by Eden Wolfe
Maeva looked down at the river rushing before them.
Leadon spoke slowly, "Aria is alive in this river. This is where she belonged." Leadon looked intently into Maeva's eyes, seeking something, though Maeva didn't know what. She hardened herself, not allowing her eyes to betray the truth within her.
Aria, alive in this river. It is the only place Aria could be alive. For one who dies at the hands of her genetic replacement, there is no place in Lower Earth but here.
Perhaps that was why the sensation, had struck her so strongly. Aria's soul, rushing through the Gana River. Perhaps it wasn't Rose at all.
I must ask. I must be sure.
"Leadon, do you have other visitors amongst you?"
"Of course, we manage the C8, 9, and 10 checkpoints within our borders. We regularly have people coming through from the Dark Counties, even the Strangelands if they are looking to trade."
"And no one else?"
"Who else would there be?"
"I just want to be sure of security."
"Gana is most secure. While we no longer maintain a protective presence along the border, which was my decision and one I believe is right for the free movement of peoples within Lower Earth, we remain a tribe of warriors. That training is part of our blood."
"You don't maintain the borders anymore?" Irene would be most displeased to hear this.
"Lower Earth is not owned by any people. The borders were erected at a time when we feared for our safety. This is no longer the case. Therefore, I have reopened Gana for access by all who wish to come through."
"So you do not monitor entry and exit?"
"No. We still have the lookouts, primarily for greeting and orientation. We close the gate during briefings, one hour a day. Unfortunately, that was when you arrived. I apologize for the cold reception you experienced."
Maeva couldn't believe what she was hearing. Gana just left open. It was unheard of for at least two hundred years. "There is nothing to apologize for."
A wave crashed over Maeva's feet and she slipped. Leadon grabbed her arm.
She's here, somehow she's here. My soul feels her, feels them. I cannot place the sensation; I have lost all my bearings. There is no landmark for the sensation to cling to. But someone is here. My Strangelands Ariane? She couldn't, she wouldn't. She left Lower Earth, I knew it in that moment.
"Maeva? Maeva? You are unwell."
"I am not unwell."
Rose, are you here? Rose?
The voices were building inside her now, hums of motherhood and abandon, words she'd buried five years earlier.
"Maeva, you should sit."
"Yes, perhaps."
Leadon led her to a large flat rock, but she watched it from outside herself. The voices rose, words pulling out of the din of disgust amongst them.
"Queen Mother, killing mother, abandoning mother. How you became everything you despised. Everything you despised in your own mother you live again."
"Perhaps some water, Maeva."
"No, no."
"You will feel them wherever you go. You have reopened the wound. Our wound. How we all suffered, how we tried to tell you not to do it."
"You told me nothing."
Leadon cocked her head, "I have told you only the truth."
Maeva realized her lips were speaking in spite of her. She pulled it all back in, pushed with force the voices deeper, knowing she would pay consequences for it in the night. Her feet would carry her away from Gana, she knew it. She would wake while already on the path to Rainfields. She had to hear everything from Leadon now, anything that needed to be reported to the Queen, or else she would have to explain her absence and eventual return.
"Excuse my exhaustion, it has been a long and difficult voyage. I have recovered now. Let me explain what has brought me here, why I have traveled across Lower Earth for the past two months." Maeva inhaled deeply, "The Queen has concerns for the conditions in which people are now living. In Geb, she receives reports that cannot begin to uncover the full truth of her people's suffering. So I have come. I speak with the Queen's voice when I say you must tell me everything about conditions in Gana. Whatever concerns you may have about speaking freely, or of sharing the truth about challenging times, be assured that I have already heard worse."
Maeva looked up, so many stories she'd heard over the past two months of mothers holding dying infants, of emaciated animals without strength enough to graze on the little grass there was. The stories swirled in her head. "Times are especially hard in the Minor Rainforest, the Lakes District and the Sisters in the Strangelands have been disproportionately affected. So Leadon, do not hesitate. Pass to me the burdens you experience in Gana. The Queen will hear all. She will find ways to help. Gana is my last stop before returning to Geb."
"The Queen wants to help?"
"Yes, Queen Ariane intends to pivot aspects of the research agenda, manufacturing, and agriculture investments to support." Maeva hesitated, wondering if she should go the extra step to reassure this young Chief. It could only help Ariane, so she continued. "You remember Ariane from a young age," Maeva felt a pang in her heart at the lie. "You know the benevolence in her heart."
Leadon took in a deep breath through her nostrils. "I see. So Queen Ariane wishes to help the people of Gana." Leadon tilted her head. "Then I will tell you. I will tell you everything about our conditions."
22
Leadon
"You want to go to the Strangelands? Why in Lower Earth would you want to go to the Strangelands?" Priyantha hadn't fully understood the implications of Maeva's words, even though Leadon had tried to explain.
"Did you sort out my transportation?"
"Yes, in secret as you asked. But the authorization, I haven't yet - "
"I have sufficient food for the entire trip?"
"Yes, but Leadon, why? The Sisters have a hate for us that goes back decades. From their very inception. What good can come from you going there? I hear they practice dark arts."
Leadon closed her eyes lightly. "Priyantha, sit."
Priyantha walked tentatively, visibly worried about whether she'd crossed some line.
"Don't worry, your question is natural. I just thought it would have been obvious to those who lived through Habana's time as Chief. Sit."
Priyantha sat.
"Maeva, like the Queens before her, was raised and trained in Gana - "
"Yes, I know this."
" - by Sahna."
"I know this too."
"Maeva left Gana while still a girl and she called Sahna to join her in the fortress as her mentor. You know that Sahna was banished from Gana after that? The well-known argument with Habana."
"Yes, but this is all history. I don't see what this has to do with today."
"Sahna established the Sisters amongst the self-isolating women who objected to Lower Earth's political structure. And then, she disappeared. Died, we can imagine."
Priyantha stood up. "What does the death of an excommunicated warrior priestess from twenty-odd years ago have to do with you going to the Strangelands today? You're not coming to the point, Leadon."
"The Queen's own words, 'The Sisters have been disproportionately affected'. The Sisters had some of Lower Earth's brightest among them. Those who couldn't dedicate their talents to this - the political structure. Everyone knows that the Sisters have many disillusioned Central Tower researchers. They've forged some of the strongest trading relationships and have agricultural abilities that match our own. Sahna brought our greatest knowledge there. So, if the Sisters are struggling, then there's something very amiss in Lower Earth. And I'm going to find out what it is. We have allies in the Sisters. They just don't know it yet."
Priyantha came closer to Leadon. "The Sisters have no sense of loyalty. They are individualists. That's why they went there in the first place. That's why Sahna was cast away. You must be careful about who you trust, Chief. Putting your faith in the Sisters is like trusting a bird not to fly away when its cage is f
inally open."
"Sahna was cast away because the fortress has an effect on one's sense of reality. I've seen it. All too intimately. Irene is no exception from its power to warp perception. What we know of the Sisters is only what we have been told of the Sisters. I will go and see for myself." Leadon looked off far, recognizing the limitations of her upbringing to prepare her for moments such as this. "There is much in Gana of which I am ignorant. It can't continue. I must know where Gana lies within its land. I'm going."
"I will seek the authorization."
"No, I will go in secret."
"In secret? Why would you take such a risk?"
"I feel the risk is greater if Geb knows I am going."
"I see. And I won't try to convince you otherwise," Priyantha said. "So instead I will come with you."
Leadon looked at Priyantha. She never would have expected that this warrior princess would be the one to attend to her so closely, but Leadon found she was relieved to have her company.
"Alright. You will come with me."
They arrived four days later at the edge of the Sister's commune. A makeshift fence rose high, though was not sturdy enough to keep anyone out who really wanted to come in. It was more esthetic than functional. The gate was a series of bamboo cuttings woven together. Priyantha took the donkeys to find a place to tie them, and Leadon stood before the gate.
So much I have seen in these four days across the center of the country. So much my imagination had never correctly pictured. The Central Mass stretches farther than I knew. The peoples spotted along the journey in their small hamlets. There's charm and there's isolation in it. Something poetic about living in the middle of nowhere.
She looked up at the gate.
And this is the end of nowhere. It's time to do what we came here to do.
She felt her heartbeat accelerate as she pushed open the gate. Priyantha came up behind her. A large expanse drew out before them, fields split into smaller plots with a variety of crops planted. But the plots were smaller than would ever be sufficient for feeding a population like the Strangelands Sisters. From what Leadon knew, which she was beginning to realize might all be wrong, there were several thousand Sisters across the whole of the Strangelands, with a main village and huts that dotted out from it towards the edge of the county.
Leadon and Priyantha walked slowly, looking for signs of Sisters, but all was quiet. They followed the main path that led to the village area, not so different from Gana except that the terrain was black soil and everything was less densely positioned. But clearly, Sahna had based its design upon the layout of the entry to Gana.
As they approached the village, a group of about ten women came out.
"Are they here to greet us or to threaten us?" Priyantha whispered, but Leadon kept walking forward.
"You are only two?" One of the women called, "Or are there more coming behind you?"
"We are only two." Leadon opened her hands to show they were empty. We have come to exchange information, nothing more than that."
"Who are you?"
"I'm Leadon, Chief of Gana."
"Chief of Gana?" A voice spoke from within the small group. The woman came forward. "What is the Chief of Gana doing visiting the errant Sisters, the disloyal and unwelcome castaways? We know how you treat those who you think have abandoned your values. Your narrow and closed-minded ways have long been spoken of here."
Leadon spoke slowly. "I can imagine why you have hesitation. I know your history. And I know the history of Gana. I cannot say I am innocent of it myself. What I can say is that I too have been a victim of it. Perhaps you cannot see it but my face is the face of another. I am the first genetic duplication in Gana."
"The Ganese do not accept duplication."
"I was a test."
"A successful test?"
"I am Chief. But that is on my own merit." Leadon looked to Priyantha and then back to the women. "Let me be honest with you. I'm not even sure if it is on my merit, but it is on something the Keeper saw in me. I, therefore, embrace my duty."
Another Sister spoke, "Why have you come?"
"I have information. I wish to share it and hear your views."
"It seems everyone is coming to the Strangelands to hear our views these days."
"You received Maeva?"
"How do you know that?"
"She came to us as well. It was her words that prompted me to make this trip." Leadon took a deep breath. "I believe we have more in common than we know."
The group of women looked to each other, seeming to relax a little. One of them stepped forward.
'I am Leesa of the fourth line. Come with me."
They entered deeper into the village, huts, so familiar in style, surrounded them. If it weren't for the color of the ground and the darkness of the sky, Leadon could almost imagine herself in Gana.
Leesa led them to a clearing where a woman was sat on a log. She appeared around fifty years old, small in stature, though her spine was straight and her green eyes gleamed with youth. While there was no common garb among the Sisters, this woman wore a brooch that shone even without sunshine against her long dress. Leadon understood that she was someone important, but she couldn't see this woman as the leader of the infamous Sisters. There was something demure in the woman's manner, her crossed legs and hands resting on her knee.
"Hello," she said. "Thank you, Leesa. You may stay if you want as I get acquainted with our - shall I call you guests?"
"Please do," Leadon replied.
Leesa stepped backward. "I'd rather leave you, Daphna."
"As you wish."
Leesa left the space. No bow, no ceremony at all. So different from Gana already. Or perhaps Leadon didn't yet know how to read their ways.
"I am Daphna." She nodded her chin.
"I am Leadon, Chief of Gana. This is Priyantha. We come with wishes for harvest and spirit."
"That's very kind of you. However, I suspect that you come with more than that."
Leadon nodded. "I have information."
"And what do you intend to do with that information?"
"I intend to share it."
"In exchange for what?"
She comes straight to her point.
Leadon considered her answer. "Insight."
"Now why would a Ganese warrior priestess Chief ever want insight from a Sister."
It was spoken as a statement, not a question. So Leadon waited.
Daphna scratched her cheek and looked at the sky. "You should know that I don't have the same profound mistrust of the Ganese that is held by most of the others. Perhaps that's because I lived most of my life in Geb. There are fewer grand tales of the warrior priestess there. But the folklore surrounding your people is well known in the outer counties. I think they enjoy having a people on which to cast their superstitions. When blaming the Queen is punishable by disappearance or death, the Ganese make a worthy scapegoat for the horrors we are experiencing."
Leadon stood silent. She'd never heard of any such rumors. But then, she'd never set foot on the Central Mass before this trip, and that was on her doorstep. Daphna was right, the ways of the Ganese could be interpreted in many ways. She needed to know more.
"I have said much already, and I can see that you are surprised by this bit of information which is such common knowledge across most outer counties."
"You are right. I didn't know the Ganese were being blamed - and I still don't know what for."
"Sit down, please." Daphna gestured to the logs in front of her. Leadon and Priyantha sat. "Leesa? I'm sure you're not far."
"I am here," Leesa emerged from behind a hut. Leadon understood she was watching to make sure nothing went awry.
"Would you be so kind as to bring our guests some tea? I imagine they've had a long journey, there isn't much for them on the route from Gana."
Leadon gave a small smile, hoping the sentiment would be communicated.
Daphna looked back to Leadon. "You said you had informatio
n to share. I also have information. But what we don't have is trust. You'll have seen that with your greeting committee. I asked them to be gentle. You appeared to only be two warrior priestesses. If you were to attack, as you are known to have done in ages past, I was certain you would come with more than two."
"We wouldn't attack other counties in Lower Earth." Leadon was confused by the statement.
"You've done it before."
"It was a different world in pre-Mist days."
Daphna leaned forward. "I'm not talking about pre-Mist days. I'm talking about these days."
Leadon looked at Priyantha, but Priyantha gave a small shrug.
Daphna tipped her head, “Leesa, can you come back here please?”
After a moment, Leesa reappeared. Leadon understood now, Leesa was never far.
Daphna lifted her chin. “Leesa, have you seen Lana today?”
"Of the fourth line? Yes. She was on duty in the test garden.”
“Good, it’ll only take her a moment to join us then. Have her come immediately.” Leesa left and Daphna turned back to her guests. “Lana comes to us from Geb, where she held a very privileged position.”
“In Central Tower?” Leadon asked. Defectors from Central Tower notoriously made their way to join the Sisters.
“No,” Daphna looked between the huts beyond where Leadon sat, “The fortress.”
“The fortress!”
“And she will tell you about it now.”
A young woman stepped from between the huts, thin but with large eyes. Her shoulders hunched forward, but Leadon saw strength in her stride. She walked with consistent steps, not slowing on her arrival.
“You asked for me, Daphna?”
“Lana, do you know these women?” Daphna gestured to Leadon and Priyantha.
Gale turned and cocked her head to the side. “Unmistakable. That one is Leadon, the bottom feeder chief of the treacherous Ganese. An obvious replicate of the Commandante. The other one is unknown to me.”
