Thonolan watched as the woman shuffled off quickly before him. Curiosity mingled with agitation as he sighed and started off after her. Oba led him beyond the reach of the camp and over a crest of the hill. Coming to a sudden halt before a lone figure, she waited in anticipation to present him to the woman.
He furrowed his brow when he saw who waited for him. Schooling his features, he held his palms up and gave a wry half-smile. "I greet you, and am pleased to see you again."
Standing up, she held palms up, only her eyes communicated a silent message. Her greeting was cordial but restrained. "Thonolan, I greet you."
Oba looked up in confusion between the two. "You have met before?" Her brow furrowed as if remembering aspects of a story. Comprehension dawned bright in her eyes, "yes, at the cave, I remember now."
Thonolan saw Malia's head nod slightly at the shorter woman. "Why does she hold you in such esteem? When she came to me, I thought I was going to be introduced to the Mother herself."
A smile flickered in her eyes. "I suppose to some I may be seen as a powerful woman. Did you not know that the line of my family is a sacred one? We are healers and seers, callers and seekers, each endowed with special gifts from the Mother." Her eyes shrouded as if she no longer saw him, "and she exacts from each of us a high price for those gifts." Shaking away the cobwebs of memory she fixed her sight on the downcast form of Oba. "Our line and the one Iza was born to, were mingled once. Separated now by many generations, my line and the line Ayla was born into grows stronger while Iza's grows weaker."
Thonolan peered in amazement at Malia. Goosebumps rose on his veeja flesh, but the truth was felt in the quietness of his spirit. Somehow he had known that these women were powerful but refused to let himself see the power of their destinies. He felt a strange urge to prostrate himself at this woman's feet, to avert his gaze from the strength of her look. The vision changed and she was once again Malia, Ayla's Mother and fellow veejia, trapped between worlds.
Malia raised an eyebrow and extended her hand to him. "Yet for all of our destiny, we are, or, are mostly flesh and blood. Iza may well be the last of a truly powerful medicine woman in her line." She shrugged her thin shoulders as she continued. "But I thought that about Uba too, the one that Ayla's sister was named for. One thing is for certain. Each generation meets out a less powerful person. It's as if the Mother was re-directing the gifts to my line." She started to say something else, but stopped as she looked at Thonolan. Standing in front of Uba, she waited for the clan woman to look up. "You know, don't you?" Malia whispered
Uba's eyes flew wide in terror. Taking a step back she composed herself. Her eyes flicked to Thonolan in distress, then she returned her gaze warily to Malia.
"Yes, I think you do. That's why you brought him to me right away." The women exchanged looks, as if conversing by mere facial gestures. "But he cannot know yet."
The smaller woman's shoulders slumped slightly, then squared themselves again. "This woman is grateful to know the hidden knowledge as one so great. But this woman would like to know why that man should not know."
Malia glanced up at Thonolan, gauging his reaction. "He is not ready. The knowledge could very well mar his destiny. And besides, he's a man," she shrugged
Totally bewildered, the man in question looked in frustration between the two women. Catching the gleam in Oba's eyes, he was almost sure it was amusement. "Can't anyone tell me anything?" He asked in agitation.
Oba turned to him and lifted her eyes, fighting back her natural submissiveness. "Yes. This woman is pleased that you are a man." Lowering her head quickly, she ducked aside as Malia burst into violent guffaws of laughter.
He rolled his eyes at them and waited for Malia to sober. "I suppose if there is no secret to impart to me, perhaps you'd like to see Ayla again?"
She nodded eagerly brushing back tears and grinned at him. Squeezing his arm she raised her brows as if impressed by his biceps. "Yes, definitely a man." She let out a whoop and laughed.
Sorry this one is a little shorter, next one is longer, I promise. CassRae - so glad you've found ecfans. They do have excellent fics there. Check out the non-ec writing forum for some other fics that are just as wonderful.