THE REALM

Chapter Twenty Eight

  Thanuel asked after a moment, "Where'd you learn to talk all proper like that?"

  I shrugged, "I guess some of the mannerisms of my teacher of the past few years have rubbed off on me."

  "And who would that be, young man?" Jarken asked.

  "He was called Kurios, but I called him Kuri. I'm not aware of him having a last name."

  Jarken and Thanuel shared a meaningful glance with each other before Jarken said as an aside, "The first name's enough. If I was you I'd keep it to yourself as to who your teacher was."

  "Aye, I'd do as he says," Thanuel said, glancing around to see if we'd been overheard by the other men around us.

  "Why?" I asked, but both men would say no more.

  I walked on in the dust pondering as to what their hints could mean. Kuri apparently had a reputation within the seven kingdoms. If they only knew. The problem was that they should know, yet it seemed that, if anything, Kuri was regarded by some as a nuisance instead of what he was, the King.

  Thanuel was handing a rag to me and gesturing at my face. I took it and tied it across the lower half of my face. It helped with the dust, but not the heat. My new job was thoroughly miserable, but at least I wasn't on the menu.

  *****

  The water wasn't cold, but at least it had a cooling effect, if only for the moment. I stopped splashing my face with it and instead I rubbed at my eyes. They still felt gritty, but I had to have gotten all the sand and dust washed out of them by now.

  Of all the occupations on Ayenathurim this had to be the worst. I put it just a step above slavery, but just barely.

  A shadow fell across me and I looked up to see my benefactor standing there. Her eyes roamed over my bare torso staying the longest upon the scars that ran across my chest.

  Her eyes rose to mine and I could see curiosity reflected within the depths of her green eyes. I saw lust as well. I felt the need to put my shirt on, but I stayed as I was.

  "You look as if you have quite the story to tell," she said softly, as her eyes fell back down to the scars.

  I said nothing. Her eyes rose to mine, curiosity seemed to vanish from them as it was replaced with magnetic sensuality. Now I felt the need to run away, but I stayed still.

  She shook her head slowly, "My, you are a shy one. I could help you with that. My tent is right over there." She pointed to the largest tent that lay beneath the tree fronds of the oasis.

  "If you should choose to drop by, perhaps you can tell me how you came about those scars," she said and then turned away and moved off toward her tent.

  I swallowed with the relief of not having her green eyes on me. It was hard to look away from her retreating form, but I made myself do it. She was older, but still extremely desirable.

  Desirable or not, I felt nothing but distrust for her. She struck me as the type that used others for her own purposes and desires, in order to fulfill her need for control.

  I knew all that and more about this strange woman and yet some part of me ached to even now be lifting the flap of her tent and joining her inside. It made no sense!

  She was nothing but a path to destruction. What was wrong with me; that any part of me still longed for what she offered?

  I had to be better than my weakest parts though and looking upward I said, "El Elyon, I'm sorry. I know better and yet you know how close I am to going over there. Please help me."

  I put my shirt on before I weakened any further and then I hurried out of the trees and into the surrounding desert, upon which the shadows of night had already begun to fall.

  *****

  Jarken looked over to Thanuel, who was lying back against a boulder. They had been silent witnesses to the whole scene.

  Thanuel looked thoughtful as he watched Benaiah disappear into the dunes, "Rare man."

  Jarken nodded sharply and then asked, "You think he's the one?"

  Thanuel shook his head looking undecided, "Perhaps. Time will tell. Not such a boring trip after all, hey?"

  Jarken looked thoughtfully out at the surrounding desert scape, upon which night was fast approaching and asked, "Do you think we should alert the caravan to the presence of bandits out there?"

  Thanuel shook his head, "No, let Benaiah do it. We've had our glory in the sun. Time to help a rising star reach the zenith of his potential."

  Jarken nodded resolutely and said pragmatically, "He's the one. I feel it."

  "I hope you're right my friend. El Elyon knows we're not getting any younger,"
Thanuel said, still thoughtfully gazing after Benaiah.

  *****

  I stared out across the scene of sand and moonlight. Here in the borderlands of the Kingdomer Nation of Lancandia it was sand and sun. There was beauty to be found, but I preferred the sight of green grass and cool breezes. The nights were at least cool here. The cold air was a relief on my impassioned senses.

  I looked up. The sky was bright and every star seemed to stand out in stark relief against the black backdrop of the sky. It was an awe-inspiring moment of quiet reflection.

  I felt small. The created universe was so huge and here I was stressing about the completion of one assignment. An assignment that I had already been told wouldn't be accomplished for several years. What was I going to do in the meantime?

  I looked back to the oasis and the temptation that beckoned there. If El Elyon had done all that I saw in the sky above, then He could help strengthen me in my weaknesses to do something that surely wasn't as major of an event as things that He'd already performed in creation's past.

  Movement caught my eye and my head swiveled from its view of the oasis to the fast approaching rider coming towards me with a lowered lance. Alarmed, my mind seized up for a second.

  No doubt the rider expected me to run and so I did, only I ran toward him instead of the other way. My actions seemed to jar the rider's confidence and in the dim light I saw the rider's head move side to side in search of what was giving me the confidence to attack instead of run.

  I added to the unrest by waving my arms up and down and screaming out a nonsensical garble of sounds. His horse wanted no part of it and started to stutter out of its headlong gallop and turn off to the side.

  The rider regained control, but in the moment of lost concentration the lance point dipped out of the way slightly and I seized on the opportunity and stepped off to the side and jerked it hard. The rider came along with the lance.

  The rider had only just begun to rise up out of the dust when I crashed a rock down on his head. There were more riders coming and I wasted no time, but vaulted up into the saddle of the fallen bandit's horse and turned tail for the oasis.

  I did my best to give out a warning, but something about a rider coming full tilt down a sand dune closely followed by a half-dozen others had a way of galvanizing a restful camp into action more than words alone. I saw guards and camel riders grab for weapons and arrows were soon whistling by my head in the direction of my pursuers.

  I streamed into the trees and pulled the horse up sharply. Looking back I saw three pursuers were down and that the other three were retreating. There were shouts of triumph to be heard throughout the oasis. It only lasted for a moment though.

  All laughter abruptly died at the sight of about 200 moon outlined forms against the horizon. The caravan only had 45 people in total and only 30 of them were trained fighters. I heard Bruton calling out commandingly and before I could believe it over half of the caravan's camels were saddled with cargo and moving out of the oasis at a fast clip.

  What were they doing?

  Almost half of the caravan's cargo still lay upon the sand of the oasis, unloaded. I saw my benefactor on a fast looking horse up by the caravan's master and it was suddenly obvious to me what their plan of action was. She was sacrificing the guards, who had no means of escape other than their feet, along with what looked to be the less expensive items of cargo, on the wild chance that it would give her the time needed to escape with at least half the caravan's cargo intact.

  Her plan seemed to be working, because the large body of riders was converging on the oasis and not on the fast disappearing line of camels. The men who remained abandoned by their mistress were running about in evident panic as it became clear to them what was about to take place.

  The enemy riders were closing in.