by Orr, Krystal
None of her companions seemed to relax at her words. If anything, they appeared even more anxious. Tilting her head up, she looked into Arizira's mesmerizing and shining blue eyes. The look of panic and fear, laced with love and adoration, startled her.
"I am okay, love," she said in a stronger tone.
Arizira smiled softly and nodded her head. She helped Talliea to sit up and quickly offered her some water, which Talliea took.
"What happened?" This time, the question was posed by Markahn. The Esu man's grey eyes were lined with tears that were quickly fading. His face, dark and handsome, spoke of his worry.
Talliea cleared her throat and took another sip of water from the skin. She attempted to order her thoughts and recall everything she had just witnessed. Voices and names and places floated around inside of her skull, all unorganized and without any meaning. She shook her head. It was not the first time she had been visited by such images. Before the group had set out on their journey, and before Markahn and D'jiira had joined them, Talliea had dreamed of the same two women once before.
In the dream, she had witnessed a starling and awe-inspiring sight. A woman, Esu like herself, had called down lightning from the sky and used it to assault groups of Esu men who were attacking her. The setting had been unknown to Talliea. Tall buildings and structures had lined cobbled streets with immaculate stone houses and shops covered by brightly colored awnings.
Talliea had known, somehow, that the setting had been that of some ancient Esu settlement. How she knew that was unknown. She had watched, in the dream, as the Esu woman had commanded powers much like her own to carve a destructive path through the attacking men. She had watched women and children crying in the streets before the vision had shifted and an Arniran woman had come into focus.
At the time, Talliea had not thought overmuch on the dream. There had been too much else occupying her thoughts. She had only recently been reunited with Arizira; the two of them had made love only hours before and so Talliea's mind had not pondered if her dream held any other significance.
Afterward, Cynra and Taetylona had returned and later Markahn and D'jiira had joined them. However, her most recent vision left her wondering if there was something larger at work. Why was she seeing these two women? Who were they? What part were they to play in future affairs? A lot of what the women spoke of made very little sense to Talliea.
She did not understand many of the terms they used, nor did she know much of the geography they spoke of. What she did understand was the anger the Esu woman felt. She experienced it as if it were her own. The fury the woman had felt over the actions of the Esu men left her own blood boiling. She cried inside for the atrocities afflicted upon the Arniran woman by their hands.
What if it were Arizira who had suffered like that woman had? What if men of her clan defiled Arizira as the Esu men from her visions had done to the Arniran? She knew she would feel exactly as the Esu woman had. The fear and panic that both women felt, the sense of dread at their situation, still weighed heavily upon Talliea, even with her now being awake.
She looked up into the many sets of eyes regarding her. "I was given a vision," she began slowly.
Cynra leaned closer to her. "A vision? Visions are gifts from Aitla. She rules the realm of the mind and of dreams to come. It is how she communicates with those of my kind."
Talliea shook her head. "I am unsure to whom I should accredit these dreams."
"Dreams? There has been more than the one?" Arizira asked, interrupting Talliea.
Nodding her head and averting her eyes, Talliea replied, "Yes, love. There was another after we...reunited. It occurred like any other dream, so my mind was able to overlook it."
"What are these visions about?" Arizira asked, concerned.
Talliea shook her head and looked up at the faces surrounding her. Each was lined with both worry and curiosity. "Both have shown me the same two women. Women my eyes have never before seen."
"What do you know of these women?" D'jiira asked, crossing her arms over her chest.
Talliea shook her head again and shrugged. "I do not know. One is Esu, the other Arnira."
Shocked faces met her words. Arizira looked around, first to her mother then to Cynra and finally back to Talliea. "Like us?" she asked in a small voice.
Talliea rubbed a hand across her forehead before answering. "Yes and no. I do not know their names, for they call each other "my love" and "failira."
"Like the two of you," Taetylona murmured.
Again, Talliea nodded. "I do not believe these two women are from this age. The setting for them is...different. I can not explain. They speak of places and events I have no knowledge of."
"What do they say?" D'jiira asked.
Talliea sat in thought for a moment and allowed her mind to replay everything she had heard in her vision. The idea that she was receiving some kind of message or information was odd to her. Despite accepting whatever destiny she had, there was a part of her that was still hesitant to believe all that was happening to her and to her friends.
She was doing what she believed was right. She was more sure in her powers now, though she understood only the basics of their origins. When she was inside her power, when she allowed it to overcome her and course through her entire body, everything made sense. For those brief moments, she knew who she was, who Arizira was, and what was happening everywhere in the world.
She was omnipotent in those moments, but as soon as she released the power all of that certainty was gone as well. It was for that very reason that Talliea felt so divided over matters; why she went from sure to reluctant seemingly one day to the next. Now, to add to her confusion, she was having visions or dreams of a time that was not her own, concerning women she did not know. Were the visions meant to aid her in her future quest? Were they the edge she needed to bring peace to the Esu and the Arnira?
How were dreams and images meant to help her in anyway? How were they going to aid her against combat and warfare and hatred?
The pain behind her eyes began to pound the longer she thought on matters. Looking up at D'jiira, who looked so much like Arizira, despite her dark skin and eyes, Talliea answered, "The last thing my mind holds is mention of a new power rising. A select group that was responsible for horrible pain and suffering and sacrilege."
At her words, all present became more interested. She felt Arizira's fingers still running through her hair and the action helped to calm much of her upset.
"What group?" Markahn asked, his eyes briefly watching the tender way Arizira touched Talliea.
Talliea licked her lips before speaking. "The woman from my dream, the Arniran woman, spoke of the Lat'sa'val.”
Markahn sat up straighter and appeared taken aback. Talliea had said the Lat'sa'val were responsible for "horrible pain and suffering." That couldn't be correct. His Order was about the preservation of the edicts of Esuval. It was about maintaining structure in a chaotic world and adhering to the principles of their people. Now, recently his brothers had become more fanatical in their views, but certainly they were not responsible for something such as a "sacrilege."
D'jiira nodded and a sly smirk touched her lips. "I can not argue with that. Though our past is lost to us, many of my people are aware of the atrocities committed by the Lat'sa'val. The exact truths behind that awareness are no longer known to us, only the memory of how our forebears were driven into flight in order to live as they chose. These women whose figures dance inside your mind could very well be from the long forgotten past."
Talliea appeared startled at D'jiira's words. The thought had crossed her mind, but she had not allowed that thought to fully take shape. She, too, had been of the belief that what the visions were showing her had something to do with the past, but even believing that did little to allow her to understand what that something was.
Turning her eyes away from Markahn and to D'jiira, she asked, "Do you know what an E'mae'leyo is? The name was mentioned, but it is unfamiliar to m
e."
D'jiira furrowed her brow and shook her head. "No, I am sorry. Part of the word is familiar, but the rest is not. 'Leyo' is my people's word for 'settlement' but I am unsure what the rest of the word means. " She looked in Arizira's direction before catching Cynra's eyes. "Is anything known to you in the word?"
Cynra's light purple eyes appeared distant, as if she were in some deep thought or another. Shaking her head slowly, she kept her eyes unfocused, appearing unable to completely leave her contemplations. "No, nothing is familiar to me. The Arniran language has changed very little, to my knowledge, but surely there must be phrases or words that have been lost in the annals of time."
Talliea spoke up then, beginning to feel much of her fatigue and dizziness fade away, and asked "Why am I having these visions? Apart from incapacitating me, they serve little use."
"If you fall to your mind, we could suffer a worse fate," Taetylona said.
"Agreed," spoke Cynra. "If we come before Talyn with you in a deep sleep, she would take heart in our return, but view the others as prisoners of war. Long has it been since I last spoke with Talyn. The state of our affairs could be a chill wind turned ill. We have no way of knowing how our approach will be received. Apart from Markahn and Taetylona, who are Esu from the valley, there would be the matter of you, D'jiira. I am uncertain how Talyn would fare with the knowledge of your existence."
"I will look after, Tah-li, no matter her state when we arrive before the Arnira. There is still the matter of my return. By your account, Nai'lana, Talyn believes me to be dead. Surely she would overlook our odd company in favor of the Child of Whispers’ return from the dead. Either Talyn will allow us audience, or she will not," Arizira explained, offering a possible different outcome to their predicament.
Talliea shook her head and sat up a bit more. Arizira stayed close at her side and continued to rub soothing patterns across her neck and back. "You take a lot upon yourself, love. If matters turn against you and you are not welcome upon your return, what then shall the lot of you do without my power to protect you? You ask me to risk you and our--"
Arizira inhaled quickly and gave Talliea a pleading look. Talliea looked up and noticed D'jiira eyeing them suspiciously. "--our friends," she finished poorly.
"Look, we can debate this until the moon takes over the sky and we will stay be no closer to an answer," D'jiira said, holding a hand up to her brow and peering into the distance beyond them. "Our goal is to come before the Arnira and attempt peace. That has not changed. We can not allow these visions to change that course. There is a change in the world, a change others will either accept or be driven into despair. Long have we all believed the other to be myth or lost in history. Your people," D'jiira pointed to Markahn, "believed the Arnira to be nothing but childhood tales. My own people had long since forgotten the dark history of your kind, just as my daughter's people believed the both of us to be myth."
Subtle nods came from every member of the group before D'jiira continued. "Now, we are all here -- together. We are all seeking answers to larger puzzles, both personal and otherwise. Whatever happens, we shall face it together. Of the two peoples, the Arnira will be the most willing to lend us an ear."
Arizira smiled up at her mother with pride. The older woman was very much like herself and, again, Arizira found herself fascinated with D'jiira. There was a kind of strength inside of her mother that both intrigued and humbled Arizira.
"You are wise and of great help to this party," Taetylona said, eyeing D'jiira with new respect.
D'jiira dipped her head in acknowledgment before offering a hand down to Talliea. Talliea took the proffered hand and was easily hauled to her feet. Arizira dusted her off and wrapped an arm around her waist.
Their journey continued.
* * * * *
Later that night, as the rest of the group slept, Arizira sat a few feet away keeping watch. She was lost in her thoughts as her eyes glowed from the moon above. The sky was an inky blackness dotted with a multitude of shimmering stars, and Aitla was full and bright in her glorious splendor.
Arizira allowed herself to enter a meditative-like state as she sat in solitude. She was still aware of everything happening around her. Her senses still detected every new scent that blew on the wind, heard each breath Talliea took. She would be ready to strike if any threat presented itself, but she allowed her thoughts to take over inside her mind. She allowed them to collide with one another and expand upon themselves.
A lot had happened since she had been reunited with Talliea. A lot had happened before she had been reunited with Talliea. She had learned of her parents and of her own heritage. She'd had her suspicions over being pregnant confirmed by Cynra, who she later learned was her grandmother. The mother of her nurture mother, Iolirthas. Iolirthas whose spirit presented itself in the form of a wolf.
The wolf was revered among Aitla. No other animal or spirit was believed by the Arnira to be more important to their goddess. It was their belief that Aitla used the wolf to embody her own essence and then walked the earth in that sacred form. Was her mother a messenger from Aitla? Why had her spirit not passed to the stars? What had kept her lingering all these years? Had she always been present or was she only around now due to the nature of the world?
Thinking about Iolirthas, Arizira suddenly realized that she had not seen the wolf the past few days. How were they all communicating without Iolirthas? Why was her nurture mother not present? Arizira wondered how D'jiira would react to the news of Iolirthas's fate. Did she know?
Arizira sighed and continued to breath deeply and slowly. She heard Talliea mummer something softly in her sleep and her ears immediately tuned into her love. Minutes passed as Arizira assured herself that Talliea was safe. She wondered if her love would wake up when it was time to depart or if she would be unresponsive like she had been before.
The thought frightened Arizira. She was unsure what to expect with Talliea's newfound visions. A part of her hoped that whatever Talliea was being shown would somehow prove useful, but she hated not being able to wake her love. Never had she felt such panic as when Talliea had lain nearly lifeless against her and not responded to her pleas.
A single tear slipped from her eye, but she was unaware of it. Unconsciously, Arizira placed a hand over her lower stomach. A sense of calm overcame her and she smiled. Her thoughts turned toward her child. She knew that what she sought to do she did for her daughter. Her baby was a child much like herself, a child from two different people, who would have to learn what it meant to be both Esu and Arnira.
Arizira frowned.
She did not even know what it meant to be Esu. How was she to teach her daughter Esu values, when she did not know them herself? She was, by her understanding, Arniran and yet she was more than that. She was half Esu. Esu, yes, but from a completely different group than Talliea.
Arizira suddenly realized that the child she carried was amazingly unique. She was a part of every faction that was to play a part in the coming war. She was Arnira, like Arizira and she was Esu, like Talliea, just as she was Esu, like D'jiira.
Three distinctly different peoples with an intricately woven history, and her baby was a part of all of them. She was a symbol of hope and unity. Arizira rubbed her lower abdomen absentmindedly while her thoughts continued to dance behind her eyes. Long moments passed as she sat in silence.
A soft sound caught her attention and she turned her head, eyes still closed, to better focus on it. The sound came again, this time closer. Arizira listened and determined it was the sound of feet against the forest floor. Another minute of listening informed her of who was awake. Her heart beat faster knowing all was well with her love, that she had awakened without difficulty.
"Failira, you should be asleep."
Talliea came up behind her and wrapped her body in her arms. Pressing Arizira's back to her front, she rested her chin on the smaller woman's shoulder. "I cannot sleep without you. You make me feel safe," Talliea whispered back, her breat
h teasing the sensitive skin of Arizira's neck.
Arizira smiled and turned her head so that their foreheads were touching. She remembered Talliea saying similar words long before they ever admitted their feelings for one another.
"Come lie with me, love."
Arizira sighed and rubbed her nose against Talliea's. All was quiet around them except for the deep breathing of the others. The moon above was full and bright and its white light shined down upon them. Arizira's eyes took in the way the luminescent glow of the moon seemed only to enhance Talliea's features.
"You are so beautiful," she whispered, nearly to herself.
Talliea smiled back at her and held her tighter against her body. "So are you, love. You are my faerie."
Arizira laughed, unable to stop herself. The unexpected gesture felt good. Again, she was reminded of an earlier time; her first conversation with Talliea.
"Do you remember my thinking you were a faerie when first we met?"
Arizira nodded, still laughing softly. She turned slightly in Talliea's arms and reached out to run her fingers gently down a tan cheek. "I remember, Tah-li."
"I thought you were the most magnificent creature I had ever seen. Magic and beauty in one body. From the moment I met you, you made me feel safe. Even now with the powers I command, I still need you to help me feel that way. Come lie down with me, Ahmanae."
Arizira nodded. She and Talliea stood up and silently made their way to their bedding. Talliea laid down first and held out her arms for Arizira, who a moment later snuggled down beside her. The wolf hide blanket was tossed over their bodies and all was quiet again.
"I do not fancy this sense of doom and unknowing that seems always to hang over us," Arizira whispered.
Talliea, lying behind Arizira with her arm thrown over her middle, fingers brushing across a soon to be growing belly, simply rubbed her nose across the back of Arizira's neck. She kissed the skin near to her lips and exhaled happily. Inside, she found herself laughing at how she and Arizira seemed to switch the roles of being upset and being a sense of comfort from one night to the next. There were any number of things that she could think about that would leave her feeling as Arizira described, but currently she was as content as she could be.