On The Run - Chapter I

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As the sun rose over the horizon there was the promise of hazy days tagging along.  My eyes drifted from one peak to the next trying to see the great expanse of the wings of my beloved friend.  She didn't speak in words, and she never showed emotion less than aggression.  Yet, there was no fear in my heart because of the knowledge I held.  When she arrived there would be no danger.  Regretfully, as it so often is, she wasn't around and my enemies were only two days march away.  I knew she would make it in time, she knew the time restraints that held her captive to return.  But that didn't help calm my fears or relieve my anxiety.  They were on the march and there were many of them.  I was exhausted from constantly being on the run, and unsure if these days would ever end.  Surely they must, I can't run all of my life....could I? 

This question is the one that plagued me more than any other.  It had only been a little more than a year since I first had to flee the safety of my home.  I would have been doomed, and knew that running from my enemies was the only option.  But at the time I had no idea that I had another friend in this world.  It was only at the last moment that I would have survived when the great Rok appeared. 

I had read something of this great creature in the history of some civilization that I had assumed had been the fictional creation of a great writer.  When she appeared I was sure that I had collapsed on the rocky floor of the valley and was now dreaming of my escape.  I accepted it, believing I would be captured any moment and destroyed like all of those with my gift before me.  There was rumor of a few surviving, but I never believed them. 

Two weeks would go by before I even began to allow myself a chance to believe that I wasn't unconscious in a dank cell.  It was traumatic to say the least when she had appeared and I still cannot truly recall how it was I was mounted on her back.  She was a rather small Rok, nearly 6 feet to her back when she was rested in wait for a rider.  Yet a lot of time has passed since then and many last minute rescues with following weeks of waiting as she went away. 

The first time was a bit unnerving as she rescued me and a few days later dropped me on some mountaintop.  It was nearly nightfall when we had arrived at the top of a mountain with a lone cabin sitting in the woods with smoke billowing from its chimney.  Upon climbing down from her back I realized how draining the ride had been on my body.  Immediately my legs buckled when I tried to stand as I crumpled to the ground. 

I lay in a heap waiting for the feeling to return to my legs.  It was very painful as the nerve endings in my legs began to stir, twitch, and ignite into two burning limbs.  As the fire continued to burn through, my mind could think of nothing else.  I forgot about the cabin, lost thought of the Rok, and didn’t even recall that I was supposed to be dreaming in the cell of my enemy.  I had been awake for almost two days with only dozing slightly time and again strapped on the back of my new friend.  As a result I fell asleep before my legs ended their torture. 

When I awoke the Rok was gone.  Absent was the smoke from the cabin’s chimney.  My body ached in more ways than I had thought possible.  As a result I believed that my mind was beginning its journey back to what I thought to be the reality of my life.  At any hour or day I would begin to return to the cell I was convinced I was being held.  My aches and pains were a result from the capture I believed had really happened a few days ago only miles from what I considered home.  I made my way to standing, testing my strength before attempting to do so.  Slowly began to walk toward the cabin, as my mind kept asking me why, if this was all a dream.  As dreams go you do something because you simply can’t just do nothing. 

The cabin was actually a lot further than I had at first believed.  When I at last arrived at its door I was unnerved to find that it had been left open.  Since this wasn’t real I decided, why not go in.  Nothing worse could happen than the capture I convinced myself I had endured.  The table was set with stale bread and cold stew.  It still smelled lovely and I figured it didn’t matter if it was cold.  I was starving and needed something to fill my belly.  I consumed the contents of the bowl and was looking for some more.  I had brought my bowl to the pot in the fireplace and began scooping more into the bowl when I heard the scrap of boots in the doorway.

In the doorway stood a bearded face cowed in black robes.  The dark eyes stared intently at me with what appeared to be a scolding look.  One hand rested lightly on the hilt of a fabulous blade, while the other scratched his chest.  In an immediate reaction of fear I dropped the bowl and its contents to the floor as I made a mad dash for the window.  Throwing open the shutters that blocked my way I scrambled to push my body through it’s opening.  As I pushed with all my strength to continue my escape I fell through the window and to the ground. 

Standing to run, my eyes met the gaze of a very surprised stranger whose beauty was beyond any I had ever seen.  Hair as soft as angel’s wings framed her face in delicate waves.  Her eyes were a gray with a slight hint of blue as when the sky is painted with faint clouds while summer’s needed storm cleared.  Her entrancing face held serenity and strength as though the two were friends from birth.  As I gazed at her beauty I forgot at once what I was in a hurry about. 

She held me captive with a slender hand lightly holding my elbow and her calming voice, “Be still stranger, you are in no danger here.  What you must have been through….well look at you….please come inside.  My father will take care of all your needs.”

Immediately her father turned the corner and was laughing heartily.  “A strange creature Zordith, I think you are always too trusting.  But I guess you would not have accepted me as your father had you been any other way.  Come inside my daughter and bring your new friend with you.”

“Me father?  I think you are the trusting one.  Remember I didn’t look very friendly when you first invited me into your home?  If my memory serves me correctly I tried to cut off your head.”  With that they both began laughing and headed into the cabin as if they expected I would just follow.  The exuberance in his voice, the comfort in her eyes, and the knowledge I would not get away caused me to just give in.  Of course, since I wasn’t really there anyway, may as well enjoy the father and daughter I had conjured up in my mind to escape from what I believed to be my true circumstance. 

It was almost as if I hadn’t seen the cabin before.  As if I hadn’t just walked through this same doorway just a moment ago, I noticed everything.  The scent of the stew, the cool feeling of the inside air, flowers slightly browned from sitting in their vases a couple days too long, the doorways to the left and right of the back of the cabin.  Ah, must be rooms.  It didn’t seem that this cabin would have been big enough for extra rooms.  The old man must have spent a long time working on this.  Just then I noticed that Zordith was cleaning up the mess I had made and her father had already begun a new fire.  The flames were licking the bottom of the pot and seemed to quickly ignite.  As Zordith finished cleaning up, and her father finished with the fire they both sat down at the table and invited me to sit with them. 

“Stranger, what is your name?”

“I am so sorry; I have been through a lot and actually don’t at the moment remember my name.”

The old man gave me the oddest of looks, stroked his beard and confidently announced, “I find that hard to believe stranger.  You have to trust us if you expect us to help you.  Of course, I guess I should ask.  Are you looking for help?”

“Well sir, if it isn’t too much, could I find out your name before I answer that question?”

“My name is Sinedor…and this is my daughter Zordith.  And if I can’t have your name and you don’t want to let me know if you are looking for help could I at least ask what brings you up to the top of my mountain?”

As I cast my eyes to the table and shifted uncomfortably in my chair I began to try to explain the accounts of my adventures.  “The most of my life I don’t quite remember.  I remember being a child, working on my father’s farm, and something about learning to fight with a sword.  My father told me that there was sooner or later coming an army, from Citedale, intent on wiping out any towns that refused to accept their rule.  I do remember my father’s name was Rheuben, and my mother’s name was Sharon.  They both died when I was in my early teens.  That is when I first realized something was different about me.  Neither of them had seemed surprised by the strange ability I had to cause their crops to grow at 10 times greater pace than their friend’s farm. 

I have figured this same gift must have been what caused me to survive the plague that wiped out our entire town.  I was the only one who survived, but I didn’t do well.  The first 6 months I can’t remember anything except lying in bed shaking with a terrible fever, which should have killed me.  When the fever left and I was able to get up everyone was dead and I couldn’t remember most of my life, including my name. 

Cleaning up and burning bodies and houses since I figured they were filled with the plague.  I continued to work the land, and produce the crops that my training had taught me.  Passing into adulthood, came the realization that I could cause the entire crop to grow within a few weeks. The gift seemed to be growing increasingly more powerful.  I was content just living the rest of my days in solitude.

One day a stranger came knocking on the door of the shanty I had built for myself.  He was almost 7 feet tall and seemed to be at least 200 years old, but full of vigor.  He told me there was a reason for my gift and said that as a result in 2 weeks there would be an army to look for me and kill me as they have most of those who have been found to have my gift.  He told me that the plague was not an accident but was sent to my town to kill me.  Those of us that survived were to be hunted down and slaughtered.  He hung his head in sadness and told me he regretted bringing me such terrible news.  Then he told me he had hundreds of other to warn and had to be off.  He straightway turned and left, with me standing there speechless. 

Not knowing if I believed him I still prepared to run if necessary.  Late one night I was awoken by the sound of many voices in the distance.  Wrapping myself in a cloak and wondering outside, I looked around.  In the horizon there was a faint glow in the northwestern horizon.  Immediately I knew it was the army and prepared to run for my life.  It seemed to be just before dawn when I finally departed and was scolding myself for taking so long getting ready.  The army seemed to be on the move already, I quickly wondered why they would send an army after a lonely lad.  At that point I realized there must be more to this gift than I have ever even dreamed.  But without someone to show me what it was I was sure I would never find out.  After a few short hours I was convinced they were going to be on me and I would be dead.  Just then the Rok appeared and flew me to your home.”

When I finished I sheepishly looked up from the table and saw both of them staring at me as if they didn’t believe a word of it.  When Zordith met my gaze she proudly spoke, “Stranger I can not bring myself to believe your tale….yet there is much honesty in your eyes and I can not explain why.  So, I must believe that at least you believe your tale, whether it is true or not.”  With that she stood from the table and went to the pot.  Stirred the contents and returned to the table.

Her father had yet to speak up and just held my gaze.  He must have been judging what I said compared to what he knew of the world.  “Daughter, there are things in this world that you have yet to understand.  You see stranger, when she came to me she did not remember where she was from or why she was here.  She quickly told me her tale, which she had found her mother and father slaughtered at their home while she was out on another of her adventures that her parents always begged her not to go on.  She then realized that if she had not been on that adventure she too would have been killed.  No one in her town saw anyone come into the town, or leave.  They all assumed she had been the killer and was making up the story of being away.  She killed 7 of them before she escaped their grasps.  She has a strength she doesn’t understand and was running from herself when she arrived on my doorstep. 

Along with her incredible strength she also has an innate ability, she claims, to know if someone is friend or foe.  I fed her and took care of her while she tried to understand what it was that had happened to her content life.  I consoled her and told her how I had left my family and friends because I couldn’t stand people.  Yet strangely there was something about her that I couldn’t explain that I liked where I had never liked anyone before.  Until she had arrived I lived alone and was hoping to do so until I died.  Which should be any day now I suppose, isn’t that right Zordith?”

With that she returned to the table with the 3 mugs of ale for us to enjoy with the stew which was now ready and waiting for us to consume.  She winked at the old man and stated very plainly, “You tell my story so well, yet leave out the small detail that I would have chopped off your head had you not tripped down the steps at the moment I swung.”

He chuckled and grinned, “Yes it is true I would be dead if not for fate.  Yet still you didn’t strike a second time did you?”

“No, I felt horrible that such an old man as you, lay on your back with such a desperate pleading in your eyes.  Then when you feebly asked me what sin you could repent of to be spared your life, I couldn’t help but feel pity for you.  At that moment all of my rage gave way to self pity at what horrible trials I had found myself in.”

The old man’s eyes were filled with a moistness that indicated he would probably cry.  “Zordith, I can never understand the pain you must have gone through.”

“Old man, all of that is beyond me now.  You have been more of a father to me than my own ever was.  I will never stop loving my true father for how wonderful he was.  And I would never have desired to have a new father.  But, you have helped me in ways that he obviously never would have had to.  And I am forever grateful for the compassion you have shown me.”  With that she fell silent and began to consume her food.

We all ate in silence and enjoyed the fabulous stew and ale.  I must have looked exhausted because the old man looked at me and told me that I could sleep in his bed for tonight and he would make himself a place to sleep in the main room.  I was too tired to argue, stood up, nodded in appreciation and stumbled to the back room.  Zordith took my arm and guided me to the right door.  She then followed me in and made sure I was comfortable before she left the room.  As my eyes were beginning to close I saw her looking at me from the doorway, and I fell asleep.

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