by Ada Haynes
The guest rooms all branched off from the main stair. Some of them had a Lake view. Most of them were within the crater wall. His family was fighting bitterly about getting a room with a Lake view, of course. He could not complain. As an Akeneires’el he had a whole suite to himself and his view was only bettered by the Caller’s home.
“You are such a lucky bastard, Ekbeth! I had forgotten how fantastic the place was!”
He smiled at Sarah-Lysliana. “Thanks. I suppose. I’m afraid I have to abandon you to your admiration. The Aramalinyia is waiting for me.”
“Oh. I’ll manage. And Gramp is really frowning at me right now. Better go! It was nice to talk with you, Ekbeth.”
Duncan McLean was not the only frowning person in the room. His Es’ael was particularly upset. Ekbeth ignored them. He took the plate of food offered by one of his servants then turned towards the Aramalinyia. The plate was quite heavy, large and filled with the most creatively prepared food imaginable—As’mir style. The presentation was an artistic representation of the forest surrounding the Valley. Ekbeth was sure his cook must have spent the entire year planning the exquisite decoration. Every single morsel on that plate was a marvel in itself. Fluffy trees, miniature sugar flowers, chocolate butterflies, almond paste swans, and even his own favorite, the small deers made of dough and delicately dotted with sugary mixtures.
Ekbeth could feel the cook’s eyes on his back, and managed not to smile. He’d better not let the plate fall, or make a fool of himself in any other way, if he wanted to live another night. The cook would never forgive him. Neither would his family.
It was just a tradition. But traditions were important for the community. And it was only the second time he was participating actively in this one. He bowed, managing somehow to keep the plate level. “Welcome to our house, Venerable. Please accept this humble meal.”
The Aramalinyia took her time to pick a piece of food off the tray. The whole community was holding its breath.
These moments made him remember all the family members he had lost in the past years: his mother, his father, then his two brothers. He still had some distant relatives in this house, but direct relatives were few nowadays. His cousin Lyrian, banished. His niece Alyasini. That was about it.
The Aramalinyia finally chose a piece of elaborate fruit shaped as a fish. “Thank you for your hospitality, Akeneires’el. Ara will be pleased.”
This was the sign everyone had been waiting. They could start eating.
He gave the plate back to the servant.
The Aramalinyia tapped his arm. “Well done, young man. And very brave of you to enter this place with a McLean. Ara will be pleased, indeed.”
*
Ekbeth stayed as long as he had to, then managed to leave the hall without anyone noticing. At least he hoped that was the case. He just needed ten minutes. He hurried. If the girl had left Kse’Annilis already.
He had an idea. A bloody brilliant idea! Maybe he was going to survive this Aras’arisidz after all.
Akalabeth was still in Alyasini’s room when he entered it.
Her alarm at his entrance, before realizing who it was, quickly turned to suspicion when she saw Ekbeth’s intense expression. He tried to relax to reassure her.
“I want to help you, Kala, with lifting the ban. But vetoing the decision is not the solution. There must be something else. I just need time to think of it. In the meantime… you said you have nothing of value to exchange. That’s not exactly true.”
This time she looked at him, visibly confused.
“Your talent, Kala! Use your talent!”
Her mouth turned in a bitter bend. “I can’t ask for money for my gift, Uncle! That’s against…”
She suddenly stopped, putting things in perspective. “Of course, compared to what I’ve just done, asking for money would not be such a big breach of the law. But no one would be willing to pay me, Uncle.”
“Not exactly true. I’m ready to offer unlimited supplies of food for your help, believe me. Will your Sieven accept the food if he knows you’ve done some Call work for it?”
She hesitated, but finally nodded. “He won’t be happy, but I think he’ll bend. He’s getting as desperate as I am, even though he tries to hide it from me.”
“Good. It was a very brave thing you did, Kala, to come here. I’m afraid I’m going to ask you to do it a second time…”
She listened carefully.
By the time they had agreed on the plan and the amount of money Ekbeth was to provide for her help, Alyasini had joined them. The Aramalinyia was leaving and his presence was requested.
Akalabeth was a bit more serene when they left her again. Ekbeth had given her an honorable solution to her problem, even though it was not the ideal one.
But maybe some good would come out of this mess after all. Soon he would have the jewels back. That only left the small matter of his wedding to Shona. Maybe the Aramalinyia would change her mind about that. But he’d been around the old woman all his life. His chances were almost nonexistent and he knew it.
21
Shona was bored, and depressed. Still too weak to stand—she’d tried twice already. Her legs had not let her even get up. But the merciful periods of sleep were getting shorter and shorter. Merciful because she was not dreaming.
Awake, but unable to move, all she could do was think. And that was not a good thing because her thoughts only brought her back to what she had experienced with the Ke’As’mirin. She could set aside the very bad and the very good moments. But the parts they had insisted on, the parts she was not proud of, she could not get those out of her mind.
It had been all about choices. She had decided a long time ago that whatever the result of her choices would be, she would not linger on whether it had been a bad or a good decision. Once taken, it was just too late to change one’s mind. You had to assume the consequences. Whatever Maire had to say about it!
The thing was, most of her decisions had been taken under the influence of drugs, be it hash, alcohol or heroin. She had thought herself so clever at the time. Drugs seemed to help the decision-making. Thinking of her past, she had to admit: she was very lucky to be still alive. Because drugs had never helped. They had just pushed her further and further towards hell. And she probably would still be on that road, or dead, if Yeshe had not been there. He had saved her from herself.
She missed him so very much. She had always thought of herself as being so strong. But without him she was failing miserably. Look at the mess she’d put herself into right now!
The door of her room opened and a servant entered with a tray of food in her arms.
Shona sighed. More food.
They were fattening her up for the sacrifice—that was what they were doing!
“I’m not hungry!”
“Maybe not, but you still have to eat! You’ve lost a lot of weight during the Oyyads’erel, young lady. The Lake is not very far from this room, but you’ll need to be able to walk from this room into the water without help tonight. As you refuse all our medicines, the only way to get you on your feet is through food.”
Damn! Was the rest of the ceremony tonight already?
She looked at the Aramalinyia, who had entered the room behind the servant.
She was still angry at the woman for having drugged her and sent her to that awful trial.
But on the other side, she was fascinated.
Keremli had told her the Aramalinyia was well above her own two hundreds year old. How could one be so ancient and still have this youthful look? Oh, the hair was white and the skin all wrinkled, but there was an undeniable youthfulness in the dark eyes and on the lipless mouth, and she was certainly not moving across the room like an old person.
The servant put the food tray on Shona’s bed, then brought a chair next to it, on which the Aramalinyia sat. “Leave us, Leli. The young Oyyad is now strong enough to help herself from the plates.”
The servant bowed and left the room.
> The Aramalinyia pushed the tray toward Shona. “Eat!”
Shona was sure the old woman was not going to leave her alone until the tray was empty. With a sigh, she took the spoon and started picking up the food from the nearest bowl.
The As’mir food, as far as she had experienced it, was very elaborate. It was obvious that the cook took pride in the careful mix of ingredients, and especially in the presentation. It reminded her of Japanese food, except that the As’mirin definitely liked their food on the spicy side. She had had some very nasty surprises the first time she had tasted the food neatly arranged in tiny bowls, and had soon learned to avoid everything with a blue tinge. Curiously, the red foods tended to be rather sweet.
It was very confusing for her. Even more for her palate. A bit of warning would have been nice, but she knew better now. She had first ignored the covered bowl in the far corner of the tray. Not anymore. She took the bowl in one hand, uncovered it, and plunged her spoon into it. It was not rice. More like porridge. But the blandness certainly helped with eating the spicier stuff.
The Aramalinyia watched her eating in silence for a time, then nodded. “I’m glad you passed the Oyyads’erel, Oyyad. You are going to bring much to our community.”
Another mistake was to swallow the food too fast. Shona took her time before answering. “The Ancestors did not have your certainty, Aramalinyia. I understood the vote was almost against me coming back among the living.”
“Nonsense! You’re back, and the name they gave you is a sure indication they share my feeling.”
“The name?”
The old woman nodded. “Yes. Kimiel. That’s a most unusual name.”
Shona feigned indifference. She picked up a favorite red piece of something tasting like chicken—amazing that she already had favorite food—before asking, “What’s so unusual about it?”
The Aramalinyia was not fooled, if her smug smile was any indication. “Well, first of all, Kimiel is a man’s name. Then the best translation of its etymology would be ‘the redeemer.’ Knowing what I know from your past, I have to wonder what kind of redemption you’re going to bring us.”
Shona stopped eating and glared at her. “Keremli should never have told you about me in that letter. Had I known I would never have asked Ekbeth to send it to you!”
The old woman smiled quietly. “I disagree. My old friend Keremli was very right to tell me about you. What the Akeneires’el of the McLeans did to you and your family was unfair. I’m glad I could make it right. Even if only partially. Would your mother and your siblings be willing to come in the Valley if I invite them?”
Shona shook her head. “I doubt it. My mother decided she wanted nothing from the McLeans and the As’mirin in general after Duncan chased us from the Island, and we’ve grown up with that idea firmly imprinted in our heads. But you better ask them, I have not spoken to any of them in years.”
The Aramalinyia sighed. “Just as stubborn as the whole lot! Being the spiritual leader of this community is sometimes such a heavy burden.”
Shona did not relent. “And I am not a McLean! You can rename me, but you can’t force me to accept them as family!”
There was a bit of anger in the Aramalinyia’s voice when she replied. “Yes. You and Duncan have made this very clear.” Then she smiled. “But I have thought of a solution. I’ll give you the original name of the McLeans. The one they had before your ancestor moved out of the Valley.”
Shona could not help wondering why the woman was being so conciliatory. But she supposed she would find out at some point of time.
She resumed her eating. “I suppose Keremli did not only talk about me in that letter?”
“Correct. She wants to come back in the Valley. It’s not only my decision, but she’ll have my support. And I think that if she brings the Kadj’dur back when bringing her petition to the Akeneires’el of the Na Duibhnes, he will not object either. He’s probably the most reasonable man of the whole lot! And she’s his great-great-grandmother, after all.”
The Aramalinyia rose. “Finish your meal and rest. The servants will come in an hour to start preparing you for tonight.”
Then she left the room.
So, Keremli’s problem was settled. Shona just had to find the Kadj’dur.
Just.
*
Dressing seemed to take forever. Shona had somehow managed to leave her bed and stand. Finally. That was all what was required from her. So she closed her eyes and waited. The women were assembling her costume, piece by piece, directly on her.
“Open your eyes, Oyyad. We’re done.”
At last! When she saw the result of the hours of work in the mirror, Shona hid her reaction well. The dress was composed of thousands squares of thin cloth, all of the purest white, and, though they covered her decently, she could still see her body through them.
She could live with that. What really surprised her were the jewels she was now wearing. Jade. On her arms, each of her fingers, her neck, her ears, and around her waist.
She recognized the central piece that was around her waist. It was the stone she had stolen from Ekbeth! So, the rest was probably all the pieces she must have put under the palm tree. How had he managed to get them back? When the Valley was supposed to be closed to all?
This was not the moment to ask, of course.
She nodded. “Very nice. Those are the Annilis Jewels, aren’t they?”
The nearest servant nodded. “You’re so lucky to be able to wear them, even if it’s only for a short time. This is our most precious treasure, Oyyad. We couldn’t put the hair jewels in though—your hair is too short. You would have lost them. Not something you would want to explain to the Community, believe me.”
Of that she was aware.
*
She had expected the Aramalinyia to come and pick her up, but, actually, Duncan McLean entered the room. They glared at each other for a moment.
Duncan McLean broke the silence. “So, you’ve won. You are now part of my family.”
She shook her head. “Not by choice, Seanair.”
He hissed. “Don’t call me that!”
She had expected that reaction. This had been her pet name for him when she was a child. “Grandfather” in Scottish. Before he rejected her.
It did not hurt her anymore. She did not care anymore what he thought of her.
“I think they are expecting us,” she said.
He grumbled something, then turned his back on her and walked outside of the room, her sign that she had to follow him, she supposed. She was glad some servants accompanied them, as she very well knew Duncan would not help her if she faltered now.
She had to concentrate on her steps, and the corridors were quite long, but eventually they came out of the building in which she had spent so many hours and had her first sight of the Lake and the city.
It took her breath away.
The moon was high in the sky, bathing the whole scenery in a silvery light. The Lake on her left side was so vast she could not see the end of it. On her right, behind a few trees, Kse’Annilis.
She was overwhelmed. It was all that her brother and her father had told her about when she’d been a child. The tiny houses with their uncountable arches, loggias, windows, going up and up, to the sky…
This was an enchanting view, but the most spectacular was the crowd amassed in front of her. The whole population was probably there tonight. Pity the light was not good enough to see more than their faces.
Let the Oyyad come to me.
The voice had spoken in her head, much as had happened with the ghosts in the forest. The crowd before her parted, opening her way to the Lake. One of the servants behind her whispered to her, “Go, Oyyad. Don’t be afraid. Our people will shed your robe, layer by layer, on your way to the water, so you appear naked before Ara. Then you will be blessed by the Goddess.”
Shona was more than thankful for the warning. She was now stronger than a few hours ago, but when the first hands b
egan to grasp and pull at her clothes, she almost lost her balance.
When she finally reached the shore, she was indeed stark naked, except for the jewels. What was she supposed to do now?
The Aramalinyia appeared out of nowhere in front of her, her feet a mere inch above the water.
Come to me Oyyad.
Curse the woman. This was a nice trick, but Shona was not so lucky. She had to enter the water, communicate with the Goddess, and so on. She could not refuse to go with the whole community watching her. The fools would probably push her inside the Lake if she did.
She placed a foot in the Lake and its water was as cold as she expected. Well, the faster, the better. She inhaled deeply and proceeded as fast as possible toward the levitating silhouette of the Aramalinyia. When she reached the old woman, with water up to her waist, Shona was freezing.
The Aramalinyia face was expressionless.
Ara speaks through me tonight. You have been measured by the Ke’As’mirin and judged worthy of joining our community. You have breathed our air, walked our ground and eaten our bread. Drink our water now.
And without more warning, the old woman pushed Shona’s head under water. The woman was strong for her age! Shona had to give in.
When she surfaced again, she was sputtering water, which had a terrible metallic taste.
Welcome back, child of Ara. You’ll be known as Kimiel Malcolm Keh Niriel among us from now on.
And, as suddenly as she had appeared, the Aramalinyia disappeared, leaving Shona alone in a bloody freezing Lake. All she could do was to return to the shore and the cheering As’mirin.
Some hands helped her out of the water and she was quickly covered in multiple layers of clothes. It took some time before her teeth stopped chattering from the cold.
Duncan McLean was next to her, she realized, but he carefully avoided touching her.
Most of her family’s congratulations were just as rigid. The only exception was that cousin she’d met for the first time two days ago. The young woman embraced her and put a kiss on her cheek. “Welcome, Cousin! I hope we’ll become good friends.”