FanStory.com - A Strange Meetingby davisr (Rhonda)

Background
A fanciful tale of adventure. Phoebus, son of Poseidon, is a god turned Centaur by Zeus. Diantha, is a young lady in peril. Together, they must face an evil foe, and make some difficult choices.

End of Last Chapter:

Diantha bowed her head in exhaustion, too, but didn't dare fall asleep. Somehow, she had to get the two of them back to her family and friends. But what could she do? She wasn't exactly the explorer type. She didn't even like to spend the night in a tent. How was she going to find the trail back home, especially as weak as they had both become?

"Great," she said, "now what are we going to do?"

White Lightning sort of grunted in reply.

"Well, I know you're not taking me home, but we have to get out of here somehow, don't we?"

A deep, resonant voice boomed out, startling both horse and rider.

"Do you, really?" it asked, and then added, "Can you?"

Diantha's first thought was that the kidnapper had managed to follow them and that their flight had been in vain.

New Chapter Begins:

Diantha let out an involuntary gasp as she turned her weary head in the direction of the voice. It seemed there was no adrenaline left in her body to pump through tired veins and nothing to provide her with a feeling of increased strength.

White Lightning lifted her drowsy head and looked at her mistress as though to say she didn't have the energy left to help her, either.

"Who's there?" Diantha asked. She was sure her voice was barely above a whisper, but hoped she would be heard. There was no response. Curiosity finally gave her the needed push to gaze around. She saw no one, enemy or otherwise.

"Look up." The masculine voice spoke again. He sounded kinder this time and more encouraging.

With mixed emotions, Diantha squinted her eyes in the bright morning light and searched for the source of the voice. Finally, she saw a tall man standing behind a boulder. He was strangely clad, in an otherworldly way, and had long wavy black hair and deep green eyes.

His muscular chest and arms were covered in plain cloth, and he wore a leather vest with an intricately embroidered patch on the left breast. Over his shoulder was slung what looked like a bow, and across the other, a quiver of arrows.

From where she sprawled in the leaves, Diantha couldn't tell his exact age. Although, a quick estimate gave her a number somewhere between 20 to 45-years old. Oh well, she was tired.

Behind the man, was the mountain they had ended their journey beneath only moments before.

"Who are you?" she asked. She tried to sound tough in spite of her precarious position. After all, she wasn't sure whether this man was friendly. Bravado was new to her, seeming to have been born somewhere during her long painful journey through the woods. A journey that had stripped her of much of the baggage of her former life.

The man's eyes softened and he answered in a voice that hinted of an accent. "I'm Atrius. Don't worry, I won't harm you."

Diantha cast a dubious glance at him. "Stay where you are, then... please." It never hurt to be nice.

She tried to sit up, but felt woozy and sore. Her hands rested on soft, leafy loam that eminated an earthy smell. Somehow, the scent was as comforting as the limbs of the towering trees above.

"My horse and I have just been through the worst 24-hours you could possibly imagine and we don't need anyone to harass us."

"I'm not here for that purpose, I promise. I just thought you might need help. But, of course, if you'd rather I leave...."

Diantha shook weariness from her brain and tried to focus on her current situation. She had to put the past day, with its terrors and fears, behind her for the moment. "No, don't do that. I've just had a bad experience that's made trust a little difficult for me. Give me a moment to let my mind catch up."

"Do you want to talk about what happened?"

"Not really," Diantha replied. "Not yet, anyway."

Atrius made eye contact with her. After a moment, he gave her a small smile. "How about if we start with your name."

She placed her hand above her eyes to shield the rising sun so she could see his face clearer. He didn't look particularly mean, but she wasn't the best judge of character. "I'm Diantha."

Atrius gave her an encouraging smile. "That's a beautiful name. It's Greek. It means God flower."

"I didn't know that," Diantha said. "My mother named me after her favorite flower, dianthus. She said it's very hardy and will flower even through snow. She gave me the name right after I was born. She said I had the look of a survivor."

"I think you do, too, and are aptly named. The flower is both strong and beautiful."

"Thank you, though I'm not so sure either adjective applies to me. Are you Greek?"

"I presume as much. I speak Greek, as did the man who took me in as a youth. I have no memories before I came here. Most of the people in my community are of Greek descent, so I probably am as well."

"I see. I think I'm mostly Irish, although I'm pretty sure there's more mixed in. So, what does your name mean?"

"Atrius? It means fearless."

"Nice, and are you aptly named as well?"

"Hmmm, I've never thought much about it. I think fear is a healthy emotion. It can keep you alive."

Diantha shrugged. "I've heard faith does."

Atrius nodded his head. "Maybe we're both right. We could use a little of both."

"Well, I think fear makes you weak." Diantha said, "or at least it always has me."

"It can when you let it rule you, but when you listen to its gentle whispers, it can tell you if you're safe."

Diantha cocked a curious eye his way. "Are you trying to tell me something?"

"Maybe. How did you get here?" Atrius asked, answering a question with a question.

"We were out riding and my horse got spooked and ran off with me on her back."

"And that's all?"

"Pretty much. It's the important part."

"That's fair. Whatever happened to you, and I'm sorry it did, had to have occured a long way from here. You're deep in the heart of a hidden forest that sits on the edge of a sacred valley. No one comes here unless they are either lost or invited."

"It would have to be the former. We were sort of attacked."

Atrius raised a dark eyebrown. "By what, a pack of rabid wolves?"

"Not in the literal sense."

"Figurative wolves can be quite frightening as well. Your poor filly ran far and fast to take you to safety."

"Yes, she did, and I appreciate her sacrifice. Maybe I should tell you the whole story. But, how do I know I can trust you?"

"Because I have an honest face," he quipped. He was smiling broadly like he was trying to prove he wasn't lying. All he managed to do, as far as Diantha was concerned, was highlight very handsome features. She wasn't too tired to notice that.

"Ok, then I'll tell you," she said, blushing slightly. "My friend Cassie and I were out for a ride when we were attacked by a really large man on an equally large horse. He pulled a gun saying he wanted me to go with him because my father is the governor and my fiance is rich. He said he wanted to ransom me and White Lightning."

"So it wasn't a pack of wolves?"

"No, a kidnapper."

"I would come closer to believing the wolf story."

"Well, I'm not lying, so you will either have to believe me and come help me find my way back home, or figure I'm lying and go on your way."

"Are you always this hard to get along with?"

"Not really," Diantha said. "I'm usually a pushover, but am not exactly at my best just now."

"Ok, let's say you're telling the truth and that I do believe you," Atrius remarked.

"Do you?"

"Sure, you look way too tired to be making it all up."

"Thank you."

"You're welcome. Now, tell me something. When the man approached you yesterday, did you hear whisperings of fear?"

"Are we back on that again?"

"Might as well be, I was trying to make a point."

"Sorry, I'm having trouble focusing right now. You know, since you mentioned it, though, I did have a bad feeling right away when he arrived on our trail."

"What did you do about it?"

"Nothing, really. I sort of ignored it. But Cassie didn't. She mentioned she thought something was wrong, and placed herself and the horse she was riding between me and the kidnapper. She would have taken a bullet for me if the horse hadn't reared up and gotten shot instead."

"What happened then?" Atrius asked, concern evident in his voice.

"I'm not really sure because White Lightning took the bridle bit in her mouth and ran off into the woods with me on her back."

"Is White Lightning your horse's name?"

"Yes."

"Well, she listened to the whisper. That's why she brought you here."

Diantha tilted her head to the side in thought. Her tangled, auburn locks shifted around her face and neck. "That makes sense."

"What do you hear now?"

"Lightning's labored breathing."

"What else?"

Diantha pursed her lips and narrowed her eyes in concentration. "The pounding of my heart."

"Is it afraid?"

"Very much so."

"Is it telling you to run?"

"No, it's not," Diantha replied in surprise. "I think it should be though. I'm out in the middle of goodness knows where with a sick horse and a total stranger who is very big and very well armed."

"But am I the enemy, or your protector?" he asked. His expressive eyes spoke more than his words.

Diantha closed her eyes as she concentrated on her inner thoughts. "My heart says you're a friend, but I don't know how it knows that."

"Because I am. Now I need you to trust me. I know it's hard after all that you've been through, but you have to or you'll be killed."

"Wolf packs that bad around here?"

"Yes, of the same variety that attacked you yesterday. We're in enemy territory, and had better get going before we're found alone and unarmed."

"But we are neither."

"Against hundreds we are."

"You expect me to believe that?"

"I believed you."

"That's true. Ok, I'll chance it. It's not like I have a line of people waiting to take me to safety."

Atrius chuckled. "Thanks for your confidence."

"Sorry," Diantha apologized. "As I said, I'm not at my best."

"That's ok, just trust your feelings about me and let's leave before someone worse than your man on the horse comes to get you."

"What about White Lightning?"

"She'll be safe. I'll send some of my men back for her later. They can take her to a hospital we have for sick animals."

"But won't the bad guys get her? You know, the wolves?"

"They are called Caracki and they aren't after horses, my dear, but pretty young ladies they will take in a heartbeat."

It didn't take but a moment for the news to filter into Diantha's mind. She nodded. "I'm coming."

She struggled painfully to her knees, his remark about pretty young ladies not missing her notice, "but I can't move well. I'm stiff and sore."

"I see that. I'm sorry. It's not easy to ride a horse for as long as you did."

"You said the only way people can get here is to be lost or invited."

"Yes."

"Then how did White Lightning find her way? She didn't get here by accident, and seemed to be following some trail."

"All horses know the way. It's built into them. Their need just has to be great enough to drive them here... or their mission. Now hurry along. I can already hear the Caracki getting closer."

Diantha pushed against the pain in her legs to rise. She reeled at first, but then steadied herself by grabbing a branch. Once she was solid, she made her way to where Atrius still hid behind the boulder. He smiled warmly as she approached.

"Good girl," he encouraged. "I know how much it hurts."

"I don't think you do," she argued gently. "I'm not even sure I do."

"You're funny."

"You think so? You should see me when I'm well."

"Even funnier?"

"I wish, no I'm dull and boring."

"I don't see you that way. I think, perhaps, you're used to being hard on yourself."

"That's what my friend Cassie says."

"Isn't she the one who went riding with you yesterday morning?"

"Yes, and I hope she's ok."

"She's probably in better shape than you are." Atrius reached out to help her as she got close.

Diantha's heart leapt at the simple touch, and her skin flushed. She couldn't believe she reacted like a simple school girl with a crush.

"Thank you," she said. She inwardly rolled her eyes at her own lack of sophistication. She had been raised around crowds of strangers and was usually better at handling herself. But, then, this had been an unusual series of events.

Before she got closer, Atrius hesitated. "Do you consider yourself to be an open-minded sort of person?"

"I think so, why?" she asked warily. She knew there had to be a catch in all of this somewhere.

"Because I'm often a bit of a shock for people who don't know me," he answered. Turbulent green eyes betrayed unspoken pain.

"Are you disfigured?" she asked. "I'm in nursing school back home and I assure you, I'm used to seeing deformity."

"That's good, but I'll bet you've never seen this." He stepped from behind the rock.

Diantha let out a gasp as she beheld, truly, the strangest apparition she had ever seen. From the waist up, Atrius was a very well built, handsome man, but from there down, he had the body of a pure black horse. Her mouth dropped open as she stepped backwards in obvious alarm.

"Remember your feelings," he urged. "When you couldn't see all of me, you felt I was your friend, remember?"

"It's sort of hard to remember what I thought a few minutes ago." Diantha said. "I think I'm in shock."

"You'll have to get over it. We're out of time."

In one swift movement, he put his large hands around her waist. Turning quickly, he eased her bruised body onto his back. He had a soft blanket slung across him like a saddle and it was soothing to her aches and pains. Without giving her a chance to protest, he galloped into a crevice behind them in the mountain.