by Pedro Urvi
The culture of this tribe seemed to revolve around the huge birds and their villages among the clouds. Aliana guessed their religion probably did too. Scar dragged her to a great round building in the shape of a fig, supported by several enormous branches which belonged to two trees facing each other. Seen from above, the building seemed to float in the air between both trees as if by magic.
I’ve no idea what’s waiting for me in there, but the building is truly exceptional, she thought in astonishment.
Scar led her inside. As she went in, Aliana was assailed by an onslaught of nerves as if she had received an invisible whip-lash. The interior looked like a ritual or ceremonial hall. Numerous wooden poles supported the ceiling, and on them were painted strange symbols and quaint representations of birds, which she imagined must be Usik gods.
A great wooden totem with a bird’s head rose in the center of the hall. The orange beak was clearly recognizable, and the plumage had been carved on the pole with great care. Somewhat to the rear, three other similar effigies seemed to watch the first, like guardians. In the shade of each totem was a Usik dressed in a long tunic completely lined with feathers from the giant birds. They also wore masks with great beaks hiding their faces. Shamans or priests, thought Aliana, and they’re waiting for me. She was scared. It did not bode well.
Around the hall the tribal elders stared at her from where they sat on the floor, colorful blankets beneath them. Their long white hair framed dry, wrinkled faces; eyes with the brightness of wisdom watched her attentively. Brusquely, Scar made her kneel before the shaman at the first totem.
From her kneeling position, with Scar beside her pulling on the rope, Aliana raised her eyes to see something that petrified her. Two Usik warriors were carrying away another prisoner, a Masig, from a table of volcanic rock behind the totem. From the extensive blood stain she could make out, she had no doubt the man had been sacrificed. She realized the table was really a sacrificial altar. She was in deep trouble. The building must be a ritual chamber where they sacrificed humans. She began to tremble with fear.
The shaman in front of her wore the claw of a giant bird hanging around his neck. He probably was the religious leader of this community. He began to talk in the characteristic Usik singsong, but she understood nothing. Her anxiety increased. She was in real danger, and she had a feeling something terrible was going to happen to her.
The shaman turned to Scar, and both held a short but intense conversation. Aliana could not catch anything of what they were saying, but she had the distinct impression that her life was at stake. When the conversation ended, two warriors came from the far end of the hall with a young woman. Like Aliana, she had a rope round her neck.
Another unfortunate victim, like me.
But when she came and stood beside her, Aliana noticed that the young woman was not a prisoner from another tribe as she had thought, but a Usik. She was thin, and her straight black hair fell to her shoulders. Aliana could not see her face as she walked with her eyes on the floor. Then the shaman spoke to her and she looked up, revealing her face. Her eyes were a soft green and her features, despite the greenish shade of her skin, had a delicate beauty. They were gentle, and made her look very young. Aliana was surprised by the delicate beauty of this girl, who seemed to be the same age as herself.
What could this girl have done if even though she’s one of their own, they have her guarded? And by two warriors no less!
The shaman turned to the young Usik once again. Without replying, she turned to address Aliana:
“Great Shaman want to know why you on sacred mountain.”
With the shock of hearing her own language, Aliana almost lost her balance. She recovered and looked at the girl, who was watching her with a melancholy expression on her face.
“Someone who speaks my language! I can hardly believe it!” She smiled nervously. “Hi, my name is Aliana.”
“I Asti,” the Usik replied with a slight bow.
The shaman said something at this point, clearly impatient.
“Better answer, Great Shaman no patience,” the girl said.
“Oh… all right… Tell him we were looking for… one of ours.”
The girl translated Aliana’s words into the singsong language. The shaman became agitated, so that his feather suit shimmered as he spoke to the group of elders. After listening to him they began to nod and whisper gravely. The shaman spoke again, looking towards Aliana.
“Great Shaman ask what man, he important?”
“Tell him yes… he was… a very important ma— I mean shaman of our tribe…”
Asti translated and the Shaman gave some kind of explanation to the elders. He turned to Aliana again, and the odd interrogation continued.
“Great Shaman say foreigner important, many blue soldiers, good soldiers. What he want in Mountain of Ancestors?”
Aliana puzzled over her answer. She did not wish to offend this man and end up on the sacrificial altar. Lying would not be a good idea, but telling the whole truth might be even more dangerous. Something in between would be best.
“Tell him our shaman went in search of the spirit.”
When Asti translated this, a flutter went through the hall. All the elders began to whisper, while the Shaman and his three acolytes gestured angrily, their feather suits glittering. This scared her. Had she made a mistake and said the wrong thing?
The reply was not long in coming. The Shaman barked a sentence and pointed at her with the claw which hung from his neck.
“How dare disturb rest of sacred spirit?” translated Asti.
“Tell him that… our shaman… wanted to learn from the spirit, gain knowledge.”
The Shaman came closer to Aliana and asked a question with an accusing finger raised.
“What happen sacred cave?” Asti said.
“We found our shaman there… and we left.”
“And spirit?” Asti translated.
Aliana thought before answering. These superstitious savages were not going to go up to the cavern to see for themselves, she could lie. She tried to take control of the situation.
“We didn’t see it... it didn’t appear before us,” she said.
Once again the reply gave rise to endless murmuring and separate conversations among the elders.
“You lie, sacred spirit watch cavern always,” Asti translated, lowering her gaze.
“Tell him we found our shaman injured, and we left without disturbing the spirit’s eternal rest.”
The Usik did not seem convinced by the explanation. He argued with his three acolytes, then explained his conclusions to the elders who once again agreed unanimously.
“You step on sacred mountain, punishment: death. You come with blue soldiers, punishment: death. You disturb rest sacred spirit, punishment...”
Aliana finished Asti’s sentence for her. “Death…”
“Yes, death.”
“Can’t you help me, stop them from sacrificing me somehow?” Aliana pleaded, knowing she was in a desperately dangerous situation.
“No. I sorry… shaman cruel…” Asti said.
“Here, on the sacrificial altar?” Aliana asked in terror, looking at the bloodstains on the black shape.
“No, worse, much worse…”
Night in the Usik prison had been a calvary for Aliana. Explicit scenes of unbearable torture had filled her mind, preventing her from getting the rest she so much longed for. She had barely slept.
The chants and drums arrived with the dawn, filling the atmosphere with gloom. When they heard, the prisoners with her all pressed themselves back against the farthest end of the prison fully aware that death was looming. They were horrified. Those poor unfortunates knew all about the sacrificial rites.
The door opened abruptly and three Usik warriors walked in threateningly, with weapons in their hands. After them came two women dressed in wings made of giant eagle feathers, carrying trays of food and fresh fruit. They placed them on the floor and left. Aliana’s
mouth watered at the sight of the food, but nobody moved towards the trays. Fear was obvious in the eyes of the prisoners who surrounded her. The three warriors left, closing the door behind them, but still nobody touched the food. All remained at the far end of the prison, huddled together, some of them even trembling.
The drums sounded again, and chanting filled the heights with female voices, piercing and well-tuned.
Aliana stared at the delicious-looking food. I’m condemned to death, what do I care what these poor wretches fear? I’d better eat and get my strength back for what could be on its way. I’m too weak to face any danger…
Without wasting any more time on thinking, she rushed to the food and began to eat like a hungry wild animal. The rich flavors and penetrating smells filled her senses. Nobody followed suit. All the prisoners were watching her in silence. When she was full, she sat with her back against the wall and gave herself up to the sleep the night had refused her. When she woke up, she saw another prisoner eating beside her. He belonged to a race she did not know, with tightly curled blond hair and pure ebony skin. The contrast was both attractive and shocking.
I see you couldn’t resist either, eh?
As if he had read her thoughts, the prisoner looked at her pleadingly and went on eating. When he finished he sat down beside her, resignation visible in his face, which surprised Aliana. The door opened suddenly and the three warriors came in with brutal determination. They stood in front of the two of them and without a word, dragged them out by their hair.
Then Aliana realized what she had done.
Argh! The food was a trap! That’s why nobody would touch it. I was a fool, now I’ll pay dearly for this… What an idiot I was!
She screamed with pain, but the Usik who was dragging her showed no compassion. Both prisoners were shoved and dragged to the other end of the tree-top village. Aliana had to stop several times, above all on the swaying catwalks where vertigo took over her body and it was impossible for her to go on. The warriors kept on dragging her by the hair without any compunction. They would not tolerate any pause.
When they reached the other end an immense platform opened before her eyes, supported on the branches of six of the giant trees. It was as big as the great square of the Temple of Tirsar in her longed-for home, and it rested on the crisscrossing branches as lightly as a leaf. On the platform a great multitude awaited them. There were at least a thousand there, probably more, and she could not understand how the platform did not sink with the weight of so many people.
On the outer rim stood a huge bird-totem, painted red and decorated with black feathers. Beside it waited the sinister shaman with the huge claw round his neck, wearing ceremonial garb. He was escorted by his three acolytes. On the uneven branches of the six trees, at different heights, were more spectators. Judging by the number of people gathered there, Aliana had the impression that the whole village had come to witness some kind of ceremony.
While they dragged her on and she struggled to break free, fear overcame her body. She could feel it rising through her stomach, clawing at her throat, throbbing anxiously, leaving her short of breath.
They were taken to the men who were attired as birds, amid drumbeats and chanting from the crowd. She tried to calm her nerves, which were gnawing at her insides like a hungry wolf.
She recognized Asti in the first row, guarded by two warriors, looking at her with eyes filled with sadness.
Several warriors grabbed her unfortunate partner. The poor man struggled, but he was brought under control with brutal speed. They tied him to the totem with strong ropes, accompanied by the shamans’ prayers and the ritual chants of the crowd. Two corpulent, strongly-muscled Usik held Aliana by the arms, not taking their eyes off her for one moment. The man with the claw went across to the prisoner, then amid prayers and wide gestures poured some substance over his whole body. It was reddish, had a strong bitter smell, and drenched him completely. Then the Shaman took an unusual whistle and lifted the beaked mask to uncover his mouth. With it he played the same note several times, long and steady, towards the North, in the direction of the endless forest.
The people moved back, away from the totem. The warriors who were holding her dragged her back, while the prisoner struggled uselessly against the ropes, screaming desperately. A great human circle, keeping a safe distance, formed behind the totem.
The Shaman whistled again, this time three short notes, and then moved back.
In the distance, above the evergreen forest, a shadow appeared. Aliana tried to identify it without success. It was coming swiftly towards them. As it came near, the blurred shadow took the shape of a monstrous bird of immense proportions, with black feathers on its body and red on its neck and head. The chanting stopped, and a foreboding silence filled the air. The great bird glided in front of the totem and with a chilling croak landed on the edge of the platform in front of the wretched prisoner, who was screaming his head off in a madness of terror. The size of the bird was nightmarish, even greater than that of the giant eagle Aliana had ridden.
Suddenly it straightened and spread two colossal wings, black as night. The red feathered head and the enormous beak, long and yellow, scared Aliana. The prisoner seemed no more than a doll beside a bird as huge as that. The great creature croaked again, shaking its wings.
And attacked the man.
While the audience, overawed, sighed and exclaimed at the macabre scene, the bird dismembered the prisoner in the blink of an eye. Aliana was forced to look away. The powerful beak and sharp claws tore the body and spattered blood and guts on the totem and the floor around it. Nobody moved to prevent the creature as it fed on the human flesh and organs. Once satisfied, it took off with part of the poor wretch’s mutilated body.
Horrified, Aliana watched it fly away.
The chants and drumbeats sounded again; the sadistic ritual was continuing. The man in command moved his arms frantically in imitation of the great bird, and the crowd went wild. He made signs for Aliana to be brought to the totem.
My time has come.
While she was being tied to the totem, panic drove her mind to the verge of madness. The crowd went on with its ritual chanting and the drumming grew louder. Aliana was shaking like a leaf.
The Shaman repeated his triple call, and the killer bird appeared gliding above the tree tops, seeking more flesh to feed on.
Her mind grasped at the one thing which could keep her calm: her Gift. She summoned her inner energy, seeking to ease her nerves with her healing skill as she watched the monstrous bird descend.
It landed in front of her, raising a whirlwind of dust and air which hit her like a furnace blast.
Panic overwhelmed her.
Raising itself on its claws, the creature extended its black wings. The ruthless eyes in the sinister red head fixed themselves on her. It opened its long yellow beak and gave a deafening croak.
A terrified silence filled the air.
Aliana knew she was on the verge of being torn to pieces. She closed her eyes and in the midst of her terror felt something unexpected. The medallion which hung hidden under her corselet, which she had completely forgotten, sent forth a flash, as if waking up with the desperate situation its wearer found herself in. Suddenly she felt the precious jewel charging itself with the strength and power of her own inner energy
The great bird croaked again, chilling Aliana’s blood. It was preparing to attack!
The medallion showed her mind unknown golden symbols, which slowly formed words. The secret words were rearranged by the medallion until they formed an incomprehensible utterance of power. The gem in the medallion was conjuring as if it possessed an intellect of its own, without Aliana being able to take any part in what was happening. Her body, her inner energy and her mind were being used by the medallion.
The monstrous bird launched itself at Aliana with a chilling sound of death.
At this final moment, when everything seemed lost, the medallion cast a virulent spell of Earth M
agic. She watched in astonishment as a brutal avalanche of stones and rocks hurled itself on the creature with unusual violence. Hundreds of rocks issued from Aliana’s chest with enormous speed and brutal power, striking the killer bird. Horribly battered and injured by that controlled storm of stones, the great bird moved back and attempted to take off, but fell to the floor instead. Its injuries were too severe. It gave a final squawk of pain and then, before the stunned crowd, it died.
Aliana could not believe her eyes. She was alive! The Ilenian medallion had saved her at the last instant with that amazing spell. Her inner energy, which until then had only been used to heal, had been employed by the medallion to perform that spell of Earth Magic. It was something both amazing and overwhelming.
A graveyard silence settled on the platform. The Usik could no more believe what they had just witnessed than she could herself.
The evil Shaman, walked up to the fallen bird. He took off his mask, and she could see that he was overwhelmed with sadness. She saw tears running down his cheeks, as though the great bird had been deeply important to him. With eyes filled with rage he stared at her, then fell into a fit. His face was red, and he was shouting and gesturing like a madman. Aliana feared he was going to cut her throat there and then for what she had done.
All the Usik ran away, abandoning the platform, fleeing from the anger of the possessed Shaman.
He came close to Aliana, spat on her face and slapped her frantically, all the time yelling insults she could not understand. Pain exploded in her face, but she bore it in silence, holding on to the fact that she was still alive, at least for a little longer.
