She set Simon in his starting position and paced off to hers. The two began to hum the music that would synchronize their start. On the beat they both moved instantly from twirl to separation for her run up. Her flips toward him whipped faster and faster, her last flip ended with her feet in his hands inches from the floor as he thrust himself into a standing back flip to launch her high into the air. He landed the flip perfectly with arms out stretched and his weight balanced for the catch. A second later his arms were still empty, terror ran through him as his heart skipped a beat.
He instantly looked up, only to see her grinning from ear to ear as she swung herself effortlessly into a sitting position on the beam high overhead. He took a deep breath to calm his racing heart as her playful laughter spread to their sisters and brothers in the hall. Relief washed over him as he joined in her game. “Anyone who helps her down, in any way, will wish they hadn’t.” He informed the room, then turned to his playful dove preening on her perch, “You best grow wings or you’ll be up there awhile.” He said sternly.
Her smile undiminished, she dropped to a handhold on the beam with enough momentum to launch a double flip and landed on a pile of mats that just happen to be in the perfect spot. “Boys!” She bowed to the room’s applause, “They never plan ahead.” She dashed for the room’s exit with Simon in close pursuit, and nearly crashed into Deminar as he entered the hall flanked by two of the Crimson Guard.
Every dancer in the hall instantly dropped to their knees and put their foreheads to the floor. Atheria’s head was only inches from Deminar’s feet. “Playtime is over.” He announced, his anger evident. “The Red Knight has summoned the lead dancers to be questioned. As for the rest of you,” Deminar felt a Crimson Guardsman step up to his back, “resume your practice.” The indignation of having the Guard temper him set Deminar to a slow boil.
“Who are the lead dancers?” The Guard asked.
Simon and Atheria lifted their heads, “We are, master.” They answered softly in unison.
“Thank you High Councilor, we will escort the slaves to the Ambassador’s Residence,” One Guard spoke to Deminar as the other lifted Atheria and Simon to their feet and held them by the arm as he walked them out.
They found it difficult to look at each other as they were being taken to the Red Knight, each afraid that they would see their own terror reflected in the other’s face. Atheria spoke first, her hushed voice nearly drowned out by the cart’s noise. “I’m sorry Simon, please forgive me. I don’t want to die without knowing you forgive me.”
“There’s nothing to forgive.” He kept his head bowed. “It was fun, I just played my part so you could triumph. I couldn’t really be angry with you. I love you. You know that don’t you?”
“Yes.” She reached over to put her hand in his, tears dripping from her face. She drew breath to respond just as the cart stopped. Before she could answer, the Guard had them in hand once more. They had passed the Ambassador’s Residence just about every day for years. It felt very strange to enter.
Once they were brought into the Red Knight’s presence he nodded for the Guard to leave and the two slaves dropped to the floor. The Knight had to lift himself from his seat to see them over the front of the desk. “Sit.” He said and sat back.
They took their seats directly across from the desk and found themselves at eye level with the Knight. The sensations of the chair’s soft comfort, as well as the unusual circumstance of being seated before a master, were lost on the pair as fear froze them in place.
“Who told you to perform the battle reenactment on the night of my arrival?” His question was off hand, his attention on the parchments in front of him.
The two looked at each other, as Simon drew breath to answer Atheria spoke up, “I am the one who chose to honor your visit with the performance Master, I alone.” Somehow Atheria found the strength to sit up, back straight, and presented herself for punishment. “Simon was unwilling but I convinced him and the others to join.” The shock on Simon’s face was evident.
Before Simon could protest, the Red Knight’s head dropped slightly as he let out a breath in exasperation. He looked up to stare eye to eye with the girl. She felt as if a tremendous blast of fire had stripped the flesh from her body while his eyes shredded her soul.
“I have lived more years than you have days, if you plan to live another you will answer my questions fully and honestly. Am I understood?” She met his stare and did not flinch, though if she had been able to speak she would have told him everything she knew to her very deepest, darkest secrets.
“It wasn’t her choice!” Simon found his voice. “She refused the Elder because she thought we’d be put to death for no reason. She had nothing to do with it.” He spoke in a tone of dismissal with the hope that both her outburst and involvement would be disregarded. Although his intent was to be bold and self-assured, his voice betrayed the entreaty and desperation he felt.
The Knight’s gaze shifted to Simon whose soul now felt the wrenching crimson flame. “That sounds more plausible, were you given a reason?” The Knight returned to his reading to allow the slaves the ability to answer.
Once his eyes were no longer on her, Atheria put aside her fear and poured her entire will into what she thought would be one last defiant statement. “It was to sow discord at the court. It was hoped that it would bring the flaws of those in power to light as you judged our masters.”
“I am your master, which of my flaws would you like to bring to light?” With his gaze once more on her it didn’t matter that his tone was one of amusement, she still felt the shredding flame. He returned to the reports and added, “You were actually quite successful. It saved me a great deal of time.”
“We will discuss your people at length in the future, the performance however is of no importance. My question was posed so that I could judge your answer. If you had failed I would have handed you over to Deminar and allowed him to do what he pleased with you. I need to smooth over some ruffled feathers with him and you would have served that purpose. After which I am sure you both would have died in the very near future, thankful that death had come.”
The Knight looked up once more but avoided direct eye contact for any length. “I tell you this so you will keep in mind that if at any point I feel resistance from either of you, I can always use you in other ways.”
“There are kings, there are warriors, there are tradesmen, and there are slaves.” He sat back for a moment’s rest. “Each have their duties and each have their pleasures, some more, some less. You are slaves, however I have need of your knowledge and have questions about your people. You will help me. That is your duty. If you remember your duty and your place, you will be treated well and your pleasures will be more than less.”
The Knight picked up a report, “Yamikura!” The door opened and the Crimson Guardsman that had brought them entered. The Knight looked up, “Oh, he’s baby sitting,” he remembered. “Have these two assigned adjoining rooms and have housekeeping made aware of their food and clothing needs.”
His attention returned to the slaves. “There are no guards here other than mine and you are of no concern to them. You have free reign of the residence and grounds with the requirement that you let the head of household staff know where you are in case you are summoned. If you choose to flee, I would suggest you do so by way of a blade through your heart. Otherwise you will be caught by Deminar’s slave hunters and no longer be of any concern to me.”
The Knight turned to his guardsman, “Summon Yamikura and Kalibra.”
The guard nodded to acknowledge his order then stepped aside and motioned to Atheria and Simon. They stood, hesitated, then bowed and left the room quickly.
VI
Spirit’s Vale glistened with the remnants of a late morning rain. Catherine approached the water’s edge quietly as not to disturb the Caretaker’s meditation and sat beside him among the flowers. Like the delicate buds that surrounded her, she opened herself to the sun’s rad
iant warmth and with a deep cleansing breath, expanded her awareness to join with the valley’s life force. The concept of time no longer had meaning as she experienced each unique moment while the joy of life flowed through her in all its wonder and serenity.
In a transition so subtle that she could only perceive the change in retrospect, she felt the Caretaker join her. Being free of the isolation that comes with physical singularity, they shared a communion expressed in the language of pure emotion, a language so complex that words could not begin to express it.
After a time, each drew a cleansing breath as their awareness’ returned to individuality. “Good morning my love.” He smiled and leaned toward her. Before she could return the greeting, his lips met hers in a passionate kiss. Catherine’s reaction was one of pure delight. The glow of emotional joy from their ethereal sharing was joined by the very physical pleasure that flowed up through her.
“You’re in a good mood.” She whispered as her kisses ran lightly down his neck.
“I did not realize that I had been so dower of late my love. Please, allow me to correct that matter immediately.” He reached behind her to lift the loose blouse over her head. “You are a beautiful young flower in need of sunshine, warmth, and water to release your full bloom.” His hand caressed her upraised arm and along her side. His fingers drew circles at her hip, and then moved to the drawstring at her waist.
“What news of the coast my love?” Her question had the tone of idle thought softly spoken. Her well-practiced hands sought out the strong, hard muscles of his shoulders while the luxurious sensation of silk gliding from her legs brought an arch to her back. The warmth of desire welled up within her as he tossed their garments aside.
“Events have developed that may prove fortunate for us.” His lips sought her deepest pleasures and were rewarded as her pedals opened to receive his sunlight’s warmth. “I have a task for you my love, you are to become an enchantress.”
She considered his words lightly while she indulged in the growing intensity of her pleasure. “Yes my love,” she sighed, “and who is to be the enchanted?” Her beautiful voice came forth in deep, slow breaths.
“Yamikura.” He said off hand, his full attention occupied elsewhere.
She heard his answer as if at a distance and put it aside. She would ask about it later, after. Their minds joined, words were no longer needed. His thoughts, emotions and pleasures were hers as their bodies and spirits blended in perfect unison. She felt his masculine hunger as if it were her own. She opened herself fully, her desire heightened by his, her being cried out in a primal need to draw him in, to surround him, to engulf him completely.
He was the master of her journey as she was the mistress of his. They traveled as one. From magnificent heights of desire to serene valleys of fulfillment they roamed, their love expressed in a rhythmic synergy of emotional sharing and physical intimacy. Their moments flowed in a timeless dream. Urgency faded to a gentle tempo whose exquisite pleasure would build desire anew. Their bodies, minds, and spirits were interwoven as they rose to the summit of flame’s brightness.
Together they burst into the light, wave upon wave of joyous pleasure spread through them as they shared the intimacy of oneness. Life force pulsated through, around, and within them as it magnified and blended with physical ecstasy. Their spirit flowed outward to join with the Vale in perfect unity.
“We need to come here more often.” Catherine whispered with pure joy as her head rested on his chest, still trying to catch her breath. “Oh and by the way,” she suddenly remembered his greeting, “a very good morning to you kind sir.” She gave him a big smile and a quick kiss as she sat up to look around. “Where did you throw our clothes?”
“Alas fair maiden my advanced years have left me bereft of faculties, memory among them. What was your name again?” He gave her a look of innocence inquiry, then smiled and bowed his head. “Where are my manors? I will of course find for you all that you desire my love. Where could they be?” He looked around briefly. “I shall start my search here!” He placed his face between her breasts and nuzzled gently. “No success yet my Lady, however I shall redouble my efforts.” His words somewhat muffled.
She surrounded his head with her arms and sighed as they leaned back into the flowers once more. “Search well my love.” Her voice trailed off as she kissed his head. For a brief time they shared the simple pleasure of soft kisses, open smiles and laughter bathed in the comfort and trust of their decades together.
Her mind adrift in the moment’s relaxation, Catherine’s thoughts turned to their parting and the crisis to come. “I need to ask you something.” She hesitated, but her need to understand overcame her fear. “We have shared in each other more deeply than any two people ever have, yet we keep an open secret.” She could sense him withdraw at the longing in her voice. “John and I will be leaving soon and with you here training Dionara, this may be the last time we have a few quiet moments alone until the crisis is past.”
She rolled over to place a kiss on his lips, and then opened her mind to him completely. She laid her vulnerability bare before him. “Please, tell me of your feelings for Diana.” Her request was simple but carried with it a myriad of conflicting emotions. Her fear of what the answer would hold for them mixed with her hope for ultimate sharing that she had always hidden deep in her heart. Her intense desire to understand ebbed and flowed across the jagged rocks of her self perceived inadequacy. In opening her deepest thoughts to him, she also realized her own self-judgment. She felt unworthy of the love she desired.
She sensed his concern and his desire to protect her. “Don’t worry my love, you could never harm me.” Her lips once more brushed his as she shared her thoughts. “I have felt your love, and in that sharing I know that you’ve locked away something powerful, something that means so much to you. It is the only thing you have ever kept from me. Please, tell me of Diana and what she meant to you.”
Catherine’s breath drew sharply as the Caretaker opened his mind to her. His love engulfed her in a tidal wave that swept away all reason and thought. Her flame burst forth in brilliant light as she could do nothing but accept the overwhelming experience. Her self-awareness returned as the wave subsided and she could not deny the depth of love he felt for her. She began to question her own assumptions when in the distance of his thoughts she sensed something, an emptiness, a void. It lay deep within him, deeper than he had ever shared.
“To understand the answer to your question my love,” his words formed in her mind, “you must understand my journey. I have never shared this part of myself with any being, until now.”
He entered her mind completely, his thoughts were comprised of complex emotions and concepts, each having layer upon layer of subtle meaning that intertwine to both illuminate and expand her understanding. Concepts that she could only begin to understand once their complexity was glimpsed, at least in part. He supported and guided her to help find the knowledge that would give her peace.
“The world does not remember a time when I did not exist.” His thoughts drew her back to the distant past. Decades, centuries, and millennia receded as she felt herself become the being he had been so long ago, his experiences and memories were now her own. In a world devoid of human experience she knew what it was to be the power of the wind, she became the seasons and felt herself change in the cycle of rebirth. She was both predator and prey. Morality did not exist as she killed to satiate her hunger, or experienced the single-minded compulsion of flight from danger. Instinct ruled her world, survive or die.
She began to recognize a balance as some lives thrived while others failed. Slowly she began to understand, underlying it all was adaptation. The components of life waxed and waned but the system stayed in balance. Just as her understanding dawned she felt herself moving forward, she experienced the first humans and the first emotions. Crude and self-serving, humanity strove to make the system serve its needs. This felt wrong, balance was threatened.
An intense need to understand grew within her. She took human form to experience greater and more complex emotions, greed, jealously, avarice, self-sacrifice, empathy, friendship and the most powerful, love. Century after century passed, mortal lives flew by like leaves in the wind. The longer she held her human form, the more her emotions clouded and diminished the detached observer she had been. Her true self was slipping away. Loneliness grew deep inside her, a desire to share in a flame equal to her own. The pain of loneliness grew stronger. She put her pain aside, isolated it, and locked it away.
She sensed a new power, one of purpose and destruction. Repelled by the senseless violence, she fled to find a sanctuary away from humanity where balance could be restored. She was neither fully human, nor the pure observer she had been. In her sanctuary the pain of loneliness diminished as it lay undisturbed in the distant void.
Time passed only to see emotion erupt again. A profound joy filled her as she discovered a bright human flame and experienced her first deep friendship. Time however, is a matter of perception and what to a mortal is a long life, is but a moment to her. That moment passed quickly and her joy was replace by the crushing pain of loss. For the first time she keenly felt the isolation of her immortal existence in the light of a single human life’s brief flicker.
Humanity as with all life, thrives, passes and is reborn with each new season. She understood that knowing a flower will die does not diminish its beauty, it makes the moments of its beauty precious. She remained the observer at her core and shared in the precious lives of friends and lovers as they bloomed and passed with the seasons. The pain of loss, as well as the pleasure of beauty, are both elements of life. This was balance, and it kept the void at bay
A new flame appeared, strong, brilliant and powerful. She watched as Diana grew into maturity and felt her own balance wane as the power of the void grew. Conflict raged within her. “Who am I? Do I remain who I have been, or do I embrace the void to reach heights I have never known?” Her emotion and reason fought with the ferocity of tigers in a battle for supremacy.
Forest & Kingdom Balance Page 12