The Barrier: The Teorran of Time: Teen Fantasy Action Adventure Novel (21 page)

Serin thanked her, but before she reached the door, Siva stopped her, "Here, you might need this." She slipped a small jar into her hand.

"What is it?"

"Mrs. Bailey's ointment."

"Thank you."

"You are meant for him you know." Siva said in a whisper.

Serin stood at the door. She watched Shaz as he talked with Orand, "Is it that obvious?"

"Only to those who have truly loved before."

Serin blushed and patted her arm that was on her arm and left. The several stops they had to make took a good part of the morning. Serin sat on a stone wall at the edge of the stable yard while Shaz bought the horses. Apple trees decorated the fields and children scattered about ran and played in dirt paths. Men tended flocks and fields. She grew up in a village similar to this one, and remembered the times she would travel with her father through the portal. The distant memories she thought were dreams were now true, but it still didn't make sense.

"Well I think that covers it." Shaz said, returning from the stable.

"Do you believe the medallion opens portals?"

"Yes, I have been through one."

"Me too."

"What?"

"When I was a child."

"Why didn't you tell me?"

"I thought they were dreams, but now I guess it's true. The place I grew up is in another place, separate from this one. It’s all so confusing, nothing seems to make much sense." she said.

"I know how you feel." he agreed. "Let's go, I think they're done saddling the horses. I know it’s not your air spell, but it will have to do with all the people around." he said.

"You don't think I can't buff horses?" she asked.

"Really?" he asked.

They walked their horses to Orand's house.

"Will you send word to Yerild, to tell Grandfather, that we are in search of the sheath, but we have some other things to tend to first?" Shaz asked.

"I will." he said, "If there’s anything I can do for you, just ask, anytime."

A little red-haired boy about the age of eight scurried out of the house and wrapped his arms around his father’s leg.

"Actually, there is something" Serin said.

She pulled the sleeping Nix from her satchel. "I need someone that can take care of Nix here, while I am gone. Can you do that for me?" she asked.

The boy looked up and Orand nodded, then he said enthusiastically, "You bet."

Nix looked up sleepily and when he saw the boy he hugged him, nearly knocking him over.

They laughed, grabbed the reins of the horses and left the village the opposite way they came.

Women in the village

After riding for a few days, they came over a grassy ridge. Smoke came from a small town.  Entering the village, an angry mob had tied up and beaten a woman. Shaz started to dismount.

"We shouldn’t interfere," Serin said, reaching for his elbow.

"I don't care. What's the point of being a war wizard if I have to stand idly by, while these people torture each other?" He peeled his arm from Serin's grip and leapt off his horse.

Serin jumped off her horse and ran in front of him, "I agree, but if we are exposed, we'll all be in danger. Not just us but everyone."

"Get out of my way Serin."

"I can't."

"If I can't save one person, then how can I save anyone?" Shaz said, throwing his hands in the air.

There was no use trying to reason with him. He was so stubborn that he just had to learn for himself. Maybe he was right this time. Shaz walked into the crowd with one hand on his sword while the other pushed the angry mob out of his way. Jagwynn’s stealthy swagger startled the townspeople. The crowd rumbled with shouts and jeers.  The woman’s left eye was swollen shut. Blood dripped from her lip and her wrists were tied to a post in the center of the platform. Tears ran down her cheeks as she stood with her head down. Shaz lifted the woman's chin.

"Let her go!" Shaz yelled.

"Who are you? ...Why should we listen to you?" asked a woman in the front row.

His blood boiled and Shaz had had enough. His anger now reached its max. Maybe he was just tired of all the running, dodging and keeping things a secret. He was tired of not having a hot meal, and traveling to his inevitable doom. He slapped his hands together. A thunderous crack echoed through the village and rumbled into the distance causing Serin to flinch. The crowd fell silent with wide eyes and trembled.

"What has this woman done?" he yelled.

“She brought the serpent upon us.” A man yelled.

He started to open his mouth, when a calming voice came from his left. Serin stood on the platform next to him.

"If we can stop this beast, will you let this woman go and never resort to this nonsense again?" she asked.

Serin's long, brown, wavy hair gently fell to just above her waist. Her bright green eyes twinkled in the setting sun. The confused crowd murmured to one another.

A man in the front row called out, "You think you can kill that serpent? You're a woman!"

The crowd broke into laughter. Shaz combed his hair out of his face and jumped down from the platform.

“Jag, stay here.” Shaz said pointing to the feet of the bound woman.

Jagwynn sat her large rump on the ground and bore her teeth at anyone who dared look at her.

"Shaz what are you doing exactly?" Serin asked when they got to the horses.

"I don't know yet."

"Well I am coming with you."

"No you are not." Shaz said, "You are staying here."

"Oh yes I am. You can't tell me what I can and can't do."

"Serin, don't start with me, I am not in the mood"

He brushed pass her toward his horse as his face reddened with anger and frustration.
What does she think she is doing
? He thought.

"Well neither am I, you need my help and you know it. Besides you don't get a choice. I am going!"

"AAAAHHH! You are so stubborn." Shaz threw up his arms.

"Yes and just stubborn enough to put up with you." She shouted back.

He stared at her blankly as she slammed the leather strap of her pack here and there and climbed onto her horse. Shaz mounted his horse and started out at a fast gallop. Serin kicked her horse and followed him. He did know better than to argue with her, she
was
just as stubborn as he was, and right now, she
was
all he had. They rode toward the mountains until the sun set behind them.

"Let's make camp over there" Serin pointed to a small grove of trees to the west.

Shaz halted his horse and slipped out of the saddle onto the soft damp ground and stretched with a large yawn. It had been a long time since they had slept in a bed and the exhaustion wore on them. Shaz un-cinched the center billet strap and ring then flopped the stirrup strap over the saddle. He gripped the horn opposite the cantle and hoisted the saddle off the horse, resting it on a nearby branch. Serin too unsaddled her horse then dug into her pack for food.

"Blast!" she slammed the cover back over her pack and kicked the ground, "We left in such a hurry that we didn't get supplies!"

"I’ll find something, just start a fire."

"Fine, I would like a large bird, one of the red ones." Serin said putting her finger up as though she was hailing a servant at one of the fancy eateries in Ebassia.

"Ha ha, sure. Your order coming right up." Shaz grabbed his bow and gave her a mock bow, then slipped into the trees.

Serin found as much dry wood as she could. All she wanted was food and a bath. She always felt energized after spending time in the water. She didn't even care having to sleep on the ground again. A short while later Shaz came into the fire light. She didn't want to admit it but he was handsome and she liked him, even though he was stubborn and arrogant and a bit obsessive, well a lot obsessive.

"Here you are...a red one." He dropped the bird in front of her.

"Wow, you're awesome."

Serin took the bird and began plucking the feathers. Shaz flopped down on the ground and propped himself against his pack. He put his hands behind his head and gazed into the sky. He could see through a small opening in the tops of the trees.
At least there were Waslick trees here
too
. He thought. He missed his little island, the mainland was fine, but it wasn't his home.

His mind wandered back to the small cave on the island that he and Riddick had spent so much time in. One day he found a small crack in the wall and found he could move through it. The cavern on the other side, had strange markings all over the walls engraved in glittering silver. He had never seen anything like it. One day he showed Riddick but he couldn't see anything, and teased Shaz for being crazy. That's when he realized he was different.

Serin noticed Shaz, his deep blue eyes, although deep in thought, were inviting. Serin found there was something there she couldn't explain. He was handsome with a strong jaw and check bones. She had seen handsome men before, but Shaz held a certain attraction that was different.

He never gave her reason to think he was different than he was. Or hide his true character from her. She knew she could trust him, but didn’t know exactly why. Ever since her father died and her brother disappeared she was on her own. It wasn’t until she met Mrs. Bailey that she felt like she had anyone she could depend on. She couldn’t explain that she was starting to sense his intentions more than before.

"Shaz, would you like some supper?" Serin asked.

"Huh? Oh yes of course, I am starved."

They ate in silence, enjoying the comfort the meat brought to their stomachs. He did appreciate her being there. It was nice not to be alone.

"So Mr. Smarty, what is your plan for getting this serpent, thing?" Serin asked setting her plate on the ground.

“I was thinking I would stand at the top of the highest rock and yell and see if it comes out of the sky to eat me." Shaz said, flipping his hair with a smile.

"Shaz!" Serin said, crinkling her brows with irritation.

"I'm just kidding, settle down. You're so serious." Shaz licked his fingers.

Serin glared at him. Shaz ate a few more bites then saw her scowl. He cleared his throat and wiped his fingers on his trousers. Serin shook her head as though to say ‘what a slob’. Shaz turned slightly pink. He knew how to behave in public, and in front of a girl, but he didn't think of Serin as a girl. She was tough and spirited and he thought she had proved herself equal to a man.

Serin picked up her plate and pulled out her bed roll and nestled it next to the small fire.

“Good night.” She said.

“Good night.”

Shaz gazed into the stars for a bit longer then he too retired to bed. The next morning Serin was up early, she hadn't slept well at all, so she got up and started cleaning up camp. She revived the small fire in the makeshift pit and started to boil water in a small kettle.

"Uugg, you making that nasty tea again?"

Shaz sat up and rubbed his eyes.

"Yes and you need it. Mrs. Bailey said it will keep those headaches from making you crazy."

"It's awful. I bet she made it nasty on purpose" Shaz said.

"Yeah, just to irritate you I'm sure," she said.

Serin whirled the kettle around a few times and set it back on the hot coals. Shaz rolled up his blanket and stuffed it neatly into his pack. He rolled his eyes when he saw how Serin had shoved hers into her pack. In a way he liked her spontaneity but in a way he didn’t.

"So we never got to what your actual plan was." Serin said as she brushed leaves and twigs around to cover her makeshift bed.

"Last night, while hunting for your red bird," he said, "I came across a stream that had tracks. I think we need to follow them, they may lead us to the creature."

"How far it is?" she asked, shaking the contents of a little container into the simmering water.

"Not far, and the tracks were fresh."

Serin poured the rusty orange liquid into a metal cup and gave it to Shaz. Shaz wrinkled his nose and took a deep breath and swallowed the tincture in two gulps. Gasping, he stuck out his tongue and gagged. Then with his fist hit his chest and coughed.

"You're such a baby!" Serin said.

"Well then you drink it" Shaz growled.

"Settle down, I've tasted it and it is awful." She said.

A shriek came from the top of the rocky hillside outside the cover of the trees.

"Let's get moving" Shaz said.

Serin whispered into the air and with a sweep of her hand sent a gush of wind around camp eliminating signs that they had been there.

"We can't take the horses into the woods, the thickets are too heavy. If we go around the out skirts we can get there faster, but then we will have to leave them and go on foot the rest of the way." Shaz said,

They were about to the creek when they heard the screeching again, more like, felt it in their bones. Shaz quickly brought his horse to a stop and dismounted. Shaz waved to Serin to dismount in which she did slowly. He touched the ground to feel if he could sense any movement, but couldn't. They quickly moved to the place Shaz had found the night before and scrutinized the forest for clues. Serin stopped and tilted her head, listening for anything unusual.

A pungent odor of fresh blood filled Shaz’s nose as he breathed in deeply. The side of his lip peeled with disgust as a rock formed in his stomach. He felt the discomfort of not knowing what he was up against. Slipping in and around trees and tall shrubs, they moved toward the stream. The babbling of water got louder as they crept along the upper banks of what was once a large river.

"Did you hear that?" Shaz asked.

"Yeah, but what was it?"

"I don't know, so be careful"

He slid onto his belly and crawled to the ledge.

"I don't see anything" She said.

"Me neither, but can you smell that?"

"No, smell what?" she said.

"Not sure."

"Look, over there."  She said pointing toward a rocky ridge.

"What is it?"

Its razor sharp black beak was tearing the limbs off a mountain goat and feeding fiercely as though it hadn't eaten for weeks. Shaz could relate. The sun magnified its copper color and it radiated a gold hue around it as though it was on fire. It stood like a man while its long lion like tail swayed behind its huge body, as the feather like tufts danced behind it. Sharp talons gripped the goats flesh.

"Is that a human, bird, or a lion?"

"Looks like all three."