Schisms

by V. A. Jeffrey

  Chapter Five

  Anet fumbled and dropped her knife. If Instructress Helga saw her bumbling like this she would have put her on floor- scrubbing duty. Getting down from the stool to reach for it, she bumped the basket of beets she had been peeling, hands red as blood from the raw beet juice. Beets rolled all over the floor.

  “Aich!” She yelled in frustration.

  “What is the matter?” Asked Kaisha.

  “Nothing!” Anet snapped. Kaisha laughed.

  “You just hate chores, don't you? You're lazier than I am, Anet! If Instructress Helga sees this you'll be on kitchen duty all week!” Kaisha dried the last dish and set it on top of the other washed and dried dishes. They were visiting the city, Yallas-by-the-Sea on a healing mission. The Scions of the Desert Mothers, as they were called these days, or Desert Sisters, were well known for their healing abilities. The more experienced women were even more skilled at healing than the physicians and were often called upon when deadly diseases took hold in a place or when hard childbirths might cause death. Often, one large party would leave the citadel and once they reached their destination they broke up into two parties, one visiting from house to house in the neighborhoods and the other staying in the town or village square, healing those that came to them.

  Yallas-by-the-Sea was once part of Hybron before the Veiled Age but was annexed by the king of Zapulia, King Temuz.

  The mission gave her a chance to escape the drudgery of endless chores she was forced to do at the citadel. Or so she'd thought. Back home there was sweeping, weaving baskets, fixing looms, repairing bricks (the worst) peeling and preserving vegetables and fruit, tending chickens and goats or laundry. That was besides the history studies and the reading of the holy book. Then there was attending Instructress Matha and her apprentice, Sorrell, when she needed to create tinctures, salves and other medicines. Sometimes she was sent out with Sorrell to find plants, roots and other things for these herbal potions and she liked that. Instructress Matha, the expert herbalist of the citadel, also wrote down the ingredients and the recipes for making them into medicines, which were legion. She also drew botanical illustrations of all the plants and herbs they used and these were made into books and stored in the library. Anet found these drawings fascinating.

  Unfortunately, even in a new and wonderful city with so much to experience, Mother Berenice had found chores for them to do.

  They were at the home of a man named Ladin and his wife, whose daughter was having a difficult birth. Her own husband, a sailor, was out at sea and so she was staying with her family until his return. She had been in labor for many hours by the time the Scions had arrived and her father had run to see them, pleading with them to help his daughter. This would be her first child. When Anet heard the woman's piercing screams upstairs she grew quiet. She was glad she had not started bleeding. It seemed that once that happened, a girl was rushed off to be married. Anet did not want to be a married woman. Having a baby seemed wonderful but also frightening and some women died from the birth itself or childbed fever if they did not have a scion as a midwife.

  While the midwives were attending her, Kaisha and Anet were helping the household with the cooking. They had prepared many meals already and put them away for the family's later use, washed clothing and bedding, swept the house clean and even administered medicines to other families in the neighborhood that week who needed them. After all, as Mother Berenice often reasoned, a woman had little time for housework and chores after a babe was newly born and some fell into a black mood. It was imperative that she get help during this time. And for the black moods, Mother Berenice prescribed meat fat and generous quantities of fresh butter, if the family could get it.

  “Does this mean we would be here forever, doing this woman's work for her?” Anet had complained earlier that morning. Mother Berenice chided her.

  “If and when you become a wife and mother you will understand, my little Anetji. All servants of God live to be in service to others and women, most of all.” As far as Anet was concerned, she would never be a wife and mother. The blood and screaming at childbirth, the chores! No!

  Footsteps fled downstairs and into the kitchen. A steaming pot of water was sitting in front of the hearth. Instructress Zipporah heaved it up and pushed through the door and back upstairs. Kaisha and Anet remained quiet as the screams descended into moans from the laboring woman upstairs. Zipporah had come down hours earlier to fetch her sewing needles – huge frightening looking things – while the other midwives prepared long strings of hardened tripe. “To sew up bad wounds!” She'd told Anet once. Anet shivered at the thought and now worked to keep busy to take her mind off of the childbirth. She filled pots with sliced beets, salt, garlic and whey from an ewer and filled them with water and sealed them. Kaisha fried potatoes with vegetables and fat and then began slicing up the eels. Anet rinsed the soaked beans, pouring the water in a large tub for the family bath the next day and poured the beans in a new pot, boiled them in the bone broth with herbs and salt. Their hands were busy with work, their minds were still on whether they would hear of triumph or death upstairs. She sorely hoped nothing bad would happen. As they set the table and prepared the evening meal they heard the long awaited cry of a newborn baby. The mother and the woman's sisters were upstairs while the little ones and the rest of the family were downstairs. Finally, Mother Berenice came down, her apron was bloodied but she had a big smile on her face.

  “A healthy boy is born to the family.” The family rejoiced. Both Anet and Kaisha hugged each other in great relief.

  “But how is she? My daughter? Will she. . .” Asked the mother. Mother Berenice took her aside. Anet, always curious, followed them, careful to stay hidden under the staircase.

  “She will survive as long as you keep everything around her and the baby well cleaned. There are wounds and tearing around her birth opening. Her wounds are serious and will take a long time to heal. Much healing salve must be applied to the wounds three times a day and keep giving her the lady's mantle tea and the salve on the wounds. You must do this for the next two months.”

  “Of course you must join us for evening meal, Mother! All of you!” Called the father. This was Anet's favorite part of traveling, sharing meals with new people. Everywhere the scions went people paid them either in livestock, expensive goods, copper, gold or silver or if they were poor, with sharing a meal. This family had already given them a tiny bottle of myrrh. However, payment was never required and the scions only took enough to cover traveling expenses and necessities. The rest was given as an offering at the citadel or to help poor townspeople or the people of the land when they reached Gamina. They never passed up an opportunity to share a meal.

  After sending up a meal for the young mother and her sisters the rest of the family sat down to eat. This was Anet's first time having fried eel. It smelled good. People here ate seafood nearly every day. Jhis and Gamina were landlocked and creatures of the sea were very expensive, making any seafood a delicacy. Mother Berenice said a prayer to Airend-Ur and they sat down to eat. Anet looked around the room. The rough wooden columns were carved with little symbols the fish goddess and her attendants. An altar to her sat in the far end of the dining hall with tiny stone bowls of water, bones and candles and a small wooden image of the goddess with her long fish tail sat above, held upon a stand. Many gods were worshiped in Zapulia and Hybron. Yallas-by-the-Sea was a rich medley of many cultures from both lands. People worshiped lions, the sea, the moon, the sun, horses, mountains and many more things she could not count. Some of these gods were frightening and made her glad hers only seemed to required study, prayer and chores. She also noted that when they had just arrived in the city there was a strange celebration being held. An effigy of the king of Hybron was being burned and people were shouting insults and curses at it, saying: “Khalit the usurper who eats the flesh of men!” And they laid it upon an altar and burned it to a god she did not know.

  But there were so many wonderf
ul things to see at the markets and the docks, especially the great ships docked at the ports. There were rows and rows of ships as far as the eye could see, some with rows of oars, others with no oarsmen and many carried exotic things and exotic people. Like the Valierite sailors' glittering swords, axes and the ivory, whalebone, luxurious animal furs and amber. They were very pale people from the Great Ridge Lands. Some even with hair like fire! And there were the black-skinned peoples of the South Lands with their fine gold, precious gems of all sorts, tin, ivory and flax. There were the great fat ships with golden bows with some great god or goddess at its head, ships always laden with precious things like gold and silver, hundreds of spices, salt and cloth of silk, wool or cotton and exotic animals out of stories. Then there was the bounty of food. Yallas-by-the-Sea was a wealthy city, more interesting than even the prosperous Yallas-of-the-Valley. Even with all the jumble of sights and sounds new and exotic, Alhar, the dominant tongue in Hybron, was the universal tongue in many lands; the language of commerce, as Mother Berenice had put it. A great stone image of Dana stood before the port, the massive lighthouse and identifying mark of the city, her arm outstretched, holding an oil lamp and at night that lamp was lit with fires. One night when it was foggy Instructress Zipporah took her and the other young ones to see it. It was a mystical sight to Anet.

  She poured herself a bit of white wine in her water cup. The wines in Yallas were often sweet and white. She liked any fermented drink, when she was allowed to have it, but wine was most delicious and it was not often that she had it.

  “We do not normally eat so lavishly but it is a blessing to have you all with us.” Said Ladin in his slightly accented Alhar.

  “Where will you go next? Whom will you visit? We have an old friend who has such terrible aches in his back, he could surely use one of your ointments.”

  “Old Enkil? Still around, is he?” Chuckled Maia.

  “Indeed. He holds on to life like a barnacle on a ship!” He said, laughing.

  “We will be sure to visit him in the morning before we leave. There is another party of scions elsewhere in the city. I wonder if they have gotten around to this quarter?” Said Mother Berenice.

  “No. Instructress Iddina and her party have stayed in the city square.” Said Maia.

  “Ah! In any case, we thank you for the work you do.”

  “It is no work for us.” Said Mother Berenice.

  “How long will you be in the city?” Asked Behth, the wife.

  “Only six more days but I am sure we will be back within the year.”

  “We will be glad of you, Mother Berenice.” Mother Berenice waved her hand and shook her head.

  “Only Berenice, thank you.” She said. Suddenly, there was a frantic knocking at the door. The man got up to answer it. There was a boy standing there breathing heavily.

  “Yes?”

  “I have a message for the Desert Sisters!” Mother Berenice rose from the table.

  “What is it, son?”

  “A caravan that just arrived in the city! The merchants say that the Hatchet Men are waiting to kill you when you leave the city! They say do not go that way! There is an ambush that way!” Anet felt fear rising in the room. The Ainash somehow found out! Always, the Ainash were seeking to stamp them out.

  “What will we do? How do we get out of the city?” Cried Kaisha.

  “Shh! A way will be provided. No need to panic, yet.” Mother Berenice said but her expression was grave.

  “You must go by ship.” Said Ladin. “It is too late tonight but on the morrow, I will go to the docks and ask about a ship for you.”

  “Thank you. That is kind of you.”

  “But you have to hurry! Some of them are headed toward the city. If they find you here. . .” Said the boy urgently.

  “Here? In a foreign city? They would dare to make trouble so far from home?” Asked Instructress Zipporah.

  “Do not under estimate the Ainash. They make trouble wherever they can. The Hatchet Men do their dirty work. They themselves are not here to be blamed for anything.” Said Instructress Helga.

  “Who are the Hatchet Men?” Asked the Behth..

  “Good-for-nothing men that hang around the marketplaces in Jhis. Robbers and murderers put to use as strongmen and hired killers for the priesthood.”

  “From whom did you hear this from. . .” But the boy had disappeared down the street. The man got up and closed and locked the door.

  “Mother, do you think our sisters in the square will be safe? If they are coming. . ?” Asked Helga. Berenice shook her head. The wife spoke up.

  “Please! If you can find them, tell them to come here and stay. Things are becoming more dangerous these days and if those men are coming to search you out. . .” She shook her head. “No! All of you must come and stay here. It will be very crowded but please! You saved our daughter's life. It is the least we can do.” Anet volunteered.

  “I will go and bring them here! Mother?” She asked, giving Mother Berenice a questing look.

  “Not by yourself and at this hour! It is evening, girl!” Said Helga.

  “I can send one of my sons to go along with her.” Said Ladin. “Ganem! Get up and gird yourself and go with mistress Anet to find the other party.” Ganem, one of the youngest boys, got up immediately and put on his sandals and a tunic over his pants. Anet grabbed a wide scarf from Kaisha and wrapped it around her shoulders and hair. They both dashed from the house.

  Ganem, no more than about eight years, was swift as a gazelle. She could barely keep up on his heels as they twisted through many narrow streets, passing by rows and rows of tiny, jumbled houses and under clotheslines and flew by wandering goats and dogs. They passed by one of the city wells. An old man was drawing water. When he saw Anet's gray robe and scarf, he bowed and smiled. Anet smiled back but did not have time to say anything, less she lose sight of Ganem.

  “Come sister, we are almost there! To the eastern square!” Anet felt energized as they ran and leaped over raised gutters and paved streets. They passed by a fountain of the goddess Dana with her fishtailed babies swimming all around her fishtail and just as they passed the Fountain of Dana, there was the eastern square. Crowds were still gathered to be healed or to beg for some herbal remedy. The merchants were closing up shop for the day. The scions were very busy boiling water, washing scraps of cloth, chopping roots or grinding ingredients in mortars and pestle, administering medicines or talking with people about their various ailments. Anet was nearly winded when they'd reached the square.

  “What do I say? I don't want to cause a panic.” Whispered Anet, mostly to herself. Ganem shrugged.

  “Do you mind helping us even more, Ganem?” Ganem's dark eyes lit up.

  “I want to help!”

  “Good! Follow me.” Anet approached the square and Instructress Iddina saw her while administering ointment to a woman's eczematous arm.

  “You must bathe it twice a day and put the salve upon it twice a day and drink the root tea four times a day for two weeks to cleanse yourself.” Said Iddina. The woman nodded. She then turned to Anet.

  “Anetji! What are you doing here so soon?”

  “Instructress Iddina, I must speak with you. It's important.” Anet looked around fearfully. Iddina seemed to understand they needed some privacy. Anet motioned for Ganem to follow her. Another sister took over Iddina's work and they wound through the knots of crowds. They finally came to the small pavilion where the scions slept.

  “Ganem, stand guard right outside here.” Anet said to the boy. Ganem obeyed. Iddina gave them both an amused look. They went inside. “What is it, Anet, Your Greatness?” She teased. Usually Anet enjoyed Iddina's mischievousness but this was serious.

  “Hatchet Men. A messenger came to the house to warn us. They plan to ambush us after we leave the city.” Iddina's expression soured.

  “Ambush? But we travel with armed guards!”

  “They are getting bolder and we do not travel with enough guards. It wi
ll get them killed too. Besides that, he said that they were making their way into the city to hunt us down.”

  “Gudzhinza!” Cursed Iddina in her mother tongue. Anet nearly jumped in surprise.

  “What does that mean?”

  “Forgive me. And never mind what it means.” She said apologetically.

  “The man in whose home we are staying says he will find a ship that can take us back.”

  “A ship? And how will he find a ship to carry twenty extra people?”

  “I do not know.”

  “And besides, where will this ship take us? How far will we have to travel to get back to the citadel?” Iddina was wagging her head, her long, coily twists of hair shaking and quivering. She was of the ebony-skinned tribes of the South Lands, a Makebitess, and her tribe often traveled near the boundaries of the kingdom of Jura. Then she stopped and laughed.

  “It may very well take me home and perhaps I will see my brothers again, but everyone else will be out of their way. Then there is the question of food on such a long and arduous journey back.”

  “Perhaps we should pray to Airend-Ur the Lord of the Deep and do what we always do, rely on the goodwill of the people we help. We are known far and wide.” Said Anet. Iddina smiled.

  “Well! You are wise, Anet. Here I am, a desert sister for some years and did not think to look to God first. You may become a Mother of the Citadel yet!” Anet beamed. It seemed a very good thing. But Mother Berenice did not go on missions very often. Because of her many duties she was tied to the fortress. Anet preferred to be one of the courier scions or an emissary. But sometimes they were killed. There were the guardian and warrior scions, who on rare occasion showed her how to use a bow and arrow or a dagger. Then she thought of the southern lands Iddina hailed from. She had never been there. Perhaps she would get her adventure after all.

  They left the square when the moons were high in the sky and a small crowd of young and old men with lanterns and torches escorted the scions to the house, all proudly lead by little Ganem.

  “I am concerned, Anet.” Whispered Iddina.

  “Why? We are safe now, Iddina.”

  “But the people here, the family. If the Hatchet Men are coming, they will come in cover of darkness. Even though the people are friendly to us, gold and silver can despoil the hearts of some. Perhaps someone in the city can be bought off to find those that are helping us.”

  “Oh.” Anet had not thought of that and a knot began to grow in her belly at the thought.

  “Do not worry over much, Iddina.” Said an elderly sister who had been listening. “I am sure by the time they get here we will be long gone. Besides, I find that when we pray for those, especially those who show us kindness, God listens and acts on that request. Be not worried, my sister.” She said warmly. This would be the last mission for Carisse. She, like Helga, was from the Great Ridge Lands, fair skinned and fair haired. Carisse had gentle brown eyes and hair white as clean cotton and fine as silk. She was being helped along by another young sister Anet's age, Nirka, and half-hobbling along on her elaborately carved cane given to her as a gift long ago. It came from the family of a wood-carver for healing their child of leprosy. The man risked punishment for making such a beautiful thing for someone not of high station. Such was the condition of Jhis, back when it was a city-state. A few things had changed since then. One being that it was dangerous for the scions to ever go back to Jhis. Their enemies, the Ainash remained a powerful influence there.

  Once they'd reached the house the small crowd bade them good night and called for the gods to bless them. They all packed in, unfolding robes, tunics and blankets to sleep on. It was very crowded but Anet loved it. She was surrounded by sisters everywhere. She felt excited because they slept under different stars and safe because they were all together.