A Warrior through and through

Dara

By the time the library was in full view, it was mid-afternoon. Auster was panting heavily but still going strong. Alongside me was Clementine, who was still in her cat form. I motioned her to slow down as I pulled on Auster's reigns gently. She responded almost immediately by going down form a gallop to a slow canter. As Clementine slowed down, I noticed that she was breathing heavily too.

"I won that one," I said. She growled at me, though her green eyes twinkled in amusement.

The sun was hidden by grey clouds, a foreshadow of the coming winter. The cold winds blew heavily as we neared the entrance. I gently led Auster to a stop and dismounted next to dilapidated fence posts. Clementine stood up as she quickly turned back to human.  A strong gust of wind blew right past us. Clementine wrapped her arms around herself.

"By the Lords, it is cold out here. I need my cloak," She said.

"Where did you learn such old magick?" I asked as I handed her the garment.

"Even though the church burned the books, there are still people who know the old ways. They are few and extremely hard to find. But if you find them, they are more than willing to teach you," she answered as she wore the cloak and pulled the hood up.

"Have you met people who still walk the path of the old ones?" I asked.

"One, other than you. She was about a hundred and ten years old. She died not long after I met her. She followed the path of darkness, though she wasn't like the others who sew their eyes shut to see what they were not meant to see. She was blind, proper blind, but she could see more clearly than anyone I've ever known,"

"I wish I could have seen her," I said wistfully. A memory came to me, of a time when I was still a boy. It was a time when the gifted knew the workings of the earth. A time when elves and winged men were among us. It was a time where no man feared magick and was used by many. 

Clementine must have seen the look on my face for she gave me a friendly pat on my arm.

"The old days may come back soon," She said smiling hopefully. I simply sighed, knowing better. We approached the steps to the doors of the library. I loosened Auster's reigns so he could walk freely under the library roof. I concentrated, reaching into the mind of the horse. It was something I had not done in a long while. When I was sure I had reached her consciousness, I commanded her not to stray so far. Reluctantly, she obeyed and bent her head to look for grass to chew on.

I noticed that Clementine watched this with a bewildered expression. I smiled.

"An old rider taught me how to do that a long time ago," I answered her unspoken question.

"I could feel you talking to the horse somehow," She replied looking at me in awe. I waved my hand in dismissal. I was not the person she thought I was. Not anymore.

"Well, Let's go see our old friend," I said beginning the climb to the doors. Suddenly, I could feel the uncomfortable but satisfying ache in my legs due to the hard ride. Clementine followed shortly. As I made my way to the top of the stairs, Adira's raven circled above me once and landed on my shoulder, taking care to not puncture my skin with her razor-sharp talons.

Soon enough, the doors were right in front of us. As I remembered, It was made from hard steel wood. Stone runes from a fierce warrior tribe now extinct glowed blue and white in the dark afternoon. There was a bell next to the door slightly above me, though it had a rope hanging from it to my shoulder. I reached out and pulled twice. The runes glowed brightly as the massive doors opened inwards, into the dark library.

"If me dull eyes don't deceive my mind. Boy, is that you?" came a raspy voice as a short old man wobbled into view. He looked practically the same, even after fifteen years. His rugged white hair and beard gave him the look of a mad man. He wore crooked spectacles low on the bridge of his nose. His purple robes were covered in blotches of ink of different colours. I ginned walked up to him. He reached out and pulled me into a fierce hug while laughing. When he finally pulled away, I could see tears in his eyes.

"I thought you were dead!" he said while examining me critically. Finally, he let me go and hobbled off to embrace Clementine with tears in his eyes. He examined her too in such a way before letting her go.

"Come! You must be tired from your travels. Do not worry about your hoses, I have someone to take care of them," He said while hobbling down the dark hall. He turned back after a moment and saw we were not moving.

"Come on! We haven't got all day!"

Author's note

If you have any corrections or advice, please point them out in the comments. Good day to you all!