The next morning was a lovely one; the sun had risen early and cast its glowing pink hues upon the little town. From a distance, one might have thought that Gato itself was naught but a huge flame, burning brightly over the horizon.
Daena awoke to this view of splendor and felt a little better than she had last night; for now, her soul was calm. She bustled into her small kitchen room, opened the window, and lit ten little candles on the sill. For a moment she stood there, muttering her morning prayers and letting Jinn's wind ruffle the fur on her cheeks.
When she was finished, her sharp yellow eyes scanned the clouds carefully. "Perhaps I will be able to rest, today," she murmured. With that, she blew out the candles, closed the window, and got on with her morning routines. For breakfast, she ate what she usually did (what was left of last night's dinner-in this case, poached iffish-on buttered bread), then stepped into what she used for a bathroom and filled a small, stone tub with cold water.
Instead of climbing in, as usual, Daena simply plunged her paws into this tub and splashed herself all over with icy water. It felt invigorating, and this was what made her feel truly awake. Once she was sopping, she took a dry, quilted towel, and scrubbed all of the water off. Next, she dressed in her usual attire-the uniform of a monk-soldier of the temple-and then, with an ivory comb, tamed her wild feline hair.
As Daena finished studying herself in the mirror, she remembered last night-ah, yes, her quest… to seek the wisdoms, and finally find peace within herself. If she did not, it would be impossible to go on. Without the temple, Daena would have no way of supporting herself, and nothing to occupy herself with. She would simply brood away until she was no more…
And Matilda wouldn't have wanted that for her little sister.
Daena finally left her house, and traveled the back roads through the town (as to avoid meeting anyone; she didn't like the discomfort of happily greeting others when what she felt within herself was anything but happy.) until she reached the fork in the paths. As with every morning, a fleeting voice in her mind urged her to turn towards the terrace and hurl herself off, but Daena shook these thoughts from her mind. Suicide, she knew, would not bring her torment to peace. Better here than the Underworld.
When she reached the temple, a nun in the front prayer room seemed to be awaiting her. "Oh, Miss Daena," she said, hurrying to the soldier's side. "We're so glad you're here. You see, there's been an important visitor by-"
"Who?" Daena asked, immediately narrowing her eyes. A second after, she felt her reaction might have been a bit much, but it was too late now.
"Er…" the nun said, timidly. "Well, as you know, Abbess Matilda had no successor, so we have since been seeking for a replacement…"
"Matilda was the best abbess we've ever had!" Daena moaned. "How can they think of replacing her so soon?"
"The temple requires it, ma'am," the nun told her, now very meek.
Daena sighed. "It is an insult to her memory," she stated. Then, she paused. "Who is to be the new abbess?"
The nun's face brightened a bit. "She's a little girl, about nine years old. Of course, she isn't ready to take on the duties yet, but she has the elemental powers, just as Matilda did."
"What is her name?" Daena struggled to control the bitterness creeping into her voice. This would not do at all, to begin to hate a person she had never even met.
"Faylinn, ma'am. Faylinn Aberforth." The nun paused once again. Daena was still making her incredibly nervous. "She cannot wait to meet you."
Daena inhaled, then exhaled, slowly. I must keep control, she thought, I must keep control. Then Daena opened her mouth to speak. "The truth is," she said, "I cannot meet with her now. I came to tell you that I'll be leaving the temple…" Daena strugged, suddenly. She hadn't completely finished her decision! Was she leaving permanently, or not? Fumbling for words, she tried to recover. "…for awhile." She couldn't quit. The temple, Matilda or no Matilda, meant too much to her.
"Oh?" inquired the nun. "Whatever are you leaving us for?"
A slight breeze blew through the prayer room, and Daena felt comforted. "I must go on a spiritual journey," she explained. "My soul…is troubled. If I am to remain a monk-soldier at this temple, I must seek out the six remaining wisdoms in this world."
The nun nodded. "I will fetch the head nun…" she said uncertainly. "You can tell her this yourself."
Daena suddenly felt uncomfortable. The regular nuns were definitely inferior in rank to her, and she had no problem telling them of what she planned to do. The head nun, however, was second only to the abbess. Since, as of now, there was no abbess, the head nun was in charge.
Daena found her an intimidating woman.
"What is this," she said in her commanding tone, "I hear about you wishing to leave our temple?"
Daena knelt before her.
"Please, ma'am," she said, as calmly as she could. "My soul has been troubled these past three months. I-require a leave of absence. I must take a journey in body as well as spirit if I am to ease the demons inside of me."
The look of the head nun softened considerably. "Yes…" she murmured, surprising Daena. "We all took Matilda's loss hard."
"Yes, ma'am," Daena said, trying to control her sudden wave of emotions. "I miss her dearly. She was like my sister."
"I do not wish to lose you as this temple's monk-soldier," the head nun said. "Daena, I hereby grant you two months away from us. I hope I am correct in assuming this will be enough time for you? We cannot be too long without our soldier, you know."
Daena gulped. Would it be long enough for her? She needed to seek out the six wisdoms… Gaeus, Tote, and Rosiotti would be simple enough; she'd been to the first two before, and knew of Rosiotti's throne in the jungle. However, Pokhiel the poet could be anywhere…he was an avid traveler. Selva was the same way… he only seemed to appear when he wanted to. As for Olbohn, it could take quite awhile to figure out how to get into the Underworld without dying. It had been done before-Escad had done so, as had her old friend-the one who'd defeated Irwin.
Finally, she answered. "I am grateful," she said. "I thank you."
Daena left the temple then, and headed back home. Opening the top drawer of her oaken dresser, she packed about four changes of clothes into her leather knapsack. After that, she walked across the room and gazed at the wall.
A map of the world was tacked there. The map was a family heirloom-some great uncle or other had been a cartographer-and it was the most exquisite Daena had ever seen. It was drawn on soft leather with dark, clear inks of black, blue, and green.
As a child, she had been instructed never to touch it, but she felt it was important now. She could end up traveling far and wide trying to locate these wisdoms, and she was the last of her family…
This map, she thought as she untacked it from the wall, will bring me good fortune. Daena carefully rolled it up and tied it with a red ribbon. She then tucked it into her knapsack along with everything else she had packed. Clothing, food, water, and a map. She wouldn't need anything else for a journey of the spirit, would she?
Daena left her house and hiked down to the base of the grottoes. She turned around only once, watching her hometown glow in the midday sun. Would she ever come back? If she failed on her journey, she did not know what she would do with herself.
Turning away and beginning her trek towards Lake Kilma, Daena decided that, no matter how long it would take, she would see the wisdoms, and free her soul-or she would die trying.
Daena awoke to this view of splendor and felt a little better than she had last night; for now, her soul was calm. She bustled into her small kitchen room, opened the window, and lit ten little candles on the sill. For a moment she stood there, muttering her morning prayers and letting Jinn's wind ruffle the fur on her cheeks.
When she was finished, her sharp yellow eyes scanned the clouds carefully. "Perhaps I will be able to rest, today," she murmured. With that, she blew out the candles, closed the window, and got on with her morning routines. For breakfast, she ate what she usually did (what was left of last night's dinner-in this case, poached iffish-on buttered bread), then stepped into what she used for a bathroom and filled a small, stone tub with cold water.
Instead of climbing in, as usual, Daena simply plunged her paws into this tub and splashed herself all over with icy water. It felt invigorating, and this was what made her feel truly awake. Once she was sopping, she took a dry, quilted towel, and scrubbed all of the water off. Next, she dressed in her usual attire-the uniform of a monk-soldier of the temple-and then, with an ivory comb, tamed her wild feline hair.
As Daena finished studying herself in the mirror, she remembered last night-ah, yes, her quest… to seek the wisdoms, and finally find peace within herself. If she did not, it would be impossible to go on. Without the temple, Daena would have no way of supporting herself, and nothing to occupy herself with. She would simply brood away until she was no more…
And Matilda wouldn't have wanted that for her little sister.
Daena finally left her house, and traveled the back roads through the town (as to avoid meeting anyone; she didn't like the discomfort of happily greeting others when what she felt within herself was anything but happy.) until she reached the fork in the paths. As with every morning, a fleeting voice in her mind urged her to turn towards the terrace and hurl herself off, but Daena shook these thoughts from her mind. Suicide, she knew, would not bring her torment to peace. Better here than the Underworld.
When she reached the temple, a nun in the front prayer room seemed to be awaiting her. "Oh, Miss Daena," she said, hurrying to the soldier's side. "We're so glad you're here. You see, there's been an important visitor by-"
"Who?" Daena asked, immediately narrowing her eyes. A second after, she felt her reaction might have been a bit much, but it was too late now.
"Er…" the nun said, timidly. "Well, as you know, Abbess Matilda had no successor, so we have since been seeking for a replacement…"
"Matilda was the best abbess we've ever had!" Daena moaned. "How can they think of replacing her so soon?"
"The temple requires it, ma'am," the nun told her, now very meek.
Daena sighed. "It is an insult to her memory," she stated. Then, she paused. "Who is to be the new abbess?"
The nun's face brightened a bit. "She's a little girl, about nine years old. Of course, she isn't ready to take on the duties yet, but she has the elemental powers, just as Matilda did."
"What is her name?" Daena struggled to control the bitterness creeping into her voice. This would not do at all, to begin to hate a person she had never even met.
"Faylinn, ma'am. Faylinn Aberforth." The nun paused once again. Daena was still making her incredibly nervous. "She cannot wait to meet you."
Daena inhaled, then exhaled, slowly. I must keep control, she thought, I must keep control. Then Daena opened her mouth to speak. "The truth is," she said, "I cannot meet with her now. I came to tell you that I'll be leaving the temple…" Daena strugged, suddenly. She hadn't completely finished her decision! Was she leaving permanently, or not? Fumbling for words, she tried to recover. "…for awhile." She couldn't quit. The temple, Matilda or no Matilda, meant too much to her.
"Oh?" inquired the nun. "Whatever are you leaving us for?"
A slight breeze blew through the prayer room, and Daena felt comforted. "I must go on a spiritual journey," she explained. "My soul…is troubled. If I am to remain a monk-soldier at this temple, I must seek out the six remaining wisdoms in this world."
The nun nodded. "I will fetch the head nun…" she said uncertainly. "You can tell her this yourself."
Daena suddenly felt uncomfortable. The regular nuns were definitely inferior in rank to her, and she had no problem telling them of what she planned to do. The head nun, however, was second only to the abbess. Since, as of now, there was no abbess, the head nun was in charge.
Daena found her an intimidating woman.
"What is this," she said in her commanding tone, "I hear about you wishing to leave our temple?"
Daena knelt before her.
"Please, ma'am," she said, as calmly as she could. "My soul has been troubled these past three months. I-require a leave of absence. I must take a journey in body as well as spirit if I am to ease the demons inside of me."
The look of the head nun softened considerably. "Yes…" she murmured, surprising Daena. "We all took Matilda's loss hard."
"Yes, ma'am," Daena said, trying to control her sudden wave of emotions. "I miss her dearly. She was like my sister."
"I do not wish to lose you as this temple's monk-soldier," the head nun said. "Daena, I hereby grant you two months away from us. I hope I am correct in assuming this will be enough time for you? We cannot be too long without our soldier, you know."
Daena gulped. Would it be long enough for her? She needed to seek out the six wisdoms… Gaeus, Tote, and Rosiotti would be simple enough; she'd been to the first two before, and knew of Rosiotti's throne in the jungle. However, Pokhiel the poet could be anywhere…he was an avid traveler. Selva was the same way… he only seemed to appear when he wanted to. As for Olbohn, it could take quite awhile to figure out how to get into the Underworld without dying. It had been done before-Escad had done so, as had her old friend-the one who'd defeated Irwin.
Finally, she answered. "I am grateful," she said. "I thank you."
Daena left the temple then, and headed back home. Opening the top drawer of her oaken dresser, she packed about four changes of clothes into her leather knapsack. After that, she walked across the room and gazed at the wall.
A map of the world was tacked there. The map was a family heirloom-some great uncle or other had been a cartographer-and it was the most exquisite Daena had ever seen. It was drawn on soft leather with dark, clear inks of black, blue, and green.
As a child, she had been instructed never to touch it, but she felt it was important now. She could end up traveling far and wide trying to locate these wisdoms, and she was the last of her family…
This map, she thought as she untacked it from the wall, will bring me good fortune. Daena carefully rolled it up and tied it with a red ribbon. She then tucked it into her knapsack along with everything else she had packed. Clothing, food, water, and a map. She wouldn't need anything else for a journey of the spirit, would she?
Daena left her house and hiked down to the base of the grottoes. She turned around only once, watching her hometown glow in the midday sun. Would she ever come back? If she failed on her journey, she did not know what she would do with herself.
Turning away and beginning her trek towards Lake Kilma, Daena decided that, no matter how long it would take, she would see the wisdoms, and free her soul-or she would die trying.