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Splashing through pools of foul, muddy water, Koja did his best to catch up.
Finally, the priest fell back into the mud, exhausted from stumbling and
slipping in pursuit of the khahan. Occasional flashes of lightning had guided
Koja, but now he had lost sight of Yamun. Horses screamed and whinnied
somewhere nearby, their shrill cries rising over the rattling rain. Koja pushed
himself out of the mud and splashed off in the direction of the noise.
"Teylas!" Yamun's voice came from somewhere off to the priest's left.
"Khahan!" Koja shouted, hoping Yamun would hear him.
A stroke of lightning, almost overhead, flooded the sky with light and
thunder. Though his eyes hurt from the light, Koja could see Yamun off to the
left. Around him were the shadowy shapes of horses, rearing and prancing in
panic.
"Yamun Khahan!" he shouted. There was no answer.
The lightning illuminated the ground again, as if in response to Koja's
shouts. In the moment of light, he saw Yamun, arms stretched to heaven, at
the center of one of the horse corrals. The rain formed streaks of silver all
around him.
Determined, Koja plunged forward into the darkness. His feet squished into
the mud and threatened to slip out from under him at any second. Rainwater
dripped down his eyebrows, blurring his sight. His robes, sodden and filthy,
sagged and pulled on his frame.
Koja's shin smashed against something hard and solid a fence. Shocked
by the pain, the lama tried to hop back on one foot, then lost his balance. Both
feet shot out from under him, kicking into the air. He sat in the muck at the
foot of the corral fence, rubbing away the shooting streaks of pain that started
at his shin and ran up his leg.
"Teylas, listen . .. powerful . . . rule ..." Yamun's voice floated in snatches
over the howling wind. Koja peered through the fence. He was close enough
to see into the corral now, although he still could not make out anything
clearly. Shielding his eyes from the rain, Koja peered through the horses'
legs, straining to see Yamun.
The dim form of a man standing all alone was barely visible to Koja. The
mares and stallions had all moved as far from him as possible, pressing their
bodies against the fence. They stamped and kicked, their eyes wild with fear,
"Take my offering of thanks, Teylas. I have united my people, but with or
without you, I must conquer," Yamun shouted. Koja heard the words clearly
as the wind dropped away to nothing. The rain pelted down in straight sheets,
the thick drops deprived of their driving force.
Koja could see Yamun more clearly now. The khahan stood with his feet
planted widely apart, arms akimbo, head tilted to the sky. He paid no mind to
the rain as it pounded against his face. His clothes were plastered wetly to his
body, but the khahan didn't care. He stood still, waiting.
There was a dazzling burst of light as the storm renewed its fury. Before
the glare had died away, there was another stroke of lightning, closer and
brighter than the first. It was followed by another, then another, and another.
The explosions of light became continuous, first from the east, then west,
north, and south. The rumble of thunder grew louder and more shattering,
until it was a continuous barrage. The whinnies of the horses became
screams of terror, piercing over the bass rolls of thunder.
Koja, trembling in fear, clapped his hands over his ears and sank down as
close to the ground as he could. The posts of the corral thudded and shook as
the panicked horses reared and lashed out with their hooves. Even though the
sky was bright, Koja could barely see the khahan through the flailing hooves,
but the man was unmoved by the pandemonium around him.
Just as Koja felt the storm was at its height, a luminous ball of sparkling
blue swirled around Yamun, illuminating him clearly. It crackled and sizzled, a
leaping electrical fire. Miniature bolts arced from the center, scorching and
snapping as they hit the ground. At its heart, Yamun stood, unaffected by the
charged flame.
Koja sat, dumbfounded. Then it dawned on him that the khahan might be in
danger. "Great Lord!" he shouted over the roaring storm.
"Yamun Khahan!" the priest shouted again, cupping his hands to add more
volume to his voice.
In response a spark arced from the khahan and hurtled toward Koja.
Flinching, Koja threw himself aside as the charge lazily flew past him. It hit the
ground behind him and exploded in a shower of muck. The force of the blast
knocked him forward into the fence, driving the air from his lungs. Koja
sagged against the corral, stunned.
More sparks began flying from Yamun, drifting out over the corral. As each
ball of lightning detached itself, the radiance enclosing the khahan diminished
slightly. The horses went into a frenzy, galloping and wheeling to avoid the
drifting sparks. The fence, too high to jump, penned them in.
There was a sizzling pop and a scream of equine pain. The steeds
redoubled their efforts. The fence wobbled and banged. Koja slid back in the
mud as hooves flailed just in front of his face, but the fence held firm. There
was another frenzied whinny and pop, followed by a third. With each, the cries
of the horses grew a little less.
Terror took hold of Koja, driving him with uncontrollable energy. He had to
get away, get to safety. Panting, the lama crawled away from the corral,
dragging himself across the rain-drenched ground. Behind him, the brilliant
glow spread from the corral, then began to fade. The wind and rain drowned
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| Cytat |
Dobre pomysły nie mają przeszłości, mają tylko przyszłość. Robert Mallet
De minimis - o najmniejszych rzeczach.
Dobroć jest ważniejsza niż mądrość, a uznanie tej prawdy to pierwszy krok do mądrości. Theodore Isaac Rubin
Dobro to tylko to, co szlachetne, zło to tylko to, co haniebne.
Dla człowieka nie tylko świat otaczający jest zagadką; jest on nią sam dla siebie. I z obu tajemnic bardziej dręczącą wydaje się ta druga. Antoni Kępiński (1918-1972)
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