Forest & Kingdom Balance

by Robert Reed Paul Thomas

  An incredible mental scream filled his being. Fear, anger, and pain blasted his mind for a brief second and were silenced. He looked to the canopy where Diana and Stefan were seated in the shade. Two men were standing over them, their swords dripping with blood. Diana lie on the ground with her head nearly severed from her body. Stefan slumped in his chair unmoving, his shirt and trousers stained with blood.

  The four guards and the few attendants rushed toward the intruders. John stood frozen as the tableau played out before his eyes, his heart pounded. Unable to think, unable to move, he could only stand there and with the full abilities of his gift, experience each blow as the ruthless murders dispatched the retinue one by one.

  Suddenly he remembered Dionara. He shifted his senses to where she had been. She too stood frozen with fear and shock. Her emotions filled him, bringing his to even greater intensity. He watched in horror as the last of the guards were brutally cut down. He could not hide from the agony of terror and pain that consumed him as his heart pounded even harder.

  John and Dionara, mirrors of each other on either side of the gate unable to move, watched as the assassin approached her. The murderer knew terror when he saw it and took his time. He knew full well that she could not move. John’s heart seemed to burst from his chest with each beat as the murderer raised his sword, his mouth twisted in a hideous smile.

  Pound! Pound! Pound! Battered by his own heart, John could only watch. Suddenly a blur flew past him through the gate. A falcon emerged from the falls and flew into the face of the Dionara’s attacker. One talon slashing the man’s eyes while the other opened an artery at his neck. The murder’s death strike missed Dionara by a hair’s breadth.

  Pound! Pound! Pound! Silence.

  John’s eyes snapped open from the nightmare. In a perfect silence with no heartbeat, he watched as the circle of his vision receded. “How peaceful,” was his last thought.

  Slam!

  John felt as if his chest had exploded, there was a pause. Then once more he felt as if a powerful blow had struck him. The pauses quickly lessened and the intensity reduced as his heart returned to its normal rhythm.

  “I hate these nights. I really do.” The fleeting thought was spoken aloud as he turned on his side and fell back to sleep.

  Interlude

  Discovery

  In the Forest, where the essence of life expresses itself so completely that it permeates your very being, it would be difficult to say that one place is more breathtaking than another, but as with all generalities there are exceptions.

  Centuries ago while working with Palinar and the Mindow refugees, the Caretaker took note of a young woman’s deep affinity for the land. She and her husband were among those that the Caretaker worked closely with and in time invited to live in the Forest. Her reaction as she stepped through the gate was one of complete immersion. She suddenly realized how incomplete she had been.

  Over the years she would often go exploring far from the Forest village, each new scene and vista filled her with a renewed joy and deepened her understanding of the land. As she set out on one such trip to the foothills of the western mountain range, she had no idea that her understanding was about to take a giant leap forward.

  She emerged from a pass just below the mountains and was instantly mesmerized by the magnificent valley she saw before her. In what felt like a dream, she dismounted and sat in meditation to accept the land’s gift of serenity. The shear beauty of the scene was incredible, but what she felt went far beyond sight. It was as if she had joined souls with the land. She shared in the experience of a breeze as it stroked gentle patterns across swaying grasses like an artist’s brush on canvas. Her being soared before the dual imagery of white capped mountains against a deep azure sky mirrored in the lake’s serene surface, broken only by slightest ripple from the lips of doe and fawn.

  The Mindow believe that what we know of life is merely a splinter, a glimpse of a greater reality. They have always sought to expand their knowledge of what it is to be human, or just to be. The highest expression of this desire to learn and grow is the concept ‘Spirit.’ To some Mindow Spirit is a being, the Prime Creator. Others believe that Spirit is the collective of all that is the greater reality. Yet others believe that Spirit is within each of us. To understand the Mindow is to understand that they define faith as a path, one of learning, growth, and discovery unique to each individual.

  Deep in meditation, the young woman knew that she was experiencing something of the greater reality, something beyond her life’s knowledge and accepted that fact without the need of knowing how or why. Neither did she question how she knew the valley’s name, Spirit’s Vale.

  Hundreds of years after the experience of Spirit’s Vale had sent a young woman’s soul to new heights, four riders traveled that same mountain pass. Time had little changed the land with one exception, set in among the white birch trees where the valley rose to meet the mountains stood a chalet.

  The Caretaker, Catherine, and John had timed their entrance for maximum effect. They hung back at the final turn to let their guest take the lead. Foil stopped just as the valley came into view. The sun was well overhead and slightly to Dionara’s back, she had experienced many wonders in the last week, but none compared to this.

  She was both within her body and free from it. She experienced, as much as viewed, what was before her. Spring wildflowers carpeted the valley in vibrant color from the richest violets to the most delicate pastels and every hue between. Deer, rabbit, squirrel, and fox all scurried about their daily routine beside a pristine lake where reflected clouds floated across the surface like the billowed sails of mighty ships. After a few moments John rode up beside her, with a gentle hand he reached over to take Foil’s reins and led the transfixed pair toward the chalet.

  As they neared the building Dionara’s sense of normality returned, though as a side thought she wondered if normal would ever be normal again. The closer they came, the more her attention was drawn to the chalet. It wasn’t a building as much as a work of art designed to complement the beauty that surrounded it. The craftsmanship was astonishing. She found it hard to believe that it was made by human hands.

  The four walked from room to room at a pace that allowed Dionara time to appreciate the experience. She felt as if she had entered a living work of art, lovingly crafted, and noted that from the furniture, to the decor, to every detail of its construction, it was a masterpiece. In the main bedroom she found a portrait of her mother as a young woman, she had to wipe away her tears to see all the wonders clearly.

  The main room seemed to be set up for the intimacy of lovers, soft fabrics were accented by the sweeping curves of deep toned hardwoods. A large love seat was positioned at just the right angle to the fireplace to warm without scorching the lovers. Off to the side hung her parent’s wedding portrait next to a group of less formal paintings of a young girl, of her as a child.

  The Caretaker walked to a cabinet below the portraits and removed a long, intricately carved wooden box. He lifted the lid and handed it to her. Inside was a rolled parchment, she opened it and read.

  To Diana and Stefan

  When crowns become weighty and duty demanding,

  A chalet at Spirit’s Vale will come in oh so handy!

  Every artist joined the fray,

  Every craftsman had their say,

  With our love for you both

  On your Wedding Day.

  “I apologize my Lady but it would be best if you settled in quickly. There are many luxuries here but time is not among them. We must begin your training soon.” The Caretaker’s words were the first spoken since they entered the valley.

  Chapter Four

  Conversations

  I

  “We could use a little help here!” Tre shouted.

  “What can I do?” Raphael’s mind raced to think of a way he could help. He gripped the saddle horn tightly as Tre spurred the horse to even greater speed. Trees flew by in a blur narrowly mis
sing the riders. Tre held his sword at the ready with his right while working the reins and holding Raphael with his left. Two of the slave hunters had moved ahead and could cut them off at any moment.

  The lead pair turned to intercept them. Surrounded, Tre pulled up and lowered Raphael quickly from the saddle. “Stay behind me with your back to the tree.” He instructed.

  Raphael drew his sword and stepped out from behind, “Help you asked for and help you shall have!” He stood next to his friend in a spread stance with his weight on the balls of his feet as Tre had shown him.

  “What?” Tre glanced quickly from the circle of the half dozen armed men closing in around them. “Oh.” He gave Raphael a quick smile, and then turned his attention back to the hunters. “Good stance but stay behind me all right, help is on the way. All we have to do is stay alive a little while longer.”

  Raphael watched as the hunters suddenly stopped and crouched down. They began to look around as if in fear of something unseen. The closest hunter then stood and yelled to the others. “Get up you jackals, it’s just the mountain’s witchery, now move in or I’ll really give you something to be afraid of!”

  The sound of a predator’s growl came from behind them, deep, slow and threatening. Tre and Raphael instinctively turned to look just as two cougars sprang on the hunters who had cut them off. In a flash both men were down, a few quick strides and the cougars were in front of Tre and Raphael as they faced the remaining four. Tre’s horse suddenly bolted along with the hunter’s mounts.

  The two hunters farthest out turned and ran. In a burst of feline speed, the cougars were in pursuit. “For the Mindow!” Tre shouted as he ran forward to engage the remaining two. The sound of steel on steel rang in Raphael’s ears. He watched Tre as he fought, each movement of his sword whether attack or defense, not only kept him from harm but also increased his advantage. No matter what the two attackers tried they could not get on opposite sides of him.

  “You are both of the moment and on a journey.” Tre’s words came to life in Raphael’s mind. “You don’t plan or reason your strategy as you fight, events move too quickly for that. Calm your conscious mind, find your center, and allow your movements to flow with guided instinct.

  “To concentrate on a single detail or action limits you. Observe, understand, and anticipate instinctively, fluidly. Become aware of your higher self’s guidance while instinct drives your actions from moment to moment.”

  Raphael could see it coming. Tre slowly moved the weaker opponent into a more vulnerable position while not allowing the stronger swordsman to gain advantage. All Tre needed was a break in the rhythm. “There! The weaker man stumbled!” The stronger man assumed that Tre would move in to finish him off and launched a direct attack. Tre was waiting. The stumble, a quick feint to draw the other hunter in, and decisive sword strokes for both. The battle was won.

  Tre cleaned and sheathed his blade as he returned to Raphael. “How about it, up for a run?” The two started off in a quick sprint past the cougars’ first two prey. Tre’s relaxed smile was a welcome sight for Raphael who had noticed its absence since the hunters had picked up their trail two days ago.

  Once over the rise and up a broken rock face, they settled into a hikers walk. “How you doing Half Pint, legs holding up?”

  Raphael gave his friend a skeptical look, “There ain’t many that can match a harbor runner for speed or endurance. Even if there were, it wouldn’t be you old man!” Raphael’s laughter trailed off as he put on a burst of speed with Tre in hot pursuit.

  Once they had put some distance between themselves and the cougars, Tre accepted the inevitable and stopped to sit by a fallen tree. “All right you win, this old man could use a rest!” He shouted before Raphael was too far ahead to hear him. Then added quietly, “Besides, our rides should be here shortly,” as he sought a comfortable spot to relax.

  Raphael returned in triumph, though in the four days they had spent together he had not seen Tre this worn out. “I’ll take the first watch.” Raphael drew his sword and started to look for any threats. “What should I watch for? Would I be able to see the cougars before they get close enough to pounce?” He strained to see any movement.

  Tre looked up at his defender, “We’re safe for the moment, no need for a watch today my diligent friend. Come and sit down.”

  Raphael looked doubtful but began to seat himself when the sound of rustled leaves brought him to full alert. He rose quickly and raised his sword to face the new threat, which turned out to be the horse they had been riding followed by the six hunter’s mounts rambling over the ridge.

  Tre couldn’t help but chuckle as he watched Raphael’s expression go from ferocity, to surprise, to confusion in span of a heartbeat. He stood and put a hand on his young friend’s shoulder. “I don’t think they’re armed,” he smiled, “you have a rest. I’ll take care of these ruffians.”

  “I’ll tell you what,” Tre started toward the horses, “While I get the tack off these poor beasts, why don’t you say hello to a friend of mine, she’s the one who came to our aid.” Tre stopped, then returned and took a knee to bring himself eye level with Raphael. “Now stop looking so confused, you’re making me feel guilty. I know you were wary of heading east into the mountains and I thank you for trusting me. Your instinct was correct, these mountains are warded, and the good news is that the wards are on our side.” He gave Raphael his now familiar wink and a grin.

  “My friend’s name is Catherine and if you give her permission, she will speak to you up here.” Tre put his hand on Raphael’s head. “So have a seat and if you would like, just say, ‘Hello Catherine.’” Tre sat him down and nodded with encouragement.

  Raphael felt a little funny just talking to the air, his words sounded more like a question than a statement, “Hello, Catherine?”

  “Hello Raphael, welcome to our family.” Raphael couldn’t tell where her voice had come from. He stood and looked around while a wonderful sense of joy rose within him.

  Aglow with comfort and happiness he sat once more. “Are you an angel?” He asked. Her laughter made him feel so light that he thought he might float away.

  “Well? I guess that would depend upon who you asked.” Her quiet laughter subsided but his joy did not diminish. “No, I’m sorry Raphael, I’m not an angel. I’m just a friend of Tre’s. However, the entrance to our family’s home is called Angel Falls, does that count?”

  Raphael’s surprise faded and his thoughts cleared, “Did you send the cougars to save us?”

  “Sort of.” Catherine tried to find an answer that he would understand. “I’m a person like you, but because of where I was born I am able to send my thoughts to others, some very far away. My gift allowed me to became a Sentinel, someone who protects the mountains and our family. Unfortunately I have no great power to control people or animals, I can only speak to them. Sometimes openly like we’re talking now, or sometimes I just whisper in their ear.” Catherine’s voice continued to fill Raphael with joy.

  “Your escape was a close call, I was concerned that you two wouldn’t make it.” Raphael could feel the worry radiate from her words, “I couldn’t affect the hunter’s horses. They are trained for complete obedience when a rider is aboard. Luckily I found two cougars close by and told Tre what direction to ride. I sent the cougars a sense of danger. They believed that wolves were closing in on their cubs. You should understand though that they are wild animals, used to living in balance with their surroundings and by their own instincts. There was no way to know what the outcome would be with you and Tre so close.”

  “Oh.” Raphael whistled nervously as he stretched up to look around.

  “It’s all right,” Catherine’s radiant happiness returned, “they’re quite a distance west, they won’t be back today.”

  Raphael suddenly thought of the Mindow Elders and how his mother would have tanned his hide if he hadn’t shown the proper respect. He stood and bowed, “Thank you Elder Catherine for saving my life and
that of my friend Tressan.” He said in a solemn tone.

  Tre who was going through the hunter’s saddlebags nearby started to chuckle, “Elder Catherine? Oh brother, that’s not going to go over well.” He paused, his head tilted as he grinned. “Yes Elder Catherine, I’ll shut up now.” He started to return to the task at hand, then stopped. “All right, all right, no need to yell. Allow me to rephrase, I’ll shut up now, Catherine.” He added with obvious enjoyment.

  Raphael could feel her presence leave him as Tre spoke, it felt like knowing someone had left the room even if you didn’t watch them leave. Suddenly he was afraid that he had said something wrong, and just as quickly he was filled with warmth, love, and comfort. “Thank you Raphael for the gift of your respect. Our family is little less structured than what you’ve known, we don’t really have elders here. I’m just Catherine.” He could have sworn he felt a hug as she finished.

  “You and Tre have a bit of a trip ahead of you, Angel Falls is quite far into the mountains, but you needn’t worry about any pursuit from the coast, that was the last group. So enjoy your adventure! I’ll check in on you from time to time, and before you know it I’ll be able to give you a real hug.” Catherine’s presence faded with her voice leaving him with a warm afterglow of love and home.

  “Catherine,” Tre spoke as he adjusted the saddle strap on the horse they had been riding, “before you go, please help our friend here find his way home. I really dislike thinking of myself as a horse thief.” Raphael came up beside him as he reached down to the pile of tack and supplies from the hunter’s mounts and picked up two heavy purses. He opened one to show Raphael, “I don’t know if it was you or me Half Pint, but they really wanted one of us back.” Large gold coins spilled out into Tre’s hand.