Compassion

Anna Maker sat down on a convenient rock to dump the sand out of her shoes. The rock was as hot as the sand, the sun beat down and the stifling air seemed to move not at all. I’d give anything for a nice sea breeze, she thought as she took the last sip of water from her canteen. Although the water was tepid and had a faint metallic taste it, at least, washed some of the dust from her mouth.

“Stupid sand,” Anna muttered as she dumped the last bit out of her left shoe and began unlacing her right. She kept a wary eye out for harpies and scorpions. It would be difficult to run away hopping on one foot or tripping over shoelaces.

Anna used to love sand. Playing on the beach, making dream castles, as her father fished just off shore. Sometimes she would wade into the surf to play with the grinning dolphins that would sometimes stop to steal a fish or two from her father’s nets. Life seemed to be one big game to these not-fish and they would always chase a school of fish into the nets to more than make up for what they took in their play.

Although there was plenty of sand here, Anna couldn’t imagine a place more different from her island home with father. Father. For a moment a tear misted the corner of her eye and her chin wrinkled, the corners of her mouth turning down in an uncharacteristic frown. Standing quickly she set off across the hot sand of the desert. Looking for the shrine. She knew that if she prayed at the shrine it would make things right. Make things like they were before the orcs came. Bring her father back.

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They lived near the town of Skara Brae. Father built the best boats in all the land and people would come from all over to buy them. Some said that father's boats must have a touch of magic in them because they never, ever leaked. Anna loved to help father paint the dragon heads on the boats and she was never far from father's side what ever he did.

Anna had never known her mother. She had died when Anna was born. Anna knew that father still loved her though because sometimes he would tell Anna stories about her mother and he always had a tear in his eye when he finished. Father had once been a great seaman. He would take his boat out to the open sea and fight the giant serpents to take their treasure. After Anna was born he stayed at home with her. He said that she was his greatest treasure. Anna always felt special when he said that.

Anna had been at home cleaning their small house. After all she was almost ten. That was plenty old enough to be taking care of things on her own, she had argued before her father left to fish that morning. Her father had smiled and given her a big hug. Then he walked out the door muttering something about babies that grew up far too soon. She had made the beds and washed the breakfast dishes. She was making a nice flower arrangement as a surprise for father when the shouting started. Anna ran outside, a fresh daisy still clutched in her hand.

Mrs. Harrison , who owned the farmer's market, ran by, her hair flying out behind. Anna started to call out to her when she heard a funny sound. Twang-Thunk. Suddenly, half of an arrow was protruding from Mrs. Harrison’s back and she fell face first into the dirt. Anna opened her mouth to scream, but turned at a guttural voice behind her. She saw a strange green skinned orc nocking an arrow into a black bow as it looked straight into her wide eyes. An orc on the island? The rangers always kept them away!

Anna felt herself lifted high up off her feet and an arrow whistled through the place where she had stood. Thunking into the door frame. She caught a glimpse of the grim face of one of the town rangers as he slung her across the back of his horse and flung a dagger at the orc. The dagger hit the orc square in the throat but rather than falling, dead, the orc just vanished in a puff of smoke. “Damn,” muttered the ranger as he applied the spurs urging his frightened horse into a desperate run.

They raced wildly through the streets towards the docks. Buildings exploded in flame and arrows whizzed by. As they rounded the corner of the healers building a war-ax caught the horse just above the right leg. The ruined leg collapsed and the horse skidded down onto the cobblestones screaming its pain. The ranger rolled clear, grabbing Anna by the hand dragging her out onto the docks. He picked Anna up under one arm and raced down the dock dodging arrows. He dumped her roughly into a small boat and cut the rope with his sword as he leapt aboard.

As the boat pulled away from the dock, Anna caught a glimpse of her father's boat capsized in the water with a large charred hole smashed near one end. She started to scramble over the side, but the ranger pulled her back and started rowing strongly toward the mainland shore. Before they made it an arrow caught the ranger in the shoulder. He set his teeth a little tighter and kept pulling. They made it across a little south of the dock.

The ranger pulled Anna out of the boat and dragged her up the shore toward the ranger's hut. As they crossed the road he stopped short. A band of orcs were charging down from the direction of the hut. The bodies of several other rangers laid where they had been killed in front of the hut. The ranger shoved Anna down the road towards Britain and shouted one desperate word; “RUN!”. Anna would never forget the look in the eyes of that man who knew that he was about to die. As the ranger drew his sword and turned to face the orcs Anna turned and ran for all she was worth. Since that day, little Anna had been walking toward the shrine, hiding from monsters and scavenging to stay alive. All she had left was hope.

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As Anna wearily crested a dune, she spotted her goal. Forgetting the sand in her shoes she ran with all her heart toward the shrine. Dropping to her knees at the foot of the shrine, she carefully opened her pack and removed her sacrifice. Tenderly she laid the wilted daisy before the altar and began to pray. She was still there when the desert shadows grew long and the sun disappeared behind mountains far to the west.

As the morning sun touched her, Anna awoke to a humming sound. Like the bees in the hives near the stable back home but many times louder. Frightened, she hid in some nearby rocks, watching. The sound was coming from the shrine. It began to glow. It’s about to answer my prayer, thought Anna with joy. The blue glow intensified, there was a loud pop and a figure stepped forth from the haze. It was an orc, a very, very large orc. Another pop and another giant orc. Soon there was a whole troop of giant orcs standing in front of the shrine. Anna shrunk down behind the rocks not even breathing. She could hear them talking, not that she was an orc expert, but their words did not sound like any orc speech that she knew about.

Soon the orcs marched off into the desert. As they dropped out of sight, over a nearby dune, the gate gave a final pop and out tumbled one last orc. This one was normal size and seemed quite befuddled. After a moment it too walked off across the desert, although in a different direction from it's fellows. When she was sure the orcs were gone, Anna crawled out of her hiding place. She looked down at her flower. Trampled into the sand by the marching orcs. Why did the shrine answer my prayer with more orcs she wondered as tears filled her eyes. "Stupid shrine," she muttered and collapsed to the ground it total exhaustion and despair.

Anna roused at a scratching sound behind her. She looked up to see a giant scorpion poised over her ready to strike. Anna closed her eyes awaiting death without even a whimper left in her. Instead of the scorpion’s bite, she heard a Twang-Thunk. She opened one eye to see an arrow protruding from between the monster's hideous eyes. It shuddered once and fell to the ground dead as a stone.

Anna scrambled up to see a figure mounted on a gray stallion replacing a bow in a backpack. The man was somewhat small, and had funny black hair. Bald except for a long pony tail in the back. He slipped from the horse and walked lightly toward her. On foot, he seemed slightly more than a boy, although his eyes seemed much older.

“Dat bug bish hurt you now,” he said with a toothy grin. Anna had never heard speech like this before. She just stared at the strange man, backing away slowly. The horse walked closer and nudged the man's pack, nickering softly. The man looked at the horse and then back at Anna. “Dat be sain idea. Dsa, tegne,” he said softly. He opened his pack and laid some food and fresh water out on the ground before her and stepped back by his horse. She had been able to find no food since coming to the desert. She was very hungry and thirsty.

When Anna had finished the meat and water, the horse whinnied and nudged the pack once more. The man reached in the pack and pulled out a large red apple. Tossing it high in to the air. A wicked looking kryss appeared in his hand, as if by magic, and he sliced the falling apple into 3 perfectly equal sections, catching them before they hit the ground. Anna stared wide eyed, but the gray horse just snorted and rolled its large dark eyes. Laughing, the man handed one slice to Anna and fed one to his horse. He carefully wiped down his blade before eating his own share.

Anna thought that the apple was the most wonderful thing that she had ever tasted. When she had finished, the horse stepped closer nuzzling her cheek with its soft gray nose. It's warm breath tickled a little and she reached up to scratch its ears. For the first time since the orc attack Anna smiled.

"Meh Baga-Bars," said the man pointing to his chest. "Whut name be you, baga-han?"

Suddenly Anna felt a little shy. "Ummm… I'm Anna Maker," she said. And then, remembering to be polite, she added "Pleased to meet you sir. Thank you for the food." She curtsied. "And for saving me." She gestured at the dead scorpion.

The man seemed a little embarrassed at the thanks. "Meh could bish let dat bug kill you." Changing the subject the man asked, "You like agta?"

Pointing to the horse. "Him name Maraeda." Anna nodded, scratching the horse behind the ears once more.

The man smiled. "Him like you too, Anna-han." The man swung back up onto the horse. Although he had no saddle he mounted much more easily than the rangers ever had. He seemed to become a part of the horse, almost as if he had been born there. He reached down to Anna. “Meh take you to tosgon. You be safe dere.” Anna took the offered hand and he lifted her up on to the horse as is she were a feather.

The man made a small movement with his foot and the horse started out across the sand at an easy, distance covering, trot. She rocked from side to side as the horse ran. Almost like father's boat, she thought. Then she could no longer hold back her tears.

The man stopped the horse and looked down at her. "Whut be wrong Anna-han?"

Sobbing she told him how the orcs had attacked her home and how she had last seen her father's boat sinking in the water. How she had prayed to the shrine to help bring her father back. The man seem lost in thought for long minutes. The he roused. "Meh try help you, Anna-han," he whispered drying her tears with a soft cloth. "You bish cry. We go tosgon now." The horse began its run again. Soon Anna had fallen fast asleep.

When she awoke they were passing under the wonderfully cool shadows of a grove of huge trees. Trees larger than anything Anna had ever seen before. They rode into a small clearing and the man hailed his friends there. He handed Anna down to a woman with long dark hair. She smiled and spoke to Anna in the same strange language that the man had used.

"Dis be Idugan Aigeran." The man gestured at the dark haired woman. "She be bugu for otog. She take care of you." "Dis baga-han be Anna," the man continued the introduction. "Dem orghs fight her town. She lose father. Bish know whar him be."

They went inside a small tower and the woman gave Anna some food. Anna found that she was very hungry again. As she ate the man and woman talked quietly in that strange language. When Anna had finished eating the man stood and took some arrows and a kryss from a chest along one wall. "Meh go now. Anna-Han stay here with Idugan Aigeran."

The man walked from the building toward his waiting horse. He swung up upon its back and they disappeared off into the trees. Anna waved as he rode off, feeling a little alone again. She had felt safe with that strange man. Almost like with father. She choked back a sob.

The dark haired woman kept Anna too busy to think much about her troubles. Teaching her many things. Anna particularly liked spinning the wool from the "xoni", as the woman called the sheep, into yarn and making cloth. Most of the cloth was cut into "gojuu". The woman's name for bandages. The woman explained that the han-bugu, Castile, needed olon gojuu for the hospital. Some of the cloth was reserved for a new dress for Anna. She delighted in dying it different colours in a tub the woman showed her. Before long it was dark and Anna was very sleepy. The woman made her a bed and tucked her in. Anna was asleep almost before her eyes closed.

Anna awoke next day in the cool fog of morning. Although muffled by the fog, the clip-clop of an approaching horse could still be heard. The horsed whinnyed as Anna peeked out the window. It was the man and his gray horse. Today he seemed to slouch a little and his studded leather armour, so clean and new the day before, was torn and tattered. His bow was broken and one arm was wrapped in bloody bandages. His face, though dirty and haggard, had a look of satisfaction.

But Anna had eyes only for the figure sitting just behind the man. Anna raced down the tower stairs and out into the morning. "Father, father!" she cried as she almost knocked him down hugging him in a death grip. Tears of joy steamed down both faces. "I thought the orcs had killed you."

"Ahhh, my little one. After fighting the great sea snakes, a few orcs are hardly a problem. Although they did manage to blow a hole in my poor boat." He held her closer. "But you are my treasure and I thought I had lost you."

Anna smiled through her tears. Maybe the shrine had heard her prayer after all…

© 2001 Todd Bailey