Valour of the Spirit People

by David Papa-Adams

  ***

  “Well, what do you think?” asked Uziel.

  “About,” replied Gabriel, “not having Thor’s blade anymore, or about the Wold being here, or about our need to get to the Ute before Lothos?”

  “All of them,” said Uziel.

  “Interesting times ahead,” replied Gabriel tightly folding his arms.

  “Less so if we’d kept Thor’s Blade,” said Uziel yawning.

  “You know once Michael’s mind is made up, that’s that,” said Gabriel with a shake of the head. “Besides we need to look to our leaving the Forest. There’s Chey - he knows these trees better than most. Also you need to start thinking about a portal, once we have the codex we're leaving.”

  “What,” exclaimed Uziel, “a portal and where are we going to get enough energy for that especially now that we don’t have Thor’s blade?”

  “I didn’t say it would be easy but since you ask,” replied Gabriel, “we’ll use Haldrago’s staff.”

  “What?” exclaimed Uziel in an even more exasperated tone than before, “I don’t think he’s going to just let us borrow it.”

  “I know,” said Gabriel, “it’ll be a shame to leave some Wold here but to them this place would be like a cage - think of it, everything’s so refreshingly new, completely opposite to their dark sterile world.”

  “So let me get this,” replied Uziel. “You want us, in particular me, to steal the power of the Wold.”

  “Steal is a harsh term,” said Gabriel, “as you’ve already stated, we’re just borrowing it.”

  “And for how long do we borrow it for?” replied Uziel, “A millennium or two?”

  “It would,” said Gabriel gruffly, “nullify any threat they have, and since it is the staff that binds them all together we might be better served by destroying it altogether. In which case those that have been turned into Wold might actually return to their original form.”

  “You don’t know that for sure,” replied Uziel, “and if you’re right remember we’ve saved others through different means from the clutches of the Wold, and whatever trace was left of their true natures was somewhat diminished. That is the effect of constant exposure to cruelty, eventually it consumes those that are party to it; and unless we and others like us are there to help; those that are affected seldom fully recover; a stain oft remains.”

  “It is the freshness of this world” said Gabriel, “that will aid their recovery, that and hopefully their limited exposure to being what they’ve become.”

  “I hope,” replied Uziel with a sigh, “you’re right. After all, we know well enough, that there is no greater punishment in the whole universe than that of a tormented mind, it can even hold sway over those of good conscience.”

  At Uziel’s words Gabriel remembered the many races they had fought against all had thought that they were blameless for the conflict that existed. He shook the memory away and sought out Chey. The Longfoot was with others of his Clan, on seeing Gabriel and Uziel approach he took a step back, acknowledged them with a shrift glance and left.

  “Harmony in all things,” said Gabriel, relieved to see the Longfoot alive.

  “Peace be with you,” replied Chey, remembering the greeting of the Old Ones.

  “Chey,” said Gabriel, “Once Michael finishes what he is doing and aids you, we will need the quickest way out of the Green Wood.”

  “Understood, in the meantime I have sent my Kin to gather provisions for your journey and after you are rested you will have to take the logs that float on the river,” replied Chey, “they are not far from here and with the Wold defeated the way should be clear. No one should be watching or guarding them; you will have to leave your horses, though.”

  “You know,” said Gabriel, “I completely forgot about them in the melee.”

  “What, the horses?” said Uziel looking around to see where they were. “Strange are the things you forget about in the midst of battle - even so, we will not need them anymore.”

  “Not strange,” replied Gabriel, “Understandable. So much of the fighting is the same I even forget at times which world we are on.”

  Chey saw in Gabriel’s face a brief glimpse of many long weary years. He turned to face the Green Wood and began to explain to them the easiest path to the river.

  That night the three Angelos rested by the rocky outcrop and ate the food the Longfoot had provided them with; the sky was clear and bright and stars flickered their welcoming light. But they did not speak to one another, instead, there was a sombre silence. A reflection of what they had been through and of what was to come. Eventually they drifted off to sleep. Uziel’s dreams were interspersed at first with vague colours and distorted images when he saw coming into view a picture of Moloch laughing at him. He stood at a distance. Soon a great wind blew up, tearing Moloch’s clothes from him and blasting him away. And then he found himself in a valley, looking around, it appeared peaceful at first when suddenly the ground beneath him began to shake. It was at that point that he woke to find Gabriel’s hand on his shoulder.

  “Come on, we need to move,” said Gabriel softly.

  He immediately jumped up and looked around. The sun was beginning to rise as Michael was readying Thor’s blade.

  “We,” said Michael, “have set the range and a time delay: there will be an energy burst but that's nothing to be afraid of, when it occurs we will need to be beyond the perimeter of the clearing or we would risk being altered to.”

  As Michael had requested there were many Longfoot now gathered together. Never before had all the Clans come together in the same place. As the Angelos were preparing to leave a Longfoot came to Chey with a message for them.

  “Kree has just brought word of your friends,” said Chey, “the ones called Grey Wolf and Humming Bird; he led them to the borders of the Green Wood but could go no further as the Great Plains had been swallowed up by the Shadow People. Your friends waited for the sun to fall and the veil of night to deepen before venturing on, he does not know what happened after that.”

  “Our enemy must be seeking out the Ute in the Great Basin,” said Michael, “Do not fear - they will now leave you be, but for us it means there’s not a moment to lose. This is Thor’s blade. It has a power in it that can now change things and make them as different as winter is to summer or night is to day. All creatures have an energy of their own given their type, and each is different whether that be for Longfoot, Cave Bear or Man. We refer to it as a Chakra, and as such it is a powerful and yet undetectable force; with the use of Thor's Blade what I will do is change the energy given off by the Longfoot. It will mean that to those that look upon you, you will appear as a tree or a deer or a bear. But you must not abuse this power to hurt or harm anything or anyone. Do you understand?” Chey slowly nodded, “Good, the only thing that might remain for others to know that you exist are the tracks that you leave as you pass by so you must tread carefully wherever you go.” Chey nodded once again. “Right, I will leave Thor’s blade up here. What will occur, will do so when the sun rises above the trees. That will give me and the other Old Ones time to make our escape without being affected by the power of the blade, once the change has occurred you will feel a heightening of spirit, all that surrounds you will feel calm, and you will view the world in a new light. The blade will have fallen silent and be of no use again until its energy is renewed, but at this time there is no way of doing that; so it will be necessary for you to hide it. Hide it well so that it cannot be found.”

  With that Michael placed Thor’s blade upon the highest rock. He turned to say goodbye to Chey who in turn reached out and touched his shoulder.

  “Will the Longfoot,” asked Chey, “ever see the Old Ones again?”

  “I know the heart of the Longfoot so you might, Chey,” replied Michael, “that you might.”

  With that the three strode sombrely away, watched by the Longfoot, who bowed their heads reverently.

  Once they were beyond the vale, almost as one they rushed forwar
d toward where the river was said to run. As the sun rose overhead and the undergrowth began to thin, they could hear the unmistakable sound of rushing water.

  “Once,” said Michael, “we get to what must be the Kayaks we’ll head upstream.”

  “Do we meet up with the Dakota or rush ahead of Lothos and his merry troop?” asked Uziel.

  “I think Michael still believes there’s time to do both,” said Gabriel.

  “There should be, especially since we now know what Lothos intends,” replied Michael, “We need to speed the Hopi and Dakota on to the Ute as quickly as possible and prepare them for what’s coming. Also we need to find out what Running Bear knows of what’s in his charge. I cannot believe the Codex he has is something minor; if it were the Wold would not be here, and though Lothos and Malachi might venture to these lands I don’t believe Moloch would; and the prophesy would not have sent us here to protect the Equilibrium if it was not something that could affect it.”

  “Do you think it could be one of the big four?” asked Gabriel, “War, Pestilence, Famine or Death?”

  “Well we know it’s not Pestilence,” replied Michael, “from what Uziel told us, which just leaves the other three. And it cannot be famine as this land is plentiful and the Wold certainly wouldn’t be here if it was as they are all about consuming more than their want. Haldrago would certainly make every effort for War and Death though. Those two are very similar to the Wold in that they are also all consuming.”

  “They are also the most difficult to contain,” said Uziel, “so who ever this Running Bear is, he’s as powerful as an Angelos.”

  “Do you think he might be the Watcher foretold in the prophesy?” asked Gabriel.

  “Well if he is, then not for many a year have we met the like,” replied Michael. “If I recall the prophesy correctly. ‘In the land beyond the great lake, before their time, Viking hoard shall ravage. And if the Watcher be right, then darkness shall turn from light.’”

  “It certainly is possible but the thing is this - Humming Bird knew we were coming. She saw it in a vision quest and she knew Uziel when first they met so if she knew all this, why did she not pick up on the Watcher?”

  “You know if a Watcher is powerful enough, they have the ability to shield themselves from being known and no matter how perceptive the First People are I do not believe that they have it in them to see through the many guises that a Watcher can call upon. And remember it could be that this Watcher doesn’t even realise he or she is one.”

  At length the three finally raced from behind the trees and came upon an open verge that bordered the river. And just where the Longfoot had said the Kayaks would be, there they lay; five sturdy wooden and leather bound boats. Three were laid out upside down, while the other two had signs of being dragged hurriedly out and left on what was a sodden shingly barren surface. On closer inspection these two had water at their base. The paddles which were left clumsily on the floor were still sturdy. Uziel picked one up and threw it across to Gabriel.

  “We need to hurry,” said Michael, “Uziel, choose one that can take all of us and set it on the water.”

  “You know,” said Uziel as they placed the unbalanced Kayak in the fresh running river, “these things are built for two at most.”

  “Well now they’re built for three at most,” cried Gabriel.

  As the three climbed aboard; the Kayak surprisingly enough held them quite comfortably aloft. It may have been lower in the water than was usual but still there were no signs of it capsizing or drowning them.