Trumps of doom

«Then I will bid you good day,» I said.

«Yes. Pity. Very well. Good day. But before you go may I have your name - for the record?»

«Why not?» I said. «I am Merlin, of Chaos.»

«Ah,» it said, «then someone would have come to avenge you.»

«It's possible.»

«Then a draw is indeed best. Go.»

I backed farther off before turning and proceeding up the slope to my right. I remained on guard until I was out of that place, but there was no pursuit.

I began jogging. I was thirsty and hungry, but I wasn't likely to turn up breakfast in this desolate, rocky place under a lemon sky. Frakir recoiled and faded. I began drawing deep breaths as I headed away from the risen sun.

Wind in my hair, dust in my eyes. I bore toward a cluster of boulders, passed among them. Seen from amid their shadows the sky grew greenish above me. Emerging, I came upon a softer plain, glitters in the distance, a few clouds rising to my left.

I maintained a steady pace, reaching a small rise, mounting it, descending its farther side where sparse grasses waved. A grove of mop-topped trees in the distance… I headed for them, startling a small orange-furred creature that sprang across my path and tore away to the left. Moments later, a dark bird flashed by, uttering a wailing note, headed in the same direction. I ran on, and the sky continued to darken.

Green the sky and thicker the grasses, green the grasses, too… Heavy gusts of wind at irregular intervals… Nearer the trees… A singing sound emerges from their branches… The clouds sweep onward…

A tightness goes out of my muscles and a familiar fluidity enters… I pass the first tree, treading upon long, fallen leaves… I pass among hairy-barked boles… The way I follow is hard-packed, becomes a trail, strange foot marks cast within it… It drops, curves, widens, narrows again… The ground rises at either hand… the trees sound bass viol notes… Patches of sky amid the leaves are the color of Morinci turquoise… Streamers of cloud snake forward like silver rivers… Small clusters of blue flowers appear on the trail walls… The walls rise higher, passing above my head… The way grows rocky… I run on…

My path widens, widens, descending steadily… Even before I see or hear it, I smell the water… Carefully now, among the stones… A bit slower here… I turn and see the stream, high, rocky banks at either hand, a meter or two of shoreline before the rise…

Slower still, beside the gurgling, sparkling flow… To follow its meandering… Bends, curves, trees high overhead, exposed roots in the wall to my right, gray and yellow talus-fall along the flaky base…

My shelf widens, the walls lower… More sand and fewer rocks beneath my feet… Lowering, lowering… Headheight, shoulder-height… Another bending of the way, slope descending… Waist high… Green-leafed trees all about me, blue sky overhead, off to the right a hard-packed trail… I mount the slope, I follow it…

Trees and shrubs, bird notes and cool breeze… I suck the air, I lengthen my stride… I cross a wooden bridge, footfalls echoing, creek flowing to the now-masked stream, moss-grown boulders beside its cool… Low stone wall to my right now… Wagon ruts ahead…

Wildflowers at either hand… A sound of distant laughter, echoing… The neigh of a horse… Creak of a cart… Turn left… Widening of the way… Shadow and sunlight, shadow and sunlight… Dapple, dapple… River to the left, wider now, sparkling… Haze of smoke above the next hill…

I slow as I near the summit. I reach it walking, dusting my garments, brushing my hair into place, limbs tingling, lungs pumping, bands of perspiration cooling me. I spit grit. Below me and to the right lies a country inn, some tables on its wide, rough-hewn porch, facing the river, a few in a garden nearby. Bye-bye, present tense. I am arrived.

I walked on down and located a pump at the far side of the building, where I washed my face, hands and arms, my left forearm still sore and slightly inflamed where Jasra had attacked me. I made my way to the porch then and took a small table, after waving to a serving woman I saw within. After a time, she brought me porridge and sausages and eggs and bread and butter and strawberry preserves and tea.

I finished it all quickly and ordered another round of the same. The second time through a feeling of returning normalcy occurred, and I slowed and enjoyed it and watched the river go by.