Centeva the Wizard Lady Part 2

Hi dear friends and followers. First I apologise for being one day late in presenting to you part 2 of this short story. So here we are on Thursday. Today I would like to present to you part 2 of this wonderful story. So take five, relax , and have a pleasant read. Hope you enjoy it.
Centeva persuaded him to lie in the thick foliage. There she compressed his wounded arm with her two hands. A green glow appeared around her hands and Renalde's wound began to heal.

She scoured the local forest for food and gathered the fruits and nuts that grew locally as Renalde's arm completed it's two-day healing cycle. That was enough time for him to once again wield a sword she thought.

Never before had she seen such plant growth as that place had. Trees and other plants were much taller than she had ever seen anywhere. It felt to her that she had assumed insect size in a world world made for giants. She had half expected to run into one of these beings at any moment.

But none came forth, and for that matter, there were not many animals bigger then an Earth-sized rabbit, if one could call what she had seen, rabbits. they were more like a cross between a kangaroo and. jack rabbit.

They were in a beautiful, green world, with a crystal-clear blue sky in which one could actually observe the stars, even at high noon. There were two suns, one lavender and one yellow, the lavender being much smaller. No moon, but an orbital asteroid belt formed a ring around this world. 

The light reflected from the sunward side of this asteroid belt lit up the skies at night even brighter than a full moon back on earth. It covered the landscape with a multi-hued luminous patchwork, like an artist having a wonderful time with glowing paint.

The sounds at night were new and entirely unlike Earth, but pleasant never the less, possessing their own unique tones and melodies.

Centeva worked diligently to create the spark that started the little fire that glowed near where Renalde lie resting on a thick carpet of grass-like plants. Over the last two days his arm had healed well enough so that all that remained of a deep gash was a pinkish streak of healed scar tissue .

When the next great daylight occurred they were ready to break camp and move on, but to where? Neither had any ideas. A sleight-of-hand magician and a palace guard, alive in the wilds of who-knows-where to do who-knows-what. She did not even know where or what this place was.

She knew that the knowledge was stored somewhere in her subconscious mind, from whence the dream gave her the knowledge to manifest the magic to open the hole in the floor. But would she ever be able to find her way back again? And back there she needed to go to intervene and face the queen again to prevent the tragedy that was about to befall the Odion people.

The next great light came in lavender, the lavender sun being the first to rise over the eastern horizon. After a quick breakfast of what tasted like grapes on this world, Centeva busied herself weaving a bag of grass fibers in which to carry their few belongings while Renalde exercised his injured arm with sword in hand.

His healing was accomplished, though not quite finished as he winced at the pain sent by some sensitive, not quite yet healed, nerve endings. He set the sword point down on the ground, took several deep breaths, and lifted the sword over his head once more. Centeva smiled as she turned to hoist the bag over her shoulder. What she would have given for a good horse at this time.

Renalde sheathed his sword and followed Centeva towards a clearing in the distance. Not far had they gone they encountered more strange beasts about the size of fully grown turkeys.

The clearing opened into a large open field, but it was a field unlike any ever seen by either of them.

What looked like tall grass of many colors appeared to undulate of its own energy, like living tendrils of energetic light. 

At the center of the field was a very large tree, the top of which faded into the misty clouds above. There were stairways carved into the the tree's outer bark, where crowds of tiny people moved up and down the great trunk, like ants.

This was their first meeting with any beings that showed a higher intelligence than the creatures of the wild they had encountered thus far; a much higher intelligence at that.

Renalde stooped to follow the stairs carver into the tree.

He was getting close to ground level when he withdrew suddenly and fell backwards to the ground. "Something in there tried to kill me!" he shouted. "It tried to stab me in the eye!"

Centeva was not surprised by this discovery of the tiny people, for she had a dream of them the night before. She knew that upon waking up she had to come here if she wished to return. "Well, what do you expect, Renalde? After all we are intruding upon them."

The little people had no fear of Renalde or Centeva because they knew that they were strangers in a foreign land and rather much powerless. They read that situation correctly and were bold enough to send an emissary out to tell their visitors just what was their decision.

It is uncanny how beings of like symmetry can establish a path of communications between them. Renalde and Centeva stood stock-still and said nothing, The people's representative did the same, at a distance of about two meters; close enough to feel them but far enough from any hands or weapons.

It felt like an eternity but it was really about two minutes before the emissary's hands began to move in a sort of choreography, a dance, if you will. Sometimes the simplest of expressions can be the most complex-looking of gestures, but it seemed that intelligence was exchanging information.

Both parties to this confab agreed that there were no hostile intentions in any heart, and that one of the parties was just plain lost! The other indicated understanding of the condition, "lost," and motioned "follow me."

They were led around the back side of the tree to a place where the land dropped off, exposing the lower chambers at the base of the tree and chambers of a size more suitable for beings like them. It was obvious that there had been visitors here before of similar body size.

The leader of the people came out to meet them. He (at least it seemed like a "he") was dressed in colorful robes with a long feathered collar. He looked at Centeva and Renalde then took his seat in a heavily-ornamented wooden chair in the center of the room.

Tapping his staff on the floor three times, he silenced the room. In his left hand he held a blue ball of energy, much the same as she had conjured up back at the dungeon. He spoke to her as he motioned with his right-hand for her to approach him: "Be not afraid; approach my lady." When she was very close to him he bade her, "Look into the energy ball," as he held it up for her in his long, slender fingers, for her to look into.

Within the ball she saw herself and Renalde, falling through a hole in the sky and landing where they had been the night they had in this land. That image blurred and was replaced by another, much more disturbing one. The queen and her army marching into the villages of the Odions, pillaging and burning everything in sight.

Centeva stepped back a step, put her right hand over her mouth, then dropped her hand to her side and said, "Dear Honorable Master of Wizards, please tell me how we can keep this from happening."

The wizard made some circular motions with his hands and the blue ball of energy grew until it filled the center of the room. Everywhere one looked within the ball was seen countryside, with its gentle sloping hills and thick forests lining the edges of the Odions' farm land. It was a peaceful scene with smoke curling from the chimneys of the small one-story dwellings that resembled very much the English cottages as she had seen in the many places where she had traveled.

Down every road and trail they came, heavily armed horsemen in armor, with lances held high they came. Down into the valley they swarmed; like a wave of locusts they entered, pillaged, and set fire to the Odions' homes, shops, and barns.

Centeva need to see no more as she turned her head and shed some silent tears. "Look again, my lady, if you wish to learn how to keep this from coming to pass."

A short time later the little people of the tree showed Centeva and Renalde back through the forest to the spot from which they had come. The wizened old wizard came forward, took his wide brimmed hat off and held it over his white beard, and bowed slightly, then said: "I send with you the power and wisdom of my people and lineage, my lady.

Raising both his hands over his head he made another circular motion and a glowing haze formed over him then drifted lazily toward her. She looked down and saw that her entire body glowed a translucent green that soon faded.

The wizard spoke once more and informed her that the power she needed was not gone; that it was only hiding inside and she could call it up at any time that she need it's help. "Remember the ruins, that is where you must lead them. That will be where your power will work the greatest," he reminded her. He bowed down slightly again then replaced his hat on his head and pronounced a blessing over both of them.

Following this benediction he conjured a blue ball of energy, raised it above his head, and threw it hard upon the ground. There appeared a large, glowing blue hole that spiraled downward. At its bottom they could see the inside of the dungeon from whence they had come.

The wizard spoke: "Do not worry about being caught. To them you will be no more than a draft blowing through the cell. Your elemental energy should keep you both invisible until you are well out of view.

Centeva and Renalde held hands at the edge of the blue hole, closed their eyes, and jumped through, landing hard on the stone floor of the cell. They rebounded back up on their feet almost instantaneously, Renalde stood, sword in hand, ready for battle.

Nothing stirred. There was only silence. As they walked lightly through the many corridors and stone stairs leading to above ground, they encountered many guards who just stood transfixed, seeing nothing at all.

Composed by Cynthia©

Thank you again for dropping by to read my short story and hope you have enjoyed the read. I would appreciate knowing what your thoughts are on this topic. Thank you and have a wonderful rest of the weekend.

✿ڰۣ❤In Loving Light from the Fairy Lady❤ڰۣ✿