The Call of the Beachwick

Chapter 19: A Crash Course

Amazed at what had just happened, Aurelia silently held her breath. It had only been two days since the first meeting with her ancestors and not only had she met with them two other times, but she had discovered their true purpose: to assist her against the danger that threatened to consume not only herself, but also her people. Again, the weight of who she was pressed upon her shoulders. She felt both physically and mentally exhausted as she contemplated the life she had been born into and the one she personally brought forth. Exerting what little energy her body had, she considered the message Thepa had delivered and processed each part one by one.

"An enemy of the past threatens your future."

"An enemy of the present threatens your home."

"An enemy of the future threatens your mind."

"An enemy of your soul threatens your heart."

Allowing the statements to mull over in her mind, Aurelia once again tried to discern their meaning. Knowing the message could have only come from Esha himself, she considered Thepa's words contained a spiritual connotation. Strange as the past few days had been, she didn't consider herself much of a spiritual person. However, she wasn't blind to those that did. It was common to see some of the more traditional members of the Beachwick, mostly her people now that she thought about it, openly praise Asha. Even those that prepared for the mind numbing would sometimes utter prayers directed to the mountain with their heart, soul, and mind. It made sense to her that the messages given were somehow connected to Esha, but like everything else that had happened in the last few days, it just left her frustrated and with more questions.

If only I were as clever as Kesi, she thought.

Even more frustrating, Thepa had told her she was already aware of them. The Syndicate made the most sense, and as impossible as that enemy seemed to defeat, she couldn't fathom who the others might be. The more she pondered the message, the more she realized that she wasn't even sure if the Syndicate was one of the enemies mentioned in the first place. Feeling her blood boil, she bit her tongue to avoid letting out a blood-curdling scream, but instead, she felt a sharp intake of breath and fell to her knees, scraping them among the hard path.

Hundreds, if not thousands of images flooded her mind. Moments with a bow jumped to the forefront while she saw arms that were not hers staring down countless archery ranges among satyr female younglings. Arrow upon arrow notched through her fingers as the smell of oil and beeswax waffled through the air. In them she felt warmth spread through her limbs, followed by a hatred for a harsh taskmaster who constantly berated her for the slightest hiccup. Had she a moment to process what was happening to her, she might have considered the emotion to deal with it, but the speed and rate at which they came, left her no time but to hold on to the second rise of bile deep in her stomach.

Still, the images kept coming. Dagger training, leadership, diplomacy, battle tactics, basic first aid, drill and ceremony, time spent pouring over maps, tracking, camouflage, close-quarter combat, survival, horseback riding, and psychological warfare filled her head making it impossible to focus. She could see beasts of old, fell at the tips of her arrows. Saintians quaked by her mere presence. Fear and respect driven by determination, a desire to prove oneself, became the focal point of her visions, but over time that changed. At some point, all Aurelia could see was the green bow in her hands. Warm words she couldn't read or where deliberately hidden, were etched across a riser that spoke of love and devotion to her soul. However, one thing was clear. This was not her bow, but the bow of the warrior, the one whose spirit now resided in her. It was then Aurelia understood the words Thepa had spoken upon the wind.

"Freely chosen, freely given. Don't let my gift be in vain."

"Matriarch?" Came a feminine voice and a touch to her back.