The Black Stone of Elu

by Darrin Long

  “Last night… ye were in my dream,” he said turning to her.

  “Yes,” she replied, “a horrible dream.”

  “But how?” He asked in surprise.

  She stopped and pointed at his birthmark, “I touched it” she said.

  “That’s all?” he asked, “ye touched it?”

  “Yes,” she replied.

  They walked a little further then, she turned to him.

  “Why do you dream of my people?” she asked.

  “Maybe they are my people too,” he said, touching his birthmark.

  She smiled at him and held tighter onto his arm.

  “Maybe,” she said, “I saw your tears.”

  “Oh, that was a gift from an old blind man I met in a cave,” he said. “He called himself the Dream Crier.”

  Iri stopped in her tracks and let go of Neilan’s arm.

  “When did you see this old man?” she asked in surprise.

  “The day before I shot- the day before I found ye” He replied, “why?”

  She took his arm again, “he is from my people” she said. “He is the wisest of us, but he is not blind.”

  “But his eyes were white and glossed over,” Neilan said.

  “Yes, they are always that way, but he can see better than either of us”.

  “Yes, that’s what he said,” Neilan replied.

  They walked in silence for awhile; she seemed to be as deep in her thoughts as he was. He had certainly found himself in a strange situation, but he couldn’t help but think that there was something that she was not telling him.

  “I need to bathe,” she said to him when they had returned to the cave.

  So, Neilan got her some water and a towel then, he went outside to give her some privacy. He sat on the bench enjoying the cool breeze; he had a lot of new feelings with her around and the cool air did him some good. He glanced at the door and thought about the day he found the cave. The only reason he had chosen the cave was that it would be easily defended and if they tried to smoke him out, he had several holes he could unplug to let the smoke out. He was always thinking of ways of defending himself; men had made him that way. Since he had found the cave he had practised every day with the sword that he had made with Mr Bram. He hoped that he would not have to use it, but he was willing to do whatever he needed to survive.

  “I should hunt again” he thought while looking at the mountain “but how can I reach my bow without her seeing it?”

  A few minutes later, she came to the door to let him in. As he entered the cave she sat down on the blanket and watched him as she dried her hair.

  “We need food,” he said, “for later.”

  She nodded and he walked over to the chest and pulled out his bow. He intended to walk straight out of the cave, but she stopped him.

  “I know you did not mean to shoot me,” she said. “You should not carry that guilt with you.”

  He smiled and nodded to her then, left the cave. Once outside he breathed a sigh of relief, as a great weight seemed to have been lifted from his shoulders. He was glad that he did not have to pretend anymore. He hunted for just a short time, but he was able to kill two rabbits and one bird.

  “It will be plenty of food for the both of us,” he said, as he headed back towards the cave.

  When he was yet a couple of fields away, he thought he saw a large bird flying overhead. He ran along the edge of the mountain so as to not be seen and he crept closer to the cave. He stopped in the field next to the cave as the large bird land and changed into a girl.

  “Iri,” he said to himself “she has already healed from her wound but why is she still here? Wouldn’t she want to get back to her people; to her family?”

  He waited for a few minutes so she would not see him then, he walked to the cave slowly. As he entered, he could see that she had put the bandage back on. For some reason, she did not want him to know that she had healed from her wound.

  “I was fortunate today,” he said showing her the rabbits and the bird.

  He placed his bow on the chest and went outside to clean his kill. He had cleaned animals on the floor in the cave once, but only once. When he awoke the next morning, the entire cave was filled with bugs. They were feasting on the leftover pieces and blood that was on the ground. And of course, some of them were trying to feast on him as well. It took him two days to rid the cave of them and to dig out the blood covered ground and replace it with fresh soil. It was a lesson well learned. That evening he cooked one of the rabbits in a stew and made some bread by setting up stones to form an oven on the fire. He had learned a lot of things from his mum during his youth. Since most kids did not want to play with him, he had a lot of time on his hands. He was able to grind wild wheat into flour and collected eggs every two days from strange looking birds that lived just above the cave in holes in the ground. As they ate, he did not look at her.

  “What is wrong?” she asked him.

  “Yer leaving aren’t ye?” he asked, glanced over and looked into her beautiful green eyes.

  She looked surprised, but then looked down and placing her hand on her wounded shoulder.

  “How can I, I’m wounded,” she said.

  There was silence for a moment; Neilan did not want to say the wrong thing because he didn’t want her to leave.

  “I think it will take some time to heal,” she said, returning to her food without looking at him.

  Neilan was very happy to hear her say that, but how long had she chosen to stay for? Well, at least for now she was still there and he took a deep breath and smiled.

  “Ye can stay here for as long as ye would like,” he said not making eye contact. But what he meant was that she could stay with him forever if she wanted.

  “Thank you,” she said, bending over and giving him a kiss on the cheek.

  He had never been kissed by a girl before, except his mum and he reached up and touched his cheek as his face began to flush. It was a strange and wonderful feeling. He glanced at her and they laughed and the mood seemed to lighten up. They talked and laughed together and he noticed that she was watching him; not in a suspicious way, but in the same way he watched her. He tried not to let himself get filled with hope because hope had never come through for him before, why would it now? Besides, he had never had a real girlfriend before and would a Dargoine ever be happy with a human? His da wasn’t happy with his mum or he would have stayed. Maybe it wasn’t even possible for such a thing to be. But he was happy for now and now was enough. He was not going to think about tomorrow, only about today.

  “Iri?” he said, “do ye have a boyfriend back home?”

  He looked intently into her eyes, waiting expectantly for the bad news to come. He had to know, he just had to know. She giggled, sat down her bowl and took a drink. Then, she looked at him and shyly shook her head.

  “Why?” Neilan asked.

  Iri shrugged, “It is complicated for my people right now,” she said. “Marriages are usually arranged, but things are changing and our people are being tortured.” She paused and looked down as a tear ran down her face. “I do not know what will be the future of my people. I do not know what will be my future.”

  Neilan moved closer and wiped the tears from her cheek. Then, he put his arm around her and held her.

  “I am sorry,” Neilan said, “I did not mean to cause ye hurt.”

  Iri reached up and put her finger on his lips.

  “I know,” she said, “I can see it in your eyes. You are not like men, but you are not like my kind either” she said. Then, after a moment of silence, she said, “I like that” and smiled at him.

  They finished their meal and lie down on the ground watching the fire and they talked for hours.

  “Tell me about your mother, Neilan,” Iri said.

  Neilan raised his eyebrows as he looked at her.

  “Why do ye want to know about her?” he asked.

  “Just curious,” she said with a smile.

  “Well,” h
e said, “ye would have liked her and I’m pretty sure that she would have liked ye. Ye’re actually a lot alike in some ways.”

  “So, tell me about her,” Iri said.

  Neilan looked at the fire for a moment, thinking about his mum and he smiled.

  “She was my best friend,” he said “we would sit for hours just talking about things. She wanted to travel the world, but her health was not good. She would have loved it here.”

  “She sounds like a great woman, Iri said.

  “She was,” he said, “I spent my whole life being hated by others. Not a day went by that someone didn’t tell me that I was a freak. But then I would come home and she would just wipe it all away.”

  Tears started running down Neilan’s face.

  “She had a smile that could change a stormy day into a beautiful spring afternoon,” he said. “And even when she got sick; when I knew she felt awful, she insisted on sitting with me and talk about how I felt. I could tell that she was lonely, but she just turned down suitor after suitor because they wouldn’t accept me.”

  “You’re right,” Iri said, “I would have liked her.”

  “It was the hardest thing I have ever done,” he said, “watching her die. I felt so helpless and so angry. The villagers kicked us out of our home and we had to stay in a stable for a while but, mum was too sick and the winter was too much for her. I don’t know if I can ever forgive them for what they did to her.”

  Neilan wiped the tears from his eyes and poked the fire with a stick.

  “I thought that was the most helpless I would ever feel,” he said looking at her. “Then, I started dreaming about yer people.”

  “I wish you didn’t have to have those horrible dreams,” she said, “I’m sorry.”

  “It’s ok,” he said with a smile “I’ve had them for so long, I can’t remember not having them. At least now I can understand what is happening. Before, it was just a confusing nightmare.”

  He stood up and went over to the cabinet then turned back.

  “How would ye like to have one of my mum’s favourite dishes?” he asked.

  “Sure,” she said, “can I help you?”

  “Yes,” he replied with a smile “that would be great.”

  That night, Neilan and Iri made his mum’s famous Fighland deer pie. His mum had taught him how to make them and when she became sick, he started making them for her. It made him feel good to see her face light up when she took the first bite.

  When the pie was done, Neilan scooped them both a piece and he handed Iri a plate.

  “Be careful, it’s hot,” he said.

  Iri took a bite and smiled.

  “Well, what do ye think?” he asked her.

  “It’s wonderful,” she said, “you’re a pretty good cook.”

  “My mum taught me,” he said, “she was a great cook.”

  “Mine too,” she said, “I miss her.”

  That evening they sat by the fire with full bellies and not a lot was said; they just sat and enjoyed the fire for awhile before going to bed.

  The next morning Neilan was up early. He loved to sit on the bench and just look out over the Glen and drink his tea. He had just finished his tea when he heard Iri moving around inside. He poked his head in the door as Iri was pouring herself some tea.

  “Would ye like to go for a walk later?” Neilan asked.

  “Yes, that would be wonderful,” she said with a smile.

  He loved the way she smiled; it reminded him of his mum’s smile. He knew that it was a genuine smile also, not like some people smile. They sat on the bench and finished their tea while talking about the calmness and beauty of the Glen. Everything about Iri amazed Neilan; she seemed to like all the same things he liked. He would never have believed that such a thing was possible.

  That afternoon he grabbed his bow and they began their walk up onto the mountain.

  “I come up here all the time,” he said as they walked “to think and sometimes to not think.”

  He watched her as they walked. Every move she made was strangely wonderful and he even wondered if she had somehow cast a spell on him. He smiled to himself when he thought that; because he really didn’t think that it would be so bad if she had.

  “There is a rock up ahead that I like to sit on,” he said, “it has a great view of the Glen.”

  “Ok,” she said with a smile.

  He noticed that she was blushing and realized that it was because he had been staring at her the whole way up the mountain.

  “Sorry,” he said looking down “I didn’t mean to stare. It’s just… yer so beautiful.”

  She smiled again and her face was glowing. Even with her pale blue skin, he could see the flush on her cheeks. But she didn’t seem to mind at all. They reached the rock and sat down facing the Glen.

  “It’s the most beautiful place I’ve ever seen,” he said. “I come here quite often.”

  “I can see why,” she said, “It is indeed beautiful.”

  “Iri,” he said, “do ye mind talking about yer parents?”

  “My parents?” she asked.

  “Well, ye don’t have to if ye don’t want to,” he said “It’s just that ye know about my mum and-.”

  “Ok,” she said clearing her throat “Well, both of my parents are dead. My Father was a captain in the Draioch Imperial Guard, and my mother, well she was the greatest mother a girl could ask for.”

  She sat quietly looking out over the Glen and he waited, not wanting to rush her. Then after a moment, she looked back at him with a tear in her eye.

  “My mother used to let me cook meals with her,” she said, “she would put a chair up to the table and she would show me how to make things. I think she was a lot like your mother; she was always ready to drop what she was doing and listen to my problems. We would go into the market and she would let me pick out the produce and pay the vendors. She really had quite a way of making me feel like I was really special.”

  “Sounds like we were both blessed,” Neilan said reaching out and placing his hand on hers.

  She looked down at his hand and he thought she was going to pull hers away, but she didn’t. She just looked up at him with a smile.

  “What was yer da like?” Neilan asked.

  “I don’t really know,” she said, “he was always away or at some important meeting. It was usually just me and my mother.”

  “Do ye mind me asking what happened to them?” Neilan said.

  Iri shrugged her shoulders.

  “Listen, ye don’t have to tell me,” he said, “I’m sorry.”

  “No,” she said, “It’s been seven years. I should be able to talk about it by now.”

  She lifted his hand into her lap and weaved her fingers through his, sending a shiver through his body. He had never been so nervous in all his life. Of course, he had never been this close to a girl in all his life either.

  “My father died in battle,” she said, “and… my mother died… of a broken heart.”

  “I didn’t know someone could die from that,” he said.

  “Dragoine can,” she said looking up at him.

  “Is it common among the Dragoine?” he asked.

  “Well, it happens,” she said, “you see when a man and a woman love each other, they make a commitment to each other and they bind it with a ceremony that literally makes them part of each other. So, when one dies, it’s like part of you has died.”

  “Wow,” Neilan said, “that’s real love.”

  “Yes,” she said, “real love. Do you believe in real love, Neilan?”

  He looked up with fear in his eyes and she laughed.

  “What?” he asked

  “Nothing,” she said, “you just had the strangest look on your face.”

  He looked at her beautiful smile and her sparkling green eyes.

  “Yes,” he said, “I believe in real love.”

  She smiled at him and lifted their hands together.

  “Want to walk back?” she
asked

  “Ok,” Neilan said but when he tried to pull his hand away she held onto it.

  He could feel his breathing become harder and he was pretty sure that his hand was sweating. But she didn’t seem to care and they walked down the mountainside hand in hand. Neilan was afraid to look at her at first, but then she pulled on his hand to get him to look at her and she smiled. He just couldn’t believe what a great day this had become and he couldn’t stop smiling all the way back to the cave.

  A couple days went by and they seemed to grow closer each day. She didn’t mention going home and he wasn’t about to ask her about it. In fact, he was hoping that she would forget about it all together and just stay with him. But he knew that was just a dream and one day she would probably leave. That thought made him very sad.

  One night, after the evening meal, Neilan turned to Iri.

  “Iri, I think I’m having these dreams for a reason,” he said, “like I’m supposed to do something about it.”

  “What do you mean,” she said not looking up.

  “Well, why else would I be dreaming about them unless there was something that I could do to help,” he said. “There must be some way I can help yer people.”

  “Maybe there is,” she said, “I do not know.”

  It appeared to him that she was keeping something from him because she wouldn’t make eye contact and he wondered why.

  Then, suddenly, Iri got up from the ground.

  “I’m really tired. I need to get some sleep,” she said with a smile “good night.”

  After she went to bed, Neilan sat by the fire thinking about how strange she had acted. But then he started thinking about all that had happened over the last few days and how nice it was to just have another person in the cave. He watched her as she lay there on the blanket. He did not want to take his eyes off from her because he was afraid that one day soon, she would be gone and he would never see her again. One thing was for sure, she was keeping something from him.

  That night, Iri was struggling in her sleep and she let out a cry as she tossed about, so Neilan went over to comfort her. He stroked her hair and she seemed to calm down, but he could still see the torment on her face.