Fantasy
(Fic)
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What if you found yourself in a different world? One in which your ancestor was attempting to enslave the inhabitants of that world? Would you kill her and risk your own annihilation? Or would you join forces, creating a legacy of power? This is the dilemma that faces Betty. And this is the story of what she risked to try to save the women who became her sisters, in the land that she came to call home. In her journey, she'll meet shape-shifters, bovine priestesses, monsters, and come face-to-face with her great-great-grandmother in a great battle that may decide the fate of all. "Sounds interesting!"
Aradia’s Diaspora - Author's Note - 2023 I’m reactivating Aradia’s Diaspora because I want to work on it... eventually. I began it in 2018 through ChapterBuzz. ...
I looked at the photos one by one, taking in details, arranging and rearranging them, shuffling and stacking different ones, as if I were giving myself a tarot reading that I didn’t like the answers to. One photo in particular stood out because I saw new details every time it showed up in the various spreads I’d made on the kitchen table. It was a young woman with long hair in a thick braid slung over one shoulder. I’m no fashionista - historical or otherwise - but it loo...
“You want some coffee?” I asked. “I’m in need of a little wake-me-up.” Mom looked up at the clock. “Oh my god! We’ve been doing this for three hours!” she said. “Yeah, honey, make a fresh pot. I’m still in the mood to go through these. And get the zucchini bread over there on the counter. Might as well have a snack too.” As I made coffee by rote, I thought back on what transpired in the last four hours - I was...
In the morning, which was pretty late by the time I’d gotten up, Mom was fixing breakfast for me. She had a card table set up in the living room so we wouldn’t disturb the photo piles. “Good morning, sleepy head!” she said as I yawned down to my toes. “Mmm. That smells good,” I said. “I love the smell of toast. Oh good, looks like I get your scrambled eggs and potatoes too.” She had refrained from cooking bacon or sausages becaus...
I didn’t go back to the photos right away. I read through the file that my Mom’s cousin – my second cousin? – had made. She had hand-drawn a chart, having taped together several 8x10 inch sheets when she ran out of room on one. There were names going back several generations. I thought about how difficult it must have been to track the names of women who changed their last names to their husband’s. What I had before me was a lot of work. It stopped at several question ...
I showed the photo of the young woman to the archivist at the second county seat I visited, thinking maybe I could get more information if I could identify anything else in the photo that might be particular to a region, or to a farm family that was well-known in the area. I was running dry on working my way backward and was trying to come up with alternatives to follow the smallest of small breadcrumbs. She looked at the photo but shook her head. “The young woman dressed in men’s...
I was through the door and outside, coughing some from the smoke. Turning around I saw that the inside of the building was on fire. I couldn’t believe how fast it had spread. From the open doorway, I saw the flames start to creep up the side of the building. Looking further up I could see that flames had gotten to the second floor, lighting the windows from inside. This fire was moving fast - faster than I had imagined a fire could ever eat through all the wood and paper inside. I had to move back ...
“It will take them a while to come into the wood. They do not like the dark and they certainly do not like the wood in the dark,” the rider said. Still panting, I held out my hand. “Thank you,” I said, “thank you … ?” “Isobeau,” she said. She pulled her hood back and smiled, sticking out her own hand in return. Is it just so dark in this woods, or is her skin purple? Like eggplant-purple? “And you must ...
My arms ached as we rode. I thought I was either going to bite my tongue off, my lower lady parts were going to be permanently flattened against my body, or both. Arion was tall and I didn’t fancy falling to the ground from what felt like the height of a second story roof. I tried asking Isobeau more questions but the jarring movement from the galloping Arion pretty much made understandable speech impossible. Isobeau turn back to see if we were being followed and since I kept basically ...
Falling on my butt as I slid to the ground off of Arion’s back, I was thankful to have such a well-padded derriere. Isobeau had sheathed her dagger and picked up a nearby bucket as if it were just another day. She headed for the stream to the side of the clearing where Arion was drinking great gulps of water. Patting the horse’s neck, my hand came away wet and muddy. “What were those things? Will they come back?” I asked her. “I have heard of them but I have not ...
Something a bit foul smelling filled my nose as I came out of the darkness of unconsciousness. The smell came in waves of barely noticeable to overpowering. I felt steam near my nose. That was enough to help me break the surface to daylight and to Isobeau, waving tea under my nose. I was having a hard time focusing on her, but I could hear her well enough. “Ah, there you are!,” she said, “drink this.” She held a cup under my nose. I stretched, yawned, scratched and loo...
We rode Arion out of the protective circle. I looked back and couldn’t see the rainbow of dust that surrounded the place. I asked Isobeau whether the shadow creatures would be waiting in the woods for us. “It is likely they were called back by the witch who sent them,” she said, “I have been told that to maintain that magic drains a woman of life and so she cannot hold it for too long.” We rode in silence. A witch was hunting us? But who? Why? I thought ...
“Hey, I know it was dark when we rode to the cabin and all, but none of this looks familiar,” I said, looking around the woods, “Aren’t we going back the way we came? I thought you said the Sisters, or Daughters, or whatever you called them, were near my car.” Arion shook her head, her mane whipping like weeds in a hurricane. She stomped her foot. Isobeau patted her neck. “You will be unable to return to the fire. There is nothing there now,” Isobeau ...
Coming over a ridge, we stopped at the top of a hill to view the valley below us. There was a group of small houses or tents - I couldn’t tell what they were for sure - clustered together. It reminded me of spokes and hub of a wheel. In the center was a huge tent. But not a tent. Oh, I know. It’s a yurt! Wow, a really BIG yurt. There was a lot of activity - women carrying buckets of water from a well, a woman pulling a vegetable cart, women talking with one another, lots of kids runn...
We rode into the village and I smelled something extremely delicious on the air. We hadn’t eaten since the eggs and mushrooms at breakfast. Isobeau and the rider stopped in a clearing near the edge of the village. She dismounted as did the rider. “I am Ruis,” said the rider, “and this is my mara, Passelanda. Here, let me help you down.” Ruis reached up toward me as if to catch me like a child climbing off the monkey bars and into the arms of her mother...
I ran my eyes along the beams that held up the circular ceiling. I’m not exactly sure how it worked, but it opened in the center, the central beams never meeting at the top. Smoke was rising from a large oven set into the earth in the middle. To one side, the top was flat shale. Sitting on it were pots of boiling things. To another side, a woman was using a long wooden paddle to pull flat bread from a covered oven. Nearby, bread was cooling on a wooden rack. Women were serving and being served....
The fire roared as if someone had poured gasoline on it, but no one was adding branches or logs, yet it was burning hotter and higher in the night sky. Above it flew owls circling above the flames, catching hot updrafts. They dove, pivoted, spiraled around each other. The drums became the consuming sound, drowning out even the fire. The drummers did not shapeshift and I ran over to one of them asking how the fire was burning so much hotter when no one was adding fuel. I had to put my mouth basicall...
I was riding in a boat. In the boat was this very cushy bed and it felt so good to sleep. But I kept hitting my head on sandpaper, which was getting more unpleasant. But I didn’t want to leave the boat and the nice furry bed. Furry bed? Lifting my hand to the side of my head to push away the sandpaper, I felt warm puffs of air on my neck. Opening my eyes, I saw my bed also had two eyes, two deep brown eyes and they were blinking. At me. I sat up, nearly falling off the she-bear...
Thundering hooves. Passlande galloped toward us, Ruis on her back. Arion followed close behind. We stood as they approached. “Isobeau! One of the warriors from the journey returns,” Ruis shouted, “one of the Guard spotted her. She’s hurt and on her shoulder sits a hawk. Its wing is bloodied.” “Who are they? Do they come alone?” asked Isobeau. Ruis looked grave, “The Guard could not tell who it was. Yes, it is only the two. Come, we must ri...
For the next two hours, we waited. Ruis and Isobeau, two healers and a couple of women who were part of the Guard were in one of the house yurts with Shala, the warrior who was first spotted on the hill. Beside her, in her hawk form, was Bhasi. No one else was allowed in with them. The Daughters gathered in small groups, speaking quietly with one another. “Sisters,” Pua said, standing on a bench in front of the group, “we are all very concerned for Shala and Bhasi, and your incant...
The woman and cow in the photo had not only changed, but the image itself was becoming clearer. Changing colors. No longer only black and white, subtle color variations were apparent. There was a tinge of pink to the woman’s lips and cheeks, and the cow’s nose was also pinking-up. The straw hat she wore was definitely more yellow. The headdress on the cow was showing much more detail - blue-hued flowers adorned the edges and framed the cow’s face. A single gem hung ...
Isobeau was standing near the door to the yurt as we made our way back to the village. I saw food and flowers left in front by well-meaning Daughters. A healer came out and whispered something in Isobeau’s ear then walked toward the Great Yurt. “Hello Isobeau,” I said, “I told Ruis that I really didn’t think I would be able to help. But she reminded me of how much you did for me since the fire at the library. I owe you at least to try.” Isobeau stood still,...
Shala fell back onto the bed and mumbled more things but there was no getting her to focus on me and answer questions. One of the healers placed her hands over her face, saying through them, “Nana is dead? How can that be?” In turn, she looked at each of us in the room with her. I could only stand by the bed with my mouth open, trying to piece together what Shala had said in the healers’ presence and what she’d voiced when I asked her directly about Inquisitors. ...
What I thought would happen when Toci declared this to the entire village was total panic and chaos, with some wailing, cloth-rending and ash-wearing. But. That’s not what happened. There was a small group of women who came up to Toci and spoke to her in quiet tones. They leaned in toward her, raising their arms to hold her, to hold each other. As others heard the news, they walked calmly over to the small group already formed and began to circle around that group, their arms resting on...
Isobeau came in with Toci in tow. I followed, closing the flap behind me. “Pua is Nana now,” Shala said, “and I must tell you, Isobeau and Nana and Betty what happened.” I don’t know if I’m prepared for this. “You remember when Tatha was taken,” Shala began, “and we did not know entirely what had happened.” Toci and Nana nodded, being the only two in the room to have been in the village at the time. “...
I have never had much trouble eating even when things were upsetting and chaotic. This meal was no different and I finished quickly and waited for Isobeau and Nana, who both picked at the food on their plates. Perhaps it was because I still felt like an outsider, or just hungry, or just a hungry outsider. I am just getting to know these women and some, like Madeline a little more intimately than others, but I don’t know any of them so well as to feel the deep sorrow, anger, or fear they seemed to d...
“Me?!” I said, taken off-guard by Isobeau’s question. I looked at Nana and opened my mouth to suggest it would be better if she did it, but before I got there, she interrupted. “I am not the leader for this journey,” Nana said, “I need to keep safe the Daughters here in the village. If Shala was followed, then we need to be on our highest guard and we need to keep the magic going. That is what I am good at and it is my duty.” “Then it shall be m...
Even a drink of Diamond vite water was not enough to extinguish my thoughts. She’s Malefici. Photo changed again. Harming a cow. Well, she had a knife. Maybe she wasn’t going to. Kill that cow. No, not a cow. An Auroch. No, not just Auroch. Said she was one of the Go. The Go? Go. Ok, the Go. In the photo, dressed like a. What did Isobeau say? Like a priestess.
“Show Nana the drawing - the photo - is that the word? - show it to her,” Isobeau said, “she needs to know your connection to this woman.” We were walking toward the yurt. The sun was warming the pink tops and blue-purple bottoms of clouds on the horizon. Red sky at night, sailors delight. Red sky at morning, sailors take warning. “Good thing there’s no red sky this morning,” I mumbled. “What?” Isobeau asked. “So...
“Rest now, Shala,” Nana said, “thank you for telling us what you can remember.” Nana stood and we did the same, moving toward the door. “I think it would be good if the four of us went to my yurt to discuss this further,” Nana said. As we began walking away from the yurt, Isobeau and I gave side-eyed glances to one another. We didn’t hear much more from Shala than we had the day before. What kind of plan could we have based on this information alone?<...
Mira said on her out-breath, “Betty. Isobeau. Toci. Bhasi…” “Bhasi?” Nana asked. I thought that might break Mira’s concentration, but she continued. “Bhasi. She knows the way,” Mira said. She did not open her eyes but addressed Nana directly, “You fear for her. Do not. She is to be with the others. You cannot deny her.” “But how can she go off on another journey?” Nana asked, “she is still in need of healing.&...
“This is Maddalena who came to live with the Order when I was young,” Auri said, nodding, “it’s been a long time since I have heard her name or thought about her. But this is she.” We shifted in our seats toward Auri. “There was a fire in the woods one night close to the prioria,” Auri said, “the brothers ran to it, hoping to smother flames before the entire forest caught fire. I had never seen a fire like that, nor such chaos with brothers runn...
“Gone? She left?” Isobeau asked. “She was not there,” Auri said, eyes wide in remembering that night’s events, “but she had not left the room. Brothers came pounding on the door trying to get in when I called out to them. It was only when I broke whatever spell was on me and was able to get off the bed that they were able to push their way in. The room was filled with light as Uriel, Ezekiel, Gabriel lit every corner of the room with their lamps. But Maddalena wa...
“Betty, there will come a time when you will understand more about how we live in our world. For now, you must leave it at that,” Nana said, “Auri, thank you for sharing this information with us. I am sorry that your heart was broken and for the pain you must have felt during the Enquiry.” “What has passed can’t be allowed to interfere with now,” Auri recited, “I’m fine.” Fine? Really? Well, I mean, you’re
“Who’s Madeleine?” Auri asked. “A bear-woman - she-bear - I met. And sort of dated,” I said, looking where Madeleine had run off, hoping she might come back. Really? She might be wicked mad if she comes back. “I think maybe we should head back to the village,” Auri said, “I think I’ve had enough excitement for the morning and we’re going to have a busy afternoon.” “Ok. But so I’m clear about wha...
We’d walked in from the west where Daughters lined the main pathway, waiting, chatting with each other in low tones, looking expectantly down the dirt street. Looks like a parade route. Ahead, I could see women rushing in and out of the Great Yurt. Arms full of apples and pears, others carrying buckets of water. At Nana’s yurt, the flap was down. I walked toward it, intending to enter. “Best not to,” Auri catching me by the arm, “I think she’...
A makeshift stage stood in the space where women and girls had once sat to eat meals together. Logs that had served as benches were put in service as the base of the stage. Smooth, uniformly flat wooden planks were being laid on top of the logs. The Daughters had taken shelves from their library to create a wide platform and ramp. Women were placing the planks while other women sat cross-legged in front of it, some drumming quietly, some chanting, all with their eyes closed. Sage wafted through the air a...
This is the moment, Betty. You can jump off the stage or you can stand against your fear. No one in this room will force you to lead them. But you need to do this - for yourself, for all the women before you. In the photo, a great fire blazed and I could almost smell acrid smoke rising from it. I looked around the Great Yurt, everyone looking at me. I looked down at my feet - if I could move one foot, then the other, I could make my way over to the ramp, down it and out the open flap. I co...
The Great Yurt was empty except for women packing food for the trip. Auri came up behind me, making me jump. “Oh, sorry, I thought you felt me coming up to you,” she said, “I want you know that the Brothers can spread out to reach any witches that may be left in the villages, telling them to get to Chalcedony. Since the Shadows didn’t touch the other villagers, I think they may be safe. It would be hard to convince them to also leave since they were left unharmed.” ...
Waiting for Auri’s return, I slept fitfully. Nana and Pua were up most of the night, conferring with various women who were put in charge of groups preparing for the walk ahead. Auri never showed. Just before dawn Toci gently shook my shoulder. Bleary-eyed and wobbly from too little sleep, I dressed in my original outfit - jeans and a sweatshirt and pulled on Isobeau’s boots. I guess they were my boots now, since it looked like she wouldn’t be giving back my sneakers. Clothes give...
“How far is it to Chalcedony?” I asked Isobeau as we slowed when the Kyr strained to pull their loads up an incline. She and Arion had been on the trail ahead but came back along the line, checking on the carts. “Well, a single woman could walk the distance in a day, maybe two” she said, “but…” she looked ahead, “we are not a single woman, are we.” “If you were to estimate, how long?” I pressed, unsure why I even needed to know...
Along with the Daughters I waited for Nana and Pua to return from inside the dome, the cave, the house - whatever it was - and tell us it was time to go inside. I’d walked around the perimeter of the structure. It was huge, but still left me wondering how we’d all fit, especially with a herd, excuse me, the Herd joining us. Plus, I wasn’t sure how we could stay there any length of time, given finite amounts of food and water. Plus plus, where were these Cryst? If a big crowd st...
Chalcedony. Chalcedony. Where do I know that word from? We were walking along in the dark, my hand gripping the hand of one of the interpreters walking in front of me. Fortunately, the floor of the massive structure we’d entered was smooth and the way flat. As long as I held on to the woman in front of me with one hand and kept touching the wall with the other, I felt pretty sure of my steps - even if I couldn’t see ahead of us, or around us, or behind us. Now I understood what...
Feeling lighter than I had in days, I looked for Nana, Pua and Isobeau. I wanted to know what to do next and since Aurie had still not caught up to us, I had to look for information from other sources. I didn’t want to have any time in which to consider the probability that Aurie had returned to her Order and was going about the countryside with her Brothers. The feeling of lightness gave me room to relax. I certainly felt relaxed. And sleepy. Yawning, I looked about for a place to sit down. ...
Just like in the village of the Daughters, the children were running around, meeting others, trying different foods and generally just being little girls together. I saw Tatha’s two girls holding hands with two other little girls about their same age. They were swinging their hands back and forth as friends do. The new girls appeared to be twins. Not just twins - identical twins. “They are so fast to make friends,” Pua said, sitting down beside me. We watched the four of ...
As she got better, my sister constantly reminded me of how much she loved me and the girls. I would stretch out beside her in our bed, resting my head against her shoulder and stroking her belly skin, which had begun to swell over the growing twins. She started showing her pregnancy only seven days after she had laid with the evil one, the demon of desire - as I called Rati; hate filling me. But how could I show this hate when here before me was my beautiful sister and marveling at the miracle that was w...
On the day the twins began to make their way into this world, the wind swirled the snow into a blinding gale. The air was so thick it reminded me of mist, like the one that had ushered Rati to our valley long ago. I opened the shutters expecting to see two horses pulling a queen’s chariot up to our threshold. I remembered her awful eyes and prayed that I would not see them again. I slammed the shutters closed, refusing to allow any spirit in this warm world in which two babies were making their way...
Over the next several days, I put healing salve on my sister’s yoni hoping it might relieve the soreness she still felt from the stretching during her labor. Her leg, still swollen, did not respond to any salve or poultice I had. It worried me, but even more of a concern was that we would be out of food soon - I would need to hunt. Perhaps while I was in the village I would find something that might help heal Mahi-A’s leg. Burning the old bed and boiling the birth-bloodied blankets outs...
“And found your way here,” I said when Mella paused for a long while. “With the aid of others,” Mella responded, “a long journey ended in this beautiful place with the Cryst and their healing arts. I only wished I had known of them, as my sister must have known, before she died.” Still uncertain as to how I fit into the picture, I asked, “Somewhere along the line, you dreamed of me?” “Once we were here in Chalcedony for awhile and th...
Later I found Nana and Pua enjoying tea with some of the Cryst women. They looked rested and happy, the burden of leading the Daughters here seemed far from their minds. I hated to break the mood, but I needed to speak to them about Mella and the twins. Since Lazuli mentioned the shared dream, or prophesy, I wanted to hear what other Cryst had to say, so I asked the two women - Larimar and Isoletes - to stay with us. After I told a shortened version of what Mella had told me and her request, I aske...
Days became weeks as we prepared for the troupe to head out for the Inquisito. I had wanted to leave earlier but several things were happening: the Cryst were working with Bhasi to see if they could help her heal; we were waiting for the Aurochs and the Herd, probably moving slowly toward us; and we were waiting for Auri to show. Pua gave no sign that she had changed her mind about the future in which she saw Auri joining us. Over those intervening days, it became clearer what obstacles we faced - ...
The Cryst magicked the Aurochs and Woodlanders small enough to make it through the Passage. Those who were already small had to be carried by others across the gap. Some of the Aurochs were injured but patched up enough to get inside where they could be cared for. It was then time to make a plan for how to care for the dead still waiting for us. Before any asking of questions, before any planning, we ate together. I sat with Aurie, Madeleine, and Nana - not quite sure where to begin our conversatio...
Needing some fresh air, I decided to head outside the Passage. So I left the Daughters, Aurie, and Madeleine to their tea. I needed to see the sky, feel grass under my feet. Sitting against the kerb wall watching Arion nibble grass nearby, Isobeau held her head in her hands. I felt a rush of something - pity? No. Empathy? More than that. I felt love for Isobeau, a dear soul who had saved me, helped me, lead me to this - what? Might as well admit it - new life. “Isobeau?&r...
Golden girls of the realm. What a joke. A troupe with slim odds of winning - a woman-child, two bear women, a hawk-shifter, and Aurie. There was me, of course. Would I be able to fight? Certainly I could defend myself, or so I thought. Maybe I need to take a few lessons in using a weapon before we headed to confront the Malefici and Maddalena. My feelings for Aurie would distract me from learning from her, so that was out as an option. Bhasi had her own way of fighting, hawk-style. Toci was as cluel...
It had been nearly a month, if I understood how to correctly read the phases of the moon, since the bovine priestesses and Kyr had left to honor their dead. No one knew - not even the priestesses - how long they might be gone. My hopes for the Kyr to join us somewhere along the way to face the Malefici were nil. Isobeau and Arion had rode off to find Ruis and Passlande probably two weeks ago. Time sat on my shoulders like giant hands pressing down, each day a little more pressure, making my neck and back...
By midday, my feet were killing me. Not that my boots were new - I still used the pair Isobeau had traded with me - but the ground was much more rocky than I expected. And it looked like I wasn’t the only one with aching feet - everyone in the troupe except Bhasi, walked gingerly. “Bhasi, can you scout a different path for us?” I asked the bird shifter, “we need to have some relief from these rocks.” Bhasi screeched and took to the sky. “Hey everyone,...
On the fifth morning as we prepared for another day’s walk, I made my way down to the edge of the sea to marvel at the pinks and purples the reflection of the sunrise made on the clouds. Aurie came up behind me, wrapping her arms around me, kissing my neck. “Good morning, beautiful Betty,” she whispered. I stood still, contemplating just how she’d slipped herself into my life without my notice. I hadn’t had sex with her in the short time we’d been on the ro...
“We cannot go back now, Betty!” Ina said, her voice not quite a whine but close to it. She had locked arms with her sister and they stood before me. It took me by surprise because I hadn’t voiced my concerns about them being with us and my feeling that they needed to go back. “Girls, you can’t stay with us,” I scolded them, “remember what I said back at the Passage? Remember that I said it would be too dangerous? Well, that has not changed, you need to go b...
The idea was that the girls would take mushroom cakes with them and after convincing the slavers that they were lost and asking for help, they would offer the cakes in return. It was anguish waiting for the preparations to be completed. Meanwhile, Isobeau and Ruis were able to reconnoiter without blasting in and battling the men on their own. It gave me pause - maybe Aurie was right that the others were listening to me but that they had good ideas too and I needed to trust them. “They are spe...
“My heart is pounding really hard,” Toci whispered to me as we made our way down a trail Isobeau and Ruis had discovered. Enough light filtered through the trees that I could see her eyes were wide with excitement and maybe fear. “Me too, Toci,” I responded, “Everybody is being really brave. I am so proud especially of you, Ife, and Ina.” “They are good girls,” Toci said absently. I knew she was worried about sending them ahead. There was ...
Their moaning caught everyone’s attention. N’kiri and two of her women bolted toward the men, searching them for knives. But before they could use them, Ife and Ina ran up to N’kiri. “No, you must not!” Ife said, raising her hands in front of N’kiri to stop her. “You will suffer ghosts!” Ina said, also raising her hands toward one of the other women. Isobeau strode over to the unfolding drama, fire in her eyes, “Ina, Ife, let these w...
Isobeau, Ruis, Artio and Ursel, took turns along jogging back the way we’d come to see if there were any signs we were followed. We walked where the woods and beach met, using the compact earth beneath our feet to keep our legs from getting too fatigued. “There’s a port city, I think,” I said to Aurie, pointing to a spot on the map that wasn’t clearly identified. “Yes, I recall something about that port,” Aurie said, “maybe we can lose those men...
We reached Akay Niris Bay just as the market was opening for the morning. Merchants were setting out their wares, farmers hawked vegetables and fruits from their wagons as they pulled them through the groggy streets. Citizens threw off sleep like blankets in the summer. “What is the plan, Betty?” Isobeau whispered to me, “if we stay bunched up against the wall like this, it is going to look suspicious.” I nodded, “do we have any money? Maybe we can spread out and...
“I am Njoku.” “I am Tenga.” “I am Alo.” “I am Nimba.” “I am Chi.” “I am N’kiri.” “I am Betty.” “I am Toci.” “I am Ruis.” “I am Isobeau.” “I am Aurie.” “I am Artio.” “I am Ursel.” “Neigh.” “Neigh.” “That is Arion. That is Passla...
“N’kiri, I hope you will agree to be with me,” I said, “as all the other women are now in groups.” I had in mind that she might like to help me cause chaos in the slave market once we found it. “Betty, we are together in this, of course,” she responded, “but by your voice I can tell you have something important in mind that you want us to do.” “Yes. Since you told me that the slavers were bringing you here, I had a feeling that there...
Making my way to the side where I’d seen several men and women coming to the gate, I waited for a larger group to make its way. I planned to become part of any entourage entering so as to go as unnoticed as possible. I didn’t wait long before such a group of couples came by. They were laughing and talking among themselves, with several people trailing behind, carrying packages or fanning the group. I slipped between the last of the rich people and their servants, or whoever they were, chuckli...
Carefully, I made my way to the entryway and peeked out. Isobeau was having a very heated argument with a man who she dwarfed in size and probably, strength. But it wasn’t only Isobeau - N’kiri stood at her side, pushing away other men I presumed to be guards, who’d crowded them both near the gate’s entry. Whether they’d planned it or not, the row would give me a little more time to figure out how to get the women out. As I turned back into the room, I saw a long flask...
Hearing Ursel’s roars, we followed her voice and the screams of women down a long alley, turning a corner to find a wide opening that must have served as a backyard for several of the buildings. Though the sun was high, there was little light in the open area. The sky was darkened by Shadows. They were diving and retreating, striking against Ursel with sharp talons formed from their smoke. Ursel was battering them with her fists any time one was close. There were so many, too many for her to ...
“I have a plan,” I told the women, “we need to get help for Ursel and we need to get everyone on the ship. Aurie told Artio we need to do this while the fire is distracting everyone, including the slavers.” “But Ursel is not able to walk,” Artio said, “and she will not wake up. How will we leave this place?” “This is my plan - you four together can carry Ursel to the docks, get her onboard the ship and maybe there will be a doctor, uh, a h...
There was smoke in the alley I jogged down, following the drops of blood. At one point I thought I’d lost the trail - it seemed as if it had completely vanished. But standing still, thinking of what to do next, I spotted a splatter of blood along one wall. It was enough. In the alleyways I traveled, I could hear the muffled sounds of commotion - the raised, excited voices of people, the nervous calls of goats or sheep, and clanging of metal objects. But I kept moving down, around, and what fe...
The bodies of dead women lay all around me. Looking at my hands, I contemplated the power I had used to disperse the Shadows. Though I was able to save myself from them, I had not stopped Maddalena from leaving the scene, and worse - I could not stop her from killing those women for whatever awful purpose the Malefici had in mind. I needed to go but I could not leave these women - their bodies at angles the human body wasn’t supposed to be in. In one last gesture of respect, I laid the...
Racing toward the pier, I spotted Toci on one of the harbored ships. I continued running, looking over my shoulder to see if the slavers were catching up. So far, no. Toci spotted me and began waving frantically, shouting to someone down on the dock and pointing toward me. Getting closer I saw it was Aurie. She was helping the women carrying Ursel onto the gangway. When she heard Toci, she began to run toward me and I to her. “Betty! Oh thank Gaia! I was so afraid!” she said as she wrap...
“I asked Arion and Passlande to head back to Chalcedony to let them know what happened,” Isobeau said to me as we shared breakfast, “I sent Bhasi with them. She did not want to go but Arion and Passlande needed her to guide them in the forest.” “That’s good thinking, Isobeau, thank you,” I said, “I hope they stay safe and that everyone at home is safe.” “Those we left behind are good warriors and witches. The Kyr, the Daughters, the ...
Another week or maybe two - I’d lost track of time - into our sea voyage, those of us who had no clue how to sail, began to grasp what the Warriors were teaching. They had an intuitive sense of water and wood. While we still relied heavily on N’kiri and her crew to do most of the work, I had new eyes and looked at rope as lines, that lines held up the sails, and what to do with those sails when the wind was from one direction or another. “Why is it that we don’t have a stead...
I heard something - a high-pitched sound like an “Ah,” coming from somewhere. With all the wind, rain, hail and thunder, with the waves crashing over the deck, it was impossible to tell where it was coming from, or what it exactly was. If Mother Nature could be really mad, really pissed off, this would be her voice. Her anger so loud it drowned every other sound. What a way to get someone’s attention. I looked up at the masts, thinking the high Ah was the lines whistling in the wi...
I lowered my fingers from my ears, cringing to think I might hear that frightful song once more. But the sea, the ships, the sky were silent. “Are the men gone?” Toci asked me as she took the cloth from her ears, her voice a whisper so as not to crack the stillness. “I think so. They all went into the water; it didn’t look like any of them knew to plug their ears.” “I thought you would not do so either.” “True.” I would not hav...
“It is true,” Nkiri told me the next morning, “I had a vision of the Ibeji. They are queen. We will take them to our homeland where they will rule.” “You had a vision,” I said, “and were you going to tell me about it? Or just say ‘bye, see ya later’?” “The vision was not something you would understand.” “Try me.” “Ok, but even if you do not understand, I am still taking the Ibeji to their hom...
We watched the ship sail away, the Twins waving goodbye from the stern. Toci cried and waved back until their figures were so small, we could no longer make them out. I looked at the necklace Nkiri had given me before their departure. “To remind you of Yemaya and Her great goodness shown to us on our journey,” she said to me as she closed my hand around the beaded work. I dropped the necklace over my head, feeling the carved figure of the goddess resting on my chest, next to my heart.
“I cannot make out which way is up on this map,” Isobeau said as she leaned over it on the captain’s table. “Well, if I could spot the Big Dipper, I might be able to orient the map,” I suggested. “The big what?” “Dipper. Uh, I think they also call it the Drinking Gourd or the Big Bear or Ursa Major.” “You have many strange things in your world, Betty,” Isobeau said shaking her head, “I have not heard such name...
Toci was able to read the stars it turned out. She was even willing to teach Isobeau and I to use a technique of looking between our fingers held close to our eyes to see only the brightest of the stars. Doing so, the constellations noted on the map reflected what we saw in the sky. Although Nkiri and her Warriors didn’t know exactly where we were going, they had a sense of where land was, which was enough for us to believe our goal was reachable. We were going to make it to land. Somewhere. ...
Having found a healer, we had to stay in the port for two days while she worked on Ursel. The healer’s place was full of mostly good smells of herbs. It was light and cheerful, just the opposite of what I’d imagined. She had quite a large number of people in her home waiting for their turn to see her. As soon as Ursel hobbled in the door, however, the healer brought her into another room despite the grumbles of many waiting there. She had an assistant triage the others. “Is it rea...
The healer washed her hands as Artio and one of the assistants pulled Ursel on the blanket over by the fire. “Yes, you can buy me a drink,” the healer said as she wiped her hands on a towel. “Excuse me?” “In payment. You did plan on paying me, did you not?” I blushed, “Yes, of course. I’ll buy you dinner too, if you have the time. And there’s some good place to eat around here.” “A drink will do. I have others...
With the beer helping me misplace my steps, I headed down to the docks. I was pretty sure I’d find help there. “You lookin’ for somethin’ cap?” asked a woman coming up to me. Her clothes were ragged, feet dirty to the point I couldn’t tell what color they might be, her hair a bird’s nest. Her one feature - a sailor’s handkerchief knotted at her neck - made me stop to ask. “Yes, I’m looking for some sailors to help me get my ship off ...
The ship hadn’t moved off the sandbar, so it was easy to get right up next to her. Calling out one last time, I knew we wouldn’t be seeing anyone. The women fidgeted but stayed where they were, waiting for Uppsee to give them orders. Uppsee waited on me. “Well, I guess you’re right - no one’s on the ship. So you think they all went to that island?” I asked Uppsee. “Cap, look, the ladder is down. So them took a boat over to her island and be there.&rdq...
The water was shallow, warm and clear. I wanted to immerse myself, lay naked on my back and float, watching the few clouds above pass like sleepy sheep. I had, however, three women to find and get back to the ship. I splashed my arms and face as I walked, glancing back to see Uppsee a tiny speck bobbing on waves that barely registered as ocean. Standing on deep brown sand, I called out to see if Toci, Isobeau and Ruis were within range. No answer came. I called again, deciding to move to my left be...
What I remembered next was being on the beach at sunset. The woman was there tending a bonfire. The three other women I recalled being at the waterfall danced around in the firelight, as if an unseen drummer set her hands to a djembe. Watching the yellow and orange sky fade to red then to indigo, I had a distant recollection that I had come from somewhere out on the water, but it didn’t matter. I wouldn’t be going back out to sea, this was my new home. The beguiling woman who coaxed the flame...
I held the branch in front of me as a torch. It had blazed bright when I first took it from the fire, but I could see that it wouldn’t be long before it would diminish to a stick with a dying ember at its tip. The woods - dark even during the height of the day - was impenetrable to my eyes. What kind of fool am I? Entering without a lantern, or a light of any kind, would surely mean I’d be hopelessly lost in a matter of minutes, or worse, get bitten or eaten by the harpy Uppsee said lived on ...
I tightened all my muscles, forcing her to exhale as she screamed. Her ribs were near the breaking point, I only had to apply a little more pressure. I imagined curling the bicep I no longer had to apply even more force. It felt good, so good to crush her, to feel her heart thump hard and wild in her chest, beating against the pressure I applied. A pain in my side caught me off guard. She somehow managed to get one heavy claw up to rake my body, leaving a bloody gash along several ribs. The woman-b...
Rocking back and forth, back and forth, I felt my body give in to the rolling waves beneath me. At first, I didn’t know that’s what they were, those crests and troughs. Perhaps it was the smell of salt or the rush of water as she pressed herself into the wood of the hull that brought me out of my darkness. I tried to sit upright, wishing to get up to see if Toci was ok, to find out where we were, to see to the rest of the women. But I fell out of the cot. I was not whole. Or not wholly ...
“I was wondering when you’d come around again.” The voice was familiar but I wasn’t completely sure who. “Ready for a birra, my friend?” That could only be the Healer. I opened my eyes to see her standing to the side of my cot, hands on hips. She smelled of sage and something bitter. She bent down and rubbed something on my lips. The smell was strong. “That should help with your cracked lips,” she said, nodding approval to h...
I was glad to see my troupe, except Toci, as well as Upsee’s crew as they visited in two’s and three’s. Maybe Aggie had set it up that way so I wouldn’t have time to try to get out of my cot and up the stairs. Plus being patted and asked how I was doing every single time was exhausting. By the end, I didn’t feel like getting up. I needed a nap. I could hear Aggie in my head saying how well that worked out. Kept me in bed, didn’t it? The last to come down was Upps...
It wasn’t long before I could wobble around below deck when the sea was relatively calm. Artio and Ursel carried me up top so I could breathe some fresh air. Toci was in a coma, or something - Aggie wasn’t sure because the girl would swallow liquids but she wouldn’t respond to commands, pinches, or threats. It was like a pseudo-coma brought on by shame, perhaps. Uppsee’s crew had a different sense of it - Toci had been bitten by the Harpy and was under her spell, but the bird-woma...
We drew up to the dock, Uppsee and crew much more skilled than we had been when we left. The smell of things still burning was choking, forcing us to cover our mouths and noses with shirts, bandanas, with whatever cloth was handy. The dock was charred nearly to the water line, but the crew was not afraid to jump down on the blackened wood to tie off this ship. Uppsee barked out orders and her voice echoed against silent buildings and streets filled with ash. There was no one around. “Do you w...
Aurie filled us in on what happened after we left the Order of Joseph and the fire in Akon Niri Bay. Most of it was not good. The one thing that came out of it all was that the Brothers had survived. Aurie had survived. They had a house where the Order lived and they had dug underground tunnels away from the city out into the countryside. They escaped the fire that way, though their home had not made it. “So when the smoke had cleared enough, we went back through the tunnel, pushing through t...
Aurie and I stood on deck watching the flickering lamps of Uppsee’s crew as they continued their hunting long after dark. The Brothers returned to the camp they had made, Aurie stayed with us. “I don’t know if they will release me,” Aurie said, stroking my hair, not looking me in the eye. “But there’s nothing here anymore,” I asserted, “plus you’ve been helping them recover the dead; burying them; giving them sacraments or whatever you do....
The Brothers released Aurie and freedom so uplifted her that she engaged in cheerful banter with the others as if no time had passed, as if nothing had changed. My irritation with her was like a hot ember hidden beneath the grey ash of a burnt log. I wondered how she could have even considered choosing them over me. Given how much else I had to do like preparing us for the journey ahead, I tried to ignore the smoldering coal in my heart. Ursel, having recovered from her Shadow wound, along wi...
The days became heavier the farther we walked. I saw through new eyes the world around us as it changed from something like summer to autumn to late autumn. There was frost on our blankets, coating our eyelashes each morning as we awoke. It was difficult to keep the fire going all night so I awakened cold and my joints stiff. Everyone seemed to be experiencing pain as we trudged on. But we were getting closer. I didn’t need Aggie to tell me. Our rations were holding out perhaps because we did...
With a grunt from Ursel, the earth broke away from the other side where the women were able to dig a little deeper using Isobeau’s sword. Hands touched the great paws of the two bear women, holding them for a moment. Artio and Ursel panted, sweat drenching their hair and darkening their clothing on their backs and under their arms. Artio leaned her head against the wall, looking at the breakthrough hole they had just made. “We must keep going, sister,” Artio said to Ursel, and the...
Cast of Characters Updated March 31, 2019 A Alo Warrior of Shanakdakheto/Shanakheto; women in N'kiri's group Aradia’s Daughters The women of the women-only village who have shape-shifting abilities and can perform constructive magic Arion Isobeau's companion - a horse who can communicate Artio Guardian Daughter of Aradia Aurie (Brother Auriel) One of...
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