I Am Rosaline

After what seemed like hours, but was in fact mere minutes, Dorian and I managed to close up the entrance to the second chamber. Our only light was the few torches and the small amount of sunlight coming in through the roof. The dust was thick in the cave and we were both absorbed in our own thoughts.

I wanted to be sure of what I was about to do and make damned sure that I would be prepared for what was to come. I was quite certain that Erro would try to stop me from taking what she thought she had a right to for all this time. I had to call her Erro because there was no way I could reconcile myself to the realization that Erin has turned so incredibly evil. The Erin I remembered was my twin sister who was extremely lively with apparent differences of opinion to many around her.

I couldn’t quite put my finger on when she turned into the vicious and violent Erin. She pushed me down a well and attempted to drop boiling water on me. Fortunately Dorian had seen what she was up to and had stopped her. She tried many times to bribe someone into hurting me and eventually she left the village where we were born and grew up. I remember Samara crying quietly into my father’s shoulder and the concern and hurt in his beautiful green eyes.

I suddenly remembered a name that my father had used when he was talking softly to my mother when they thought that I had been asleep. The name was Lillith. Who was Lillith and why did I remember her name? I strained to remember but my thoughts were interrupted by Dorian’s voice.

I turned and looked at him and saw that his eyebrows were raised as though he was expecting an answer to a question I did not hear.

“Sorry Dorian, what did you say?” I asked quietly.

He pointed above and whispered, “Something is going on up there. Look at all the sand falling down the hole.” I stood very still and looked up at the hole and the falling sand. There were definitely muted sounds coming from above.

Dorian’s voice was barely a whisper. “I don’t think you should go up, Rose. We need to get done. Something beyond your control is going on. You going up will not make any difference. You need to concentrate on the task at hand. Please listen to me, Rose. There is not much time left.”

He was right. We needed to get the scrolls and I would have to concentrate on the task at hand and have faith that those who were protecting us, would prevent anyone from entering the cave.

I closed my eyes for a moment and I could sense Michael’s presence. Still with my eyes closed I whispered to him, “Michael, are you here with us? Can you hear me?”

His reply came swiftly. His words were whispered in his soothing voice. “We are here, Rose. Be assured that we will protect you and Dorian with every essence of ourselves. You need to concentrate on your task at hand. We will be waiting.”

I opened my eyes and looked at Dorian who was still looking up at the sand falling through the hole above us.

I looked around the chamber and started clearing sand off the floor to expose a symbol that I knew was there. Not long after, I saw it: Three circles within a circle, with five smaller circles inside the second and third circles. Four circles representing an element, fire, water, earth, wind and the one that I added – Spirit. Spirit could not be seen, but it was as obvious as the four elements of the universe.

I uncovered the circles and saw that the sun’s rays were almost in the centre of the circles where I was to stand.

“Dorian, go and kneel beside that rock near the entrance. When the sun hits the inner circle, I will begin the incantation. You will have to kneel very still. You cannot move even if you start to feel pain. The tattoos that I put on you will be removed and will place themselves on the tomb that has the scrolls within. Do you understand me?”

Dorian simply gazed at me and mutely nodded his head. I never revealed the part about the tattoo’s literally coming off his body. I hoped it did not hurt him too much. Oh, who was I kidding. My poor friend was going to go through hell with the pain. We knew that then and we know it now. My voice did not quite sound like my own this time and I did not even bother to wonder why. So much had happened that defied explanation I was no longer surprised by something as small as a change in my voice.

I felt heat rising inside me as the sun started warming my feet.

I moved from the centre of the circle to the wall on the far side of the chamber. I removed my jacket, shoes and socks and watched as Dorian removed his jacket and shirt to reveal the tattoos beneath. The air around me felt cool on my skin as I moved back to the circles on the floor.

As the sun touched the inner circle where I was standing, I started to experience a tingling sensation in my arms. Slowly the tingling spread from my arms to my chest, and then down my body and lastly to my head. My eyes were closed and I spread my arms wide and could hear a voice muttering an incantation. Repeating the same sentence over and over again. My voice. My strange voice.

The air around the chamber started to warm up and it felt as though the fierce, burning heat from the sun was penetrating my chest. It took every ounce of concentration to stop myself from jumping out of the sunlight.

I felt the hot wind swirling around me and opened my eyes. The room had turned from dull and dusty, to bright and golden. Golden dust was swirling around in a wind that had come up in the cave and symbols were flashing around me. There was also a fine mist that cooled my heated skin. I could smell freshly cut fields and lavender. Fire, wind, water and earth were with me. I needed to place the symbols into their right places and continued repeating the incantation waiting for Spirit.

The wind became fiercer but I barely felt the sting of the sand or my hair whipping my face. My lips were tight and dry and barely moving. My arms began to shake and soon my whole body was shaking and I was having difficulty standing. I drew from the strength that I carried deep inside me and remained standing and with that I knew Spirit was with me. She held me up and kept me strong. I was ready.

The words continued slipping from between my dry lips and I held on with all my might to the power within me as the chamber glowed brighter and the wind swirled around me like a tornado. One by one the symbols were literally removed from his body. They were being peeled off like one peels an orange. The swirling sand blew the symbols towards their original resting place.

I didn’t see Dorian in the sand on his hands and knees. I did not see the sweat and blood dripping from his body and the bloody scars left in place of the symbols that I had so painstakingly tattooed on his torso. I did not hear his painful groans and I did not see how hard he was working at keeping his pain to himself and not allowing himself to scream out in agony. I did not see his hair turn grey white. Only afterwards would I completely realize how much he suffered at my hands. Neither of us knew how painful it would have been to remove the tattoos I had placed upon his body so long ago. I would forever be indebted to him and he would always remain in my heart for his great and painful sacrifice.

The wind eventually started to subside but the chamber remained aglow, as though the walls had been painted in gold and the dust particles were little lights making the whole cave glow.

I slumped to the floor and dropped my hands at my sides. I realized that I was panting like an animal that has just run from its prey. I took some time to get my breath back and get feeling back in my body. I crawled over to where Dorian was lying supine on the chamber floor. He looked dead and I started to cry and when I noticed his white hair and the wounds on his body. As my tears ran down my cheeks I gasped out loud because his wounds had already started healing where the symbols had once been. “Oh Dorian, I am so sorry. I never knew it would be like this. I am so sorry my darling friend.”

I pulled him onto my lap and could feel the tears running down my face and see them through a haze dripping onto his face and neck. I cradled him and rocked back and forth as though I was rocking a child to sleep and kept whispering over and over again how sorry I was and how much I loved him for his kindness and friendship. The guilt wracked my entire being so much so that I ignored the reason why we had to come to these caves. I did not care about time and how close Erro was to us. All I cared about was Dorian and the terrible pain I had just caused him.

I could not imagine what it would have been like having to go through all of this without Dorian. In his quiet unassuming way he had been my strength and guide.

I heard a faint sound and thought that someone was above the chamber. I looked up, but did not see anything. I couldn’t see the sun or the dust falling from above into the chamber. The chamber was aglow and I realized it would be radiating a light through the hole so bright that it would look like a beacon of sorts.

Dammit! I was going to have to get a move on. Then I heard the faint sound again and looked down at Dorian. His eyes were moving beneath his eyelids. Relief washed over me and I could feel my muscles relaxing in my entire body.

“Dorian can you hear me? Are you still with me? Oh, please tell me you are still with me. Please, Dorian.” I begged in a dry hoarse whisper.

“I’m still here. Be quiet or you will give our hiding place away!” he grumbled croakily. I drew back to look at him. He was looking at me through tiny slits of his eyelids. He was so pale and I was so very worried about him.

“Are you going to be alright?” I whispered.

“Yes. I will be fine. Just go on ahead and do what you have to and let me just lie here for a bit.” He said, quietly pushing me away.

I stood up and looked away from him to where I could see the symbols on the walls. Beneath the symbols was a sarcophagus that had not been there when we first entered the chamber. It seemed to have been disguised by some sort of mirage that had now cleared.

I walked tentatively towards it and carefully ran my fingers along the lid and the engravings along the edges. I was amazed that such important men were laid to rest in such plain tombs. I became very inquisitive of the symbols beneath my fingers. I knelt down to get a closer look and started to rock back and forth and begin chanting again. Slowly and quietly I repeated an incantation over and over again, my body rocking back and forth, back and forth. I started feeling slightly dazed and energy started to heat me slowly from my lower belly and mounting up into my chest and neck and along my shoulders into my arms and hands. I was pulled up into a standing position by this same energy and I could feel a strength coursing through me. Still chanting, I moved slowly forward and put my hands against the lid of the sarcophagus.

My eyes grew hot and I could feel tears running from them as I stared at the lid. I felt the urge to push the lid off and realized that I would have to muster all my strength to do this. To my utter amazement, I moved the lid sideways revealing a big enough gap with just one push!

I continued to radiate energy as I gazed into the dark depths. Beneath me, I saw the body of a very tall man, grey hair and grey beard. It appeared as though he had just been laid to rest. In fact, it did not even look as though he was deceased. I leaned over him and almost expected his eyes to open. I placed my hot hand on his forehead and was suddenly shocked to realize that I was looking at the face of my father. I stepped back and my energy wavered ever so slightly.

“Have you found what you are looking for yet?” I jumped at the sound of Dorian’s voice behind me and quickly started to look around for the scrolls. I didn’t want him to know how shook up I was about looking at my dead father.

“I can’t seem to find anything here.” I replied with a slightly panicked edge to my voice. I was so hot now, I felt not only the tears running down my cheeks, but moisture was running down my back, chest and arms.

“Let us try and roll the body over. Perhaps he is lying on them.” Dorian was standing beside me with excitement on his face and I grabbed his hand before he could touch the body to move it. He jerked his hand back as though I had shocked him. “What did you do that for? I am only trying to help you, Rose.” He said with a hurt look in his eyes.

“No Dorian, you do not understand. You cannot touch him or any of the others. I am the only one who can put my hands in there.” I said moving forward again. Then, placing my hands beneath the body I lifted him slightly to reveal a large, leather bound book. Gently reaching in I removed the book and laid my father back down. By now the heat emanating from me had filled the chamber and small bits of rock were starting to steam and turn red around the edges.

“Ahh, now I get it. Your gift protects you and those immediately around you. You are able to project your energy into the physical world. I can see how hot it is in here, but I don’t feel the heat. Yes, it is hot, but not so hot that I cannot breathe. Rose, you have the gift of protection. Do you know how enormous that is?” he was looking at me with wide eyes and excitement in his voice.

I held the book close to my chest and closed my eyes and the heat began dissipating. My clothing was so wet; it felt as though I had just walked through water. My racing heart started to slow and I took a few deep breaths before I opened my eyes to reply to Dorian. Silently I called upon the elements air and water to cool my body down. Without any hesitation at all I felt a gentle breeze blow across my face and I could smell fresh sea air and then a fine mist settled around me and I took a deep breath. Clean, fresh air. It felt so good I nearly forgot the reason I was standing where I was. I felt so secure having the elements come to me when I asked. Privileged is what I felt.

Almost with a sigh I said, “The time is upon us, Dorian. Erin is very close, but I can sense something else coming and I cannot quite put my finger on what it is. We will need to leave here, but not the way we came.” I said quietly and glanced up at the small opening in the ceiling of the chamber.

“Rose, we are able to do many things, but shrinking in size is most definitely not one of them!” Dorian said sarcastically.

“Now is not the time or place for your wit, Dorian. Help me put the lid back in place and then move back with me to where the entrance was.” I said with a faint smile on my lips. I knew he was trying to keep me calm and upbeat, but I sensed that the battle was about to begin now that the book had been removed from its hiding place. Almost as though a silent alarm had been set off, the universe was electric with expectation.

We replaced the sarcophagus lid and I said a quick prayer for my father and the other men who lay unseen in this chamber with him. Waiting.

We moved back to where we had placed the rubble over the entrance and I closed my eyes and concentrated on enlarging the hole above us. Once again I felt the heat rising within me. I extended my arms and opened my hands and again I could feel the energy moving along my arms. I opened my eyes and rolled my hands over and over. Between them was a ball of hot blue energy, which I aimed at the small opening. The energy ball left my hands and flew up. Without a sound, a large portion of the chamber roof fell in and was reduced to dust. The heat of the silent blast momentarily rolled over us and then it was gone.

Without missing a beat, Dorian and I extended our wings and headed up and out of the chamber. We stood on the edge of the opening that I had just made and Dorian asked, “You can blow stuff up, but are you able to close up the hole?”

I looked at him and thought I could only try.

Just as I was ready to start concentrating again, the sky turned grey and the loudest trumpeting, bellowed down upon us, shaking the very ground we stood on. Everything around us was vibrating and quivering. The trumpeting continued in bursts, one after the other. Loud, ear splitting trumpeting.

Above us clouds had formed and were swirling in the sky and the wind started to pick up. Dorian grabbed my arm and pulled me with him as he started running down the side of the hill. I ran so fast to keep up with Dorian that I felt as though my feet were not even touching the ground. I thought about flying but soon realized that with the wild wind that was blowing, it would be hazardous. Just then I said a quick prayer to the element earth and asked that she please close the hole in the earth above the chamber. Without stopping to look, I knew she had closed up the tomb again.

Halfway down the hill I saw the four men who were stationed above the chamber and Dorian, not knowing who they are, drew his sword.

“No. These are Michael’s men. What are you doing down here?” I shouted to one of the men closest to me. The trumpeting and wind were so loud that I had to shout to be heard.

“The Gibborus army is nearby and we were instructed to move down the mountain, but now that you are here we can continue to where Michael is waiting for the rest of his army.” He shouted back at me.

“How big is Erro’s army and when you say nearby, exactly how nearby?” I was starting to be concerned because he had just said that Michael was still waiting for the rest of his army to arrive.

“I have not been given that information and all I can say is, nearby means the battle is at hand.” He looked at me and then raised his eyes to the heavens.

I too looked up and saw that the sky looked like a grey whirlpool with a great big fire in the centre. Oh well, a lot had happened that would cause those in charge to be pretty angry. I just hoped and prayed we could defeat Erro and her army and I could get this old book to a much safer place.

The four warriors and Dorian and I continued to move down the side of the hill and then came to a complete stand still when we heard the familiar humming sound. The warriors took up arms, crouched to the ground and showed us to do the same.

We were eventually lying flat on our stomachs and creeping forward till we reached the edge of a nearby steep gradient. Below us, we could see a very large army of Gibborus marching forward.

I held my breath and gripped Dorian’s arm. The army consisted of row upon row of grey, sleek-skinned, red-eyed war machines that frightened me just to look at. How would we ever defeat all of these creatures! There were so many of them, I could not possibly count them. There didn’t appear to be a leader either. They had no ranks, just rows and rows humming and marching forward in unison. I shivered from my head to my toes.

Dorian put his hand on my shoulder as the trumpeting grew louder and we saw a few of the Gibborus in the large army falter. We noticed that the lines were no longer straight and that some of the creatures were walking slower than others, yet still moving forward.

The warrior beside me showed me that we must rise and move and as he did so, I noticed that his shield had large leather grips on the inside, for his hand and forearm to fit through so that he had a good grip on the shield. I thought of the sacred book stuffed down the waistband in the back of my pants. The size looked about right and I touched his arm and pointed to the shield. He looked at me puzzled and gave me the shield. I pulled the book out from behind me and placed it inside the grips. Perfect fit. I then put my hand and forearm through the grips. It felt just a little tight, but I was confident that the book was safe. “As soon as we find a safe enough place, I will temporarily hide the book. I will not miss out on this battle.”

“You cannot let that book out of your sight Rose. Keep it with you for the time being.” This from the warrior whose shield I just took. I looked at him quizzically and wondered how he knew this, but before I could ask, he pointed to an area just above us. The trumpeting noise grew even louder. I looked up and saw Michael above us. He started to descend when he saw our location. He was wearing similar gear to his warriors, except that his appeared to be a navy blue in colour with a bright red sash running from his left shoulder down to the right side of his waistband.

He called to us over the noise of the trumpeting, “Keep your heads down, Gabriel is coming with the dogs of heaven soldiers. Come with me to where the others are.”

“Who is leading the Gibborus army? I cannot see anyone or anything leading them.” I called back to him.

Michael waited until he was beside me before he answered. “Their leader will not show themself until the right moment presents itself. I did what you asked and Dante is here with Sienna. He is very concerned about her being here, Rose and I am sure he will ask you to what purpose.”

“All in good time Michael. All in good time.” I said as I moved with Michael and his warriors and Dorian close behind me.

As we neared a ridge on the furthest end of the Valley of the Caves, I vaguely saw shapes through the swirling dust and could make out the figure of Gabrielle standing tall. As we approached them, I could see Dante with Sienna at his side and the smiling face of Alvina.

As we reached them and I stepped forward to speak to Dante, I felt a hand on the back of my neck, “Get down! They are coming!” Michael shouted and pushed me down. I quickly put the shield in front of me and landed on it as I hit the ground. I saw Dante had Sienna pinned almost beneath him and his eyes are glowing with rage. Gabriella and Alvina were lying close to each other and Gabrielle extended her wings to protect them, as did the warriors. I sensed Michael’s wings extending themselves and I looked over to see Dorian had done the same. I extended my own wings to protect me from whatever may be coming.

I did not have to wait too long. It looked as though the fire in the middle of the storm was shooting fireballs from the skies, and I thought that the whole world was going to be set alight. Each time there was a blast from the unseen trumpets, a set of fireballs came hurtling from the skies, but before they reached the dry sand they quickly took shape into winged creatures. They were moving too fast to for me to be able to see exactly what they were until one landed right in front of me. As its feet hit the ground, I saw that what I thought was a creature, looked as human as I did. I couldn’t tell whether it was male or female, but it grabbed at the feather from a wing at its back and soon the glint of a sword was in its hands.

Before long the fireballs were falling from the sky like raindrops. There were so many of them that it seemed impossible to count.

Just as I thought that these dogs of heaven were going to continue falling from the skies indefinitely, everything grew deadly quiet. After the loud trumpeting noise, the hissing of the fireballs, the humming and then screeching of the Gibborus this silence was almost deafening.

I looked over to Michael. He smiled at me and nodded his head to indicate that we all stand up. No one retracted his or her wings, so I left mine exposed too and then reached back for my sword. I plucked the feather gently, but firmly and brought my arm forward, bearing my sword. I couldn’t stop being amazed by this, and by the beauty of my sword.

Michael leaned closer to me and whispered, “Very nice. Look up. Here comes Gabriel. There is no finer warrior.”

I felt a surge of pride hearing Michael compliment me on my sword and then looked up. I could make out a shape barrelling down from the heavens. Gabriel was as big, if not bigger, than Michael. As he drew nearer, I saw that he was also wearing warrior gear, but his was jet black and his sash was royal blue, draped from his left shoulder down to the right of his waste-band.

As he landed and his feet touched the ground, a clap of thunder shook the earth beneath our feet and I gasped at the sheer power of this giant. His dark brown hair was cropped short and as he approached Michael, I could see he was at least a head taller than him, and his sword was almost the same size as one half of my body.

I marvelled at the sight of these two warriors in their finery. “Hello brother. I see why you asked me to help you. This is going to be one hell of a battle. My dogs of heaven are well trained and they live for this. Are you all ready?” he asked in a very quiet, throaty voice and his dark blue eyes glinted excitedly as he looked down towards the approaching Gibborus army. The raw excitement emanated from Gabriel and seemed to infect his men as well.

Then without warning, his eyes found mine and it literally felt as though they were boring into me. He towered over me and I looked up at his face. “So you are Rosaline.” This he said more as a statement than a question.

“That which you are protecting so fiercely must not get into the hands of Erro. At any cost you are to get it away from here. You are in no way to endanger anyone either. If you choose to, you may select a trustworthy companion to either assist you, or complete your mission for you. Do you understand what I have just told you?”

I looked him straight in the eye and replied, “I am very aware of what I am about to do and yes, I understand what it is you are saying. You must understand that I have already put a plan into action …” Gabriel suddenly turned around and headed down the hill before I could finish speaking. I stood frowning behind him with my mouth open. I could think of a few choice names to call him, but soon realized that he was here to deal with a battle that was upon us, and not to listen to my plans. Clearly those plans had to remain with me, and me alone.

I turned to Dorian, but came face to face with Dante who had Sienna firmly in his grasp. “Why did I have to bring Sienna, Rose?” he asked in a quiet voice. “This will be extremely dangerous for both of us if Erro gets wind of the fact that we are both here.” His eyes looked into mine and I could see his concern and feel his trepidation. I reached out and placed my hand on his arm. “You could have refused me, Dante, but you didn’t. You know as well as I, that Erro already knows you are here with Sienna and she will do almost anything to get her daughter back. I am counting on that.” I looked at Sienna who was the image of her father with her long black hair and black eyes. She was looking at the ground and I put my hand under her chin and made her look at me. “Sienna, I need your help most of all to stop Erro. What she plans to do if she gets her hands on what I am protecting, will result in all of us, and the whole world suffering. Something turned Erro and I plan on stopping her and finding out what has driven her so far to where she is now. Do you understand what I am saying to you?” She nodded her head and in a voice that could only be described as angelic, she said, “I am fully aware of what my mother has been doing and my father has told me of your plans. I am very sad for her, but I also know that what you are doing is the right thing. I am confident that my father will protect me from her, but I am still very afraid.” I appreciated her honesty and smiled at her and nodded.

I turned to Dorian and he caught my eye and nodded. In unison we started to descend the steep hill. Below us the battle was ready to begin as the rows of Gibborus and dogs of heaven approached one another. We would need to join in soon.

I looked to my left and saw Michael and his warriors moving forward with Alvina and Gabrielle slightly behind them and to my right was Dante and Sienna, both proudly extending their almost identical wings. Dorian was right beside me and reached over to playfully punch me on my shoulder. I smiled to hide my nervousness and pushed all doubts out of my mind. I had to believe that I was doing the right thing and not allow these awful doubts to enter and try to sway me off my course.