The Bow
It was early in the morning when Callisto led her army east towards the next village they were going to attack. I didn't see Kelton at all when we left the camp. Though he probably went to walk with the other soldiers while Callisto ordered for me to walk beside her horse. She didn't want me where she couldn't see me. Caring right? Wrong! I was valuable to her because I knew her new enemy. Once her new enemy was conquered I was nothing to her.
I had been walking for over four hours. I wasn't tired because I had slept long and hard last night. Yet I could tell by the moaning coming from the soldiers that others were tired. As we walked I found myself watching Callisto as she rode. She sat tall on her horse, a woman of power. She was strong and she made sure she looked that way to others. She was no fool, yet a tiny bit insane. A murderess rising. She wasn't at her strongest point yet. She was still developing. I could sense that about her, yet the fear for her never died.
Callisto finally decided to stop for a small period of time. Her men were thankful and instantly began searching for food or water. Others sat down, enjoying the pleasure of resting. I looked around when I finally saw Kelton walking up to me. He looked weary but still strong. I remained still as he reached me and held out a bow.
"Here," I took the bow Kelton crafted. "I designed it for you and only you. If used correctly it will be quite powerful."
"The craft work is amazing," I studied the bow. It was made from cherry wood, sturdy and strong. A couple threads of white horse hairs served as the string. Kelton was right. This bow was powerful. In the proper hands of course. I looked up at Kelton. I could tell that he was hiding something. "Is something wrong?"
"Yes…but everything else is right so it does not matter," Kelton handed me a sack of arrows. I took the sack. "Go off and practice. We'll be resting for quite awhile." I nodded and left Kelton.
Kelton watched me venture over to a couple of trees which I decided to practice on. He sighed and walked over to Callisto. She stood, brushing her horse. "I have done what you asked." Kelton paused. "Have you forgotten how old Lilith is?"
Callisto kept her back to Kelton as she spoke. "Not at all. Actually her age is the key to my entire plan."
Kelton shook his head, angry and confused. "You cannot be thinking of using her in battle?" When he got no response he grew worried. "She will die on the battlefield, Callisto."
Callisto quit brushing her horse and turned to face Kelton. "Of course she'll die on the battlefield." All the color drained from Kelton's face. "She will not go onto the battlefield. She will stay hidden. My secret weapon."
"She is not a weapon, Callisto. She is a child," stated Kelton.
Callisto frowned at Kelton. "No Kelton I think you are confused. Lilith was a child. She is no longer a child because her childhood is dead. Trust someone who knows." Callisto paused and looked over to me practicing with her bow. So far many of my arrows had struck a bulls-eye. "I think she has natural talent, don't you?" Callisto quickly looked at Kelton.
Kelton sighed and nodded his head. "Yes, a lot of talent. She told me that her father was an archer."
"Aha, so it's the blood," Callisto laughed and shook her head. "Give her time. Lilith will become the best. I trust you made sure of that?"
Kelton nodded his head again. "Yes. I-I asked Artemis to bless the bow. Just as the goddess blessed mine."
Callisto turned back to begin brushing her horse again. "This is why I trust you, Kelton. You will never let me down. On and off the battlefield. Such a soldier as you is rare to come by."
Kelton looked down at the ground. "I believe it is." Kelton quietly looked over at me. He watched me nail the tree with arrows. He continued to watch me fire off arrows one at a time. He silently prayed.
Darkness. That's all I was able to make out. Sheer darkness. Was I dead again? Did I just die in my sleep? Did I try to leave the world and succeeded? But-But did I want to leave now?
Suddenly a warm hand touched my forehead, then my cheek, then my neck. I felt my worry drain out of me along with the pain. Pain? There were new pains. Mostly around my two wrists and I could feel nagging pains around my stomach. But those pains now left, leaving without me even knowing how they came about.
Then a voice. A voice so soft it made me feel at home. It lured me out of the scary darkness and into a softer kind. Was I dead? I almost believed so because the voice was of an angel.
"Ssh…don't be afraid," I wanted to believe this voice. But something in my mind told me to not trust anything or anyone. Why? Why was I suddenly trying to escape the voice of an angel? It made no sense to me. The darkness…it was still all around me. "Please don't fear me. I'm only trying to help."
Help? Help with what? Suddenly a felt a cold wind chill my entire body. Everything went cold. So, so, so cold. Emotion drained out of me like blood pouring from an open wound. My body began to feel like a shell and my soul was escaping. NO! NO! Come back! Soul don't leave me! Don't leave me! Don't…now there's nothing.
I bolted straight up, breathing heavily. I quickly looked around as I remembered where I was. I was in the forest with Callisto's army. They were moving east, to hit a village. I…well I was alone right now. The only thing around me was my bow that Kelton had crafted for me…and arrows.
I grabbed my bow and the sack of arrows and headed to a place where I could think. I soon found a lake flowing east, the way I was traveling. I sighed as I slumped onto a smooth bolder. I let my bow rest near my feet as the sack of arrows rested upon my shoulder. I silently watched the water flow east. So easy, the water. Its life is so damn easy. All it has to do is allow the current to push it along. It didn't have stress or problems or even dreams for that matter. If life was that easy…
I felt eyes watching me. I looked up and spotted a women around eighteen years old. She stood in the shadows across the lake. I stared at her. I wondered what her name was. Tch, I worry over stupid stuff. No wonder people think I'm a weak little peasant. Though that's what I am.
The woman disappeared and I looked back down at the ground. I stared at my bow. Kelton had made it for me. Yet it was on Callisto's orders. So what did that mean exactly?
"You shouldn't sit out in the open," I looked over my shoulder as Kelton approached me. I didn't say a word to him. "…it's not safe."
I laughed quietly. "Being near a murderess and her entire army is not safe yet here I am."
Kelton knelt down next to me. "You seem troubled."
"That's an understatement," I paused. "When is Callisto going to kill me?"
Kelton was silent for a long time until he finally spoke. "I can't answer that."
"Why?" I challenged him. "Because you don't know or don't care?" I quickly looked away as tears surfaced to my eyes. I knew that Kelton was watching me. Yet I said nothing more to him.
"It's hard…for a soldier to care about-about anyone," Kelton kept his bronze colored eyes on me. "You-You kill too much to feel anything anymore. Lilith, you can't understand what I feel and my feelings towards you."
"No, because you're a shell without a soul," I shot Kelton a cold look. "And that's exactly what I'm going to become. It's what Callisto is. What you are. What everyone is! Nobody cares anymore. Life's too short to care."
"That's not true," replied Kelton. "Lilith that's not true at all."
"Believe what you want, Kelton," I looked back at the lake. "You weren't the one defeated by the Knights from Hell."
Kelton grew quiet again for a few moments. "If Callisto is capable of doing anyone a favor, then she's doing one for you. Even if you aren't on her mind." I gave Kelton no reply. "What was your father's name?"
"I don't remember his name. But whatever it was…it was magnificent," I quietly replied.
Kelton placed a strong hand on my shoulder. "I'm sure it was, Lilith. I'm sure it was."
The lake continued to flow…
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