by SC Huggins
“Is that supposed to make this- this show or whatever it is better?” the Matriarch grated.
Divina looked furious. She turned on Yas before he could retreat with dignity. “Your purpose for all this nonsense is for the good of mortals and yet you question the gift of choice?”
Yas was miffed. “I only said it is a mistake—”
“By the time this is settled, our position would have been vastly reversed as the blessing you now see will become a curse,” The Ancestral Mother said with a cold smile.
“No, the question of sovereignty will—”
“I can put an end to this- what will you call it now, rebellion of yours?” The Ancestral Mother said.
“Request Mother,” Yas interjected in a rush.
“I can put an end to this rebellion now, but I won’t,” she announced. “Now—”
“Mother—” Divina began.
The Matriarch cheered in silent glee. Mother needed to do something, anything to completely put an end to this so they could go on as normal.
The Ancestral Mother looked over the assembled Dejis. “Are you with him or me?” She sat back and steepled her white hands before her as she studied the Dejis she had handpicked for eternal life in the ancestral realm.
She smiled. “I will now know who does belong to me. Before you choose, you should know the consequences of your actions. You—”
“Mother,” Divina called out sharply, “don’t consider this proposition. Destroy him!”
The Ancestral Mother rose. Everyone fell silent as they looked to her. She rose without a sound until the feathers of her great wings hovered over the assembled Dejis.
“Look at yourselves,” she invited. The Matriarch turned as they studied each other carefully, “some already doubt my ability to rule over you and the mortals.” Her voice dropped suddenly. “You doubt me even after spending thousands of years with me. I gave you life, I gave you power and crowned your existence by gifting you a life beyond equal- immortality not on Uwan,” she paused and looked at each Deji, “but here in the ancestral realm.”
The Ancestral Mother raised her wings higher as she hissed at them. “A life without equal, a life without the struggles and uncertainties that plagued your existence on Uwan. A new mortal and the next Deji, Wereu will be joining your ranks, and this is the path you want to show her?”
“You gave us the freedom of choice; she will make hers surely,” Yas said demurely.
“Yes, she will,” The Ancestral Mother returned in a rueful tone. “Because you doubt, Yas and any who wish to join him will get a chance to rule.”
“You have—” Yas started.
The Ancestral Mother raised her hand and lowered her white form until she sat again on her throne. Quietly, she said, “Yas, and those who join him will not lose their immortality over this.
Yas expelled a sigh of relief so huge the Matriarch felt the white clouds before him vibrate in energy. So, losing his immortality scared him like nothing could, why didn’t Mother just destroy Yas.
“They should be destroyed three times over!” Divina shouted in outrage prompting a wry smile from the Matriarch.
“Let this be the last time you interrupt me,” The Ancestral Mother warned Divina. “You will retain immortality to suffer forever banished to the dungeons of Uwan. You will become even lesser than the mortals who worship you now.”
Yas threw the frustrated Divina a smug smile.
“I am sorry Mother, but what about the mortals who will be more greatly affected? It is their fate at stake here,” Divina said in a rush so quick that gusts of white clouds from her mouth punctuated each word.
The Matriarch grew cold. No one had remembered the mortals.
The assembly grew silent as they waited for The Ancestral Mother to address an aspect none had given a thought to, so entranced had Yas held them.
Surely Mother would simply destroy him now. The Matriarch gave Yas a small smile and nearly laughed out loud at the expression on his face. He must be silently cursing Divina and condemning her to the same dungeons Mother would cast him if he failed.
If he could.
The Matriarch clenched her fist and held her breath, waiting for The Ancestral Mother to rise to the rescue of her creations as she always had. They had seen her do so more times than they could count in their immortal life.
The Ancestral Mother sat back slowly, her gaze on her Utay. Differences aside, the Matriarch had to admit Divina was truly good. Too blunt perhaps, but good.
Surely Mother would take a moment to consider the mortals. She would put an end to this. There would be repercussions if a lesser Yas took over rulership from the greater and merciful creator. She was also scared of his intentions, especially since he had nothing to lose- from his own reasoning, they would all suffer the same fate as their predecessors. Helpless mortals would bear the brunt of this rebellion. How could Yas think he’ll rule better than his creator?
The Ancestral Mother threw the Matriarch a look. Fleeting as it was, it terrified her. The creator would see her decision to completion.
“I am much overcome by my anger at Yas’ audacity,” The Ancestral Mother admitted with a sad smile.
Divina breathe in sharply and swung frightened eyes to the Matriarch.
Yas floated upwards, nearly losing control of his wings in his relief.
The Matriarch held her breath and waited for Mother’s next words as the other Dejis leaned forward.
“You will get the power you need,” The Ancestral Mother announced. “but you will suffer my wrath when you fail,” she concluded over their shocked gasps.
“You don’t have to reply, you have nothing to prove Mother,” Divina’s words rang out, tinged with exasperation and puzzlement and she flipped her wings behind her in anger.
“I know, but I have seen how enticing Yas’ proposition is to some of you and your reaction to learning you are not perfect and have predecessors.” She leveled a sharp gaze on each one of them, causing some to look away guiltily. “Ah! Look at that look of guilt. You brought a question before me and by my powers you will get the answer you are asking for,” she finished ominously.
“But the mortals are innocent in this,” The Matriarch cried.
“Yes.” The Ancestral Mother remained implacable. The depth of her feeling of betrayal unchanged.
“My descendants...” the Matriarch whispered faintly as the enormity of the situation struck her anew.
“If you must answer Yas’ foolish question, must the mortals be involved?” Divina asked as she totally ignored Yas’ glare.
“Who will he and his cohorts rule over, you?” The Ancestral Mother asked. “To prove his point, he will rule over someone, wouldn’t he?”
Divina stared. She had never seen The Ancestral Mother like this, never.
“Thank—” Yas began.
“You are rejecting my rule,” The Ancestral Mother interjected, turning a questioning eye on Yas who nodded his assent. “But you need power to prove your point, my power,” she added.
“Yes,” Yas said.
“I will give you the key to the black stone,” The Ancestral Mother announced.
Everyone froze as all absorbed this. It was not the key that elicited the reaction, the Matriarch knew, but the black stone itself. How the rumors surrounding the mysterious black stone had begun, no one was certain; not the mortals, not the Dejis, only The Ancestral Mother, for she was the creator. But she never confirmed or denied the stone’s existence. Rumors said it was as old as the Dejis. The key was a miniature of the great black stone with only a small fraction of its power but capable of similar acts. As powerful as the great black stone was, the key would be needed to unlock the stone’s powers. With its existence shrouded in mystery, mortals and Dejis alike speculated, lies and wove tales of myth that further enlarged the black stone. The Dejis were just as sure of the stone’s location- it could be found nowhere in the ancestral realm, that left Uwan. But did it even exist, or was it mere rumors? Wai
t, the Matriarch froze. If Mother was giving Yas the key, it was no longer a question of whether it existed, but where and what it was and just how powerful it could be.
The Matriarch, Divina and a few Dejis sprang up. “Impossible,” they declared in anger.
Yas’ eyes gleamed in satisfaction. “Does this mean the black stone exists?”
The Ancestral Mother controlled her anger and pain with effort. For all her powers, she hadn’t foreseen this. How could she have when she had made her power of foreknowledge inactive to give her Dejis freedom of choice? She’d trusted them. The creator had kept the black stone, not exactly a secret, but she never talked about it at all. Not for any particular reason, but because she saw no need for her Dejis to know about it. In Divina’s words, it was no concern of theirs.
Then the questions surrounding the black stone had begun. At first, it had amused her. Now, it annoyed her.
“There’s enough power in the key for you to rule. You don’t need the black stone, I give you the authority to prove your point using the key only.” She paused. “The key will give you power to rule, affect mortal lives and control their rulership as you please.”
“How?” Yas asked.
“A small portion of my power is in the key.”
The Ancestral Mother leaned back on her throne. “This is my decision. Those who believe in and know me will understand that I have knowledge about all things. When I granted you access to the ancestral realm, I never used my powers on you. You had freedom, you still do. I knew you, but I never foreknew you, never read your minds, neither did I predestine you,” her eyes glinted, “and this is how you repay my trust.”
“You don’t have to do this, we recognize you, we believe in you, just destroy them,” the Matriarch urged.
The Ancestral Mother smiled. “No, that will be too easy. Every creation will be a witness as this question of sovereignty is resolved. When we are done, there will be not a shadow of a doubt who should sit on this throne.”
LONG AFTER THE OTHER Dejis had flown out to other parts of the vast ancestral realm, The Matriarch, the closest to The Ancestral Mother and the Utay, Divina remained. Lines of tension pulled their white faces taut, giving it a molten hue. It caused their wings to hang awkwardly off their backs. They sat quiet and shocked by the events of the day.
“If I had not been at the meeting today, and you informed me of the subject, I would not have believed it,” Divina’s voice was overly loud in the tense silence left by the other Dejis.
“No,” The Matriarch’s reply was short and subdued.
“Look at that,” Divina’s mouth twisted in a sneer. “Yas wants the best for the mortals. So, he is actually doing this because his heart oozes goodness for the mortals.” Her tone turned wry and sarcastic, “Yas has always been selfless even as a mortal,” she swung to the Matriarch, “hasn’t he?”
The Matriarch gave a short laugh. She eyed Divina drolly. Funny, she had assumed the Utay disliked her and had naturally returned the emotion. But now, she wasn’t so sure. “Goodness and selflessness,” a white brow went up, “that doesn’t do him justice.”
“Believe me, I know. I will not forget his oratory skills anytime soon.” Divina’s expression was sour.
The Matriarch sighed loudly, not even as an over worked mortal had she been this tired. She pressed a thumb to her temples and rubbed off an imaginary ache. Nothing made sense to her. “Yas comes up with an idea that Dejis might be best suited to rule over Uwan,” the Matriarch said slowly.
Divina scrunched up her face until her eyes squeezed shut. “But I think the knowledge of a predecessor before our predecessors shocked everyone,” the Utay said quietly.
“The existence of a predecessor is shocking let alone another predecessor.”
“Seriously? I was...” Divina shook her head, at a loss for words.
“Disappointed?”
“Not exactly disappointed,” Divina returned, “obviously as our creator who has existed for all time, our Mother must have gone through life a hundred times over; seen, done and planned things we can never begin to imagine.” She laughed dryly.
“Yes,” the Matriarch nodded, “she can’t have just existed without doing something with the time stretched endlessly before her.”
“In that respect, we’ve got no right, not the audacity to question her. I see it like a mortal who married twice, the first wife dies, he marries the second and the second—”
“Starts to question things he must have done with the first.”
“Yes, it is none of our business, but I felt real fear,” Divina admitted, “Yas might have a point, if Mother gets tired or whatever reason she has, we can suffer the same fate as—”
“No, she can’t do that!”
Divina shook her head. “It is not a question of can’t but won’t. She has done it before, so she can still do it.”
The Matriarch shook her head and her objection grew in her eyes and lips.
Divina held up a hand. “But we have no right to question what she does. The thought alone is ridiculous. We should be grateful we exist and forget every other thing.” She scrunched up her face like a mortal smelling something distasteful. “Unlike the all-knowing Yas,” she concluded sarcastically.
The Matriarch struggled not to laugh at the Utay’s expression.
Divina’s face cleared to be replaced by a golden glow. Her voice dropped, “The predecessor thing doesn’t bother me as much as Mother agreeing and handing the key to the great black stone over,” she paused, “why?”
“I think...” the Matriarch hesitated, the faces of the others flickering through her mind’s eye at an astonishing speed. She couldn’t trust anyone, she realized with a sinking heart. The weight of the glance Divina threw her way was telling and prompting her to continue. “I think Mother was so shocked and pained—”
“And that’s why she agreed?”
“Just think ab—”
“Logical,” Divina interjected with a grimace.
“Yes,” the Matriarch said in a firm voice. “She creates the first creations, decides to start over—”
“Don’t forget the second—”
“Gives her next creation everything—”
“Even pauses her power of foreknowledge over us.”
“She trusts us so much she even gave us immortality, a place in her home and,” her voice became hushed, “the lack of foreknowledge. Mother can read our past, present and future actions, but she does not; to give us freedom.”
“And see how well that turned out.” Divina said. “But that doesn’t answer the question,” she challenged.
The Matriarch hesitated.
Divina pointed a forefinger in her face. “And that is the second time you will hesitate.” she cocked her head to the side, “shouldn’t I suspect you? You know everything.”
The Matriarch smiled and shrugged. “I should, but I don’t. As you now know, they are people before me.”
With a near violent twist of her shoulders, Divina shook her head with her whole body, wings, head and legs. “The black stone is no longer a secret,” she began, daring the Matriarch into a confession.
A lesser Deji would be intimidated by the Utay, always blunt and fearless. Now she understood why The Ancestral Mother picked the other woman not only for immortal life but for the position of an Utay. A decision she found fault with at the time.
Perplexed, Divina continued absently. “But to give them the key to the black stone?” She drew out her utterance of the black stone, imbuing each syllable with reverence.
The Matriarch shook her head sharply in response. Unlike Divina, it was The Ancestral Mother’s acceding to Yas’ demands that had shocked her more than anything else that had been said. Divina would not understand why The Ancestral Mother’s agreement with Yas still made no sense to her.
“At least she didn’t hand the black stone to him,” the Matriarch said with a sarcastic bite.
“If Yas finds the Blackstone, what’s the wo
rst that would happen?” she asked curiously.
The Matriarch raised a cold eyebrow. “That’s the worst that would happen. As powerful as the Blackstone is, it and all the ancestral creatures in it would need to feed.”
“Why would they need to feed? I thought they lay dormant.”
“Unlocking the stone wakes them up,” the Matriarch explained.
“But it still doesn’t explain why the Blackstone which is essentially just a dumping ground for ancestral powers—”
“And as we now know, the ancient creatures destroyed by Mother,” the Matriarch added quickly.
“Yes. The Blackstone isn’t alive, why should it need to be fed?”
The Matriarch gave an awkward shrug. “As difficult as it is to believe, I don’t know much about the Black stone.”
“I still think she should have destroyed him or condemned him to Sylla. You ascended before us all,” Divina said to The Matriarch, “has the great Mother given you a reason to perceive the black stone exists?”
“You joined us soon after,” The Matriarch’s tone was wry, “was there anything said to make you feel it exists, has it even ever been mentioned?” She returned.
“From where did the rumors begin?” Divina sounded puzzled, ignoring her question.
“Even as a mortal witch on Uwan, the myth of the black stone was everywhere and nowhere,” the Matriarch whispered. “How The Ancestral Mother used her creative powers in creating an object so powerful that she had to bury it before or after she created Uwan. That the black stone is an animal that had existed for thousands of years it—”
“That it could even be a Deji,” Divina completed.
The Matriarch scoffed. “That’s the worst.”
“Well, everyone tried to answer the difficult question the black stone posed.”
The Matriarch smiled fondly. “I still recall the stories my parents told during the evening meal. How the first mortal stumbled on the black stone, didn’t know what it was, but ran back to tell the whole village, and before he returned it had disappeared.”
“But you have always known the black stone might exist?” Divina asked.