The Journey Pt IV - David Lorefield

The Journey - by David Lorefield
Pt 4 (final) – Blood and Fire

I finally arrived at Miss Eva’s castle with only a hint remaining of the ill humour I’d been feeling since crossing the bridge. The walk had calmed me somewhat and I could now look forward to the return trip and seeing my Mistress once again. I missed Her every time I was parted from Her. She had become my whole purpose and like my only wish, my only worth was being in Her service.

I knocked firmly on the door and could hear the sound echo through the halls beyond. After a short time the door opened and there was Gregie, Miss Eva’s faithful servant. I had seen Gregie a few times now and we’d become firm friends.

“Hello David” he said cheerfully. “My Mistress is waiting for you in the library. Come through.”
I smiled, and followed Gregie through the large entrance hall and up the stairs. He led me into a smallish room lined with shelves on which there were hundreds of tomes similar to the one I was carrying. On one side of the room was a low table with a reading lamp and beside it in a large padded chair sat Miss Eva. Gregie and I both knelt, he with his knees apart and mine together, as I knew to be the correct way. Miss Eva’s voice rang around the room like a bell.

“David – welcome to my home. I see you have the book from Your Mistress. Bring it here, please.”

“Greetings Miss Eva” I replied. “Here it is.”

I shuffled forward and presented the book with my hands out and my head bowed. Miss Eva took the book from me and I shuffled back again. She examined the book carefully and looked at me, smiling.

“Good boy. Tell me – weren’t you tempted to look inside? A book of power could teach you many things.” She looked straight in my eyes, seeking my response on more than one level.

“No, Miss Eva. I had been warned that I would be destroyed by it if I were to look.”

Miss Eva laughed, throwing Her head back. She regained Her composure and smiled at me again.

“Destiny has a wicked sense of humour sometimes. Its only ward is to protect it from the ravages of time and weather. Still, it shows you can be trusted. I have something to give to your Mistress - a gift for Her friendship and support. Carry it well and return safely.”

She held out Her hand, clenched around something small. I shuffled forward once again and cupped my hands to catch the object. Miss Eva dropped it onto my awaiting hands and I looked. It was a small pendant on a fine gold chain. The pendant was in the shape of a teardrop, curled around and pierced through, like those forming part of the design on the book cover. I closed my fist gently around it, bowed and moved back once more.

“Go now, David. It’s getting late and it’ll be dark before you get home.”

I nodded, “Thank You and farewell Miss Eva. Bye Gregie.”Gregie and I rose, bowed and left the room. When we got to the front door, I looked out and could see that it was beginning to get dark already. The sky was full of menacing clouds and I felt spots of rain on my cheek. Gregie handed me a cloak and waved me off as I headed down the path towards home.

The rain got steadily worse all the way to the bridge. The wind rose and lashed water into my face like shards of glass. IT was difficult to see where I was treading and the journey was taking twice as long as it should have done. By the time I was crossing the water, the storm was reaching full force. The water was a boiling cauldron and no reflections looked back at me this time. I stepped off the bridge and hurried into the trees hoping the forest would give me some shelter.

The struggle against the storm had made me very weary and my legs began to feel like lead each time I took another step. I needed a short rest to recover my strength and continue. The last vestiges of daylight had already disappeared and in the cold, damp wood, darkness surrounded me like a black shroud. I fell to the ground exhausted under a large oak tree and sat with my back to the trunk, cloak pulled over my head, seeking a little rest and shelter. I was about to close my eyes when I heard the crack of a twig under a boot and the voices of men approaching. I could see a faint light coming from the direction of the forest path so I scampered around to the back of the tree and crouched low behind the scrub and ferns.

The men stepped forward and I could see enough by their light to tell they were not from the Dominion. Under their fine, ornate cloaks, they wore robes of the finest silk with intricate designs embroidered into them. They wore fine harnesses around their waists and over their shoulders from which hung crafted swords and knives. Gorean Masters, I guessed. What were they doing here?

I moved to get a better look but my foot fell heavily on some twigs and a loud crack eported through the trees. The men turned in my direction and I panicked. I jumped up and began to run through the trees into the forest. They gave chase, shouting and cursing as they ran through the trees, gaining on me with every step/ Suddenly, one shouted and I heard a faint whistling sound before something struck me hard on the back of the head. I raised my hand and felt warm blood as I fell to the ground and faded out of consciousness.
……..
Lights swirled in my head and pain drummed inside my skull. In the maelstrom of patterns I could see my Mistress, calling to me with words I couldn’t understand. I could see books dancing in blue fire and golden teardrops swimming menacingly in crystal clear water. I saw a house, strangely shaped, on the edge of a field, with lights blazing from its windows. I saw men chasing me with swords of blood red steel and shields of black glass, then darkness again.
……..
Light and patterns began to stream into my eyes. As they opened more fully, I saw trees around me. The ground was damp. Dawn was breaking and the rain had stopped. The strange angle of my vision told me I was lying on the ground. As I tried to move, my head screamed in pain. I got up slowly and raising my hand to my head, I could feel blood oozing from a painful wound behind my left ear. I looked down and saw a broken branch at my feet smeared red with my blood. Looking around I could see the remains of a fire in the small clearing. A rough circle of grey ash was all that remained. I tried to recall what had happened the night before and remembered coming out to investigate the strange blue light in the woods. Yes – there had been a strange blue light and a disk of black glass. And I had fallen….where? I tried to recall and the memories were fading like dreams in the morning.

Miss Destiny, Dominion – was it all a dream? Had I been hit on the head by the breaking branch and dreamt the whole thing? Just then, there was a cold breath of wind through the trees and I felt a chill on my neck. I raised my hand to see what it was and felt a cold hard band of metal around my neck. I looked down once again at the place where I’d fallen and saw a glittering shape. I bent down and picked it up holding it in the growing light.

It was a golden chain holding a golden teardrop. ……

As each day passes, I carry on with my life, working, relaxing, seeing my friends. I smile and joke but inside I am crying out. It was real, not just a dream. Nothing is the same for me now. Miss Destiny is gone, along with Miss Eva, Gregie and my other friends. No longer do I have a Mistress to serve and I feel incomplete. Will I ever be whole again? I wear the collar under my shirt and the pendant I carry with me everywhere, in the hope that one day I’ll see another strange light, another obsidian disk, and I will fall into Dominion once again. When that day comes, I will be ready.

The End……..?