~~~~
Mitch woke when the morning sunshine splashed across his face startling him. He found himself lying on his back staring at the tress and the morning sky still thinking that being here with Leadyl was all a dream. Trying to orient himself with his surroundings, he felt the warmth of Leadyl's body next to him. Snuggled in tightly with her head resting on his shoulder, one leg thrown across his body and one arm across his chest brought him strikingly back to reality, this could not be a dream, but if it were he did not want it to end. Luxuriating in her closeness to him, he affectionately kissed her head. He could stay like this the rest of the day but he knew in his heart that it would not be a good idea. With his left hand, he gently stroked her long curly hair and back with a kiss on the head thrown in for good measure gently trying to wake her. He soon realized she had been awake for some time and he blushed furiously knowing that she knew he had been so affectionate toward her. Gently repositioning herself so she could look at him, she stared into his eyes, what he saw was a look of wonderment and fear at the same time.
Smiling at him in reassurance, Leadyl gently excreted herself from him and stood stretching her arms over her head yawning a little. Eating an unsatisfactory cold breakfast of dried fruit and meat before taking to the trail, they packed and headed northeast. The day promised to be a beautiful but cool day with a hint of winter in the air. The forest around them is alive with animals making a raucous chorus of sounds, squirrels running through trees, birds flitting from branch to branch other unidentified animals scurrying through the underbrush on either side of the trail all adding their tune to the chorus.
After an hour or so walking through the forest swatting bugs and listening to the sounds around him, Leadyl suddenly stopped in front of him jarring him into full alertness. Startled at first thinking they might be in danger of attack he quickly scanned the area around him for any sign of danger. High stress moments like this make him more aware of the fact he had much to learn about moving silently, hunting, paying attention to his surroundings and any danger that could be lurking in the forest. Turning and looking at him for a moment, she stepped closer to him searching his eyes. Appearing to confirm something in her mind, she sighed heavily turning to head back up the trail but after taking several steps she turned walking back toward him. Mitch had not moved from where he was his instinct telling him that something was bothering her and she is working up the nerve to tell him.
“To give up on love when a person finds it, is foolhardy at best and plain lunacy at the worst. I can no longer deny the conflicting feelings in my heart and I cannot rush heedlessly into anything including love. I am not sure what stage I am at, it could be the foolhardy stage, or the lunacy. If I listen to my feelings it could affect the hard decisions that I might have to make later,” she said in frustration and anguish.
Stepping closer to her, Mitch gently took her in his arms hugging her in reassurance. Laying her head against his chest she could hear his heart beating very fast. Gently putting his hands on her shoulders, he moved her to an arm’s length so he could look into her eyes. “Leadyl,” he paused. “Leadyl I have loved you from the moment I first saw you,” the statement of his love burst out of him before he could stop it. Feeling a huge weight lifting from his heart, he continued in a rush while he still had the courage to do so, "When I look into your eyes I can see the fear and anguish in them, but I also see something else hidden below that fear and anguish. If we let fear rule our lives by surrendering to it, then we are lost. I saw how you fought against the orc and I know I was terrified so I can only think you were too. You did not succumb to the fear and fought gallantly at my side and I know in my heart that if you want to give yourself to me in love you will defeat the fear that holds you back.”
She desperately tried not to cry, she has cried too many tears of sadness. She suddenly realized that they were not tears of sadness but tears of joy. Her heart finally gave way to love that she had thought gone forever when her father and brother died. She had frozen her heart shut against love in fear of the loss of it; she knew she had finally dropped the barriers around her heart. Feeling intoxicated with love for him, she crushed herself to him with her arms around his neck pulling his head down kissing him in a long and heartfelt kiss. The previous kiss she shared with him was more impulsive and lacked what this kiss had unfettered love. She wanted to give herself to him heart mind and body but her conscience told her that it would be the wrong time to do so. Reluctantly, both broke off the kiss each realizing they needed to regain their composure before continuing up the trail.
Walking along the meandering trail, they made their way through the trees hand in hand listening to the birds singing and the squirrels arguing with each other. The forest gradually became denser with trees and underbrush so they reluctantly returned to single file. When the sun reached midday, they stopped by a little stream to refresh themselves and eat a cold lunch. Refilling their water flasks they were about to continue when Leadyl stopped for a moment.
“I think it is time I tried to explain things to you as I know them keeping in mind others exist with far more training and adeptness than I. You must develop your imagination to gain the power to complete a spell because it comes from within your imagination and to gain increased power for stronger spells your imagination must be vivid and imaginative. To enhance your weapons with a temporary spell you need to imagine the effect you want your weapon to have when you strike with it. With a greater imagination meaning, that you can imagine something in total detail, including the minute details, you can power a spell that will keep a permanent keen edge on your sword and it will never dull with use. This kind of imagination is rare but not so much that it is impossible because others in the past have successfully cast the spell. On a few occasions, I almost succeeded but still failed in the attempt. I am still puzzled why I have failed so many times in the past, but I have not given up on trying. I know sometimes your imagination is fettered and until the chains are broken then can you succeed and that could be what my problem is.”
“I can do it,” Mitch said with sureness he sincerely felt. Leadyl could not hide the shocked expression on her face at his words.
“Mitch it takes much practice and deliberation to achieve a feat of that magnitude.”
“I am not sure how you did it but when you sent me the image of you I imagined I could feel our bodies touching in a strong embrace. I have never felt anything like it before feeling of your essence entering me and joining mine like two streams joining to form a rushing river. We rushed down the river as one and suddenly I was standing in front of you. I had no control of my imagination and surrendered to the need hold you in my arms and at your side. I did not recognize it at first as love but I have since come to learn it is love that helped me succeed,” he declaimed passionately.
Leadyl stood there breathlessly and she knew she had to be flushed red from the top of her head to her toes her body on fire with emotions. Her imagination was running wild and out of control, she could feel the power building inside her imagining what he described to her. She cleared her mind quickly gaining control of her imagination before it gained control of her. All of this happened in a few seconds with Mitch not knowing what had occurred except that he felt embarrassed beyond repair.
Blushing furiously he apologized in a mortified tone, “I am sorry Leadyl I should have not explained it in so much detail I was certainly too brazen. Things are moving real fast and I should have considered your feelings but I thought I needed to explain how I knew I could do what you suggested.”
Stepping closer, she took his hand in hers, “nothing that you say or do will ever offend me. You have given me something I have only dreamed of having. Unselfish love given freely to one another is pure power and what I have learned has changed the way I think of using my imagination to power a spell. I think adding the power of love, will make it a much more powerful spell, I will need to think on this for a time. We should not tarry here any longer let’s mo
ve on before we run out of daylight," she said abruptly quickly looking back the way they had come. Mitch wondered at the abrupt change in her mannerisms, thinking it must be concern for their safety he quickly followed her.
Soon nearing twilight, the sun was moving below the trees when they found a glade with a small stream running through it. A good place to stop for the night Leadyl quietly left the glade with her bow while Mitch started a small fire thanking his father for teaching him how to make campfires on their long fishing trips. He is not good at woodcraft, but find him a river or stream to fish in and he could catch fish.
Shortly, Leadyl returned with a large fat rabbit. "Do you know how to dress a coney?” she asked.
“A what?” he asked confused. She held the rabbit in front of him as if he were a dolt laughing that sweet laugh he enjoyed so much.
“Ok I do not have any idea how to dress a rabbit," he replied understatedly.
After they had finished eating, they sat next to each other with their backs against the bough of a large pine enjoying each other’s company. They could see the stars between the trees and hear an occasional owl in the distance. The cool breeze from earlier in the day had stopped leaving cooler temperatures. Reaching in his backpack Mitch took out a blanket and laid it across Leadyl’s shoulders thinking about the circumstances he found himself. He undoubtedly felt guilty he has hardly thought of his sister or Ethan for that matter. Where were they and how is he going to find them? Why was his fleet attacked and how did Leadyl know to rescue him? Did she send that huge threshold into space?
“Mitch?”
“Yes Lea”
“My brother used to call me that.”
“I am sorry," he apologized worried he hand offended her. "Does it bother you that I called you Lea instead of Leadyl?”
Leadyl paused considering before answering, “No it does not bother me I miss hearing it. Mitch I think it is time I told you everything that I can. To start you’re coming here was not an accident.”
“Yeah I figured that one out rather early," he said quietly half under his breath.
Snuggling closer to him she continued, “Two forces exist, one evil and one not against each other with this world in the middle. Not only is this realm in danger so are all of them including yours. This has gone on for, well I guess forever with neither side gaining the advantage. I believe a good reason to keep balance between the two forces and the darkness wishes to disrupt this tenuous balance. Ancient recordings speak of times when one side gained power over the other. Some realms such as yours or mine are shrouded in darkness or light and depending on a given viewpoint; some might like one or the other more. Many here would gladly accept the power either side has to offer.” She paused to let what she had told him sink in or to see whether he had any questions or not.
“These beings for lack of a better term, because I am not sure if it is correct to call them gods although they seem to have godlike powers still need help from people like us to further their aims. Neither side will let anything thwart them from gaining the power they need to claim a realm as theirs,” she paused as if in thought before continuing. “You could say I am a reluctant agent of light, I would prefer to be like any other woman living in my cabin, visiting my mother, and hunting in the forests. The danger is real Mitch, agents of darkness are going to try to kill us at their first opportunity, and we must be on guard at all times. The protectors of the light are to some extent guileful in nature because one never gets the complete picture from them. They do not trust us wholeheartedly but they need us to fulfill their aims. Pausing again in thought she continued, "depending on what influences them, a person with special gifts could use them for good or ill. You have a very strong imagination Mitch the strongest in my experience that I have ever seen. Have you had this gift all your life?”
“I have the ability to write realistic stories that my father would never let me write because he thought it unworthy of my natural abilities to be a soldier. People that read my stories told me that they felt drawn into the story experiencing the events I described. I thought they were saying that to a kid to be kind I am not so sure of that now.”
“I sensed your power of imagination early today, at your telling I felt your power growing and I could not help but succumb to that power; I felt what you felt. I could feel our spirits joining and rushing down the river, more than that, I could feel your body against mine as if it were real,” she explained embarrassed. He responded by putting his arm around her and pulling her close.
“We should try to teach you to control your imagination and to cast a weapon spell. When you imagine something, try not make it unwieldy but make it flow smoothly through your mind as you build it. You will need to imagine everything in great detail like with me when you first saw me,” he could not see her blush, wondering if she turned into a love struck adolescent girl?
“What kind of attributes can I give the sword?” he asked quizzically.
“Whatever you wish like a keen edge or the ability to sense the undead like wraths, shades, and even kill them,” she suggested.
“What about as much as I can imagine and make it permanent to the blade?”
“Spells of this nature are dangerous and you can face many unknowns. Some spells can lead to death if done incorrectly, while having great value they are still dangerous. I am not adept enough to answer all your questions. Others more suited to your instruction than I could help you,” she admitted.
Sitting there for a moment listening to the wood popping in the fire Mitch suddenly with effort stood and reached for his sword removing it from the scabbard. The blade looked beautiful with the flames from the fire dancing across it sending luminous flickering light dancing the length of the blade. Studying it more closely in the firelight, he memorized every characteristic of the blade. The blade is a katana type blade with a length of twenty-nine inches, a ten and a half-inch tsuka handle and the round tsuba guard is made of brightly polished steel seeming to draw in the light from the fire. The handle of this sword wrapped in soft leather in stark contrast to his katana wrapped in ray skin and silk. The hamon is the effect created by the finishing process is evident above the monouchi cutting edge of the razor-sharp sword and the blade ridge equally polished bright matching the guard. The kashira the solid gold buttcap at the end of the handle with its beautiful tracery gleamed brightly in the firelight.
Mitch had never seen a wraith or a shade but he did not think it mattered. When he was young growing up he craved reading about knights, wizards and all of the evil creatures including wraiths, shades, orcs and dragons. With many renditions of them and countless old books written about them, he used his imagination to picture them in his mind. The more he imagined these dark creatures he could feel a dark power getting stronger inside him calling to him. His instincts told him to run from this evil trying to gain a foothold inside of him tempting him with unmitigated power that could be his if he would give in to the allure of darkness. Quickly thinking of his growing love for Leadyl he pushed it back with the power of pure love transcending the dark power with the power of pure light he thrust it shrieking in fear from his imagination. Then he imagined the power of pure love and light entering the sword giving it the ability to kill wraiths, shades, orcs, dragons and evil creatures. The sword glowed briefly as the power left him. Feeling the power transition to the sword was like nothing he has ever felt, it belonged to him, the sword is part of him; he is now and forever part of the sword.
Knowing he had the power to cast another spell, Mitch knew in his heart he could not stop now. Did he have the courage face the darkness again? His recent brush with the darkness frightened him; he now knew firsthand how evil and powerful it truly is. With love, strength and resolve, he would make the sword able to cut virtually anything and remain sharp. The darkness is there, he felt it lurking waiting to strike as before to draw him in but he was ready for it this time imagining the sword slicing orcs skin and steel armor with ease he added the po
wer of pure love and light forcing the darkness away from him. Again, he felt the power leave him and again, the sword glowed briefly then returned to normal.
Leadyl could feel his power ebb and flow from him to the sword more amazed than ever seeing so much power used with such ease. Who is the man she has falling in love with? He is the most powerful person she has ever met, she thought with some apprehension. Watching him move with the sword, she realized he is more than capable with it, he is dangerous with it. Placing the sword on top of his backpack next to the fire, he sat next to her without a word. The silence was deafening for a time the crackling of the fire and there breathing the only sounds.
“Lea," he said softly shattering the silence startling her.
“Are you well Mitch?” she whispered.
“Yes, I think so.”