by Orr, Krystal
Tareya, unleashing the sudden power she commanded, rescued Ir'ra and the two of them escaped. Far they fled into the forest with their hearts and minds full of doubt and confusion. Ir'ra, being stricken with near death by her ordeal at the hands of the Esu men, grew weak ere they came upon another e'mae'leyo. For days Tareya carried Ir'ra, until at last they came before another Arniran tribe.
Alas, their arrival was to be too late. Tareya's actions against the Lat'sa'val had hastened their war against the Arnira and served as the proof they used to justify their beliefs. Tareya and Ir'ra arrived before the Arnira soon after they had been attacked by Esu.
Fear and suspicion oft times spreads like wildfire and the Arnira were unwilling to permit Tareya entrance amongst them. Tareya's own fear over losing her love spurred her actions and she attacked the Arnira. The power she wielded began to consume her as did her fear of losing Ir'ra.
Afterward, war broke out quickly between the Esu and Arnira. The Lat'sa'val grew in power, influence, and number. Those Esu that would not submit before them were slaughtered without mercy. Only a small number of clans still true to Esuval's teachings would escape and seek lands far away from the killing.
During this time, Tareya's despair over Ir'ra continued. Wherever she went, she was not received warmly.. If she came before Arnria, they would not admit her as she was Esu. If she came before Esu, they too turned her away because she walked in step with an Arnira. Enemies surrounded Tareya and Ir'ra grew still weaker.
Aitla refused to intervene on Tareya's behalf, seeing her as no different than the Lat'sa'val. Like them, she had killed Her children. Instead of perceiving a different action, she had followed her volatile Esu ways. Soon thereafter, Aitla called Ir'ra to her and ended her suffering.
Grievous beyond words, Tareya cried and lamented Ir'ra's passing. Despite her best efforts, her love had died. Left alone in the world, without clan nor friend, Tareya sought vengeance on all those who had played a part in allowing Ir'ra to die.
The world stood changed. Where before peace and harmony and friendship had reigned, now war and violence and bloodshed stained the wilds. Esu fought Esu. Arnira fought Esu. Clans dispersed. Clans fled. Clans died.
During this time, Aitla retreated from the world. Her children too had been consumed by the fighting. The Moon saw that war was rampant. Her only options were to partially abandon Her children or remove them from the world all together. Not being able to destroy Her creation, Aitla chose to have them live out their lives by their own actions. Their consequences would be their own.
The only hand She would have in their affairs, would be to ensure the continuation of their race. Like the Sun, the Moon despaired that Her blessings of life and free will had been shunned and mocked. Seeing that Her children were on their own, the Moon retired into Her thoughts until such a time came that She could correct the mistakes of mortal life.
Tareya, during this time, had become a seething and loathsome individual. She feared no man. She feared no Arnira. None could stand before her with the power she commanded. With her love no longer in the world with her, she became consumed by her need for revenge. She killed indiscriminately with no favor to any one side. It was not until Esuval intervened and removed the power He had given her, that Tareya was defeated and her life ended.
Afterward, like the Moon, the Sun retreated from the mortal world with the last small amount of power He held.
The wars continued for many years later, both Esu and Arnira being unaware of their gods' abandonment of them. Over time, the deeds and events that had so changed the world, became stories. Stories became legend. Legends turned to myth. Esu and Arnira migrated to far opposite corners of the world and created new lives for themselves and all but forgot the history that had shaped them so.
Names and peoples and places became obscured. The clans of Lat'sa'val that had not been decimated during the war years and years into the past traveled to the Southlands. There they continued to war amongst themselves for generations. Their settlements, once marvelous and awe-inspiring, were cursed by Esuval to never see the splendor and grandeur of days before.
Whensoever a clan reached a height of structural greatness, war would follow and the Esu would forever be punished for their arrogance. Not until His children put aside their hateful ways would Esuval grant back to them the glory of their past. It was small punishment, but all that the Sun could muster in the waning of His power.
Time continued, the world changed, and for seven hundred years the Esu and Arnira lived apart from one another. It was not until a chance encounter by a woman named D'jiira and a woman named Iolirthas, that Aitla and Esuval began to spread their influence on the world again.
Chapter 38: Night and Day
Talliea released a steady breath and looked out at the sea of faces before her.
Through her power, she could see far beyond the mere clearing where D'jiira and Bela'luin stood frozen. She knew the images -- the history -- everyone had just been privy to went beyond simple visions, for she had also bestowed unto them a sense of truth. In their hearts, the Esu and Arnira knew that what they witnessed was a gift from Aitla and Esuval.
Beside Talliea, Arizira still stood holding her hand. Her silvery eyes appeared more blue being beneath the peculiar mix of light from both sun and moon. She turned her head and met Talliea's eyes. In the calm, the world stood poised for change. The past that had just been revealed left all with a sense of having found something long lost.
Talliea allowed her eyes to fall away from her love's. Her head fell back on her shoulders as she looked up at the phenomenon in the sky. Bathed in light and energy, she called forth more of her power, of Arizira's unending strength.
Winds began to blow in the stillness, great gales of near violent force. The Esu and Arnira caught in the forest, suspended in battle, were helpless against the power around them. The winds blew leaves and trees and bushes alike in a crazed frenzy. Thunder clapped, a cacophonous rumble sounding somewhere in the far reaching sky above, and accompanied the fierce winds.
Still holding Arizira's hand, Talliea stepped slightly away from her and studied the various types of weapons being wielded by the men and women in the forest. Her black and disquieting eyes fell upon the double-edge sword that had come so close to ending D'jiira's life. She raised her left hand and curled her fingers into a fist.
The sword disintegrated into dust and scattered on the wind. Next, Talliea looked to Bela'luin. The men trapped before her, all carrying different sorts of weapons, were unable to stop the power that shattered their blades, hammers, and axes. Like the double-edged sword, their weapons were dispersed and carried away on Salira's breath.
All across the forest, weapons that had been raised in anger were destroyed and lost in the whirlwind that raged across the land. Swords, axes, hammers, spears, halberds, bows, daggers, glaives, arrows -- all were abolished. The only weapons that were spared were Arizira's sabres and bow. The rest became like so much dust. Talliea knew the weapons could easily be remade, but for the present none would be able to use them in anger.
Talliea reached out and touched D'jiira's shoulder. Instantly she was free of the power that had held her frozen and fell to her knees on the ground. Only Talliea kept her safe from the mistral around her. Tears fell more freely down her face. She stretched out her right arm and was relieved to experience no pain. Her wide and light brown eyes looked around her and studied the forest more closely.
When she turned around and looked over her shoulder, she became mesmerized by the sight of her daughter standing next to Talliea with power and energy and light dancing between their bodies.
Talliea's eyes found hers and it was as if being seen by the gods themselves, so ubiquitous was the gaze. "See your own past with fresh eyes," Talliea said and the past resumed and became the present once more.
Iolirthas was a young, light-hearted tracker who spent the majority of her time wandering the vastness of the forest. Her spirit was wild and she often
times could lose herself to the majesty of the trees and the wonders of the sky, biding farewell to nights and days as she walked and explored and forgot all sense of time.
She was loved by many, but most of all by Cynra, her mother. Cynra it was who had carried her and protected her until she had been welcomed into the world. Of her second mother, Iolirthas could scarcely recall, for the woman had passed to Aitla three winters after her birth. Her childhood had been one adventure after the next and her fellow sisters had grown fond of her as she had also grown fond of them.
On a night much like any other, Iolirthas found herself following the sounds of the forest. She came to a vast body of water, the top of which was alight with the moon's reflection. So enthralled by the sight was Iolirthas that she perceived to descry what lay beyond the still waters.
She returned again to the lake some days later, this time prepared for a longer trek. Her spirit and wanderlust were never more at a height than when she set out around the perimeter of the shimmering water of the lake. Her feet carried her far and the nights passed quickly. Within a fortnight’s walk, Iolirthas had come to the far side a new bank.
The smells in the forest so far from her own home both fascinated and enticed her. Her ears and eyes took in that which they had never glimpsed and she came to discover that she could not return home until she explored more. So her journey continued, and for days she walked and danced under the moon and hunted deer and small game and slept beneath the stars.
Of her tribe, Iolirthas thought little. Though she loved them and desired their company, the welcome embrace of the forest could not be turned aside. It came to be that after a month had passed, Iolirthas happened upon an unlikely creature. A sound met her ears as she sat tightening her bowstring. The sound was not that of an animal, no bear or wolf, no bird or insect. The sound was of that of speech, though in words foreign to Iolirthas. Keen senses and quick reflexes, coupled with an insatiable curiosity, sent Iolirthas in search of the nature of the sound she had heard.
Soon she found herself looking down upon a strange creature from the safety of a nearby tree. Silver-purple eyes glanced dark skin and ebony hair. A woman sat beneath Iolirthas, one whom she had never before seen the likes of. The woman was tall and her features were as shadowed as the darkness around her. Curiosity flared inside Iolirthas at the sight of the woman.
She remained hidden for a time, the moon moving overhead and breaking the cover of clouds in the sky. Stars danced and came to life and the deepest hour of night touched the world. As Iolirthas studied the strange woman beneath her, she came to discover that an injury prevented the dark skin from finding comfort.
In a moment of unfettered officiousness, Iolirthas dropped down from her perch above and landed beside the startled woman. Light brown eyes found glowing purple and a new note in history's music was sung, for this meeting would mark the beginning of a new age to come. The woman Iolirthas had found was D'jiira D'anun of Clan Anot Solij , or Prayer's Strength.
D'jiira's injured ankle kept her from taking flight, but her own astonishment at Iolirthas was what bade her to keep her silence. Iolirthas tended to D'jiira's ankle and soon thereafter, the two of them became enamored of one another. Though they did not speak the language of the other, D'jiira and Iolirthas spent the next several cycles of the sun and the moon in the other's company.
Over time communication and understanding eased their eager desires and they fell in love. Iolirthas taught D'jiira of the forest and of the weapons she favored, while D'jiira taught Iolirthas about her people and of creating art with stone and wood. For many seasons, both women shared themselves and grew closer together.
It was during this time that Aitla began to pay the world and its occurrences a closer mind. Time passes differently for the gods, a decade of mortal time seeming nothing more than the life of an insect to them. Aitla had long desired to right the wrongs of the past, to once again influence Her children instead of watching them with shame.
When Her sight fell upon one of Her children with one of Esuval's, She recalled another time wherein the love of mortals had defied their own beliefs and misgivings. Like before, Aitla desired to bless this union between Iolirthas and D'jiira, to bestow unto them the same connection as Ir'ra and Tareya of old, but brought to Her mind was the tragedy that had been their love.
So Aitla bided Her time and sought the counsel of Esuval. The Sun's power was not as grand as it once had been. His children's abuse had severely weakened Him to where His influence and strength was all but ignored in modern times. Aitla revealed to Him the love between their children. She shared a plan with Him, a way to restore balance to the world and abolish the crimes of one fallen sect in the days of before.
Esuval agreed, for He had already perceived to influence the future, and for the first time in over seven hundred years, the Sun and the Moon came together to once again shape events in the world.
To D'jiira and Iolirthas, Aitla blessed a child. This child was to be the first child ever born of both Esu blood and Arniran spirit. She would possess all of the qualities of Aitla Herself, of the very first born Arnira. This child would be the Moon's chosen.
Aitla was aware of the need for secrecy, for she was the matron of such acts, and so called to Her Iolirthas after the birth of her child. To Cynra and D'jiira, She left the memory of Iolirthas. Their parts would come later, when the world was ripe, but not until events could be shaped and mortal minds kept from that which was not yet ready to be known.
However, Aitla did not account for the free will or stubborn qualities of D'jiira D'anun. She did not account for the possibility that D'jiira would make a decision to leave her daughter, Arizira Ahmanae, in the care of Dream Speaker Cynra. Despite this unforeseen occurrence, Aitla remained true to Her plan.
D'jiira's name for her child, Ahmanae, would prove to be more apt than she ever perceived.
Meanwhile Esuval's plan was taking longer to bring to life, as His power was far weaker than Aitla's own. This was no such matter to Him, as time was a mortal concept. Three summers after the birth of Arizira Ahmanae, far to the distant south, Esuval's long and labored work -- work begun before Aitla had come to Him -- finally came to fruition. Years before He had watched as one of His true children, a woman named Taetylona, was banished to the harsh wilds and left forgotten by her clan. While Taetylona had wandered in a fevered state many seasons later, mouth full of thirst and belly full of hunger, Esuval sent to her a spirit.
This spirit imparted to Taetylona vast knowledge of the past, as well as information of a child to be born in the future. The spirit was that of Tareya Aldis, for Esuval had long grieved over her passing. Both she and her love, Ir'ra, had been innocent in the wars of the past. Only the actions of others had resulted in their fates and Esuval had long desired to make right the errors of so long ago.
To Taetylona, the spirit of Tareya taught ancient lore and forgotten medicines, She taught Taetylona her language and spoke of a child that would herald a new age, a child who would carry her name, as a sign of the past correcting the future. The name, her name, would also serve to please Aitla, as it had in the beginning of Esu language when both Esu and Arnira lived in peace.
The name, Aldis, was to be a symbol of the alliance between Esuval and Aitla. Just as Arizira Ahmanae would be of both gods, so too would the child that inherited Tareya's name. The child would be Esu, but would possess a name honoring the Moon. Through this union, Esuval and Aitla hoped to achieve balance.
When Talliea Aldis was born, Aitla asked Esuval why He chose His champion to be a female instead of a male.
'Men it was that first turned away from me,' Esuval replied. 'My daughters have been subjugated at the hands of those meant to honor and respect them. My power wanes, more so now than ever before, and I have not the luxury for another misstep if my gift is defiled.'
Talliea's birth set events into motion. These events would deviate from the gods' original plan, as they would not understand the nature of mortal de
ath, free will, or the burdens of old age. Of the knowledge Tareya's spirit had shared with Taetylona, only a small portion would be retained. Time and age would steal most of the information, taking with it Talliea's destiny and purpose.
Of Arizira, the gods could not foresee that she would share Iolirthas's free spirit and her desire to explore. To ensure that both Talliea and Arizira found one another, as Esuval's influence began to wane much like His powers, both gods touched their chosen with a portion of the spirits of Tareya and Ir'ra.
This blessing would not restore Tareya or Ir'ra to life, nor would it change who Arizira and Talliea were. As it was, this blessing would only create an intense and overwhelming desire to find the other. Ir'ra's Doira'liim of the past would now find the present. When Arizira and Talliea met, an instant connection was formed. This connection was one borne of their own attraction and enhanced by Tareya and Ir'ra, for both Esuval and Aitla had made Arizira and Talliea for each other.
Unlike the connection shared between Ir'ra and Tareya, the one formed between Talliea and Arizira was to be different. It was blessed by Aitla to strengthen what was already powerful. Though Tareya and Ir'ra were able to share memories and sensations, they forever remained two separate spirits in two different bodies. One could exist without the other.
To Arizira and Talliea, Aitla made it so that once the two of them shared themselves with the other, their spirits would join and become one. From that moment forward, the two of them would be two separate people sharing a single spirit. This blessing from Aitla would ensure the restoration of balance as it also would deepen the love between Talliea and Arizira.
To aid the way of peace and bring events to their conclusions, Aitla spoke to Cynra, Arizira's grandmother. The information She imparted was just enough to progress events as needed. The vision would further shape the plan of both gods while also allowing their children's free will to breathe easily.