A Warrior's Legacy (27 page)

Raya slipped past her on the narrow trail
and I came abreast of the old woman and noticed her smiling
inquisitive gaze on me. I looked her in the eye and as bold as you
please she gave me a big wink, as I passed by close to her.

Now what did that mean?

It wasn’t much farther before we came to a
narrow tunnel entrance, from which I could see no light emanating
from. It was literally a dark hole in the wall. She wanted me to go
in there without weapons!

“Take your boots off.” She said bending over
in front of me as she began to take off her own hard soled leather
shoes.

I simply stared for a moment transfixed.
She’d said something about boots. She straightened back up and I
began to partially think again.

“You want me to take my boots off and go in
there without a weapon?” I asked huskily knowing that was exactly
what she wanted of me.

The words were more of an attempt to collect
myself and steer my thoughts back onto course.

“Yes.” She said smiling at me fully knowing
the effect she had just had on me.

Either I trusted her or I didn’t. I reached
down and took the boots off. Straightening back up I felt somewhat
foolish looking standing barefoot in the surprisingly warm sand of
the tunnel entrance.

“Ready for an adventure Zevin?” Her eyes
sparkled wickedly at me and then she turned and stepped into the
dark tunnel and was swallowed up by it.

I swallowed because being in complete
darkness wasn’t my thing, but she was in there. Surely she wouldn’t
let me fall into an abyss?

The errant thought popped into my mind, as I
stepped into the darkness, that she had nearly let me fall into an
abyss once before.

“Never again my husband. Never again will I
betray you or lead you to a place of hidden dangers.” She said as
her hand reached out in the darkness and caressed my face.

At the sounding of her words and touch I
relaxed inwardly.

“What are you a mind reader too?”

“Your thoughts were plain to see my
husband.”

I really liked this husband name business
she kept calling me. She held my hand lightly as she led me through
the dark. Once my eyes adjusted some I could see more than I would
have expected.

Raya’s long hair let off a soft glow and I
noticed surprisingly so did other parts of her. The vertebrata of
her spine were clearly luminescent as were her elbows and the backs
of her knees and most of her bare feet.

Suddenly the narrow corridor turned and
there was a lot of light. So much so that I had to blink slightly
to refocus my eyes. We had entered and unexpectedly wide chamber in
the cave tunnel and what I saw was breathtaking.

I had noticed earlier that the sand had been
warm under my feet and now I could see why. Crystal-clear pools of
water that glowed like cut aquamarine’s lay everywhere within the
cave. Steam gently rose off the crystalline surfaces of the pools
to make clouds of low-lying mist that curled around Raya’s bare
legs as she walked in front of me.

This place was indescribably beautiful just
as the woman ahead of me was. Crystals and gems sparkled from the
walls sharing their brilliant luster with the room. The air was
filled with the heavy perfume of softly glowing flowers in every
hue of the rainbow. This place was a paradise!

“What is this place?” I asked in an awed
tone looking all about me.

“This is where lovers come.”

My eyes focused sharply back onto Raya. Her
back was suddenly bare as she shrugged the straps of the halter top
off of her shoulders and let the garment fall to the floor.

As I stepped over the discarded garment my
eyes all the while roaming across the bare contours of Raya’s back
I asked huskily, “What are you doing Raya?”

She paused and looked back over one bare
shoulder raising her eyebrows sensually as she replied, “Seducing
my husband. Is it working?”

I nodded, “A long time ago!”

Her eyebrows quirked inquisitively and she
asked, “When?”

“Ever since I met you, but especially after
you ate the apple in front of me at my campsite that night trying
to intimidate me. I’ve craved you with a passion ever since then. I
still can’t believe the Creator has given you to me!” I said
shaking my head.

“You’re more than I could ever have dreamed
possible to even ask for!” I added.

Her sensually welcoming smile had changed to
something sweeter at my words. Her voice now equally husky she
said, “Well I’m all yours now my king.” And then she bent down
forward, as she slipped the tight dress off.

She straightened back up and stepped into a
cloud of mist and was gone from view. I stepped into the mist after
her. She was standing on a soft bed of what looked like glowing
tree moss and she was facing me as bare and as beautiful as Eve
must have looked to Adam the first time he had laid eyes on
her.

She was making a come hither motion with one
finger and I stepped closer hopelessly drawn to her beauty like a
moth to a flame.

My hands settled on her waist as her hands
settled onto my shoulders, “You made me a promise Zevin Ta’lont and
I expect you to keep it!”

“And what was that?” I asked smiling, as I
relished her playful and completely charming attitude, as she made
today the best day of my life.

“You promised to touch me a lot in the not
so distant past. Well here I am ready to please my king’s every
desire. Touch me and claim me as yours for forever!” She finished
breathlessly, as her eyes reflected a wild passion in their glowing
depths for me, even as effervescent waves of shimmering color
shifted across her skin in a mesmerizing fashion.

I drew her close to me and I lowered my head
to hers the passion in my eyes equaling hers.

“Well Mrs. Ta’lont if there is one thing I
can assure you of it is that your man is a man of his word. I keep
all my promises!”

And then I kissed her, as all the loneliness
of my past faded away from memory, at just the touch of her silken
skin against mine.

The next day saw the arrival of the northern
women to the valley I had spoken of to Ziya. That night Raya and I
visited them.

To say they were shocked at the presence of
a night demon with me was an understatement and then to my surprise
Raya took the lead. She revealed who she was to them and to a girl
all of them knelt before her, as she was of even higher royal birth
than the current king of the Northern Kingdom.

She told them in brief the story of what had
happened dispelling the myths of the mountain demons and instead
showed them the reality of the facts. She told them of the need of
the men of Lanoria for wives, of which she welcomed them to be a
part of for forever. Never to be cast aside or belittled again, but
instead to be respected as women with a voice over the affairs of
their own lives. To be held and admired as individuals of great
worth, priceless in the eyes of the men who would love and tenderly
care for them.

It became abundantly clear to me that the
Creator had not only give me a friend and a lover, but that He had
also given me a helpmate that would help me in my duties of
leadership over my new kingdom. The Creator was ever thoughtful in
His provision.

She convinced the young women to join our
people, where I might have failed to. The girls resolve faltered a
little as thousands of glowing eyed young warriors materialized out
of the darkness. But whatever fear they may have had soon
disappeared as they witnessed how respectful and considerate these
strange warriors were to them.

The men actually talked to them and wanted
to hear what they had to say. The conversations were awkward at
first and then grew more easier as time went by. What few unmarried
underground maidens that there were cried themselves to sleep that
night.

They had relished in the torment of the
young men, who had vied for their attentions and had become quite
spoiled in their cruel games of manipulating men to do their
bidding in order to win favor with them. Now those same young men
were relishing the presence of girls, who asked for nothing more
than a few kind words and the presence of a hand not clenched in a
fist prepared to strike them. Not to ever be viewed as worthless by
their new soon to be husbands.

It was agreed that there would be no
weddings for a grace period of time. It was a time meant for the
girls to get acclimated into their new home, as well as a chance to
be courted as they so richly deserved to be.

What pained me more than anything was that
some of these respectful young men wouldn’t be returning to enjoy
such a courtship, but those that did return could expect a future
that didn’t include the loneliness that men just weren’t created to
be able to tolerate.

The prospect of returning and finding a soul
mate of their very own was enough for them to fight all the more
harder to achieve victory. The Lanorians had just become a stronger
people by far this night. I felt Raya’s hand clasp mine and tug
gently. I smiled and let her lead me away.

Let the boys and girls be alone in their
hushed conversations. I had a woman of my own to spend my time and
enjoy life with and be reminded every second of my time with her
that I was finally no longer alone in life as well.

One week later

I lay awake in the darkness too caught up in
my thoughts to ever hope of falling asleep. Tonight was the last
night I would spend in this cavern before we had to leave to join
the East and my brother.

Reports had come in confirming the success
of our plan. The entire Western force was besieging the city. Now
all that remained was for us to do our part and hopefully win the
victory, but I was filled with dark doubts as to the success of the
plan.

How many good people would be lost?

Would I die in the fighting?

Such a concept hadn’t really bothered me
before, but now it did. The precious woman lying next to me
stealing my heat had also stolen my heart. The thought of losing
her or not being able to live a lifetime with her was an unbearable
thought to have to face. Why did all this hardness have to come
when things were just getting good for me?

I was admittedly being selfish. This
confrontation was a lot bigger than me. I had a responsibility to
free these people and come to my brother’s aid and I knew that was
what I would attempt to do. But the potential of what I could lose
haunted me and I held on to the greatest of my heart’s desires, a
little tighter as I prayed for strength and many other things.

I must have squeezed too hard because she
stirred and lifted her head up, her glorious hair going everywhere
with the movement.

“I’m sorry.” I whispered brushing the hair
from her face.

She sat up more fully as she straddled me
and a whole range of different emotions assailed me and I rolled
her off of me to my side, “Don’t you try to distract me Raya! I
have a lot on my mind that I need to think about!”

She squirmed against me and whispering into
my ear she said, “All the more reason!”

I caught her wondering hands and pinned her
beneath me. I looked down at her and she smiled up at me looking
absolutely adorable.

I groaned, “What’s the use!”

She laughed out loud, even as I leaned down
and began to kiss her hard cutting her laugh off.

Later as I still lay awake she propped
herself up on one elbow and studied me, “What concerns you so much
Zevin? Is it the battle? Do you think it’s possible that we might
lose it?”

I nodded yes.

“Why do you say that? Lanorian warriors are
the strongest and most skilled warriors alive on Assoria and you
have over 15,000 of them to command and there are also the 4000
archers from the North as well. You do not think you can crush the
West with such a force, when the chance of catching the enemy by
surprise is assured?”

“I don’t doubt that we can crush the Western
army, but the problem isn’t the West it’s the sorcerer and his
troops of which I’m told there are several thousand of. It’s
predicting what he will do is the problem.”

I looked her in the eyes. Her face was
enigmatic, but I knew what she was trying to hide from me.

“He told you didn’t he? The meddling old
fool!”

She started to roll way, but I pulled her
back and caught sight of the big crystal raindrops making their way
out from her closed eyelids.

“Raya look at me honey!”

She opened big sad and pain filled eyes to
gaze up at me with shame written all over her features.

“You didn’t have to know!” She whispered
brokenly.

“Yes I did! Listen Raya we can’t choose the
parents we’re born to in life or what they do after we’re born. All
we are responsible for is what we do and make of our lives. You are
nothing like your father Raya! So don’t blame yourself for the
evilness of his actions for there is nothing for you to be ashamed
about honey!”

She shook her head rebelliously.

“You’re just saying that! You can’t really
mean that and besides you don’t know everything!”

I caught her face in my hands.

“Raya I love you! I would never lie to you
about anything much less this!”

Her big eyes gazed into mine and must’ve
read the truth of my words there, “You do love me! How?”

“Very easily Raya. I find more to love about
you with every passing moment the Creator has blessed me to have
with you!”

She started bawling and I pulled her close
hating how she had gone without love for so long. After she cleared
up some I leaned her back from me.

“Do you think you could help me some in
regards to what your father might do? I hate to ask you this right
now but……”

Her fingers brushed up against my lips, “I
know.” She said simply.