Heavy footfalls come behind Amari as Gareth enters the room.
“Well my friend, did the smell of food finally rouse you from your sleep?”
“Yes sister—my stomach is grumbling for lack of food.” He wipes his drooling mouth and looks to Amari. “I will stay my hunger until the rest sits with us.”
Amari kisses Gareth on the cheek. “You are truly a gentleman, even with all your gruffness.”
Gareth can only smile and turn a little red at her attention to his manners.
Mimna enters through the door from the outside. “Well, it is about time you are out of your beds. It is nearly the mid-day hour. Come and refresh yourself with fire warmed water to wash the sleep from your eyes. My neighbors arose early and prepared a morning meal for you.”
“Please thank them, but they should not wait on us. We can fetch our own food and drink. It is we that should serve them for giving us sanctuary high above the clouds.”
“Nevertheless, it is done.” Mimna says.
Amari, Mimna and Dian go to the outside and around the back where the washing pool lies. There on a bench are several basins full of steaming water. Next to each washbowl is a soft woolen towel. Another bench contains their clothes. Now laundered and folded.
Amari washes and gathers up her battle dress and boots. She presses the folds of the dress against her nose and breathes in the aroma of lilacs and mint. She disrobes and quickly dresses. None too soon as Gareth, Natsha and Holl-tu came around the corner.
“Here you are ladies. Holl-tu says while stretching his long arms above his head. Tis a fair morning to be under the sun, is it not? How was your night sleep?”
“I slept well wizard, and you?”
“It took a bit of doing as this big oaf sawed many a tree with his nose.”
Gareth looks at those assembled there. “Me—snore? Surely, you jest. I am quiet as the lowly wood mouse sneaking into a pantry.”
Natsha reaches over and tousles Gareth’s hair. “Sure if said mouse were seven feet tall and weighed eighteen stones worth.”
Everyone breaks into laughter. Gareth in spite of himself reveals an ear to ear grin.
Soon they are all dressed in their own clothes and seated at the table again. The meal is finished quickly and not a crumb left.
Mimna leads them out into the courtyard. “We have much to see this day. Your exploration of the three cities on the peaks will take a fair amount of time to travel. It is best we start early. Bring your weapons and packs as we will not be coming back here.”
With Mimna in the lead, they start the climb of many steps that ascends from the city to the top of the mountain. Dozens of small paths lead from the incline of stairs and down long alleys and passages. People are about tending to chores. Women are hanging clothes or tending to pots over an outdoor fire. Children run to the edge of the paths to watch the warriors pass.
Holl-tu uses his magic to produce butterflies by the hundreds. The small ones scurry around in hopes to catch one. A young boy who is quick manages to close his hand about the fluttering bug. When he opens his hand to show the others what he caught, it disappears in a puff of smoke. They giggle and wave at the wizard. They follow behind for a short space before the mothers call them back.
“Nicely done Holl-tu,” Mimna says while shooing away some of the young ones she teaches. “The children have never seen magic here, as no one possesses the knowledge or skills.”
Stopping to rest after much time climbing the stairs, they sit on stone benches that overlook the other two peaks and their cities. The mountain to the right has many tiers set into the side of the hills just below the city.
Each level displays a lush leafy green dotted with flowers of many colors. One could see the odd vegetable hanging on vines, even at this distance. Several squares are bare earth with just a small hint of newly planted vegetation.
Mimna extends her hand in that direction. “Those are the farmlands that provide food for us here. All our grains, fruits and greens are cultivated and harvested. As the temperature is constant; neither hot nor cold, we plant and harvest all year.”
Natsha asks. “What of the meat that was before us last eve and this first meal? Where does that come from?”
“That is gathered from the land below the three peaks.” Mimna answers. “Remember the shaft of light that brought you here from the center of the three mountains. Toward the other side of the valley are pens and streams where we keep livestock and fish. Men and women tend to the animals and scaled ones. They also butcher and prepare the meat.
Much of the meat is salted and preserved. Fresh kills are sent up here every day. What was set before you at the morning meal was brought to the table in the early morning. We have enough game and fish to feed everyone. Add the greens and fruits grown on the farms, no one goes hungry here.”
“Do you ever trade with what you call the downlanders? Where do you get your cloth or metal?” Gareth asks.
They start walking again as Mimna goes on. “We do not form any trade with those below our mountains. Our only contact is the spies we send to walk among them from time to time. We listen for any talk of our sacred peaks.
As for the clothes we wear. We weave our own cloth from many different sources, either animal or plant. Mostly, we use wool from sheep and cured animal hides to make a smooth leather. The leggings upon are feet is from the same heavy rawhide.
The strong fine thread comes from the great silk spiders that inhabit the deeper caves below this mountain. Several strands twisted together are as strong as any rope. Look here at the seam of my tunic. See the white thread which is almost invisible. This is the silk fiber from a spider. This garment was made over ten years ago. The thread still holds fast as the day this tunic was sewn together. Repeated washings have not diminished the tensile strength of the thread.
Natsha shivers. “I have no fondness for spiders. In my youth, there was a boy bitten by a giant sand spider and went mad. He imagined he could fly and jumped from a high tree and twisted his neck. He is buried below that very tree.”
Mimna waves her hand dismissing the danger from the spiders. “There is no fear with them. We have an easy truce with those eight-legged silk producers. The caves are forbidden for children to enter; only adults from our cities are allowed to gather silk once a moon. In return, we bring small game to cast into their webs.
A ram’s horn is sounded when their lair is approached. We never see them while we are gathering the silk threads, but we know they are watching us. Only the dried husks of animals from our previous visits lay about the midden covered floor. It is a sure sign they are there.”
It takes another hour of continuous climbing before they reach the upper most streets of the city. From there they can look out upon the other two mountains. All about them and just below the cities is covered by a blanket of white puffy clouds. They cannot see the lowlands. Neither can those looking up see the tops of the peaks.
Mimna leads them down the backside of the peak. They come to a ledge jutting out from the mountain. Three long stone benches await. There are wooden scaffolds built into the side of the sheer rock wall. It winds down out of sight around a bend.
“My sister Amari, there is where you must go to see the Oracle. Follow the wooden path and you will come to a ledge with the entrance of a cave set into the stone wall. Rap upon the stone with the hammer you will find there and wait. The Oracle will invite you to enter. Here take this,” as Mimna hands Amari a single silver coin. “This you will offer to the one who reveals her vision. We will wait here for you to return.”
Amari takes the coin and puts it in the folds of her blouse.
Holding the railing, she places a foot on the wooden steps. It creaks under her feet. She looks back at Mimna.
“Do not worry about the oldness of the wood sister. It is sound and will hold you.”
“I am not fearful Mimna, as my magic will hold me aloft for a time. It will be long enough to place feet on solid ground.”
After a small measure of time—Amari hears. “You who walk with the light as her brother may enter and be welcomed in this sacred place. Leave your enchanted saber at the entrance.”
“Old and wise one. This I cannot do. Katana and I must be together in this seeing, or not at all.”
“I do not fear your blade, but its great magic makes my visions uncertain.”
“Then, you may keep this seeing to yourself old one. I must return to my friends.”
“Very well Maiden, bring your weapon and enter.”
Amari steps past the cave entrance and enters a long passage. A simple light spell illuminates her path. The walls, ceilings and floor are smooth polished stones. The light reflects as if cast upon pearl-shells. A chill comes from somewhere beyond in the direction the Maiden is walking. The heaviness of the soon to be revealed prophecy is carried with the coldness.
Amari noted that her footsteps did not echo as if the surface of the passage soaked up any sound. The Maiden hesitated but for brief moment. She looked upon Katana in her hand. The mighty blade did not give any warning of danger or dark magic. The only gift an Oracle possesses is the ability to see into the future. Magic does not come to them, but it can distort their far-seeing sight.
The passage ends abruptly as Amari enters a large chamber. Light comes from a single fire pit in the center of the room. Shadows dance upon the walls covered with ancient drawings and runes. Some languages Amari recognizes, others are foreign to her mind. A raised sleeping pallet with many furs is against one stone wall. There are several free-standing shelves against another; each contains jars and urns. A large vessel is near the fire as the light from the flames dance across a watery surface. Seated with her back to Amari is the Oracle.
She does not turn, but motions to a low chair opposite her.
Without hesitation, Amari comes to the front of the Oracle. She never takes her eyes off the dark form. The seer is dressed in a purple hooded robe. Taking a seat, the Maiden sits quietly and waits for the Oracle to speak. The fire is nothing but hot coals now, as if in the sitting, Amari caused the fire to recede somewhat.
A leathery skin hand and arm reach over the fire toward Amari. Without hesitation, the Maiden takes the Oracle’s hand in hers. The Maiden cannot see the face of the Oracle as it is hidden in the folds of the hood.
The voice when she speaks crackles with age. “Amari Djinn, your path has been long and filled with glorious victories and defeats as well. Those who follow you are of pure heart and will draw swords on your command. How many have already died following your cause, their bones rotting under the earth.
Once sharp swords, bloodied, now lay broken and rusting. Banners held high and previously waved in battle are so much cloth, ravaged by time and worms. Yours is a just campaign, but those who you oppose are many. I see a great battle in which the end is clouded. I cannot say if you are victorious or lay slain.”
Amari senses that this old sage is telling her to give up the quest and become something else. “Oracle—would you have me leave the field of battle? Cower with women who tend their homes and families, afraid of the night. Never again, to raise Katana against those who oppress the weak and common folk.
What of those who till the land and are a worker of metal and leather. There are the children, innocent and naïve of the ways of the world. Who stands before them against the shade and the evils bringing suffering and death?”
The old woman is silent for many minutes. She pulls the hood back to reveal an ancient face and hairless head. Age lines tell of the years of life she has traveled. Her eyes are non-existent. Just smooth skin where her eyes should have been. This marks a true Oracle. The lack of eyes strengthens her inner sight and not her earthly vision.
“You have come at my calling Maiden, so I must set this seeing upon you. The future for you and those who stand with you is cloudy, but I see death for some. You must choose another path. The Blood Druids will make you their sacrifice to the evil gods they worship if you were to fall in battle. Even your mighty saber cannot protect against the horde that is growing stronger with each new moon.”
“Ancient one, I know what you see might come to pass. Then again, the future is too fluid. It may never happen the way you predict. You say Katana can be overwhelmed. That I am sure will never happen. I know her strength and the magic she possesses. I am surprised that your sight has not seen the other blades that are wielded by my companions. Have you not heard of the Kcaj Pentadiene and the power those blades can bring to bear?”
I can only sense your Katana. You also have the other sabers that complete the Pentadiene?”
“We are three blades, but our search is to claim the other two. Once joined, not even the Druids can stand against our combined might. I will have my settling of ancient scores!”
“Do not let vengeance guide your steps Amari. To persist on the course to destroy those that put you in the tomb for eternity will only end in death. I have lived many centuries in this fleshy vessel and have seen the valiant pass into the next realm. I beseech you not to join them just yet. Grow old and find a man worthy of you. True, some of what I predict has not come to pass, but most visions materialize as I have said to others who seek me out.”
Amari looks about her at the chamber where the Oracle lives. “You speak of visions, but what do you know of the real world outside this hole in the rock?”
A smile shows crooked teeth as she answers. “Maiden, your real quest is to find out who you really are. The answers you are seeking lies in the now. Not in the time before your death sleep.”
“Seer, does not the past tell us what we will become?”
“Dwelling in the past is what you choose your state of your mind to be. Your hope to reclaim what you perceive was lost. Our minds can be tricked, but the heart cannot be fooled, as it wants to live in the present. The events of the past have already shaped your future young one. If your wish is to defeat the evil which haunts this land, then make it a new fight; a new quest!”
The Maiden closes her mind and sings softly—quietly. She is turning inward and weighing all that the Oracle has told her.
“I know what is on your mind Amari. All those experiences, whether they be successes or failures can be useful if the same situation should arise again. Think not on those times, as it will take you away from the here and now. You must be focused on what is right in front of you. Move those thoughts of prior days to the back of your remembering.
If a confrontation should arise or spell is to be used—the solution will present itself. Our minds are a wonderful part of who we are. Trust it as well as your own heart.”
Amari stands and releases the hands of the Oracle. She pulls the silver coin from her garment and puts it in the open palm of the ancient one.
“A warrior may change his or her metal, but not what lies in their heart. Thank you wise one for your sight. I am grateful for your words. I will dwell on them in earnest.”
“You will do what you must do Maiden. My role is only to tell of what may come around the next bend in your path. You would be sensible to heed them and watch about you. Never relax your guard. Draw upon the strength of those who walk with you on your journey. Know this; some of those at your side will not be with you always. One day, you will find a meaning of what has happened to you. You must overcome which sought your destruction. Beware of the one you call kin.” The Oracle pulls the hood over her head and sits silently humming.
Amari knows the Oracle is speaking of her sister. The Maiden leaves and makes her way out of the tunnel. In moments, she is in the warm air outside. The sun upon her face is co
mforting. A quick walk along the wooden path and she is once more with her friends.
None of her companions asked Amari what was said by the Oracle. It was understood an Oracle’s vision is only intended for the one receiving it. With Mimna leading the way, they walk up to the top of the mountain and the waiting city.
Chapter 14 – The Third City
Mimna beams while she shows the marvels of the Skye cities and answers the questions raised by the Aventine warriors. They return to the center bridge in order to travel to the next city; Arcadia. As before, the residents stop what they are doing and line the streets to see the fabled Maiden of The Light and her band of hero warriors.
True to form, Holl-tu amazes the young ones with his enchantments and magic. With a mere wave of his hands and several whispered words, swirls of light form in the air over the little young ones’ heads.
When they reach up, the magic swirls dance and try to evade the children's touch. Laughter fills the streets. A few of the mothers pull their children away. The parents are fearful of the workings of any magic. The wizard ceases his enchanting. The smile fades from his face.
“Do not feel sad,” Mimna says to him. "Many here have never seen magic performed, only heard tales of those who can mystify and dazzle. The stories repeated through the years were mostly of those who followed evil. To my people, all magic is suspect and should be avoided. Only the children show no fear to the likes of the wizard.”
“I am well in spirit Mimna,” Holl-tu tells her. “My magic is only meant to amuse the little ones. I would never do them harm. My enchantments are created to scare off the curious from where I live. None of it holds any real substance as it is meant to cloud men's vision; and lets them see only what I want them to see. Amari saw through what I conjured and brought her own enchantments to bear.”
A man rushes up and speaks into Mimna's ear. After several seconds, she turns to the others. “A sentry has brought bad tidings about you Amari.
The rock people have seen many men of evil stationed around the base of our mountains. They stay a distance away as not to cause the people of stone to attack them, but they watch for anyone coming or going from here. I am afraid those you wished to avoid have found your trail and lay in wait. You cannot leave, by the path that brought you to us. You will be at the mercy of them that follow the darkness."
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