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White light surrounded her in all directions and nothing seemed to
exist but this curious display. She approached it tentatively inspecting
it, hoping to be able to make some sense of the dream she knew she
was in.
The first object was a rock about the size of her fist. The
second was a short, thick candle burning slowly. The next was a bowl
filled with clear, still water. The fourth and fifth she could not
adequately describe. Once seemed to be an assortment of colors
dancing above the table, and the last was a round darkness that
dropped away into infinity despite the angle from which she looked.
The objects were puzzling to her, but the pictures were even more so.
Each picture lay across from an object, and she guessed that
they must somehow correspond. The first picture lay on the table
across from the stone and depicted a large dragon flinging boulders
against the walls of a huge castle. The second, corresponding with the
candle, depicted a small bald man sitting in lotus position in front of a
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crowd of what appeared to be students. The third showed a majestic
jewel-encrusted golden crown. The fourth picture, like its object, was
difficult to describe. It seemed to show the upper half of a man clad in
silver armor protruding out of the torso of a woman dressed in white.
The man was hoisting a great shining sword over his head, and men in
the background seemed either to be dead or bowing in reverence. The
fifth picture was of a man holding a katana. It was Lokun.
* * *
Face down in the mud during a supernaturally occurring
rainstorm is not the best place to take a nap. In fact, some may argue
that it would be hard pressed even to rank among the top ten. The
figure that found Anya s unconscious and drowning form knew this
and, assuming that the young child may wish to sleep in a bed next to a
fire, hoisted her up onto his shoulder and carried her into the woods.
The anger watched the figure take the girl with him. Slowly,
carefully, and silently the beast stalked after the man and his
encumbrance. It salivated at the thought of tearing their tender flesh
from their fragile bones and feasting on their souls. Little by little the
beast crept closer, closing the ground between them more each passing
moment.
Altazar stepped lightly so as not to hurt the young girl slung
over his shoulder, but also tried to maintain a quick pace, for he didn t
know if she was injured and, if so, how badly. She had been fortunate
that he had heard her fall while returning home. He had been out
checking some of his animal traps when the rainstorm had caught him
unexpectedly. He needed a warm fire and some hot food as much as
she did. He thankfully patted the sack at his waist. It was only two
thin rabbits and a squirrel, but his larder was stocked with fresh
vegetable and herbs and he could whip up a quick stew in a pinch. He
had had to resort to trapping because his bow had succumbed to the
effects of age and had broken a few weeks earlier.
Altazar continued on and thought to himself. He had begun
surmising about why such a young and helpless girl was so far out in
the wildness all alone when he topped the last hill and caught sight of
his house below. It was made of clay brick and set into the hill on
which he now stood. A light burned orange in the window and smoke
rose from the squat chimney. Good, he thought, Gimmel has made it
back with the firewood and is keeping the house warm for my return.
He had no sooner thought this than a low screeching sound warned
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him of his own immediate demise.
Gimmel! he shouted, Angers are here. Help, I found a gi
He was cut off by a crushing force slamming into him from
behind. He slung the girl down the hill toward his house as he fell
under the weight of the demon beast.
* * *
After Anya had inspected the items she sensed a change in the
atmosphere. She drew back from the table and watched in awe. The
scene was changing. The stone crumbled into dust and the picture of
the dragon became the picture of a dragon corpse, decayed and rotten.
The candle quickly melted down to a puddle of wax and extinguished
itself as its picture was consumed as if by fire and disappeared. The
bowl of water tipped itself over and spilled to the floor. As crown
rusted through, its jewels falling and shattering. The fourth and fifth
items did not change but the pictures did. The figure climbed out of
the stomach of the woman and stood glowing in his radiance. The
man with the katana: Lokun turned suddenly black, becoming a
silhouette. His katana warped and twisted and, to Anya, it seemed as if
the sword had come alive. She had barely taken in all of her vision
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