Olive nervously fingered the bow string. She didn’t know the answer Jana wanted.
“Take a breath,” Jana encouraged her. “Reconnect with the One Wave. There is more than one right answer.”
Olive took a breath and reconnected to the One Wave. As she considered each option, she and Jana charging down the hill into the wood, or Jana slipping down into the woods to spy unseen, or meeting Bill and Slim in front of the Tanan Shrine, on the edge of her awareness each event would shimmer with probabilities of success. The strongest vibration indicated they should meet Bill and Slim. “I believe the best action would be to meet Bill and Slim and figure out what to do from there.”
“You don’t want to rush down into the trees and bash their heads?’ Jana asked with a smile.
“Oh, yes I do,” Olive said with a little laugh, “but the vibrations favor caution.” She explained to Jana how each thought scenario had generated a stronger or weaker vibration for success.
“Interesting,” Jana said. “I understand, but I haven’t had that experience. I’ll try to duplicate what you do. Maybe this is a skill we can learn and teach.”
As the Jana and Olive rounded the corner in front of the shrine, Bill and Slim came around the opposite corner. The four met before the partially opened panels at the front of the Tanan Shrine.
Jana pointed to the trees and said, “Eight to ten people are concealed in the woods.”
“Nine that attacked Big Red,” Slim said. “Maybe they followed us and are looking for revenge.”
“We also felt a discordant vibration on the One Wave,” Jana said. “It might have been Olive’s rider. I wonder if they’ve banded together?”
“Let’s go down and ask them,” Bill suggested with a smile of anticipation.
“They haven’t taken any action against us to provoke an attack. We don’t know if they mean to do us harm,” Jana responded. “I think we need more information. Olive and I will go take a look. You two station yourselves at the bottom of the stairs.” She pointed to the area closest to the woods. “Olive and I will go unseen into the trees. We’ll be quick in and quick out. But if we yell for help, come running.”
As Bill and Slim moved to their station, Jana instructed Olive, “Open to the One Wave, and let the vibrations show you the way. You can follow the path that allows you to remain unseen, moving from one invisible place to another. Scouts call this technique Pockets of Emptiness.”
Olive followed Jana toward the trees in the falling light. They moved slowly without disturbing the environment. Olive tried to hold her focus but the prospect of meeting that rider again disturbed her mind. She stumbled and cracked a fallen branch with her foot.
Jana stopped at the sound and ducked, motioning for Olive to do the same. Though they were just on the edge of the trees, the sound hadn’t alerted anyone. “Stay by this tree,” Jana whispered. “I’ll go on up ahead.” Olive stood next to the tree and tried to blend with the shadows.
Moving silently, Jana crept behind a man who was sitting motionless, hidden by low branches. A second man sat a pace from the first, and Jana could just make out a third down the line. These men were unnaturally still. Jana frowned and moved closer to get a good look at this man. Though he was breathing, he took no notice of Jana. She reached out and lightly poked his shoulder. He made no move of reaction.
Jana heard the sound of running, and Olive gave a frightened cry.
The blood rider had crashed through the brush and grabbed Olive by the throat. He wanted to eat this shining life more than any he had encountered on his journey from the Butte. Noster could not stop him. The blood rider clamped his mouth over Olive’s. She kicked at him as he pressed her against the tree.
Jana’s staff crashed against the back of the blood rider’s neck. He let Olive fall to the ground and spun on Jana. She jabbed his stomach with one end of her staff and then quickly spinning the pole she brought the other end down on his head. He fell to his knees. Jana pulled Olive to her feet and they sprinted toward Bill and Slim. The blood rider did not follow them. He disappeared into the trees.
Olive collapsed on the first stone stair of the Tanan Shrine. She was shaking and gasping for breath. Jana knelt to help, and Olive cried out in terror, trying to push her away. Jana hugged Olive close and murmured, “He is gone, and you are safe.”
Olive let herself be comforted, and in a few moments she could feel her fear dissipate and her body stop shaking. “That rider wanted to eat my life force,” Olive said in a quivering voice. “I could read his raw desire. Thank you for saving me, Scout Jana.”
Jana said, “You are welcome.” She helped Olive to her feet. “We must go and tell Master Akien what has happened.” Leaving the two men to keep watch, Jana led Olive into the shrine.
Master Akien examined Olive as he listened to Jana describe the incident. He said, “Olive, go to the Altar Stone and place your hands on the top. Allow the alter stone’s energy to wash away the fear. That is the best way to heal the fear and shock. Then you should have a good sleep.”
After Olive had gone to follow these instructions, the three senior scouts discussed the threat of this rider posed to them and the strange state of the motionless men.
“I believe these are the men who attacked Big Red,” Jana said. “The one I saw up close had a bloody wrap on a leg wound. But I can’t understand why he didn’t react when I touched him.”
“I suspect the rider has somehow enslaved the men for his own purposes,” Master Akien said. “And I feel the rider’s objective has something to do with the Altar Stone. Let’s secure the Tanan Shrine and establish a watch rotation.”
In agreement, the three set about accomplishing this task.
Sixteen
Woodside Mill
The blood rider stood pointing his hollow staff at Fiscal, Dent and two others, who were cowering behind Rude.
Waving his hands in front of the blood rider, Rude pleaded, “No, please, I need their help with running this place. You can’t enslave any more of my people and expect to be successful in attacking the altar stone.”
The blood rider stared blankly and waited for Noster to instruct him. Nothing came. The blood rider had learned that enslaved men had their limitation so he said, “No slave yet.”
“Can you unslave some of them,” Rude pleaded pointing to the line of witless men.
“No, death only,” responded the blood rider lowering his staff. “Fix food!” He walked out the farmhouse kitchen door and paced to the open ground in front of the barn. The blood rider pulled the glob from his pocket and held the amber power stone out in the palm of his hand. Slowly he turned in a circle, thinking the throbbing of the glob would change when it came in line with the Altar Stone.
Rude peered around the open kitchen door and watched the blood rider turn in place. “He might do that for a while. Put on some food like he says. Do you know anything about an altar stone?”
Dent cautiously peeked out the curtain. “What’s an altar stone?”
Rude looked at Fiscal who shrugged and asked, “What are we gonna do? That weirdie will kill us for sure if we don’t get him an altar stone.”
“Ha! Weirdie! Good name for him,” Rude exclaimed.
“I don’t suppose we can sneak out tonight?” Dent ventured.
“Weirdie didn’t sleep last night. He stood in the doorway looking out.” Rude absently scratched a runny rash on his arm and added, “I know, we can lead him to Woodside Mill. I don’t know about an altar stone, but I sure want to see Lute Miller slaved. And that Bell, she could be Weidie’s little pet.” He rubbed the spot on his chest Bell’s staff had struck. The bruise throbbed, and breathing was still painful. “Maybe we can slip away during the confusion. After we eat, get ready for the trail. We’ll see if I can coax Weirdie to Woodside Mill.”
Book and Page were going at each other with their staves under Bell’s watchful eye. They were all doing their best to use the moves Grandfather Lute was teaching. Page smacked Book on t
he upper arm with his staff.
“Watch out!”
“Got you!” Page shouted and did a little dance. He skipped by Bell and struck her on the butt with the staff.
“Page!” Bell swung her staff and knocked his legs from under him. He flopped to the ground but just as quickly bounced up and rushed at Bell, his staff posed for a downward strike.
Bell opened to the One Wave, and Page’s attack seemed to slow. Suddenly, she could see how his energy moved within the One Wave. His intention to fake left and swing from the right shimmered for Bell to read. As he planted his foot, Bell bobbed her head but did not move. Page lost the timing of his strike as he tried to adjust his foot. Then he slipped and landed again on his bottom.
Book laughed and taunted, “Can’t even beat a girl!”
“Oh yeah,” Page challenged. “You try to hit her.”
Book rushed at Bell with a forward thrust of his staff. Bell, seeing the possible outcomes flick by on the One Wave, took a half-step to the side. Book flew by and Bell tangled the end of her staff in his legs. He lurched forward and skidded on his chest.
“Can’t even beat a girl,” Bell said with a smirk. “The two of you together couldn’t even beat a girl.”
Book looked at Page, who nodded, and they rushed at Bell. Bell allowed her intention to not be hit flow into the One Wave. The twins thrust and swung, trying to occupy Bell on two fronts. Bell stepped and turned, slid left and then right, their blows never touched her.
The twins attacked then with even greater vigor. They stabbed, slashed, poked, and all with the same result, Bell remained untouched; she hardly seemed to move at all. Angry, the twins tried a third encounter. They swung wildly, grunting, groaning, jumping, and charging. Bell remained untouched.
“That’s not fair,” Book said.
“That’s not fighting; it’s avoiding,” Page chimed in.
“You really want me to hit you?” Bell said with false wonder.
“At least if we were being hit, it would seem like we were doing something.”
Without warning the twins struck at Bell. She ducked and turned and smacked each on the rump a solid thump. “Ow!” they chorused.
“Well, you wanted to be hit,” Bell said with a smile.
Grandfather Lute and the rest of the family had arrived for morning practice and were watching Bell completely foil the twins’ attempts to hit her. Grandfather Lute stepped forward and said, “Bell, how wonderful! I thought you would be struck several times, but suddenly you were out of harm’s way and hardly even seemed to move. The best scouts I served with could not have done what you just did. What is it you’re doing?”
“Whatever she’s doing isn’t fair,” Book said.
Bell shrugged a bit embarrassed. “Oh, I don’t know. I just tried not to get hit.”
“Yes,” Grandfather Lute said. “But how? Did the One Wave change somehow like it did when you saved me?”
“No,” Bell said with a shake of her head. “The One Wave is stronger and more available since the Dead Wind, and my spending time at the Grotto Altar Stone has attuned my perception to the subtle vibrations.” She flicked her hand in frustration. “I’m not sure that makes any sense.” She tried again. “Even before Book or Page moved to strike me, I could read the probabilities for my safety based on where I could move. When I chose an empty space, they would miss me.”
“I told you, not fair,” Book said.
“No, it’s not,” Page said, “but can you teach us?”
“Sure,” Bell said happy to stop trying to explain. “At least I can try.”
She looked at Grandfather Lute who encouraged. “Please, Bell, go ahead and teach us.”
Bell took her staff and struck at Page. He blocked and circled away. Bell held up her hand and waved Page to stop. She explained, “When you’re open to the One Wave you can see that my desire to strike Page made a shimmer on the vibration of the environment. With his eyes Page saw my body move, and he blocked it. But if he’d read the vibration before I made that move, he could not have been hit and would have had no need to block. He would have needed no contact at all.”
“Try again.” Bell struck. Page blocked.
“I couldn’t tell anything,” Page said.
“Look for,” Bell pondered and then continued, “a gentle breeze through the leaves or a ripple a rock makes in the stream only in the One Wave around me.”
Bell swept her staff in a different angle of attack. Page moved slightly and the rod flew past. He hopped back. “I did it! I saw the ripple!”
“Everyone pair up and try to see the vibration,” Grandfather Lute said.
The family engaged one another with a variety of results: The twins had some skill, Harp and Shell also could detect the shimmer, but Grandfather Lute, Mark and Matt caught only vague glimpses and had to rely on blocking.
“We must continue to learn the staff and sword sets,” Bell said. “We should practice often. And also we have to practice this new technique so it becomes natural.”
Heads were nodding, and so Grandfather Lute led them in a staff set.
Tanan Shrine
The blood rider Scary ran his hands through the grass at the base of the tree. The glob was not to be found. He sat back and looked again at the torn pocket of his coat. In her struggle with him, the young bright girl had ripped his coat. His head pounded from the strike the scout applied to his head. The blow had shaken something; the cloying, pervasive presence of Noster’s controlling spark had faded. Scary hadn’t had instructions from Noster in some time, but this was different, depleting his drive, dimming his motivation.
He tried to retrace his path, crawling along the ground he thought he might have covered after being struck. He saw nothing; the glob was apparently gone. His head pounded. He commanded his slaved helpers to search for the glob. They crawled through the grass like demented spiders. The blood rider retrieved his hollow staff. He had become unsure why he needed the glob. What drew him was the vibration of the Altar Stone; its soothing rhythm eased the pounding in his head. He turned and looked toward the Tanan Shrine, desire in his eyes.
Tanan Shrine
Olive had followed Master Akien and Jana to the Altar Stone for early morning meditation. Her fear of the rider, the memory of her helpless struggle as he tried to suck away her life, intruded on the peace of the Tanan Shrine. Finally she pushed the thoughts away and fell into sync with the Altar Stone’s peaceful presence.
Refreshed, she joined the others in Master Akien’s chambers for breakfast. Master Akien was saying, “Today is the last day of the Festival for the Living and the Dead, a masked parade and a ball in Market Square. Bill, are you planning to go?”
“Nothing better than good beer and food and a parade and music and dancing,” Bill said, his face beaming. Then he frowned. “Slim and I must stay out of the City. We had some trouble soon after everyone woke from the Dead Wind.”
“Trouble?” Big Red asked, stretching her much improved leg.
“I was a wagon driver for Ronzal,” Bill said, “and after the Dead Wind, I was sent with a load of food, blankets, and water to the sisters, ladies helping the stranded and orphaned. But I came on four City troopers beating on Slim. Maybe Slim was a looter,”
“They were the looters,” Slim interjected.
“Whatever the case, the odds were all wrong. So I helped Slim, and when we finished with the looting Troopers, we got in the wagon and headed for Wind Point Plateau to hide out.”
“To avoid arrest we will be staying here,” Slim concluded, “We can guard the Tanan Shrine if anyone wants to go to the festival. There was no attack in the night. Maybe Jana’s blow to the head muddled the rider.”
“We are needed right here,” Jana said. “Not only that, I think we should seek them out. Big Red is back to normal and could use a pleasant walk.”
“I would like to come,” Olive said.
“No,” Jana said. “You had quite a fright last night.”
“T
hat’s why I need to go, to stand up to the fear.”
“I believe there is value in doing that,” Master Akien said.
“Okay,” said Big Red. “Take a staff, Olive. Do you have a knife? The men who attacked me were armed with cast off Trooper sabers.”
Olive drew large camp knife from the sheath at her waist and held up the big blade. “I have a Big Lute.”
“A Lute knife!” Big Red said. “That must be a prized possession.” Big Red drew her sword and held the blade for Olive to see, “Grandfather Lute made this sword for me, and there is no better blade maker anywhere.”
Olive gazed at the blade with wonder. “I can see a shimmer around you and the sword.”
“Using the One Wave, Grandfather Lute was able to join my vibration with the blade.”
“Bill and Slim,” Jana asked, “would you watch our backs again?”
“Happy too,” Bill said and Slim added with a smile, “A delightful sight to behold.”
“I am going to stay by the Altar Stone,” Master Akien said. “I have a strong feeling that Altar Stone is the target.”
“Good,” Jana said with a nod. “Then let’s go.”
Slim stationed himself at the midpoint of the west face of the Tanan Shrine. He had descended the steps and was scanning the surroundings. Bill led the two scouts and Olive to the north face, the front of the Tanan Shrine, and took up watch. The young women cautiously proceeded down the hill to the trees.
Once they reached the wood, Jana held up her hand, and they took shelter in the trees. “Open to the One Wave,” she directed and joined with the waves of the environment. Just through the trees she read the vibrations of several people moving in what seemed like random circles.
“Olive, hold the position at the edge of the trees. Big Red, take a peek.”
Olive crept to the tree line and blended with the foliage. Big Red continued past Olive out into the grass. She was back in a moment. “No sign of the rider, but the others are crawling on their hands and knees searching for something.”
The Dead Wind Page 17