     Counting quickly, I saw that there were a hundred of these filthy beasts and  just how could one man defeat a hundred? The horses alone were dangerous enough, but the men with their powerful arms and long knives.......how could it be done? "Be still." the voice said in my heart. "Move only when I tell you to move. Strike only when I tell you to strike." I had not heard the voice in so long now that it startled me and I almost fell backwards in fright. "I will do as you command." I whispered and waited for it to continue. "Come out, little bride!" the giant called Skaarkap called, turning to look around the encampment. "We know you are here! We've been watching you all day! Come out now so we can ride away home and prepare for the wedding! Are you not excited? It's a great and glorious honor for you to be chosen by the men of Meerjok to be our newest bride! Come now, little beauty, and let us be gone. I grow weary of this trifling encounter and wish to be close to my own campfire in the mountains!" 


     With that, my heart fell to my stomach and out of my body and crashed to the ground. "Br..br..bride?" I stuttered, shaking like a windblown leaf. These creatures wanted to marry me? Not kill me? They intended a wedding and me as their unwilling wife! It was inconceivable! The thought had never even occurred to me. It was the most repulsive thing that had ever entered my mind. I would die first! I would kill myself first! I began to look around wildly at my surroundings and I looked to find my music box and held it with trembling hands while I tried to formulate a plan. "Be still." the voice came again and a strange calmness came over me and my heart rate slowed and my breathing became normal. I leaned there holding the gold box and waiting for what, I knew not. 


      The men were singing now and some had jumped down from their horses and were dancing around the campfire, kicking at the fire with their feet and drinking from flasks and toasting their leader and one another. It was complete bedlam. The king and his twin brother were prancing around on the black horse and laughing and urging them on. They were celebrating, I thought, but they had nothing to celebrate yet and if I had my way, they would never have cause to celebrate again! I watched them, holding the music box to my heart and waiting for the voice to tell me what to do. Suddenly, I felt something nudge me in the back as I leaned against one of the pale trees and I jumped and cried out, almost dropping the box.


      Turning, I could hardly believe my eyes and I rubbed them hard but there the vision stood. Snow!  Gleaming brightly in the darkness and looking at me as though she was agitated. How had she gotten there? How had she made her way from the arbor across the camp and found me? "Art thou a vision?" I asked her and the snow-white head shook no in answer and she began to turn away as if to lead me through the trees. I froze in consternation. "Where are you going?" I whispered loudly and she made eye contact with me and motioned with her head for me to follow. I only had a moment to decide and did so and put the music box back into the parcel and covered it with blankets, grabbed up my sword again and followed her into the forest. I walked silently and with an odd kind of trepidation, feeling somehow, that the white horse knew more than I did about the outcome of this adventure and that I could trust her. That somehow she, too, could hear the small still voice in my heart and would obey it.

To be Continued in Episode 15................

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-15-rescuing.html

WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 13 Three Days Ago

Any More Of This

by Mindy Smith and Matthew Perryman Jones

                        

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE THIRTEEN

THREE DAYS AGO



     When the man did not return, I grew tired of sitting there by myself and walked down to the stream. I took off my boots and rolled the bottoms of the buckskin trousers up to my knees and put my feet into the water. There was a soft breeze blowing and the sun was making it's way slowly into the west. The temperature was neither hot nor cold but perfect and sweetly refreshing. I sat there swinging my bare feet through the water and thinking that a swim would help the pain still throbbing through my body. I determined not to think about the viper but to enjoy my time alone and to daydream and let my thoughts run free. There was no one there to read my mind and so I let it race wildly from thought to thought. Gazing into the clear water, I thought I saw the flash of something suddenly and gasped. There were no fish in the stream and therefore I could not think what it might have been. But I was stirred and could no longer sit there idly playing.    

     
    Standing, I took off the trousers and waded into the water and farther out until it reached my waist and looked in vain for something the color of silver. I saw nothing. I shrugged and ducked myself into the water and swam for the deepest pool. Back and forth I swam, working the soreness out of my shoulder and giving myself to the current like a mermaid. My teacher had sworn that I had been born in water. "Thou art a fish!" he would exclaim upon finding me swimming when I was supposed to be studying. I liked water much more than books, although I loved books, too. Swimming was like flying to me. Flying in water. Or so I imagined. And I imagined more than I cared to admit. It was my freedom, my salvation. In the land of my imagination, I could be anything I wanted to be....even a happy child with a mother. And I had many friends and animals there....and no lessons to be learned! I could run to the tops of mountains and swim to the bottoms of oceans and all my many questions would be answered. It was the place in which I always felt that I belonged.


    I shook myself out of my reverie and waded back to shore, grabbed the discarded trousers and made my way back to the spring and the flower covered hillside. How beautiful it was here! Like an illustration in one of my childhood story books. It would be very hard to leave this oasis and head out on another dusty trail into the unknown. I folded the buckskins and put them under my head for a pillow and pulled the wet white shirt down as far as it would go. Hopefully, it would be dry before the man returned from his walk. I wondered where he had gone and if he would be kind to me again when he came back. I liked him so much better when he was kind. Although I found him especially attractive when anger made his eyes flash and tension made his back straight and proud. 

     Thinking of his eyes and how dark they had become earlier, I began to give in to drowsiness  and soon fell fast asleep in the shade of the tall tree by the side of the spring. I was dreaming that I was running through fields of golden flowers, in an odd slow motion, wearing a long white dress (which I seldom wore) and trailing a long white scarf behind me. I felt light as a feather. It seemed as though I was preparing to take flight and join a flock of white birds in the sky when I began to feel something hitting my face, arms and legs and falling on the ground where I lay. Something very soft and sweet smelling and lovely but I thought it was part of the dream. I kept my eyes closed as I came out of the realm of sleep and was surprised to find that I still felt the feather like objects falling on me. 


     Startled, I opened my sleepy eyes and beheld the man standing over me smiling. He was tossing rose petals on me and over me and all around me. Pink rose petals. They lay in heaps all around my body. Frowning, I looked up at him and raised an eyebrow. He lay the last remaining rose that he held upon my heart and put his hands behind his back and stood quietly above me. My pulse began to race in my veins and my heart leapt towards him. It was a moment so sweet that tears formed in my eyes and I choked back a sob. "Forgive me?" he asked softly and I sat up and held the rose to my nostrils and tried to fight the urge to fling myself into his arms. I quickly pulled on my wrinkled trousers with my back turned to him and said airily, "Of course! What is there to forgive? I was being a...spoiled child, as you have recently pointed out to me. Did you have a nice walk?" And he pointed to some sticks leaning against the tree that held four fish. Delighted, I cried, "Wherever did you find fish? For I have seen none and I looked very carefully!" "I see that you did." he said, noting my still damp hair and clothing. "Did you find....anything... of interest?" I shook my head and bent to examine the fish. "No, I thought I saw something in the stream that caught my eye but it must have been the sun on the water." He nodded and searched my face with questioning eyes.


     "I found another stream that joined itself to this one up the way a bit and was happy to see it full of fish. I hope you like fish. Because I make a really good fish. And I found potatoes and onions growing in a rather strange garden and brought some back in my pockets. I think we should get back to the camp and check on the horses. They're probably wondering where we've gotten to by now." The horses! I had lost track of time and forgotten my wonderful new friend, Snow. I wondered if she would show her displeasure at my absence. "You're right." I said, gathering up two of the branches he'd used to spear the fish. "We have been gone a long time."


     We walked comfortably side by side back to the place where he had left his clothing and the pails of fruit and loaded up our arms and headed back towards the encampment inside the boulders. I dragged my feet slightly, but I knew that we should hurry back there before nightfall. It was, after all, a safe place and there was a nice bed and a fire for cooking and my sword and my treasures waiting there for me, some that I thought had been lost forever. "We'll come back here tomorrow." the man said reading my thoughts. "Perhaps we'll bring the horses and ride them upstream to collect more potatoes." I nodded, distracted, and looked ahead at the long walk we had to make to camp. I didn't feel like running now but ambling slowly and making the day last as long as possible. I looked back longingly at the willow trees and berry bushes and sighed. 


     "Be careful what you wish for." the man warned, clearing his throat. "All that glitters is not gold and even what first appears perfect may be tainted. In two days time, I will have to leave here and ride east. There is something that I must take care of and I don't know how long I'll be gone. I don't want you to become so enamored of this oasis that you cannot part with it." My heart fell when I heard those words and though I tried not to show it, I felt a fear descend upon me. "Why must thee leave?" I asked him. "Am I not allowed to travel with thee?" I could not look at him now but strode angrily ahead of him, my head lowered and my heart, lower. "No, you cannot come with me, Little Flower. This task was planned before we ever met and must be done by me alone." I immediately thought of the girl that he had planned to marry and wondered if finding her was the task.


     "It has nothing to do with the past." he said quietly. "It has everything to do with the future. I have no choice but to go. Before, I had no one else to concern myself with and now, I think I shall have to worry....." "Worry not thyself with me!" I said childishly, "I can, as I always have, take very good care of myself. I need no supervisor! I will stay in the oasis for a few days and then ride south." "South towards the River?" he asked, sounding very concerned. "There is much you do not know about the Red River and the villages and lands this side and that of it. I will tell you everything that you need to know, that I know, in the morning. There are many treacherous people between here and there and many dangers and wild beasts and.....Symbelons." He barely whispered the last word but I heard it and exclaimed, "Shapeshifters? Here, in this land?" "Those and much worse, I'm afraid." he nodded. "You have no idea what you will run upon. I have made the journey to the River many times and each time there and back, I find new species of....man and animal." 


     The boulders stood tall and regal just a few yards before us. I heard the horses call out as they heard our approach. The man's forehead was furrowed deeply as he pondered how much to tell me and was secretly furious, I suspected, about this new wrinkle in his life:  Me. I could not believe that he was going to ride out of here and leave me as though we had never met! It was the last thing that I had expected as we walked into the sunset and made our way to the opening of the twelve huge stones. 


     "Listen, Vaangelika," he said urgently, turning to me and taking the fish and pails out of my hands and setting them down with his own. "You must understand. I must make you understand! Nothing you have ever experienced or lived through can prepare you for what you may soon meet face to face! That is why you must take your father's message through Shree very seriously and soberly. In that message, you were given the keys to your only hope! You must be vigilant and listen to the guidance that will come to you in your heart. Trust not thine eyes or ears but only the still small voice. It will protect you and guide you in the place of danger and lead you out of the shadows. Promise me you will heed my words! Promise me!" 


        Then he grabbed me by the arms and shook me forcefully to illustrate his warning.  "I..I..promise." I gasped, more frightened now than ever. "I have Snow now to take Starshine's place and I will be.....vigilant and careful. The viper will never take me unawares again." "Forget the viper!" he scolded sternly and held me even tighter in his grasp. "The viper is.....nothing! He is not thy temptation and downfall! Do not dwell upon that creature nor let thy hatred for him blind you. And when the time comes for you to leave here when I am gone, do not linger and do not look back. Ride forth as you are led and forget this place, I beg you!" I could not hide the hurt that showed in my eyes and my heart as I asked him in a tiny voice, "Dost thou mean for me to forget thee also?" And he pulled me to him and held me so tightly that I thought I would break and did not care if I did. I clung to him with both my arms and hands and pressed myself so closely to him that I could feel his racing heartbeat as he felt mine.


       Drawing back and staring into my brown eyes, he looked at me like a man dying of thirst beholding a cup of water. So many things I saw there in his eyes now filling with tears, even fear and longing and heartbreak. "You will leave here, this place, will you not? You will not linger here?" he pleaded with me. Thinking that he spoke of the danger in the forest and of the Weremen lurking there, I nodded my head and assured him of my intentions. "I will go from here. I will stay in the oasis for a while and plan my departure and look at my maps and listen for the voice to guide me....." 


     "No,Vaangelika, no! You do not understand me! It is the oasis that is seeking to keep you here! You must fight the desire to stay there when I am gone. The forest is not as dangerous as the oasis to you, little one. And the....water in the brook, it is...wanting you, seducing you to linger in it's stream. But you must not! I cannot tell thee why but this I know! Promise me.....!" 
And he shook me violently again and I whimpered and went limp. Catching himself, he let me go and I almost fell at his feet but he caught and balanced me then turned to look back towards the green oasis. "That place is very beautiful, Vaangelika. That is true. It is full of food and water and grass for the horses and soft places to sleep and white birds to watch you and pink roses and soft breezes and shiny things to catch your eye. That is all.....true." 


     And he turned to me again and took my hands and kissed them while his blue eyes swept over me as though they were memorizing my features because they would never see them again. I could hear something terrible in his voice, something he did not want to say but was being forced to. Something I was forcing him to tell me that I did not want to hear. I shook with trepidation and sighed loudly and resigned myself to hear it. "Tell me." I said simply and squeezed his hands in mine, suddenly feeling very ill. He swallowed hard and looked away from me and then back, the very picture of anguish. His eyes darkening again as they had before in the fading daylight, he said in a strange and awful tone, "Vaangelika, until three days ago, that encampment, that oasis..... did not exist!" 


     As I struggled to grasp the horror of his words, the horses inside the enclosure began to make more noise than I had ever heard horses make and we grabbed our loads and hurried inside. The horses did not greet us nor could they, as we later learned, for they were tied to trees on the other side and could not free themselves. We looked worriedly around the camp, at the long dead campfire, the utensils scattered here and there, the sun baked earth dry and hard beneath our feet and at each other. It was only after long moments of looking for something not seen at first glance, after we'd set our belongings down against the boulders and made our way toward the dead fire, that we saw what we were looking for. 


     There in the caked mud and in the grass and on the path of the receding flood waters leading into the forest, were the imprints of many horses' hooves, heavy, gigantic hooves, heavier than I had ever seen or tracked, circling all around the camp like it had been the scene of a wild race. I looked at the man in fear and I felt his own though he did not show it in his eyes. "We've had visitors." I stated needlessly and he nodded, looking toward the dark trees. Seeking to draw my attention elsewhere, he threw firewood on the ashes of the dead fire and lit it to prepare our supper. I felt totally useless, more numb with fear than in pain and couldn't decide where to look or sit or stand.  I walked over to the arbor to see if my weapons and things were still there and was overcome with relief to find everything just as we had left them. 


     I put my daggers in my boots, strapped on my bow and arrows, sheathed the sword at my waist and talked to myself in the voice of my teacher, "Fear not! Fear not!" I repeated over and over until I felt myself strengthen. I carried the man's sword and bow out to him, to the fire started at last, and watched as he began to clean the fish and cook it in a black pan. The air was full of tension and a strange energy. It hung there like an unspoken threat and kept us from talking. What was there to say? We were not alone. Many men on many horses had ridden out of that dark forest and spent time digging up our campsite with their huge and dangerous hooves. There was no denying the evidence. Whether they would return now or in the night, remained to be seen. What they wanted, we had no idea. At least, I had no idea and the man was not sharing his suspicions.


     I didn't really want to know his thoughts honestly and hoped against hope that we would have no further visitors. That, too, was another wish that would not be granted to me. For after the fish was cooked and the potatoes roasted and eaten and we had finally settled our nerves enough to speak again, Snow and Redemption began to stamp their feet in the arbor and call out their warnings of impending approach that we could not hear with human ears.


     For reasons I will never know, I had the sudden urge to hurry to my music box. To hold it in my hands and listen to it's melody. I had almost made it to the ledge where it was waiting at the bottom of a pile of blankets and skins.  My hand was on my sword and I was checking to see how many arrows I had left, when the voice rang out loudly, shattering our illusion of peace. I looked across the camp at the man seated by the fire holding a water flask. His eyes met mine and he threw down the flask and drew his sword. We froze as the voice came again. "Give us the woman, Blue Eyes! We want no trouble. Give us the woman and we will leave you in peace. That is your choice, Small Man, and your only choice. Bring her to the edge of the clearing and walk toward your horses and do not look back! We will take her and be gone in the blink of an eye. Are you agreeable to this or do you desire to die here as the sun goes down?"

Continued in Episode 14

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-14-bride-to-be.html

WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 12 I Am Not Forgotten

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE TWELVE

I AM NOT FORGOTTEN




     "Thank you for breaking my fall." I said stiffly as I pushed my way off the man and stood slowly to my feet. I felt as though I had fallen down a cliff instead of out of a tree. My right arm was on fire and my neck hurt so badly I wanted to cry but I would not allow myself to do it. "My pleasure." he murmured, getting to his feet and looking me up and down. "Are you alright?" he asked, his dark hair a tousled veil over his face. "I'm fine." I insisted with my teeth clinched. "My neck is broken and my right shoulder is out of place but I'm fine." Grabbing my right arm without warning, he pulled on it sharply and I felt my shoulder snap back into place but the pain was excruciating. I screamed but immediately felt better. "Warn me next time, please." I said, groaning and rubbing my shoulder. "If I had, you wouldn't have let me." he said in a knowing tone. "Now, stand still." He went behind me, threw my hair to one side and began to massage my neck. I didn't know why, but I didn't want him to touch me now. An unreasonable terror of him had flooded my being but the pain was awful and the kneading of his strong fingers began to soothe me. He had the hands of a physician! After a time, the tension began to flow out of me and I lost my balance and fell back against his bare chest. "Better now, little one?" he said, his lips very near my right ear. "Shall I continue?" "Please!" I pleaded involuntarily. "The gift of healing is in thy hands."


      He rubbed my neck and shoulders until I forgot the pain and even the fall. His touch was paradise. I began to feel strange feelings I had never felt before. My stomach burned, my skin burned, my lips burned. And I felt him sharing my feelings. Pulling me closer to him as we stood beneath the tree, he gently turned me toward him, his hands upon my shoulders. I felt like wax melted in a candle stick. He buried his face in my hair, murmuring words I did not recognize, kissed my neck, my throat, his lips burning me on their way to my mouth. I believed I would faint from the anticipation. 


      But just as his lips had lightly touched mine, a strange voice spoke from out of nowhere and we jumped apart, the man pushing me behind him and brandishing his dagger. "Who's there?" he shouted, sounding as fearful as I felt. We looked everywhere and saw no one. "Over here, naughty children." the odd voice called and we heard the fluttering of wings and began to walk towards the sound. Puzzled, I could see no man there, no source of human voice and I kept my place close to the man's back as we made our way to a small boulder close to the berry bushes. All was silent for a time and then I spied what appeared to be a hawk perched upon the boulder. He was larger than the average hawk, a rich golden brown with stripes of red and flecks of gold in his luxurious feathers. We three, stopped and stared at one another and then the man stepped away from me and moved towards the bird, I thought, perhaps to shoo it away, but instead, he burst into laughter and shouted in a welcoming voice, "Shree! My friend! How hast thou been?" I thought he had lost his mind and began to back away from the two of them.

     Noticing my retreat, the man turned and beckoned me to him. "No, come! Come! This is an old and dear travelling companion of mine! Come and meet him!" I stopped and stared at him, not understanding but not running away. "Shree, the maiden is afraid of you! Please assure her of your good intentions." The hawk fixed his eyes on me and said in a strange sounding and human-like voice, "Greetings, Vaangelika. I did not mean to frighten you. Forgive me." And he lowered his head as if to bow, which frightened me more. A talking hawk! And he knew my name! I rubbed my hands over my eyes, thinking perhaps I was suffering from hallucinations or a concussion from injuries in the fall. "How can this be?" I asked, finally, and the man took my hand and led me closer to the bird.  "This is Shree." he introduced us. "And obviously, you know more about this fine lady than I." he said to the hawk. "Until this moment, I have not been aware that the warrior possessed a name. Hello, Vaangelika." he said softly and bowed to me likewise.

      I curtsied to him out of old habit and he laughed and then the bird laughed and I thought then that I truly had gone mad. Turning to the odd creature who had dropped to the ground at our feet now, the man inquired of his health and made reference to things I did not know and did not want to. "I have had a long journey." the hawk informed us. "I have suffered injury, as you can see." And he turned and showed us a bloody spot on his right wing where several feathers had been plucked out. "The tree I was perched in for the night was struck by lightning in a fierce storm and I was dispatched to the ground suddenly and was forced to hobble around in search of shelter. I almost drowned!" 


      The man and I looked at one another thinking of the storm and the sound of a tree falling early in the morning. Before we could ask, the bird went on. "Then this morning, the very same tree fell upon me in my little den underneath a cropping of rock in the forest! It took many hours to fall and should not have fallen but fall it did and on me! But I survived, and scenting water, I made my way to the brook to nurse my wounds. But alas, that was not the worst of it for as I napped to regain my strength in the sun, I was visited by Maladi, my worst enemy." Feeling faint, I went to the boulder and leaned against it, keeping my eyes on the bird and he, turning to keep his eyes on me. "Who is Maladi?" I asked, curious, but fearful of his answer. The man made eye contact with the bird and shook his head slightly. "It is of no importance," the hawk replied, "I have won the battle....for the moment. She is gone now, nursing her own wounds." I slumped to the ground, feeling nauseous and weak. "I will bring you water." the man said to me, "But first, tell me why you have come, Shree. What message have you? What can I do for you, my friend?" The bird said nothing to the man but drew close to where I sat against the boulder.


      "The message is for thee." he said sternly. "From thy father." "My father!" I exclaimed and tried to get to my feet. "What of my father? How dost thee know my father? Tell me, quickly!"
Confusion began to run through my brain. The man put his arm around me, lifted me to my feet and held me. "Tell me!" I insisted sharply, watching the bird fly back to the top of the boulder where he perched at eye level. "Vaangelika, thy father sends his love and his greetings. He has said to me, "Tell her to be strong as she has always been strong. But stronger now than ever before for thy feet now trod in the land of trial and tribulation and thou must beware of traps and snares and dangers from all fronts. See that thou pass the greatest of all tests which lies before thee and be ever mindful of thy mission given in childhood. Hate no one, nay, no thing but fight the battles that come before thine eyes and to thy mind and listen always to the voice within thine heart for it will surely guide thee and protect thee from all harm. But only if thy heart is willing. Be strong, Vaangelika, and vigilant. Believe not even thine own eyes in most cases and none of what thou hearest....except in certain circumstances." This is the message given to me and now my mission is accomplished and now I fly to home. Farewell." And the hawk rose up and began to fly towards the east. "Wait!" I screamed after him, reaching in vain while the man held me. "You must tell me more! I don't understand the message!" Looking over his right wing, the soaring hawk shouted only, "Be strong in thy spirit, little one! Resist evil and do good and trust not thine eyes!" And we watched him fly until he was out of sight and the late afternoon sky was empty, save for one small white cloud.


     The man brought me a flask of water and bid me drink. I emptied the whole thing and asked for more. "Come with me," he urged, "I have found a freshwater spring coming out of the ground downstream." Supporting me gently, he led me to the banks of the brook and quickly slipped on his boots and a tunic and black leather vest. Looking momentarily embarrassed, he picked up the black leather cuff and slipped it on his left wrist and tied his wet hair back in a long ponytail. Retrieving his carrying bag and dirty clothes and putting them with the pails of fruit under a tree, he again took my arm and we walked down westward against the flow of the brook. Between the pain and the shock of meeting the hawk and his subsequent message from my father, (not to mention the meeting with the viper), I felt no desire to speak and limped along silently beside him. "Did the hawk's message lighten your heart?" he asked, cheerfully. I didn't want to answer but I shook my head and sighed. "It.....was confusing to me. I've never heard an animal speak before and don't understand how it knows my father or how it found me." The man smiled. "Shree is a very intelligent, very resourceful bird. We have been friends for many years." 

     At that, I pulled away and looked at him, frowning. "You keep saying that he is your friend but I did not notice him speaking to you or greeting you! He barely acknowledged thy presence! He seemed purely focused on me and giving the message he said was from my father but I don't know if I believe that. After all, even he said to believe not my own eyes or ears." "In most cases." the man reminded me and took my arm again and we walked on. "But you can trust Shree. I promise you. He never lies. And he always delivers his messages. So, fear not and take his words to heart." Then, "See? Your father has not forgotten you."


     He reached up into a tree and plucked two juicy peaches down and handing me one, bit into his with gusto. "Mmm!" he said. "Delicious! My favorite fruit!" "Mine, too." I said and took a bite. "I think I could live here forever. This place has everything we.....I..I..need." Blushing, I looked away and wiped my mouth, though there was no residual juice. The man made a small growling sound in his throat and said, throwing his peach pit away, "I don't think so. This place is not what it appears to be. Enjoy it but don't become attached to it." "Why not?" I asked angrily and threw my pit into the stream. "Why do you always have to be so.....mysterious? You drive me mad!" Chuckling, he wiped his lips and face with a white handkerchief out of habit and put his arm around my shoulder just as I spied the spring pouring out of a small hillside to our right. "Ah, but Little Flower, everything in this land is mysterious! Do you not realize that yet? These things do not happen without reason or by coincidence. They are planned, orchestrated even.....and we are here to make choices. True, each choice we make has it's own price to pay and it's own consequences but we are creatures of freewill, are we not? And we learn maturity in the abundance of our choices and experiences."


     Listening carefully to his words and seeing the truth in them, I nodded hesitantly and dropped to the ground beside the spring. "Then, can we make the choice to stay here in this place and travel no further? I have traveled for twelve years now and I am....tired." He nodded and began to fill the water flask with the cold water. "I understand fully." he sighed and sat beside me on the grass taking in all the wildflowers and pink roses and peonies that grew around the spring in abundance. The fragrance of the flowers was intoxicating, and we sat there breathing in their perfume and smiling. "I, too, am tired of this road I am on," he said huskily, "I'd like to stop sometimes and just...smell the roses...as it were. To let down my guard and relax. To have a...home and a fam...." And then he stopped talking and closed his eyes. This was my chance!

      I leaned closer to him. "How is it that thou hast no family? No mate? How long have you been on your journey?" He did not answer me or give any indication that he had heard me. I put out my hand and brushed the hair off his forehead and his blue eyes opened and stared into mine. "You are too curious, Vaangelika. Some things are best......unasked." I shook my head in annoyance. "Ha!" I said, "If thou dost not ask questions, thou will never know, my teacher said to me on a thousand occasions! So I learned to ask questions rather than remain in my ignorance. Why can you not answer me? Have you a hidden secret? A past? Are you not what you appear? I demand that you answer me!" And I sat back and away from him, crossing my arms. He laughed and lay on his side, looking at me in amusement. "You demand, do you? Aggressive little thing! You will get more honey from this bee if you ask sweetly and do not demand! Otherwise, I will simply sting thee." Groaning, I covered my face with my hands and tried to think of another strategy. 


      Before I could conceive one, he said very softly, "Vaangel, my angel, calm the storm in your mind. You think too violently. I will tell you all you need to know. Just ask." "Right!" I said, not believing him and stretching myself out on the ground beside his body. I thought for a few moments and then asked carefully, "Alright then. How is it that you have no mate? Why are you travelling alone?" "Why art thou?" he asked almost angrily and calmed himself. I waited impatiently. Then he said hardly above a whisper and without looking at me, "There was someone once. We were to be married. But she is.... gone now."
I was torn between being sad for him and being happy at the news that there was no mate in his life. I bit my lip and inquired, "So, how did she die? Was it a natural death? How long ago did this happen?" Tormenting me with his silence, I moved to touch his sleeve to remind him that I was still there but he caught my hand and said darkly, "She is not dead. She is just.....gone."    


     I caught my breath and a stream of questions began to issue forth out of my childish mouth. "You do not mean she is...one of the Prodigals? Wandering on the outskirts of the world....not knowing.... ? Was she taken of her own accord or against her will? Do you still love her? And she, you? Is she the reason for your journey? How long....?" And he put his finger upon my lips and shook his head. "I warned thee. Thy questions rush at me like a raging river and overwhelm me. Be still now." And he traced the outline of my mouth and caressed my face to quiet me and I must agree that the plan worked for I all but forgot the subject we were discussing. I groaned when he took his hand away and put both hands underneath his head and looked up at the sky. 

      "She is not a Prodigal." he said very coldly. "She was not taken against her will but went willingly and haughtily. She loves....the dark...more than the light." His voice trailed off so low that I had to lean forward to catch his words. Realization hit me suddenly and I sprang back and asked in amazement, "You do not mean that she is one of the Reprobates? The lost ones? Surely, she....." But he shook his head and would not say more. I was dying of frustration and curiosity but another word on the subject he would not say. I lay back and tried to imagine the situation. I had heard of these things all of my childhood and had actually seen some of these people on my journeys but had never known one personally, to my knowledge. It was something that no one in my father's household liked to talk about and when they did, it was in hushed undertones and behind hands and closed doors.


     Whatever I had learned about Prodigals and Reprobates, I had learned from eavesdropping and asking other children and my teacher. He was not very forthcoming regarding the subject but had answered when I insisted. A Prodigal was bad....but a Reprobate! I shuddered, remembering some of the rumors I had heard. The lost ones! Wandering the earth in darkness and rebellion! No longer truly human but more cunning than any animal. Caught between two worlds, in and out of other dimensions. Aimlessly searching for pleasure and fulfillment and never having enough. And this man had loved one such creature! How I longed to know more of his experience! Why would he not tell me? I lay there in silence, my mind racing here and there and coming up with no suitable answers. It then occurred to me that I had broached a subject of much pain and heartache for the man and I began to feel guilty in spite of my curiosity and the odd stinging in my heart at the thought of another girl in his arms. 


     The very thought of this man with another filled me with anguish and a rushing-like feeling of my stomach up into my throat. Never had I felt such agony. If this was love then it was certainly disagreeable! Why had no one ever told me of this pain? I had assumed that love would be gentle and sweet and comforting when it came and not this raging storm of unsurety and wounding. I felt an urgency to touch the man beside me and drew closer to his body and kissed his face. He pretended to be asleep but then suddenly pulled me into his arms and kissed my hair. "Vaangelika!" he moaned and then violently thrust himself away from me. I was stung with rejection and did not understand. He went to the spring and threw cold water into his face and then drank thirstily from his palms. What had I done? I wondered wildly. Why did he hold me tenderly one minute and then withdraw himself the next? Didn't he like me or was he just playing with my childish emotions? Surely he knew with his amazing  foresight that I had never held a man in my arms before, let alone kissed one or wanted to kiss one! Surely, he knew that I did, indeed, want to kiss him and be kissed in return. 


      In my confusion, I watched him longingly and wished I could turn back time and make this pain go away. Then it came to me. "Oh, my neck!" I cried, "It hurts!" But he paid me no attention and kept on drinking from the spring. "Please, won't you rub my neck again for me?" I pleaded, "It hurts so!" He stood to his feet, wiping his hands and pulled me up and stepped behind me. Just when I thought he was about to touch me again (and I was eagerly anticipating that touch), he abruptly walked away and started down the incline to the brook. "Is that so much to ask?" I said loudly, feeling like I had been slapped in the face and dismissed. "A simple neck rub? Can you not do so little a thing?" He walked on slowly as though he had not heard and then without turning, he said over his shoulder so that I could not miss it, "It is a very great thing you ask of me, Vaangelika. You have no idea. And though I do not want to, I must walk away. And though I may do as you request at a later time....I dare not touch you....now." 



      And he walked away out of my sight and I sat looking at his retreating back and wondering over his words. I was beginning to understand. And I suddenly felt like a woman and not a little girl. He was not rejecting me. He was protecting me. From myself and from the tide of emotions that had swept over both of us. An unknown, un-experienced hunger that I had never felt before and did not know what to do with. He was much stronger than I. I felt ashamed of myself and withdrew into the hiding place in my heart that I sometimes went to. Only this time....the man was in there, too. And I had the feeling that he would always be there. It was frightening and at the same time, I felt like I had a sort of covering, a shelter over me for the first time in a long time and I felt cradled in the hands of one who cared. I marveled at this new revelation. And then I thought of his strength and character and concern for my innocence and I hugged myself and smiled.

To Be Continued in Episode 13........

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-13-three-days.html

Matthew Perryman Jones - Until The Last Falling Star 

                   

Dark Were The Shadows a collab by Voo and Michael Montoya

Dark Were The Shadows

where have you been.....

 all those nights, love...? 

bright were the days

but dark were the shadows

 I  walked across... 

 knowing you were out there..

Voo.... in your silken wonder

 of unfinished poetry

  come touch my face.....

 and watch the Universe

  shudder...

so long I stood beyond the shadows

beyond the kiss of moonglow

     watching you hesitate

and then run

in desperate determination.....

search the dusk and the dawn, Michael

             it's there you'll find my form now

it's there you'll taste the delicacy

that few have ever known......

what if I go mad and am lost

in that search for you, Sweet Flower?

for the face that launched a thousand ships

cannot compare to yours ......

a taste of forbidden dreams

will never satisfy my soul, Voo

only the touch of your fingertips

upon my cheek will ever do...

then wear your madness, Michael

like a cloak to shield your soul

for who's to say

if you find me outside a dream?

reality is a fragile thing

like dreams...like roses....like love

Remember you not

the morn of our meeting?

my whispered warning in your ear?

I am sunlight and shadow

and a face and a flower 

but I have sharp thorns that sometimes pierce

and take my joy in pain.................

collab by

Voo & Michael Montoya

May 28, 2017

8:24 p.m.

                                                       

WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 11 New Teacher in the School of Life

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE ELEVEN

NEW TEACHER IN THE SCHOOL OF LIFE




        Something was happening inside my heart but having no experience with the complexities of love and the way of a man with a maiden, I had no way to judge it or compare it or know what indeed was happening. I just felt alive and fearful and awestruck. Feverish, cautious and awakened all at the same time. Perhaps I was infatuated. Or just lonely and tired of being on my own without a teacher. Maybe the call of my heart had been heard and a new teacher had been provided. I was grateful, uncertain of what tomorrow would bring, but grateful.


     The man gathered fresh garments and cautioned me to stay inside the camp while he bathed but I was not thrilled with the idea. "What about the thing in the forest?" I asked, casting my eyes across the way. "What if it finds me?" I did not want to be alone but didn't know how to make that clear without appearing a coward. These strange emotions were entirely alien to me and my usually level head and stability had abandoned me against my will.  I kept wanting to bite my tongue, but it was too powerful for me and spoke of it's own accord. His blue eyes softening, he said while leading the horses to their arbor, "Then come with me. You can pick berries and fruit while I attend to my hygiene. I feel....a quickening here. A threat in the wind. Perhaps, it would be best not to leave you alone." How relieved I was! I shrugged as though indifferent and went to fetch the pails but as I did, I, too, felt a change in the atmosphere. Almost like the icy wind that had assailed me in the forest but icy in another way. The oasis seemed a far better place to be and I hurried to catch up with my companion.


     As we walked, he told me that he had retrieved all of the things that I had left behind at Starshine's burial place, the things I had parted with so reluctantly but had no choice but to leave them. The packs and blankets, skins, cooking utensils and extra clothing and boots. The books and trinkets that I had collected along the way of my journey. The most important, I had taken with me and carried on my back, like the music box that my nurse had given me when she'd left the Royal court when I was nine. No man nor beast could part me from that treasure! It played my favorite song from childhood and one I sang to myself when I felt most alone: Dancing In My Heart. Cy-nithia had taught me the words when I was two and sang it with me on special occasions. And when she'd gone, she'd left me her precious music box to keep me company. "Why did th.....you not come along before I buried my horse?" I asked, "In fact, where were you at the time I climbed the tree and he was attacked?" The man looked away from me and kept silent for a long time. "I am sorry that I was not there, but I was in another tree on another hilltop at the time. I saw you from a distance but there was a Gorge between us. I wish it had not been so but it was as it was meant to be." I didn't know how to understand that statement so I let it hang between us and the strangeness of it made me feel far from him and lonely.

     Suddenly, he grabbed my hand and shouted, "Let's run!" And we ran through the brown fields to the beautiful green oasis before us. It felt good to run and my heart lightened and I laughed like a child, my long curls flying behind me and whipping into his face. Tying the tail ends of the white shirt around my waist, I challenged the man to a race and sprinted ahead of him like the wind. No one could outrace me. No one ever could. I was as fast as lightning. It had been a long time since I'd raced or run in total freedom but I had never lost a race and I didn't intend to now. Looking back at the shocked expression on his face as he fell far behind, I waved and made for the willow trees. The white bird was not there which felt odd but I collapsed into the soft carpet of grass and caught my breath and waited for the loser to appear. 


     Breathing loudly, my handsome friend ran at last into view and sought me anxiously then made his way toward me and fell with a thud at my side. Giggling, I waited for him to regain his ability to speak and enjoyed my victory. "H hh.... how...did..you...do...that?" he gasped, lying on his stomach and resting his head on his hands. "I have...never...seen anyone run that fast...in..my life! Thou art a gazelle!" That beast I knew and I felt honored at the comparison, but I just laughed and lay there looking up at him between my fingers. "I can do many things." I informed him confidently and smugly. "I am no mere maiden." His eyes raking over every inch of my face, he declared softly, "That is a fact, Little Flower, that is a stone-cold fact." We lay staring at one another in the silence until we heard the flutter of wings and the white bird made her appearance and set quietly down in the top of a tree to scrutinize us. I don't know how I knew the bird was a "she" but I did and she was beginning to disturb me. "There's my watchful spy." I whispered and turned over on my stomach and away from her piercing dark eyes. The man made no comment, so I approached another subject. 


     "Why didst thou call me Little Flower just now?" Putting a blade of grass between his teeth, he seemed to be weighing the options of answering me or ignoring me until I thumped him on the side of his head and demanded an answer. "Oww!" he complained and rubbed his head, scowling. "Always thou art abusing me! Were you not taught the etiquette of a lady?" Well, I didn't like that but the truth was that I had not been brought up as a proper lady though some had tried.  I hadn't wanted to be feminine and sweet but more of a warrior-in-training but I wasn't sure if I should tell him that or just thump him again. My thoughts scattered, I bit my thumbnail and turned back to see if the bird was still there. "Well, you look like a lady," he observed cautiously, "but you travel and fight like a man and you ..act..like..a spoiled...child."


      And that did it, I threw myself upon him and pummeled him until he caught my furious fists and held them in a strongman's grip. I began to kick him with my feet and he tried in vain to move his legs away from my boots. "You fight with both ends!" he laughed in my face, breathing heavily. "You are a terrifying beast!" I tried to sink my teeth into his cheek but he cleverly dodged away while protecting himself from fist and feet. Finally, I relented and collapsed upon his chest and he let me fall there, still holding my wrists. I was exhausted and knew that it was improper to lay thus but he would not let me go. "Alright," he breathed out noisily and let me drop to my side and away from him. "We both won. I concede partial defeat."


      I lay there in the silence and listened to the brook bubble merrily over it's falls and rocks and into the deep pool before it streamed away down the banks. It was a comforting sound and made me sleepy. Closing my eyes, I had begun to drift away when I felt a strong arm go around my waist and the man snuggled close to me and said very softly into my ear, "I called you Little Flower because the first time I saw you up close, you were lying on a blanket not far from here, sound asleep, with your face on the grass and a yellow flower crushed into your cheek. It was an enchanting sight." And when I started and made to move and speak, he shushed me and held me even tighter, saying "And when you turned away, the imprint of the flower was still there like a tattoo and even later on when you violently attacked me with your deadly sword, the little flower's brand still claimed you. And that's.... why I called you Little Flower ....and will continue to do so." I was deeply touched and didn't know how to respond. However, the thought that he had been so near to me while I slept and having had no clue of it filled me with anxiety. What kind of warrior could make herself that vulnerable? I was ashamed and hid my face in my arms. 

      "You were exhausted beyond endurance and overcome with grief." he murmured, smoothing back my hair and kissing the cheek where the flower's imprint had been. "Be not ashamed. I kept watch over you here during the night. This place...is dangerous. You did not know nor are you now aware of how much danger you, we, are in. Shh! Do not speak! We are being spied upon." And he cuddled against me and pretended to fall asleep as I lay there wildly speculating upon various images and wondering what he was trying to tell me. This place was incredible! A little paradise in the middle of an ugly, desolate land. Everything one could ever ask for on a long journey. I even had it in my mind to stay here for a while, barring rainstorms and creatures from the forest. The white bird was odd, that was certain, but I could run her off with my bow and arrow. I didn't see any danger dwelling here. Still, there was something that gave me shivers, something un-remembered but did an unseen Unknown truly mean to harm me? Every foe and enemy I had encountered until now had been very much human and very visible. Except for the dark wolf. And the panther. But I had defeated them with a warrior's skill and had enjoyed the game. What enemy lay in wait for me in this place? 


      So far, the only other traveler I had met recently, besides the viper and the white bird, had been this man lying beside me in the afternoon shade. His was the only presence, the only footstep, (except in the dark forest) and yet, he had even been there, close by. A paranoia began to overtake me and I tried to pull away from him and in so doing, I grabbed his left wrist, that had been, up until now, encased in a black and silver cuff. He must have removed it in his preparations to bathe. From the look of things, he must have worn it for a long, long time because the outline of the bracelet stood out now in stark relief against his tanned arm and hand. It was clearly visible and struck me as amusing. I felt his eyes open then and he tensed and tried to pull his hand out of my grasp but I held on and in the grappling, flung his hand down on the ground, looked, and cried out in surprise. "It cannot be!"


     We fought briefly and then he stopped and let me hold the arm outstretched and unrestrained. I bent low and inspected the inside of the wrist closely. There was no mistake. "How can this be?" I asked and met his darkening eyes with mine. "This is the symbol of the Way. Of the Warrior. Just like mine." And I turned my left wrist over and put it next to his. The tattoo, the ancient letterings of the Warriors of the Way were identical. All of the air seemed to leave my lungs and I sat back mystified and trembling. A good five minutes passed before he spoke and then, very quietly. Sitting up and pulling his knees up to his chin, he raked a hand through his dark locks and cleared his throat. I didn't want to look at him and yet I had no choice. Seeing the fury in my face, he cleared his throat again and rubbed his mouth. "It is true. I am a Warrior. I have been since I was ten years old. What can I say? Of course, I saw the mark upon you as you slept and I have held my tongue. I had hoped, perhaps, that you would have recognized a fellow Warrior without being informed." He beseeched me with his eyes and the furrow in his forehead deepened with his pleading.


     "I have met very few Warriors on my journey," I sighed, finally breaking my silence, "And the last one was three years ago or more. I had begun to think myself the last and only one." "No, little one," he said with a half-smile and leaned to pull me toward him in relief. "There are many Warriors out there in the world. Just not so many here in this dark land of Tribul." I stood and stretched my legs and dusted myself off, walking in circles and looking for the white bird who had gone. "Tribul? That is the name of this land? Why have I never heard of it or seen it on my teacher's maps? And why should I believe you?" Standing to his feet, he looked around for the garments he had previously thrown down and gathered them thoughtfully as I headed for the water. I stood on the banks of the stream staring down into it's clear depths looking for something I knew not but searching intently. I saw nothing there but pebbles and water. 

      "Why is it there are no fish here?" I asked puzzled, turning to him as he joined me. "There should be fish." "Yes, I should think so." He acknowledged and looked up and down the stream as though, he too, searched for something hidden there. Seeing nothing, he began to remove his boots and shirt and suggested to me that I find the pails I had flung down and gather us some fruit for our supper. I was reluctant to leave the water's edge and begrudgingly turned and obeyed his words. I heard a splash as I walked away and for a moment, I was tempted to look back but resolutely went forward and got the pails. 


      To my right, there was a very large, very beautiful tree with colorful leaves and wonderful fragrances emanating from it and I stood underneath it's branches and realized to my shock that there were several different kinds of fruit hanging there. Apples, pears, peaches and oranges, I recognized, others, I did not. I rubbed my eyes and looked again and laughed out loud. "A miracle tree!" I exclaimed. "How wonderful!" I began to fill one of the pails with two of each kind of fruit. I had a sudden childish urge to climb the marvelous tree and reached for the lowest branch to pull myself up but shrieked and scampered right back down at the sight of a golden viper coiled around a branch hanging full of apples. "Thou!" I screamed in fury. "Thou murderer!" And I looked around in vain for a stone or broken branch with which to smash it's head. "I hate you!" I railed at the creature. "You killed Starshine! And for that, you will pay!" 


     Making noise enough to wake the dead, I ran looking for a weapon for I had not thought to bring one and was not certain if the man had either. I thought perhaps that there was a dagger in his clothing and ran towards the water but rounding the miracle tree once more, I came face to the face with the man, standing there wearing nothing but a pair of black leather trousers. Alarm was in his eyes and a dagger was indeed in his hand but he stood still and quietly waiting for me to catch my breath."What has happened?" he asked very calmly. "I heard you cry out." I was so amazed to see him standing there beneath the tree that I was speechless and stood there open mouthed, forgetting my enemy above. "How did you get here so quickly?" I gasped and noted the strange and unreadable expression on his face. He barely shrugged and I turned and pointed up to the tree branch and shouted "The viper who killed my horse! The golden viper! He is there! We must kill him! Help me!"

      I was almost hysterical in my anger and tried to grab the dagger from his hand. "Give it to me! I will cut him to ribbons and feed him to the white bird!" He wrestled the knife away from me and put his arm around my shoulders to quiet me. "Look," he said, pointing to the branch full of apples, "There is nothing there. How can we kill what we cannot see?" And I didn't understand him and pulled away and tried to climb the tree again. "Then I will kill him with my bare hands!" I shouted and pulled myself upwards, fearless in my fury. Up, I went to the very top, fruit falling to the ground in my mad climbing. But there was no viper to be found! No trace of the snake!


      I leaned against the tree, my body trembling violently and the breath coming quick and deep from my nostrils. Again the creature had disappeared from my sight and into thin air! I wanted to scream.  And I did. The rage that had overtaken me upon our first meeting enveloped me again but seemed doubled and tripled now and more out of control than anything I had ever felt. My mind seemed to fall into a black abyss and tumble there for endless miles as I sought to understand what had happened, was happening and would happen shortly. I began to hear the man calling to me in a placating voice from the ground. "Come down now, Little Flower." he said, holding his hand up towards me and looking at me tenderly. "It's alright. I promise you. It's alright. You are in no danger. Come down now. Please....." I looked at him for some time, barely recognizing him in my distress and shaking so hard I could barely hold on. Little by little, I began to come back to myself and moved slowly down the branches, keeping my eyes locked onto his and reaching for his hand. And then I fell.

              To Be Continued in Episode 12........

https://bluevineyard.blogspot.com/2017/05/warriors-of-way-episode-12-i-am-not.html