The Cavalier (12 page)

He would make things right, he promised to himself. He would take his new gift and do something good. Jonas unsheathed the beautiful hunting knife that he had taken from the dead cavalier. The blade was always bright and razor sharp and much lighter than it should be for a knife that was as long as his forearm. It was the most magnificent weapon he had ever seen.

Wiping away the last of his tears he took the knife and began to skin the deer as Fil had taught him. There was no way he could carry it all back, so he took the best pieces with the idea that he would come back for the rest if the mountain animals didn’t scavenge the carcass. He wrapped the meat in the leather skin and stuffed it in his backpack.

Looking down at the dead animal he felt like he needed to say something. After all it was the first animal he had ever killed and Fil had explained to him that a good hunter should always thank the animal for its bounty.

“Thank you. Thank you for giving me your life, and your energy, so that I may grow strong to fight against the evil in the world.” It sounded good, and Jonas smiled, walking away through the snow.

The walk back to the cave was peaceful. The snow was falling lightly and the forest was quiet and calm. Jonas was nearing the lake when he suddenly got a burning sensation on his chest, the skin erupting with a fiery pain, causing him to fall to his knees. His mind was assaulted by several flashing images as his chest throbbed.

In his mind’s eye he saw the cave entrance, and nearing it was a large form, probably twice as tall as a big man. It was wearing dirty furs that covered a strong hairy body. In its right hand it carried a huge knotted club that was more a log than anything else. The image came and went leaving Jonas holding himself steady next to a tall pine, one hand rubbing his chest where the brief pain had erupted.

Then it came to him; it was a warning! “Fil,” Jonas whispered with fear. He quickly dropped his pack, picking up his bow he ran as fast as his snowshoes could carry him towards the cave entrance.

He was panting with exertion as he neared the cave, but he was right. Lumbering towards the cave mouth was a huge ogre. The beast was walking slowly, sniffing the air with its grotesque nose as if it were tracking something. Jonas knew that it must have detected the scent of Fil, the fire, or something that grabbed its attention. Jonas had to warn Fil or he would be trapped inside the cave with no escape route. He had never seen an ogre before, but he had heard from others that they were big and strong and they loved human flesh. They were not often seen but they were known to inhabit the Tundren Mountains. According to the stories he had heard they were not very bright and Jonas was hoping that would work to their advantage.

Jonas quickly and quietly dashed from tree to tree closing the gap between them. He was frightened and his heart pounded in his chest. The monster was huge, but Jonas willed himself to calm down, taking slow deep breaths as he came within bow range of the beast.

Suddenly the ogre turned and sniffed the air behind him. Jonas knew that the breeze was blowing towards him so there was no way the ogre would smell him. Unfortunately the wind direction made it so Jonas could clearly smell the ogre, and it was a strong scent of animalistic musk mixed with the odor of wet and dirty fur, probably from the skins the thing wore over most of its powerful body. Jonas ducked behind a large tree and pulled back tighter on the nocked arrow, ready to fire if need be. Jonas slowly peeked around the tree and saw the ugly beast sniff the air. Large gaping nostrils flared in hopes of detecting a potential meal. Its cave-like mouth was slightly agape, exposing large yellow fangs. Small beady eyes were buried deep in a thick bony brow and its misshapen head was covered in a filthy mat of hair that hung past its shoulders.

The ogre turned around, starting back towards the cave’s mouth, its massive tree trunk legs sinking deep into the snow with every step.

Jonas looked around, unsure of what to do. If the monster saw him there was no way that he could out run the beast’s long strides in the snow. He would be forced to fight, and that was something that Jonas knew would not end well. Maybe Fil wasn’t even in the cave, but that was unlikely and Jonas knew that he couldn’t take that chance.

Looking around frantically, Jonas was praying for a miracle. He looked up and got an idea. Quickly he unlaced his snow shoes; quietly strapping the bow to his back he began to climb a large pine tree, holding his breath as he tried to be silent. He pulled himself up to a height of about ten paces. Taking up his bow he re-nocked an arrow, aiming through a hole in the branches. He could clearly make out the beast that was about eighty paces away. It was a long shot but the ogre was huge and Jonas knew that he wouldn’t miss its broad back.

He aimed at the center of the ogre’s torso and slowed his breathing down, his nerves causing his bow arm to shake and threatening his aim. He closed his eyes and thought of his friend that might be in that cave. Focusing on his rapid heartbeat he concentrated on its rhythm. Taking deep slow breaths the beating of his heart began to slow.
 

After he calmed himself, he opened his eyes, sighted in the beast, let out a slow breath, and released the shaft with a twang. Quickly he nocked another and before the other arrow hit its mark he already had the second arrow flying through the air. The first arrow struck the beast in its lower back. The ogre bellowed with pain, turning around to take the next arrow right in the hip. Again the beast roared and looked around for its assailant.

Jonas could see that the arrows did not sink in deep, the monster’s thick skin and the dirty furs that clothed him served as protection. The beast lumbered through the snow closer to his tree, searching and sniffing the air for its attacker. Jonas could clearly see the beast’s eyes blazing with anger as it roared defiantly into the woods.

Jonas’s heart resumed its rapid beat and his arms trembled with fear, but he could do nothing else but draw back his bow again and let a shaft fly. This time the ogre saw the movement and looked up in the tree just as the arrow slammed into the side of its neck. Unlike the first two arrows, this arrow sunk in deep, halfway to its fletching, and the ogre stumbled backwards in pain.

Just then Fil came running out of the cave mouth holding his spear out before him, his eyes bulging with fright as he saw the ogre stumbling in the snow not more than thirty paces from him.

“Fil, I’m coming!” yelled Jonas as the ogre turned to face Fil. Jonas quickly began to climb down the tree, dropping the last few paces and landing heavily in the snow, his feet sinking in deep. He grabbed his bow, nocked another arrow and stumbled through the deep snow to get to the clearing by the ogre.

The monster grabbed the shaft sticking from its throat and yanked out the arrow. Blood poured from the wound and the ogre roared in pain as it turned from Fil to face Jonas again. The beast’s eyes narrowed in anger and it charged the little human who had caused him so much pain.

Fil took in the scene quickly and did the only thing that he could do. He ran after the enraged monster with his spear point leading the way, screaming in defiance hoping to distract the monster from its charge. It didn’t work and Fil knew that he wouldn’t reach Jonas in time before the behemoth ran him over and crushed him into the snow.

Jonas stopped in fright, the roaring ogre bearing down on him with incredible speed. Its huge legs pounded through the snow and Jonas felt each step reverberate through his paralyzed body. The thing looked big from the tree, but now its massive size was almost overwhelming. He knew he would be easily crushed. Jonas’s fear filled eyes were drawn to the huge tree trunk club that swung easily in its meaty hand.

That thought finally broke through his fear. He dropped to his knee, bending the great bow back as far as he could and taking careful aim. He knew he would only have one shot before the ogre’s massive tree club crushed him to oblivion.

Strangely, Jonas’s mind calmed and everything seemed to slow down. He breathed slowly, took aim, and waited until the beast was ten paces away before he let the shaft fly. Jonas dropped the bow, unsheathing his hunting knife as the black shaft pierced the charging monster’s open mouth.

The ogre’s roar was cut short, its head snapping back violently. The behemoth stopped about six paces from Jonas, dropped its huge club to the snow, and grasped for the shaft in its mouth. Jonas could just make out the feathered end sticking several inches beyond its sharp fangs. The creature stumbled around and then it clamped its mouth shut, snapping off the end of the arrow.
 
Its eyes bulged, a look of pain and confusion crossing its face.

Suddenly its back arched and the ogre let out a gurgling roar, turning around and blindly swinging its huge arms at its attacker. Jonas saw Fil yank his spear from the ogre’s back, leaping out of the way of the flailing monster and its powerful arms.

Fil and Jonas both circled the ogre as the monster stumbled around in pain. Finally the creature fell to its knees, its eyes rolled back in its head, and the ogre crashed face first into the snow.
 

Fil and Jonas both looked at each other, their eyes wide with shock and fear, their weapons held out defensively in front of them.

“Is it dead?” asked Jonas, his voice shaking with fright now that the danger seemed to be over.

“I think so,” replied Fil as he neared the ogre. Fil unsheathed his hunting knife and slowly stepped up near the ogre’s head, which was as big as Fil’s torso. Fil kicked the beast hard in the head to make sure. Then he slid the sharp blade under its neck and slit the beast’s throat. Blood poured from the wound, soaking into the white snow. “He is now,” Fil said as he wiped off the blade on the ogre’s fur cloak.

Jonas sat down in the snow, suddenly exhausted. “Is that an ogre?” he asked.

“I believe it is. I’ve never seen one myself but I’ve heard descriptions,” answered Fil as he sat down in the snow next to Jonas. “Well done, Jonas. If it wasn’t for you, I’d be dead. Thank you,” stated Fil sincerely.

Jonas looked at Fil, his face ashen with fright as he tried to calm his nerves.

“It was nothing. You would’ve done the same.”

“I mean it. You saved my life,” Fil said again.

“It was a lucky shot.”

“I don’t think so. Like I said, you’re skilled with a bow,” replied Fil.

Jonas absently stroked the wood bow, his hands still shaking from the adrenaline pumping through his system. “If I didn’t have your bow then I think we’d both be dead.”

“You’re probably right,” Fil agreed.

They both sat in silence for a while, taking in what could have happened.

Fil finally got up and placed his hand on Jonas’s shoulder.
 
“You know, not many warriors can claim that they’ve killed an ogre by themselves.”

Jonas looked up and smiled. “You stabbed him with your spear. I didn’t kill it alone,” he replied.

“Yes you did. That shaft in its mouth killed it. I think it just took a while for the stupid monster to know that it was dead.”

Jonas got to his feet picking up the bow. “Well, we make a good team anyway,” he replied. Fil smiled, picking up his spear from the snow.

“Yes we do,” Fil replied as they made their way toward the cave mouth.

“Guess what?” asked Jonas.

“What?”

“I killed my first deer today,” Jonas proudly announced.

“Now we can call you, Jonas, the ogre and deer slayer,” Fil joked. They nervously laughed together as they entered the warm cave, both knowing how close they had just come to dying.

***

It took about six weeks for the winter snows to subside and the first signs of spring to appear. The ice and snow began to melt as the temperature warmed. The forest was a bustle of activity as the many animals took joy in the warm sun. Chirping birds flittered from tree to tree while busy chipmunks ran across the forest floor digging and foraging for food.
 

Although the boys dreaded the thought of returning to their destroyed town, they knew they had to go back into Manson and gather whatever supplies they could find. They needed new clothes, shoes, blankets, and as much food as they could carry. They wanted a second bow and more arrows as well. Then they would start their long trek to Finarth.

Fil was apprehensive about the journey, and though Jonas was also reluctant to return to Manson, he was also excited for the adventure, for the chance to use his body and muscles, and for the chance to find out more answers about his God Mark. On several occasions Fil and Jonas had discussed the night when the ogre had attacked them. They both agreed that something or someone had warned Jonas that the ogre was near. How else could they explain the burning pain on his chest and the images that flashed in his mind? The question was, why were the gods getting involved in their lives? For two small town boys, the thought was overwhelming and a bit unsettling.

***

Manson was as bad as they thought it would be. Patches of snow still covered the ground, but not enough to blanket the many bodies still remaining. It was obvious to them both that animals and other scavengers had taken full advantage of the hundreds of corpses that were left behind. The bodies that had not been taken away by boargs or other larger animals showed signs typical of being in the elements for an entire winter. Luckily the smell was not as bad as it could have been as the temperature was still below freezing for most of the day.