Forest & Kingdom Balance (13 page)

It was a beautiful morning, both in the Forest and
at Angel Falls. The Caretaker had come to the gate to watch over
the royal family’s picnic at the glade. John also knew of the
planned picnic and used the occasion to try and convince the
Caretaker to allow him to begin his duties as a Sentinel.

“I admire your enthusiasm John, but you shouldn’t
even begin your training until you’re sixteen. You have a few years
yet to play before I put you to work.” The Caretaker hoped that a
smile and soft voice would lessen the boy’s disappointment.

“Please, I’m farther along than you think. Watch!”
John opened his mind to the Caretaker as he concentrated on the
mist. Instantly the mist disappeared to reveal the glade in every
detail. John scanned the entire area watching the scurry of
activity as the canopy was raised and the food set out for the
day.

The Caretaker was impressed. At John’s age it should
have taken much longer to cross the gate and even then, his sight
should have been more limited. He gave John’s proposal a moment’s
consideration, then scanned the area himself. Although the
Caretaker’s scan was a bit more encompassing. From the glade to the
coast and an equal distance in every direction, he sensed no flames
of life that would threaten the Kingdom.

“This might be best.”
He
thought to himself,
“Not to mention that
Catherine would love a surprise afternoon picnic.”
He looked
at John sternly, seeming to examine every aspect of the young man.
“Hmmm? This is a tremendous responsibility you are asking to take
on. You know that, don’t you?” The Caretaker could barely keep his
stern countenance intact. He knew that there was no danger, and if
he was going to be honest with himself, he was there to be near
Diana, if only from a distance. Perhaps it would be healthier if he
did not stay.

“All right young man, it’s against my better
judgment but I will allow you to be the royal family’s Sentinel for
today on these conditions.” The Caretaker deepened his eyes and set
his jaw, if only to keep from smiling. “You make me aware
beforehand of any training you begin on your own, and I want your
solemn promise to follow my directives on the pace of your training
even if you think you can go faster. Agreed?”

“Yes Sir! I promise!”

Excitement filled John as the Caretaker flew off.
The sole responsibility of the royal family’s safety was now in his
hands. John knew that he needed to be conscientious in his duties,
so he looked to each part of the glade as far as he could sense. He
started out at his limit and worked his way in. The last area he
looked toward were the shallows closest to the entry ledge. That’s
when he saw her.

He girl was about his age. She was sitting in the
shallows swirling the water with her hand as the mist and spray
from the falls cooled her. Her wet, black hair flowed down her back
and into the water where the ends seemed to flow with the eddies.
He realized that this was Dionara, the young princess he had heard
of all his life.

As he watched her, the flame of her being engulfed
him. Its purity and strength was greater than any he had ever
sensed. Emotion overwhelmed him, love, desire, longing, and lust
fed the inferno that his flame had become. He sat down quickly to
calm the dizziness, embarrassed and self-conscious of his own
physical reaction. Time seemed to be nonexistent as he followed her
from morning into afternoon to the exclusion of all else. He felt
her relax as she lain in the sun, he felt her happiness at a
playful swim, and he felt her joyful satisfaction as she sampled
the sweet desserts.

By early afternoon his thoughts had split. While
part of him sensed Dionara sunning herself after a delightful
lunch, another part of him dreamt of what it would be like to spend
time with her. Suddenly his thoughts were viciously and painfully
brought back to reality.

An incredible mental scream filled his being. Fear,
anger, and pain blasted his mind for a brief second and were
silenced. He looked to the canopy where Diana and Stefan were
seated in the shade. Two men were standing over them, their swords
dripping with blood. Diana lie on the ground with her head nearly
severed from her body. Stefan slumped in his chair unmoving, his
shirt and trousers stained with blood.

The four guards and the few attendants rushed toward
the intruders. John stood frozen as the tableau played out before
his eyes, his heart pounded. Unable to think, unable to move, he
could only stand there and with the full abilities of his gift,
experience each blow as the ruthless murders dispatched the retinue
one by one.

Suddenly he remembered Dionara. He shifted his
senses to where she had been. She too stood frozen with fear and
shock. Her emotions filled him, bringing his to even greater
intensity. He watched in horror as the last of the guards were
brutally cut down. He could not hide from the agony of terror and
pain that consumed him as his heart pounded even harder.

John and Dionara, mirrors of each other on either
side of the gate unable to move, watched as the assassin approached
her. The murderer knew terror when he saw it and took his time. He
knew full well that she could not move. John’s heart seemed to
burst from his chest with each beat as the murderer raised his
sword, his mouth twisted in a hideous smile.

Pound! Pound! Pound! Battered by his own heart, John
could only watch. Suddenly a blur flew past him through the gate. A
falcon emerged from the falls and flew into the face of the
Dionara’s attacker. One talon slashing the man’s eyes while the
other opened an artery at his neck. The murder’s death strike
missed Dionara by a hair’s breadth.

Pound! Pound! Pound! Silence.

John’s eyes snapped open from the nightmare. In a
perfect silence with no heartbeat, he watched as the circle of his
vision receded. “How peaceful,” was his last thought.

Slam!

John felt as if his chest had exploded, there was a
pause. Then once more he felt as if a powerful blow had struck him.
The pauses quickly lessened and the intensity reduced as his heart
returned to its normal rhythm.

“I hate these nights. I really do.” The fleeting
thought was spoken aloud as he turned on his side and fell back to
sleep.

Interlude

Discovery

In the Forest, where the essence of life expresses
itself so completely that it permeates your very being, it would be
difficult to say that one place is more breathtaking than another,
but as with all generalities there are exceptions.

Centuries ago while working with Palinar and the
Mindow refugees, the Caretaker took note of a young woman’s deep
affinity for the land. She and her husband were among those that
the Caretaker worked closely with and in time invited to live in
the Forest. Her reaction as she stepped through the gate was one of
complete immersion. She suddenly realized how incomplete she had
been.

Over the years she would often go exploring far from
the Forest village, each new scene and vista filled her with a
renewed joy and deepened her understanding of the land. As she set
out on one such trip to the foothills of the western mountain
range, she had no idea that her understanding was about to take a
giant leap forward.

She emerged from a pass just below the mountains and
was instantly mesmerized by the magnificent valley she saw before
her. In what felt like a dream, she dismounted and sat in
meditation to accept the land’s gift of serenity. The shear beauty
of the scene was incredible, but what she felt went far beyond
sight. It was as if she had joined souls with the land. She shared
in the experience of a breeze as it stroked gentle patterns across
swaying grasses like an artist’s brush on canvas. Her being soared
before the dual imagery of white capped mountains against a deep
azure sky mirrored in the lake’s serene surface, broken only by
slightest ripple from the lips of doe and fawn.

The Mindow believe that what we know of life is
merely a splinter, a glimpse of a greater reality. They have always
sought to expand their knowledge of what it is to be human, or just
to be. The highest expression of this desire to learn and grow is
the concept ‘Spirit.’ To some Mindow Spirit is a being, the Prime
Creator. Others believe that Spirit is the collective of all that
is the greater reality. Yet others believe that Spirit is within
each of us. To understand the Mindow is to understand that they
define faith as a path, one of learning, growth, and discovery
unique to each individual.

Deep in meditation, the young woman knew that she
was experiencing something of the greater reality, something beyond
her life’s knowledge and accepted that fact without the need of
knowing how or why. Neither did she question how she knew the
valley’s name, Spirit’s Vale.

Hundreds of years after the experience of Spirit’s
Vale had sent a young woman’s soul to new heights, four riders
traveled that same mountain pass. Time had little changed the land
with one exception, set in among the white birch trees where the
valley rose to meet the mountains stood a chalet.

The Caretaker, Catherine, and John had timed their
entrance for maximum effect. They hung back at the final turn to
let their guest take the lead. Foil stopped just as the valley came
into view. The sun was well overhead and slightly to Dionara’s
back, she had experienced many wonders in the last week, but none
compared to this.

She was both within her body and free from it. She
experienced, as much as viewed, what was before her. Spring
wildflowers carpeted the valley in vibrant color from the richest
violets to the most delicate pastels and every hue between. Deer,
rabbit, squirrel, and fox all scurried about their daily routine
beside a pristine lake where reflected clouds floated across the
surface like the billowed sails of mighty ships. After a few
moments John rode up beside her, with a gentle hand he reached over
to take Foil’s reins and led the transfixed pair toward the
chalet.

As they neared the building Dionara’s sense of
normality returned, though as a side thought she wondered if normal
would ever be normal again. The closer they came, the more her
attention was drawn to the chalet. It wasn’t a building as much as
a work of art designed to complement the beauty that surrounded it.
The craftsmanship was astonishing. She found it hard to believe
that it was made by human hands.

The four walked from room to room at a pace that
allowed Dionara time to appreciate the experience. She felt as if
she had entered a living work of art, lovingly crafted, and noted
that from the furniture, to the decor, to every detail of its
construction, it was a masterpiece. In the main bedroom she found a
portrait of her mother as a young woman, she had to wipe away her
tears to see all the wonders clearly.

The main room seemed to be set up for the intimacy
of lovers, soft fabrics were accented by the sweeping curves of
deep toned hardwoods. A large love seat was positioned at just the
right angle to the fireplace to warm without scorching the lovers.
Off to the side hung her parent’s wedding portrait next to a group
of less formal paintings of a young girl, of her as a child.

The Caretaker walked to a cabinet below the
portraits and removed a long, intricately carved wooden box. He
lifted the lid and handed it to her. Inside was a rolled parchment,
she opened it and read.

To Diana and Stefan

When crowns become weighty and duty demanding,

A chalet at Spirit’s Vale will come in oh so
handy!

Every artist joined the fray,

Every craftsman had their say,

With our love for you both

On your Wedding Day.

“I apologize my Lady but it would be best if you
settled in quickly. There are many luxuries here but time is not
among them. We must begin your training soon.” The Caretaker’s
words were the first spoken since they entered the valley.

Chapter Four

Conversations

I

“We could use a little help here!” Tre shouted.

“What can I do?”
Raphael’s
mind raced to think of a way he could help. He gripped the saddle
horn tightly as Tre spurred the horse to even greater speed. Trees
flew by in a blur narrowly missing the riders. Tre held his sword
at the ready with his right while working the reins and holding
Raphael with his left. Two of the slave hunters had moved ahead and
could cut them off at any moment.

The lead pair turned to intercept them. Surrounded,
Tre pulled up and lowered Raphael quickly from the saddle. “Stay
behind me with your back to the tree.” He instructed.

Raphael drew his sword and stepped out from behind,
“Help you asked for and help you shall have!” He stood next to his
friend in a spread stance with his weight on the balls of his feet
as Tre had shown him.

“What?” Tre glanced quickly from the circle of the
half dozen armed men closing in around them. “Oh.” He gave Raphael
a quick smile, and then turned his attention back to the hunters.
“Good stance but stay behind me all right, help is on the way. All
we have to do is stay alive a little while longer.”

Raphael watched as the hunters suddenly stopped and
crouched down. They began to look around as if in fear of something
unseen. The closest hunter then stood and yelled to the others.
“Get up you jackals, it’s just the mountain’s witchery, now move in
or I’ll really give you something to be afraid of!”

The sound of a predator’s growl came from behind
them, deep, slow and threatening. Tre and Raphael instinctively
turned to look just as two cougars sprang on the hunters who had
cut them off. In a flash both men were down, a few quick strides
and the cougars were in front of Tre and Raphael as they faced the
remaining four. Tre’s horse suddenly bolted along with the hunter’s
mounts.