Tree of Life Book III

Part II - Chapter 07

TREE OF LIFE BOOK III – PART II

CHAPTER 07

We headed out of town. It was late in the afternoon. The sun was still a distance from the treetops but it was getting closer.

I was leading Annie by a more difficult pass toward the mountain at the back of the town instead of the broad road through the front gates. This way, we couldn't be followed so easily.

About an hour into it and maybe halfway up the mountain path, we heard a rumbling that shook the ground and shifted the gravel on it.

We spun about. We stared after its source.

A stone's throw to our left, down beyond the trees, a fireball rose into the sky.

It was about the size of a mule or the cart it might be pulling. It was round and billowed straight up toward the clouds. Within a second, it had roiled some, churning into black smoke and then wafted off into the wind.

We had stopped in our tracks, our eyes glued to the spot. We waited to see if there would be more. There were none.

Annie raced off toward it.

"Annie!" I reached for her but too late. She had vanished into the trees.

By the time I caught up to her, she was hidden behind some bushes, on the lip of a precipice peering down.

I took up position beside her. I crouched down. Turning to me, she put her finger to her lips and told me 'shush'.

She pointed. My eyes followed her finger.

Below us, on a plateau about a hundred yards from where we were was a small village. Just a few scattered buildings around the perimeter with a town square in the middle. As we watched, a group of boys and girls were lined up in the square, standing at attention, listening to an older man pacing back and forth in front of them and lecturing. The man had short, iron-grey hair and a tuft of the same for a beard.

When he was done, the band of students broke up into groups of two and began to spar. Some of them practised going at each other with weapons, like staffs or wooden sticks for swords. Others fought without.

I checked on Annie beside me, but her eyes were intense as she studied the group in the square.

I sat back for a moment. I thought about what had brought us here. I frowned. So, where was the fire? Where did the fireball come from? I could have sworn it would be here…but there was nothing. No bonfire in the square. Nothing to account for the source of it.

I decided it must have been something on the far side of the village and not visible from where we were.

I touched Annie on the sleeve. I signalled that we should go.

She didn't want to leave just yet, but I insisted.

~~~

We resumed our trek up the mountain path. I wanted to make the other side by nightfall.

About half an hour away from the spot where we had crouched to observe the village below us, we stopped for a moment to rest. I had kept my eyes peeled since then for the slightest movement behind us, but all was still. No suggestion that we had been followed.

There was a stream to our left at this point. I made use of it. Splashing out into its middle, I wet my hands and then washed them. Scooping up water, I washed my face too.

Annie didn't join me. She had remained on the shore.

I turned to her from the water. "Why don't you clean up too? Your face looks a mess."