Kriki's Gift, Chapter 29, Reading 10

His command spurred men into activity, but fear certainly added to the speed with which the men jumped to their tasks.  Minds and souls had been singed by the Valkea’s attack and no one wanted to linger here and chance a repeat of the experience.  Soon all those who had collapsed were loaded on to the wagons alongside the wounded.  The bodies of dead horses were pulled out of the way of the wagons and left on the side of the road.  There were several horses that had been wounded too severely to continue on – they would have to be left behind for others to care for once the battle was over.  Their riders joined the soldiers on the wagons.

As the men worked, Carra looked up the line to see if she could spot Darrine.  Since tall men surrounded her, it took her some effort to see around them to spot the watcher.  It was with a sense of relief that she finally saw Darrine mounted on Moonbeam.  Both appeared to have survived the attack unharmed.

Carra then glanced upward to the light on the ledge above.  The glow was steadily growing in intensity and was now painfully bright to gaze at.  Even so, she couldn’t keep her eyes from glancing at the light for just looking at it seemed to touch her soul in some mysterious fashion.  The dark and writhing horrors that had manifested in her thoughts were fading as if they were mere spots on the fabric of her soul and were being bleached by the intensity of the summer sun.  It was incredibly comforting to know that her beloved King and Queen were doing battle and apparently succeeding.

“My Lady, are you well?” Haxton asked again for he noted her expression was unfocused and distant.

“I am, Lieutenant,” she replied as she turned her eyes to him and gave him a small smile.

“We’ll be riding again shortly.  Are you ready?"

“I am,” she remarked and took a deep breath as she pulled her mind back into clear focus for she knew the danger of their position.  “It is well that we will be leaving as soon as possible for the Valkea’s fighters may be distracted at the moment, but that’s not going to last.  When the Valkea is destroyed they’re going to go insane with a thirst for revenge.  It would not do at all to be here when that happens.”

Haxton smiled and bowed his head to her.  “Well stated, my Lady.  You’ve summarized our position very clearly.”

She gave him a quick smile.

“Keep your wits about you, gentlemen for there are more fighters out there,” the captain shouted.

Although Carra and Haxton couldn’t really hear what Rodal was saying, it interrupted their low conversation.  They turned their attention to the front of the column.

“Move out – hand gallop,” the captain ordered.  The command was repeated several times as it was passed through the ranks so all heard it.

Carra was relieved they were leaving this horrid place at a gallop, even though part of her was curious to know what was going to happen.  Her common sense overrode her curiosity, however.  The ruse had worked and they’d successfully drawn out the Valkea so the King and Queen could destroy her.  She was proud that her suggestion had worked.  However, the Valkea’s soul searing assault had left her feeling shaken and a bit vulnerable and she wouldn’t feel safe until they were on the far side of Karlaz.

Kriki's Gift, Chapter 29, Reading 9

Just when she felt she couldn’t take any more of the punishing assault on her senses, the madness abruptly ended and she was suddenly freed of the nightmare.  It was like a door had slammed shut in her mind to keep the darkness out.  She gasped for air almost as if she’d been saved from drowning by being pulled from a dark and muddy quagmire.  She breathed heavily and tried her best not to even think about what had just happened to her.

“My Lady?” Haxton finally queried and he grasped her arm gently.  “Are you well?”  His voice was concerned, but strained as well for he was still battling the effects of the Valkea’s attack on his own sanity.

She pushed up and was glad for his supportive hold for she felt dizzy and disoriented.  When she turned to look at him, her attention was instead drawn to a blazing light far up on the slope.

“Look up there,” she called in astonished wonder.  “That has to be the Valkea.  I think the King and Queen must be attacking.  That’s why the horrible madness stopped.”

Haxton turned to look, as did the men around them.  High above the road was a rock ledge and perched on the ledge was an intensely bright circle of light.  It shimmered with such intensity that no one could look at it for long.  The lieutenant’s eyes drifted down and he suddenly saw what the Valkea had been shielding from them before with her dark deceptions.

The rocky slope below the ledge was filled with fighters.  Many were dead - having been killed by the storm of arrows the Rangers had sent their way.  The survivors stared up in stunned shock at the ledge above them for the Valkea had disappeared from sight behind the curtain of blazing light.  After a moment’s pause, they charged upward forgetting their attack on the Guardsmen below.  They had to go to the aid of their matriarch for she was the meaning behind their existence and must be saved at all cost.  As soon as they moved into the open, the Rangers shot them down with deadly accuracy for they now had a clear view of their foes.  Heedless of the fact that they were being massacred, the horde struggled upward with singular focus.  They had to save the Valkea.

The captain could see that the Valkea’s fighters were no longer concerned with his people and knew that this was their chance to get away.  They had done their job of drawing out the Valkea.  Now he needed to get Carra to safety.  “Let’s get out of here, fast,” he bellowed.  “Load up the wounded.  Push the dead horses out of the way so the wagons can pass.”

Rodal looked down the ranks to assess the damage done to his people.  Far down the line, he spotted Lieutenant Haxton for he was nearly a head taller than the men around him.  In the crush of riders, he glimpsed Carra and was pleased she was still astride the chestnut gelding.  She was safe for the moment, but that could change in an instant.  They needed to get away.  To remain in the vicinity of the Valkea and her horde was insanity.

Chapter IX, Reading 4

* * *

Flindra slowly returned to consciousness and realized she was still in the crystal cavern. Her orb burned painfully in her hand for her incredible experience had channeled unimaginable energy through the crystal. Even so, she clutched it in a death grip for the crystal seemed to be an anchor rooting her to reality.

She had fallen from the cushion into a twisted heap on the floor. Pain radiated from every part of her body. Flindra pushed her legs from beneath her body. Movement intensified her agony, but move she must. Gripping the sides of the cave, she forced herself to stand and clung to the wall for a moment before her knees gave way and she collapsed. Overcome by a wave of nauseating vertigo, she retched until there was nothing left to vomit. When she finally gained control of her stomach, she stood and managed to keep her feet. She paused until she was steady enough to move and then she stumbled out of the cave like a wounded animal.

Flindra was only aware she had to find Kewero. This was the thought, which kept her moving up the passage from the crystal cave. Her body moved out of habit for her mind and will weren't yet focused enough for action. Finally, she reached the upper caverns.

"Kewero," she called, but her voice sounded strange and distant - not quite her own. She stumbled toward her bedchamber, not knowing where else to go.

Flindra saw Kewero moving to her. She seemed to be walking oddly, jerking back and forth. Flindra didn't realize she was the one who was staggering like a drunk. She couldn't understand why Kewero was speaking in some strange tongue. She could hear words but she couldn't make sense of anything. The world was moving out of focus - everything was swimming before her eyes. She saw the floor moving closer; she felt the cool stone on her face; she knew no more.

Chapter VI, Reading 4

To wake up, she got out of the water and reached in one of her saddlebags to retrieve a stiff hairbrush and a bar of Dakra's homemade soap. She returned to the water and unbraided her hair. The loose curls floated on the water and coiled about her. It took her a while to brush the tangles out for she didn't want to pull too hard on her damp hair. When Flindra could slip the brush effortlessly through her hair, she rubbed the soap in until she had a rich lather. She then worked the lather next to her scalp and rubbed vigorously.

The scent of the soap brought back vivid memories of her mother and her home. Her Momma had scented the soap with juniper berries and sage. This combination had always been Flindra's favorite. Tears welled up in her eyes as she thought of the love and kindness she had always known.

"I hope you don't miss me too much," Flindra said aloud. She had become used to talking to herself during the long journey north.

"What did you say, my dear?" Kewero asked as she returned to the pool with a stack of clothes in her arms.

Flindra blushed with embarrassment. "I was only talking to myself," she explained sheepishly.

"Don't be embarrassed, Flindra. I've been alone for so many years that the only ears I've had to talk to have been my own. Now tell me what concerns you enough to talk to yourself about it."

"I'm worried about my family, especially Momma."

"Dakra is a good woman, strong and capable. The Spirit chose well when He selected her to be your mother. She will miss you and will worry about you - mothers always do, you know. We can help her though. I will teach you how to use your crystal to give a message to her dreams."

"I can do that?" she asked in surprise.

"That and much more. It takes a great deal of energy to establish the contact, so perhaps it would be better for you to wait until after you've rested."

"I would like to do it now, if I may. I would like to tell her that I've made it to you safely. Perhaps that will ease her worries."

Kewero smiled in understanding. "I'll show you how when you are finished with your bath. Do you mind if I keep you company? It's nice to hear your voice."

"I don't mind at all, Kewero."

The old woman smiled as she sat on a rock at the side of the pool.

Flindra could tell that Kewero was lonely and she took pity on her. She had learned since leaving home that loneliness was a hard burden to bear. It made her feel a little better about imposing on Kewero's hospitality to know that she had some need for her. Friendship would be a nice exchange for the old woman's knowledge.

"You look much like your mother," Kewero noted. "You have your father's height and there is a little of him in your chin."

"Did you know my parents well?"

She nodded sadly. "Yes, I looked after your mother in the same way I've seen to your care. She was a fosterling just as you were."

Flindra looked sad. "Why?"

"To hide you both from your enemies."

"Who were they? I don't even know their names," she confessed with a catch in her voice.

"Bherek and Andha were the Baron and Baroness of Surwel."

Flindra dropped her eyes to hide her sorrow. "I'd hoped that I'd be able to find them someday and learn to know them."

"I didn't mean to make you so sad, child. Understand that your parents loved you very deeply and that they wouldn't have given you away if your safety hadn't required it."

"That helps."