The Warrior

Chapter eight

         Chapter eight

         Later that evening, after the army had camped up for the night, Marissa found herself alone in Kay’s tent. No bed was made up for her, Kay took it for granted that she would sleep with him, and she didn’t really want to be anywhere else, so she accepted his preparations without objections. Since his revelations about “Ignar’s touch”, and then the.., whatever “it” had been, the rest of the day’s journey had passed in pensive silence. Marissa still didn’t know what to think about it all, but she knew she didn’t fear Kay. The sight of him on the ground, writhing in pain, unable to help him, stripped away any doubts she might have had. It might not be love, but it was strong, incredibly powerful, and she didn’t know whether to fight it or not. She wanted desperately to approach a temple and ask a Priestess for guidance, but the rules of an Apprentice prevented her for doing so during her Year of Silence. All she could do was trust in herself and in the goddess.
         Looking around in the tent, she noticed that it was less sparse than the night before. There was a table with two stools, and an extra chest at the foot of the pallet. There was, however, plenty of space for what she had in mind. Finding the items she needed in her bags, she filled a black ceramic bowl with water and set it on the ground. She then lit three candles and placed them evenly around the bowl, the lights reflecting in the water’s surface. Lifting her dress to keep it from getting dirty, she sat down facing the bowl, raised her hands to face level, palms towards her, and placed her fingertips against her forehead. Taking a deep breath, she tried to center her thoughts inwards. As her pulse calmed, impressions bombarded her. Knowing it was hopeless to fight them, she let them wash over her.
         Her hands smelled faintly of horse, under the citrus-scented salt and oil she used to clean them. The ground beneath her was uneven, trampled grass, dirt and pebbles. One stung her knee, but she kept breathing, trying to ignore the discomfort. The sounds of the camp reached her ears. She was so used to it by now, it mostly didn’t register, but now she listened and let the sounds calm her. It was oddly comforting, to be alone in this tent, surrounded by people. Not lonely, just safe. The men talked, some laughed, some shouted, some sang. There were constant sounds of movement, metal against metal, wood against wood, the swish of fabric and the creek of leather. She took them all in, every impression, savored them, and then let them go.
         When she felt calm and no longer swamped with outside distractions, she lowered her hands and focused on the bowl in front of her. The water’s surface was still, yet the flickering lights from the candles gave the impression of movement.
         Careful not to disturb the surface, she pulled her hair back and leaned over the bowl. She couldn’t make out the bottom, and though she knew the water was shallow, it felt as if she was gazing into a bottomless abyss of darkness. She wondered if this was how the goddess Lagoe’s eyes looked like, deep and dark, holding in their depths every secret of the world, and the worlds beyond. Suddenly it felt as if she was falling, her body soaring through a vast space. Her breath caught in her throat, the feeling was too overwhelming, too overpowering. She heard a voice in her mind, a whisper almost too soft to make out. You are the first, but not the first, and others soon will follow. We never left, yet we return.


         Gasping, Marissa woke. She was lying down next to the bowl, the candles around it all but burned down. She must have been out several hours, the camp was quiet and no light penetrated the heavy canvas that made up the tent.
         With a grunt she sat up. Her body was stiff and aching from lying on the cold, hard ground, and her head throbbed painfully. She reached up to massage her temples, and startled when warm hands covered hers, pushing them gently aside and rubbed in small circles, easing the painful pounding behind her eyes. With a contented sigh, she leaned into his touch.
         “Are you all right?” Kay’s voice was soft, careful not to break the peaceful mood between them. Leaning her head back to look up at him, she smiled a confirmation, before once again relaxing under his ministrations.
         “What happened?” His voice was deeper than usual, gruff with conflicting emotions. “You were in some sort of trance when I came in, and I didn’t want to disturb you, but then all of a sudden you keeled over on the floor. If you hadn’t woken just now, I would have called the healer.” His voice held both a question and a reprimand. He clearly wanted to yell at her, but wasn’t sure what for. He must have been worried about her. The knowledge went a long way toward shaking the fog out of her head, so she could focus her attention on the man behind her.
         “I was praying. At least I tried, but something happened, I’m not sure what. Nothing like that has ever happened before.”
         She stopped, lost for words to explain the experience. Kay waited patiently for her to continue, his hands slowly massaging the knots of tension from her shoulders.
         “It felt as if I was falling from an unimaginable height, yet I wasn’t frightened. I knew Lagoe would catch me. Always before when I’ve prayed, I’ve felt a sense of peace and rightness, but this time it was as if she wanted something from me, not just the other way around.” With sudden urgency, she straightened her back and looked over her shoulder. “Kay, she spoke to me, I’m certain of it! All my life I have felt her, her hand on my shoulder steering my footsteps, but this is the first time I’ve heard her voice… except I can’t remember what she said.” Slumping back to the ground, she sat in devastated silence, barely noticing Kay’s continued calm massage.


         A deep rumble suddenly broke through the silence. Confused, Marissa straightened and looked around, trying to determine where the sound came from. Another, louder rumble soon followed, and Kay chuckled behind her. With a blush, she realized it came from her stomach.
         “Hungry?” She glanced behind her, and found Kay watching her with a wry smile on his face.
         There was not much use denying it, after her stomach’s loud announcement, so she nodded and smiled back. It was not her nature to let things get her down for long periods at the time. She may not remember the goddess’ words, but they would come to her when the time was right.
         Accepting his assisting hand, she rose, and together they sat down at the table.
         Kay had been busy, and the table was set with a large bowl of steaming soup, and fresh rolls. It smelled delicious, and she wasted no time before digging in.
         Kay ate very little, instead watching her enjoy her meal and entertaining her with stories about the army, Rodrick, and his best friends, Walsham and Richard. Marissa was stunned to discover that the Richard in Kay’s stories was in fact King Richard, and Walsham was the King’s astrologer, the most powerful man at Court, second only to the King himself. The stories gave her a greater understanding of the might and importance of this man who remained a mystery, despite their close interactions in the past two days.
         “And Lord Walsham has a clock which tells the future?” Marissa did not believe half the stories she’d been told, and this last claim was a little too far fetched for her.
         “Not exactly. The clock, or the equatorium as it’s really called, calculates the positions of the sun, moon and stars, which Walsham then uses to interpret the future.”
         “I don’t think he would be as powerful as he is, if a clock does all the work for him.” Marissa grinned impishly, inviting him to laugh with her, but instead he looked thoughtful.
         “No… sometimes I think the clock is a device he uses to keep people guessing about his true knowledge. He has real power though, and he is without a doubt the most intelligent man I have ever known. To be honest, he can be beyond scary when he wants to, and I don’t frighten easily.”
         He looked at her with the sweetest smile on his face, a little embarrassed at the confession, yet inviting her to laugh with him. Her face lit up in a reciprocating smile, and she leaned over the table to give him a peck on the cheek. Who knew this warrior could be cute?
         Kay looked a little lost, unable to determine how to respond to her spontaneous caress, so he simply ignored it, and nodded toward her now empty bowl.
         “You finished?”
         Marissa nodded with a content smile. The smile became a laugh when Kay produced a basket filled with what looked like round, orange apples. Curious, she reached out and grabbed one. It was quite heavy, and the texture of the peel was both smooth and uneven at the same time. She smelled it, but the light, almost tangy scent was unlike anything she had come across before.
         “What is this?”
         “It’s a fruit called “Narang”. I thought you might like some for dessert.”
         Delighted, Marissa let Kay show her how to peel the fruit, which left eleven juicy pieces.


         Kay watched Marissa carefully as she bit into the first piece, watched the wonder in her eyes as the taste exploded in her mouth, and the bright smile on her face as she devoured one piece after another, until the whole narang was gone. She cast a longing look at the basket, and Kay quickly peeled another for her.
         He found he enjoyed providing for his little vixen. Watching her eat the meal he’d chosen, and then seeing her response to the narangs, it melted a secret place deep in his gut he hadn’t even known was frozen.
         A drop of narang juice escaped her lips, and he quickly leaned in and licked the drop off her soft skin. She leaned into his touch, turned her head towards him and met his lips with her own. His tongue dipped into her mouth, tasting the tangy fruit juice blended with Marissa’s own, sweet taste. It was a heady combination, and he had to force himself to pull away. She was not unwilling, but the shadows beneath her eyes told him she needed rest, and he knew they had a long, and tiring journey ahead of them.
         “Finished?” Marissa nodded, and let him pull her out of her seat. For a moment they stood immobile, only their hands touching, yet both infinitely aware of the other.          Kay was the first to move, slowly raising his hands toward the neck of her gown. With a practiced movement he opened the brooch in her neck. A slow, gentle stroke along her shoulders, and the dress fell to the floor in a flourish. Wish a smile of appreciation, he bent and pressed a kiss on her collarbone, before leading her toward the bed.
         He undressed slowly, letting her watch her fill, and the gleam of delight in her eyes made him feel like twice the man he knew himself to be. Naked, he blew out the candles on the table, before joining her in bed. He pulled her into his arms, and held her close, enjoying her soft warmth for several long minutes, before drifting off to sleep.

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