Raikidan nodded. “Who do you show the most respect to?”
I waved for him to follow me. “I respect them all, as they’re powerful beings, but there are some I revere more than others. I’ll show you.”
He let out a playful, aggravated sigh. “Why can’t you just tell me these things?”
I chuckled and kept moving. “Because it annoys you.”
“Cheeky human.”
I chuckled again and led him through the rows of statues, pointing out the ones I revered the most, bowing to each one to show my respect.
One statue depicted a buxom woman with long curly hair, a long tunic and leather pants and sandals, and a muscular man with medium-length hair, leather pants, and bare chest and feet. The two stood together with their hands locked together, and shards of earth and small trees surrounded the pair protectively. “Valena and Tarlin, the goddess of the earth and the god of nature.”
The next statue we came to was of a woman with long wavy hair and almond-shaped eyes. Water flowed around her slim figure that was adorned with light clothes and jewelry worn by many belly dancers today. “Kendaria, the goddess of water.”
I stopped in front of a statue depicting another pair, a man with short hair and a woman with long hair. The two held each other close as a giant tree wrapped around their naked forms. This statue rose high above the others, and for good reason. “Zoltan and Genesis, the god and goddess of life—the first gods.”
We continued on until we came to an alcove with two statues, though there was a pedestal where a third was supposed to be. One depicted a man with fire wrapping around his body. He had short hair, and clothes worn by ancient hand-to-hand fighters and warrior monks from hotter climates, along with a pair of tonfas, a baton-like weapon, strapped to his hips. The other stone sculpture was of a sultry woman with long straight hair who was clad in armor similar to that worn by ancient valkyries, and a sword we now modeled our zanbatos after—a large, wide sword capable of slicing through a horse and rider with ease, was strapped to her back. “Phyre, the god of fire, and Satria, the goddess of war.”
I looked at him. “And that concludes my list.”
Raikidan nodded. “I can understand why most of these gods are important to you. Though, I wonder if Satria is on it because you’re an experiment?”
I nodded. “All war experiments revere her. She watches over us in times of war, and if we fall, she will guide us to our final place of rest.”
“Sounds like a valkyrie.”
I nodded. “Similar, yes, but she doesn’t decide our fate like they once did before they went extinct. She lets us decide.”
“You really don’t fear death.”
“All life dies. Even Genesis will die someday. Nothing can stop it, so there is no reason to fear it.”
“How many times have you looked death in the face?”
I looked at him. “Including the day I met you, twice.”
Raikidan looked up at the statues. “Twice too many.”
I laughed quietly. “It was in the past. Don’t think on it too much.”
He looked at the empty pedestal. “What is supposed to go there?”
“A statue.” He elbowed me and I laughed. “Really, that’s about all I know. There was a statue there, but it kept disappearing, so they decided to not replace it after a while.
“Do you know what god the statue belonged to?”
I shook my head. “I’d heard it depicted Rashta, goddess of judgment and rebirth, but I don’t know for sure.”
“That’s not a goddess name I hear a lot.”
I nodded. “I’ll be honest; I haven’t ever seen a statue of her.” I rubbed my chin with furrowed brow. “Or any pictures of her in texts. It’s strange, actually, now that I think of it.”
“Is that a problem?”
“No, I’m just now curious.”
“Don’t be foolish and chase stupid things that don’t matter,” the voice in my head hissed.
I pursed my lips and my brow creased more. “I’ve been really rude. While I was pointing out my gods, I never let you point out yours.”
Raikidan smiled. “That’s okay. Besides Satria, I would have pointed out the same gods. The only god you didn’t cover was Raisu.”
My brow rose. “You know it’s bad karma to lie in a temple.”
“I’m being serious.”
I crossed my arms, unwilling to see how it was possible we’d point out nearly the same gods.
“Without Valena, the earth wouldn’t be hospitable to life. Without Tarlin and Kendaria, life would struggle to live without the bounty they provide Lumaraeon. Life without those three wouldn’t last very long with our numbers, as the land couldn’t maintain the demand. The fire that burns in my chest and the fire you hold in the palms of your hands are only able to exist because of Phyre. He is the reason fire lives the way it does, and he is the reason it lives in many of us.”
He turned back to where Genesis and Zoltan’s statues resided. “Without Zoltan and Genesis, neither you nor I would be here. They created all living creatures. And without Raisu, there would be no want for us to sleep. There’d be no reason to strive for or look forward to the future.”
I looked at Phyre’s statue, Raikidan’s words running through my head.
“Is something the matter?” Raikidan asked.
I shook my head. “No, just thinking about what you said. Had you asked me why, I’d have given similar answers.”
“See, I wasn’t lying.”
Maybe not, but it is a big coincidence that makes me uneasy. I knelt down. “We should finish paying our respects. It’s getting late.”
We paid our respects in front of Phyre’s and Satria’s statues, then went to find Raisu’s statue for Raikidan, though we needed a little help from a priest. Raikidan prayed in front of his god’s monument while I looked up at it. Tall, with long hair, he was dressed in loose clothing typical of those living in the desert region. The god of dreams. It was said he started out as a merchant, specializing in beautiful crafts one would be hard pressed to ignore. He ascended to godhood by seeing the future after speaking to those about their aspirations, although he wasn’t a psychic, as they didn’t come about in the world until much later. Of course, some believed the first psychics, Tyro and Sela, were possible descendants of him.
I focused on the statue again. An interesting god choice for Raikidan.
Once he finished paying his respects, we made our way outside the Temple. Halfway down the steps, Raikidan looked at me. “They rest in the North and in the South.”
I stopped and faced him. “What?”
“Reiki and Pyralis.” He kept walking, forcing me to catch up with him. “Reiki’s final resting ground is with her mate in their former territory northwest of the Larkian Mountains, and Pyralis’ final resting place is in his colony’s territory in the South.”
“You knew?”
He nodded. “Most dragons know where they are, and we’re not supposed to tell outsiders.”
“How come?”
“We don’t bury the dead.”
“You just let the bones rest on top of the soil?” I found that quite strange.
He nodded. “Usually, dragons die in secluded areas where they’re never found. Many times, they’re protected by either their living clan or colony mates, or a new dragon, regardless of color, who claims the territory as their own after the dragon dies. The dragon who takes over does it out of respect for the deceased dragon.”
“You said outsiders aren’t supposed to know about this. So why did you tell me?”
Raikidan shrugged. “I know you won’t desecrate their graves, and maybe one day, once this is all over, you might want to go and pay your respects to them. That is, if the dragon guarding their remains lets you pass.”
So, you trust me. I was tempted to say it, but I bit my tongue. I smiled instead. “Thank you.”
He grinned. “As repayment, I request we walk through the park on our way home.”
>
I chuckled. He would. “It’ll be a longer walk, but if that’s what you’d like, sure.”
“The better scenery will make up for it”—he continued to grin at me—“and I have a pretty nu-human to keep me company.”
I snorted. “Don’t even start.”
“I won’t take it back.”
“Ryoko is the pretty one.”
He continued to grin, showing he was going to be stubborn and stupid. Before this little “argument” could continue, a shrill scream from a woman pierced the air. We stopped dead in our tracks and looked around.
A young girl, no older than seventeen, ran around the corner of the street and sprinted our way, constantly looking over her shoulder. Her fear rolled off her in waves so strong, I could feel it from our distance. When she noticed Raikidan and me, she picked up her pace until she crashed into my open arms.
The girl shook as she sobbed. I wrapped my arms protectively around her and made low hushing sounds. Her fear overwhelmed my senses. One look at her ears told me she was an ordinary human, and that made her a slave. I figured she was attempting to escape, but the fear she was feeling wasn’t at a normal level. Something was very wrong with this situation.
“Calm, child,” I cooed. “What ails you?”
She shook her head and continued to sob. Taking my hand, I stroked her head, which calmed her significantly.
“P–please… please h–help me,” she managed.
“Wh—” I wasn’t able to ask her my question. At the end of the street, a hulking creature crashed through the corner building, causing it to collapse. People ran and screamed in fear. The girl gasped and shook more. This was what she was afraid of.
Raikidan took a protective stance in front of us, and I peered around him to get a better look. The creature was actually a man overly built with muscle, making him appear disproportionate and creature-like. He didn’t wear the traditional soldier armor, but the faint tank water smell said he was.
“Come out, li’l girl.” His voice boomed and echoed through the street. “You can’t hide forever. I will find you.” The man noticed us and grinned. “I found you.”
The girl gasped and clung to me desperately. Prying her off, I forced her to hide behind me.
“Move, shaman,” the man ordered as he approached. “This does not concern you.”
Raikidan didn’t move, and the man growled. More soldiers ran around the corner, six in total, one a short woman, by the looks of it. They all wore helmets, preventing us from seeing their faces, but I identified one as a general by the black armor.
The man I identified as their general approached. “This is official military business. Shamans are not to intervene.”
Raikidan’s lips curled back. “She’s in our hands now. The military can—”
“Shut up!” The hulking man pulled his arm back and threw his fist at Raikidan. The hell? Attacking us like that was not only unnecessary, but a direct breach of the pact.
“Don’t hit him, you idiot!” the female soldier screamed.
Before Raikidan was forced to defend himself, the general pivoted and slammed his fist into the hulking soldier’s abdomen. The man stopped and choked. That’s when I noticed the large gauntlets he wore. That must be to control him. Since he still smelled of tank water, the man would be a “recent” tank release. The smell clung to experiments for about three years, during which time they were considered new.
The general straightened and faced us again. “My apologies for his actions. That was out of line. We will have a civil discussion about this situation.”
“I would hope so,” I said, holding myself high. “I’d hate to have to report a breach of our pact over a simple misunderstanding.”
A new voice, female, chuckled behind me, and spoke, “Laz’shika, you’re far kinder than many of us.”
We all turned to find two shamans approaching. A silver cloak with gold embroidery hid one of them, but enough of the lower face was visible to identify the figure as female. The style of the cloak indicated she came from the North Tribe.
The other shaman, also a woman, did not hide underneath a cloak, revealing her young elven features. She appeared to be around my age, maybe younger. Her black hair was shaved and styled into a tri-hawk, the tips of her hair bleached white, that flowed down to the middle of her back with four braids on the side of her head that draped over her mocha-tan shoulders. Woven into her braided tails were beads and feathers of various sizes and colors.
Black-and-white face paint that resembled a butterfly covered most of her face, along with a thin white paint stripe that went from her bottom lip to the edge of her chin. Two small bone spikes protruded just under her bottom lip, and several large bone spikes pierced her elven ears, along with a few chains with feathers.
Her clothes consisted of a short one-sleeved leather top, cloth pants, and long leather boots. An animal skull with horns was strapped to her shoulder. The woman’s golden eyes focused on the troublesome soldier, one of her hands clutching a black bow, the other ready to draw an arrow from her quiver.
A South Tribe shaman. According to Del’karo, they were the only tribe to walk around with their identities exposed. They had the most “tribal” look to them. At least, what a city person would consider tribal. This was due to their way of living with the land and druidic influence. Del’karo had been the only South Tribe shaman I’d met, but I’d learned quite a bit from him and his family, as they had adopted a living style that merged his way of living and Alena’s.
“Who are you?” the general asked.
The cloaked woman spoke, revealing herself to be the one who spoke prior. “Shamans on a search that has recently come to an end.” She looked at me. “Thank you for tracking her down. It’s been a tiring search.”
I chuckled, playing along with her. “I can’t take all the credit. She found me first.”
The woman smiled. “The spirits guided her path, as they do us all.”
“Hold on,” the general said. “This woman belongs to someone. He’s paid good money to have her returned to him. You cannot—”
“People are not objects, therefore cannot be property,” I said. “You can tell this so-called ‘owner’ that Laz’shika has removed the girl’s shackles and he has no power to stop me.” And that he can take his self-inflated ego and shove it up his tight ass. I bit my cheek, so I wouldn’t add that. It wouldn’t look good on the shamans.
The general took a step back while sputtered laughs surrounded me. Even the young girl, in her frightened state, found solace in my words.
The general composed himself. “These are our laws.”
“And these are ours,” I said. “We shamans do not discriminate. We take in and train all who are chosen, and you cannot stop us. You could try of course, but you won’t win.” I grinned. “You did, after all, attack us first.”
The South shaman nocked an arrow and aimed at the hulking man. The general’s fists clutched and then he relaxed, seeing we weren’t going to budge on this. He’d get into trouble, but if we were willing to fight for this girl, he wouldn’t find her worth the punishment for breaking the pact.
“Very well, she’s yours,” he said. “Have a good day.”
He motioned for his underlings to follow him and they left, though the hulking man wasn’t keen on listening to the order. He narrowed his eyes at us and Raikidan flipped him his middle finger in farewell.
The man’s muscles tightened, but before he could do anything stupid, his female comrade yelled out to him. “Let’s go, meathead, you’ve gotten us in enough trouble already.”
The man grumbled and lumbered off. The South shaman lowered her bow and I relaxed. I turned to face the two. “Thank you for the assistance.”
The North Tribe shaman shook her head. “No, thank you. You’ve eased my search. I’ve been searching for this young woman for months now. Slaves are hard to track down, and even harder to free, even with our pact backing us.”
I looked at t
he scared slave girl. “Well, at least we didn’t lie to them.”
“I would have regardless,” the South shaman said.
I smirked. I liked this woman. I turned to check on the slave girl. “Are you all right?”
“Y–yes, thank you…” she whispered.
“You should go with them now,” I said. “They’ll take good care of you.”
She hesitated at first, but after the cloaked woman extended her hand and smiled genuinely, she relaxed and took the woman’s hand. The North shaman then looked at me. “Laz’shika, I’d like to request you come with us as well. I have something to discuss with you.”
I pursed my lips. “I’m guessing it has something to do with how you know my name? I’ve never met either of you before.”
She nodded. “Yes. But we can’t discuss this here.”
Raikidan leaned over to me. “We really should be going.”
I understood he wanted to go through the park, but if this shaman really did need me for something, I couldn’t refuse her. “We have time, don’t worry.” I turned and addressed the North shaman. “Lead on.”
We followed the two shamans for some time before we arrived at a small house in Quadrant Two. Following the shamans inside, we came into a large living room. I pulled my hood down as I gazed around in amazement. It was much bigger than our house.
Raikidan moved closer to me, uneased by something. I looked up at him, but his hood remained up, obscuring his eyes and hindering me from getting a good look at him beyond his expressionless features.
“Please, make yourself at home,” the North shaman said as she pulled down her hood, revealing her short, light-red hair and fair, freckled face. “Most of our people are out in the city, so we’ll be alone for some time.”
“We shouldn’t stay long,” I said.
She placed her hand on the slave girl’s back. “I’ll get this young woman settled in while Tla’lli speaks with you, then, so as not to delay you too long.”
It wasn’t until the pair was out of sight did the South shaman speak. “As Fe’teline stated, I am Tla’lli. As you may have guessed, I’m from the South Tribe, and I have been searching for you, Eira.”
Destiny (Experimental Heart Book 1) Page 35