Chapter 52

“It will take us over a month to get through the rest of Bengal and the Canton Mountains. It will take us several more days to reach the supposed location of the entrance to the Underworld. Then once we are in the Underworld we will have about a week before you turn twenty to find the Star of Elegance, and for you to become the White Sorceress and save the world.”

“Oh! Well, it seems you have it all worked out. I feel much better.”

Sorbo gives his pretty wife a crooked smile. “Dakota?”

“Yes.”

“I love you.”

“I know.” she says, with a divine smile.

They are not even a league outside of Kakara when a band of tribal warriors join up with them. They are riding spotted brown and white horses. Their long hair flies gallantly in the wind as they are adorned by feather and bead.

All hold their traditional bows and spears, but they also carry swords at their sides. Even though it is very cold out on the grasslands this new into the year, they are only wearing hide pants with a hide shawl type thing thrown over their shoulders. As they gallantly come riding up on them, they are hooting and hollering.

The head warrior holds his hand high to show his peoples peaceful intent and then they fall in all around them. It appears this deep into the Bengal Grasslands they have had no reason to learn the common tongue. They ride in silence, except for the tribesmen talking amongst themselves, and Dakota and Sorbo talking with each other.

This band rides with them for about the better part of a week. Once they see that Dakota admires them, they show off by doing amazing horse feats and accurate warrior skills. During the nights around the fire these warriors teach the White Sorceress and her Great Protector how to throw a tomahawk and spear. During their daily journeys they learn to shoot the bow while on the run. Both Dakota and Sorbo are impressed and it helps make the leagues fly by.

Amazingly, even though there is not a change in the land that Dakota and Sorbo can see, the tribesmen leave them at the end of the week. Sorbo and Dakota knew they would be leaving Bengal and cutting across the Free Lands to get to the Canton Mountains. Not fully understanding the significance of it the head warrior presents Sorbo with a grand throwing spear with two feathers hanging from where the shaft goes to the very big and very sharp point made of stone. Though they have long been shown the ability of metal, and in fact they carry swords, the stone blade made by hand has significance and is symbolic to a warrior’s heart.

As Dakota and Sorbo continue their trek across the Bengal Grasslands through the Free Lands of Andromeda heading west-southwest Dakota says, “Marvelous.”

Sorbo smiles at his pretty wife with the beautiful heart and rides closer and takes her hand. Dakota looks deep into her man’s eyes and then she holds out her arms just like she did when she was a little girl. Sorbo rides even closer and lifts his wife onto his horse with him. As she rides in front of him he wraps his loving and powerful arms around her and they ride on.

As the stretches turn into leagues and the leagues turn into days, Dakota stays with her husband leaning all so wonderfully back into him. With every new sunrise the Canton Mountains are looming ever higher. They are old and weathered and on this side of them there are many trees. Normally, other than the change of elevation you really wouldn’t tell that you went from the Dakota Woodlands to the forests of the Canton Mountains until you get higher and the pine trees take over dominance, but they come up to them while still in the Bengal Grasslands and the stark difference is profound.

As they lead their horses up into the mountains, Dakota now back on her own new horse, they left Hugs and Kisses behind, they can feel a change in the air. Not just the weather, but also the feeling that they are reaching the end of a very long road. It is a good feeling and one of accomplishment and love.

As they are sitting around their evening campfire, once and again Dakota starts it with her magic, they hear rocks come tumbling down on three sides of them. They immediately start for their weapons, but a raspy bovine-like voice puts them at ease. “Fear not friends, Braylard given us great honor of escorting White Sorceress and Great Protector through Canton Mountains. It be our honor to walk amongst you on this leg of your journey.”

“Be welcomed and enter our camp as friends.” Sorbo says, in a ceremonial fashion.

Moment by moment another minotaur comes out of the dark until there are one hundred glorious and powerful minotaurs surrounding them.

At first because of the magical paint Dakota and Sorbo are wearing, the minotaurs find it hard to locate them. “I be Hekar and we shall see you safely through our lands. If White Sorceress would wish it we also escort you through the part of the mountains that are in The Accursed Land of Loki. We distract wolveris as you seek out entrance to Underworld.”

“The White Sorceress so wishes it, but please call me Dakota, and this is my husband Sorbo.”

“Yes, Mistress, Sorbo is well known to us minotaurs as he fought with us many times in his youth against the wolveris. In fact I was at Bloody Gorge with you and Braylard. I was also at the Border Wars of Tapara.”

“It is an honor indeed,” says Sorbo, holding out his hand. “Please all of you relax and we will get underway come sunup.”

With that they talk of old war stories until they tire. Dakota has her arms wrapped around Sorbo as she soaks in every tale of her husband when he was young. As they are lying in the blankets, Dakota with her beautiful heart says, “Sorbo, I think we should talk Loki into changing the name of her lands.”

Sorbo laughs as he holds his wife tight in the spoon position. “I was just thinking the same thing. Maybe we should get her to change it to the Taught Lands of Loki.”

“Why that?”

“Because when I copped a feel and smacked her tush it was quite taught and firm.”

“Hey!” says Dakota, smacking his arm. My tush better be the only one you are copping a feel on.”

“Yes, ma’am.” says Sorbo, as he brings his hand around and pinches her.
Dakota screams out and twenty horned heads turn their way. “Sorry!” As Sorbo is laughing Dakota smacks him again.

By the time the sun is overhead they have made good time on ancient trails that the minotaurs know like the back of their hands. The Canton Mountains waste no time going for elevation. They are beautiful and pristine and when they reach six thousand feet of elevation and the trees start to thin to the conifer forests, they can see the Canton Mountains as they stretch southwestward. Of course the Canton Mountains run from the northwest to the southeast, but it is southwest where they are to find the entrance to the Underworld.

“Hekar, have you seen many wolveris and Loki’s Dragons in the area? I mean do they seem to be on the increase?”

“Actually no. We too figured they would attack through our mountains to slow advance, but in honesty they seemed to have backed off more than normal. It is legend that wolveris, scorpion harpies, and Loki’s Dragons are in tuned with Loki’s emotions, so when he, guess better start calling her she, when she is in bad mood so they are and visa versa. Your tales become legend already that you converse with gods as you would an errant child.”

Sorbo and Dakota look at each other with humor in their eyes. “Hekar, you have no idea how accurate that statement is. Odin was the father of the first White Sorceress and it turns out the Seer. All the gods that exist today are the children of the White Sorceresses that have existed.”

“So it true then you have given birth to a god?”