by R A Oakes
Chapter 22
Chen instinctively took the lead but remembering Corson’s remarkable eyesight, her old friend having incredible night vision, the black leather panther yielded her place out in front. Being an excellent commander, Chen put the mission first and herself second.
Additionally, Corson’s mare, Tempest, was exceptional in her own right possessing an incredible level of endurance. When other horses had run themselves into the ground, Tempest would still have a mile or two left in her. And so Corson’s strategy was simple, she would push the male warrior’s horse to the point of exhaustion, and then kill the rider.
Corson rarely gave any thought to taking someone prisoner. And as far as Chen, she didn’t know what a prisoner was. Oh, the black leather panther had seen people in jail but never put anyone in a cell personally. And she’d never buried any of her enemies, leaving them on the ground where they died. After having suffered repeated abuse as a teen, she often appeared remorseless. But for whatever reason, both Corson and Chen were out for the kill.
The path of the male warrior was obvious for there was only one western entrance into the valley and one way out. So, what it came down to was an uphill horserace. And the switchback trail leading up the mountain was a four-mile stretch of well-packed earth. The endurance race from hell.
What the male warrior had going for him were his feelings of desperation since such people are often unpredictable and dangerous. However, the two warrior women chasing him were always unpredictable and dangerous, whether desperate or not, and the man’s predicament had simply lifted him to their level of readiness.
With his horse charging up the mountain, the male warrior was riding with relentless determination. And the warhorse was smart, tough and ready to die before letting another horse overtake him. The man riding him was a good master, and the horse had known none other, the male warrior having raised the warhorse from a foal.
As adrenaline poured into the animal’s bloodstream, the warhorse knew today was the reason he’d been born. All of life converged on this moment. Now was the day to give back to a master who’d given so much to him. The warhorse would go to his death proudly and without hesitation. And so, gritting his teeth, the animal stretched out his neck and lengthened his stride.
Chasing this noble animal up the mountain path, Chen and Corson had made a serious error. They didn’t respect the man, but they should have respected the horse. Instead, the two warrior women had underestimated the enemy.
Their true enemy was the horse. His name was Zenithstar.
Listening to the horses behind him, Zenithstar noticed that the sound of their hooves was getting louder, which meant they were gaining on him. Fear entered his heart. Not fear of death, but fear of failure.
As the grueling race wore on, Zenithstar’s mind was fogging over from pain and becoming dull, but he raced upward determined to get as much as possible from every stride. Even as the pain worsened, seeping into his shoulders, Zenithstar raced ahead detaching himself from his own flesh, unconsciously stepping outside of his own body. He wasn’t going to allow the enormous strain on his body to ruin his chances for reaching the top of the mountain first. And this became his goal. He begged his flesh to last that long. And he refused to panic.
A lesser horse would have surrendered, but Zenithstar thought, I just can’t lose. I can’t. Please, anything but that. Give me strength!
Drawing on energy from a higher power, Zenithstar found himself getting his second wind. It was more like sneaking past death, the warhorse nearing total exhaustion and close to collapsing.
Yet as noise from the horses behind him receded, Zenithstar realized he was going to win and felt so relieved that he almost wept. Taking a deep breath, the warhorse thought, Now I’ll show those other horses who they’re dealing with!
However, Zenithstar had no need to prove himself to anyone, especially not to Corson’s warhorse, Tempest, who already knew she was dealing with a contender. Tempest respected her opponent, paid homage to him and honored him. Tempest even gave Zenithstar the ultimate compliment considering the warhorse to be worth killing.
This awareness of Zenithstar’s quality made the chase important to Tempest, who decided to test her own ability against the raging horseflesh in front of her.
If necessary, Tempest was willing to chase Zenithstar through hell. In fact, she kind of savored the thought. Tempest was as strong as Corson, and as tough as Chen. Still, Tempest had her hands full with the beast in front of her.
Before Zenithstar had gotten his second wind, and when he’d been at the very height of his pain, the noble warhorse was driving his body mercilessly and was worried that his aching limbs would cause him to stumble. Unable to shake the torment in his body, Zenithstar had lost track of where his legs were. The warhorse knew he was moving forward at a quick pace, he just could no longer tell why.
But that was all behind him now, and he raced at top speed feeling a sense of exhilaration.
Charging ahead, Zenithstar began distancing himself from the horses behind him. He wasn’t exactly leaving them in his wake, but they weren’t gaining on him either. The warhorse was so happy that he almost laughed. Immediately taking this as a warning sign, Zenithstar thought, If I’m becoming giddy, I must be near my breaking point.
But then, to his total amazement, he reached the mountaintop. Hardly able to believe his good fortune, Zenithstar thought, I’ve achieved my goal, and my struggle is over. I’ve made it!
The warhorse couldn’t handle the idea of going any further, and so now it was the rider’s turn to take control. Pulling on Zenithstar’s reins, he did what a warrior had to do in battle. He expected even more from his horse. The rider realized that they should never have made it as far as they did, but somehow they had. And demanding more wasn’t easy.
Having raised this horse, the male warrior had fed Zenithstar carrots and apples and, on several occasions when the animal was ill, had slept with him in the barn at night. Now, with a heavy heart, he needed to ask more of his friend, though Zenithstar wasn’t just a horse, he was a part of the rider’s own soul. And yet, near tears, the rider did something he’d thought he’d never do. He took his whip and beat his horse.
When Zenithstar felt the whip on his flesh, he was stunned. The warhorse had never tasted the bite of a whip before. It hurt, and it just kept coming! The whip landed again and again searing his backside. In the past, Zenithstar had felt a sword’s steel blade ripping his flesh, and he knew what it was like to endure battle wounds.
But whipped? he thought in surprise. Whipped!
He found the experience humiliating. It told Zenithstar that his master no longer trusted him to give everything. Gritting his teeth, the warhorse was determined to prove his master wrong.
Chen looked ahead at Tempest trying to will Corson’s horse to go faster. Chen’s stallion had performed admirably, but now the black leather panther was up against something greater than combat, greater than exhaustion, and even greater than the power of death.
Corson, Tempest, Chen and her black stallion were fighting the love of a horse for its master. And when the male rider dug his heels into Zenithstar’s sides, the horse leapt forward.
Be careful, and don’t stumble, Zenithstar thought heading down the path. The warhorse knew most accidents happened going down a mountain. Most travelers are alert while going up, but they become lax going down figuring the difficult part of the trip is behind them.
However, feeling overwhelmed by a sense of bone-crushing fatigue, Zenithstar knew that going down this mountain was going to be a nightmare. He could barely stand, let alone gallop down a winding path cloaked in darkness with two warriors on horseback trying to kill his rider and himself.
The clatter of hooves pounding on the hard-packed trail continued echoing throughout the mountains disrupting the serenity of the night. And as Zenithstar faltered, Corson and Chen began gaining ground.
Zenithstar had done all he could do. His body was shutting d
own. The valiant horse was dying.
Getting closer, Corson unsheathed her knife and tossed it at the male warrior nicking his cheek. Glancing behind him, while tasting his own blood, the man was almost thrown from the saddle when Zenithstar stumbled, and stumbled hard. Knowing his horse was done for, the rider drew his sword and prepared to dismount, determined to fight till the end.
But that was not to be, for Zenithstar took a sharp turn to the right, doing so when considerably shy of the approaching right-hand, hairpin turn of the switchback.
Stepping off the trail into thin air, Zenithstar fell like a stone.
When his front hooves touched down on the
mountainside, they buckled causing the warhorse to pitch forward launching his rider into the night air. Zenithstar tucked his head, rolling forward and letting the saddle take most of the blow as his back crashed against the steep embankment. Somehow, the shock cleared his mind reinvigorating Zenithstar, at least a little, and he jammed his hooves into the hillside sending stones and dirt flying.
Zenithstar felt his master’s hands grasping his mane and the pommel of his saddle. The male warrior was up and mounted in an instant, which might not have been such a good idea. Zenithstar was still fighting gravity and a very steep incline.
But the two put their trust in each other, which gave them some company since no one else would have given them the slightest chance of surviving. Except, it turned out, for Chen who didn’t hesitate to follow her prey.
The black leather panther launched herself over the side of the trail and into the air with such flair that Zenithstar’s death-defying act paled by comparison. As her stallion was falling, Chen slid onto the horse’s rump. Then, placing her feet on the back of the saddle, she pushed off throwing herself closer to the hillside where she broke her fall by grasping onto roots and tree limbs. However, she still ended up glancing off trees and boulders on the way down.
By the time she reached the path below, Chen was bruised and shaken, but she quickly realized she’d fallen in front of the male warrior and his horse.
Looking up the trail, the black leather panther saw Zenithstar and his rider approaching. And with great satisfaction, the warrior woman noticed that her black stallion had regained his footing and was standing on the trail further down blocking it.
Stepping back into the trees to avoid being seen, Chen grabbed onto the back of Zenithstar’s saddle when the male warrior rode past and pulled herself up onto the horse’s rump right behind the rider. Quickly reaching down to her boot, the warrior woman pulled out a knife.
The male rider had felt something landing behind him and thought a falling tree limb or rock from above had struck Zenithstar, but it was something far worse.
With Zenithstar about to crash into Chen’s stallion, the black leather panther wrapped an arm around the startled man in front of her and held on tight.
Suddenly, Chen decided on a different strategy.
Standing up on the horse’s rump, she held her knife directly behind where the male warrior’s heart would be. Jumping against his back and using him for a springboard, she propelled herself off the horse.
And though this worked out for Chen, it didn’t for the male warrior, the black leather panther having kicked the handle of the knife driving it into the man’s back and through his heart.
As pain was exploding inside his chest, the male warrior watched in horror as Zenithstar was about to crash into a dusty black stallion. Hoping to avoid the collision, not fully realizing he was dying, the man tried sliding off his saddle only to see the stallion stepping aside and allowing them to pass. The black warhorse’s eyes glinted in the moonlight looking smooth as glass.
Then, after falling from his horse, the male warrior saw Zenithstar rearing up and letting out a blistering cry of frustration and rage.
Feeling the horse’s love, the warrior died a happy man. He’d done his best, had run a good race and, most of all, his horse was still alive. Neither should have survived this grueling test but one of them did, and the man was glad it was his horse.
Collecting himself, Zenithstar ignored the stallion and swept the path with his eyes coming upon Chen. Somehow, the warhorse instantly knew she was the person who’d killed his master, and Zenithstar hated the black leather panther with all his heart.
“Stand in line,” Chen said reading his mind.
Through a haze of exhaustion, Zenithstar realized he had the black leather panther all to himself and exploded in a headlong rush for the warrior woman.
But given the warhorse’s level of fatigue, the grieving animal pretty much ended up trotting towards Chen. And even that was agonizing for Zenithstar, so broken was he in mind, body and spirit.
Corson was now beside Chen, and they both watched Zenithstar as the half-dead warhorse attempted to seek revenge.
The loyal horse’s valiant effort would have tugged at the heartstrings of most other warriors, but it was wasted on Chen and Corson. Chen didn’t have any heartstrings, and Corson’s had worn out long ago from seeing too many senseless tragedies in battle.
However, Chen and Corson looked at each other and smiled. They both knew that this horse was worth keeping.
Walking up to Zenithstar, Corson said, “Time to go home big guy.”
Zenithstar didn’t mind this warrior, but when Chen came over and petted him, the horse glared at her.
Zenithstar realized they wanted him. But his owner was dead, and the warhorse felt like he had nothing to live for, that is, until he studied Chen carefully, deciding that one day he would kill this woman.
Chen smiled, intuitively knowing what the horse was thinking. She’d seen that look on the faces of men, women and even animals before. However, from experience, the black leather panther had learned that self-interest frequently neutralizes hate.
Chen decided that she’d observe Zenithstar and wait until the horse wanted or cared about something. Then, the black leather panther would make the warhorse understand that he’d either behave, or she’d keep him from getting whatever it was he wanted. And Chen would teach Zenithstar that her continued safety was the key to keeping it.
“I’ll give this warhorse to Pensgraft,” Chen told Corson. After all, the giant had penetrated her own dark heart and won her trust, and Chen was interested in seeing if Pensgraft could work his magic again, this time on a war-ravaged animal.
The black leather panther’s interest in the warhorse was purely pragmatic. Zenithstar was simply one amazing piece of horseflesh, and she wanted him functional.
Well, enough of that, she thought.
Next!
Nothing held Chen’s interest for long, not beyond its practical value, except for Pensgraft who was virtually her only friend, her only male friend.
Chen turned to Corson. “I have to get my warrior women out of Lord Daegal’s castle. We can’t hide what’s going on at Crystal Castle forever. I’ll need the other 75 with me for when things really get bad.”
There were 100 young women who’d been raised with Chen since she was 15-years-old. Some were at Crystal Castle, but the majority were still at The Rock.
Chen made a decision.
“I’m riding to The Rock. Tell Gwendylln she’s in charge of Crystal Castle till I get back.”
Chapter 23
Spinning her black stallion around, Chen spurred him into a headlong gallop through the woods intent on reaching her warrior women at The Rock as quickly as possible. However, now that Lord Daegal’s warriors had been dispatched, such a dramatic sense of urgency seemed unnecessary. Who was left to inform the warlord of recent events at Crystal Castle?
But when she wasn’t upset or desperate about something, Chen felt a nagging emptiness deep inside of her. Therefore, having decided to go somewhere, she was going to get there as fast as she could. Emotional intensity was Chen’s opiate of choice, her favorites being anger, aggression and recklessness. Such feelings helped fill the empty well inside of her, a depth that went down to eternity. And
it could be all consuming.
She tried plugging the hole with constant activity, but as soon as one situation was under control, the nagging emptiness would drive her relentlessly into some other crisis. Anything to keep herself occupied, anything to keep the feelings of emptiness and boredom at bay. It was like living with a vacuum inside of her that could trigger an implosion.
The black leather panther had tried building a fence, an emotional barrier, around the well inside of her, for the deep hole was dangerous. She could fall in, or even worse, others might see into her. Deeply into her.
How to keep others out of the well? she often wondered.
Blocking it out and blinding people to its existence was a start, and no one could see through Chen’s intensity. A goal itself wasn’t as important as being in motion, and Chen felt safe as long as she was moving, while stopping gave her time to reflect on her vulnerability. But regardless of how much Chen feared the deep well, at other times, she welcomed it. The vast emptiness called to her. It was both a black hole and a gateway to freedom. She felt tempted to rest and to yield to the endlessness.
She yielded now.
Why now? Needing a fresh mount, she had to stop.
Chen’s stallion slogged his way to the front door of a farmhouse. The horse could go no further, but now he could rest. Maybe he could investigate the mystery of limitless inner space.
The black leather panther dismounted and looked around. Walking over to the barn, she stepped through the open double doors. It was pitch dark, no moonlight penetrating the interior. But she smelled horses and smiled.
However, hearing her own horse whinny, Chen’s hand went to her sword.
The black leather panther’s musings were instantly forgotten. The emotional barrier surrounding her inner well seemingly turned into one of solid steel. And when Chen walked out of the barn, she was back in control of her feelings. Whatever philosophical side she possessed was now buried in a landslide of practicality.