Beloved of Ashura: Learning to Fly

She paused long enough to secure the door again and then led the way through the tunnel. It opened into a ravine with the gated exit hidden behind a large bush. Producing a key, she opened the gate and then locked it behind her. The ravine was already deep and continued down to the foothills rising up to meet the side of the mountain. To protect the horses from injuries, they walked them down the trail.

The sound of people screaming and weapons clashing could be faintly heard in the distance. Isana looked back up and saw the hills beginning to obscure the view of her home. "I guess it isn't my home anymore," she thought.

Looking to her side, she examined the woman who so abruptly had entered her life. "How did you know all this? All these passages, I never heard rumors of them," she asked.

Rayven's eyes were unreadable as she looked back over at Isana. "Your father taught me those secrets many years ago. It was necessary for my job," she told her.

"Your job?" Isana was confused. Unlike the passages, she had heard of rumors about the warrior woman, Rayven. She was a central figure in many of the tales told of the rebellion her father put down, but those were all about daring deeds done on the field of battle. She didn't remember anything about her being at the castle.

Rayven nodded. "I was your mother's bodyguard for a while, at a time when your father feared that someone might try to avenge a death or two by taking his wife's life." They were coming down the edge of the ravine and would soon be able to ride.

"Oh, when did you leave?" Isana asked. She wondered if Rayven had been around when she was born and knew her as a child. She didn't need to wonder long.

"When you were born," Rayven said flatly. "The need for me went away." Even so many years later, she could still feel the pain.

Isana immediately knew what she meant. She saw the same look on her father's face when someone mentioned her mother. It was different for her. All she felt was regret at never having known her mother, but she wasn't real to Isana. How could she love someone she never met?

Whatever else Rayven might say was lost when she suddenly whirled and stared intently into the woods. She waved Isana back against the horses. As Isana moved, four men on horses burst through the woods. Their shouts made it clear that they saw them. They turned and came towards them.

"It's the princess," one of them called out. They all knew that the Duke had offered a reward for those who captured her. Now all they had to do was take her to claim it.

In an instant, the odds got a little better. Almost faster than Isana could see, Rayven pulled out her dagger and threw it. It hit the first man right in the throat and he toppled of his horse. Without any pause, Rayven had her sword in her hand and charged at the men.

That was the last thing they expected. She met the next one with her sword slashing and cutting deep into his thigh. She felt it hit bone and blood sprayed out and hit her. She knew the man would be dead in a minute or two. In the meantime, he wouldn't be a worry. His own sword slid from his hand as he screamed in pain and leaned against his horse. For good measure,she slammed her shoulder into the wound and then turned to face the last two. His shriek felt good in her ears.

They were both off their horses now, advancing in her with more caution. She grinned at them. Her face was speckled with the blood of the dying man.

"Ashura is smiling on me today. I've sacrificed two already to her. And two more to come," Rayven said with a laugh. She looked almost like an avatar of her warrior goddess to the other Kantari, and they shifted nervously as she began to swing her sword. They moved apart, trying to catch her between them. Charging together, Rayven parried the blade of one while slipping to the side of the other. Using her own momentum, as well as his, she kicked him hard and sent him sprawling to the ground.

Sensing the other attacking more than seeing it, she whirled and met his blade with her own. Spinning, she pulled out her second dagger and rammed it into the shoulder of his sword arm. It slid between a gap in his leather armor. While he managed to hold on to his sword, when he swung it, the force was gone. She parried his next stroke away easily.

"Brother, when you meet the gods, tell them you had to honor to die at the hands of the beloved of Ashura," she cried out as she struck with the full force of all her strength. Her sword sliced through the armor covering his belly, biting deeply enough to part open his stomach. His sword fell from his hand and he grabbed at his belly, trying to keep his guts from spilling out. Rayven kicked him in the chest, propelling him on to his back. Once again, she heard the screams of another warrior falling to her.

Turning to take care of the last one, she saw that he was not up for continuing the fight. He was already on his horse and rounding about to ride away. He picked up speed and moved away.

"Damnation," Rayven cried. In his cowardliness, he was the most dangerous of the four. If he got back to report them, the Duke would have his army out chasing them. She ran to her horse and grabbed her long bow. Notching an arrow, she drew a bead on the man. "Ashura, honor us, guide my arrow," she prayed as she released it. Whether it was her considerable skill in archery or her prayers, the arrow flew and hit him in the back of his neck. He slid lifelessly off the horse.

"Thank you, Ashura," Rayven said. It was always better to give credit to her goddess than assume it was her own skill. Her battle focus faded and she became more aware of the rest of her surroundings. The man with the sliced leg was silent, but his comrade with the belly wound was still moaning. She walked over to the dead man with her knife in his neck. Grabbing it, she pulled hard to remove it. There was a pool of blood in the wound but it was still.

Coming back to the last living man, Rayven crouched down. "Sleep, brother," she said in Onjani. He nodded, but said nothing between his clenched teeth. Rayven struck, slicing through his throat in a violent yet effective motion. Unlike with Daktu, she felt no need to help him to go into the afterlife in a gentle way. She left his eyes staring up into the sky.

Standing up, she turned to look at her charge. Isana was still up against her horse, but she'd had the presence of mind to grab the reins of Rayven's horse as well. It was well done, if not necessary. Well trained for war, her horse needed more than a little fight like that to make him bolt.

She was shaking. Some of the blood had managed to hit her along one arm. Rayven sighed and went over to her. Putting her arms around Isana, she gave her a hug. "Oh little Dove, it's okay," she said. "I'm sorry. My hand was forced."

"I know," Isana said as she gave a hug back. Somehow being held by Rayven made her feel better almost immediately. It was if she could draw strength from her. She squeezed tighter. "We should go, right?" She looked at Rayven and gave a wan smile.

"In a moment," Rayven said. She hugged Isana one more time and then let go. She went over to the closest body. She searched it quickly and pulled off his purse. She tossed it over to Isana. "I've got a fair amount of coin from your father, but we can always use more." She collected the purses from the other three and brought them over to Isana. "They are yours now, Dove," she said with a smile.

"I can see why they recognized you. The magic is fading," Rayven said. And it was. Isana's face was mottled, brown and pale, and the wisps of hair that could be seen under her hood were a collection of dark and light. "Now we really should be getting a move on," she added.

Two of the horses from the Duke's men were still close by. They rode close and Rayven grabbed their reins. As she tied one to each of their saddles, she explained. "We can use them to give our horses a rest. We can go faster and cover more ground. The further away we are, the better," she said.

With that, they began to ride. For a while, they just rode hard. Rayven didn't worry too much about leaving a trail to follow. All that mattered now was getting as far away as they could from the castle. That's where all the Duke's forces were. Once he figured out she had escaped, he would search but by then she would be using her tricks.

They covered ground quickly. Every couple of hours they switched horses. She didn't let them stop, not even for food. They ate preserved foods from the saddle. The hills that were far grew closer and closer. As dusk approached, they reached the edges of them. Rayven searched for a small hollow where they could camp for the night.

It didn't take long for her to set up camp for them. Isana tried to help but she had no experience. Doing any sort of work was new. Rayven smiled as she watched Isana pull the saddle off her horse. "That will change," she thought, "if we want to avoid attention. She's not the princess anymore." She would have to learn to do things for herself.

That wasn't all that would need to change. She went to her pack and got out a few things. She went over to a log and called her over.

Isana looked over at Rayven and quickly obeyed. It hadn't taken her long to realize that Rayven knew how best to keep her safe. Beyond that, she was unlike any woman that Isana had met.

"We need to work on disguising you," Rayven said. "Come sit down here." Isana settled down at her feet. She felt Rayven run her fingers through her hair. "I'm sorry Dove, but I'll need to cut your hair."

For sophisticated Kantari women, their hair was something in which they took great pride. Isana swallowed hard, it was something she had cultivated since she was young. Still, she nodded. "I understand. It can't be helped," she told Rayven. Changing her hair would make a huge difference in her appearance.

Using a razor, Rayven went to work. She cut back her hair into something much shorter, and then she shaved one side of Isana's head so that a band of a couple of inches was bare. She looked at the result and nodded. It was a style worn by some of the still barbaric tribes of Kantari in the far south. Not all of the tribes had followed Isana's great grandfather north when he invaded.

"Now for a final touch," Rayven said. She picked up a scroll and then stood up. "Stand facing me, Dove," she told the younger woman. "Once I start, try not to move."

Holding the scroll in one hand, she began to trace a pattern on Isana's face. As Rayven began the say the words, it was as if her fingers became hot. It was not quite hot enough for Isana to flinch but it took some effort to avoid pulling away. When Rayven finished saying the spell, the scroll flamed up and disappeared into ash. Her finger lifted up, but Isana could still feel the fiery pattern burning into her face.

She raised her hands up to touch it but Rayven grabbed them. "Don't touch them yet. The pattern needs to set in," she told her.

Isana's curiosity burned even higher than her face. "What did you do?" she asked.

"Don't touch," Rayven said again before letting go. She went to the little gathering of things she collected earlier and found her polished silver mirror. Turning back to her charge, she held it up.

There was enough light left for Isana to see herself. She stared in amazement, finding it hard to recognize herself. Her hair was the least of it. She now had what looked exactly like a Kantari tattoo on her face, only the edges were glowing like embers. She could feel the burning fading away, and with it went the glow. There was a dark band covering an inch on either side of her eyes, like a mask. It disappeared into her hair, extending all the way to the back of her head on the shaven side. Only a thin line of pale skin right around her eyes remained. Her cheeks were marked with zigzagging streaks like claw marks and her lips had a tall rectangle over them. With her leather riding outfit, she looked the perfect savage from the Kantari homelands.

She smiled. Something deep inside her awoke and was pleased. For the first time in her life, being of Kantari blood felt like it meant something to her. Isana wondered what her father would think if he saw her. Would he be pleased or appalled? She knew he was the first generation not to be tattooed. There were still older Kantari with tattoos, and not all of her father's generation abandoned the tradition. Nevertheless, there had been few new tattooed youths in the last 30 years.

"Is it permanent?" she asked. Her hands raised to touch it, but stopped before doing so. She hadn't been told it was all right.

"No, Dove, it isn't. I can say a spell once a week and it will continue indefinitely," Rayven said. "Go ahead; the fire has faded so it is safe to be touched."

Once permission was given, Isana explored her face. She could barely perceive any difference in how the skin felt, but there was something there. It was like the slightest of ridges.

"I feel almost like a different person," Isana said.

"That's good, Dove. It is safer for you," Rayven said, as she put her things away and began to get food together for a meal. It would be a cold meal. A fire could lead someone to them, and left traces that were harder to erase. Seeing what she was doing, Isana came over and did what she could do to help.

Soon they were having their meal. As she ate the cold meat on bread, Isana watched Rayven. Her cloak leather armor was off and for the first time she could see her a little better, although the darkening skies still hid some things. She had more of a womanly form than Isana had realized. Without the chest armor pressing down, her breasts were full and the slightly unlaced leather top showed off her cleavage. Isana was amazed at how fit she was. Her muscles weren't huge but everywhere she could see them, they were firm and taut.

Her years of experience fighting were obvious from the scars. It wasn't just the face. Her arms showed evidence of many cuts, and once when she leaned over to pick something up, Isana saw a long diagonal scar on her lower back. It disappeared under her top.

Rayven noticed how the other woman was examining her, and smiled. "I've always survived. None of these came close to a killing blow. Just reminders of moments when I wasn't as careful as I should have been," she said.

Somehow, after that, Isana felt a little more comfortable in talking with the woman who suddenly was the most important person in her life. It wasn't likely that she would take offense at questions. She peppered Rayven with questions and was delighted when she answered them all seriously. Finally, as they both finished eating, she had one more question, something that was more than just curiosity. It took her a little while to get up the nerve to ask it.

"Why do you call me Dove?" she asked in a quiet voice.

Rayven chuckled. "Because you can't go by your old one anymore. After I said it in the stable, it seemed natural so I kept on saying it. I'm the one who has to remember not to call you by that other one, not you. How often do you say your own name?" she asked.

"I guess you're right. Only when I introduce myself," the young woman said. She was thoughtful for a few moments, before looking up at Rayven. "Not even then very much, to be honest. When I meet someone, they know who I am already." She was quiet again. Finally, she spoke the question that had been on her mind for a long time.

"What is going to happen to my father?" Isana asked.

Looking at her for a few moments, Rayven thought about her answer. In many ways, Isana had come a long way in the course of the day. The spoiled princess was not much in view. She had experienced the death of someone she loved and seen men killed in front of her. She was more like the Kantari wildling that she now resembled than Rayven would have thought.

"War is never certain, Dove, but I think the Duke will take the castle. He took your father by surprise. The castle is not well stocked and he did not have time to call for reinforcements. When the Duke tries to take the castle, it will be hard to stop him. The King does not have enough troops to be everywhere. If there is a single breach, I don't think it can be stopped," Rayven said.

"Will he die?" Isana asked after a little bit. Her voice shook slightly.

Sighing, Rayven moved over beside Isana and put her arm around her. "It depends, Dove. If he has become too much of an Onjani, then I think he will. An Onjani man does not back down. He would rather break than bend in a storm. The Kantari are different. They know that sometimes, you have to give way and wait for a better time. Pick the time and place of your battles. A true Kantari King would disappear, only to pop up somewhere else where he had the advantage."

She stopped speaking. The night was fully upon them now. The moon was just rising but as yet cast little light. In the faint starlight, she could see tears running down Isana's face and she gave her another hug. "Your father may yet prove to be Kantari at heart," she whispered.

"Perhaps," Isana whispered. In truth, she always saw him as unbending. Their relationship wasn't warm. Her nurse said it was because she reminded him of her mother too much. Still she loved him. She couldn't say why, although deep in her heart she knew he loved her back. He just didn't know how to express it. Moreover, if she angered him, his temper was truly frightening. She did her best not to.

It wasn't just her. She had seen his anger directed at others, people who he didn't hesitate to punish.

"What if he does live? How will I get back to him?" Dove said. Her voice quivered as she contemplated a world without her father, but still clung to hope.

"If the siege fails, then I will take you back home when it seems safe. If the castle falls and your father escapes, then we have a plan. We agreed on a place for me to leave a message about where we can be found with someone I trust. Your father will pick someone that he can trust to take you to him. I swore to keep you safe until his messenger comes for you," Rayven said.

Isana could almost hear the oath ringing in her head, as if she was there when she gave it. A scary thought occurred to her. Rayven said she would guard her until her father sent someone for her. "And if he doesn't?" she whispered. She left her real question unanswered

Rayven looked at her with a reassuring smile. She understood what Isana really wanted to know. "Well then little Dove, I gave him my promise to keep you safe for as long as you need protecting. We will wait at the rendezvous spot until we are sure of your father's fate. After that, I'm not sure. Let's cross that bridge when we must. Even with the Duke winning, the kingdom will face unrest for a long time. Brigands will spring up; some from your father's defeated loyalists. Others may also try for the throne, hoping to catch the Duke before he consolidates his power," she said. She gave a light sigh. "The common folk will suffer no matter what, and we will not be safe here for long."

"He isn't a great King, is he?" Dove asked, still in a whisper. Rayven could hear the tears that were close to coming.

"A great King wouldn't have much of his kingdom rising up in rebellion, Dove. The last time, most of the Kingdom stayed loyal, despite the fact that the Kantari were their conquerors. Your grandfather was a good King who ruled wisely, and your father seemed to be following in his footsteps. That is why my family and most of the Onjani I knew supported him.

"I think my brothers are with the Duke, and my youngest uncle," Rayven said. "None of my family stayed loyal this time."

Isana stared at her in the darkness, catching her outline and a glint of her eyes. "But you did. My father trusted you," she said softly.