Aela Page 3

  CHAPTER 2

  The Quest

  The soft pink light rippled over the horizon as the sun appeared, announcing the beginning of a new day for everyone. Aela was the first to stir, slowly opening her eyes to see the heavily muscled arm of Rom near her face. She could hear his steady rhythmic breathing, as he lay on his side facing towards the trunk of the tree.

  Without warning Rom sprang to his feet clasping his spear in readiness to strike at any unknown enemy who would leap towards him from the surrounding thick foliage.

  ‘What are we going to do Rom? I am so hungry as I haven’t eaten anything since leaving home,’ complained Aela.

  ‘Let us go this way,’ replied Rom, and disappeared into the foliage.

  Aela sprung to her feet making sure she kept up with Rom as they pushed the low lying branches apart to clear their pathway through the thick woods. Then there was a clearance amongst the trees and they could glimpse a clear blue sky above their heads. They found themselves situated at the edge of a lake where the dark forest ended. Aela and Rom both looked up at the sky, simultaneously they spotted a thin column of wispy smoke slowly rising, plus the pungent smell of fish being cooked filling their nostrils. Without even waiting another second, they started running in that direction along the water’s edge.

  To their surprise they came upon a sandy bank and saw a figure stooping over a fire intent on their task. On hearing footsteps approaching the crouched figure spun around, ‘Who are you? Do not come any nearer or I will split your heart with my dagger,’ shouted the person.

  ‘We come in peace,’ replied Rom, ‘We do not mean to harm you in any way.’

  The human stood still, with the dagger half raised in their hand. ‘My name is Rom and this is Aela. We come in peace.’

  As if to emphasise the situation, Rom held his right hand out with the palm upwards. The figure hesitated, then dropped the dagger down on the ground. With this gesture Aela and Rom continued to advance towards the fire. There was a second’s pause, then the figure spoke. ‘My name is Ette. I can see the future and the past. I have come from a long way away. Why are you here?’

  Rom responded, ‘My name is Rom and this is Aela and we come from the Temple of the Moon. I am journeying to the Temple of the Sun, as I want to take the Sacred Sword back to my people.’

  Ette looked unimpressed, ‘Do you know that the Sword is carefully guarded and there is a curse on anyone who steals it?’

  Rom looked nonplussed with this news. ‘That will not stop me,’ he defiantly stated.

  Ette shrugged her shoulders, ‘Have it your own way,’ and continued on with her cooking then turned towards them. ‘Come and join me with this meal.’

  Both were delighted at this friendly invitation. They hastily sat down as Ette divided the fish into three equal portions. Nothing more was said during the meal about the Sacred Sword. Rom in turn, decided not to ask any more questions.

  Ette broke the silence by saying, pointing towards the horizon, ‘Walk towards that large mountain. It will take you in the direction you want to go.’ Then she gathered her belongings, turned on her heels and strode into the thick forest, disappearing from sight. Aela and Rom looked at each other for a few seconds, then began walking along the path towards the large mountain, they continued in this direction, for the rest of the day.

  As the sun began to sink Rom declared, ‘We will camp here for the night. I will go to a nearby stream to catch fish for us to eat. You, Aela gather some wood for the fire whilst I am away.’

  Rom quickly disappeared before Aela could reply to his command. With a shrug of her shoulders, Aela went about the chore of collecting wood, but making very sure she didn’t stray too far from the designated spot. Just as she was bending to pick up a piece of wood she heard a loud grunt very close to the ground, then a crashing sound of a large creature moving through the foliage at high speed.

  Aela didn’t hesitate, she started to run in the opposite direction, frantically pushing her way through the branches. With her heart pounding, gasping for breath, she continued to run as fast as she could through the forest. All the time the sounds behind her were becoming louder and louder. Just as Aela felt she couldn’t run any more, suddenly the ground gave way beneath her and she fell into a shallow ditch. The creature continued smashing its way through the bushes, all the time grunting and growling. Gradually the noise faded into the distance, until there was silence once more, except for the mournful cry of an owl nearby. By this time the shadows were lengthening and the sun was rapidly disappearing behind the horizon.

  Out of the corner of Aela’s left eye she saw a fissure in a large boulder. She thought that perhaps she could find shelter behind the rock for the night, as Aela quickly realised she was lost somewhere in the dense forest and didn’t know where she was at that instant. She was completely exhausted, all she wanted to do, was to curl up somewhere in a safe place and to sleep for the night. Slowly crawling on hands and knees Aela worked her way towards the opening and squeezed inside the crack. Feeling with her hands ahead of her face she was hoping not to bump her head on a piece of rock that might unexpectedly be jutting out. Aela made slow progress as she edged her body along until her hands felt a smooth surface. She placed her back against this surface then sank her body on the ground and Aela promptly fell asleep as she was completely worn out.

  Meantime, Rom had returned to camp, carrying the fish he had caught for their meal, feeling very pleased with himself. ‘Aela, Aela where are you? Come out from your hiding place now.’ But there was no reply. After searching for her a little longer, Rom realised his efforts were fruitless. So he gathered some wood, lit the fire and placed the fish on the glowing embers to cook.

  At any sudden sound, he called out Aela’s name hoping that she would appear in front of him, but all in vain. Eventually he fell asleep and his last thoughts were ‘This is the last time we are ever going to be separated.’

  Next morning Rom rose before the dawn and deftly gathered his beloved spear and general belongings. He, then circled the camp searching for clues such as Aela’s footprints on the ground, as the first shafts of early sunlight shone through the leaves. Before long he picked up her tracks, as well as the paw marks of a giant bear.

  Reading the messages, he realised that Aela had fled through the forest with the bear chasing her. Grimly, Rom followed the tracks hoping he would be in time to rescue Aela, before the bear caught up with her. He briefly paused at the ditch where Aela fell and was about to run on, when a piece of bright blue material caught his eye, lying on the ground. Rom immediately recognised this as part of Aela’s dress, so he bent down to pick up the remnant. At this level, his eye was drawn to a crack in a large rock. He noticed that the ground around the entrance had been disturbed, so Rom moved forward to take a closer look. At the same time he called out Aela’s name. To his amazement he heard Aela’s voice say, ‘Rom, Rom I am inside the rock.’

  Rom bent down on all fours, peering through the crack, then he squeezed through. To his amazement he was in a large underground cave and he could hear water trickling down the wall nearest to him. Whilst his eyes were adjusting to the semi-gloom, he saw Aela leaning against the back wall of the cave. Aela sprang to her feet with delight, they both laughingly fell into each other’s arms.

  ‘Oh Rom, I am so glad to see you. What a terrible night I have had.’ Aela then breathlessly recounted her ordeal with the bear as she devoured the fish Rom gave her.

  ‘We must press on with the quest for the Sacred Sword,’ stated Rom.

  ‘I don’t want to be chased by any more bears,’ wailed Aela.

  ‘Suit yourself, but I am continuing with my quest. You Aela can go home if you want to,’ Rom steadfastly replied.

  Aela realised that she was having no effect on Rom, and looked up, seeing an opening in the cave ceiling with a shaft of sunlight streaming through. ‘Let us go that way Rom.’

  Without saying a word, Rom began to climb up the wall towards the aperture.
Not to be left behind, Aela scrambled behind him and they soon reached the opening. They crawled out into the bright sunlight and immediately in front of them they saw a wide spaced well-used pathway. In the distance they could see the large mountain that Ette had pointed out to them. Without saying a word to each other Aela and Rom commenced walking side by side towards the mountain for the rest of the day.

  They turned round a blind corner only to see a large entrance to a cave. Curiosity getting the better of them they walked towards the entrance. Once inside they observed there were many torches and lamps lit along the walls of the huge cavern and there were groups of people with heads bowed talking in soft whispers and glancing towards a raised platform, as if waiting for someone to appear at any moment. Then a hush descended on the crowd, with all eyes fixed on the spot. There was a roll of drums coming from the back of the cave and a tall figure wearing a multi-coloured long swirling garment and an eagle mask appeared on the rock.

  The figure held up its right hand, ‘Hail my people! I have an important message for you all. A great warrior has come amongst us, who will vanquish our enemies and bring peace and prosperity to you. By the time of the next full moon he will be revealed to us.’

  With a loud beating of drums, the prophet turned on its heels and disappeared. There was an audible gasp from the crowd, then they began to speak excitedly amongst each other. Aela and Rom were totally absorbed in watching the scene before them, when a small, swarthy complexioned man materialised at their side.

  ‘My name is Croan. Come with me at once. Eena wants to see you immediately.’

  Two men appeared holding their spears at the ready just in case Aela and Rom refused to obey. They were quickly led through a side passage to a smaller ante chamber lit up by many lamps. There in the centre stood a tall woman, still in her rainbow coloured garment minus the mask.

  ‘Come my friends. Let me have a closer look at you. Welcome to my domain My name is Eena and I am the leader of the people who live in this area.’

  Both Aela and Rom hesitated then Rom stepped forward.

  ‘I am glad you, Rom have enough sense to greet me.’ stated Eena. ‘You are both gifted, you as a warrior Rom, and you have the powers of the visionary eye, Aela. These skills need to be further developed to help my people to overcome our enemies.’

  Rom further stepped forward and this time with a smile on his face and he bowed low before Eena, ‘I am happy to help you, Eena and your people.’

  Eena let out a hearty laugh, ‘Thank you Rom, you are a true warrior.’ She then turned her intense gaze on Aela, ‘I can blow you over the nearest mountain or I can turn you into a frog. What is your answer, Aela?’

  Aela dropped Eena a graceful courtsey. ‘I am also very happy to serve you, Eena.’

  ‘Very wise of you, my dear. You will thank me sometime in the future. Croan, Croan fetch Ardu immediately. I want him to meet Rom now.’

  Croan was heard scuttling in the background, muttering to himself holding a torch aloft to light his way. Very soon there was the sound of footsteps and Croan appeared, holding the torch above his head, closely followed by a very tall athletic looking man.

  ‘Ardu, I am so glad to see you,’ exclaimed Eena, stepping forward, and holding her hands out in greeting. Ardu flashed a wide smile and bowed very low before Eena.

  Rom studied Ardu at close quarters, as he assumed that he was going to be his warrior teacher. Standing before Eena, Ardu struck a dramatic pose, knowing full well all eyes were on him.

  Ardu was dressed in a short multi-coloured tunic. Around his waist was a thick belt with a gold buckle at the centre of which was a sparkling green stone. Below the belt, to one side, there was a sheathed sword with an elaborately carved gold hilt embossed with semi-precious stones. He had strong facial features, with a wide square jaw, large flashing light blue eyes and long blond hair falling to his shoulders. Obviously he was at the peak of fitness, with strong muscled chest and arms and well proportioned long legs. He was someone people would think twice about before challenging to fight in single combat. Much to Rom’s annoyance he could see from the admiring look on Aela’s face, that Ardu was making a very favourable impression.

  ‘Ah, I spy a beauty in our company.’ Ardu faced Aela, bowing to her, ‘Oh, goddess of the moon and stars, I salute you.’

  ‘I greet you too Ardu,’ Aela laughingly replied, as she too bowed in response.

  Eena interrupted this pretty scene, ‘Come Ardu, I want you to meet Rom, your new pupil.’

  The two men eyed each other, trying to assess each other’s strengths and weaknesses. Then they bowed low to each other, and simultaneously turned towards Eena, awaiting their orders. ‘I want you Ardu, to teach everything you know to Rom, all the tricks that a warrior should have for survival in combat’ ordered Eena, with a flourish of her hand, as if to emphasise her point.

  With a ready smile Ardu bowed before Eena, ‘We will begin the training tomorrow at dawn.’ Then Ardu quickly turned on his heels and disappeared down a side passage.

  ‘Croan, take these two to their quarters. Make haste! You Aela, will be brought to me tomorrow. You have much to learn about spiritual matters’ stated Eena.

  Not to be outdone Croan pushed Aela and Rom down another passage, lit up with torches, they were quickly followed by two guards. The group entered a cave with a high vaulted ceiling, in the middle of which was a fire burning on a flat platform of rock, casting a cheery glow over the scene. In one corner there was a heap of furs and rippling water was heard in the background providing melodious sounds to further enhance the scene.

  ‘Don’t think you can escape,’ growled Croan. ‘I will come for you at dawn.’

  Raising his fist menacingly at the couple, he slowly turned on his heel and shuffled down the passageway muttering to himself, ‘No escape, no escape!’

  The two guards then took up their positions just inside the passageway. Rom and Aela both looked at each other. Aela was the first to break the silence. ‘What are we going to do Rom? How are we going to escape this place? What is Eena talking about, you being a great warrior, and I am to learn about spiritual matters? I don’t like it at all.’ complained Aela.

  ‘Well, we are still alive and tomorrow is another day.’ stated Rom evenly. ‘All I can think of is going to sleep.’ replied Rom.

  Without another word, he walked towards the pile of furs, carefully placed his spear on the ground, lowered his torso onto the furs and was soon fast asleep. Aela followed Rom’s example, sinking her body into the soft warm skins and she also drifted into a deep sleep.

  At dawn a woman brought food for the two to eat, which they devoured with alacrity having eaten nothing since the previous day. Aela went to the spring to wash herself and was soon absorbed in her task delighting in the freshness of the water. She failed to see the look of admiration on Rom’s face, as she slowly dressed herself. Rom hurriedly looked away, as he finished his washing and then dressed very quickly with a perplexed look on his face.

  Footsteps were heard coming from one of the side passages, and in shuffled Croan, ‘You two follow me now. Eena wants to see you both this second,’ glowered Croan.

  Without a word Aela and Rom followed Croan into the passageway and they were soon standing before Eena. ‘Welcome to you both. I hope you slept well last night.’ and then without waiting for a reply she went on to say, ‘Ardu, take Rom away to start his training immediately, whilst I begin tutoring Aela.’

  Ardu gave Eena a salute, beckoned for Rom to follow him and they disappeared down a side tunnel. Very soon the two men emerged into bright sunshine and Ardu turned towards Rom, ‘Can you wield a sword?’

  ‘No’ replied Rom, ‘But I know how to use the spear!’

  Rom began to twirl his hand above his head as if to emphasise his point. Ardu replied, ‘Well we shall soon change that,’ and with a lighting lunge forward, Ardu threw a sword in the air, which was deftly caught by Rom with one out-stretched hand.

  Ardu gave
a hearty laugh saying ‘Let the lesson begin.’

  Soon both men were locked in combat, thrusting and parrying with their swords. There was the sound of metal clashing with metal and sparks flying off whenever the swords met.

  Later that day Aela and Rom saw each other again back in the cave. Rom was secretly very pleased with himself, as he realised he was learning to master the sword very quickly and Ardu was most impressed with his progress.

  ‘How was your day Aela?’ asked Rom.

  ‘Oh it was all right, but I didn’t learn anything new from Eena,’ sighed Aela.

  ‘I knew you had visionary powers, Aela, but I don’t know what they mean,’ replied Rom. ‘Especially after you predicted my father’s death in battle so accurately.’

  ‘I am so sorry Rom about my prediction. I was very upset when it happened. I was very frightened when I had dreamt of your father’s death and the sorrow and agony it caused you and your family. I vowed that I wouldn’t tell anyone of my dreams ever again.’

  ‘I don’t blame you Aela. We were both very young at the time. Life was very hard for my mother and she died of a broken heart soon afterwards.’

  Rom looked very sad resting his head in his hands. Aela knelt in front of Rom taking his hands into hers, ‘Rom I hope we can always be friends.’

  Rom looked straight into Aela’s eyes, ‘We shall be true friends forever. I swear to you on the memory of my father and mother.’

  Immediately Aela’s face broke out into a radiant smile and she laughed out loudly. Before long, Rom could not help himself and he found that he was laughing with her.

  Eena and Ardu were in deep conversation with each other, both intent on listening to what the other had to say. ‘Our plans are going very smoothly, Ardu, the students are progressing quite rapidly,’ said Eena.

  ‘Yes, I am very happy with Rom. He is a natural athlete. He quickly remembers my instructions. I have to watch myself otherwise he will run the sword through my body. Although, I still have a few tricks to teach him. He should be ready well in advance of the next full moon,’ added Ardu.