Fire Wind (2 page)

Pulling it free I found it full of the spongy
tree moss that I’d seen the old man’s wound packed full of.
Grabbing a handful of it I packed it into the back entry wound and
then getting more of it I stuffed the wound that I had made.

Taking my shirt I slipped it under the woman
by briefly lifting her and then adding more of the moss I tied the
shirt off tightly over both wounds. Glancing up to the old man I
saw him smile approvingly and say, “Thank you!”

There was just something odd about his grasp
of my language and nodding slightly I backed out of the enclosure.
It was still raining and I held my hands under a runoff fountain of
water that sheeted down off the boulders overhead.

My hands clean I washed at the mud on my
face. Holding my hands to my closed eyes for a moment I asked the
question of myself of why I’d gone and involved myself in the
plight of a couple of indians.

There was no answer other than that I didn’t
hold with the mistreatment of a woman and that was what I had put a
stop to. That whole ordeal aside what had that glowing orb thing
been about?

I’d never seen the like of it, let alone
heard of such a thing. Why had it come when it had? What was
it?

There were no answers to be had of the night.
Turning from the rain laden night I stepped back into the warmth of
the fire light in the enclosure beyond. I came to a dead stop as my
eyes took in the opposing wall of the enclosure for the first
time.

The wall had cave drawings depicted all over
it. How had I missed it before, when I’d made camp this
afternoon?

Though crudely done there was no mistaking
the orb like structures that had rays pointing off of them as if to
replicate the rays of light that I had seen. Dry mouthed I let my
gaze fall to the old man, who was watching me knowingly.

Gesturing to the pictures above his head and
then with a jerk of my thumb towards the enclosures entrance I
asked, “You know what that thing was?”

The man nodded but asked instead, “Would you
have something to eat?”

Blinking I nodded and moved forward toward my
saddle bags. Digging into the saddlebag I brought out some jerky
and holding my arm out I reached to offer it to the old man, only
he wasn’t there! The woman was gone to!

Pulling my gun I backed up to the cave
entrance and glanced out into the night. A flash of lightning
showed me nothing. Almost nothing.

Pressing back against the stone I watched as
an invisible structure lifted off the ground. I said invisible
because I saw nothing, but the falling rain was pounding on
something and sheeting rivulets of water were running off in a
described pattern.

I was about to fire at it, when a hand closed
over my shoulder. Pulling free of its grip I pulled off to the side
and was on the verge of pulling the trigger when I saw it was the
old man.

“How the………?”

“Be silent!” The man whispered.

My words stopped, but I kept the gun where it
was. My eyes were drawn back to the invisible object that the rain
was continuing to sheet off of. It was now moving off towards the
fallen bodies on the rain soaked plain.

It paused over top of them and I saw a red
light appear that fell like a veil over top of the bodies. The
hovering shape came back to us and the same red light appeared.

The red shadow went up and then down. It
passed right through me!

What was going on here?

I turned to the old man, but he held a finger
to his lips and I left my question unasked. All of a sudden the
invisible was visible as light glowed out into the night.

It was like the first such orb of light I had
seen and yet very different somehow. Not as impressive and somehow
malevolent feeling.

It streaked away impossibly fast then and I
was left standing there wondering what on Earth I had just been
witness to.

“What is going on? I breathed out.

“Your life.” Came my companions answer.

“What?” I said blankly.

The old indian smiled before reaching out to
touch my chest over my heart, “Taran Collins it is good to have met
you. I will see you again.” He said before pointing off toward the
West. Then unbelievably he began to walk out into the night
unimpeded by any injury!

“I don’t understand?” I called out, as I
stepped out into the rain several steps after him.

He paused and looked back and I gestured with
my gun to the enclosure, “The woman? Your leg? That…… that thing?”
I sputtered out for lack of words to describe my cluelessness
before I summed it all up by asking, “Is any of this real?”

“Oh yes! It’s very real Taran. So real that
you would be dead now, if you had not intervened like you did.”

He made to leave and I couldn’t but still
clarify what I knew, but couldn’t believe to be true, “The woman
wasn’t real?”

“No, she was not, but your actions were. You
would do well to put aside past hatreds and see people for who they
are Taran.”

He started walking out again and I called
out, “If I had not saved her you would have let that thing kill
me?”

“Very perceptive of you Taran. We all make
choices so choose wisely.”

“I…….” I talked to nothing, the old man was
gone.

I stood there soaked to the skin utterly
shocked by this night’s events. Turning I reentered the enclosure
only to see my fire was gone as well as my horse!

Then like some parlor magician show the fire
was back and so was my horse. Ted was looking at me with his ears
pricked forward, but seemed otherwise unalarmed by anything going
on being out of the norm.

Everything was not normal. Feeling cold I
took off my drenched shirt and laid it out on a rock by the fire. I
saw my other shirt laying on the ground still for the most part
folded. It didn’t have any blood on it.

I brought my shaking hand up to my face and
mopped at the cold sweat I found there. Going to my saddlebag I
looked for the bottle, but it wasn’t there. Looking to where the
woman had lain I saw that it lay on its side completely drained of
all its contents.

Sitting down before the fire I faced the fact
that I was going to have to face the events of this night stone
cold sober.

Why had I done what I had? I had no love for
indians and yet if I hadn’t stepped into saving them I felt very
much that I would be dead right now. The old man had said as
much.

Somehow he had made me invisible and not just
me, but an entire horse and a fire!

How was something like that even possible? It
wasn’t and yet I was witness to the reality of it.

I glanced up to the paintings on the wall.
For the most part it seemed as if the stick shaped people were on
the run from the orb like machines in the sky. Why had the first
orb seemed to be different than the second?

The first one had dispersed the attack on me,
while the second had seemed interested with only the elimination of
life.

I pulled my second shirt on and sat staring
into the flames in a debate over what to do. I thought about it and
it came to mind that I should ride west. Previously though I’d
planned on heading south.

I didn’t want any part of what was going on.
Tomorrow I’d head south and do my best to forget that this night
had ever happened.

The storm was gone in the morning and
saddling up I headed Ted towards the south. I was about an hour
into the ride when I felt the wind pick up dramatically.

To my astonishment dust began to blow. Inches
of rain had fallen overnight and yet I was riding into a turbulent
storm of dust and flying debris!

Tumbleweeds came flying through the gale with
enough force to startle Ted into almost bucking me off. Regaining
control I headed for the sheltering rise of some hills that were
off to the west and immediately the storm winds abated.

I looked about in consternation. It felt as
if I was being played with!

Anger began to mount and I turned Ted and
spurred him on towards the south. The wind was back and with it the
tumbleweeds. Ted spooked as one skipped up and hit him in the face
and he spun too sharp for me to hold on and I fell from the saddle
to land hard on the ground.

The fall had hurt, but the burning in my arm
was the worst. It was almost as if I’d been bitten by
something.

Scrambling backward from the coiled snake I
drew my pistol and shot its head off. The brightly banded snake
flopped about on the ground without its head and breathing hard I
tore at my shirt sleeve.

Pulling my shirt sleeve up revealed two fang
pinprick impressions in my forearm that gave proof to the changes I
felt even now taking place within my body. Oh God I was going to
die!

*****

My eyes were going in and out of focus and my
heart felt like it was coming out of my chest. I lay back on the
sand as all the wind left and the day became hot and still.

I could barely breathe. Of all the ways to go
out this was the least of the ways I’d thought most likely. I think
I would’ve preferred a bullet.

Oddly my soon approaching mortality did not
feel peaceful. I came very much to the conclusion that I’d rather
go on living then to die right now.

I should have gone west like the old man had
indicated to do. Strangest of all then, as I faded from
consciousness, was the image of the old man staring down at me on
the ground.

“Remember what I said about choices?” He
asked.

I nodded or at least I would have if I was
still in control of my body.

“You haven’t made very many good ones.”

Hysterically I felt on the verge of laughter,
but even that was too much for me right now. Good choices in
comparison to my actions were complete opposites.

“You can change.”

“I’m going to hell and I know it.” I mumbled
out and it was the last thing I was aware of other than the old
man’s disapproving shake of his head at my words.

Sand…………….

Wind……………

Heat……………

Cold………………

It was the cold I came aware of first.
Feeling as stiff as a board I tried to move and managed to make it
to my knees.

I was as parched as a dry river creek bed,
but glancing around I saw no sign of Ted. I looked about the
moonlit landscape, but saw nothing that moved.

I felt at my arm only to feel that it was
swollen to almost twice its normal size. I shouldn’t be alive and
yet I was.

Gaining my feet under me I tottered
uncertainly for a moment as I waited for the world to stop moving.
Everything finally stopped moving and looking up I saw from the
position of the moon where west should be. Locating a rocky spire
in the distance I headed for it as a guide stone.

I didn’t know what the big deal about heading
west was, but I’d learned my lesson.

I walked all night and as the next day’s dawn
opened up behind me I topped out on a rise and saw a town situated
in a valley below me. A town meant water and I headed for it with
as much eagerness as my legs could manage, which wasn’t much.

Heading for the buildings of the town all the
colors of the world seemed to mix and fold over into madness. Dimly
I felt myself falling forward as the dream of water was
forgotten.

*****

My face smacked hard against something that
was moving. I was moving.

Gradually I became aware that the motion I
was experiencing was that of a wagon. Then the feel of hands and
being jostled around. Then water. That I remembered the most. The
taste of water then nothing.

*****

I opened my eyes and then willing myself to
move I sat up. Dizzily I held on to the side of the cot for a
moment. Blinking my eyes I looked about the room. In startlement I
saw that I was in a jailhouse!

The cell doors were all open though. Still it
was not a good feeling to awaken to.

I swung my feet over the side of the cot and
glanced at my arm. The swelling was down considerably and other
than some leftover fogginess in my head I felt all right. Standing
upright I stepped forward and eased the ajar cell door further
open.

I stepped out of the cell in expectation of
being yelled at, but nothing happened. Making my way clear of the
cell bay I stepped into the main office and a younger man looked up
from a book and said, “Ahh my patient has awakened! Not only
awakened but has risen! Truly fascinating. Here take a seat.” He
finished with as he vacated his chair and set his book down on the
lone desk in the room, which I took to be the marshal’s desk.

Feeling the need to sit I took him up on the
offer and sat down. Looking around I asked uncertainly, “Why am I
in jail?”

The man laughed, “Oh that! My doctor’s office
is being built and so for now I’m using the jail as my practice.
Edgar Farling is the name.” He finished with enthusiastically as he
offered his hand to me.

I took it and said, “Taran Collins.”

“Ahh an Irish man! It must be the luck of the
Irish behind your survival. Tell me did you see the snake that bit
you?” He asked with keen interest all the while looking at my
arm.

I nodded and began describing the snake to
him and then adding I said, “I’ve never seen such a brightly
colored snake before.”

“And that would be for good reason as they do
not exist anywhere else other than for the surrounding area.”

Inclining my head to the side I asked, “And
how do you know that?”

“Well in addition to being a doctor I dapple
in the science of crypto zoology.”

“What is crypto zoology?” I asked dumbly.

Edgar waved his hand through the air and
said, “It’s just a fancy name for looking for dead or extinct
animals that one may think still have some members surviving to the
present day.”