Akira Rises (11 page)

She patted Pegasus's neck and spoke. “What is it about having something hanging’ between their legs that makes men think they are superior? The world can survive with less men. One man could help many women make babies. Men are highly over rated.” Pegasus's ears twitched as if he was listening intently. “Women children and old men do all the hard work anyhow while the warmongering men are off ransacking other kingdoms and lands. Who needs them? I shall find my mother's people. I shall find someone to teach me to fight to protect myself, and you of course. There were women soldiers in the past. Women have fought beside men before. You don’t understand a thing I’m saying, do you, boy? It’s not a problem, Pegasus. I’m trying to convince myself, not you. I’ve you, food, water, a map and being alone is good.”

Soft clucking sounds signaled to Pegasus it was time to move. Akira did not need to nudge her gentle giant with her heels. Pegasus was eager to move on. His velvety nostrils flared. His long tail swished and raised. His rider smiled.
I can do this, I’m doing this!
She shivered as a pang of doubt penetrated her thoughts and tested her newly found courage. Part of her wanted to turn back and face the devil she knew rather than face a devil she didn’t know, and part of her felt exhilaration.
I’m so alone. Alone right now... is good. Enjoy it, embrace it. Alone is safer and if I tell myself so enough times I will believe it. It was much easier last night when anger made everything else insignificant. I’m either a fool or brave. I choose brave. If I want to be a warrior I must be brave.

She thought about what perils could be ahead. Wild animals roamed the grasslands. A startled wild pig could be very fearsome. Boars especially were cranky. Their tusks could do much damage. Wild bison could knock down a horse. A cow protecting her calf was every bit as dangerous as a bull. Akira realized she was letting her imagination run wild. And then there were the wild things that she had never seen, but stories were told of creatures with four eyes, two heads, ogres, dragons and trees that could grab a passerby and devour them. The lands around the manor she had called home had been safe for many years, for as long as she could remember. But rumors were surfacing more frequently of frightening beasts returning to the relatively quiet kingdom by ways made for them by the black robed mages. Friars disappearing, village maidens disappearing, gave credibility to the rumors. Then there were the dark shadowy figures that she saw with her own eyes. The dark shadows in the sky followed the black mages her father conspired with.

She told herself she had more to fear from two legged monsters than any four legged beasts roaming the grasslands, and the biggest two legged monster was behind her, not ahead. Fear would be her friend, she decided. She would not allow it to control her, for then it would be her enemy. Controlling it was easier said than done. She knew that from experience. She looked over her shoulder. She steered her horse towards the highest point ahead of her. It would be wise to keep watching for riders or foot travelers ahead of her and behind her, by seeking high vantage points. Like a hunted deer she instinctively knew to not stand tall and have her silhouette etched in the horizon. She dismounted and carefully crawled to the summit of the nearest hill. Seeing nothing alarming ahead or behind she determined it was safe to leave the rolling hills and traverse the flatter plains. On the plains, prairie fowl flew up from behind clumps of grass. They flew up high then settled a safe distance away. Akira made a mental note that if birds flew up farther ahead of them, she was likely not the only traveler.

Hours later when she saw birds, large dark birds in the sky ahead of her, circling high, she steered away, veering far from the circling scavengers. Ravens or vultures? She did not care to find out. It was likely there was kill site ahead. The dark and sinister looking scavengers were waiting their turn to feed on what whatever was below. Man or beast she wondered? What predator was still at work that kept the dark birds circling? No matter. Satisfying her curiosity was not worth any risk. She would avoid the danger and keep alert. Wolves roamed the plains. Men roamed the plains, hunters, like the wolves. A warning shiver travelled down her spine. She tightened her legs against Pegasus's sides. He quickened his pace, ready to break into a gallop with just a little more encouragement. It was as if he too knew there was danger beneath the wings in the sky.

Akira held back from the urge to give rein to Pegasus. Galloping would pound the earth sending sound vibrations out radiating from them like ripples on a still pond, when a rock disturbs still waters. Far better to hold a steady brisk walk, looking and listening for danger.

It was not long thereafter, leaving the circling birds far behind, a new danger caught Akira’s attention. Noticing small mounds of dirt becoming more frequent on the ground around her she realized there were rodents burrowing into the landscape. Their holes and tunnels beneath the sod posed a danger to Pegasus. She caught site of a few of their sentinels who whistled their alarms before ducking down their holes. Should a hoof break through the sod into a hole at a gallop, he could break a leg at worst, and come up lame at best. She slowed Pegasus down to a watchful walk. She decided she could afford the extra time to keep Pegasus safe. With no one in sight chasing them, she would risk continuing to parallel the well-traveled roads and paths. Well-worn paths would not have had the same risk factor. But well-worn paths were more likely to have people traveling on them.

Staying away from well-worn paths was a much pondered over calculated risk. To chance meeting travelers alone on the vast prairie lands was dangerous enough when accompanied by armed guards. Travelling alone was more so. It was foolhardy. A girl armed only with a knife was no match for bandits who would gladly steal her horse and leave her to face the scavengers if they had no use for her. Trading one prison for another was a possibility if she let down her guard. Far better to stay away from danger. She could not be too cautious. Akira knew she had to outwit the men that would come after her. Cunning would have to replace strength. Endurance was her strength. Resolve was her strength. Freedom was to be earned.

As the day wore on she knew by now there would be search parties looking for a silly female on a dappled light grey heavy horse looking for refuge in one of the local villages. They would not be looking for a boy or a young man heading for the mountains.

Her thoughts turned back to her father. Baron Rolfe hated being thwarted. If he caught her, he would beat her and make her watch as he killed Pegasus.
We must not get caught dear Pegasus. If you die, my heart will be broken. I shall never have another chance of escape for I shall be under lock and key until I die or am broken and obedient. I’d rather die than submit.
Safely past the dirt mounds and underground labyrinths of the very industrious prairie rodents, the young woman who left all traces of childhood behind her, the young woman who looked like a boy, on a black horse, that was really almost a white horse, nudged her horse into a gallop. The plains ahead of her were even more open, and she did not want to take her time crossing them. She would be too exposed. She had to get across the last of the brown grass covered plains to reach the foothills before the mountains. In the foothills there was a small village where she could buy more food and hire a guide for the mountains. She gave Pegasus his head and they raced across the plains. Her eyes scanned the prairie looking for signs of rodent tunneled ground. It was exhilarating to race into the wind. When her mount slowed of his own accord she patted his neck and thanked him for his speed and the distance he had covered safely.
Only the wings of your namesake would have carried me faster.
Her
thoughts were full of gratitude.
I’m lucky so far.
I hope it is not at Ann or Tom’s expense. May the god of my father’s people protect them. May the spirits of my mother’s people protect them.

If everything went according to plan, she would beat the snowfalls. Her thought turned from prayer to her own safety.
According to plan.... stick to the plan
. A surge of sadness engulfed her. Already the plan had been changed. For this was to have been an escape for two, accompanied by a guide and a body guard. She looked back over her shoulder. A new feeling of being watched was hard to shake. It was nothing she could put a finger on. A roaming raven flew high above her. Was it the raven’s eyes causing the feeling? She shook herself mentally. A silly bird was nothing to worry about. She looked at the mountains. The tops of the majestic peaks were already covered in brilliant white fresh snow. The snow line was creeping further and further down. Soon the pass into the mountains would be a closed wall of white, an effective gate for those who may have thought to look for her in the direction of the mountains. She needed to reach the sanctuary of the White Rose ahead of the impending snows. Thankfully, the skies were still blue. There was no sign of grey impending clouds in the horizon north, south, east or west.

The winds picked up speed as the afternoon wore on. The wind was in their faces. Chapped lips, and dry eyes added discomfort. Riding against the wind was adding fatigue to both horse and rider. Akira turned Pegasus for a moment so their backs would be to the wind. As she raised her flask to drink she spotted dust billowing up in the far distance. Riders! Her heart beat faster. Had someone picked up her trail or was it by chance they were behind her? Dare she not assume they were enemies? She wondered how she could slow them down. The wind had been taxing enough and Pegasus was tiring. Suddenly, the answer to her dilemma was the very wind she had cursed for the last few hours.

The dried grasses of the plains were brown and tinder dry. A grass fire will slow down the riders if they are actually following me. If the riders are not actually following me, they will have time to avoid the fire by skirting it. It could buy me more time. The riders' dust was still heading straight for her. She could not see them yet over the soft swells of the landscape. She slid off her horse and dug her tinder box and flint out of her satchel. She quickly started striking the flint in a thick clump of prairie grass. Her cold fingers fumbled at first. She took a steadying breath and tried again. Within seconds a spark took hold and the grasses started burning. The flames spread quickly, racing ahead of the wind. Satisfied that flames would be between herself and whomever was behind her Akira remounted and urged Pegasus into a canter.

She regretted setting the prairie on fire, but she feared what was behind her more than the daunting and dangerous mountains ahead. When she looked back, a wall of fire high as a horse's shoulders was racing ahead of the wind. The fire had found a stretch of high dried grasses. The riders behind her would be forced to divert their course. Akira now thanked the wind she had earlier cursed.

Hours later, she reached the foothills and the cover of tree lines. Pegasus was exhausted. She was exhausted. She looked for the greenest, tallest trees and grass ahead of her and headed for them. With any luck, she hoped she would find water. Her mother had schooled her well on how to find water. The escape plan had been years in the making. She just never thought she would be going alone.

Her keen observations were rewarded. A small creek provided Pegasus a much needed drink, and some almost green grass. Akira slid off Pegasus and checked his legs for any signs of heat and inflammation. They had travelled hard with few breaks. His legs felt sound. There were no warning hot spots. Akira was relieved. She hugged his neck when he raised it from the creek. Water dripped off his soft muzzle. The soot was wearing off. Much of it was on Akira now. She dusted her clothes off. “I'll bet we are make a sorry sight.”

“Well Pegasus,” she said, looking around. “This place is as good as any to make camp tonight. The sun is going down and we need to rest.” She uncinched the saddle and put it under a group of thick evergreen trees. The thick sweeping branches would be a canopy over her makeshift bed. It would be another night without a fire. Well at least a campfire. She smiled. She had done her fire setting for the day. She wished she could have enjoyed a small portion of the warmth it had created. Looking outward to where she had come from, she saw no sign of riders. The smoke behind her had dissipated hours ago. She rubbed down Pegasus with her hands and then washed her blackened hands and smudged face in the creek. The water felt good but it did not remove all the sooty smudges. She looked as if she had been assisting a chimney sweep. Her feminine features were masked by oily smudges. Had she seen her face she would have approved. Her eyebrows had accumulated a fair share of the soot that transferred from her hands to her forehead. It made them look thicker, bushier, masculine. She tethered her horse close to the creek and listened to the sound of grass being greedily ripped and chewed. It was almost a rhythmic peaceful sound.

As the sun faded so did any vestiges of warmth in the air. Akira shivered. She felt grubby and dirty despite her quick splashes to remove dust and refresh herself. She checked her food supplies. She had chewed on jerky strips whenever her stomach growled, and nibbled on the dried berries. The biscuits were gone. She had a carrot for morning. She would need to find the small village at the foot of the mountain.
I can buy food soon, and perhaps a bath,
she thought as she let herself relax
She dreamed of soaking in a hot tub and scrubbing the dust and soot from her skin, then chastised herself. She needed to look like a tired and weary messenger carrying an important message to the White Rose monastery. A bath was a long way off. For the time at hand, she would have to satisfy her desire for cleanliness with a splash in the cold creek. Being a messenger to the White Rose would afford her a safer passage among those who knew of the reputation of the White Rose and respected it, or feared it. Those who harmed friends and allies of the White Robes often disappeared without a trace. Akira mulled over what she knew, and decided fear of the unknown was probably stronger than fear of what people could understand. It seemed like a good strategy to scare the scat out of people with warnings of enemies they could not assess. The White Rose were a mysterious society, a society very able to protect their place of sanctuary. It was rumored ghosts protected them. White ghosts, and dragons....