DREAMSCAPE
EPISODE #4
Wiley growled at me, “Are you ready to die…right now? Because you will you know, if you attract the raider’s attention. They don’t fool around!”
“NO, I’M NOT!” I shouted back at Wiley and gave a dirty look to the savage as well. “I AM JUST SICK … and tired of being confused. Today started out OK, but then it started to rain. And…and…”, I finished lamely. “And that savage cut me with his spearpoint!”
Coimircoer scowled at me and lifted the point of the spear in my direction, he shook it. The translation came across loud and clear, “You’re lucky I didn’t spit you like a chicken!”
Wearily I nodded. “OK”
Coimirceor peeked over the ridge, he stood and gave a thumbs up. I thought I knew what it meant without the translation, you know, “A-OK.” But no, the savage’s interpreted voice spoke, “The coast is clear.”
He smiled and resumed his march. Intoit rose out of the tall grass and followed, resuming his position on the left flank. The gargling croak of the raven rang out from above. Wiley turned and looked my way. I arose and shouldered my pack and moved out.
Wiley kept pace with me. He assumed that superior canine grin that was becoming irritating. We walked and walked. Intoit’s hackles raised when we crossed the track of the raider’s. To tell you the truth, my hackles raised too. The thought of iron-clad knights led by the Son of the Morning Star, the hero of the Little Big Horn, dead though he may be, frightened me to no end. Coimirceor snorted at me and Intoit. He didn’t look left nor right. He trudged on. What choice did the rest of us have? We followed.
Did I say that the rain continued? It did, if anything it rained harder if that was possible. The light was cut further and the clouds rolled and twisted. But our feet were dry, the rain didn’t spot my spectacles. We climbed and descended ridge after gully, over and over. Out of the blue, a sharp pain blasted me starting in the angry red scar and radiating outward until it met itself in my back. A dry hacking cough over took me and I bent at the waist, trying to catch my breath.
Coimirceor stopped and looked back at me, his hands flashed in a series of signs. “You ready? We have to get you to the other side before the bad guys know you’re here.”
Intoit snuck in behind me and goosed me with his nose. Then he growled.
“Yikes! What was that?” I said as I stood straight up. The raven gargled his laughing croak. “Shut up you stupid bird!” I let loose. Gasping for breath I started walking again and the savage turned and continued.
We trudged on for about a mile, when the light began to fade and the clouds got darker and darker. I was beat, it seemed that we had walked for days, not hours. Just as I was about to call for a rest, we left the brush and tree line, into a wide open meadow. The grass was about waist high and the most impossible green I had ever seen. It drooped from the weight of the rain.
Coimirceor stopped. I wasn’t paying attention to him and ran right into his back. He grunted but didn’t move. The raven cawed in alarm and flew away, Intoit growled.
Wiley said, “What have we here?” I looked at him, he was looking beyond Coimirceor. I did too. My mouth dropped open.
The knights were arrayed shoulder to shoulder, blocking our way. Their lances were leveled at us. Sitting his athletic bay stallion, directly in front of us was the Custer look-alike. He was smiling ear to ear. So much for fooling the bad guys. Coimirceor grunted in agreement but didn’t take his eyes away from the threat in front of us. He held his nasty spear in a ready, but threatening position.
He barked out a string of gibb…er, words and shook the spear for emphasis. Not surprising, I didn’t understand a word of what he said. And there was no translation either. The Custer look-alike sat there without responding to the tirade.
“I believe…HE (Custer pointed at me) will come with us.”
The savage shook his head, “NO, I am the guardian of the vale, the VOICE assigned me to watch over him as well. You may not have him.”
Coimirceor had spoken and I understood him! What the…what! “Why did we have to go through all of the sign language rig-a-ma- role?” I tugged on his rabbit skin cape. He ignored me.
The Son of the Morning Star barked out an order and the knights came to attention, raising their lances. He barked another, they backed their horses ten steps. Custer backed his stallion almost to the line of his knights and reined him into a spin, right 360° then back the other way. When the horse stopped, Custer pulled the reins back. The stallion rose on his hind legs in a picture perfect ‘Levade’ and held it for a ten count. Custer let him down, and walked the stallion forward until he was just out of reach of the deadly spear. He stopped, drew his saber and pointed it at me, ignoring Coimirceor, “YOU…you think you have escaped me, and I allow that you have this time, but I will have you in the end.” He spun the stallion, and spurred away. The knights turned as one unit, formed into columns and followed their leader.
I was dumbstruck. “What the HELL was that?” I asked. Intoit was sniffing the tracks that were left from the raiders. He lifted his leg and squirted Custer’s track. Wiley watched with amusement, I could tell from his lolling-tongue grin.
Coimirceor turned to me, scowling he lifted the spearpoint so that it was pointing up. He let it lean on one shoulder and proceeded to explain in sign language. “They are the collectors of the vale. Any one who tries to cross the vale are their prey. Sometimes the VOICE assigns us to protect the travelers, sometimes we just take them to the raiders. It’s your lucky day. We gotta ways to go yet, so pack up and let’ go.”
We walked for about another mile and the rain fell steadily, but it didn’t get any darker. I guess that it was dreary enough. We had been crossing the tall green grass flats and I was happy that the land was mostly level. I was beat. Wiley spoke up, “You have just a little ways to go and you will be across. The last bit will be the toughest, since you are so tired but, you can make it.”
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