Flying 21

Before the helmet was off Phora’s head, the blood that had pooled in it spilled over her hands and ran in dark syrupy runners etching his armor in crimson rivers and smears that held trace smells of rust --blood drying quickly. She looked at Phora and he at her.

She put the helmet down beside Phora. Even in her haste to do so, she noticed that the helmet was neither dented nor scratched. “How can this be, for Phora was certainly wounded by Jarz’s blow? The armor must be of a material that is firm and flexible at the same time, letting only irresistible blows through, yet following the movements of the wearer as easily as a dressing gown,” she quickly thought. Letting the helmet roll to Phora’s side, she looked at the uncovered dark rider.

Dark chestnut brown eyes, masked by sockets that were colored by deep bruise colored purple, looked out at Kinesis. They were set in a square face, that spoke of strength and power, yet, ragingly/quietly, for the face was handsome with full lips, straight nose, high cheekbones and straight smooth eyebrows that made his eyes startle the observer with the glare of a hawk. There was a combed thicket of fine dark hair that was blacker than midnight. Still, it gleamed with a moonlight shine of its own when a hint of light struck it. A small scar ran underneath the left eye from the bridge of his nose to the cheek, a thin white line of violence against a bronzed skin. Phora was as handsome as he was a mysterious charge of power, someone to be admired, but from afar the way one watches the beauty of a treacherous sea storm.

Phora spoke, almost in a whisper. “Kinesis. Jarz has gone. This land that you are in is very dangerous. I am sure that I am dying. Look under the back flap of my saddle and you will see a small silver horn. Go to where you have marked the vision portal to get back to your land. I have closed it since you entered so that no beings from my world could enter yours. But, you must return to your beach now without hesitation. I will open the portal when you blow the horn once. When you have passed through, blow it twice and I will close it. Do not argue with me. Go now. Quickly, for I can feel death turning my feet cold and numb.” He looked deeply into her eyes. His words were not questions, but commands. The soft brown eyes still burned with a force that could not be resisted.

Kinesis could see that he was mortally wounded. The pupil of one of the eyes that looked at her did not react to light and remained as an unchanging open dark hole into his very soul. Blood eased from the sides of his mouth, ran freely from his noses and from the ear on his right side. “As good as his armor is, it was not enough to withstand the crushing blow of Jarz’s tail,” Kinesis thought to herself.

She looked at the distant white strip of cloth that she had tied around the small oak to mark the “vision” and she had named it, the “portal” as Phora had called it. She felt the urge to return to the peace and beauty of her beach. And she felt the urgency of Phora’s dying words. She picked up the horn and turned back to speak to Phora.

(to be continued)

Flying 22

She reached out and brushed the blood matted hair from his face. “Phora, I need….”

“No, Kinesis. There is no time for talk. Your need is to get back to your beach. Please, take the horn and do as I have said.” Phora’s lips quivered as he spoke. His eyes never left those of Kinesis. He was struggling. They were closing against his will.

“Do you have any water on your horse?” Kinesis spoke in a sharp and demanding voice.

“Kinesis, you must….”

“Do you have water? Answer me?” shouted Kinesis.

“Behind the saddle rim on the back. Twist the bronze lever to the right. But, what is the need for water? You must….” Phora leaned his head back against the trunk of the oak, letting a long sigh of pain, the kind that is given when the end is seen to be drawing closer.

Kinesis was already to Fire by the time Phora had stopped talking. She found the lever, twisted it and instantly a small water bag thrust into her hand without her reaching or fumbling for it. She turned and ran back to Phora. From behind her left ear, she pulled loose what appeared to be a small roll of her skin. Not so. It was a curved tube that was slightly flat, yet it was so well hidden against the side of her ear that even skilled physicians would never have noticed it. She pinched open one end and sprinkled a small amount of blue powder on the palm of her hand. To that she added three drops of water, each drop measured by pouring the water from the flask, letting it run down her index finger until the drops came at the right intervals, then dripping them onto the powder. She massaged the powder with the water until it took the form of a small ball.

She looked at Phora. He had come back to rescue her, even though he was her abductor. There was more. Desperate loneliness pulsed from his body, even in his final moments. She could feel that and more. A tear appeared in the corner of her right eye. She put her head down and let the tear fall on the powder. When she massaged it again, it turned grey blue, a pearl that shone with its own light.

Moving to Phora’s side, she held his head against the oak. She was sure that he could not see her, but she spoke. “Swallow what I give you.” Not waiting for a reply, she pried open his mouth, thrust the pearl into it, closed it and pushed his chin up while stroking his throat. She could see his throat move as he swallowed the pearl. Her arms wrapped around him. For a moment, there was only a slight shallow breathing sound coming from him. Then, his body shook explosively, an earthquake inside. She held tightly to him, but his life power and the force of the pearl were dealing with each other, and she was thrown backwards, a leaf blown suddenly by a strong gust of ocean storm wind.

(to be continued)

Flying 23

Phora stood up, hands reaching and clasping his head. “Yaarrrgh!” he cried. “The pain, the pain, it is unbearable!” Like a puppet played with by a small boy, his whole body in its armor shook with convulsions. Yet, he did not fall. His body struggled to the depths of endurance as it dealt with coming back to life while his mind seized the consciousness scattering, wrenching pain of returning to the world. Yet, he did not fall.

Then it was over; he was back. The convulsions stopped. The pain ebbed to the relief of a long sigh. He looked at Kinesis. “You have saved me,” he said –Kinesis could detect only a hint of joy in the words-- as he walked to her side and bent down on one knee to see straight into her eyes. He put his hands gently on her shoulders.

“I am thankful and owe you my allegiance.”

“I owe you my allegiance!” Kinesis said to herself.

In a flash, Kinesis stole out the dagger from his belt and held it to his throat.

“So, I have saved you, but you will make me a promise or I shall take back that life,” she said, her crystal blue eyes piercing into Phora’s. “Move only your lips, Phora. I know how quick you are.” Her shoulders did not give under the slightest weight she began to feel from his hands.

“State what you wish, and I shall promise,” Phora replied with surprise.

“You shall promise that you shall never do me harm.” The blade slightly touched Phora’s neck. Where it touched, the skin opened and blood trickled down. Kinesis had not expected this; no knife could be so sharp that its mere touch could draw blood.

“I promise never to do you harm,” replied Phora. “My word is an eternal bond.”

“Good,” she replied and thrust the dagger back into its sheath. “I am sorry that I cut you; your dagger is unusually sharp.”

Phora looked at her for a long moment. Then, he ran over and put on this helmet, gathered his shield, bow, quiver and sword and somehow signaled Fire to come to his side. Kinesis had seen no gesture, yet the great horse was beside him in an instant.

“It is too quiet here. And the Jarz has long gone,” he spoke while looking around him. With one hand, he swung himself up on Fire’s back. With the other he reached down and scooped up Kinesis to place her behind him. She felt the saddle do something strange; it extended its riding pad to go under her, curling up behind her to form a second rider’s saddle.

She pressed her head against Phora’s helmet. “Get me home,” she said. She had seen enough of this world with its dangers lurking in every corner. She wished for her beach and its tranquility.

Fire moved, but it was not in the direction of the portal.

“What are you doing, Phora? The portal is in the other direction!” she shouted and banged her hand against the upper part of his shoulder armor.

“It is too quiet.” He replied.

“But, you promised to do me no harm,” Kinesis cried.

“I did, but I did not promise to do you good, which for you is to return to your beach,” Phora replied, his helmet swiveling right and left to take in the terrain. Fire began to move quickly away from the portal spot.

(to be continued)

Flying 24

Tears welled up and streamed down Kinesis’ face, leaving silvery tracks on her smooth skin. “You promised! You said on your word as a knight that you would do me no harm. Can’t you see that not taking me back is tearing my life away from me!” she cried, beating her fists against his back until they began to bleed.

Fire took a few strides more, then came to a sudden halt, shaking his head as if confused by commands. Phora drew in a deep breath.

“What did you give me? There are things in my mind that I find hard to control,” said Phora, turning his head from side to side. “I can sense something strange and powerful. Never have I felt such strong sensations; they are beyond my comprehension.”

“Beyond your comprehension? What are you Phora? Don’t you have feelings? Are you just a mind in a black box of armor? What kind of being are you?” shouted Kinesis.

“I am a man of this world, a knight, a thinker and defender, the most powerful knight ever,” replied Phora. “But these feeling sensations, as you call them, are keeping me from going forward the way I know is right and safe.”

“Right and safe. What about the guilt of making me homeless and my sorrow? I know that you feel them, for the tear that went into the pearl mixture contained those feelings, all of my feelings. You became a part of me when you swallowed it and it brought you back.” Kinesis stopped beating on Phora’s back and rested her forehead lightly against the black armor. It felt cool despite the fact that it should be giving off some warmth.

“Take me home, please, Phora. Do not make me ask again,” said Kinesis softly.

Phora and Fire stood dead still.

Like a blow from the thunder of a close, sudden flash of lightning, Kinesis felt Phora’s feelings emerge from him. A tidal wave rising up to crash against a calm beach. There was a mixture of overwhelming sorrow and despair; the feeling of losing the one thing that mattered the most. She was practically knocked off Fire’s back by the intensity of Phora’s feelings and tightened her grip on Phora to steady herself.

“You are right, Kinesis. I can see, fell now that my words had no meaning without feelings in them,” Phora said. His head bowed low against his chest. “But, we must be quick and careful. I shall rush the portal. When we are about there, I shall cast you through, and then close it. I have to do so, because I do not think that I have much time at all. You will be safe, but stay clear of the portal as it closes.”

Fire turned and began galloping for the white ribbon and portal.

(to be continued)

Flying 25

The white ribbon and portal were only two hundred feet away; home, safety and tranquility. The trees seemed to jet by and were blurred colors of grey oak and brush green as they rushed toward the invisible portal.

Kinesis smelled them before she saw them. Foul body odor, sweat and forest crud, half finished food mixed together into a stink that made her nose close and eyes water. The ear piercing howls came as they swarmed out of the bushes thick as ants from a disturbed nest.

Without changing a stride, Fire swept in a sharp half circle and began rapid strides over the way they had just covered. She heard Phora say, “Home, lance, full,” to Fire. The lance lay ahead on the ground. Fire went by it at a full gallop. As Fire did, Phora, in mid stride, twisted his body all the way over to reach down and pull up the lance. It was an impossible feat, yet he did it.

“Cloak!” Phora shouted and a dark cloak flapped back to billow out, then surround Kinesis tightly. A hood pulled itself over her head with invisible hands that tightened it; her eyes were flaring green through slits similar to the ones on Phora’s helmet. Only her ankles and feet were left exposed.

Kinesis took a frantic look back to look again at the monsters that she saw. They were humans in wolverine form; their mouths were extended in a wolf muzzle with long teeth that were coated with foamed slobber that streamed back in jellied stringers against their jowls. Long arms were made into front legs with pads for palms and claws at the tips of short fingers. Back legs had knees reversed from human form; they, too, had pads and fingers, though shorter and bigger. They were covered with a foul, matted, coarse grayish brown hair. The howls were those of demented werewolves.

(to be continued)

Flying 26

“Savagers!” Phora yelled above the deafening sound of the pack. “Whatever happens, do not let one bite you! Tuck your feet in close behind mine and keep your hands in,” he shouted as he directed his lance at a savager that had placed itself in their path. The savager raised up on its hind haunches, mouth open with spiked teeth dripping glycerin, yellow tinted slime, glaring demon eyes bulging from their sockets; it was ready to ravage them. But, Phora’s lance struck first dead center, blades opening quickly and the savager was split into flailing limbs and a snarling head whose eyes rolled up into the back of its head as its mouth bit at the ground.

The other savagers howled in rage and pressed their run to get along side.

“Kinesis. The horn. Put your hands on the back of the saddle with the palms toward me,” cried Phora as he shook the last entrails remains of the savager from his lance as they hurtled on. Kinesis pushed her hands against the pulsing saddle.

“Horn,” yelled Phora, and immediately a silver horn thrust itself into Kinesis hands. “Blow three quick blasts on the horn.” Phora swung his lance to slice apart another savager. The sound was like a watermelon being split into pieces by thin humming wires.

Kinesis put the horn to her lips and gave three sharp blasts. The sounds seemed never to end, but just carry on ahead of them.

Phora spiked two more savagers at the same time, but three others grabbed the lance with teeth and paws and it was pulled away from Phora’s hand. Before Kinesis could see the movement, Phora’s sword was in his hand swinging cutting swaths through the savagers that pulled his lance away.

“Keep the cloak close, Kinesis. It will protect you from a bite. A savager is a person who was bitten by another savager. Within a few hours, the person’s minds become a harbor of savage emotions feasted in hate, anger and a craze to kill. Savagers hunt in packs and eat their kill alive, but their prize is to bite another person and increase the pack; for they cannot breed. They fall into a terrible war among themselves when there is not enough food to carry them on. The mind of a savager is something you would not wish on the worst person you knew.” Phora spoke quickly between breaths as he used his shield to ward off sudden biting thrusts, to then slice off the head with an overhand swing of his sword.

Suddenly, the pack disappeared into the woods. But, Phora pressed Fire on. “They are taking a short cut through the woods and will meet us right before the Keep,” shouted Phora. “We must hope that the horn was heard.”

(to be continued)

Flying 27

The stench of the savagers disappeared and was replaced by the soft leafy bark smell of the forest. Kinesis rose up and looked over Phora’s shoulder. They were speeding down a straight lane of grass surrounded by tall white oaks with shaggy bark and large green leaves. The lane made a slow right turn in the distance.

“Phora,” said Kinesis to the right side of his helmet. “The pearl medicine I gave you that brought you back has consequences. It has given you your strength back for a day, but if you use that strength up too quickly, you body will start to overheat just as you begin to relax. It’s as though your body thinks it’s still working at maximum strength when it’s not. The way you have done battle already, you are close to overheating. As soon as we are safe in the Keep, you must make sure that you are in a very cold bath and drink lots of cold water. If you have ice, put that in the bath and the drinking water. Otherwise, you will literally cook in your own body.” Kinesis wasn’t sure that Phora had heard her, so she slapped the side of his helmet.

“I heard you Kinesis, and will remember. But, we are still in for a rough battle. If I fall and you are still on Fire, promise me that you will continue into the Keep. I am sure that the guards heard the horn and have prepared,” replied Phora.

“Promise me,” he said again, turning his helmet enough so that she could see the right eyed red slit of his helmet. It glowed, she thought.

“I promise to stay on Fire,” replied Kinesis. They had rounded the turn and Kinesis could see the Keep up ahead. Phora turned to say something back to her, but the savagers struck with such ferocity that even Fire was startled.

(to be continued)

Flying 28

Fire swerved suddenly to the left and leapt over two savagers that were crawling across the road to a small rise covered by small gardenia like bushes for a jumping attack. The mix of the sweet smell of the bushes and the rank odor of the savagers was nauseating to Kinesis. She could see that the savagers were earnestly making a move to separate them from the entrance of the Keep.

The Keep was two hundred yards ahead. Kinesis had never seen such a fortress. It took up almost the entire horizon and sky at the end of the small grass lane leading to it. The land just before and around it rose up in a dune that became steeper as it gained in height. It was covered with logs that were planted into the dune’s base with their spiked ends pointed towards any intruder. The dune had other dips and bulges the purposes of which she could only guess. She was certain that there was a moat behind the dune, for the first tower wall surrounding the Keep had a drawbridge centered between two tall lookout towers.

The Keep consisted of seven square towers from a large and flat ground level to a seventh tall pyramid spire. Each one was taller than the one before it, each sitting on top of the other tower, and each having as lightly inward sloping wall around it with staggered bow placements lining the tops. The seventh tower reached for the sky and seemed to touch the clouds. Small iron clad windows with bars were sprinkled in strategic positions on the towers, but not on the ground walls. From a bird’s eye view, she could imagine that it appeared to be walled squares inside of walled squares. Everything was made of a light grey blue granite stone cemented together with a dark black mortar. There were grape vines climbing up the third tower that gave the inner part of the Keep the strange appearance that it had a flowing green beard. But, the overall impression was a massive fist of resistance stretching into the sky in defiance.

Fire smashed head on into a small group of savagers, scattering them with the impact that rendered the air with screeches of pain. Phora backhanded a savager with his shield in his left hand and without looking to his right, yet sensing the correct location, took off the head of another with a swing of his sword. Fire plunged ahead, but his progress was slower. The savagers were alongside and some had run ahead to close in from the sides. They massed in two groups, one on each side of the lane ready to close in when Fire was slowed by the others.

Suddenly, Phora changed Fire’s direction towards a small mound with a crescent of yellow flowers at the right side of the lane. The savagers on running alongside on their right were caught off guard and were trampled under Fire’s pummeling strides or beheaded by Phora’s sweeping blows. The savagers on the left swung around to follow Fire towards the yellow plumed mound. Fire went straight up the mound as if it wasn’t there, but the savagers were close behind. Kinesis could hear the taunting snarls of words from a large savager running near to the left rear.

“Hate --make you mine in one bite—will make you sing kill and drink blood of your victims—come to my horror,” it yelled, amid growling whines that spewed putrid foam through its teeth and nose.

Fire topped the mound and started down the other side. The savagers were at the top and just about to descend when there was an air tearing whoosh followed by a smashing, crunching, clanging snap of huge metal jaws coming together. The ground around them was showered with pieces of grass, dirt and arms, legs, heads and other parts of the savagers mixed with the bits of yellow flowers. Kinesis looked back and saw that the mound was a disguised snare shaped like a bear trap but made with sword blades laced in crisscrossed squares where the open space of the trap would be. It must have been sixty feet across. It had cut the savagers to ribbons of goo and bone.

Kinesis tried to breathe a sigh of relief. The sigh caught in her throat. She could not take a breath as they ravaged through the horror of the body parts, their stench and the thudding, squishing sounds of Fire’s hoofs over the slivers of flesh and organs. Those savagers were gone, but as Phora brought Fire back to the lane as fast as he could, she could see that other savagers were closing in fast having followed them all the way along the lane.

(to be continued)

Flying 29

Phora knew that they had to run the gauntlet by going straight for the drawbridge of the Keep. So did the savagers. Some attacked and slowed Fire’s progress and Phora had to fend them off, while the majority went ahead to begin forming a barrier.

“Hold tight Kinesis, this is the moment of truth,” yelled Phora. He picked the left side of the lane and directed Fire to smash through the group that had gathered there. His shield was held low on his left, while his sword come down in overhead swings. Some of the savagers were trampled, others were loud bangs against the shield to go careening backwards into the grass, while a few were split down the centerline from the vertical powerful strikes of Phora’s sword. But, the right side was not defended and the savagers there came in fast.

Kinesis could see the mad eyes and crooked grins as the group closed in for victory. They were so near to yet so far safe haven in the Keep. There was a loud whistling zing to the air as if it had decided to turn itself into steamed hornets escaping from a kettle spout. It rained the sound of thuds against flesh. And, most of the savagers dropped to the ground, riddled by shafts of dark arrows. Kinesis was in awe. They were far from the Keep, yet the archers there had not missed a mark. As an elf, she was born with a bow in her hand, but this marksmanship was truly remarkable.

She turned to say something to Phora, but saw out of the corner of her eye a savager that had not been hit because it had been too close to them.

She yelled, "Phora, on the right.” Phora had just finished off the last savager on the left with an upward thrust of his shield and turned swinging. The sword blow struck the savager just as it reached them. Kinesis could hear the claws running down Phora’s armor and the sharp cry of painful death as the razored edge took off the left side of the savager cleanly. But as the savager went down, Kinesis felt a sharp sting of pain on her heel.

More arrows swept in sizzling rain of black death on the remaining savagers. Fire galloped with loud hoof beats over the thick wooden drawbridge which began to rise even before they were off it, then through the open massive steel doors of the front of the Keep. They, for all their size, slammed quickly closed with earth quaking force behind them. Large iron bars fell into locking place sealing the doors from the outside. Phora galloped into a large arena that had high stone walls on top of which archers were at the ready and then through a smaller door which clanged shut behind them. They were in a tunnel that came out into a strangely designed room.

(to be continued)

Flying 30

The room into which Phora guided Fire was the same and yet different in every place. It was a circular room with many doors leading to individual cells all of which looked the same from the little that she could see. Each door was open, but it was clear that the cells were some kind of holding units. The doors leading to the cells were massive and had steel view slots at the top of ladder rungs built on the outside. “This is a bizarre place full of bizarre things,” Kinesis thought to herself. “What kind of people could be so cruel to have cells like these? I hate them,” emerged a thought from the back of her mind.

Phora leapt down from fire and turned to Kinesis. “Were you bitten?” he asked sharply and urgently.

“I don’t think so, but my heel is starting to burn,” replied Kinesis irritably.

“Quarantine!” yelled Phora and took Kinesis into his arms at a run. Holding her he dashed into the closest cell which had the crest of a raven surrounded by a red shield over it. The door boomed shut behind them. Inside there were a four of people, all dressed in black armor similar to Phora’s. They were moving things at rapid speed. A tall massive hulk of a man swung over a cage that was shaped like a cross. He released the bolt lock catches and opened the cage. Phora ran over to it and began to put Kinesis in it, first pushing her right arm straight out sideways, then fastening it with strong leather straps at the hand and elbow. He did the same with the left hand. He was fast and brutally strong not waiting to make a proper fit. The straps dug fiercely into Kinesis arms.

“What are you doing, Phora!” cried Kinesis. “You are putting me into a cage, you villain. You brought me here to torture me; I can see that now,” and as she said that she kicked Phora as hard as she could in the chest while writhing to free her arms. She arched her back and pulled against the straps, but they were too strong for her. She kicked Phora again.

The kicks did not faze Phora. He reached behind her waist and got another large leather belt and fastened it tightly. Kinesis kicked savagely again. She missed the last kick as he swept up both her legs and wrapped them with a strong belt which was tied to the back of her cage.

“You fools. I am Kinesis, Elvin queen. Can you not see? But, you will. I shall kill you all!” she screamed at the top of her lungs. With her Elvin power, the noise would have been unbearable had not the armored group worn their helmets. Even so, the giant in black armor staggered a step and put his hands to the sides of his helmet. Then, he shook his head, slammed the cage door closed and hurried about moving the cage with Kinesis against a wall. Kinesis could not move. Phora ran to the solid rock wall and took off what looked like a horse bit from an iron hook. He ran over to Kinesis opened the face plate to the cage, placed his hands on each side of her jaw and pried open her mouth. He jammed the bit into it. When he had finished, he strapped the bit to the back of the cage with light ropes and closed the face plate.

(to be continued)