Welcome to my seemingly endless journey.
A trip that will take you to places I might have visited many moons ago.
It´s a tale that came back to me when I meditated on one of my past lives. A life I told you about in my unbelievable true story.
As promised in that story I will now share this story with you.
Chapter 60
That night there was a lot of talk about the choices we made and how they ultimately got us here. No one appeared without doubts, but after Cabilah's wisdom, everyone was convinced that whatever the road might bring us, love, happiness, death, or destruction, that road ahead was ours.
We wake up early and head east where the pass through the mountains should be. This is the last geographical clue Remo has given us. He had never gone beyond the foot of the mountains, but there he had received many traders who came over the sharp ridges to try their luck on the other side.
The vegetation becomes lower and lower, the earth exchanged itself for a dusty subsoil, covering a layer of stone. The rugged mountain range stretches out before us. A rocky plain with an occasional tree with a wispy thin trunk that manages to survive in this desolate world. Here and there grows long tufts of marram grass and low vegetation with thick leaves.
The vast majority of the landscape is taken up by the yellow-gray dusty rock area. Fortunately, we have made good use of the days in the forest to collect food and water.
We have plenty of roots and seeds, but meat is scarce. On the positive side, Cabilah also decided that she would no longer eat meat. What was probably the effect of her long conversations with Retsj, only Monta and I are still carnivorous enough to devour a piece of dried meat every now and then.
Even though we have been traveling on this so-called road for several hours now, we have not made much progress. The road goes uphill and the coarse gravel and scattered boulders make it not a very unpleasant walk.
Every step has to be planned so as not to stumble or sprain an ankle. Fortunately, the sun is kind to us, it has not shined directly on us for several days. She watches us through a light cloud cover which is enough to temper her burning heat somewhat.
We leave the trail well before darkness falls, but the mountain pass offers little place to set up camp out of the direct view of potential passers-by. Especially the one dressed in black.
Hence we choose to trek around the mountain at the foot of the mountain to set up a sheltered camp out of sight in one of its many gorges. Each of us is a bit quiet. The transition from the nutrient-rich forest, with its beauty, to this arid plain with a huge climb ahead is not something one looks forward to.
That night when I am fast asleep, I am woken up by Numico. “This is the last time I will be allowed to visit you. Listen carefully, my son, you have behaved with dignity and left many of your fears behind you. But know that every successful test precedes a more difficult test."
"With every step, I see you leave your old burdens behind, even though you are still far from being one. Listen, there will be an event tomorrow that threatens to be a disaster. What remains to be seen is, whose downfall will it be. Every position has its advantage and everyone has its gift."
"Trust your friends and make sure they can rely on you. Your freedom depends on it.”
“Master, why the last time, what do you mean, can I do anything to prevent your prediction?” Oniko´s words passed me by a little ever since he said ´Last Time¨.
“Son, trust the rightness of your choices. It's my time to move on. Let the dragon lead you again, as she leads you down this path. Focus on her instructions, she will bring you into contact with the omniscience within yourself.”
Master Oniko turns around and walks quietly back to Numico's sleeping place, lies down there, and before I can think of a question, I hear Numico's snoring.
“Thank you again, Master, may your transition go well,” I whisper. Tears well up, but don't come down my eyelids. I look at the stars that shine here and there between the clouds.
The sleep is completely driven out of me by this news. Staring into the fire, I try to avoid the prediction. Time and again I feel deep inside that I can only accept fate and make an appropriate decision on the spot, which will give a new twist to the situation in which I expect find myself.
This morning there is no doubt in my mind whether I should inform the rest of what I know. They are my friends and have the right to know what I know. Things do not improve, but everyone accepts the news and prepares to continue traveling regardless.
The mountain is even more desolate than the environment in which it lies. If it had been barren and gray before, this mountain contains no vegetation at all, it´s a pure mass of stone, rising to an immense height.
There is a poorly passable path, which regularly clearly marks traces of hooves, both ascending and descending. A feeling of fear comes over me at the idea that people are traveling in this desolate wilderness. That does not have to mean anything. But it could mean that we think we have escaped, while the danger is right in front of us.
The climb is steep, the path often is no wider than that Numico is tall, and the protruding rocks prevent riders from traveling this path at high speed. So it seems pointless to me to worry about the men in black. They wouldn't attach so much importance to us that they would undertake this difficult and long climb to track down some refugees.
Cabilah walks next to me, she sings a beautiful song. As I try to listen to the words I feel my mind drifting away. Carried away on the soft clouds of her melodies. It takes me some effort to regain control of my own mind. Once this is accomplished, I look back and see the blank looks in the eyes of both Rechmana and Numico. Cabilah stops her singing at my signal.
Retsj and Numico wake up startled as if a gong is sounding next to them. Numico, who wants to rub his eyes, discovers that his hands are cuffed.
Retsj also discovers the ropes that bound his wrists. There is a stupid look in their eyes as they look around and find no trace of recognition.
