Fire - Betrayal (23 page)

He
held me in his arms. I never wanted him to let me go. I memorized everything about him. How he felt against me, his scent, his beautiful physical body, his breathing, his face, and his cerulean eyes, the sound of his voice, the shape of his hands, the feel of his lips on mine.

The feel of his lips on mine…..

“The hunters are coming Cate.  We must say goodbye,” Ben said sorrowfully, barely audible.

We quickly
dressed, and then stood mournfully outside the receiving tent.

The hunters looked at Ben and nodded their heads, indicating that they had to take
me to the portal now.

Ben looked at
me, and kissed me with passion again, his face pained. He rested his forehead against mine, his hands on either side of my face.

“My beautiful, beautiful Cate….
I love you, forever,” he whispered, and then kissed me again, perhaps for the last time ever.

I
did not speak, it was far too painful, the agony unbearable. I simply turned, and followed the hunters off into the distance along the path back to the portal, back to my homeland.

And, I never looked back at him.

***

I
stood silently still, my heart aching, my heart breaking, as I watched her walk off into the distance.

It would perhaps be
, the very last time I would ever see her.

Then
Jacinta appeared by my side.  She could see the pain on my face.  She could read my broken heart and tortured emotions.

She led
me in silence back to village.  I did not want her near me.  I retreated to my place of solace in the rainforest near the deafening waterfall. There at least, I could grieve as I needed to, then find strength, somehow, to go on.  I had a mission to complete.  I was The Warrior.

I
didn’t feel like I was The Warrior.  I felt like dying.  The light of my life was gone.

I
was in the darkness.

My beautiful, beautiful Cate…

I spent seven days in solitude, mourning. I was furious with the Council Elders, and their purism of the Terrean race.  I was furious with the ancient custom of parents choosing a life- long partner for their child from birth. I was furious that I felt I had no control over my own life, and that I felt that I was owned by the Council Elders and was at their mercy.

Then my
mourning became anger, and became strong in rebelliousness. I was determined to finish the mission of The Warrior, and then return to search for Cate and win her back on the Earth.

Our
bond of love could
not
be broken, ever.

On the evening of the seventh day,
I returned to the village. I walked confidently and assertively.  I gathered the six Terreans assigned to help me with the mission.

“
Jack, Josiah, Jordan, Julia, Jade, Jazz. As the Warrior, I am asking for you to help me complete the mission that will be assigned to us.  If you do not wish to be part of whatever we must do, please ask to be excused now.  If you are in, place your hand on top of mine.”

I
held out my right hand.  Immediately, the six Terreans placed their right hands on top of mine, looked at me and nodded.

“Meet me at 9am tomorrow, at the tree of the Council of Elders.”

Then I left to return to my pod, to bunk down for the night.  My sleep was light and interrupted, filled with memories of Cate, memories of our commitment to each other, memories of me asking her to marry me.  I woke often with a tortured heart.  I was so deeply lonely, and empty.

Jacinta arrived early at the entrance to
my pod, welcoming me back from my retreat, and insisting that I have breakfast with her clan.

I
accepted reluctantly, preferring the company of my own family.  I needed their loving kindness without the pressure of others enquiring about how he was going, and what he would be doing now that Cate was gone.

Begrudgingly,
I followed Jacinta through the village to the breakfast bar. There were two places left at the congregation of her family, obviously left for Jacinta and myself.  There I sat by Jacinta’s side, serious, not wanting to engage in any conversation.

“Ben, we are most honored to have your presence at our table,”
said Jacinta’s father.

“And why would that be?”
I asked.

“
You are The Warrior that Une Autre Terre has been waiting for.  There is no man better than you, and yet, you sit here with us,”
he explained.

“
I am a man just like you.  Do not put me on a pedestal, I do not deserve it,
“I replied.

Jacinta reached over and touched
my arm lightly with her hand.  I felt uncomfortable at her touch.

“
Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a meeting with The Council Elders,”
I said politely, and turned to leave the Café de Déjeuner, and started off towards the edge of the rainforest, where the lone large black boulder sat next to the tall strong broad leafed tree with a very wide white, brown, pink and orange trunk.

As
I walked determinedly with long strides, I heard Jacinta running after me.  I stopped mid-stride and turned to face her.

“Ben, will I see you any other time today? I’d love to spend some time with you,”
Jacinta asked hopefully, looking into my eyes.

I
looked away from her, and answered her honestly.

“
You know Jacinta, I just really need to be with myself at the moment.  Perhaps we can get together some other time.”

“Of course Ben, you have been through a tough time emotionally.  I’ll wait for you.  I’ll be here when you’re ready,”
she replied.

I
looked at her, but did not smile.  I nodded my head slightly, and then continued on my way to meet the Council of Elders.

The Terrean
Mission Team stood waiting by the black boulder at the edge of the rainforest, and responded with enthusiasm when they saw me.

I
acknowledged them with a nod, and then placed my hand onto the black boulder for my fingerprint scan to summon the platform, where we all entered on to it to be taken to the Council of Elders room.

The platform travelled smoothly half way up the large tree, and then stopped at an exterior entrance.
I placed my hand again on the heavy stone work of the entry doors, releasing the security lock, sliding the doors open so that they could enter the intimidating room, where the Twelve Elders sat around a smooth granite oval table.

“Ben, and your
partisans, welcome.  Please take a seat, so that we can inform you of our concerns, and present to you your role as The Warrior, and what you are expected to do as the long awaited Warrior, The Chosen One, as it is written,”
said the Highest Elder.

I
did not speak to him, I simply nodded in acknowledgement of the conversation, keeping my seething contempt for them in check.

“Firstly I will read from The Book of Terreans, which predicts you as the Chosen One, and predicts exactly when you will appear, so that you can have absolutely no doubt that you are the Warrior of our people.”

“The Warrior will return with seeds of opal of The Magnificent Tree.  The Warrior is not unknown to Une Autre Terre, but was born of Terreans, leaving our world to enter the
Earth at a very young age.  He will return where he will learn of his heritage, and learn of the ways of Une Autre Terre, but then will go back to the Earth.  It will not be long before he will return again.

The return of the twenty-one opal seeds of The Magnificent Tree are the sign.  The opal seeds that he will bring are from the only Magnificent Tree which grew and was nurtured upon the
Earth soil.  Evil men of the Earth will discover its unique qualities and greedily seek to own and exploit the tree.  But the Warrior will save the identity of the tree, harvesting the remaining 21 opal seeds and then destroy every last trace of the Magnificent Tree as if it never existed upon the Earth.

The Warrior has a vast knowledge of the
Earth. He will save Une Autre Terre from invasion, by using his knowledge of Earth geography, and the ways of the Earth people.  The Chosen One will be revered among the people.  He will save Une Autre Terre from desecration and destruction so vile that it cannot be spoken of. The Warrior will have six Terreans to accompany him on the mission, who will be remembered for eternity.”

The
Highest Elder stopped reading from The Book Of Terreans, and looked at the wooden floor in contemplation and silence.

I
refused to speak first to the Council of Elders.  I would wait until they broke the silence.

I
had listened carefully to the words from The Book.  It had described me accurately.  I was the Warrior – there was absolutely no doubt.

“
Ben, you are the Warrior that Une Autre Terre has been waiting for.  Your life has unfolded as prophesized in The Book, do you agree?”
asked the Highest Elder, pacing the floor.

“Yes, it seems to describe my life so far. I am the Warrior,”
I answered calmly, but defeated, but strong in statue, and emotion.

“What is my mission?  How am I to save our world from total destruction?
” I asked annoyed.

“We cannot answer your question Warrior. You, and only you know the answer. You are the Chosen One. You and you alone have the knowledge of the
Earth and its people, who will come to destroy us out of greed, and hatred.  You must stop the invasion to come!”
insisted the Highest Elder,
“our world is destined to become dust without you.”

All eyes looked to
me. The Twelve Councilors and the six Terreans looked at me with respect and awe.  I was their Warrior, apparently. I drew a deep breath.

“I will complete my mission, and I will not fail. My people are depending on me.  I request that the meeting is ended.  I must enter the rainforest to my place of solace to find answers to my questions,”
I asserted.

The Highest Elder watched
me closely.

“I am concerned with your emotional health after Cate leaving.  It was a highly unpleasant, but necessary situation.  We had to douse the fire of passion in you, and light the fire of steel determination, anger and pure concentration.  It has worked.  Ben, you are more than ready to accomplish the mission that awaits you.”

The woman Elder declared the meeting closed, but watched me carefully as I left the Meeting Place. I was well aware of her interest in me.

***

Entering the dense rainforest alone, I walked intently on the path that twisted and turned to my place of solace, hidden away deep within the forest near the deafening powerful waterfall.

I
had spent such a large amount of time here recently, that, it was almost as if it were a second home to me.

I
had built a tent-like structure out of the strong forest foliage, to protect myself from the mist of the waterfall. I had created a very comfortable bed out of the generous plant life. And it was here that I now sat reminiscing about my life, and what had led to me being here.

I
thought of Cate and clutched at my chest, my heart aching yet again.

I
visited the powerful waterfall, watching as the water plummeted heavily with a dissipating force, destroying every living thing in its path. I watched as the violent waterfall became a gentle and calming creek, giving life to all that surrounded it.  From death to life…

I
looked at the forest of trees, tall and imposing, strong and shielding, old and wise, yet giving birth to new forest life, protecting all that resided in its wilderness.

And then I
thought of my own insignificant self compared to all that was around me.  My life, as all human life was so fragile, and could be ended so easily, so quickly, so silently, alone.

It was hard to believe that in
my insignificance, I had to accomplish something truly significant for this world – a matter of life and death for the entire population of Une Autre Terre.

I
must not fail.  The future of this world depended entirely on me.  I was The Warrior.  And I would, to the best of my ability, save this world from total destruction and non-existence.  But, I must remain humble, lest I fall.

I
walked amongst the life forces in the rainforest, feeling empowered and determined.  I walked to the ocean absorbing the beauty, the supremacy of the water that held the key to all life, after the sun. I stripped down to my nakedness, and dived into the water, feeling it soothe every part of my body.

My
mind was focused.  I knew what he had to do.  It was obvious to me now.  I realized that I had been preparing for this all of my life. Only now I was aware of it. It all fell into place like a jigsaw puzzle.