by Orr, Krystal
Ban'nuk responded with a scoff. "You said it yourself: the woman is dead. What strength of answers could lie in wait within her?"
Before the two men could get into a longer debate, Haldynn held up a hand. "We are going about this the wrong way. Talliea is one of our own. She is alone, without friend nor shelter nor peace of mind. I suggest we attempt to give her these things."
Silence met the end of his words. Kolofen smiled and leaned closer to the group. "You mean, entice her to walk with us and with our purpose? Use her abilities for the clan?"
Haldynn nodded, albeit in a solemn manner. "Yes. We cannot hope to defeat her, but perhaps her anger over the loss of the woman can be channeled into something righteous and good. She can yet help us to defeat our foes and claim this land as ours, and if not, we end her life."
* * * * *
Talliea sighed and scratched at her forehead. The day was only half spent with the sun already heading toward the horizon. Talliea and Arizira had been up and about for some time now, having bathed in the stream running behind the cave of Li'nas Dei, and eaten their fill of the provisions left for them. Even with the very recent events, Talliea still could hardly get her mind to accept that her love was safe and alive and with her once again.
Several times during the day she had found herself with a silly, yet happy, smile upon her face. Her eyes had rejoiced in Arizira's beauty, her ears delighted in the sound of her voice, and her fingers praised the perfection of her skin. To say that she was happy would have been to say that the sky was blue or the grass green, for it would not have done her feelings justice, nor given proper expression to the lightness in her heart.
Now, however, Talliea was not rejoicing in her love. She was annoyed with her. After allowing their bodies to dry by the fire, Arizira had been dismayed to find her leather jerkin ruined and covered in her blood. Her boots and breeches had fared quite better and those she currently wore, but of her jerkin there was no hope.
Instead of pain over what the article of clothing represented, Talliea only felt a mild annoyance at Arizira's behavior. Was the vest truly that important? Arizira was alive and that was all that mattered. The past few minutes had been nothing but nonsense.
"Am I to walk the forest like this?" Arizira was saying, indicating her naked upper half.
Again, Talliea shook her head while a shy smile touched her lips. "It is not such a horrible fate as you are acting."
"No?" Arizira asked, aghast.
"No," Talliea said simply, walking over to her love. She stopped by one of the packs left for them by Cynra and Taetylona. Of the several leather-bound bags, one stood out. It was plain, without the adornment of the others, and Talliea quickly surmised it as one of her own. When Lao'dahn had attacked her in the clearing, her belongings had fallen to the dirt and she had believed them lost.
Cynra and Taetylona had retrieved them.
Opening the satchel and searching its contents, she brought out a plain, white blouse and held it up to Arizira. "It is not your normal dress, but it will have to do." She slipped the blouse, big on her love's small body, over Arizira's shoulders and began to lace up the strings that covered the chest area.
Arizira began to laugh, the musical quality sounding welcome in the darkening cave. "We are so silly," she said through her laughter.
Talliea finished the ties and stepped back to listen, her eyebrows raised slightly.
"We have been separated for months, both of us feeling ill. You endured horrors of your clan's making, I the weight of my enigmatic past."
As Arizira spoke, her fit of giggles grew and tears touched her eyes. Talliea found herself smiling, despite finding nothing funny in Arizira's words. "And then, I was shot, in the midst of a battle between our two peoples and here we are complaining about a piece of armor!"
At the end of her sentence, Arizira's laughter finally got the better of her. She leaned back against the wall of the cave nearest to her and brought a hand to her face to wipe away her tears. Talliea smirked and then smiled before her own bout of laughter washed over her.
For long moments, the two of them laughed. Something so simple and innocent seemed to lift their spirits and lighten their hearts. It felt good to remember that such things existed in the world, that there was joy to be had in something benign and without any contempt.
The sounds of their happiness echoed off the cave walls as they continued to lose themselves in the emotional release such a gesture was providing them. Finally, after a fair amount of time had passed, Talliea composed herself and closed the distance between herself and Arizira. Arizira's glowing eyes were moist and her face was flushed from laughing so hard. She was unable to find her voice before Talliea wrapped her up in a tight hug and held her close.
Arizira immediately sensed the change in mood, the urgency in the embrace. With one hand, she held Talliea closer while the other tangled in thick black hair at the base of Talliea's head. She turned her head and nuzzled her nose against a tan neck. The arms wrapped around her were snug.
"I can not believe I nearly lost you," Talliea's voice whispered against her ear. It was different from just a moment before.
"I know, Tah-li," Arizira said simply.
Quiet deepened as the two women held one another. Talliea was the first to step away, though her hold on Arizira did not lessen. She leaned forward to kiss her love when a voice sounded to her right.
"Oh, come now! We gave you two a whole day to get all of that over with!"
"Just because you're too old to enjoy such pursuits doesn't mean the young ones are!" another voice, raspier than the first, said.
Talliea and Arizira broke apart as Cynra and Taetylona walked into the cave.
"I have you know, Arnira are never too old to enjoy such passions. Unlike your people. They wouldn't know a good time if they stepped on it!"
Despite herself, Talliea couldn't help but smile. The two older women were amusing, and like her earlier laughing fit with Arizira, such a thing was welcome in the world.
Before Taetylona could say anything, Cynra stopped near to Talliea and Arizira and smiled brightly. The wrinkles on her worn and old face stood out and her pale purple eyes were alight. "Feeling healed?" she asked Arizira with a knowing nod.
Arizira stepped away from Talliea and moved in front of Cynra. Her face was different now. Not sad or pained, but not as carefree as before. She reached out and touched Cynra's face with a hand. When she and Talliea had bonded the night before, the knowledge of who Cynra was to her had been shared.
All of her young life, she had respected and admired Cynra, the Dream Speaker. The woman had been one of many who had cared for her in the absence of her parents. She had schooled Arizira, taught her ancient lore, showed her the uses of various plants and herbs, and instilled a greater love for all things mysterious.
Cynra had been a friend to Arizira, someone the young huntress had always been able to rely upon. And now? Now, Arizira knew the full extent of her relationship with the wise, and often times, meddling older woman.
She was her grandmother. The only family Arizira knew of. Smiling, her throat growing tight, Arizira cupped Cynra's wrinkled cheek and said but one simple word. "Nai'lana."
Cynra gasped, a happy gasp if any such thing could exist, and placed her hand on Arizira's cheek. Nai'lana, in the Arniran tongue, meant 'honored mother.' Loosely, it translated as grandmother. Talliea, watching the two women, smiled as they embraced one another.
"Oh, daughter's child," Cynra cried happily.
For twenty-seven years, she had kept her relationship to Arizira a secret. Not just to Arizira, but to all the women of her tribe. When Iolirthas had died, Aitla had intervened and removed the memory of Cynra's only daughter from all but Cynra and D'jiira. At the time, Cynra had not understood her goddess's reasons for doing so. The idea of having to continue her life as if her daughter had never existed had been daunting, to say the least.
Yet, Cynra was nothing if not faithful. She had accepted that
Aitla had a plan for Arizira, a destiny that would one day present itself.
She had been correct. Her daughter's daughter had come to be known as the Child of Whispers. To her, the whole of the tribe had come to view as one important to future events. Cynra had done her best to keep emotional distance between herself and Arizira, but she had never been able to ignore the bond that developed in spite of that.
For all of her endeavors, Cynra had still been touched with Arizira's awe, honor, and respect of her. Not being able to tell her that she was her grandmother had been hard on Cynra throughout the years. Even harder had been following, what she believed at the time, was Aitla's plan for Arizira and her subsequent 'death.'
Matters had played out differently, however, and Cynra had been filled with hope once again at the knowledge of Arizira's well-being. Despite that, she had still found herself unable to give the young woman the information about their kinship.
Staring into a face that, characteristically, reminded her so much of Iolirthas Cynra smiled. Arizira was a beautiful blend of both of her mothers, despite her being unaware. From Iolirthas, she had inherited the physical features of the Arniran people -- their pointed ears, glowing eyes, silvery hair, and heightened senses. She had gotten Iolirthas's love of the forest and curiosity, as well as her gentle nature and jovial personality.
Despite that, everything else about Arizira came from D'jiira. Were it not for the Arniran traits, she would have been a spitting image of the Esu woman. She had taken after D'jiira in her mannerisms and her ability to lead and take charge of a situation. The fact that she had picked up Esulan so quickly, even with the aid of nature, had spoken of her own Esu heritage. From D'jiira, Arizira had inherited her sense of duty and responsibility, for Iolirthas had been far more carefree in her approach to the world.
Yes, Arizira was a wondrous blend of both Iolirthas and D'jiira. After twenty-seven years of silence, Cynra was ecstatic about finally being able to share everything she had kept hidden from Arizira.
She did not question how Arizira knew of their familial bonds. She did not have to. Talliea had known so, naturally, Arizira did as well.
"It is so good to be unburdened by the knowledge," Cynra said, still holding Arizira close. To her left, Talliea smiled a radiant smile, while behind her Taetylona looked pleased. The four of them, each a unique and powerful woman in her own right, were finally together without the pall of death hanging over them.
"Why, Nai'lana?" Arizira asked and Cynra knew what she was getting at. She wanted to know why she had never told her, why she had kept the knowledge of who she was to herself for so long.
Cynra, her hands patting Arizira's upper arms, smiled sadly and shook her head, "We all had our parts to play," she said in way of explanation.
Arizira nodded, the answer being all she knew she would receive from her grandmother for the time being. Everyone made their way to the small hill that overlooked the canyon of Li'nas Dei. A cool wind blew through the valley below and the sound of a gurgling stream could be distantly heard. Overhead, flocks of birds flew while their calls echoed off the canyon cliffs.
Arizira inhaled deeply and rejoiced in the majesty of nature. Talliea took a seat to her left while Cynra and Taetylona got comfortable to her right. Of all of them, she was the only one who remained standing. The wind blew through her hair and the white blouse Talliea had given her. Cynra cleared her throat and made a motion to Taetylona.
The older Esu woman, Arizira noticed, had en elegant bow strapped across her back. Her bow. Two other objects were bound in thick leather hides at her sides.
"We managed to grab these for you after the others retreated," Taetylona said handing the leather hides, which held Arizira's twin sabres in them, and the bow to their proper owner.
Still standing, wind continuing to whip at her unbraided hair, Arizira smiled. It seemed ages ago that she had held the weapons in her hands.
"The last wrapped quiver of your arrows is in the cave," Cynra said as she watched her granddaughter. "You will need them in the days to come."
Before Arizira could question Cynra, Talliea stood and spoke up. "She will not. You can not ask this of us."
"Tah-li--"
"No! Do you not see? They want you to take part in the war to come! It does not concern us, love."
Despite Talliea's earlier promise of the two of them deciding matters together, the Esu woman could not just allow Arizira to walk toward certain doom. The last time she had done so, had followed Cynra's lead, she had nearly died.
"It does concern us, failira. We are a part of this world. This forest is my home, as it is yours. How can you ask me to walk away?"
"I ask you to walk with me, by my side, until our daughter is born," Talliea responded softly.
Taetylona, having been silent for most of the gathering, spoke up. "Talliea, think of the children who will not be born if we allow the Esu and the Arnira to fight one another. One of our peoples shall be the victor, the other the loser. If the Arnira are victorious, what will become of our clan? We will be forced to leave this lush forest and await starvation and disease to take our lives. Any other clans that reach the Northlands will face a similar fate.
“And if the Esu claim sovereignty? They will rape the women for their own enjoyment before turning the Arnira into nothing more than slaves...if they don't kill them all after humiliating their spirits and defiling their bodies. Children could be born, half Esu and half Arnira, with no place in the world the Esu will make. The female children will either be killed at birth or raised into a lifetime of sexual deviancy. Though the male children might fare better, they would be bred from birth for nothing but war."
Talliea blanched at Taetylona's heavy words and her throat tightened. She had never truly given the ramifications of war any further thought. Her only concern had been for Arizira and their baby. She had not asked for the innate hatred her people had, nor their xenophobic tendencies. She had not sought power or strength or war or anger.
All she had ever desired was for her life to be her own. She had wanted only the chance to follow her own pursuits, her own passions. She had desired to fall in love and be loved for who she was, not what she could provide.
When she had met Arizira, all of those things had seemed, for the first time in her life, to be within her reach. Arizira had proven to be a friend and a confidante. She had become a source of hope, joy, and inspiration for Talliea. After weeks of avoiding and wrestling with her feelings and emotions, Talliea had taken the biggest and most daring chance of her life and told Arizira how she felt about her. The result had been the greatest love and passion she had ever known.
Saving that, protecting that, had been all that mattered.
Now, having the situation explained to her in such graphic detail, Talliea realized she could not just walk away and abandon her people or Arizira's. Though she had not asked for her powers, she still had them nonetheless. How could she walk away when she could use such abilities for the greater good?
Arizira was watching her, her mesmerizing blue eyes appearing less luminous in the sun.
"You all are correct," she finally resigned. "Forgive me. I could not see."
Arizira walked over to her, her weapons now securely fastened to her hips and back, and placed her hands on her shoulders. "Worry not, Tah-li. You do not walk this path alone. We shall all be beside you. Mayhap peace comes before bloodshed."
Talliea, her head down in thought, only nodded. She felt Arizira stepping closer to her before a forehead was pressed against her own.
"I will protect you, failira, as I have always done," Arizira whispered as her arms wrapped around Talliea's body. Talliea smiled, her own hands landing on her love's hips.
A moment passed as the two of them held one another. Talliea's right hand eventually found its way to Arizira's lower stomach and there it remained. "I shall protect you, too, Ari. Both of you."
A small kiss later, Talliea moved around Arizira and focused her attention on Cynr
a. The older woman was watching her.
"If I am to do this, to follow my destiny as you say, I shall do so with more information than I currently have. You have meddled where you should not have, but I can not fault you. Your actions have led both myself and Ari to one another. For that, you have my respect."
Cynra stood up and turned to face her.
"However, the time for riddles and half answers is in the dark. We are only four women against two great nations. To succeed, we most be honest with one another."
Again, Cynra nodded, the wind picking up, tossing her hair over her shoulders.
"Before we make plans to disembark,” Talliea continued, “you will tell me everything you know about my destiny, Ari's destiny, our connection, and anything else you may think to be of use."
At the words, Cynra visibly deflated. She looked from Talliea's brown eyes to Arizira's blue. The same stubborn determination was in both of their gazes. "This could take some time," she said, hoping to stall and get moving more quickly.
Talliea stepped closer to her, the power she commanded causing the very air to ripple around her body. "Then, by all means, take it."
Chapter 19: Past and Present
The sound of wind exploded in the gloaming sky.
Ir'ra looked through the steel bars holding her captive and saw Tareya , in the town square, moving through gale force winds of her own making. Two dark-skinned men raised double-headed maces and charged toward Tareya, their intent clear. Ir'ra's heart raced inside her chest.
The men closed in toward Tareya but at the last moment, the tall woman stopped. She looked up at the sky above her, arms out at her sides, neck back against her shoulders, and a moment later a powerful strike of lightning slammed into the first man. He stood in shock as the bolt of energy coursed through his body before falling to the ground. The second man slowed in his advance only briefly. Seeing his comrade fall had enraged him and he now ran toward Tareya with a greater resolve.