As if in answer, a redness grows. Walls begin to appear, lit by the glow. A deeper glow sits at a corner down the narrow chamber.
"Oh, god."
He knows this place, from his dream. But this time it feels real. The red eyes appear, just beyond his feet. Eyes only, no body. They float there, and the coldness in his chest and heart grows. The eyes are pulling him! He's never felt this before, a silent request to go to them, to give in to their demand. From deep inside, Bae tries to resist the eyes and their urgency. But it's hopeless. He's too weak, and he feels his mind and soul slipping towards the red eyes, giving in to their wish.
A voice. A woman's voice, far away and somewhere behind him, is singing. The boy hears the voice, as it gets stronger, coming closer to him. The voice, like silvery soft water droplets on stone, cuts through the thick redness around him and brings with it a hope for lightness and warmth.
The red eyes falter. They go dim, yet hold their position. The voice grows stronger. More of the voice filters into the chamber, its song peeling away the coldness. The eyes flicker, trying to fight the voice, then shudder and go out.
Behind Bae, a light grows. Not the sickly red glow of the chamber, but a soft glow, like that of the rising sun on a clear morning. The voice, full of warmth and hope, washes away the tight coldness in his chest, washes away the hopelessness that has a grip on his soul, and with it, Bae finds he can move.
The voice beckons him to follow its song. Bae rises up from the cold floor and turns. A magnificent brilliance greets him.
He opens his eyes.
No longer is he in the cold, dark chamber. He's stretched out on soft sand, and looking down at him is a new but trusted face. Bae sees a depth in the eyes, a knowing and a power that protect him. Soft silver hair falls on both sides of his face, tickling his ears.
"Was that you singing to me?"
"Yes, Bae. I was calling you, and you came back."
"Who are you?" he asks.
The beautiful eyes smile, penetrate into his heart and soul with a warmth he had forgotten. It reminds him of his mother's love.
"I'm Mary John."
Chapter 68 - Vision
"Mary John," Bae asks. "Who is the dark medicine man?"
Day is waning. These two still sit in the lodge as Bae gathers his strength. At his question, Bae detects a flash of intensity in the older woman's eyes. She doesn't answer immediately. Instead, she studies him. G returns from a perimeter check and sits cross-legged to feed the fire. Mary John leans back.
"Young Bae Walker recovers quickly after losing his way on the dark paths." She looks at G. "This is good medicine, brother."
The old man nods once but says nothing.
"Each of us has darkness inside, Bae. One of our lessons in life is to strive to understand it, come to know it, so it won't overtake us."
She carefully places a sprig of creosote on the coals, watches the smoke curl lazily up inside the lodge. Bae likes the pungent smell of the plant.
"Most people do not acknowledge their darkness and can be susceptible to those who work in dark medicine. These dark medicine people strive to bring others to the dark with them, feed off their ignorance and become more powerful." Her steady gaze holds Bae's. "This dark man has chosen you for some reason. Maybe it was a chance encounter out here in the wilderness. Maybe it wasn't. There are no accidents in this life, young Bae."
"Did he take me to the darkness, Mary John?" the boy asks with fear.
Mary John smiles the same warm smile Bae saw when he first opened his eyes after she called him back.
"No, honey. He has not. There's strong medicine in you to combat the darkness. But, Bae Walker, your training must begin as soon as we rejoin what's left of our clan."
"My training?"
"Yes," she says. "Your task now is to face this dark man and cast him out."
Bae feels a chill shoot up his spine.
"I don't understand."
"You will," she says. "After walking with you down there in that chamber, it is clear to me this is your task now. Your vision." Mary John looks at G. "But not until you have the tools to do it. The training."
Bae looks at G, confused. The old man says nothing, but reaches out and squeezes Bae's shoulder reassuringly.
"There's much for you to learn, to know about your family, your lineage," she continues. "But that knowledge is for later. Right now, you must gain strength so we can travel in the morning. Tonight, we camp here, you inside the lodge, the rest of us just outside as protection."
Bae feels a deep exhaustion engulf him, and he stretches out on the soft sand. Ever brings in a gourd of rabbit and herb broth she prepared to share ‘round. Bae sits up long enough to drink, then lays back down. He tries to reason through Mary John's words, but his mind does not stay with the logic. Instead, he stares at the fire and rests, feeling the protection of this small group, his family.
~
The next morning, Bae feels stronger. G and Ever quickly dismantle the lodge and spread the wood across the landscape. Within an hour, all four walk away to the northeast, Mary John in front, G in the back, Bae and Ever in the middle.
As he has often done, Bae uses the walking time to think. Mary John spoke of family and lineage. Is there a plan for him? The path he's walking now, stretching out in front of him, he realizes, is the same path stretching back behind him to his past. It's all connected. Mary John told him there are no accidents. For the first time in a long time, Bae feels that he is where he belongs, no accident, walking this path with these people. Though still not clear about the words she spoke yesterday, he knows he's willing to move towards what she calls his vision. This awareness steadies him, steadies his heart.
The game trail they follow meanders through a ponderosa pine forest. With each step, Bae feels the soft springback of the needle-covered floor. It's a new kind of trail: soft, shaded, guided by the steps of his elders. And yet still unknown.
"Mary John?" Bae asks. "Where are the Red Cliffs?"
Without turning, Mary John answers.
"You'll know them when you see them.
###
Connect with Chris Hampton at [email protected] to receive news and information about Book II of the Edge Walker Series
About the Author
Chris Hampton has written two young adult novels: Cory’s in Goal (a coming-of-age soccer story published in 2014) and Edge Walker (an apocalyptic wilderness adventure, released July 4, 2016). Growing up in an Air Force family, Chris learned to be adaptable. Frequent moves around the U.S. opened him to the exploration of both urban and wild places. As a young adult, he worked gold mines, construction, heavy machinery, and tree trimming. Then, for twenty-three years, he taught high school English and coached soccer. Some of that time was spent in Kayenta, Arizona, among the Dine people who, Chris says, truly walk in beauty. When Chris and his wife, Ann, were introduced to Tom Brown Jr.'s Tracker and Wilderness Survival School, they discovered new worlds of wonder and adventure. In recent years, he has helped run young men's initiation programs. Both Chris and Ann now spend much of their time taking and teaching classes, traveling, and writing about their experiences.
Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/chrishamptonstories/
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