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REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 27
“Oh, no!” exclaimed Krista.She had seen that look of pale stillness before. Frantically, she put her hand on the baby’s chest, but she could feel no movement there and the skin was cold. Big tears welled up in her eyes and then spilled down her cheeks as she gently rocked the still baby in her arms.Later, she got up as dawn’s first rays started to brighten up the gloomy morning and made her way towards the wharf which was nearby. Making her way down to the shore of the river, she lowered the baby into the murky waters. For a moment the baby’s face was visible and then it was gone.She had been making her way past the guards last night, intent on escaping the holding pens and the short, hard life of being a slave, when out of the dark a hand had feebly grabbed her. Gasping in surprise, she had spun towards the unseen hand to see a thin woman with dark shadows under her eyes standing there in the gloom.“Please! Please take my baby with you!”“ I…. I…. I can’t! I wouldn’t know how to c
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 28
Krista watched as the kind old lady got painfully back up to her feet and moved away towards her rocking chair. Her eyelids got harder and harder to keep open as she watched the old woman rock by the fire. Never before had she had such good food to eat. The warmth and comfort of the cottage and pallet she lay on did the rest and she was soon asleep.The old woman studied Krista as she slept deeply on the pallet by the fire and wondered again if she had made a mistake in buying the girl. She couldn’t afford to make more enemies than she already had.Buying escaped slaves had a way of being looked down upon by the local townspeople and she depended on those same people for her business. Looking again at the girl she shook her head, but of course she had made the right choice in saving the girl’s life. She would just have to face the trouble when it came and come it would.Krista opened her eyes slowly. That was an improvement from the day before, as both eyes opened easily. The cottage w
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 29
*****I walked through the corridors of the castle headed for the hall to which I had been summoned by my grandfather. The clothes I wore had been delivered to my quarters early this morning and had been accompanied by a note that stated that I needed to come to the chamber that I was headed toward now. As I made my way past servants and guards alike, I was the recipient of overly reverent displays of respect. I had to admit that I did feel rather lordly, as I strode through the timeworn halls of my forefathers.The orange tunic I wore, on which was the family crest of arms, was trimmed on the fringes and arms with tanned deer hide. The crest of arms itself was unlike any I had ever seen before. The crest was of a doubled edged sword shining brightly, its point thrust down into a field of azure blue from which lighting strikes of a fiery gold color radiated out into the surrounding azure blue sea. The crest was surrounded by a burnt orange backdrop with the words, ‘Keepers of the Word’
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 30
She was not looking forward to that. She never did. She avoided the town and its occupants as if there was a plague upon the place. But Sansa was too feeble to make the journey anymore. Krista knew what awaited her and she couldn’t help but cringe inwardly.Later, after she had picked the Amarano leaves, the Vantak roots and the Zantar blossoms that they needed for the cough tinctures, she found Sansa by the old kettle in front of the small cottage that she had called home for many years now. She came up to Sansa and set down the bag of herbs. She leaned forward and fondly kissed the old woman on the head.“A watched pot never boils, dear Sansa.”Sansa looked up and patted Krista’s hand. Krista’s eyebrows quirked up and a smile teased at the corners of her lips.“Sansa?”“Yes?”“Your pot is boiling.”“Oh, you rascal you! You’ve done it again. Now, off with you to town to get the tincture fluid.”Krista moved off towards the town with a laugh, getting a weak pat on the bottom for her im
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 31
“Krista, my time is drawing near and there’s nothing I can do to stop it. But if you trust me at all, know that what I’ve told you is the truth and that it will come to pass. Hold on to what I’ve told you when times grow dark in your life and have faith that what I have told you will come to pass.”Krista laid her head back down, hoping that Sansa’s words would come true, but all she felt was a growing sense of dread for what the future would bring.JasperRolf followed me down the main street of the village of Thunder Ridge Castle. The village itself was called Ta’arny and I had visited it often since my arrival at the castle. It was like walking through a part of living history, a history that was now mine. The town’s people left me alone for the most part after acknowledging my presence with a warm welcome of good morning, which I returned in kind. They knew where I was headed.I was headed to the chapel, which was the center of every Valley Lander town. The building wasn’t pretenti
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 32
Snap!“Ouch!”I painfully shook my finger hard through the air. My whole body hurt from touching the shimmering curtain, especially my heart.I looked at Thaddeus and I saw him smile grimly and say, “Sometimes, just like seeing, feeling is believing. Put your right thumb on the sword of the coat of arms and hold it there for a second.”I did so and watched in disbelief as the veil of shimmering light over the doorway disappeared, to be replaced by the entrance of a hallway beyond. Thaddeus stepped into it and I followed him. We moved into the darkness, which was only dark for a moment, as the floor began to illuminate with ambient light, the existence of which I couldn’t have explained if I had bothered to try. As Thaddeus progressed down the long hallway, there was a feeling of falling through space that made me feel slightly queasy. Suddenly, we came to a room at the end of the hall that lit up brilliantly as we entered.“This, my boy, is what it’s all about,” Thaddeus said, gesturin
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 33
Thaddeus was looking at me intently, as if his next breath hung on my unspoken words, “So what would your course of action be Jasper?”“I would destroy this room and all its contents and stop playing this game of hide and seek.”Thaddeus’s scrutiny of me did not waver in the slightest, “And what of the council’s demands for the preservation of these works and the possibility of needing some of these secrets to defeat the Zoarinian invasion of our land?”“My first duty is to the people and not the well being of the council’s political motivations. Second, I will live and fall in this life according to my own merits and the strength that the Creator endows me with and not rely on dusty secrets of questionable origin to deliver me the victory.”Thaddeus smiled and I saw him relax visibly, “Good, that is what I hoped you would say. It relieves me to hear you say what you just did.”“What did my father say?” I asked softly.A dark look came over Thaddeus’s face for a moment and he didn’t an
REBIRTH OF A WARRIOR Chapter 34
Later that day the slavers stopped to make camp in an abandoned village. The girls were herded into an old shack and made to stand against a wall stretched out in a line. Krista was the farthest one from the door of the shack. Standing at the door to block any attempt at escape stood a wiry, evil looking slaver with crooked dirty teeth. He did nothing but grin and wink at the girls suggestively.Fearful whispers began to rise among the girls. Abruptly, their whispers were interrupted by the opening of the door. Surprisingly, a woman stepped through the door and the brief moment of hope that rose up within Krista swiftly turned cold and died painfully.By her clothes and the manner in which the woman displayed herself, Krista recognized the woman for what she was. She was the madam of a whore house or something close to it. She had come to buy new product for her customers.Krista turned her eyes away and stared straight ahead, seeing her fate sealed. The woman came closer to inspect th