The Staff of Ramah

by T. Alan Martens

  Chapter 16

  When lunch was finally finished and the ragtag group of friends were finally getting comfortable with each other, Logan got up to clean up the kitchen. The big man insisted that he and his squire clean up the whole mess by themselves since the ladies had done most of the cooking. Rose watched and smiled to see Logan, who was now just wearing a thin cotton shirt and leather pants, working in the kitchen like he was slaying a mortal enemy. His rippling muscles and popping veins showed quite clearly that the knight was in great physical shape. Her attention was torn away by Jirah, who placed a hand on her chin so she could talk to her face to face.

  “Can I pry you away for a second from the kitchen and have a talk with you dear?” Rose shook her head slightly and tore herself away, embarrassed for having been caught staring. She followed the huntress to one of the side rooms, but her mind was still set on the image of the tall, blond muscular man that was doing dishes one room over.

  “I just want to give you a bit of a warning about our young squire over there.” Jirah started with a serious look on her face. “He was quite distracted from the glimpses he was getting from your, shall we say, physical attributes.”

  Rose was more than a little embarrassed to hear that she may be causing a problem with her physical appearance and actually started to get emotional hearing about it.

  “I’m so sorry Jirah,” she said with a shaky voice. “Believe me, I know what kind of impact my body can have on men, but I have been really trying hard to be a respectable woman like you are.” Now the young woman began to cry openly and Jirah quickly moved over to hold her in consolation.

  “No damage has been done at all dear. I am sorry that I made you cry because that is not what I intended at all. I know that you have been trying to move away from your old way of living. I just wanted to give you a sisterly warning is all.” The two ladies smiled at each other with warmth and sat down on a nearby bench to continue the conversation.

  “Is it wrong for men to be attracted to me Jirah? If it is Ya that made me this way, then how can it be such a bad thing? Sometimes it seems like no matter what I do, men are going to think dirty thoughts about me.”

  “That is not entirely true Rose. Let me explain it to you like my husband always said. He told me that the creator made all things for us to marvel at, and part of his creation is the way men and women look. There is nothing wrong with appreciating something that Ya has made, the problem comes when we want to use that creation for something other than the creator intended it for. Sexuality between a man and a woman should be about what a committed couple can give to each other, not about what they can get for themselves.”

  “So you are saying that if I do my part to not be overly sensual, then the rest of the matter is up to those around me. That makes sense I guess.”

  “I really don’t want you to feel guilty for being a pretty woman my dear. You spent many of your days using your body as a tool to make money. With a little help from friends, you can learn to use your body as an instrument of healing and peace.”

  That statement really struck a chord deep within Rose. She was quickly reminded of what Joshua has said to her when he first saw her in the white dress he had bought. He had said she was a ‘Testament to Ya, creator of all things beautiful.’ Now that statement made sense to her, along with what her dear friend had just said.

  “I think I know what I must do,” Rose said with a resolute voice. “I will no longer be ashamed of who I am because the Eternal Ya has made me this way, but I will also keep in mind that I should never use my beauty to get what I want.”

  The two close friends hugged each other warmly and sat there for a moment in the quiet, brushing each other’s tears away.

  “You really think that I am a respectable woman?” Jirah asked with her crooked grin. With that, they both had a good laugh, got up to go see what everyone else was up to.

  While the ladies were bonding in one part of the cathedral, the holy Cleric of Ya had made his way to the main altar to pray. The man who was first called Gaost, and who had been called many names since, slowly got to his knees and spoke in whispers to the god who had been his constant companion for countless years. No other living person could fully understand the relationship that he had with the mighty creator of Terros. No other man or woman had felt the white hot power coursing through their mortal bodies only to blast out in a blazing fury of destruction. This great power and responsibility was the reason for Gaost’s disciplined prayer life. So much had been given to him by the master, and he did not take any of that for granted. He prayed without ceasing for nearly half an hour before finally being joined at the altar by the massive figure of Logan. The big man found his own place to kneel and was soon muttering soft words under his breath. After a short time, when both men had finished conversing with their god, they got up and Logan was the first to speak.

  “It has been too long since I have prayed with the holy Gaost at my side. I have missed you dear brother.”

  “I am sure that I have missed you even more,” the cleric answered with a rare smile on his face. “I have spent many lonely days wandering this ungodly land and most of the time I feel like I am the only created being that still worships Ya.”

  “I feel much the same living the capital city brother. The city that King James made great has long since forgotten what being great truly is.”

  “Well then, it is good that we are once again together. I came here to get your help Logan.”

  “You need only to ask and I will do whatever you need. You know that.”

  “Now that we have the chosen one with us, I go to retrieve the Staff of Ramah from where the dark one hid it so many years ago. We will need your swords if we hope to succeed.”

  Logan had a serious look on his face and did not answer right away. After a moment he spoke again in a rather uneasy voice, “I may not be fit to go on this holy quest with you.”

  Joshua was at a loss to figure out what this dedicated man would do to make him unfit for duty, so he asked, “Whatever you have done can be forgiven you son. There is no spot too dark that Ya cannot cleanse, you should know that.”

  “That I know, and I came here this night to clean the slate as it were, but I fear that if I make this trip with you, there will be temptation in front of me that I cannot bear.” Logan covered his face and bowed down in shame. Whatever this temptation was, it seemed to be tearing him apart inside.

  “I need you to tell me what problem is Logan, or I cannot help you. It must be a great thing because I have never seen you so shaken up.”

  “I am ashamed to admit to you that I find myself attracted to Rose. She is the most beautiful woman that I have ever seen and I feel like a little stable boy whenever I am in her presence.”

  Joshua scratched at his patchy beard to cover the smile that was forming on his face.

  “What can I do overcome this shame brother?” Logan said with a slight crack in his voice.

  Joshua could see that this was a very serious matter for the knight so he took a bit of time to form his words carefully.

  “First I have a question Logan. Have you kept lust in your mind for Rose?”

  “No brother! I would never do such a thing. She is very attractive though and I am finding too much that I like how she looks.”

  “This may come as a revelation to you my son, but I feel that you are doing nothing wrong.” Joshua could tell by the puzzled look on Logan’s face that he had some more explaining to do. “Answer me this question then son. How come Rose is such a beautiful woman?”

  “She is what she is because the Eternal Ya has made her with his hands. All that Ya made is beautiful. It is the enemy that turns things ugly.”

  “Why would it be wrong then for you to think that something Ya made beautiful is attractive? It is a natural thing for a man to find a woman pretty. They were made that way on purpose.” Logan still looked a little confused so Joshua
continued to explain. “Would it surprise you to hear that I too find Rose to be a very beautiful woman?” The big knight remained silent in thought as Joshua got up to give one last word of wisdom. “Take some time to pray a bit more my son and think about it. Whenever you notice a pretty woman, praise Ya for his glorious creation and get on with your day. Don’t dwell on it and you will be fine.” Joshua gently patted the big man on the shoulder and left him alone to work things out for himself.

  Rose and Jirah returned from their heart to heart talk to find that the kitchen was already clean and the dishes had been all put away on the neatly stacked shelves. Both of the ladies were more than a little impressed at how a man of the knighthood took such care in even the menial tasks of life. They were about to leave the room in search of the others when they noticed the small figure of Jer, stirring on the long wooden bench that ran along the wall. The young squire quickly sat up when he discovered that someone was entering the room and said in a nervous voice, “I was just checking to see if something had fallen under the table. Nothin’ there I guess.” As he got up, he was rubbing his eyes with his knuckles and anyone who was observant enough, could see that the tired young boy had just woken up from a nap.

  “It’s ok with us if you were sleeping Jer,” Rose said with a smile. “We won’t get you in trouble with Logan.”

  With a sigh of relief the boy sat down again to relax for a minute. “I gotta tell ya lady, that Logan guy has been working me pretty hard. I have only been livin’ here for a week or so and I have never been this tired in all my life.”

  “Why don’t you go and lie down in your bed for a little while son,” Jirah suggested, getting the nervous boy’s attention. “Could you show us where we will be sleeping first? We want to clean up and bring in some of our clothes for cleaning.”

  “Sure thing lady,” Jer said, slowly stretching out his sore limbs and getting to his feet. “Just follow me.”

  Rose and Jirah followed the boy down the vast halls and into what must be the living quarters. It took them a few minutes to arrive at their rooms and Jer told them little stories the whole way. The ladies looked at each other and grinned, understanding full well that this young man must talk too much when he was nervous. Rose hoped that in time, the boy would not act so strange around her. Jer showed them where his room was, and also noted that Logan’s room was right across from his. There were rooms set aside for Jirah and Joshua right beside those two, but for some reason, Rose was given a very large room at the end of the hallway.

  “Logan said that this room is for you,” Jer said to Rose, venturing a quick look into her green eyes. “He said something ‘bout you bein’ a chosen one or somethin’. Hope you like it lady.”

  Rose smiled at the boys attempt to be polite with her and was tempted to give him a kiss on the forehead for being so sweet, but she chose rather to simply say, “Thank you Jer.”

  Now that they all knew where the rooms were, Jer quickly went into his and closed the door behind him.

  “It will take a bit of work,” Jirah said, “but I’m sure we can make a gentleman out of that boy yet.”

  “Would it be wrong of me to have a quick bath Jirah?” Rose asked as she moved over to open the door to her room.

  “Go right ahead dear, I think that I will have one too. How about you get the bath ready and I will go and get our stuff from the horse packs. You no doubt will have a private bath tub in that big room of yours, so I will leave your things on your bed.”

  “Thank you sister, I am starting to feel a little spoiled.”

  “Enjoy it while you can. I am fairly sure that there will be few moments like this on the road ahead. Make sure that you lock the door behind you when you bathe too. Some young boy may just try and get a peek if you don’t.”

  Rose frowned, not really wanting that to happen. “Good advice, thanks again Jirah.” With that, the two ladies parted, both with the hope of soon soaking in a warm, relaxing bath.

  ***