Chapter 2: His Name Is Soren
1753 Kata
Chapter 2 His Name Is Soren
The ebb and flow of water gently rocked me back and forth to the rhythm of waves. The smell of the sea lingered all around me and I couldn't help but believe that I was on a boat.
I leaned into the rocking. It felt pleasant, calm, and soothing, like it would lull me to sleep forever.
Was I asleep?
I tried to sit up but couldn't. I tried to open my eyes but couldn't. I tried to open my mouth to call out but couldn't.
'Hello…?' I attempted to reach out through the mindlink but was only rewarded with the hollow echo of my voice in the void.
I must have been alone.
Relaxed, I thought, if I was alone, even if I was dreaming, I had to be safe.
All I wanted was to rock in that gentle rhythm until the end of time. I felt safe and protected in that space, surrounded by warmth and the constant lapping of water, like waves against a boat.
Words came to me. Like a muffled whisper, they softly brushed against my ears but I couldn't make sense of them. I just knew they weren't mine.
Suddenly, the gentle, rocking ocean vanished and I came crashing down to earth. Fog surrounded my senses and I was trudging through thick chowder, trying to find my way back to some normalcy. I had to wake up.
The words around me got louder and more clear, like the more I struggled against the thick, chowdery fog, the closer I got to those voices.
The first voice I latched onto was deep, composed and soothing. His tone was dominating and authoritative but fresh and familiar. It made me feel safe again.
“Do some investigation on her," he ordered.
A younger voice spoke next. “Yes, of course, Soren."
The speaker was respectful, but he wasn't nearly as pleasant as the previous man.
“Ask the healer to come to my room, as well," the first voice continued and I took another set towards consciousness. I wished he would speak again, and again.
Soren… was that the name of the first man, the one whose voice I wanted to hear?
It was a rather unusual name. I liked it. The name alone was enough to send a pleasant shudder through me.
Whenever I heard his voice, the thick fogginess receded and I was more connected to the world and to myself. When his voice was gone, I felt like I was floundering around blindly.
There was a moment of silence and I was getting dragged back into the fog. I tried to open my mouth and call out to them but I couldn't control my own body. The fog swarmed in my head and around my senses.
“What is it?" Soren's soothing voice asked, tugging on me again.
“Well, why do you think she is here?" the younger voice asked, his tone hesitant.
Was he talking about me?
“No one should know about this place. We aren't on a map and without a guide that already knows the way, few people can find their way here even with perfect weather, let alone in a sandstorm…" the younger one said.
“So? She isn't exactly strong. She's young and doesn't look like she's in the best health," Soren countered.
They were talking about me! He wanted to know how I'd survived the desert and made it to this village. The Moon Goddess had guided me.
'Wake up!' I screamed into the echoing void. This was awful.
How long had I been here like this?
Again, I was swirling through the fog, trying to find my way back to myself. The longer the silence dragged on, the heavier and denser the fog became. My mind was slipping into darkness. I couldn't see through it no matter how hard I tried.
I wasn't even sure if I was connected to my body at all. Did I still have arms and legs? Did I have a mouth? I knew I had ears because I could hear them talking but everything else… it was missing.
Was I a ghost?
A hand on my arm, I felt that! But where was his voice now?
I tried to see through the fog. I wanted to know who was there. Who was talking about me and did I need to get away from them?
Were they dangerous? Would they send me back?
Desperately, I needed to hear the first voice again. I wanted to feel that soothing and safety deep in my bones. He would ground me. With his voice, I'd be able to cut through the fog and see what was happening.
The younger voice didn't press, and Soren stayed silent.
“My apologies, Soren. I shouldn't have asked that question," the younger man said. “It's just that there have been regional wars. They don't impact us directly, but the outside always seems to be closing in on us. None of us want that. I know you don't, either."
Regional wars? That sounded familiar, and it didn't. I could barely string a thought together as the fog closed in on me like a coffin.
“We work hard to stay away from the outside world and to stay out of all their issues," the young man continued. “It would be a shame if we invited that trouble in, no matter how pretty."
I heard a soft, low growl from Soren. Even his growl was enough to help me cut through the dense fog. I felt like it was getting thinner, and if I could just hold onto that sound, I'd make it back to myself.
“We have to be vigilant. We don't want another spy getting in. And what better way for the other packs to get a spy past our security? None of us would expect such a pretty face to be treacherous," the young man added.
Soren grunted. Still, he didn't speak, as much as I willed it with my mind.
I didn't even know this Soren guy but I felt he was someone I could rely on.
Maybe I needed to get to know him. Having a friend or ally with power and authority would be… most beneficial.
The young man's words rang in my ears, “We don't want to let in a spy."
Who were these people that the packs would want to spy on them?
I wasn't a spy, was I?
Suddenly, my thoughts clicked into clarity and the denseness of the fog cleared. I was still wandering through a misty world but it wasn't as dark or numb as before.
Was I in danger?
These men, whoever they were, thought I was a spy. Would I get a chance to explain myself? Would they help me if they knew the truth?
I couldn't even remember where I was!
Most importantly, I couldn't understand why I wasn't in a lot of pain. I could still remember it was almost unbearable before. Now, it was numb, almost pleasantly numb, or it would be pleasant if I could just see who was talking while still being this numb and pain free!
All these thoughts raced through my mind and panic rose in my chest. I still wasn't strong enough to get up and run away. Besides, where else would I go, back to the desert? I nearly died the last time. I needed a better plan than that if I was going to survive!
Then another strange thought occurred to me. What if I hadn't survived? What if I was already dead and this was some weird afterlife thing?
I couldn't feel my body. I couldn't control myself. My memories felt so far away. Maybe I really was dead!
My mind and thoughts got so jumbled and messy.
The voices I'd been clinging to started to drift away. They were muffled, like they were talking through a pillow, and I couldn't focus enough to hold onto them.
After a few minutes, I couldn't hear anything at all.
A dark, unsettling coldness filled me. I was completely alone. They'd left me alone, trapped in this foggy place. I had no way out.
This wasn't good. If only I could force myself to…
I focused all my energy on opening my eyes and sitting up but I just couldn't do it! I was still too lost in that fog to connect back to myself.
Slam!
A door slammed and I started. My entire body jerked.
Relief swept through me. No, I wasn't dead. I hadn't suffered through that painful ordeal in the sun and wind just to die.
I tried to recall the last coherent memory I had. I'd struggled through the sandstorm and came to a town. Was that what the younger man had been talking about? Was this some unmapped spot in the desert?
After that… things got fuzzy. It'd been so hot and cold at the same time and the sun was setting. I remembered trying to find a warm place to stay for the night but after that, there was nothing.
I kept remembering flickers of warmth and comfort. Someone had been there with me, giving me strength, making me feel safe and…comfortable again. I didn't know who it was or what had happened.
Apparently, I hadn't died. That was a starting point, at least.
A new voice broke through the fog. It was a female voice.
“Soren, I went to grab Lee. Who's injured this time?" she asked.
So, there was another woman in this place. Perhaps, she could understand my situation and would be more willing to help compared to others. I felt myself relaxing in her presence, feeling less threatened.
She kept speaking but I wasn't even trying to listen anymore because something new struck my senses. It was a scent, warm and calming.
I recognized the scent…it was with me for a while when I was in darkness.
It filled my nose and then raced through my whole body. From the roots of my hair to the tips of my toes, every fiber of my being was calm and soothed by the warm scent of cedar and amber.
I sighed, inhaling more of that familiar deliciousness. It smelled so, so good. The fog in my mind vanished, and so did all my panic, worries, and doubts.
Given the chance, I would totally sink into that luscious scent and float away with it.
- Penulis
