XXXV - Arena

"Stop, Kamon!" Jasmine screamed. "I have to bandage that wound!"

"It's going to bleed no matter what you do!" Kamon wheezed.

"Kamon, you stop right now!!" she ordered sternly. She punctuated her statement by planting her hand high on his chest just below his neck.

Kamon immediately halted, wincing in pain.

"I'm sorry, Kamon!" Jasmine was near tears. "But I have to put a bandage on that wound."

"It won't matter!" Kamon managed. Each spoken word caused extreme pain. But despite his protests, he did stand still while Jasmine ministered to his wound.

Kamon was bleeding badly. As bad as a collapsed lung was, he knew the bullet had done additional damage. He suspected serious internal bleeding. The bullet might have nicked an artery. There would be no recovery. Nature imposed harsh judgement on those injured in the wilderness.

"Good enough!" Kamon pulled away and stumbled on.

Jasmine's hands and arms were dark with his blood. "But I'm not finished!" she protested.

Kamon shook his head madly but gave no verbal response. He kept moving. He would get weaker, much weaker. He must hurry.

Jasmine conceded. She slipped under Kamon's shoulder and steadied him as he scraped along. They were shrouded in total darkness now.

Kamon grunted and wheezed. He coughed up blood. But he did not stop.

"Will anything be in our way, Kamon?" There was no way to see anything that might lie in their path.

"No!" he rasped. More coughing, more blood. But Kamon was relentless in his march forward.

They were moving up a sharp incline. Kamon kept one hand on the wall, as a guide. When the shaft veered to the right, they went with it, despite the darkness. He knew what he was doing. Memory served him well.

With each step, Kamon leaned ever more heavily on Jasmine. His giant strength was ebbing.

Jasmine's face and arms were wet and sticky, covered with Kamon's blood. What had she done?! She had induced him into this flight! Now he was dying! She had never felt more like crying in her life....but there was no time at the moment. They must reach the surface...and quickly!

Woman and man, passing through the darkness. Kamon's shoes scraping on the rock, the constant wheezing, his mighty struggles for air -- grim sounds in the black void. It bespoke impending death.

At any other time, Kamon would have marveled at Jasmine's strength. He knew he was leaning heavily upon her. It allowed him to conserve precious energy. No women he knew could support his heavy frame thusly, save Jasmine.

He had thought, had hoped, someday they would embrace. This would be as close to an embrace as they would ever come. Her hair in his face. He loved her.

The reason for Jasmine's strange behavior in the cavity from which they had come was not clear to him. Perhaps, she had been talking to someone in a hovercraft.....But she had no communication device. She had just talked. Jasmine was not given to delirium nor fantasy. There had to be an explanation; he simply had no time to pursue it. Maybe there would be a hovercraft waiting for them at the surface......He was not counting on it. Indeed, he thought it unlikely, even improbable. And even if there were, he would not survive long enough to reach a hospital. He felt certain of that.

But Jasmine was another matter. She could escape. He knew of a way. That was still within his power. He needed no one's help. No hovercraft, nothing. He would see that it was done. He would not die before then. HE WOULD NOT!!

A myriad of thoughts came tumbling through Kamon's mind. He assumed it signalled the approach of death, but it did not frighten him. He had already accepted that fact. He was not running from death, only seeking to delay it until his goal was accomplished.

He filtered out the memories of his childhood, his friends and associates. A relaxed, peaceful death was a luxury he could not afford. Concentrate! He needed to be ready when they reached the surface.

Jasmine was so close to him. She clutched him tightly. Her hair was soft. He could hear her breathe. He loved her with all his heart and soul.

The darkness was retreating. Faint images were emerging in the distance. The tunnel opening was nearing!

Several minutes passed. They finally emerged into a sunlight so bright it hurt Kamon's eyes. He blinked and squinted but did not stop.

Jasmine released him. "We can stop now, Kamon! This is a perfect spot!"

Though the brightness hurt his eyes, Kamon glanced up. An empty sky. No hovercraft in sight; no sound of one approaching. He shook his head and stumbled along, nearly breaking into a run. He was close now. He had not far to go.

"Kamon!" Jasmine shouted. "Stop! We don't need to run further!"

"No!" he wheezed through wild eyes. His destination was clear. He knew exactly where he was going. He had chosen a spot at which to die and he would not be denied it.

"Kamon!" Jasmine cried. She grabbed him. "Stop!"

Kamon shook himself free. "Not far!" he coughed. "That way."

A seemingly solid granite wall loomed before them. Kamon was staggering toward it. Jasmine ended her protests and helped him once more. At the base of the sheer stone cliff, not readily apparent to any casual viewer, was a small opening. Kamon slipped through it with Jasmine continuing to aid him.

They shuffled through a short passageway and emerged into a natural amphitheater. Except for the opening by which they had come, it was totally enclosed. Nature had built a marvelous theater in the wilderness. And a most grim production was about to be staged in it. "Stop," Kamon managed wearily through clenched teeth.

Jasmine halted and eased Kamon's tormented body against the granite wall by the side of the entrance. Releasing him, she closed her eyes; her brow furrowed as she concentrated.

"No," Kamon forced himself to speak while pawing her arm. "No, I'm not done. You have to get out of here." He pointed toward the far end of the amphitheater. "Over there. Climb that wall. It can be done. Lots of footholds. You'll have no trouble." Kamon's sentences were short and cryptic. He used only as many words as were absolutely needed. He was heaving, gasping for air, barely able to continue.

"Kamon!" Jasmine interjected. "That's not necessary!. I---"

"Listen to me!!" Kamon hissed angrily, cutting her off. He had little time left. He couldn't allow interruptions. "The dogs can't climb the wall, but you can. Once on top, run straight ahead. You'll soon see a waterfall. You can't miss it. At the base of the waterfall, jump in and swim straight ahead under the cliff. You won't drown; there's an opening on the other side. You'll be free then; there'll never figure it out. Or if they do, it'll be too late. You'll be long gone."

It was the perfect solution for Jasmine, Kamon reasoned. No one would get hurt. It was too late for him, but no one else would be harmed.

But Jasmine did not leave. Instead, she stood still, concentrating.

"Go!!" Kamon shouted. He winced in pain. His legs buckled. He nearly slid to the ground.

Still Jasmine did not move. She was barely listening to Kamon any longer.

"Go!" Kamon managed to whimper one last time.

But she remained standing before him. She did not even acknowledge his statement.

This was it then, Kamon concluded. He couldn't force her to climb out. Neither could he induce her to do so by climbing out himself. He was nearly out of energy. He'd never make it. He would therefore be forced to fight. There was no other alternative.

Move! he wanted to shout at her, but he couldn't. The big man's mind was beginning to drift. Thoughts were becoming less focused as life ebbed from his body.

Kamon had come here as a child, one of his numerous excursions in exploring the mountains. Only great luck had caused him to stumble upon this place. From that first moment, the natural arena had delighted him. He had come back often. It was here that he had decided to become a Council member. At the time, he was too young to know that men were not permitted to serve in the Council.

Always Kamon was a great orator as he addressed his colleagues in the Council, attentively assembled in the amphitheater. He looked into their imaginary faces as he spoke....and they were swayed by his profound words. They never failed to follow his lead. And why not? For he was a great statesman.

As thoughts of his childhood flooded his mind, Kamon leaned heavily against the solid granite wall. Beads of sweat stood out on his forehead. His breathing was horribly labored. He had come home to his childhood playground, not to reminisce, but to die.

He must wait here at this entrance. The dogs would come first. First Commander Agon had no doubt released them so they could charge ahead and corner their prey. The humanoid hunters would follow.

His right hand reached down to the sheath on his side, to firmly grasp the handle of his hunting knife. He must battle the dogs. He would likely die. Then perhaps Jasmine would finally leave him. A grim smile came to his lips. A reason to die; Jasmine would then be set free, able to follow the path to safety that he had laid out.

He hoped the dogs would arrive soon. He had little energy left. He must kill all the animals. There must be none left to corner nor harry Jasmine. Under normal circumstances, he would have had complete confidence that he could do so. But at the moment, he was a mere shadow of his normal self.

Kamon gritted his teeth and steeled himself for the upcoming battle. When the moment came, he would be ready. He would find the strength! He was a wounded animal now, ready to make his last stand. He knew he would die here, but Jasmine must live! He focused on that thought. Concentrated on it. Burned it into the forefront of this brain. It must give him the strength he needed.

Jasmine's right hand was cupped over her ear. "We are ready," she announced to the air around them.

Her brows knitted together as if she were listening. She soon issued an urgent reply. "Yes, I am sure beyond doubt! You must do it NOW!!"

But there was no one around to hear. No one in sight. Only Kamon, his head now beginning to droop.

After another pause, Jasmine looked up at her companion. "Kamon, it is very important that you DO NOT MOVE!"

The dying man's mind had grown sluggish, lethargic. He had neither the capacity nor the time at the moment to ponder the possibilities. If she were expecting help to arrive in this place, it would come too late. Tortured and weary, Kamon instinctively looked upward to the sky. There was no hovercraft in sight. Help could not possibly arrive in time. The dogs would undoubtedly be here in a matter of minutes.

He was weak, very weak. The ground beckoned him to rest. To sleep. A slumber from which he would never awake. He fought the sensation. Jasmine's sense of urgency made no sense. She had no plan; no way to escape.

No time to dwell on this, he thought. Hang on!! Just a few more moments and it will all be over!

"Kamon!" Jasmine's voice snapped his whirling mind back to attention. "You don't have to understand now; just promise me you won't move!"

One last request. Of course. He would do anything for this woman. At least until the dogs arrived. Then he would finish them. Finish them all. To save her. Kamon slowly nodded his head in assent. He could feel life seeping from his body.

Hang on!!! the desperate call went out from his mind again.

He stared at Jasmine through eyes now glazed with darkness. Death had come to call. The grim hunter was stalking him. Diligently. Methodically. He would soon be caught in its fatal grip.

NOT YET!!! his mind roared angrily.

He focused on the woman standing in front of him just a few feet away. She was the reason he must live, just a little while longer. He would treasure each of these last minutes that he could gaze upon her lovely countenance. Not long to wait. Just a few moments longer.

The hounds! He could hear them! They had finally reached the surface. They would be here in minutes! It would be over soon.

Hurry!! He knew he could not hold out much longer.

Kamon stiffened his sagging knees and courageously straightened his slumping shoulders. He clenched the hilt of the knife tightly in his hand and braced himself. All he needed was a few moments of furious action out of his mighty frame. Then it would be over. Then he could rest. Forever.

Fight the weakness!!! his mind screamed. HANG ON!!!!

The time had come.

Then it began. A dazzling white light suddenly surrounded them. Brilliant. Penetrating.

Jasmine's body began to glow. Luminous. Radiant.

His own body felt strangely light. His mind was spinning. Dizzy. His legs no longer were needed to support his frame, as if he could now float.

His entire material structure was evaporating. Catch it.

What of Jasmine? Too late.

Finally darkness. And nonexistence.

END OF CHAPTER