by Kyrja
She and Sabbah had met at the beach and started their walk from there. They were getting closer to the Temple of Life, but Amphedia hadn’t shown her face yet, so it looked like she was going to have to take a left at the next corner and walk on by herself. When she looked up at Sabbah to make sure he knew the corner was coming up soon, she saw him looking at the roof of the temple. Careful to only move her eyes, and not her head, she saw him make eye contact with Oculis who was up there, obviously waiting for the two of them to get into position. The two men nodded at each other. Feeling her heart suddenly beating faster, she looked away so he wouldn’t catch her looking at him. Now what?
“Sorry Sweetheart,” Sabbah slowed, while leaning over to talk to her, “but there’s been a change in plans. Jarles didn’t want the others to know he doesn’t trust them, so he told me to take you into the temple, where you’ll be safe,” he said, holding out his hand for her to take.
“What’s the secret word?” she asked, holding both of her hands against her chest.
“Secret word? What do you mean? Jarles didn’t mention any secret word … Hey!” he shouted after her, as she ran away from him, making sure to go left at the corner like she was supposed to. She could hear him still yelling, and swearing too, but she wasn’t going to slow down for anything. She had been right – she couldn’t trust Sabbah, and now Jarles was going to discover the same thing. When she had told him about her fear that Sabbah would try to take her back to her Grandmother the Goddess for some kind of reward, they had created a secret word between them so that if Sabbah tried to do anything different than what their plan called for, she would be able to challenge him for that secret word. If he didn’t know it, then she was not to go with him under any circumstances, but to run away, and not worry about the plan at all. Jarles had been very clear on that – her safety was the most important thing. They would find a different way to make their plan work.
She didn’t look back, but she could hear her grandfather in flight. If she didn’t do something quickly, he would grab her and fly away with her. She could almost feel him reaching for her as she ran. That’s when she saw Drena, Jarles’ mother, step onto the road, motioning her to hide in the racks of clothing she had just come out of. She had two fist-sized rocks in her hands, and barely looked at her while shooing Nieva into a hiding spot. Instead, her concentration was on watching the winged man flying right towards her. Nieva saw the look of surprise on her grandfather’s face when Drena stepped into the street, and then she saw him smile. Only it wasn’t a nice smile at all. If she knew him, he was planning on grabbing Drena and making her fall from the sky. She couldn’t let that happen.
Transforming quickly into an owl, she flew out of the racks of clothing, making as much of a fuss as she could, scattering shoppers who were already terrified at seeing a man with wings bearing down on them. She flew through an alleyway, weaving in and out of as many thin passageways and through open-air shops as she could find, ones which were too small for her grandfather to negotiate. When she finally took a moment to look behind her, she was surprised to find herself alone. Not trusting that he hadn’t followed her, she flew higher, but found only birds and clouds in the skies above the city. Her grandfather wasn’t there. Not in his owl form, and not as a man with wings. Feeling deeply troubled, she flew as quickly as she could back to the place where she’d left Drena.
“No!” she screamed, transforming as she rolled into her human form. Drena had managed to knock her grandfather unconscious and had taken a knife to his wings, shredding them, while he lay on the ground, covered in his own blood.
“Stop!” she screamed, grabbing Drena’s arm. “Please! No!”
“He would have killed me,” she pointed out, wiping the bloody knife against the arm of her shirt.
“I know. I know,” Nieva sobbed, “I’m sorry. Oh, I’m so sorry. This is all my fault.”
“No,” another voice interrupted. A voice that was calm. Composed. And cold. “It’s Giya’s fault. It’s all Giya’s fault. If she had only learned …” But Amphedia didn’t get a chance to finish her accusation as Nieva slammed into her with all of the might of a raging storm out of control.
* * * * * * * *
“Good people!” Jarles shouted out over the crowd gathered in front of the Temple of Life. Instead of quieting, they roared even louder than when he had stepped out of the double doors of the temple. He was pleased with how quickly word had spread that he would be at this place, at this time. Of course, the fact that every high priest and high priestess in the city was here undoubtedly had something to do with the size of the crowds too. The last time he’d stood here, Savaar had been here. Both Savaar and Sabbah had been here, actually, fighting against each other as gigantic-sized men made of water. He had used his own body to shield the people in the crowds from the effects of that battle. Chared had been here too, but he was playing a much different role today than he had then.
When the people refused to stop cheering, he sighed to himself, then turned into water, making himself larger, but not gigantic. He wanted everyone to hear him, not be afraid of him. He tried again, without yelling, “Good people! I am Jarles. I am Amphedia’s heir. I am here to undo a grave disservice to those who have been targeted by Amphedia because she is afraid of them.” That got them to be quiet, he smiled to himself.
“Many of you do not know that Amphedia lives,” he told them, drawing a spattering of cheers, and a lot of indrawn gasps. “Although the Storm Goddess has long ruled the seas, they are no longer hers to control, and so does her power wane. She is afraid of being forgotten. Afraid of anyone who has power she does not! Hear me, good people, we love her still, but she no longer rules the seas, nor this city!” He waited again, letting the people have their moment of celebration before raising his hands for quiet.
“Come forth Chared!” he shouted loudly. He could feel the shifting emotions as soon as he’d said the man’s name. There was more fear than anger. And some curiosity. Good. Putting an over-sized hand on Chared’s shoulder as soon as he was standing next to him, Jarles continued.
“Most of you know, or will have heard of the “Chained Man.” This is he who was chained. Most of you have been taught that he was chained to that rock for more than twenty years because he was being punished by Amphedia. That is not true!” Many voices were speaking now, creating a buzz of excitement and confusion.
“He survived all those years because his father is from a land far from here. A land where I have been. A land Sov created and then hid from everyone else so that the people there would worship only him. With the help of the Order of the Silver Dolphin, the history of that land will be written and shared so that everyone here will know the truth. So that everyone everywhere will know the truth!” He could feel it when the confusion and anger of the crowd turned to excitement and wonder.
“Sov is dead!” he shouted loudly. “Denit has risen! All hail the Sun Goddess!” he shouted even more loudly. Looking at Chared, he smiled widely as the people took up the chant, praising Denit. He waited longer than before, letting the people feel the joy of having something to celebrate together. He started clapping along, and everyone joined him. He wasn’t sure when the last time was he’d felt so good. As he looked to the high priests and priestesses, he could see most of them nodding, smiling, or chanting along with the crowd. There were only a few who were not. He noted which were not, marking them for his attention later.
He had taken a risk in presenting himself before the people this way, and Sabbah hadn’t liked it at all. But then, Jarles knew his grandfather really had his heart set on spending time together, and coming in front of people like this was not at all conducive to living a quiet life. No matter that Giya had not given him control of the seas, these people – his people – were ready to accept him has their own. After another moment, he raised his hands one more time, asking for quiet.
“I have come before you today to ask that you recognize the hardship Amphedia has placed on those amon
g you who were fathered by my friend, Chared. Because some of them have magical abilities she fears, she has forced your own priestesses and priests to isolate them. What better way to be able to eliminate them than by first separating them from their friends, families, and neighbors? She has threatened every one of these good clerics here into doing her will. I say No! No more! They have lived among you for all of their lives without fear. Your fear or theirs. Will you let Amphedia slaughter them out of fear, or will you let them come back? What do you say?”
“Let them come back!” one man yelled. And the crowd agreed with a roar.
And then they were all suddenly silenced by an even louder roar as the ground beneath them shook. Screams followed instantly as the sun was covered by towering, gray clouds and the wind whipped at everyone. Some tried to run, but were pushed back into the crowd, as if being herded.
The voice on the wind was a hundred times louder than Jarles had been, coming from all around them.
“Nieva!” the voice called out, demanding. Angry. It sounded like thunder as it rolled across the city over everyone’s heads.
Jarles looked at Chared who drew a deep breath, then began clapping his hands, encouraging everyone to join him in shouting the name of the Goddess of Air. “Seer-ee Vent-us! Seer-ee Vent-us!”
“Louder!” Jarles joined in, clapping his hands too, then he made himself larger, careful to watch that his expanded size didn’t threaten the people standing around him. Larger still, until he was towering over the tallest spire of the Temple of Life. Cupping his hands around his mouth, he tipped his head towards the now-blackening clouds, shouting, “Siri Ventus, Nieva is with me! She is here!”
To his everlasting surprise, he spotted a whirlwind coming down the street. Exactly in the middle of the street, where it did no damage to the buildings surrounding it. As it neared the crowd of people it lifted into the air, over the heads of everyone gathered.
Bending down, he held out his hand, and in the next moment, the wind wound itself down, depositing Nieva and Amphedia into his oversized palm.
“Hold her!” Nieva shouted, then transformed into an owl so she could fly out of his hand before he closed it. Flying quickly close to his head, she told him, “Don’t call Sabbah! He tried to change the plan!”
“I won’t be able to hold her for long!” Jarles told her. “Chared! Prepare the cage!” “Savaar!” he shouted, calling out as they’d planned. Of course, they hadn’t planned on doing this here, in front of all these people, but the plan had obviously changed. He would have preferred to do this out of sight, and out of danger, of the very people who were standing at his feet now. And he would have preferred to have his grandfather here, but he trusted Nieva as he had never trusted his grandfather.
He watched as Chared drew invisible lines, chanting, while Savaar formed out of the ground, then flowed to face Chared, holding out his hands. Chared directed the focus of his energy towards Savaar and soon a circle appeared out of thin air. He could feel Amphedia struggling, so shouted for them to hurry. They had counted on her not being strong enough to transform into her natural form; if she did, he knew there was no way he would be able to hold her, and she would probably rip him to shreds no matter that he was in his water form.
Nieva landed next to Chared, returning to her human form, and in the next moment, Siri Ventus was beside her, causing many in the crowd to gasp and cry out in fear. But she paid none of the people any attention at all, instead raised her hands to add her own magic to the cage Chared was constructing. It was almost as tall as two men standing on top of each other would be, and just as wide. A perfect sphere, created by magic Amphedia wouldn’t be able to breech, reinforced with knowledge her eldest son provided, and now completed with the help of the Goddess of Air.
“Now!” Chared shouted, waving his arms.
Jarles could feel Amphedia working against him, trying to drain his strength, so quickly slammed her into the cage, as Chared sealed it, then he allowed himself to shrink to a smaller size. A cheer went up from the crowd, with the slamming of the cage door, although it wasn’t as loud nor as strong as he would have expected. Undoubtedly, it was disturbing to watch a goddess be confined for many of them.
“Well that was unexpected!” he laughed, hoping the crowd would join him. “But as I said, we still love Amphedia, and are filled with gratitude for all she has done for us in her long history as the Goddess of the Seas. A special temple will be created so that all those who wish to continue to serve her may continue to do so!” A polite amount of applause followed this announcement, which probably meant that there were many who had no idea what they were supposed to do now that the goddess whom generations of their family had served was imprisoned by gods they barely knew. And there were those afraid to show their allegiance, he was sure.
“As I told you, I asked you to come here today to help me release those who have been unfairly imprisoned, and that is exactly what we’re going to do. I wanted you to hear it from me, and not through gossip or second-hand stories so you would know exactly why the children of Chared had been isolated and why they are now being released. They are your neighbors, your friends, and your families. Go home and welcome them back among us!”
“Sea God! Sea God! Sea God!” the chant went up as the crowd began to disperse, some reluctant to leave, he knew, hoping to see if anything else was going to happen. Stepping back, he nodded to Chared, who drew the Uchawi symbols to make it look as though they had all disappeared.
* * * * * * * *
“You did well,” Siri whispered to Nieva, giving her hand a squeeze.
“Thank you for coming, Grandmother,” Nieva replied, stiffly, then turned away, to face the building behind them, knowing her grandmother would follow her lead. It was important, she knew, that the others didn’t see her being defiant to her Grandmother the Goddess, or she would become embarrassed, and would have no choice other than to punish her. She understood exactly how this worked, so she started with the most-important matter.
“Grandfather has been hurt. Pretty badly. He may not fly again. Please help him.” She risked looking up at her grandmother, even though it took courage to do it. Her face was immobile, of course, showing absolutely no emotion whatsoever.
“So you won’t be coming back,” Siri guessed.
“Not now,” Nieva replied, knowing that a small part of her ached to do exactly that. “The moon will be full tonight, so you will have Raito at least,” she said, refusing to hang her head, although she did feel sorry for her grandmother. Nieva knew how much she hated being alone.
“I don’t like it,” Siri’s tight-lipped reply was music to Nieva’s ears. She felt a thrill of victory and joy, but knew she must not show it. The fact that Grandmother the Goddess hadn’t insisted she return or face the consequences was as close as she was ever going to get to receiving permission to do what she needed to do.
“I’m going with Chared, Jarles, and the others to help Giya,” Nieva told her. When her grandmother didn’t answer right away, she thought she might change her mind after all, and Nieva felt stupid for having told her.
“Good,” Siri replied. “They will need someone smart like you,” she said, reaching out with a smile out to touch her hair tenderly. “When the time is right, tell them “only the blood of her firstborn will stop death’s march.” You’ll do that for me, won’t you Nieva?”
Blinking rapidly at the sudden cooperation from her grandmother, Nieva nodded, then closed her eyes as she kissed her forehead.
“Come home when you’re ready,” she said, then vanished, taking the cage with Amphedia in it with her.
Chapter Eighteen – Yakuza Sings
The boy watched the travelers come, not knowing for certain whether he should be relieved or feel more tense, now that they were finally here. Since his stomach muscles felt tight, he was sure he would rather be relieved, but he knew he wasn’t likely to be afforded that luxury. The Song had spun him out of its dark melody into the light of a harsh
world, and there was nothing he could do about it until he did what he’d been sent to do. That didn’t mean he had to like it, though.
He’d been here, above the mantle, for several weeks now, remembering how to act like he belonged. He’d had help, though, which was a very good thing, or he might not have remembered how to feed his body, or how to use moisture to live. He had forgotten such things as hunger and thirst. And sunlight. That was the worst part, the constant light. Even at night, there was always light. It wouldn’t be as terrible for him, he thought, if they could travel during the dark hours, but he already knew he would have to do as they did if he was going to play his part.
The Goddess of Beauty, may she ever sing freely, had left this world. That much he knew. She had taken Sov with her. Lucky him! The world had changed much in the short time since he had surrendered to the Song of the Earth. The Singers knew everything – too much. And too little. And yet, without them, Yakuza knew, the planet would no longer spin, Giya’s touch would no longer affect the changes she sought, and all life would slowly come to an end. All life depended on the Singers Lumas had created so very long ago. All life was in motion and the Song of the Earth created that motion. That vibration. He could close his eyes and fall in love with the memory of it now. Except that the Song had changed, and it had chosen him to help set things right again.
He often felt like a very, very old man, but this body, this boy’s body, was no more than half grown. He would have to use all of his wits to convince his grandfather and those who traveled with him to come with him. He hoped he was up to the task.
