by Orr, Krystal
Though Cynra knew of Arizira's future death, she still held out the hope that, somehow, it wasn't permanent -- it wasn't the end. Aitla had only shown her a small part of the future. If Talliea's power was to be so great, as Aitla told her, and her bond with Arizira so strong, could death truly be the end for them?
Cynra wanted to believe that everything would work out okay. She wanted to believe that she wasn't sacrificing her granddaughter and destroying a huge part in another woman's life. Though Cynra knew much about the sacred bond of the Doira'Liim, she was hardly an expert. The things she knew had been passed down through many, many generations. The extent of the bond was unknown, the limits, uncharted.
All Cynra knew for sure was that Talliea, through her love and connection to Arizira, was going to harness the power of Aitla and Esuval. Her union with Arizira was going to create an omnipotent--
Cynra dropped her fishing pole. Her mouth hung open as she continued to look at Taetylona.
"What?" the Esu woman asked, confused by Cynra's behavior.
Cynra said nothing as she thought over every moment of time she had spent with Arizira recently. Could it be? Why had the younger woman not said something? Asked for the scared blessing and confirmation? As Dream Speaker, it was Cynra's duty to do as much. Did Arizira know? Surely she suspected...
This complicated matters. Greatly. Cynra's eyes lost their focus as she continued to go over everything in her mind. It was so obvious now, at least to someone like her. It was her gift to know. She was the only one among her people with the ability to know for certain. It was why the other women came to her.
“Oh, Arizira,” she whispered to herself.
Cynra stood up quickly and dusted herself off. She couldn't go through with things any longer. Not now. Not after learning of...
"What are you doing, woman? You just scared away all the fish!" Taetylona admonished as she stood up with Cynra.
Cynra ignored her friend and began walking back toward the hut. She knew Arizira deserved answers and she was going to be the one to give them to her. She was going to save her granddaughter. Aitla had told her not to interfere, but how could she not? Especially now? Pain and anguish couldn't be the only ways to manifest Talliea's powers. There had to be another way.
More lives were at stake and Cynra could no longer be the instrument of her granddaughter's destruction. She had already lost her daughter. She couldn't lose anymore family, not if her suspicions were true.
Taetylona walked behind her as she moved with a speed that belied her age. Over and over, she thought about the last several weeks with Arizira and cursed herself for not figuring things out sooner. With everything that had been going on, she decided to chalk it up to current events. Why had Aitla not shown her this? This changed everything and the sacrifice asked was, now, extremely too high.
She knew I would be unable to follow through if I was aware of this, Cynra thought to herself as she finally came to the hut that housed Arizira. She quickly entered and spied her grandchild sitting up next to Iolirthas. The younger woman was looking forlorn as she ran her hand along the fur of the wolf's back.
"Get up," Cynra said entering the room in a flourish. Taetylona entered behind, still utterly confused.
Arizira looked up into Cynra's pale purple eyes before slowly moving to stand. Cynra walked over to her and stood directly in front of her face. The old woman looked over every inch of her granddaughter's body. She studied her face and her eyes and judged her reactions at every turn.
"What are you doing?" Arizira asked after a moment, sounding tired.
Instead of answering, Cynra closed her eyes and meditated a moment. She muttered under her breath and inhaled deeply. For several minutes, all was quite. Iolirthas, suspecting Cynra's intent, nudged Arizira's hand with her muzzle.
Finally, Cynra opened watery eyes and smiled. She looked down at Iolirthas and nodded her head in an unspoken acknowledgement.
"Would someone care to explain to the one person who isn't an Arnira what in the world is going on?" Taetylona huffed in annoyance. She had watched the entire ordeal with a growing interest that slowly turned into a heated indignation.
Cynra, still smiling, turned around and looked over her shoulder at the Esu woman. Grabbing Arizira's arms, she patted her lovingly and cleared her throat. "I think an explanation is what we all need."
She turned back around and looked Arizira in the eyes. Arizira was watching her expectantly. She, too, was lost over what had just happened. "Sit, child. I have much to tell you."
Arizira turned her head in a curious manner before looking down at Iolirthas. The wolf nudged her side in a display of comfort. Arizira sat back down and crossed her legs Indian style. Cynra mirrored the position and motioned for Taetylona to join them.
"I think what I have to say concerns you, too."
Taetylona wasted no time in walking over to the others and sitting down beside Cynra. When all was quiet, Cynra looked at Arizira and began.
"I have erred, Arizira. My life has been long and I have seen much. Long before your birth, I was aware of your Talliea. I knew the Esu would return and I knew she would be the key to future events. When you were born, I became aware of the role you would play someday. I knew you would love Talliea just as she would love you. Your connection would be a new chord in the music our two peoples were making, a new note in history."
Arizira swallowed nervously and with great anxiety as she listened to Cynra.
"Your love holds inside of her a great power. A power born of both Aitla and Esuval. All this time I believed that power came from each of you -- Aitla through you and Esuval through her. I was wrong."
Cynra smiled and shook her head. "I should have seen it with these old eyes, but the years seem to have given my vision a fog. You are the key, Arizira. Just you, for the power of both deities resides in you. Talliea is the conduit."
Arizira scoffed and shook her head slowly. "I do not understand. Esuval is a tyrant god. His teachings are evidenced in the Esu. What has he to do with me? Aitla is my goddess."
Cynra took a deep breath and looked at Iolirthas, her daughter. Words seemed to pass between the two of them. After a moment, Cynra nodded and said, "Of course, I believe she deserves to know, as well."
Cynra's eyes found Arizira's again. "The Esu you have encountered are the tyrants, child, not Esuval Himself. They are a fanatical branch that has existed for many, many years. The teachings of Esuval -- the true teachings, are very similar to Aitla's own but have become lost in the pages of recent history."
At this, Taetylona leaned closer and listened with avid interest.
"Long into the past,” Cynra continued, “the Esu lived in harmony with one another. Men and women were equals and their settlements were devoted to learning and art and spiritual endeavors."
Arizira thought on Cynra's words before asking, "What happened to those Esu? Were they killed off by their crazed brothers and sisters?"
Cynra smiled again, her eyes sad with the knowledge she possessed. "Most did, yes."
"And the others?" Arizira asked.
"A few small groups managed to escape the massacre. They saw that the men leading the attacks were cruel and vicious. Those evil men took advantage of their women, desecrated their lands, and tore down structures devoted to art and philosophy. They became what we know of today."
Taetylona listened to Cynra's words. A part of her knew the truth therein, but another part of her felt refreshed and invigorated hearing a different history of her own people. "What became of the ones that escaped?" she asked, finally speaking up after being silent so long.
"They journeyed for many strides. A few groups traveled as far as the Northlands, ending up here in this very forest and establishing camps over the years. Others stayed in the south and of them I have no information. They became elusive as the ages passed. Many forgot about their existence. The language you speak today, Taetylona, is very different from what they know."
Taetylona smil
ed. That much, she knew. She had even taught Talliea some of the older Esulan words, words she came to know through deep mediation and time spent on the open plains of the south.
Arizira looked down at her hands. Her mind was buzzing with various thoughts. There were two different kinds of Esu? One evil and corrupt and the other not unlike her own people? Cynra had said one of those groups had traveled as far as their location, her people's forest? But, the Esu in the valley were the first Esu seen by her people, weren't they?
"Honored One, Tah-li's clan is the first of the Esu we have seen before. Have other tribes come across Esu in the past? If that is so, why have they not spoken of such a thing at the tribal gatherings?" she asked.
All fell deathly quiet at the question. Cynra inhaled deeply again and looked into Iolirthas's eyes. Arizira looked from one to the other as her uneasiness grew.
"No other tribe has encountered the Esu, child, but one among us stumbled upon them a long time ago," Cynra finally said, her voice sounding grave as she continued to hold Iolirthas's icy blue eyes.
Arizira slowly looked down at the wolf at her side. Everything seemed to happen as if in slow motion.
"Your mother was much like yourself, Arizira. She loved the forest and would often lose herself to it as she wandered and explored. On one of her little excursions, she came upon a woman who had twisted her ankle. The woman was not like your mother. Her skin was dark and her hair black as night. Though communication was difficult, your mother managed to help the woman. Neither had seen a creature like the other."
Arizira lowered her eyes and stared down at her lap. She knew what Cynra was leading up to and yet, she couldn't bring herself to accept the truth.
"Your mother eventually left our tribe, the memory of her forgotten to all except myself and one another. She and the Esu woman learned each other's words and, after a while, an attraction grew between them. Your mother and the Esu woman, D'jiira, fell in love. Each of them kept the knowledge of the other's existence secret from their people. As the months went by, your mother came to learn that she was pregnant."
Arizira's eyes closed as she bit her bottom lip. She tried to keep her fingers from shaking but the effort proved futile.
"On a stormy night, twenty seven years ago, Iolirthas sought my aid and, not long after our reunion, brought a beautiful and healthy new baby into the world."
Cynra reached forward and grabbed Arizira's chin. Lifting up the younger woman's face, she smiled encouragingly before finishing with, "That child was you, Arizira. Iolirthas gave you your first name, after the Arnira people, but it was your second mother, D'jiira, that gave you your second name. The name is Esu, after your mother's people."
Ahmanae is Esulan, like Tahlet Vahllah.
Talliea's last words to her rang through Arizira’s ears. Talliea had known or, at the very least, suspected. Why had she never said anything? Arizira was silent as she thought over different conversations she'd had with Talliea. She remembered the other woman being curious about her parents and asking questions about her name. Had she not said anything or pressed the issue further because she'd worried about upsetting her or had it been because Arizira knew so very little about either of her parents?
"Ahmanae is Esulan, like Tahlet Vahllah," Arizira whispered to herself, her eyes still down and staring blankly at the ground around her.
Taetylona sat up straighter upon hearing the statement. She had wondered about Arizira's last name but had never felt it was her place to question the issue. She did not know Arizira and her time with Cynra had been spent working around the prophecy. She smiled at Arizira's sentence, however. Talliea had taught Arizira what Taetylona had taught Talliea. The longer she was around her newfound friends, the more she realized that everything was connected in a beautiful pattern of events.
"Ahmanae means 'beautiful whisper,'" Taetylona explained, hoping to draw Arizira out of herself.
The younger woman nodded to herself. Cynra had always told her the name just meant whisper. Was there a deeper meaning in the definition Taetylona had just given her? Arizira sighed. It didn't matter to her even if there was. Nothing mattered to her anymore. Her entire life had been a lie or an exaggeration of one. All she wanted was for Talliea to take her away from everything.
"I am half Esu?" she asked without looking up. Her voice was low and dull.
Cynra patted her leg and nodded. "Yes, child. Your second mother was with us when you were born. Iolirthas had prayed to Aitla for help with your delivery. The answer to that prayer was found in me. Aitla contacted me in my dreams and showed me your mother's desire. I was told to begin traveling. Many weeks later, on that stormy night, I finally found your parents. Unknown to Iolirthas, a sickness had been ravaging her body for most of her pregnancy. She was tired and ill. D'jiira was worried. When I finally brought you into the world, your mother was hot with fever. Her life blood colored the ground around her."
Arizira looked at the wolf next to her, the wolf whose body housed the spirit of her mother. Cynra continued talking as she held her mother's eyes.
"After your birth, both of your mothers named you. We noticed your appearance was more Arniran than Esu. The color of your eyes and the shade of your hair were the only signs that you carried day walker blood inside of you. Iolirthas held you for only a short moment before her sickness and blood loss carried her spirit to Aitla. D'jiira was crazy with grief. She could not accept your mother's passing. Seeing that you looked Arnira, she knew she couldn't keep you with her. Not without Iolirthas."
Tears slid down Cynra's face at having to recount the events of so long ago.
"She knew she could not return to her clan after being away for so long with a baby in her arms, especially a child that held such a drastic appearance to her own. I suggested her remaining in the forest and raising you on her own, but she did not wish for you to live such a lone existence. Her wish for you was that you be among people who could love you, guide you, teach you values and ensure you had everything you wanted. D'jiira asked that I take you and protect you. She did not wish for you to know about her or be plagued by questions and doubts."
At the end of Cynra's tale, Arizira felt overwhelmed with everything she had just learned. Every question she had ever asked, every thought in her mind to her parents and the nature of her unique appearance, had just been answered. She remembered Cynra telling her that her second mother had returned to her tribe after the death of her nurture mother. She had always assumed the other tribe was an Arniran one.
If her second mother had been Esu, did that mean she still lived? Could Arizira find her? Meet her? "Is she still alive?" she asked, voicing her thoughts.
Cynra looked at her with a great intensity.
"D'jiira, is she still alive?" Arizira pressed.
"Yes, to the best of my knowledge," Cynra answered. She smiled with a glint of mischief and grabbed Arizira's hand. "It would seem Iolirthas's appreciation of exotic beauty was passed down to you, child. You followed your heart with Talliea despite her being an Esu."
The words made Arizira smile. She had followed her heart with Talliea. From the moment she had first seen her, she had been struck with the other woman's awe-inspiring beauty. The fact that she was Esu had never bothered Arizira.
Why would it? the voice inside her head asked. You are half Esu.
A multitude of questions stung Arizira's tongue but she found she was unable to express any of them. Since coming to be with Cynra, her mother, and Taetylona she had been bombarded with a plethora of information. She found it difficult to process, fully, everything she had just been told.
An Esu. She was half Esu. Her entire life, she had thought she was no different from her sisters. Now, she was finding out just how untrue that belief was. Did she have any Esu traits? Her hair was not dark, her skin fair. She was not overly strong like Talliea and her eyes were not of an obsidian shade. How did she know Cynra was telling her the truth?
What reason would she have for such an elaborate lie
?
More than ever, Arizira found herself wanting only Talliea's company. Why was Cynra even telling her all of this?
"Why have you chosen to disclose this information now? Now that I am sick and lost?" she asked, her voice sounding rough.
Cynra sat up straighter. "Because you deserved to know the truth. I have kept the truth from you, child, but always for, what I believed, was the greater good. I can no longer do that. More is at stake now. Talliea's powers must manifest. She has to learn to control them if she is to fulfill her destiny. I cannot reveal anymore than that. You, on the other hand, must go."
"Go?" Arizira asked, looking startled. "Go where? Have you so soon forgotten my condition?"
Cynra stood up and began quickly filling Arizira's packs with fresh supplies. Taetylona moved to help her.
"You must find Talliea. My dreams of late have informed me if ill-tidings on the wind. Our people are soon to make the first strike in the war. Even now, Bela'luin and the others make preparations to begin their march against the Esu."
Arizira shook her head before standing up slowly. Iolirthas moved to steady her and rested at her side. "War? What war? I cannot believe Talyn would sanction such a move!"
Cynra stuffed some foodstuffs into Arizira's pack before turning to look at her. "Talyn would not, yet we both know complete power does not reside in her alone."
"The other Elders..."Arizira whispered. "Why would they do this against a people who have made no attack against us?"
Coming to stand in front of Arizira, Cynra quickly draped the younger woman's cloak over her shoulders before passing her the leather satchel in her hands. Taetylona appeared a moment later with the second pack and Arizira's weapons.
"Because Bela'luin is aware of your love for Talliea. Her anger leads her now and that emotion is inciting the others. "
Bela? How?
"How does Bela know about us? I do not understand!" Arizira said harshly. Everything was happening very quickly around her and she could not keep up.
"Do not ask so many questions, child! You must do as I say. You must find Talliea and tell her everything I have told you. She must be made aware of the power she has. She is important. With you by her said, I hope she will be able to call upon her abilities without harm coming to anyone."