Immortal Storm

by Heather Bserani

  She found Amir’s hand and squeezed it, happy that he found someone to stay with the girls so she wouldn’t be alone. She pulled him toward her and wrapped her arms around him. She snuggled into his neck and relaxed into the warm embrace. Trying out her voice she said, “I am so sorry Amir. How’s Mubarek?” Instantly she felt him stiffen - it must be worse than she thought. “Oh no, what happened to him?” she continued, forcing her eyes open. That’s when she realized it wasn’t Amir that she was holding so close.

  “Michael! Oh my God, I’m so sorry. I thought you were Amir! I -”

  “It’s all right.” He pulled away from her retreating grip. “Mubarek is fine, how are you feeling?”

  “Like an idiot. What time is it? How long have you been here?” Her face was flushing ten different shades of red.

  “It’s about nine o’clock. Amir took the girls to the sitter, Joe and Ralph are taking care of the chores. There is nothing for you to worry about except healing.” He finished his sentence with a warm smile that had his eyes dancing. She hadn’t been this close to him in the light and noticed their deep green color. Her heart thudded louder as she was pulled into his gaze. The periphery began to fade and her tunnel-vision was locked on him. She forgot the question she was about to ask.

  “Dorianna, I am going to stay here and make sure you are given the best care. I will make sure all of your needs are attended to.” She blinked a few times and looked away.

  “That’s awfully kind of you.”

  The conversation was interrupted by a nurse who shuffled in dragging a cart covered with various diagnostic equipment. Her cheerful smile didn’t waiver as she poked, prodded and took vitals. She prattled on about nothing important as she examined Dori.

  “You will need to see the doctor for a post-operative evaluation, of course.”

  “How soon will that be?” Dori asked.

  “I’m not sure, Dear. I have a call out to him, but he’s got a full day of appointments at his practice.”

  “Linda,” Michael interrupted, “Isn’t there any way to convince him to squeeze in a quick visit today?”

  Dori watched the middle-aged woman blush as she quietly giggled.

  “Well Sir, I’m sure another call couldn’t hurt.” She added some more pain meds to Dori’s IV before leaving. The medicine began to swirl in her head almost immediately, but not before she asked when she could go home.

  “Probably in a day or two, providing your vitals stay strong and you get up and moving around.” It didn’t take long after that for Dori to succumb to the cocktail of painkillers and other assorted medications on the breakfast menu.

  * * *

  The next few weeks were spent in the confines of her house. The winter was threatening snow, and hobbling over icy gravel on crutches wasn’t an option. She did as much as she could, but she ended up spending the majority of her day staring out the large picture window. The farm went on without her and she was left largely alone. The two farmhands were busy making up for the loss of her help and Amir always had a full lesson schedule. Her day was punctuated by trips to the medicine cabinet for the next round of pain meds, and watching Latif’s daily training sessions.

  Whenever the rain held off, Michael would lead the flighty beast from his private pasture to the small arena attached to it. In the beginning, the entire training session was spent getting the animal into the training arena and back into his stall. Slowly, as Michael gained his trust, he was able to enter the ring with him.

  Dori studied his actions as she tried to learn his technique. He never carried a crop and he was still wearing his absurd dress clothes. It appeared that all Michael ever did was talk to the wild animal, but surely there had to be more to it. She talked to him all the time and all she got for her efforts was broken boards.

  Today Michael was in the center of the ring, arms low, face relaxed. His mouth was always moving and he never took his eyes off of Latif. She wondered what exactly he said to calm the beast. It was like watching a game of cat and mouse. Latif did not trust Michael enough to let him get within arm’s reach, but he did keep his ears pricked in attention. The horse was clearly listening to his human master. It seemed as though Michael was herding the great animal around the ring. Despite the cold weather, Latif had worked up a sweat from his raw adrenaline and bursts of nervous energy.

  Watching the stallion move took Dori’s breath away. His muscles rippled beneath the shiny black coat. His hooves beat a staccato rhythm into the ground as he pranced around the ring. He threw his head in the air and the wind carried his whinny across the farm. With tail lifted, he dug into the ground and leapt into a gallop. As he moved around Michael he tucked his head, resembling a finely carved chess piece. The animal was magnificent.

  Michael raised his arms slowly, splayed out to either side. He bent his knees and continued to follow the horse’s movement. Slowly, Latif began to calm himself and his gate broke into a controlled canter. As the horse continued to slow, Michael lowered his arms slightly. The pattern continued until Latif was walking around, as if he was being guided by the power of Michael’s voice alone. Michael stood casually in the center of the ring while the horse made large circles around him.

  Dori didn’t realize she had been holding her breath until she exhaled and said, “I can’t believe it!” That was when two sets of eyes turned to meet hers. She stared out the window at a man and the beast he tamed. It was impossible that either of them had heard her, but neither one looked away. The longer they stared at each other, the more intrigued she became. She couldn’t pull her stare from Michael’s eyes. Finally, Latif dropped his head and began walking toward the gate. Michael closed his eyes with a slight nod. She could see a smile creep onto his face before he turned to put Latif back in his stall.

  She returned to her chair and let her mind wander while staring out at the pastures. After a few minutes, she saw Michael making his way toward the main house. Dori’s heart jumped into her throat. She stood awkwardly, grasping at her crutches and hobbling toward the bathroom. She didn’t want Michael to see her wearing the atrocious green robe. Glancing into the mirror, she smoothed back some disobedient hair and tried to straighten the shirt she was wearing. Michael’s knock on the door left her rushing.

  “Coming!” she called and gave herself one more glance before turning out the light and tottering toward the door. She opened it and flushed instantly, embarrassed by her haggard appearance.

  “May I come in?”

  “Um, sure. What’s going on?”

  “I saw you watching Latif and I thought it might do you good to get outside and spend some time with the horses. What do you say?”

  “I don’t think my crutches were made for gravel. I think I should just stay inside.” She was surprised by how disappointed she felt as she turned him down.

  “Dori, look at me.” She looked up and was struck again by his handsome features. “I think a change of scenery would be good. You can’t get better if you stay cooped up all the time. Come on, I will make sure you don’t get hurt.”

  She continued to look at him for a minute then found herself reaching for her coat without realizing what she was doing. She was soon outside and attempting to make her way around to the nearest pasture. Her crutches kept slipping on the loose gravel and eventually Michael suggested she leave them and instead lean on him for support. Her stomach was full of butterflies, but she complied with a smile.

  Michael’s arm wrapped around her waist and pulled her closer. It took quite a while, but they eventually made it to the fence and called the horses over. In the midst of petting warm muzzles and getting her fingers tangled in handfuls of mane, Dori forgot about her pain for a moment. She managed to forget the nip of the November air and the slow ache in her knee that had become second nature. She even forgot the emptiness in her heart that used to be filled by Amir’s attention.

  Between the horses and Michael’s company, Dori’s spirits lifted. Her laughter was born by little puffs of condensa
tion, which swirled and warmed the air around her.

  Eventually, the horses grew bored and they wandered back to their grazing. Dori turned to lean on the fence.

  “Thank you.”

  “For what?”

  “For helping me smile again.” There was a long moment, then she continued, “Can I ask you a question?”

  “Sure.”

  “How did you do it? I mean with Latif? I have never seen him like that.”

  “It’s like I said before. I have learned to communicate with him without having to resort to punishment. He is starting to come around, isn’t he?” His face lit up as he smiled.

  “It was unbelievable.”

  “Well, it all comes down to trust.” Michael held her gaze, looking deeper than anyone had in a long time. “I should probably get you back inside before you freeze. Easy there.” The two made their way back toward the house in the same manner as before.

  That afternoon, as Dori sat watching the happenings of the farm, she wasn’t seeing the horses move through the pastures. She was thinking about her little jaunt outside with the mysterious stranger who was so keen on making sure she was well. Part of her was saying it wasn’t appropriate for another man to be treating her this way, but a larger part of her was frustrated with the growing distance with Amir. They had simply become employees of the farm and the emotions that had filled her before had waned. There was nothing that he did that angered her; he was merely absent from her life.

  She kept picturing Latif running around the enclosure and the confident man who was directing him. She remembered how her stomach floated as he reached his arm around her to help her. She could recall the musky smell of his cologne and the gleam in his eye when he smiled. Regardless of how immoral it was, she couldn’t help the fact that Michael was already giving her what she was lacking just by paying attention to her. She couldn’t help that her heart raced at the sound of his voice.

  “Perhaps in a different life...” she mumbled to herself.

  “What was that?”

  “Nothing, Dear, I didn’t realize you had come in. Can I get you anything?”

  “No, I’m off to get the girls. I’ll see you in a little bit. Did you see Latif today? It’s amazing what Michael is accomplishing in such a short time, isn’t it?”

  “It is.”

  Chapter Four

  December 21, 1597

  The hunting party returned emptie handed last nighte for all of the animals have bedded down for the winter. Due to harsh conditions, two men were lost on the short expedition. The wind steals one’s breath and cuts to the bone. The snow is unrelenting. No one expected Mother Nature to be the most savage of our enemies.

  All is still in the settlement, the only sign of life is the constant flow of smoke belching from each cabin’s chimnee. We’ve nearly run out of foode for the livestock and may soon lose them to this desolate place as well. The outlook is quite bleak and many have accepted that they won’t make it to spring. If the weather would let up, we could break camp and head southe, in hopes of finding terrain that still promises life. Alas it seems as if we are doomed to the imprisonment of our freezing, white captor.

  There are many who stand on Death’s threshold, overcome by starvation and hypothermia. We are unable to bury them now for the ground is frozen and we have reverted to using a nearby cave as a mausoleum. Several colonists have suffered hysteria just before succumbing to their ailments. They stare with wide, emptie eyes telling of a demon who visits in the nighte. It possesses no bodie, but bears a vengeful character and searches to end its hunger. The dying purporte that during his nocturnal visits he promises to feed from their souls.

  I do not know what to believe. When I embarked on my journey to the New World, I had hoped to see a new life dawn. I never imagined the tragedie and loss that I now face. I have to accept that there are unknown dangers out there, lurking among us. As of yet I have been lucky, however, I fear the worst is yet to come.

  Niccolo sat pondering Abraham’s words. He too felt as if Evil was prowling around him, waiting to pounce. The answer was out there somewhere. He hoped to find it before he was forced to move on. Just thinking about leaving this place made him unhappy. He normally enjoyed being lost in a new crowd, but now he would be leaving someone behind.

  As a rule he avoided forging ties with humans, but this woman was different. He took one step too close, and was blindsided by the pull of her heart calling to his.

  Just then the librarian interrupted his thoughts, “Five minutes to closing, Mr. Concorezzio.”

  Chapter Five

  In the blink of an eye, Dori found herself preparing the main house for the annual Sahfi Thanksgiving Feast. Between her family and those of the farmhands, there were going to be sixteen people around the table this year. Dori had graduated from crutches to a cane but still couldn’t manage all the preparations alone. Thankfully, Joe’s wife Rita offered to help up at the main house.

  The two women made busy tidying the house and endlessly cooking. Conversation was easy with Rita, who had a thousand and one stories about her kids, the Lady’s Guild, or what she overhead at the hair salon. Dori was content to gossip carelessly with her in the warm kitchen. The empty house hummed with life.

  The buoyancy didn’t end there. With Michael’s help, Latif was making fast progress and would be going to his first show soon. Amir was thrilled that the horse was finally living up to his bloodlines and couldn’t praise Michael enough. Dori was not at all surprised when Amir invited him for Thanksgiving dinner.

  At last there was nothing left to cook or clean, and the two women parted ways to prepare themselves and their children for the party. The girls were easy, they wore matching dresses. After brushing their hair until it gleamed, Dori secured their pony tails with silk ribbons. They scurried off to dress their dolls and Dori reminded them not to make a mess.

  Turning her attention to the closet, Dori pondered the limited choices. She pulled out the same slacks and sweater she wore for all dressy functions, but before she could put them on, Amir shook his head and clicked his tongue.

  “You wear that every year. Don’t you have something else?”

  “Um, sure. I’ll find something.”

  She returned to the closet in search of another outfit and Amir left to answer the doorbell. The forest-green wrap-dress that she chose thankfully covered the scars on her knee. She quickly pulled her hair away from her face but didn’t have the time to curl it like she wanted. She fastened on her grandmother’s pearls, spritzed some perfume on her wrists and hobbled to greet her guests.

  She found Amir and Joe in the living room while the kids played in the girls’ rooms. Rita was back in the kitchen laying out the appetizers.

  “We brought some wine. I put it in the fridge to cool.”

  “Thanks, that was sweet.” Just as Dori reached for the tray of hors d’oeuvres, the bell rang again. It took her a minute to reach the door, but soon she welcomed Ralph, his wife Barbara and their three boys. Amir stood to welcome them while Dori tottered back to the kitchen to put the bouquet they brought in water.

  The boys set off to tease the girls while the men sat watching the football game. Barbara joined the women in the kitchen as Dori’s parents arrived. The smells of warm food wafted through the house. It was loud and cramped and Dori loved every second of it.

  Having set the last dish on the table everyone was called in to eat. Amir noticed an empty chair,

  “We can’t eat without Michael.”

  “He’ll be here soon, I’m sure,” Joe said. “Once he tastes how good Dori’s cooking is, he won’t be late again!”

  “Ralph, I didn’t do this by myself. Rita -” The doorbell interrupted Dori, and she went to welcome her tardy guest. She greeted him as she swung the door wide.

  “Come on in, Michael. Happy Thanksgiving.”

  He stood on the stoop looking at her, eyes wide. He said nothing.

  “Michael?”

  “La tua bellezza
mi lascia senza parole. Happy Thanksgiving.” He handed her a small gift as he stepped inside.

  She only understood a word or two of what he had said, but there was something about listening to him speak Italian that made her flush. “You didn’t have to bring me anything.”

  “Don’t be silly. It’s nothing. Plus, this is something I benefit from as well.”

  Dori tore open the paper and pulled the ivory scarf from its box. She was certain it was cashmere.

  “Thank you. It’s beautiful.”

  “Now you have no reason not to come out and spend more time with the horses.” A slow smile spread across his face. Dori remembered the afternoon by the fence and found herself blushing. Her stomach felt light and her heart raced. Her eyes met his and she searched for something to say. They were standing very close to each other, so close that if he just leaned toward her -

  “Dorianna, are you going to show our guest in or not?” Amir called from the dining room.

  “Sure thing.” She offered to take Micheal’s coat and ushered him in to the dining room. Happy cheers welcomed the newest guest to the table. Amir offered a toast to him for his progress with Latif.

  “All right, enough praise, Boss. You don’t want to make him soft.”

  “Ralph!” scolded his wife, and then to Michael, “What would you like first?”

  “I’m not sure, everything smells delicious.” He flicked his eyes toward Dori who immediately looked away, blushing further. “What do you recommend?” That started a friendly argument over who liked what best.

  It ended up being a wonderful celebration punctuated with stolen glances. As the meal wound down, the ladies cleared the dinner table and went to prepare the dessert. Amir launched into one of his tales from the old country and even the kids sat quietly listening. The women took turns serving pie to Amir’s eager audience. As Dori leaned over Michael’s shoulder to serve him a piece, she heard him whisper,