by Ava D. Dohn
* * *
The burning sun was hidden behind a smothering, wind-driven dust cloud as a bruised and bloodied hand grasped the edge of the ravine. Another hand soon followed, digging broken and torn nails into the blistering, jagged rock of the cliff face. With an audible grunt, a dirt-covered, gaunt face popped above the edge, a knife firmly gripped in its teeth. A moment later, a filthy, bony little creature had managed to pull itself up and over the edge of the draw and was now laying prone on the stony surface, eyes wide, searching.
The creature lifted its head and scanned the area, looking like some wild animal sniffing the breeze. Slowly it began to rise, then instantly froze. A sound... Had it been seen? Too late!
A scoffing voice chided, “A herd of mating elephants falling off a cliff would have been quieter than your stompin’ around! Whatta you tryin’ to do, bring the whole flippin’ army down on your ass?!”
The creature angrily stood and let out with a spew of curses only fit to be left in the ancient Greek it used, the gist of it this: “What the hell did you expect of me, anyway?! And nobody’s gonna come down on my ass, cause I don’t friggin’ have one anymore… and no breasts either!” The creature looked down its shirt. “They’re as flat as those no good, damned wafers you call ‘food’! I’m half dead and still managin’ to keep up with the likes of you. What the hell did you expect?!”
An equally dirty and gaunt creature stepped out from behind an outcropping of rocks. It laughed aloud at the other creature’s ranting while silently musing on the vision of beauty it was seeing in its mind. At length, it interrupted, “Enough, Ishtar! We have two more leagues to hike before we meet up with Lieutenant Alynnou. No food until then. And we have precious little water to drink. Better spare your throat by keeping your breathing through your nose.”
Ishtar grunted and kicked at a small stone as she put her hands on her hips, sputtering, “My dear Colonel Treston, was it not your great sense of direction that put us in this fix, you and that damned, ‘We can follow the sun’ crap?!” She frantically waved her arm. “Where in Hell is it?! Where in Hell is anything?!”
Treston laughed. “I have traveled these hills on the darkest of nights and in blizzards of sand and snow. We have always been within a half league of the mark. Besides, I know exactly where we are.” He reached in a pocket and pulled out a small hand-held machine. “This thing tells me the exact spot that we’re at.”
Ishtar let out an angry screech and fumed, “You’re telling me we’re not lost?! Never have been?”
Treston smiled and nodded.
Again she screamed more words better left in ancient Greek, their mild translation: “You mean to tell me we’ve wandered all over this roach-infested wilderness because you wanted us to?! What kind of a friggin’ fiend are you?! What do you friggin’ take me for, some god-damned, friggin’ fool?!”
Treston stopped smiling. He put the machine back in his pocket and approached the distraught Ishtar. Lifting her chin with his hand until he could look into her eyes, he quietly explained, “My child, there is no one more precious to me than you. You are also my charge. Days are coming when you will look with wistful fondness on the pleasantries of these past six days.”
Ishtar wanted to make another fiery retort, but looking into Treston’s eyes, seeing his serious expression, she remained quiet.
Treston went on. “War has been declared by our king. Very soon now you will face an opponent set on your death. There will be no excuses accepted at that time, only steel and blood. It must be your enemy who bleeds.”
He walked toward the cliff edge. “Men have practiced at the art of war for months, sometimes years.” He turned and looked at the girl. “And in an instant - less than a heartbeat - have surrendered life without ever lifting their sword from its scabbard. Sometimes those slain are just victims of circumstance…a random missile, or a chance strike from a wild arrow. Other times it is because they were not alert to their surroundings.”
Treston returned to the girl. The grime of dirt and sweat could not cover the earnest concern showing in his face. “Rumors say that we - you and I - cannot die, that those who return from the Web of the Minds are immortal. This I have trouble believing. There is one fact that I do know, however: immortal or not, we still hurt and still bleed, and it can be crippling at times. Should you fall upon the field and the enemy find you, he will attempt a humiliating death for you. If he sees you do not die, how may he violate you to seek revenge for lovers of his you have killed?”
He shook his head. “No, no, my child. If power remains within me, I will not allow such a thing to happen. But if I cannot be there to assist you, then I must be satisfied with the thought that I have trained you well for your own self-preservation.” He took the girl’s hand and softly held it. “I owe you many things. If what I do brings your wrath, but saves your life, it will have been worth it.”
The expression on Treston’s face brought regret to the Ishtar’s heart. In her mind, she knew the tortures he had put her through were for her good, but her heart spoke to the girl’s selfish side. Too often she had listened to it, reasoning that she deserved better treatment, being unwilling to accept the sacrifices made in her behalf. For the first time in Ishtar’s life she started to see the bigger picture of love and care. Not that the selfish child within was gone, but it was slowly being put in check. Ishtar was beginning to understand that one day soon she would have to be as hard on herself, or more so, than Treston had been.
She reached up and gently tugged on Treston’s beard. A soft, toothy smile broke out across her face. “You are like the brother I never had. Please don’t be saddened by the antics of your little sister. I will grow up one day. With your help, I will. I promise.”
Treston smiled then quickly turned away, changing the subject. “We still have nearly three hours of rough terrain to cross before food will be ours. I think we’ve done enough hill-climbing for awhile. I’ll show you a much easier way for tired feet.”
With that, the two started along the cliff only to soon disappear up a ravine leading to the plateau high above.