The Truth About Love and Lancets

“There weren't always dragons in the Valley. I should know. In the days when I was born, it was called the Hudson River. The river flowed in two directions, searching for its looted pearls. The Palisades stood its ground against the iron towers of Manhattan. Then one day, all of that ended. The Black Hole Attrition occurred, and nothing was the same,” Cox said. “All of this happened decades before you were born.”

Liter’s eyes kept focused on the Valley.

“Finally, you get to see what I’ve been talking about all these years.” Cox said. “I’ve been wanting to share this with you for a long time.”

“How’ll we cross from the Palisades into Manhattan?” Liter said.

That was an interruption. A purposeful disregard of Cox’s caring gesture. Liter was anxious and wanted to move on. Cox noted that and took it as the unintended rudeness of an impatient youth.

“Eventually we’ll be able to use the trees as cover,” Cox said.

They continued looking down into the Valley and out over the expanse. It was quiet. That was deceptive. Cox noticed the few trees at this end had grown higher than when she was here last. Liter felt they were not high enough.

“The trees aren't very high,” Liter said.

“No, they aren't down at this end,” Cox said.

“There aren't that many trees either,” Liter said.

“No there aren't,” Cox said.

Liter eyed the distance to the other side. It looked short.

“Couldn't we just run across?” Liter said.

“That's what many others thought. I heard they didn’t survive,” Cox said.

The dragons in the Valley were fast and plentiful even if unseen. The fastest ones clocked in at one hundred miles per hour. They knew how to hide well too.

“So, at the lowest point we can't cross for lack of cover,” Liter said.

“True. I remember this was filled with water. Can you imagine it? The BHA changed all of that. No one saw it coming. You’d think with all the deep space probing telescopes and advanced satellites of the time, they would’ve seen it,” Cox said.

Liter liked looking over to the Manhattan side on this end. The shoreline was not much higher than the Valley floor. He wished they could make the cross over then.

“We’ve a few hours till nightfall,” Liter said, “Where will we go till then?”

“We need to keep walking, we’re still too far south. It’s better to cross north of here.” Cox said.

They walked.

The sunlight was strong. Their goat skin sacs became heavier. Cox took down the hood of her electric blue cape to reveal her two-strand twisted dark brown hair. Liter’s liquid sandy blonde hair draped over his olive-green cloak.

The New Jersey Maple trees provided scant cover. The overgrown brush was swarming with mosquitos. Here and there, people sat under them, resting or harboring. A lucky few found trees lodged between remnants of concrete foundations from the time when people lived in low lying structures along the shore path. That combination provided shade and protection.

Otherwise, exposure to the elements was too great and dragons could swoop down and peck at anything that anchored itself along the edge. It was important to stay sheltered.

Manhattan was different. Hudson Yards was gone but the Empire State Building stood, and that was how it was throughout. Some structures remained, other were destroyed. The Tudor houses and buildings that were once considered relics of the past, became modern. The island and its boroughs were mostly forest lands now with half the population disappeared or presumed dead, depending on one’s political leanings.

“How long will it take?” Liter said as he folded his cloak and draped it through the belt of his satchel.

“A few hours. Further down in the Valley there’s a seven-mile patch of Banyan and Willow trees among the Oaks. We’ll cross when we reach that point,” Cox said.

Trees were a great defense. Banyans and Willows were the best. Dragons had a tough time seeing through them and when they tried to swan dive through the branches, the webbing in their wings got ripped to shreds.

“Can you imagine that pre-BHA people cut down trees for better usage, citing they were more resourceful transformed into something else. At least someone had the good sense to plant to them in abundance in the Valley,” Cox said.

Along the way they saw the carcasses of dead horses. Horses became the main sources of transportation once again. They had ridden them earlier on the journey but that became expensive and impractical in this part of the country.

Sweat beaded off Liter’s forehead. It had suddenly become very humid. The temperature had changed drastically from when they started along the Appalachian Trail at Spring Mountain. Seasons were gone. Weather patterns no longer predictable. One travelled with the expectation of all types of weather happening at any time.

“Would you like some wine?” Cox said.

“Yes,” Liter said.

Cox closed her eyes and ran her fingertips around the rim of the ram horn attached to the leather sac draped over her shoulders.

“dee kwataa kowaa dee,” she chanted in Kru and instantly the ram horn filled with wine.

This pleased her. Over time some spells had come to her easier, others not as much. Age wreaked havoc on the body and the mind and made magic unpredictable. Cox loved magic as much as she loved Liter and longed to hold onto both. Ironically, both were gifts of the BHA.

Cox kept checking the sky. She did not trust it. It was a clear and cloudless day just like the day when the BHA occurred.

“No one expected the BHA. It was a day just like today then suddenly the sky turned grey. I can’t help but thing about it. I left Manhattan soon afterwards,” Cox said.

The BHA or the Black Hole Attrition, the world was divided on what to call it. Cox knew she spoke about too much.

The BHA, as she referred to it, took what was then modern times and transformed them back into a Medieval period. Somehow the world became reminiscent of the past, yet it became something entirely new, and no one knew how to move forward. It took five years to figure that out and another decade for the world to agree on a path for the future. University scholars fought with governments and corporations over how people were expected to live. Mostly, it was all about money; the one percent wanted back everything it felt it was owed, the ninety-nine percent wanted to wipe the slate clean.

That was the strange phenomena of the BHA, some things were gone, and others remained the same. The population was divided. People with one knowledge set disappeared, leaving those with the other knowledge set unable to complete things. The world was full of half technologies. People saw cars but vital parts were missing. Even with parts, there was no gas. The earth was full of oil, but refineries were repeatedly torched by dragons. The list went on and on.

Manhattan was the main attraction. Adventurers from all over the world made the dangerous trek to cross the Valley and see how the city had faired. Travel by water was extremely risky. Manhattan had a way of doing everything uniquely. It was said the bedrock absorbed magical powers during the BHA that blessed it with renewed natural resources: gold, silver, copper, and oil. People came to exploit those resources. They also came to exploit the dead.

The BHA brought with it an unscrupulous forbidden market. Hundreds of thousands had died in the once heavily populated city. The things left behind by the dead were re-used and traded.

Liter drank the wine.

Cox stroked Liter’s hair and rubbed it into a bun with no cincture and let it fall. Liter stepped away. Cox wanted to follow but her breastplate and overstuffed sacs were slowdowns in the heat. Liter wore his armor with ease.

He handed the ram horn back to her.

“The sky is clear of dragons,” he said as he adjusted his lancet.

“How can you tell; you’ve never seen one. You should hope to never have to,” Cox said.

“What would be the point of coming out here then?” Liter said.

“To start a new life and meet my family as we planned,” Cox said. “We wouldn’t want to lose each other along the way, would we?”

No answer. Liter was occupied. She noticed him looking at the ground beneath as if it were layered in gold.

At one time people would have said it was. JFK Boulevard was a prime place to live and still could be if not destroyed by dragon fire. As they moved away from the shoreline and ascended the Palisades, remnants of the old mansions and exposed foundations of high-rise apartment buildings lined the boulevard.

The tree cover was better here. Maple to Maple they continued to walk. At that pace, Liter felt they were making good time.

They came to a cart hidden between two partial buildings with a tree in the middle overhead.

“Going for the cross over?” the girl said. “I’ve all you need here. Buy up. Don’t get caught without enough food.”

They traded silver coins for bread, cheese, and nuts. They continued to walk and ate small bits of food.

“Look, we’re at Hamilton Park,” Cox said. The partial bust of Alexander Hamilton, symbolizing where he died in a duel with Aaron Burr centuries ago, still stood.

Liter looked over at the bust with no head and read the inscription.

“They dueled with dull weapons. They used guns, right? Produce for low intelligence warfare,” Liter said. “Give me a good a lancet and mace to carve up a masterpiece of a fight.”

“Or why not use a good hex with a potent elixir and sleep the night peacefully while your enemy rots away?” Cox said. “Guns were the way back then. Some people long for those days and want to return to that.”

“It seems like a very laborious time to me,” Liter said.

“It was a different time than now,” Cox said. “Some advancements made sense. Others, not so much.”

Cox and Liter continued higher up the ridge. Cox stopped walking. She felt a magnetic pull summoning her core to turn towards the island. They were at the part of New Jersey that lay a few miles opposite Central Park. She could feel it across the Valley. She was at the Tennis Center near the JKO Reservoir when it all happened. She tried to suppress the memories that threatened to overtake her mind.

“Could we rest for a minute?” Cox said.

“We want to hurry up, don’t we? You did say we needed to cross at a certain time,” Liter said.

Did he not remember her stories? Cox felt he should have been more comforting and less concerned about the journey. He was leaving her behind and not letting her lead him. After all this was her birthplace.

As they walked, she sensed they had passed the park and a feeling of relief came over her. The scenery ahead of them grew monotonous which made the walk mundane. What seemed like an eternity ended when Liter stopped and pointed.

“This broken structure looks like it wants to extend out over the Valley. What was it?” Liter said.

“The old George Washington bridge,” Cox said. “That would’ve been the easy way over.”

Cox’s spirit lifted. She was thrilled because they were getting closer to their target and elated over the memories of walking the bridge on cool days when she was younger. Most bridges survived the BHA but were quickly destroyed by the dragons once they realized their purpose. She heard the GWB withstood many attacks but finally gave way to the excessive heat.

“Did the bridge belong to him?” Liter said.

His question snapped her out of her thoughts.

“No. It was built in his honor centuries after his death,” Cox said.

He was the first President of the United States of America, she did not say this. Liter would not care; his generation did not show interest in such things.

Liter did not have time for history. He was anxious for the days to come. There was a small break in the trees and the sun shone through brightly. Arms spread out wide, Liter let the sun rays wrap around his body. He eyes rolled to the back of his head as he elevated slightly off the ground. A silver cloud gathered under his feet before he gently touched down. His mother told him that he was a descendant of the Transcendentals, who had powers thought lost but returned after the BHA. Though limited, it was the only magical ability he had, and he cherished it.

“Don’t do that here. It’s too open,” Cox said.

“Stop being so afraid. We’ll be back under the trees in a minute and one step closer to making the cross over,” Liter said.

She was already nervous about dragons and this move made her worry. She rarely saw Liter transcend this freely. The first time she saw him do it, he wobbled and was not adroit. This time he lifted with ease and landed without trouble. She wondered if this journey to Manhattan had awoken something in him that she would not be able to contain.

“There’s the marker for the AT,” Cox said.

Up ahead they could see the blue and white Appalachian trail marker. They had finally made it to the lush path that would lead them to a new beginning. Once they entered the gate, they could see up the trail. It appeared that a family of four had entered moments before them.

“Do you think the crossing will get crowded?” Liter said.

“I’ve no way of knowing. I only hope people cooperate and the crossing is orderly,” Cox said.

The path was filled with trees and abundant with green shrubs. Liter stopped to look over the cliffs of the Palisades, Cox followed. They stood high above the Hudson Valley and Manhattan. The vibrant green trees in the Valley below made the atmosphere luminescent. They scanned left to right and could see the span of Manhattan Island. It was beautiful in the fading sunlight. There were no cars, no streetlights and trees competed with low-lying buildings to dominate the horizon.

“Does your family know when we’re arriving?” Liter said.

“I sent word by raven that we were leaving and when we should arrive,” Cox said.

She doubted he heard her last words. He was moving away from her. She stumbled to keep up. The rugged trail had exposed tree roots and unruly thorn bushes. She stumped her toe more than once and feared her sleeves would be torn.

“It’s better to walk at an even pace. Not so fast, stay constant. Take the up hills at the same pace of the flat ground. Never rush down. Step deliberately, not allowing the force of gravity to control your movements,” Cox said.

Nothing from Liter. The gap between them was growing wider.

“We should stop and eat to gain strength. It'll give us energy to continue to walk,” Cox said.

“I rather eat when we’re closer to the crossing. Wine is enough for me. I want to enjoy my meal and sleep with a full belly to feel refreshed in the morning,” Liter said.

“There are thieves who live in the Valley. They prey on crossers at night. A heavy sleep might cost us our lives,” Cox said.

“You have your magic. You can stop them,” Liter said.

“They’re tricky and can’t be taken for granted,” Cox said, not admitting her magic was shaky.

“When the time comes, you’ll sleep and I’ll take first watch,” Liter said.

They met a stranger along the way. An old Liberian man with a stark white beard. His cloak was black with an ancient Kente sac and belt.

“More Crossers. Many try but don’t make it. What’s your reason for crossing?” He said.

“My dying uncle,” Cox said.

“He must be special to make such a treacherous journey for,” he said.

“He’s like a father to me,” Cox said.

He’s like a father? Liter thought. She had told him her uncle had died.

Careful, Cox said to herself. She had told Liter her uncle had died. Maybe he did not hear that, she thought.

“Why are we wasting time here? It’s nobody business why we cross,” Liter said.

“Mind yourself boy. You don’t want to find yourself floating in the eye of a dragon,” he said.

“Don’t call me boy and I’ll deal with dragons myself. I don’t want or need your comments,” Liter said as he walked away.

“Did the family who passed by before say why they’re crossing?” Cox said.

“They’re not, they’re migrating up the Hudson Valley seeking a better life,” he said. “Your young man is impatient.”

“Oh, he’s fine,” Cox said. “It’s been a long journey for us.”

“Yes, he’s fine but will he last the journey?” He said.

“Of course, he will,” Cox said. “He’s young and strong and in better shape than you or I.”

“Youth doesn’t matter in this place, cunning does,” he said.

Cox stared at that the old man, not knowing what to say.

“You better get on and catch up to your young man,” he said, “before he moves on without you.”

“Stay low,” Cox said.

“Safe journey,” he said.

Cox struggled to run and catch up to Liter, in the short time he managed to get a good distance ahead of her.

As day turned into late afternoon, she gave up on trying to catch him. She stayed behind, at a distance where she could see him but was unable to talk to him. Not that she wanted to talk to him then, she was lost in deep thought.

She was looking to get her magic back, but he thinks she is only going to collect an inheritance. Truth be told, there was no guaranteed inheritance. If she could find her family, she would have to beg them to tap into her inheritance early. She needed the money to see the sage Vexa, who could guide her to reclaiming her full powers.

She sensed losing Liter as he slipped in and out of the love spell left by the wine. She had been serving him this special wine for two years. He was partially under, but the wine was weak, and his mind was still able to see a life beyond her. She had hoped Vexa would assist her in creating a potion that would render her lover bound in perpetuity.

She caught up to Liter only because he had stopped.

“There are the Banyan and Willow trees. I was afraid we might miss it, but you can see the difference so easily. The forestry is so dense, it looks deep blue,” Liter said.

They walked a bit further and drew a little closer to the edge. Cox looked left and right for dragons. Liter had already jutted his head out to look over the edge of the cliff.

“These trees are higher than the other ones, yet they still don’t reach the top,” Liter said. “I thought we’d be able to use them to climb to the Valley floor below.”

Cox knew the irony. They would have to scale down the cliff to the treetops in order to climb down the trees into the Valley, this was treacherous work in and of itself. All this had to be accomplished while avoiding fire breathing dragons.

“Let’s stop here then,” Cox said.

They walked off the trail and created a makeshift camp behind two huge Oaks. They ate small portions of dried meat, nuts, and cheese. Cox hoped for some conversation and the opportunity to make love, but exhaustion betrayed her when Liter went to find a place to relieve himself and she fell asleep.

The early morning light woke Cox up. She felt light and saw that her sac was gone.

“Liter! Liter!” She said.

No response.

She got up. She took her lancet from inside her sleeve and walked along the trail. She saw two women and a man on the side.

“Did you see a young man pass by?” She said.

“Yes,” a woman said.

“It was not too long ago,” the man said.

“He was quite handsome,” the other woman said.

“How long ago was it?” Cox said.

“Oh, about twenty minutes,” the man said.

Cox ran. Her beating heart hindered her stride. The roots and rocks destabilized her, playing tricks with her feet. Cool breezes quickly vaporized. She stumbled a few times but did not fall. Her anger kept her upright. Could he have, would he have done this?

Suddenly she saw him. Up ahead there was a small figure moving steadily down the rock. Liter had taken her sac and ropes and was scaling down the cliff without her. She looked east into the sun. It had risen too high. The sunrise would soon create the daytime. He had started out too late. The sun’s rays would play spotlight and single him out like a fly caught in a spider’s web.

Liter scraped his cheek against the rugged edge of the cliff, turning around to look at the sun which was beating on his back. His cheek stung with pain and sweat made his hands slide down the rope. He could not keep his grip. He looked up and saw the hood of Cox's electric blue cape and the silhouette of her face staring down on him.

The figure disappeared.

Liter felt a terrifying gust of wind. He looked over his shoulder, something flew above the trees. Long wings which spanned the length of the Valley expanded from its sides. It came in so fast, so furious. There was no time left to think.

Liter saw what no other living being had lived to tell, the inside of a dragon's mouth with its red flaming tongue full of boils.