Four
“I
promise that I'll never take a limo for granted again,” Justin mumbled to
himself. “Hell…I'll never take a BICYCLE for granted again.” Justin changed
positions and tried to get comfortable. His horse looked back at him and seemed
to shake his head. “Yeah, I know. It's not your fault,” Justin said to him,
scratching between his ears.
“Those
trees on the horizon. We will sleep there tonight.” Lance pointed ahead with
his staff and Justin sighed with relief. He hoped his body knew how to fight,
because it sure didn't seem to know how to ride a horse. He was hanging on for
dear life, and his legs, back and backside were killing him. The only thing
that kept him sane was the fact that JC was riding a few paces ahead of him,
and Justin could watch him the entire time.
The
day had been long, and it seemed almost as if they were riding in one place.
The landscape didn't change, and the land was flat as a pancake. Behind the
trees, however, Justin noticed some mountains. And behind the mountains…it was
as if a dark fog enveloped the world. “What's that?” Justin asked, pointing.
“That
is where the evil lies, Warrior,” Lance said solemnly.
“What
exactly IS this evil?” Justin asked. Lance looked uncomfortable for the first
time.
“No
one knows, exactly,” Lance said uneasily.
Justin
drew his horse to a halt. The others stopped as well. “Wait a minute. You're
telling me that YOU don't even know?”
“No,
I don't,” Lance said. “We only know about the dragon. And dragons don't think
on their own. They are controlled.”
“I
don't believe this!” Justin almost yelled.
“Timberlake,
calm down,” JC said gently.
“I
don't WANT to calm down. Why the HELL are we doing this?”
“To save the world,” JC said, looking him in
the eye.
Justin
rode ahead of the others so he didn't have to look at them. He was still angry,
but the look in JC's eyes had calmed him somewhat. He still didn't see how the
four of them were going to save the world from some unknown evil. He didn't
even know if he'd know what to do to help when the time came. He was grateful
to see a small stream running through the trees. His horse was as grateful as
he was. The horse galloped towards the water. Justin reined him in just in
time, and dismounted. He tried not to limp as he released the horse from its
saddle and reins, and allowed the animal to walk out into the stream. The
others followed and soon did the same.
Lance
found some wood, put it in a pile, and lit it with a wave of his hand. “I will
search for dinner for you all,” JC said, taking one arrow and his bow and disappearing
into the small woods.
“One
arrow?” Justin asked.
“I'll
give this to them elves…they don't need more than one shot to hit what they're
aimin' at,” Chris said grudgingly. He walked over to where Justin was standing.
“You really don't think we can do this, do you?”
“I
just…I'm worried.”
“Aye,”
Chris said, watching the horses splash about in the stream. “It'll be a hard
fight at that…but it's one we have to do. At first I didn't want to. I wanted
to stay underground.”
“Underground?”
“We're
miners. We live near caves, work at the rock. We don't socialize much outside
our own people.” Chris rubbed at his thick beard. “I've a wife and children at
home. I'm not wanting to leave them…yet they're the reason we need to fight.”
“You're
married?” Justin asked, shocked to the bone.
“Yes. A lovely wife I have. And a beautiful
girl and strong son,” Chris replied. He sighed wistfully. “If we fail, I hope I
die on the spot. I can't bear to go home and tell them we're doomed.” He walked
over to the fire.
Justin
wandered into the woods. He found JC bent over a fallen deer. An bloodied arrow
lay near the beast's head. JC was whispering something as he stroked the skin
of the dead animal. “JC…I mean, Chasez. Are you alright?”
“Yes,
of course.” JC stood. “I needed to apologize. This is a living creature of the
forest. I apologized, and thanked him for giving his life for our needs.”
“You
sound like an Indian,” Justin said, laughing.
“What
is an Indian?” JC asked.
“Never
mind.” Justin shook his head. “Need help carrying that.”
“No.”
JC heaved the animal up around his shoulders, holding two feet in each hand.
“Thank you.”
“Are
you married?”
“Me?
No. Elves…see things differently,” JC said almost sadly. “I've had many special
people in my life, but no one is permanent. Very few elves choose that path.”
“Ah,”
Justin said, nodding. That sounded like JC. “Do you want someone permanent?”
“Sometimes,”
JC said. “But life is ever-changing. That is what makes it exciting…gives it
beauty.”
“Right,” Justin said, though inwardly he was
shaking his head. Sometimes JC thought a little TOO much.
Justin
lay by the fire, his stomach full. He looked up at the stars and decided that
he had never seen anything so beautiful. The sky was a black carpet, stars
dotting it here and there like sparkling diamonds. He pushed himself up on one
elbow and looked around. Lance was staring into the flames almost as if he were
looking for something. Chris was snoring loudly on his blanket. “What do you
see?” Justin asked Lance, amused.
“A
town…people will welcome us with open arms,” Lance said, and Justin realized he
was serious. “They will give us food for our journey…and that is the last
warmth and friendliness we will see before our battle.”
Justin
shivered. That was pleasant. “Where is Chasez?” He asked.
“I
believe he went to the stream to bathe. Elves are a very clean people.”
Justin
jumped up, feeling suddenly grungy himself. “I'll go check on him. He shouldn't
be alone.”
“The
Elf does not need your protection, Warrior,” Lance called after him, but Justin
ignored him.
