Legend of the River Serpent

Chapter 6

Chapter 6

Ichiro

A woman’s face loomed a few feet from mine, I had never seen her, but she seemed so familiar.  Her eyes where filled with tears, and around her there was screaming and shouting as people ran all around.  Strangely, she seemed to be carrying me, I was set down into, what seemed to be a woven basket. 

  She said something to me, but I couldn’t hear her.  The words seemed to be just out of reach, nagging at the corner of my mind.  She wiped tears away from her eyes, and looked down at me.  I only remember two words.

  “Goodbye, Ichiro,” she whispered. 

  I could hear shouting, and she picked up a sword from the ground as a horseman, clad in armor, charged toward her.  Her sword came up, blocking a strike.   Over the screaming, I could hear the swordsman, clearly a high ranking man.  Yell, at being stood up to by a woman.

  I saw her back away, as the man dismounted his horse, his sword raised outward.  She was a small and frail looking woman, with smooth, tiny features. Blood streamed down her arm, and long black hair, past her waist, coming out from its hold.   Her hands shook as she held out the bloody sword, too big and heavy for her.

  She glanced over at me, and slid closer.  The man noticed the glance, and glared at the basket I seemed to be in.   He swung his sword, and ran toward me.  I tried to move, but couldn’t, I felt helpless, and weak.

  The woman raced ahead of the man, and shoved away the basket.  As it slid away, I saw the man slice his sword down on the woman. 

  She fell, her arm outstretched toward me.  Crying out, as she died, tears streaming down her face.

  With one last sob, she fell, to rise no more.  The last words I heard was her crying out my name.

  “Ichiro!” 

  I jerked, and saw Riku’s face above mine, I shook my head, to try to clear the blurry vision.  It helped a little.

 “Good,” I heard Hoshi say.

  Her worried face appeared.  “Here, drink this,” she told me, as she helped me sit up.

  Riku took a small cup, steam coming from it, from Hoshi, and held it up to my mouth.  “Drink,” she said.  “The healer said it will slow the poison.”

   I tried to speak, but nothing came out.  “Just drink,” Hoshi said.

  I took a few sips, and sighed as the warm liquid slid down my cold neck.  I tried to drink more, only succeeding in getting half the cup down.

  “That’s good for now,” Hoshi said.  Riku set the cup aside, jumping up and running off.  A couple minutes later he returned with a blanket.

  The two put it around me, and I felt myself being set to the ground.  Pain shot through me, and I groaned a little.

  “Ichiro?”

  I hated this feeling of being helpless, why was this happening to me.  I had always longed for adventure, but this wasn’t the way I wanted it to go.  I heard Hoshi and Riku talking, then Hoshi started to sing.  Sing?

  I hadn’t heard her sing in a long time.  Her voice faded, as darkness enveloped me once again. 

  “Ichiro!”  I little girl giggled.  I looked down from where I hung, one legged, from a tree branch.