Sisera's Gift 2: Sacred Blood

by Robyn Wideman

  She worked for a few hours, helping Rosalie with whatever she needed done. It felt like an impossible task to help all the people because new ones were still arriving. Eventually, by midafternoon they had caught up and had sent several people home.

  “Good work, Belle,” Rosalie said, wiping the sweat from her brow. She then looked around and realized her folly. “I’m sorry. I let my tiredness cloud my mind. Lady Isabella.”

  Isabella laughed. The nickname was one that did not get used often as was reserved for private times.

  “It’s ok. I don’t really feel like a lady right now anyway,” said the young noble as she washed her hands in a tub of fresh water. “At least you didn’t call me Chipmunk like Raven does at the worst times.”

  They both had a good laugh.

  “What are you two laughing about?” Makal asked as he entered the room. Isabella’s face lit up when she saw the young man. She felt her face flush hot when she realized that Rosalie was watching her with a knowing smile.

  “Hi Makal,” Rosalie said. “What brings you here?”

  “Hi, Rosalie. I just finished my shift and I was told Belle was down here. What’s going on?” he asked looking around.

  “A crazy day!” Isabella exclaimed. Her face flushed again as she realized what he had said. “You were looking for me?”

  “Yeah. I thought that maybe we could go for a walk or something.”

  “You didn’t even have the decency to wash up first?” asked Rosalie as she pointed to his dusty work clothes.

  “I’m sorry, ma’am,” said Makal with a hint of shame as he looked down at himself.

  Isabella laughed. She put her arm through Makal’s so they were linked. He looked slightly uncomfortable but a smile crossed his face.

  “It’s okay, Ros. I probably don’t smell that good either right now.”

  “How about you two get out of here before your combined stink makes all these people sicker than they are already,” Rosalie said with a wink. “Thank you for all your help today, milady.”

  Isabella and Makal made their way out of the hospital without another word. Once again Isabella could feel the eyes of everyone one them as they crossed to the exit. Once they reached the hallway Isabella grabbed Makal’s hand and pulled him after her as she ran down the hall. Once they reached an area where there were no people, she let him go. They looked at each other and began to laugh.

  “That was quite the exit!” Makal said when they had calmed down a bit.

  “There were so many people in there today. It was crazy!”

  “Do you help there often?”

  “At least a few times a week.”

  “That’s quite the noble gesture from our illustrious leader,” Makal said with a smirk. Isabella could hear the teasing tone of his voice and gave him a slap on the arm.

  “My mother is in charge. I have my studies to concentrate on.”

  “Well you are still the reason everyone including me is here so I would say that you are the leader.”

  Isabella looked up at the young man and smiled. She took his hand and pulled him after her again.

  “Where are we going?” Makal asked.

  “I need to get out of this place. I have been cooped up in here ever since the attack.”

  “I saw you flying on Sisera earlier today!” Makal exclaimed.

  “I know,” said Isabella. “But it’s different from leaving on my own terms. When we are out of the Tower, Sisera won’t let me go anywhere without her. It’s just as bad as being trapped.”

  “Okay. The guards aren’t just going to let you leave.”

  “I know. I have a plan,” Isabella said with a mischievous look in her eyes. “Wait right here.”

  Isabella left Makal standing in the empty corridor and ran as quickly as she could up to her room. Her increased abilities made the trip a short one. She grabbed a small mirror from the top of her dressing table and returned to the boy, who stood quietly waiting.

  “That was incredible!” said Makal. “I’ve never seen anyone move so fast in my life.”

  Isabella winked at him. “Just wait,” she said as she pressed the mirror into the palm of his hand. “Do you know the pottery shops on the edge of the village next to the sheer wall of the mountain?”

  Makal nodded.

  “Okay. Meet me down there. When you get there though use the mirror to reflect some light toward the Tower so I know when you’re there.”

  Makal looked confused and was about to open his mouth in protest but Isabella cut him off with a finger over his mouth.

  “Just do it. Trust me,” she said with a smile.

  “Okay. I trust you,” Makal said. He turned and headed down the hallway toward the exit of the Tower.

  Isabella walked slowly back to her room because she knew it would take him some time to reach the spot. Also, she needed to go over her plan in her head. It would be a risk but she knew it was worth it. The only thing that would mess up her idea would be Sisera but she knew the dragon would be away fishing.

  When she reached her rooms at the top of the tower she went quickly to check on Sisera’s cave. Sure enough, the dragon was nowhere to be seen.

  “Perfect,” she thought to herself as she went to the balcony to watch for Makal’s signal. After a long few moments, she saw a glint of light out of the corner of her eye. She looked down toward its origin and with the help of her increased vision she saw the boy staring up at the Tower, moving the mirror around in his hand trying to catch the light in the right way.

  “Showtime,” she muttered to herself and moved back away from the railing. She moved to the wall directly across from the balcony and placed her foot against it. She took a deep breath and pushed off. She ran as fast as she could across the room and just before she hit the balcony she jumped. She flew through the air toward the sheer face of the mountainside. She continued to move her feet as if she was running through the sky but this was to maintain the motion when she hit the wall. When she did she continued to run down the sheer rock face. Within seconds she was standing in front of Makal.

  His face was wide with disbelief.

  “Did you just…” Makal was so stunned he could finish his sentence.

  “Did I just leap from the balcony, run along the side of a sheer cliff, drop about a hundred feet down, and land on my feet unscathed? Yup, I sure did.” Isabella laughed and gave Makal a wink.

  “How…”

  “I’m a dragonblood, silly boy. I can do lots of amazing things.”

  Makal fell to the ground with his back against the wall and dropped his face into his hands. He sat and shook his head.

  Isabella got nervous. Did she cross the line? Maybe he wasn’t ready to see the true extent of her powers. Kai and Jaime always told her to never reveal everything that she had learned that she could do. That was one of the more challenging maneuvers that her and Sisera were working on. She could leap from Sisera’s back, run along the wall for a short span then leap off and land on Sisera’s back again or use just fall straight to the ground. She had only tried it a few times before in the village when she had the urge to scare Raven. Usually they would practice on a secluded mountainside somewhere else. That was the first time she had performed the maneuver without Sisera there to catch her if something went wrong. It was thrilling. What would Sisera think?

  "I think you did very well," Sisera, of course, was there in her head. “Now you go have fun. I’ll keep an eye on you don’t you worry.”

  Isabella knelt next to Makal as he continued to rock back and forth, his face still buried in his hands. After a few minutes, he raised his head and turned to look at her. Isabella returned his gaze and gave him a hopeful smile. A smile began to cross his face.

  “That was incredible. I’m sorry I am being like this. It just took me by surprise is all. I’m okay now.” Makal pushed himself up using the wall and spun to face her, offering her his hand. She grabbed his hand and he pulled her up.

  “What else can you do?” h
e said.

  Isabella laughed. “I’ll show you.” She grabbed his hand and pulled him in the direction of the forest.

  20

  “So, is your book going to tell us what to do next?” Kai asked as he poked at the glowing embers of the fire. When he was satisfied, he grabbed another log and tossed it into the fire pit sending sparks flying. He and Adina were sitting in their make-shift camp watching Oshri study the stone outcropping. Oshri continued what he was doing without acknowledging the question.

  “Just let him work,” Adina said. She was busy sketching the large stone that bore the resemblance of a dragon sitting on its hind legs with its head tucked just underneath its folded wings.

  Kai looked at her then at Oshri before letting out a huff of breath and turning his attention back on the fire. He used a long stick to poke at the fire as he watched his two companions as they performed their tasks.

  The sun had hit its peak when Oshri finally gave up and found a place around the fire.

  “Water please,” he said.

  Kai stared at him with a look of disbelief. He looked at Adina who did not look up from her sketching but still acknowledged his gaze with a wide smile. Dumbfounded, Kai grabbed a water canteen and handed it over to the old wizard who was digging through a bag looking for food. He watched patiently as the old man took a few swigs from the canteen and stuffed a chunk of hard bread in his mouth. His mind raced at all the questions he had but he maintained his composure until Oshri had swallowed his final mouthful and settled back against one of the fallen logs that surrounded their campsite.

  “So, are you planning on sharing your discoveries with us?” Kai asked with a serious tone.

  “Well my boy,” Oshri said. “We are in the right place. I have confirmed it with the book. What I can’t confirm is what to do now. There is no information. I cannot find any clue. So, I have concluded that we just wait.”

  “Just wait?” the veins on Kai’s neck looked as if they were about to pop. “That’s all we’ve been doing. How long are we planning on waiting?”

  “Until something happens,” Oshri said as he leaned his head back and closed his eyes.

  Kai stared at the old man in disbelief but with the heat, he was in no mood to argue.

  As the day went on Kai got restless. He gathered more firewood to get them through another night on the exposed beach. The heat of the day was punishing, and he was forced to remove his armor. He stripped down to just his loin cloth but after a disturbing thought, he replaced his boots.

  “You are quite the sight.” Adina laughed. “Hold still while I sketch you.”

  Kai threw up his hands, jokingly pretending to cover his body. Over the past two years, he had stripped away the fat he had acquired during his time in Shelby leaving him with hard, chiseled muscle.

  “Look at you, sexy man,” Adina said with a wink. “Rosalie is sure a lucky girl.”

  “I used to look like that too when I was his age,” Oshri said flexing a bicep.

  “I’m sure you did.” Kai burst out laughing.

  “I did.” Oshri sounded offended. “I’m still in good shape for an old-timer, I would say”

  “You don’t act your age that is for sure,” Adina said. “But I think I’m with Kai on this one.”

  “You are offensive. Both of you.” Oshri began to tuck at his robes. “I will show you!”

  “Ahhh. Keep your clothes on, old man.” Kai covered his eyes in jest.

  “He did look like you when he was young.”

  Kai leaped back at the sound of a new voice. He looked around as he scrambled to gather his weapons. His head swiveled as he tried to find the source of the strange voice.

  “Over here, handsome,” the voice said with a smile.

  Kai’s eyes continued to scan the campsite and beach but could find no trace of the speaker. He shot a look at Oshri who was rolling on the ground laughing. Adina had also joined in on the laughter. Oshri stuck out an arm in the direction of the stone outcropping.

  Kai looked at the huge rock and jumped again. The rock had changed. The head of the dragon that was barely noticeable had become defined and it was now looking directly at him.

  “Never seen anything quite like this, eh?” the stone dragon spoke.

  Kai jumped again and brought up his bow with an arrow nocked. The laughter continued around him but was now joined by the great stone dragon.

  “Shoot it.” Oshri howled with laughter. “Shoot the talking stone beast. Kill it if you can.”

  “Okay enough,” Adina said. “He’s had enough. The last few days have taken a toll on him. Give the guy a break.”

  “What is going on?” Kai screamed out in frustration.

  “I’m sorry, Kai. We were just playing a gag on you.” Adina smiled.

  “What?” Kai dropped his weapon and fell to the sand, his eyes darting between his companions and the living rock dragon.

  Oshri managed to pull himself up and gain his composure. He gave Adina a smile before walking over to Kai and plopping himself in the sand next to the warrior.

  He pointed toward the rock and said “This is Frida. She is one of the Sisters of Garron.”

  “Pleased to meet you.” The huge rock spoke again.

  “What?” This was the only thing Kai could think to say.

  Oshri began to laugh again, slapping Kai on the back. “This isn’t actually Frida. She is using magic to talk and see through the rock.

  “This is the gate to the coven. I discovered it earlier and rang the bell, so to speak. We just had to wait for them to respond. I let Adina in on the joke when you were collecting firewood.”

  Kai’s mind tried to grasp what was happening. There were things in the world that he clearly did not understand.

  Oshri put an arm around his friend and spoke to the stone dragon. “Frida, dear. Can you please open the door for us? Perhaps the heat is slowing his mind.”

  “Of course,” said the dragon proceeding to tug its head back underneath its wing. As the wing moved an entrance became clear.

  Kai watched slack jawed. He could not help but notice that the rock moved with fluidity unlike what he imagined it would be like.

  Oshri hopped up. “Let’s go.”

  Kai complied and within minutes they had packed all their gear and were ready to continue. Kai silently tried to comprehend the situation.

  Oshri brought us this far, he thought, He wouldn’t lead us into a trap, would he?

  “Ladies first,” Oshri said, sweeping his arm toward the entrance.

  Adina gave the old man a scowled look but proceeded to enter the darkness under the stone wing. When she crossed the threshold, it became apparent that the entrance was magical. Kai felt his heart jump when suddenly, she disappeared.

  “It’s just a portal.” Oshri winked and nudged Kai with the tip of his elbow. “Me next.”

  The old wizard grabbed his bags and headed toward the darkness.

  “What about the”—Kai called after Oshri but the old man was already gone—“ horses?”

  Kai quickly ran over to where they had tied the long tethers that were attached to the horses. He used his long dagger to cut through the ropes and let the beasts run free. All three horses turned toward the entrance and went through.

  Kai was stunned. He grabbed the rest of his gear and made his way through the entrance.

  “By the gods, you are slow!” Oshri said. He was standing on the flat trunk of a recently created tree stump.

  Kai looked around in amazement. They were in a huge underground cavern but it looked just like a forest. Trees grew tall. There were little hills and flower beds. There was a small river running down the center of the cavern that had a small wooden bridge so someone may pass over it to the other side without having to use a boat. He could even see a building of some sort peeking out from behind some large trees.

  “This is incredible!” he said. He turned to stare at Oshri who was balancing on one foot with a great smile on his face.
/>   “It definitely is,” Oshri said. “They call this place the Penumbra Nest.”

  “From the children’s story?” Kai asked, his eyes wide with amazement.

  “Oh yes. But it is not just a story. Some of the details are exaggerated but it is mostly true. This was the hideout of Princess Gladyn after her rescue, brought here by the coven as this had been their hidden refuge already for centuries before. That is why they became known as the Sisters of Garron.”

  “Have you been here before?” Kai asked.

  The question seemed to throw Oshri for a loop. He became quiet and still. His gaze drifted off toward the forest. After a moment, Kai cleared his throat to try and get back Oshri’s attention. The old man shook his head and his eyes refocused.

  “Yes, I have been here before,” Oshri said quietly.

  Kai and Adina looked at each other. Kai gave a shrug which Adina responded to with a slight shake of her head.

  “A story for another day.” Oshri continued. “We must find our hosts.”

  Their horses were munching on fresh, green grass which was a welcome change from eating dried grains and dry beach grass. Kai gathered the beasts and they headed off toward the building.

  As they got closer a woman appeared wearing a simple brown robe. She stopped walking toward them and raised her hand in a wave. Oshri returned the wave and picked up the speed of his gait.

  “Hello Oshri,” the woman said with a smile as they approached. Her pale blue eyes were locked on the old wizard. She had sandy blonde hair that was pulled back and held in place with a piece of leather. Kai guessed that she was in her mid-thirties. She had a pretty face with high cheekbones. Her robes hid her shape but Kai could tell that she was in good shape.

  “Hi Frida,” Oshri said. “It’s been a while.”