Chosen (20 page)
Elkeira came rushing into the
tent. ‘I’ve just heard. What happened? Somebody told me Max has
been hurt, is she going to be all right?’ She noticed Max lying on
the bed and immediately went to her side, pushing the men out of
her way.
‘The healer has been and
believes Max will be fine, we just need to wait for her to wake
up,’ said Roki. ‘I need to explain something to Haven and Gilster,
can you stay with Max, for awhile?’
‘Of course I can father,’ said
Elkeira, ‘and as I have now come of age, I give Tallon’s protection
to Max, she needs it more than me.’
‘Thank you daughter, that is
very generous of you but we will speak of this later.’
Seeing a snarl beginning to
appear on Haven’s face, Roki quickly ushered him and Gilster into
the next room. Tallon stood silently in the corner hearing nothing
of what was being said, his eyes only for Max.
‘I don’t want to leave Max,’
protested Haven, ‘she needs me. And I definitely don’t want to
leave him in there with her,’ he added with jaw clenched.
‘She is unaware of her
surroundings,’ said Roki gently, ‘she will not know if you are
there or not, and Tallon is only there for her protection, nothing
more. But it is important I explain something to you about her
pregnancy.’
‘I can’t believe she only has a
few weeks to go,’ said Gilster, she doesn’t show at all, she must
have been pregnant before we even met her.’
‘No, that can’t be true,’ said
Haven, ‘she had not slept with anyone for a long time before me,
she told me so.’
‘On this world,’ said Roki,
‘women are pregnant for anywhere from four to six weeks, they only
begin to show in the last stages, so Max will start to show very
soon. Our gods decided on such a short time because we are a
nomadic people and to have a woman pregnant for longer would put
not only the mother in danger but also the clan. When was the last
time you were with Max as man and woman?’ said Roki, speaking to
Haven.
‘One night before we left Max’s
world,’ answered Haven.
Roki continued, ‘it does not
matter where the child was conceived, it will be born here and as
such is subject to the magic of this world. You have been in our
world about four weeks, have you not?’
‘Yes,’ said Haven.
‘Then it is possible you are
the father.’
‘What do you mean . . .
possible, of course I am the father,’ said Haven angrily. Gilster
put a steadying hand on Haven’s arm.
‘Tallon!’ called Roki, ‘come in
here please.’ Tallon entered the room. Gilster’s hand tightened on
Haven’s arm. ‘Have you lain with Max as man and woman since her
arrival?’ Tallon did not answer.
‘If you’ve touched her . . . ,’
began Haven taking a menacing step forward. Gilster tightened his
grip still more.
Tallon met Haven’s angry glare
with one of his own. ‘Whatever has happened between Maxine and me
stays between us,’ he said cryptically and left the room.
‘What in the name of Apollo
does that mean,’ shouted Haven at the empty doorway, ‘have you or
haven’t you?’
A larger more comfortable
travois was built for Max which was then covered in soft furs and
blankets; the journey continued. Haven was not happy about moving
Max, but Roki had explained to him, time was running out and they
needed to be at the meeting place soon.
Each night when camp was made
they noticed Max’s belly growing larger. Elkeira had taken to her
new job as Max’s nurse exceedingly well. She tenderly cared for Max
during the day and slept in the tent with her each night. Haven and
Tallon also spent time with Max, but each time they crossed paths
the tension between the men grew worse, until one day Elkeira could
stand it no longer.
‘Get out, both of you,’ she
yelled to Haven and Tallon, ‘I can’t have either of you in here
upsetting my patient anymore.’ Both men complained to Roki who
refused to rescind Elkeira’s order.
‘She is doing a wonderful job
caring for Max and if she doesn’t want you in there, then you are
to stay out.’
After the incident Haven spent
more time with Gilster, talking about the next world and discussing
what they would do when they arrived, but Gilster could see Haven’s
heart wasn’t in it. He felt sad knowing there was nothing he could
do for his old friend, other than be there for Haven when he was
needed.
Tallon was seen less and less,
some mornings he would come back to camp, covered in blood, with
gashes, cuts and abrasions covering his body. His demeanour began
to change too; he became more aggressive and short tempered, until
most people just kept out of his way altogether. Gossip started
that he was spending longer and longer in animal form, until it
eventually reached Elkeira’s ears.
Becoming concerned and no
longer able to ignore the camp gossip she decided to speak with
Tallon. One night after Max was settled and left in the care of
some camp women, Elkeira went to look for Tallon. She found him on
the edge of camp sitting on a log staring off into the forest, lost
in thought.
‘Going somewhere?’ she asked,
sitting down next to him.
‘Soon,’ he said.
Elkeira looked down at her
hands clasped together in her lap. ‘I am worried about you,’ she
said quietly, ‘people say you are staying too long in animal form.
Why? You know how dangerous it is, I would be devastated if I ever
lost you.’ Tallon remained silent. ‘Please, promise me you will not
leave tonight,’ said Elkeira, ‘stay and talk with me.’
‘You asked me why I stay longer
in animal form,’ he said, still looking off into the forest,
‘because it is easier, I feel no pain when I am in animal form, no
hate, no love, just my animal instincts. I can forget about Maxine
and the baby and everything that has happened. I have never met
anyone like her before, how can I go on if she is not in my life. I
can’t think about it.’
‘But she is in your life and
will be for a long time. When she wakes and we all go on to the
next world and look for the Chosen, she will need you more than
ever, as will I. Who will protect us, who will save us from the
Anubians . . . you will. How do you think she will feel when she
wakes up to find you gone, you know she will blame herself, how can
she live with that, no . . . if you care for her you will carry on
no matter how much it hurts.’
Tallon smiled weakly, ‘when did
you get to be such a wise woman?’
Elkeira smiled back, ‘I love
you Tallon, if you had been a brother of my blood, I could not love
you more than I already do.’
‘And I you little sister,’ he
said kissing the top of her head.
‘And who knows,’ said Elkeira,
‘when Max wakes up she may not feel the same about Haven
anymore.’
‘That is a dream I’m holding on
to,’ said Tallon wistfully.
‘I have a surprise for you, if
it doesn’t upset you too much,’ continued Elkeira.
‘And what would that be?’ asked
Tallon, still thinking about Max.
‘When I came looking for you, I
noticed Haven leaving to go hunting with the other men,’ said
Elkeira.
‘And that is of interest to me
because . . .,’
‘Would you like to go and spend
some time with Max? I promise I will keep a look out for you.’
Tallon jumped up, the joy on
his face almost making her cry.
‘I love you little sister.’ He
took off, sprinting through the camp with Elkeira right behind him
until he reached Max’s tent.
‘Wait,’ said Elkeira, ‘let me
get the other women to leave first, you hide.’
She entered the tent and Tallon
could hear muffled talking, the tent flap opened and he dived into
the shadows; the women left.
Elkeira poked her head out of
the tent flap, ‘psst,’ he heard, ‘you can come in now.’
He entered the tent, frightened
of what he might find. Max was lying on her bed, the flickering
candle-light playing on her face; she looked so small and lost
amongst all the pillows and skins.
‘My little precious one,’ said
Tallon softly. He climbed onto the bed next to Max. Elkeira
silently left.
Tallon had been in the tent
with Max for about an hour, it was the happiest hour of his life.
He held her hand; his head resting on her pillow, his eyes closed,
breathing in her scent, his body lying next to hers. Suddenly he
felt the slightest twitch of her fingers; he tensed, waiting to see
if it would happen again, it did, stronger this time.
He opened his eyes, ‘Maxine?’
he said softly, ‘Maxine, are you awake?’ Her head moved almost
imperceptibly; a small moan escaped her lips. He got off the bed,
‘Elkeira,’ he whispered, ‘come in here, I think something is
happening, I think Maxine may be waking up.’ Elkeira came in
immediately. Tallon knelt next to the bed, taking Max’s hand in
his; slowly she opened her eyes and smiled.
‘Hello Tallon,’ she said, her
voice husky from disuse. ‘What’s happened, where am I?’ she asked,
seeing the concern in his eyes. Tallon found it hard to speak.
‘You are in your tent little
one,’ he said gazing into her eyes not wanting to look away even
for a second. ‘You have been gone awhile, but now you have come
back to me.’
Max, tried to sit up, her
baby-bump hampering her movements.
‘What! Oh my god, I have been
gone a while,’ she said looking down at her belly. ‘Please, start
from the beginning and tell me what happened.’
Tallon told her everything that
had happened since she had fallen from his horse, never mentioning
Haven once. When he finished Max couldn’t believe what he had told
her. Just then shouts came from outside the tent, it was Haven. One
of the women had seen Tallon enter the tent and had told Haven on
his arrival back at camp.
‘What is he doing in there, how
dare you do this the minute my back is turned. I want to see Max
and I want to see her now.’
Gilster had coming running over
as soon as Haven had started shouting. ‘Calm down,’ he said, ‘you
can go in, go on, go and see Max.’
This seemed to quieten Haven.
He entered the tent to see Max awake and sitting with Elkeira and
Tallon. Haven barged in, pushing Tallon aside.
‘Max, I can’t believe it,’ he
said, ‘you’ve come back. I’ve missed you so much, I’m so sorry
about what happened before, I never should have left you
behind.’
Max looked at him, a quizzical
expression on her face. She glanced over Haven’s shoulder at Tallon
who was standing behind watching the proceedings.
‘Who’s this Tallon?’ she asked.
‘I’m sorry . . . I don’t know you,’ she said, returning her gaze to
Haven, ‘should I?’ A strange look passed between Tallon and
Elkeira.
‘What,’ said Haven shocked, ‘is
this some kind of joke, what do you mean you don’t know me, you’re
carrying our child. I love you Max, you must remember me.’ Haven
stood up and faced Tallon, ‘what have you done to her,’ he said,
his voice low and menacing, ‘why doesn’t she remember me.’
Elkeira stepped between the two
giant men. ‘He has done nothing, I let him come in for a short
time, just to see her.’
‘Well someone has done
something, or she would know who I am.’ said Haven.
‘Not necessarily,’ said Roki,
speaking for the first time since entering the tent. ‘Remember the
bump on her head? The old woman said we wouldn’t know if it had
caused any problems until Max woke. Well I think this may be what
she was talking about.’
Haven was frantic. Gilster
quickly ushered him out of the tent, away from everyone so they
could speak in private.
‘Gil,’ said Haven, distraught,
‘I can’t believe this is happening, it’s like a nightmare, nothing
good has happened since we entered this world.’ His hands covered
his face.
‘I promise, everything will
work out in the end,’ said Gilster.
‘I don’t need my telepathic
abilities to know that’s not true,’ said Haven sadly. ‘You couldn’t
possibly know.’
‘Ah, but I do, only you may
have to wait a little longer.’
‘What do you mean,’ said Haven
looking up, his anguish mixed with a little hope.
Gilster continued. ‘In all
possibility Max’s memory will return in good time --,’ he held up
his hand to stop Haven from speaking.
‘But, if it doesn’t, I can
always use my singing to heal her when we leave this world.’ Hope
returned to Haven’s face.
‘I forgot about that, can you
be sure it will work?’
‘No, I can’t but at least it’s
something to hang on to, for now.’
‘I can’t stand seeing her with
Tallon,’ said Haven, ‘every time I see his face I want to rip him
limb from limb.’
‘I don’t think that would be a
good idea,’ said Gilster, ‘this is his world and his people might
retaliate. I think the best thing, is to go along with what Max
remembers for now, you don’t want to have anymore arguments with
her, perhaps her memory will return sooner rather than later,’ he
added.
Haven smiled, ‘you’re a good
friend Gil, ‘I hope you’re right.’
The journey continued
uneventfully. Roki had given permission for Haven and Gilster to
spend time with Max each day, but they were not to upset her or his
permission would be revoked. It was very difficult for Haven to
remain detached and talk only of mundane every day matters, but he
forced himself not to mention the relationship he and Max had
shared, not wanting to lose the small amount of time he was allow
with her. Tallon kept his distance when Haven was with Max.
Elkeira was Max’s constant
companion, the teenager and the young woman had built a strong bond
together, enjoying each other’s company. ‘Soon we will arrive at
the meeting place,’ said Elkeira sitting behind Max brushing her
hair one evening after camp had been made. ‘It will be so much fun,
I know the time is short until we leave Naturine but I intend to
enjoy myself before we go.’
tent. ‘I’ve just heard. What happened? Somebody told me Max has
been hurt, is she going to be all right?’ She noticed Max lying on
the bed and immediately went to her side, pushing the men out of
her way.
‘The healer has been and
believes Max will be fine, we just need to wait for her to wake
up,’ said Roki. ‘I need to explain something to Haven and Gilster,
can you stay with Max, for awhile?’
‘Of course I can father,’ said
Elkeira, ‘and as I have now come of age, I give Tallon’s protection
to Max, she needs it more than me.’
‘Thank you daughter, that is
very generous of you but we will speak of this later.’
Seeing a snarl beginning to
appear on Haven’s face, Roki quickly ushered him and Gilster into
the next room. Tallon stood silently in the corner hearing nothing
of what was being said, his eyes only for Max.
‘I don’t want to leave Max,’
protested Haven, ‘she needs me. And I definitely don’t want to
leave him in there with her,’ he added with jaw clenched.
‘She is unaware of her
surroundings,’ said Roki gently, ‘she will not know if you are
there or not, and Tallon is only there for her protection, nothing
more. But it is important I explain something to you about her
pregnancy.’
‘I can’t believe she only has a
few weeks to go,’ said Gilster, she doesn’t show at all, she must
have been pregnant before we even met her.’
‘No, that can’t be true,’ said
Haven, ‘she had not slept with anyone for a long time before me,
she told me so.’
‘On this world,’ said Roki,
‘women are pregnant for anywhere from four to six weeks, they only
begin to show in the last stages, so Max will start to show very
soon. Our gods decided on such a short time because we are a
nomadic people and to have a woman pregnant for longer would put
not only the mother in danger but also the clan. When was the last
time you were with Max as man and woman?’ said Roki, speaking to
Haven.
‘One night before we left Max’s
world,’ answered Haven.
Roki continued, ‘it does not
matter where the child was conceived, it will be born here and as
such is subject to the magic of this world. You have been in our
world about four weeks, have you not?’
‘Yes,’ said Haven.
‘Then it is possible you are
the father.’
‘What do you mean . . .
possible, of course I am the father,’ said Haven angrily. Gilster
put a steadying hand on Haven’s arm.
‘Tallon!’ called Roki, ‘come in
here please.’ Tallon entered the room. Gilster’s hand tightened on
Haven’s arm. ‘Have you lain with Max as man and woman since her
arrival?’ Tallon did not answer.
‘If you’ve touched her . . . ,’
began Haven taking a menacing step forward. Gilster tightened his
grip still more.
Tallon met Haven’s angry glare
with one of his own. ‘Whatever has happened between Maxine and me
stays between us,’ he said cryptically and left the room.
‘What in the name of Apollo
does that mean,’ shouted Haven at the empty doorway, ‘have you or
haven’t you?’
A larger more comfortable
travois was built for Max which was then covered in soft furs and
blankets; the journey continued. Haven was not happy about moving
Max, but Roki had explained to him, time was running out and they
needed to be at the meeting place soon.
Each night when camp was made
they noticed Max’s belly growing larger. Elkeira had taken to her
new job as Max’s nurse exceedingly well. She tenderly cared for Max
during the day and slept in the tent with her each night. Haven and
Tallon also spent time with Max, but each time they crossed paths
the tension between the men grew worse, until one day Elkeira could
stand it no longer.
‘Get out, both of you,’ she
yelled to Haven and Tallon, ‘I can’t have either of you in here
upsetting my patient anymore.’ Both men complained to Roki who
refused to rescind Elkeira’s order.
‘She is doing a wonderful job
caring for Max and if she doesn’t want you in there, then you are
to stay out.’
After the incident Haven spent
more time with Gilster, talking about the next world and discussing
what they would do when they arrived, but Gilster could see Haven’s
heart wasn’t in it. He felt sad knowing there was nothing he could
do for his old friend, other than be there for Haven when he was
needed.
Tallon was seen less and less,
some mornings he would come back to camp, covered in blood, with
gashes, cuts and abrasions covering his body. His demeanour began
to change too; he became more aggressive and short tempered, until
most people just kept out of his way altogether. Gossip started
that he was spending longer and longer in animal form, until it
eventually reached Elkeira’s ears.
Becoming concerned and no
longer able to ignore the camp gossip she decided to speak with
Tallon. One night after Max was settled and left in the care of
some camp women, Elkeira went to look for Tallon. She found him on
the edge of camp sitting on a log staring off into the forest, lost
in thought.
‘Going somewhere?’ she asked,
sitting down next to him.
‘Soon,’ he said.
Elkeira looked down at her
hands clasped together in her lap. ‘I am worried about you,’ she
said quietly, ‘people say you are staying too long in animal form.
Why? You know how dangerous it is, I would be devastated if I ever
lost you.’ Tallon remained silent. ‘Please, promise me you will not
leave tonight,’ said Elkeira, ‘stay and talk with me.’
‘You asked me why I stay longer
in animal form,’ he said, still looking off into the forest,
‘because it is easier, I feel no pain when I am in animal form, no
hate, no love, just my animal instincts. I can forget about Maxine
and the baby and everything that has happened. I have never met
anyone like her before, how can I go on if she is not in my life. I
can’t think about it.’
‘But she is in your life and
will be for a long time. When she wakes and we all go on to the
next world and look for the Chosen, she will need you more than
ever, as will I. Who will protect us, who will save us from the
Anubians . . . you will. How do you think she will feel when she
wakes up to find you gone, you know she will blame herself, how can
she live with that, no . . . if you care for her you will carry on
no matter how much it hurts.’
Tallon smiled weakly, ‘when did
you get to be such a wise woman?’
Elkeira smiled back, ‘I love
you Tallon, if you had been a brother of my blood, I could not love
you more than I already do.’
‘And I you little sister,’ he
said kissing the top of her head.
‘And who knows,’ said Elkeira,
‘when Max wakes up she may not feel the same about Haven
anymore.’
‘That is a dream I’m holding on
to,’ said Tallon wistfully.
‘I have a surprise for you, if
it doesn’t upset you too much,’ continued Elkeira.
‘And what would that be?’ asked
Tallon, still thinking about Max.
‘When I came looking for you, I
noticed Haven leaving to go hunting with the other men,’ said
Elkeira.
‘And that is of interest to me
because . . .,’
‘Would you like to go and spend
some time with Max? I promise I will keep a look out for you.’
Tallon jumped up, the joy on
his face almost making her cry.
‘I love you little sister.’ He
took off, sprinting through the camp with Elkeira right behind him
until he reached Max’s tent.
‘Wait,’ said Elkeira, ‘let me
get the other women to leave first, you hide.’
She entered the tent and Tallon
could hear muffled talking, the tent flap opened and he dived into
the shadows; the women left.
Elkeira poked her head out of
the tent flap, ‘psst,’ he heard, ‘you can come in now.’
He entered the tent, frightened
of what he might find. Max was lying on her bed, the flickering
candle-light playing on her face; she looked so small and lost
amongst all the pillows and skins.
‘My little precious one,’ said
Tallon softly. He climbed onto the bed next to Max. Elkeira
silently left.
Tallon had been in the tent
with Max for about an hour, it was the happiest hour of his life.
He held her hand; his head resting on her pillow, his eyes closed,
breathing in her scent, his body lying next to hers. Suddenly he
felt the slightest twitch of her fingers; he tensed, waiting to see
if it would happen again, it did, stronger this time.
He opened his eyes, ‘Maxine?’
he said softly, ‘Maxine, are you awake?’ Her head moved almost
imperceptibly; a small moan escaped her lips. He got off the bed,
‘Elkeira,’ he whispered, ‘come in here, I think something is
happening, I think Maxine may be waking up.’ Elkeira came in
immediately. Tallon knelt next to the bed, taking Max’s hand in
his; slowly she opened her eyes and smiled.
‘Hello Tallon,’ she said, her
voice husky from disuse. ‘What’s happened, where am I?’ she asked,
seeing the concern in his eyes. Tallon found it hard to speak.
‘You are in your tent little
one,’ he said gazing into her eyes not wanting to look away even
for a second. ‘You have been gone awhile, but now you have come
back to me.’
Max, tried to sit up, her
baby-bump hampering her movements.
‘What! Oh my god, I have been
gone a while,’ she said looking down at her belly. ‘Please, start
from the beginning and tell me what happened.’
Tallon told her everything that
had happened since she had fallen from his horse, never mentioning
Haven once. When he finished Max couldn’t believe what he had told
her. Just then shouts came from outside the tent, it was Haven. One
of the women had seen Tallon enter the tent and had told Haven on
his arrival back at camp.
‘What is he doing in there, how
dare you do this the minute my back is turned. I want to see Max
and I want to see her now.’
Gilster had coming running over
as soon as Haven had started shouting. ‘Calm down,’ he said, ‘you
can go in, go on, go and see Max.’
This seemed to quieten Haven.
He entered the tent to see Max awake and sitting with Elkeira and
Tallon. Haven barged in, pushing Tallon aside.
‘Max, I can’t believe it,’ he
said, ‘you’ve come back. I’ve missed you so much, I’m so sorry
about what happened before, I never should have left you
behind.’
Max looked at him, a quizzical
expression on her face. She glanced over Haven’s shoulder at Tallon
who was standing behind watching the proceedings.
‘Who’s this Tallon?’ she asked.
‘I’m sorry . . . I don’t know you,’ she said, returning her gaze to
Haven, ‘should I?’ A strange look passed between Tallon and
Elkeira.
‘What,’ said Haven shocked, ‘is
this some kind of joke, what do you mean you don’t know me, you’re
carrying our child. I love you Max, you must remember me.’ Haven
stood up and faced Tallon, ‘what have you done to her,’ he said,
his voice low and menacing, ‘why doesn’t she remember me.’
Elkeira stepped between the two
giant men. ‘He has done nothing, I let him come in for a short
time, just to see her.’
‘Well someone has done
something, or she would know who I am.’ said Haven.
‘Not necessarily,’ said Roki,
speaking for the first time since entering the tent. ‘Remember the
bump on her head? The old woman said we wouldn’t know if it had
caused any problems until Max woke. Well I think this may be what
she was talking about.’
Haven was frantic. Gilster
quickly ushered him out of the tent, away from everyone so they
could speak in private.
‘Gil,’ said Haven, distraught,
‘I can’t believe this is happening, it’s like a nightmare, nothing
good has happened since we entered this world.’ His hands covered
his face.
‘I promise, everything will
work out in the end,’ said Gilster.
‘I don’t need my telepathic
abilities to know that’s not true,’ said Haven sadly. ‘You couldn’t
possibly know.’
‘Ah, but I do, only you may
have to wait a little longer.’
‘What do you mean,’ said Haven
looking up, his anguish mixed with a little hope.
Gilster continued. ‘In all
possibility Max’s memory will return in good time --,’ he held up
his hand to stop Haven from speaking.
‘But, if it doesn’t, I can
always use my singing to heal her when we leave this world.’ Hope
returned to Haven’s face.
‘I forgot about that, can you
be sure it will work?’
‘No, I can’t but at least it’s
something to hang on to, for now.’
‘I can’t stand seeing her with
Tallon,’ said Haven, ‘every time I see his face I want to rip him
limb from limb.’
‘I don’t think that would be a
good idea,’ said Gilster, ‘this is his world and his people might
retaliate. I think the best thing, is to go along with what Max
remembers for now, you don’t want to have anymore arguments with
her, perhaps her memory will return sooner rather than later,’ he
added.
Haven smiled, ‘you’re a good
friend Gil, ‘I hope you’re right.’
The journey continued
uneventfully. Roki had given permission for Haven and Gilster to
spend time with Max each day, but they were not to upset her or his
permission would be revoked. It was very difficult for Haven to
remain detached and talk only of mundane every day matters, but he
forced himself not to mention the relationship he and Max had
shared, not wanting to lose the small amount of time he was allow
with her. Tallon kept his distance when Haven was with Max.
Elkeira was Max’s constant
companion, the teenager and the young woman had built a strong bond
together, enjoying each other’s company. ‘Soon we will arrive at
the meeting place,’ said Elkeira sitting behind Max brushing her
hair one evening after camp had been made. ‘It will be so much fun,
I know the time is short until we leave Naturine but I intend to
enjoy myself before we go.’
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