Chronicles of Espiria Season 2
Episode 11 – A Mission from the Ancestors
Written by the Dude
Satrana sat on the edge of her bed tinkering with one of her fire seeds as she thought about the events of the day. Numisu had come to the Temple of the Seers to help assist in the official temple rites for the appointment of a new Grand Shaman. His presence brought up old wounds that had not healed after the death of the previous Grand Shaman; she could not even look at him without remembering her friend Kumaza. She spent most of the day avoiding Numisu as much as she could, and now she toyed with her fire seeds just to keep her mind occupied enough to avoid breaking under the weight of her emotions.
At length, she set her fire seeds aside and looked out her window. At this, her mood jumped, for she could see Antandra standing at the edge of the temple grounds. Antandra did not come to the temple as often as she would like, but she would always stand in the same place at sunset so that Satrana would know to look for her. Satrana grabbed a slab of meat she had saved from her own dinner and tossed it in a bag, then climbed out the window and down the side of the temple, careful to maintain her catlike silence so as not to wake the shamans. Once on the ground, she sprinted to the edge of the temple grounds where Antandra waited, pausing only to pluck a few fruits from the trees and bag them as well.
"Mother!" Satrana shouted as she jumped into Antandra's arms.
Antandra just giggled when Satrana called her "mother." She was too young to be Satrana's biological mother, but she was just as proud of the teenager as any mother could be. As Antandra feasted on the food that Satrana brought, she listened intently as Satrana caught her up on the goings on in the temple.
"Numisu, you say?" Antandra was surprised to hear his name. "I've met a few of his compatriots, but never him."
"He seems alright. Honestly, I don't talk to him all that much. It hurts just to look at him."
"He reminds you of Kumaza, doesn't he?"
Satrana just nodded.
"I understand. The pain of his loss will never vanish, but it will fade enough to allow other friendships to flourish, if you allow it. And Numisu may prove to be a fine friend to you, if he's the sort of man I've been told he is; as one of the Dragonslayers, he can..."
"Dragonslayers?" Satrana asked, confused.
"Ah, I see he failed to mention that honor. Interesting; one of his compatriots never shuts up about it."
An aged chuckle alerted Antandra and Satrana to the presence of Numisu hobbling up behind Satrana.
"That sounds like Vurk; he is quite proud of all his accomplishments, not just the title of Dragonslayer. As for me, I am more than content to have access to the dragon's parts for my potions and rituals."
Numisu slowly settled down on a nearby rock, his old joints creaking as he did so.
"Do not be alarmed, children," he said as he took his seat, "I am not here to judge you. The decision to keep your banishment in place was not unanimous, Antandra; there were those among the Shamans who wanted to reinstate you as a Temple Warrior, including Bokiv. They only conceded on the condition that you and Satrana be allowed to meet like this."
"I had hoped to be reinstated," Antandra responded, "but I accept this kindness that they offer me."
"You should have been reinstated." Numisu said with a spark of disappointment. "Your dedication to your vows and your service during the plague were dismissed too lightly. But I have come to believe there was a higher purpose to your banishment. The vacancy left by you and your commander allowed this young lady a place in the temple when her talents would otherwise have been lost to us. And because you are not tethered to the temple, you have been able to serve the temple and its goals in ways that the other Warriors could never dream of. Whatever the others say, you did the right thing, and I view you as more a Temple Warrior than most of those who reside here."
Antandra was uncertain how to react; though she appreciated Numisu's praise, she had never known the shamans to contradict each other like this. Satrana was less confused as she hugged Antandra.
"Indeed, your skills as a Temple Warrior are why I am here tonight. In my meditations this evening, I received a warning from the ancestors of a threat on the Village of Pilgrims."
Antandra and Satrana gasped. The Village of Pilgrims was a small village a short walk from the Temple of the Seers, where pilgrims to the temple could rest, refresh, and prepare themselves to enter the temple complex. Though not considered as sacred as the temple itself, it was still considered as much a safe zone as the temple, and the thought of attacking it was considered almost as sacrilegious.
"Who could do such a thing?" Antandra asked aghast.
"That is what I want you to discover, my child. Go to the village, find the perpetrators, and bring the justice of the Temple Warriors on their heads."
Antandra took her spear from its sheath on her back and turned to leave, saying, "It shall be done."
"Can I go too?" Satrana asked Numisu. "I don't get to spend as much time with Antandra as I want."
"Satrana, this could be dangerous." Antandra warned.
"Antandra is right, child." Numisu continued. "If the other shamans were to find out that you had left the temple, they would likely be very angry."
Antandra was referring to the danger in the village, but Numisu was not wrong; the temple shamans would not look kindly on Satrana leaving the temple, even for the sake of the Village of Pilgrims.
"Which is why you must be back before dawn so that the shamans will not notice your absence. Also, do not let yourself be seen; any witnesses could give you away to the shamans."
Satrana brightened at these warnings; conditional Numisu's permission was, but it was permission nonetheless. Antandra was still concerned, but she consented to Numisu's will.
"Very well," she said, "but you will do exactly as I say. We could be dealing with very dangerous Maulers."
"We fought a Hypogean together." Satrana countered with more arrogance than she meant. "I think we can handle a few thugs."
"Satrana!"
"Alright, I'll listen!"
Antandra glared at Satrana a moment longer before turning and heading out into the desert, Satrana skipping behind her.
"The ancestors go with you, children." Numisu said as he watched them go. "Make them proud."
As the night deepened, Antandra and Satrana found themselves laying on a sand dune overlooking the village, keeping themselves out of sight. Unfortunately, they were too late to prevent the attack; several buildings were on fire, the bodies of their warriors scattered in the streets.
"We're too late." Satrana said, a tear trying to form at her eye.
"Not quite. These monsters like to take captives. We may yet be able to liberate them."
"You know who they are?"
"The Quicksand Claws." Antandra snarled. "A gang of honorless pirates based in the Land of the Exiles. I have seen them raze villages to the ground and sell the survivors of their raids as slaves. I've just never seen them make a move that could anger the ancestors as much as this."
"Then it's a good thing we're here." Satrana said as she stood up and brushed the sand off her clothes and fur. "Let's go."
"One moment." Antandra said as she raised her hand to halt Satrana's progress. "There are too many of them. If we charge straight in, we could get ourselves killed. Give me a moment to formulate a plan."
Many of the Quicksand Claws were, by this time, slobbering drunk, having celebrated their victory by raiding the stores of ceremonial wine. Those who weren't were given the duty of guarding the prisoners. Most of the survivors were bound and placed in the meeting hall; the exceptions were the two children of the chieftain, who were placed under special guard in the chieftain's hut.
Thus it was that the small group of guards left with the raiders' tents felt secure enough that they had no qualms about indulging in some of the wine themselves. It was in the middle of a song of victory, nearing midnight, that one among their number noticed something amiss.
"Guys, two of the tents are on fire!"
The guards sobered up quickly and started looking for a source of water with which to fight the fire. Soon, a number of raiders were carrying buckets of water from the nearby lake. Their efforts to drown the fire, however, were in vain; the flames obeyed the whims of Satrana, who danced on a nearby sand dune, directing the flames where they could burn the brightest. As the raiders doused the fire in one place, Satrana would guide the flames to other tents and even wagons. This game of flaming cat and mouse lasted until she failed to hold in a delighted laugh, alerting the raiders to her presence.
"Up in the dunes! She started the fires! Get her!"
Realizing the jig was up, Satrana bounded down the dunes and led the raiders on a chase as far from the village as she thought she could get away with. This was not what Antandra had in mind when she asked for a distraction, but she could use it. She would just have to be more cautious; the remaining bandits would be on the alert.
She first made her way to the chieftain's hut. Inside, she could see the chieftain's son, who had freed himself from his bonds and was struggling to free his sister from hers. Antandra admired the boy's Bloody Will; even in the face of certain slavery, he had not yet given up. But that would not avail him if the guards caught him again; two charged into the hut, one armed with a knife carved from animal bone, the other with a bullwhip. Antandra made her move. She dashed from her hiding place and silently ran the whip wielding guard through with her spear. The other she dispatched with a swipe of her claws across his neck before returning her attention to the children. The boy was using his own body as a shield to protect the girl; a brave gesture, but one that Antandra knew would not have been effective.
"Andrey!" the girl shouted.
The boy looked up in time to see Antandra toss him the guard's knife.
"If you don't want your sister harmed, get up and fight!"
Andrey stared at Antandra for a moment as she turned to leave, then gripped the knife and followed her outside. By this time, the other bandits had been alerted to Antandra's presence and had sobered up. They converged on the two, ready to end them for their brazen attack. They did not realize that they were attacking a Temple Warrior. Antandra, with Andrey following close behind, carved a path through their attackers, their progress punctuated by the flaming corpse of a bandit who got too close to Satrana. Antandra paused once to look back at Andrey. He had pounced on one of the bandits and plunged his knife into the leopard's chest; Antandra could see the boy's pent-up rage and frustration at this sacrilegious attack drain out as the life drained from the bandit.
Before much longer, the raiders who yet lived were fleeing into the desert, leaving behind their spoils and supplies. Satrana soon returned to Antandra's side, hopeful that they had saved something of the village. With a smile, she snapped her fingers, and the fires that had ravaged the city and the bandits' tents died out.
"Did we do alright?" Satrana asked.
"We did well enough." Antandra answered flatly.
Satrana noticed Andrey and his sister standing a short distance away, looking at the two Temple Warriors with gratitude.
"Antandra, I was her age when you saved me."
Antandra was silent as she pondered this observation.
"We should go. Our work here is done."
Antandra turned to head back to the temple, Satrana skipping close behind.