Chapter two
He was a little embarrassed by being seen with no clothes on, but he soon got over that shyness. He dressed behind his horse. He came back out wearing a sort of armor that melded to him like a second skin. I could actually see the material rippling along his muscles to conform to his frame and likeness. It was the strangest thing that I’d ever seen.
“I don’t suppose you can tell me where I’m at?” I was still wearing my customary blue jeans, denim shirt and a black leather vest. I was always big into motorcycles and I had a custom made Harley that would make most people cringe when I drove by with those aftermarket pipes making quite the noise. I wore one of those helmets that looked like it was back in the war torn days of Korea. I did wear a pair of sunglasses and had a kerchief around my mouth to prevent bugs from choking me to death.
“Are you daffy or something? You’re in the land of Markham. This is the countryside on the outskirts of town.” I took a step back, when I noticed that the horse had wings and then it snorted with blue fire coming out of its nose. I was totally stunned, completely taken a back and I had no idea if what I was seeing was real. It could be that I was in a hospital with some kind of concussion or in a coma where I was living out a weird kind of dream. It didn’t feel like a dream and just touching those blades of grass was very real.
I wasn’t sure if I could tell him the truth, so I decided on a story that would make a little bit more sense. “I guess I got turned around.” I couldn’t help but to look at his armor and the muscles that were now bulging. There was one in particular that caught my attention and I found myself staring at it despite how I feel about men doing the same thing to my chest. I was treating him like he was man candy and I was wondering if he would melt in my hand or melt in my mouth. This thought made me giggle and to him I must’ve looked like some kind of crazy person laughing at nothing.
I needed to get a lay of the land, before I decided to reveal the true reason he had found me in that field. “My name is Braden. It’ll be my honor to escort you back to town my fair maiden. If we’re lucky, we won’t be stopped by the sentry.” I took a few steps closer and I came within a hair’s breath of actually reaching out and touching him in a not so subtle way.
“I really don’t have any place to stay and I’ve only come here to visit.”
“Watch out.” I saw something in my peripheral vision and it was moving towards me at a speed that didn’t seem possible. Braden snapped something from a kind of holster and I thought it was a sword, until I noticed that it was almost like energy. He slashed it through the air and the thing that was coming towards me got cut in half and fell at my feet. The snake’s head was spitting what looked like green venom and on the other end was another snake’s head doing the same thing. Its eyes were fluttering and then it died with a breath of air that came from its lungs, as a last ditch effort to grab onto any kind of oxygen that it could find.
“The land of Markham is obviously made up of four territories. I did not think that you came from the west, so I can only assume that you came from the east.” He was staring at me and I realized that his interest was in my clothes. “You easterners are always a bit strange, but this is even weird for you.” He motioned for me to come closer and when I did, he lifted me with such ease that he made it appear like I didn’t weigh 135 pounds.
I landed on this scaly hide and I watched as Braden leaped with the finesse of a gazelle in front of me. “Braden, I would like you to take me back to your place.” I knew how it sounded and I certainly didn’t mean it in a sexual way. It wasn’t that I wasn’t attracted to him, because he was built like a football player and had this animalistic heat that was making me aware of my own libido.
“I’m not accustomed to bringing somebody home that I don’t know. Never let it be said that I do not act in a chivalrous way. I cannot deny your request, since you stated it eloquently. Let us be off, before the sentry makes its way over this terrain.” I barely cinched my fingers around his waist, when this creature lifted off the ground and took flight. I had to pinch myself several times to make myself wake up, but it was to no avail.
“If it helps, my name is Shana Moore.” I remember him saying that he didn’t like to take strangers back to his home. If we were on a first name basis, maybe he wouldn’t feel that way.”
“You speak strangely and I’ve never heard anybody that referred themselves with two names.” Apparently, his name was Braden and like Cher, he only had one name. It was funny, but I could swear when he brandished that weapon that killed that snakelike creature that the actual energy came from his hands like a whip. I looked at his armor and I saw no place to hide any weapons, but this was unlike any armor that I had ever seen. Back where I came from armor was clunky and had the kind of feel that would make it almost impossible for a knight to walk comfortably.
Braden was wearing something in contrast to that and I could swear that it reminded me of clothing. “I hope that this is not an imposition.” He shrugged his shoulders, while I strayed my fingers a little bit more south of the equator. The temperature had risen and had nothing to do with the heat that was coming from the sun. I glanced up and noticed that the sun was burning this very brilliant red. There were two moons that had this eerie green glow on either side of the sun. If I didn’t know that I was on an alien planet by now, then seeing that sealed the deal.
If I were to question him on other aspects of his world, I knew that I would be suspicious in his eyes. I had to play this casual and make him believe that I was nothing to worry about. I saw no reason not to tell him my real name, considering that I was not from this world. I was going to have to remember to call myself Shana and eliminate the Moore from my vocabulary.
From this height, I could see three distinct castles. One was slate gray with a billow of smoke coming from the top. The other was red clay brick and had what looked like an iron gate and a moat that surrounded the entire thing. It was the other one that grabbed my attention and held me there by the throat. It was this onyx black and there seemed to be something daunting and foreboding about the place.
There was a shift in the air and we buffeted sideways, but never up ended. I did grip him a little bit more tightly. I don’t know why, but I felt safe in his presence. I was quite enamored, completely head over heels and he really was a specimen of man. What I’d seen of his physique was impressive, but nothing that I didn’t see at the gym all the time.
All of this was slightly familiar, like they had taken their society from a long ago past from Earth’s own history.
“What of this black castle?” If I was a visitor, I may not know the details and I was hoping that he would take it on face value that I was a little naïve.
“I don’t know how ye don't know about the black castle. You must’ve been living under a rock. The black castle is dominated by the Takem family. They hold themselves in high esteem and they live in perfect harmony with the castle Redstone and Greystone. Castle Blackstone is the leader of all and Lord Vadam takes great exception to his rules being broken. Hence this is the reason why we are taking a different route.” We were now skimming the trees and I could feel some of the branches scratching at the soles of my shoes. I was never one to go for high heels, except of course when I was trying to seduce a member of the opposite sex. I was more comfortable in flats.
“I would really like to meet Lord Vadam.” He glanced in my direction, shaking his head in disbelief that I would even ask such an insane question.
“A woman is not permitted to see the lord of the manor. Her place is beside her man and to give encouragement in the battle ahead. In two days, lord Vadam will put on the festival of Dragos. We will fight in an arena and show our prowess on the field of battle with the hopes of becoming one of his personal guards. Everybody is welcome. He makes it a spectator sport that is worth the price of admission.” I noticed in the distance a flash of green and the creature that we were flying on was not the only one of its kind. There were others in various degrees of color. I’d seen one green and of course the red one that I was on. I could perceive three more in the distance with yellow hides.
We flew over an expanse of trees and then across a mountain range and down a ravine, until we finally landed at his abode. It wasn’t much, but he called it home and that was good enough for me. The landing was whisper soft and there was no seismic activity to indicate that a large object of this caliber had slammed down onto the surface. I felt that there was more to Braden than met the eye. There was a certain pain behind his eyes, something that was keeping him lost in the past. If I were to hazard a guess, I would say that it was a past love. I had my own baggage and I had no willingness to share it with anyone. It’s probably the reason why none of my relationships last more than a couple of weeks.
If you were to ask any of my old boyfriends, they would probably tell you that I was commitment phobic. I’d come from a broken home and it made me a little hesitant to believe in the sanctity of marriage. I learned to believe that monogamy was antiquated. That it was inhumane to commit one man to one woman for the rest of their lives. I enjoyed the variety, or at least I convinced myself that I did.
“Are you just going to sit up there all day, or are you going to come inside?” He had once again taken off his helmet and placed it underneath his arm like a badge of honor. “I have some stew on the fire. If you were interested, I’m sure that I could share you… I mean share with you a bowl or two.”
I jumped down and I walked over to him, while putting my fingers up to his cheek to graze it along his jaw line and passed his sensuous mouth. “I actually liked the other idea better.” He swallowed hard and I don’t think that he was used to having a woman with a mind of her own. “Don’t look so worried, it’s not like I’m going to bite you…unless you want me to.” He shifted nervously and I saw him as a conquest. He could be that other notch on my belt or scratch on my headboard.
“A… woman should not speak to a man like that. I don’t know what kind of ideals they taught you in the east, but here we do things differently. We’re not so open and free spirited.” His words may have had more weight, if it wasn’t for the fact that his armor was now showing a very distinct bulge.
There was no way that I could accept the world that I was seeing, but I could at least play the cards that were dealt to me. I licked my lips seductively and I moved my fingers down the length of him without actually touching him. Just being this close to me, made him flex noticeably. It put a little grin on my face that I couldn’t wipe off.
It was a quaint place and most of it was built with the land in mind. It was buried within the mountain and I could feel a drastic drop in temperature. I could see my breath, but could feel the fire of the hearth where there was something cooking. The steam was rising to the ceiling and going out some kind of hole that would vent it into the atmosphere.
I turned and almost fainted, as he had taken off the top part of his armor, leaving only the bottom. His chest was well defined and you could see that he was a man’s man kind of guy. I would eventually tell him that I was not from this planet, but for right now I needed to keep my eyes and ears open to any and all possibilities of escape.
“I know in the east where I come from that we don’t have any way to travel to the stars. Do you have the same problem here, or have you found a way to leave the planet?” He looked me quizzically and I had a feeling like I was embarking down a road that was less traveled.
“I think we both know that the only way to get off this planet is through the looking glass.” He did not elaborate and I wasn’t sure if I should question him further. Instead, I sat down to a wonderful meal. It was nourishing, filled me and warmed my insides at the same time.