The Messenger

Chapter -16 A Strange Savior

I awoke in a room that smelled of mint and lavender. Light cascaded above me in thin rays that illuminated my sight as I pried open my eyelids from the heavy grasp of sleep.

‘Hmmm.’I thought as I began to fully see the room. The room was white. Pale white. With strands of green color that danced throughout the outlines of the tiles before pooling together on the wall in the image of a tree.

It was neat ? Kind of. But it baffled me more than anything else. This was the second time in one week I had been knocked unconscious and woke up in a strange room, if I was being perfectly honest about it , I was none too happy.

A memory fell on me as I thought of the matter, taking the form of my late mothers face and her loving caress upon my head as she looked down at me.

“One, no matter what , always know , you can do anything you want in this world. Just remember. “ Her loving face turned firm. “Whatever you look for , you’ll find , for better or worse. “

I sat with the memory for a while thinking it over. ….. I definitely wasn’t looking to get knocked out. So it couldn’t be literal. ‘Maybe ‘ , I thought sitting up and putting my hand in chin. ‘Maybe it was this reckless chase of maidens that was leading to my problems. I tilted my head to the side in ponder.

Then I shook my head.

‘Na, it would be fine.’

In the back of a subconscious memory a woman shook her head.

I payed no mind to my subconscious though, instead I lifted my feet over the wide comfortable bed and placed my sock covered feet on the white stone tiles, my eyes looking to the door.

It was time to figure out what in the hells was going on.

I wondered where my shoes were as my feet touched tile, the stone warm beneath my toes. Then I had a thought. ‘ Hey Willow. You musta seen what happened last night. You know where I am?’

I waited awhile for his response. A second passed , then another . There was no answer back.

‘Huh’. I thought , as my hand palmed the doors handle. ‘I wonder where he’s gone.’

I opened the door with slight caution , it’s hinges giving way smoothly. I looked through the open crack and spotted a pale white hallway , this time with colors of beige and orange. It too was pristine. One the end of this hallway lay nothing in particular, just a door on its left and it’s right. On the other end of the hallway however,

I could hear sounds.

They were muffled voices at most , barely able to make out , but a word or too skipped my way.

…………Lawmen , and something about a pot . An open contract , and something else that seemed to cause laughter. Before the word spirit seemed to cause concern.

Hmmm. I wonder if their talking about my spirit , then another thought took me, one of finding my friend , the girls , and most immediately , my shoes.

So I pushed the door open and along with it went a tiny triumphantly sounding but small to the ear , bell.

Much less muffled I heard the words he’s awake. Well I guess I might as well go introduce myself.

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I turned to my right as the door swung open, walked down the hallway and at its very edge where I saw the suns rays fall , I rounded the corner.

There I was greeted with the company of three.

The first that came into view was a woman barely out of her teens. Her hair was silver and fell shortly around her head. Beneath her almond shaped face lay a necklace that bordered on luxurious and would be , if not for the fact it was made of wood. The last thing I noticed what was by her side, a long two sided sword as high as her body sat propped against her. Her head lay on it lightly as she seemed to look me over with a puzzling face.

She spoke as our eyes met.

“ You are quite strange, you know. “

I was taken aback.

“ I am ? “

She nodded.

“ You are. “

I wasn’t too sure what to say and soon I felt awkward, with a fall to a base instinct that lies within everyone , I turned to someone for help.

My eyes first fell upon the person to the woman’s right. A small figure whose face and head was hidden beneath a large hood.

The person didn’t respond to my look in any helpful way , in fact I could say it was quite the opposite.

They growled.

I backed up a step. Huh, I thought, scratching my head. This wasn’t going the way I thought it would.

“She’s right , ya know. You are strange. “ The man who broke my wave of thought did so with a accent that was hard to place. For some reason I had a feeling he was raised somewhere with a desert. Or maybe it wasn’t the accent , maybe it was the cowboy hat , the straw in his mouth and the one eye he levied in my direction.

“So tell us partner. “ he continued. “ Who are you ? “

I scratched my head. “ My names One , I’m a messenger, who are you ? “

“Ha hahahaha. He doesn’t know who I am, how neat. This is why I love these smaller kingdoms so. They are wonderfully unaware. “

I held up my palms. “ Honestly I’m not even that interested in knowing who you guys are, I just wanna know where I am , and where are my friends. “

“And my shoes. “ I added on.

Something I said must have triggered the smaller figure , for they growled louder.

“It’s not that serious Sala, he means no offense. “ The woman rose off her wooden chair and stuck out her chest proudly.

“I have no idea where you’re friends are , only you and the injured bodies of some thugs were scattered upon the floor when I arrived. I can however say where you are.” She raised her sheathed twin sided blade off the floor and slammed it back upon the ground.

“You are in the chamber of the Gods, the back room to the monolithic church , where I have decided to room and board for the remainder of my visit to your quaint little kingdom.” She raised up two fingers. “I have now answered two of your questions and you have yet to answer one of mine. “

“Tell me this One, the messenger. When I picked you up off the ground you were bleeding profusely like a pig that had been stuck and now you are as right as rain. “ She sniffed. “You smell of spirit, so I assume that is the case no? You have been healed from the brink of death from the otherworldly. “

Her pale white eyes twinkled . “I love things like that, they make my heart roar. She grabbed her chest as she sat back down in her chair. “ You will tell me how you came to posses such a creature , yes?”

That felt more like a command then a question I thought scratching my head. Then with a sudden realization realized Willow must’ve healed me again, I wonder what happened to him ? Shit man , all my friends are disappearing today.

I sighed. “Listen , it’s a long story and I really need to find my friends and my shoes , can you just pointed to the door . “

This time the growl was more pronounced and along with it a could hear an ominous grating.

The woman put her hand in front of the hooded face and the growling came to a stop.

“Interesting. Very interesting. I can see the wisp of fate as they spin around you. Your life must be very interesting indeed. I know “ She put a finger on her lips in thought. “, you should join our party. We are in need of new members. “ the woman’s eyes filled with excitement.

“See my fate huh. “ I said head in hand.

“I don’t suppose that’s a metaphor.”

The woman laughed heavily at that. A bwahahaha, that didn’t seem to fit her frame. “ No i'm afraid that’s quite literal, I can see your fate the same as the birds can feel the tug of the earth. It is one of my abilities , you see. “

She could see my fate huh. My head which I will grant you isn’t the sharpest began to pool together all the pieces. The random saving of a stranger, The staying in the back of the church, the abilities .

My eyes widened.

“You can’t be. “

The woman smiled.

“Yes, I can. I am Avelda , the Saintess of the Twin sun gods! “ She stood dramatically, her chest forward and her head high. Then she remembered something as an afterthought and pointed to the closet.

“And you’re shoes are in there. “