WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 15 Rescuing The Rescuers

WARRIORS OF THE WAY

EPISODE FIFTEEN

RESCUING THE RESCUERS



     Snow walked quietly behind the pale trees and into the dense forest beyond them. How she moved so silently, I didn't understand and I fought to keep up with her and walk as noiselessly as she. The sun had set in the west and filled the sky with a blood red stain as it dropped toward into it’s resting place. I dreaded the total darkness that would soon descend and didn't want to be in the wood when it did. The purple twilight gave the trees an eerie, shadowy outline but to my surprise, the tall pale trees behind us began to give forth their unearthly glow and I found that I could see the trail that Snow was making for me to follow. We were circling around the camp and back behind the boulders, that much was evident but what we would do when we got there, I had no idea. The white horse was in charge, not me. I was grateful for the noise of the intruders for I tripped and fell a number of times and groaned out loud before I could catch myself. Snow looked back at me chidingly and motioned for me to keep up. “Won’t you let me ride you?” I asked her in a loud whisper and she stopped and considered the question and shook her head. Stung, I followed her through the thick growth, looking around and behind me for signs of the beast men. It occurred to me then that there was not room for me here in this part of the forest to safely ride upon her back. There was barely enough room for her to push her way through with her head bowed low against the tangled brush. I would be caught up in the vines and low hanging limbs if I were that high off the ground and I was startled at the wisdom of the animal.


     I tried to peer to the left of me and see the camp and the man as we hurried eastward but the sight of him was blotted out by the trees. What were they doing to him? I wondered. I could hear them shouting now and beating drums and chanting in an unknown language. Savage creatures! Did the man know them from the past? He had spoken of the mountain they called home. Were he and Skaarkap old enemies, perhaps? And if so, how had he eluded them before? We came into a small clearing of sorts and Snow stopped by a rock and turned to look at me. I saw her intention and nodded. She wore no saddle or bridle and there was nowhere to hang my sword but I climbed up on the stone and laying the sword across her back, swung my legs over and took my seat. She took off immediately, almost upsetting me and I grabbed her snowy mane and held on as she picked up the pace and trotted quietly through the woods.


      Darkness fell quickly and we were far from the pale trees now with their comforting lights and it was hard to see. Somewhere out in the density of black trees to my right, I heard a snarl that made me jump and I felt Snow tense her muscles beneath me. I patted her reassuringly and touched my heels to her flanks to hurry her along. Soon, the glow of the campfire began to pierce the darkness and though the trees hid us from sight, I could see the scene off to my left. I gasped. The man was lying on the ground with a sword pointed against his throat and a fat ugly man with long grey hair was tormenting him with a blazing stick of firewood and laughing in a shrill, almost feminine voice. His audience was greatly entertained as they shouted out grotesque suggestions to him. 


     Three men on horseback were surrounding Redemption and holding him by the bridle as he tried to rear and kick them. I saw a stain of red upon the man’s right forearm where his tunic sleeve had been torn away but I saw no indication that he was fighting back. Not with the sword at his throat, anyway. What could he do? He was staring up into the faces of the savage king and his brother without flinching as the flames were held closer to his face. Was he buying time to allow me to make my escape? Was that his plan? Was he sacrificing himself for me? Did he think I would just ride away and leave him there to die at the hands of these monsters? I pondered that question briefly but knew I could do no such thing. “Snow, help me. What should we do?” I asked softly and leaned down close to her ear. She stopped abruptly and listened to something beyond my range of hearing, her ears moving wildly back and forth. “What is it?” I pleaded in fright, now hearing the sounds coming from the forest for myself. The WereMen? Here? Now? Oh, why now!? I moaned. I didn’t know how to defend myself from them and wasn't convinced that I wouldn't faint dead away at the sight of them. My new teacher had not yet schooled me about their traits and habits. I was on my own.


     Snow shook her head and began to gallop down a trail that wound it’s way out of the wood and around the encampment, still shielded by a thick stand of trees. Rushing towards us off to the right, there sounded the thud of fast, heavy feet, a horrible cry and the sensation of inhuman fear. I held onto the horse’s mane for dear life as she flew down the trail like the wind heading straight for the camp. “What are you doing?!” I cried into her ear, not understanding. She was surely running now in blind panic and I wanted to stop her but didn't know how without bridle and bit. Louder and faster came the sounds from the forest, closer now and gaining on us. A horrible growl filled the deepening of the night and I saw the man lying on the ground turn ever so slightly and peer in our direction. The others seemed not to notice as Redemption reared and broke away from his captors. 


     At the last minute, Snow stopped short and pulled behind a thick tall tree, breathing heavily, and looked back around at the trail we had just galloped down. Almost at the same moment, out of the darkness bounded a deer with large antlers and terror in it’s eyes, running straight for us. Behind the animal ran a creature from a nightmare, half upright and half upon all fours, huge and shaggy and brown, with gleaming white teeth and fury in it’s eyes, howling an unearthly cry. I drew my sword back and made ready to attack but at the sight of the campfire and the many men, it fell silent and slowed it’s chase and then stopped some distance away on the other side of the trail. The terrified deer, not knowing what to do, ran towards the camp and straight into the circle of men surrounding the fire. Everything happened so fast then, I could hardly recall it all later. Chaos ensued.


     The appearance of the deer so startled the intruders that they yelled and ran and those on horseback began to race away in fear. Redemption quickly made his way to the man and lowering himself on his front legs, he urged his friend to climb into the saddle and he grabbed his lost sword and did so. Ignoring the creature that watched us with hungry eyes shining in the darkness, Snow swiftly moved out of our place of hiding and flew down the trail behind the fleeing deer and took us down into the circle and to certain death, I was sure of it. She carried me to the side of a horse and rider who had hurried to the outskirts of the camp but I caught the man off guard and ran my sword through him and knocked him from his mount. Snow neighed her approval and we caught up with another fleeing horseman. I knocked the curved knife out of his hands with my sword and he looked at me with a mixture of delight and fury as I carved up his bare chest and kicked him off the black horse with my foot. I didn’t look back. 


     There was no time. My mind shifted into battle frenzy now and I thrust the sword into it’s sheath and grabbed the bow. Four arrows flew through the air and caught four unsuspecting would-be bridegrooms in the throat and they fell on top of one another. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw the man topple three men from their horses with his long sword as Redemption swerved in and out of their unorganized formations just like Starshine used to do. Seeing a huge man with braided hair coming up on the blind side of the man, I let go of an arrow and caught him in the ear, my arrow flying right below the blue-eyed man’s chin. His eyes widened and he looked at me in shock and gratefully nodded his head, smiling.


     The deer could not find his way out of the camp and ran wildly back and forth in the melee, rearing up and thrusting out with panic-stricken legs. I saw the fat man with long grey hair make the mistake of getting in his way and though he threw the burning torch in defense, the deer’s hoof caught him on the side of the head and felled him then and there. “Good for you!” I said aloud as a younger attacker came upon me and I barely had time to draw my sword and meet his with a loud clang. Snow danced away from his horse and he followed us and tried to force us back against the boulders. “Come now, Little Warrior Bride,” he cajoled me and laughed, enjoying the battle. “Why don’t you save your strength for our wedding night?” “I’ll never marry you!” I spat in his direction and jabbed at him but he swerved away and laughed louder.

     “You’ll marry all of us!” he smirked. “Our King Skaarkap, first and then me, his son and Prince! And then of course, the rest of the men of Meerjok Mountain! You are our chosen one and soon to be the mother of our children!” His dark eyes devoured me with longing and confidence and I caught his sword with the tip of mine and threw it into the darkness. “You are mad!” I screamed at him, “You are all mad! One woman cannot be wife to a hundred men! I will see you all dead!” And I kicked Snow with my heels and she fled back toward the fire. The man raced after us and crowded in on Snow until she was hemmed in by three men on horseback. They pushed us close to Skaarkap and his hideous twin and at that close proximity, my stomach churned to lose it’s contents. The monsters grinned down at me, the twin rubbing his childlike hands together and gyrating wildly upon his brother’s shoulders. “Our bride, my BrotherKing!” he cried and reached out for me as I desperately tried to move away.


     Before I knew what was happening, Skaarkap’s huge right arm swooped down and scooped me from my horse and into the saddle in front of him and he raced away across the camp as I screamed and fought. “Help me!” I called to the man as we flew by him in the midst of his own battle and his eyes met mine and his foe’s knife caught him unawares and sliced him across the cheek. The giant horse rode right through the campfire and scattered the burning pieces of wood here and there, never slowing down. The black pan that had held our fish dinner went flying and the leftover potatoes were thrown from their skewers and grabbed up by a tall, thin man with bulging dark eyes and strange markings on his face. He looked up at me crazily while gobbling the potatoes down, with a lusty, sick grin spread across his comical face. Just then, the panicked deer cut back towards us from the horde of men and horses and knocked him into the fire. I heard his head hit the black pan and he screamed and tried to beat out the flames that ran up his shabby shirt and into his hair. I didn’t have time to see what happened next but I hoped the deer would knock down a dozen more before making his escape.


      Reconsidering, I thought he probably had no desire to go back into the forest with the wolf on the prowl and felt safer in the company of these dirty men. I tried fiercely to wrestle the horse’s reins out of my captor’s hands but he just laughed at me, squeezing me tight against his chest and put his hideous head down to breathe in the fragrance of my hair. “She is fresh!” he called back to his brother and the horrible little man reached down and twisted his horrible little hand in my hair and pulled it up to his face. “May I kiss her, Brother?” he asked and at that, I decided that I would rather jump off the horse and die. I elbowed the man in the ribs and bit the hand that held the reins and as he yelped and made to strike me, I quickly twisted around with my dagger and lopped off the ruby stone that protruded from the center of his forehead. He screamed in agony and grabbed the wound with both hands while his twin screamed twice as loud and reached to comfort him.


     Almost at the same time, Redemption raced up beside us and the man yelled “Jump! Quickly!” and reached out to help me as we continued to race through the camp. Blood ran down his face from the attacker’s knife but he paid it no attention. I nodded and reached for his arm but then swung back on the black horse’s neck and drew my sword while holding on the best that I could. Skaarkap and his twin were so intent upon the forehead wound that they did not notice until I roared in my loudest warrior voice and swung the sword in fury and supernatural strength, slicing off the top half of the giant’s head and completely lopping off the head of the tiny brother. Neither of them had had time to scream but as the little head hit the ground and went bouncing off under the hooves of the horses, I saw that his ugly little mouth was frozen in a silent scream and his eyes were wide with disbelief.

     The man grabbed me from my perch and deposited me upon Redemption in front of him and off we flew toward the boulders. I could feel his heart racing against my back as my own thudded violently in my chest. I held out the bloody sword in my right hand and whilst we fled past two of the Meerjok men, I sliced through them and dispatched them to the ground in shock. As we made for the opening of the gray stones, I saw many dead and dying men lying about the camp, some groaning, some shouting hysterically and some running towards their king and his dead twin. “King Skaarkap!” they cried and shook their heads, not believing what their eyes told them. His huge body still sat on the horse’s back, his hands hanging limply at his sides, his mouth slack and his eyes closed and full of blood. The headless twin on his back slumped over him and his tiny hands were around his neck in a gruesome kind of embrace. I could hardly look away.


     We flew to the boulders and hurried behind them.  Snow and the frightened but heroic deer ran after us and sprinted into the arbor that had been built for the horses. The deer was panting so hard he could barely stand and finally just collapsed on the ground and lay there shaking and hiding his great head in the grass. Snow went up to him and nudged him with her nose. It seemed to me that she was attempting to calm him and tell him everything was going to be alright. I watched them in fascination until the man pulled me down off his own heroic horse and gave me a quick embrace. “Are you alright?” he asked, looking me over, “Did they hurt you? Are you wounded?” Smiling, I dropped my sword on the ground and said quietly, “No, the blood on me is not my own but the blood of our enemies and some of thine.” He reached up to touch his cheek and grinned, pulling a handkerchief out of his pocket and dabbling at the cut. “I’ll live.” he said rubbing his wounded arm from which the sleeve had been ripped. “You are quite the warrior, Little Flower.” he murmured to me. “Never have I seen a maiden fight like that. You surprised me.” “And... I saved thy life!” I exclaimed with twinkling eyes. “And I saved thine!” he exclaimed back and I nodded and embraced him. “But what do we do now?” I asked. “Not all of the villains are dead. They will recoup and attack us again, I know it!” He looked deeply into my eyes with a hesitant and forbidding look on his face and opened his mouth to speak but stopped and sighed then gripped my shoulders with his hands.


     “Vaangelika...... I know you’re not going to want to hear this but you must listen! These men are not dead! At least they won’t be for long. I know it looks like some of them are dead but even the leader with half his head gone and his completely headless brother…. they will soon have their heads again and they will surround us and try to take you again.” I stared at him in disbelief and whimpered, “But how can this be? How can one come back after one is dead?” He shook his head and shook me. “Listen, these men are Replicators! They have the ability to rejuvenate themselves and replicate their damaged parts! I know it sounds insane…but you must believe me! These men cannot be killed!” My heart sank in my chest and my legs gave way and I slumped to the ground with his hands still holding me. Looking up, I shook my head slowly and then wildly. “No!” I protested, weeping, “It can’t be true! If this is true, they will take me away to their horrible mountain and make me be wife to them and have their babies! I will not do it! I will fall upon my own sword first! Please! Please, tell me, it’s not true!” I began to cry helplessly and all the strength drained from my body.


      The thought of it was more than I could bear. If they could not be killed, then they would kill him and do with me what they wanted. It was hopeless! He pulled me to my feet and into his arms. “Shh.” he comforted me, stroking my hair, “It is not hopeless. There is a way. You must not lose hope. Never lose hope, Vaangelika. Do you not remember the words of your father in the mouth of the hawk? There is always a way out.” I wanted to believe him but could not see the way myself. I just stared into his blue eyes and forced myself to stop crying. I had just cut off the head of a monster, how could I babble like a mindless child and drown myself in tears? Why did I give up so easily? True, I had never faced an enemy like the one I faced now but I also had never lost a battle. Why concede now when I had three, no, make that, four brave friends who would fight to the death for me and with me?


     I inhaled and pulled myself up by the boots and tried to appear taller than my 5’6″ height. The man smiled and kissed my cheek. “That’s my brave girl! Now, listen to me. You must do exactly as I tell you and you must not be stubborn. Do you agree to obey me?” I nodded and waited for his next words, wondering what he possibly planned to do in light of his revelation. “First, look out and see what is happening in the camp.” he said and turned to see about the horses and their charge, the trembling deer. I went to an opening and peered out at a scene that was beyond my comprehension. All of the men who were not wounded or dead had surrounded their leader and had taken him to the edge of the forest and laid him on the grass. They began chanting in an guttural language, strange and demonic sounding. The horses gathered together in the grass nearby and began to graze, keeping their watchful eyes upon the men and upon the forest behind them, looking I’m sure, for signs of the wolf creature still out there.


      No one seemed to be paying us the slightest bit of attention until one huge man stood up and looked right into my eyes and roared, shaking a fist in my direction. I jumped back, startled, and hid myself behind the rock. “They are…. waiting...for something, it appears.” I told the man. “They are very angry now.” “Waiting for their king to find his head.” he answered sarcastically “And for their brothers to rejoin them in the fray.” “But they are just lying there in their blood.” I protested, not wanting to believe his tale of rejuvenation. “Ten minutes.” he warned me. “I give them ten minutes and then you will see that I am telling the truth. I have never seen this myself but I have been informed of it by my adoptive father.” I rubbed my forehead and sighed, turning back to peek out at the camp.


      Someone had rebuilt the fire and it was blazing up in the darkness, illuminating the encampment. Men took burning torches in their hands and bent low over their fallen comrades and over their king. The loud chant continued and the sounds of the horses’ hooves and the rush of smoky vapor from their nostrils made the scene one of unbelievable vision. I thought I saw one of the still forms begin to move but I could not be sure. One of my daggers protruded from his chest and was hardly visible except for the hilt. I did not see how he could recover from that wound! The man whistled for me and I turned to see him walking away behind the boulders. “Stay here!” he ordered.”Do not follow me. I must be alone now.” And he walked out of my sight, leaving me mystified and with fear returning to my heart. Snow came to my side and leaned against me, buffeting me with her head. I rubbed her white coat and patted her head wishing I had an apple to give as a reward. How human she seemed! How protective of me she was. She barely knew me and yet she had bonded with me even more quickly than Starshine had. I was amazed at her mannerisms.


      Redemption stood watching us near the deer who suddenly decided to stand and join us and we all stood in silence and wondered what terrible thing would befall us next. They seemed to be asking me with their big liquid eyes to please share the escape plan and I shrugged and put my arms around Snow’s neck. When several minutes had passed and the man had not returned, I began to worry and without one thought to his command, ran in the direction he had gone. As I passed the eleventh boulder, I saw him kneeling there upon the ground and heard him speaking in a strange voice, words I did not know. I gasped and stopped short in my tracks and he turned and jumped to his feet.

     “You said you would obey me!” he reminded me angrily and grabbed my arm and began to hurry me back towards the horses. “You promised!” “No, I didn’t.” I said, trying to think of an excuse. “I only nodded in agreement.” He groaned aloud and pushed me ahead of him. “Curious, impudent girl! Your curiosity will get the better of you one day!” “B…b..but..” I started to explain, ” I thought you were not coming back!” He groaned again and went to pat Redemption’s head and whispered into his ear. Then he stroked the deer’s face and nodded at Snow who nodded back at him. “We haven’t much time.” he finally said to me. “So listen carefully and do exactly as I tell you! Do you hear me?” “Yes!” I said petulantly and watched in amazement as he removed his sword, bow and arrows, his daggers and whatever else qualified as a weapon. “What art thou doing?” I questioned him reverting back to my native way of speaking. He ignored me and finished his task and patted Redemption’s head a final time.


      “Lay down thy weapons, Vaangelika.” he said softly and I started to refuse but silenced myself at the sight of his uncompromising face. “Now.” he commanded and I complied, removing every weapon that I had upon me and feeling naked with the compliance. “Shhh!” he warned when I opened my mouth to protest, putting his finger to his lips and taking my hand. “Now do as I tell you and the enemy will be scattered before us. You will see. But do only as I tell thee. Promise or remain here alone.” My eyes widened at his words and I fell speechless and let him lead me out of the opening of the boulders, followed by the horses and lastly, the deer. The deer looked as bewildered as I, but followed his newfound friends out into the clear and present danger before us.


     The man led me out of our only protection and towards the campfire. At the sight of us, the huge men and would-be kidnappers turned from their brothers and stared at us in surprise. But the great surprise was all mine for I no longer saw one slain or wounded man among them.  In fact, they were all mounted now and they parted at our approach and made way for the most truly terrifying sight that my eyes had ever seen. On the gigantic black horse, bathed in the steam issuing from his demonic nostrils, sat the leader of the Meerjoks, Skaarkap and there upon his back, sat the hideous twin with a brand-new head, exactly like the one I had chopped off! I gasped in shock and the giant laughed and all the men laughed with him and the sound echoed throughout the camp and bounced off the boulders.

      Raising his hand to quiet them, Skaarkap shouted, “It has been great fun playing with you, Blue Eyes, but now we must take our new bride and be on our way! The WereMen have informed us that they plan on eating you and the deer for supper and we must not delay their feast! Now give us the woman and prepare for your last meal!” The intruders laughed uproariously at his joke and I felt myself grow pale and tried to pull my hand out of the man’s hand and run for my sword. He held me fast and whispered, “You must do as I say or all is lost!” “Alright!” I acquiesced and stood by his side gritting my teeth. “What must I do? You said they cannot be killed. How can we fight them?” “The battle is not ours nor any mortal’s.” he said softly and with a calmness and a peace that I had never witnessed on any man’s face. I could only stare at him.


     “When I say “Now!” I want you to drop to your knees and cover your face with your arms and do not look up no matter how curious you become or how frightened you might be. Do you understand? Swear this to me!” I looked at him in disbelief and could not find my quick and eager tongue. “Swear it!” he cried and shook me. “There is no time to dally!” “Yes!” I promised him, terrified at the thought of cowering before an approaching enemy. I was halfway thinking that he meant to let them swoop me up and take me away with them. What else could he do in that position? There was no way out! “Yes, I swear it!” I gritted my teeth, not at all resigned to this unthinkable fate. I would simply make one of the giant men kill me whether he wanted to or not. We readied ourselves as they began to move towards us in the firelight. Somewhere in the forest, the wolfman bayed a long and harrowing howl and the hair stood up on my neck and forearms. I swallowed hard and gripped the man’s hand tightly. “Be strong, Vaangelika.” he said to me and quickly kissed my forehead and pulled his hand out of mine. I cried out as he walked some paces ahead of me toward the approaching horde. What was he thinking? Was he going to sacrifice himself for me and what would that possibly accomplish? Nothing made any sense to me. All seemed lost.


     I closed my eyes and thought about my father and my teacher and my nurse and of the mother I never knew. Of the shepherd boy and of Starshine and Snow and the eyes of the frightened deer. I saw the golden viper and the wondrous hawk and the knowing eyes of the white bird. But of all of these that I thought of and cared for, only the man who walked before me, made the heart leap out of my breast and reach to hold him in desperate hands. I had never felt this way about anyone. I didn’t know what it was but I didn’t want to let it go. To let it die. I wanted to hold it forever and be held by it. “Please!” I called to him as the tears flowed down my cheeks, “I don’t even know thy name!” He turned to look back at me and saw my arms reaching out to him and said,  "I do not have a name. So thou canst call me anything you like, Little Warrior.” And he smiled a sad smile that pierced me like an arrow. We were some distance from the boulders and he was even farther away and getting closer to the horsemen all the time. They began to march and chant and to scream out their horrible greetings to me, anticipating their victory and our inevitable defeat. 


     “Our murderous bride, Brother!” the little man exclaimed, waving his fat little hands at me and pounding them upon his brother’s head. “She hasn’t been very nice to Ot-tay and Skarrkap, has she, BrotherKing? We’ll have to punish her, won’t we?” And he rubbed his hands together and whispered into the ear of the giant all manner of horrible things that concerned me. I wondered how close the man intended for them to come to us before he did anything. I could almost feel the heat from the horses’ breaths. They raised their newly formed arms and hands and legs and heads and bodies and prepared to charge at us and end the one-sided battle and be done with it. The man looked up at the boulders and looked back at me and the horses and back to the onrushing tide of regenerated dead men. “Get ready!” he said. “Almost….almost…” And as they prepared to rush to the campfire and cast him aside and take me, the man screamed, “Now!!” and motioned for me to drop as he had instructed. The horses and deer fell to the ground as though dead and lay silently with their eyes tightly shut as if they understood what I did not.


     I balked for a moment and then dropped and curled myself up, covering my face and body as best I could with my arms. “Keep your eyes closed and do not look up!” he cried out to me and he turned to the row of boulders and nodded and fell to the ground himself and prostrated himself in front of the enemy. “We are doomed.” I said to myself under my breath. “We are not doomed!” he shouted back at me and dared me to uncover my face. Within seconds, we began to hear a loud noise coming from behind us, from the area of the gray boulders. I had never heard a sound like that before and cannot describe it. It was almost like an army approaching. An invisible army. “Do not look!” he cried again and I didn’t mean to. Out of the corner of my eye, I began to see a golden glow fill the whole atmosphere and bright and incredible lights appear all around. The brutish horde in front of us gave forth loud and frightening cries and began to rush us in their madness. I couldn’t bear to see but I was terrified not to. It was like we were crouched in the middle of two approaching armies and I had no idea what to do but crouch there. Suddenly, behind us, we heard the sound of horns and heavy marching and the sound of swords being drawn. Just as the band of marauders seemed within mere feet of us, they began to look up into the sky above where we knelt and their eyes widened in disbelief.   They screamed and began to back up and look for somewhere to retreat to but there was nowhere to go. The noise of that great army seemed to fill up the world, and without effort, encompassed the entire camp. They seemed to my frightened ears, more gigantic than the Meerjoks and with no sounds of retreating, but pushing forward, united as one.


     I could have sworn then, that I heard the mighty rush of beating wings like that of great birds, but that couldn’t be real, I told myself. As the army grew closer to where I lay, I began to feel extremely odd. It was almost like the heat of the blazing sun fell upon me.  Then a soft glow enveloped me and soon the sensation of being covered in warm honey from head to toe. I could not grasp the meaning of it nor raise my head to see the source of the sensation. I fell into peaceful, ecstatic surrender and floated rapturously in a state of joy I had never known. My surroundings fled away and I saw only a golden glow, so bright, that I could see it even from behind my hands and closed eyelids.  I began to laugh softly, in a sort of delirium but a madness I did not fear. From a million miles away, I heard the horrified roar of the enemy and heard their monstrous horses trample over one another, attempting retreat. Skaarkap’s unmistakable loud voice cried out “Run! Run, My Brothers for your lives! We cannot defeat this foe!” And I heard them running and screaming through the forest and over the hills and for many miles, screaming and screaming in abject terror.


      The glow kept shining for some time. As the quiet fell around us  it faded into a dim light and then disappeared altogether and the warmth left my body and the bliss, my soul. I lay there in a fetal position until I felt the hand of the blue-eyed man reach out and pry my fingers apart and caress my shoulder and brush back my hair. “It’s alright, Little Flower, we are safe now. The Meerjok have gone. They will not return.” I stiffly tried to sit up and looked blankly into his eyes, silently asking a thousand questions. He pulled me to my feet and held me tightly in his bloody arms and together with the horses and the deer, we looked around us in astonishment at the deserted and silent camp, peaceful and dark now except for the glow of the dying orange fire.

to be continued in Episode 16

The Blue Vineyard Of Voo Shining Stone: WARRIORS OF THE WAY EPISODE 16 Moonlight Madness

 Arvo Pärt - Nunc dimittis

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.