Chapter 2

The Desert

We rode for so long and hard but it still turned dark before we got into the next town, so we were forced to set up camp. I didn’t get much sleep because the ground was harder than a rock. I hadn't gotten good sleep since we left the castle.
When we left Torin was still riding with me. I fell asleep a short time later, Torin was really comfortable and I just could not keep my eyes from closing, he made such a good pillow. My eyes got heavier and heavier. I finally gave in. I fell back on Torin. He was a little shocked; he jumped a little when I fell back. I opened my eyes to see want happened, but only could keep my heavy eyes open for a few seconds. Torin looked at Eldon, afraid of what he might do to him seeing that it was his sister that is sleeping on him, but he just smiled.
The ride was so smooth. I could not even feel the horse moving. I heard nothing, not even the men talking. They did there best to keep quite. I only heard the soft humming in my head; I was in such a deep sleep. I must have been asleep for a long time, because when I awoke it was almost dark. I did not even wake up when Torin moved me. Which I found out later that he had done.
Suddenly the horse reared up, and I, still being limp, flipped over Torin. I fell to the ground, landing on my back. The pain shot throughout my body. The horse took off into the night. Torin was still on its back holding on as tight as he could, afraid to jump off. Quentin rode after him.
Eldon jumped off his horse, landing on his feet, he ran to me as quickly as he could. For he and only he knew what would happen if I was not tended to quickly, but he wasn’t fast enough.
I started to transform. I threw my head back as the medium length, black fur covered my entire body, my eyes turned a bright yellow color that could look right through you, fangs grew from my mouth, and huge paws replaced my hands and feet. I fell to all fours, slashing at Eldon. He dodged my huge paws and the long claws that where attached. I hissed and growled at him. He tried to get close to me, but failed many times which was starting to make me even madder. I batted at him more, and then suddenly felt so weak.
I lay down, but kept my eyes on him. He sat in front of me looking deep into my eyes. I started to calm down slowly but not enough to change back; he put his hand on the top of my head as he talked to me telepathically.
Hey there now, you know that you have to calm down. I have to look at you back to make sure there are not major injuries and you know very well I can’t do it with you like this. Besides what do you think that Torin and Quentin would say if they came back and found me talking to and petting a creature like you? He was right and I did know what would happen.
I feel so weak and there is still so much pain. I don’t know if I can calm down even if I wanted to. I really do, really. I thought as I purred.
Why do you think that I am here? Just for looks, just close your eyes and listen to my voice. He said as he waved his hand in front of my eyes. “Selep!” is the last thing that I remember him saying to me.
He was putting a spell on my so that I am able to calm down. It is very hard for me to forget the pain that is surging through my body. At this point he is able to change me back to my normal form without me having to use any of my energy. First my eyes then the fangs, then he lefts me up so that I appear to be standing. This helps the rest of the transformation. Once I was back to normal he lays me back down on the ground in a more comfortable position. It takes a lot of strength to change into the Black Beast. Is has taken hours to calm down before, but most of the time Eldon just put the spell on me so that your parents wouldn’t see me like this. For some reason Eldon could calm himself down and he rarely transformed to begin with.
Just then Torin and Quentin came riding up behind Eldon. “Is she okay?” They asked.
Eldon simply says without looking up, “In time.”
You see this is the drawback of being sorcerers, I turn into the Black Beast if I am hurt or mad, and a small black cat if I am sad. When I am the Black Beast and standing on all fours my head is just below Eldon’s chest. Eldon turns into a huge sea green dragon if he is hurt or mad; and a little black lizard with a green strip down his back when he is sad, which I have only seen him turn into once, but that is a completely different story.
The men set up camp. Eldon told them that when I fell I hit my head, so I would be out for a while, he was lying but I could understand it this time. I do not have any idea how long I was out. I could have been out anywhere from a day to a few days. All I know is that as I woke up I found my self in Torin’s arms so that I wouldn’t fall off Jadis. I rubbed my eyes and shook my head before I said anything. I found it odd that Eldon would have Torin hold me instead of doing it himself. This could mean one of two things: he trusted Torin quit a lot or there was something that was wrong with him that he could not hold me up. I don’t think that it was the first one because of the fact that we have only known them for a short amount of time and with Eldon it take a lot for him to trust a stranger.
By this time we were coming upon another town, Torin motioned for Eldon to come over to him. Eldon took me off the horse and told me to walk. “You need to walk form here.” He said aloud then added telepathically. You must regain the strength in your arms and legs.
I fell when he first put me down, but got back up. I stumbled along beside Torin; Eldon was on the other side of me. I had hold of Jadis’s reins, just to keep myself balanced. The first few times I fell Torin was there to help, but Eldon told him to let go. Quentin was in back of me. Quentin looked concerned, but said nothing as usual. To be honest I was more concerned about him then I was about myself. The closer we got to the town, the better I walked and felt.
Why was he holding me and not you? I thought to Eldon.
Because I have been up since you fell to make sure that there was nothing else wrong with you and I didn’t trust myself to hold you in fear that I would fall asleep and I know that if the happened then we would both fall off. He thought back.
Thank you for looking after me.
Any time.
As we entered the town I was walking like normal. Eldon told me to get back on the horse with Torin, so I obeyed. Torin lifted me up onto Jadis; a few people asked if Torin and I were wedded. We got tired of answering, so we just nodded, and give a joyous look. You see it is hardly seen that a man and woman would ride the same horse unless they were married. Even then they do not ride together often.
This town was bigger than all the others that I had ever seen.
Eldon’s first question was, “Where is the tavern?”
“I don’t know go look for it.” I said after getting off of Jadis. Quentin and I went off on our own, because Torin went with Eldon. I was in front of Quentin as we rode the horse through town.
It was then that Quentin started to open up to me. It seemed to me that he didn't want any one to hear because he put his chin on my shoulder and talked softly into my ear. We rode for sometime before we stopped at any stores. During the conversation he told me: “The reason that I lived with my grandfather is because I when I was younger I was left there for the summer. My parents were to come and get me in three months time. They never showed up, it was some time later that I found out that a drunken psycho stabbed my father to death, and a few days later my mother killed herself from the loneliness.”
“I had no idea I am so sorry.” I felt really bad for him after that. That’s why he wouldn’t drink while we were at the tavern, and that’s why he wanted to go with me instead of Torin and Eldon. It was all coming to me now. I understood him for the first time since we meet them.
I thought Quentin to be the handsome kind not too handsome but just enough to keep the ladies looking in his direction as he pasted by. But Quentin had some really good qualities that I had never seen aside from my father. Like honesty, trustworthiness, you could depend on him, responsible, reserved, and not really out spoken like most men are. Yes, Torin had some good qualities as well. I can depend on him, and so far I can trust him. He too is a good man. I wish I could tell Torin and Quentin the truth about myself I feel like I am lying to them. It just doesn’t feel right. They opened up to me, but I can’t open up to them. It’s becoming hard to find anything to talk about now because we have covered all the basics.
Quentin and I went in to all the stores that we could find. I slipped away from Quentin long enough to go back to the black smiths. I had told the black smith to save some special things for me.
I walk into the black smith's shop. “Ah you are back. I was beginning to think that you were not coming back to get these.” He said as he handed me the things that I was going to buy. I had told him to save me four swords and two daggers. I had pointed out to him which ones I had wanted. I picked all silver weapons. I got two daggers for myself because I am a good two-handed dagger fighter. My sword was more delicate, it had four light purple, almost white stones and three light blue diamonds on the handle, and the diamonds went in a pattern purple, blue, purple, blue, purple, blue, and purple. It was really lovely and well made. Mine was the lightest but the sharpest, I made sure of that. I now have a bandage on my hand, but I barely felt it as I did it, I can abide a lot of pain if I am expecting it, unlike the horse.
Eldon told me to get him a plain sword. His sword had black winding circles on the handle, just as mine has, and it had a three-foot blade on it. All four of the sword blades are three-foot long, but his is the heaviest, simply because when we still lived at home he practiced with a heavy sword. That is one of the reasons why he is so strong. I picked one on the plainer side for Quentin. It had three white diamonds. Torin's was more masculine, it was heavy, but had two red diamonds on the handle.
“No, I would not leave craftsmanship like this behind.” I said as I paid the good man. I went to find Quentin, and found him a short time later, and I knelt down in front of him and presented it to him properly. I had also bought a belt and sheath for each of them and myself. I had my daggers and sword on me at the time.
Another thing that I bought that day was a long black cloak; it is as long as I am tall. That’s the way I like them so you can hide almost anything underneath. I also got it big so I had a little more room for my weapons.
We went to find Eldon and Torin, we knew where they were, the tavern. I told Quentin to go in and get them; he only came out with Torin. I gave them a puzzled look; Quentin told me that Eldon had left.
Torin said that “Eldon had gone to find someone. But he told my nothing else.”
I had no idea whom it was that he went to find. We knew no one in this area.
I knelt down in front of Torin and bestowed him with the sword. Also known as effects, I prefer to call them effects, but we all have our own way of talking. After I gave him his effects he thanked me graciously.
We set out to find Eldon; he to had bought a black cloak. We passed him multiple times without knowing it; he looked up and saw us as we passed him for the thousandth time, we nodded to one another and I took a knee. I presented him with his effects. He thanked me and we were off. Torin’s horse was almost healed only a few more days, four at the most. Eldon said that he had talked to a man, and he said that the nearest town was three and a half days ride.
We road until dusk and then set up camp. I slept a little better now that I was almost used to the hardness of the ground.
We had lizard for the first real feast since we left the castle. I was tired and went to sleep soon after we were done feasting.
I was up at dawn tending to the horses. I had also bought food and brushes for them. I fed them as I brushed them. Before I had fallen asleep that night, I took off their saddles so they would be more comfortable.
We rode two more days; they were long hot days, I was so uncomfortable and hot. I finally just gave in and grabbed some of Eldon’s clothes. As I stood behind one of the horses and took off my dress Eldon pooped into my head. What are you doing now? We are in the middle of nowhere, plus we are going to be coming to a town soon. Do you know what they will do to you if they find out that you are a woman?
That is why they won’t find out. I thought. Both the shirt and pants were baggy so I used some rope for a belt. I put my effects on, and put my cloak around my waist. My dress was put in with the rest of my baggage.
Eldon, Quentin and Torin looked at me like I was demented. I was the only woman to attempt and follow through with something of that sort. It was against the law for a woman to wear men’s clothing in these times.
I had to act like a man if any one passed us or we came to a town, most men wore their hair long but not like mine. So I took one of my daggers and cut my hair to about a foot below my shoulders. It was one of the most undignified things for a woman to do, especially the way I did it. I still had long hair for a man, but I was not going to cut it any shorter, I used a piece of rope to pull my hair up off my neck in a ponytail.
Now what are you doing? You really like to push it don’t you! Why are you dong this? Eldon asked.
I know what I am doing you will just have to trust me on this one. I though back. Now that is the end of it.
Fine have it your way. He thought.
“Aren’t you going to say something to her?” asked Torin.
“No, there is no reasoning with her when she has her mind set on something like this, plus she already knows what I would say to her if I said anything at all.” Eldon answered calmly.
The fourth day ended and there was still no sign of the next town; it took longer than the man had said. We set up camp and went to sleep. I got a lot more sleep then I got in the previous nights, I think I was the first one asleep. When we all got up, and ready, we started back on the trail.
I still had Eldon’s clothes on; it seemed that it was a lot hotter then the last day.
Later in the day, as the sun was setting, we saw in the distance someone on foot. I put on my cloak. It was getting cooler anyway. We rode faster to catch up to the person that was ahead.