The light of the sun hit bare skin like a fist. Eyes fared less well. Even closed, there was no escaping its power. The woman made to put her hand over her eyes but it would not obey her. She then noticed she felt nothing except the gentle jostling of her body from side to side. The sun's rays started to weaken as something began to fill the sky. The dust was returning.
The woman knew her body lay prone on the side of a high dune. looking outward, she could see an uncountable number of mountainous dunes stretching far out into the desert. She still could not fathom how the ship taking her from her tropical coast home to her wedding in the Northern Hill Country got shipwrecked in the desert! Through the fog masking her thoughts, she remembered a great storm at sea.... The woman's recollection was interrupted as the masked face similar to her attackers abruptly came into view.
For some reason despite not understanding a word the masked person said, she did not feel afraid. The woman now could tell as the person quickly prepared a cloth structure, she lay on a litter made from the shipwreck's planks. Suddenly, the memory of those strange men's attack on her person surged to the forefront of her mind. She had been injured! Then a darker portion of her ordeal revealed itself, she had also been defiled.... Her lamentation got cut short for the person dragged the litter within the small shelter and then what light there was disappeared with the closing of the cloth flap. The woman felt the person gently cover her face with a cloth and within instants she drifted off to sleep.
The sandstorm had passed and the sun returned with all its infernal might. The Valley Knight stood outside the makeshift shelter and looked out over the desert. Just as he surmised, once more he'd found his way into the Valley. Below the high dunetop lay bands of green foliage on both sides of the river. However, something was not right. The river was not the calmer one he knew well. This river raged with whitewater rapids and no man could build a craft which could navigate them.
He had been to the river's headwaters before and they were not this violent. Also, there were no signs of settlements or any evidence of human activity. The Knight also noted there was no sign of the great lake which could be seen from any high vantage point near the headwaters. The last and most peculiar thing was finding his wife the Priestess being attacked by strange men. She had suffered serious injuries at their hands had been raped by all present as he could tell.
The Knight couldn't get his head around what had happened to her! Surely she had not lost her immense power? His wife seemed unable to understand him as well. Something terrible must have happened while he’d been away. Off came the cloth covering her face and after wiping fine sand from her dry lips, the Knight let his wife sip from the waterskin her attackers bequeathed after their richly deserved demise. Though she managed a few halting sips, to the Knight's eyes things did not look good.
Her lush dark skin grew ashen and a bluish pallor tinted the soft contours of her face. He had seen this look before. Somewhere inside she bled and without knowing where would mean her death. The Knight did his best to make her comfortable and then secured the litter straps around him. If he could get her back into the Valley in time, maybe her power would be restored. While the Knight carefully negotiated the litter down the massive dune, the situation seemed all too familiar.
Months before, he and the Aesir Chief had been tricked into pushing a heavy cart containing a dying old man and boy. The boy turned out to be the dark god Qatula husband of the Priestess. According to the god, the endeavor was a test to gauge the mettle of her latest husband. Having met with the god’s approval, he seemed to have acquired a powerful yet dangerous ally. Long as the Priestess loved him, the Knight knew Qatula would not directly harm him.
It was confusing to the Knight, as Qatula seem to be quite the jealous husband. Yet, Qatula rendered advice and even aid as he challenged Death itself on his behalf. Strangest of all, Qatula was the creator of the terrible weapons he used to cut the blood-drenched road which led to the Valley and into the arms of his wife. The Knight cleared his mind of so taxing a line of thought. He'd reached the bottom of the dune and the raging river lay just beyond the thick line of vegetation.
Hours passed and the sun lowered ever closer to the horizon. The Knight was aware this was the final day to return to the Valley according to his wife's warning. He and his companions had set out to find the Chief's lost men. Instead, they found themselves literally weaving events through their history and learning that each of their existences depended on each other in ways none could have imagined. Well, he and his wife would soon be back in the Valley and there....
The Knight's thought was cut off as he recognized where they now stood. The reason he could not see the massive Lake which made the Valley the fertile garden it was, did not exist. Not yet. Angry whitewater rapids cascaded over the largest falls the Knight ever laid eyes upon into a vast and deep basin. From his vantage point, the massive pile of boulders which would become the Great Dam looked minuscule in the distance. Judging from where he now stood, the shore of the lake he knew would be many feet above. By the Knight’s estimate even with the river's tremendous power, it would take thousands of years to fill the basin!
The Knight put the litter down carefully and sat beside it. Despite his understanding of all that happened, he dumbfounded by this turn of fate. The woman who lay dying on the litter was not his beloved wife. He had returned home. But just as the Chief had done, the Knight was far outside his time! Then it occurred to him without Little Fish, there was no way for him to return to the proper time. The Knight struck himself across the face and said, "Stop that kind of thinking man! No matter what, you are here because you are supposed to be!"
A large dark shadow crossed him from behind and the Knight swiftly turned while drawing the copper sword taken from the woman's attackers. Astonished by what he beheld, the Knight gasped, "You!" Landing with a cloud of swirling dust raised by mighty wings, the Goddess herself appeared. The Knight was overjoyed yet cautious for the entity standing nearly three heads taller leveled jewel-like amber eyes upon him with a sternness that sliced through to bone. Her night-blue armor was unbelievably battle-scarred and within armored hands, she held the golden Great War Spear in a horizontal ready position just above her knees. Happy as he was to see her, the Knight remembered Death's warning of his wife having spilled oceans of blood.
When the Goddess spoke, the Knight felt the sand vibrate at the sound. "Mortal son, I know not why or how you have trespassed into this holy place, but you are not welcome. Tell me quickly then I shall give you benefit of a quick death." Her no-nonsense tone was all the Knight needed to know for certain this was not his 'wife'. Not yet. Giving a respectful bow as he would any land's ruler the Knight then replied, "Please forgive my intrusion mighty Goddess. Why I've come is simple. How I arrived is not."
"You dare mock me mortal?" said the Goddess as dark clouds began to gather. The Knight was glad to know his wife's moods were similar deep in the past. However, dark clouds rolling in was always bad. Looking up at her, the Knight was struck by how beautiful she was outside her mortal shell and not glowing with power. Sincerely the Knight replied, "No Goddess, please forgive my indirect answer. I am knocked off balance by your beauty." And she was, thought the Knight. Her hair hung about her shoulders like black silk and her dark skin had a golden hue to it.
The Goddess tightened her grip on her spear shaft and that let the Knight know she was thinking about what he said. A long tense moment passed and the Goddess replied, "It has been a very long time since a mortal has attempted to woo me." Her amber eyes lit up and she laughed with the power of thunder. The Knight had not spent this much time with the goddess side of his wife and never saw her exhibit this behavior. Suddenly, the business end of her golden spear lay flatside against his borrowed sword. The sharp ring of the blades touching hurt his ears.
"I'll have your name mortal." The Knight knew better than to give his name to a divine being with nothing in exchange. He also knew he had to be very careful with his answer. Though he had never seen his wife in combat, he witnessed her give powerful entities like the Mountain God, Qatula and even Death reason to pause. Without blinking the Knight replied, "Great Goddess, you know it would be unwise for me to give my name without something in return."
Again the goddess laughed and the ground shook. The Knight was beginning to understand why his wife was always reluctant to exhibit her true power. Even her laughter was potentially dangerous. With the spear blade still in contact with his sword the goddess retorted, "It is obvious that you have had dealings with otherworldly beings. You realize I can take whatever I want from you?" Again the Knight knew he was in a good position. His wife never wasted time with anything that wasn't important or peaked her interest. Even in her true form, there was the tell-tale sparkle in her eyes that showed she was amused.
While still maintaining contact with the spear blade, the Knight stood and faced the goddess. "Without doubt you can take whatever you want goddess. I could not dream of matching your power or prowess. Besides, what fun would it be to just take my name from me when you could wager for it?" The goddess looked at him sternly and the Knight actually felt her gaze pushing him backwards.
"Mortal, can you imagine the number of great heroes who have tried to trick me and failed?" The Knight steeled himself for his wife had hinted about such events when warning those who tried duplicity with her. The consequences were always best avoided. Grunting while trying to hold his place, the Knight replied, "I merely wish fair exchange and to possibly help you and the woman with me." Cocking her head the goddess snarled, "What? You have no desires for vast treasures or power over others? Or perhaps you want immortality? That is the one they all ask for! So which is it mortal? Be quick for I am no longer amused."
© 2011 H. Wolfgang Porter. All Rights Reserved.
Replies