A Warrior's Legacy

by Guy Stanton III

  “Did anyone ever tell you that you’re a little bossy?” I said liking the sound of the word ‘husband’ coming from off her lips.

  “Yes, many times now lie back.”

  She covered me with the blankets and intrigued by her motherly actions I said, “You forgot something.”

  “What?” She asked surprised.

  “My good night kiss.”

  I really wasn’t expecting it, but I got one. Her kiss had me wanting a lot more than sleep could offer and I reached for her, but she pushed me down with a smile and left the room.

  Raya paused outside the doorway and sunk to the ground with her back against the stone wall of her simple dwelling. Tears coursed down her cheeks and she brushed them away and looked up towards the cavern ceiling as if she could see the stars beyond.

  Somewhere up there was heaven, “Thank you!” She said softly.

  She sat there for close to an hour reflecting on everything that had happened and her skin prickled again even as her newfound connection with the Creator’s Spirit warmed within her as she reflected on the wonder of it all.

  Her thoughts went down a different path and a luminescent blush lightened her features as she remembered how passionately she had kissed Zevin good night. She reached a finger up and felt her lips, when had an idle fancy for an uplander turned into something much more?

  Tomorrow was going to be scary, but it would be wonderful too. She got up and went inside. The stillness of the room was disrupted by his snores. She didn’t mind strange enough, which was odd because she had never cared to hear men snore before.

  Enjoying life often came down to the simple everyday pleasures and for her being warm and having companionship were pleasures long denied her. She gave a gratefully hushed moan of delight, as she slid in alongside of Zevin and basked in the heat that radiated off of him. Tentatively she lay one arm and leg across him, but he didn’t stir. She relaxed her head down on his shoulder and smiled as she studied the contours of his face. The thought of tomorrow helped make her warm too.

  Chapter Seventeen

  Passion’s Bliss

  I opened my eyes and I could tell that it was morning. Strangely enough whatever the unique properties of the trinial were they followed the daily brightness cycle of the sun at least partially.

  Contrary to what Raya thought I did know how to tell time in Lanoria. The trinial was brightest at noon and then it got progressively dimmer until the late night, when it would then start to get brighter. There may be no seasons underground, but there was the evidence of the passage of time uniquely supplied by the Creator.

  My thoughts of how time was measured in Lanoria ended as Raya entered the room. To say I did a double take was an understatement. She was dressed as she had been when I had come upon her at the bog when her horse was stuck.

  Gone was the woolen over dress. The halter top that her chest was encased in looked less worn and instead of the tight leather pants she wore and equally tight short leather dress. I had to be dreaming!

  “Good morning Zevin.” She said, as if she really meant it right before she bent down right in front of me.

  I stopped breathing for a moment.

  “I brought you breakfast.”

  Shocked my glazed eyes found their way up from her chest to her carefully composed serene features. She had to be kidding!

  Her face was serene, but her eyes were laughing at me and she nodded indicating my lap with her eyes and dumbly I looked down. At some point she had placed a bowl that contained something that steam was lifting off of into my hands. It felt hot.

  Actually it was really hot and it was burning the palms of my hands where it sat on them. I shifted my hands to the side and then I realized with a start that this wasn’t a dream, because I could feel pain!

  She had straightened and had been saying something to me. Embarrassed I looked up trying to not get sidetracked along the way. Was it just me or did her navel seem to glow slightly?

  I met her eyes and stuttered out, “Sorry what were you saying?”

  She smiled wide and said, “I asked you if you had any plans for us today.”

  I swallowed my mind completely blank as to what I had been supposed to do today, “I’m not sure. Why?”

  “I wondered if I might suggest a course of action?” She fairly purred out.

  “Sure what is it?” I said thickly.

  “After you eat your breakfast and you deal with the affairs of your kingdom I wondered if you would like to meet me back here and then we could go sightseeing again.”

  Sightseeing?

  I had already been sightseeing ever since she’d come in here. Guiltily my eyes glanced back up and I choked out, “Yeah that would be great!”

  She smiled then looking extremely satisfied with herself and turned to leave. Dim sounding alarm bells went off in my consciousness. Was I being taken advantage of again in some way?

  “There isn’t going to be a horde of vicious hungry animals along for the walk this time is there?”

  She twirled around gracefully laughing as she did so, “Goodness no!”

  And then her voice deepened as she pointed to herself and then at me, “Just me and you.” And then she was gone out the door leaving me with only the exotic promise of her words.

  If I was being taken advantage of in some way I didn’t care. I was going to be the most willing victim ever. There had been something I was supposed to do. What had it been? Oh yes eat!

  I inhaled the bowl of food not caring what it was or much less what it tasted like. And then I was headed out to wrap up the business of the kingdom in record fashion or so I hoped anyway.

  It was barely an hour later when I reached Raya’s little dwelling again. Malchiesha had everything well under control and I was released from duty for the day. Raya was waiting outside and smiled as I approached.

  I looked into her beautiful eyes and smiled too because I was just so happy to be around her, especially when she smiled at me like that, “Just let me get my weapons and we’ll be off.”

  But before I could go past her she grabbed my hand and tugged me toward a trail. “You won’t need any weapons where we’re going. Come.”

  Reluctantly I followed her still not liking it, but I had come to trust her somewhat since the sword incident. We made our way through the large cavern and started climbing up the side wall of it. An old woman was sitting propped up against a rock busy sewing on a garment of some kind. Raya gave a gracious greeting to the old woman in her native tongue, which the old woman responded to in kind.

  Raya slipped past her on the narrow trail and I came abreast of the old woman and noticed her smiling inquisitive gaze on me. I looked her in the eye and as bold as you please she gave me a big wink, as I passed by close to her.

  Now what did that mean?

  It wasn’t much farther before we came to a narrow tunnel entrance, from which I could see no light emanating from. It was literally a dark hole in the wall. She wanted me to go in there without weapons!

  “Take your boots off.” She said bending over in front of me as she began to take off her own hard soled leather shoes.

  I simply stared for a moment transfixed. She’d said something about boots. She straightened back up and I began to partially think again.

  “You want me to take my boots off and go in there without a weapon?” I asked huskily knowing that was exactly what she wanted of me.

  The words were more of an attempt to collect myself and steer my thoughts back onto course.

  “Yes.” She said smiling at me fully knowing the effect she had just had on me.

  Either I trusted her or I didn’t. I reached down and took the boots off. Straightening back up I felt somewhat foolish looking standing barefoot in the surprisingly warm sand of the tunnel entrance.

  “Ready for an adventure Zevin?” Her eyes sparkled wickedly at me and then she turned and stepped into the dark tunnel and was swallowed up by it.

  I swallowed because being in c
omplete darkness wasn’t my thing, but she was in there. Surely she wouldn’t let me fall into an abyss?

  The errant thought popped into my mind, as I stepped into the darkness, that she had nearly let me fall into an abyss once before.

  “Never again my husband. Never again will I betray you or lead you to a place of hidden dangers.” She said as her hand reached out in the darkness and caressed my face.

  At the sounding of her words and touch I relaxed inwardly.

  “What are you a mind reader too?”

  “Your thoughts were plain to see my husband.”

  I really liked this husband name business she kept calling me. She held my hand lightly as she led me through the dark. Once my eyes adjusted some I could see more than I would have expected.

  Raya’s long hair let off a soft glow and I noticed surprisingly so did other parts of her. The vertebrata of her spine were clearly luminescent as were her elbows and the backs of her knees and most of her bare feet.

  Suddenly the narrow corridor turned and there was a lot of light. So much so that I had to blink slightly to refocus my eyes. We had entered and unexpectedly wide chamber in the cave tunnel and what I saw was breathtaking.

  I had noticed earlier that the sand had been warm under my feet and now I could see why. Crystal-clear pools of water that glowed like cut aquamarine’s lay everywhere within the cave. Steam gently rose off the crystalline surfaces of the pools to make clouds of low-lying mist that curled around Raya’s bare legs as she walked in front of me.

  This place was indescribably beautiful just as the woman ahead of me was. Crystals and gems sparkled from the walls sharing their brilliant luster with the room. The air was filled with the heavy perfume of softly glowing flowers in every hue of the rainbow. This place was a paradise!

  “What is this place?” I asked in an awed tone looking all about me.

  “This is where lovers come.”

  My eyes focused sharply back onto Raya. Her back was suddenly bare as she shrugged the straps of the halter top off of her shoulders and let the garment fall to the floor.

  As I stepped over the discarded garment my eyes all the while roaming across the bare contours of Raya’s back I asked huskily, “What are you doing Raya?”

  She paused and looked back over one bare shoulder raising her eyebrows sensually as she replied, “Seducing my husband. Is it working?”

  I nodded, “A long time ago!”

  Her eyebrows quirked inquisitively and she asked, “When?”

  “Ever since I met you, but especially after you ate the apple in front of me at my campsite that night trying to intimidate me. I’ve craved you with a passion ever since then. I still can’t believe the Creator has given you to me!” I said shaking my head.

  “You’re more than I could ever have dreamed possible to even ask for!” I added.

  Her sensually welcoming smile had changed to something sweeter at my words. Her voice now equally husky she said, “Well I’m all yours now my king.” And then she bent down forward, as she slipped the tight dress off.

  She straightened back up and stepped into a cloud of mist and was gone from view. I stepped into the mist after her. She was standing on a soft bed of what looked like glowing tree moss and she was facing me as bare and as beautiful as Eve must have looked to Adam the first time he had laid eyes on her.

  She was making a come hither motion with one finger and I stepped closer hopelessly drawn to her beauty like a moth to a flame.

  My hands settled on her waist as her hands settled onto my shoulders, “You made me a promise Zevin Ta’lont and I expect you to keep it!”

  “And what was that?” I asked smiling, as I relished her playful and completely charming attitude, as she made today the best day of my life.

  “You promised to touch me a lot in the not so distant past. Well here I am ready to please my king’s every desire. Touch me and claim me as yours for forever!” She finished breathlessly, as her eyes reflected a wild passion in their glowing depths for me, even as effervescent waves of shimmering color shifted across her skin in a mesmerizing fashion.

  I drew her close to me and I lowered my head to hers the passion in my eyes equaling hers.

  “Well Mrs. Ta’lont if there is one thing I can assure you of it is that your man is a man of his word. I keep all my promises!”

  And then I kissed her, as all the loneliness of my past faded away from memory, at just the touch of her silken skin against mine.

  The next day saw the arrival of the northern women to the valley I had spoken of to Ziya. That night Raya and I visited them.

  To say they were shocked at the presence of a night demon with me was an understatement and then to my surprise Raya took the lead. She revealed who she was to them and to a girl all of them knelt before her, as she was of even higher royal birth than the current king of the Northern Kingdom.

  She told them in brief the story of what had happened dispelling the myths of the mountain demons and instead showed them the reality of the facts. She told them of the need of the men of Lanoria for wives, of which she welcomed them to be a part of for forever. Never to be cast aside or belittled again, but instead to be respected as women with a voice over the affairs of their own lives. To be held and admired as individuals of great worth, priceless in the eyes of the men who would love and tenderly care for them.

  It became abundantly clear to me that the Creator had not only give me a friend and a lover, but that He had also given me a helpmate that would help me in my duties of leadership over my new kingdom. The Creator was ever thoughtful in His provision.

  She convinced the young women to join our people, where I might have failed to. The girls resolve faltered a little as thousands of glowing eyed young warriors materialized out of the darkness. But whatever fear they may have had soon disappeared as they witnessed how respectful and considerate these strange warriors were to them.

  The men actually talked to them and wanted to hear what they had to say. The conversations were awkward at first and then grew more easier as time went by. What few unmarried underground maidens that there were cried themselves to sleep that night.

  They had relished in the torment of the young men, who had vied for their attentions and had become quite spoiled in their cruel games of manipulating men to do their bidding in order to win favor with them. Now those same young men were relishing the presence of girls, who asked for nothing more than a few kind words and the presence of a hand not clenched in a fist prepared to strike them. Not to ever be viewed as worthless by their new soon to be husbands.

  It was agreed that there would be no weddings for a grace period of time. It was a time meant for the girls to get acclimated into their new home, as well as a chance to be courted as they so richly deserved to be.

  What pained me more than anything was that some of these respectful young men wouldn’t be returning to enjoy such a courtship, but those that did return could expect a future that didn’t include the loneliness that men just weren’t created to be able to tolerate.

  The prospect of returning and finding a soul mate of their very own was enough for them to fight all the more harder to achieve victory. The Lanorians had just become a stronger people by far this night. I felt Raya’s hand clasp mine and tug gently. I smiled and let her lead me away.

  Let the boys and girls be alone in their hushed conversations. I had a woman of my own to spend my time and enjoy life with and be reminded every second of my time with her that I was finally no longer alone in life as well.

  Chapter Eighteen

  Battle Plans

  One week later

  I lay awake in the darkness too caught up in my thoughts to ever hope of falling asleep. Tonight was the last night I would spend in this cavern before we had to leave to join the East and my brother.

  Reports had come in confirming the success of our plan. The entire Western force was besieging the city. Now all that remained was for us to do our part and hopefully win the vi
ctory, but I was filled with dark doubts as to the success of the plan.

  How many good people would be lost?

  Would I die in the fighting?

  Such a concept hadn’t really bothered me before, but now it did. The precious woman lying next to me stealing my heat had also stolen my heart. The thought of losing her or not being able to live a lifetime with her was an unbearable thought to have to face. Why did all this hardness have to come when things were just getting good for me?

  I was admittedly being selfish. This confrontation was a lot bigger than me. I had a responsibility to free these people and come to my brother’s aid and I knew that was what I would attempt to do. But the potential of what I could lose haunted me and I held on to the greatest of my heart’s desires, a little tighter as I prayed for strength and many other things.

  I must have squeezed too hard because she stirred and lifted her head up, her glorious hair going everywhere with the movement.

  “I’m sorry.” I whispered brushing the hair from her face.

  She sat up more fully as she straddled me and a whole range of different emotions assailed me and I rolled her off of me to my side, “Don’t you try to distract me Raya! I have a lot on my mind that I need to think about!”

  She squirmed against me and whispering into my ear she said, “All the more reason!”

  I caught her wondering hands and pinned her beneath me. I looked down at her and she smiled up at me looking absolutely adorable.

  I groaned, “What’s the use!”

  She laughed out loud, even as I leaned down and began to kiss her hard cutting her laugh off.

  Later as I still lay awake she propped herself up on one elbow and studied me, “What concerns you so much Zevin? Is it the battle? Do you think it’s possible that we might lose it?”

  I nodded yes.

  “Why do you say that? Lanorian warriors are the strongest and most skilled warriors alive on Assoria and you have over 15,000 of them to command and there are also the 4000 archers from the North as well. You do not think you can crush the West with such a force, when the chance of catching the enemy by surprise is assured?”