by Orr, Krystal
Adesriel nodded, her eyes wide as she perused the stout figure hidden under the cloak and hood. Sed'dya stepped closer and whispered, "She has suffered injuries recently. I shall take charge of her care. Speak to no one of her presence. The knowledge of such could incite panic."
Nodding to Cynra and Adesriel, Sed'dya took Taetylona by her shoulders and led her away. As she was being turned, Taetylona glanced up and met the stunned face of the young messenger, Adesriel. Nothing was said and she was soon led away to be treated her injuries. Cynra watched them part. "Talyn. Now."
The two of them moved quickly, weaving between the women who continued to prepare themselves and the village for battle. Cynra saw Zy'nilur standing upon a tree stump, several hunters and warriors spread out before her. The charismatic leader's voice was full of conviction and emotion as she spoke to the assembled.
"They are a sickness to the land! They do not care for the animals, nor the trees that give them life! They take without regret and without giving anything in return! The northern forests have prospered under our stewardship for hundreds of years. This majestic forest is Aitla's and ours by rights as Her children!"
A song of voices went up in cheer. Cynra slowed to listen.
"These dark skins have come from the south to reek ruin upon our home! They would attack us for defending what is ours to protect! These are grievous offenses in themselves, but the Esu have wronged us in another way."
The gathered grew quiet.
"They have taken one of our sisters from us, Aitla's favored. They have struck at the heart of our nation, our people, and we have bled. Yes, my sisters, we have bled. The heathens have taken the one whom was most pure, the one who was the most gentle. Arizira Ahmanae was the light of the moon made flesh. She was the Child of Whispers, our most revered as we hoped to emulate her serene nature and be more like Aitla. "
A soft murmur of approval went through the hunters. Cynra could not help but smile at the tribe’s -- both tribes’ -- loyalty to Arizira. She desired greatly to speak up and tell the women that Arizira was alive and well and headed toward them, but she did not. Speaking such things would delay her from conferring with Talyn. Questions would be asked, stories would need to be told.
Cynra hoped to speak with Talyn, get the other woman to gather the whole of the village, and tell her sisters from both near and far of Arizira's journey. Yet as she watched fortifications and preparations continuing, she found herself wondering how much time was left to them. The hunter at the gate had said Zy'nilur was preparing to march out and meet the Esu.
That could only mean that the Esu were also marching to war against them. Time was running out. With Talliea being unconscious, was war unavoidable? What good would speaking of Arizira's safety do for the tribe if she died in the coming battle with her love?
No, as much as she desired to speak of Arizira's fate, Cynra knew she could not do so just yet. There was more at stake than just her granddaughter's life. There was the life of her child and the life of Talliea, as well as their unique connection and what that connection meant for the future.
"Today," Zy'nilur was saying, "we avenge Arizira! Today we slay those that killed her and send a message to the warrior aspect of Aitla that her chosen comes home to be with her! Today we remember and honor the life of the Child of Whispers!"
A roar sounded. Women cheered and yelled their approval. Zy'nilur, spear in hand, began to tap the weapon on the ground. Around her, the hunters and warriors stomped their feet in unison. Before long the heavy beat of battle was sounding.
"Come, Dream Speaker," Adesriel said. Cynra shook herself free of her internal struggles and turned away from Zy'nilur. Peace had always been what she and the others hoped for, yet how was that to be achieved without Talliea? Could she advise Talyn to wait before engaging the Esu? Give Arizira time to arrive? No, she could not do that. If the Esu were marching, Cynra had to do everything she would to ensure she made it to the tribe in time. There was a very real possibility that she could be caught in the Esu's march with only D'jiira and Bela'luin for protection.
No, Cynra had to advise Talyn to let her hunters meet the Esu in battle. She had to divert their attention. It was the only way, and hopefully it would allow Arizira and the others to arrive safely so they could try to wake Talliea.
She was their last hope, their only way to avoid all-out slaughter. Whoever the victor proved to be come the end of the battle, there would still be death on an unimaginable scale for the other side.
When she finally came before Talyn, Cynra fully realized how tired she was. Her journey had been a long one, and not just the walk to reach her tribe either. The Nai'iris was kneeling before a large carved wooden likeness of Aitla. The face and its features were obscured, left to the believer to choose her appearance. At the base of the carving were several offerings left by other women who had come for blessings.
Cynra saw berries and pine cones, herbs and riverbed rocks, nuts and spices, arrows and favored blades. A small bowl surrounded by larger stones held burning incense, the smoke wafting up and dancing on the growing night's wind.
Adesriel bowed to Cynra and left the two women alone. Nothing was spoken for long minutes. Talyn remained in her kneeling position, her soft prayers barely heard by Cynra, who closed her eyes and allowed herself a moment alone with her goddess.
The area they were in was far removed from the center of the tribe. During a full moon, when Aitla was at her highest point in the sky, light shone down in abundance and seemed to dance and rejoice in celebration. Typically, all rituals and ceremonies were held in Rae'kir, but occasionally a huntress or warrior or healer desired a private moment with Aitla and so chose to come to this spot: Aitla's Grove.
"I have prayed for your return," Talyn spoke some time later, her head still bowed before the likeness of Aitla.
"Your prayers were answered, my old friend."
Talyn stood up and slowly turned around to face Cynra. Her face, normally reserved before those she led, was drawn and awash with emotion. Instead of speaking, she moved and embraced Cynra in a tight hug. Tears slipped from her eyes and fell down her cheeks. "Oh, Cynra, your arrival is a blessing. I tried to give you time. I tried. I waited for your return. I waited for Arizira's. Fury grew white hot in the hearts of our sisters and I could not stem their anger."
Cynra hushed Talyn and hugged her again. "Some things are unavoidable. Much has happened, Talyn. I fear I do not have time to recall it all. Even now, the tribes ready to meet the Esu. I assume they have been spied in the forest?"
"Yes," Talyn said as she pulled away and gathered her composure. "I am but one voice against many. Another clan of Esu has made camp in the Menderway. More are arriving and our sisters no longer seek to wait."
"I know," Cynra said. Silence fell around them.
"News of Arizira's fate has reached you?" Talyn asked.
At that, Cynra smiled. "That is why I have come before you, child. Arizira is--"
"Nai'iris! The Esu!" Adesriel's frantic voice shattered the easy peace of Aitla's Grove. "They have been glanced by the archers on the parapets. Zy'nilur's march is to be too late! They are here!"
Talyn moved away from Cynra and rushed to Adesriel. It was here. Time had run out. No longer could any of them attempt to make plans or speak of peace, prophecy, or destiny. The war between the Esu and the Arnira had arrived.
"Have they attacked us, or do they seek treaty?" Talyn asked.
Adesriel shook her head. "They--"
At that moment, a cry was heard in in the center of the village. Talyn ran out of Aitla's Grove and was greeted with a blinding flash of light covering the sky. Women ran to take up battle positions. Archers stood ready to fire from the parapets. Zy'nilur was moving with her hunters toward the gate.
The light that had flared in the sky suddenly began to fall. Women watched as it grew larger and larger before their eyes before exploding in the sky above them. The flash that followed blinded everyone who was near. Exclamation
s sounded.
Chaos spread in a matter of breaths. Talyn, who had been far enough away from the explosion, ran to the center of the village. "Archers! Fire at will! Give cover so that Zy'nilur can meet them! Prepare to open the gates!"
Cynra grabbed her arm. "You mean to attack them rather than defend this position?"
"If they breach our defenses, our children are no longer safe. I must draw attention away from them." Talyn looked to the archers. "Full volley! Rain down Aitla's fury! Defend the children above all else if we are overrun!"
Women moved in a fluid dance to complete their orders and tasks. Lights flared in the sky, each one attempting to blind the women raining down arrows. Some of the flares struck the archers in the chest, killing them instantly.
"They are still some distance from us, Nai'iris!" one archer yelled as she strung another arrow and took aim over the wooden walls of the village.
Talyn turned to Cynra. "Seek shelter! The time for talk has passed. Some actions are chosen for us despite our best efforts. I must defend the tribe! Go!" Before them, the gates opened. The archers sent another volley into the now dark sky as cover for Zy'nilur and her hunters.
"Give them no mercy as they gave Arizira none!" the woman yelled. They cleared the gates and disappeared in the surrounding forest. Soon the clash of steel meeting steel rang into the night. The gates closed once again.
"Go, Dream Speaker! Now!" Talyn ordered again. She moved to give commands to a second large group of hunters waiting to join the battle, when a golden string of light slammed into the ground by her feet barely missing her. She flipped back away and landed in a crouch, her eyes scanning the heavens.
"They attack blind!" she yelled. " Take positions under cover! Give the archers time to decimate their number!"
Cynra ran to join her, her heart pounding with fear and anxiety. "Talyn, Arizira is alive!"
"What?" Talyn asked over the din of growing battle. More explosions of light sounded and sparked outside the village. Warrior cries to Aitla could be heard mixing with the steel and iron song of weapons clashing.
"Arizira, child! Listen to me! Arizira is alive!"
Talyn appeared unable to believe Cynra's words as the two of them huddled near one of the perimeter walls. "How?"
"Her love, the day walker. She is alive and she journeys here, Talyn!"
"No, Bela told me she saw her die. How can she conquer death?"
Cynra grabbed Talyn by the shoulders, her grip firm. "That does not matter at present! She is alive and she could be caught in the battle outside! You must command the archers to watch for her arrival. She will be coming from the west. They must keep that position clear! She is the key! The key! Do you understand?"
Another cry from the western parapet caught their attention. One of the archers had been struck with an arrow through the shoulder. She staggered and fell to her knees as the other three archers sent return fire into the forest.
Talyn swallowed and licked her lips nervously. Arizira...alive? Could it be? Could it be that not all hope was lost to them? Cynra had returned. Why not the Child of Whispers? She was, according to their belief, Aitla's chosen. If what Cynra said was true, then Talyn knew they had to hold their position. They had to.
Standing up, she cupped her hands around her mouth and yelled toward the western parapet. "The Child of Whispers lives! Watch for her return from Li'nas Dei! Ensure we do not lose our strength in that direction!"
The three remaining archers, one tending to the wound of the fallen woman, all stared at Talyn suspiciously. "Say again, Nai'iris?" one yelled back.
"Your ears do not deceive you! The Dream Speaker has spoken for Aitla! The Child of Whispers lives! Spread the word! Allow the news to bring renewed vigor and spirit to our sisters! Arizira Ahmanae lives and is soon to return!"
* * * * *
Arizira sat next to Talliea's travois and ran a wet, cool strip of cloth across her lips to moisten them. The last rays of the sun were finally dying behind her and darkness was settling over the forest. Soon D'jiira would be blind in Aitla's reign unless the moon chose to be full and bright.
"Nothing will happen to you, failira, so long as I am here. We are close to my people's protection."
D'jiira and Bela'luin had gone further ahead to ensure the last leg of their journey was clear and safe. Both Bela and Arizira had heard soft noises in the forest the closer they had gotten to the Arnira. Arizira had whispered to D'jiira at one point that she felt the apprehension in the forest.
Something was happening, she'd told her mother. At D'jiira's insistence, she and Bela'luin had ventured ahead to try and ascertain the nature of Arizira's upset and disquiet. Now Arizira sat alone with Talliea and tried to calm the rising sense of panic swelling around her insides.
"I will protect you," she whispered to her love, more for the comfort of hearing a voice than for reassurances to Talliea. "I will always protect you." She brought her water skin to her lips and took a long pull from it as her eyes and ears remained on alert. Her mother and Bela had been gone for some time now and she was beginning to worry for their safety.
A sound caught her attention suddenly. A muffled cry in the forest. Arizira sat up and strained to make out anything further.
There. Another cry, a grunt. The sound of swords ringing. There was fighting.
Arizira stood up in one quick motion and scanned the forest in front of her. She dared not call out to her mother or Bela. Inside her chest, her heart was racing. Had they been ambushed again? Another Esu scouting party?
A light flared into the sky, but quickly faded. Arizira made a decision.
Turning back around, she secured her supplies next to Talliea, ensured her weapons were at her sides, and quickly grabbed the two poles of the travois holding her love. She had to get Talliea to safety. Afterward, she could look for her mother and Bela. She began to move in the direction of her tribe. Her pace was slow, as she did not possess the strength of her mother, but it was sure and measured and Arizira soon found herself nearing the clearing that spread out before the walls of her village.
Sounds came to her. Sounds that had somehow been masked to her keen hearing by her fervent desire to get Talliea to safety. Those sounds came to her now and they were vivid. She slowed before the clearing and lowered Talliea behind her. Lights flared again, but this time they did not fade. Instead, they exploded in the nighttime sky above her and rained down in a golden shower of violence. Before her eyes, men and women fought one another. Swords clashed, arrows fell, the smell of blood clung to the air. Though the battle being fought was still some distance from her, she could make out every detail.
The walls that surrounded her village and marked her tribe's boundaries could be spied to her left. Their height appeared greater to her than her memory could recall and she was despaired to notice the Great Gate was closed. Archers rained down arrow after arrow. Cries and pleas sounded throughout the forest.
Several bodies lay motionless on the ground, both Esu and Arnira, and the number of warriors from both sides seemed endless. Whenever one fell from either side, another came in their place to continue the fighting. Arizira fell to her knees against the large tree she was hiding behind. Tears stung her eyes and mixed with something acrid in the air: Smoke. Fire.
Her beloved forest was burning in small spots where the Esu's lights fell to the ground. Though the fires quickly died or were snuffed out by shuffling and fighting feet, their flames still licked at the leaves and twigs that lined the trees around the clearing.
They were too late. The war had begun despite their best efforts, and the one person with the power to stop everything was lost to some vision. Arizira cried. Her sisters were dying and there was nothing she would do. If she joined them, she risked harm coming to Talliea. Looking over her shoulder, she took in the sight of her love and silently prayed for a miracle. "Tah-li, you have to wake up," Arizira cried as she shook Talliea's shoulders. A death scream behind her tore at her insides as one of her sisters fell
in battle. "Please, Tah-li. Help me."
Talliea did not move. She did not wake.
Arizira took several heavy breaths and tried to calm herself. With her back against the tree, she peered out and perused the parapets that lined the boundary. Two archers fired arrows from the westernmost side. Two? Traditional formations called for four. Where were the other two? Had they already fallen? Were there no others to replace them?
Arizira leaned back against the tree and attempted to come up with a plan. If she could get Talliea behind the wall, perchance she could attempt to wake her like Talliea had her. Perchance she would aid her sisters or look for her mother and Bela. She needed to do something. She could not sit and hide and wait for the Esu to eventually find her. She had to protect Talliea.
At all costs.
She peered around the tree again and her keen eyes noticed a third archer scanning the forest in her direction. The woman was sitting low to avoid any fire and her eyes were glowing brightly in the dark. Had Cynra made it through before the fighting began? Had she informed Talyn that she was approaching with Talliea? Was the third archer looking for her?
A branch snapping cut off Arizira's thoughts. She turned, grabbing a sabre in her hand, and looked in the direction she'd heard the sound. A single Esu man was some twenty feet in front of her. How he had come to be there, she could not say. The man was bloody and his face was covered in dirt. The dark tattoos on his body gave him a wild appearance and the axe in his left hand was dripping with the blood of those he had recently fought.
When he saw Arizira, he grinned and raised the weapon in his hand. He failed to notice the prone form of Talliea lying on the travois. He charged.
Arizira's blood boiled, her heart raced. She moved into a defensive stance, prepared to counter the man's attack, when an arrow suddenly jutted out from his throat, spilling blood down his neck. The man gurgled and spit as he choked on his own blood. His eyes were wide when he fell to the forest floor.