Chapter 8
As Kol came to, the world around him was different shades of green. Why was he cold? Why was he wet? Standing took great effort. He fell forward, mud shot in the air when he stomped his foot on the ground to catch himself. The varying shades of green started to take shape: grass, random plants, and distant trees.
Rain! It was pouring the rain. Close to him, soldiers littered the ground. Meccian soldiers were in the process of collecting the wounded.
“Cave!” Someone shouted. It might have been Max. He wasn’t sure. Soldiers started moving in the direction of the voice. Some needed help walking. Others were being carried. Hurt bodies were all around him but he heard no sounds. Other than the rain.
Kol did a quick body check. His head hurt, otherwise he thought he was okay. In the mists of all the bodies he thought he saw a tuff of white. The sight pulled him toward it. His heart sank when he realized it was Kessa. Her uniform was in tatters exposing her body. It shouldn’t have invoked emotions in him seeing her this way. But it did. He took the coverings off of a Zeede that had been slain next to her to cover her with.
It was raining so hard, he was able to catch rain in his hand. His efforts were fruitless trying to clean the blood and mud from her face. He scooped her limp body up, following the soldiers to the cave.
Inside, fires had been build. Rajaf was busy mending the wounded.
“My prince,” it was Max. One sleeve of Max’s black uniform had been cut off at the shoulder, replaced with a bandage from his shoulder to his wrist. Kol was still holding Kessa. “Allow me to take her. Sit here. I’ll have Rajaf come over and look at your head.”
Kol came around to a sharp pain in his head. “Sorry, my prince.” It was Rajaf. “You took a pretty good blow to the head.” Rajaf took Kol’s left hand holding it to the wet cloth full of medicine he had placed on the wound. “Hold this here as long as you can. I’ll come back around.”
“Kessa?”
“She’s still unconscious. But I have faith God will bring her around.”
Kol leaned up against the cave wall so that he could look out into the pouring rain. It seemed to rain harder than he had ever witnessed in his life. He knew there was a forest at the edge of the meadow they had fought in but he couldn’t see if for the rain.
“What do we do with the Zeede, my prince?” One of the soldiers asked.
His head still hurt. “Dead, leave them for their people to collect. Alive, let them go.”
“My prince,” the soldier protested. “They just tried to kill us! We are just going to patch them up and send them home?”
“Tried and failed.” Kol saw Rajaf smile. His words had please the healer. As he sat there, the vision of Kessa state of undress came back to his mind. This was wrong. She was hurt. Hurt, covered in mud and blood, she was still beautiful. Plus, he was to marry upon their return. ‘Help me God. Help me.’ He pleaded. But still the thoughts were there.
Finally the rain stopped. Now it was time for the long journey home. They prayed and thanked God for their lives. Their victory. Their losses could have been so much worse.
Kol walked with the rest of the army. They had some horses. But the horses were for the wounded. Those that couldn’t walk. He and Max took turns carrying Kessa. She was still unconscious.
The River Teak. They were almost home. Kol sank under the water, letting it wash away the battle. Too bad it couldn’t wash away his wounds. In the haze of the water, he saw it. Kessa was fighting 3 huge Zeede. Her black uniform hugging her body caught him off guard, his thoughts were far from the battle. From out of nowhere, a fourth fighter jumped in. Kol raced to her aid. They were a good team keeping these fighters at bay.
Fighters just kept coming. Knock one down, two more showed up in his place. A shield came sailing through the air. It was meant for Kol but Kessa had pushed him out of the way and took the blow. Someone had finally knocked him out a short distance from her. He slowly lifted his head out of the water. Dumbfounded and amazed that she had taken that blow for him. Then his mind filled again with the vision of her body. The torn uniform exposing her to the rain, mud, HIM. He sank back into the water. ‘Dear God, please help me. Lead me Lord and I will follow. I can’t do this alone. Please don’t let confusion fill my thoughts. Amen
Kol shot straight up in bed. This was it. This was the reason God had put a veil over her in his mind. He hadn’t so much as prayed for the way it happened. But God took that thought of her; the torn uniform. The exposed body. God took it all away. Now God was letting him see her for the first time. In ways that he hadn’t thought about or seen her before.
This was not the moment Sarah taunted him with? Kessa hadn’t failed.
Poetry & More 