by Eric Vall
“Um, I’ll… have to get back to you about that,” I replied.
The ability to transform objects would be cool, and I wondered if I’d ever get that ability. But this sounded a lot like alchemy, and I knew this was supposed to be Aleia’s special skill. I’d never heard the fairy mention it so far, though.
I zoomed in on the part of the ruins that laid behind the garden, but all I could see was a bunch of crumbled stones, so I needed to get the priestesses’ impression from the ground.
“This fruit is so good,” Penelope moaned as she bit into a plum. Another stream of juice ran down her chin, and she dabbed it off with her finger and stuck it in her mouth.
“Wow, Penelope, you really like that plum, don’t you?” Nicola giggled. “I haven’t heard you moan like that since, well…”
“Hushhhh, Nicola,” the naiad laughed. “It only tastes really good. Although, now that you mention it, this juicy fruit does kind of taste like Jack’s--”
“Okay,” I cut in. “That’s enough, both of you. We’re focusing on our tasks for the day.”
“Yeah, how much longer are we going to sit around?” Aleia tapped her fingers impatiently on the rock she was sitting on. “I want to go look around!”
“Fine, let’s go, sisters,” the naiad said as she stood up and dusted herself off. “I wish I could plant a plum tree with this pit, but I don’t think it’s the right time of year. Oh, I just thought of something! I wonder if the blessed water from the stream would help our garden grow faster and stronger. Do you think that would work, Jack?”
“I’m not sure,” I admitted. “But it’s definitely worth a shot.”
“Elowise gave me some carrot seeds, and some greens, and some beans, too,” the blue woman explained. “She said those were best to start in the summer, but the gnomes are happy to share their other crops with us until we have a chance to grow a more established garden next spring.”
“That is, unless your water can actually work magic,” Nicola reminded her. “Let’s not count that out. It would be so incredible, Penelope. Can you imagine having that kind of power?”
“Nicola, I didn’t think you believed in the creek,” Penelope laughed. “I haven’t heard you talk about it like this before.”
“I’m starting to believe in lots of things,” the dark-haired woman said with a tiny smile on her face. “Anyway, let’s go.”
The three women walked out the garden gate and looked from side to side.
“Jack, does it matter which way we go?” Aleia asked.
“If you look to your right, you can see the living quarters down the hill, right?” I questioned the priestesses, who all nodded. “Head in that direction and then turn. I want you to look at the space directly behind the garden.”
“Yes, my lord,” the fairy responded, and the three women began to walk in the direction I’d suggested.
“I wonder who used to live here,” Penelope chirped. “And I wonder how long ago it was.”
“They must have worshipped Jack,” Aleia guessed. “Otherwise there wouldn’t be that mural of him on the wall.”
“That’s true.” The naiad tapped a finger against her lips. “I know you’re one of the old gods, Jack, but I don’t know how old, exactly.”
“How old are some of the other gods?” I asked. “Like are we talking hundreds of years, or thousands, or…?”
“I don’t really know,” the cerulean woman said in an apologetic voice. “My studies of history are lacking. Do you know, sisters?”
“I don’t, but I would think Jack would know,” Nicola hinted.
“Uh… we don’t actually mingle too much,” I explained in a somewhat convincing tone. “Gods tend to stick to their own.”
“Well, that I can believe,” the brunette chuckled. “If I were another god, I’d hate to have to compete with you, Jack.”
“There would be no competition,” Penelope added. “How could anyone know Jack and not worship him with all their heart?”
I chuckled while Nicola smiled to herself.
“Well, I know too well how people are when it comes to gods,” Nicola mused. “They’re always discovering new ones to devote their lives to. My father’s wife participated in a religion that worshipped a young god. He had supposedly only been communicating with his followers for a couple years.”
“Really?” I asked as my intrigue piqued. “What’s this young god’s name?”
“Xomes the Immaculate,” the brunette answered, and if I had eyebrows, they would have bunched into a firm line.
“That’s… really what he’s called?” I clarified. “Xomes the Immaculate?”
“Yes,” Nicola snorted and rolled her eyes. “Isn’t it--”
“Pompous as hell?” I chuckled.
“I was going to say peculiar,” Penelope murmured with wide eyes.
“That’s putting it lightly,” I muttered half to myself. “Nicola, what is he the god of?”
“Nothing in particular.” The brunette shrugged.
“What?” Penelope scoffed as her eyes widened even more. “H-How could that be?”
“I don’t know,” Nicola sighed with some irritation, and I wondered if she wanted to change the subject. “I was forbidden to take part in any of their rituals, banished completely from all their gatherings. How could I know anything about him? I was too lowly to join their ridiculous circles, but his name is seared into my memory for the rest of my life. I can’t tell you how many times my stepmother would behave horribly, then tell me it was all on behalf of Xomes the Immaculate. That he knew what a vile creature I was.”
“Then I hate this Xomes of whatever,” Aleia curtly announced. “He sounds terrible and stupid.”
“I agree,” I added. “Nicola, you know that isn’t true, don’t you? What your stepmother said--”
“Jack, you know I don’t go in for all this god nonsense,” the brunette said with a smirk. “Do you really think I’d take the word of a supposed god who goes by a title like that?”
“I would hope not,” I chuckled lightly.
“Well, I am in agreement with all of you,” Penelope huffed. “This ‘Xomes’ character could not be a true god. Can you imagine being visited in your dreams by a man who just calls himself immaculate? By name?”
“Do other gods get to come down and visit their followers as I do?” I questioned the women, but they all shrugged.
“Similar to what the gnomes told you, fairies don’t really have a god,” Aleia explained. “We thank the spirits of the forest, the earth, and the sky, but there isn’t one god we pray to.”
“And all I know is from the nuns at the orphanage,” Penelope offered. “When I left, they had been worshipping the same god for several years without ever mentioning visitations. In fact, during my travels from the city, it was quite some time before I came across anyone who didn’t worship the same god as them.”
“I thought you said the nuns were always worshiping one god or another,” I recalled.
“Yes, this is what many people do, though,” the naiad explained, and Nicola nodded in agreement. “It’s so difficult to find a god who speaks so clearly to your soul, master. The nuns always chose the very worst gods to pray to for years and years, and they only became meaner as they did. Then, once the nuns found their true deity, they became awful about their devotion. Everything was about their rituals and offerings, and that’s when I started to become the most miserable.”
“What do you know about their god?” I asked.
“Oh, only as much as I cared to notice,” the naiad sighed, but the way she wrung her hands together made me wonder if she wanted to avoid the subject as much as Nicola had.
Not that I could blame them. Both women had suffered cruelly in the name of these gods, and I really didn’t want to make them relive any of this treatment on my account.
“I know he’s an old god,” Penelope continued as she fiddled with her fingers some more. “But I-I don’t like to think about him much. I used to
sing songs in my head during our studies so I could imagine I wasn’t even there. The nuns were so horrible, and if their god told them to treat children the way they did, then their god was horrible, too. Oh, dear… perhaps I shouldn’t say things like that.”
“I believe you,” Nicola replied in a grim tone. “I have seen the worst of religion.”
“And now the best, with Jack, of course,” the naiad purred, and she instantly cheered up just at the mention of my name. “I can’t imagine a better god than you, my lord. You’re precisely what all of us have been needing all our lives. You speak directly to our souls. You truly heal us.”
“I’m glad you feel that way,” I replied in earnest. “But Penelope, could you tell me the name of the old god the nuns ended up devoting themselves to?”
“Was it something pompous?” Nicola snickered.
“No, it’s boring,” Penelope sighed. “His name is Wei. He’s the God of Conquest.”
“Oh,” I said with some surprise. “That is different from the young god. Just Wei?”
“Just Wei,” the naiad confirmed.
“God of Conquest, huh?” Nicola asked with an amused expression. “How domineering.”
“Yes, isn’t it very unfriendly?” Penelope mused. “Not at all as benevolent sounding as you, Jack.”
“I suppose,” I agreed, although I didn’t really think “ones and zeroes” sounded benevolent. Then again, Penelope could never see anything but the best in me. “I wish we knew more about these two gods. Since they’re the only ones you all seem to have any experience with besides me.”
“I’ve heard of several, of course,” Nicola responded. “I couldn’t tell you much about their history, but really, all I’ve ever heard about their worshippers sounds so silly. The rituals people will go through…”
“I’m sorry we can’t tell you more,” Aleia sighed. “You teach us so much, but here we are, having no answers to your very few questions.”
“It’s alright,” I assured the fairy. “Maybe we can find other ways to learn about the history of the gods. Is there a library in the city?”
“Yes, there is,” Penelope replied with a nod, and I filed this tidbit away for later.
The priestesses approached an area that was essentially a large field with piles of different colored rocks scattered around. The whites, grays, and tans of the stones contrasted with the bright green of the grass and made for an intriguing sight. A few of the rocks were carved with glyphs like the altar, but most of them were bare.
Some of the stones were formed into bricks and flat slabs, while others were in a completely natural state. There were even ancient, worn-down carvings of what could have been forest animals scattered among the ruins.
When I examined the area more carefully, I realized there was a sort of perimeter around the space that was approximately thirty by thirty feet. The grass had grown over the stones that used to make up the walls to the room, but the outline of the area was still vaguely visible.
“This is amazing,” Aleia breathed as she tapped one of the exterior stones with a tiny foot. “Look at all this old stuff. Oh, is that a statue?”
The fairy floated across the grass and picked up a large piece of rounded white stone from the ground. It looked like a sphere to me at first, but then I realized it was carved with the outlines of a worn-down face.
“Do you know who that is?” I asked the strawberry-blonde.
“I don’t,” Aleia replied as she shook her head sadly. “I wish I knew more about… well, everything, really.”
Penelope walked over to the bust the fairy was holding and examined it carefully.
“Hmm, hard to tell, but I don’t think it’s you, Jack,” the naiad proclaimed. “Another old god, maybe?”
“Look at this,” Nicola called out. The brunette stood by one of the larger piles of rocks with a thoughtful expression on her face. “These rocks are bigger than the others, and they also look a little burnt. Do you think this could have been a fireplace?”
“Let me see,” I replied. I looked down at the pile of round, grayish rocks Nicola was staring at, and I could see burn marks on some of them. About half the rocks looked smooth and polished, while others were completely charred. “Yes, that would make sense.”
“There are certainly enough rocks over here to do a lot with,” the dark-haired woman responded as she continued to inspect the stones. “I occasionally think about my old kitchen. It was made of stone, and it always made me feel safe to be tucked away inside it. I hate to admit it because I’m so much happier now, but I do miss little comforts of home like that sometimes.”
“That’s understandable,” I told Nicola. “Life is rough when you’re constantly exposed to the elements.”
“But maybe someday we can rebuild everything!” Penelope interjected. “We can have a fireplace again, and a kitchen, and we’ll really get to sleep inside.”
“I love to be outside, but even I miss an indoor fire sometimes,” Aleia admitted. “In the treehouse--”
“Wait, you lived in a treehouse?” I interrupted. “That is… adorable. Keep talking.”
“Jack!” the fairy giggled. “Why would it be adorable? It’s just where fairies live back in the Deep Hazel Wilds. Anyway, in… our houses… we had fires, and it was nice to be able to gather around them, especially in the winter.”
“It is nice,” I agreed. “But if you keep working at this rate, who knows how much you’ll have done by winter?”
“We are working fast,” Aleia responded with a grin.
“Thanks to you, sister,” Penelope said as she stroked the fairy on her arm. “I don’t know how we would have ever gotten that roof done if it wasn’t for you.”
“Hey, look at this!” Nicola said as she pulled something round out of the pile of rocks. “It’s a pan!”
“Wowww…” Penelope breathed as she looked at the heavily-rusted object. “I wonder who used this.”
“The nuns, probably, whoever they were,” Aleia suggested. “I wonder if they did their own cooking and cleaning, or if they had servants.”
“I believe nuns are usually poor,” the naiad responded. “I know I’m always talking about the orphanage, but the nuns there certainly didn’t have servants. They had children to do their work, but that’s another story.”
“This could be a large kitchen,” Aleia noted as she glanced around the empty space. “It’s a lot bigger than the living quarters we’re staying in. I wonder if there were other dormitories on the grounds at one time because you could prepare a large amount of food in this space.”
“I wonder how many people you could squeeze into your room if you really tried,” I mused. “If you had women sleeping in small bunk beds, I bet you could fit at least six people total.”
“It’s already not big enough for me,” Penelope laughed.
“What do you want, sister, a palace?” Nicola asked. “I thought you were ready to make sacrifices to our lord.”
“Of course!” the naiad giggled. “But I did live in an actual building at one time.”
“I think you’re all good sports,” I told the women. “You’re out here in the woods, just for me…”
“That’s right.” Penelope nodded firmly. “Just for you, my lord.”
“Do you think we could clean this pan?” Nicola asked as she inspected the rusted item. “We could use it to cook over the fire.”
“We can clean it in the stream, of course,” the naiad said with a smile. “We can do that later, though. Is there anything else there?”
“No, just this pile of rocks,” Nicola sighed.
“I wonder what happened to the rest of the cooking tools,” Aleia pondered. “You’d think there would be a large pot, at least.”
“There are also some shards of ceramics that look really, really old,” Nicola reported as she dug around in the rubble. “Look at these, sisters.”
Nicola held out her hand and showed the other two priestesses slivers of ancient pottery, a
nd when I zoomed in closely, I could see they were white with a blue floral design.
“That’s so cool,” I marveled. “Is there anything else?”
“Some ancient-looking green glass, and more of that pottery,” the brunette said as she continued to look through the stones. “Most of the pottery is just dust, though.”
“Can we rebuild this, Jack?” Penelope asked with shining eyes. “I would love to have a real kitchen again.”
“You certainly deserve one,” I assured her. “Maybe if we--”
“Hey, look at this,” Aleia called from the corner of the space. The fairy was picking up heavy pieces of stone with ease and tossing them aside as if they were light as feathers.
“What is it, sister?” Nicola asked.
“I think I found the cooking pot,” the strawberry-blonde informed us. “And look, tongs…”
“We could have just used those, my lord,” Penelope teased me.
“How could I have known?” I laughed. “Besides, you don’t know for sure that the stream water is going to restore that old stuff.”
“It’s going to be good as new,” the naiad said with a mysterious smile on her lips. “Wait and see, master.”
“So, what’s on the other side of the room?” Nicola asked. “Jack, do you see anything interesting?”
“More piles of rocks,” I reported. “White rocks, gray rocks, tan rocks.”
“I wish there were enough rocks here to construct our entire wall,” Penelope pouted. “Going to the quarry sounds hard.”
“Well, you won’t have to do the traveling,” Aleia laughed as she poked the naiad in the shoulder. “I’ll be flying there and back.”
“That’s what I mean,” Penelope replied. “Your poor little wings will be so tired. We should make use of as much stone as we have here.”
“We will, don’t worry,” I told the blue priestess. “Nothing will go to waste.”
“Can the wall be pretty?” the naiad asked with sparkling eyes. “Does it have to be boring?”
“Jack, turn some rocks into gems,” Nicola instructed me. “Then we can embed them in the wall to better suit Penelope’s tastes.”
